he is altogether vanity.

the wind almost swept me away...

two highlights of the past week include: Our leadership retreat to Makapala and girls night out at a local Thai restaurant!

--- The retreat was divine. green grass, tall trees, swinging vines. a tropical paradise. both the rain and the wind were cool and refreshing. the fifty of us spent our days engaging in a wild round of kickball. laying out in the sweet sunshine. hiking down to the beach in Pololu Valley. and getting coffee in the quaint town of Hawi. as a community we grew so much tighter. we worshipped together and played games til the wee hours of the morning. it was sublime. lovely. a rejuvenating weekend spent with family!

- - - a group of us girls got all dolled up and went for Thai food! it was nice to get dressed up and be girly... and eat pad thai.. mmm - i tried oyster, needless to say it was not the most enjoyable experience!

Something that has really been on my heart this week is fear of man. to stop fearing reactions and actions from other people based on what i choose to do. to cease letting it have any hold over me. to care not what anyone may think of me or say about me. i was reading a commentary on blue letter bible by matthew henry and he was commentating on Isaiah 2:22 ("stop regarding man, in whose nostrils is breath, for what account is he?") --- "Wherein then is man to be accounted of? Alas! no reckoning is to be made of him, for he is not what he seems to be, what he pretends to be, what we fancy him to be. Man is like vanity, nay, he is vanity, he is altogether vanity, he is less, he is lighter, than vanity. When weighed in the balance of the sanctuary." --- astonishing? does that not hit home? i just love that matthew henry puts man in his place... we are nothing. we are dust. our life is but a breath. when compared to God and all his infiniteness! 

love you all heaps and heaps. 

as promised...

friends! i promised a weekly update and here i am already slacking... but look on the bright side, at least i'm writing something! - - - so as you've probably already heard or guessed i am back in the tropical land of hawaii. it has been exactly two weeks since i arrived and already it feels as though i never left... i have five lovely new roommates and am part of the leadership track which includes 30 to 40 staff?! already this track feels like family, we worship together, serve the base and community together, pray/intercede and have bbq nights together!

a few highlights so far...

i help out in Mrs. Barker's first grade classroom four mornings a week and one of her students, Scott decided to bring a mouse to school. and when he unzipped his backpack out it scampered into the classroom! oh the joys of teaching!

me and some girls were heading back from the beach and on our hitchhiking adventure we were picked up by a guy named Brian, who happens to stop for many a ywamer! he asked to take a photo with us all, after showing us his collection of pictures from past ywam staff/students! we recognized over half of the people in them :)

we have been memorizing scripture. so by the time July hits, i will have matthew 5, 6 and 7 memorized!

this friday we all take off, up North for a retreat! games, music, the beach and fabulous fellowship await!

we have quite a busy schedule to follow and rare are the moments when i get to pour out my heart to anyone who will listen. but i hope that's what this blog turns into over the next three months! - - - i am truly hoping to discover God's plan in my life for this coming year and what my vision/ dream will look like. this is a season of growing and stretching and much of it will be hard and uncomfortable, but i am psyched that i'm not alone in it! Jesus have your way..  i am overjoyed to be here.

love to you all, sending countless hugs and kisses your way.. xo

run like the wind.

i adore windy days. 

they hold so much mystery and enchantment.
especially when the sky is dark and foreboding.
and the clouds roll in as if they were an army come ready for battle.
the sky an ever deepening shade of gray, as though to signal danger ahead. 

so much power. so much whirling & pounding. raging & dancing. so much gusting. huffing & puffing. the merciless wilds of the tossing of the air waves. unseen currents thrashing back & forth. it's strange to think that we cannot see the wind, only witness the traces of it. the damage or path it creates.

......the sound of the wind at night, when engrossed in a good book, or closely huddled next to the fire is magical. or on a warm summer evening when the wind makes you feel giddy and free. but my most delightful memory of the wind is when i've been near the ocean, it whips and sputters. churns and flies with the utmost freedom there. with the unmatchable, most astonishing, ferocious power you ever did see.

wind is much like us, subject to change without the slightest hint; it can be soft and sweet, sweeping gently across your face, playfully pulling at your hair. and then the next moment it is rash and abrasive.


Wind; - the perceptible natural movement of the air, as though moving horizontally at any velocity along the earth's surface.
- a gale; storm; hurricane.
- any stream of air, as that produced by a bellow or fan.
- used to suggest something very fast, unrestrained, or changeable.

together forever.

today was the day, twenty-eight years ago, on a rainless, cold february day that perry and donna were wed... they met at dairyqueen... my dad, the hot shot with a motorcycle, a band and a killer mustache couldn't get my mom, the pretty cheerleader, out of his head and pursued her. knowing always, she was the one. a few years later they were engaged on a ferris wheel at the fair.

happy anniversary mom and dad!

to celebrate, my dad whisked my mom off to whistler last weekend... (their favorite getaway) and bought her tulips (her favorite flower) .. and they went out to Presto Cucina's (their favorite Italian restaurant) ... i love my parents so dearly and am beyond blessed that they have been married thus far. they are true examples of unconditional love, commitment and selflessness - - - despite all their different qualities, they have made their marriage work and their love last... they often go on "dates"... they both are passionate about and eager to renovate and redecorate our lovely home (all the time!) they are both hardworking and full of love and support for us kids. God could have placed me in any family, with any parents in the entire world, but he chose this one especially for me and i am forever thankful and overjoyed that he did. my life would not be the same, nor would it be so beautiful without them... they bring so much wisdom and advice and love and sacrifice and joy and laughter and silliness to my life! (just ask my dad to make his lizard face and my mom to show off her dance moves and the howling will commence!) - they really are the BEST parents a girl could ever hope for... i hope for a love like theirs one day.

i have heaps and heaps of admiration and an overwhelming love for you two.


i'm so glad you fell in love. 

enamoured. smitten. devoted. ardent. zealous.

Word of the day: Smitten.














dictionary definition of Smitten: 
1. struck, as with a hard blow.
2. grievously or disastrously stricken or afflicted.
3. very much in love. 


This week i was asked to sub at the old daycare i used to work at.... i ended up working with the little 5 and 6 year olds. [and just for the record it really is true that kids days the darndest things... ] i had the pleasure of meeting a little boy named Linden who was blonde, blue eyed and smartly dressed. one might call him "special" but he was the sweetest thing with his glasses and wide eyes! he took to me immediately and began to ask me millions of questions... ex. where i worked... to which i replied starbucks... he then when on to talk all about himself and his family, proudly promoting his mom and dad and their occupations in great detail. then i asked him the age old question "what do you want to be when you grow up?" - - - as he walked backwards, with a stern, twisted look on his face, as though he was thinking really hard, he replied after a long pause "i think i'll work at starbucks" and scampered off. oh my word! it was the most adorable thing. i was smitten with this tiny little 5 year old who wants to be just like me someday... although i hope his lifelong dream isn't to work at starbucks :)

fifth word.

Word of the day: Persnickety

per.snick.et.y 
1. placing too much emphasis on trivial or minor details; fussy
2. requiring a particularly precise or careful approach; painstaking care
3. snobbish, or having the aloof attitude of a snob

Today I helped in a grade three classroom. i was a "parent volunteer" for the children's art time. i absolutely loved it! kids give the best compliments. apparently i have nice teeth... then i ran some errands: stopped at the flower shop. bought a bright fuchsia gerber. ended up at la casa coffee, where my newest addiction was waiting for me... black tea, with a hint of sugar and a slice of lemon! dropped off the flower for a dearly loved friend. chatted for twenty minutes. fueled up the ol' volkswagon. and quickly picked up some last minute items from walmart. where my cashier happened to say "this old machine can be quite persnickety"... hence my word of the day -  i am filled with so much joy when i hear people using words that never get any use. i could listen for hours to one's charming application of their vocabulary! so here is a challenge to you all - - - say a word today that you've never used, perhaps "persnickety?"

Mum's the word.

Word of the day: Mother.

1. a female parent
2. a woman in authority: an old or elderly woman: the superior of a religious group of women
3. source, origin
4. maternal tenderness or affection

It's my mama's birthday today and she's turning 29!!! Happy Birthday Mom. okay, so she might be a bit older than that, BUT she sure looks fabulous for her age. Many a person is quick to guess that she is my older sister... so i figure with my mom's good looks and how beautifully she's aging (thanks for the good genes ma) i am more than happy to say "i cannot wait until i'm in my 40's, if i look as good as her!" She truly is a gem. my best friend. a woman of great taste, both in decorating her home and marrying my dad. she is beautiful. and bold. silly and headstrong. wise and loyal. she is a woman who is faithful amidst doubt. she is a queen among the servant-hearted and a woman who knows the meaning of sacrifice. thank you for all you do mom. thank you for choosing a life of motherhood, one i know comes with a price. when i grow up, i hope to be like you. thanks for always being there. my love for you is endless...

kindred spirits.

Todays word is Aspire.


1. to long, aim or seek ambitiously; to yearn (for); be eagerly desirous, especially for something great or of high value.


2. to rise up; soar; mount; tower; to rise to a great height

I aspire to be a great many people... here are a number of women comprised of both fictional and non-fictional that i admire greatly and even sometimes imagine myself to be; josephine march. anne shirley. jane austen. elizabeth bennett. audrey hepburn. maria von trapp. mary poppins. among many others... these heroines are made up of bold, confident, determined women who believe in themselves enough, and who stop at nothing, to realize their dreams. to write novels. go to college. to not care what the world may think of them. they are dreamers and poets, passionate and unstoppable. radiant and charming. they live by the impulse of the moment, throwing caution to the wind, yet have their wits about them. accomplishing noble and seemingly unfeasible feats. they embody womanhood. their pursuit of happiness is inspiring. forever chasing after their dreams. they embrace life with all of their heart and soul. they are kindred spirits. bright. stunning. exquisite beauties. lovely and endearing. - - - women i long to mimic, to take a lesson or two from. to follow after. to be stirred by their infectious love for life!

would you rather be divinely beautiful, dazzlingly clever, or angelically good? - - - anne shirley

duet for one please...

Todays' word is chagrin.
Chagrin:
- a feeling of vexation, marked by disappointment or humiliation 
- to vex by disappointment or humiliation
- obselete

To use the word chagrin in a sentence (or two) -> At my job i get asked multiple times a night to join a party of servers/hosts to serenade one lucky individual in a delightful round of "happy birthday"... on this particular night no one was available to join in the sing-along and to my utmost chagrin a duet was inevitable... Nicole and i were left to sing alone, and to make matters worse the table of fellow well-wishers came not to our aid, offering none of their vocal assistance! needless to say i walked away as red as a lobster and deeply flustered! note to all: please sing "happy birthday" when in a restaurant so as not to leave the servers hanging!

p.s .... i went back to Wired Monk and asked if they were hiring, much to my chagrin they were not.. and no he wasn't there.... guess i'll just have to become a regular :)
p.p.s this is supposed to be February 3rds post... already tardy... i know. slapping wrist.

Yeah Write!

Here it is, the start to my 'one word a day' [yeah write!] self-challenge. I have decided to write about one special word each day, that has something to do with my day, in the hopes that: A. i will write more often, therefore stretching my wings and using my mostly hidden talents/closet abilities B. i will entertain a few folks C. for the pure, unadulterated satisfaction and enjoyment of writing about something i adore... and that is the written language. WORDS. to be exact. so i hope you learn a little something and enjoy what i have to say... in the meantime...

Today's word is hunk.

hunk:

a large piece or lump; chunk.

slang: a handsome man with a well-developed physique.

slang: a large or fat person.

to use the word hunk in a sentence (or two) -> Today i walked into Wired Monk to apply for a job and was completely caught off guard by the hunk pouring coffee behind the counter, losing all hope of the confidence, resolve and nerve i had strutted in with, i ordered a london fog and left. before i even knew what i was doing i had completely flaked and exited the building, with my tail between my legs. note to self: when cute male is present don't clam up!

Needless to say i've decided to go back tomorrow and apply... even if said "hunk" happens to be there.

more hunky men below.......

sometimes...

i never liked cats too much... but after tonight i figure there 's room enough to spare in my heart, even if it's a tiny, cramped corner of it. my dearest friend sarah's cat, a gorgeous snow white beauty named "Sometimes," often lovingly referred to as "sums," seems to always take a liking to me. for the second time in a row now she has snuggled up with me, nuzzled her face into my elbow and remained quite content, for the majority of the evening, nestled on my lap. either she knows i need a friend or she's just a very special kitty... i guess you could say i like cats, "sometimes"... har har. but in all honesty - to all you animal lovers out there, moments like this brief, fleeting one with Sometimes tonight, shed some light on your love and commitment and adoration for your pets. they truly do become one of the family. a dear friend. a captive audience. a comfort. i may just get why a dog is a man's best friend etc... goodnight.