Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.” ~Yoko Ono
Today I am remembering my reverence. As I sit at the breakfast table eating a waffle with nutella, drinking rooibos tea from my new Rapunzel mug(!!!), and reading an article on constructive criticism (see picture below), I reflect on the past few weeks.
I'm getting into the swing of things with school and extracurricular activities and everything seems to be going well. I'm getting good grades, I'm not stressed out all the time unlike many high school juniors, and pumpkin spice is everywhere(:
However, I realize that, as excited I am about fall being here, I haven't actually slowed down for two seconds and enjoyed it in the moment. To me, fall is about slowing down while speeding up. I know that sounds really confusing, but what I mean by it is: Fall is the season where people have to refocus because of school, work, or other such things. But fall is also the season where our perception of beauty is renewed and refreshed and we see the unparalleled pulchritude in the changing leaves and temperatures. So while we have to speed up to match the heartbeat of the rest of society, we also slow down to enjoy the simple beauty of the changing seasons.
Also, I'm SO SO excited that I get to wear my sweaters all the time!! *Sighs* Yes, fall is definitely my favorite season.
Okay, so I'm done reflecting. Last night I had the interesting opportunity to go see the opera Nabucco with my friend Abby and her mom Julie. Now, what made this opportunity so interesting is that it was actually the dress rehearsal. We could hear the maestro giving instructions and at one point he stopped the performers and was giving them pointers on how to make the emotion in the song more believable.
The opera was at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in downtown Charlotte. Its such a beautiful theater and every time I go I feel like I could sit there for hours and just gaze at the place.
The dazzling rotunda
Panoramic view of the theater
Its just so breathtaking in the moment.
The opera we went to see was, as previously mentioned, Nabucco. The storyline follows King Nebuchadnezzar and his journey from being a pagan king to a humble servant of God. There is rebellion, insanity, romance, and sacrifice mixed in. All in all it was pretty good. However, it was in Italian, which was beautiful, but we had to read subtitles to understand what they were saying.
The program
After the show we went to Amelie's, which is a charming little French bakery with character to spare. I only got a few pictures, the reason being I was so wrapped up in my heavenly dessert.
In the process of devouring a Large Chocolate Mousse Cup
"He that will not endure the bitter, will not live to see the sweet."
The next time I visit this charming place I will be armed. With my camera, of course. Last night was wonderful and after it's conclusion, I promptly collapsed into my bed(: I advise all of you to visit Amelie's off of N. Davidson Street, or at least a nostalgia-inducing French bakery in your area.
Au Revoir!!
Callan
Showing posts with label concert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label concert. Show all posts
Friday, October 17, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
Introducing Music Monday!!
Long time no talk!! So my summer has been filled with unexpected things that have kept me away from my laptop.
But is that a bad thing?? I'll let you know when I decide.
So if you read the title of this post you would know that I'm introducing a special day of the week. Music Monday!! But first, a backstory......
It was an overcast night in 2014, and the girl wondered if she wanted to risk getting wet, but then she remembered, "Oh wait, I'm going to Faith, Family, and Freedom, so I couldn't care less!!"
In all seriousness though, I went to the FFF concert on Saturday night, and it was BEYOND AMAZING!!! Although it did rain.... So I have some pictures for y'all and then we shall proceed with Music Monday.
But is that a bad thing?? I'll let you know when I decide.
So if you read the title of this post you would know that I'm introducing a special day of the week. Music Monday!! But first, a backstory......
It was an overcast night in 2014, and the girl wondered if she wanted to risk getting wet, but then she remembered, "Oh wait, I'm going to Faith, Family, and Freedom, so I couldn't care less!!"
In all seriousness though, I went to the FFF concert on Saturday night, and it was BEYOND AMAZING!!! Although it did rain.... So I have some pictures for y'all and then we shall proceed with Music Monday.
Hawk Nelson~ We were late, as usual, so I don't have many good pictures of them.
Luke from For King and Country
Luke and Joel~ They looked quite dashing in their suit coats, given that it was about 90 degrees. For King and Country was definitely my favorite act of the evening. They are AMAZING performers!!
Joel
They like percussion, if you can't tell.
Britt Nicole
No, your eyes don't deceive you. Her dancers are wearing armor. The song they were doing is called Stand(go look it up), and if you read Ephesians 6:10-20 the armor will make sense.
Matthew West. I only have one picture of him because it started raining at the beginning of his act.
Fireworks!!
If you've never tried to take pictures of fireworks, be prepared for a lot of gross-looking photos. Unless you have a great, uber expensive camera. Most of the pictures I took were awful, but I did get some fairly good ones. You're welcome. (:
Ladies and Gentlemen, you are about to bear witness to the first ever Music Monday on Little Quirks and Lots of Sparkle!! This post will go down in history!!
Okay so it won't go down in history, but I hope that Music Monday will become something wonderful. So without further ado......
Track Review
Track~ Light it Up
Artist~ for King and Country
Album~ Crave
I knew I was going to love this song after hearing the first two bars. Plus, I heard it live first, so that makes it even more awesome. It starts off with a drum beat and then the piano comes in and introduces us to the first verse. Music wise, this track has a great beat that builds with the lyrics and the vocals. The first verse and chorus consist mostly of piano and drums, but then the guitars come in with a bang and add volume and intensity to the song.
In terms of the lyrics, they are very inspiring. The boys of for King and Country encourage the listeners to let the past be the past and to shoot for the stars. We make our own destinies, and if we let the past blur our vision we can't fully realize our potential and claim our future. I highly recommend this song for anyone who is struggling guilt or self-esteem issues. It's such an encouraging anthem, and it kind of reminds me of Let it Go from the movie Frozen. Can you say mash-up??!?! Listen to Light it Up here
Comment below and tell me what song or album you would like me to review next week!!
Til we meet again,
Callan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)