Currently

It's been a little while, hasn't it? It doesn't feel like it has been, but if I stop and think about all that's happened between my last post and now, it's actually a lot. My life has been both beautiful and challenging since I moved here. Kind of crummy at first, then slowly but surely, things began to look up and now I am at a spot where, even in the most difficult of times, I am still able to look around me and feel the magic of this town. In spite of the good, and in spite of the bad, this town is exactly where I am supposed to be. I plan on writing about my experience and what I've gone through, but like I mentioned in one of my posts earlier this year, I don't want to put it in writing and make it official where I (and anyone else) can read it, and then change my mind the next day. I also want to allow myself enough time to have lived here in order to generate up a synopsis. Because I'm still new. One minute I'll think to myself, "I have got this Nashville thing down," and the next I'll be stuck in traffic, wishing I still lived in Wichita. It's funny. 

All of that aside, I have some pretty incredible friends down here. I've always said southern hospitality is real, but these people have made that sentence seem so lame. They are so many more things than just hospitable. I am surrounded by the love they pour out over others every minute I'm with them. The majority of these people and I became friends at church. A tradition we've made together is hanging out at Crema (best. Nashville. coffee.) each week before church starts, and a few weeks ago, my friend Paul and I were talking about our guilty pleasures, and he just happened to mention secretly loving musicals. Ironically, my friend Madison and I had just made plans to watch the Phantom of the Opera, and thus, it became an event rather than a chill girls night in. 

Everyone brought a snack, Lauren and I made cookies, decorated and cleaned our place all day and night, and it was such a blast. We (but mostly me) sang the entire time! Then afterwards snapped a few photos, and I thought I'd share. (And what at the lights? Double exposure is a cool thing.)

From the front left to back: Paul, me, Anya, Madison, Sam, Eryn, Lindsay, Evan, Sam N., Lau

It was a fun "night at the opera." And now, my currently's:

Reading - … Still the book thief. But the amount of books I've bought in the last month is unreal. One of my goals for 2015 is to read more, Netflix less.

Eating - A LOT of snap pea chips. The ones from Trader Joe's are absolutely my favorite. This is really the only thing I'm consistently eating. Oh and peanut butter and honey sandwiches, though that's nothing new.

Enjoying - My wonderful new friends. So many of them that I've started relationships with are people I know I can trust and people that love me in spite of my junk. I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Listening To - I'm a little late in getting this album, but geez louise, can we talk about Ed Sheeran's "X" album for a minute? It's so. good. My favorite tracks are "I'm A Mess," "Tenerife Sea," "Runaway" and "Thinking Out Loud." All of them hold a special place in my heart. Apart from that, the new Ben Howard album and HalfNoise's new album are blowing my mind daily.

Watching - I'm almost half way through the second to last season of Criminal Minds, and if you're shocked then sorry I'm not sorry. 

Loving - My church. The Holy Spirit has never been more evident in my life than He has been lately. And I think that's because I'm finally paying attention. I'm finally realizing what faith is, and how much is matters in my life. It's incredible. 

Thanks for reading. A lot of exciting things are coming up soon.. very soon.