tuesday tunes - brooke fraser.

this week's tuesday tune is brooke fraser. she has two albums what to do with daylight (2003) and albertine (2006 in new zealand and 2008 in the US) and is currently working on a third album. brooke is also known for being one of the principal worship leaders/songwriters for hillsong united! (...including all my favorite songs - "hosanna", "lead me to the cross", "you'll come", "desert song" and "none but jesus")

brooke has a huge heart for africa, which of course i love. on her website, she says this:
"I have been to Rwanda every year for the past three years. It is a place very special to me. The need in our world is overwhelming, but our ability to each do our part (whether it may be sponsoring a child, giving online, signing an online petition or writing a letter/email) is easier (more accessible and convenient) than ever before...see how you can be involved in making the world a bit less crap, and meet some of the amazing people who are dedicating their lives to being of practical help to hurting humanity..."
brooke's albums have become true favorites and i really connect with her lyrics...especially her song "albertine" (i referenced it in my blog about africa last summer...you can see the video there!)

if you don't know brooke's music already, i highly recommend checking her out.
here's one of my favorites of hers, "shadowfeet"...

eat more (free) chicken.

today was the 5th annual cow appreciation day at chick-fil-a stores around the country. the concept was quite brilliant.
dress up like a cow = free chicken.
so of course i rounded up all of the interns and we took an office lunch trip to gain our complimentary combo meals.

here's a little photo recap...

the "starter kit" you could download from the website.
complete with ears, nose, spots, and a tail.

all ready to go get our free chicken!

don't forget the tail!

ready to order...

my friends christine & julie were in town visiting from georgia,
so they joined in on the fun! :)

tuesday tunes - paper route.

this week's tuesday tune is the nashville band paper route. and i'm going to venture to say that they create my favorite music coming out of this city. (yes, big statement.)
these guys are TALENTED. some of the best live shows i've ever seen...seriously. (not to mention they're all great guys, too!)
i'd attempt to try and convince you just how awesome they are, but this little video does them way better justice...




so go grab their full-length album, absence, on . i promise you won't want to stop playing it!

and here's their most recent music video, for the song "carousel"...

trimming.

when i say "trimming" you may think of a plethora of different activities...
maybe regarding personal hygiene...trimming your beard or your...nosehairs? ewww, gross.
...or maybe an activity one would do in a garden...trimming bushes...trimming roses. (not that me and my black thumb would know anything about that..) ...but all implying making space...for growth...for life.

so what about our lives? do we trim our lives?
i've been reading a book by wayne muller called sabbath: finding rest, renewal, and delight in our busy lives" and he talks about this idea...

"we plant so many seeds, and they seem so small, so benign, they take up hardly any space at all. but everything, as it grows, needs space. children, a home, a career, a project, a hobby, a spiritual practice, everything needs space, and everything needs time. and as each grows, each one takes from the other, until nothing grows beneath the surface, it is all foliage and greenery above-ground, and no nutrition beneath. sooner or later, it all withers from lack of nourishment."

i picture my life right now as an overgrown yard. i keep tossing in new seeds, hoping they'll find roots somewhere in the already maxed-out soil of my heart. each new plant seems harmless at first...it's just a little seed, right? but that little seed starts to grow, and requires attention, and space, and as the days pass, more and more water and sunlight. instead of seeing the real need of taking time to nourish my spirit and take care of what's been growing, i just keep fitting in more plants. and i think i'm at the point where my yard...ahem, my life...is about to wither away...from lack of nourishment. it's time to do some trimming.

so i'm praying through what needs to change...what i can trim back...and what i can let go.
much easier said than done. you mean i have to say "no"? you're telling me i have to give things up? not my favorite thing.

and i know i'm not alone in this. life in america is all about doing and experiencing all we can and filling up our days and iCals with more and more. i think it's been one of the biggest things i've been wrestling through since my most recent africa trip. when i travel overseas i get a taste of a slower pace - no iPhone, no facebook, no meetings. i experience real priorities - time with God and deep relationships over my to-do list. i think trimming for me involves both cutting back and taking time to focus on nourishing what's most important.

in john 15, Jesus talks about cutting off the branches that do not bear fruit, and pruning - trimming - the ones that do, so that they may bear even more fruit.

may we be like the branches that are so deeply joined to the vine that we can't help but feel nourished and strengthened, with the space and freedom to produce fruit. fruit that will last.

tuesday tunes.

so i'm starting a new weekly special called "tuesday tunes" which will occur on...you guessed it...tuesdays. it will be an artist or band or song that i think you should check out. maybe it's a new release from that day, maybe it's just someone i'm currently obsessed with. but it will be for your weekly listening pleasure.

today's tuesday tune is singer/songwriter caitlin crosby. her new album, "flawz" released on itunes last week, and i can't stop listening to it. born and raised in LA, she brings a whole new meaning to honest songwriting. "flawz" is a diverse album, showcasing caitlin's unique raspy voice that is both raw and delicate.

here's the video for her single, "still have my heart"...



caitlin also happens to be a new sponsor with mocha club...so of course that gives her extra bonus points in my book! oh -- and her beau is "chuck" star zachary levi...not too bad.

and how cute is her side project: loveyourflawz.com?
where imperfect is the new perfect.

how sweet it is.

i've been in what you might call a "sweetener battle" for the past couple of years.
i had fallen in love with splenda. i baked with it. i carried around little packets in my purse for those unexpected coffee encounters. but then i started to get suspicious about the affects of this chemically-enhanced sweetener. (my knows-a-lot-about-organic-and-natural-foods-friend christine compares it to chlorine...yikes!). so i gradually moved onto sugar in the raw. it took a little bit of getting used to (definitely not as sweet), but i was learning to enjoy it, and eventually started carrying around little packets in my purse. but the thing with the raw sugar is...well...it's still sugar. you know...sweet on your lips, forever on your hips kinda sugar. so i began the search for another alternative.

enter: stevia. stevia is a natural sweet leaf from the sunflower family that is a zero-calorie sweetener! done and done.

so over the last few months i've been trying it in some different forms... you may have seen the commercials for truvia, coca-cola's brand of stevia. it comes in easy single-use packets.

i also bought some stevia extract (trader joe's brand), but haven't really perfected the quantity yet.

i think my favorite is liquid form (specifically the vanilla creme flavor) ...just a few drops in your coffee is perfect.

who knows, in 10 years they may discover that stevia causes us to grow a 3rd arm and go blind, but for now -- i'm trusting it as my all-natural-guilt-free sweetener!

side note: another amazing natural sweetener is agave nectar -- use as a substitute for honey in smoothies, on toast, or in your tea!

UP and at 'em.

disney pixar's UP came out in theaters while i was in africa, so by the time i got back, it's all everybody was talking about. there was definitely some hype built-up for it, so i had high expectations (no pun intended!) i even paid the extra bucks to see it in 3D!
but i gotta admit -- it totally lived up to its reputation. it's been awhile since a cartoon pulled at my heart like this sweet film.

the director/writer, pete docter, says this... "we came up with the image of a floating house held aloft by balloons, and it just seemed to capture what we were after in terms of escaping the world. we quickly realized that the world is really about relationships..."

wow. even disney can see into the idea of enjoying the journey versus daydreaming about the destination! (cue my life's theme music) it is amazing how much the theme of this movie fits right in with what God is teaching me right now.

carl fredricksen, the 78-year-old balloon salesman, has a lifelong dream of a great adventure that he thinks will fulfill and satisfy his empty heart. he literally escapes his world as he knows it, headed to "paradise falls: the most beautiful place on earth". his reality is a life of loneliness and empty dreams, and his adventure is all about the destination and a goal. what he learns along the way is to stop. to listen. to embrace the unexpected bumps, turns, and twists along the way. to appreciate the companions that accompany him. to enjoy the journey.

i find myself so caught up in the adventure that is my own life. it's full of good things... great things even... that God has so richly blessed me with. and it is an adventure in which i feel both the Lord's presence and guidance. but there is still an element of unfulfilled dreams and unmet desires. so often i'm consumed with my own thoughts and plans and intentions and daydreams, that i can't see the blessings right in front of me. and i, like carl, so easily forget to stop. to listen. to embrace the unexpected bumps, turns, and twists along my way. to appreciate the companions that accompany me. to enjoy my journey.

strength.

as i prepared for my trip to south africa (and dealt with the anxiety of leading it) i kept praying the truth of 2 corinthians 12:9, that God's power is made perfect in our weaknesses.
because, let's face it, weaknesses? i got em.
patient? not so much. controlling? oh yah. prideful? unfortunately, yes.

but the upside of knowing your weaknesses and constantly being aware of them, is the opportunity to invite God into each moment. so, when i felt even the slightest inclination to get impatient, or to jump on the complain train, or to remind everyone that i know everything...i just...prayed. prayed that God would enter in and give me the grace, give me the patience, give me the humility. and He did...every time.

i think one of the sweetest moments of the trip was the time each night where we would go around the dinner table and encourage one member of the team. [side note: i think our culture has drifted too far from this kind of intentional verbal affirmation...it's so good for the soul.]
so, on the last day, it was my turn. the team went around and encouraged me and affirmed me as a leader. and what did they say were my strengths? patience. humility. the ability to "go with the flow". excuse me?

wow. God's power. perfect. in my weaknesses. and that's what people see.
when i let Him lead, through me, i have the power to be strong.

it was a great reminder of how the Lord designed leadership. He calls us to step up and lead...but at the same time He grants us the freedom to ask, to depend, to trust, to follow.

back from africa.

well, i survived the last 2 weeks in africa! it was definitely challenging at times (as it should be) but an incredible trip overall. my team was nothing short of amazing, and what we were able to accomplish and experience was truly life-changing.
i'd attempt to summarize it all for you, but annie did a far better job than i ever could on the mocha club blog. here are all of the posts, in chronological order.
if you only choose one, definitely do #10!


blog #1: packing
blog #2: just the 10 of us
blog #3: jet-lagged
blog #4: first video from capetown
blog #5: learn to earn
blog #6: highs & lows
blog #7: second blog videos
blog #8: this is africa
blog #9: the children
blog #10: lighthouse

country and cape town.

peanut butter + jelly.
regis + kelly.
summer + country.
they just go together, don't they? well, for me...it's the only season i love listening to country... windows down, music up.
here's my summer09 top 10:


speaking of COUNTRY...

cast your vote, and help us win a donation for mocha club and help lady antebellum win a CMT award! lady a is up for 3 awards in the final round of voting for the 2009 CMT music awards! as part of the show on tuesday, june 16th, 2009, CMT will be donating to the winner of each category’s charity of choice. lady antebellum has said that if they win june 16th, their donation will go to mocha club!

speaking of MOCHA CLUB...

our team leaves in 48 hours for cape town. (yikes!) don't forget to follow all of our adventures on the blog. (click on the pic below to go directly to the blog...)