tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35774949250860810692024-03-13T05:56:45.574-07:00The Narrow RoadThe words of two sisters separated by about 850 miles.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10756039142183296349noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-25613238663768812722014-06-04T16:24:00.000-07:002014-06-04T16:24:06.360-07:00Nature's Lessons<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Wildness was ever sounding in our ears, and Nature saw to it that besides school lessons and church lessons some of her own lessons should be learned, perhaps with a view to the time when we should be called to wander in wildness to our heart's content"</span></span> -John Muir</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All is trying to maintain a state of
equilibrium. Cutting through the granite of this once glacier filled valley,
the Merced River follows its course that it has been pursuing for the past
thousand years. It further partakes in the shaping of the landscape that was
carved by the great glaciers that first called the valley home. Looking over
the swift river, the undulating waves bring water to the shore and wet the
plants. Spider web branches release twigs and leaves into the current and take
their passengers to their far off destinations. The winds bring down more
sticks and branches, the birds stop singing, the waters take up a dark color,
reflecting the angry clouds above. Finally, the first drops rain down, observed
only by their thumbprint ripples. What was once a tranquil river has
transformed into a rushing torrent of water influenced by the storm’s winds
that wash away any lingering memory of the sun. As the storm rages above the
water, down in its depths, creatures hardly take notice. They go about their
day skimming the bottom, a daily quest for their next meal. And almost as soon
as it starts, it ends with a fulgent flash of the sun, penetrating through the
clouds like a needle bringing radiance to all. The melodies of the birds awaken
the river, signaling all who can hear that the storm is over. Once more the
river is at peace.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10756039142183296349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-75891133519240662442014-04-28T18:36:00.000-07:002014-04-28T18:36:25.414-07:00Plantraits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A plant picking morning turned into a photo of my roommate which then became a full blown photo shoot. The following is a collection of dear friends that I made during the school year who have modeled Christ to me through their patience, love, laughter, and willingness to support wherever my creative endeavors take me. Not only do they try all the foods that I make but they come up to my apartment at my first call and let me put plants all over them. Being only covered in products of the sun, I watched through my iphone lens as their bodies transformed into art. Here's to so much God given beauty, the power of trusting friends, and the best kind of accessory. </span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570508034724269767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-55121917989638864132014-04-08T17:56:00.001-07:002014-04-08T17:56:38.419-07:00DIY: Nature Wall Hanging<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am so grateful for my roommates who put up with me and the endless things I put our apartment through. I clock in a lot of hours in the kitchen and do so in a hurricane like fashion, I rearrange things and never ask if they are okay with me doing so, and I constantly bring in sticks, leaves, and really anything on the ground. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had a bundle of sticks lying around since my fall semester and the other day I thought it would be so great to do something with them. I really do not have time to spare on things other than homework, but in true Jocelyne form, when I get an idea, that is all I can seem do. Plus, I have been living by this mantra, that we should all take time to rest in our passions. So I, now feeling better about how I spent my afternoon, give you this super simple wall hanging. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What you will need:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Leaves or any kind of foliage that you wish to hang. Get a little wild and go climb a tree or dig around outside! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sticks! Really, go climb a tree, or snag some branches from a bush. Easy.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some string. I used some cotton twine and some thread (pictured below).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Scissors</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First tie the bundle of sticks together, tie a knot on one end and then tie a knot on the other end, be sure to leave enough twine between the knots to hang the piece up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next tie the foliage to the sticks, you can tie them at any length. I did mine longest to shortest, but any order would look great!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lastly, find a fun place to hang it! This is a really lite wall hanging, so any kind of hanging device should work. I cannot use nails here, so I used some wall putty, which from a distance looks like it could be a white tack. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And that's it! Happy makings! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570508034724269767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-53765775140259550302014-03-20T15:44:00.000-07:002014-03-20T15:46:10.349-07:00Politics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*For the past few weeks I have been sitting here trying to work up the courage to publish this post. After watching the Tank Man video which covers the Tainanman Square events in June 1989 I learned the story behind the iconic "Tank Man" image and found the push that I needed to publish this post. This is the perfect example that portrays the power of the many and more specifically the power of ONE. There is a link to the Frontline "Tank Man" video at the end of this post. And, as usual, I welcome comments and other ideas, so feel free to leave any comments. (The below image is not my own)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Whenever
people mention politics or politicians the most common response that I hear is
"oh I hate politics," and I completely understand why people say that.
In their minds politics relates to greed, red tape, long lines, fancy suits,
long speeches, taxes, a laundry list of things that never get checked off, and
a far off hand of power that slowly moves things around. Something that we
rarely consider is that politics is in our daily life. I don't mean the obvious
experiences with government like when you go to the dmv, get pulled over for
speeding, or like now when everyone is figuring out their taxes (thanks, Dad).
I'm talking about the politics in our daily life and relationships; how we interact
with people and keep order.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="background: white;">On my way home from school for spring break my
roommate and I raced to downtown LA so I could catch the Megabus (really great
bus for really low prices) I was running late! I arrived a few minutes before it was scheduled to leave so while running through the station, I only paused for a brief moment to sacrifice my recently
purchased Latte that was spewing out all over the place. But, I made it just in time! I was the last one to board the bus
and hunkered into my little seat. I looked around as slyly as I could to get
acquainted with everyone and then buried myself in a book. Little did I know
that this group of travelers will be my political community for the next 6
hours. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">We stopped at the Burbank station to pick up a few more people that had
to scavenge around for open seats. One man climbed on board the two decker bus
and stopped at the first floor that was outfitted with two tables and four chairs
near the driver and then a few other rows of chairs lined up behind them. Two
women were occupying the table on the left and three young men were at the
table to the right (and I was seated in the first row behind the table to the
right). The man put his large bag down in the middle of the aisle and asked one
woman (with a laptop and her things spread among the table) if she would let
him in. The man did not know that this woman had already claimed her territory
and that there would be no room for another traveler. She stood up for him but
then promptly changed her mind; deciding that she did not have to give up her
territory. She began to say things like "sir, no, you are going to make us
(referring to the other woman at the table) uncomfortable for 6 hours. You
can't sit here."<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The man "you can't be so selfish, I would
like to sit here and use this table."<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">"No, Sir. You can't sit here. I do not want
you to sit here. You are not nice."<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">"I just would like to sit here. I have a
breakfast that I would like to eat at the table."<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">"No, there are other seats and plenty of
other places for you. You cannot sit here; you are being very rude to me."<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Then one of the young men from the table to the
right, joined in, "hey, get your f-ing bag off of me! Do not touch me. Go
sit somewhere else!"<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The man in shock sat down at the table in the
vacant seat across from the woman and responded "do not speak to me that
way, I was not bothering you. I have a breakfast that I want to eat here at the
table, and if she would just scoot over a little, then I can."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The back and forth continued a few more times,
and the woman, really wanting her space, was not going to back down.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">"Sir. No! You cannot sit here. You are very
mean. Do you want me to get the driver involved? Please leave!"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The man continued his defense and then the
driver stepped on board, "Driver, this man is bothering us (now referring
to the profane young man at the table to the right, her only noticeable ally) “we
do not want him to sit here, make him move." The man started to state his
case to the driver and the driver looking around, trying to gauge the
situation, simply responded that the seating was first come first serve and that
he would have to move.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">The man was in disbelief, "I just want to
sit at this table. I want to eat my breakfast. I only asked for her to move her
computer over some so I can have a little space."<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The woman "Sir, if you do not move I am
going to have to call the police. You are harassing us and keeping us from
getting on the road."<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The driver, "sir you can move or get
off."<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The man weighing his slim options, conceded and
went to the second level where there are no tables, but "a lot of
space" so he should be happy with that, right?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">I am typically the kind of person that would
speak up if I see injustices, there have been numerous occasions when I find
myself marching across a parking lot to tell some people to pick up their
garbage that they tossed out of their window. If someone is being bullied or
picked on, I don't shy away and step in. This man was not asking for a lot, he
just wanted some table space so he could eat his breakfast. And I don't think
that someone should expect when choosing to sit at a table for four that no
other person would like to sit there as well. But, I didn't say anything; I
pretended not to be bothered by what was unfolding in front of me. Even with
all of the ridiculousness of the young man's profanity.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">In that confrontation I was, once again, made
aware of the systems we put ourselves in every day. There is some authority
figure be it the law, police, judges, or a bus driver. There are always some
people getting their side, or more importantly their rights, ignored, and some
people turning the situation around to make it seem like the one losing the
right is actually the bad guy. As a regular member of our bus population I had
a role to play. I could be a peace keeper, a justice fighter, or a truth
teller, and the real trouble is being all of those things at once. The
situation was looking hostile. Could I have calmed the situation down by
joining in, or was I going to make things worse and escalate it all? It's hard
to tell. My friend asked if it all got settled in a dance-off, and I wish it
had because that would have at least kept our little political system just.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">Looking at the situation now and my role in the whole thing, I realize that I probably didn't do anything because I thought it was fine and over and that in 6 hours I won't be a member of this traveling community. But, my silence, although it can be argued kept the situation from escalating, it also let the injustice live on and fester inside me and taint our bus community.</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="apple-converted-space" style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span>
</span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5kQ1QBWULqI/UxjrGKTND6I/AAAAAAAAAiI/r3CnhrDIKwk/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">
<span style="background: white;">Politics are an unavoidable part of community
because we are always living and working among people and in various
relationships. From family political systems to school and office systems, order
is always established. The authority figure has the duty of solving any problem
and the power of having the final say. So we are told. I do believe that the rule
of law has the final say, but if there is injustice being upheld by an authority figure then people should stand up and fight the situation. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: white;">Some people are just not given a chance; they
get picked out and chosen beforehand, by a population that has power. The woman
in the bus picked the outcast of the group, the profane young man seconded her,
and the driver solidified it. If we look at the political systems in our daily
life can we find people in our population that are being pushed aside? Maybe
it's a family member, a group of people belonging to a religion, a group of
students; maybe it is homeless people, prisoners, laborers, or people of a
specific race. Or, maybe it isn't people at all; maybe it is animals and the
earth that you notice.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;">I must make it clear that it was not the woman,
the young profane man or the bus driver that decided the status of the out
casted man. His place in our traveling community was decided by the rest of the
population, because we in our silence agreed to it. We, as members of
communities, must remember our power to lift people up and tear people down,
both with our words and action as well as our silence and inaction. If there is
a cause that you feel is tugging at your heart then talk about it. If you
notice someone being bullied then be a difference maker in your political
system and stand up for him or her. If you feel like you need to give more
respect to an authority figure then do it. We are all members of both small and
large political systems, and we can make a difference in all of them. One vote,
one dollar not spent on something, one act of standing up, all makes a
difference.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Do you relate more with the woman, the man, the
young profane man, the bus driver, or the general population?<span class="apple-converted-space"> If we acknowledge our place in our different
systems we can begin to grow more aware of the power that we have on other
people both in our immediate relationships and on people that we have never
met. </span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tankman/view/">Click here for the video and story behind the "Tank Man" </a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">We all do not need to become Tank Men, rather we can draw from his courage, his frustration, and his desire for change in our every day life. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570508034724269767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-69863018716591194832014-02-22T15:50:00.003-08:002014-02-23T13:33:24.820-08:00Fasting<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">In the New Testament, some form of the
word </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">fast</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> is used 20 times. The original Greek word was
Nesteuo (νεστευο):</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">to abstain as a
religious exercise from food and drink: either entirely, if the fast lasted but
a single day, or from customary and choice nourishment, if it continued several
days</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 120%;">Nowadays
the act of fasting has been extended to activities such</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> as going to parties, being on the phone too much,
or even reading. For the past few weeks a friend and I have been having
breakfast together to catch up and to have time with God. We’ve been reading
out of </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">My Upmost for His Highest</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> by Oswald Chambers and
praying over what his daily devotionals have been giving us. Out of this has
come our desire to start fasting more. About two weeks ago we decided to have
our first fast: to abstain from reading for a day. We had come to the
conclusion that we spend too much time reading books for enjoyment and not
enough time in the Word. Let me just say that we did not do so well. Yes, we
did keep our fast, but instead of turning towards God when we felt the desire
to pick up a book, we turned towards other ways of keeping us entertained. We
didn’t grasp the meaning of a fast. So this past week after we had a week to
talk openly about our first fast and how we didn’t truly understand it, we
decided to try again. This time we would fast from all forms of social media
for three days. Obviously we aren’t doing anything drastic, but we are choosing
things that are distracting us from God, things that are making us forget about
his love, glory, and grace. At times it was difficult; you don’t really realize
how often you go to Facebook, Instagram, or Buzzfeed, until you aren’t supposed
to. It had become such an instinct of mine to immediately open those apps. I
started to realize that the times I was about to go onto one of these
platforms, I was just trying to kill time out of boredom. Whenever I would
catch myself in those moments I would flip open my Bible app, or put my phone
away completely and just spend time with Jesus. It is astounding how the
majority of what I do is just to fill time, to stave off boredom. That is not
ok. I should not be trying to just get through the day, because all that leads
to is tomorrow. How mundane and depressing would life be if it was just moving
from one day to the next until your death? If these morning
devotionals and talks have enlightened me on anything, it would be how gracious
God is. I've begun to take notice and thank God for everything he does for me,
and let's face it, he does practically everything for me, from waking me up in
the morning, to allowing me to meet amazing and kindhearted people, and
ultimately saving me daily from myself. His absolute, unyielding love is
incomprehensible. I understand now that I not only need to, but that I desire
to spend more time with my amazing God. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10756039142183296349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-77162846589066608842014-01-31T13:29:00.000-08:002014-01-31T13:33:36.269-08:00Our Project<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">One</span> evening during my winter break my boyfriend asked me what we wanted to do for the night and one of the options that he gave me was to do <i>crafts</i>! Like, we can do crafts together??!!! <i>YES boyfriend, let's do a craft!</i> (Ladies, get a man that loves to make things with you!!) So he asked me what kind of craft I wanted to do, I acted like I did not know for a few minutes, but really, I knew what I wanted to do. I have been loving so many floral wallpapers lately and for a while had the dream to make one for my apartment, but I had not figured out what I wanted it to look like, all I had was an idea, and a rough vision. So, when Zac said crafts, all I could think about was this wallpaper dream. I wanted it to be portable and sturdy, so I can take it when I move out of my apartment. While he was searching his mind for craft ideas, I began to piece together mine. A large floral patterned tapestry all painted by hand. Then I blurted it out to him in a jumbled mess of excitement. He, being the sweet man that he is, said "Yes, let's do it!" </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We zipped over to the hardware store (my favorite kind of craft store!) and bought a large 6 x 9 foot sheet of painters drop cloth canvas, and hurried back home. I was ready to dive right in, but Zac, a real organized artist gathered some thick paper, an X-acto knife, and a cutting board and pronounced that he was going to make a stencil. I am so BLESSED--was all I kept thinking while he worked long and diligently to cut out all the flowers and leaves of our design (inspired by one of my favorite brands--Rifle Paper Company). The stencil was finally ready and we had time to paint one panel, so we did, and I fell in <i>love</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pattern looked great and the colors were just what I had imagined! I wanted to finish the whole thing right away... but sleep... so it would have to wait. The next evening I went to Zac's and we continued to work on it. We finished a 3 x 3 section and were feeling proud of ourselves until we opened up the whole canvas and realized how much more we had left to do. My realistic Zac began to think of ways to make this process quicker, like painting the panels in a checkered pattern to cut the painting down by half, I gave him an ehhhhh kind of look, then he said, <i>"what if all the blank panels were filled in with vines?"</i> I nodded and pretended to really consider his idea knowing, however, that I really wanted it ALL painted--my stubbornness won out. I had more free time than him during the day (no school or anything) so I took the canvas home with me to work on and boy was Zac right to consider other options. Remember when I thought that the stencil took forever to make? Well that was nothing compared to the painting step. I loved it, but my goodness, it sucked a lot sometimes. About three weeks after we started--when I was back at school--I finished it all and just in time. Zac came to visit me last weekend to celebrate our Anniversary, and we were able to completely finish it by hanging it up in my kitchen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This huge painting makes me think of my last year with Zac; the start of it all being so exciting and the two of us imagining the final product with hopeful and moderately naive eyes. Then after a while realizing that it is a big task and that it is not going to be a fast or easy road to the finish; that it is going to be a lot of work, that sometimes we will feel the urge to cut corners and settle to make it easier for us to continue, and that our stenciled plans may clog up and make things blurry and alter our pattern. But, holding onto the feelings that we had in the beginning; the hopeful excitement when we imagined what it would look like when we finished, and remembering our purpose, made us able to push through the frustration and resist the short cuts that we really knew would not make the painting as beautiful as we imagined. When we hung up our project on our anniversary and took a step back we felt so much joy and accomplishment--WE DID IT! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alas, <i>our real project goes on</i>, and it will never be finished, but everyday we are adding a little bit more to our painting; making it more beautiful, and just as God intended. <i>I love you very much, Zac, and I pray that we may never run out of paint.</i></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570508034724269767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-48097760347732094522014-01-19T13:58:00.000-08:002014-01-20T12:17:30.910-08:00The Grace of the Father<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Lately, one topic has been overwhelming my mind. Each time I open
my Bible and read from it, I feel as if I have been hit by a wall. This
prevailing theme that has consumed my every waking moment and brings me to
tears is<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>GRACE.</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: -27pt;">Grave: (noun) unmerited divine assistance given humans for their
regeneration or sanctification; disposition to or an act or instance of
kindness, courtesy, or clemency; mercy; pardon.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">The Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15) gets me every time. As I
read it I recognize everything I am in the younger son. See the younger son
completely turn his back from his father, who had given him everything he had
asked for. He took the gifts and threw them away. How many times have I turned
away? If you were to reread my ‘Jesus Notebooks’ you’ll find them riddled with
me pleading day after day, week after week, month after month. One morning I
would wake up and see that I had not even given a thought towards God in what
seemed like forever. I would immediately open my notebook and see that that last
time I had written to him had been a plea, I was asking him to forgive me for
forgetting about him. I had gotten into a cycle of desperately writing for two
days, asking God for forgiveness, and then after those two days I would stop. I
would forget again. I would take his mercy and grace and walk away. BUT, each
time I would do that, he would be waiting for me, always right next to me,
waiting for me to remember. What patience, what love he has for someone as
insignificant as me to wait.</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">When I really look into this parable, I do see a mirror reflection
of myself in the younger son, but what strikes me more, what hurts the most, is
that I am also the older son. He sees the Father forgive his brother without a
second thought. He hears everyone rejoicing that his younger, selfish brother
had returned. His self-righteousness consumes him; he asks the servants what is
happening. He decides to NOT take part in the celebration. Why should his
brother who had done nothing receive a party and his father’s forgiveness,
while he, the one who was faithful, receives nothing? Now I am far from being
faithful, I just told you that I am constantly choosing the crooked path, but I
am constantly seeking the answers as to why I have not received anything, when
I walk straight. When I do return, I look and see others who are
lost; who might have turned away for a second and I judge them. When they
return it seems that they receive a party. My self-righteousness takes over. I
turn towards others and ask them what is happening; I turn toward myself and
become resentful towards them. I don’t go to God and ask or pray for them. I
talk about them. I am selfish. I am mean. I never recognize that God was
celebrating every time I had returned. I was too caught up in how others were being
rewarded that I didn't see my own party happening alongside theirs.
I didn't realize that my Father had been rejoicing in me my
whole life, even when I had turned. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<u1:p></u1:p></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Everything became about me. It is not I who brings me back. It is
God’s amazing grace that redeems me, his unending mercy that calls me back and
reconciles my broken self to his astounding beauty.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yQa4TQbHJoE" width="480"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<u1:p></u1:p></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">This beautiful song by Josh Garrels always moves me to tears and
prayer. Not enough can be said about its amazing ability to bring the most righteous
person to their knees and seek the abounding grace of our Father. I ask you to
meditate over this song as often as possible.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10756039142183296349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-50136909159392211312014-01-14T16:47:00.001-08:002014-01-24T13:08:20.444-08:00This Year<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">We have been in 2014 for two weeks now
and I have wanted to put together my thoughts and feelings about 2013 but I
just couldn’t figure out a concise way to say all that I want to say; you know
like a short and sweet post that encompasses the highs and lows of the year and
then ends with an uplifting bit about the greatness that is bound to ensue in
this next year. But, I struggle with short and concise. See, even my first
sentence was a long-winded run-on…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">My second semester here at this little
University has just begun, my required course books are coming in one by one,
I’m thoroughly reading through every syllabus, and I’m starting to get
overwhelmed with it all. I have one class on Mondays and it is my political
science major’s upper division writing course. In my professor’s lecture she
included in her powerpoint a quote by </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">William Strunk Jr</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> that is meant to
convey the type of skills we would be polishing throughout the semester,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Vigorous
writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary sentences, for the
same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary parts. This requires not
that the writer make all sentences short or avoid all detail and treat subjects
only in outline, but that <i>every word tell</i>.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This is what I want to do. I want to be clear
and concise. I want to say what I need to say, write what I need to write, and
edit and delete certain words, ideas, and actions that do not coincide with the
thesis of my life. This year I want to think more about the little everyday
decisions that slowly shape the person that I become, or how I am perceived,
received, and treated; the everyday actions that start to sway my life and
steer it away from my thesis. Just a few wrong words can change the whole
meaning of your paper; similarly, a few small actions and decisions can shape
the direction of your life. This year I want to be intentional; I want all my
words, steps, thoughts, breaths, and dreams to matter and to all refer back to
my thesis. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I want my 2014 to have a series of never-ending commas when I’m
describing all the wonderful people that enter into my life, regretless periods
at the end of all my days, ellipses when I know that I’m not in the right
mindset to have certain conversations, thousands of exclamation marks—some
randomly added just because life is that good(!), confident question marks when
I ask the silly questions, the gross questions, the important questions, and
most importantly, the hard questions, new paragraphs for every twist and turn
and wonderful unexpectedness, and colons when I’m listing out all the things
that God has blessed me with. This year I want to hold to my thesis. I know
even in my idealistic mind that I will trail off, that I will have sections
that don’t match my thesis, I know that I’ll say and do things that I would be
ashamed to ever write down, but I know more still that God is my editor and
that he will mark up my 2014 with all kinds of corrections, and that the red
grace of Jesus will correct all of my errors and mistakes and make my 2014 beautiful, clear, concise, and support my thesis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570508034724269767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-63215776664999975102014-01-10T12:31:00.000-08:002014-01-10T12:31:39.325-08:00M A C A R O N S : Original (almond), Mocha, and Rose<br />
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These sweet little French treats are my new favorite thing to bake. I think it has something to do with the challenge of making the perfect macaron; they require all kinds of precision and are awfully delicate. But, the satisfaction that you get when you pull a perfectly circular and puffed macaron out of the oven makes it worth all the effort. The ingredients and measurements I use come from Martha Stewart's Macaron recipe online. With that recipe you can make the basic almond macaron or you can alter it and make an endless amount of flavor combinations. I ventured this time for a Rose macaron with vanilla filling and a Mocha macaron with a chocolate ganache. Let's do this!<br />
<br />
First thing is first--the basic macaron ingredients and directions.<br />
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A L M O N D M A C A R O N<br />
<br />
Two egg whites, room temperature<br />
3/4 cup of almond flour (I have found mine at Trader Joe's and in bulk at Whole Foods)<br />
1 cup confectioners sugar<br />
A pinch of cream of tartar<br />
1/4 cup superfine sugar (pretty sure you can find this at any grocery store)<br />
<br />
D I R E C T I O N S<br />
<br />
Sift together the almond flour and confectioners sugar into a medium size bowl two times (glass or metal is preferred over plastic) then set aside.<br />
<br />
Pour the two egg whites into a large bowl and mix on medium until it foams. Add a pinch of cream of tartar. Mix again on medium until soft peaks form, then add in the superfine sugar. Mix on medium-high until the egg whites stiffen and form peaks when you lift the mixer from the bowl.<br />
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Now sift one last time the dry ingredients in the egg white meringue. Begin folding the two together with a spatula watch for the batter to loosen up just enough so that it ribbons off your spatula when you lift it from the bowl. Be careful; over folding will break the meringue and under folding will make a thick batter that does not flatten out.<br />
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Grab a piping bag and place it into a large jar or pitcher with a wide enough opening that will allow for you to pour the batter into the bag. I use gallon sized ziploc bags to pipe mine. Pour the batter into the bag and set aside for a moment while you set up your baking sheets. Get two baking sheets and fit them with parchment paper, make sure the size of the paper fits just inside the pan, you want the paper to lie flat on the pan. Some people draw circles on one side of their pans as a sizing guide, if you wish to do this, just find a circle around the house that you would like to use and trace the circle onto the parchment paper with a sharpie, flip the paper over and you have a template. Snip the corner off the ziploc/piping bag (the size of your cut determines the size of your macarons, small will give you a small macaron, big will give you a big macaron big either or you may lose control of the batter as it is pouring out. I have never measured the size of my tip . Begin to pipe the macarons out, they do not need as much space as cookies but they will spread in the next step. For me, piping these things remains to be the hardest part. My first batch was too thick so the macarons when sandwiched looked like little sandwich balls and of course some were oval and some were circular. Do a few practice ones to get used to feel of piping them out. Also, when you pipe you may have the urge to move the bag to help get the desired shape, but don't do this, keep the bag still while piping each macaron and you will see the circle starting to form naturally. Relieve pressure from the bag to finish off each macaron and pull out and up a little to avoid having peaks in the center of your macarons.<br />
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After you have finished piping the macarons, bang the sheets on the counter a few times to release any trapped air; this will also help flatten out your macarons. Set aside for 30 minutes to form the hard shell and then pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F. Lower the oven to 325 degrees right before you put your macarons in the oven. Bake the macarons one sheet at a time for 5 minutes, then rotate the pan, and for another 5 minutes. They should give a little when you press on them gently. Remove the sheet from the oven and set some place to cool. Heat the oven back up to 375 degrees for five minutes, then lower again right before you place the macarons in the oven. Repeat the same cook time and rotation. While the second set is cooking remove the parchment paper with the macarons still in place onto another flat surface to cool completely. When they have cooled they should pop off the paper easily.<br />
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When your filling is ready and the macarons are cooled, find cookies that are similar in shape and size and spoon the filling onto one side and then sandwich the two cookies together. I find that twisting the macarons slightly while pushing them together gently makes sandwiching easier.<br />
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M O C H A M A C A R O N<br />
<br />
Cocoa powder<br />
Instant coffee<br />
<br />
Keep all the same ingredients as the original macaron, but only use 1/2 cup of almond flour and add 1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee and 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder (this can be altered even more to get a coffee macaron or a chocolate macaron, just always use 3 tablespoons when you are substituting another ingredient for the almond flour). Sift these ingredients with the almond flour and confectioner sugar. Another thing that I did was dust the tops of the macarons with cocoa powder after I have finished hitting the sheet against the counter.<br />
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C H O C O L A T E G A N A C H E F I L L I N G<br />
<br />
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate<br />
1/4 cup heavy cream<br />
*If you'd like more coffee flavor, you can add 1/2 tbsp of instant coffee<br />
<br />
Finely chop the semi-sweet chocolate and place in a glass bowl pour in the heavy cream and the coffee if desired. Fill a pot that is similar in size with the bowl and fill it with water until the bowl can be placed inside the pot and touch the water. Place the bowl in the pot full of water and heat. Stir the mixture continuously until all of the chocolate melts. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool, stirring occasionally.<br />
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R O S E M A C A R O N<br />
<br />
<br />
1/4 tsp rose water<br />
1/4 tsp vanilla extract<br />
Red food coloring<br />
<br />
For the rose macaron all the dry ingredients are the same as the original macaron, so follow all the aforementioned directions. The difference comes when you are mixing the egg whites. Start off like the original recipe and beat the egg whites until they foam, add the cream of tartar, rose water, vanilla extract, and 3-4 drops of red food coloring, then continue mixing the egg whites like in the original recipe; beat until soft peaks form, add the superfine sugar, etc. For some extra flair, I decorated mine with some pink sugar sprinkles.<br />
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V A N I L L A F R O S T I N G F I L L I N G<br />
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2 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature<br />
1/4 cup confectioners sugar<br />
1 tbsp milk<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
<br />
Beat the butter until creamy, add the vanilla extract, confectioners sugar, and milk, and mix until creamy and well combined. Leave it sitting for a little while until it stiffens up a bit.<br />
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And that is all, phew!! Let me know if you gave these recipes a try and how your macarons turned out! If you have any more flavor combination ideas I'm always excited to try something new! If you have a questions do not hesitate to ask!!! Looking forward to hearing about your macaron endeavors!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570508034724269767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-77276182198056046572014-01-07T13:06:00.001-08:002014-01-24T13:07:02.106-08:00My Favorite Christmas PIE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This pie is a Christmas time favorite; it's simple, does not require any baking, and tastes like winter! When I was younger my mother would make it every year and as I got older I began to be the chief maker of this green treat. This year among all the holiday craziness I forgot all about it and so did my mom. Yesterday she went out and bought all the ingredients and because she was going back to work today she asked me to make it, which I did willingly, of course. If you enjoy mint then you are sure to love this pie from our Betty Crocker Christmas cookbook.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I N G R E D I E N T S</span><br />
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Chocolate cookie crust (I just use the Oreo crust that you can find at any grocery store)<br />
32 large marshmallows<br />
1/2 cup milk<br />
1/4 cup creme de menthe<br />
3 tablespoons white creme de cacao<br />
1 1/2 cups whipping cream<br />
green food coloring if desired<br />
chilled bowl<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">D I R E C T I O N S </span><br />
<br />
Heat marshmallows and milk over medium-low heat in a large sauce pan, stir constantly just until the marshmallows are completely melted. Refrigerate until thickened. Stir in the liqueurs with a whisk. Be sure to break up the marshmallow.<br />
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In the chilled bowl beat the whipping cream until stiff then fold in the marshmallow mixture and food coloring. Pour the mixture in the pie crust. For some finishing touches you can sprinkle the pie with semi-sweet chocolate shavings. Then cover the pie and refrigerate until set--at least three hours. Voila! Now grab a slice and a mug of hot chocolate and cuddle up in front of a Christmas movie to transport yourself back to that wintry time-but this time without all the stresses of shopping and gift wrapping!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570508034724269767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-62444059515797711742014-01-06T12:53:00.000-08:002014-01-19T15:44:34.493-08:00Father of the National Parks<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">On one of my last days at home
before returning to the chilly air of Oregon Jocelyne and I visited the home of
John Muir. If there is one thing you should understand about me is that, I love
John Muir. If you ever have time, please go and read a few of his essays or his
biography by Donald Miller. He was such a kindred spirit. His passion for the
wild beauty of the world is beautiful. As you might guess, I was absolutely
giddy at the thought of walking the rooms, passing through the same doors, and
roaming the grounds he once walked with his family. The following pictures are
from the day, taken with my phone and a new 4-in-1 olloclip I recently
purchased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mmw4vJuiby0/UssVcndAfXI/AAAAAAAAAR8/cF83HdgupZs/s1600/2014-01-02+10.32.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mmw4vJuiby0/UssVcndAfXI/AAAAAAAAAR8/cF83HdgupZs/s1600/2014-01-02+10.32.46.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking from the Attic into the Bell Tower.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y1xRpUn_31I/UssVcRSonUI/AAAAAAAAAR0/s7asWhgXnDk/s1600/2014-01-02+11.39.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y1xRpUn_31I/UssVcRSonUI/AAAAAAAAAR0/s7asWhgXnDk/s1600/2014-01-02+11.39.42.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken by Jocelyne, I am in the parlor looking at the view of the grounds.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CIwukdrVKsA/UssVdhxXptI/AAAAAAAAASQ/0LKEnMyeOe4/s1600/2014-01-02+11.45.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CIwukdrVKsA/UssVdhxXptI/AAAAAAAAASQ/0LKEnMyeOe4/s1600/2014-01-02+11.45.54.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This little friend, we named Stickeen, followed us around and promptly jumped onto Jocelyne when we sat down for some reading. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KOepEbXO64w/UssVdy5BU6I/AAAAAAAAASM/6IH_ICcqONo/s1600/2014-01-02+11.54.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KOepEbXO64w/UssVdy5BU6I/AAAAAAAAASM/6IH_ICcqONo/s1600/2014-01-02+11.54.33.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Sequoia was planted by John Muir over 100 years ago.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“And our first pure mountain day,
warm, calm, cloudless, - how immeasurable it seems, how serenely wild! I can scarcely
remember its beginning. Along the river, over the hills, in the ground, in the
sky, spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm, new life, new beauty,
unfolding, unrolling in glorious exuberant extravagance, new birds in their
nests, new winged creatures in the air, and new leaves, new flowers, spreading,
shinning, rejoicing everywhere.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10756039142183296349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-51638818333871203292013-12-25T13:06:00.001-08:002014-01-24T13:11:26.329-08:00Yosemite <div>
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Merry Christmas everyone! Today really snuck up on me this year, actually this whole year did! Goodness! We are back from Yosemite and we had such a great time! I love going to the mountains in the winter when they are all empty and quiet. So my loving boyfriend and I planned this little camping trip and got two of my siblings, my boyfriend's brother, my older sister's fiance, and a close friend of ours (the chef!) to come along and brave the cold. I have been to Yosemite plenty of times, and the more recent times have been day trips where we can only get in a few little hikes and walks before we have to drive back home. The basic little trails to the falls, mirror lake, and happy isles are the usual choices. </div>
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The first thing we did was go straight to the Lower Yosemite Falls trail. I was expecting the little paved walk up and back, but the men had a different plan. About part of the way to the falls the guys, with an unspoken plan, began to walk off the path and towards a granite wall. My brother began climbing up the side of it, and the others started heading up this rocky hill. Before I knew it all the guys were up on a cliff and Caitlin and I were still down below, so we climbed on up too and the sight was beautiful!</div>
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After warming up in that sunny spot we climbed down and continued walking to the falls, the boys lined up and got one glimpse of all the rocks and I imagine that they all immediately planned out a rock hopping path to the base of the fall which they all promptly saw through. I love that this little group was made up of family from all over, and all the guys did their outdoorsy man things, like chop up huge branches for fire wood, climb and go off trails, and bond all weekend long. Such a fun and quiet little break from all of the holiday craziness. Hope you all have a very Merry day full of love and JESUS!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570508034724269767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-3976367738325850672013-12-19T18:16:00.001-08:002013-12-19T18:17:28.974-08:00The MOUNTAINS are calling<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IM6JhPAm4Xo/UrOkp7ItuBI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/QgebZjLwB2I/s1600/photo+(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IM6JhPAm4Xo/UrOkp7ItuBI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/QgebZjLwB2I/s320/photo+(9).JPG" width="320" /></a>We have been sooooooo busy this past week with Christmas preparations, catching up on sister time, and planning for a little Yosemite camping trip. A small group of us are bearing the cold for a night in Yosemite National Park, it's going to be a wonderful winter wonderland!<br />
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This picture is of some camping trip essentials. I wanted to plan easy meals that call for minimal supplies and clean up. So we will opt for veggies wrapped in foil and cooked on hot coals--The foil doubles as a cooking container and plate! Our sweet friend who is also a professional chef is coming along and rescuing the group from the fruit breakfast I planned, and he will cook us up a "scramble." He also gave me some of his homemade salsa, so you know that is coming too! So excited!<br />
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Hey people - Caitlin here, ditto.<br />
Hope you all have a great weekend!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570508034724269767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-31821076919901001962013-12-13T15:55:00.000-08:002013-12-13T15:55:49.706-08:00L O V E<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A general consensus of my single lady friends, young and younger, is that they are tired of being single. They question their beauty, their talents, their personalities, everything. They ask: What am I doing wrong? Why don't men like me? I just can not seem to attract any great men. My favorite recent line that came up in a conversation is that the men just are not lining up.<br />
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I go to a Christian University where the odds really are not in a girl's favor, I think the ratio is 8:1 women to men. I imagine that competing here would be like fighting in smog of hair straightening, primping, shaving, perfume, and powdery make-up (don't get me wrong, I definitely do all of those things). But, that is just it, we shouldn't be competing or better yet, feeling like we have to. Finding a man and getting married becomes a priority so much so that it has a place next to graduating college, and finding a good job, getting married becomes something that a person can just check off a list to feel successful or valuable.<br />
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Maybe some of you have tried and failed, have had really bad relationships and heart breaks, maybe some of you have just never dated anyone, or did but never for very long. Regardless of where you are in life, whether it's in high school, college, work or whatever, believe that God has a love picked out for you. If you are single find comfort in that. Pray for your relationship with God and build strong relationships with your girl friends. Don't walk around and scan every man that walks by you to see if they are marriage material. Don't think that any time a man opens a door for you that he could be the "one." Don't let anyone tell you that you are too picky. Don't let someone convince you that you need to date someone because everyone else is. Don't let yourself feel like you are less than beautiful because you do not have a man on your arm. Don't tell yourself that you need to date to become good at it or to "figure out what you like." And definitely don't tell yourself that you need a man.<br />
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Keep your standards because there is a man out there that is better than even the best man that you can imagine. If you are single my suggestion is to stay single until God presents your husband to you. A friend of mine that I met on a mission trip told me while I was in my own puddle of doubt and pity because I have always been single and had never been kissed, that this was actually a beautiful blessing. She said how wonderful it would be to have only ever dated and given your heart away to one man. This changed everything for me, I never thought that a man would appreciate my heart as a gift. But, now I do. Ladies, hold out, if there is a man that you are "talking to" but you don't see yourself marrying, then stop while you are ahead. Your love is a gift, give it to the one that God picked out for you, the one that God has been molding and training from birth, to fit you, lead you, and make you a better person. You don't need to compete against all the girls in the world for all the men in the world. And, you don't need the men to line up outside your door and take a number for a date with you, you only need one man to do this--the best man for you. Ladies, stand together, empower and lead one another. If a class mate get's a "ring by spring" then be happy for her, pray for her marriage, this is what God planned for her and her fiance, and take heart, he is planning things for you too.<br />
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Trust your gut, trust your head and your heart, and most of all trust God. I believe that God is faithful; that he knows what is on your heart, and if love is a desire of yours then God is already a million steps ahead of you. Seek your relationship with God; find your worth in him and not in all of your accomplishments. Lastly, pray for your future husband and get excited for even more blessings.<br />
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"Oh, let me warn you sisters in Jerusalem, by the gazelles, yes, by all the wild deer: Don't excite love, don't stir it up, until the time is ripe--and you're ready." Song of Solomon 3:5 Msg.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570508034724269767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-19728868496769226052013-12-12T13:32:00.000-08:002014-01-19T15:44:45.464-08:00Mexico in Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today I wanted to give you all some photos from my summer. I spent all three months in Queretaro, Mexico studying Spanish and living with a host family. These are just a few pictures of the beauties I was able to witness while abroad.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10756039142183296349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-13743036588596568202013-12-11T13:55:00.000-08:002014-01-09T14:57:51.377-08:00Dinner Partying <br />
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I love a good cupcake, so when my roommate decided that she wanted to relieve our friends from studying and papers by hosting a dinner party I quickly called making the dessert. I asked, what kind of cupcake I should make (already kind of knowing what I wanted to do--chocolate chocolate chocolate) My roommate yelled out "Salted Caramel!" she has a strong love for all things salted caramel! So with their encouragement (my last attempts at caramel all ended in a disaster), I gave in. Dark chocolate cupcake with cream cheese frosting and some salted caramel flair on top.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PxWfCAOYYsc/UqgQb0VZmTI/AAAAAAAAAYs/S9hQz9bmPnw/s1600/photo+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PxWfCAOYYsc/UqgQb0VZmTI/AAAAAAAAAYs/S9hQz9bmPnw/s400/photo+(6).JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Dark Chocolate Cupcake:</span><br />
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1/2 cup fresh strong brewed coffee<br />
1/2 cup heavy cream<br />
1 cup unsalted butter<br />
1/2 cup chocolate cocoa powder<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
3/4 tsp salt<br />
2 eggs<br />
2/3 cup sour cream<br />
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1. Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees and line your cupcake pans.<br />
2. In a sauce pan melt butter on medium-low heat. Whisk in cocoa powder until all blended and smooth. Pour in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and brewed coffee. Heat until just barely simmering, then remove from heat and set aside to cool.<br />
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt, then set aside.<br />
4. In another medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream and eggs.<br />
5. Slowly pour the chocolate mixture in the egg and sour cream mixture and whisk until smooth--be sure to do this slowly so the eggs do not cook.<br />
6. Pour that into the large bowl with the flour mixture in three parts to make the mixing easier. After the batter is all incorporated, blend the mixture on medium for a minute.<br />
7. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full with the batter then bake for 17-19 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).<br />
8. cool in pans for about five minutes the remove and place them on a wire wrack to cool completely.<br />
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Now for the salted caramel-- because I was failing so miserably when trying to make caramel before to fill some macarons, I found this easy recipe:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Salted Caramel Sauce</span><br />
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3/4 cup unsalted butter<br />
1 cup brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup heavy cream<br />
1 tbsp cornstarch<br />
1 1/2 tbsp salt<br />
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1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan<br />
2. Whisk in the brown sugar, heavy cream, cornstarch, and lastly the salt.<br />
3. Put in a heat safe package and refrigerate so cool down and solidify. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Cream Cheese Frosting</span><br />
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1 cup cream cheese at room temperature<br />
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature<br />
2 cups powdered sugar<br />
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1. Cream together the cream cheese and the butter, then slowly blend in the powdered sugar until it all incorporated.<br />
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Now just assemble! When the cupcakes are completely cooled pipe on the cream cheese frosting, and then add the salted caramel. I drizzled mine on top of the frosting in a spiral. Something else you can do is fill the cupcake with some of the caramel sauce then put the frosting on top of that. The Caramel sauce added some salty sweetness to otherwise more savory cupcake.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sKIqfrl9rmU/UqjcYquxI5I/AAAAAAAAAZQ/yOuaZmjEj1Y/s1600/photo+2+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sKIqfrl9rmU/UqjcYquxI5I/AAAAAAAAAZQ/yOuaZmjEj1Y/s400/photo+2+(2).JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VPMQ0SSF2Do/UqgYd4a1_aI/AAAAAAAAAY8/1XmWmI5ffoY/s1600/photo+(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VPMQ0SSF2Do/UqgYd4a1_aI/AAAAAAAAAY8/1XmWmI5ffoY/s400/photo+(7).JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a>My roommate also wanted to make little party favors for our friends to take home, she elected for some hot chocolate stirring spoons.<br />
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She melted Dark Chocolate (the melting candy kind) mixed in some smashed up candy cane bits, scooped the mixture onto a plastic spoon (for take home purposes), and garnished the tops with mini marshmallows and candy cane. They cooled and hardened within minutes.<br />
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I of course cared more about the presentation than the actual favor, so I opted to make the wrapping for the favors. We bought little gift bags from our local Michaels Craft store, that I stamped with gold and wrote little holiday sayings then finished it off with a little bow.<br />
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After feasting on some great pasta, we all sat around our Yule Log fire and sang some Christmas carols. Such a sweet night and just the right amount of social interaction for this introvert!<br />
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*The cupcake recipe is from javacupcake.comAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570508034724269767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-58970756625892946862013-12-10T13:18:00.000-08:002014-01-19T15:44:56.353-08:00Majesty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FvlXlIkHC1c/Uqdk1OTFBTI/AAAAAAAAAQE/ix-Py-wPyDs/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FvlXlIkHC1c/Uqdk1OTFBTI/AAAAAAAAAQE/ix-Py-wPyDs/s640/photo+1.JPG" height="91" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Caitlin here … The topic for today: </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Majesty of God.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Someone once described it to me as an “Imposing Grandeur.” </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> For example, if you have ever visited Yosemite
National Park, have stood at the top of Sentinel Dome looking over the valley,
or ever been lucky enough to go up Half Dome; I must ask if you felt a tingle of
fear, but could not make yourself move to a place where you would be safer for
fear of not being able to soak up all the beauty around you. You felt a tinge of
fear, because you realized that you are so small in comparison to your
surroundings. It was so beautiful, but you realized that something could
seriously go wrong here if you took one false step. Some call it a respect for nature;
I call it majesty.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">For you city rats if you have ever been on a
ledge of a high building you may have felt the same thing. For me it was the
Seattle Space Needle. I was looking down and felt that tinge of fear, but I
could not pull myself away from the view. I wanted to take in everything around
me, but could not shake this overwhelming fear that something bad could happen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">That is how I try to view God, in all his Majesty and Holiness. It
is a constant struggle to keep my eyes turned toward him, but just think how
amazing it would be: to be so awe-inspired and struck by his beauty. That would be an awesome way to live your life, to be constantly consumed by this feeling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I want to challenge you all to seek out those times when you feel
that beautiful fear. For me, it is in those times when I’m standing so close to
so much beauty with that tiny touch of fear that I really feel God’s Majesty. I
mean how amazing is the natural world?! Just take something like a tree, if you
really watch it, it will reveal to you so many wondrous things hidden that you
would not otherwise see in passing. Then take something as grand as Yosemite
Valley, so beautifully sculpted by glaciers at his will.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Now for the pictures this week, they were both taken at Spencer’s Butte,
here in Eugene. In both these pictures I had been sitting just
feeling everything around me, bringing peace to my life during times of stress.
Nature is such a beautiful remedy when you approach it in awe of God’s amazing will.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10756039142183296349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-10201249855125825462013-12-09T10:40:00.000-08:002013-12-10T23:56:23.034-08:00The Second Start<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dcVpP9MonIQ/UqemOzlhqcI/AAAAAAAAAYc/HgguG9CypD4/s1600/IMG_3476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dcVpP9MonIQ/UqemOzlhqcI/AAAAAAAAAYc/HgguG9CypD4/s400/IMG_3476.JPG" width="300" /></a>I am the sister, and I have never blogged my words before. Typically I have just posted pictures, or beautiful quotes about love or becoming one with nature--here, have some.<br />
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"Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own." -Robert A. Heinlein<br />
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"I will take the sun in my mouth and leap into the ripe air alive with closed eyes to dash against the darkness." E. E. Cummings<br />
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I am a Political Science major, and a lover of problem solving and figuring things out, I like to connect the dots--oh this event in history happened because of this, and all of that led to this and how people see that! But, I do not want to go to law school (which is always the second question after they ask about my major) I want to instead explore styling and design. While in church one Sunday this past fall I caught myself rolling around thoughts in my head; shoot, I need to get a job this summer, what should I do? I should do something that helps build my resume for my career. But, wait, what do I want my career to be? I do not want to work in an large company office behind a computer, I'm awful with computers! Ughhhhhh! Okay, what do I love to do? And then, it dawned on me, everyday while getting deep into <i>Plato's Republic</i> and <i>Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics</i>, I would start squirming to get up and make things. I lacked a lot of typical craft things here in my apartment, so I would end up baking. My roommates would tell me that I love to bake, but I think that I just love to CREATE and that baking does the trick. In just an hour after I have begun, I have made something from hand fulls of little nothings.<br />
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So, for this blog I will most likely post things that I have built, or things that are beautiful and inspiring--if I was not so deep in the suburbs of Los Angeles I would love to flood this with nature and such, but that will mostly fall to my sweet sister who can be in it, snap it, and then tell you all about how it got there (geology). For me, I'll stick with God, food, crafts, cats, maybe some political science spewing, and on lucky occasion, nature. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570508034724269767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-25379585283700776082013-12-08T21:22:00.000-08:002013-12-10T15:50:15.272-08:00The Start<div class="s2">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h5RwtFxyYUo/UqemsURcIiI/AAAAAAAAAQg/RlDmTDznhQU/s1600/121.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h5RwtFxyYUo/UqemsURcIiI/AAAAAAAAAQg/RlDmTDznhQU/s320/121.PNG" width="283" /></a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="padding-left: 36px;"><---Hey, that's me</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s2"> What do you post for what I would like to consider my first official post? I know, I know, I did post my Potato Nativity, and which might I add: those potatoes are so cute! I feel that my first post should at least warn people about what this blog will be about, but I mean</span><span class="s2">,</span><span class="s2"> all I really want it to contain are pictures. I feel that photos provide us with amazing stories. I know that I am not a professional photographer or anything. I am literally just using my phone, but I feel that these pictures can provide inspiration. I want my photos to show the amazing beauty of the world around us. It is the small things that keep me in awe of God’s divine work. Like the moment when you lay down in a pile of snow and all you can hear is the wind, or when you are alone, off the path, and you can hear, feel, smell, and see the world acting around you in a glorious setting.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="padding-left: 36px;"></span><span class="s2">I’m a student in college studying geology. I remember the exact moment when I was first drawn into the field. I was sitting in an introductory course. My professor was lecturing on mass wasting events and he said that these events occur because the structure (i.e. mountain, river, etc.) was out of equilibrium. This statement immediately brought me to the fall of man in Genesis and how throughout the Bible, the world is described as being in agony, calling out, and in chaos. I feel that everyone in this world is just trying to find the meaning</span><span class="s2">/ solution</span><span class="s2"> in all this chaos.</span><span class="s2"> I’d like my pictures and occasional </span><span class="s2">words to show the one true answer to all our questions. There is a reason why the world is broken. There is a way for this to be reconciled, BU</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3577494925086081069" name="_GoBack"></a><span class="s2">T the ROAD IS NARROW. Jesus.</span></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10756039142183296349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577494925086081069.post-76044973554460909872013-12-08T15:56:00.001-08:002014-01-19T15:44:08.595-08:00Potato Nativity<br />
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NZ3LXuDIRaI/UqUHNjpDbNI/AAAAAAAAAOA/Dqor12HunI0/s640/blogger-image--859311549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NZ3LXuDIRaI/UqUHNjpDbNI/AAAAAAAAAOA/Dqor12HunI0/s400/blogger-image--859311549.jpg" width="400" /></a></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A perfect way to start the season: handmade nativity with a Potato Baby Jesus</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10756039142183296349noreply@blogger.com0