“People often say that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves.” - Salma Hayek

take me here

musica!

i found out that i have a friend (marissa) who actually reads this! how weird! maybe i'll update it about more relevant things now... how about the music i have been listening to lately?

albums
mumford and sons - sigh no more
stars of track and field - centuries before love and war; a time for lions
natalie taylor - natalie taylor (i can't stop listening to this one)
band of horses - cease to begin; everything all the time
future of forestry - advent christmas, vol 1; advent christmas, vol 2
greg laswell - take a bow
paper route - absence; thrill of hope ep; thank god the year is finally over ep; are we all forgotten ep
peter bradley adams - leavetaking, gather up ep, traces ep

specific songs
jesse bonanno - never alone
paper route - thank god the year is finally over
stars of track and field - end of all time
states - time to begin
katy perry - teenage dream (i can't help it, i'm obsessed)
chris and conrad - lead me to the cross
natalie taylor - this holiday (come home)
b.o.b. feat. hayley williams - airplanes
bruno mars - marry you
versaemerge - fixed at zero
band of horses - i go to the barn because i like
kadawatha - agape


honorable mention

katharine mcphee - terrified feat. zachary levi

i am in love with zachary levi! i mean, just look at him:



- voice of an angel
- he plays chuck on tv
- he's a christian
- he's super hot
- he probably loves petting kitties and composing music on his piano for me... i mean what?



;)

farewell to some of my favorite boys. i know you'll do great things in the future! praying for you guys -

i need words

I need words
As wide as skies
I need language large as
This longing inside
And I need a voice
Bigger than mine
And I need a song to sing you
That I've yet to find

I need you
Oh, I need you
I need you
Oh, I need you

To be here now
To be here now
To hear me now
To hear me now

these guys will be big one day

http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/artist_videos/476859?sel_song_id=6116902&autoplay=true

watch that, yo. it's called "rattled" and it's by daemon city lights.

i have seen them twice, and they blow my mind. plus i'm friends with a guy in the band! one day i'll be a roadie.

until then, check it

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
- Psalm 8:3-4


thank you God for being everywhere and being in everything. thank you for cherishing me and adopting me as your own. i love how small i feel when i look to you, or when i sense you where the cliffs meet the sea or in the heavens above. i love that you have made a special place in your heart for me. when i look at the stars at night or the sunrise in the mornings out the window above my bed, i am reminded of your grace and beauty. thank you.

this is a world of dreams and revery

my blog's title is "this is a world of dreams and revery". the song that this line comes from is about whimsy and wonder at the daydreams and reveries that we live in as humans. there is something in us that wants more, something that dreams, hopes, muses, and wishes for something grand that's out there. for me, this implies the need for optimistic outlook (which i am not very good at having), faith, and imagination. i want my blog to reflect that. i want to be so much more than i am. i want to be someone who doesn't dwell in the darkest moments of the human condition, but instead rejoices in the hope of a new day in Christ. i want to be able to look past all the sin and broken-heartedness here and focus on the positive impact i can make HERE and NOW for my Savior. I suppose a lot of that comes from the need to really focus on him only, which i have not really been making an effort with.

if anyone comes across this blog, pray for me in these areas. pray the Lord helps me to see the joy and wonder in this life. pray that my eyes are opened to his goodness and grace, and pray that i'll daily find and meet with him. these are crazy times, friends. we need each other more than ever.

found this today, what an encouragement!

61 ways to build your optimism

1. Be realistic about your expectations.
2. Accept the past, manage the present and work hard towards the future.
3. Seek for a ray of light/hope in a negative situation. It’s a bit difficult considering all you are going through, but there’s always an opportunity lurking somewhere in the dark.
4. Utilize what you have for now and aspire to grow in every area of your life, remembering you can only swallow food in bits and pieces before taking another big bite.
5. Be authentic, be yourself and stop hiding behind the MASK of pretence.
6. Get infected by being in a network or company of constructive people, because optimism is positively contagious.
7. Have a dream, believe in it and do everything possible under the sun to run with it.
8. Accept you are human with imperfections.
9. Express love towards other people.
10. Be selective of what you read, hear or watch from the media. Excessive media influence could dampen your spirits.
11. Develop the habit of using positive affirmations constructively.
12. Listen to music. It has the ability to make your mind wander a bit. Come on!!! dance to the groove; sing even if it won’t get you auditioned for XFACTOR.
13. Exercise regularly. Taking care of your body mind and soul builds courage and resilience to face the pressures of the world.
14. Avoid living in self denial.
15. Try as much as you can to stay calm when overwhelmed with the issues of life.
16. Be thankful for everything you have, who you are, the people around you…..
17. Develop a sense of humour. Cultivate the habit of laughing or cracking jokes.
18. Spoil yourself and make sure you enjoy doing so. Go on vacations, get a massage, eat out……..
19. Improve yourself at the slightest opportunity you have. Your capacity to succeed in life will depend on your personal drive to take each opportunity as stepping stones to fulfilling your life long dream.
20. Be gracious enough to accept things you cannot change. There will always be things you cannot change no matter how hard you work at it.
21. Reflect and focus on the good things that have occurred in your life.
22. Create a positive attitude.
23. Don’t harbour any form of resentment particularly with issues from the past.
24. Know when to call it quits. Some things aren’t just worth the effort and time you put into it.
25. Occupy yourself with things that bring out the best in you i.e. family, children,friends, travelling, reading etc
26. Focus on creating solutions and not drowning in problems.
27. Be a positive role model to your children, friends, family etc. Be a source of inspiration to people who look up to you.
28. Be good at your job demonstrating your useful skills.
29. Have a hobby to keep you occupied. It could be a form of sport, reading, writing etc.
30. Improve your physical appearance when necessary.
31. Get some rest because it is required to put things in perspective.
32. Learn something new in order increase your knowledge.
33. Be passionate. Embrace life and everything it stands for with love and passion.
34. Show persistence in all your endeavours because it’s one of the keys to happiness.
35. Worry less because it reduces the level of your anxiety..
36. Celebrate the successes of other.
37. Be determined and motivated to excel in all you’ve set out to do.
38. Learn to try out new things.
39. Maximize your success and give attention to your failures remembering that failures are learning experiences that yield positive results if handled properly.
40. Set a goal so that you will have something to look forward to when the going gets rough.
41. Practice the habit of forgiveness.
42. Avoid clutter. Be organized not only with your things but also with your thoughts and your plans.
43. Create a positive environment in your home or office.
44. Read several motivational stories, blogs,quotes….
45. Think positively about who you are.
46. Develop a strong ambition.
47. Visualize happy thoughts. Imagine a picture in your mind what you want to achieve and how you can achieve them. Oftentimes, what you create in your thoughts give birth to what happens in reality.
48. Walk tall, with your head high up exhibiting confidence.
49. Smile as often as you can. It has a way of showing your sincerity.
50. Have a blend of optimism in the way you pick, choose and say your words.
51. Spend some time taking stock of all the influences in your life. This includes friends, family, television shows, magazines, blogs, etc. Thinks about which aspects of your life motivate you and push you to live positively for yourself. Think about those aspects that pull you down and drain you of your positive energy. Spend less time around the negative influences and more time around the positive!
52. Set aside more time for yourself where you can be alone. Sometimes it is easy to become depressed and grumpy when you give all of your energy to others. Having scheduled “you” time will guarantee that you will be able to pamper yourself and participate in your favorite hobbies.
53. Try changing your perspective about situations. Sometimes that is all it takes to turn a crummy day around. I try very hard to find something positive that will come out of the crappy things that daily life deals us. It doesn’t always happen naturally, but it gets easier when you push yourself to see the good in life.
54. Have friends and family in your life who can cheer you up and encourage you to be positive when you fall down. It’s inevitable that you will have a bad day, stress attack, or an emotional melt down in the future. It happens. The difference between you and a negative person is that you have the courage to get back up and keep going. We all need to be reminded that life really can be amazing if we take the time to see things positively.
55. Fill your space with reminders of how wonderful your life is. Write your favorite encouraging quotes on colorful post-its and paste them around your home.
56. Write letters and cards to your close friends and family with positive wishes and joyful greetings! Spreading positivity helps you feel positive in general!
57. Encourage the people in your life who take on pessimistic attitudes to be more positive. If those people are not willing to hear you out, limit your time around them. Negativity is very draining and you can only be around it for so long before it takes over.
58. Get excited about the little things that make you happy!
59. If you are feeling down and depressed, own your feelings. Don’t deny that you are grumpy. Accept that you aren’t feeling 100% and give yourself time to just be.
60. De-clutter your life! Get rid of things that you don’t love, things that you never use, and things that aren’t sentimental to you. Clutter can weigh you down and fill your life with unnecessary negative energy ! Make room for new things that you adore!
61. Channel your inner child every so often. Do things that the child within you would love! Blow bubbles, ride the merry-go-round, drink chocolate milk, play hop scotch, color, take photos of random objects, play dress-up, etc.

i'll at a number 62, which should be number 1... seek God first, focus on others second, and think about yourself third.

love, it will not betray you
dismay or enslave you
it will set you free
to be more like the man
you were made to be.
there is a design, an alignment,
a cry of my heart to see
the beauty of love
as it was made to be.

"God wants to use you to make a difference in his world. He wants to work through you. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it. Not how long you lived, but how you lived.

If you're not involved in any service or ministry, what excuse have you been using? Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was codependent, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair and all kinds of family problems, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was reluctant, Naomi was a widow, John the Baptist was eccentric to say the least, Peter was impulsive and hot-tempered, Martha worried a lot, the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages, Zacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas had doubts, Paul had poor health, and Timothy was timid. That is quite a variety of misfits, but God used each of them in his service. He will use you, too, if you stop making excuses."

- purpose driven life

i'm on high school staff at orchard community church, but what else could i be doing? i think that what this would say about me is "andrea struggled with doubt" or "andrea wasn't quick on her feet" or something similar. but these aren't real excuses, are they? if God used these great women and men of the bible, he can use me.

so,
what is stopping me from doing more?

little stranger girl

whenever i want to feel small, childlike, loved and in awe of God, i listen to this song. tonight is one of those nights. also, he's got a voice like butter.

"there's a love he cannot hide
though he waits in the line to fight
so he looks up to welcome you, his child
little stranger girl, you are home tonight

he reaches out a thousand miles
and sends his voice to where you lie
and in your dreams he carries you, his child
little stranger girl, you are home tonight

when you have grown, you may ask why
and you will read these words he writes
and they will say, I thank you, my child,
little stranger girl, you are home tonight"

- Peter Bradley Adams

today i like these things

this quote



















this is one of my favorite places in the whole world (well, as much of the world as i have explored at this point). i love sitting on this cliff and thinking.



how does she get her skin so clear!? she looks amazing, but it's ridiculous. ridiculous i say!



fabric banners.. cute and easy to make!

























harry potter + the office?! interwebz people are genius.