Purple tea

Sometimes you just need a nice cup of tea in a purple cup on a red saucer to remind you it really is the simple things in life that bring so much delight.

When it rains...

...It pours.

Morton salt that is.

It is raining, so I am going to make soup and bake brownies.

I will not complain about the rain.

I will get me some salt and some veggies and some chocolate. I will put on good music and dance the day away. I will not complain about the rain. I will not complain.

I will bake.

Deca-union

I just marked my ten year high school reunion off my calendar. It was great to see old friends and catch up a bit with random acquaintances, too. I must admit, though, that this occurrence caused more reflection than I ever dreamed it would when I was tossing that mortarboard cap into the air, dreaming of college and career.

We all know reunions often lead to games of comparison and nasty hopes that Mr. and Miss Popular have been rightfully knocked down a few notches by real life...or at least by a few wrinkles, pounds, or unruly kiddos. That's not the kind of reflection I'm talking about.

I'm talking about making mental timelines of what I've done and who I've become since departing the halls of BHS. I'm talking serious evaluation of whether or not I'm spending my moments of life in ways that honor the God I love and that help other human souls along in their journey.

Of course the answer to that question is both yes and no. One of my favorite hymns, "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," has lyrics that always resonate with me: Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love...  It seems that I daily, weekly, and often monthly wander away from the One I've pledged to love for eternity.

But I always come back. And for that I am glad. I am glad God always takes me back, and I am glad that these ten years of immense, almost constant change have not killed a love that can readily die like any human love is prone to do.

As for life achievements, I think I've fared all right. I got an education -- debt free. I've made new friends and kept old ones. I've gone on missions trips and donated time and money to help others. I got a job in the journalism field and wrote some good stories. I worked for a caterer, a house cleaner, a camp, a greenhouse, a high school, a coffee shop, a government job, a nonprofit organization, a bakery, and a library. I've written three books. I've travelled Europe, Asia, Central America, Alaska, and much of the United States.

I dated an incredible man, but I have not married. Though my 10-year plan in high school included marriage and kids, it hasn't happened. Sometimes I'm okay with that, and sometimes I'm not. It is what it is, and I very much look forward to someday loving somebody in a way that is both giddy, lovey-dovey and seriously self-sacrificing. I feel privileged to have watched so many marry and learn from both their successes and failures.

Anyway, I do not mean to write a wandering laundry list. But I am appreciative of these milemarkers that encourage us to reflect, evaluate, and look ahead. I pray I can meet the next ten years -- and the next ten minutes -- with confidence and joy and gratefulness for every single breath I am given.

Cheers to life!

Studio C

There are rumors of faithful readers wanting a report on my living quarters. As a journalist, I am happy to oblige a good story tip. And, as a generally good natured gal, I am also happy to please. So, without much further ado, I open my door and say, "Welcome to Studio C!" 

My porch, complete with bike, flowers and tomato plant. I live one block off main street, so biking and walking are my main modes of transportation. I work at a bakery one block away and at the library, which is a whole three blocks away. This is shaping up to be the simple, downtown life I've always wanted.

When you open the door, there are a few more stairs and my handy, dandy, deceptively roomy entry closet.

The lighting in this photo made me laugh. It makes that chair look really special. And I suppose, since that is where guests usually sit, it really is. I like guests. Come visit me!

Where I dream good dreams. And sometimes some bad ones, too.

I love having a desk in front of a window that looks downtown. The photos on the right have a travel theme, and the photos on the left are of various adventures, so it's an exciting place to sit. Maybe someday I will be able to say my best novels were written here at my little Salvation Army desk in my little studio apartment.

Spin left from the desk view and you will see the rest of my living room and into my kitchen.

Tall guests beware of that sloping ceiling...

The photos in the kitchen are of various food adventures, ranging from my first margerita to philly cheesesteaks in Philly to hearty El Salvadoran fare. And Snooze pancake goodness. And pizza at the Beartree. And Bob and Larry cookies. And... Have I ever told you I once wanted to be a food photographer?

Studio C cooking station.

Bathroom | Kitchen. These are both to your left as you come up the entry stairs, just to give you some perspective.

Little blue bathroom.

So there you go. The five-second tour of Studio C. It's tiny, but I love it. 

Why Studio C? you ask. Good question. The C actually has several meanings. I want Christ to be the head of my little abode. I want it to be a place of Creativity. I want to Cook good meals there. I want people to Come and feel welcome. I plan on drinking a lot of Coffee...   

Riding the Rails to Trails

I woke up early today with nothing to do and nowhere to go. That is one of my favorite states in which to be. It makes getting dressed an anticipation of breakfast, and breakfast an anticpation of coffee, and coffee an anticipation of waxing the bike chain and pumping up the tires and rolling away to nowhere and everywhere because there is but one demand on the day: explore.

I rode West.

I took the Rails to Trails system about 10 miles out, ending at a quaint, cottage-style cafe with a wide deck on which to sit and watch the gray skies roll away into blue. I drank coffee, read the newspaper, and splurged on strawberry crepes. And then I watched the blue skies roll away into gray...

...and rode home under plump drops of summer rain that fell heavy and splashed big on my helmet, face, arms, and legs.

A lovely, cool morning for a ride.

The cafe caters to riders on the Rails to Trails.

Splurging...

Heading home as the rain clears.

It's only natural

As I now live about one hour from one of our nation's most grandeuristic (don't think that's really a word, but it's what I want to say) national parks, it's only natural that I should recreate in it as often as possible, right?

And lucky for me, I've had some friends visit lately who totally concur with this need for adventure.

So, without much further ado, I share some snapshots from my rompings in Glacier National Park. The times have exhilarated, refreshed, induced soreness, awed, and, as so often happens in God's great outdoors, humbled. I am a lucky, lucky girl getting to live here. For that matter, I am a lucky, lucky girl for getting to live at all. May I never, ever forget that. 

Reynolds Mountain as seen from the top of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. This peak is a true horn, carved on three sides by glacier ice.

Lindsey and I crossing snow fields on our way up Reynolds Mountain.

Summit view.

Tim and Lindsey and I on top of Reynolds Mountain. We couldn't have asked for better weather!

Lins and I on the summit.

Going down offered nice views of Hidden Lake.

It's better to not slip on this hike.

My friend Jeremy stopped by on his 50-state, 10-province super tour. We camped at Hungry Horse Reservoir before heading into Glacier to see what we could see.

We did the 12-mile Highline to The Loop trail.

We passed a lot of goats.

And saw a lot of wildflowers.

And cool white trees.

Just to circle back here...this is the view of Reynolds Mountain from the Highline Trail. Nice.