thoughts this week...

*this week God told me to fast from a few things and these are my thoughts after a week of clarity.

1. I love the ocean and all that it encompasses. It truly is a blessing to have grown up by the sand. I found myself by the ocean a lot this week : manhattan, hermosa, and even san clemente, laguna... and I fall in love with it every time. The sand, the cold California water, the clarity that comes from a place so distinctly designed by God...there is no doubt that the ocean has been gifted to us to bring us back to all that really matters.

2. Phones are nice when used wisely. By this I mean, good, quality, i'm-in-the-car-for-2 hours-in-traffic-i-need-my-best-friend type of phone usage. This week I was blessed with a handful of these phone calls all with people I deeply miss and love. There is nothing like hearing the voice of one of your bff's and having the freedom to rant about jobs (or lack there of), marriage (yes very real in my case), where our next reunion will be (napa? tahoe?), and the occasional embarrassing post-grad moment (just ask Anneke lol). But in all seriousness, I made it a priority this week to hear the voices of the people I hold dear to my heart and it made my week so rich, so full, and so encouraging.

3. Babies are awesome but hard to take care of. I am around babies a lot. These babies are named Camden, Lenya, and there is one big baby named Hunter. This past week I have realized how much goes into raising a kid and how much they take on from the adults around them. When you're around kids, you realize how faulty your language and actions are sometime (because they are like parrots and repeat all you say and do) and it causes you to pause and reflect upon the example you are setting. This is challenging but extremely refining and rewarding to be given the responsibility of impacting another humans life.

4. God is our validation. Always. Was that a good picture? Does this outfit look nice? Was that the right decision? Am I a fun person? Is my life adventurous enough? We are always seeking validation from our friends, co-workers, instagram followers, fb friends, family members, strangers on the street (nice ombre). What we REALLY need is to be reminded that JESUS CHRIST is our validation ALWAYS. He has paid our debt in full and we have been redeemed. He is our teacher. He is our confidence. He is our provider. He is where we find our worth. He validates our life and everything about it.

*Also that dog up there belongs to two of my favorite people, the Zimmers (Kate and Brad) and her name is Cali and she is just the cutest little/big pup I ever did see.

I would have been despaired unless I had believe that I would SEE THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING. Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord. - psalm 27.