A Breath of Fresh Air

It's been so long since my previous post! Over a month, to be exact. Which is mostly due to an extensive amount of traveling. This summer has been strange because I have not had many "lazy days" like my last summer in which I lay around the house with Dexter watching television shows whose names I'm embarrassed to disclose. Just today I was telling someone that I feel like this summer hasn't had the typical "summer feel" for me; and then I realized--it's because I haven't really been home (hence the negligence with the blogging).

The first trip of the summer was a girls' road trip down to the Redwood National Forest. We drove down highway 101 and stopped at the Astoria Column, the Tilamook Factory (of course!) and all the major Oregon beaches until we reached the final destination of the Redwoods. It was incredible. I had never been to 75% of the sites we visited, so it was a real treat. Not to mention the quality time with the girls.

This was taken at a California beach right before entering the Redwood National Forest.

 

 They were really as big as everyone says they are!

 When we had all reached the top of the column (huffing and puffing no less) to fly our gliders over the edge, I accidentally dropped mine down the stairwell. I contemplated leaving it--but I ultimately went back to retrieve it. This picture captures our sweet reunion.

 We camped along the way which was fun, challenging, but fun. And when I say we camped, I mean Emily and Tamara did all the work (tent maintenance and fire starting) while I made sure the bears stayed away ;)

I am beyond blessed to have these girls in my life. Tamara and Emily (as well as Kari and Kelsey who couldn't make the trip) are my life-long friends. We have been together since high school and I believe with all my heart that we will be together through the rest of our lives. We have a bond that is unbreakable--regardless of time, distance, or life situations. These are the girls I call in distress, these are the girls I call when something overwhelmingly great has happened, and these are the girls I call when I want to talk about the new episode of Parenthood I just watched (oops, I just disclosed a title!). I love them with all my heart and am so thankful for their friendship. They are truly a breath of fresh air for me.

"Two are better than one... If either of them falls down one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up" (Ecc 4:9-10). I'm so glad I have these girls to pick me up.


 As we gazed upon the different beaches and the magnanimous Redwoods I was struck not just by the beauty of it all, but by the enormity and the grandeur of it it as well. To be in raw creation like that is so very humbling and so very comforting all at the same time. Away from man-made skyscrapers and iphones, eight-lane highways and shopping malls I was able to not only breathe more clearly, but think more clearly. I was able to receive thoughts like: these waves and these waters were here millions of years ago, at the beginning of it all and I am still able to see them today, and that is so very precious. And: God can hear every wave that I hear and knows every living thing that dwells in the depths of the darkest part of this ocean, and that is so very awesome. To think that we have a Creator that pays such close attention to detail, that knows every rock, every wave, and the name of every star, and still cares to know all about ME is pretty amazing. To be reminded of that is quite the breath of fresh air.

While looking at vistas such as these, I was constantly reminded of Chris Tomlin's song, "Indescribable":
From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same

Top Ten

I have been looking for a way to publish some of these amazing pictures that one of my best friends took of Bruce and I the other day--she is so talented! As I was brainstorming, I realized that I would love to document my feelings on marriage (seeing as I'm trying to be better at documenting as seen in this post)
So here it is:

 I LOVE BEING MARRIED! 

More specifically, I love being married to Bruce. Here are my top 10 compelling reasons why: 

 

 1.      I’ll start with the obvious—we look good together.

 

2.      We offset each other’s personalities. Perfectly.

3.      He loves our dog, Dexter, as he would a son. It’s adorable to watch their interactions; I know with every fiber of my being that he will be a fabulous father one day.

4.      We stand by each other in everything: good times, bad times, decisions, milestones, hardships, celebrations, and heartbreak.

5.      He can make me feel as if I am the only one in the room; that I am more than enough for him; that I am beautiful; that no one else can compare. That is powerful.

6.      We have already come so far together: from Farmville, Virginia to Puyallup, Washington; from college student to twenty-something-career holders; from lost souls to Christ seeking believers. There is no one else’s hand I would want to hold through all of our future travels.

7.      In the good times (to be fair, there are bad times, but the good make up 90%) he makes me feel as if we live a fairy tale.

8.      Staci Eldridge said, “We [women] desire to possess a beauty that is worth pursuing, worth fighting for, a beauty that is core to who we truly are. We want beauty that can be seen; beauty that can be felt; beauty that affects others; a beauty all our own to unveil.” Bruce makes me feel that beauty and worthy of pursuit.

9.      I love our life together. I love our house, our yard, our dog-child, our story, our journey, and our future.

       

                                       

10.  Both of our eyes look up upon Christ. The heart of our marriage is centered on Him, and that truly makes all of the difference. It’s amazing to love a man whose heart is after God.

God sure knew what he was doing when he declared, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,  and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one.  Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate" (Mark 10:7-9).
And I'm so glad He did.

If you are as dazzled with my good friend Emily Todd's photography as we are, please let me know and I will get you her contact information.