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.

saturday.

Hmm, well people, it is indeed the weekend, thank the Lord. Today promises relaxation and giggles. Truthfully the relaxation has already commenced. And for the curious, here's a bit of insight into my day:

As always, Friends serves as the background noise for my apartment, today it's Season 4.

I cant stop perusing this lovely blog. This woman is seriously inspirational. Sheesh.

I've rediscovered the beauty and versatility of the hard boiled egg, which I'll cook perfectly from here on out thanks to this clever contraption.

A pair of these would be ever so loved by my feet, honest. Elden in olive please.

I fully intend on supporting this cause by purchasing one of these to around my neck.

I am determined to eat at one of the many prestigious food trucks in LA before packing my bags in May.

Today I will be starting a long overdue inspiration notebook of sorts, in which I will record brilliant ideas and lovely things as they make their way to my brain.

Well, other than tying up the loose ends of my online class, I will be spending time with dear friends, dying hair, playing with a puppy, and catching up. This is where the giggling comes in.

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.

fidgity.

i think that may be the best word to describe my tuesday. today was a sick day, on a day when my to-do list consisted of 21 important things. yet, even though i have next to no energy, every forty five minutes or so my body will allow a solid five minutes of productivity. and i am proud to say that i completed a whole 7 things from that list. thats one third, i'll take it. today has been full of netflix ADD, emailing, tea, and toast. toast that, in fact, was only made possible by my sweet boyfriend who surprised me at my front door with his toaster in one hand and a loaf of bread in the other. the day has also been filled with american pickers, my newest guilty pleasure. is there any chance of finding rusty gold in the backroads of riverside? doubtful, but one can dream. i somehow feel as though its mid november already, my mind is getting a little ahead of itself, but you see, im just so excited. this semester promises wonderful things, and i cant wait to journey through these next three months.

also..

here are some photos that make me smile, some old, some new.

a wonderful roommate who lets me call her silly nicknames

a family that i miss ever so dearly

& a friend who makes me laugh like nobody else

two weeks is the new two days.

i seem to have been neglecting to blog consistently lately. if im being honest, consistency isnt something that has been in my vocabulary at all since i've been back in california. instead the word has been replaced by others, such as, unpredictability, flexibility, and humility. it would only be appropriate to use crazy or tiring to appropriately sum up these past three weeks of being back on campus at CBU. still, the connotation of these words is of a surprisingly positive nature. my time so far is one of being stretched, taught, challenged and ultimately forced to draw near to my God. i have learned so much about love. loving when you're moving furniture in 106 degree heat, loving when you didn't get your ideal 8 hours of sleep the night prior, and still loving even when you cant find a seat in the caf because incoming freshmen have invaded campus. i have been so encouraged by those around me through their positivity, transparency & honesty, and affirming words. half of my residents have moved in and the remaining girls will be arriving tomorrow. im so looking forward to hearing each and every one of their unique and intricate stories, to hear about the journey the Lord has brought them through and getting to glimpse into where He is taking them. i find it such a privilege to be a part of these girls lives for the next nine months, to learn from them and with them.

the other morning i was able to have a delightful breakfast with two girls on my staff. i was so encouraged by our conversation about the word. a verse that is SO incredibly challenging in my walk is matthew 6:33, but somehow i forget the powerful verse that follows.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

matthew 6:34

also...

these are some pictures of my staff, up women 10-11. they are all such gorgeous women of God and i dearly love each and every one and appreciate greatly the ways that we are all so unique

its been more than a week since ive had time to devote to this little guy. not to say that i havent had any time at all, as a matter of fact i've had nothing BUT time. my moments have been filled with wonderful things, such as investing in new friendships, having spontaneous garage sale hunts, playing with some pretty cool kiddos, posing for a little photo shoot, and pouring into my summer project.

since being here in bend, ive heard a term that describes perfectly where i am at in life

sweet spot: being at a place in life where you are perfectly content, in who you are, what youre doing, where you're going, and what you have. all of these through and by the grace of God.

ladies and gentlemen, i am in my sweet spot.

i dont know of a time in my life where i have been so completely and wonderfully in awe of who my God is and the things He is doing in my life. He has given me life and love in abundant measures.

The family I am staying with has been such an encouragement in so many unique ways. Their family dynamics are an amazing example of what a family growing together and seeking the Lord should look like. Almost every night they share how they showed love that day and what they loved most about life. It is something I've now begun to share daily with someone whom I care about deeply, and I hope to continue the tradition.

also...

im really thankful for my dear friend whitney. she is part of my mentorship small group, shares a shift with me at the kilns, and has such sweet and genuine spirit. we have the opportunity to house/babysit this week. last night we watercolored until 1am. it was lovely and incredibly inspirational.

speaking of inspiration. i stumble upon some wonderful things every now and again. like this.

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.