Six Months in a Nut Shell

Now that I've had my moment of clarity and decided to pick up where I left off on my blog, the real work begins. I can barely remember everything that has happened the last six months, let alone summarize it in a blog post. Its kind of like when you're trying to watch a movie, but the DVD is scratched and skips about 4 scenes and then you're completely lost and have to take it out and wash it with dish soap and pick back up where you left off. .....Kind of.

So this is me cleaning up that scratch. A lot has happened since I last blogged, but I'll fill you in as best I can starting where I left off- Latvia (you can read about part of my trip here).

My time in Latvia was amazing for so many reasons. I got to spend two weeks doing what I love- playing music and teaching kids. I grew not only as a worship leader, but as a person through the many lessons God etched into my heart. Going on this trip was one of the best decisions I've made and I'm planning on going back as soon as possible!

My acoustic guitar workshop :)

Getting a little crazy after our talent show

Most of the team

Remember when I said the trip was amazing for more than one reason? Well one of my favorite reasons is the gentleman sitting behind me in the picture above. I know what you're thinking...and no, I didn't just take a trip across the globe to snag myself a man, but that's what happened in the end. So ladies and gentlemen, I'd like you to meet AJ. One of the more significant changes to my life in the past six months ;)

We got to know each other while serving in Latvia, kept talking afterwards, and started dating about a month later (July 21st...but who's keeping track...). It's quite a lovely story and I love telling it, but I said this was a nutshell recap, so I won't bore you with the mushy-gushy details. But he will probably make quite a few appearances in posts to come, so consider yourself warned.

For the rest of the summer, I worked up in Grand Lake at a lovely little coffee shop and spent most of my time skyping AJ, drinking coffee and hanging out with my adopted Grand Lake family.

Once August rolled around, I moved back to my apartment and started my third semester of college. I learned a lot about things like procrastination, direction, keeping my priorities straight after throwing a boyfriend into the mix, and the negative effects of skipping class. Needless to say, last semester was not my favorite. But more on that later.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm for school, my job added quite a bit of sunshine to days when I just wanted to hit the snooze button...again. I'm now a nanny for two incredible 3 year-old twin boys. We have such a blast together and it has been wonderful spending a few days a week with them. They will probably make a few appearances on here as well throughout the year.

That's just about all you need to know. The past six months have been wonderful, but I'm so excited to be back in the blogging world. I'm still brainstorming ideas for posts, but keep your eye out for bits and pieces of my day-to-day, DIY inspiration, random musings and encouragement to notice the small, simple things in life.

 Until next time, remember to:

here

 And:

here

Simply,

Liv

THE BLACK KEYS!

Monday night may or may not have been the greatest night of my life. I'm still deciding. I took a much needed night off from studying with my roommate Madi and our friend Liz to see none other than the Black Keys. If you've never seen them (or heard their music for that matter), I suggest you do so immediately. They put on such a great show. Here are some photos of the night so you can re-live it with me.

 

The Arctic Monkeys were the openers. I wasn't too familiar with their music, but I must admit, their British accents and suave style won me over. If you haven't heard their music (or seen the lead singer's hair) I suggest you do so immediately. 

Check out their song Brick by Brick!

And now the moment we've all been waiting for..........

 The Black Keys, ladies and gents.

Such a retro drum set.....

For the encore, they dropped a gigantic disco ball that lit up the entire stadium.

 I've seen some good shows in my time, but this one might have been the best yet.

What are some of your favorite shows you've been to? I'm always up for new music/concerts to check out!

I hope your Wednesday has gone swimmingly.

Sick Day

If there was such a thing as a good day to be sick, today would have been it. The weather was awful- bitter cold and so windy I couldn't walk in a straight line. Always a bad combination.
After braving an entire class period, I decided to spend the rest of the day in my room recuperating for the big ladies retreat this weekend! (I'm helping to lead worship, and I always lose my voice after being sick...so I've been talking as little as possible. Easier said than done.)
So far its been a cozy day of relaxing and catching up on homework. A much needed break from my crazy schedule. I don't want to say I'm happy to be sick....but....I kind of am.

Just in case you too decide to take a sick day, here's what I recommend:

Drink as much tea as your body can handle!
Wear as many over-sized sweaters as you want!
Sleep as much as possible! (i got almost 11 hours last night. Ahhhhh :) so nice )
Buy the cough-drops that actually taste good.
Do not watch as much America's Next Top Model as you can. All the episodes start looking the same.
Call your mom. When I'm sick I usually like people to feel bad for me and who better to feel sympathy for her poor, poor daughter who lives miles away than my mommy :) (Thanks mom)
Listen to this:

Dream about this:

 I'm so excited for spring! 

Thats all for now! I hope you all are having a splendid, healthy week! 

~Olivia 

Symphonies of Normalcy

Today was a completely normal day. I begrudgingly attended three classes. (By the time Wednesday rolls around, I'm usually convinced it is Friday and ready to skip class...). I hit the gym. I avoided an awkward run in with a boy who asked me for my number last week. I drank two cups of black coffee with soy (my new favorite- its cheap and caffeine packed). I put off doing my Everest-sized pile of homework. Pretty uneventful. But, you see, the beauty of blogging is that I get to write about the mundane happenings of my day-to-day and pretend like they are even remotely interesting to anyone.

However, my Wednesday did have one redeeming quality: I went to the symphony. I'm taking a music appreciation class (lucky for me, I already "appreciate" music. Easy A.), and we get free tickets to any on campus concert during the semester. Its quite the deal. Honestly, I can't think of a better way to unwind than to sit for three hours letting waves of Tchaikovsky, Debussy and Reinecke wash over me. The performance was truly inspiring, I had goose-bumps for a good two hours.

I couldn't take any photos during the actual performance, unfortunately.

My favorite piece was Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F minor, if you were wondering. If not, check it out anyway. You can listen to it here. Its wonderful.

 The bike ride home was frigid, but definitely worth it!





















And there you have it. My attempt to spice up the ordinary, a symphony of normalcy, if you will.

I'm off to climb that mountain of papers in my room....

Until next time,
Olivia