day 09. photo(s) that you took.

Photos? I take LOTS of those. ;)

I kinda LOVE to take photos of PEOPLE. :)

funday. monday. (thanks to my sis)

Life is too short to dread any day of the week or to get stuck in such a life routine that you can't get out or to miss out on doing the things you love or to feel purposeless or to be too busy for people. I am convinced that the world will do anything to sap the life and joy out of you... trying to turn you into a person you were never created to be. Today was wonderful. I got started back into pilates... I've missed it! I went to coffee with my incredible Aunt. My office was the Library today... with a peanut butter puddle. These are the days and the moments that make up Life. I feel like for the past year I have overlooked too many wonderful things... I've been pretty focused on my business... which is important... but, there is so much more to life. I'm not willing to let that happen again. It's so true that if you don't manage your time, your time will manage you. When you don't feel out of control, it's much more exciting to get out of bed in the morning and rest well at night. Life isn't always exciting... sometimes you have to do hard things or be a big person... but, I'm convinced that a fun attitude can take you a long way... why not grab a latte or take a friend along for the ride or take a mid-day break for a pilates class. I've learned that life is miserable when you do it alone... stay connected to people. I've learned that life is miserable when you live for yourself... learn to see God in the details. So, here's to funday monday and tuesday and wednesday and.... :)

who's dream are you dreaming?

I recently read a book, Completely His by Shannon Ethridge, that really challenged my perspective. We live in a culture that constantly challenges us to "dream big", "reach for the stars", "follow your dreams"... while all of this can be good, it can also cause us to lose sight of something really important. As Christians in this world, our life mission is actually to fulfill God's dream. What is His dream? That people would believe in Him and be saved. This is where our individual dreams come into play... the way that we actually fulfill God's dream will look different for each of us. These are the dreams that He places in our hearts. Over the past couple of weeks, I have really been challenging myself to think each day... "how can I make God's dream come true today?" Now that's a new thought.

God has put some really incredible opportunities right in front of me, and I'm just beginning to see the weight and influence of them. On a weekly basis, I interact with non-Christians through my photography business... I have a couple hours with them to just walk around and talk about life. God has recently challenged me to be very intentional with these conversations. Also, God has given me a window of opportunity to really focus on investing in the lives of high school students. I have made the decision to be full on in this, and it has affected every aspect of my life. I want to give more and keep on giving, whether it's my time, energy, finances... My high school life group had a pancake breakfast yesterday at Applebee's... praise the Lord that we were able to raise $1,000 for Speed The Light for missionaries. When you take people on such a journey with you, it definitely causes you to raise the bar in your own life. I'm not looking back. I'm running ahead. This is worth living for.

p.s. Dad's most recent insight to me... "as you enter your mid-20's, you may actually find yourself marrying a man rather than a boy." I would be okay with that. :)

more phuket.

     
We have had such a nice time here.  Hona, Kelly, and I went on a little walk around the town when we got here... got some ice cream at a 7/11 and found ourselves headed in the wrong direction and walking right through a Thai neighborhood.  The living conditions  here remind me a lot of what I have seen in Mexico.  The people are what makes it different.  We aren't tired of the Thai food yet. :)  I have been having a new favorite... watermelon shakes.  (just watermelon and ice... yum!)  The other night, we had dinner on the beach at sunset... nothing like it in the world.  We are staying at a beautiful hotel.  We look forward to breakfast every morning, because it is sooo good!  The pool is beautiful, and I love it when the tropical flowers fall off the trees and float in the pool.  The driving here is crazy!  And, it's still kind of odd to have dogs hanging around the restaurants.  We are having a great time! :)