"Self-confidence and self-love come from within. You can’t love another person so hard that your perception of them seeps into their subconscious and affects how they view themselves."

-Anonymous 

Sleeping at Last

Normally, I would post a lot of my favorites of the week, but right now I'm in the mood where music is going to speak for me, because it's been one of those rollercoaster days where you love people and then you hate them and you want to speak your mind all the time and you just want to do what you want and then you love food but you hate it..just kidding that could never happen, but you know what I mean, right?

Just listen to the beauty and have a happy and safe weekend.

1. Emphasis by Sleeping at Last

I had to include every single line to this song because it is the most poetic and lovely and beautiful thing I have ever read.

"Death is promised to the bee who's sting protects the colony.
Was its life worth nothing more than honey for the queen?
Life is a branch and it is a dove, handcrafted by confusing love.
Sign language is our reply, when church bells make no sound.
In hollow towers and empty hives, we craved sweetness with a fear of heights.
Was it all just a grain of sand in an hourglass?
The smartest thing I've ever learned is that I don't have all the answers, 

just a little light to call my own.
Though it pales in comparison to the overarching shadows,
a speck of light can reignite the sun and swallow darkness whole.
Death is a cold, blindfolded kiss.
It is the finger pressed upon our lips.
It puts an unwanted emphasis on how we should have lived.
Life is a gorgeous, broken gift.
Six billion+ pieces waiting to be fixed.
Love letters that were never signed, sent to where we live.
But the sweetest thing I've ever heard is that I don't have to have the answers,
just a little light to call my own.
Though it pales in comparison to the overarching shadows,
a speck of light can reignite the sun and swallow darkness whole."

2. Woodwork by Sleeping at Last

The melody, it carries on while we come undone, and makes us new. All our love came out of the woodwork."

3. I'll Keep You Safe by Sleeping at Last

"As you build up your collection of pearls that you pulled from the deep. A landscape more beautiful than anything that I’ve ever seen. The sound of the branches breaking under your feet. The smell of the falling and burning leaves. The bitterness of winter. Or the sweetness of spring. You are an artist and your heart is your masterpiece. And I’ll keep it safe."

4.  Uneven Odds by Sleeping at Last 

"So I write these words down,“Darkness exists to make light truly count.”"

Don't you just want to cry, smile, dance, laugh, runaway? I sure do.

The Happiest of Birthdays to Walking on Sunshine!

This precious little blog is a year old today! Couldn't you tell? I mean I wrote the most meaningful posts this whole week. And hopefully if you're an avid reader you can tell that my words are dripping in sarcasm at its finest. Let's be honest, I had no motivation to write at all, in fact, I was at a softball game and after we decided that shakes from Sonic were in order and it wasn't until I was double-fisting a chicken strip sandwich that I realized that it was the 1 year birthday of this little beauty.

So I thought, hey why don't I take some mighty fine pictures of cute kids smiling in honor of this fine day? So I did. And it was grand. Enjoy...

P.S. read all the way to end for an honorary outfit posts done by yours truly...not really at all. T-Jones.

And thus begins the challenge to get everyone to look great in a picture. Abby is failing and Mak...the eyes. The eyes. Always.

We're getting there. So close, T-Jonesy, so close.

And then this happened.

And so I decided to take individual pictures.

And most of them turned out blurry.

Megan always looks cute in pictures. Even the candid ones.

Emilee looks completely adorable in this. Everyone is cute. I'm glad I tried again.

A hot fudge shake makes for happy face.

This one.

We still couldn't get a solid one. All good though, I still love these people.

 And now for the highlight, snorty laugh part of the night and the outfit of the day...

Hat: c/o Arizona Diamond Backs (must be worn backwards with some hair sticking out to create maximum effect) // Shirt: c/o Nike // Shorts: c/o Nike // Shoes: c/o Adidas 

This kid. He even got the pose down. Pure gold I say.

Well friends, thanks for reading for a year. Let's hope for many more.

Thanks for sticking around for the adventures, the heartaches, the happiness, the food, and the style, and the all the times I tried super hard to be witty.

You are the goldest and the loveliest. Stay that way.

Until tomorrow.

La dah dah dahdada...now is the start.

For the loveliest woman I know...

To Mom,

Thank you for teaching me how to love myself. I look at girls around me and I see pain in their eyes because I see that they can't accept who they are. They don't know who they are. They are chameleons who form to everything and everyone around them. You taught me different. You taught me to be my own person, to love who I am. To accept myself. To love the real Dani. I couldn't thank you enough for that mom. I couldn't.

Thank you for teaching me that red onion, red pepper, and garlic make a very tasty combination for any dinner dish.

Thank you for teaching me patience. You are the most patient person it's true. My heart hurts a little when I think of the times that I would try to push your buttons until you lost it. It only happened once and I truly deserved the verbal rebuttal I got from you. I remember that day that I decided I would never try to hurt you like that again.

Thank you for teaching me how to move on from heart ache and heartbreak. Thanks for telling me that I am worth more than a boyfriend. Boys do not make who I am. I can be alone for a while and be okay I can be patient on this little love journey, and I can also love.

Ultimately mom, thank you for teaching me how to love. To be kind. To have a heart for everyone. You truly  are all of those things mom. You are kind and you are love. You are charity, Mom. You are beautiful in every way and I love you so much.

Thank you mom, thank you for everything single thing in my life. I don't know how I would survive college or life without you.

I really do want to grow up to be just like you. You are the loveliest. And you are gold. Golder than gold.

Yes. You. Are.

Love, Dani

And my mind wanders.

A Mother's Day post is in order for tomorrow, but for now I will write from the mind.

I lead a small life, yes like Kathleen Kelly in "You've Got Mail." I lead a small life and though it is small, I feel like it has been very profound. In its own way of course.

Sometimes though, I feel most insignificant. I feel like my dreams and ideas will never come to pass. I feel like I'm too loud, too flirty, too stupid, too excited, too nice, too mean, too crass, too bold, too shy. Too everything. I feel this way and then my life doesn't seem so profound anymore.

And then I remember that I am good and that things will be okay and that things take time. They do. Some things just take time. Time will tell you that you are good enough and that you aren't too everything. You are something.

Something wonderful. Something lovely. Something good. Something significant.

I am significant. I just need to listen to time a little bit. I need to trust life a little more. Trust God.

Couldn't we all do that? Yes.

That's all for tonight.

This was a week for beautiful music.

Oh yes it was.

1. Kids by Lady Danville 

2. I Will Remain by Matthew and The Atlas 

3. Tired Magician by Lady Danville

This is the most beautiful. Ooo I love it.

4. Little Hell by City and Colour

5. The Road by Matt Costa

6. Everything by Ben Howard

7. Re:Stacks by Bon Iver

8. For Emma by Bon Iver

This video is so beautiful. I wish I could have seen this. 

9. Sunshine by Matisyahu

Matisyahu is my one true love. 

10. L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. by Noah and the Whale 

Happy listening, friends.

Stay gold.