trees.

trees symbolize something sturdy. they remind us that there is something bigger than us. they show us the creation of what our God is able to do. Making something so huge be so beautiful. growing up, my room was at the front of our house. Just outside my window, across the driveway was my favorite thing in our entire yard... a weeping willow. it never seemed so sad/ weepy to me, but it was a symbol of happiness. of some sort of fairy tale awaiting me just beyond the driveway. wow. thinking about that big beautiful tree brought back images i didn't know i still held onto. (smiling).

a girlfriend of mine... seriously one of the nicest girls in the WORLD (if you meet her you will know i am not exagerating). todd was talking about her yesterday and described her perfectly. he said that she makes you want to be a better person. well... she is a new mom & has come up with a little company she is trying to start called 'rooted'. she is getting ready to launch her new line of organic baby things & mommy things. check out her blog. her etsy shop is going to be up soon too. rootedstudios.blogspot.com her image is the strength of a tree!

everywhere i look i see trees. the last few weeks i have been having a hard time sleeping. this is the product of waking up at 3:30 AM. ugh.

cold tangerines.

random title right? give me a minute & you'll gain a full understanding to my insanity. i am an avid reader. i will read just about anything i can get my hands onto. i am not bias to one genre or another. i love it all. i enjoy the classics like jane eyre, wuthering heights, pride & prejudice. i love non-classics too. i love nicholas sparks. i enjoy reading christian books, ones that inspire me to think deeper about my faith. about my Savior. about myself.

i have a friend... lets call him Jav. because well, that's his name. Jav. he has known me for over half my life. he is one of the few guys in my life who has made me cry, but i deserved it (i was in high school & he was calling me out on something). he has inspired me in ways he has no idea. about 6 years ago he recommended a book that changed my life. a book called 'the blessing' by gary smalley. i saw Jav about a month ago. i was telling him how i loved the book he recommended & have bought it for a number of people in the last 5 years. he said he had another book.

'cold tangerines' by shauna niequist. completely different from the first book, but oh so inspiring. life changing... maybe not, but life inspiring... DEFINITELY. it is a collection of stories in which draw us to the awareness of who God is & how He infuses everything... calling us to live the best possible life we can. it isn't a deep theological book. but it has caused me to think about myself in light of how i allow God to use me & how i examine && live life.

here's a quote at the end of the book: 'that's what i want my life to be, like a well-loved gift. i think life, just life, just breathing in and out, is a great gift. God gives us something amazing when he gives us life, and i want to live with gratitude.'

so here is to a life that makes you want to dance, jump, sing, hope, sizzle, and love with your whole self. it is inspiration to be GREAT!

hume 2009.

our week was full of mimes. clowns. day camp. huckleberry house. staying up way too late. watching insane games. worship. amazing teaching. swimming. running. playing. creating. screaming. watching brothers do stupid stuff. fishing. eating way too much ice cream. crying. laughter. reunions. bike jump. jumping in the lake. boating. you name it... it happened.

july4th.

special day today. hanging out with my sister, jason, todd, kids, jan & chelsea. celebrating the 4th & my dads birthday. sad & fun day. this is my all time favorite holiday all year long.