Doesn't Matter What Comes Crashing Down...

...I'm still gonna stand my solid ground. - lyrics taken from Mat Kearney's "Won't Back Down"

Lately I've been making really great playlists. Here is one I made when I was in Florida last week (it doesn't have a title... there could easily be one based on my song choices, though, I'm sure):

.Carry Me Through - Dave Barnes
.Almost Honest - Josh Kelley
.Wheel - John Mayer
.The High Road - Broken Bells
.Let It Be - The Beatles
.Won't Back Down - Mat Kearney
.The Promise - Tracy Chapman
.Cello Song - Nick Drake
.Skinny Love - Bon Iver
.Elizabeth - RuRu
.I'd Rather Be With You - Joshua Radin
.Come On Get Higher - Matt Nathanson
.Bloodline - Matt Morris
.Dancing Shoes - Gavin DeGraw
.The Thief & The Heartbreaker - Alberta Cross
.The Story - Brandi Carlile

When I'm feeling blue, or tired, or chill I really enjoy listening to this playlist. I happen to be listening to it as I write, and that's because I'm all three of the moods I previously mentioned.  When I'm sad, it doesn't necessarily make me feel any better; I can just kind of get lost in these tracks and not think about anything. The sadness usually seems to come back though. Oh well.

Today I saw "Toy Story 3" with my dear friend, Vanessa, and it was really wonderful. I mean, all Pixar movies hold quite the reputation, and this one definitely did not disappoint.  There was humor, action, and adventure, in addition to some really endearing moments (which may or may not have made me cry), and, as always, morals that hold true from childhood through adulthood.  If you haven't seen it, you really should, just like you should see Toy Story 1&2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Wall-E, UP, etc.  Bring tissues to have on hand for some, though, especially if you happen to be more of an emotional person, as several of these tend to tug a little bit on your heart strings.

So there were some CRAZY storms in Chicago on Wednesday the 23rd.  Here is a video of one of the most amazing natural wonders that I've ever seen:

Lightning strikes three of the tallest buildings in Chicago at the same time! from Craig Shimala on Vimeo.


It's pretty incredible if you ask me. Especially how he (Craig Shimala) took the time to show us several slowed-down versions to see how it all plays out.  I love it so much... nature is so cool!

So I went to Florida, as I mentioned earlier. It was a really great trip. I won't bore you with details, but I'm including a couple photos that I took in a little slideshow below for your viewing pleasure. Because of the slideshow, which you can enjoy at your leisure by clicking the arrows on the right or left of the photo, I'm foregoing a Pic of the Day portion of this entry because I can't just choose 1-3 to include here.  In my posts to come, I'll definitely add some just by themselves so that you can see them better. If you have questions about any of them, feel free to ask in the comments below. Or feel free to leave comments if you have cool things to say about them. Because that would rule! And, I won't lie, I'm pretty excited about the majority of my photos from this trip. =)

Florida 2010

Sorry I was so absent from posting... =(

...Annnnnd okay, I lied. Here's one photo I really really reallyyyy had to share:

This was taken at Myakka River State Park in Sarasota, Florida. I can't believe I spotted this little guy as I was just walking down the trail. Amazing! Lovely! Beautiful! Caterpillars RULE! =)