MUMFORD & SONS

The scents of sweat, pot, body odor, deoderant attempting to cover up said body oder, tobacco, beer, and dry ice fill my nostrils and for some reason, it doesn't disgust me. At least it didn't when I was standing on the floor of the Ntelos center, shoulder to shoulder with strangers, awaiting the arrival of one of my favorite groups - Mumford & Sons. The boys next to me didn't have shirts on and it was gross. The group behind me had been talking about Nickelback for the past two hours and everyone was dripping (literally) in sweat. Finally, it was 7:00 and an adorable country artist came up with his harmonica and his guitar. He sang a few songs, called the crowd "angelic" and "beautiful" and left a lasting impression on my heart. His name is Aaron Embry. Look him up, love him. The second group was Dawes, and egotistical group with an attitude the size of the city they come from. Los Angelas born, they were average and repetitive. But hey, If Marcus Mumford loves them, so do I. I'm sure they're very talented, I was just so hot and clausterphobic that I couldn't wait for them to leave. Once they did leave, however, it was a long wait. The crowd was pressing in closer in anticipation for Mumford & Sons to step onto that stage. Girls who I'm pretty sure were already drunk pushed and shoved their way to the front and the shirtless boys who smelled of body odor and offered me tobacco conveniently moved right in front of us. And the group behind me was still talking about Nickelback. Finally, the lights went out and four shadowed figures stepped up to their instruments. A low bass note sounded and screams erupted from the crowd. Suddenly the smell of sweat and pot and tobacco and body odor melted away and the annoyance and frustration and clausterphobia disappeared and all that was left was a massive group of people joined together in the presence of Mumford & Sons. The shirtless boys and the girls who made their way to the front and the Nickelback fanatics were my comrades, my friends, and Marcus, Ted, Country, and Ben were singing and life had never been better. The lights flashed and people attempted to crowd surf and we jumped and swayed and sang and sweat and bathed in the magic of the moment.

Then the concert was over and the magic was gone. All I have to show for it is a Mumford & Sons tank top. People wonder why I love concerts or going to the movie theatre so much. It's because in the moment, when  Marcus Mumford is singing Awake My Soul or when Channing Tatum starts crying in the Vow - everyone is feeling the same thing and crying for the same reason. It's beautiful and crazy because the moment the show is over, everyone goes back to their lives and I'll never know who all I was with in that moment. Crazy.

Yes, well. That's all.

XOXO

love, christie

Fresh, Far, Fervent

America is a very comfortable place. I have three Starbucks' within fifteen minutes of my house, a dependable car in which to get to said Starbucks, and a debit card with which to buy a venti White Chocolate Mocha, extra hot, sometimes with an extra shot of expresso. I have three alarm clocks that wake me up every morning (God bless them) and if I sleep through them, my mother kindly wakes me up. My family is happy and whole and it is believed that the lowest of the low can make it big - it's almost expected. Flattery and affirmation are key in our culture, where would we be without them? Music, movies, shows, food...everything America is is everything I want to take a break from. What would life be like eating food to live instead of living to eat food? What if the smaller things in life brought as much joy as a plasma screen TV or an iPhone? I'm going to Mombasa, Kenya this coming year in order to serve and in order to learn. I want to learn to be content in Christ rather than in useless stuff and I hope that in that process, I will learn to love and to live in a new, fresh, and fervent way. 

Fresh
New perspective
Unexpected adventure
Somewhere I've never been

Far
From false affirmation
Useless information
Things that wear the heart thin

Fervent
Breathless anticipation
Restless conversation
Close my eyes and jump in 

Love, 
Christie 
xoxo