+shock me like an electric eel

Bursts of energy, sleeping with the lights on, empty Bongo Java and finding parking, rushing but with an end in sight, roma tomatoes mixed with cucumbers, butterflies of excitement, having a calming boyfriend even when all my plans get jolted and mixed up, how good it feels to sit in silence in a busy airport, aiports, the city lights, the scenery cross-country, having a hug of a dear friend waiting at the top of the escalators, signs that I'm in Denver, surreal happiness, excitement.

+you can try to swim the sea

Hello oatmeal pancakes, reading every spare minute, finding spare minutes, endings, closure, appropriate weather for emotions, the way malls always smell so good, jumping the fence to find a hug awaiting on the other side, being together again, target starbucks dates, packing & listening, dejavu.

"You can try to swim the sea / You can try to hold the breeze / You can try to hide the sun / But say goodbye to everyone" -The Avett Brothers

+i was thirsty so i drank, and though it was salt water, there was something bout the way, it tasted so familiar

Heart-warming phone calls, pictures, dreams of new spaces, josh ritter as loud as it will go in the car, teen movie drama, fresh garlic for cooking, noticeable differences, hours passing and not even realizing it, nostalgia, the Belmont campus and the rose garden, when good music gets stuck in your head all evening, new faces, celebrations, new thoughts and feelings.

+and your heart's still beating

"I know the dog days of the Summer / Have you ten to one outnumbered /Seems like everybody up and left and they're not coming back / The shadow that you're standing on's here still sometimes / that's all you can ask / And your heart's still beating / You're not the fastest draw in town now / How many times you been shut down... / and your heart's still beating."
-Josh Ritter

Big breakfasts and chilly mornings, drinking coffee and staring out the window and listening to birds, breathing slowly, those days that start out with an eerie sense of shiftedness, bizarre stories and unexpected turns, lighter than ever, non-stop-working-days, popcorn from scratch, american eating, crafting and how my entire being connects with the creation and understanding the spiritual nature of it all, double mirrors, mod podge (sp?), second-wind, phone calls from study-abroaders who are now safely on American soil, staring at the ceiling and lying in bed.

+but you need faith for the same reasons that it's hard to find and this whole thing is headed for a terrible wreck

Turning attention, jumping like a basketball player, inspiring trips to the library, deposits, golden delicious apples, Summer time produce prices, tabs, fruit salad, long walks down Belmont boulevard, dogs, cooler days, missing & praying, shopping and planning and listing and bonding, evenings where boredom leads to creativity.

+streets named for heros that could almost exist

Feeling a sense of closure, huge smoothies over varied talks, heavy weights, somber-ness, coffee to warm up the bones, pushes and pulls, energy from deep inside, needing art in a necessary way, planning the week, more reading and loving the art of words, watching an old animated film like a little kid all over again, watching your best friend drive home towards hard times.

+walkin' on sunshine

Bongo breakfasts and saying goodbye, adorable dress shirts and ties, huge smiles and support, comical speeches and the best music for leaving commencement, trumpet playing, mingling, being the hired-help, standing, eating strawberries, plain eating, exhaustion, babysitting adorable girls who like to sleep in their fancy dresses, good books that transport you to different worlds, calming down.

+not to break

Sleepy motivation, ready for the weekend festivities, support and love and lots of hugs, pride, my second-Birmingham family, note-writing endeavours, summing up a 4 year experience in prose, dinners and the comfort of family, grandpas, laughing, culminating.

+a sandstorm of flashbulbs and rowdy reporters

Happiest of birthdays, grinning from ear to ear, new opportunities, futures, that new carpet smell, campfires, bug bites, fireflies, clean cars, rest days, roma tomatoes for $0.21, planning adventures in arts & crafts, parking spaces all over, fast sleeping.

+i'll be right here with you, i'm not afraid of the dark

Longest days on record, parking art, 15lbs., tomato soup, surprise trips, learning how to be a better friend, handwriting, imaging all the memories that will be had while touring a friends new home, sitting on the grass, catching up with ease, mcdougals&sweetceces mingled with baseball watching, walks around and talking about everything, plotting and planning.

"I'm not afraid of the dark, so if the stars get scared, and you reach for him and honey he's not there. Just a long shadow, across your heart, you can reach for me, I'm not afraid of the dark."
-Josh Ritther

+pretend that the search for another new world was well worth the burning of mine

Moving with the sun, large omlettes, reading while getting ready, ruffles with pearls, lunch time stops at the record store, banter, cool weather and pleased smiles, old bookstores and rummaging through bins and shelves and stacks, SATco and queso, understanding talks and realizing I'm not the only one thank goodness, how the nighttime feels like a blanket, out late for a good cause.

"There's another new world at the top of the world, for whoever can break through the ice.
I looked 'round the room, in the way I once had, and I saw that they wanted belief,
So I said "All I've got are my guts and my God" then I paused, "and the Annabel Lee."
-Josh Ritter

+you make beautiful things, beautiful things (glory to God, glory to God forever)

Sneaky midnight phone calls, 23, my favorite sweater day, running through the rain for it, umbrellas for miles, baking a massive chocolate cake on a cold rainy day, humbling experiences in relationships, strengthening(always), reading fabulously insightful novels.

+after thousands of years what a face to wake up to

Sleeping in, long phone calls, detailing & notes, tough workouts that leave you feeling powerful, tasty cooking, mo' s'mores!, beautiful things, church slideshows of the flood, hugs and meeting family members, another long monopoly night, sweet handwritten notes that are attached to bathroom mirrors next to opened tubes of toothpaste.

+angels laid her to rest

The organization, meeting new people with similar hearts, finding out way despite the hindrances, talking to the old ladies and sorting through old photos, face masks, families finding ways to serve together, PB&Js, walks, walking around downtown and seeing what a week of good can do for a devastated city, making chocolate pie, late night monopoly.

+so throw away those limitations, we all know them all too well

Cool morning walks, orange juice 'n eggs, the last day of the work week, lovely talks with people i love, family being in town, yummy new lunches,  wonderful voice mails, awesome transitions, trips around, our forgetfulness a

+we really are nashville

Early early mornings and my love for them, trees swaying in the wind, the brightness of cloudless days, lilies, bright daisies, exhaustion because of goodness, s'more's nights and roasting marshmallows over the stove top, falling asleep much too early.

+you're only glad its dark, cause you might see the master's hand

Overcoming preconceived notions, the simplicity of volunteerism, the heart and soul of genuine conviction in action, acceptance, hard work, friends in my apartment and fun nights out unexpectedly, sombreros, great bands, matching phones, hugs, appreciation, walking home in the middle of the night holding hands.

+i'm just shaking it off

A promise: I will move my details from my journal to this site whenever time allows.

"I want to tell you that I'm alright.
I might slow down or sigh sometimes.
I'm just shaking it off.
I'm just telling myself not to let go.
Not to let go."
  -John Nolan

+where the thistles eat the thorns

Attempting the impossible, bearing, the nature of tongue-in-cheek, frustrations aired, sighing, musical healing, finding out more facts and regaining hopefulness, opportunities in email form, amazing women who i work with.

+i can feel the world circling

Not forgetting how powerful nature can be, swallowing, updates, helplessness and needing others, following through on being my own person with my own ideas, conviction, the full range of emotions.