Faith...

It's funny to think that we don't always get the answers we hope for in our prayers and sometimes it's especially important that just this once, just this time, they get answered...except they don't. And it's the biggest heartbreak ever. Where is the God of promises now? Why can't the God almighty who parted the red sea and raised men from the dead do me this one tiny miracle? I'm not asking for him to return the dead or even part a sea, I'm pleading for something personal that's close to my heart and now it's been broken and it seems like there's no reason I couldn't have what I wanted... except for there IS a reason and in the words of Steven Furtick himself, "God never wastes our faith. He never has, and He never will. How could we not trust him? Honestly, hasn't He already given us more than we deserve? Everything I have is a gift from Him to begin with. I didn't earn it, so why would I get in God's face, claiming to know what He should do with the blessings that don't belong to me in the first place? If he has promised, He'll deliver." And so what I can say for sure is that sometimes even though I don't understand why my prayer didn't get answered the way I wanted what is required of me is GREATER faith than that with which I prayed. My faith is not, and will not be wasted. And no promise from a God so loving is ever completely dead. Ever. So keep your faith alive, and watch your God come through time and time again :)

A girls day out...

 Me and my momma had a wonderful little girls day out this past Monday! I took her on a date to the seattle aquarium and i think she loved it! It rained a bit so when we got out it was the typical seattle weather every starbucks lover enjoys <3 We walked around looking at all the different anemones and learning how they live and what they feed off of. We saw otters and sea lions and also learned about sea stars and starfish...I even got her to touch one! Eek! Eep! Eel! Haha, we decided to end our day in the city with a trip to good 'ol Red Robins for brunchh with tea and that was all, just us girls in the city on a girls day out :)

My gift from the sea...

This is my gift from the sea, a shell that I did not find on the beach but if I put it real close to my ears I could make out the sound of waves crashing against the shore somewhere far off in a place I've never seen before. This shell was given to me by a friend four years ago. I used to wear it as a key chain all the time until I noticed a small chip in the side and since then have decided to retire it to the confines of a special drawer in my room where many other small things of sentimental value are kept. Once in a while when I feel like things can be too much I pull it out and listen... It's a wonder such a little thing like this can bring the peace of an entire ocean, isn't it? So I love my little gift from the sea and sense that I'll be keeping it for quiet some time to come :)  

How to have a lovely day :)

There are some days I feel like I'm in such a hurry that I miss out on some of the things listed here, but you can be sure today won't be one of them :)

Spreading Jesus

Today, I was studying at the library late in the afternoon in an area designated for students with signs on tables that read "Quiet Area". Soon enough I started hearing whispers turn into chatters that were clearly audible and looked up to find two high school-looking girls sitting four tables across from me. So I looked across and tried to figure out what about their conversation was so interesting and managed to hear one of the girls speaking about Jesus. She was telling her friend that Jesus came to earth and died on the cross for us because he loved us...this put a big smile on my face.

It reminded me that in a world so perverse and cynical there are still many genuine people trying to spread the love of God. So it inspired me to tell someone about the good things Jesus did for us because of his love and maybe this way I'll inspire someone else too.

Quote of the day:

We must never think any one of us is indispensable. God has His ways and means. God may allow everything to go upside down in the hands of a very talented and capable person. Unless the work is interwoven with love, it is useless. God will not ask that person how many books he has read but God will ask him if he has done his best for the love of Him. -Mother Teresa.

I write this mainly for myself since I love to read. More specifically I like to read books that help me understand people better, relationships, books that really help me be a better person to everyone around me. Except that for everything in life there's a season and when my time of reading these types of books comes to a nice end I will need to put them away nicely and fully practice everything that I've learned...I think I like that idea very much and I look forward to practicing it all :)

And fall begins...

It's the 21st of September and along with the release of the iphone 5, fall season begins! That means lots of warm drinks and leaves falling officially starts(: I absolutely love this time of year! Schools have all started back up again, the rain will be sure to hit soon and while we wait for winter and all of it's majestic glories what better way to start off this season than with a warm cup of pumpkin spice latte? One of my favorite drinks from starbucks, it reminds me of everything fall; cinnamon, apples, pine cones, and of course pumpkins! Although it may seem pretty plain to look forward to the rain coming in this year we'll never be happy if we don't learn to enjoy the seemingly ordinary things. In fact Solomon said so himself, "Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is for one to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in all the labor in which he labors under the sun all the days which God gives him- for this is his [allotted] part." -Ecclesiastes 5:18 So I think, at least for today, that latte is my allotted part :p

The Fair

 Fairs are always fun to go to but they're especially nice when you don't feel overcrowded by people. So two days ago I decided to take my mom out when the sun was setting for some much needed mother-daughter time! Also, I believe it was her first time going so I enjoyed watching her look at everything in amazement. Her and I are kind of the same. We love to see other people enjoy their time and just take everything in so we ordered some corn dogs and walked around talking about life, taking pictures and eating junk food :p We don't need to get on a ride and trigger an adrenaline rush to enjoy the fair, we only need to be there right in the middle of it all and that's enough(: At one point we sat on a bench and just looked around. She mentioned how it's odd to think that there are so many people all in one place yet every one's in their own little world. To end the night we got on the ferris wheel and took a look at the entire park from above before leaving and looking down you could see people laughing, others arguing...it really is true that every one's in their own little world. But for the moment, we were enjoying ours. At another point we watched how a little girl and her dad played hop scotch together right in front of our bench and I saw my mom filled with smiles. Conversations with her are always sweet, happy heart.(: We got home later that night two very sleepy ladies ready for bed and that was all. Time goes by fast, and relationships are important so invest in yours as much as you can and treat people like it's your last day on this earth...because so far, it is.

Invite the President to your wedding!

If there are any love birds out their tying the knot anytime soon you can invite the president and the first lady to your wedding! If you send a wedding invitation to the president you'll receive a congratulatory letter from him and the first lady. So how do you invite him? Simple, send it at least six weeks in advance of the wedding date to the honorable (Presidents name) and Mrs. (First lady) at:

The White House Greetings Office

Room 39 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20500

Random Thought:

 

what an odd little thing to think about. I love it! :)

Hang on!

 

 

 

If you're ever confused or feel like you just need a little encouragement this song never fails to help me "hang on" and I hope it does the same for you :)

Sunday Post

Our Father who art in heaven

Hallowed be thy name

Thy kingdom come 

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive them that trespass against us

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil;

 

Can we pray like this and feel like it's enough? I mean are your prayers really making a difference or is it just something that makes you feel better? Jesus made it sound so simple, and yet it seems that some churches complicate it so much. In fact, in James 4:3 we're reminded that if we do not receive it's because we don't ask or if you ask you, "fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures." So just remember that prayer is really simple and a means of communication both ways. it's not a text, or a sonnet, it's a conversation :)

Frozen Yogurt!

I went out with a friend yesterday to yogurt land and not only was the yogurt deeelicios but I think the bestest part about spending time with friends is talking about life, love, and silly things <3 So if you haven't given frozen yogurt a try, go! ...and take someone with you :)

My little Secret...

Psst!...you wanna know a secret? Someday when I have a little house of mine I'd love to have a door on the inside of my closet leading to a small room filled with books from the very bottom to the tippy top with a fireplace near by and a comfy couch for me to sit on. It'll be my little secret...

Rosewood Mansion...

 Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek...can you imagine anything more romantic than that?! Looks like they took it right out of a fairy tale too! It's actually the hotel's name and the perfect destination for dreamers, romantics, and pretenders alike...maybe that's because it was once a private residance so it still holds the smell of old pine wood and the elegance of what once held an extremely wealthy family. What could be more vintage-like than "meticulously restored interiors, hand-carved fireplaces, marble floors and stained-glass windows [that] preserve the estate's original magnificence." as their website describes. I was just thinking this morning of some very odd things to think. But I guess, they're not so very odd things at all because here it is! What seems to be an old precious home turned into a hotel, a place where people can go stay for a bit and re-charge. A place that'll make you feel like you've jumped right back in to Cinderella with the modern commodities we know of today. Enjoy the pictures, because they're stunning!

"If I'm honest, I have to tell you that I still read fairy tales and I like them best of all" -Audrey H.


Couldn't have said it better myself...so I won't :)

When things get ugly...

Sometimes, well, most times it can be hard and hurtful to apologize. But it's ok, we are not Gods and, therefore, although we'd like to love people perfectly that's impossible because we are imperfect beings. When things get bad is just the time to apologize before things get ugly. There's something truly lovely in saying your sorry to the people you love. You could say sorry and then point fingers and tell them they provoked you. Or that you only lashed out at them because they got you mad, but if we really love that person then we wouldn't even be blaming them for our behaviour, would we? So lets remember that all of us make mistakes, but the only mistake that will destroy you is the one you're not willing to admit. Most of the time you'll find that if the person you're apologizing to feels you're sincere, you will be not only forgiven but loved twice as much for your humility to reach out and your willingness to restore what once was. 

She Might Just Be an Introvert!

Introverts. Don't we all think of people who are shy and never really have much to say as introverts?...actually, they're not like that at all. In reality introverts are just people who, although can be very social and emotionally intelligent, are a bit more concentrated with their own little world. Introverts are energized when they are alone because it's their way of re-charging, which is most definitely true for me. And they enjoy conversing about ideas and concepts.

 Nobody enjoys loneliness but as an introvert myself I find the most at peace in the solitude of silence that comes when you find yourself alone. Silence in the heart, the mind, and the emotions. It's my little oasis amidst so much going on in the world and a great way to harness that is through yoga. Although being either an introvert or extrovert is associated with personality it does NOT mean you're anti-social, unfriendly, shy, or afraid of people. Simply that you enjoy life with a different view than others and you march to your own drum.

 

So the next time you run into you're awkward neighbor sitting on the edge of her roof having tea, don't be too quick to judge...she might just be an introvert :)

Quote of the day

"Thoughtfulness comes when there is true love. Never be too busy as not to think of others" -Mother Teresa

Today I have decided I will work on the relationshops in my life. People should feel loved and cared about, especially the people in your life since they are the closest to you. So this morning I will get a few postcards together for family, visit some friends, and really think about others. Won't you join me? :)

Give to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness or in holy array. -Psalm 29:2

What a lovely scripture reminding us that we should praise God. Not just on sundays but for the miracle of life that gets renewed everyday and all around us. Whether it's a tiny nest waiting for little baby blue birds to hatch or just getting up in the morning, lets be thankful and have a wonderful sunday!

Say Cheese and Take a Picture!

Photography is one of the simplest yet lasting hobbies one can have. Cameras can be rather easy to handle or rather difficult but pictures are simply, well-simple. They last for very, very long periods of time and provide the memories that our brains can't always keep a fine focus on. Thank heavens you don't need to be good at drawing to be good at photography. You will never know what you'll be good at if you never try much of anything so go ahead, try it :) It won't hurt, I promise you. And so long as you are enjoying what you take pictures of, you'll do a good job of it. It's a way of remembering. Remembering everything from the colors in a flower to the people in your life. So even if you have to whip out that iPhone of yours just say cheese and take a picture!

Little Luxuries

It's Saturday!! Weekends are always known as the most laid back days of the week. No rushing to school, daycare, job, home and all over the next morning. And whether you're on a budget or not you can go out and treat yourself to little luxuries as well as expensive ones. The choice is yours but the feelings should be the same, don't you think? So I have decided: today shall be a day of periwinkle pedicures and counting my blessings. These, my friends, are my little luxuries. (:

Quote of the day

"When we are young we read and believe the most fantastic things." -unknown   

Funny how easy it is for kids to believe the most illogical, irrational things. But they believe with their hearts and because of that they are blissful... I cannot lie, I miss those times when knowledge about the real world hadn't completely yet tarnished my imagination. But even now, doesn't it take far more imagination to believe against reason? And so you lose the ability to believe whole-hearted but gain the understanding of morals behind the story. Almost as though the realities of life teach you to read between the lines. Maybe that's why C.S. Lewis wrote, "Someday you'll be old enough to read fairy tales again."..and I truly believe that.

 

Forgotten Language, by Shel Silverstein

Once I spoke the language of the flowers,
Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,
Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,
And shared a conversation with the housefly
in my bed.
Once I heard and answered all the questions
of the crickets,
And joined the crying of each falling dying
flake of snow,
Once I spoke the language of the flowers...
How did it go?
How did it go?

 

How often do you speak to flowers? Have you listened to the crickets lately? As children there was once a time we understood things our adult brains cannot comprehend without child-like innocence. I, for one, do not ever wish to forget the language of the flowers and smile at the sun peering through my window in the morning. That is all.

Ragdoll kittens!

Just look at that cutie!!! Ragdoll kittens have been many people's favorite breed of cats by far. I think, in part, it has to do with how docile and loving these little critters can be and I want a cutie just like this one so I've been doing all sorts of research on them. Ahh,  I need one. now. I shall name her penelope, or perhaps just cupcake...is that a surprise? :p No matter, I shall have myself a ragdoll baby kitten soon, toodles!

We all matter...

It just dawned on me this morning that although most of us grow up with the vague awareness that we all matter and that what matter's most is what's on the inside; very few of us actually sit and realize that in reality no one is better or worse than anyone else, just different. One of my favorite scriptures puts it this way, "One thing I have learned: God made people good, but they have found all kinds of ways to be bad."* So you see? In reality none of us are born "evil" and I hope most of us don't wake up conspiring ways to make other people's life miserable.
On the contrary, if God made people good on the inside and it's what is on the inside that matters most then we are all, by nature, good and therefore we all matter. No matter how much someone may irritate you or complicate your life the next time you feel your frustration starting to boil up just remember: we all matter. you are not better than them and they are not better than you because in the end no one is perfect...just different (:

*Ecclesiastes 7:29

A tea set

Is it normal that while I sit here and drink my peppermint tea before bed I randomly start searching for vintage tea sets?! How adorable would that be?...I guess I will never know but one things for sure: I shall have my tea set! It's a mission of mine now and that way I won't have to offer my guests warm drinks in random mugs that don't match and say "I heart NY" :p This one in particular is just so cute I couldn't resist but make a random post about it, so you'll have to forgive me this once...and perhaps a couple more times in the future. Maybe that way I can have proper tea parties with jam, butter, milk, honey, sandwhiches, and the whole bit with sweets and treats. I'm not sure anything else can make one feel more like a proper lady than hosting a tea party for close lady friends and family. So anywho, I really do wish you all have had an amazing day and good night to you all! As for me, I will now go dream of tea and strawberries, excuse me. :)

Audrey Hepburn

A fashionista, a mom , a wife, and much more Audrey Hepburn was considered a true beauty from the inside out and forever changed the way little black dresses were looked at with the poise and elegance she wore it with. So here's a little bit of wisdom that we should all consider:

"The greatest victory in my life has been to be able to live with myself, to accept my shortcomings and those of others. I'm a long way from being the human being I'd like to be. But I've decided I'm not so bad after all." -Audrey H.

So you see? So long as you genuinely love others and strive to better yourself none of us are really so bad after all.

A Sunrise and coffee

Being from Seattle, naturally, I enjoy watching the sunrise with a cup of coffee..or tea. Anything warm, really. If you've never gotten up just a tid bit earlier to watch the sun peek out at us in the morning you should really get in the habit of doing so. The colors you get to see in the sky and the way they blend together are absolutely gorgeous! To believe that it all happens in the wee hours of the morning when most are still snug asleep is a wonder. I think that's the best part of all, the silence in which it happens is majestic. It reminds us what we too often forget, that life itself is a glorious happening. So as I sat here this morning enjoying my coffee and sunrise I thought maybe you're off somewhere sipping your own cup of coffee and I wanted to share the view...just in case you missed it(:

Gifts from the heart

sometime this summer my momma gave me these three little books for kids. She know's how much I absolutely love to read and even though they were for little kids she wrote on the inside  of them and dedicated them to me. She wrote the date and all as though I'm a little girl and I loved it because the books were absolutely adorable.

Who know's if someday I'll have time to read through them all but I think that's her way of letting me know I'm still her little princess and it made me smile inside. She couldn't have given me a better gift than that. So whether I get through them all sooner or later, I shall cherish them indeed, because it's a gift out of thin air. I didn't express want for them, it's not my birthday, and it's not a holiday...and sometimes those "just-because" gifts are the best gifts of all because they are truly from the heart.

Let us not forget...

Sometimes it seems people have forgotten what it's like to feel warmth and love in there hearts. They forget what it's like to look up to the vastness of the sky. To have our hearts melted from the tears on the face of someone in need. To show love, peace, patience, kindness, and goodness in all things. People, by nature, can forget this so let us not become to busy with life that we forget how to live. Lets not forget the little things that are really the more important things...

To see a sunset, to sing a song, to hold, to hug and kiss our loved ones and to hear them say I love you.. to feel the love of God when He is patient with us because to forget these things would be a tradgedy...to forget these things...we forget to live.

Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes

As the sunny days from August start dwindling down to cooler mornings I figured it would be nice to give strawberry milkshake cupcakes a try before jumping into all things fall oriented. That and I was having a poopy kind of day. No reason in particular, really, just that it was that kind of day and my mom suggested we bake together so I ran to the store and got the ingredients needed and came home to find she had already started on some oatmeal cookies herself. The recipe comes from a book called "The Cupcake Bible" which just has the cutest little cupcake ideas. I'm not sure if it was because I'm a bit rusty with recipes but it felt like I took all afternoon! From making the cupcakes to filling the pan to making the actual filling and then the frosting-pheew! Granted, my frosting didn't turn out as beautifully applied as the frosting from the origional picture but it was definitely an afternoon adventure! That's ok, though, because the strawberry flavored greek yogurt filling inside tasted amazing and after all we're constantly told that it's whats on the inside that matters, right? ;)