a revolving lantern

Quilt, finished.

2012-02-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

I finally finished the quilt which, incidentally, I bought all the material for the day Brian called and said "Um, hi, it's Brian Kohl, can I talk to you for a minute?" And that's when we started dating. :) So naturally I put it all away until my life had settled down a little.

It's I guess not technically a "quilt" in that it's not pieced at all. Both sides are solid and it's quilted vertically in diagonal-ish lines and randomly. I got the tutorial here.

I didn't quilt mine as much as she did because I got tired of doing all the lines. Also mine aren't too straight but that's ok, you can't really tell.

It's made with Kona cotton, I think the white is "Bone" and I don't know what the teal-ish one is called. After all I did buy the material a year ago. :)

I always feel bad for the white side because I usually have it facing down so it won't get dirty or something. But I actually like the white side better.

In other sewing news, I stayed home from work yesterday because I had a fever (actually I'm home from work today as well, which is probably why I'm finally blogging) and I spent the day drafting a little dress pattern and sewing it.

Unfortunately I don't think it would actually fit a real child as I didn't have any around to measure so I just made it up. And the neck is huge. Oh well, I had a great time making it and learned a lot in the process. As usual, I should have followed a pattern but for some reason that always sounds too boring so I never do it, which is why many of my projects don't turn out. At first, at least - I think the next time I try a dress it will be much better!

If

2012-01-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

when an answer I did not expect

comes to a prayer which I

believed I truly meant,

I shrink back from it;

if the burden my Lord asks me to bear

be not the burden of my

heart’s choice,

and I fret inwardly and do not

welcome His will,

then I know nothing of Calvary love.

-excerpt from "If" by Amy Carmichael

A very good friend of mine lent me Amy Carmichael's little book If several years ago - and I keep forgetting to send it back to her. But every once in a while I pull it out and read the stanzas that all begin with the word "if" and end with the words "then I know nothing of Calvary love."

It'f a very compelling little book.

Cocoa: A Story in Pictures

2012-01-10T09:43:00.001-08:00

Family Picture

2012-01-09T10:05:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas with my family down in Colorado this year. It was lots of fun to have Brian there too! We always try to get a family picture... which leads me to ask, why are family pictures always a bit stressful? Ok, so it wasn't that bad, and in most of them we are smiling, but a Becker tradition is to take at least one silly picture and usually one serious picture too. We really did have a merry Christmas, trust me.

Christmas, Instagram version

2012-01-01T22:28:00.001-08:00

Monday Night, Tomato Soup

2011-12-13T09:26:00.000-08:00

Around the time Brian and I got engaged, I said to him (rather fiercely I'm afraid) "I am not going to be the kind of wife who cooks and cleans all the time. I don't like doing those things! Okay?"

Like a good fiance, he quickly assured me that all was well and I didn't need to be anything I wasn't, that he would help with cleaning... etc.

Of course, all along I knew I would actually be the one who cooks and cleans for the most part. And I actually don't mind it too much. But sometimes, after a busy, cold Monday, I just make grilled cheese and tomato soup for my husband. And I like it that he doesn't expect anything grand.

And I like it that sandwiches are his favorite food anyway.

O Christmas Tree.

2011-12-08T22:19:00.001-08:00

Christmas Stockings!

2011-12-06T08:55:00.001-08:00

My mom made us all Christmas stocking when we were little and I wanted to do the same for Brian and me. I looked all over the web and on Pinterest to try to find a good pattern but I didn't really find one I liked - then I saw a picture of one on Etsy so I kind of copied it, adding a few things here and there.

Also, I took several pictures of them over a few days because it was almost impossible to find somewhere in our apartment where the lighting AND background were conducive to a good photo!

So yes, I did take pictures of them hanging on a wall, the Christmas tree,

a door, and even the refrigerator... however those ones didn't make the blog cut.

Now all I can think when I look at them is that I should have made them BIGGER so as to hold more PRESENTS!! ... Okay kidding. At least mostly.

Aberle Photoshoot

2011-12-04T15:51:00.001-08:00

On Saturday morning I took pictures of my friend Abby's family. They turned out great and it was lots of fun - even though it had to be around 28 degrees and it started snowing in the middle of it... Owen, (whom you might remember from his newborn photoshoot), wasn't too excited about being outside in the freezing cold weather but he did a good job being cute anyway! Here's a sample of the shoot:

Stick With Me Baby

2011-12-01T15:26:00.001-08:00

Love this so much.

Pillow

2011-11-29T10:09:00.001-08:00

I bought a couple vintage-looking handkerchiefs at a store last week and used one to sew a little pillow for the living room.

Of course, I didn't follow a pattern... too much work, I thought to myself. I could easily make a pillow. That is why the back isn't big enough and why I had to sew a little button loop on to pretend I meant it to be like that.

It's okay though, I like it anyway.

Comfort, Comfort

2011-11-27T23:17:00.001-08:00

Tell her that her sins I cover,

And her warfare now is over.

(hymn: Comfort, Comfort Ye My People)

Afternoon Sewing; or, Always Listen to Your Mother #2

2011-11-26T22:06:00.001-08:00

I spent yesterday afternoon sewing Christmas things - after, of course, Brian and I stood in two very long lines at Joann Fabrics trying to get out by 12:00 to get the discount. Brian, as it turns out, is not a Joann's fan.

I'll post a picture of what I made as soon as I finish it! For now, just know that if only I had carefully read the directions like my mom always told (tells) me to, I wouldn't have had to rip out all the stitches 2 times.

Model shots, in woods.

2011-11-23T22:03:00.001-08:00

My youngest sister Emily, as I have mentioned before, is probably my best photography model because she actually thinks it's fun.

Even though I dressed her up and did her hair (messy...) and made her tromp through snow and mud in heels...

she enjoyed it. No really. Although, much of the time she was saying "Come on Christy, I'm cold!"

I just said "Come on! Just a few more! Then you can just get in the car and be warm. But it's almost dark and I just want to take a few more..."

I've always been relatively good at getting my own way.

But obviously, she was having a good time too. Love that little sister of mine.

Early Christmas Crafts

2011-11-14T21:52:00.001-08:00

My cousin Laura and I went to Michael's with the grand idea of making some Christmas decorations to put up in our houses. We spent a long time wandering around the store, getting overwhelmed by the amount of beads, yarn, paints, fake flowers, weird Christmas ornaments... you get the idea. But finally we settled on some nice Christmas tree decorations which were just paper cones we would paint. Pretty, simple, and cheap.

Well they turned out okay... I liked them but my dear husband said (rather bluntly I thought) "I don't like them."

After a difficult few minutes, together Brian and I came to the conclusion that me didn't mean he didn't like my artistic ideas, but just that he had thought they would turn out better than they did, which he thought he was free to say since he had helped paint one.

So I forgave him and put them up anyway, and suddenly the next day he "liked" them.

First Snow (ie, cleaning the house)

2011-11-12T11:53:00.001-08:00

It snowed today for basically the first time this season - just a few sprinkles but still, it felt cozy and Christmasy. I cleaned the whole kitchen (in which there were piles. of dishes...) before Brian got home from work and it was so nice to wake up to a spotless kitchen... My mom was more right all these years than I ever thought. : )

(These bowls from Anthropologie make cleaning the dishes about 100 times more fun.)

I'm loving these first couple months of marriage. Yeah it's not perfect and blissful and easy all the time. But still it's been the best ever. Lately, we have been thanking God often.

Just a couple pictures.

2011-11-09T23:41:00.000-08:00

Fall and Life

2011-11-07T16:36:00.001-08:00

The golden summer has gone,

swept overboard
in one single swell
of dry September dust.

I wrote that, I think to try to be TS Eliot, who I am definitely not.

This fall has been the best!

fish and chips

2011-10-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

One day on our honeymoon Brian and I walked down to the wharf and got fish 'n chips to go and ate it quickly so the pelicans and seagulls wouldn't snatch it from us. It was pretty good - hot, greasy, salty, oceany.

Married.

2011-10-05T07:46:00.001-07:00

I got married on September 24th to the greatest guy in the world! :) Also the guy I have liked for over 4 years AND who I liked enough to take a year of Hebrew just so I could be in the same class as he was... Anyway we just got back from our honeymoon in Santa Barbara which was perfect and now we're settling down into life as a married couple.

Hopefully I'll be blogging more now that those most busy couple of months are over.

Saturday Farmers' Market

2011-07-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

I'm back.

2011-06-19T22:54:00.000-07:00

From not blogging, that is. It's late and I have to work tomorrow so one picture will have to suffice for now.

Finally Summer

2011-05-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is officially here although it snowed two days ago. But school's out for those who are still in it and the days are probably going to get warmer so that's what counts as summer right?

Laura looking SO EXCITED about frozen yogurt toppings! Which is exciting because we are getting a new frozen yogurt place right here in Moscow! (it's the little things right?)

And finally, Brian GRADUATED from college! YAY! No more dates at the coffee shop facebooking while he writes philosophy papers! I mean not that those weren't great and all. :)

oh just another spring day...

2011-05-03T00:12:00.001-07:00

Somehow, this spring has been much better than normal springs despite the grey. :)

(Brian looking like a poser... really just candid though)

(what kind of person leaves notes and a flower on your car while you're working? only the best. )

Spring??

2011-04-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

Hopefully!! I've been super busy over here in Idaho between two jobs and hanging out with the bf... :) So I haven't been up to blogging lately. Or that much photography. But hopefully more will come.

Baby Photoshoot #2

2011-04-10T22:14:00.001-07:00

Another of my friends had a baby a couple weeks ago, and of course I was more than willing to get some more photography practice on her baby boy. :) It was lots of fun and little Owen is pretty cute, especially with all that hair.

Bleak spring walk

2011-04-06T21:06:00.000-07:00

I like how this picture somehow turned out looking like it was shot with a wide-angle lens. I'll have a more interesting post next time, hopefully! :)

And, spring.

2011-04-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

Hopefully, that is. It's been so grey and rainy here that we thought spring might never show its face... but fortunately we don't know best. :)

kids these days #2

2011-04-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

My little second cousin Oliver playing on Laura's iphone - I think he's addicted. I haven't been taking tons of pictures lately - actually almost none. So this will have to do.

i heart faces: a slice of life

2011-03-27T00:16:00.000-07:00

This week's theme at i heart faces is, as the title of this post says, "a slice of life." I love this picture because it's so real and it's my life - my cousin/roomie at the mirror putting on makeup and me with a camera. Also, sadly, even the messiness of the dresser and the unmade bed are pretty much a slice out of my life. I know, sad. But hey, it's real. :)

March 24, 2009

2011-03-25T09:43:00.001-07:00

I was reading through old journal entries and came across this one which I liked, and then I saw that I had written it exactly two years ago. So I am doing a rare thing and sharing it. :)

Morning now. I'm sitting by the fire, and even though it's electric and doesn't really burn, it's warm and that's what my icy feet need.

I heard once that if you pray for one thing every day, let it be grace. So that's what I do now, as each day I come to the realization that I am not good enough alone.

An extra measure of grace, and a watchman at the door of my mouth.

Snow settles on the dirt outside the door. And here we thought it was spring!

Trip to Hawaii Number 1

2011-03-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

Cruising down Mamaloa Highway in Kona, HI. Kate is just that cool to not need to hold on to the steering wheel. Oh and you can't tell from the photo but trust me, the hip-hop in this mini-van could not possibly have gotten louder. :)

abstract #4

2011-03-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

T.S. Eliot
from Burnt Norton

Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.

abstract #3

2011-03-08T18:04:00.001-08:00

i thank You God for this most amazing
ee cummings

i thank You God for this most amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
wich is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

abstract #2

2011-03-07T18:02:00.000-08:00

If I could tell you
W.H. Auden

Time will say nothing but I told you so,
Time only knows the price we have to pay;
If I could tell you I would let you know.

If we should weep when clowns put on their show,
If we should stumble when musicians play,
Time will say nothing but I told you so.

There are no fortunes to be told, although,
Because I love you more than I can say,
If I could tell you I would let you know.

The winds must come from somewhere when they blow,
There must be reasons why the leaves decay;
Time will say nothing but I told you so.

Perhaps the roses really want to grow,
The vision seriously intends to stay;
If I could tell you I would let you know.

Suppose the lions all get up and go,
And all the brooks and soldiers run away;
Will Time say nothing but I told you so?
If I could tell you I would let you know.

abstract #1

2011-03-06T22:07:00.001-08:00

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.
- T.S. Eliot

random; or life from my point of view

2011-03-05T21:35:00.000-08:00

This is nothing very interesting. Just a picture of what a little corner of my life looks like normally. Well, except that I don't usually stand on the bed. But there's my blanket, essential in a freezing basement apartment. A couple books. And of course my trusty Mac, hehe. The only thing that's missing in this picture is my phone which never NEVER leaves my side. :)

Close-ups.

2011-03-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

Just a few close-ups for my photo class... I've been so busy lately I barely had time to take any! But I do love macro and I'll be taking more in the near future.

It looks like this bus with the surfboards on top is looking out at the snow with sadness. :)

i heart faces: anything but the face

2011-02-27T17:29:00.000-08:00

The theme at i heart faces this week is "anything but the face." So this is a picture of my little sister getting her fingernails painted by my mom over Christmas break. Apparently even when you are 20 your mom can still do things like painting nails better than you can.
More awesome pictures found at i heart faces!

Just a few more baby pics...

2011-02-23T18:11:00.000-08:00

I did my first newborn photo shoot last Friday... if you can really call it that, because it was just pictures of my friend's baby and I didn't really know what I was doing. But I think some of them turned out pretty well, although I have lots that didn't. :) But at least I had fun doing it!

And when I uploaded these three which I thought were the best I realized that they were all basically in the same position... guess i'll have to work on that. :)

A Few Landscape/Architecture Photos

2011-02-22T18:22:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I actually didn't get that much photography done this week... I was slightly preoccupied. :) But I went out today which just happened to be the snowiest cold day lately and shot a few.

Oh and, read this blog.

2011-02-21T07:17:00.000-08:00

I've been following this blog for a couple years now - it's pretty amazing what this girl, Katie, is doing in Africa. Plus she's like, my age, and she's been living there taking care of these kids for several years now. Wow.

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

Excerpt

2011-02-20T23:43:00.000-08:00

I came across this verse a couple days ago when I was reading my Bible and I really, really liked it. :)

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.

Psalm 27:13

And a random picture of my dad that I love.

More baby.

2011-02-17T22:11:00.001-08:00

Motion

2011-02-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

The assignment for this week was basically "motion" - something I've never really taken pics of or even experimented with. So my cousin and I went out tonight and tried some of those light-writing shots that I see everywhere but never knew how to do, and surprisingly they worked. :)

And then this one I took a few nights ago as we were driving back from Coeur D'Alene - um I think I was thinking "well the smoke is moving... so that's a motion shot... right?"

Down by the Lake

2011-02-13T23:04:00.000-08:00

My cousin and I, hungry for adventure, left in the wee hours of the morning (okay, it was more like 11) in search of excitement and fun and stories to pass on to our grandchildren.

Okay, so our expectations weren't really that high, but we did have a great Saturday in Coeur D'Alene. We got coffee, walked through some cool shops, and went down to the lake and took pictures (of course).

Although, I (as the photographer) asked Laura to do stuff like 1. pretend to jump in the lake 2. sit down in the strangest of places 3. other stuff that could be construed as dangerous. And she ended up getting rust on her Banana Republic coat and stepping in dog doo in her rather new boots. But hey I got a good picture of her expression after it:

i heart faces: red

2011-02-13T21:57:00.000-08:00

I took this picture of my cousin this summer and well, I just really want summer to come again... so I guess I'm trying to tempt the fates to bring us summer again and SOON! :) And really, if you knew my little cousin, I think the color red describes her pretty dang well because she is one little firecracker. The type of kid where you have to force them to sit and watch a movie because you just can't take the frenzy any longer. Hehe. But, I wouldn't have it any other way!

Now go on over to i heart faces and check out more "red" photos!

One Day Old

2011-02-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

One of my best friends had her first baby yesterday - and I was so excited to take some pictures at the hospital today. She is the tiniest little baby and SO cute. I can't wait to watch her grow up. :)

And, more kids.

2011-02-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

I took my cousin's kids to the park to try to get some good pictures... it ended up being hard because 1. it was cold and 2. they were tired and 3. there was mud everywhere and one of them in particular cannot stand being the least bit dirty. But I got a couple good ones, I think.

A Bit of Sunlight

2011-02-05T16:41:00.000-08:00

My cousin planted a little bulb and this flower is growing from it! Now maybe that's not that weird to you all but to someone like me who never grows anything it is pretty cool.

29/365 - Jill again.

2011-02-01T18:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, one more of my little sis who is now 21!! And to think it wasn't even a year and a half ago that I turned 21...

26-28/365

2011-01-31T17:10:00.000-08:00

I know I'm behind with my 365 pictures thing, but oh well.

It's my little sister's 21st birthday today and yesterday I took her out for a little photo shoot thing... actually I kinda forced her to go with me... but that's okay because I was happy with them and she was happy with them.

25/365

2011-01-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

Another one of Lola. Kirby and I took the two bigger girls to get a cookie and then to the park- they thought it was so exciting.

24/365

2011-01-27T18:20:00.000-08:00

Lolo.

23/365

2011-01-25T17:15:00.000-08:00

A dash of fluorescent moss.

22/365

2011-01-25T16:42:00.000-08:00

I was walking outside today and noticed that the light filtered interestingly through the curtain. So I took it in black and white.

21/365

2011-01-25T16:30:00.000-08:00

20/365

2011-01-24T13:21:00.001-08:00

In Brueghel’s Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away
Quite leisurely from the disaster; the plowman may
Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,
But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone
As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green
Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen
Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky,
Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.
- Excerpt from Musee des Beaux Arts by W H Auden

19/365

2011-01-24T12:52:00.000-08:00

Keep Calm and Carry On... a good saying when you are in the throes of college. Maggie and Jill were supposed to be candid but since they are both slightly actresses I had to tell them to "keep studying! look like you're really trying hard!" Haha. Candid is hard to get sometimes.

18/365... kinda.

2011-01-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

This picture reminds me of Norman Rockwell just a little bit... only modern and not a painting.

17/365

2011-01-17T21:39:00.000-08:00

Well... we went to the little arcade in the mall tonight and played air hockey and DDR and all kinds of fun stuff. Ha. I guess that's what 22 year olds do for fun in this town.

16/365

2011-01-17T21:34:00.000-08:00

Annndddd... another dress. Hehe. I helped Laura make one of her own! And she's proud of it.

My supper and my book. Ahhh. :)

15/365

2011-01-17T21:28:00.000-08:00

I made this little dress today for my friend's baby... although it ended up a little bigger than I had expected so I made a new one for her.

14/365

2011-01-17T21:19:00.000-08:00

Okay.

I did it.

I forgot to take a picture this day.

But oh well. Here's one from the day after.

13/365

2011-01-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

I love these totally sugary fakey frosted cookies... luckily I have the composure not to buy them whenever I see them in the store, which seems to be an extremely disproportionate amount of times.

12/365

2011-01-12T23:25:00.000-08:00

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)
~stanza from ee cummings's poem "anyone lived in a pretty how town"

This one poem by ee cummings was one of my favorites my freshman year of college. One assignment during the year was to read two poems out loud five days a week - every week. Wow. My rhetoric teacher definitely did not like ee cummings but I did, probably partially out of some sort of rebellion. :) Who knows what the poem really means.

11/365

2011-01-12T23:14:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of our living room. We redecorated it yesterday for spring time even though it still feels very wintery here. I bought the yellow fabric hanging on the wall at Ikea last month, and then bought an old corkboard at Goodwill and stapled it on the back. I really like it.

I went to the bank a couple days ago and was talking to the lady there - she of course asked if I was in college to which I replied "No, I graduated already." She looked shell-shocked or something.

"You already graduated? How old are you?"

"Well... twenty-two."

"Twenty-two and already graduated?! Wow. That's so great." Etc etc. She smiled broadly at me. Haha.

It kinda boosted my self-esteem at least for a while. I mean I know 22 isn't that young to be out of college and it's actually pretty typical but at least it made me feel better about "just" having two part-time jobs and not doing what I really "want" to do. :) I still don't know why she was so surprised.

10/365

2011-01-10T17:27:00.000-08:00

My cousin and I went out and took pictures at dusk in the frozen Siberia-like tundra that we inhabit.

9/365

2011-01-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

Pictures from an old train.

8/365

2011-01-09T22:17:00.001-08:00

Okay, so this is probably the most boring picture ever. I was driving to the airport far away to pick up my sister and I was just not inspired. So I turned it black and white because there wasn't much color anyway.

7/365

2011-01-09T22:12:00.000-08:00

I made this little stuffed lamb for my good friend Morgan's baby who is soon to be born!

6/365

2011-01-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

Images from around my little home. I know, so cute. :)

5/365

2011-01-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry about today's picture. It was late after a full day of traveling and I was tired, at my aunt's house, in my cousin's old room, and there was nothing to take a picture of. So I picked what I thought was the most interesting, even though it's really not, haha.

Anyway my aunt and I were talking and she said something really interesting that I hadn't ever really thought about - that hard isn't worse.

We shouldn't try to avoid hardships in life. If God has something hard in store for us it is for our good and His goodwill. It made me think of something my pastor said a couple months ago, I think he had read it somewhere:

Fiery trials make golden Christians.

And something John Piper wrote in his (really good) book Don't Waste Your Life:

Life is risk and risk is right. To turn from it is to waste your life.

4/365

2011-01-05T07:12:00.000-08:00

Dad reading one of his favorite authors. He loves Rumpole and always tries to get us to watch the old TV show with him but so far we've held out.

3/365

2011-01-05T07:08:00.000-08:00

Himalayan Salt. It's pink and supposedly tastes different - I can't tell that much but everyone else says they can.

Well, Christmas break is over and today I head back to Moscow. I'm relatively excited, relatively meaning that I feel like I'm always either going there or coming back here and it's a vicious cycle of goodbyes/hellos/goodbyes. But at least I'll be going back to work which is very necessary in this day and age. :)

2/365

2011-01-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

1/365

2011-01-02T20:34:00.000-08:00

Dad's birthday just happens to be on January 1st. I won't tell you what year - but I will tell you that he got an ipod Touch and then returned it because he said he would waste too much time on it. Oh well, I was disappointed but I'm sure it was for the best.

Christmas '10 Recap

2011-01-01T11:32:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a great Christmas and now it's the New Year - a time when I traditionally feel motivated to do great things. One of my resolutions is to do that Photo 365 thing that lots of people did last year - take at least one picture a day and (try to) post it. So we'll see how that goes.

Anyway here are a bunch of Christmas pictures. I hope you all have had a fun and happy Christmas and New Years.

Hehe... I left a note for Santa. He wrote me back but I didn't get a picture of it.

I made pom-poms to put on the presents. It looked cool, well I thought so at least. Kinda homey. :)

A cute albeit weird ornament of Emily's.

Fun (very tiring fun...) with little cousins! Haha.

Becker family 2010!

Home and Christmas

2010-12-21T16:41:00.001-08:00

We're home and pretty happy about it. :)

Christmas tree bokeh... I love throwing that term around. And a Roman centurion.

Me in an ornament.

Aww. I painted this when I was three. Talent I know.

Then I forced Emily to do a mini photo shoot.

And the awkward wintery cocoa shot - prop included!

Merry Christmas everyone!

a quiet place

2010-12-16T23:01:00.001-08:00

I haven't done much of anything other than work lately, and I haven't taken any pictures for a long long time. Which is really sad because I don't like to blog without a picture, so I don't.

I like this picture though, that I took a couple weeks ago outside the library. It just looked nice and cozy and calm and... peaceful in there.

That's what I could use - a peaceful oasis from life. I mean, I'm a pretty normal person and all, I'm not a hermit or anything, but it would be nice to just have somewhere to go when you're down or lonely or just in a quiet mood. Maybe even more of an emotional getaway... haha I don't even know.

I am going home for Christmas in a few days and I am SO excited. But then, I have to decide if I'm going home for the summer, which would maybe mean quitting my job etc. I don't know - I'm trying to decide if I want to stay here or move back home. Anyway, I'll leave you with this verse which has pulled me through many a hard day:

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (emphasis mine)
Ephesians 3:20-21 (New King James Version)

I like that verse because of all the things that I want to ask God for - the very best thing I can possibly thing of - He is doing WAY WAY better for me. :) And that gives me peace.

kids these days

2010-12-10T10:08:00.001-08:00

So I was talking to my mom on the phone this morning, and she was in the car driving my two little cousins back to our house to babysit them. I could hear a lot of noise (ie, screaming and arguing) in the car, and I asked her what they were arguing about.

She said that they were talking about what they wanted to be when they grew up, and Josiah (5) said he was gonna be a police officer. Kaydence (3) said she was going to be Batman. But Josiah wisely said that "Batman can't be your job forever, just for Halloween." Kaydence yelled "No! I'm Batman!" And Josiah said she had to be Batgirl, not Batman. So she started crying and fighting with him (which then began to involve spitting, at which point my mom turned around and very sternly told them to be quiet and don't you spit in the car!)

haha. I just thought that was funny.

i heart faces: self-portrait

2010-12-07T18:40:00.001-08:00

I had been wanting a dSLR camera for a long, long time after I saw what a difference they make in photography. So this summer I bought one, I guess as a college graduation present of sorts to myself. I was (and still am) pretty new to the whole thing when I took this picture - as you can see I am squinting and frowning (probably frustratedly) as I try to get the perfect picture of me inside a heart holding up a peace sign. Hmm... Seems a little bit two-sided don't you think? But I suppose that's how people are. :)

Now go on over to i heart faces and see some more self-portraits!

And so, I'm offering this simple phrase.

2010-12-01T17:01:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, to you!

Okay so it's not quite Christmas yet. But it is the first day of December, Thanksgiving is over, and I for one am ready for Christmas. I am pretty excited to decorate my little apartment - I even sewed a felt paper-chain and a bunting! If you don't know what a bunting is don't worry about it. I'll put up a picture.

It's been snowing like crazy here and the days have been filled with slush and ice. Today I had the afternoon off which was great because I got to read and take a nap! (That sounds like something a four year old does...)

Then my roomie, Kirby (click the name; read the blog) asked if I wanted to go to the library which I did and so we went. I brought my camera in, but then I felt dumb because I remembered that when you go anywhere in this town you see someone you know. Ah well. I guess people can think I'm weird if they choose to. :)

Loved At All

2010-11-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

This is a great song - watch it!

trust

2010-11-21T22:05:00.001-08:00

Lately I have realized lots of things. But mainly I have realized one thing, one very un-profound and simple thing, and that is:

That all I need to do is trust God.

He is taking care of the rest.

The Night A Tree Almost Fell on Us

2010-11-17T17:27:00.000-08:00

Two nights ago we had a massive wind storm here in Moscow as all you locals know... which is probably 90 percent of my little readership... anyway I woke up because I wake up at the tiniest noise. The rain sounded like bullets and the lightning looked like fireworks.

hehe or maybe that's a little bit exaggerated but hey, it makes it interesting.

Anyway SUDDENLY I heard a crack and I jumped out of bed and ran out to the living room because I was positive that a tree had fallen on our house and I was slightly worried about my roommates and also that I would have to rescue them or something. But don't worry, they were fine.

Then I went outside and much to my shock there was a massive pine tree on the ground. It missed our house by about 10 feet and it's probably 40 feet tall or something.

Here are the pics I took the next morning:

A lot of trees fell down around town too but I didn't take pictures of them.

The only other interesting thing that has happened lately was just now, Laura put a pan of chips in the oven to warm and they all caught fire. Gigantic flames. And she just stood there holding the pan, and Kirby and I just stood there for a second, then I yelled "Just put them in the sink!" and she did and we opened all the doors and windows but the fire alarm still went off and we scurried around trying to find it and then turned it off.

The end.

Fog

2010-11-14T22:16:00.000-08:00

The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

-Carl Sandburg

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,

The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes

Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,

Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,

Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,

Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,

And seeing that it was a soft October night,

Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

-T.S. Eliot

oh these days

2010-11-07T21:57:00.000-08:00

Right after I posted that excerpt I took a hiatus from my story. Here's to hoping I finish. But I know I won't because it's kind of dragging me down just like my senior thesis did last year and I practically vowed never to do that kind of thing again.

My cousin Laura just had her birthday. I took some pictures but lately I haven't even had much time for photography which is sad to me. And I haven't drawn for months. And I haven't read a book in a week! Terrible. So I decided to quit one of my jobs. :) Now I think I will be happier at least until I get bored or something and go do something else with my life. I still really want to travel but it's hard to plan if you don't have the money etc.

In other news... nothing.

And introducing.... my first novel.

2010-11-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

Well I'm still in the middle of trying to write a novel. It's seriously hard. I got behind yesterday and now it seems impossible to catch up... So that's why, of course, I am blogging and playing Scrabble online and doing anything but write my novel! Anyway so here's an excerpt of it. You may find that I use the word "just" all. the. time. just to get in extra words. Oh well. I'll revise it later if I ever finish.

Excerpt from the Novel I am naming (I just thought of it a second ago and it sounds so mysterious!):

Under the Curry-Tree

I’m just worried, just scared, and that word “just” is not really as small as it might seem. Sometimes being “just worried” can cloud your whole day, put a dark grey shadow on everything. It reminds me of a class I took in eleventh grade, which I guess was just last year but feels so much longer ago.

It was a watercolor class - and you have to understand, I’m not much of an artist, but somehow color really affects me. I love color and not in the way that a designer would and paint everything super bright but more just how you can put a drop of black in baby blue and instantly everything turns shady, or how a drop of red turns everything warmer somehow. Anyway one day we were all supposed to be painting a beautiful scene of a bright summer day in Holland or somewhere all European. So I started off all right and thought I was doing great, when I made the mistake of looking at the easel next to me where Michael, our resident artist was painting yet another masterpiece.

And when I looked back at mine I was sorely disappointed. The sun looked like a neon tennis ball and even I couldn’t tell that my windmill was in fact a windmill. So rather than just showing my teacher and letting everyone know once and for all how terrible an artist I am I make a fast and furious decision. I grabbed a wet brush and soaked it in grey and without hesitating spread it across the page. All of a sudden my warm summer day in Holland had turned stormy and dark. Right then my teacher came up to me and, looking over my shoulder, gasped with what I thought at first was horror but then when she called the class around to see I realized she was actually pleased with my mistake.

“The sign of a true artist,” she said that day, “is unimpeded creativity. Do what you want, not what you think you should do, not what you think other people want you to do. You don’t have to be original. You have to be you, and most importantly the creative side of you.” Apparently I was the true artist of the day.

Anyway God must be a true artist too, he must, because He can cause a whole day or a whole week or even sometimes a whole month to get cloudy and dark just like that. I wonder if my art teacher would say that God is a true artist.

Again, anyway I’m worried. And as I think about it, I’ve been worried for a long time, and I’m not sure about what. Now it’s worrying me that I’m worried.

-------------------------

I hope you liked that little sneak preview! ha.

Writing a Novel and Other Happenings

2010-11-02T14:25:00.001-07:00

Well, since my last post I've gotten three part-time jobs and have begun writing a novel. It's all making me very tired. You see, I've wanted to do this thing called Nanowrimo (national novel writing month) for years, and so I tried last year, but I was in the middle of writing my senior thesis and it didn't go very far. But this year I'm just working, which means no late nights of homework etc. so I'm trying again. So far I'm at 2191 words... and it has to be 50,000 by the end of November. Sheesh.

Here's a completely unrelated picture of my second (or third? I don't know) cousin, Oliver:

more autumnal pictures

2010-10-25T19:05:00.001-07:00

I love fall, as I may have mentioned before. The only downside is the sometimes dreary weather which I like but can be too much at times. There are multiple upsides including scarves and puffy vests, cocoa and pumpkin bread, fall leaves and rain.

Right now I'm listening to Christmas music which is fun albeit early. Last year I think I started listening to it WAY too earlier and I was seriously sick of it by the time Christmas actually came around.

I don't have anything else to say at the moment. I just wanted to put up some pictures that I really liked. :)

I do have a question for you though (and please answer! :) ) What are some of your favorite books? Do you have any new ones that you would recommend to me? I've kind of been running low and reading some pretty lame ones.

Sometimes life is like this.

2010-10-22T21:51:00.000-07:00

Ridiculous the waste sad time
Stretching before and after.

~T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton, Four Quartets

When Fall falls.

2010-10-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry. My post title is kind of annoying, even to me. But it fits, don't you think? I can picture Fall falling gently down like a bright red leaf from an oak tree... or something. So original, I know.

I lit these candles from a friend yesterday and it gave the living room such ambience. That sounds weird. But, they did.

So I was really bored after a morning of filling out applications and being told that "No, we do not even take resumes," even when I was holding it out in my hand to her! As well as looking pitifully hopeful at her. So I made cookies.

They have a secret ingredient. But I'll tell you what it was: whole wheat flour. Yes, I know. YUMMY. Okay so I didn't actually like them very much. But my cousin swore she couldn't even tell they had whole wheat flour in them! So that's good, I guess.

My cousin and I walked to Safeway and bought just enough ingredients to make a salad for ourselves. Looks good, doesn't it? But the feta cheese was bad, it even had green in it. My cousin, Laura, said "Oh that's how it's supposed to be." Um, no. I highly highly doubt it's supposed to taste as bad as it did. But, it looks really good, doesn't it?

her eyes sparkled merrily as she secretly scoffed at the boy.

2010-10-18T22:02:00.001-07:00

Okay okay, so my little sis wasn't scoffing at some boy. I don't think. I just think that's what this picture looks like. I like the little brightness on her eye. I don't think she'd like this picture but I do.

This weekend we: went to the Farmers' Market, went on a bike ride that ended in Jill's bike being brokenish, went grocery shopping (and I was proud of how frugal I was), went to church of course, ate pie, and did other stuff. Also I went job-searching today. Fun stuff, I tell you.

and layla turns one.

2010-10-14T22:58:00.001-07:00

post-birthday breakfast with dad

2010-10-13T23:26:00.000-07:00

new apartment

2010-10-13T00:11:00.001-07:00

I just moved into an apartment with my cousin and two dear friends. (haha.) I am still unpacking and stuff but it's been fun, although for the first time I am realizing the value of money. Seriously. I never realized how much lotion, soap, shampoo, and lightbulbs could cost.

(Thanks Mom and Dad for never telling me! I don't think I would have ever moved out.)

Okay. Kidding. I am 22 now. I just had my birthday and now I'm just a plain old adult, or at least that's what I feel like.

Here's a picture of one wall in our apartment. It's one of my very favorite walls. I love the picture on it.

Bad dream #261

2010-10-05T06:25:00.000-07:00

This morning I was awakened by Emily's alarm and for the first time I was actually glad because it pulled me out of a horrible dream. I have bad dreams all the time but recently they've been more real, hence, scarier.

So there I was, at NSA, in the Nazarene church at a choir practice. But I was the leader at this one. So I started directing the choir, but then all the kids got wild and started fooling around, running everywhere and jumping on stuff. There was a row of white bookcases on the right side of the stage, and all of a sudden all the kids started running at the back of the bookcases, and they started falling over. Jill (my sister) and this little girl were under them and got trapped. I tried as hard as I could to lift them off but they were too heavy.

Suddenly I was in a grocery store in Moscow, and I was holding a handkerchief and a lock, I was crying, and saying "I need to get them to the emergency room!" (Nuance: the handkerchief and lock were the souls of Jill and the little girl.) I could tell that they were still alive because their hearts were beating. Anyway I was at the front of the store, but couldn't leave because it was like I was stealing the handkerchief and the lock. So I told this police officer that I needed to get to the emergency room and I would pay later.

Finally I was out of the store, running down the streets towards Gritman hospital. But I just could not run. I was slowly plodding along... and then I was in the middle of the woods. I had passed the hospital and I had never seen it. I started sobbing because the hearts weren't beating anymore... and don't ask me how a handkerchief and a lock had hearts because I don't know.

I turned around and ran the other way and came to the road. I started waving frantically for a car to pull over - finally a little red car pulled over and there was an old man in it. He asked me what I needed and I screamed "I NEED to get to the emergency room!! They're dying!" So he let me in and we started (slowly) driving down the road. I begged him to go faster but he didn't.

And then I woke up. And I was SO relieved. It was super realistic the whole time. Like for example there were people I knew everywhere and it looked just like Moscow, friendship square and all. And I was thinking what life would be like without my sister. Ugh it was horrible.

Anyway I hope that wasn't boring, because I know the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when people always say "Oh! Let me tell you my dream!" And then I'm like "Uh huh, uh huh, yeah..." the whole time. Haha. It's okay though, you can say that while you read this if you want. Just don't let me know you did.

Comment on this post and tell me your weird dreams. Come on, I know you've had some...

The path of life

2010-10-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

One verse I've been reading and rereading this summer is Psalm 16:11-

You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Sometimes I want to show God that first verse and say "So? Show me the path of life like you said You would!" But that isn't how God works, at least not always. Sometimes, this is the path of life, this not knowing, this wondering, this confusion and blundering.

Other times I want to ask God what exactly He meant by "fullness of joy" - is that real? How can I know what joy is versus what happiness is? Does being a Christian equal being joyful? Does being a Christian equal being happy? If that were the case, I'm afraid I don't act my part very well much of the time. So does that mean I'm not "in God's presence"?

I want what this verse promises. Of course I do - doesn't everyone? But right now, I'm hanging on every word - trusting purposefully when I can't trust naturally.

oh, internet people

2010-09-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

So here I was looking up a book for a friend (because I lost her copy two years ago and have yet to get one for her...) and came across this - about the book:

Oh yes, please make me happy with a "really clean book." Because that is what will make me happy.