Remember me telling you about my Pappa Samuel getting sick last year? Well for the past 8-9 months, my dad has been fighting cancer with full force and was told just a few weeks ago that his battle is finally over. He will have to go for check-ups on a monthly basis for the rest of his life, but besides that minor factor, my daddy is healthy as can be.
It was tough.
Taking on something like that among your family members is life-changing, yet it has brought us all together immensely. There was a massive amount of support, but Jesus Christ pulled it all back together, just like he has always promised to do.
The hair is back, the weight is gaining and he is even seeing a personal trainer to bulk up a bit. The chemo may have made him look like a 13 year old boy :P But since the first day of training he has not given up any opportunity (often making up his own) to whip his shirt off and pull is biceps and cooler bag (six pack underneath a bit of a squishy layer).
My dad is my hero, honestly. And he was only able to pull through this time because of his beliefs.
This song is not really dedicated to my dad or anything, but I've been wanting to learn it for a long time. This was a one-take recording, so it is seriously average. It is one of those songs that you inhale (as I have said before) and for the first time in a long time, my dad is probably tasting air in an entire new way. I love him so very much <3
So, everyone remembers the quirky and adorable song from the 90s called "Mmmbop", right?
If not...watch the video and you'll have that lightbulb moment within seconds. I remember loving this song for its happy beat and because I used to think the lead singer was the cutest thing since penguins...
So here is a bit of awesome history regarding the band that created this song in 1996, called Hanson. The band is from Oklahoma and consists of three band members, all being brothers. At the time when "Mmmbop" came out, the lead singer, Taylor Hanson was 13, guitarist Isaac Hanson was 16, and drummer, Zac Hanson was 11. The boys are all multi-talented when it comes to music, since all three can play many instruments and sing.
Today, Hanson is still going strong with their 2013 album (they have nine albums in total) called "Anthem". The boys (men now I suppose) are still fairly popular, reaching billboard charts. Their first single "Get the girl back" on "Anthem" was charted as number 39 in the Billboard Adult Pop Songs category. This is Hanson's first single to chart in the US Billboard Chart in nine years.
Their new music is obviously very different to what they played when they first started out. In fact, I really like their sound, and it is pretty cute how they have not shaken off that 90s look...But I do kind of miss their adorable bubblegum tunes that they had when they were just a few wee ones :)
This weekend I attended my annual church youth camp. I was despondent towards it at first, with the worry that I would not have many friends, but I suck it up. As expected from the title of this post, this camp was truly amazing! Sixty-two people attended it, majority being high school scholars, and the weekend was filled with life, joy and excitement. It brought back such beautiful memories of the many leadership and confirmation camps that I went to during high school, but many, or probably most of those camps that I went to, were in the hope that my crush was going too. Having grown up since then, and learning that no love received from any man is greater than the love received from God, I truly enjoyed this experience. We grew closer more than ever, as a youth camp, regardless of age.
I have been experiencing many struggles with sin and hurt lately, and the title of this camp was Grace. A lot of the messages had to do with facing the giants in our life and handing them over to God to take hold of them. God shows me His grace daily, not by "letting me off" for my sin, but also for His dedication to me, even when He is far from my thoughts.
One of my favourite moments was letting go of lanterns like they do at the Thailand lantern festival. Just letting go of those four lanterns, instead of the thousands let off at this festival, filled me with such a delight. This festival is something that I would absolutely love to see! I can't imagine anything being more beautiful...and it is such a pure and perfect image of what can happen in our lives if we hand our worries and giants over to our God. It's like placing your problem in the lantern, filling it with hot air and letting it float up to the heavens where it will be taken care of :)
I am also truly amazed at how God can work in young lives. I wish that I could have been the kind of believer that some of the older scholars are...some of them have just accepted that having God is the only way to live and their faith is unmovable. I yearn for the kind of trust that some of them have...
1 Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity
God is simply great and I want nothing more than to make Him proud. I can only hope that others can see the kind of life that He has to offer when we accept Him into our hearts.
It has been more than long enough since I have posted...the holiday clearly got to me, but this post is most definitely an appropriate one for a comeback :D
Desmond and the Tutus!!!!
Yes, this amazing South African band graced us with their presence in Grahamstown this past Friday when they performed in the union. I have always been a fan of their music, but this was honestly one of the greatest nights that I have experienced in a tragically long time. The lead singer, Shane, is just too odd to describe, yet I'll give it a go: he shakes his long, lush, brown hair as he sings, but not in that annoying heavy metal sort-of-way. And calling him "alternative" is just too cliche' and he would probably be extremely insulted. His voice is probably what makes him, it's thrilling and bouncy (the first word that came to my head). One may think he actually cannot sing because of his odd vocal techniques, but do not be fooled, when he gets down to a good old "normal" song, his voice is melodious.
The entire night was just filled with fun! The mosh pit got a bit out of hand, but I was bruise-less when I arrived and departed from Union, so I don't really see the problem. The crowd was crazy, but not in that I'm-so-drunk-I-don't-know-where-I-am-nor-even-care-who-this-band-is-but-I'll-dance-anyway vibe. EVERYONE knew the songs and were genuinely excited to see the actual musicians! I bought myself their band t-shirt to add to my collection. R180 is pretty steep, but I was convinced in buying one when the band members did a role-play in the middle of their set to advertise their merchandise. It was just too sweet to resist.
If you do not know this magical band, start knowing them because they are just too awesomely different to not give a hoot.
So I haven't posted in quite a long time, but while I was "studying" for english tonight I was listening to the new Ellie Goulding album on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAg6tA4y-uA. First off this album is awesome - give it a listen!! Secondly, I came across some acoustic versions of Ellie and my girl crush for this artist just increased dramatically. I've always been quite a major fan, but when I watched these acoustic versions, primarily the ryan seacrest ones, that all changed. The way that she sings and controls her voice is the perfect representation of why I have such a passion for singing and playing guitar. I can just see it in her eyes that she is feeling what I feel when I sing one of my favourite songs. More than that, she's just such an inspiration. Her voice is so unique and her training is insane! So give them a listen and add Ellie to your top 5 at the very least :)
Some things about Ellie: She loves cheese, she's ambidextrous, she loves to run, she taught herself guitar at 14, she sang at the recent royal wedding, she loves to buy people books and alcohol for their birthdays and her favourite Christmas movie is The Snowman.
Fleetwood Mac is one of my favouriteeeeest bands!! So much so that I cannot wait to name my daughter Stevie...much to everyone's dismay...perhaps I'll name my son Nick too :P
My friend, Gaby, introduced this song to me today and I'm in love...I've been playing it on repeat. It is a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams".
I'm sure most people know the band Bastille, but the female vocalist I do not recognise. Her name is Gabrielle Aplin and her vocal range in this song is stunning oh my word!!!
This prompted me to research Gabrielle Aplin on Youtube and I came across her original song "Home". It is simply beautiful. Aaah I love her voice!! And she is our age, pretty cool :D
One of my favourite South African bands of all time! I have been a devout fan since mid high school and their song "Fixation Girl" was what my iPod chose to play to me this morning to wake me up. I am very proud of my collection of fan photos with the band :)
