Portland

Z and I visited Powell's for the first time ever.
Let's just say ... we used a bit of our food budget to help pay for the books we bought.
And we're not even sorry about it. PB&J, let's be buds.

If bookstores had living quarters, Zach and I would sacrifice half our food budget for one of their spaces. Please, Powell's, build another floor. Then I'll get to visit that pretty lady more!

My cat and highs and lows

To be honest, I really don't like cats. I'm allergic to them and I may have watched cats give birth one too many times during my childhood. That said, this cat is at my parent's house.

  Why post a picture of a cat?  It takes no effort, really. And I honestly don't have any other photos that I could put up at the moment. Also, his name is Rocky. Blame my first grade mind for that one. As for the other cat we got at the same time, I named her Gracie. 
Because she was gray. Naturally.

I've come to the conclusion that 'Rocky' is fitting; he always has a black eye.
... And a permanent 'I'm gonna fight you' expression.
Now we just need to get him in the ring. Any fans out there?
Go cat, go. Sock 'em, Rocky.
  

Highs

-Instead of going for coffee, two friends and I climbed a mountain instead.
-Leaving for Portland tomorrow at 4:30am. Food trucks, here's looking at you!
-Ran a 5k for human trafficking last week with a few of my small group girls.
-My Senior girls had their senior dessert tonight at church (where families come to celebrate graduation, and observe the cardboard stands put together by their mothers). :) I am so proud of each of them! When they all gathered at the end to release balloons into the sky, I may have teared up a bit.

Lows

-My Great Grandpa Day had his service and graveside burial today. I was holding a younger sister-in-law (2nd grade); she began to cry within the first two minutes of the service. Then another sibling (in 4th grade) was sitting in front of me, and he winced as hard as he could to not cry. That alone ushered me into the grieving process. The rest of the day was so difficult; as I held another brother's hand (kindergarten) while following the bagpiper and pallbearers, he just looked up at me and said, "Everyone is crying. I'm so sad." Keeping him close was comforting. It was still hard, though.   

New shoots up!

I just posted three shoots! Check 'em!

Put it into practice

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things" (Philippians 4:8). Whether you do or do not believe in what the Bible has to say, I guarantee thinking about these things will make your day brighter. Now, go think.

Sometimes I forget how pretty this state is

My mom decided to visit Leavenworth for her day (Bavarian village roughly an hour away).

We ate 5-year cheese from Amsterdam and tried to hold the sun so it wouldn't go away.

Rocket Rider 2013 (Husband and brothers)

 My baby brother is more a boss than you could ever hope to be.

You are welcome.

Friday Highs and Lows

While shooting one of my senior small group girl's, a gentleman asked to take one of us.

With that, my day was made.

Highs

-One of my best friends graduated college last Friday. She's 19. WHO DOES THAT?  She got her bachelors in Psychology, and has already been accepted to all the Master's programs that she applied to.  I am SO proud!
-My nephew's first birthday celebration on Cinco de Mayo.
-My uncle's military burial. The gun salute, the veterans that ran the service, the flag, it was all very honoring and sobering. (This is a high because I loved being there with family and loved watching a great man get honored in a fitting way.)
-Massaman curry. Pad Thai. Peanut sauce. 'Nuff said.
-Offered a teaching job in Madrid. Uh, what? Yes, please. 
-Our good friends, Michelle and Nathaniel, are pregnant! Baby Michaniel on the way!

And a high all on it's own:
"Uh, I think a lump just came out of the creamer."
"Shawna, don't drink it!"

11:00 pm Saturday night marked the the start of writing 65 pages for a final project: three Odwallas, two cups of coffee, one cup of green tea, one cup of good earth, six cups of water, three bowls of honeycombs, and plenty of Sufjan/Vitamin Sting Quartet/ Fleet Foxes/Radical Face/Andrew Belle/Bon Iver to keep my friend Shawna and I company. When the lights turned off inside, the sunrise had already crawled into my windows and the stars were resisting the push of the light. Soli Deo Gloria for beauty in the midst of papers and projects!

Lows

-So many papers.
-Family loss, as you have already read.
-Never try to blow out a candle when you are brushing your teeth. It gets messy. 
-Late night studying. Zach didn't go to bed at all one night. He stayed at school until midnight, and then came home to work on the rest of his paper. He finished at six in the morning. Then he had to go back to school for a meeting, a test four hours later, and then to work until 11 that night.

All that aside, this trumps everything:

SCHOOL IS FINISHED, SUMMER IS HERE, I COULD EAT A WHOLE PINEAPPLE!