On Repeat

Mighty Warrior by Elevation Worship. Absolutely loving this song these days.

You call us out from the depths

Into Your freedom

Our chains are gone

No weapon formed shall prevail

Your word is stronger

We overcome

Your glory resounds through the age

All saints declaring

Your great renown

Your kingdom forever will stand

We won't be shaken

We will not fear

Our God, a mighty warrior

You're a consuming fire

In victory You reign

We triumph in Your name

Jesus, the great commander

You conquered death forever

In victory You reign

We triumph in Your name

And we declare Your name is power

Exalted One, no name is higher

You stand alone, our strong defender

Above You there's no other

A Few Things I'm Learning Lately + An Announcement!

Life. It has a way of teaching you things you never expected. At least that's been the case for me these past six months. I have been stretched in ways I never thought possible. Maybe someday I'll be able to put it into words so I can share with you. For now, I'm still working through a lot of it. God is doing a great work on my heart and in my life. It's an exciting time to be alive!!

But there are some things that I can share with you. For one, I am absolutely loving the song Oceans by Hillsong UNITED. Melissa shared this song with me a couple of days ago and it has been on replay since then. "Spirit, take me where my trust is without borders. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander. And my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior." Amen. I've said it before, but I'm so grateful for her friendship. We are going through very similar situations: living abroad, alone, in a season of unknowns. This song perfectly describes our hope for this time.

I mentioned yesterday that I am doing a study on Deuteronomy with my small group leader (Side note: she will always be my leader...even if we aren't technically in a real small group anymore...she can't get rid of me). I never realized the importance and the relevance of this book! What I once thought was just a book of laws, is actually a book about the freedom God has given us. I really recommend Beth Moore's study Law of Love if you want to learn more. It's just full of goodness. The main point of the study is "He brought us out to bring us in." God has taken us from our bondage to bring us into our Promised Land. This quote was from the session I did yesterday:

"Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart. Audacious longings, burning songs, daring thoughts, an impulse overwhelming the heart, usurping the mind - these are all a drive towards serving Him who rings our hearts like a bell." Abraham Joshua Herschel

On a rather different note, I've discovered how much I am used to being alone. I noticed this when my mom came to visit. I absolutely loved having her here. But that was the most human contact I've had consistently since Rachel left me in June. It was strange! I know my time in America is going to be full of social activities so I hope I can adjust quickly!

Which brings me to my announcement: I am officially coming back to Europe after Christmas! This has been a possibility since June but I didn't know for sure what I wanted to do. Well, I've made up my mind. It was just too good of an offer to pass up. So I will be coming back at the end of January to the same family. I will continue to teach this little girl English in the hopes that she can pass an English exam in April. It's a lot of pressure, but I'm just praying she will pass with flying colors!

Cruise

Have y'all heard of the band Florida Georgia Line?

You should check them out.

Specifically their song Cruise. The chorus is really catchy.

Oh look! I put it on here for you!

You're welcome.

Tyler, the one with long hair, actually grew up going to my church and I used to babysit his sister.

Crazy to think that a kid who used to lead worship for youth is now a recorded country singer. Way to go, Tyler!

New Favorite

New favorite song, thanks to Nicole at La Mia Vita:

The Weepies-I Was Made For Sunny Days

The irony is that it's down pouring here in Athens.

Oh well. I'm still enjoying the heck out of this song.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

One Direction Infection

We all know I had it before this concert. But I just love them even more after seeing them live.

The concert was so much fun! I had a blast acting like a preteen with my cousin.

On the way!

Let me give you a picture of the audience. There were thousands of middle and high school girls, their moms (and a few dads), and then a few college-aged kids. I was definitely in the minority. So I was surrounded by tons of little girls who were screaming their heads off.

Y'all my ears were still ringing the next night. It was soooo loud. I can't even describe it. When the boys came out, they said that we were the loudest concert they've played. Every performer says that at each show so I didn't really take them seriously. But as the night went on, I totally believed them. I have never heard so much screaming. Every time a new boy would start singing, the girls would start screaming all over again. I've been around music/performing my whole life so I know all the signs performers give to the sound guys. The boys were telling them to turn up their in-ears because they couldn't hear themselves. Suffice it to say, it was loud.

Allie and I had such a great time. The boys were great live and were just as great personality-wise as they are in their interviews.

The opening acts were great, too! Well, I was not a fan of Manika. She dressed like Nicki Minaj but sounded like Hannah Montana. Olly Murs, on the other hand, was incredible! It would have been worth it to just see him. He had such a great stage presence; he was born to be a performer. He was on The X Factor in 2009. He has a jazzy pop sound and I just loved him. "Heart Skips a Beat" is his latest single out in the US. Check him out!

One of the things I realized on this adventure is that I really want a nice camera. My digital one just doesn't cut it sometimes. Can you say graduation present??? Mom?? Dad??

I digress. I would definitely go to another one of their concerts. Great night all around!

Let's take a short break from Italy posts, shall we?

So you might have heard of a boy named Justin Bieber. You might also know that he just released his new album and is on tour. And just in case you're a big fan, you will also know that he has new dancers for his tour.

Well guess what. I happen to know one of those dancers! She was in my orchestra class in high school and grew up in my grandfather's church.

(she's the first dancer on stage)

Kind of crazy to think that someone from little ol' Grayson would end up dancing with Justin Bieber! Congrats Ely! You look great!

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Speaking of boy singers/bands...I'm going to the One Direction concert tomorrow!!!

Woohoo! Confetti! Party in the USA with Brits!

Seriously I'm so excited. My 13-year-old self may just come out.

Can't wait to let y'all know how it goes!

Random Thought

I had a strange thought today. I just realized I am going to be listening to the same music as the little kiddos I am going to teach. And by that, I mainly mean people like Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, and the Jonas Brothers. Why does Disney have to produce some of my faves? They aren't making things easy for me. 

{And don't even get me started on my favorite movies.}

While I am not planning on changing my musical tastes, I am planning on keeping it a secret from my future students. They don't need to know I can relate to them this well.

Any other "Disney" lovers out there? Anybody?

***Disclaimer: Those listed above are only a small part of my musical collection. I've been told I have a fantastic musical library full of very diverse songs.*** 

I recently became a fan of Ben Rector. And by recently, I mean three days ago. I am such a fan that it is all I have been listening to for the past three days.

I kid you not.

His newest CD {Something Like This} just came out last week and I am in love!

If you haven't heard him before, you really need to check him out. His music is similar to Dave Barnes and Andrew Ripp (both of which are awesome).

They even toured together for a while.

In summary:

-Check out Ben

-Buy his music (all of it)

-Enjoy life.

PS: My brother was listening to this in the library yesterday with his headphones. A girl tapped him on the shoulder and said "What are you listening to? You look so happy right now."

Bam. His music makes people happy.