fruit in the summer

why is summer so wonderful? other than the beautiful warm sun, lazy saturday afternoons and long days in santa monica, this is the time when all the best fruit ripens and gets really, really cheap. especially at the old town newhall farmer's market. the best friend and i decided to brave the 102 degree thursday afternoon heat and pick up something yummy for the week. definitely a good plan.

i have a feeling i know where we'll be on thursday nights from now on...

 nectarines: yum. 

berries, berries everywhere...

pretty wildflowers.

on the road...again.

i love car rides.
i hate filling up my tank (seriously, los angeles?? $4.46 a gallon!?)
this smile is fake.

but i still love car rides.
i think the fault lies with my mom and dad.
they threw us kids in the car, despite our whining for a majority of our childhood to simply: drive.
i think we hated it back then, especially me.
all the siblings could read in the car but i got extremely nauseous.
i learned to stare out the window and make up stories to myself, and as a teen i learned to plug in my ipod.

now i pack light and leave early.
put on country music, pack yummy salty/sweet foods and chat with the best friend.
driving and i?
have a great relationship, now.

especially when you throw in one of these.

Music: Monday.

my mama showed me this song on saturday, as we drove around the little town i call home.
yes.
it's sentimental, and sad.
and a little cheesy.
but i love it, and i'm realizing now how much i am going to miss my home in the country.
los angeles just doesn't compare.

sound of a million dreams - david nail

graduation. little brother's, that is.

i cannot believe that david has finally graduated. he went from tiny and dorky to...tall and dorky. i love it. he's become one of my greatest friends, and has definitely increased my prayer life.

you've come a long way, nerd.
excited to see what you'll do next.
love, your big sister

good morning, you're home!

after a long, long drive up I-5 (more to come later!) on the way to little brother's graduation (you'll see this later too...) the best friend and i were ready to sleep. 

for a long, long time. 

and we did. 

until dad woke us up at 8am to get the day started. with little siblings. and coffee. and toast. 

i am definitely home. 

 comfort food. 

 the baby and his breakfast.

coffee date with the littlest Kraft kids.

thankful.

just a quick little note about me: i hate tuesdays. i can make it through a monday, excited to see friends again and sit at my desk. i can get a coffee and smile through an eight hour work day. but tuesdays?
that's when you realize you're stuck, right at the beginning of the week.

since i get to hang out with my family this weekend, it feels as if every hour drags by.
so i thought to keep away the tuesday blues, i should write down something i'm thankful for.
it keeps my head on straight, and helps me to be happy with what God has given me.
this week?

i am thankful for my great-grandma.
i called her up this afternoon, and she was so excited just to sit and chat for a couple of minutes. in my whole life, i have never hung up the phone without her telling me how proud she is, and how much she loves me. i have been so blessed to have a relationship with this crazy lady. she has weathered all the storms of life, and still manages to dance in the living room. i love her for it.

Music: Monday.

i have never been able to get over this song.

it was a break up song, then a get on with your life song, and now? 

I just love it.  

green river ordinance - on your own

a (kind of) lazy sunday.

it's on days like this that i love living in la. it was just hot enough to wear new shorts and red sandals, but not too warm that i couldn't drag my best friend down to hollywood. we spent the day walking melrose avenue and having a late lunch at cellar55. where, i might add, they have homemade lemonade.
yum.
before heading home, we made a quick trip down westchester to sneak a peek at the creepy, "american horror story" house, (since i am eagerly awaiting season two in october) and poor shannon had to shoot a million pictures.
yes. it's just as creepy in person.
even though next week we will be up in northern california, i can't help but be excited for another sunday in the city.

here are a couple of my favorite moments.

a surprise "flash" promo, complete with free t-shirts and original costumes :)

the beautiful hollywood sunset... 

 cellar55. great best friend date. 

 hollywood glamour - in real life. 

 homemade lemonade. 

the scariest house ever. roommate...we need to go!! 

Music: Monday.

this is a nerdy/childish/dorky music video. everyone who was actually conscious in the nineties (not just born) will laugh at the utter cheesiness of the whole thing. it always manages to make me smile.
it's from the cartoon 'anastasia,' which was one of my favorite movies when i was a little girl, and  today is definitely one i really wanted to be a kid again. it was my first day at work as a post-graduate...and i found out something very valuable.

nine to five? doesn't sit well with me.

so here's song that makes me think i'm six again. enjoy. 

a day for mama.

i am so thankful for my crazy mama. she's definitely the most encouraging, intelligent, and godly woman i know. (and yes, i went to master's. i know a lot of great ladies.) she answers the phone any time of the day (sometimes even at night) and always knows how to make my tears go away.

sadly, today i don't get to give my mom a hug. she's six hours north, and i'm stuck in l.a.. so i thought i would write out a couple reasons why my mama is so amazing...

*her laugh lights up her face and makes everyone smile*
*she encourages in absolutely everything*
*she sets me straight when i'm wrong*
*my greatest defender*
*phenomenal writer (onto book #2!)*
*perfect example of a loving wife*
*will eat peanut butter + chocolate ice cream any time of the day*
*her stories make me happy*
*our marathon phone calls make any day better*
*her strength = inspirational*
*makes a new best friend on every plane flight*
*loves pancakes and brown sugar*
*excited for new adventures*
*likes curvy roads + dad*
*never settles for less*
*proverbs31*
*loves her well read/used bible*

this is much too tiny a list for my favorite lady. i am so blessed to have such an amazing woman in my life, especially as my mom. thankful for the past twenty years, and looking forward to many, many more.
love you, mom.

(A Moment on Friday)

it's graduation day, and i'm up early waiting for the family (and sending in term papers...) even with all my wonderful friends here at the school, it's still my mom I can't wait to hug, and my dad I'm excited to see. i'm thinking there's going to be a lot of little sibling smiles and laughter...

it's going to be a good day. 

another beginning.

tomorrow is graduation. it won't be my first, definitely not my last. but this time it feels real. this time, it's college. tomorrow night i'll walk across a stage in front of a couple thousand people and get a degree. it's one i've struggled for, cried over, and dreamed of since i was a little girl flipping through harvard pamphlets. i didn't quite make it to an ivy league school, but i've had the amazing opportunity to attend the master's college. two years have gone by so fast. i've had the opportunity to fall in love with los angeles and make some beautiful friends. my professors have been supportive and kind, my textbooks exceedingly long and expensive. but it's college, right? it's all part of the experience.

and now it's almost over. 

tonight is the last night with my roommate, my last night in a dorm. i giggled over pizza and silly wedding shows, packed my room, unplugged my alarm clock. on monday i start my first professional job as a college graduate. in january i move to tennessee to attend utk for their social psychology program. to think tomorrow night is only the beginning of all these changes...

i am so thankful for the life God has given me, and the plans he has for the future. 

and i think i'm ready. 

ready for graduation, 2012. 

Music: Monday.

i cannot be the only person obsessed with this amazing singer: gotye? hello? anyone heard of him? he only happens to be number one on spotify with his off-kilter hit, 'somebody that i used to know.'

gotye's eccentricities are bound up within his astounding musical ability and intense surgical precision. each instrument blends into the next, despite the crazy overflow of percussion. his vocals are understated, and thus harmonize flawlessly with the quirky beat. 

here's a little taste of his musical genius..

thankful for the little ones...

i'm always nervous to sing on sunday mornings. yes, i know my audience only consists of elementary school kids, but it's still intimidating! i'm always nervous that i'll hit the wrong note and they'll skewer me with their big baby eyes...that i'll become a worship pariah and hated sunday school teacher. ugh. 

yet every week i am overwhelmingly blessed by the little children i am supposed to be serving. they come to church full of life and excited to praise the lord, lifting their hands like mommy and daddy and crooking their arms around their 'bestie' of the moment. before i even have the chance to get nervous, they fill in my croaky good-morning voice, off tune stops and starts and pitchy momentswith their sweet song. the room becomes filled with beautiful little girl/boy worship. what joy our lord must have in these children.