In case you missed it...

Well hey there!

Truth be told I'm a little shameful. As it turns out, I haven't blogged since the beginning of November! GASP! Wowza. Apparently I was busy...?Anywho, I figured I would update you all in cyber land on my happenings over the past 2 months or so. 

Back in November, I won tickets to the Cities 97 Sampler Release Party! I never win anything, ever. The entire show was epic. And honestly, this was something I had been hoping for for years! It featured The Wild Feathers, Matt Hires, The Unlikely Candidates, and Delta Rae. Here's some pics from the show...

And here's a video of The Wild Feathers:

Moving on...
Grad School definitely took a toll on me this semester, and I probably had one too many emotional/mental break downs. But in the end it all paid off.. I am a 4.0 student! Chyeah! Now, my program requires us to take 5 classes as oppose to 3 that a "normal" grad student would take to be full time.  I like to think of myself as relatively intelligent, but I tend to not apply myself  (Ask my mother, she will vouch for that) and I have NEVER gotten straight A's in all my high school or collegiate careers. So this 4.0 thing is big achievement. I should also probably give a shout out to my friends and family, because I've been a crabby little hermit crab and they have lovingly supported me this semester. And I pray they continue to do so throughout this endeavor. 

I volunteer with a group for teenage girls called Braid at Youth for Christ. . We had a retreat last weekend and despite all the leaders being completely burnt out, it went swimmingly. Unfortunately, I cannot continue to volunteer with Braid next semester. The group meets Tuesdays, and I will have class Tuesday nights. Total bummer. However, I have dedicated some time to another ministry on Friday nights called Hoop Time. Maybe you can tell from the title but it basically revolves around basketball. Admist playing, the members develop a sense of responsibility, community and we have speakers that present aspects of the gospel that is relevant to the members. YFC is definitely something I am proud to say I volunteer for. I'm sad to be away from Braid for a couple months, but glad that I can help out elsewhere.

In addition to all the craziness, I decided to get a second job. Yup. Who's idea was that?! I started at JC Penney a couple weeks ago. Holiday time is a ridiculous time to start a job in retail but whatever! Even though I am paid through my graduate assistantship, I needed some additional funds. The chaos of the holidays is dying down now, so I will soon be working one night a week and every other weekend. Not too shabby. The extra cash flow will really help with bills and doggy necessities. The discount isn't bad either!

And that brings us to now. Christmas with my family was.... well... ya know. We were missing Dan this year, however he did surprise us with a visit home over Thanksgiving so I am thankful for that! I love my dear mother to pieces. She spoiled me this year and continues to be a great influence in my life. I cannot express enough gratitude. I wish I was able to stay at home longer during the break and spend more time with her.

So there's my life the past month and a half. I'm planning on decorating, reading and watching a lot of Netflix/Hulu over the next couple weeks. And hopefully posting here!

TWLOHA has a campaign running called Welcome to Midnight. So you'll probably see a post related to that in a couple days. :)

xoxo.

Pinterest Inspired-Knock off Anthropologie Letters

I'm sure many of you have seen these on Pinterest. Anthropologie letters are all the rage. They're super cute and minimalistic. I first got the idea from this pin:

See the "Bath" on there? Well, I wasn't going to spend an arm and a leg on the zinc letters from Anthropologie. 

So, like many DIYers, I decided to make my own! I also decided against doing "Bath" and decided to do "Eat" instead for my kitchen. 

You can head to any craft store and get cardboard letters. Mine were somewhere between $2-3 a piece. I had some silver spray paint from another project laying around so I used that. You just spray paint the entire letter and make sure to allow for adequate drying time. 

During:

I used those 3m picture hanging adhesives to put them up. They snap to one another so I wouldn't ruin the back of the letters. 

They now hang above my sink. 

Its a nice and easy decoration. Especially because my kitchen has limited space to put anything on the walls. 

Music Monday: The Wild Feathers- If You Don't Love Me

A couple weeks ago, as well as this summer, I wrote about The Wild Feathers. I have definitely developed a great affinity for the band.

I decided to feature "If You Don't Love Me" off of their debut self titled album. It isn't a single yet or anything, I'm just a fan of the song. (As well as the rest of the music)
The song is really raw and honest, and can speak to almost anyone who has experienced heartbreak. The four part harmonies are flawless. It is this specific song that reminds me of early Bruce Springsteen.

Anyway, take a listen to this acoustic version. And Enjoy. I hope you fall in love with them just as much as I did.

Music Monday: Lorde- Team

My first Music Monday post was Lorde's "Royals". She is obviously talented and I wanted to share more of her awesomeness with you all.
The New Zealand artist released her debut studio album Pure Heroine (the female version of hero, not the drug) on September 27, 2013 in her home country as well as Australia, and on September 30th here in the states.
The song "Team" is the third single off the album. It was leaked to an Australian radio station on September 12th, and as a result was released at a digital download in Australia and New Zealand on September 13th. The single became available in the US as part of the pre-order of Pure Heroine.
"Team" debuted at #31 on the US Rock Songs chart, and at #3 on the New Zealand Singles chart.

Take a listen.



Until next time,
XOXO
Belle

Concert Review- The Wild Feathers

In one of my past posts I wrote about Sunsoaker Thursdays. I also mentioned that one of the most influential bands I saw over the course of the summer was The Wild Feathers. At first I was super upset to hear they were doing a show in Minneapolis, because I have night class Wednesdays. However, the show didn't even start until 9. Granted, we missed the opening bands, but that's definitely overlooked considering the amazing performance they put on.

The show was at the Nether Bar. Its basically the basement bar of Mill City Nights, formerly Club 3 Degrees. The venue allowed for a very intimate setting, a rather small stage to fit five band members on, and by my guesstimate, only around 100 people were in attendance.

The sound and genre of The Wild Feathers is tough to pinpoint. You can hear the 70s rock influence, as well as a bit of country and bluegrass in their music. I also heard a bit of rockabilly, reminiscent of early Elvis, Buddy Holly, and Johnny Cash (they are from Tennessee after all). Growing up listening to Bruce Springsteen I found a familiarity in their music, sounding similar to his early work circa 1975-1980.

Now the band themselves. The men of The Wild Feathers are some of the most talented musicians I've ever seen. The four part harmonies in a majority of the tracks are nothing short of incredible. If eargasm is an appropriate and sufficient term, that is what occurred. A masterpiece of sound, in regards to the voices and instrumentals that occur. Not to mention, they have fun while performing. Almost every song they played, which was basically the album in its entirety, was graced with a mini jam session during the bridge. In addition, the individual members are some of the most genuine musicians I've met. They expressed gratitude frequently and were more than willing to hang out after the show into the early morning hours to take pictures, sign merchandise and have conversations with their fans.

Here's a pic of us with the band:

(I'm cheesin a bit.  Sleep deprivation with an overabundance of caffiene mixed with a great concert experience will do that to ya!)

This show was honestly one of the best concerts I have been to in while. The sheer talent of the band mixed with the intimate atmosphere made for an unforgettable experience.

The Wild Feathers are returning to Minnesota in November opening for Gary Clark Jr. However, the show is already sold out. Which is actually a bit of a relief. As much as I would like to be in attendance, the show again, is on a Wednesday.

Music Monday: The 1975- Chocolate

The 1975 is an indie/rock band hailing from England. The band formed around 2002 after meeting in high school and is composed of members Matt Healy, Ross MacDonald, Adam Hann, and George Daniel. They were also known under various names until deciding upon The 1975  in 2012.

The 1975 had 4 previous EP releases and released their self titled full length on September 2, 2013. The song "Chocolate" was previous released as a digital download on January 24, 2013 via the EP "Music for Cars" and is also featured on the self titled album.

This song, to me, is reminiscent of some 80s music. It's got a pretty catchy beat.

Take a listen.



Until next time,
XOXO
Belle

Spare time? What's that?

Remember when I said I would try to do this blog in the spare time I have? Well lately it seems I have none. Grad school is starting to take its toll, with group projects, case analyses on top of already assigned papers, tests, and presentations. Thankfully, fall break is this week and I hope to catch up on some of my school work as to make "midterms" week (or in my case its 2 weeks) a bit easier.

I've also moved into a new apartment. YAY! Except I'm still in the process of unpacking even though I moved in over a week ago. Ellie (the pup) is still getting acclimated to the new surroundings and the fact that there are multiple other dogs and people around. She starts doggie daycare tomorrow! Wow, I sound like a crazy person... But really. Between work and class on Wednesdays, I'm on campus for 12 hours and feel awful leaving her in a crate all day.

The whole living alone is a new experience as well. Dealing with bills, feeding myself, (and forcing Ellie to eat breakfast.... seriously, she's like a child) and realizing there's no one to come home to is tough some days. I haven't seen some friends in a while either, but the whole being busy and broke thing is keeping me from participating in activities that might actually keep me sane during this time.

Life is full of transitions, and this is just one of them. But I hope to be back blogging more soon.

I do have some new "Music Mondays" coming up. In fact, I almost posted a Music Tuesday, but that doesn't have the same ring to it. Additionally, I'll be posting some craft projects I did to decorate the new digs. So stay tuned.

Until next time,
XOXO
Belle