recap in photos

the last week has been a pretty intense one for me so i'm going to start with some photos. these first ones are from my incredible vacation to north carolina a couple weeks ago. i stole my dad's canon rebel for the week and had fun taking walks, waking up early and capturing it with the camera.



i really loved this shot of the fishing pole... i don't know why but it just made me happy. the other shot was what my daily mornings consisted of- reading from the Word, indulging in time traveler's wife and drinking delicious coffee all while staring at the waves and even catching some groups of dolphins playing!


when i got home fall had officially arrived in pennsylvania. the trees had all turned and it was absolutely beautiful. last week i drove up to french creek state park and enjoyed a quiet walk in the woods. i once again had snagged my dad's camera and snuck a few shots of God's lovely creation.


i.love.this.time.of.year. the colors are so incredible! if i could have my dream wedding it would probably be the end of october when the colors are so vibrant... i just love the reds, oranges and yellows. so warm and calming!

in other news, i purchased a sewing machine last week and i have to say- i'm in love! i'm learning as i go and just having fun. it's gonna be a home-made christmas and i am so excited. so excited in fact that i asked the other people in my office if they thought it was too early to start playing christmas music. they didn't answer but just looked at me like i was crazy. however, this afternoon i have the office to myself and you better believe i've got it playing! less than 50 days till christmas! does that stress anyone out? ;)

now you know who will be busy crafting all weekend!

friendsmoon

so i hate to break it to all of you but i am posting today from a lovely house right on the beach in beautiful north carolina. yes, it's true- i am on vacation. hallelujah.

when i was in zambia in august a good friend of mine emailed me to invite me to go on a "friendsmoon." my first reaction was probably the same as yours- "what the heck is a friendsmoon?" as i read further in the email i discovered that some awesome women i know decided to plan a vacation just for the ladies... so no men. so kind of like a honeymoon, but just with girls- thus FRIENDSMOON was born. i didn't even read any of the details of the email, but quickly responded with a "heck yes i will go" and figured i'd learn the details later.

turns out the details were a house right on the beach on beautiful topsail island. can i just say that i love north carolina? good, cause i just did. vacationing here is always so fantastic and so far this trip is no exception. we arrived yesterday afternoon and were delighted to see amazing views of the ocean just steps from our 3 story deck.

today i spent my day laying outside, reading books, playing games and getting to know some of these ladies more. right now there are 7 of us, but come thursday the number will jump to 18! yikes! haha! should get interesting!

and currently i am watching first knight... i love me some richard gere. pardon me while i swoon. hope everyone else is having a great week!

crossing the pond

well my trip to england was amazing. first time there and i hope it won't be my last. honestly, i could live there. you get the whole other culture experience but everyone speaks english... sort of. haha.

seriously though, it is an incredibly beautiful country and we got to see so much of it thanks to my amazing friend jenny. we road-tripped all over and toured big country houses, made new friends at barbecues, saw all the sights of london and so much more. my dad was gracious enough to let me take his canon rebel so i was the designated photographer which i enjoyed greatly! here are some of my favorite shots from the trip:

back to reality

vacation week is over and i must say, it went by way too fast. i know i know, that's always how vacation is but i was still hoping for a little more s t r e t c h .

it was great to get away, though. the house we stayed in was absolutely beautiful. it was the perfect size for our family. we had our own pool which was so fantastic. i love the beach, but i hate the sand so being at the beach in a pool is my perfect match. we laid around lazily... read books... played games... oohed and ahhed over my niece kyra... and ate chocolate. seriously i think i consumed my year's alottment of chocolate in one week. i don't know what it was, but i was drawn to it. needless to say i'm on a break from it right now. well, at least for today. ;)

last night i was sitting in my room watching Lost (yes i finally gave in and started watching it online... i'm halfway through season 2). i was debating whether or not i wanted to go to providence church that night and i felt prompted to go. i literally jumped out and ran out of the house so i wouldn't be late. about 5 minutes later i get a call from a good friend of mine named sam who lives in denver. she was home visiting her mom and said she was on her way to providence as well. needless to say we spent a couple hours after church catching up and it was awesome. she was so encouraging and just really listened as i shared my heart with her. it was exactly what i needed at that moment and God knew that.

so this morning i'm back to work and i'm alone in the office cause steve is on vacation this week. the last time he was gone for a week i hated it because it's so hard to work in this huge office all by yourself. so i walk in and flip my little day calendar to today and this is what it says:

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me- watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace." Matthew 11:28-29 MSG

For some reason that verse just inspired me this morning. I don't have to do this out of my energy. I have a Savior that I can lean towards for strength and inspiration.

I guess I'm not alone in this office afterall. :)

relaxation- here i come!

only a few more days till my family leaves for vacation at the beach. i am looking forward to this vacation for a number of reasons:

1. mi familia- i love spending time with my family and even though we can drive each other crazy at times, i'd still rather be with them than anyone else.
2. my niece- ok so she's part of my family, but a total entity of her own. kyra is amazing and funny and cute and always brings a smile to my face. getting to spend a whole week with her 24/7 will be awesome!
3. the beach- there's something about the ocean... oh yeah. i feel so close to the lord when i'm there. the beauty of it still awes me today.
4. no schedule- vacations without schedule are so great. you can just fly by the seat of your pants and do whatever you feel like at that moment. it's a beautiful thing to be spontaneous.
5. reading- i have an excuse to sit down on my lazy butt and read as long as i want. i'm so excited to bring some books with me and get lost in them for hours at a time. who could ask for more?

so those are just a few of the things i'm looking forward to. there's much more and i'll probably write about it after i get home.