I Love The Rain

I love the rain. 

The pitter patter falling all around outside. The much needed drink it brings to our dried out earth. The splish splash as you step in puddles and the spray as you drive through them. The droplets making their daring journey down your window, never sure where they will end up.  

And I love the way everything looks after the rain. The clear blue skies, the mountains in the distance, and the occasional rainbow to bring a smile to your face. 

I love the rain.

A Cup of Tea

Snow falling all around as

Wind whips through the trees. 

Sun shining through the window

Warming me as I sip a cup of tea. 

I ponder life, I ponder the future,

I sit amazed at nature's beauty. 

Snow capped mountains, Dormant trees

Contrasting blues, greens and white. 

Peacefulness on a busy street. 

Gentle music, serene views, 

A book and delicious tea. 

An afternoon waning away 

With beauty and simplicity. 

On this lazy afternoon in Colorado Springs, I sit in an Orthodox Greek bookstore and coffee shop. The serenity of the views and environment bring a deep sense of peace and rest. My anxious heart wants to worry because of future uncertainty, but my mind wants to escape. I disappear into a book, sip my tea, and surrender to God. Although there are disappointments and unknowns ahead, I trust he has a plan. I trust he knows the future and what is best for me.  I trust he is leading me and my husband. Although tears may come, right now I must enjoy his moment. I must rest in God and the beauty of creation. I must enjoy my cup of tea. 

New Year's Resolutions are NOT my Thing!

It's the end of January 2014 and I did not make a New Year's Resolution and I'm okay with that. Yes, in my ideal world, I still would love to continue a photographic blog sharing my life through images, and maybe someday (or some days) I will, but it is not a Resolution.  I have not succeeded in this resolution for the past two years, so it is time for something new. I am tired of making resolutions I cannot keep, but I am still open to some goals.  So for all it's worth here are some goals for 2014. 

1. Love my Husband - learn what it means to be a wife and truly and deeply love my husband and learn to accept his love in return.  In doing this, we will lay a solid foundation for our marriage.

2. Write more - Whether blogs, private journals, poetry, or academic articles, I want to challenge myself to reflect on things around me.

3. Love those around me - I want my family and friends to know I value them and our relationships.  I want to be intentional about loving them.

4.  Enjoy life - Yes, this is ambiguous, but I want to have fun, try new things, explore and just enjoy whatever comes my way.

5. Grow as a child of God - I want to grow closer to my Savior and be able to accept and share his love in new ways.

So for now, those are my goals.  I'm open to more (and do have a few in mind), but these are goals that inspire me and I know I can succeed in and grow through the process.  Who knows, maybe I will share the process this year in the blog!  We will see!

March 2013 Highlights

My highlights from the month of March. It was a busy month!

Irvine, CA

A good family friend since 6th grade got married!  I loved her decorations and Princess Bride quotes!

Big Bear, CA

Snowboarding with my brother Micah for his birthday.

Signal Hill, CA

I love running up Signal Hill on a rare clear day in LA county. You can see downtown LA in the distance. 

Wrightwood, CA

Heading to the snow for skiing with Mike. 

Signal Hill, CA

A foggy morning run on Signal Hill. The electric pole in the distance reminds me of the cross and the early morning resurrection that followed 3 days later. 

Westminster, CA

Bridesmaid dress shopping with my sisters. We found one!!!

Beautiful CA sunsets. 

Point Loma, CA

Brought wild flowers to my dad on Easter. He used to always pick wildflowers while running and bring them home. So it seemed appropriate. It was the first time Mike had been to see his grave. 

Too ambitious goal...

My goal of a picture a day was far too ambitious with all the craziness of getting married! So I have decided to post some highlights from each month and see if I can become more regular at posting again. We'll see what happens!!

End of February

February 19 - February 28, 2013

I didn't take many pics the end of February, so here's what I have from the last two weeks.

Pic 1: A fun picture drawn for me awhile ago from the lovely artist Joann

Pic 2: We had dinner with some college friends and to celebrate "my being in love" I got the heart shaped bowl of ice cream :)

Pic 3: yes, you know what this means... My guilty pleasures... Frozen yogurt and the Bachelor...

Pic 4: Dinner with Mike toasting the things ahead with are individual sized bottles of sparkling cider :)

President's Day Hike

February 18, 2013

Mike and I "redeemed" a hike together on President's day. It was great to let go of old memories and make new memories together. These are just a couple pics from the hike.

PS don't just the second one, everyone else was doing it and we didn't carve too deep...