Have you been thinking, "Wow, Bri hasn't blogged in a long time?"
Well, let me ease your fears. I haven't disappeared, I've merely shifted gears a bit.
I am now frequently blogging on Tumblr at www.brivillines.tumblr.com.
I have yet to decide if I'll keep both my Blogger AND Tumblr accounts, but for now, you can entertain yourself with nearly 100 posts on Tumblr.
Tuesday, February 22
Sunday, December 26
Utah: Photo #1
Monday, December 20
Tuesday, November 30
Saturday, November 20
New Chairs and A Legend
The two are not related in the slightest, let me assure you. The chairs have nothing to do with the legendary figure I am proud to be a friend of.
Let's deal with the lesser things first.
Chair blogs are few and far between these days, but here's two epic chairs must be mentioned.
The first is a guest appearance by Miss Joy Wecker, whom I will fearlessly say is just like her sister and inevitably one of the funniest people I know.
In an antique store we found this little beauty, and though she is not shown seated, she did rate the chair.
If my memory serves me well, I believe she rated it a 4 due to its classy appearance, yet the comfort was (not surprisingly) disappointing because of its age. The poor thing probably saw a great deal of wonderful butts in its lifetime, but...now it probably has a future of sitting in one of those "forbidden" rooms in a hoity-toity upper class house.
Next is just a simple picture of me enjoying the fun atmosphere of Cherry on Top. Let me just say, as a side note, that frozen yogurt is taking over the world. Or at least it seems like it is.
This fro-yo stool just made me feel really happy to be eating such a wonderful treat, and as I really think about it, it inspired me to eat more. I guess that's a clever retailer's trick. These stools are kind of like those sweet haircut store chairs, where they have a little lever thing that allows you to lower or raise the stool. Unfortunately, those poor levers are probably misused and abused or simply overused because mine was forever stuck at the lowest level possible. At any rate, I was happy to be sitting there and for that I give it a three. Let's be clear, there is little to no comfort; it's all in the looks.
Finally, there's this awesome man that I've come to know quite well over the last 7 years or so named Bill Batstone. He is quite the legend in the Calvary Chapel circle, known for his classic worship songs. He writes, sings, plays, jokes, surfs, and more. He played last night at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa last night with Bob Bennett, and naturally my dad and I went to cheer him on. I was struck with this embarrassing but liberating reality that...my dad and I are "those people."
What do I mean?
:)
We're "those people" who:
1) Talk to each other during music at a level just loud enough that the people next to us and in front of us can hear us,
2) Sing loudly with everyone, trying to anticipate what rhythm the words on the screen are actually going to play out in the melody,
3) Laugh at EVERY single one of the jokes the musicians tell,
4) Take pictures of the musicians during the songs or just in between the songs....and by take pictures I mean...figure out the flash, zoom in and out, with our arms literally outstretched so that our hand is between the two heads of the people in front of us,
5) Tell jokes about what the musicians are saying,
(Don't know what that means? Example:
Bob Bennett: For this next song, this capo is so high on the neck that I have no idea what sound will actually come out
Dad: Yes, but is he "capo"-ble?)
6) Sing using a David Crowder impersonation at inappropriate times.
(aka Dad during All Hail The Power Of Jesus' Name)
With that said, I'm proud. We're basically the same person, and I'm okay with that. I'd like to think I have a bit more tact than him, but...if not, it's fine. We enjoy ourselves.
To end the night, though, I got a classic pic with the legend himself.
Let's deal with the lesser things first.
Chair blogs are few and far between these days, but here's two epic chairs must be mentioned.
The first is a guest appearance by Miss Joy Wecker, whom I will fearlessly say is just like her sister and inevitably one of the funniest people I know.
In an antique store we found this little beauty, and though she is not shown seated, she did rate the chair.
If my memory serves me well, I believe she rated it a 4 due to its classy appearance, yet the comfort was (not surprisingly) disappointing because of its age. The poor thing probably saw a great deal of wonderful butts in its lifetime, but...now it probably has a future of sitting in one of those "forbidden" rooms in a hoity-toity upper class house.
Next is just a simple picture of me enjoying the fun atmosphere of Cherry on Top. Let me just say, as a side note, that frozen yogurt is taking over the world. Or at least it seems like it is.
This fro-yo stool just made me feel really happy to be eating such a wonderful treat, and as I really think about it, it inspired me to eat more. I guess that's a clever retailer's trick. These stools are kind of like those sweet haircut store chairs, where they have a little lever thing that allows you to lower or raise the stool. Unfortunately, those poor levers are probably misused and abused or simply overused because mine was forever stuck at the lowest level possible. At any rate, I was happy to be sitting there and for that I give it a three. Let's be clear, there is little to no comfort; it's all in the looks.
Finally, there's this awesome man that I've come to know quite well over the last 7 years or so named Bill Batstone. He is quite the legend in the Calvary Chapel circle, known for his classic worship songs. He writes, sings, plays, jokes, surfs, and more. He played last night at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa last night with Bob Bennett, and naturally my dad and I went to cheer him on. I was struck with this embarrassing but liberating reality that...my dad and I are "those people."
What do I mean?
:)
We're "those people" who:
1) Talk to each other during music at a level just loud enough that the people next to us and in front of us can hear us,
2) Sing loudly with everyone, trying to anticipate what rhythm the words on the screen are actually going to play out in the melody,
3) Laugh at EVERY single one of the jokes the musicians tell,
4) Take pictures of the musicians during the songs or just in between the songs....and by take pictures I mean...figure out the flash, zoom in and out, with our arms literally outstretched so that our hand is between the two heads of the people in front of us,
5) Tell jokes about what the musicians are saying,
(Don't know what that means? Example:
Bob Bennett: For this next song, this capo is so high on the neck that I have no idea what sound will actually come out
Dad: Yes, but is he "capo"-ble?)
6) Sing using a David Crowder impersonation at inappropriate times.
(aka Dad during All Hail The Power Of Jesus' Name)
With that said, I'm proud. We're basically the same person, and I'm okay with that. I'd like to think I have a bit more tact than him, but...if not, it's fine. We enjoy ourselves.
To end the night, though, I got a classic pic with the legend himself.
Friday, November 19
Thursday, November 18
Basically I'm in the business of training the Mitchell clan. Kevin and Kelly mistakenly trust me completely with their children, and as you can see from the following pictures, I'm already brainwashing them to be just like me.
I'm having to use a more subtle approach with Jakob due to his age and lack of verbal communication skills.
But as you can see I'm training him to strengthen his grip in the hopes of encouraging him in the ways of drumming. Good, consistent drummers are hard to come by. Not Jakob. No way.
Also, I must say that he is to blame for breaking me out of my "baby-shy" phase...meaning, I generally don't like babies. It's not that I don't think they're cute, it's just that they...aren't people? Okay, that's an exaggeration. Obviously they're people. It's just that....they can't talk to me. They cry when I make faces at them. I feel like I'm going to break them. I feel like I couldn't handle living for more than ten minutes making baby noises to keep them calm. But.....ahh. Jakob is soft and cuddly and I basically bonded with him. Perhaps my baby-fearing stage has come to an end.
(Don't worry, I'm not having a kid any time soon.)
I'm having to use a more subtle approach with Jakob due to his age and lack of verbal communication skills.
But as you can see I'm training him to strengthen his grip in the hopes of encouraging him in the ways of drumming. Good, consistent drummers are hard to come by. Not Jakob. No way.
Also, I must say that he is to blame for breaking me out of my "baby-shy" phase...meaning, I generally don't like babies. It's not that I don't think they're cute, it's just that they...aren't people? Okay, that's an exaggeration. Obviously they're people. It's just that....they can't talk to me. They cry when I make faces at them. I feel like I'm going to break them. I feel like I couldn't handle living for more than ten minutes making baby noises to keep them calm. But.....ahh. Jakob is soft and cuddly and I basically bonded with him. Perhaps my baby-fearing stage has come to an end.
(Don't worry, I'm not having a kid any time soon.)
Tuesday, November 2
Monday, November 1
Saturday, October 30
Monday, October 25
Sunday, October 17
Looking Deeper
"God, when, if ever will I be free?
What does it truly mean to forgive?
Tomorrow marks one year from when I broke through
Months of hurt to find only a broken spirit and abandoned life
What does normal look like?
How can I live without fear and oppression and doubt of my own validity?
Restore me, redeem the time I've lost
Keep me from that sort of blindness, from that pain
Restore my mind, that I might actually believe that I am complete, beautiful, whole"
I found the above text written on a piece of paper in my Bible last Sunday, something I had written during this past summer. God has been working on my heart so much and has been so gracious toward me.
The last six weeks or so have been an absolute whirlwind since I have a lot going on, and generally about this time into the semester, I'm exhausted. This semester has been different though, in so many ways. :) I have been learning a lot about the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to lead me, as I lead worship especially. I have been exploring the freedom that comes by living honestly before God and others and have watched God prove Himself faithful on my behalf. I have seen the text, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" come to fruition in my own life. I have seen God stir the heart of His people in lives around me, and I am thrilled! He has put a new song in my heart and has truly been redeeming time that I thought I had lost and wasted, and He's re-energizing me so that, as I run with Him, I do not grow weary.
I write this to say that life is certainly full of seasons, and though the desert places can certainly be barren, the fruit that comes during the harvest is plentiful and well worth the wait. There is comfort in knowing that God is my Victor, that He is for me. I hope you can trust that He will do that for you also if you wait on Him.
What does it truly mean to forgive?
Tomorrow marks one year from when I broke through
Months of hurt to find only a broken spirit and abandoned life
What does normal look like?
How can I live without fear and oppression and doubt of my own validity?
Restore me, redeem the time I've lost
Keep me from that sort of blindness, from that pain
Restore my mind, that I might actually believe that I am complete, beautiful, whole"
I found the above text written on a piece of paper in my Bible last Sunday, something I had written during this past summer. God has been working on my heart so much and has been so gracious toward me.
The last six weeks or so have been an absolute whirlwind since I have a lot going on, and generally about this time into the semester, I'm exhausted. This semester has been different though, in so many ways. :) I have been learning a lot about the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to lead me, as I lead worship especially. I have been exploring the freedom that comes by living honestly before God and others and have watched God prove Himself faithful on my behalf. I have seen the text, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" come to fruition in my own life. I have seen God stir the heart of His people in lives around me, and I am thrilled! He has put a new song in my heart and has truly been redeeming time that I thought I had lost and wasted, and He's re-energizing me so that, as I run with Him, I do not grow weary.
I write this to say that life is certainly full of seasons, and though the desert places can certainly be barren, the fruit that comes during the harvest is plentiful and well worth the wait. There is comfort in knowing that God is my Victor, that He is for me. I hope you can trust that He will do that for you also if you wait on Him.
Tuesday, October 12
Sunday, October 3
Saturday, October 2
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Friday, October 1
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