paradise

i have really enjoyed the music of Coldplay for a long time, and they released a new album yesterday called Mylo Xyloto. i haven't had a chance to listen to the whole thing yet, but i am already really taken with their song Paradise. the music pulls me in and the video that goes with is it unique too! check it out!

for anyone who wants to listen without the video here is the link. i'd recommend listening to/watching both because the song without the video has more instrumental build at the beginning of the song vs. the video version. and it is amazing!!!

i have to admit that at first i wasn't totally sure i was "getting" the video, but as it went along and by the end i thought it was great because of the message it shared in conjunction with the lyrics. what i took from this song and the video is that paradise isn't about having fancy or expensive things (i.e. a bicycle instead of a unicycle haha), but rather it is about being with people you love and care about. it doesn't matter so much your surroundings or situation (could be in the middle of a field, for example), but when you are with those people whom you love and they love you the world continues to spin and the goings on in the world continue to go on yet what matters is being together and loving each other and the feeling of joy that comes from that. i think people in the world today spend lots of money and travel far and wide to try to find what they think will be "paradise" to them. sometimes i think they are missing the point. i know i could find paradise in my living room if i had Mike there with me :) and i'm really looking forward to finding a paradise in my parent's living room when Mike and i go out to VA for Christmas and EVERYONE will be there!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

life in technicolor

i heard this song from coldplay for the first time recently and i LOVE it!!! it's fairly short and there are no vocals until the very end, but i just think the song is amazing. here, why don't you check it out!

aside from the fact that i love a good song that builds its way through the music, i am impressed by the power of this song. it makes me think of what it feels like after you've repented and you come alive again...i just think it perfectly embodies the emotions and thoughts that are going on inside just after repenting and finally feeling that forgiveness. before you repent and when you're still holding on to your sin, life can feel like it's just grays and blacks. there doesn't feel like there is much joy to be had because there is something yucky that you're carrying along with you wherever you go, whatever you do, whoever you're with. it changes the way you experience life - it brings you down. once you let go of that thing, the color starts to return to life and to the world as you see it. the song starts out with just one main sound - in a way kind of tentative since it's all alone and carrying the song. i think after repentance we are sometimes tentative as we get back into the swing of life the way we were meant to enjoy it. we may think, "am i really free? can i really go ahead and move on?" as we continue to do so, the music and the color in our lives build just as this song does. i picture this as the end part of a repentance journey for a person, and by the end i picture that person dancing and feeling lighter than ever as they are able to feel pure joy from being cleansed through the Atonement of our Savior. they are again able to see all the beautiful colors of life and are basking in the happiness that being clean brings. anyone who has repented knows this feeling - it is incredible :) and this song brings me and inkling of that feeling as i listen to the music build and reach it's height towards the end of the song. what a happy song to have around!

this song has actually inspired me with an idea for a painting so we'll see what comes of that in the near future :) 

strawberries!!!

YUM!!

i love strawberries :) i remember when i was growing up that i was not a big fan of strawberries for some reason. perhaps it is the fact that they are covered in seeds that turned me off from them when i was a wee lass, but i can properly appreciate them now that's for sure :) i even remember the experience that led my opinion of strawberries to take a turn for the positive. i was invited to a sister in the ward's home for a seminary celebration dinner and she served strawberries with angel food cake and whipped cream for dessert. these weren't even just your standard i-picked-them-up-at-the-grocery-store strawberries...she had grown them in her garden herself. man. talk about guilt-tripping someone into eating something! she went on and on about how delicious they were and how proud she was of growing them all throughout dinner and when dessert rolled around, my plan of politely declining had been dashed to pieces. there was literally no way that i could turn her down. i figured i'd just eat a couple of them and that would be enough. however, a curious thing happened. i tasted one - hmm...that was actually not so bad. another one - okay, maybe i can eat them all. a third - YUM!!! i was hooked. i think i even had seconds :) 

so now i'm reformed and i quite enjoy strawberries in a variety of things. it seems that lately i've had quite a few pleasant encounters with strawberries and i wanted to share!! here are a couple pictures of strawberry delights of which i have recently had the pleasure of creating and partaking :)

light, delicious summer strawberry pie!!! and it's healthy too!!! :)

german pancakes for breakfast with strawberries and whipped cream!!! delectable!!!

all of my recent encounters with strawberries haven't necessarily been food related. i am including two strawberry songs for your listening pleasure because i have been enjoying them quite a bit as of late :)

enjoyable song, plus the video is pretty entertaining :)

no video on this one, but the song is top-notch :) always love owl city!

so as you can see, strawberries are great and can provide some tasty treats for the tummy as well as some sweet and fun sounds for the ears :) yay for strawberries!!!