Moments

Sunsets and lightning strikes,
Honey-dewed bits of time.
Friends on holiday
take advantage
of summer air, lake,
and verdes--together,
like a free orchestra
for the eyes.
The wonder-seeker
on a student's budget needs
only enough to purchase berries,
baguettes and cheese
to create delight by dusk.
Pedantic conversations
well into the night
leave my soul feeling full.
Poets, political theorists,
pinners and playful children -
I get to count them all as friends.
Reluctant to bid goodbye
to sunny, adventurous days,
no pillow-time till 1 AM.
Or later still.
The mind races, weaving
memories from experiences.
These are moments.
Composed of more than minutes.
Pauses, glances round the table,
cloud watching, walks,
giggles and sighs--
if only we could bottle up
the sensation of summer
to crack open on a grey day
or frigid night.
I cannot say I have regrets.
"What is a weekend?"
But a chance to
sieze those summery days
and make the moments
belong to us.




[pc: Becca]



[via]



Celebrating 1 year on the job, today.  Grateful for my experiences, wishing "cheers" to the future :)

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!

Fireworks - White

Pretty much since the album came out,  Mumford & Son's "I Will Wait" has been the theme song of my season.  Parts of the late fall and winter were extremely difficult - like being caught in a tight space - and my anthem became "I will wait..." [I think I gave that away here and here and even here].  The words spoke hope to me, that someday I would "know my ground."

Well, part of that process has been the desire and the need to discover and create my own place.  I can't quite explain the feeling.  Not just a sense of "it would be great if _______ [I had my own room, more bookshelves, etc.],"  but an urge that this year I must discover who Christ is through me - and that it would require a wider space to cultivate and become.

There's been a process.  There's been a search.  Waiting has become a disposition in the last 8 months - quite a difference between a temporary hold and a distant call. I had been in that tight space, knowing there was a wide open one waiting for me, like I had been waiting for it.

Then, just before Memorial Day Weekend, word came that just that place may exsist.  In between the chorus and the bridge at Mumford Live that weekend, my good friend Cami leaned forward and said, "I think this is the closing of a chapter..."  It was true (for both of us). 


[I will wait...]

 And thus began the summer of becoming. The summer of fireworks [I do apologize for the cryptic posts... but I couldn't talk about this yet].


Now, after hearing and waiting and becoming - it's here and it's real.

This weekend, my best friend and I are moving to a lovely little space near the lake.  She's been in a similar process, and, honestly, this place is more than we could have hoped for.  It's a new beginning.  A white canvas, if you will.


[This isn't a firework (duh), it's just a sparkler... but it's white - and I took the picture :]

 

I can't wait to share more with you (yes, there will be pictures).  But I'm grateful I could finally tell you about this particularyly bold and shimmering firework.

Fireworks: Remember to breathe before the Finale

The one thing about fireworks is that they can be scary and overwhelming.  I knew that when I saw all these "fireworks" just up ahead.  But now they seem to be exploding in every corner of the sky.

I was venting to my dear friend earlier today:

I guess I just always knew that I would hit the "I'm in the middle of a bunch of fireworks going and it's absolutely craaazy!!!" 

She responded with the sweetest encouragement:

In the midst, yes, it sucks and we feel pathetic, and we really would like the show to be over already... but it will be ok, and we'll think, that was the best part of the show, when all the fireworks go off at once. 



[I'm definitely experiencing that "wild" bit]



Oh heavens... it's true! It seems like chaos in the moment, but the finale is the most beautiful and thrilling part.

So today I'm pausing for my breath before the finale.

Nostalgic for Now

The Summer of Becoming... it means abundant weekends and long to-do lists and beautiful memories and tired eyes and sunkissed skin.  Weather-wise, we're having one of those summers in Seattle we only get once every 5 years or so.  It's the summer of #latergram - live through the moment rather than the memory.  I can't tell you how many friends' blogs I follow who just returned from a month-long, unplanned hiatus.  It's a seasoon of both the beautiful and the sublime.


[We are in the good old days, y'all.]


I love Kati's exposition of just one weekend can look like!  This weekend was magic!  I'll have some "professional" photos to post later.  But I thought I'd share some now:



[Rugged floral... styled by Cami]





[View of Mt. Rainier from our ferry]





[I love being on the water!]



[This poster in a bookshop brought me right back to childhood]



[bicycle hunt]





[Boats on Bainbridge!]





[How darling is this little Church?  I totally wanted to sneak up to the steeple!]





[We got to share 30 hours and multiple adventures this weekend... we both agreed it wasn't enough]





[And I got to see this lovely gal and former roommate.  We were wearing matching sweaters + sunnies. Ha!]



Such a fun weekend!

This isn't to say everything's perfect. No, there's time when I think my room, my schedule and my soul are all too crammed. There are times when I feel impatient or like I'm going crazy. My morning alarm reminds me "You can sleep when you're dead." But... even with all the crazy - I'm so aware what this summer embodies. If you find yourself enjoying sunsets or you're busy chasing dreams, if (like me) you're trying to strike the balance between amazing fun with friends and the desire to go on a reading binge, if you are "too hot," "too busy," or "too tired" - remember that this season is unique. For many I've talked too, it's a season like we've never had and probably never will have again. It's one of intense growth and, quite literally, enough memories to last a lifetime.

Our lives are enviable - let's be "nostalgic" for the now.