Vintage Music

Ella Fitzgerald

              
           For some reason I've been just been into old music like Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole recently. Why? Well, for one thing, its a nice change of pace, but more than that, I just enjoy listening to "upbeat/ jazzy" stuff lately. Its just so classic. Even though the music is old, its not overbearing like some 80's stuff and its good for everything. Whether its reading or scrap-booking or blogging...Its just.... timeless. Even old-sounding music sung in french has been absolutely acute to my musical tastes. Saxophones, trumpets, and piano notes have been heard through my side of the house lately that's for sure. I mean how can lyrics like these not make you swoon? 

"Stars shining bright above you, 

Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"

Birds singin’ in the sycamore trees

Dream a little dream of me"

              Maybe another reason I love this music so much is because I love the era it was famous in. The whole idea of going out to swing-dance has always kept me beyond interested. I think some day I'll take up swing-dancing lessons and really get into it. Sounds like fun to me!

Favorite "Oldies":

Smile - Nat King Cole

La Javanse - Madeleine Peyroux

Dream a Little Dream - Micheal Buble'

                                         My Romance - Ella Fitzgerald

                                           L-O-V-E - Nat King Cole

As a child...

                   As children we believe. We dream. Nothing stops us. We are not afraid of what others think of us. We have never had a broken heart, we've never been let down, our tiny fragile minds know nothing but innocence. Growing up I have so many beautiful memories. Catching fireflies at grandma's, learning to ride a bike after receiving one for Christmas, playing on our swing-set, and swimming in our family pool while listening to my dad's favorite 70's music. My growing up life, looking back, seemed like a fairy-tale. God had blessed me so much. Sure, I had problems growing up, it wasn't perfect. I was spanked, I threw temper-tantrums, I lied, I did things as a little kid that would make no soccer mom happy. I just wish, I was as fearless now, as I was then. I wasn't afraid to talk in front of people when I was little, where as now... its different (that's why I write to all you!). I didn't care if people thought I was weird, I just liked that people saw me for who I was. Now, I find that I do open up to people still, but only after getting to know them and making sure I can be myself around them without being judged. If only I was still as sure of myself. 
                  God's been helping me with that. God's been working in me. Helping me find who I really am. For such a long time I never knew what I really liked. I never knew what kinds of things really described who I was. I never knew if I liked things because other people did or that I honestly liked them because, well that's who I was. Now, I'm discovering who I am in Christ and its so exciting! I'm finding out how it is to be myself and how to unaffected by the fleeting crazes of the world. So be like a child again, unafraid and happily unaware of the world around you.

Bucket List - Live Foreign

5. Live in a Foreign Country (for at least a month)

               Whether it be living in a third world country with missionaries, or back-packing through Europe, living in a foreign land has always been a dream of mine. Experiencing new cultures and cuisines, learning new languages, viewing new art and architecture, all come with the adventure of living in a new place. I've traveled to many places, yet one day in Venice or Rome can not even touch on the beauty of the land. You need weeks, if not even months, to soak up the history and beauty of these kinds of places. Even one week in Haiti did not seem like enough time to encounter the fascinating customs and people of it's country. I did not feel like my work was quite finished there when I left the country. I knew God may have more in store for me and Haiti.
               So, this is why I've decided that sometime in my life, I'd like to live foreign. I absolutely love America, but new cultures excite me! I don't think we should go through life stuck in a box. It would be nice to get out and explore the world and the people that live there. There are at least 6,500 languages in all the world and therefore so many ways to communicate. Now while living abroad, it might also be nice to learn a language in this case. Whatever the case, I'm sure that an experience living in a different nation will have a lasting effect on how you view the world and its people.

               This will be my last article about my bucket list so here is the recap below with links to the other pages about my bucket list:

1. See an up-close aurora

2. Take a vacation to Iceland

3. Go sky diving or bungee jumping

4. Go on a hot-air balloon ride

5. Live in a Foreign Country (for at least a month)

Bucket List - Go Ballooning

4. Go on a Hot Air Balloon Ride

                  Gliding through the sky in a basket attached to a balloon... in a way, it reminds me of the movie Up. The idea. How surreal it must be to see the houses below you shrink as you sail higher into the great blue, all the while attached to a giant colored balloon. When I do finally go "ballooning"  I have two specifications for the trip:
      1. I'm going to choose an exotic place to fly in. I don't want to simply settle for floating above cornfields and rural towns, but instead I'd like a place full of mountain tops and rivers, waterfalls and ravines... maybe somewhere like New Zealand or Hawaii. 
      2. I'm not going alone. I mean, imagine with me, you're soaring up, up, up, and away into the clouds, over the crests of mountain tops and the plummeting rage of waterfalls, and yet you have no one to share the experience with. Such a downer. Therefore, I'm taking someone with me. Whether its my best friend, sister, or the love of my life, this experience would not be the same it it were not with someone you love.

Bucket List - Fall Through the Sky

3. Go Sky-Diving or Bungee Jumping
       Now, the idea of sky-diving has not always horrified me. When I was a child, I'd always thought the idea of sailing through air and landing gracefully in a field sounded like such an exciting experience. As I grew older, I became more aware. Now when I think of sky-diving, I visualize myself falling through the sky and pulling my parachute too early. Let's just say things have changed. 

             You may be wondering, "If it horrifies you so much, why is it on your bucket list?" Well, to that I say... I'm really not sure. Maybe I think that although it seems beyond scary, its just something you have to experience in life. Maybe its the fact that many other people have it on their bucket list, so I probably need it on mine too. There could also be the reason that I've always wanted to be that person who's really daring, possibly I just want to prove to myself I'm not chicken. In any circumstance, I'm sure the first time you sky-dive it must be exhilarating or people wouldn't love it so much. I mean, think about it, you're falling through the sky watching the land below you get closer and closer... falling, falling, falling, and then... POOF. Your parachute opens and you're on the ground. The whole experience seems a little over-whelming. I think I'll take my time getting to this one on my bucket list.

Bucket List - Visit Iceland

2. Take a Vacation to Iceland

           Yes, as random as it may sound, I absolutely love Iceland. I've never been there before, but in all the pictures I've seen, it just seems amazing. It looks kind of like Ireland, but with a twist of Canadian weather, and of course, it also has auroras! (how perfect!) Anyways, for all you out there reading this here are 5 interesting facts about Iceland.


1. Iceland has the highest literary rate in the world
2. Iceland is located about half-way between New York and Moscow
3. Iceland is know to be the 4th happiest country in the world (I'd fit in there!)
4. Life expectancy is 81.3 years for woman and 76 years for men, one of the highest life expectancies in the world!
5. Icelandic language has been virtually unchanged in the last 1000 years 

              Think me weird, but I just feel that this country has been a bit forgotten. Maybe that's why I love it so much. For some reason, I have always had a heart for things that are forgotten, concealed from the world. Iceland's kind of like a hidden treasure. It may be overlooked but I'm sure when you visit it, its quite beautiful. Life is sometimes like that. There's times in life where the most beautiful things are veiled from our view. Our life may seem to have no "sparkle" (I know mine feels like that sometimes) yet God made our life beautiful, even when it seems to be unseen at times. God works in the unseen.

Bucket List - See an Aurora

              I hope everyone reading this has started a "bucket list", a list of things to do before you die. If not, you may be a bit behind for a blog reader, but don't worry, you still have plenty of time! Anyways, I obviously have started a "bucket list" and through the next few posts I'll be explaining some of the things on my list. Now, I'm not going to bore you with the basics... (such as getting married, having kids, etc...) but I'll give you some insight into my mind and some unique things I'd like to do before I die. So let me get started.

1. See an up-close Aurora

                Now I'm not quite sure if any of you really know what an aurora is. It has also had the common name of "northern lights". Aurorae are absolutely breathtaking. The idea of colors moving and inter-twining in the night sky has always sent shivers down my spine. In a way, its kind of like a rainbow, of course, without rain and continually changing and sculpting in the velvet night. Although I've never experienced this beauty up close, it has always been something to catch my eye in pictures and in books. "Fascinated" does not even express how these "celestial bodies" make me feel. 

                 What a beautiful creation on God's part! Its amazing how the sun can penetrate the north and south poles of the earth and through small photons and the mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, such a beautiful creation can be brought about. Reds and Oranges, Greens and Blues, filling the night sky; Our world's splendor at its finest. All glory to God.