my whole house is great. i can do anything good, yeah, yeah, yeah..

I was recently reminded of one of my favorite videos of all time. So I thought I would share it with all of you. Maybe we should all do this once in a while to remind ourselves of how many things we have to be grateful for. And of just how great we are.
I love the caption under the video.. "Jessica has a day where she's feeling... really good about her life."
And the huge clap after she proclaims that she loves her whole house.
This girl is.. I don't even have words. Oh geesh, just watch it.
Guaranteed to make you smile.
If not, well.. I am sorry for misleading you.

and here's some trivia from THE jd (dad).

{via}

43 years ago YESTERDAY, January 30, 1969, the Beatles played their last show together as a band.  They played the impromptu 42 minute concert on the rooftop of the building their studio was in; The Apple Building, located at 3 Savile Row in  London, England.  Show time was around midday on the cold, bitter windy day.

It's amazing to me that four guys that were NOT getting along at all at the time could still make such awesome music!

There are many YouTube videos of that historic event, check it out!

P.S.- The keyboard player located stage right (not seen much at all) is none other than the great Billy Preston!  George Harrison invited him to sit in their rehearsals because they were all more cordial to each other when a guest was present!

{via. billy is in this one.. top rightish.}

-jd

no disrespect, mr. jackson.

Over the weekend,  we brushed up on some Marvel films. Some of you are looking forward to The Avengers. Maybe some of you aren't. I'm curious, but I hadn't seen a few of the movies that lead up to it. I'm sure there are others I'll need to be aware of but we live with a bunch of Marvel lovers and I'm sure they'll catch me up. So we 'rented' some nice blu-rays from our friend, John, and hit the couch. (John has, oooh probably, every movie. Bonus.) I got a perplexed"Have you not seen any of these movies, Ali?!" question from Kyle when we started the second one.
How unbelievable of me.
First on the list was Thor. The next day we watched Captain America.
And, okay. If you have seen the movie, you know who Red Skull is. While watching the movie, I found that I knew nothing about Captain America. He was just a test subject? Had no idea.
Anyway, the first time Red Skull reveals his new look, the first thing that came to mind was that he looked like Michael Jackson. Particularly in the nose region.
Now this is not to bash Michael Jackson. Though I did not agree with certain areas of his lifestyle, I was a fan. I'm still a fan. There are many of his songs in my library. I saw 'This Is It' in the theater. Twice. Maybe I shouldn't have told you that. But the man had talent. No shame here.
It was just the first thing I thought. And I may have missed the next few seconds of the movie because that's what I was thinking about. Don't judge me, I got the gist of the plot.

{chad made this and sent it to a co worker because they had just been talking about the famous nose earlier that day.}

No disrespect Mr. Jackson. I just still don't know what you were going for there.

Side note: On my journey to trying to love the place I live, I'm really loving opening the windows in January!

beautiful day.

happy monday. ali

trivia tuesday.

{via}

In January of 1962 the Beatles had no record deal and auditioned for Decca Records.  Beatle manager, Brian Epstein, was told by Dick Rowe of Decca, "Groups of guitars are on their way out, Mr. Epstein.  You really should stick to selling records in Liverpool."  He told him electric guitars were "old hat"...!
Ha.
He became known as "The man who turned down The Beatles"!
Luckily for him, on George Harrison's advice, he signed The Rolling Stones to Decca...
Still think he blew it!
-jd
{see more trivia tuesday posts here}
So, fifty years later and The Beatles still hold the record for most number one songs within a one year time period and their influence on popular culture still remains monumental.
Whoopsy.
happy tuesday, joy choosers.  ali

wednesday without words.

january differences.

Hello friends and family, hope your Monday has been a good one. We've been settling back in to city-life after being in Michigan for two and a half weeks And I've been struggling to update this internet space of ours. It seems I've been struck with a case of homesickness with a dash of culture shock; which is weird because I didn't feel such an insecurity before our Christmas trip. God is up to teaching me many things as a result and is speaking to Chad to encourage me through it. Hub still isn't working so I am very grateful that he's been close for comfort. I'm really okay, it's all just still an adjustment for me still I think. Thank you to those who have sent little text messages of encouragement and prayer. I'm grateful for your thoughtfulness.

Just thought I would give a little update on the month of January so far. It is so different here in the south. We've actually had a couple days where we felt too hot while sitting on the balcony. Before you respond with disgust and jealousy, know I didn't enjoy it. :) I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I miss the snow (WHAT). I know. But just as I tell you in Michigan to be joyful in all circumstances and embrace the cold, snowy weather, I too am learning to be joyful in the south. It's a journey. Bear with me. <--Yes I did google that phrase just to make sure I had the correct spelling.

{a not so great phone photo, sorry bout it}

Unfortunately we couldn't see as many people as we would have liked to during our Michigan stay but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that we did get to see. Thanks for pouring into our lives and making sure we could schedule a hang out. The effort is appreciated and we love you all. Hopefully next time we can see some more familiar faces (Jen Ingram, I still didn't get to see you! I'm really glad you have family down here. :)) We were able to see lots of family though, and had great days laughing with and chasing (pretty sure their all time favorite is chasing) our nieces around the house, which I'm convinced was really good for our hearts. Lisamom wanted a new photo for her wall so my dad came over one day and got this great shot.

This family blesses me more than I can even begin to tell you. I am a super blessed wife. I think I have THE best in laws in the entire world. Not to mention an amazing husband. And how is it that those two girls just keep getting cuter?! You say one day that they couldn't get any more beautiful and then BAM, they throw out some more cute the next time you see them. Here's their pretty mommy.

Right, so January. In the south. Look at all of this yummy fruit (that actually tastes good)! I'm not used to that in the winter.

The weekend we got back, the Lions were here. That's all I really have to say about that. Here's a blimp. (:

I've also been working a little bit on some more things to come for the etsy shop. The motivation hasn't been up to par but I'll get back in the swing of things I'm sure. Take a look though, I posted a couple new jewelry pieces the other day and should have a few more treasures up this week.

We've also been spending time with new friends; another thing I'm very grateful for down here. I went out with Emily and Gideon (or Gidebop, as I like to call him sometimes) to take some photos for his birthday invitations. This little man is going to be one in a month and his super great mommy is throwing him the ultimate sock monkey party! He is always so happy and knows how to snatch your heart right up. I'll leave you with his adorable little face.

Keep choosing joy, friends and family. ali

an extra day.

We had an extra day here in Michigan today. Yesterday, we were planning on heading out this afternoon, but our car decided she wanted to stay. We had to take it to get fixed but it was just a minor problem opposed to what it could have been if we had already started our venture back to New Orleans. I wasn't really mad about the extra day we got to spend here, either. (:

I also had the pleasure of going to dance class with the sistergirls yesterday. They dance for the studio I used to teach at so it was a real treat for me. I went back later last night to visit the class I used to teach and had a much needed visit with some really wonderful people. Michigan folk, if you're looking for a place to sign up your kiddos for dance, this is a really great studio with a loving, christian foundation. They just moved to a new location and they have much more space! I highly recommend them. I miss that place, dearly, and am so grateful for being able to visit for a bit. It inspired me to look harder for a place in New Orleans that will hopefully have some laid back adult classes just so I can keep it all fresh in my head. I miss using my body that way on a weekly basis.

Well I'm off for one last hang out with a couple princesses while mommy is at work!

Have a great night. ali

a new year, a new space.

welcome.

I hope the holidays have been great for you all! We've had many happy days with friends and family here in Michigan. A few under-the-weather days as well, but we are still glad to be in this cold and (hardly) snowy state that will always be home.

I just wanted to share an encouraging word with you all. I've been reading a daily devotional by Joyce Meyer in the bible application on my iPhone.

That woman is full of truth, challenge, and encouragement. This particular one I wanted to share really sums up what God has been teaching me this last year.

It has really  been life changing choosing to be joyful in all circumstances.

I'm choosing now to keep this mindset in 2012. Hopefully it is a revelation that sticks with me forever. I pray this encourages you all to press on as much as it did me.

Living with Contentment and Satisfaction
The Bible says that godliness accompanied with contentment is great and abundant gain. What I take from that is, a godly person who is content is in the very best place he can possibly be.

Joy doesn't come from having your circumstances in order and under control; it comes from what's in your heart. For example, the world is full of people who have what they think they want, and they're still not happy. In fact, some of the most unhappy people in the world are people who seem to "have it all."

Contentment is not about fame or being well-known, how much money you have, your position at work or your social circle. It's not found in your level of education or what side of the tracks you were born on. Contentment is a heart attitude.

There's nobody happier than a truly thankful person, a truly content person. The word content means 'being satisfied to the point where nothing disturbs you no matter what's going on, but not satisfied to the point that you never want any change.'

We all want to see things get better. But where you are right this minute doesn't have to disturb you. You can choose to believe that God is working and things are changing, and you will see the result of it in due time.

Life is all about the choices we make, so choose contentment and satisfaction every single day of your life. You won't go wrong when you do.

Prayer Starter: God, I want to be content and satisfied with where I am, right here, right now. Give me the strength to choose to be content every single day.
I want my contentment to come from You, not my circumstances. Show me every day that Your plan for me is perfect and that I don't need to worry.


But godliness with contentment is great gain. {1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV)}


A note to my wonderful family: Hopefully I'm not confusing anyone by the site change, but this will make things much easier for you guys to stay updated. So family, if you would like to receive an email when I post here, look on the right side of the page. You'll see a box that you can enter your email address in and once you do that, click "submit" and you'll be set up! Feel free to browse all the old posts on our Tumblr whenever you'd like.

Happy new year all!

Oh, also! It's Tuesday, so for some trivia from my dad.. Happy 86th birthday to George Martin, producer of most Beatles songs. (:

and keep choosing joy. ali