Travel Bug.

I have an  immense love  for travel.  Exploration gives me great joy.  Experiencing new and different cultures adds such depth and meaning to my own life.  Not to mention, gorgeous scenery absolutely melts me!  Reid and I just arrived home last night from a summer in his hometown, Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada (super close to Vancouver!).  We had the most wonderful three months abroad with our Canadian family and friends!  Inspired by the amazing trip we had just been blessed enough to enjoy, I began brainstorming my biggest travel hopes and dreams.  Although my interests are constantly changing and adapting, I have come up with a list of the  current  top 10 places I want to visit.  Here we go :

# 10.   Bavaria, Germany

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# 9.   London, England

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# 8.   Santorini, Greece

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# 7.   Zurich, Switzerland

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# 6.   Paradise Island, Bahamas

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# 5.   Melbourne, Australia

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# 4.   Edinburgh, Scotland

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# 3.   Provence, France

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# 2.   Bora Bora, French Polynesia

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# 1.   Salzburg, Austria

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Share your travel dreams with me!  I'd love to hear about the places that inspire you.

Rest.

I have always been the type of girl to stop and smell the roses.

Don't get me wrong, I am also the highly ambitious, go-getter type.  But I do have a tendency to stop and breathe in my surroundings once in a while.  Sadly, I feel that our world is becoming so overly focused on being fast and effective all the time.  If you snooze, you lose.  If you take time to relax, you're lazy.  Time is money.  Everything is so hurry  hurry hurry!!!

Although there is definitely a time and a place for being completely time efficient, such as during the work day, I don't feel that being "fast" at other aspects of everyday life is necessarily a gift or a skill.  In fact, I'm quite convinced of the opposite.  It takes more obedience and discipline to rest in God's presence on a frequent basis than it does to spend extra time working around the house, completing tedious chores.  I think back to the story of Mary and Martha.  All our Lord wanted was for them both to have special time with Him. 

My  Jesus Calling  passage (by Sarah Young), from a couple days ago provided the  perfect  encouragement in this area for me.

the passage :

Sit quietly in My Presence while I bless you.  Make your mind like a still pool of water, ready to receive whatever thoughts I drop into it.  Rest in My sufficiency, as you consider the challenges this day presents.  Do not wear yourself out by worrying about whether you can cope with the pressures.  Keep looking to Me and communicating with Me, as we walk through this day together.

Take time to rest by the wayside, for I am not in a hurry.  A leisurely pace accomplishes more than hurried striving.  When you rush, you forget who you are and Whose you are.  Remember that you are royalty in My kingdom.

the verses :

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;  do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." - Psalm 37:7

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." - Romans 8:16-17

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." 

- 1 Peter 2:9

Recently, I have been so focused on trying to accomplish things as rapidly as possible that I have forgotten the importance of taking time to enjoy the beauty of God's creation.  I haven't allowed nearly enough time for devotionals, Bible studies, and giving the Lord glory for all of His blessings in my life.  When my work is completed for the day, I intend to go back to just being and resting in my God.

The images below represent my idea of resting quietly in His presence:

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What are your thoughts, friends? Happy Monday to you!!

A Lesson on Trust.

Over the past few weeks, I have been reading and reflecting on my Bible and devotionals as often as possible.  It's a passion that I'm making a habit of, in hopes that daily meditations on God's Word will soon become second nature to me.  I am fully committed to placing more emphasis on the importance of scripture in my everyday life, so I will be posting my thoughts and studies here on a fairly frequent basis, in order to discuss and share what I'm learning with you!

That being said, I recently read a passage on trusting our Lord, that immediately brought me an overwhelming sense of peace.  It is a short, yet powerful message from my favorite devotional, Jesus Calling, written by Sarah Young.  (A book that can be bought as a hard copy or an app that I highly recommend!)  Spending time with God fills my heart with so much joy.  Leading a life of purpose and discernment is a constant goal of mine, and the closer I draw to my Savior, the smoother He paves my path.

the passage :

"Do not worry about tomorrow! "  This is not a suggestion, but a command.  I divided time into days and nights, so that you would have manageable portions of life to handle.  My grace is sufficient for you, but its sufficiency is for only one day at a time.  When you worry about the future, you heap day upon day of troubles onto your flimsy frame.  You stagger under this heavy load, which I never intended you to carry.

Throw off this oppressive burden with one quick thrust of trust.  Anxious thoughts meander about and crisscross in your brain, but trusting Me brings you directly into My Presence.  As you thus affirm your faith, shackles of worry fall off instantly.  Enjoy My Presence continually by trusting Me at all times. 

the verses :

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:34

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." - 2 Corinthians 12:9

"Trust in Him at all times, you people;  pour out your heart before Him;  God is a refuge for us."

- Psalm 62:28

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Please reflect along with me. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Weekending With the Mammels.

There are not many things I cherish more than special time away;  And that is exactly what God so lovingly provided for Reid and I last weekend.

On Friday afternoon, we left Reid's parent's beautiful Tsawwassen home and headed off on the scenic, two hour drive to Chilliwack, British Columbia.  We had a couple exciting, eventful days before us.  The Mammel Family, (Reid's older sister, Ashley, and her wonderful hubby Kevin), were our beyond-gracious hosts for the weekend.  They completely spoiled us from start to finish with amazing food, wonderful entertainment, and trips to each of the fun Chilliwack must-sees.

Here is a little taste of our incredible weekend in pictures & bullet points:

• we met up with Ashley and Kevin at the Mammel family farm, Lyba Farms, owned by Kev's parents

• Ashley took us out to Booster Juice for delicious fruit smoothies, while we waited for Kevin to finish up at work

• dinner prep at the Mammel's lovely suite commenced

Home-cut yam fries, ready to be popped into the oven!

Yummy fresh-sliced veggies.

Vegan chickpea burgers.

• the four of us sat down to a scrumptious, healthy dinner, complete with ginger root beer and vegan chipotle aioli dipping sauce - two of my favorites!

The spread of burger-fixings.

Perfectly crisped and seasoned yam fries.

The complete meal... ready to be devoured.

• after our bellies were full, Ashley and Kevin brought us to the stunning, new home they're building

In two weeks, it will be ready for move-in!

Such a remarkable view of Chilliwack from their balcony.

• later in the evening, we played Settlers of Catan, our new favorite board game, for hours

• a sweet dessert rounded out our night as we chatted and laughed until the early morning hours

• we awoke Saturday morning to a delicious breakfast of gourmet oatmeal with flavorful toppings, created by Ash

• a breathtaking morning hike up a local Chilliwack mountain was next on our list

I absolutely adore all of the lush greenery.

• as Kevin headed off to a "Stag" (what's known in the states as a Bachelor Party), Ashley, Reid, and I went to several charming shops around Chilliwack

• we then ate a tasty lunch and headed to Waves for another round of refreshing fruit smoothies

• Ash brought us to beautiful Cultus Lake in the afternoon, where we relaxed and basked in the sunshine

• on our last adventure of the day, the four of us went out for a lovely dinner at Dakota's, along with Doug, Reid and Ashley's loving Step-Dad

Talk about a memorable, meaningful weekend.  We had such a wonderful time and were overwhelmed by how cared for and loved we felt.  Reid and I couldn't have possibly been more blessed with amazing family (and friends).  Ash and Kev, thank you so much!  We would be honored to tour you both around Scottsdale anytime. 

Love you, Mammels!!

Stars & Stripes.

Happy 4th of July!!!

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I hope all of my American family and friends are having a fabulous holiday, celebrating what it means to be from the USA.  What an amazing honor!  As you may or may not already know, I am excitedly spending the entire summer this year in my boyfriend's home town, beautiful Tsawwassen, British Columbia, Canada, (just thirty minutes from downtown Vancouver)!  With this privilege comes many wonderful perks: spending loads of time with his incredible family, breathtaking scenery, a fabulous job, the most stunning living set-up, much cooler summer weather, lots of time with my sweet boyfriend, enjoying unique touristy places on the weekends..... the list goes on and on.  I couldn't possibly feel more blessed.

That being said, I was granted a totally new (& completely great) experience today - living in Canada on the 4th of July.

I proudly fashioned my frayed blue jean shorts, a white "Proud to be an American" top, a red tank underneath, and my sparkly white TOMS.  I spotted a yummy, American Flag fruit platter on Pinterest last week and knew that recreating it for my Canadian loved ones was an absolute must.  Reid and I filled the dish with organic, locally-grown berries and perfectly ripe bananas, making it a big hit amongst our friends.  We love how bright and patriotic it turned out.  What do you think?

I have fallen in love with creating new holiday traditions, and reminiscing over the old, cherished ones. Thank you, Canada, for a very special and low-key 4th of July.  Today's sweet simplicity has taken my attention off of worldly festivities and allowed me to focus entirely on the Lord and His precious gift of freedom.  I am headed outdoors now to celebrate the rest of this gorgeous, sunny day.  Happy 4th!  Enjoy the fireworks tonight, my friends!!