Leaving on a Jet Plane

I couldn't decide on an adequate title to summarize what Joy I encountered over the course of these past two weeks. Therefore, I settled on one that portrayed my feelings about leaving. Take a listen (this version is my favorite)
"California" -Joey Ryan

In the words of Joey Ryan. “California. California you know I love you California. When I leave I know you’ll wait for me. Cus’ in the sun and in the weather no one else has loved me better. California, you’re the place for me…So nurse me like a mother, raise me strong just like my father. Let me wander off, discover who I am. I’ll have learned your deepest lessons, gathered up your finest blessings, and return to California once again. I’ll come home to California once again.”

My time home has come to an end and I am overflowing with joy, unspeakable joy! If home is where the heart is, California will always have my heart. I couldn’t have asked for a better break. It wasn’t until it was over that I realized how fast time had flown. Call me naive, but I spent my days living like they weren’t numbered and it proved to be wonderful. I just wish I was able to have seen everyone! So, for those of you who didn’t get much time, or any at all for that matter, please know it was not intentional nor planned. Time simply escaped me. Family hoarded me. And my boyfriend toured with me. :)

I could go on for hours about all the wonderful experiences I had but for your sake I’ll simply resort to bulletining the most memorable. 

*hayley and sarah delivered a more than warm welcome upon my arrival at the sacramento airport
(also known as space mountain since the remodel.)

*i was home for a whole ten minutes before hayley managed to get us lost. standard.

*caryn and jim (aka my second parents) were so generous and hospitable (per usual.)

*i turned 23. it was slightly devastating. i actually feel OLD for the first time. Gross. 

*one world. BROTHER!!

*nothing like ringing in a birthday/ homecoming with lots of partyin partying yeah. the fam bam awaited my arrival over great food, wine, and my favorite cake. butter cream with raspberry filling. mmmm.

*over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we went. christmas wouldn't have been complete without it. 

*CADEN!!! my main man. my how big he's gotten. three years young and as fun, charming, and smart as ever.  gosh he's such a heartbreaker. 

*i learned what life was like for the first time without a car. (but, i also got to drive around my mom's infiniti g35 so i'm not complaining. :)

*JUICE BOX! (that's my dog for those of you who haven't been privileged enough to have been graced with his presence.) he was my roomie every night until i left. 

* stuart came and I got to show him all my loves. 

* yosemite for the day with moms and pops and my wonderful man. 

* san fran for the day with kristi and erica and again my wonderful man. we were blessed enough to run into sarah on the peir and completed our trip with a family dinner at the cox's. my aunt and uncle were able to meet stuart and spend a little more time with me before i had to return back to washington.
* my two main men got to meet. caden and stuart in one place?! i know i know.. i'm a lucky girl. 

* hayley and momma whitesell picked us up from the train station and stuart got to meet my second family. 

* new years with the whitesells!
* quelf! the best board game ever!

* sleep overs with em parr and my twinnie

* sarah tanner!
* all that was missing was arielle gamora :(

* green valley church.

* TWIN TIME! 

I suppose I fit in quite a bit. I only wish I could've extended the hours in each day by, oh i don't know, another 20+. I miss you all. Thanks for a wonderful time. I can't wait to see you sooner rather than later. Back to the real world. I have work at 7am :) 

here are a few snapshots i managed to snag along the way.
click here for pictures :)

Prayer Requests:
The man next to me on the flight in was visiting his son for the first time in years. I don't know much about the situation but he seemed hesitant and nervous. Pray for a blessed visit. One full of love and possibly reconciliation? I know we might take for granted how close our family dynamic really is, but the past two weeks have really opened my eyes to just how blessed we truly are and how many would kill for such a connection.

For work at the school. While I was away a competing facility was shut down due to multiple types of fraud. While I don't know all the details I was informed we were now at max capacity seeing as we just added 120 new students and were in desperate need of teachers and organization.

I like the hugging, the bringing together, the end of missing someone.

“I like to see people reunited, I like to see people run to each other, I like the kissing and the crying, I like the impatience, the stories that the mouth can't tell fast enough, the ears that aren't big enough, the eyes that can't take in all of the change, I like the hugging, the bringing together, the end of missing someone.” 

― Jonathan Safran

California, here I am! I’m  home. I'll say it again.. I'M HOME! It’s my first official California sunrise in a long while and I’m officially 23. I don’t hate it.  I’m yet again traveling on my birthday. Does four years in a row constitute as a new tradition?  

Here’s to a house full of family, food, reuniting, and ample amounts of hugs and love awaiting me. It’s safe to say I’m kind of a big deal today. Yeah, whatever. I said it. It’s my birthday. I can gloat if I want to.

P.s. I bet you have never been greeted by such a sight in your life. This trumps all my airport greetings by far. Don't worry that you don't understand it. Just accept it as sheer genus concocted by young life girls turned sisters at it's finest. 

kkkkty's here!

a walk down memory lane. 

 06.

07. 

08.

09. 

10.

11. 

she's fantastic. you should really get to know her. :)

Tidings of comfort and joy from me to you.

Never mind the fact I'm COMPLETELY done with my Christmas shopping.  Say what?! women around the world are jealous. Fact. Why yes indeed I did make a fireplace complete with logs. (Obviously not lit in commiseration of Fresno's "no burn days.") Fact. Those are dollar store decorations and wrapping supplies. Fact. Brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things.  Fact. My humble abode just got a little warmer.

 It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

What do you mean no one answers their phone at 4am? Can't you see I'm falling apart over here!?

It's way too cold. It's way too late. I've eaten far too much (or so I thought). I've counted numerous times exactly to the minute how much sleep I'd get if I fell asleep right this second, two hours later.. awake. Fantastic. It's been nothing short of torture. There’s now no doubt in my mind that for the second time in three weeks I was about to endure food poisoning in its harshest form. Let me start off by saying I don’t use the term ‘endure’ lightly. Three weeks ago I found myself all but in the hospital hooked up to an I.V. due to severe dehydration and let me tell you, the only reason I wasn’t was because of my own stupidity. It took every ounce of energy, hope, and life I had left in me to fight off my first bout and was praying this time it would be different.

I’ll spare you the details, but all the signs were there and I felt it coming. It was only a matter of minutes before it became official. I’m not sure if it was the mere memory of the terror I fought through just three weeks prior (and was still recovering from mind you), or the thought of facing it yet again alone that scared me senseless. Regardless, whatever it was I am beyond thankful for. 

As soon as my mind registered what was happening, I prayed. Quite literally the first hour consisted of “God, please just don’t let me throw up more than ten times!” That’s it. I’ve never pleaded with God more nor have I ever felt so helpless. I kid you not I prayed straight through hours on end that night.  I did end up throwing up, but only twice and I was done with it.  Granted I had other issues that had to be worked out, but compared to every 15 minutes for two days straight,* I considered it a victory.  

Two things happened over the course of those 24 hours. 1. I was forced to slow down. I was forced to rest. I was forced to bask in silence. I was forced to be alone with God.  All, though wonderful and necessary, were things I had cut out of my life for weeks upon weeks. I know. I know. Shame on me. 2. I recognized my complete and utter NEED for my savior.

Not to over spiritualize my sickness but, in hindsight, I feel like he was just trying to get my attention. This semester has completely consumed me with maters that only concern myself. While my work as a pre-school teacher is teaching me much, I am depriving myself of so much more. Sundays were added to my schedule and while at first they were taken hesitantly, podcasts became my only source of spiritual nourishment after a matter of weeks. There has been no real time for community in a 60+ hour work week. My financial security in the adult world has consumed me and I am loosing myself in the process.** I go home tomorrow for winter break. It couldn’t be welcomed with more open arms. I’m looking forward to this time of rest. To a time of relaxation. To time of carefree living. We’re talking good solid nourishment in it’s purest form.. FAMILY.

*you do the math
**applications for a life coach are now being accepted. 

ABC.. as easy as 123.

All right. All right. All right. I've gotten behind yet again. I never ended up calling comcast and time has once again managed to escape me.* Needless to say mass amounts of blogs are about to be posted. Most written on time, just never published. :) Internet really does play a vital role in my day to day. Who would've thought it would take me until now to realize how dependent on it life really is these days. 

Let it begin.. 

Hello to you my nearest and dearest. It has been brought to my attention that I forgot to mention this in my last post. Thanks to your prayers and encouragement I have landed myself a job far beyond my skill level. I am now officially a preschool teacher!** I work 30 hours a week teaching lovely 3 and 4 year olds (pre k’s if you will) all about Jesus and the A.B.C’S of life, quite literally. Yes you heard right, Jesus. I was hired on by a well-known Christian early childhood development and enrichment center in Spokane not too far from my apartment. God is beyond good. I’ve only been here a few weeks but it’s proving to be a good fit. Challenging, but you know how much I love challenges! I guess all the hours of early childhood education that Moody didn’t take in transfer units paid off after all. ;)


* I'm starting to think that's why flava flave wears a giant clock around his neck at all times.
** God be with me. 

Fridays are for Frozen dish soap.

Yup, I said it. Frozen dish soap. It was this morning when I woke up to frozen dish soap and a thin sheet of ice layering the top of my coffee pot I realized just how cold my lovely abode was getting. If it weren’t for my droopy eyelids I might have even been able to see my breath, but for the sake of my sanity I’m refraining from such thoughts. I know what you’re thinking; there are easier ways to discover how to live like and Eskimo. Truth be told it hasn’t really been that bad, but as the temperatures keep dropping and snow is now falling, I’m thinking something’s gotta give. Our tenant’s downstairs were conveniently enough our landlord and his lovely wife. Since they’re expecting they’ve thus decided to invest in a larger place to call home. While we’re quite excited for them, Melissa and I’ve realized their absence will not go lightly. Through facing the loss of losing irreplaceable neighbors, we’re realizing we lost a lot more. The power downstairs for one that no longer lends life to our washer and dryer, porch light, lobby, and bottom portion of the stairs. Our “free” wi-fi’s absence on the other hand wasn’t felt as harshly at first. That is until weeks of solitude and productivity were replaced with the haunting reality that life in your 20’s is pretty much unmanageable without the world wide web. Needless to say Comcast has been called. Which leads me to our newest discovery recently added to our list of losses.. HEAT! Without the Taylor’s to heat our floors we’re fighting a loosing battle with our electric bill and our sanity. All this to say, we’re ready for a renter.

Fall-ing in love with Washington.

Happy October!! My favorite time of the year is officially upon us. Behold, the crisp breeze, bursts of color, and changing leaves are here at last. Let the festivities commence!

Since my arrival back in Spokane I've been committed to experiencing as much of this beautiful city as it has to offer before the first snow falls and it's treasures lie hidden once again under a blanket of white. I'd like to think I've done fairly well for myself considering my responsibilities tend to get more than their fair share of time. Whether it be experiencing my favorite places completely transformed by vegetation and outdoor enthusiasts or partaking in new explorations, there have been plenty of discoveries underway during these few short summer months and I’m loving every minute of it. A few things I’ve stumbled upon; Many a wildflower fields speckled with families of deer, DOZENS of rivers and streams stretching farther than the eye can see, Scenic yet challenging hikes, and Endless amounts of fresh markets, art&music festivals, and craft fairs. I was here to experience Spokane’s famous “pig out in the park” where hundreds of food booths transformed the beautiful Riverfront Park downtown into your healthy lifestyles worst nightmare. Yesterday I was blessed with a trip to “green bluff” after church with some close friends. (It’s quite similar to “apple hill” near El Dorado hills/ South Lake Tahoe back home.) It’s a chain of farms located just outside of Spokane that transform their acreage into one giant fall festival. They open up their pumpkin patches, apple farms, and vegetable fields for picking while offering train rides and live music community wide. While each farm specializes in something different and exciting, you can generally find anything under the sun “apple” flavored. (pie, donuts, butter, cider, honey sticks, etc) It’s cheap, fun, and family friendly. (there are so many rides for the little ones and competitions for the adult with an inner child) I loved it. We plan to go back in a few weeks to get pumpkins for our Halloween party (more on that to come with pictures from our most recent green bluff extravaganza to follow.)

Basically I've come to the conclusion over these past few months Washington is my souls counter-part when envisioning God's majesty, beauty, and love in tangible form. It is truly majestic here in all seasons and fosters an environment community centered and naturally driven. There is much love felt with plenty to go around to be sure. It seems as if everywhere I turn there's another community involved outreach event catering to every age group. My friendships are flourishing and with each passing day my natural enmity is shifting towards more affection and gratitude for our savior than before.

Here are a few highlights from my time here thus far:

Little Easton's here so now I get the pleasure of playing with two friends and call it something along the lines of "work."




Meet my boyfriend Stuart!! He's a junior at the University of Illonis and a mechanical engineering major. We met on summer staff in Minnesota at the young life camp we both volunteered for. He too was a boat driver and after a few months of pursuing my heart over the phone, snail mail, and skype, he made the trek out to Washington Labor Day weekend. We've decided to give this distance thing a try and see where the Lord leads it. So far he must be granting favor on us because Stuart recently decided on an Internship offer with Boeing out in Seattle this summer. I'd take 4 hours over 2,000+ miles any day. :) We're excited to see where life takes us and just enjoying the ride. He's planning on coming out to cali over christmas break so chances are you'll get to experience this amazing man sooner rather than later. :)







Life with friends back in Spokane has picked back up where it left off. I'm working on busting out my camera during the times when a pictures worth more than a thousand words, but so far I've only managed to capture a few.

Homemade miniature golf course throughout the boys' apartment and onto their roof:



lunches in the park with mckenna.




We believe full moons and boulders overlooking the city skyline should be a full blown spectator event.




And I leave you with a few of my findings.

Come to me.. -Matt 11:28

Of course this would be my devotional for the day. Divine intervention is my favorite. Thank you father for your unrelenting perusal of making me complete in you. I couldn’t have been given more perfect words to mediate on. Absolutely.

God intends for us to live a well-rounded life in Christ Jesus, but there are times when that life is attacked from the outside. Then we tend to fall back into self-examination, a habit that we thought was gone. Self-awareness is the first thing that will upset the completeness of our life in God, and self-awareness continually produces a sense of struggling and turmoil in our lives. Self-awareness is not sin, and it can be produced by nervous emotions or by suddenly being dropped into a totally new set of circumstances. Yet it is never God’s will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him. Anything that disturbs our rest in Him must be rectified at once, and it is not rectified by being ignored but only by coming to Jesus Christ. If we will come to Him, asking Him to produce Christ-awareness in us, He will always do it, until we fully learn to abide in Him.

Never allow anything that divides or destroys the oneness of your life with Christ to remain in your life without facing it. Beware of allowing the influence of your friends or your circumstances to divide your life. This only serves to sap your strength and slow your spiritual growth. Beware of anything that can split your oneness with Him, causing you to see yourself as separate from Him. Nothing is as important as staying right spiritually. And the only solution is a very simple one— “Come to Me . . . .” The intellectual, moral, and spiritual depth of our reality as a person is tested and measured by these words. Yet in every detail of our lives where we are found not to be real, we would rather dispute the findings than come to Jesus.

to be holy and blameless in his sight.

And so it begins, life once again resides in the land of endless beauty. Washington, I’ve missed you. To my family and friends back in the golden state (and Minnesota), thank you all for an unforgettable and truly life-changing summer. I heard this phrase in passing the other day and chuckled at the mere notion it could quite seriously, and immaturely, be the phrase I forever associate my summer of 2011 with. “Summer is where the girls go barefoot and their hearts are just as free as their toes.” Both my toes and my heart have never felt more free. To the 14-year-old girl with shorts too small for even my cabbage patch doll, I solute you.

While my original plan was to briefly catch you up on all the happenings of summer, I was flooded with a need to share more specifically what I’m wrestling with at the moment. At the beginning of the summer I left you setting out to find the difference between who I am and who I ought to be. The springs of living water drowned and refreshed me to be sure and throughout the course of these three months I was stretched, tested, jostled, praised, and cleansed. It wasn’t until a few days ago when the joy that brought about what seemed to be subtle changes in my character was replaced with contempt for my true self. Let me tell you it hasn’t been my favorite time and as long as we’re being honest, I write to you tonight more broken than I’ve been in years. Words of advice, if you shoot up a heavy cry in prayer, expect some heavy crying as a result.

I’m not sure if you’re aware but brokenness is never fun. Thus, the past few days haven’t exactly been the party of the century. If it weren’t for a dear friend who spoke truth into my life this evening I might very well still be flat on my rug (planking style for visual purposes) justifying eating an entire pint of ice-cream because “my freezer was broken and it was melting, not because I was sad.” I’m actually not sure weather I’m more pathetic or pitiful at this exact moment, but I know I’m truly thankful nonetheless. If you’re ever feeling worthless or just need a reminder of something to be thankful for, I highly recommend reading Ephesians 1:3-23 and replacing the “us’s” and “we’s” with “you”. (courtesy of zakk uhler)

So what’s going on in my head that’s currently making it such a horrible place to be? It’s simple really. This summer I learned more about being rather than doing and owned loving rather than pursuing. I adapted to “being” more about God’s will rather than “doing“ my own and “loving” people as we’re commanded to rather than “pursuing” friendships self-centerdly. What’s horrible about this is the realization I’ve been all about the exact opposite and wrestling through the difficulties it’s in turn produced. Life’s sadly been about me not him and my selfishness has manifested it’s way into justifying straying from basic biblical principals. I had forgotten how to build-up, how to serve, and even how to love. Tonight in what seemed to be his desperate attempt to get me to listen, I was slapped across the face with one of my biggest insecurities. Luckily he’s gone before me and seen this particular situation through, but I’m still left sorting through the mess my heads already created of it. As the night’s progressed I’ve felt compelled to make drastic changes in my day to day so this doesn't happen again. I come to you now with a sincere and heartfelt apology for my selfishness in our friendship. Please know I am working on being a better individual when it comes to relationships in general, but your grace is needed to see this transformation through. While i realize I've handled a great number of you quite recklessly, my aim is centered on the rock now and i can assure you things are going to be different from here on out. I have opted to taking the next few days to fast from people. I am doing so as to better discern what's God's leading and what's my own in hopes to better balance my desire to know everyone deeply and my call to be purposeful with few. I hope you will partner with me in prayer through this transformation and see it through to its completion. Thank you for your understanding. I love and appreciate you guys more than i let on. You're all rockstars.

Attn Mr. Kim Bethell..

.. this post is for you.

It has been brought to my attention that due to my lack of posts, I'm about to dig myself out of a grave. I would much rather turn over a new leaf from this point in time on if that's okay with you. I'm looking forward to a lovely week with you and your family and we wouldn't want a silly thing like this messing up our time together now would we? ;) Think about it and get back to me. ;)

You can take the girl out of California..

..but you can't take California out of the girl. I'm reunited at last with my sunshine, sand, orange trees, and in&out burgers. Let me tell you, it feels so so good.

First and foremost, before I even begin to present to you what might just become a severe case of word vomit, (seeing as it has been months since my last update), I would like to apologize once again for my negligence. Thankfully Easter privileged me with the opportunity to forgo a cyber relationship with you all and replace text for a family conference call. If it wasn't for the fact I couldn't taste grandma's pilaf and potato salad I just might have bought into the idea of being together. Regardless, that doesn't forgive my lack of commitment to this blogging business.

Now that we've got that taken care of, here's to california dreamin becoming CALIFORNIA LOVIN!! I've been in the sunshine state for a little over 3 weeks now. It feels like just yesterday my pops and I made the 19 hour commute home. 2,000 miles and one great talk later I found myself walking into my front door like... i just got back from sports practice? Yeah.. so much for a grand entry. It was quite anticlimactic to say the least. Who knew driving and talking could be so exhausting. I managed to squeeze in a brief yet quite overdue visit with the grandparents and off i went for a week of festivities in cameron park. It never ceases to amaze me how at home i feel there. Thankfully momma whitesell has adopted me into the family otherwise i'm not quite sure i'd know what to do with myself. Alas the bridal showers, graduations, bbq's, sleepovers, workouts, pranks (and planks ;) were traded with goodbyes and i was off to my next destination of adventure, the bay area.

The bay consisted of pretty much the same shenanigans but included the sweetest reuniting of all, caden christopher cox. Oh how i've missed my sweet little boy. It was one of those feelings you'll never forget and forever remember, and to think it came from a 3 year old. Just another reason he's my reminder the heart of life is good. While my time here was short it was much appreciated and come the end of july i'll find myself right back in the midst of it all and with the best of company.

So that leaves me with my final stop on round one of Jme's gypsy summer tour, Home. Good ole' Clovis, California. I'd be remiss if i didn't mention my first 3 days home weren't exactly welcomed with open arms. Upon my arrival the sun managed to show itself one day followed by 2 days of rain. Normally i wouldn't have an issue with this except I was stuck in a pool for 8 hours both days. Now i don't know about you, but i'm no michael phelps or chuck norris so when you combine 8 hours of swimming in 50 degree weather coupled with constant rain you get a whole lot more than just a hot mess. In the end it was a cool experience (literally ;) and i came out not only lifeguard certified, but pretty pumped up about life in general. After all, if you can survive blue lips and speado's you can survive anything. Aside from that i've been able to get a lot of resting in and family time has come in quite the abundance. I am a lucky girl indeed. Summer events have found one of my bff's brianne home as well so the "three best friends that anyone can have" were reunited over lunch a few days ago. Brittney Ann Dull is getting married on saturday and the elementary years are starting to flash before my eyes once again. What is it about returning home that always gets me so nostalgic!

Graduations and the festivities that always seem to come hand in hand have managed to fill my schedule this week, but they are welcomed with open arms. It was a bitter sweet feeling watching 2 of the 3 herndon brothers walk across that stage last night and although a part of me was a little twisted up inside, my heart was overjoyed for my jimmy j and kyle d. I never thought i'd be that girl who pulled the "I remember when it felt like just yesterday.." line but truth be told, i can now empathize with everyone i've ever hassled. I felt like a proud momma/sister/friend last night and that too is another feeling that will never be replaced. I could go on forever about these two boys and the roles they've played not only in my life, but my families lives. For the sake of your sanity I'll leave it with the simple notion i was reminded of yesterday evening. Life is fleeting and as our lives change and progress in the ebb and flow of our everyday experiences, ultimately progress comes from the intelligent use of experience. It is what we do with this experience that allows us to make a difference, our difference if you will. Whether it be what we've personally encountered, or what we've observed through others treks through what was once the great unknown, experience will far surpass anything you could ever be told or anything you will ever read. So here's to finding out the difference between who you are and who you ought to be. Now excuse me while i go and do the same. :)

It's about time I put something up..

Welp, it’s official, I’m terrible at even keeping up with you guys via blogging. Fantastic. It’s been weeks. Midterms came and went and I just never quite caught up. However I write to you today overwhelmed with joy. The past few weeks have been nothing but one blessing after another. As my heart continues to seek Christ’s daily, I continue to peal back one scale from my eyes at a time. I am overwhelmed by a relentless God, and blatantly obvious loving God at that.

I am happy to report with 7 weeks to go, 2 of my 5 classes have come to an end, both of which I received “B’s’ in. PRAISE THE LORD! With 3 classes remaining and a lighter load, guess who finally found her balance.. THIS GIRL! It’s been so nice! With more down time on my hands I have a lot more friend time! There have been many nights spent battling over catchphrase and a new game called “fishbowl” has become one of our favorites. I’ve been blessed with a solid group of 9 core friends and we always have more coming our way. It makes the games more interesting. ;) Wednesdays find us at “the garland” (a pretty ghetto movie theatre up the street from my house) for lack of a better term. It’s dollar movies are no match for the people watching glory that goes down.

Kristi and Morgan (friends from san Francisco) blessed me with their presence a few weeks ago for 5 days. They must’ve brought the sunshine with them because for the most part it’s been sunny, BEAUTIFUL, and in the 50’s ever since! I got excited over the prospect of going to a “nelly” concert, but that lasted a whole ten seconds when I realized I was three days too late and poor.

I also went to a seminar the other day about abortion put on by a pro life organization. If I haven’t already talked your ear off about it brace yourself, it’s coming. I have yet another element I’m all about adding into the dynamic of my crazy complex yet God given calling. I hope to get it underway in the near future. I would try to type it into words but I’ll be honest, I’d keep you here til next week. With that being said I’ll save the rest for another time. For now, my prayer is that you would seek his help in all things. Even if you don’t believe in him, he believes in you and has a plan for you. Never forget that. I say this with confidence because my life is a living testament of what he can do in a broken person. I love you all dearly and miss you equally. Is it summer yet?!

Here are a few pictures from the girls visit and a few randoms from the past month..

My first blizzard..



Kristi, Zakk, Myself, and Morgan in Idaho for the day. One of my favorite places thus far.


We're a huge fan of the bridges and rivers here.


Just a taste of the sky's i've come to associate Washington with.

And I leave you with my favorite place :)

12 months to victory.

"Day twelve: A picture of something you wish you were better at."


Me and good ole' Johnson are slowly getting to know each other. Never mind the fact he's an old little guy and has a knack for getting out of tune every 6 hours. We're working on it. Just wait, in 12 months I'll be the next Taylor Swift except with more common sense. She's not exactly my favorite person, but her music..well.. i don't hate it. :) But in all seriousness, every year I tell myself this will be the year I learn to dabble in the guitar. This year I've been the most productive thus far. One of my dreams is to one day be able to sit around a campfire and bust out with some old time rock and roll.. that kind of music just soothes my soul. Or a little acoustic. You know, whatever just rolls off my fingertips. Worship music would be the ultimate. So what i'm really saying is meet me at the fire pit at my place 12 months from now.

Currently Listening too:

Eleven minutes after Seven.

"Day eleven: a photo of your evening."



Yes.. it's true. This happened at 12pm. I had a great evening that consisted of many other things, but this was perhaps the only thing notable of my time. I had a great night of catching up with good friends and making sure my homework took care of itself. Sometimes it's quite nice to forget your worries for the day and indulge in your hearts desires. Even if that means consuming way too many carbs at 1am. :)

Currently Listening to:

it's a 10 all across the boards for me!

"Day ten: A picture of the cast from your favorite show."


Self explanatory I'd assume. Man was the 80's my era. If I could I would forever retreat back to the days of kelli, zack, screech, jessie, slaytor, and lisa. What's funny about this is Saved By the Bell was popular before I was even potty trained and 90210 (the first season) was a thing of the future. I can't tell you where my obsession for this little piece of heaven stemmed or why it still remains the only thing I watch on tv, but I can say I'm just thankful being born in 88' still makes me a product of the 80's. Tonight I went out with some friends, it was dollar movie night at the theatre a few blocks up. I found myself wearing an acid washed vest (legitimently from the 80's because I most defiantly picked up that beauty at a thrift store) and a fluorescent pink and purple leopard print scarf. I was absolutely serious. Look on the bright side, at least I get the chance to shake up the California stereotype a bit.

Nine's Divine.

"Day nine: A picture of your most treasured item."



My Grandmother's High School class ring and the promise ring Mom's and Pop's got me for my 18th Birthday are my two most prized possessions. Both I received my senior year of high school, and both i've worn with pride every day since. My Grandmother's ring came to me all the way from Germany while accompanying the greatest woman this country has ever known. A product of the great depression's wrath, this precious ring was one of the few things my grandmother had the pleasure of carrying on into her new life. It found me my senior year of High School on yet another afternoon of rummaging through grandma's closet. It's nothing fancy but is quite honestly the most beautiful piece of jewelry i've ever seen. It's simplicity and history will forever captivate me. It's journeyed through much pain and sorrow as well as comfort and joy. I feel unworthy to wear such a treasure and am overjoyed at the opportunity to carry it on adventures of my own.

My promise ring was given to me for my eighteenth birthday by none other than the mom's and pop's themselves. It's a blue topaz stone in semblance of one of my favorite colors as well as my birth month. The detailing on the ring itself is beautiful and even from side angles, much detail was spent on making it just right and identifiably unique. It's truly just perfect for me. As with my grandmother's ring, I love the fact I get to take this treasure around on all my crazy adventures. Both serve as constant reminder no matter where I go or what I'm doing, there's someone out there praying for me diligently and loving me passionately. They are constant reminders of God's faithfulness, provision, protection, and spirit. I couldn't ask for bigger fans, or a more perfect way keep a piece of them with me. People always joke about the fact I use to be such a jewelry fanatic and now I could care less. I like to think it's because nothing will ever captivate my attention as much as these. I've said it before and i'll say it again, I'm quite a lucky girl.

The Ocho.

"Day eight: a photo of something you enjoy doing."



For those of you who haven't been paying attention to my life these past few years, this picture captures the essence of it quite marvelously. Out of the many things I have come to enjoy throughout my 22 years, perhaps my most highly esteemed are thrifting, blading, shenanigans, photography, and younglife. Truth is I'm a rollerblading FANATIC and a piece of me died when I had to leave them back in cali. My younglife girls loved to tease me about the fact I had two pairs of blades in my trunk at all times and a bag of thrift store 80's gear to clothe an entire army.

On this particular day the lovely ter-bear (Terra) and I had our weekly dateski. Naturally she was completely trusting, but when I dropped her off later that afternoon her mom quickly informed me that earlier when she had asked Terra what we had planned, Terra replied with an excited "I have no idea but it's Jamie so I'm gonna need to borrow your camera. I need proof of whatever it is we do so my friends will actually believe me this time!" I died a little but after her mom made it clear she wasn't the least but concerned, we both turned into proud mommas. Frankly I'm glad she got so much out of our bible studies. ;) Ha!

We went to the thrift store and picked up a few glory items (all under two bucks!) and then dove into my trunk for a day of epic proportions. I took her on this sweet trail I use to run in Folsom and we bladed for three hours! We sang along to our own tune while belting "the man who can't be moved" and discussed how immensely our sweet sweet Jesus loves us. We entertained all who crossed our path but more importantly ourselves. Life was stinkin good! (Not that I'm not just as spoiled now) it's just always a little more colorful with my younglife kids!

After the nostalgia of this post wears off I will find myself studying the final few hours before I embark on taking my first two mid-terms as a Moody Bible student. Prayers up the yang would be fantastic!


Currently Listening to:

seven minutes in heaven.

"Day seven: a photo of something you stand for."





Joseph Koney and his LRA rebel movement are using child soldiers to fight their invisible war in africa. It's invisible because these children are abducted from their homes without a trace and forced to fight. It is estimated 90% of Koney's troops were abducted as children. You do the math. War is all these children have ever known. For those who are safe from the rebel militia today, it is only because they've been placed in displacement camps on strict orders from their government. Forced from their homes to keep them safe they now struggle to survive each day due to malnourishment, overcrowding, and rampant disease within the camps. The motives of Koney and the LRA are becoming more ambiguous and their crimes more horrific. Join Invisible Children's fight to seek sustainable solutions to foster an environment that encourages peace. There are countless ways to get involved, will you do more than just watch?

www.invisiblechildren.com


“The race to be a leader is crowded, but the field is wide open for those willing to be servants.” -Rick Warren

uno dos tres cuatro cinco cinco SEIS!

"Day six: a photo of someone you love."



I've had the privilege of loving quite a few deeply, but I will say my heart is especially missing this goof. We took this picture the day before he left for Iraq and although he's busy being my little freedom fighter, I wouldn't hate it if our interaction consisted of a little more than a few scratchy Skype calls a month.

As I embarked on writing my informative speech this afternoon, I spent a great deal of my time thinking about love, loss, and the like. I was humbled with the realization that I have encountered very few heart-wrenching losses in my lifetime. Not because they haven't been there, but because I have someone bigger than all the junk fighting for me. The Lord has been my warrior and I can confidently stand where I am today as a member of his army because of his leading in my life. Just as he fought for me when I was helpless, I want to fight for those who can't fight for themselves. I don't want to look back 40 years from now and wish I would've invested a deeper, selfless love in those who've been placed on my heart since the day I was born. I have these desires for a reason and each day I get closer to my dream, I get a little more jittery inside. This is real life and I am so stinkin excited to FINALLY be living in the reality of stepping into this crazy blessing of ministry.

In those 30 minutes of procrastination I was reminded of how extremely blessed I am to be able to live out a profession both sharing and indulging in the deepest desires of my heart. I am more than the sum of my past mistakes. The junk hasn't been the most pleasant, but it's been the most rewarding that's for sure. Perhaps a better way of phrasing it can be summed up on a magnet I saw everyday during my elementary carrer, (thanks mom!) "I know I'm somebody cuz God don't make no Junk." Now if only I could find a way to make it all happen ten minutes ago. I already feel the people of Uganda calling my name!

Currently Listening too: