the last day of january

In short, this January has been a very long month. I've felt the Lord really sharpening me and getting rid of old behaviors to transform me into a joyful being. He's showing me the importance of constant communication with Him, and that when I am specific and genuine and humble in prayer, He answers. It's really about talking to God and having that deep intimacy with Jesus. If you want to know more about what a relationship with Jesus looks like, take a look at this tab or send me an email at acousticerin @ gmail [dot] com (sans spaces).

I can't wait to see what February holds. I had, and still have, a great feeling about 2015. I think it's going to be one of the best years of my life.

"Pray continually." ~ 1st Thessalonians 5:17

all things golden

i would like very much to lace flowers around your crown
and take you down to the woods where the green things grow
and watch the rainbows dance in your eyes
while I gazed back at you from behind the lens.

that thug life

God gives grace over and above and abundantly more than what I deserve, and today He swallowed up my sallow and grump feels with glories beyond measure. Including, but not limited to:

- Prayers
- Stares
- Starfruit
- Stolen french fries
- Lavished graces
- Puddings upon puddings
- Texts with old friends
- A bangin' research paper
- Kings of Leon
- Rockin' that doo-rag

Thank you, and good night.

goodness gleaned from a day of living

- "Coagulate" is a word.
- Consuming too many berries in too short a period of time can {and will} make people hyper.
- Life is too short not to eat breakfast for dinner.
- Sometimes theology professors quote Bob Dylan.
- I am undeserving of such a great and mighty Savior.
- Records in the mail make a day glorious.
- The chances of me making my own cheese out of yogurt is highly probable.
- Sometimes grown men have a fascination with {and frankly, an unparalleled love for} ice cream.
- This verse is life:

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." ~ Isaiah 43:18-19

a fresh sentiment

dfd

"He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes." ~ Psalm 112:7-8

as for emotions, cold; never any hands to hold

i'm ready to stop riding this emotional roller coaster, thank you very much.

commence novel writing hermitdom

i have neglected writing as long as one can bear.
it has come to my intense attention that i have resorted to
capturing snapshots of life
instead of
creating images of a new one inside my head.
ironically, the Author of Truth has given me the gift of fiction
and diction
so
forgive me, for i must run with it.

i've decided what i want to be

hi

"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be." ~ J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

basically

crazy eyes
vampire fangs
headbands and hilarity
i'm just going to leave this here.

a summation of the day's events

I'm not sure that anyone has ever loved their family as much as my cousin, sister and I love ours. Today was a Monday that I will always look back on with fondness. Today was the day we dashed to Dunkin, and ate lunch at our Solitary Table; it was the day we ran out into the woods, and dressed up for a fun dinner out. It was also the day we searched for the maternity section in Books A Million (to no avail) and almost heard a glorious rendition of a ditty mysteriously known as "The Eagle Song." These two are crazy awesome folks, and I sure do love them. Long live January 19th.

i'm just a small child

Haven't done a Film Friday in roughly sixty five years, so please enjoy this photograph I found of myself *literally* putting my foot in my mouth. Also, can we examine the expression of intense concern upon my face? What was Baby Me pondering? Looks pretty weighty. #IsItSadThatIKnowExactlyWhoseFloorThisIs #Gramma'sHouse #WhenNostalgiaAttacks

we act like zombies because it's the end of the world as we know it

#brains

silent hour

"Let me not be too consumed with this world;
 Sometimes I want to go home
 And stay out of sight for a long time."

11 things that are worthy of appreciation

a warm cup of soup; porches; the name Roscoe;
frayed patchwork quilts; my mother's hugs; any kind of tree;
striped shirts; frosting;
flower petals of purple; vibrant eyes;
The Lord of the Rings score.

this is how we do college

Sparkling grape juice, bread, a bag of grapes and brie.

live unbruised, we are friends

"Daydream that the world stands still,
 Dancing through the fibers of time.
 Maybe I just wanna hold
 Something that was never meant to be mine."

dorm sweet dorm

It's so weird being back in my dorm.

It's been less than a week of residence in good ol' Room 5224, and I've missed home every moment. I've enjoyed college life, of course, but it's only because I've been praying EVERY SINGLE MORNING for God's strength and joy. If not, I would probably collapse in a pile of emotions on the thin, unvacuumed carpet. Although I wish I could be back at home in my room with my family nearby, and my church friends just five minutes down the road, not to mention with REAL FOOD in my fridge, this is clearly where God clearly called me this year, so I will accept His plan with open arms.

When I'm about two seconds away from a breakdown, I have this verse:

"My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip - He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." ~ Psalm 121:2-4

how was my day you ask

It was like this.

the lyrics to your new favorite song

I'm a bowl of bruised fruit

Inside a chapel of shiny apples. 

He is coming with the clouds

This is Erin Marie, reporting live from that place called college, on this glorious and surely splendid planet of Earth. Yesterday, and even today, I thought I was going to completley and utterly break. My roomates would find me with cerebrum leaking out my ear, just another victim of Brain-spolsion. I wasn't sure I was going to make it to another semester. But praise the Lord, my brain did not, in fact, explode. Instead, I prayed for His strength and joy, and He answered, as always, in a big and awesome way. I am not without physical tiredness, but I feel His might in me as my perspective is beginning to shift. My goal for 2015 is to see the humor in things, instead of letting circumstances irritate me. So far, with the Lord's help, I'm seeing this accomplished in me.

Thank God we only have to take one day at a time!

when i was a young warthogggg

My best friend greeted me with a goodbye hug and a stack of old photos from our youth group days this morning at church. It was so fitting, since I had just been looking at my own stack of old film memories two days prior. I thanked her and then commenced Reveling in Nostalgia this afternoon. This Winter break has been about a lot of different things for me, namely growing my relationship with God and spreading His name, spending time with family and getting immersed in nature. But I also have really strengthened my friendships with my youth group buddies, some of which I've known since I was seven years old, and gawky as all get out. I'm so glad to have life long pals in these people. I love them dearly. See you all when I visit! Hopefully soon!

only love is all maroon

I found a secret spot today at the park.

I didn't think there were any cool spots left to find there. The park is one of my favorites, and I have done a decent amount of exploring there already, but today God showed me a new spot. Curious, I walked over to the edge of the brush and came upon a previously overlooked path by the trees. There, tucked in the woods, was a cute little picnic bench by the water's edge. It was a nice escape from the noise of the cars on the streets, although there was a particularly vocal duck in the lake that had quite a lot to say. (He was a ham!) To take solace in the forest is to visit with an old friend.

In 2015 I want to spend more time in the woods. I have been taking some nice evening nature walks and they have been really relaxing. I have also been trying to read poetry instead of spending time online.

Or she and her lover would sit opposed
And darkly drink each other's eyes 
With faint headshakings, no more wise. 
The most he asked her eyes to grant
Was that in what she does not want 
A woman wants to be overruled. 
Or was the instinct in him fooled?
He knew not, neither of them knew.
They could only say like any two,
"You tell me and I'll tell you."
-- Robert Frost 

I'm looking forward to living more naturally in 2015. I want to eat more fruits and veggies, and write letters. I am excited to see how God is going to help make me a more gentle soul as well. 2015 is going to be a year of exquisite heart change, I can feel it.

Shouting Mountains

For quite a many months now, God has been laying it on my heart to create an online magazine of sorts. I wanted to make a site that married art and faith in an aesthetically pleasing way, and I hope that Mountains accomplishes that. This project is very dear to my heart, and I can't wait to see what it grows into in this next year! Mind you, it is still under construction and will still be, I presume, for the month of January as I get things together!

Without further ado, I give you Shouting Mountains!
*throws confetti*