A proud announcement:

I have completed not just one, but two of the things on my "to do before I move" list. Some sweet friends and I traveled down to LA for a girls night done right. It began with a trip to the Farmers Market at the Grove for some dinner and ended with my first experience at Millions of Milkshakes, and as always there were a few more spontaneous adventures along the way.

since we last spoke

i embarked on a delightful little road trip with my guy and our dear friends caleb & ashley. it was mighty adventurous to say the least. a six hour drive in a almost hilariously tiny kia rio and a total of 24 hours of train rides made for various muscle cramps, spasms, and an array of body parts falling asleep. still, the view from the window and a constant intake of junk food maintained equilibrium until we finally made it to blissful bend, oregon. we were privileged to attend an utterly convicting and inspiring justice conference. we stayed with some of my favorite people, ate the most delicious food made with locally grown ingredients, drank kombucha, and made life-long memories. our trip came to a close with some valentines day bargain hunting and a last meal around the reynolds table with a classic game of 'freeze'.

only 70 days until i make that sweet little place my home.

also...

we made a pit stop in san fran, saw a banksy original gasp, ate at boudin, and walked about 45 blocks.

on my heart.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139:23-24

my mind and my heart are full. the reality is, i have a lot to process through and with that comes the tendency to become anxious. i trust my God, and these next two weeks are going to require intentional time of being still & getting on my knees to pray.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

Galatians 6:9-10

verse 9 has been something i've meditated on and kept close to my heart since last fall. it was encouragement and motivation through a time where i felt overwhelmed and weary. even though this season im in now is entirely different, i can still find rest in the promise of this scripture. these last two weeks of my internship i am choosing to really dig into verse 10. i am surrounded by incredible people who belong to the family of believers and with my big summer project done, what an awesome opportunity i have to put this into action.

also...

this is what i got to do on 'option day'

sparks lake. bend, oregon.

a few thoughts

before i attempt to fall asleep.

one: my body apparently takes sleep for granted these days.

two: tomorrow i will be embarking on round two of what has now become an annual white water rafting trip

three: i serve a faithful God

four: i need to stop purchasing things at garage sales. no matter how lovely, vintage, or reasonable priced they are.

five: i really want to sew something

also..

this video brings the biggest smile to my face every time i watch it. actually, every time i even think about it. yep.

the epic weekend ahead.

includes

a trip to portland and then the oregon coast for some surf, fun, and beach time.

&

a trip to seattle with the high schoolers for some swell bonding time, lots of laughs, a mariners game, and the lovely pikes place.

cannot WAIT.

also...

these are just adorable. stationary makes me so excited.

(source)

tumalo falls.

saturday morning i met a couple of lovely ladies downtown. we decided to be spontaneous and have a picnic at a waterfall, thank you oregon. it was such a wonderful reminder of how amazing our God is, and how blessed we are that he made such a beautiful place for us to live.

where to begin.

lets start with the fact that i slept in until noon today. blah, so awful. i hate oversleeping normally, but this was a special circumstance. my body has been fighting off an icky cough for about a month and a half now, so i suppose my immune system jumped at the chance to get those 14 hours of sleep. so, youre welcome.

now for business, sort of. so far my time here in bend hasnt seemed like typical work at all. despite the fact that i am always doing something and have several sweet yet time consuming projects to tackle in these 9 weeks, there is such joy and satisfaction in every moment.

my family. my bend family to be a bit more specific. im staying with brandon and karie. they have been so gracious and wonderful to open up their home to me. brandon's joy and energy are so contagious and encouraging and karie is such an awesome example of what a godly wife and mother looks like. they have already blessed me tremendously. their four kids are undeniably adorable. they have me laughing continuously and constantly keep me on my toes. im sure once we all discover photobooth together i will have plenty of pictures to post.

my job. well to put it simply, my job rocks. i get to work with an incredible staff, a super sweet leadership team, and the coolest group of fellow interns i could have imagined. whether we are all working separately on projects or walking to the old mill for lunch its nice to have them around. my ministry focus being in children's ministry means that i get to do something that is so close to my heart. im working on a project called mission kids, which i will be dedicating a post to soon. linda is my ministry focus leader and when the two of us get together we become an unstoppable and sometimes overwhelming duo of energy, motivation, and giggles. im dabbling a bit in music while im up here, of course, and i get to work on the creation of the antioch church choir. i am so excited for this opportunity, i do have my fair share of choir experience.

other. i honestly and truly believe that i've made some life long friends. i love that im paired up with a super wonderful mentor and two equally lovely group members. im in a ping pong tournament that im sure to lose in the first round. i drive the 'cranberry cruiser' or more fondly known as the 'hubby hunter' which is a dark reddish purpley mini-van. i love it up here, and am praying about moving back after graduation, yikes! i could find a new yummy place to eat lunch at every day. coffee shops/tea houses are my new favorite place to go get work done. monday night craft nights are going to teach me so many new things. i love my new-found love for the outdoors; rock climbing, scaling, hiking, biking, running, river floating, river rafting, kayaking, and monday morning boot camp.

it is such a lovely blessing to have wonderfully talented photographers like marianne here.

smith rock.

my headband from craft night #1

more from smith rock.

more of the beautiful view.

i know im leaving out half of the cool things about this place, these people, and my last two weeks. but this is all i've got for now.

also...

im praying for some wisdom over this next week. so thankful that my God is faithful.

herbaceous peonies

i love my mom. as i've gotten older i've learned to truly appreciate our relationship, who she is as a woman, not just a mom, her love for the lord and the evidence of that in her life and interactions with others.

i promise we're serious sometimes. and she'd probably highly dislike these, but they are just the only pictures i have on my new computer.

she took off the week before i leave for oregon, so we can prepare for a giant garage sale. these past couple of mornings have been so nice, waking up and sitting next to her on the couch while i drink my coffee.

this morning we watched the martha stewart show and she did a whole segment on herbaceous peonies. surprise. who knew that my mom and i have the same favorite flower. adorable.

i mean, who wouldnt want to walk out into their backyard and see this

or eat breakfast with this on the kitchen table

or better yet, walk down the aisle carrying this

i really am such a sucker for fresh flowers. my, oh my.

on another note, choir tour was amazing. God never ceases to amaze me. he was so evident in the lives of the girls and those we came in contact with. he certainly taught me a lot about patience, leadership, and most of all love. i have every intention of blogging about one night in particular that blessed me. however, i have a busy twelve days ahead of me. i have so much to get done before i road trip up the california coast. ive been mia on here lately and now that its summer time [praise the lord] that means no homework, beautiful sunshine, and time to be a real blogger.

also...

im still loving my daily devotion book. im learning so much about god's grace, what it really is, how its evident in my life, and how to show it to others.