Saturday, December 31, 2011

Ring out the old, ring in the new!




The sun sets on the old year. I cannot believe that the new year will be here in 5 hours. I look back on this crazy year and realize that I am one year older and in some ways, wiser. It was full of sad endings, new beginnings, and everything in between. I am incredibly grateful and can say that I have no regrets. That's something, right?

Things have been insane recently. I have felt far from myself, far from God at times, far from where and who I want to be. But today I'm on the up and up, as Relient K would say. I have a good feeling about this next year! And I hope you all can say the same. Hopefully in the coming weeks I'll be able to post more about my Christmas with the fam. Happy new year! :)


Friday, December 16, 2011

Pause.

So it looks like the photo challenge isn't progressing the way I thought it would...it just doesn't make me excited like the first one did. So I'm going to take a break and see how things go in a couple weeks. But I'll still post here and there :)

Sunday, December 11, 2011

running on empty.

"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water."
Psalm 63:1


Man. This verse has been going through my head over and over again this week. I felt like I needed to re-fuel, so I kept looking for people to hang out with. But that is not what I really needed. I think sometimes I'm afraid to be alone and do nothing. Not that I don't like being alone, but at this point in my life it's often a time where my thoughts betray me and I end up working myself into a mess. I'm learning to seek God consistently in these times.

Right now, work embodies everything that I haven't done yet in my life. And on top of that, I've turned it into a barrier. Honestly, I could quit right now. But then my mind follows that train of thought until it crashes into the mountain of reality; "You look better if you're employed when you apply for jobs. You're making money. What else would you do? You have nothing else to do..." And so on. But then there is a tiny voice that creeps in saying, "who cares?" I wish it was easier to discern God's voice from my own. Maybe I should take mine off of loudspeaker.

If it weren't for the people I work with, I don't know what I would do. I am so thankful for the people in my life. And it really isn't a bad job at all, I'm just...tired. But the kind of tired that creates a restless soul.

At least tomorrow starts a new photo challenge! Get excited.






Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Solitude.



"There are days when solitude is a heady wine that intoxicates you with freedom, others when it is a bitter tonic, and still others when it is a poison that makes you beat your head against the wall."

-Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

Sunday, December 4, 2011

sounds and silence.


I love these blue snowflakes that light our porch.

I have not really been present lately. So many things I'm unsure about. I'm getting sick of the chase. Will hopefully start another photo challenge soon, if I ever have time. Hope you all are well! The end.


Thursday, December 1, 2011

A Day in Denver.

Yesterday I was invited to go gallivanting around Denver with my friend Mike. We took the bus down and I forgot how much I enjoy bus rides. After grabbing some coffee, we found some sweet painted walls, sculptures, and architecture. And afterwards, we started the winter beer tour at Old C's and grabbed a truffle or two at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Haha. All in all a fun and successful trip. I'm liking Denver the more I hang out there.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Day 30: Self-Portrait




Last day! Woo! This picture reminds me that I need a hurr-cut. Maybe sometime soon-ish...

This month has been a collection of good friends, food, and family. It went by so fast that I don't really know what happened. But now I have entries and pictures to remind me :)

So the challenge is completed. Again thank you guys for taking the time to look at my pictures and share my life with me! Now I'm going to find something to do outside since it's so gorgeous out. Have a good day :)

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

To be, or not to be.

Today I'm thankful for hazelnut lattes, bookstores, new jeans, laughter and ice cream.

Tomorrow: day off and laundry. I have to turn in my Berlin application by Sunday, and I still don't know if I want to go. ehhhh. I want to go to Europe someday, but I don't want to unintentionally use the mission trip as a vehicle for my personal desires. But how can you tell something like that? Honestly, I don't know if I belong on either trip. We shall see what transpires in the next few days.

Night :)

Day 29: Black & White



I think wood burning is one of my new favorite hobbies. Thanks Michael :)

On the top of the jewelry box I have "You make beautiful things out of the dust...", and I drew some other stuff on the sides. Now I think I might be addicted. I had to stop myself from adding other useless doodles all over it. Haha. Originally I had another picture of the box with my face in the mirror, but I figured that since tomorrow's picture is a self-portrait, that might be overdoing it. But it looked pretty cool, if I do say so myself... :)

The lyrics are from this song called "Beautiful Things" by Gungor, which always makes me happy when I listen to it. If you haven't heard it, take a listen!



Also, I can't believe the challenge is over tomorrow! It's been fun thinking in pictures. I'm going to start another one for sure, but I think I might take a week break so I don't get burned out. I don't know how many people actually read this blog that I've given the address too, but I really appreciate you guys taking this photo blog journey with me and giving me support and encouragement. :) It means a lot!! I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Monday, November 28, 2011

"If we hold on tight, we'll hold each other together...

...and not just be some fools rushing to die in our sleep."

Sometimes I'm afraid that I'll never find what I'm supposed to be doing in life. All those inspirational quotes about dreaming big feel just out of my reach, like they alienate instead of inspire.

What would I be happy doing for the rest of my life? I have absolutely no idea. But it seems like my list of what I don't want to do is getting longer and longer.

 I'm continually learning about trust. and patience. and peace.

Day 28: Flowers


The only flowers that exist in our vicinity are the ones inside our kitchen window. Which is convenient for the purposes of my picture-taking.


My mood is reflected in the overcast weather today. Which is strange, because normally I love this kind of weather. The way the clouds are ribbed and layered over a thin slice of white and bright blue looks pretty sweet, though.

Day 27: From a Distance



Can't beat that blue sky.
  
 I may or may not have been driving while taking this picture...skill? Maybe. Stupidity? Probably.


Today was a great day. Family time, wood burning, knitting, free massage, coffee and good time spent with friends. Love it.


 Also, we put our Christmas tree up today. Those LED lights are intense...but cool when they shine on the wall. Sometimes I just like to come sit by the tree at night and think. I'm getting excited for Christmas!


I wish I had more to say, but that's about it. Goodnight!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Day 26: Close-up


Man, I am tired. I feel like I just want to sit and stare at a wall for awhile. I blame retail. Lately I just feel like there is so much I want to do and so many people I want to see, but not enough time. Ironic that my picture is of a clock then...that wasn't my initial intention. I actually wanted to take a picture at work, but they didn't work out like I wanted them to. Oh well! I can't believe this challenge is almost over. Then I suppose it's on to the next one :) Night all!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Day 25: Something Pink



I don't really own a lot of pink things, I've realized. I have a pink hula hoop from childhood days past, which was in the running, but then I looked up and saw my folding umbrella mobile that my sister gave me! It's pretty fun. So in case you were wondering if I went to all the effort to hang a folding umbrella from a string, the answer is no. Unfortunately I'm not that cool. :)

Alright, off to work Black Friday. Hopefully all the crazies are gone by now...but I doubt it! Have a good one!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Giving Thanks. (Day 24: Animal)

Dear friends,

Thank you for the blessing of your friendships. I am so thankful that I know you, and I couldn't have asked for more solid people in my life. You each have impacted my life uniquely and irreplaceably, and I am so grateful. I love you all!

As far as other things to be thankful for...the endless love, grace and blessings of an incredible God; my amazing family and their love and support; a job and lovely co-workers; more than enough to live comfortably; good physical health; and a bunch of little things that make me happy to be alive...laughter, sunshine, sweatshirts, good food, coffee, books, and taking pictures, to name a few.

Speaking of taking pictures, today I had to take a picture of an animal. Is it morbid that the animal was dead? Or even more morbid that it looks delicious? Haha :)



And I have yet another picture of an adorable baby. This is my niece Ellie, and she has the most lively facial expressions that I've ever seen. Her eyes are bright and beautiful. These are two of my favorite from the day!




And this was just a cool picture of our backyard tree as the sun was going down.




And finally, a Thanksgiving compilation :)...monkey bread and grandma's rolls on the bottom. I joked with my mom that those will be the only dishes my kids will have for Thanksgiving, because those are the only ones I make for our family on this day. Haha.



I hope you all enjoy your loved ones today, and may you have numerous blessings to count! :)

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Day 23: Sunflare



I've been at the Orchard mall for the past week practically. Haha. I had to run some errands today, so I brought my camera and snapped a pic amongst the running children and lounging parents. There is also that nifty little train that goes around the mall, and I always imagine how funny it would be to see a 22-year-old riding the train with a bunch of 3 and 4-year-olds. Maybe someday. I imagine it was strange enough to see someone walking around the mall with a camera.


Anywho, I came home and my nephew was so cute that I just had to take a billion pictures of him. As hard as it was, I only picked one to put on here. But it's a darn cute one. 



See what I mean? Adorable.


Thanksgiving is tomorrow! Woo! I'm excited. For now though, it's off to work. Won't be home till late. Night all :)


Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Day 22: Hands



Tonight, a few friends that I have from college got together at a nearby bar/restaurant called The Cheeky Monk. It was so good for all of us to catch up and just enjoy being together again. They mean a lot to me and they make up a huge chunk of college! I got them to humor me by taking a hands picture :). We are each holding a glass from a sampler that I got. Which was delicious. You can see a picture of a sampler in the back left as well.

Crazy how time flies.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Day 21: Faceless Self-Portrait



The Chronicles of Narnia = amazing. Enough said. It took me forever to finally read them, but when I did, I fell in love. C.S. Lewis has a gift for writing.

Off to have coffee. May write more later :) Hope you're all having a great day!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Day 20: Bokeh

When I initially was looking through the challenge, I didn't know what bokeh (pronounced both as boh-kay or boh-ka) was. So I looked it up:

"In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or 'the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light.'" -Wikipedia




It's actually a really cool technique and I would love to learn more about it. These, if you couldn't guess, are the Christmas trees at the Orchard mall not too far from my house. Really pretty. And the background of my blog is bokeh as well!

Lunch in Loveland, delicious sushi for dinner, went to theMILL, and went and took this picture. All in good company...mind the last one, since I was by myself. I would write more, but right now I am tired emotionally and physically, confused about some things, and ready for bed. Late nights never do my mind good. Also, I work tomorrow at 9am, so sleep sounds good right about now. Till tomorrow!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Day 19: Something Orange



As you've seen from my previous entry with 12 scarves, I love scarves. So since I already had my camera at work, why not find something orange? :)



Also, Audrey and I decided to take a couple pictures after we closed for the night. One of the many reasons why I love Audrey. Don't worry, no couches or pillows were seriously harmed in the taking of these photos.



We have decided to do an epic/ridiculous picture every Saturday night that we close together. This should be fun. :)

Goodnight!

The Journey of Desire.

So I've been reading a book lately called The Journey of Desire: Searching for the Life We've Only Dreamed of by John Eldredge. And I love it and could relate to it a lot. Here is the synopsis from Amazon.com:

"Sometimes it seems we just can't get what we want. Circumstances thwart our best-laid plans. We struggle to live a heartfelt life. Worst of all, says Eldredge, the modern church mistakenly teaches its people to kill desire (calling it sin) and replace it with duty or obligation (calling it sanctification). As a result, at best Christians tend to live safe, boring lives of resignation. At worst, their desire eventually breaks out in destructive ways such as substance abuse, affairs, and pornography addictions. In The Journey of Desire, Eldredge invites readers to rediscover God-given desire and to search again for the life they once dreamed of."

This may speak to you, and this may not. If it does, read on! I decided to include some of my favorite quotes from it in this post (I apologize, I forgot to write down the page numbers...guess you'll just have to read it to find them!):



"Endless invention, endless experiment,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;
Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.
Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?"

-T.S. Eliot

"'I thought the best way for a person to live is to keep his desires to a minimum so that he will be prepared to serve God.'"

"We hide our true desire and call it maturity."

"Remember, we will make an idol of anything, especially a good thing. So distant now from Eden, we are desperate for life, and we come to believe that we must arrange for it as best we can, or no one will. God must thwart us to save us."

"No matter how hard we try, no matter how clever our plan, we cannot arrange for the life we desire."

"God must take the heaven we create, or it will become our hell."

"How do we except that it can't be done with an open heart? How do we sustain desire in the face of ongoing failure and loneliness? It all depends on what we do with hope."

 "We are never living, but hoping to live; and whilst we are always preparing to be happy, it is certain, we never shall be so, if we aspire to no other happiness than what can be enjoyed in this life."

-Pascal

"Our imagination so powerfully magnifies time, by continual reflections upon it, and so diminishes eternity...for want of reflection, that we make a nothing of eternity and an eternity of nothing."

-Pascal



It's just a nice reminder that our desires are there for a reason, and they should be pursued. Because they will lead us to what really matters, and Who will really satisfy. Anyways, take what you will from this post! Picture to come later :)

Day 18: My Shoes


Hello all,

What a day. Long day at work, but a fun night watching movies. I got to see Puss in Boots, which was ok, but then we watched Little Shop of Horrors, which was hilarious, and Airplane...also hilarious. I forgot how much I love that movie. I haven't just sat and watched multiple movies in...too long. Overall a great end to the night.

Today was a picture of my shoes. I decided to take a picture of my most recent pair of shoes, which are some boots that I love. I'm not one to get super obsessed about shoes, but when I buy some, I get excited over them. :)

I'm super tired. I hope you all have had a good day! Full speed ahead tomorrow!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Day 16: Long Exposure / Day 17: Technology

All caught up!

I'm liking long exposure shots a lot. This is a shot of the intersection near my house...I like the lights from the car turning.


 
And today, is a picture of technology. Can you believe I was actually able to find a cassette tape? Not only have the music players changed, but my taste in music has seemed to have changed as well...even though Strawberry Shortcake was pretty hip back in the day. :) I'm pretty sure we still have a set of scented Strawberry Shortcake dolls that STILL smell like strawberry and other assorted fruits.





Today I was reminded of my love-hate relationship with yoga, got to walk around Pearl, grab a drink at Old C's, and watch the ever-classic Braveheart to wind down the night. All with great people. And now, bed!


"Feel I'm on the verge of some great truth,
where I'm finally in my place.
But I'm fumbling still for proof,
and it's cluttering my space,
casting shadows on my face."

-Alexi Murdoch, "Wait"

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Day 13: Sunset / Day 15: Silhouette

Hopefully falling behind won't be a habit...


I'm a sucker for sunsets. And sunrises, back when I used to work really early.




Silhouette of birds! Pretty self-explanatory.


Tomorrow I'll catch up completely! Ideally. :) Today was a great day spent in Boulder catching up with people! And I also got some down-time to read in Starbucks. They had Christmas music and surprisingly, I enjoyed it. It was cold outside, warm inside, and I was reading a great book.


Realization today: I'm being taught over and over again that I can't arrange my life the way that I want it. I'm not God. Seems obvious, but for so long I've been trying to control aspects of my life because I felt that it wouldn't happen otherwise. For example, relationships. But I end up pursuing so much that it gets run into the ground. I'm left feeling drained for trying so hard for nothing, and wondering why things aren't working out. The truth is, I shouldn't try so hard. Let it go, and let it be. It's not easy, but it needs to be a daily reminder for sure.


And that is all for tonight. Goodnight :)

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Untitled.

As I was typing the word "untitled", I realized that I've always read that word and pronounced it in my head as "un-in-titled". Strange. It's like those words that you read and think they sound one way, then you hear someone pronounce the same word as you're looking at it and you have a epiphany (my specific example would be 'coiff'). Maybe that's just me.

Anyways, all that is to say that I don't have a picture for you today. Today was a looooooong day. I took some pictures on my work break, but wasn't too happy with them. But come tomorrow, I'll redeem myself. Hopefully.

Goodnight friends.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Day 14: Eyes



Today I had to take a picture of eyes. My little brother has the coolest green-hazel eyes, so they were my first pick. Unfortunately I can't do a sunset tonight either, because I work close again. I guess we'll try tomorrow! Woo! One thing I'm learning about photography is that it's not so much about how you take the picture, but how you edit it. It's amazing how editing can save a picture.

Hope you all are enjoying your mornings :)

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Adventures in Estes.


Dear friends. I apologize that I do not have a sunset picture for you. But what actually transpired today was worth a lot more to me than keeping track of a schedule of pictures! Went to Estes with my good friend Michael, and we took some sweet pictures, checked out all the shops, and enjoyed some coffee. All in all a successful trip. I also got a free glass-blown prayer stone from this kind shop owner! I was going to buy it and he said "oh I'm sorry, a prayer is meant to be given away, please take it!" And I tried to accept it as graciously as possible. I'm a little awkward with those things. It was so awesome though, and I was extremely grateful...one of those moments that made me really appreciate people's kindness! Afterwards we went to theMILL, and then I went to a work meeting. The work meeting was made when I first got there and my friend gave me a surprise present of jewelry!! It could've been a rock with an inside joke on it and I still would've loved it, but it was amazing all the same. Love her :)

Anyways, here is a glimpse into our Estes trip...







 
Practicing long exposure tips from my friend Jake!







 So good. Love Estes, love friends, love today.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Day 12: Me With 12 Things



Hello! Man, today was a busy day. Hence why I'm just now posting at 11:22pm. Today was initially supposed to be a picture of a sunset and tomorrow, the 13th, was supposed to be me with 13 things. But since I worked today from 2-10pm, there was no chance of a sunset picture. Therefore today, the 12th, is me with 12 things...and tomorrow will be the sunset! Problem solved. I actually have a thing for even numbers, so it worked out doing 12 things on the 12th instead of 13 on the 13th :).

Anyways, I love scarves a lot...I have a total of 15 scarves. It's a combination of made, bought, and gifts. Gotta love 'em. I'm thinking I should wear all of them at the same time more often...fashionable, no? Definitely warm.

Highlights of the day: visiting my friend Hannah at the darling store that she works at, working the sample table at work and working with a bunch of awesome people, and pushing my friend Audrey on a flattop cart down the aisles after close. Pretty sure I haven't laughed that hard in a looooong time. So good. Tomorrow, Estes! Can't wait! Goodnight :)

Friday, November 11, 2011

Day 11: Something Blue


Another fun fact of mine is that blue is my favorite color. Today my 'something blue' is my new yarn that I just bought! I finished off the other yarn already. Someday I'll put a picture of the scarf/cowl/neckwarmer I finished yesterday. Someday. Anyways, Started off the day with breakfast at Chick-Fil-A. Probably one of my favorite places to go. Got to catch up with a friend, which is always good. Then I got to drag him to Michael's to look at yarn, (*insert joke about me being 80 here*). Needless to say, I think I convinced him to start knitting :).

Now it's off to coffee with some lovely friends from church. Then, just chillin'. Maybe a post to come later. Adios friends! :)

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Day 10: A Childhood Memory


This was fun. This morning I hunted through stuff in my room and found my Polly Pockets! It made me smile. This zoo one was one of my favorites, mainly because the bear was cute and fuzzy. And I found my Polly Pocket doppelgänger...sort of. :) Polly Pockets have now morphed into larger little dolls that you can dress. Personally I think these are cooler. While looking through my bucket of Polly Pockets, I realized that I did used to have an imagination; I even remembered some of the stories I would make up for each one. And that I must have had mad skills to try and fit every little piece in those little containers. That alone probably took up at least a half hour. Ah, the memories.

 As far as knitting, I made a hat! I was so surprised at how easy it was. I decided to do a hat first, because the cowl will take longer and need a larger loom. I even finger-crocheted a little flower on the side. Bam. :)


Tonight I went to happy hour at Old C's with the hh crew (minus one), and it was so nice to unwind from a long day at work. And I'm off tomorrow! Ah :) Hope you all are well.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Day 9: Someone You Love



This, for those of you who don't know, is my nephew Connor. I love him to pieces...with those green eyes, chipmunk cheeks and awesome hair, how could you not? He is just over 9 months and I can't believe it! I'm lucky enough to see him a couple days a week because my mom babysits him. Always ready with a smile, he makes my day.

I have 4 other nieces and one other nephew ranging from 7 years old to 2 months old, and they are amazing. It's been crazy watching them grow up. I just know I'm going to be one of those crazy aunts who's like, "what grade are you in now? 8th?"..."Aunt Katie I'm 17". I'm going to have to work double-time to keep track.  

Definitely keeps me from having kids for awhile :)

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Such beautiful doubt.



You can upload videos from Youtube onto here! Who knew? I found this song from a commercial...I had never heard of Amos the Transparent, but after listening to some of their other stuff I'm liking them alot.

Random purchase of the day: a plastic knitting loom set. I'm excited. The kit I bought looks like this, except with cooler colors. Don't worry, I was intimidated when I first saw it too. And I'm still curious as to how it works.

Why did I buy this kit, you ask? Well, they say it's only a hop, skip and a jump to 80 from 22, and I want to get a headstart. Also, I want to make one of these:


It's called a cowl, and is like a scarf that never ends...it's just a big loop you put around your neck. I've knitted normal scarves before, but this should be interesting! I'll keep you posted.

And now, friends, I am calling it a night :) Thanks for reading!

Day 8: A Bad Habit

Today is an off day. Let's hope it gets better.


A bad habit of mine is Facebook. Sometimes I'll just open my computer, start typing with the intention to look up something or check my e-mail, and I'll look at the screen and I'll be on facebook. Insert Twilight zone music. So while I'm on the page, why not check it? I know it's only been five minutes, but I've got to have at least one notification by now! And then I'm drawn into looking at pictures and profiles and whatnot for an unnamed amount of time.

The fact that I have 500+ friends and will probably only ever talk to about 50, including family...blows my mind. It annoys me, and yet I can't bring myself to delete some people because I never know when I might want to look at their profile. Or it's those connections like "I went to high school/middle school/elementary school/swim class with them", and me being the nostalgic that I am, I somehow justify not deleting them. Maybe after this I'll go on a deleting spree.

Anyways, that's my bad habit. Sometimes I just deactivate my account for a couple weeks at a time to take a break. Kudos to facebook for holding me accountable to a lot more people than I've ever wanted to be held accountable by. :)

(annoyances aside, I know we all have our things we love about it too...)

Monday, November 7, 2011

Day 7: Fruit






Mmmm...raspberries. For the longest time I would forget the "p" when spelling it. I'm probably not alone on that one.


Today was a great day of hang-out time and cookie-making. My friend Kirsten came over to hang out and got me interested in a new website called Pinterest.com, which is totally awesome and time-consuming. Check it out. I didn't have time between hanging out and work to post this earlier, so here it is! I'm also including a picture of the delicious cookies we made.



What's in it, you ask? Pretzels, chocolate chips, and mini reeses pieces. And yes, it was very good. And easy! Just a basic cookie dough recipe plus the mix-ins. Note: this is not a fruit.

Now it's time for bed. Goodnight! :)