Home (30 Days of Gratitude)

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 30 

I'm grateful for the homes I have.

Pasadena.

San Luis Obispo.

Fresno.

Northridge.

Yosemite.

I'm grateful for the places and spaces that feel like home to me. The people who I can be myself with. The towns, streets, houses, rivers, and mountains that feel like my own. That feel like they have always been mine. I'm grateful for the people I've been able to share them with, for a moment for a long time.

For the roads I've traveled to be in the places that I love and cherish. The cars that have gotten me there and the music I've listened to along the way. I'm never very far from home then.

Descanso Gardens

About once a month I head over to Descanso Gardens in Glendale for rest, reflection, and Spiritual Direction. I love the change to sit in nature with my camera and be free for a moment. It was also raining before we arrived so the pictures were even better in the cloudy light and fresh rain drops.

Yosemite National Park

Highlights from our family's Glen Aulin Hike and Yosemite trip: 

Metro to Union Station

Winter adventures around Los Angeles. I've never ridden the metro before (shocking I know) so my mom and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and ride the metro down to Union Station and explore downtown LA. It's my preferred way to visit the city now. Here are some photos from the journey.

Los Angeles Photo Adventures

Sometimes I get to venture around the city.

Fresno (30 Days of Gratitude)

I am thankful for the city of Fresno and all that I have seen, heard, and learned from this city. It was here in 2007, when I attended the Fresno Urban Internship where I learned about God's heart for the poor, to fight injustice, his love for the city. It was in this city where God began a work in me to purse reconciliation on all levels. It was in this city where I learned so much of who I was, who God is, and how to love others. It was in this city in 2010 where I met my best friend and twin, Sol. It was through the things I learned here that propelled me to come on InterVarsity staff.

I owe much of who I have grown to be over the past six and half years because I first came to this city in a hot summer in 2007. And I will be eternally grateful.

Friendsgiving (30 Days of Gratitude)

Today I am thankful for a Friendsgiving - complete with early morning grocery store run, pan dulce, watching Friends, cooking a delicious chicken with mac and cheese, stuffing, and potatoes, spending time with the Twin, and enjoying one of my favorite cities.

Listening to 90's music while we cook, enjoying each other's company, enjoying the fruits of our labor and now watching Pitch Perfect after a post-food coma deliciousness.

I'm thankful for food, friendship, and fun.

Fast Cars and the Scorpion King (30 Days of Gratitude)

I had to finally admit that I am sick. At least now that I admit it, maybe I can start getting healthier. I am very grateful for the mostly day off. For being able to sleep in, to go to work and not have to rush home to Monday Night Fellowship, for being able to watch the Fast and the Furious with Jenel and comment on Vin Diesel's tight fitting shirts, and the Rock's massive muscles. Thanks for the witty comments and entertaining jokes. I'm grateful for the space to laugh and rest and be after a very full weekend.

Yes now The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) will forever ben either Samoan Thor or the Scorpion King. And you don't mess with the Scorpion King. Ever. So excited for the sixth one to come out on DVD.

I feel it is also worth noting that for the FIRST TIME I finished my meal before Jenel did. That may not seem like a big deal, but it is, since she always comments how slow I eat.

"Welcome Home" (30 Days of Gratitude)

I've been trying to my place in a church since I moved to Northridge. I was attending H.O.P.E.'s House since January and recently made a switch to Reality LA. Both are so different from each other and I went back to H.O.P.E.'s House this week. I'll admit I was nervous about returning because I didn't let anyone know that I was visiting another church.

And I will admit I thought that when I came back, I feared would be a stranger again or be judged for not being around. And God is teaching me a lot about how to be involved in a church (which is another blog post for another day). But I made it in the door for all of two seconds when Uncle Kelvin spotted me and and gave me a huge hug, grateful to see me again. And Miss Iris's eyes lit up when she saw me after not seeing me for so long.

So I'm grateful they really mean it when they say "Welcome Home" when people arrive at H.O.P.E.'s House and I'm grateful for their hugs, for the people I met and know my name, for the things the church has taught me, and for always being a place I can come to and feel at home.

Los Angeles at Night (30 Days of Thankfulness)

Last year I did 30 Days of Gratitude to develop the discipline of gratitude. Especially after reading One Thousand Gifts, I see how import this is to develop the consistent discipline of gratitude and joyfulness.

I am grateful for the city I live in - I am grateful to call LA my home. Not many people enjoy living here or want to move here but God has something beautiful planned for this city. I love that people in LA are artist, we are loyal - to our friends, to our sports teams, to our city, we are dependable, we are challenging and sometimes difficult, we are proud of where we come from, we find beautiful things in the ordinary or in the ugly, and we may not love a lot of things but those that we do, we love deeply.

Thanks to Mark, Jenel, Jonathan, Luke, and Sean for helping me see how beautiful my city really is. And how glad I am to live here even when traffic sucks, parking is awful, and there feels like God is not moving at all. But God is moving here.

"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;

God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 

The LORD Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress."  Psalm 46:4-7

Top 25 Things I Learned in the PNW - Round 3

Again Sol and I traveled to the PNW for our third year in a row and we learned a variety of new lessons:

1. We are all in this together... until we split up. 

2. Good things come in pink boxes.

3. Australians think American diner coffee is strange. 

4. "The Internet is like a bunch of tortoises held together by duct tape." - Austin from Voodoo Doughnuts

5. Beer aware for Seattle is beer country.

6.Always take the time to make new friends - it leads to unexpected adventures. 

7. Even extroverts need their alone time. 

8. Never take crayons for granted. 

9. Fancy cars can be the most confusing

10. Pigeons never, ever forget. 

11. You are awesome and sometimes you need people to tell you that.

12. There is always a reason to wear red pants. 

13. Some places don't tell you they are closed for a holiday on their voice mail... or website... or Facebook... or Twitter... or Instagram. Instead they go old school and leave a sign on the door.

14. Warnings for bathroom emergencies are always helpful on long road trips. 

15. Making friends with the locals can unlock town secrets. 

16. One of the saddest moments in your life could be breaking your glass at a beer festival. 

17. Until you realize it is really having to sit at an airport for seven hours due to flight delays. 

18. Doughnuts can make everything better. Especially if they have maple involved. 

19. Your eyes are almost always bigger than your stomach. Especially when it comes to sushi. 

20. If you can't decide, just try them all. Especially when it comes to beer and coffee. 

21. Sometimes you need to chose a hotel based on whether or not it offers free wi-fi. 

22. Sometimes you just have to laugh, or else you'll cry. 

23. Never be afraid to go back to the places you love. Even you've been there a lot. In the past 24 hours. 

24. There is almost always a reason to get ice cream. 

25. No matter how many times you've been someplace, you can always find new things you love. 

San Luis Obispo: Instagram Version

Been a while. Been busy. Prepping for Spring Break Camp, going out of town. But I did get a mini "vacation" to visit San Luis Obispo so here were some pics from my trip. Got to even visit some new places while on my trip.

Visiting the campus for the first time in a while.

Eureka Burger = awesome.

Visiting IVSLO's Large Group.

How I missed the Central Coast.

My college roommate of four years and I at Avila Beach.

Enjoying a bit of Firestone's best.

Seeing old friends that know my students from Urbana 12.

My favorite coffee shop before going home.

The beautiful 101.