Happy birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday! The entire world is celebrating with us today! Happy birthday, mom!

2012 Review

Some favorites from 2012! I tried to limit it to one a month, but there were too many that just stuck out to me!

January - Out of these ashes, rise.

February - Groundhog Day

March - Perfection: my simple request

April - Malaria, Hope

May - And then comfort comes, Miss Vi the fashionista, The Jelly Donut Incident

June - Painted Goldfish

July - "Shut up and hug me!", Confession Session

August - Proof that I'm a city girl.

September - the quesadilla incident

October - Awwww..., Her Love Language: chocolate milk

November - Flirty Homeless Dude

December - "oh, tragedy has taken so many..."

I tried to find a photo that summed up this past year. And this was it. "Princess" written on my coffee cup. I was working in the sound booth at church getting things ready for that Sunday morning. I'm learning that being a leader means being a servant. Doing the tedious behind the scenes work is just as important as being up front leading.

Christmas Blur

Christmas kind of flew by in a hurried frenzy. Larissa was home, Nick was here, I was working 5 million hours, there were services at church, it was raining a lot.

And I did get my hippo! Sort of. I actually got two hippo ornaments. One is bright pink and the other one is a hippo-y gray and sings the "I wanna hippopotamus for Christmas" song. Sam and Stephanie along with Danny, Kendra, Trina, and Vi should win some sort of award for getting me exactly what I asked for!

Celebratory Survival Earrings

I got a new pair of earrings at work! I'm calling these my "celebratory survival earrings". I worked about 40 hours this past week at my "part-time" job so I thought a new pretty little thing would be ok. Especially since I have to wear the jewelry at work. So it's really just a work expense. :)

"Oh, tragedy has taken so many..."

The older I get, the more my eyes are opened to the darkness in this world. I worked all day today, but checked my phone for any updates on the tragedy in Connecticut whenever I could. All the moms who came into my work today seemed to be holding their kids extra close. I would do the same thing if I had kids.

I was in 4th grade when the Columbine High School massacre happened. I remember seeing little glimpses on the news, but my mom would quickly turn it off or change the channel. It wasn't something for a second grader or a forth grader to see. I was told that some bad men had guns and killed people in a school and then they killed themselves. My mom didn't keep me from the truth, but spared me from the details and magnitude of it. My mom focused on how much the world needed Jesus. So that's what I needed to do. I needed to tell the world about Jesus so things like that wouldn't happen. I became quite the little evangelist during that time in my life. I tried to tell everyone everywhere I went that they needed to love Jesus.

Junior High and most of High School passed before the Virginia Tech shooting happened in 2007. I was getting ready to graduate high school and understood a little more about the fallen state of the world. I knew people who had been killed in drunk driving accidents, committed suicide, or lost the fight to cancer. Death and tragedy wasn't a foreign concept to me, but still a vague one.

I'd been in a few lock-downs that weren't drills when suspicious characters with guns were reported to be on my high school's campus. The first time this happened I was nervous, but it was a false alarm. The announcement was made over the loud speaker and then a few minutes later was recalled. The gun seen was a theater prop. Even so, all the classroom doors were to remain locked until the police checked everything. We finished the quiz we were taking in my class and were given extra credit for the disruption.

The second time this happened was more serious. The announcement was made over the loud speaker and the office lady's voice was shaky as she gave clear instructions. Shut the door and lock it, turn out the lights, close and lock the windows, close the blinds, and follow all lock-down procedures. My teacher ran to the door and locked it while shutting off the lights. I was closest to the windows so I made sure the windows were locked and shut the blinds. The room was dark and shadowy. My teacher moved her class of 30 students into the darkest corner of the room and helped us build a barricade of desks. The girl curled up on the ground next to me was crying so I held her hand and whispered to her that we would be alright.

As policemen swarmed the high school campus for 45 minutes, I constantly prayed, "God, don't let anything happen to my sister. God, please don't let anything happen to her." My sister was a sophomore and was in the classroom a few doors down from where I was. I wished I could get to her, but knew I couldn't. I didn't think I could survive if anything happened to her. I still don't think I could survive if anything happened to her.

The office lady came back on the loud speaker and said it was safe for us to leave. My teacher, still following the official procedures, told us that our class would be waiting until a policeman knocked on the door and gave us the "all clear". So 20 more minutes passed before we left the dark classroom. The campus was still eerily quiet as we all went our separate ways. And, as if we'd talked about it before, my sister stayed in her classroom and waited for me to get her. I met her there and we walked to my car together. Neither of us said much on the drive home, but we were happy to be together and off campus.

No one was hurt, but the fear of the tragedy that could have happened was still heavy. I actually slept on the floor of my sister's room that night. Just in case.


I'm not a parent, but there are plenty of precious little kids in my life. My heart hurts for the moms and dads and brothers and sisters and grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews and nannies and friends of the children who lost their lives today. It just hurts.

Hurry back, Jesus. Hurry back.

O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree. The Ornament Addition.

I tried to mirror my last post with similar photos.  I think I like the previous ones better. The tree is beautiful with all the ornaments on it though!

O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree...

We're putting up Christmas decorations in stages! I can't wait for all the ornaments to be put on tomorrow!

(i am) 24!

one | I can’t stand pepsi. I’m a diet coke girl ALL the way.

two | I love my job most days, but other days I just like it.

three | I miss Chicago.

four | I love living in California.

five | I’m rarely content, but I’m happy. I’m always reaching for something.

six | I love writing and receiving snail mail.

seven | I’m allergic to sea food.

eight | I don’t remember the last time I completely tuned my own guitar.

eight and a half | I'm still a princess.

nine | I love flowers.

ten | I’ve never seen all of Disney’s Pinocchio.

eleven | I want to do investigative journalism.

twelve | I spent my last 2 birthdays in Chicago with Baylee and Jaxon.

thirteen | I love doing crafts.

fourteen | I love summer.

fifteen | I would rather wear high heels than flat shoes.

sixteen | I love to learn, but I disliked school. I thrive in a one-on-one setting.

seventeen | I’m surrounded by rockstars and heros in my everyday life.

eighteen | I named both of my guitars - Herman and Jesse.

nineteen | I have a bright red pair of skinny jeans.

twenty | I wish Moody had offered a degree in criminal justice

twenty-one | I have a pair of 4.5 inch black high heels with studs on them.

twenty-two | I have two honorary nieces that I absolutely adore.

twenty-three | I’ve had the same best friend my entire life.

twenty-four | I wish fireworks were included in every celebration. Mainly my birthday. :)

Sing a song of hope.

We sang this song at church today. It's a good one!

it's the most wonderful time of the year!

But is it really?

I'm frustrated with my job today so bear with me.

I work in an unusual retail job. It's retail because it's sales, but it's one-on-one sales. It's more like direct sales done out of a store. I know those two things contradict themselves, but that's just what it is.

Anyways, this past month I've spent a lot of time doing annoying tasks. Like untangling jewelry, making phone calls to people who's jewelry is broken or tarnished and can't be fixed, organizing the back stock, and other tedious tasks that shouldn't be my sole responsibility. And I went from working 25 hours a week on 5 hour shifts to working 40+ hours a week on 8 hour shifts with the new and annoying holiday hires*.

I've seen Santa Claus and Christmas trees and decorations ever day since Halloween and I've been listening to the same cheesy Christmas playlist since the arrival of Santa.

I have nothing against Christmas or my job, but I don't think working retail during this season makes this "the most wonderful time of the year". It's commercialized and so far from what it should be. The awe and wonder has been replaced with greed and impatience.


*They're not all annoying. Just two in particular.

November flew by!

November was a typical month. Lots of working, time with my little girls, church stuff...

Flirty Homeless Dude.

Oh my. So you know those mornings that just don't go as planned? Well, this morning was one of those mornings.

I work at the mall so traffic on I-580 West in the mornings is a battle. I don't usually work early mornings, but on days that I do, I leave a few minutes earlier to get coffee. This morning I decided to go to the Starbucks in Safeway so I could avoid all the lines. There was a homeless man sitting outside so I greeted him as I walked through the doors. I ordered my peppermint mocha and ordered him a coffee as well. When I walked out the doors and handed it to him, he was so excited! He set it down on the ground by his backpack as he chattered away to me. He thanked me and went on and on about how hard it was to be homeless when it got cooler outside and how no one would even look at him.

I assured him that I would be praying for him and that I would say "hi" whenever I was at that Safeway. I also told him that there were a handful of places in Livermore and the Bay Area that could offer assistance. Then, out of nowhere, he lunged forward to kiss me. Thankfully I have quick reflexes and turned my head enough so he kissed my cheek instead. 

At that, I bid him goodbye and practically ran to my car and got in.

None of the Urban Ministry classes I took at Moody prepared me for that. Just sayin'.

cutting corners

Today at work I spent two hours cleaning up a mess made by someone else. It was a mess that shouldn't have happened in the first place. It was a mess that happened because someone hurried through their work and tried to cut corners. 

I got to work and my manager didn't look happy. 

"Andrea, I know you didn't make this mess, but I need you to untangle all this jewelry for me."

There were piles and piles of necklaces that needed to be untangled. They shouldn't have ever gotten that messy in the first place, but since they had, it had to be fixed.

I went to work and about two hours later had detangled close to 100 necklaces from each other and had them all carefully laid out and organized on trays.

The jewelry was nice and neat, but I was so annoyed and tense. 


I knew who made the mess and how it happened. 
I knew that she rushed through the task.
I knew she intentionally cut corners to get it done faster.
I knew she lied about it.
I knew that she didn't really care.

 And knowing that she didn't care annoyed me! Sure, it's a part time retail job, but it's still something to do well!


"It is worth it to live our lives well."
"If better is possible, then good is not enough."

I have those two quotes on the notepad app in my phone. I see them periodically and am reminded to do the best I can in everything, whether it seems important or not.

I guess I should also add a quote about not getting annoyed with people because they're not as much as a perfectionist as I am. 


Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. - Colossians 3:23-24

Livermore in the Fall

baby hippo.

My love language is not gifts and I really don't like opening presents and I'm terrible with surprises, but my birthday and Christmas are coming up in the next month and I need this cute little hippo. Please and thank you!

Today is the day.

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.  -Psalm 118:24


Today I woke up to chickens loudly clucking, the neighbor children screaming, and someone playing a trumpet. I had a hard time paying attention in church. I got "trapped" in the middle of a row and the guy behind me kept sneezing. All food smells repulsive today and springs my tummy into a nauseous tangle with just one whiff. And I have an unrelenting headache.

But this is still the day that the Lord has made. So even on days that are "eh', we're still told to rejoice and be glad in it.

bind my wandering heart to Thee

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

This particular passage has been on my heart lately. I could be the most wonderfully helpful person in the world, but without love, it's worthless. I've obviously got some things to work on.

Gypsies!

This is a dual purpose post... 

First: If I don't make it as a professional journalist, I may be a professional gypsy. Stephanie and I dressed up as gypsies for Halloween! Surprisingly enough, we found everything in our closets and pulled together our colorful outfits!

Second: I love Stephanie. Life is lovelier with her in it.

Photographer Pet Peeves

Things a photographer doesn’t want to hear...


"You have a great camera! I bet it takes nice pictures.
"
Why yes, I do have a great camera! But it’s not the camera that has studied photography and spent many hours playing around the with lighting, backgrounds, models, and settings. That would be me. All me.

"Just Photoshop that!
"
“I’ll just Photoshop that!” I say that jokingly all the time, but it’s annoying when people say that seriously. Photoshop isn’t magic. The whole process of implementing Photoshop into my workflow is a pain. It takes so much time. Then to have a list of demands to make someone taller, skinnier, prettier. It’s just extra work that shouldn’t need to be done when I get it right in the camera in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got no problem removing a spot off a photo or something simple like that. But if an endless amount of things are changing, the ethics of the photograph is gone. I’ll write more about my issues with Photoshop another time.

"I'll just print them at Wal-Mart. Just put the pictures on a CD for me.
"
Really? If I spend all this time and effort to take photos and make it all look amazing for you, please print them somewhere nicer than Wal-Mart’s photo center. Please. I have a places that print photographs professionally and will happily do it for you or give you references for those places.
 
“I hate having my photo taken.”

I’m sorry. I suppose I should be more sympathetic with people who don’t want their photos taken. But, if you’re at an event where there’s a photographer, there’s a good chance that your photo is going to be taken. Avoid the camera as much as you want, but don’t go out of your way to tell the photographer you don’t want your photo taken. At events, I personally don’t care who happens to be in my photos since I usually don’t know most of the people there anyways.
 
“I wanted to invite you to a party (wedding, any other thing). You should bring your camera!”

“Do you mind bringing your camera?” is essentially the codeword from friends who want a professional photographer, but don’t want to pay for one. There are a few families who I’ll do this for, but I happily offer to do so. They don’t have to ask! But for the rest of the world, I do mind bringing my camera. If I’m invited to an event, I might want to be able to relax and enjoy the event. Sometimes I bring my camera with me to events and I don’t use it at all, but I have the freedom to do what I want with it.
 
Can I have all the reject photos, too? 

Nope. They’re rejects for a reason. They’re duplicates of what I’ve already taken or they’re just not good enough. My portfolio is only as good as it’s weakest photo, so by including all the crappy photos, the quality of my work goes down when I give you the rejects. Trust me when I say that the ones I give you are much better!
 
"Can I borrow your camera for this event (that you won't be at)?
"
Uh, no. Would you ask a doctor to borrow their stethoscope for the weekend? I don’t think so. So don’t ask me. I’ll undoubtedly say “no”.
 
"What's the discount if I edit the pictures you took myself?
"
100%. You just won't get any of the photos either. My name is behind my photos, so I’d like to do 100% of it.


"Can you take your watermark off the photos you posted to Facebook? I just want to print them at home."
Really? No!
 
"Can you make it all black and white except for my eyes?
"
That’s tacky.



"When are these going to be on Facebook?"
They’ll get there when they get there. I have another job and many other responsibilities. I’ll put them up when they’re ready! And not all of them will go up.
 
"Your job is easy! You just click a button all day."

I love photography, so I happily do it, but that doesn’t make it “easy”. As with any skill, it takes practice and training and lots of trial and error.
 
"Will you take my picture with this camera?
"
This one makes me laugh. I’m not good with little point and shoot cameras or those disposable ones. I’m capable of using an expensive SLR one. If you want the photograph to turn out well, let me use my camera. And if it’s at an event, it’s rude to ask the photographer to use some cheap camera when they’re getting paid to shoot the same event.

Awwwww....

I'm not sure what else can be said other then "awwwww"!

2 years old!

Now she's 7 and hardly fits on my lap!

Her love language: chocolate milk

This sweet girl's love language might just be chocolate milk.

It was bedtime for Viola. Trina was happily coloring so I left her in the office and took on the task of convincing Vi that it was time to go to sleep.

Books, stuffed animals, frankies (blankies). We were ready to settle in for the night. I climbed up into the bed after Vi. I snuggled her in and read to her, both of us pointing to the animals and making animals noises, all while giggling. We finished our books and I prayed with her. As I was climbing off of her bed, she stopped me.

"A, lay. Me. Peeeesss!" (please)

"Ok, darling. You need to go to sleep though!"

Trina was still coloring. Vi was tired so I thought she would fall asleep within minutes. I moved some stuffed animals over and snuggled in next to her. She wiggled and wiggled as if to get as close to me as possible. Then, with an exasperated sigh, she climbed on top of me, resting her nose on my nose.

"Good night, A," she whispered.

I suppressed laughter and wondered how on earth this little girl was going to fall asleep with her face pressed against my face.

Less than 30 seconds later, in her little voice she said "chocolate milk, A."

Then, putting both hands on my face, she said, "peeeesss" with a serious look on her face.

"You've already had some! It's time to go to sleep," I whispered to the sleepy girl.

"Awwww peeeeessss," she said sitting up on me.

"No, Vi. In the morning."

"Awwww ok, A."


Like I said, her love language: chocolate milk. :)

This Chapter.

This chapter of my life will turn out to be a beautiful one. Just as the previous ones have been. Just as the future ones will be.

It's not beautiful yet. At least it doesn't seem beautiful yet. But it will be. Because that's just what God does. Without fail He reveals a little more of His plan at just the right moment and the scattered and scarred pieces of life fall into place. 

Right now I'm seeing glimmers of beauty and am able to find joy in those little pockets of hope.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11

Think Happy Thoughts - Part 8

36. This guy. He's pretty great. 

37. You Decide by Fireflight



38. Trina and Vi. I have an endless amounts of smiles when I'm with these girls.

39. Organization. I've been doing a lot of organizing and purging of random stuff lately. Both in my room and of all the photos Cedar Grove uses for the music slides on Sunday mornings. I enjoy getting rid of unused and unwanted things.

40. Ice cream. After about 5 years of being allergic to milk, I took gluten out of my life and can have milk again. Hello, mint chocolate chip ice cream!

the quesadilla incident.

I'm not a mom, but I often get mistaken for one when I have Viola with me.

"Your daughter looks just like you!"

"How old is your daughter?"

"You look great for having such a young child!"


I got that all the time with Trina when she was 2 and 3. I was 19, but looked 16, and got mistaken for a young single mother on more than one occasion. I got many comments, some rude and some sweet. Now it's Viola that gets pegged as my daughter. Thankfully I don't look 16 anymore, especially since I'm 23, and can pass for a mother a little easier.



Last week Alicia and I took Viola out for lunch at a little Mexican food place while Trina was at school. The sleepy girl was in dire need of a nap, but needed to eat first. Our food came quickly and she eagerly dug into her rice and beans, completely ignoring her quesadilla. The three of us girls giggled and talked as we ate. Viola went between sitting and standing on the bench, bringing her food with her and making a mess.

There were two guys sitting in the booth next to ours. They were talking about the Holy Spirit and other serious topics. These conversations were all happening while Viola was making faces at them and attempting to play peek-a-boo. The guys smiled and continued on with their conversations. At one point, Viola was standing on the bench holding her quesadilla, which was covered in rice, and was waving it around. She proceeded to hit the guy in the back of the head with it, leaving a trail of rice stuck in his hair and on his collar. She froze before pulling the quesadilla back to her and sitting down. I froze and had no idea what to do our say. This complete stranger had Viola's rice stuck in his hair and there was no way I was going to get it out. That would be awkward!

He turned around as Viola jumped up. I apologized a million times, but informed him that I would not be getting the rice off his head. Vi continued to make faces and chat with the guys.

"It's ok, I have young kids, too," was his response. He laughed about it as he brushed the rice out of his hair.

Alicia was laughing so hard, Vi was in the tired giggly state of messily eating, and I was mortified.

faith.

Faith is my fellow Comm-major friend. We survived lots of classes together. We bravely conquered classes with Dr. Fetzer, Kammerzelt, Janosz, and Worrall. They weren't actually hard to survive... we just talked and giggled a lot. Aside from being a Comm student, Faith and I have some fun things in common. We both love photography, singing, discounted clothes, yummy foods, funny youtube videos, and coffee. Her attention to detail and organization and efficiency is an inspiration to me!

Love you, Faith!

Emma.

Emma was my daily reminder that life was not as bad as I thought it was. She was my daily smile, hug, funny story, prayer, encouragement, workout partner, and sister in Christ. She came into my room each evening to give Heidi and I hugs and to say "goodnight". 

One night near the end of the semester, we had a Smith 5 bridal shower for all the girls on my floor who were engaged. I helped plan and run the event. I didn't think it would be so hard on me, but it was. I stuck it out until the very end when we broke into groups to pray for all the girls getting married in the few upcoming months. I sat on the floor with my girls and quickly felt myself breaking. I escaped from the group in tears. Emma was across the room, but slipped away to my rescue. I curled up on my bed crying and Emma curled up and cried with me. Em's sweet and gentle presence made day to day life beautiful. Even the broken pieces.


Love you, Em!

Annie.

Annie. One of my first friends in Chicago. Our years together were studded with odd relationships and health issues and funny memories and french fries and fancy tea. Along with deep conversations, many tears shed, giggling, and huge life-changing realizations.

I could write a book about all our adventures, but I'll spare you. For now. :)

One afternoon Annie and decided to ditch life and headed downtown for a few hours. I think we both cut classes to do so. I know I eagerly did! We happily walked down Chicago Avenue and Michigan Avenue, peeking into the fancy store windows and trying on clothes and jewelry in Forever21. We talked and giggled the entire time. On the way back to campus we stopped in a little chocolate shop and oohed and ahhed over the delicious looking chocolates. It was a perfect little escape from the pressures of Moody life. 

Annie's one of my best friends. I feel like I've grown up with, but in reality, we've only known each other for a few years.

Annie was also good at calling me out on things. Her answer quickly became "go talk to Bobby!". So Bobby, you can blame Annie.

Love you, Annie! And I guess Jake, too.

Laura.

I often ran into Laura's room to tell her something exciting, ask a question, "borrow" some tea, snatch a quick hug, or to throw myself on her bed. I secretly didn't want her to graduate so she wouldn't move off campus. I love Laura and the gentle reminders she gave. She continually reminded me who God was and she reminded me who I was. God is sovereign and I am His daughter. His precious and priceless daughter.

Love you, Laura!

Heidi.

I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you.

We had too many adventures to just pick one to dive into. Tortilla chips, coffee, photo shoots, 17 Again, emotional ABC Family dramas, hysterical laughing, fashion shows, late nights, early mornings, nap times, high heels, pad thai, caffeine, frozen yogurt, cold weather complaining, boots, skinny jeans, blankets, forts, textbooks...

LOVE YOU!!!


This is the first of my "I miss Chicago people" blog posts.

Happy 2nd birthday, Vi!

Baby Vi. I'll be calling her a baby until she's 10. At least. I hope she's ok with that.

1 month. 

10 months.

22 months.

(almost) 24 months.

Happy birthday, precious girl! I can't wait for the next year's worth of adventures, smiles, hugs, and photos with you!

Love you, baby Vi! :)

**Look how long my hair was when she was 10 months!! Ah.

99 Days Till Christmas.

Yep. We broke the cardinal rule by listening to Christmas music and even singing along to it! 99 days till Christmas. Double digits. A party had to happen!

more talking than writing lately.

I've been doing more talking than writing lately. I've had lots to process and think through that wasn't suitable blogging material. At least for the time being. I've spent lots of time with my usual people and have said numerous times, "I'll post a blog about this in a year". And it's true. I probably will. I've been doing some writing and have a list of things to post next year around this time. :)

I never should have stopped writing. It's time to start again. Maybe tomorrow.

decision making.

It's not my strong point. Just throwing that out there.

twin :)

I have a twin. Her name is Olivia. We met 4 years ago at Moody on Smith 5.

Diet coke. Music. Writing. Flowers. Sun dresses. Food allergies. Traveling. Independent. 

We also have frequent moments of relearning lessons numerous times over, we sometimes challenge God, and we have similar ED struggles.

God placed Olivia and I in each others lives for so many reasons! To be twins. To walk through life and it's ups and downs together as sisters, friends, confidants, cheerleaders, and pen pals.

Love you, Olivia!!

Proof that I'm a city girl.

(No chickens were harmed in the making of this video. Alicia and I are fine, too.)

In-n-Out for the WIN!

Gluten-free cheeseburger from In-n-Out. I'm going to survive life without gluten!

tortilla chips

Sometimes these things need to happen.

I have creative things to do.

I have dresses to sew, questions to ponder, photos to take, songs to sing, people to love, stories to write, memories to make, guitars to play, flowers to arrange, life to live.

I have creative things to do.

Wednesday's Wisdom

Yesterday morning I was given a great piece of wisdom.

The mistakes of others don’t define you. They may hurt and help to shape you, but they are not who you are.

It’s all about choices. The mistakes and choices of others my hurt me. They might even change my life. But, I am still me. My identity isn’t found in those mistakes. It’s found in being a child of God. That identity can’t be taken from me regardless of how badly I’m hurt by others.

Gluten Free.

This new chapter of my life is gluten free. This can't be too hard, can it?

Gluten Free Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Gluten Free Cheddar Crackers (These will be my cheez-its replacement.)

Gluten Free Pancakes 

Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins 

Gluten Free Parmesan Crusted Chicken  

If anyone has any more delicious gluten free yummy things to try, let me know!

Faith and Josh

Faith and Josh flew ALL the way from Chicago to California to see me! Ok. They came for a vacation and to visit family, but I can pretend that it was all for me. It was great seeing them! We met at a fun coffee shop by Cal State Berkeley and had a wonderful time sipping coffee and eating pastries!

To see some of the beautiful photos they took, check out Faith’s blog!

Aimee!

Aimee came to visit me last week! We had fun touring Livermore, watching the Olympics, watching movies, doing crafts, and eating lots of dairy-free ice cream. Here are a few of the many photos we took in one of Livermore's vineyards.