If only fear couldn't keep us from our passions..

When my husband and I got married last August I had to give up my piano temporarily until we could get a bigger place. I wasn't really expecting this transition to put such a hold on my music hobby but with the combination of a very busy schedule and no piano, I was sort of destined to put music on hold. When I realized this, it kind of broke my heart. I would hate to see so much passion go to waste so lately I've been re-approaching it with a new instrument.

I hate the guitar... When I play the piano, I feel comfortable. I can hide behind it, close my eyes and belt my heart out. It's not that I'm very good at the piano. I only took lessons for 9 months but It feels natural to me. When I play the piano I feel fearless. The guitar for me is the complete opposite. I have to think so hard. It's unnatural and I feel so vulnerable. My fingers hurt and I can't relax.. But I can't let my fear of trying new instruments keep me from my passion of music.

So here's to being fearless... to taking risks and being vulnerable.. to fighting to keep your passions alive!

Mondays are for adventures

Lately I've had this itch for adventure. 

Several times this past month I caught myself feeling bored and I felt surprisingly convicted and confused after admitting that I was bored. There is definitely something to this post-college transition. Walking away from the comfortable structure created by public educators and into the intimidating realm of the REAL world makes you feel weird emotions and think challenging thoughts but I never once expected to be bored and something about it just didn't sit right with me. 

I'm 23. I'm healthy, happy and the world is at my finger tips.... Bored shouldn't even be in my vocabulary. But one thing I've realized lately is that an extraordinary life doesn't just happen to you. No one is lucky enough to wake up one day and be enthralled by every ordinary part of their day-to-day at least not that I know of. 

To live an extraordinary life, you have to work for it. You have to be intentional about the things that you do and the perspective you have when you do those things in order to keep the fire of inspiration alive in your heart. So I'm trying to track down those sources of inspiration for myself; those things that make me feel alive.. and then be more intentional about incorporating them into my life. 

And lets be real. There is nothing more inspirational than long heart-to-hearts with a friend and taking in all of God's beauty. So today I convinced a sweet friend to go on an adventure with me. We walked the coast, drank some amazing lattes, perused a ton of adorable boutiques and talked about Jesus, Life and endless questions for hours. 

It was the best kind of fellowship and I couldn't have felt less "bored" if I tried and for that I am forever grateful.

Love you sunshine! 

Like yesterday never even happened

The flu paid a visit to our house again yesterday. Erick was painfully sick for the last two days. I felt so bad for him. I keep hearing people say that they are relapsing back into the flu at least once after the first time they got it this year and I'm wondering if that is what happened to him. Luckily I never got the stomach part of the bug but I had a horrible fever and was completely exhausted. So we slept... for like 30 hours.. I woke up once to make soup and one other time to make smoothies but with the exception of that we just slept all day long. Happy Super Bowl to us!!

However, one good thing came out of it and that was that I learned how to make homemade chicken noodle soup. Things that come in cans freak me out. Especially when it involves meat.. Gross. So after Erick got sick last time I promised myself that I would learn how to make homemade chicken noodle.

Little did I know it would be so easy and so yummy.

I followed this recipe:

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup ingredients:

1 Tablespoon (15ml) Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, finely minced or crushed

1/2 medium Onion, sliced
2 medium (@1/4 lb or 113g) Carrots, peeled & cut into a large dice
2 stalks (@1/4 lb or 113g) Celery, cut into 3/8" slices

4 cups (950ml) Trader Joes Chicken Broth
1/2 pound (225g) Cooked Chicken, torn into pieces
Sea Salt or Kosher Salt, to taste
fresh cracked Black Pepper, to taste
1/4 - 1/2 pound (113-225g) Pasta, cooked to package instructions

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until slightly soft, 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the carrots and celery and cook until the vegetables begin to sweat, 2-3 minutes.
Pour in broth and increase heat to high. Bring broth to a simmer, then lower heat to medium and maintain a gentle simmer.
Simmer soup until the vegetables are almost at your preferred tenderness
Add chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Continue continue cooking for a minute or two more, or until chicken is heated through.
When ready to serve, put cooked pasta in serving bowls. Ladle chicken soup over the noodles, making sure to include pieces of chicken and vegetables. Garnish desired topping.

I started off by boiling up some chicken. I threw in fresh thyme, 2 cloves of garlic, some chicken broth and  fresh pepper.

Fresh, easy and delish!

DIY spa night, you need one of these!

Yesterday was filled to the brim with every errand you could think of. Post office visit, an hour and a half at the verizon store, trip to the bank, drop of donations at a thrift store, buy a weeks worth of miscellaneous things at walmart and finally face the tremendous crowds of people at Trader Joes the day before the Super Bowl. Do all the dishes, all the laundry and clean the bathrooms.. By the end of the day I was more than ready for some relaxation so I threw a few easy "DIY's" together and had myself a free spa night. It was beyond wonderful...

This fruit infused water was delish and easy.

Lemon, Pineapple, Strawberries, Water. Done. 

After making some homemade foot scrubs for my friends and family this Christmas, I've been on a "Scrub Kick". I made some Coconut Peppermint body scrub last night that was insanely easy and made my skin feel incredibly soft.

You will need

1 cup coconut oil (Trader Joes, $5.99)

3/4 cup epsom salts (Walmart, $4.87)

Online they show spearmint but in store it is peppermint!

Microwave the coconut oil for 30 seconds, until smooth and creamy then mix in the scented epsom salts. The end.. 

Not only does the epsom salt act as a muscle relaxer but the coconut oil moisturizes your skin, leaving a layer of smoothness. It's the best combination, you have to try it. I slept like a rock after this! 

Branding or Scrapbooking?

Because when you start your own business at 22, company branding looks a lot like arts and craft time. 

Do what you love

College is finally over and I can definitely breath a huge sigh of relief as I close the door to a somewhat daunting chapter of my life. I doubt that I will ever miss those countless all-nighters, painful cram sessions, $350 parking passes and many long commutes to and from class. Yet as relieved as I am to check that life goal off of my list, the next chapter of my life is just as intimidating as the last. 

Now comes the uncertainty of it all. 

No more spoonfed education and no more professors hounding you to present your best work.. Essentially, no more accountability. I'm on my own now and this great big world is full of endless opportunities. I'm equal parts ecstatic and equal parts terrified. It's a crazy feeling to have this much freedom and yet not know what to do with it. Where do you begin? Always drawn to the beauty of  the entrepreneurial lifestyle, I have no desire to work for a major corporation. Instead, I want to create something from the ground up and to be able to make it my own. 

Everyone's always telling you, "Do what you love" but its hard to pick when there are so many things that pull on your heart strings. Graphic design, interior design, wedding photography, commercial photography, missions, teaching, sales, working with students, creating art, styling, making handmade goods, performing... I have so many different passions which I'm sure is a good problem to have but it makes deciding a path a tricky place to be..

Yet at the end of the day I really don't care what it is that I end up doing as long as It is something that I truly love and I am doing it with love. It really does seem like work sometimes trying to ensure that you are doing the things that you truly love. I wish I knew why it is that way.

This year I am pledging to live a passion infused life. To fight to find meaning and to challenge myself to spiritual, mental and physical growth. I want to end each day assured that my passions were not ignored or suppressed buy exposed and used for the glory of God. I don't want to compartmentalize love into its own limited part of my life but I want to include it in all I do. To do what I love and love those that I encounter with a Christ-like love every single day... Ya feel me?

Image by A pair and a Spare.

Enjoying God's Presence

I'm reading Beth Moore's book "Breaking Free" and so many truths have been impacting my heart so deeply. Today's read was all about experiencing the presence of the Lord and I couldn't have read these words at a better time. I know I'm not the only one who needs to hear these words so I thought I would pass them on to you.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. (ISA. 43: 2– 3)

I doubt any believer feels God's wonderful presence every second of every day. Sometimes we’re challenged to believe He's with us simply because He promised (Heb. 13: 5). That's faith. God's Word often tells us not to fear, yet not all of our fears are unfounded. Think about it. Our present society poses many real threats. Did you notice Isaiah 43: 2 said, “When you pass through the waters”? God is not suggesting that difficult things don’t happen to His children. If nothing frightening will happen to us, how could the assurance of God's constant presence still be the quieter of our fears? Psalm 139: 7– 12 assures us that God's presence is with us always. “Even the darkness will not be dark” to our God (v. 12). Hebrews 13: 5 assures us: “Never will I leave you; / never will I forsake you.” We cannot escape God's presence, but we do not always sense His presence. God's presence in our lives is absolutely unchanging, but the evidence of His presence is not. On some occasions God may purposely alter the evidences of His presence to bring the most benefit from our experience. Sometimes we receive the most benefit from seeing many visible “prints” of His invisible hands during a difficult season. Other times we profit most from seeing fewer evidences. God does not love us less when He gives us fewer evidences. He simply desires to grow us up and teach us to walk by faith.

As I sat silently watching this incredible sunset tonight. I couldn't deny the presence of the Lord.