Recap of Recent Craziness

1. cute fabric of one of my dresses bought in Wales 2. rain clouds 3. caramel macchiato 4. pledge tower 5. playing with my DNA: gel electrophoresis 6. lovely things 7. starbucks 8. traffic :( 9. pile of style 10. warehouse 11. street art on 4th street 12. philanthropy event 13. henna 14. hanging out with my little 15. passing love notes across the coffee shop 16. photo editing and coffee in a mason jar 17. craft night with the Bible study gals 18. confirmation of my sign up for the SF half marathon!!


Feeling super blessed at the moment!! I've been able to spend a lot of really good time with really good friends :) last weekend was an ADX marathon,  but it was so awesome! I feel like we don't always have time to just hang out with each other so it was really fun to get to do that! And, we got to have even more fun hanging out with girls from the Alpha chapter at UCLA! They were just lovely and it was awesome getting to know them. Last night I got to see my roommate dance her heart out and she was absolutely amazing!! - as always - and it was so cool to be there with a lot of other friends and family to support her. The coolest thing about watching her dance is that she does it wholeheartedly for the Lord. There's just a different expression and way about her that makes her dancing even more beautiful to watch, and such a blessing to experience!

I've signed up for another half marathon!! I can't wait to get started on training, I think I'll officially start on monday, which is a week early... but hey, it can't hurt, right?

Tomorrow is going to be crazy, but really fun :) I'm having a photoshoot with Debbie in the morning, heading home around noon, stopping on the way to catch up with Kelsey, and then meeting my mom at the mall to shop for a dress/outfit for graduation!! I cannot believe that I will be done with my undergrad in 3 weeks!! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!?! Anyway, I'm looking forward to a nice weekend at home. Oooh and I also get to hang out with Sicily (ok, her real name is Rachel, but I've only known her as Sicily - her sorority pledge name - so, its just weird to call her anything else...) :) Yay!

So many exciting things but so many things are still up in the air for after graduation... Trusting the Lord and His provision has been my lesson these days. He is my Father, He knows what's best for me, and He will do far more for me than I can dream up to do for myself. I will rest in that truth and trust that His will is gonna rock my world. As it should :)

I will leave you with a verse Sicily shared with me earlier this week:
Psalm 84:11
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

love,
emily xx

Kijk 6

ok, it has seriously been FOREVER since I've written a post, but I have been super busy and have had so many tests, but they have calmed down a bit, so now I can FINALLY make a post :) 

--//  Last weekend we went mini golfing with the AGO (our brother fraternity) guys from UCR, which was SO MUCH FUN. Seriously. We had an amazing time.

--// It was so good to get to know them better and share some really good fellowship with them!

--// Today, we are having an ADX study day at an awesome coffee shop called Viento y Agua here in Long Beach. Seriously, one of my favorite places :)

--// My little and I are chillin on a couch, doing our respective "work", when I noticed our phones hanging out :) Its Android/iPhone lovin.

--// My little says its like Romeo and Juliet.  They love each other, but they can't be together. They'll most likely mistakenly kill themselves in the end.

--// Took this one last week when it was raining. Nice soft light coming in from the window. Rain is one of my favorite things in the whole world, and boy was it coming down that day! Loved it!

--// These tests lately have had me suuuuper stressed out. The bulk of them are over but there are still a few more coming up, followed by finals. Joy. But dang, there are only 4 more weeks of school! Which means 4 more weeks of my undergrad career!! What the heck, yo!?

--//  I've signed up for a second half marathon! Wahoo! It's in San Francisco at the end of July! I'm super excited, and I have to start training in the next week or so! Stoked.

--// Summery weather is upon us. Its nice to get to wear shorts every once in a while, although I'm probably blinding people with my extremely pale legs... oh well :)

--// Praying for job opportunities and for God to reveal a little bit more of what I'm meant to be doing in the near future... I know he'll provide! Just really wanting to know what he'd got planned :)

love,
emily xx

Kijk 5

Sooo, I know its been a while since my last post, but I've been swamped with school work since coming back from spring break!! However, I'm home now for Easter, and conveniently forgot to bring home my homework :) lol sooo here you go!!

1. The lovely Golden Gate

2. Bethany, myself, and Carissa :)

--// Spring break was CRAZY! Long Beach to Bakersfield to Modesto to San Francisco to Modesto to San Luis Obispo and back to Long Beach. In a matter of 5 days... yeah, it was a lot of driving, but a lot of fun too :)

--// Bethany and I always talk about going on trips together, and we finally made one happen!!

--// One of my favorite parts was definitely getting to spend some good quality time with my cousin, and one of my best friends, Carissa! We've always been close, but she lives 6 hours away so we usually only get to see each other a couple times a year :(

--// San Fran was AMAZING - as always! It was supposed to be raining all day on Wednesday, but it cleared up and left some beautiful cloud-age behind the Golden Gate :) loved it!

--// crazy trip. definitely worth it.

--// This week's self portrait is brought to you be Instagram!! So, sorry for the poor quality, but Instagram just came out this week for the android and I'm loving it :) -- my brother is trying to convince me that there are similar but better apps for the android, I'm looking into it... but for now I do really enjoy Instagram.

--// The top I am wearing in the pic is neon pink. I love it :)

--// I will have a test every week for the next 3 weeks, and I just had a test this week... preparing myself for some epic, non-stop study sessions.

--// We just finished up our Women of the Word month this morning, and I am SO sad it's over!! It's been a really awesome month of being open and honest with each other and before God and just really digging into what it looks like to be a woman of God and how to live that out. Needless to say, I learned a lot. This whole semester has been really convicting and just showing me a lot of areas that I need to work on, and by God's grace improve so that I can truly be a woman of God. Boy, I have a lot of work to do.

--// So excited to be home to share this Easter weekend with my family, remembering the sacrifice our Savior made and celebrating His resurrection. He is alive, and He died that I might have life, and life abundantly. What a privilege to be called a child of the living God!! And may I ever seek to honor and glorify Him in all that I do, seek to present myself worthy before Him, only in His grace.

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

Kijk 4

-// This is my Oma when she was younger, isn't she beautiful??

-// She has Alzheimer's now, and doesn't remember me, but she taught me a lot. She's the reason why I sing all. the. time. She was always humming/singing whether she was gardening, or cooking, or knitting. She taught me how to knit - the Dutch way, with all the Dutch words... She taught me hospitality and the joy of spending time with close friends.

-// I spent a good part of my day Friday at their house. Oma was napping most of the time, so I got to talk with Opa. A bit about the brain and what Alzheimer's does, and a bit of politics - which is bound to come up in any conversation with him.

-// That's Opa. He hasn't change too much, just looks like an older version of what you see here.

-// His unending dedication - and stubbornness - to care for his wife speaks volumes of his love for her. Even in pain that comes with this disease, there is evidence of his love for her and his hope in the Lord that is so beautiful.

-// For food and friends and loving care, Father in heaven we thank Thee. Let us not grow weary, but find our strength in Thee, and enjoy the life you have given us. Amen.

-// This self-portrait kind of happened accidentally, but I'm glad it did because I didn't really have time to take one later! I was just cleaning out the bucket with the window washing soap in it and noticed the mirror above the sink and boom. self-portrait. :) messy hair and all.

-// I potted some geraniums, baked banana bread, trimmed back the roses, clipped some flowers to put in a vase, and cleaned the windows. It was a lovely day outside. Warm with a nice breeze.

-// It was such a blessing to start off my spring break by blessing them in what little way I could.

-//Bethany and I head out tomorrow for Modesto to spend the night at my cousin's and then on to San Francisco and San Luis Obispo!! Can't wait to share photos and tidbits from the week!!!

love,
emily xx

Thursday & Photo Series

There is literally so much going on in my head, and heart, that I don't even know where to begin.  I also am sitting in the dark, in my bed, as my roommate and I were going to bed... and then remembered that I wanted to write a post tonight. And then asking if my typing would keep her up and realizing that she can sleep through anything, and then not feeling so bad for doing this so late at night :) but I digress.... Ya know when you're trying to fall asleep, and you have a million things on your mind and you just go through them in your head in repeating circles of thought? yeah, that was me last night. Those are sometimes the most frustrating nights to get through... it was rough. Anyway, it made for a very long Thursday.

I volunteer Thursday mornings at the VA hospital next to my school in the inpatient physical therapy department, and I usually have another volunteer with me... but not today. She was out of town, so that made for a very busy morning of me running around, doing exercises with patients to help the therapists out [who were also short-handed!], wiping stuff down, changing towels, making copies, you name it! It was a good morning though, I was really busy, but I was also able to learn a lot and connect a lot of concepts to things I have learned in class.

After volunteering, I met up with my friend Jen at an ADORABLE coffee shop closer to downtown Long Beach called Berlin. It is soooo cute! It's styled really well and is connected to both a book store and a record store! [are you kidding me!?] I didn't end up getting any photos this time around - Jen and I were too busy catching up to pause - but I will definitely go back and get some good photos soon! I also got to catch up with Mel later in the day, which was wonderful, as always! It's nice to talk to someone who is going through similar trials/tough decisions as you and you can encourage each other in them. Lovely.

Finally, tonight was a meeting for Women of the Word, which is a series that Navs is doing this month for the ladies. I honestly love this time. Its so great to have an open and honest space to learn, grow, and share as women in Christ. Tonight was about relating with others and sharing Christ's love with others and what that looks like. Using Romans 12 as a kind of template, we talked about genuine love being carried out in our thoughts, words, and actions. One of the girls brought up Psalm 15:1-2 which says, "O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart..." I was just so challenged by this in asking who will be in communion with the Lord? and who will be able to dwell with Him? Those who walk blamelessly - which has been a common theme for me these past few months (1 Peter 2:4-5, Romans 12:1-2, Psalm 19, Psalm 101:2-4, 2 Timothy 2:15). And just seeking out what that means and how I can practically live that out on a day to day basis, especially in how I relate to others and honoring God through that. SO GOOD.

Okay. Seriously, this is the last thing I'm talking about. I have been going through my photos from studying abroad, as I want to put together an album or 2. Anyways, I love some of the photos soooo much that I want to share them! But, I love a lot of them, so I thought that when I do share them, that I would share them in a series of about 5-6 photos from the same country or common theme :) Anyways, hopefully I'll have a series to share soon, but here are just a few that I'm loving right now: 

love, 

emily xx

Kijk 3

Okay, so since I have been so reminded this week of all of my travels this time last year, I just had to do a post with pictures from then :)

-// this is one of my absolute favorite pictures that i took during my time abroad. Tenby, Wales.

-// by some crazy-odd chance, i ran into 2 of my flatmates that day! Cerys is from Tenby, so she and Aimee were out in the town and somehow we ran into each other. what are the chance of that!?!?

-// this town was just lovely :) and i loved exploring it with my family.

-// this was taken at Barry Island, close to the end of my time in Wales.

-// my hair did GREAT things while i was abroad. it might be part of the reason why i want to live there...

-// ahhhh. i miss it.

love,
emily

rain, food trucks, and cocoa

Well, I have to say that I've set myself up for a lovely day of blogging, photo editing, and crafting. It's a gorgeous rainy day, sitting in my living room under a blanket, with a mug of Irish breakfast tea (after all, it is St Patrick's day...), with the window cracked so I can hear, smell, and enjoy the rain even more. I love the rain, can you tell?

Anyways, on to the real topics :)
Last week, there were about 6 food trucks in a parking lot on our campus (CSULB)! So, naturally, my roommate and I wanted to check it out. Now, I know that food trucks are becoming really popular lately, but I haven't really seen many or had the opportunity to check them out. So, we ended up ordering from the Lime Truck, which is one that I had seen on TV before, and let me tell you, it was delicious. We ordered their carnitas fries and slammin' lamb sammie. Delicious. Next time you drive by a food truck, its probably worth a stop and a taste of their food :)

1. The Lime Truck

2. Their menu

3. Carnitas Fries 

4. Slammin Lamb Sammie, Bethany and me :)

P.S. after taking these pictures, I think I would be a really 

good food photographer, they look so appetizing right?!

Bethany and I love Trader Joe's. We can walk there from our apartment and they just have amazing food, what's not to love? So we were out of Nutella and bought their cocoa almond spread. oh. my. goodness. 

I love almonds, which is probably a family thing, seeing as my Opa has a almond orchard and we always have giant bags of almonds in our house because of it... So, when I saw this spread I was soooo excited to try it! It is delightful. It is not as sweet as Nutella is, but I kind of like that and its just rich and nutty and delicious! Mmmm. And this mug just reminds me of the Netherlands and all of my travels that were about to happen this time last year... Lately so many things are reminding me of being abroad and making me miss it so much!! This mug, beans and toast, people I know going on trips abroad, tea with milk, rain, and the list goes on!! All of this has spurred me on to go over my photos again and spend a little more time with them and editing as I have wanted to but didn't really have time to. Maybe I'll share a few next post :) 

As I have written it has gone from a light rain to a torrential downpour. I love it :) God is so magnificent!! 

love, 

emily