Last week, four close friends escaped to the water in celebration of changing tides. Summer is beckoning, tempting us with the promise of freedom & hope of adventure. Along with this photo journal, I included a note that my Grandpa Peter wrote to me as I graduated college. In light of all of my friends who have recently donned the cap & gown and are now braving the real world, I found myself revisiting these thought-provoking words. I hope you enjoy them as well.

These past few months have taught me many things; and as I have relived these lessons time and time again, my emotions have given way to a truer understanding of myself and my need for an endless supply of grace. Nothing has taught me more about the ability to fail and fail again than my packaging design class, which I began 11 weeks ago. Taking a design class on top of my other full-time gigs as a wife & a working woman, may or may not be the smartest decision for my sleeping habits and my ability to relax; but it has most certainly informed me of my shortcomings.

Packaging and packaging design is one of the most commonly overlooked parts of our daily lives. In almost every country, packaging is one of the top 5 industries and hence, the need for well-branded, beautiful design on those packages. This term, I am living & breathing in this new world; entrenched in the process of taking initial concepts and developing logo design/branding, making production/cost analyses, and finally, constructing the final package. BY HAND. Along the way, I have dulled more than 10 Exacto blades, spent over 3 hours building a masterpiece of a hexagon-shaped box, and have accomplished more mistakes than successes. There is a happy ending to this story, however, and I hope to share my final package with you soon.

My downtime, which is few and far between, has been spent diving deeper into relationships. Like all things in life, some friends will be a victim of distance and changing seasons and others I will have the privilege of keeping for many decades to come. I can't predict the unseen path ahead, but I can offer genuine friendship to those around me today, and trust God's hand to be at work in guiding my actions tomorrow and relationships in the future.

I won't argue with those who say Southern California may be the "promised land", but I will add on that wherever you may be, it's those around you who make a place so desirable that you put down roots and begin to grow. Jon and I are growing in ways we couldn't have imagined ourselves, ways that are inexplicably richer than our past views of friendship & fellowship. Sometimes we need to stop looking around for new friends, acquaintances, & social opportunities ... and instead pour our time, intentions, & love into those we have the joy of walking beside today.

This parting encouragement to you comes in the words of C.S. Lewis, who has been one of the powerful influences in my life as of late ... followed by some of my favorite experiences of 2013.

Once a year, when the glow of the holidays has already shown and is threatening to fade, we revitalize our minds and our souls with a journey to the mountains. This wintery trip, bursting with lifelong traditions, breathtaking landscapes and exquisite snowfalls, grows dearer to my heart each year.
The reasons why Jon & I love Colorado are innumerable; our time spent there, never long enough. Every time we return, we leave with a new revelation and refreshed dreams. My trip this year was highlighted by time well-spent on the beaten tracks of the forest and plains, cross-country skiing with my grandfather in sub-zero temperatures. As we breathed in the crisp air and bathed in God's beauty, we shared a deep appreciation and respect for life and God's plan.
So wherever you may be today, take a moment to breathe in the outside air. Realize that the Creator had a plan for it all: a route for the birds, a season of growth for the foliage, and yes, a pathway through the mountain carved specifically for you.

NYE ... the night where the celebratory moments of the year culminate in one big explosion of a party. While you can't always spend the evening with every person that you love, I feel privileged to say that I spent it with quite a few close friends (see photos below). One of the best parts of a new year is the sense of starting afresh. I haven't lived on this earth for very long, but I understand this feeling well enough to appreciate that it comes around every 365ish days. Instead of my usual 3-5 resolutions, I am committing to one and only one resolution this year.

This ambiguous goal seems especially challenging because it is a battle every day, but I know that every attempt I make will be worthwhile and eternally so. To be more selfless in love, kinder in speech, sacrificial in priorities. My husband may not always be deserving of my love (or so I may be inclined to think at times), but I fall short in many, many more ways. So let’s stop for a moment and consider 2013, a year that many are calling unlucky. I am going to argue that when it’s all said and done, you will be surprised at the strength and wisdom you will gain in the mishaps & journeys of this next year. I, for one, can’t wait.

I will be the first to admit that it's been a while, a long while, since I've visited my blog. Something about working on the computer all day produces in me a lack of motivation to even touch my laptop when I finally get home, but alas I think it is time to start up again! This time around, I won't put pressure on myself to compose such lengthy posts! Not that I don't enjoy those, but it is far easier to throw up a few pictures and a quick update. Also, I have been diving into the world of graphic design lately -- swimming around in an ocean full of creativity -- so don't be surprised if you see some of my work on here in the near future!

The holiday season this year felt different for Jon and I. Maybe it was knowing that we weren't going back to the Midwest, or maybe it was the craziness of the 4th quarter at work, but something about this Christmas felt a little off. Regardless, we still had a great month reflecting on Christ's birth and how thankful we are that God gave us a Saviour. We didn't deserve the blessing of God coming to earth and becoming a man, we can't fathom the cost of our sins and how they crushed Christ on the cross, and yet we have been given the privilege of a relationship with God despite ourselves! This Christmas, we celebrated these simple truths and the making of new traditions as well.

Our cozy family of two headed north for the white-capped peaks of Mammoth! After an all-night drive, we crashed for a couple of hours, loaded up on coffee, and then hit the mountain with everything we had! It was the best of times with my best friend, four feet of fresh pow, and a California ski town. If you can't be with all of your family on Christmas, playing in the snow is the next best thing.

new traditions in a frosted wonderland
unexpected storms gave way to perfectly powdered slopes
mornings welcomed with cup after cup of fresh brew
days filled with mountain-top adventures, pushing the limits and tumbling in powder
rewarded by hot showers & cozy evenings
accompanied by layered flannels & Christmas classics

...a Robert's Christmas

Los Angeles is consuming. During the time that I have come to call this city my home, I have been introduced to many new seasons of life, amidst unique circumstances and opportunities that are unique to this place alone. As stimulating and life-changing as my time here has been, I realize that something subtle and yet important has been lost. Lost & swallowed up in the endless activities and buzz of the city, trending restaurants, vibrant music scenes, and the friends sprinkled throughout suburbs of the city.

In some ways I have lost the art of being still, and I think our society has too. Oh we can sit quietly and twiddle our thumbs maneuvering around iPhone apps, texts and updates, but how often is our world silent and detached from unnecessary clutter?

One of my primary inspirations behind these thoughts, Kinfolk Magazine, puts it this way in one of my favorite literary pieces called UNDOCUMENTED HOURS –

"The past few years have levied a strange burden of proof upon our backs, a burden to account for our hours and days, to prove to all who care to watch from the screens of their phones and computers that we are doing something worthy with our lives. In the meantime, we have forgotten how to be content in being present. We have not been transfixed and emptied since we first believed the lie that all of our experiences must be shared."

More than ever before, I can see the beauty of experiencing moments without the click of a shutter or the recognition of others. I have been reveling in the joys that God allows me to partake in each and every minute of this life, and I am content to be fully in the moment He has given me now.

Not to be found in the bustle of city life but in the simple familiarity of that cafe you frequent with an old friend & the gentle light of a lone, flickering candle, is the peace and quiet that we are called to preserve and seek after. Take a deep breath, unplug from your electronic lifeline and plunge headfirst into the community that is surrounding you.

I leave you with one last line from Kinfolk Mag –

“A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared and that the people who share the place define and limit the possibilities of each other's lives. It is the knowledge that people have of each other, their concern for each other, their trust in each other, the freedoms with which they come and go among themselves."