Today, The Day Before Tomorrow

Today can only be expressed with this picture (sorry about the quality):

This is exactly how my brain feels right now.

T Minus Two Days and Cell Phone Pictures

The pile, it has swelled...

... and spawned...

... and begun eating the Very Important Appliances.

Not that Asher knows the difference:

That's just one more great perk of being three.

(Asher: "Mommy, take a picture of my sword." Lays it on the floor at my feet.

Me: "Uh huh." Ignores the toy sword on the floor at my feet and snaps a picture of my sword-archer-ninja.)

T Minus Five Days and Counting

I've been counting down the weeks/ days to our move, and, to any who might be interested, today -- Monday, May 24th -- is five days to U-haul. Oh, and my birthday.

Yeah, we're moving on my birthday. I don't want to talk about it.

I have honestly considered, again and again, taking pictures of the piles of boxes/ empty bookshelves, but I've yet to actually seek out the camera. Plus now I'm lacking the perspective of last week's pile of boxes to show exactly how much we accomplished over the weekend. Take my word for it: it was LOTS.

In the same way that no woman actually looks forward to labor & delivery, but instead looks ahead to the baby that'll result, Bryan and I are trying to avoid thinking about the actual moving pains, but we're freaking out-excited about living in a new house. With a yard.

We've discussed where we'll be putting our future grill and future hammock, talked about monitor systems so we can hear the boys downstairs while we're upstairs, and broached the idea of painting at some point, as the dining room and kitchen are kind of laughable. Not gross, not even old and peely, just ever so slightly humorous.

In my own mind, I've begun arranging and rearranging furniture, debated the direction that the boys could throw a ball in the yard so to best avoid hitting the house/ windows, considered how/ where Asher will play while Elijah work on schooling, and yesterday I found myself ridiculously giddy to arrange my etsy prints on the exposed-brick wall that separates the kitchen from the living room.

It's all very exciting. Daunting and exhausting, but very, very exciting.

Oh, you know what? I have a cell phone right here... that takes pictures...

Yep. Most of those boxes are books. It's ridiculous.

More books. (Among other things.)

But having the books in boxes will make moving these easier at least.

... I hope.

Stains of Time - Common Children

When the sunshine burns the darkness

Remove the veil that lingers on Your face

The stains of time still mark us

Standing in the aftermath of grace

Standing in the aftermath of grace

Do you want to hear these stories

of love and our mistakes?

Will you show us all Your glory

to soothe and to erase

The stains of time

Do you want to hear these stories

of love and our mistakes?

Will you show us all Your glory

to soothe and to erase...

Tell me me you don't love Common Children. I dare you.

When life jumps out at you and yells "HA!"

I and my little family are packing up our apartment of the last four and a half years and moving fifteen miles to an actual house surrounded on all sides by actual yard. This is a first for us. Bryan and I have lived in apartments our entire marriage, and our boys haven't ever had a place to simply go out and play on a nice day. We're stoked.

However, that means that I am trying to pack a few boxes day by day, the stuff we won't need for the next three weeks, which isn't a problem, but I'm also juggling Asher (he's the equivalent of three balls, all by himself) as well as Elijah's schooling, standardized testing, church nursery duty, Bryan's cold, and my own. And that's only the simple stuff.

So, I find myself watching a lot of music videos these days. Sounds counter productive? Yeah, probably, but it's my coping mechanism when napping isn't an option.

In the last few days of packing and cleaning and summer weather, I've been turning to Our Lady Peace pretty often. It's my happy music. They're my favorite.

The above song is from an album (Spiritual Machines) I would call an actual masterpiece, without a weak track on it. Plus, dude, Raine's hair. It might be my favorite ever.

Yes, I am that shallow.

Sometimes. Not often, but sometimes.

This is not my favorite song on its album (Happiness... Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch), but it is my favorite video, possibly of all OLP's. Melancholy and poignant and perfect. Though I would call Spiritual Machines a masterpiece, Happiness is my breath of fresh air. Every song is fun. Every song makes me happy. I think... yeah. Yep, every song.

Did I mention that for our ten year anniversary, Bryan got us tickets to see Our Lady Peace in Boston? My favorite band was actually playing in Atlanta on the date of our anniversary, but we, of course, were in New England at that point. So, when they played New England four days later, we prolonged our anniversary-weekend and drove to Boston (yikes!) and caught the show.

Amazing. Worth it. Completely. Holy cow.

Bryan's the best. Clearly those tickets proved he loves me. Right?

This video creeps Elijah out, but the song is amazing. That bass line... mmmm.

Now, I know these songs are pretty dated (2000, 1999 & 1994, respectively), but like I said, this is what's keeping me motivated this week to keep on the annoyingly good fight of packing and mothering. It's my happy music.

Love OLP? Hate 'em? (Hi, Beth!) Leave me some love and tell me about your happy music.

Christian Music - House of Heroes

I have to be honest: I had no idea that House of Heroes was Christian initially. You see, their three-song sampler was a free download from Amazon, and I liked it, so I downloaded the full album and did my usual research (wikipedia, etc.), only to realize after we had the music and liked it, that the band is considered under the Christian genre, under a Christian label (Gotee Records), and is on tour with two very well renowed Christian artists (Skillet & Toby Mac). There was much squeeing in the Punk household that day.

House of Heroes is feel-good music. That was my very first impression, and I firmly believe it's the best way to describe it. However -- here's the twist -- the lyrics are not... always. Sometimes the lyrics are downright gruesome and shocking, but, then, I've learned that surprising is exactly the quality I look for in music.

That said, holy moley does my nine-year-old love House of Heroes. I say, "We need music. What should we listen to?" Elijah says, "HOUSE OF HEROES!" (Asher says, "Our Lady Peace." I turn on City and Colour.)

It's a little daunting that he likes House of Heroes so much because the lyrics are a little intense. There's nothing quite as alarming as hearing your beautiful, sensitive chahead singing, "I'm thinking of you when I kill a good man to keep myself from being killed by him." I mean, yikes like whoa.

I do recommend House of Heroes. They are musically solid, lyrically off-beat but clean, and who doesn't love a band that can cover The Beatles and not suck?

(Postscript to add: A much more comprehensive and eloquent review of this particular album can be found at Jesus Freak Hideout.)

The Weight of Redemption

I fall short. Every day.

Every day I make promises to myself, to my husband, to my children, and I fail. Consistently.

I barely make it through this simple life; how could I hope to redeem myself for a life beyond?

I can't. I know it.

However, I have a redeemer. I have a redeemer who didn't just live an astounding, sinless, consecrated life, who did not only die in my place, in consequence of my sins, but who kicked the dust of death from his feet and lived again.

I have a redeemer like none other.

It's enough to bring me to my knees. Is it enough to bring you to yours?