The Beach

I got to spend this past week at the beach, and I loved it. It's one of my favorite places to be.

Maine

I went to Maine a couple weeks ago, and it was so lovely. I loved the variety of the scenery we saw, and also the opportunity to take out my camera! I haven't been taking many pictures in the past several months, but I enjoyed taking lots in Maine. I thought you all might like to see a few:

Right Now

I almost never post about my life. About what's going on with me. About what I've been doing and thinking. I'm glad that I don't, because really, who would want to read about every detail of my life? I'm just not that important. So if you don't want to read about my life, I totally sympathize with you and I release you to skip this post!

But the reason I want to write about my life today is that, while my blog does give a picture of my life to some degree, you could read this blog and think that all I ever did was look at great design and blog about it. That's just not true. And because this blog is my own little internet place as well as a place for sharing things, I want to add this slice of the pie in to bring my blog a bit closer to showing who I am. I certainly don't plan to do this often, but today is a day I wanted to.

My life lately has been very full. I think that's the only good word I can find to describe it. I haven't been pulling-my-hair-out busy, but I've been busy enough. I've been doing school work, including reading from a big art history textbook.

I've been taking a few exams, playing violin, staying involved in my church, learning to draw (and taking self portrait photos in preparation for drawing one!), spending time with friends...and in my few minutes of spare time, enjoying reading Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke.

50 cent copies of Dwell magazine are a treat (and lovely for cutting up).

My mind has been fairly busy lately too. During the past few months, God has been doing things in my heart, mainly teaching me that...

+ He is good no matter what and such a faithful friend.
+ A lot of things change, sometimes in ways I don't prefer. But God never changes.
+ I can be content because I have Jesus.
+ He holds my future and no path will be too dark since he will be with me.

There have been things that have been hard for me these past few months, but it has been a time that God has been meeting me in the midst of the challenges. One thing I started doing a few weeks ago that has really benefited me is journaling as part of my morning quiet times.

I write out quotes and Scriptures I read, I write out thoughts and ponderings, and sometimes I write out my prayers. For me, there's nothing like writing to get my thoughts going. Sometimes I have very little to say, but other times my pen just starts taking off and I've written a whole page before I know it. It's been a great way to get my thoughts down and remind myself of what's true about God.

So that's a little snippet of life these days. What's been going on in your lives?

Black and White Photos

Some photos in black and white from the last year and a half or so. Just browsing through old pictures and picking ones I like to make into black and white (which is a look I love). Not all of them are wonderful photographically, but they're photos I like. I used my favorite black and white action, Inkwell from Dbox's Instagram set. Take a peek if you'd like and tell me what you think!

[vintage cameras: antique store]

[vintage bottles: antique store]

[ryman auditorium: nashville, tennessee]

[salvage storefront: nashville, tennessee]

[glasswares: corning, new york]

[glass fiber bowl: corning, new york]

[black and white cookie sign: corning, new york]

[pretty fern: corning, new york]

[shadow in the grass: friend's backyard]

[waterfall: corning, new york]

[arches, national cathedral: washington, d.c.]

[column capital, national cathedral: washington, d.c.]

[ceiling, national cathedral: washington, d.c.]

[feet, flower, and top of sewer: neighborhood]

[lifeguard chair: rehoboth beach, delaware]

[vintage typewriter: home]

[trolley car: glen echo park]

[peaches: old town kensington]

[book pages: home]

[hot chocolate and biscotti: home]

[door, epcot park, disney world: orlando, florida]

[converse and tiles, epcot park, disney world: orlando, florida]

[coca cola cooler, epcot park, disney world: orlando, florida]

[orange world: kissimmee, florida]

[horseshoe crab: naples, florida]

[footprints: naples, florida]

[converse on the beach: naples, florida]

[seagulls and sunset: naples, florida]

[korean sesame noodles: home]

[ocean and pier: nags head, north carolina]