Cool things lately

Sole amazing shoe find: Black heels from Target - Who says you can't be a little sassy at work? (At least with your shoes!) These black pumps by Isaac Mizrahi prove that chic doesn't have to be expensive--and hot (these are higher than they look--and shiny black patent) doesn't have to be trashy.

Billionaire with a brain & heart: Warren Buffett - Okay, so he's not my normal type :) , but I think Warren Buffett is a cool guy for several reasons--he gives big (largest donation to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), he's smart, he's savvy when it comes to investments, and he's confident. At a time when many people are afraid about money, Buffett exemplified confidence by injecting over $5 billion into Goldman Sachs. This one simple act showed people that one of the world's smartest investors believes in a good company with strong fundamentals--he has faith that our economy will get better and that other investors will start to get rational about their investments instead of being driven by fear.

Starbucks drink: Salted caramel hot chocolate - Careful kids, this drink could be lethal. I know it sounds a little weird--but it's amazingly good. Just reserve it for special occasions--or pretend you don't care about nutrition facts.

Hanging with friends: Season of showers - In the past month or so, I've gone to some type of shower (baby, bridal, engagement) almost every week. It's been exciting to catch up with old friends, make new ones and celebrate some exciting occasions.

Crazy video clip: Opera singing by Wisit from "Top Design" - I don't really know how to explain this...except to say that it makes me laugh every time I watch its hypnotic weirdness.

Books: The Post-Secret series - Recently, I read through several Post-Secret books compiled by Frank Warren. Basically, he asked random people to submit their secrets--some of them are funny, some are really serious and some just make you think. But if you're like me and generally curious about people, it's worth checking out.

Music: Love Jackson Waters lately. Also check out new Brit import Adele--I like the song "Chasing Pavements."

Something I hope never to see at Champions Centre: "Renewed mind is the key" dance There are no words. :)

30 days of worship music

Recently, our pastor challenged our youth and young adults to listen to nothing but praise and worship music for the next 30 days.

There are so many good reasons why it's a great idea--worship makes God bigger in our lives (than problems or gas prices!), helps us stay focused on living right, keeps our minds centered on the positive (and not criticism), etc.

But from a practical standpoint, I heard some people comment, "What am I going to listen to for the next 30 days?" or "That's going to be a lot of Hillsong!"

So...I decided to break out my CD collection and look for praise and worship music. I thought I'd use this post as a forum to let you in on some of the worship bands and CDs I like...and if you think of others, let me know:

Hillsong and Hillsong United: I'm probably more of a Hills United girl myself--and have been listening to the "I (Heart) Revolution" and "All of the Above" CDs lately.

Starfield: Starfield is a worship band out of Vancouver, BC (discovered them back in my days at Trinity Western!). "Beauty in the Broken" is an awesome worship CD--love the songs "The Hand that Holds the World" and "Unashamed". I don't have their latest CD "I Will Go" yet (I'm going to buy it on iTunes tonight!), but have been listening to some of the singles on their MySpace page. It's great!

Sonicflood - "Sonicflood" - I broke out this "oldie" worship CD (circa 1999!) in the car this morning. It's still a great CD to me with songs like "Heart of Worship" and "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever."

Delirious? "The Cutting Edge" - Delirious' album, "The Cutting Edge" is also an older CD (1997), but I think it really sparked a lot of the modern worship revolution we've seen in the Church worldwide. It's a 2-CD set packed with some of my all-time favorites like "Lord, You Have My Heart" and "Oh, Lead Me." Simple. Beautiful.




Champions Centre - "Nothing Compares": Our own worship CD includes some great tracks with the heartbeat of our House.





Others worth noting? (Though not completely my style):

• Lincoln Brewster "Amazed"
  
• Third Day "Offerings" and "Offerings II"


• Lakewood Church


• Reuben Morgan


• Planetshakers


• Darrell Evans


• Chris Tomlin


• Vineyard (e.g. the "Breathe" song on the "Hungry" CD is one of my faves)


• Matt Redman

Others? I'm sure there are a ton more. I'm sure the next 30 days of worship will be amazing...but I'm more excited to live a life of worship (beyond just music) forever.

Cool things of the week

I realized that it’s been awhile since my last “Cool things of the week” post, so I thought it would be fun to share with you some of the cool things I’ve found recently (though not all in a week!).

So here we go...

* Sigg water bottles – Cute and environmentally friendly ways to transport water? Definitely a must! Though my forever thrifty mother shudders at the cost (approx. $20)—it’s way cheaper than buying Dasani all the time. You can also save on shipping by buying them at the UW Tacoma bookstore or REI.

* The Truth Project – If I was a movie critic (and the Truth Project was just a movie), my quote on the cover would say, “Mind-blowingly cool. Interesting and inspiring. Life … and world changing.” (I might just trademark that.) :) If you want to experience it for yourself (and if you live in the Tacoma area), check out Anthem @ Champions Centre this Wednesday, June 4 @ 8:00 PM.

* Masa in North Tacoma – I heart Mexican food. I heart amazing friends. Put them together? And you get one fun night out. We went on a warm day and so the dining room became “open air”—it seriously felt like I was away on vacation. And check out the carne asada tacos and black bean dip. Mmm…

* Movie – I rediscovered my love for the movie “Newsies.” Yes, it’s a Disney musical—but it’s pure corny-cool. (And the first time I saw it I think I fell in love with Christian Bale—of course I was about 12 at the time…sigh).

* “The Office” moment – I loved a recent episode where Michael was discussing the importance of hiring an intern to bring fresh, innovative ideas to the office. His rationale? “We need to youth-anize this place.” LOL.

* Out-of-town guests – Visits from Sally (my awesome “pick up right where you left off” friend from Canada) and my little sis, Holly. I love being with people who just “get” you, you know?

* Sole amazing shoe find - Can you believe it happened at Burlington Coat Factory (who knew?). $19.99 for a pair of every-girl-needs-them red, shiny heels (sort of like this). Hot!

* Music that rocks – Artists I’ve recently “discovered”? Jackson Waters (check out “Ready to Find Love” and “Center of Attention”), Caleb Rowden (“The Journey”) and Frou Frou (yes, a little bit techno, but inexplicably musically cool to me – check out “Let Go”).

* Miracle moments – Being able to move my arm again—sling-bling free! In all seriousness, it’s awesome to be able to move my arm pretty much as normal (still no crazy heavy lifting). And yes, I am back to mowing the lawn!

* Chic sweet charity – I haven’t bought one yet, but there’s a Web site called Wear Your Music that sells guy and girl friendly bracelets made of guitar strings. All to benefit a good cause (MusicCares)…and be a cool trendsetter at the same time. The “Fashion Bracelets” link takes you to a link where you kind find different colors and styles as cheap as $9.99.

The “Artists Bracelets” link takes you to a section where you can buy a bracelet made from say, the guitar strings of John Mayer or Jack Johnson (definitely more expensive than $9.99 – but more money for charity, too!).

Cool Things of the Week - Sept. 9 - 16

CD: "Coco" by Colbie Caillat - This CD is fun. The song "Bubbly" probably characterizes Caillat's signature sound--it's happy, beautiful, falling-in-love kind of music. Caillat has a clear voice similar in sound to Natasha Beddingfield--but her music is light and guitar-driven. Very cool.

Sugar Splurge: A Frosty Float at Wendy's - if you're like me, you probably don't have rootbeer floats very often. But they're good...very good.

New-to-me place: Kent Station. Okay, it probably helped that I went to Kent Station on a gorgeous sunny day in the Northwest. But it reminded me of Downtown Disney (for anyone who has ever been there). Outdoor shopping (complete with outdoor fireplaces!), music, a good restaurant (I only tried one--Pizzeria Fondi).

Movie: "Hairspray." It may have been because I was with a pretty cool group of people--but honestly, I hadn't laughed that hard in awhile! John Travolta was hysterical. But the funniest part was talking with one of my macho guy friends after the show who said, "Probably the worst part was that I found my foot tapping in the theater!" :)

I Want to Hold the Hand That Holds the World...

Can I just say how much I LOVE Starfield? I first heard their music back when I lived in Canadia (as my sister calls it), the motherland of the band. I just got their latest CD "Beauty in the Broken" and I'm loving it. :)

Their guitar-driven, lyrically-charged worship music is awesome (along with Hillsong United, they're my fav worship band)!

I think it's amazing when musicians and writers can put phrases together that just capture an idea, an emotion, an expression of what you want to say--better than you can say it yourself. Anyway, here's one example from their new CD. These are the lyrics from "The Hand That Holds The World" (I highlighted my favorite lines--but the whole song is great!):

No greater joy / Is there than this/ To know for what / We're meant to live /

To hold Your hand / To touch Your face / To find ourselves / In love' s embrace/

I want to stand before the King/

Join in the song that heaven sings/

I want to hold the hand that holds the world/

I want to know the mystery/

Reach out and touch the majesty/

I want to hold the hand that holds the world/

No greater love / Could be bestowed / That You would name us as your own /

Your daughters sing / Your sons rejoice / They gather here before Your throne /

You are, You are / The author of creation / We are, the children of your heart /

You are, You are, / The light of all the heaven / We rise, to worship all You are

Summer Music Faves

It's summer. And time for some fun music. Here are some of my favorite summer CDs (no Beach Boys, I promise!):

John Mayer "Room for Squares" - You have to love "83", "Why Georgia" and all the classics on this CD.






The Afters "I Wish We All Could Win" - "Beautiful Love" is the best summer song. I also like "All that I Am" - a great prayer.





Dave Barnes "Chasing Mississippi" - This one is a little bit country (my mom and dad would be proud!). Best songs? "Everybody But You" and "Butterflies".




Switchfoot "The Beautiful Letdown" - My favorite songs on this CD are "Meant to Live", "More Than Fine" and "On Fire".






Mark Broussard "Carenco" - Gotta love "Rocksteady", "Save Me" and "Where You Are".

Favorite things of the week...

Starbucks' Beverage: Tall blended strawberry lemonade (not on the menu—but tastes like an Italian ice!)

CD: The Fray “How to Save A Life”

Activity: Hanging out in Olympia with my BFF from Chicago (yay, Devyn!)

Jesus Quote: "...Your cleansed and obedient life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done." (Luke 5:15 - The Message)

Beauty Splurge: Thermal river rock massage (thanks to a giftcard from a Cali client for www.spafinder.com, this won’t be too much of a splurge for me!)

Church Perk of the Week: Volunteer for Team Church conference (hello, it's going to be amazing!)...and save a bunch on conference registration. PLUS...you get free CDs of the main sessions, admission to the Hillsong United conference and a T-shirt. It's a no-brainer!

Excuse to Go Shopping: "Spread the Red" this weekend at church to build awareness of volunteering at Team Church--and wear red. Speaking of shopping...

Cool (Cheap) Clothes: I might have to check out the new Sarah Jessica Parker fashion line at Steve and Barry’s (at the SuperMall). I’ve never been there, but if it’s good enough for Oprah AND under $20 a piece...

Afternoon: Waterfront + Sun + Friends (from London and T-Town) = What could be cooler?

Dave Barnes coming to Seattle!

One of my favorite musicians is coming to the Seattle area! If you like John Mayer-style (read: good guitar, lyrics and vocals), check out Dave Barnes. Mayer himself is a fan.

The concert is Sunday, April 29 @ 8:30 PM in Renton at New Life Church. For tickets, visit their Web site.

To learn more about Dave, check out his site here.

Favorite things of the week

I know I'm not Oprah, but I thought you might like to hear some of the cool things going on in my world during the past 7 days:

• Favorite celeb sighting of the week: Nick from "Survivor: Outback". I haven't met very many celebrities, but last Thursday at a fundraising event for Project U (see below), I met Nick from "Survivor: Outback". Nick's a cool guy with an interesting life (he was also a prosecuting attorney on the Watada case).
  
• Favorite fundraiser: Project U at the Melting Pot in Tacoma. Chocolate fondue with strawberries? Supporting a good cause and meeting cool people? How could I say no?


• Favorite Starbucks beverage: Tall, 1 pump sugar-free Cinnamon Dulce, nonfat, no-whip mocha. Whew! What a mouthful ... does that mean I'm high maintenance? Or just an original?


• Favorite celebration: My sister's 25th birthday is today! Congrats, sis, on making it to a quarter century. :)


• Favorite CD of the moment: "Albertine" by Brooke Fraser. Some of you may not be familiar with Brooke, but I was introduced to her music last year by a friend from New Zealand. She also sings on the Hillsong "United We Stand" album ("None But Jesus"). Her CD isn't even available in the States, but I special ordered it because I loved her last one so much.