Horses, manure, sagebrush, photo shoot?

Yes, as odd as it may sound, these were the things that were surrounding us on the photo shoot I went on!

Wonderful Meg Borders (beautiful blonde photographer who did my senior pictures), came up with yet another great idea for pictures. Except this time, we went FULL OUT. We brought all of our wardrobes to mix and match, and had a hair stylist and makeup artist to contribute to this photo shoot.
I, along with two other gorgeous girls (one of them is currently Miss Tri-citites, a sophomore! And the other applied for America's Next Top Model and actually made it on the show. Doesn't surprise me, she's 6 foot.) got all made up, then headed out to Richland Horse stables. Behind it there are fields with green and other fields with sagebrush and tumbleweeds.
That's the Tri-Cities for ya.
Suprisingly, it was freezing! What is going on with you weather? Isn't it May? We prayed that the wind would cool its jets, and stop harassing our shivering legs and perfectly placed hair.
But it was well worth it! The two other girls looked like they had just walked off the cover of Teen Vogue Magazine, and I...haha well I was the cute little vintage school girl with her books =)
We made a joke that they were like the popular girls and I was the little nerd.
All in all, it was so fun.
Megan is simply amazing at what she does. All we had to do was look fierce for the camera.

Beach-ing and Prom-ing.

It's been far too long since my last bliggy blog.
So hello there old friend.
so busy. but I like it.
PHil wickham/leeland concerts, friends, bbq's, school, coffee dates, more friend time, work, sleep, graduation letters, repeat.

I went prom dressing today. That's what I call it, and it has been a long journey let me tell you.
Went to three places, that's all i could handle. It's so stressful, senior prom, but also exhilarating to try on all these lovely colorful contraptions strapped around your body to make you feel elegant for one night.
But I found an amazing one today...it fit perfectly. No alterations needed except maybe hemming the princess bottom up a little.
It is so over the top, but for some reason, I don't really care. It is princess in a castle, cinderella material by far.
Poofy, sequins.
But I love it? Weird I know. But I thought, what the heck, its my senior prom, we're going in limos, why not?
It's going to be hilarious going in public to random places after in it though...maybe even a little embarrassing..
But I do not care.
Not one bit =)

Then off to the beach house this weekend! I'm so super excited, I just can't Hide it!

Life is lovely right now.
As it should be.

ttfn,
ta ta for now!

Spring in Seattle.

Ah, Hello Blog. It's been a while hasn't it?
Sorry I haven't talked to you, things have just been a little crazy!
The good kind of crazy.
So spring break came upon us, and what else is better to do then drive off to your favorite city with your best friend and mom!?

We left on thursday and the first thing on our agenda was to tour SPU for my dear friend Abigail. Seattle Pacific University (just so you know what it stands for.) She's trying to decide between SPU and Whitworth (which we all know I'm rooting for Seattle), but we'll see where God takes her. The campus was Absolutely gorgeous! It seriously made me want to go there. The comfortable neighborhood surrounding it, with blooming cherry blossoms and yet, not far from walking distance into the bustling city of Seattle. The dorms were, well, far from tiny. Ginormous is more like it, one even had a couch along with a flat TV screen.
That night we went to my favorite restaurant in seattle, ICON grill. They have the best calamari and grilled mac n' cheese in the world. We also had to introduce Abby into the "Mother Sundae".
It is, the most delectable dessert, you will ever have. A huge plate of vanilla ice cream with a cookie cone turned upside down, that the waitress turns and pours hot chocolate fudge out of all over your mountain of deliciousness.
Then you have your choice of toppings: strawberries, m&ms, sugar walnuts, and whip cream.
SOOO GOOOD.
The crazy thing is, later we heard on the news that the cement decorations outside, above ICON, fell down on someone the next day! They had to close it for the day. Thank you Jesus for letting us go and enjoy that experience!

Then the funny stuff happened. So we're following Nellie,(my new found friend of a GPS, thank you papa for her) to my friend Andrea's place where we were going to stay. And we make it there, or so we think, while my mother and I are about to pee our pants, which always seems to happen to her at the most inconvenient of times.
So, what we didnt know, was that that the apartments had like 5 different sections, each with different letters.
We climbed up section C, to the number that Dre had told us was hers, and I called her to ask if she had a garbage and skateboard in front of it, she laughed and proceeded to say yes.
So, we opened up the door to find a small child standing to our left in a room, and a dog racing out, barking at us.
I was confused and thought to myself, since when did Dre have a dog?
The little girl just blinked and stared at us. She didn't even protest that there were strangers in her hallway!
My mom marched right in, but then we came to the realization that this was not our 26 year old friend's apartment...
haha, it was hilarious. My mom barely made it to the bathroom, which ended up being in section E.
We then went out with Dre to ice cream and I met all these great new people from the church that I'll be getting to know this next year! Such amazing men and women of God. It was also our friend Jenna's birthday, she turned 21 and they went salsa dancing! I am so doing that when 21 comes around for me.

Day 2. I got up early to follow Andrea to Intern Prayer of City Church to see what it was like, since I'll be an intern next year.
I drove on Seattle's highways and traffic in the rain all by myself! I felt very accomplished.
Prayer=so great.
Pastor Jude spoke in intern classes that I sat in a couple for= SO amazing.
I love him! He's so kind, and wise. He talked about faith, and how some christians have more faith in their "faith" then Jesus Christ himself. That'll preach.
my friend introduced me to him and he said that I was "just stunning!" haha. Made my day to say the least.
We then went Portage Bay, my favorite breakfast place, where everything is Organic and fresh.
They have HUGE portions of wheat pancakes and french toast that tastes like a cinnamon roll, with a sides table full of fresh rasberries, strawberries, black berries, peaches, walnuts, whip cream. You name it.
Yummy.
We went to the U district and shopped on the ave at Buffalo Exchange and Urban. If you want cheap brand clothes, Buffalo is the place to go. I got H&M jeans, which are the best, for 12 dollars!
And Thats how it's done my friends.
Later that night, Cactus! This great mexican restaurant with the best salsa, Ever. Our waiter was hilarious. He went to UW, and told us a joke,
"What do the Cougars and Huskies have in common?
-They both applied to UW."
hahaha.
Then Ce fiore, this italian yogurt shop, that looks, and almost tastes EXACTLY like Shnoo.. The greatest yogurt you'll ever have.
I noticed that most of my blog is half about food..but all of it is well worth noting!
Anyways, they have shnoo here at Sweet Treats by Carmike if you've ever been in there.
It was a phony shnoo, but still. Not terrible.

Day 3. Went to kahili coffee. I love the coffee shops of Seattle. Then off to pick up my bro at UW, then to the Alderwood Mall.
SUCCESSFUL shopping, yes indeed. Urban and Forever 21. Then Macaroni Grill with My grandpa and his wife, with mom, brother, and abby. SO good. I always love their fresh bread with olive oil.
Then shnoo, the real kind! Then party at the bowling alley for my friend Arianne!
So many birthdays, so little time.
Abby and I didnt bowl...yea you might say lame, but 15 dollars per person, just to bowl?! Thats a little ridiculous if you ask me.
That's okay, they had blacklights and music bumping the whole time so we just danced and chilled while watching them play
=)
Day 4. EASTER.
Got up and went too ZOKA coffee. I always love their coffee, its smooth, and if you want to try it you can go to Brulant by the gas station and Dairy Queen.
Went to the U district, the church campus by UW for college students to go to, and listened to Pastor Judah preach.
He's so great.
The message was "Dead for 4 days".
He talked about Lazarus being raised from the dead and how people might say things are over, but they are not over, until God says they're over.
4 days is the point where the decomposing of the body begins to show on the outside, for all the world to see.
It's the point where death is visible from the outside, and it is the point of no return.
Martha and Mary were passed the point of hope, and to the point of grieving and comforting.
Jesus waited for Lazarus to die. They told him to hurry quick, but he waited. He told them in the beginning of the story that this situation would bring glory to God.
Martha said, if only you came earlier Jesus. My brother might not have died.
But Jesus said, YOur brother is not dead.
And radical Jesus, went up to the tomb and called out upon Lazarus. People must've thought he was crazy, how dare he come later and call on a dead body of this family's brother/son? He'll make a mockery of them.
ANd out came Lazarus, all tied up in toilet paper.
FOr the things we call over, God calls to awaken.
To begin.
Dreams we might see as dead, God only sees as sleeping. So don't give up hope, for our Jesus is outside of time. He is. Not was, not will be, but always IS.
He is the eternal healing life today.
Now. Present tense. Always there.
Thank you Jesus for rising from the dead, thank you for defeating sin so that we can be with you, and thank you for having such a merciful heart and love for your people, who don't deserve a single glance from you.
How great truly you are.

Drive and Ponder. Ponder and drive

So this morning as I was driving on the highway to school, a couple minutes fashionably late as usual, I began to think about driving..it was kind of funny because God was showing me something.
When you're in the car, and look to the side of you, you notice your surroundings, other cars, how fast things are passing, or how slow you're going. If you look for too long, you begin to drift from the correct lane you're in.
But if you keep your eyes on the road in front of you, you don't drift. You stay in the right lane you're suppose to be in. And I also noticed that you don't notice the speed as much. Yes, of course you can tell if you are going fast or slow, but you dont recognize it as much as if you were to look away.
This is a metaphor for life.
Our life with God. If I just keep my eyes on Him, on the path that he's set before me to run, I won't stray. I won't run into other things, and my life is to the fullest when my focus is on Him. The speed of life becomes less of a worry when my perspective is on my Jesus...
just a thought.

Another thought He brought to me... this always happens when I'm driving.
I guess that's the best time for Him to show me things to ponder on.
A love song came on my Ipod and I began to think about people, love, and God.
We, as people, long for someone to love us. IT's just how we were created.
God's put that desire inside of our very beings.
And I was thinking how we long for that one person to love us, think the world of us. That one being to fill us with that love.
And when we find them, it's like we have to share it with everyone. We think it's the most amazing thing, that we've found this one person that finds us so incredible and special.
One person for you, and you for that one person.
We find it amazing.
But then I began to think of God and how he loves us this way. And how His love is undconditional.
It's always there to be poured out on us.
Yet, we don't find this as amazing as the one for one person love. How silly this world is!
How much more incredible should we find that God's love is unconditional, always faithful and true, and never ending!
This love is One for all. God loves everyone with a passion.
His love is for the multiples, yet not necessarily the multiples for Him..
I think we take His love for granted because it's always readily there. We can walk away, not think about Him, and He's still there. Where as a one person's love might not always be there.
We cherish the temporary more than the eternal.
I want to start treating God's love as if He were the only being that could ever love me, and I'm the only one that could love Him.
In a way, He is the only one that truly can.
Just something to think about...

"Your love has no limit at all
Your love has no limit at all
It has no limit, at all

You don't treat me like I deserve
You don't crush me with a heavy hand
You don't leave me alone in this world

And you know how I was formed
When the wind blows I'll be gone
Like a flower after winter storm

Your love has no limit at all
Your love has no limit at all"

-Enter the Worship Circle

(they're amazing bee tea double you)

Road Trip.

That's the brilliant thing about private schools. You get the whole school cancelled when your basketball team makes it to state.
Lucky I know.
Therefore, it was time for my dear best friend and I to head out on our first official road trip together, on our own this time.
Full tank of gas- check.
Snacks- check.
GPS (aka sally)-check.
sunglasses-check.
two super stoked girls to get on the road?
check and check.

And so we were Off to Spokane to see our team's play some basketball...(Insert song "we're playing BA. SKET. Baall.." here.)
Sally helped guide us along the way, though at times we unplugged her..
But nonetheless we made it!
Saw first girls' game, then had tons of time to kill, since the boys' game was at NINE at night...
SO. What to do, what to do. What a silly question to ask.
Shopping was in order. We hunted good finds at Nordstrom rack, then relaxed our exhausted feet by sitting in Barnes and Nobles. Who would've thought that hours upon hours of shopping could be exhausting?
We then head out in search for a lovely church service to wake us up before the game later.
Coffee helped, yes, but some worship and preaching most definitely topped it off.
Boys won. YES.
made spiffy spirit tees at 2 in the morning.
goodnight world.

Thursday morning. Got ready, went to the arena to cheer our girls on; sadly they lost their 2nd game, but they are still such great players. They have more heart and spirit than most. Then we drove around spokane, looking for a park..which didn't exactly happen, but we DID find a Forever 21.
and let me tell you, if you're the kind of person who is overwhelmed easily, please bring a guide and paper bag with you while entering Forever.
So many options, it's like where do I start?
Successful shopping-check.
Abigail had never eaten at Pita Pit before, and that's like saying Michael phelps had never been in a pool before.
She's a healthy eater, so Pita was right up her alley. Suffice to say, she loved it.
Successful luncheon-check.
More time to kill, so we took out our guns, and shot it down by going to World's market, this cute store with items from INdia, to foods from Korea, with cute little trinkets gallore.
TIM TAMS. the best invention of a cookie. This Australian chocolate cookie, that you take a bite out of from both ends, then sip hot chocolate into it. It then melts the entire cookie right into your mouth. Heaven will have these.
Then abby and I slowly made our way to Barnes and Noble. where we...read. sat. giggled. drank hot cocoa and tim tams. Then fell asleep on the couches.
We then tried slapping ourselves to wake us up for the game that was ALSO at nine. Ridiculous.
But we finally made it.
I made a new friend that continued to take pictures of me with his fake camera, then persistently turned around to stare at me.
(he was a 5 year old little boy)
He'll make a great paparazzi someday.

Then we made our way back home today.
Lovely Fun filled weekend.
Good Friends are the sun to my shine.

Next on my list, Seattle.