Small Business Saturday (30 Days of Gratitude)

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 28

One of my favorite traditions of the crazy holiday season is Small Business Saturday. It's a great time to invest in local business and communities and to hear first hand the dreams of business owners. For many of them this is their dream becoming a reality and it's great to partake in their dreams alongside them, even when I'm not local to a place.

And we even made it into the Fresno Bee! You can check out the article here.

So thank you to all the the local business who dream big and invite us to share in that with you. For your commitment to your community and to your customers, and for hope you inspire in us to also dream big.

Here are the places Sol and I visited during the day:

1) Raizana Tea

2) Misc.

3) Dear Danger

4) HIVE Clovis

5) On the Edge

6) Pho 75 # 2

7) Goldsteins Mortuary & Delicatessen 

#OptOutside (30 Days of Gratitude)

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 27

Instead of going shopping for Black Friday, we got to spend the day outside for REI's new thing called #OptOutside. Even though we were a little too tired to go hiking, Sol and I spent the day being outside - both reading in the Park, walking through Downtown Kingsburg (for their Julgransfest and Christmas Tree lighting). It was a great joy to spend the day not engaging in consumerism and being outside in the fresh (albeit exceptionally cold) air.

(November in Fresno)

(resting while at Oso de Oro Park)

(enjoying the Christmas tree lighting in Kingsburg. Included a Swedish Queen, Christmas carols, and dancing around the tree).

Bookstores (30 Days of Gratitude)

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 9

"A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe." - Madeline L'Engle

A bookstore is a magical place. Each book is a portal to a new world. Characters we may never have had the opportunity to meet, wait patiently for us to open the pages to their lives. Typed words share their hopes and dreams, their fears and anxiety. They share their lives with the reader. In our reach are far off kingdoms, neighborhood coffee shops, small villages and big cities, romance and friendship, heartache and joy. In their pages is access to a new reality where unimaginable is possible.

We meet God in places like this. With God the unimaginable is possible. And the stories inside these books - whether intending to or not - can reveal the greatness of our God ins his creation.

We can meet God in many places. It is easy to find God in the woods - in nature and the mountains. Romantic literature spoke deeply of connection to God through the outdoors. Just go to Yosemite and see for yourself. It's hard to look at the expanse of creation and not see God. Many find God in churches. His people are there, his word is taught there. We worship him there.

But I find God in a bookstore. God is a beautiful story teller. The Old Testament is a collection of different stories about how a creator God loves his creation, his people made in his image so deeply even when they let him down. In a bookstore are stories, stories of human suffering and joy, stories of new cultures and people, stories of hope and fear. And here I can see how God is weaving himself through the stories of mankind - both real and fictional - and that is a beautiful thing.

Graffiti Park

While on our summer traveling, we went to Austin, TX. There they had this amazing art gallery called "graffiti park" where artists could do graffiti work. Once a year they strip the whole thing so that artists can start all over. It would be cool to come back each year to see how things have changed.

Here is what we saw:

Austin, TX

The summer travels are only continuing. My best friend, my dad, and I have gone on a summer trip every year for the past five years. Three years visiting Portland/Seattle, then Nashville, and now Austin. We are just slowly exploring the country.

Although I purpose next time we visit some place cold.

Here are some things i learned in Austin:

• Austin is "fake Texas", it's not real Texas. 
• Brisket tacos are the best damn thing. Ever. 
• Breakfast tacos are a staple in a Texan's diet. Especially in Austin. 
• Texas humidity is no joke. We may think we have it in California but we've been lied to. Our dry heat is amazing. 
• But every place indoors is air conditioned.
• Afternoon naps. You need them. 
• It's normal to have a beer while you watch a movie in the theater. If theaters don't do that, they are weird. 
• Austin is the live music capital of the country. I don't believe it yet because we didn't see any live music. 
• There is bacon in almost everything here. They like their pork. 

And here are some highlights of our photos during the week. I'll have a separate post about the graffiti park we went to (because the pictures are so cool). Stay tuned for that.

SLO-venture: Instagram Version

Went to visit SLO this weekend for a mini-vacation. Here are some highlights.

My favorite part of the drive up there.

My favorite sandwich shop in SLO.

Where we had Large Group for the five years I was in IVSLO. Many a transformational moment with Jesus happened here.

In Avila Beach.

The view of my morning run. 

Nautical Bean: my favorite coffee place. 

Ireland or Central Coast?

Morro Bay

Hiding from the rain in a bookstore.

San Luis Obispo Mission.