Playing Catchup.

So I have another (not so) surprising confession to make. I haven't blogged in over a month. And actually, it might be longer than a month. I'm just pretty certain that I haven't even signed onto blogger in that amount of time. So needless to say, I'm a little behind. I was actually brought back to the blogging world because several close friends of mine emailed me with surprising life events in the past week and I kept thinking, "I bet I would know about this already if I had read their blog." :) Funny how life works, isn't it?

Anyway, so I'm playing major catchup, but I'm actually excited about it. :) I'm going to clean up my subscriptions, which I think might be part of the problem. For a while there I got a little blog happy and subscribed to a TON of people with amazing blogs that I never really ended up reading. So I'm going back to the basics. I'll keep around my "blog friends" for sure, and a few others that I just enjoy lurking around once in a while. :) In the coming days (or maybe just today if I find the motivation) I'm going to be going back and trying to write & accurately date a few posts of importance from the month of May. There were actually QUITE a few significant events that I'd like to document before any more time passes.

So in the time being, that's what I'll be doing.
Life is still grand. God is still good.
And I'll always be grateful. <3

a million lifetimes.

This post officially makes me cheesy, but y'all already knew that. Jenn's blog inspired me to write my own about what I would do with a million lifetimes. The dreamer in me loved every second of this. :)


I'd become a humanitarian photographer. I'd travel the world documenting the stories of those who have lost their voices due to poverty, illness, hatred, death, or decay. I would tell their stories and speak life into broken places. I'd look into the eyes of a child who lost both his parents to AIDS and tell him he his loved, into the eyes of a teenage girl who was sold into sex slavery and let her know she is precious & worthy, into the eyes of a man who works tirelessly yet fails to provide for his family and tell him that he is enough. I'd bury every single one of them deep in my heart and my mind- sharing their faces and stories with the world.




I'd open my own coffee shop with a quaint bookstore in the backroom. I'd know the names of all of the regulars and would have conversations with them about their kids, their families, their lives. Customers would be welcomed by handwritten signs and the scent of cinnamon buns. I'd have childrens reading hour every day at four o'clock. I'd dress up as different book characters and make stories come alive. I'd know the name & birthday of every child. I'd be a woman who speaks love and life into the children around her. Someone who makes them feel cherished and important.



I'd want to love recklessly and abandon my rights so that I might live a greater life before God. I'd want to serve Him by loving the unloved, by remembering those who have been forgotten. I'd go deep into the outer villages of this world and bring peace and the message of the good news to those that have never heard it. To give them the opportunity to have a sense of stability in something that cannot be taken from them. (His love heals all wounds.) I'd feed the hungry, rescue street children, and open an orphanage and become a mother to the motherless. I'd touch those that society had deemed untouchable. I'd break boundaries.




I'd live in a big city: new york, chicago, or la. I'd buy all of my groceries from local farmer's markets or fruit stands. I'd take the metro or bike everywhere I went. Once a week I'd buy flowers on the street and place them in a vase at the center of my kitchen table. I'd know all the local vendors, buy my coffee from family owned cafes instead of Starbucks, and support the local theater district. I'd be artsy & carefree, handsewing all of my own clothes and opening my own etsy shop. :)



I'd build a fully stocked sailboat and sail around the world, touching continents & worlds, people groups and cultures, all with my fingertips. I'd spend time in the solitude of those months out at sea reading & worshipping...spending time with the Lord under the bright canopy of the stars above. I'd meet new people and learn to love them, leaving imprints of my heart all over this big beautiful world. I'd stay in each resting place for a lifetime, learning their ways and living among them. I'd carry them with me.



I'd live in the country. I'd marry an incredible man who loves God in a fearless way, and would readily lay down his life for a friend. We would laugh and talk and grow old together. We'd live a simple life. What would begin with two would grow to enclose more. Our home would be an open door to those in need of rest, a place where laughter lives. We'd raise beautiful children who would know what it's like to grow up safe & carefree, who are raised in a life of service to both God and their community. We'd go fishing and run through open fields. We'd put up a tent and go camping in our backyard. We'd host bonfires and hayrides. I'd cook dinner every night for the people who mean the most to me. We would love each other.




I'd be a pediatrician.
I'd sing on Broadway.
I'd invest in the lives of others.
I'd have my own greeting card company.
I'd live in a village in Latin America. I'd know the street children by name.
I'd help cure cancer.
I'd take pictures every day of every lifetime.
I'd see God in every new morning.

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It's funny to think about the possibilities of what can be accomplished with one life. Some of these dreams are wild & realistically unattainable, but so many of them hold real possibility. What would you do with a million lifetimes?

I Love PostSecret.

I check postsecret almost every week, and sometimes save the secrets I love the most. Here's a few more from my favorites collection: :)













There is hatred & terror in the world, but there is love & unity too. All we have to do is look around us....

A Woman's Worth.

It's Photo Fridays! :)

My beautiful friend Cecile (who is also a photographer!) allowed me to paint & photograph her last week at Okura Beach. It was a blessing & I'm so pleased with how the photos came out. She is an absolute natural beauty. Her skin tone is flawless! There's not a lick of makeup on her and I didn't do any retouching on her at all! Please take a look. :)

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"Her value far about rubies and pearls..." -Proverbs 31



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We were really thankful to have beautiful lighting, which is necessary for any good photograph. It complimented her skin tone so well as it continued to set.

I am wonderfully blessed.

It's like Lucy & Ethel

It's time for Thankful Thursdays!!

I find myself with much to be thankful for this Thursday. As follows:

1. The ability to nanny for, and cater my mothering skills a bit with these little monkeys:

To play such an important role in a child's life is a HUGE blessing. To be the one they come to when they lose their first tooth, get a scrape while playing outside, or just want to be held is an incredibly beautiful blessing. I love C, L, & M.

2. Having spent my college years in the Bible belt, I've certainly experienced my fair share of Bible studies & small groups, but there is something so special and real about my thursday night young adult group. So much love, laughter, reality & warmth. I feel so much of God's presence with us as we share the depth of our lives and questions with one another.

And apparently, we have such a great time in OYYA that we never take pictures. Ab, Tab- we need to work on that! :)

3. Grace. All of us are in need of it, some of us requiring it more than others. I'm one who falls into the latter category. This last week was something like a script out of, "I Love Lucy," and I'm just grateful that I have a Saviour who loves me through it all. :) (Sidenote: This is what I felt like this week. Mary was my Ethel):

4. Mary. I've found a dear kindred friend on island in the past few months. She's with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) and will be living on Guam until September. She's become my wingman in the past week or so and I love her for it. She has been such a blessing.
(Mary, with the cake I made for her 31st birthday. I made her hold it in the car and told her it was for our Good Friday service. Hah. And she believed me! The candles were to make her feel like she was in Oregan. :))

5. Fellowship. There's something really sweet about gathering with people who love God as much as you do, the joy and warmth and laughter found around a dinner table or when opening the Word. My life is filled to the brim with those instances every single day, and I can't help but be grateful for how much joy that brings me.

(an old picture of life before Yael left. I miss her.)

It's Friday, But Sunday's Coming!

This particular Easter season for me has been incredibly sweet. As I've sat in the presence of my family in Christ and feasted on the beauty of what Christ has done in each of our lives this year, it has been an incredible season of renewal. I've been doing a quite a bit of contemplation and writing on my own about the wonder of what Christ did for us, but for now I'd like to share a sermon that was written about Good Friday onto the Resurrection. I also dug up some videos that touched me & I hope you'll take the time to watch them. There's no other life I'd rather live than one with Christ at the helm!




Dr. Tony Campolo tells the story of a little preaching competition that he had with his pastor during services at the church where he attends. Dr. Campolo tells how he preached the perfect sermon, perfect in every way. He had taken the congregation to the heights of glory. And as he sat down beside his pastor, Dr. Campolo patted him on the knee and simply said, "Top that." The older black pastor looked at him and said, "Boy, watch the master."

It was a simple sermon, starting softly, building in volume and intensity until the entire congregation was completely involved, repeating the phrases in unison. The sermon went something like this.

It's Friday. Jesus is arrested in the garden where He was praying. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. The disciples are hiding and Peter's denying that he knows the Lord. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Jesus is standing before the high priest of Israel, silent as a lamb before the slaughter. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Jesus is beaten, mocked, and spit upon. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Those Roman soldiers are flogging our Lord with a leather scourge that has bits of bones and glass and metal, tearing at his flesh. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. The Son of man stands firm as they press the crown of thorns down into his brow. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. See Him walking to Calvary, the blood dripping from His body. See the cross crashing down on His back as He stumbles beneath the load. It's Friday; but Sunday's a coming.

It's Friday. See those Roman soldiers driving the nails into the feet and hands of my Lord. Hear my Jesus cry, "Father, forgive them." It's Friday; but Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, bloody and dying. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. The sky grows dark, the earth begins to tremble, and He who knew no sin became sin for us. Holy God who will not abide with sin pours out His wrath on that perfect sacrificial lamb who cries out, "My God, My God. Why hast thou forsaken me?" What a horrible cry. But Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. And at the moment of Jesus' death, the veil of the Temple that separates sinful man from Holy God was torn from the top to the bottom because Sunday's coming.

It's Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, heaven is weeping and hell is partying. But that's because it's Friday, and they don't know it, but Sunday's a coming.

And on that horrible day 2000 years ago, Jesus the Christ, the Lord of glory, the only begotten Son of God, the only perfect man died on the cross of Calvary. Satan thought that he had won the victory. Surely he had destroyed the Son of God. Finally he had disproved the prophecy God had uttered in the Garden and the one who was to crush his head had been destroyed. But that was Friday.

Now it's Sunday. And just about dawn on that first day of the week, there was a great earthquake. But that wasn't the only thing that was shaking because now it's Sunday. And the angel of the Lord is coming down out of heaven and rolling the stone away from the door of the tomb. Yes, it's Sunday, and the angel of the Lord is sitting on that stone and the guards posted at the tomb to keep the body from disappearing were shaking in their boots because it's Sunday, and the lamb that was silent before the slaughter is now the resurrected lion from the tribe of Judah, for He is not here, the angel says. He is risen indeed.

It's Sunday, and the crucified/resurrected Christ has defeated death, hell, sin and the grave. It's Sunday. And now everything has changed. It's the age of grace, God's grace poured out on all who would look to that crucified lamb of Calvary. Grace freely given to all who would believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary was buried and rose again. All because it's Sunday.

Hanging with Atticus.

It's time for.....Photo Fridays!

My friend Tabby & I had the extra blessing of being able to hang out with this awesome little guy while his parents (Craig & Cecile, good friends of ours), went snorkeling this past Saturday. He's an adorable little guy with lots of spunk & personality, and big round eyes & curly hair to die for. Tabby pulled out some rackets to play badminton with him so I grabbed the moment to snap a few photos of him. Most of them are candids as he was busy playing, but I had fun chasing him around. :)

Playing "Auntie".

As I mentioned earlier in my "Thankful Thursday" post, I'm really blessed to have some amazing kids in my life here on island. I've been beyond grateful to have the opportunity to help serve in the children's ministry in my church since I've been here, and can honestly say that these kids have both taught me more & given me more than I have given them. One of the first ways of finding acceptance in my home church here was actually through the children. I began teaching Sunday School within my first month of visiting FCOG (First Church of God) and began to quickly form relationships with so many of the kids. It's a strange experience when you know the children in a congregation prior to knowing who any of their parents are. I was constantly trying to figure out who they "belonged" to, as I was placing names & faces in my early months on Guam.

Over time, I have grown to know & love their families as well and have been lucky to be embraced by such a warm & loving community. They truly care about one another, and when you can see this exemplified in the children of a congregation, you know they are doing something right. Two of my favorite little girls in our congregation are sisters. Their mom, Cathy, has become someone that I hold very dear as she was one of the first women to reach out to me upon my arrival. Xiarra, the eldest of her two daughters, seemed to latch onto me in the very beginning, and I have been hooked on them ever since. She always manages to find me after church on Sunday and will come running full speed and flailing her little body at me. I think she's a precious lamb. :)

I've been thinking lately about how much I've missed spending time with the kids in my life outside of their church/family settings. In the states, I used to love taking my little sister (in a program similar to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America) out and just having time with her to play games or eat dinner or go to the park. It's something I feel like I've been lacking in here, especially with so many great kids around. So Tab & I asked Xiarra and Xiante's parents if we could take them out for ice cream today and we spent a few hours with them at the mall. They are such beautiful and polite little girls, and they have grown right into my heart since I've been here. They are precious. So we got them gelato and went to the bookstore and sat on the floor immersed in the love of books together. Does life really get any better?

Apparently, it can! We ended our day spending about two hours at a coffee shop, sipping on hot tea and playing a variation of card games. We laughed, and made up stories, and sang. We went to the little girl's section, and looked at pretty dresses and ooh-ed and ahh-ed over bracelets and purses and shoes. Xiante even picked out her future wedding dress:

It was glorious.

Days do not get much better for me when they involve children, bookstores, and coffee shops.

It's my own little personal slice of heaven. :)

Thankful Thursdays.

Thankful Thursdays:

This thursday, I find myself being thankful for:

- So many of the beautiful island kids that are in my life now, and the ability to play "auntie" and spend time spoiling them.

-The incredible people that have become such a vital part of my time here.

- The love & laughter that fills my life on a consistent basis.

- The people half a world away who make such an extreme effort to know the going ons in my every day life. They are incredible.

- The sunsets the fill my eyes with the beauty and love of my Lord

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Music Mondays.

I've decided I need some (more) inspiration to blog on a continual basis, so I'm stealing some "day of the week" ideas from friends. Music Mondays is the first up, but I'm thinking of (possibly) adding: Thankful Thursdays & most certainly Photo Fridays. :) Any other ideas out there? I hate feeling like I need to put myself in a box of sorts just to blog more, but maybe it will be the jumping off point to something more substantial? We'll see how it goes. :)

Without further adieu, here are some of the most recent finds playing on repeat on my playlist:



1. "I Want the Joy"- Rita Springer. Because the joy is what sustains me.

2. "Freckles"- Natasha Bedingfield. Because honestly, "Why waste a second not loving who you are?"

3. "Black or White"- Adam Lambert. I'm just waiting to be harassed for this one, but have you HEARD this kid sing? I'm not a big fan of his style, but the kid's vocals are CRAZY!! And I love 80's covers. :)

4. "Satisfied"- Josh Bales. I'm loving his voice and am sad he's not more well-known. I just want the albums to keep coming!!

5. "Running"- Klaus feat. Kari Jobe. An absolutely incredible arrangement. Their voices blend beautifully together.

6. "Psalm 91"- Sonicflood. Honestly, I hadn't listened to Sonicflood since my early high school days, but they came to Guam a few months back and this song is glorious. Powerful stuff.

7. "I Believe"- Blessid Union of Soul. This song never gets old.

8. "Add to the Beauty"- Sara Groves. Another old time favorite that keeps popping up on my playlist lately. She's an incredibly lyricist. Listen to these words! sigh....:)



What are you listening to??