tour de compadres... needtobreathe & switchfoot

On Tuesday, my sister, mom and I went to see Needtobreathe and Switchfoot at Red Rocks Amphitheater!!! It was so incredible to see my two favorite bands in such an amazing venue. In order to get up to the amphitheater you have to walk up a couple of steep ramps and several stairs... But it is worth the "work-out" to see the stunning views everywhere you look. There are huge red rocks all around and there are beautiful mountains and the city in the distance. It was amazing to watch the sun set as Switchfoot played. And when Needtobreathe played, after it rained, there was an amazing lightning show right above the stage... SO AMAZING!!

We did some exploring around Red Rocks the next day, so I will share more photos soon...

the Light of the world...

J E S U S ...

He came to us, for us, even in our sin. He came to this lowly place to live as we live, yet without sin, to take our sin upon Himself. He came to save us and give us hope. He is the Giver and the Gift. And the gift of His Love never fades, even when the Christmas lights do. He is the Light of the world always...

(Listened to this song a lot this Christmas season!)

I  hope  you  all  had  a  very

M E R R Y   C H R I S T M A S !

(And here are some photos from last week, when I woke up to a glorious combination of snow, fog and sun...)

music | "songs for christmas"

This Christmas season I have been listening to this CD on repeat... If you are reading this, maybe this CD is nothing new to you, because it actually came out in 2011... And actually I am surprised that I didn't know about it earlier because I have liked Phil Wickham's music for a while... but oh well, better late than never. Really every song is SO GOOD! I love it!!

He has wonderful versions of Christmas classics like "O Holy Night", "O Come O Come Emmanuel", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" & more... Plus, he has a couple original songs that I have fallen in love with, "Christmas Time" & "Evermore". The words to both songs are really good... "Christmas Time" is of course perfect for this time of the year.
But "Evermore" is an especially beautiful, worship song that I could easily listen to all year! 

I read a review of the CD & this statement about "Evermore" that says it well...
"This is a true and pure Christmas worship song as Phil sings, 'Evermore, evermore, He shall reign forevermore.' Simply… it's a worship experience in the midst of holiday cheer." 
Which is how it should be!! 

I wanted to share a few of the songs, just because I really love them
& so you can listen, if you have not heard them before...
If nothing else, listen to "Evermore"... really, really amazing song!! :)
 

music | "love alone is worth the fight"

In my last post I talked about going to see Switchfoot in Denver last month...  So, I thought I would share the video for their new song, "Love Alone is Worth the Fight", because the song is amazing & the video is full of beautiful cinematography from their travels. I love it!! Their latest CD "Fading West" will be out in December.
I can't wait to hear more new music from these super talented guys soon!!!

He came to my rescue...

Falling on my knees in worship

Giving all I am to seek Your face
Lord, all I am is Yours
My whole life, I place in Your hands
God of Mercy, humbled I bow down
In Your presence at Your throne

I called, You answered
And You came to my rescue and I
I wanna be where You are

In my life, be lifted high
In our world, be lifted high
In our love, be lifted high

I have had this song on repeat lately... It is so good!!

....And this one too!!

So, I will just leave it at that, because most of the time other people say things better than I can. 

a hopeful heart

"I've got my heart set on what happens next.

I've got my eyes wide and it's not over yet.

We are miracles and we're not alone."

There is so much hope in those words, from this song. This time of year I always start feeling so hopeful!
I always look forward to the trees & flower blooming. And of course, Easter is all about hope!!
Plus, the extra sunshine in the evenings just makes me feel so much more happy!
I took those shots on the first day of daylight saving time. This is the first sign that winter is almost over.
I know a lot of people don't like the time change, but to me, this golden evening light makes it all so worth it!

Have a happy weekend!!

PS. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

{photography} life in pink...

Today the weather has not been much like spring at all, but over the weekend it was in the 80s and the spring trees were in full bloom! I so love taking photos of these pretty pink trees & they smell so beautiful! I wish they could be like this all season, sadly the beauty doesn't last for long... 

Anyway, these photos reminded me of the song, "La Vie En Rose", which is french for "Life in Pink". 

Of course, that reminded me of one of my favorite movies... 

"Sabrina" with Audrey Hepburn! So, I had to share this video too!  :)

a view from the sky...

I was inspired by this song...

I got really inspired yesterday when I re-discovered these photos as I was looking through my archives! I love when that happens!! I took them from an airplane window, in 2008, somewhere in between Colorado & California! 

I love the beauty of an early morning haze, when you can see all of the layers of the mountains & isn't this view even more beautiful from the sky?! I love it!!

I live in Colorado, so we have a lot of mountains! Everyday when I see them in the distance, I am reminded of God's magnificence & grandeur. Yet there is also this perfect feeling of peace & repose. I love their beauty so much, they are not like anything else 

in nature!! 

I lift up my eyes to the mountains,

where does my help come from? 

My help comes from the LORD, 

the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2

a new year is coming...

The other night we had one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen, a masterpiece of God!! The pinks & oranges were so bright & vivid, next to the dark blues... I had to capture it! I was so full of joy to see a such a gift from God. To see something that makes you stop everything & just gaze at the beauty & wonder... it's amazing!! How could people see something so beautiful & not know that it comes from Him...

(my sister pointed out a cross in this shot... do you see it?)

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Ecclesiastes 3. 

For some reason, whenever a New Year comes, I always think about this passage. 

(v. 1-2)

"There is a time for everything, 

& a season for every activity under the heavens,

a time to be born and a time to die, 

a time to plant and a time to uproot..." 

I know this is nothing new, but life is full of ups & downs & it's not always easy to explain why. Sometimes bad things just happen & we wonder how it could be a part of God's plan... Sometimes we put ourselves in bad situations & it's not God's plan at all... But the amazing thing is, even when bad things happen (whether it's our fault or not) God can & does use it for good! We need to trust His plan & timing, even though it's all unknown to us, because He is the one who sees the bigger picture. This has definitely been a challenge for me over the last year, but I have learned a lot too. The whole point is that God is with us through everything!

We are blessed, come what may!

As I thought about Ecclesiastes 3, I also thought about this song...

I love old songs like this!! :)

christmas playlist...

Of course, I can't get enough of Christmas music lately!!
There are so many great songs & versions out there...
So, here is a little collection of some of my favorites!
I just love Bing Crosby at Christmastime!! :)

we were born into the fight...

This air feels strange to me

Feeling like a tragedy

I take a deep breath and close my eyes

One last time

One last time

Storms on the wasteland

Dark clouds on the plains again

We were born into the fight

But I'm not sentimental

This skin and bones is a rental

And no one makes it out alive

Until I die I'll sing these songs

On the shores of Babylon

Still looking for a home

In a world where I belong

Where the weak are finally strong

Where the righteous right the wrongs

Still looking for a home

In a world where I belong

Feels like we're just waiting, waiting

While our hearts are just breaking, breaking

Feels like we've been fighting against the tide

I wanna see the earth start shaking

I wanna see a generation

Finally waking up inside...

And when I reach the other side

I want to look You in the eye

And know that I've arrived

In a world where I belong...

I still believe we can live forever

You and I we begin forever now

Forever now

Forever...

these words are from the song, "where i belong" by switchfoot. 

i have listened to this song so many times since vice verses came out.

it is an incredible song & the words hit me even harder today...

because sometimes things can just shake us up
& a song is the best gift of comfort.

restless, looking for you...

this is my favorite song right now!!! & i had to share it because the words are just so amazing!!! switchfoot's new cd, vice verses was released earlier this week... & it's all 
i have been listening too! :) anyway, that is all for today... i hope you have a happy friday & weekend!

{music i love} the civil wars...

one of my favorites lately is the civil wars, a duo made up of joy williams and john paul white. their sound is simple & so beautiful...  they have a folk/country-ish sound, which i love & their voices go together so perfectly. there is just nothing else like it out there! i have actually been a fan of joy for quite a while... i got to meet her several years ago, when she was starting out as a solo Christian artist & she was so sweet... (see photo here.) anyway, i love that she is doing this project now, her voice has always been a long-time favorite of mine! if you haven't already heard of them, check them out, i am sure you will love them!

also, i had to share some of my favorite photos from their tour diary, taken by photographer allister ann. it is updated regularly with so many beautiful photos... i love that they are all in black & white... so beautiful!

{photos from the civil wars tour diary}

movie love {my fair lady}

over labor day weekend, i watched one of my most favorite ever musicals, my fair lady, with my mom & sister. i love this movie!! it is so funny... has amazing acting & costume design... & the music is so fun to sing along with!!! & of course, i love audrey!!! :)

{click the picture to view them larger}

here is one of my favorite scenes, with the song, "loverly"... :)