Fireworks: Purple

Oh, hello!

So I had a lovely little adventure the other weekend:  I journeyed to Napa for my cousin's wedding.  And - oh. my. word! - it was so beautiful! 

You might have read about my preparation for the trip here, but that was a bit sardonic.  Now I'll tell you the fun bits of the actual destination. :)

So, we stayed the weekend at Mont La Salle - mission and vineyard.  It was built in the 1930's and there are still "brother's" (basically monks) in residence.  Everything there was so lush and peaceful! 



[Entrance to Mont la Salle]



[Main courtyard - set up here for the reception]

[Beautiful statue of Mary in one of the gardens, the bell-tower (which they did ring for the wedding), and the chapel itself]



[The called my bedroom the "closet room" - but it was actually quite darling!  And looked out over the courtyard and bell-tower]



Saturday was the wedding itself and, as I've said before, I loooove dressing up.  I had decided to go vintage for the occasion and even bought a tilt hat!

 



[A shot of the updo.  I hadn't dne this one before... but I'm pretty sure I could duplicate and perfect it for future events :]





[The finished product]



[My mom and I waiting for the wedding to start]

[Mom + Dad - he picked his tie to match her outfit.  They're cute like that!]

[My cousin Karen and her husband Hunter - lovely couple!]

[The reception... under twinkling lights]

[Dance floor]



[Sparklers to end the night]

It was a fabulous weekend to spend with family and celebrate marriage.  In the words of Captain Jack:  "Weddings!  I love weddings!!"  Seriously, though, it's a joy to be a part of covenant-making and new names.  The celebration reminded me what a significance God places on covenant.  It's a thing almost too beautiful and powerful to handle.  But how worth it to walk through life rooted so deeply in covenant with other people.  That is worth celebrating!

So... sometimes, you have to just give up control completely.

After hopping on an alternate route to work (also known as taking the wrong bus), I found myself on a nearly broken down 244 =/  Being a schemer, my wheels were nearly spinning off as I tried to figure "this bus goes to the freeway, I could catch this bus, but it might be too late. I could get off and run to catch that route......."

As He does, God interrupted my thought process with a loving, "Chill out!"  Right.  The fact is, there's nothing I can do to make this bus work, and really nothing more I can do to get to work on time.  If I'm late, I'm late.  I work a little longer--no big.  Why did I get so wound up again??  Control is an illusion.  Let go... and breathe!

So rather than continue to freak out, I pulled out my book and delved back into the Mines of Moria and rejected the rising 244-tension.  Within minutes, we were at the freeway flier stop and I was transfering busses.  But, it left me just enough time to look to my right and catch a glimpse of Rainier. 

And we still arrived in Bellevue 10 minutes earlier than my regular bus. 

No control and no problems. 

"My rest is a weapon against the opression

of man's obsession to control things..."

- Josh Garrels, The Resistance

Wishing you all a peaceful and control-free day =)

change is good

So, lately I have been considering some pretty big changes in my life. I have been so tired, physically, and just feeling burnt out. My mom helped me to see that I had placed so many demands on myself. Once she pointed it out I caught myself saying, "I have to do ___," several times a day. She would stop me and say, "No. You don't have to do anything. You only have to choose peace." I started asking the Lord what that looked like for me.

And he revealed the answer very quickly:

I'm not going to school next quarter.

Don't freak out. I will still graduate on time (June 2012 :) and I absolutely love school. Its just that, including summer quarter last year, I have been going to school for nearly 1 1/2 straight. I was really getting low on energy and enthusiasm. Not only that, but I was not going to have enough money for this quarter, my taxes, or a potential trip to Oxford (still waiting to hear back... should find out in mid-april).

So this spring my plan is to get a second job, save as much money as possible, read books that the Lord has been putting on my heart, be involved with church more, spend quality time with friends, welcome a beautiful niece, and visit the cherry trees for therapy!

Really, the Lord told me this is going to be a season of rest for me. Despite needing to work quite a bit, He's putting my heart at rest--and I'm so excited! I have been in a routine for so long and now He's taking me on an adventure =)

sunday night...

Sitting in my bed. Happy to be full.

Reading (and cherishing) old blog posts, especially from this time last year.

My "Capri Blue Volcano" candle is spreading joy throughout my room.

Listening to the Will Reagan/Laura Hackett version of "How He Loves."

Thinking about the new year and all that is to come.

Checking up on what I missed on tumblr and fb.

Avoiding my homework :-/

Saying another goodbye. No funsies.

So excited for a breakfast date with a friend tomorrow!

Praying for more compassion and for open eyes.

Content that I'm single. Expecting so many good things =)

Praying about the future. Asking for a dream.

Eager to read Radical (gets here on Tuesday).

So glad for a new week full of incredible possibilities...

I raise my hands once again as the song soars... The keyboard, electric cello, and electric guitar has the crowd swaying when the guitarist pulls out a violin bow and begins to gently slide it across his guitar strings. "Led Zeppelin style," my brother whispers. All I know is it sounds like ecstasy...

Strains of "O holy night" strike my ears and I melt again! Then they start into another song--only this time with xylophones, tambourines, drums, cymbals, ukuleles, and a myriad of other instruments I could not even name. This time it's "Joy to the world." And this time I'm giddy while trying to decide if I want to enjoy the moment or capture it as a video on my phone.

Splicing Christmas Carols, adding hymns, recreating arrangements--the music is simply overpowering. Then one of the artists brings it down. He's on his acoustic now and the music is much simpler once again. "We are still in need of a Savior. America is oppressed--if it is in small ways like our economic crises, or in the injustice of human slavery. We need hope just like the Israelites. And these are our songs of hope..."

"Silent Night" has everyone singing along. peaceful yet profound :)

And I have to sit down at this point--to take it in, and to rest in the peace of the moment...

How do I describe the way the music moves me? These aren't just songs--they are Christmas songs! And not performed any old way... it's worship, pure worship! Music raptures me to somewhere simply indescribable.

This Future of Forestry Christmas Concert reminds of that. Their incredibly-gifted, opening act, Josiah James, reminds me of that. The Sacred Sounds of Christmas Concert I was at just a few weeks ago reminds me of that. Breathtaking! There comes a point as the music crescendos and I just don't want to ever leave... And it makes me so grateful! I'm so grateful that God created a world with music and flavor and color and aromas and sensations--we could have survived without all those things, but He gave them to us anyway! And I'm so happy for that!

And I really do think about all these things as Future of Forestry wraps up another Christmas Carol... :)