On Repeat: First Aid Kit

My dear friend Alex first turned me onto First Aid Kit, and since that bright day he showed me one of their videos I've had these lovely ladies on repeat, all day, everyday. Sweet Kelly Ann posted about them last month, and I've seen them and their amazing music all over the internet- and for good reason. To me, their music is incredibly inspiring and is somehow suitable for every mood, occasion and season. I'm fairly certain you'll agree. I'm including videos of two of my favorite songs, but be sure to check them out on iTunes or Spotify and listen to everything including live recordings; trust me, you'll want to.

Thank you Johanna and Klara for making such beautiful music. You inspire me every single day!

a Saturday playlist

I thought I'd share a playlist this morning, full of pretty music and happy sounds. I hope all of you make the most of your day and take a little time out to do something special for you! Enjoy! xo

A "Good Morning" Playlist

Happy Wednesday! Today is unfortunately a bit of a "sick day" at our house. Poor Henry has a cold and I'm starting to feel pretty under the weather myself. There's nothing worse than being sick right along side your baby, but I am thankful we made it through Christmas before feeling it. Send healthy thoughts our way please! But sickness aside, the week after a holiday is always a little slower than normal. I don't drink caffeine so when I need a little pick-me-up in the morning I turn to good music to get me going. Below are some of my current favorite songs to get my blood pumping and feet tapping. Trust me- wake up tomorrow, turn on this playlist, and start your day off with a smile (and some booty-shaking). I think you'll love it!

xoxo

Old friends & Spotify

Sometimes all you need is a night with one of your oldest and dearest friends, reminiscing about college and talking about how fast life goes by and how beautiful it all is. So thankful for this girl and so thankful for friends like her. Terra was my "little sis" in our Pi Phi days and we have the most special bond. You know those friends that have seen you in every stage of your life, seen you at your best (and worst), and love you all the same? That's this girl. Love her, and I love that we got to have a fun night together while she was in town from Denver.

Now I'm in bed, enjoying my (and Hank's) newest obsession...Spotify. I think we're a little behind on this, but seriously, I don't know how I survived without it. Okay, that's dramatic. But it is pretty great. My friends Alana, Nate and Shirley turned us onto it at a party last weekend and described it as being part Pandora, part Napster, part social networking beast. I was sold when they explained that there are no ads or breaks in music, and you can listen to ANYTHING your heart desires with no limit. Granted, the premium account is $10 a month but considering how much I listen to music it's a small price to pay. Today I've been on quite the 90s kick and my main music of choice this evening been TLC. Remember CrazySexyCool? So good. And so junior high. Next up is Aaliyah's "Back and Forth" and Blackstreet's "No Diggity." And I might even round it out with a little "My Boo" by Ghostown DJs ;)

With that said, I have a couple of questions for you. One, have you tried Spotify yet? What do you think? And two, do you have any must-listen-to bands you'd like to recommend to me? I love all sorts of music from rap to country, classical to metal.

Happy four days before Christmas!

a playlist for a Monday afternoon.

It's Monday and I'm trying to get back on track from too much fun and too little sleep, so I thought I would share a playlist of some of the music Henry and I have been listening to today while we get organized. It's so pretty here today- a little warm, a little overcast, with a thunderstorm building up on the horizon. August always bring monsoons and lots of rain, and our backyard view of the mountains as far as the San Francisco peaks gives us a good idea of what to expect. For us, today is for  snuggling up, playing with new toys, and lots of tea and pretty songs. And a day like this calls for good music, right? I think so. Enjoy, and have a great Monday.

Britney & Nicki Minaj

(all Britney photos from the show last night)

So last night Hank and I got to "cash in" our birthday present from my sister and see Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj. I've always been the biggest Britney fan, and I absolutely love her. She's been a huge part of my workout, party, and overall life soundtrack for as long as I can remember. I adore her (and yes I realize I am saying I adore a popstar. I do). I'm totally Team Britney, no matter what craziness she's gotten into over the years. And Nicki? I LOVE Nicki and listen to Pink Friday a few times a week. So it was beyond amazing to see both ladies in one night. Nicki played most of my favorite songs, and Britney played a lot of her new songs (which I love too), but also some oldies as well. She also looked amazing, sounded great, and we had the best time dancing around the entire show.

I also have to say how much I love that Hank is always willing to do fun things like this- all three of us had such a fabulous time and I woke up this morning with the hugest smile on my face. Thanks again to Lauren for the best birthday present ever! Love you sister!




a quick dinner, pre-concert!

Thao & Mirah

Mirah's always been a favorite of mine, so when I heard she and Thao were touring it was great news. I knew it would be a very special show, and I also knew it would be an evening I did not want to miss. I wasn't familiar with either of the openers, but Sarah and I ending up falling in love with the second band, Bobby. Throughout their entire set we kept looking at each other with the biggest smiles on our faces. I absolutely loved them, and last night was exactly what I needed.  You know how sometimes, you start to feel a little unlike yourself? Maybe you just feel off, feel uninspired, or just plain weird? So many times when I feel this way, all I need is a night with my girlfriends, enjoying live music.  Music has a way of making me feel so many emotions; when I can sit in a packed room, and listen to beautiful voices and instruments and clapping and cheering, it brings me back to my senses, something that, at that moment, is connecting an entire group of entirely unconnected people. I feel new again. Last night was no exception. The three bands that played brought me back to my reality. I found myself closing my eyes as the music wafted up and over the people, the chairs, through the bar, and as it made it's way over to me and settled gently right into me, it became a part of me. It was perfect.