by a different route...

"indeed, don't try to get there at all. it'll happen when you're not looking for it." - the professor, the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe

how did it happen? so glad you asked. :)
just a few days after i blogged about not knowing where God would lead us next (the last blog i wrote actually) the husband received an unexpected call from fresh life, and quickly realized he was being offered a job. it seemed like an obvious open door, but we took time to pray about it anyways... (a good lesson we learned from joshua -- even if things "seem right", they may not be, so we need to seek God first in everything!)
after praying and talking about it for a few days, we knew we were supposed to go... so we are! at the end of the month. yeah, i know, i should've blogged about it sooner, but honestly i just kept thinking that we have another month before we leave, until my husband reminded me that we, in fact, are moving in two weeks. crazy!
it's amazing to see God work all this out... and all the ways that He's providing, confirming, and preparing for the move. He desires to bless us and give us a future - we just have to give it to Him, all to Him. love what my friend, crystal lewis, wrote on her blog about that very thing. it's not an easy thing to do... i think that's one reason why Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow or the next day, and offers new mercy every morning... we have to take it one day at a time. give God the wheel (or reigns, if you live in montana:)) today, it's not too late, it's only 3:45pm pacific time - God can still do a lot with the 7-8 hours left of march 15th. :)

"because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. great is His faithfulness, His mercies are afresh every morning."
lamentations 3:22-23

"seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. so don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries, today's trouble is enough for today."
matthew 6:33-34

there & back again...

"not all who wander are lost." - j.r.r. tolkien

march 8, 2011 :: after much prayer and various confirmations/urgings from God, i felt like it was time to focus on a book i've been slowly working on for years... so i put in my notice {a 3 month notice} at work...

march 20, 2011 :: the husband and i receive a completely unexpected, exciting email from our amazing friends in montana, inviting us to stay with them for a month or two that summer - to work on a record for their daughter, izzi, {which, btw, will be on itunes in about a month! woohoo!} and help out at the church... it was perfect timing!

april 3, 2011 :: we put in the notice to our landlord... knowing we didn't want to pay rent for our place during our six-week stay in montana.

may 1, 2011 :: moved into my parents' house to save for the big trip.

june 15, 2011 :: my last day at work

june 16-18, 2011 :: travelled through 5 states and finally made it to our much-anticipated destination :: whitefish, montana!

june - august 2011 :: the husband worked on izzi's project, and i worked on the book... then decided to stay until the end of august... but God had other plans! the skull church band wanted to cut a record, so guess who they hired? yep, the husband...

sept - november 2011 :: husband worked on the skull church project and kept playing with phil wickham, flying out on weekends, etc... i continued to work on the book, wrote another children's book {for the little tykes}, and began painting and drawing again.

a week before thanksgiving 2011 :: God provided for us to stay until early december.

december 7, 2011 :: we said emotional good-byes {ok, i was the one that got emotional} to the people and place we had come to know as "home" and began our trek back down to california.

december 9, 2011 - now 2012 :: adjusting to california life in the fast lane, enjoying holidays with our families, catching up with friends, getting our fill of portola and kean, and keeping busy with projects and the book {yep, still writing}.

i'm not exaggerating when i say that the last 10 months have been life changing and we really have no idea what's next! we do know that we're supposed to stay where we're at for the next few months but after that... we're still just praying. :) which is so exciting and maybe scary to some people, but i like to look at it as an adventure... God's in control, He knows what's next, so i don't need to worry about it. i love what beth moore said in her inheritance study - "if you're a christian and your life is boring, then something's wrong."
through this whole experience, we've learned a ton, but the one thing that sticks out the most is the calling {for every christian} to walk by faith, not by sight. where God guides, He provides. sometimes God only reveals a tiny bit of His plan, just enough for us to move - just move one step. because let's be honest, if He were to reveal His whole plan, we'd get in the way. we'd start worrying about the details and the 'how' of it all. He knows that about us, and i think that's one of the reasons he asks us to live by faith over and over in His word - it's an act of giving up our will for His, letting go of what little control we think we have in our lives and willingly asking Him to lead.
life should not, cannot, will not be boring if you are walking by faith with Jesus Christ! just do it! :)

yesterday's camera

{yesterday, i got to hang out with my lovely friend, kelli trontel, who happens to be a suuuuper talented photographer...  so i was inspired to sketch a quick camera. oh and she took the photo of me below with her iphone... amazing!!}

p.s. it's supposed to snow here this week!!! eeeeeek!!! i'm so unbelievably thrilled at the prospect. :)

husband came home today!

{a sketch of his plane}

the treasure state

the husband and i are having a blast out here in whitefish, mt... it is absolutely gorgeous!! as i blog, i'm looking out at the greenest forest you can imagine backdropped by snowy mountain peaks... accompanied by the most mouthwatering scent coming from the kitchen, ah! i still can't believe we're here! i just wanted to share a couple photos of week 1 of our trip... hope you enjoy!

{on our way! the handsome husband looking out at the columbia river}

{almost there! flathead lake, montana}

{pescado blanco!! this place had the best beef tacos}

{hanging out with the horses!}

{the red caboose!! frozen yogurt + coffee = our new fave place!}

we heart montana.

photos to come! yay!

monday pick-me-up: feeling french!

for some reason, the french culture has always inspired me and usually helps me get out of my creative lulls... so for today's pick-me-up, i thought i would share a few of my favorite frenchy fixes to fuel some inspiration for the week - 

1} nothing transports me quicker than the lovely sounds of carla bruni

2} this is my favorite candle and just so happens to have a french name :) - caprice de la mode

3} soft, breezy scarves always make me think of the french & this one is insanely inexpensive but feels super luxurious {$4.50 @ forever 21}

4} observing art is always a good pick-me-up and i especially love the work of french artist, edgar degas

5} a good cup of espresso {love this stovetop espresso maker!} paired with a chocolate croissant always reminds me of those quaint french cafes... 

6} i absolutely adore the work of french photog, robert doisneau... doesn't he just capture the essence of romantic paris? 

7} and how could i not include julia child's amazing french cookbook?! she has been a culinary inspiration to me since i was in high school- when my sister and i would watch her tv show on the weekdays and try to get as many cooking/baking tips as we could!

8} but if you'd rather just watch someone else cook up those amazing french recipes, then i suggest watching julie & julia - so many great elements set in the heart of today's destination :)

happy monday!

friday finds : vintage goodies!

had an impromptu day off today {woo hoo!!} so the husband and i ventured over to garden grove for an estate sale and i'm so glad we did - it was a treasure trove! i wanted to buy the whole place up but the husband reigned in my vintage-hungry-eyes and i ended up walking away with a couple of boxes of vintage christmas ornaments and these travel inspiring envelopes... they reminded me of a letter i once got from some friends in france {except it said "par avion"} so these immediately conjured up lovely thoughts of france and international travel - i had to get them! best dollar i've spent all month. :)

happy friday to all! :)

ahh... the road less traveled.