Seattle In So Many Words

I never thought I could picture myself living long-term anywhere but in California, but Washington blew me away. I love the greenage, the fog, the overcast skies, the food, the coffee…! Most of our time was spent eating, cappuccino sipping, driving, and getting Jenn settled in her new townhouse near U Dub. Initially, Esther was supposed to come with us, however b/c of certain events that included an extended stay in Sacrament w/ Jess Lee & her parents (so gracious!), she had to fly back to SD for work. Travelling third wheel may not seem appealing to some, however Jenn let me pretend I was their photographer, and there is some awesomeness in placing yourself behind a camera and document in a new place.

Thanks Jenn & Fred for inviting me on your adventure, and Estra we missed you!

I’m living the blog writer’s dream

So, today is my first day of official unemployment. Happy Joblessness to me! And for the first day ever, I’m getting to live the life that I’ve envied for so long: wake up at a somewhat godly hour (8:30am), coffee, fresh nectarines from the farmer’s market, drive to my new ‘workspace’ aka Grandpa’s house out in the Oakland hills, scrounge for succulents, and generally ponder life. I think I’ll be savoring every moment of this week at home. I wonder if this is what housewife-ness is like?

Monday:  Terrarium for Sarah Louise

At the same time…I’m more thinking about if this can go on for awhile, if I even want life to go on like this for awhile, if paying bills is more important that figuring out and following dreams, and even the general source of my contentedness in life at the moment. I’m so fortunate to be able to take this space inbetween jobs. For the record – a little over a month ago I had no idea I was leaving my job at all, despite the continual stress, and exactly three weeks ago, I gave my boss my 2 weeks. It’s been an incredible month of learning & growth.

I’ve been thinking about this quarter life crisis. You can read more in here (thanks Jason). The most depressing part of that article is the 1/2 paragraph wrap up it gives at the end, as to how to solve this crisis:  f-ing grow up. How sad. Don’t know if this is what they actually mean, but I intend on fighting throw this ‘crisis’ and ripping it apart to its bare bones in order to get through. If mid-20s life is as miserable as this article sounds, then having Jesus in our lives should make it as radically different as possible, because that is just what He does, and I intend on finding this.

I don’t know what the results will be for this upcoming week, I don’t even know what my goals are except that I don’t want to waste it. Time is so precious. What I don’t want it to be is a poor excuse to finally get around to having consistent quiet times / prayer times. There won’t be a retreat high, there has to be a life change. Not to say that I won’t be reading & praying…!

What I do want it to be – if my current stumbling block in life is to find some life path & goal that will bring me some sense of worldly peace & comfort, and thinking about venues of banking vs. a creative life will help me attain this, then it’s just not good enough. If I want to find a real peace & purpose in life so that no matter what venue I go through I am content, this is a much bigger deal, and seems very idealistic and somewhat impossible. I’m not praying for a path, I’m praying for a change of heart. I’m not asking to have my skills clearly identified or the perfect resume, I’m asking for God’s peace to move forward and beyond the typical stumbling blocks of life.

Faux Bridal: Arti

This weekend Dippany invited me to a shoot set up for Arti!! Dips (otherwise known as Tiffany) glamorized Arti with a gorgeous vintage Betsey Johnson-ish wedding gown, and all of the accessories. Arti, who is recently engaged (!) is so naturally beautiful and we had so much fun. I can’t believe how much I miss dressing up, going out, stretching your imagination and pretending to be someone else even for a short while. And Dippany has such brilliant creative design, and is so artsy that I love hanging around her and her inspiration.

On another note…I’ve realized that even though I love framing in regards to taking photos, my exposures suck. Sooo…I would like to look into a class that will help me work the kinks out b/c my haphazard ‘trial & error’ shooting for the past year has made me lose a number of shots that I would have loved otherwise if they weren’t so blown out.

So thanks to – Arti & Dippany for such an awesome Labor Day afternoon. Be sure to be on the lookout very soon for Dippany and my Etsy store (that we have YET to open….it was our goal for the summer!!). We will call it Dips & Sharx!! (Well that’s my vote, anyway.)

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Arti, posted with vodpod