Music Mondays

Today was an incredibly cloudy, rainy, and hazy day. I love a good rainy day, but this one made me exceptionally sleepy. Sadly, the rain brought with it much cooler temps. Guess winter hasn't given up just yet. In honor of the weather, I thought I'd share my rainy day playlist with you all. Rainy days put me in a mellow mood. I hope you enjoy!


The title says it all.




Love, love, love this one.




Sort of "rediscovered" this one, and have been listening to it ever since.



Another classic.



Swim for your life.




Kingdom Hearts. No shame.



Lastly, I'm a sucker for soundtracks. Maybe next week I'll do a soundtrack theme!

Rainy Days and Coffee Shops

     Something about rainy days make me want to go spend the afternoon in a coffee shop. I went to a coffee shop I had never been to before today. It was the cutest thing ever. It was a little shop, with little tables and painted chairs. My best friend and I stood at the counter as we watched the sweetest older gentlemen whip up some lovely lattes for us. He even did coffee art! An art that I would most like to learn. Maybe he would teach me.....My friend and I then sat at one of the little tables and enjoyed our hot coffee that was served in big black mugs. Mmmmm, so tasty! It was nice to relax, drink coffee, and catch up. Definitely a perfect rainy day activity. 

Speaking of coffee shops....

Shadows and Light

Rainy days were meant for naps, watching old movies, sipping on coffee, or curling up with a good book. Or they can be spent playing piano, writing, sketching, or playing video games all afternoon. Kingdom Hearts and Legend of Zelda are two of my favorites that I still play today. Is that weird? I just love the music, and the plots so much. Especially the music! Not gonna lie, even some of the quotes give me chills. The intro for Kingdom Hearts? Powerful thoughts. One of my favorite quotes though would be, "The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes." Yup, I just got chills. The words are just so powerful, and I've been thinking about what it means. It says in the Bible that men love darkness rather than light, because the light reveals what they are really like. You can't hide in the light. The closer you get to the light, the more of the shadows you see, but also, the more shadow you leave behind. The shadow could be the past you're leaving behind, or maybe it's the legacy you're leaving behind. In the light, that shadow is behind you, regardless of how big it is. In the light, my true nature is revealed, and my soul is laid bare before the Maker of Heaven and Earth. I myself can see the ugliness, the selfishness, and the secrets I've hidden inside. I'm so ashamed I want to cry. Again I wonder, how could God love someone like me? Jesus is the light of the world, the light that shines in the darkness, I cannot hide anything from Him.

It's scary, but at the same time it's so refreshing. To know I don't have to hide, to know I don't have to pretend. I'm without excuse when I stand before Him. Yet He LOVES me. Because I have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, God sees me differently. When He looks at me, He sees someone who has been cleansed and made new. Because of the work of the cross, God no longer sees my sin-stained heart, but He sees what His Son has done. Even if you were the only person on this earth, God still would have sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for YOU. You are precious in His sight. He loved me even when I was still a sinner. He loved me when I was His enemy. He loves me when I fall, when I fail, when I run, when I hide. What I do could never make Him love me less. Because of His love, I long to serve Him, and to let others know about the love that changed my life. He is the one who compels me to live. He is my strength when I am weak. His love is like no other! I can honestly say the best decision of my life was believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Without Him I would have no hope. Without Him I would be nothing.

P.S.

Sunday Afternoons

Ahhhhh such a wonderful day. My grandpa is in town for the week! So today after church we all went out to lunch together at Red Lobster. It was my first time eating there. I'm not a huge fan of shrimp, which makes me the odd one out in my family but oh well. I did enjoy a delicious maple-glazed salmon with a side of fresh broccoli, and a small salad with raspberry vinaigrette. Mmmmmm tasty. Today was cloudy and bit chilly, so I threw on jeans and my favorite sweatshirt, made myself a cup of hot cocoa, grabbed a handful of candy corn, and curled up on my bed to finish writing a paper for class. To top it all off, my homework "soundtrack" was my Parachute station on Pandora. Definitely a favorite. And, to make a great day even better, my mom whipped up a batch of homemade chex mix with my little sister and I. Yum! So while finishing up my paper, I came across some fun things on the web that I would absolutely love to have ^_^

These sweats would be AMAZING for my morning classes

Cute, comfy, and cheap: I want the grey one

Fall in a cup

If ever I become rich, this is the kind of room I want

At first glance I wasn't sure, but it's decided. I would love to have a dress like that