Our Sister.

I've never had a best friend like you. Happy 21st Birthday Courtney Jane. I love you more than you'll ever know.

"Hinnom, TX"

This is beautiful, you should take a second and watch this.

"Not too long ago we posted about the deluxe edition of Bon Iver's self-titled sophomore effort, which includes short films for each of the album's ten songs. In anticipation of tomorrow's release of Bon Iver 2.0, TIME Magazine has posted one of those ten clips."

Bon Iver short film

Your Feet

When I cannot look at your face
I look at your feet.
Your feet of arched bone,
your hard little feet.
I know that they support you,
and that your sweet weight
rises upon them.
Your waist and your breasts,
the doubled purple
of your nipples,
the sockets of your eyes
that have just flown away,
your wide fruit mouth,
your red tresses,
my little tower.
But I love your feet
only because they walked
upon the earth and upon
the wind and upon the waters,
until they found me.

Pablo Neruda

Eternally Lovesick.

I don't think this is ever going to get easier. One moment we're all in love, then the next we're all crying. Are we crazy? Or lucky for feeling anything so much? It's hard to say, because when relationships, any relationship, causes you more pain than happiness, I'd say it's safe to say it's time to leave. But when are any bonds not a struggle? Giving of yourself, taking the best from others, learning how to compromise and communicate, some people don't ever figure out how to really do this. In any situation where you choose to love something, you leave yourself wide open for heartache. Those you give the power to make you happy, can always make you hurt. But I wouldn't trade one single second of giggling, awe, hurting, crying, or loving for a lifetime of silence. 

Thankful.

I figured this was as good of a time as any to make this list. This year, I am thankful for:

• My mother, and her unconditional love.
• My father, for trying the best he can.
• My sister, for being the most wonderful person I know. 
• My job, because playing with little kids all day is the only thing I want to do at this point in my life.
• My friends, because even when they're insane, they're the most special people I know.
• Health, because it is a gift. 
• The sun, because it's shining on my face right now.
• Mornings, because waking up is always a new chance to have a wonderful day.
• Courtney, for being one of the most loving and caring people I know.
• 8tracks, for always giving me a soundtrack to my day. 
• The Internet, for providing constant inspiration and creative ways to learn new things.

That's just all I can think of at 7am. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

The Out of Body Experience by Anthony Peake

Foundations.

Our first business cards came in the mail today :D A few more steps and we'll have laid some serious foundations! Many new things coming from Castles in the Air very soon. 

Check out our Facebook

our Etsy shop

our morninglite blog

or even follow us on Twitter!

Asbury Music Awards

Asbury Park Press

The boys won "Top Male Acoustic Act" at the 2011 Asbury Music Awards! We couldn't possibly be prouder of them. Every time I hear them play, I remember how much I love them and how amazing their music is. If you haven't already, check them out! Thomas Wesley Stern Or read the write-up in the Asbury Park Press.

They are special.

Crosses

Don't you know that I'll be around to guide you 

Through your weakest moments to leave them behind you 

Unconditional Love

I love you even when you yell at me. Sometimes it makes me love you more. I love you when I see you grow. It makes my love warm my soul. I love you when you are weak, and am proud when you're strong. I love you when you are mean and melt when you are wise. I love you when you tell me you cannot anymore and will love you when I watch you start again. I love you when you have no words and even more when your beauty shines like a light. I love you when I do not like the things you do and I love you when I am not around. I love your eyes and love when they speak to mine and love to hear your wordless noise. I love you when I make you sad and how you see me when I can't see myself.

I'm so sorry sometimes I act small and like there is no love at all. But I love the things you teach me and how you make me tall.

Dan Gilbert asks, Why are we happy?

Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, challenges the idea that we’ll be miserable if we don’t get what we want. Our "psychological immune system" lets us feel truly happy even when things don’t go as planned.

morninglite

My two best friends and I made another blog. I will still be using this one, but our new blog is specially for the morning. Check it out:

http://morninglite.wordpress.com/

Laziness and Cowardice

"It is so easy to be immature. If I have a book to serve as my understanding, a pastor to serve as my conscience, a physician to determine my diet for me, and so on, I need not exert myself at all. I need not think, if only I can pay: others will readily undertake the irksome work for me."

Kant "What is Enlightenment"

You Only Live Once

The Strokes

Choose to choose.

I think the conclusion I've come to this morning after "stumblingupon" about 5 self-help websites is the power of consciousness. You are your thoughts, you are what you perceive, yadayadayada...BUT, even more than that, you choose the person you are because all you are, is your THOUGHTS, and the PHYSICAL CHOICES you make. If I decide to learn how to start a business and decide to take small steps to make that happen then that becomes apart of the person I'm choosing to be. Or I could tell myself that my idea is silly and work a more practical job, thinking of happiness as a distant dream that is only for the lucky. I'm kind of rambling, but the power of choice is really apparent to me today.

Sometimes I feel guilty about babysitting. That's what I'm doing right now. I have several gigs where I go play with little girls. Everyday I'm drawing pictures and running around chasing Barbie Jeeps and girls in Halloween costumes and you know what? IT'S AWESOME. And I still have time to work towards bigger goals and I love my days. This is my choice.

The last 10 seconds:

makes me very sad.

2011.10.26 Occupy Oakland Police Riot

NYC POLICE REDIRECTING ‘DRUNKS’ & ‘AGGRESSIVE’ TO OCCUPY PROTEST

(Emmanuel Dunand - AFP/Getty Images)

"Police across the country have been violently cracking down on the Occupy protesters, leading to the serious head injury of Iraq veteran Scott Olsen. As Salon Justin Elliot notes today, New York City police are trying a different tactic to “undermine the credibility of Occupy Wall Street.” A New York Daily News report notes that police officers are telling “drunks” and “aggressive” people found in other parks to “take it to Zuccotti.” When “asked to intervene with troublemakers inside the park,” at least three cops repeated, “He’s got a right to express himself, you’ve got a right to express yourself.” They used “nearly identical language,” even when asked to address “a clearly disturbed man screaming and singing wildly at 3 a.m. for the second straight night.”

THINKPROGRESS.ORG 

Negative to Positive.

People always say to "look on the bright side." But it's harder to actually do when something bad happens. Usually all we want to do is surrender and shrivel into a ball until the the pain or problem goes away. Recently something happened that made me want to crawl into a fetal position and cry until I felt better. At first I became weak, thought negatively about the situation and all the possible implications it would have and let myself be miserable. The next morning I woke up and realized I had a choice. I could either make this into something horrible that would make me weak and take happiness from the finite days I've been given, or I could choose to be strong. I've sort of chosen strength.

Change is scary, and sometimes very unwelcome but you've got to work with what you've got. And right now I've got time for myself again, so I'm going to use it to do something positive. I've been running, cooking and baking, learning new things, and just plain remembering how much I love being alone. This shift also made me remember how lucky I am to have such amazing friends. No matter what happens, life goes on and how you choose to perceive each twist in the road is your decision.