The Thoughts and Memories of Sandra Lynn

MOVING TO TUMBLR

2009-10-14T02:34:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, so I decided to make the move over to tumblr. The change of address is sandralynnthoughts.tumblr.com

Thanks for reading and hope you continue!

FALL

2009-09-11T03:15:00.002-05:00

My roommate is so precious. Tonight we went for a bike ride together and she was SO excited about the fact that autumn is approaching. Her exact words were,

"YAAAAAY! It's fall! Look at that beautiful fall harvest moon. It's time for crackling fires and hay rides and APPLE CIDER!"

Like I said, she is precious. In fact, at this moment, she is explaining to me how she was mistaken and how it was not a harvest moon. Rather, the harvest moon will happen this year on October 4 at 2:10 am. She just now said,

"We've got to see it. It's the best moon of the year! Mark that on your calendar."

I've never been a big enthusiast for this season. However, with the way this year is going, that just might have to change.

I feel very hopeful this year. Lots of little wonderful things have just added up so nicely. Like my wonderful new roommate or my fabulous new church family. My cute little apartment and my super fun bike. Or how about fun new friendships and the rekindling of old ones. Hanging out on rooftops certainly makes the list. And now, fall. Fall is turning out to be a very joyful season. One that I can't wait to fully experience.

(click on the pics for full size and quality)

Soul Pancake Challenge #24

2009-09-08T04:58:00.002-05:00

glowdoodle, originally uploaded by sandra6dee.

Challenge: Download this gizmo and Glow Doodle your existence as a “crack of light.”

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake Challenge and see what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #23

2009-09-08T04:54:00.000-05:00

Challenge: Capture your past, present, and future. Write a letter to yourself at each point in time with Dalí-esque insight.

Dear Past,
Chill your jets! Don't freak out so much and for goodness sakes put some more effort into your appearance.
Also, you are not going to get a boyfriend so don't even stress about it.
Sincerely, Your Future

Dear Future,
Remember your ideals when it comes to human life and pain. Please don't be bitter or boring. If you are either of these things, change now!
Sincerely, Your Past

Dear Present,
Keep your eyes open and go work out.
Sincerely, Yourself

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake Challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #22

2009-09-08T04:43:00.001-05:00

Challenge: List five possible openings for your autobiography.

1. Instead of wearing my heart on my sleeve, I wore my brain.

2. I credit almost everything to my parents.

3. My obsession with music and dancing has been the one constant in my life. It makes sense to me when nothing else can.

4. I've always considered myself an excellent judge of people. But I love it when people prove me wrong.

5. The most defining moment of my life was when I realized how short life actually is.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake Challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenges 19, 20, & 21

2009-09-08T04:34:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone. When I discovered Soul Pancake, I made a pledge to myself that I would complete each and every challenge that they posted. This has not changed. However, even though I have completed challenges 19-21, I will not be posting the results/products on the blog. The answers and art that I have come up with for these challenges are simply too personal for me to post online. Looking towards the challenges in the future, I feel that there might be a couple more just like these where I will not be able to post the results. I do feel bad about this, but I would rather not post anything, than post something that isn't completely honest.

If you are interested in what these challenges are or would like to participate in them, they are listed here.

Challenge #19: Write a five item list of people who influence your art and how.
Challenge #20: Take a picture expressing that which is part of you but does not define you.
Challenge #21: List five prayers that were never answered.

Soul Pancake Challenge #18

2009-09-08T04:20:00.002-05:00

User Guide, originally uploaded by sandra6dee.

Challenge: Write a five-item list of instructions you would include in a user manual for humans.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake Challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #17

2009-09-08T03:55:00.003-05:00

new math, originally uploaded by sandra6dee.

Challenge: Create an equation to describe something that is happening in our world—famine, greed, injustice, poverty, etc—and post a link below.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake Challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #16

2009-09-08T03:52:00.000-05:00

Challenge: Write a five-item list of things you’d actually be willing to chop off your pinkie-toe for.

1. To save someone's life.
2. To end a war.
3. For racism to be eradicated.
4. To never have to worry about my figure or my weight.
5. For the world to see Jesus as he truly was and not how Christians represent him.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake Challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #15

2009-09-07T01:01:00.002-05:00

nap, originally uploaded by sandra6dee.

Challenge: Grab an old t-shirt, get out a Sharpie, turn it into a billboard for something you stand for, and wear it proudly.

I haven't made the t-shirt yet, but here is the logo I plan to put on it.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what other people submitted.

Finding God In...

2009-07-01T22:47:00.003-05:00

Have you ever found God in a song that wasn't from a typical Christian band or has been sung in church? Just a regular song about life or a person or an emotion...and all of a sudden you begin to feel God's presence in the song. I love that music can do that for me sometimes. One of the times it does is whenever I listen to "Angels On The Moon" by Thriving Ivory. Do you have any songs that you find God in?

One of my all time favorite things...

2009-06-26T23:05:00.002-05:00

"Please don't forget who you really are, because nothing really matters when we're gone.", originally uploaded by Zak Zeinert.

...are ferris wheels. That's one reason I love this picture so much. The other is because it was taken by a guy I go to school with and who is a great photographer. Check him out at flickr.com/zakzeinert.

Jump!

2009-06-17T15:41:00.001-05:00

Jump!, originally uploaded by sandra6dee.

This is one of my all time favorite photographs of my family. This is the final result after some fun editing. You can see the original at makingpicsbetter.blogspot.com

Soul Pancake Challenge #14

2009-06-17T10:04:00.002-05:00

Challenge: Write a five-item list of things on your ‘to-don’t’ list.

To Don't, originally uploaded by sandra6dee.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #13

2009-06-16T13:51:00.002-05:00

Challenge: Scour the Internet, ask your neighbor, heck, open a book, and find a quote that tells us how to make peace happen.

"Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is love without getting tired."
-Mother Teresa

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #12

2009-06-16T13:19:00.002-05:00

Challenge: What five books should everyone read—and why?

1. The Bible - It imparts perfect wisdom.
2.Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer - It's an enjoyable illustration of hope.
3.PostSecret edited by Frank Warren - Not only reveals the secrets of others, but also reveals your own secrets to yourself.
4.Under The Overpass by Mike Yankoski - It shed's a new light on the homeless of America and the role of the church.
5.Love You Forever by Robert Munsch - A perfect, yet simple expression of a mother's love.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #11

2009-04-28T13:57:00.002-05:00

Challenge:Draw us a picture (using ArtPad) of how your soul feels at this exact second.

http://artpad.art.com/gallery/?kiq362zqabs

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #10

2009-04-28T13:48:00.002-05:00

about me, originally uploaded by sandra6dee.

Challenge: Write a five-item list of things about you that are way more interesting than what you do to pay the bills.

1. I have faith that internet communities are not just a fad.
2. I will never be too old for young adult literature.
3. I have never felt more magical than when I'm riding a ferris wheel.
4. As a child, I memorized every line in the movie Shrek.
5. Dancing is my therapy.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #9

2009-04-25T19:11:00.002-05:00

palm goal, originally uploaded by sandra6dee.

Challenge: Write something on your palm that you REALLY want to happen.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #8

2009-04-25T19:03:00.002-05:00

Challenge: You know that one music video that always makes your heart beat out of its ribcage? Share the video and capture that feeling in exactly three sentences.

It wouldn't let me embed it, but here is the link. EVERYONE should definitely take the 3 minutes to watch it. Breathtaking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO3X13WA1a4

So that text above was not my "three sentences." Theses are:

Separation is painful, not numb. Dedication to another person is beautiful. Once you make a connection with someone, you'll always have a piece of them.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #7

2009-04-25T19:00:00.003-05:00

napkin, originally uploaded by sandra6dee.

Challenge: Grab a napkin and doodle a message to yourself 10 years from now—a little flashback to how you're feeling at this exact milli-moment in time.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #6

2009-04-24T14:39:00.002-05:00

Challenge: Write a five-item list of who you would take with you to create a new society on Pluto.

1. One brilliant scientist
2. One talented musician
3. One capable father
4. One loving mother
5. One hilarious storyteller

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #5

2009-04-24T14:22:00.002-05:00

mission statement, originally uploaded by sandra6dee.

Challenge: Write your spiritual mission statement. When you’re done, pump your statement through the Wordle generator.

I will devote myself to the service of others, the constant search for life's answers, the act of praising God, and to the teaching of Jesus Christ.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #4

2009-04-24T13:50:00.002-05:00

wave dancing, originally uploaded by sandra6dee.

Challenge: Take or find a picture that shows the beauty and humanity in the moments when we feel alone.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #3

2009-04-24T13:48:00.002-05:00

Haiku, originally uploaded by sandra6dee.

Challenge: Write a haiku about why we suffer.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what other people submitted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #2

2009-04-24T02:37:00.002-05:00

coin purse, originally uploaded by sandra6dee.

Challenge: Post a photo that captures the divine in a common household object.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what other people posted.

Soul Pancake Challenge #1

2009-04-23T23:54:00.003-05:00

Public Art, originally uploaded by sandra6dee.

Challenge: Create public art.

So...I finally fulfilled my first Soul Pancake challenge. I realize that this isn't jaw dropping...but just wait for the rest. Much more to come soon.

Click here to see the official Soul Pancake challenge and what others submitted.

Ashton

2009-04-17T01:20:00.000-05:00

Ashton Kutcher is the first person to reach a million followers on
Twitter! He won the race! Woo hoo!

- Sandra Amstutz
Sent from my iTouch

The Word

2009-04-16T00:26:00.000-05:00

I need a word.

A word to describe that warm feeling you get. Not the kind of warm that comes with a romance or physical activity. This is a specific kind of warm. It's the warm you get when you feel fulfilled. It's fleeting. It's joy, without the perkiness. Awe, without so much grandeur. Wisdom, without the arrogance. Peace, but with more excitement. It almost always comes hand in hand with art. The moment a movie becomes more than entertainment. The crescendo of a song that allows everything in the world to make sense. The sentence in a piece of literature that possesses so much eloquence, it causes you to hold your breath. The way a British accent gives every word a new amount of beauty.

There must be a word that encompasses that definition. It needs to be Latin. Though, I suppose Hebrew or Greek would do.

It has to be in a different language because for this word to mean something to me, it has to be exotic. And there is not a single damn thing exotic about the English language.

I'll google it.

SoulPancake

2009-04-07T10:25:00.001-05:00

Soulpancake.com is a really cool social network/website that I found where art and spirituality are combined. It is a place where people of all different faiths can come to talk about life's big topics (why are we here?, where will go after we die?, what do our souls look like?, etc.) and create art that expresses our faiths and our unique souls.

Now I realize that the paragraph above sounds a little hippie feel good and idealistic. I don't think that this project is though. I think that it is insanely creativity and promotes creativity in a way that literally everyone can participate, not just art majors. I think that this is a website that forces you to ask yourself questions that are essential to who you are, but have somehow never asked yourself.

Every so often, SoulPancake will post a creative challenge. I find these incredibly interesting and have decided to not only follow through with every upcoming challenge, but follow through with all of the past ones as well. All of the results will be posted here on my blog. Feel free to comment or even partake in the challenges themselves. Can't wait to get started.

Blue Ramen

2009-04-02T01:17:00.000-05:00

So I just finished my first attempt at screen printing. I loved it! I always really enjoyed working with paint, even though I have really no creative abilities with it. Because of this, I usually end up just painting solid blocks of color, such as a wall or the background of a poster, or I use some form of a stencil. When I found a tutorial on screen printing I was really excited because not only would I get to work with paint, but it also would give me a chance to make some completely unique clothing. Like I said, this was my first time so I picked a really simple design to start off with. I'm very pleased with the results. I do realize that there are a few cracked or bare spots in the design, but rather than fixing them I chose to leave it as is. I like the imperfections.

I can't wait to try this again. I really want to find other designs and logos, but mostly I want to start working with text. Printing out some awesome words/phrases and using some really cool fonts. The hardest part of that for me is deciding on the word/phrase. Most of my upcoming shirts will probably still be white with the dark blue paint, simply because I have a lot of white v-necks and I bought a big tube of blue paint for this project. Looking forward to showing off my next creation.

***Oh, the title. I had some ramen bits in my sink from dinner this evening and when I was cleaning my brushes the ramen turned blue. Blue ramen looks rather funny (and sounds funny too.)

So Creative

2009-03-29T03:18:00.000-05:00

So I saw this picture on another person's blog and thought that it was really cool. I pretty sure that those are Christmas light that they are jump roping with. I can't wait to give this a try. Click on the picture to see it in its full size.

FilmFest

2009-03-16T12:15:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have the password (you know who you are), here is our film!! Yay! It's finally done! Hope you enjoy it.
p.s. It might take a while to load
p.p.s. The quality isn't that great only because I had to export it low quality so that I could put it on the web. The one we'll see at filmfest is much better. So if the audio isn't matching or its looking fuzzy, don't worry, this is not the official copy.

If you could fall in love with music...

2009-02-16T00:43:00.000-06:00

then I would marry this girl's voice. I discovered her a couple of days ago. Julia Nunes is now one of my all time favorite musicians. She started out as a Youtube sensation and now has two amazing CD's. Her voice is so beautiful and unique and it is perfectly paired with her ukulele. She harmonizes with herself and that makes her songs even that much better. Her videos are hilarious and full of personality and she is only 19! I could go on about this girl forever. Instead, I'll just post some of my favorite videos here (I still haven't seen all of them) and urge EVERYONE to take some time to listen to her music and watch her videos.

Better, Faster, Stronger

2009-02-09T01:20:00.000-06:00

This vid makes me want to go to London. I love that fact that none of that is video footage. They are all stills.

Overload

2009-02-05T22:58:00.000-06:00

I just had the craziest 45 minutes. One moment everything was perfectly fine and now, 45 minutes later, everything is seemingly fine again. However, in those past 45 minutes my brain and my emotions have been run through the gutter. (That phrase doesn't even make sense to me right now but I don't have the energy to think of something that does). We just had three disasters happen all at the same time. I was stressing, then worrying, then crying, then confused...and then all three of them turned out to be OK. My head is just spinning right now. I realize that everything worked out and is OK, but at the same time I feel that same amount of pressure that I did when everything was going wrong. Not a sadness or a worried-ness, just a dull pressure. It all just came and went so fast.

Guys: What Not To Do

2009-02-05T02:46:00.000-06:00

This guy was either:
A. drunk/high.
B. a complete moron.
C. a complete jerk.
D. trying to get his girlfriend to break up with him.

I think that B and C are given. I'm just wondering if either A or D came into play.

Regardless, this is a really funny video in a "Man, that's horrible!" kind of way.

See more funny videos and Funny Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Don't you love getting mail?

2009-01-20T16:52:00.000-06:00

I sure do. You know what I love even more than getting mail? Getting packages. And today...I received the best packages of them all. Today I got the Once DVD and Once soundtrack that I had ordered. For those of you who haven't seen the film Once, you are really missing out.

The first time I had ever heard of this movie was when I was watching the 2008 Oscars. Every year I watch the entire Academy Award Ceremony and this year was no exception. Well, one of my favorite categories is Best Original Song. The winner was the song "Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from, you guessed it, the film Once. Now, I normally wouldn't remember this if it weren't for what happened when they went to accept their award. Glen Hansard went up to the mic and gave his thanks and his thoughts on the award and the film. When he was done Marketa moved toward the mic to give her thanks and as she did, the orchestra began to play and cut her off. Later in the ceremony, she was brought back so that she could have her chance to speak. I'm so thankful that she was given an opportunity to speak because what she said touched my heart so much. My favorite part was when she said,

"And this song was written from a perspective of hope, and hope at the end of the day connects us all, no matter how different we are."

Since then I'd been very interested in seeing this film.

Well, I finally got a chance to see it about a week and a half ago. I immeadiately fell in love it. The music is amazing, but my favorite part of it is how real this film is. It was a very low budget film made in 17 days with two handicams. The two lead actors are not professional actors at all. And yet this film has so much magic. The chemistry between the two leads is mesmerizing. The story is engaging, not because it is incredibly romantic or overly humorous, but because there is nothing forced or over done about it. When watching it, I didn't feel like I was watching a movie, I felt like I was watching someone's life.

The first video is of the song "Falling Slowly" being played with clips from the film. The second is Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova accepting their Oscar. I think you'll get more out of it if you watch the song first.

Ok, so it won't let me embed the video of them accepting the Oscar, but you should definitely watch it! Just click here.

Very Cool Double Video

2009-01-03T18:21:00.000-06:00

So I love this video! I know that it is ridiculously cheesy and dramatic but it is still great. Plus I love how they worked the whole double video thing.

Click here to see it! Trust me, it's great!

Instead of homework

2008-11-23T01:32:00.000-06:00

So...I have tons of homework due on Monday and I was supposed to work all day long on all of the projects I have to get done. Did I work on my projects? No, of course not. I spent the entire day doing things to avoid homework. I watched TV, listened to music, danced in front of my mirror...I even cleaned my room. Those of you that have seen my room lately know what a shocker that is. That's how badly I didn't want to do my homework. Except now it is almost two in the morning and I have to get something done before I go to bed.

However, before I actually start, I wanted to just write a post about the best part of my day. The music. Like I said, as a way of putting off homework, I listened to music today. It was SO wonderful. For hours I just laid on my bed and absorbed melodies and lyrics that I love so much. So I thought I'd share the music that has made me so blissful today.

The first song (which is also the one I've listened to the most) is called "Feel This" by Bethany Joy Galeotti and it is featuring Enation. Bethany is one of the stars on the show One Tree Hill and is married to a member of the band Enation. Her character on One Tree Hill is a singer and on one of the episodes she performs this song along with her husband's band. It gives me the chills everytime I hear it. My favorite part of the lyrics is when she sings, "It's gotta be just right, Soul and spirit, Chord and lyric..." It is such a beautiful song.

The next song that I put on repeat would be "Slide" by The Goo Goo Dolls. Now I know that this is kinda old now (I think it came out in like, 1998?), but I just downloaded it and fell in love with it all over again. I don't need to explain why it's good. It just is.

Finally, the third song that I have been listening to today is "Human" by The Killers. So the song itself is amazing, but even more amazing than the song, is the performance of this song at the 2008 European Music Awards. The show is mindblowing. Now, even though it'll be hard to with all of the amazing visuals, try to pay attention to the lyrics because they are soooo good.

Well, that's it for tonight. I hope you enjoyed the songs and that I have given you some new music freshen your mind with. Let me know if you have a song that I might really enjoy.