Here I am to FINALLY update my blog. My Dalayna conscious (as I like to call it) was on overdrive and so I couldn't avoid it any longer. I could just hear her in my head saying, "You need to update your blog more often...oh and while you are at it...oh and..." ha ha ha.
*SIDE NOTE
I'll take a second to expound upon and define "Dalyana Concious" because it's entertaining to me. Basically, Dalayna is my dearest friend and she knows it all...which is also why it's amazing that she is still friends with me...anyways. So, whenever I am about to do something and I think yikes, I wouldn't want to talk to D about this or if I am ignoring her phone calls or not calling her like I normally do...well then I know we need to talk ha ha. If I can't say it to her or I won't then I either NEED to say it to her or I at least need to open up to SOMEONE and she's usually the lucky one ;) You should check out her blog by the way :) (Pointing Up) I would make it a direct link and such...but see I don't know how to do that because we haven't had that blog lesson yet. I'm sure we will after she reads this though.
SO....now to catch you up on my life since I know that you have been DYING to know what's been going on!
#1 I went to Ohio last week for vacation. To visit family and friends OBVI...who just goes there for fun!? Ha ha...I mean I suppose some people might. But not this girl! At any rate, it was lovely to finally see my friends and family. I hadn't been home since I moved to Seattle almost a year ago! Talk about being a grown up and stuff!
It wasn't necessarily a relaxing week but it was refreshing to have a change of scenery, to visit old familiar places and to sip coffee and eat more than I should of with dear friends and family. God definitely used that time to recharge me and get me ready to face life in Seattle again.
Here are a few photo highlights from my trip with a little bit of commentary because let's be honest, a picture is worth 1,000 words!
SO, my family insisted on meeting my newest little friend, my puppy Lincoln. This meant he got to fly on the airplane too and this proved to be quite the adventure. If you ever need puppy travel tips...hit me up. I think Lincoln and I mastered it on our way to Ohio!
This was the fun little carrier Lincoln got to travel in...you can see he was a HUGE fan. But all things considered...he did SO wonderfully for a 5 month old puppy.
Although it may have had a little to do with the kids Benadryl he took...he he
Eating breakfast in style outside of the Memphis airport on our layover...what a trooper.
The frist couple of days were full of friends and ICE CREAM! My mommy was sweet enough to have a party at our house so that everyone could come to one place! I love her for that!
Got to meet up with some lovely ladies from high school. So strange how many of my friends don't live at home now (that whole grown up thing) but it was so great to hear how wonderfully they are doing and to share coffee at our favorite little spot (Caribou of course!)
My Aunt Donna and Uncle Jack took off work and drove an hour to come visit me. They aren't even my REAL aunt and uncle...just friends my parents met in Atlanta like a zillion years ago...and my sweet grandma!
Shared ice cream with friends at my FAVORITE ice cream shop in the WHOLE WORLD (Handles). I had banana nut cake and Collin even got Lincoln his first ice cream cone. I'm not much into feeding him table food...BUT he had to experience this!
Here's a little bit of home/family time...
My mommy redid our bathroom in this lovely shade of green (which was my daddy's favorite color) and with butterfly accents (which were his favorite...well just his favorite) in honor of my daddy and to make something lovely out of a sort of hard place to go sometimes :) I am so proud of her!
Lincoln met his grandma! She loves him WAY more than she would like to admit ;)
He tried out some shades...he is one cool cat..I mean kid...I mean puppy...?
And of course he met the rest of the fam too! This is my mommy and her sister (my Aunt Caren) and their mommy my amazingly sweet gma (grandma) I am so blessed to have them!
Spent some time with some other incredible people too!
This is my Aunt Noel..she's a little quirky but A LOT like me and so I love her for it. She loves flowers and painting and silly things like me too! She had a really lovely dinner for me at her house.
These are the LOVELY "little"girls I have been mentoring/calling my friends since they were literally in diapers! CRAZY! They are now like 15 and stuff...I don't even want to talk about it. But, I love them and insist on seeing them whenever I am home. They inspire me.
AND I got to enjoy a few of my favorite things!
Coffee (Seattle's Best of course) out of a pretty mug on my deck at home....
Time at my FAVORITE used book store in our library...the books are super cheap and even have the old stamp out library cards in them!
My Aunt Noel's lovely backyard garden and one of my favorite photography spots!
And Jesus time/cloud pictures on the ride home :)
AND THEN....I returned to my new home and as much as I miss my friends and family back in Ohio, I LOVE calling Seattle home :)
This is my precious little Libby who I am honored and humbled to spend every day with and to watch her learn and grow.
And my dear Seattle friends/family who I am also honored and humbled to serve with and do life with.
And to enjoy simple Seattle pleasures like shopping downtown on a Saturday with Lincoln
And ALL of the other quirkiness that Seattle has to offer.
At this point in life, home means a lot of things, but mostly it's wherever there are people that I love. That's just a little taste of my journey home. I was so blessed and relieved that God used even a crazy week of running around a catching up to refresh me and restore me for all that he has called me to in Seattle. Remember if you ask him, God can always place little blessings and surprises in your way to do the same for you...just make sure you are always looking for them!
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