My Favorite Love Songs

It is almost Valentines Day, and I know that if I was normal, I would be expected to hate the day because I am single and I don't have a man. But, I love Valentines Day so much! It just makes me really happy. And today, while I was putting on my Valentines Day attire (to celebrate with the kiddos at school), I was listening to love songs and then I thought, "I should write a blog about my favorite love songs." So here they are... complete with sappy and mushy commentary.




1. Make You Feel My Love- I love the slow music and the way it builds. If you just listen to the lyrics you can tell writer was seriously in love with someone, like hardcore. I could listen to this song all day, over and over and over again.

Claire: I personally love this song. I think that it's great that a woman is singing this song. I feel like most love songs now-a-days are sung by men, and I like that this one is different.

2. Can't Fight This Feeling (REO Speedwagon)- Besides the fact that sometimes the singer seems like a hardcore stalker, I really, really enjoy this song. There are many reasons why... but the biggest reason is that my cousin and I were listening to this song and it described one of our situations just perfectly and it made us laugh and then we listened to a ton of 80's songs and tried to relate them to our lives. I just think it is such a fun song. I really enjoy listening to it, especially when I fell like I can't fight a feeling anymore.

Claire: It makes me laugh that this one is number two. First off, how cliche.. Second off, as good as 80's music was, I think that this is one of the crappier 80"s songs.. But at the end of the day, I still do like this song. 

3. Grow Old With You (The Wedding Singer aka Adam Sandler)- This song is one of the cutest songs about growing old with the person you love. It is so practically written, it says exactly what it wants to say without being overly sappy. And every time I hear it I picture two adorable old people loving each other for forever and it makes me so happy.

Claire: I absolutely love this song. It's so cute and precious and any other word that means the same thing. I love the movie that it's from, which is a bonus! 

4. Save The Last Dance for Me (a ton of people have sung it, but lets be honest Michael Buble's chacha version is the best)- Okay for those of you who have not heard where this song comes from, the writer of the song was like in a wheelchair, or disabled or something like that. His wife loved to dance, and he would tell her to go and dance and have fun, but remember to save the last dance for him. It is just beautiful and I really want to dance to it right now. Go ahead and dance, I know you want to too. 

Claire: I was just talking to my teacher the other day about how I thought this song was amazing. I was comparing it to all of the "love songs" from our culture. I think that this song is the epitome of true love. He knows that his disability could keep his wife from having fun, but he doesn't want that. He just wants her to go out and have fun.

5. Heaven (Bryan Adams)- This song makes me think of two high school students dancing at prom in the 80's. I am not totally sure why, but I love this song. It is super sweet and what girl wouldn't want to be told that she makes a man feel like he is in heaven? (minus the fact that the music video is completely ridiculous, but man that hair!) 

6. I Can't Help Falling In Love With You (Fools Rush In (Wise Men Say)) (Elvis)- I love the line, "but I can't help falling in love with you." How romantic is that? Its so romantic! Its like the other person is so perfect, and maybe you have tried not to, but in the end you just can't help falling in love with that person. So yea, this song is pretty much my favorite. 

7. Kiss The Girl (Sebastian the Crab from the Little Mermaid)- Watching the song in the movie just makes it so much better because all the sea creatures make it romantic for Ariel and Eric. They really set the mood with the whole blue lagoon and woah woah woah's. I mean, if I was in a rowboat with a gorgeous prince and I was being sung to by sea animals, yea I would probably be a little freaked out, but I would also really want to kiss that prince. I am just saying that these animals really know how to get it right. Also, if any one knows of a prince who is looking for a land-girl to row with in a romantic setting, I am free all week ;)

8. When God Made You (Newsong)-Besides the fact that this song is very incorrect theologically, it has a really sweet message! I really like how cute and romantic it is, even if it is not Biblically correct... (is that that a word)

  

9. I See The Light (Flynn Rider and Rapunzel)- This song is one of the sweetest disney songs ever. I just can not contain the happiness in my heart when I hear it. The whole scene is beautiful and I am not even going to hide it, I have teared up a few times because of how special it is! Also if a man ever took me in a row boat and there were floating lanterns every where and there was flowers in my hair, I think I would fall in love too. And Disney needs more row boats in their films, the most magical love songs take place in them... or in ball rooms.

10. Everything (Michael Buble)- I love this because he just sings about how he just loves this girl so much and how she is his everything and that is awesome. Plus it is also slightly childlike in it's romance. 

Okay there is a list of ten, I could probably go on for another 90 and still not have all the love songs I love written down! So if you have someone who loves you this Valentines Day, give them a hug and a kiss and tell them how special they are to you! Or serenade them with a song from the list :) (Also Claire's comments stopped because we are in different locations... she will be back in future posts)

You might be Charlotte if...

Well, I have been thinking about this post for a while now. I mean, you already know why I am single... but now it is time to find out if you are turning into me... So here is my list called you might be turning into Charlotte if....

1. You spend your evenings reading crime stories on CNN so that you can have dreams full of action and awesomeness. 

2. You spend an entire week fixated on one TV show... then you can't take the suspense towards the end so you read the entire plot synopsis on imdb.com and then you can't finish the show because you wonder how any writer could be so cruel as to end the show in the worst possible way ever. 

3. You spend a majority of your day either texting Kara Walterhouse, messaging Kara Walterhouse on Facebook or thinking of all the things that you could write about with Kara Walterhouse. 

4. You make a list as to why you might be turning into Charlotte Walterhouse... 

5. You spend countless hours pinning wedding dresses on Pinterest because they are beautiful and you know exactly what you want to look like on your wedding day even though you have never had a boyfriend ever

6. You love your job working with adorable little children who make you smile all the time 

7. You are preparing your "talent" outfit which may or may not include a princess crown, full arm length gloves and a tutu... it totally does. 

8. You get sick/injured all the time even though you take vitamins every day and eat your veggies and stock up on vitamin C by eating an orange every day. Also you worry that every sickness is scurvy even though there hasn't been a case of scurvy since like the mid 1800's 

9. You are the youngest master angler in the state of Nebraska and you actually can understand the first part of this statement. 

10. You listen to Jason Derulo songs on repeat because his voice is like butter and they are super awesome. 

11. You wear a Spiderman mask and a tiara and color in your coloring book when you are sad... you also have a box of 120 crayons. 

12. You want to change the world in too many ways, but you know you can't do everything so then your mind becomes jumbled with what you could actually change in the world. In the end you decide that Jesus has a plan and waiting will be worth it. (but you secretly hope that his plan will include the need for a criminal justice degree) 

13. You just read all these things because you enjoy reading random facts about other people.... and you will remember all of them and scare people later by accidentally dropping a bizarre fact that you have read about a person on Facebook or something. 

Nature is Calling Me Today

My dad used to take us for walks in the woods when we lived in Nebraska. We would wake up early and hurry to put on  grubby clothes and old tennis shoes so that we could go tromp around the dirt paths and muddy puddles that lay deep within Mahoney State Park. I don’t have very many specific memories of these adventures, they all just seem to jumble together after a while. I remember that there was this long bridge that stretched across the Platte River. One day when I didn't go hiking, my family saw hawks and eagles perched on the sandy plains that stood in the shallow water. I can remember hoping that every time I walked on the bridge I would get to see the majestic fowl that lived on the banks of the Platte River.

Another time that we went to the park, my best friend Jessica Jones came with us. As we were passing under a bridge, she looked over at me and said, “Do you know that people put dead bodies under bridges?” From this point on, I was terrified to walk under that bridge for fear that I would stumble across a dead body. And I think that I can safely say that for years after that experience, I would always look for dead bodies when I went under a bridge, or wonder if there was one hiding below when we would drive over a bridge. I never did find any.

We went on a different morning to go mushroom hunting. I hated mushrooms, and I thought it was a waste of time. My dad was so passionate about it thought. He told us that his dad used to take him mushroom hunting when he was little. We looked all over for those dang mushrooms, they were hard to find. I think we did get a few of them though. We brought them home and my dad fried them up. I can’t remember if I tasted them, but I remember that they smelled divine.

I think that being in the woods, or even just outdoors, was my favorite part of growing up in Nebraska. My sister and I would often play Little House on the Prairies and pretend that we were pioneers in the vast west. Or we would play Indians with our babysitters, the Nachtigalls. Maybe my creativity started here. I would have to imagine that the tree I was in was not just a tree, but that it was a home where I, White Dove or Little Bluebird or whatever “Indian” name I called myself, lived with my brothers and sisters. We would climb in the tree and the barns and pretend that we were a family who had to hunt and gather to survive. I loved being an Indian.

Another beautiful memory that sticks out in my mind is being out at the Baxter’s pond. My dad would take me out there to fish with him. I can still smell the murky pond water and hear the sound of the birds chirping and the bullfrogs croaking. If dad and I were feeling particularly adventurous, we would make our way down a steep, little hill to a clearing. In my mind, this was the best fishing spot, because it is where I caught my Mater Angler Large Mouth Bass, which I guess you could say is my most prized possession. If we weren't up for the challenge, we would just fish on the banks towards the front of the pond.

As I am writing this, I wonder where that little girl that loved nature so much as disappeared to. I can’t imagine going outdoors anymore to just simply be in nature. If I am outside, I have to have a purpose. When I am writing though, I like to picture myself sitting in a long cabin, in the mountains, left with only my thoughts and a journal. I close my eyes and see beautiful pine trees scattered in my front yard. I see vast mountains rising up to touch the sky, with snow resting on their heads. I see deer, darting for cover behind the trees that tower above the winding river. I like to imagine that one day I will live here. Alone with only my thoughts to keep me company.

There lies underneath my girly exterior a small child who longs to be in nature, to listen to the birds singing the song the Creator has given them, to inhale and breathe in the fresh air. I like to go to the cabin in the mountains when I am feeling particularly stressed or worried. I escape to my imagination when my heart has a story to write. 

Disney Princesses

I was coloring this evening and I decided to dedicate one of my posts to the wonderful world of Disney.

Disney has a lot of Princesses, and sometimes it seems like there is no criteria for princesses. For example, some pictures include Wendy Darling who was not actually a princess at all, but rather a young woman kidnapped by an elf man with a fairy as a best friend. So my official list of Disney Princesses are:

Snow White
Cinderella
Aurora/Sleeping Beauty
Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
Ariel (The Little Mermaid)
Mulan
Pocahontas
Jasmine (Aladdin)
Merida (Brave)
Tiana (Princess and the Frog)
Rapunzel (Tangled)
Giselle (Enchanted)
Anna and Elsa (Frozen)

Now I will compile my lists of favorite movies in order (minus Sleeping Beauty and Brave because I have never seen Sleeping Beauty and I just didn't like Brave... I didn't even finish it)

1. Tangled- I loved everything about Tangled. I love the story line, the music, the dreamy guy and the villain. Tangled is definitely number one on my list. Besides there is no other Disney Princess movie in which Brad Garrett voices a ruffian and sings about playing the piano, so major points there. Plus who doesn't love Maximus?! Hello!! He is a horse that acts like a dog.

2. Enchanted- Honestly I have no idea why Giselle is not considered an official Disney Princess.... I understand that most of this movie is not animated, but the beginning is and I think it is ridiculous that she is still not a princess. Plus hello, this movie had an amazing cast! First off, Amy Adams is cute enough to be a real Disney princess... Susan Sarandon is FABULOUSLY fierce... James Marsden and Patrick Dempsey are both Studs, and Idina Menzel gets turned into a princess at the end, which is basically perfect. Also, Pip is adorable and he holds a special place in my heart... except the animated Pip. Animated Pip is annoying.

3. Frozen-Yes, it just came out and yes it is probably in this spot because I have seen it in the theaters twice in the last week. This movie is wonderful because unlike most princess movies, you can not predict this movie. Trust me, I thought I had everything figured out and then all of a sudden everything changes. I liked this movie for several reasons.... 1. There is a song called Reindeers are Better than People, so you know its going to be an instant classic. 2. Indina Menzel and Kristin Bell are both worthy to be princesses... or even queens 3. The music was insane! Seriously wonderful. I have listened to it several times and have strained my vocal chords singing along to it. Let It Go is my favorite and I pretty much feel like I can walk on clouds when I sing it. 4. I can totally relate to both Elsa and Anna. I love the winter, I am super awkward and my sister will never build a snowman with me. Also, I have the ability to create snowflakes when I twirl my hands.....;)

4. The Little Mermaid- I just really love the music in this movie and so that is why it is in this place. Ursalla and her poor unfortunate souls used to scare me, I wanted Flounder to be my sidekick, I learned what a dinglehopper is, and I love aquatic life forms.

5. Beauty and the Beast- I love Belle. She is super classy and super smart. I love the music in this one as well, although I like the Prince better when he is in Beast form. Prince Adam looks weird. I also like this movie because my favorite song about the ghetto is a parody of one of the songs in the movie. Also Belle's gold dress and the Beast's blue suit are simply smashing together. I love Gaston because no one is like Gaston as he sings for us in the movie, and especially because he uses antlers in all of his decorating. He might be my favorite Disney Princess...

6. Aladdin- Jasmine is legit. She just does her thing. She truly is the Royal that Lorde is singing about as exhibited by her tiger. I love Jasmine's eyes and my favorite love song is A Whole New World, so this just makes sense to me. And Robin Williams as a blue genie is wonderful.

7. Cinderella- Though she is pretty much my favorite princess, I don't actually care for the movie all that much.... I only put it here because I thought that it should be ranked higher than Pocahontas... I love Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother, but I am still not a huge fan of the movie. Especially when the version with Brandy and Bernadette Peters is WAY better. But because it is one of the first movies I remember watching as a child I put it at 7 instead of 8.

8. Pocahontas-I have heard a wolf cry to the blue corn moon and I have asked the grinning bobcat why it grins (Its because it had just attacked a deer... it was probably Bambi.) I just really like this movie. I wasn't allowed to watch it when I was younger though because of the talking grandma in the tree. For being a tree though, that old lady has some pretty good advice. Also Meeko is my favorite Disney sidekick ever! I think he and I could be best friends. And yes, I did have a problem because she ended up with the wrong John, but in the second one, she gets that situation under control. I also enjoy Pocahontas because when you are at Rivervalley staff lake day, you and your friend Jess Strantz can row a canoe and sing Colors of the Wind and that sort of event bonds a person for live.

9. Mulan- I like Mulan, and it would probably be higher on the list if I had started watching it when I was a child. Alas, I only watched it for the first time this summer. Mulan has some important life lessons. 1. If Eddie Murphy comes to guide you on a quest to save all of China, you know that you are doing something right with your life. 2. Soldiers really want a girl worth fighting for. 3. Its okay to fall in love with a man when you your female self are disguised as a man. In the end, he won't decapitate you and he will forgive you and fall in love with you too. Fierce women are attractive to Chinese military leaders. 4. Get a falcon to do all of your dirty work. 5. Choose a man who is as swift as a coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon, with all the strength of a ranging fire, mysterious as the dark side of the moon. Be his girl worth fighting for. Also the grandma is super adorable and she invented YOLO.

10. Snow White- I just don't really like this movie. I loved Mirror Mirror, which is the story of Snow White, but I just am not a fan of the Disney version. It could be because it was the first animated movie Disney made. I like the dwarfs and thats all. But if I ever had to dress as a Disney princess, I could pull off Snow White pretty well because I am so pale and I like my hair dark. Though I could also pull of short haired Rapunzel... Plus isnt it slightly creepy that the Prince kisses her in a glass coffin... and she is dead? Answer: yes.

11. The Princess and the Frog- I despise this movie. I really do. The only thing I liked about it was Charlotte and that's because Disney has never before created a character that is almost exactly like me. I love her dress. I am convinced that if I ever had to perform as a Disney character, I could nail the part of Charlotte perfectly. Not only are our names similar, but lets face it, you call can see me wearing a giant pink dress and doing everything in my power to dance with the prince. Yes. I am Charlotte. Also the whole dead lightning bug thing was completely adorable.

And that finishes off my list of Disney Princess movies and why I love them and why I don't. I have sufficiently wasted almost an hour of my time. I regret nothing.  

Reasons Why I am Single.

I know why I am single. I am a Christian girl, waiting for Jesus to send her a Prince. But I thought I should compose my list of other reasons why I am single. Here goes...

1. I really like to act stupid. Like sometimes I get so hyper and I can not stop laughing. Then I start to snort. And though some girls have a naturally infectious laughter, I just sound like a seal.

2. I enjoy staying in my house all the time and never making contact with the outside world. I don't like to go places. Seriously, my mother used to beg me to go to the mall with my friends.

3. I act like a freak. Maybe I am not acting and I really am a freak. But seriously. I can rarely turn off my silly to be serious for a moment. Also, I spend an unhealthy amount of time by myself watching Netflix or reading. One time after watching Spider-Man, I tried to climb my refrigerator. That was last summer.

4. I have a box of 120 crayola crayons and around 10 coloring books to go with it. I color when I get stressed. Yea... I color a lot. And maybe some guys equate crayons and pictures with 5 year olds.... what can I say?

5. I cry during movies all the time. For any reason. Happy or sad. I just can't help it. I once cried during an episode of America's Funniest Home Videos. I wasn't even crying because I was laughing so much. I was crying because the show was taking place at Disney World and Mickey, Minnie and Goofy came on the stage while fireworks were going off. I thought it was just so beautiful.

6. The music I listen to is rarely anything popular. I am like 6 years behind on the whole music thing. Seriously, my favorite song right now is Kiss Me Thru the Phone... it came out in 2008....

7. I see nothing wrong with wearing my princess crown all day. I am 78% sure that I am a Disney Princess.  I think princesses intimidate boys.

8. I am really lazy sometimes. And my clothes don't match. And I can be clingy, like dryer lint. And I can never make up my mind.

9. I am the youngest Master Angler in the state of Nebraska. What is this you ask? I caught a 22 inch large mouth bass when I was 6 years old. Yea, that's whats up. I love fishing and lipgloss.

10. I get sick a lot. Also I get injured a lot.

11. Also I am awkward. Which is why I am ending this list on 11 and not 10. I am not OCD.

So as you can see, to the normal pedestrian, I may seem like a catch ;) but now you all know why I am single. I could make a list of reasons why boys should date me... you could all pass that list out to all the single bachelors you know ;)

Go the Distance

So it shouldn't be a surprise to any of you that one of my posts is titled after a Disney song... but I was listening to it tonight and I just really felt inspired to write.

I really feel like I have no idea what I am doing with my life, and I know that God has a plan. For that reason, I am not too worried. But I mean I just feel like I am in this giant canyon. On one side there is my childhood and on the other side, my adult life is waiting to begin. (I mostly favor the kid side because HELLO... Disney movies and pillow forts) I have plans. I know what I want to do. I just feel like getting there is really difficult.

So anyways as I was listening to Hercules sing about how he feels like he is made for something greater, I decided that I too am made for something greater than this feeling of not knowing. Here are my favorite lines from the song:

I have often dreamed of a far off place...(I have felt the call to be a missionary ever since I was a little girl)

A voice keeps saying, this is where I'm meant to be...(I have heard Christ's voice so clearly when I am doing what He has created me to be. I really felt I was were I was supposed to be when I was in Honduras)

I will find my way, I can go the distance
I'll be there someday, if I can be strong
I know every mile, will be worth my while
I would go most anywhere, to feel like I belong

I know where I belong and I plan to run towards that place with all my might. I know that God is leading me and I know that every step I take moves me closer and closer to the place where I belong. There will be a day when I am doing what I feel like I have been created to do. I don't want to say that I am in a place where I don't belong. I feel like following Christ is a lot of waiting and growing and for that reason, I am okay where I am right now. 

Just my thoughts of the day. 

Giving Thanks

Wow. I have not posted in a long time, I just haven't had any inspiration lately. I feel inspired tonight. I feel inspired to talk about Christ and how thankful I am for His love and His grace.

I was listening to the song You Never Let Go by Chris Tomlin tonight, and I have to be honest... there are times when I feel like this song is just super cliche. Everyone wants to sing it. All the time. As I listened to it tonight though, I was really struck by the words. How wonderful is it that God never lets go? He is holding up no matter how messy and terrible our lives get. He is holding us in the good and the bad. When you stop and think of that, it is kind of incredible.

I also thought about how fake I have been recently. Maybe not so much fake as I was apathetic. Like I just really didn't care. I wanted to live my life the way that I wanted to live my life. I have really been wrestling with everything that my family has been through this year. I do not blame God for it, He has a purpose in everything, but at the same time, I was still pretty mad and irritated. It is discouraging to feel like life makes absolutely no sense. I have really had a hard time with it. As I was wrestling with this, I decided that I could just do my own thing. Christ was not the main thing in my life. I feel like I sound like a broken record. Why is it so easy for me to get caught up in my own world? I never understand. I have been taught this lesson time and time again. Doing my own thing never leads to anything good in my life. Ever. And yet every once and a while I decide to try it again, hoping that I am wiser and maybe this time, I can make my plans work. They still don't.

I really don't want to be a lukewarm Christian. I get so fed up with myself. Every fiber of my being desires to be sold out, living only for His glory. The other day in church we were singing a song about God being all we need, that He satisfies all of our needs and I had to stop singing because those words didn't feel real to me. I know in my head that He is all I will ever need, but my heart always has a hard time believing that.

So tonight, I am thankful for His never ending grace. I am thankful that when I run into my own little world, God still loves me and He is just waiting for me to come back. And when I come back, He is always waiting with His arms of love wide open. And I can crawl into them and be like Buddy the Elf and sing "I'm here with my dad, I'm here now. I found you, daddy. And guess what? I love you, I love you, I love you"