sometimes all over the place is exactly where you are supposed to be

hi there, friends! it’s early saturday morning and i’m up enjoying a few quiet hours blogging + sipping coffee. i’ve needed this down time all alone. i can’t seem to stay awake at night to get it, so when i wake up early, i suppose it’s best to go ahead + get up + take advantage of these quiet, before dawn moments.

so, are you easing into 2015, or has it started off with a bang like mine? true to my word of the year (empowered), this year has started off with me doing fist bumps in the air to myself – both to pump me up + to remind me to kick ass, and also to simply celebrate. i continue to find myself swinging from extreme excitement and giddiness to sadness and heartache (all related to my upcoming move to sweden this month – freak out moment). but, it is what it is, folks. and, this is life. and i freaking love the ups, down, and craziness that is my life. and, by the way, so far, after two days, i believe that simply saying that you have the power (empowered, is what i’m talking about here), means that you do have the power.

anyway… i thought i’d share with you a few photos from my first 2 days of 2015. unfortunately, i ended 2014 with a cold + it reared it’s worst ugly head guess when? yep. new year’s eve and new year’s day. i did push right on through with our celebrations on new year’s eve… hacking + coughing + being generally a disgusting person to be around. and, on new year’s day, i was utterly useless. super bad timing, because the dawning of the new year meant time to kick things into gear for packing + moving (our movers come next week to pack the stuff we are shipping!). needless to say, i rolled around in bed most of the day, while lina slaved away going through things and packing (i am soooo sorry, baby.). i did manage to squeeze out a few hours of work in the afternoon though. but, my love? she’s amazing.  really freaking bad timing for my worst cold of the past 12 months.

yesterday, i woke up feeling better. perhaps that was due to the fact that i may have overmedicated myself at 3am in order to put myself to sleep. it’s good that i felt better because i hit the ground running yesterday. i did some cleaning at my brother’s airbnb apartment (the last guests he will have! and then lina and i move in next weekend for our last week in asheville!), talked with the movers, drove home to get my passport, drove to the movers to let them get a copy of my passport, filled up the car with gas, went to the bank, and finally stopped by the pharmacy to get more drugs for my cold. a quick shower at home, then a trip to my favorite brewery in asheville for a half a pint of beer + to show it off to lina’s parents, then a short drive to my parents’ house for one last family dinner together (with lina’s parent’s, i mean).

in the midst of all of the above stuff, i have gathered together some music and created my playlist for this month. as you may or may not know, i started this little monthly project back in september, when i turned 40. i created a playlist for that month – just because it felt right. 40 songs, many of them were new to me, that just felt like me. since then, i’ve decided that until my 41st birthday next september, i am going to create a playlist a month. so, i’ve done just that. this playlist for january makes my 5th one, out of 12.

i am really excited about this one because it’s all over the place. hehe. well, somewhat. you see, i love to have themes for my playlists, but i couldn’t decide on one theme for january. there was too much rich, great stuff from which to draw upon. so, i’ve smashed together different genres of music in addition to the different themes. so, you’ll hear all kinds of music about beginnings and endings, saying goodbye, getting out there and giving it your all, mountain songs, starting over, road trip/travel songs, songs about home, songs that make you dance, winter songs, songs about the wild. it may seem like a mess to you, but to me, they all remind me of all of the crazy, various experiences and newness that this month brings. it’s music that makes me feel and think. it inspires me, moves me, and excites me. it feels like home + it feels like far away at the same time. i’d say that it’s the prefect wacky combination to reflect my wacky, all over the place feelings this month.

here’s how to listen:

1. click on the photo below to be directed to the playlist on spotify. if you don’t have spotify (get it, it’s free!), then i’ve listed all of the artists + song titles below as well.
2. subscribe to (follow) the list in spotify + feel free to add songs to the playlist! yep. this month i’m making it collaborative, so it’ll be our playlist. if you want to add a song that inspires you as this new year begins, then please do!
3. you can also click { here } to find the link to the playlist.
4. and you can click { here } to sign up for spotify. if you are not in the US, then simply change the country in the bottom right corner of the page.

i sincerely hope that your 2015 has started off well, and that you are feeling hopeful + excited + inspired. we have a whole year of unknown adventures and tons of possibilities right before our eyes, so let’s make the best of it together. grab a cup of coffee, turn on the january playlist, and begin to let 2015 sink into your soul. what kind of year do you wish it to be? what are your hopes + dreams? where are you headed? if you have a word for the year, reflect on that word… does it still seem to fit? if you’d like to chat with me, send me an email. i’m here to listen.

until tomorrow, dear friends, enjoy the music + keep on creating the life that you want!

onwards + upwards! xoxo

| as promised: the artists + song titles |

Sufjan Stevens – Auld Lang Syne
Simon & Garfunkel – Homeward Bound
The Head And The Heart – Winter Song
The Detroit Cobras – You’ll Never Change
Regina Spektor – My Dear Acquaintance [A Happy New Year] – iTunes Live Session Performance
Willie Nelson – Bring It On
Nina Simone – Feeling Good
Carolina Story – Almost over Now
Dark Dark Dark – Winter Coat
Blessed Feathers – Winter Sister
Simon & Garfunkel – El Condor Pasa (If I Could)
Patrick Park – Here We Are
Patrick Park – Let’s Go
Imagine Dragons – On Top Of The World
My First Tooth – Sleet and Snow
Janelle Monáe – Dance Apocalyptic
Ben Sollee – Letting Go
Beck – Say Goodbye
Johnnyswim – Home
Steve Martin – Remember Me This Way
Sarah Jarosz – Fuel The Fire
Mindy Gledhill – Winter Moon
Levon Helm – The Mountain
Ben Sollee – A Change is Gonna Come
Patrick Park – Time For Moving On
Patrick Park – Come What Will
The Gospel Whiskey Runners – Hold On
The Barr Brothers – Even The Darkness Has Arms
Chris Thile – On Ice
Elephant Revival – Remembering a Beginning
Carole King – New Year’s Day – Acoustic
The Gospel Whiskey Runners – Breaking Through
Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are Over
Camera Obscura – The Blizzard
The Wailin’ Jennys – Glory Bound
ABBA – Happy New Year
The Gospel Whiskey Runners – Shake It Off
Nickel Creek – Jealous Of The Moon
Delta Spirit – Into The Wide
Elton John – Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long Long Time)
The Avett Brothers – Open Ended Life
Joni Mitchell – Urge For Going
First Aid Kit – Walk Unafraid
Dark Water Rising – Love Me
The Cave Singers – Northern Lights
Damien Rice – Eskimo