Autumn is in the air

This summer was stunning. Warm sun. Swims in the lake. Trips to Glacier. BBQs with friends. Open windows. Iced coffee. Shorts and tanktops. Dresses with no tights. Clear days with mountain views. Picnics in the park. Fresh flowers on the table. Blackberries on the side of the road. Saturday mornings on the porch with a book. New sandals.

But alas (and I am slowly coming to terms with this), summer is over and fall is here; officially as of Saturday. And I am beginning to get excited for this new change of season. I've already enjoyed pumpkin cookies, stuffed acorn squash, and pumpkin spiced french toast. I am trying to celebrate the coming of fall and look forward to the changes it brings. Pumpkin flavored everything. Colorful leaves. Hot drinks. Lots of pies. Thanksgiving.

I don't yet feel ready to break out my coats and I'm even hesitant to put on a scarf yet. That will all come, I know. But for now, I'm enjoying the last rays of warm sunshine and beginning to let the beauty and tastes of fall into my life.

you make me new

what a beautiful gift it is to be made new. to be made beautiful.

"you make beautiful things
 you make beautiful things out of the dust
 you make beautiful things
 you make beautiful things out of us"

"all around
 hope is springing up from this old ground
 out of chaos life is being found in you"

"you make me new
 you are making me new"

the words from this song are so powerful and as i listen, i allow the truth of them to overwhelm me. i hope this monday morning, you hear something in them as well.

Light at the end of the tunnel

As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, I am getting more and more excited about it. You know when you have one of those weeks and you are just over it almost before it begins? It starts out rough on Monday and all you can do is look toward the light at the end of the tunnel (in this case, Thanksgiving) and hope time will move faster toward that light? Ya, I'm there. I'm ready for a break and after Thanksgiving, Christmas is only weeks away which means vacation, curling up on the couch and reading, and yearly traditions with my family. I CANNOT wait. In the meantime, though, I plan on doing lots of baking and Christmas decorating and snowflake making :)

women for women

women for women international gives me hope. it is something good in the world. it is passionate women empowering other women to be passionate. it is an organization born from the pain of one woman that has grown to change the lives of women in 8 countries. this is something i can get behind. women everywhere deserve a chance. we deserve empowerment and a hope-filled future. what a beautiful story to hear and long to be a part of.

miss representation

the following is a trailer for a new documentary that just came out that tackles the issues of how women are portrayed in the media and how disempowering that is for women.

i can't wait to see the full documentary. the trailer is thought-provoking and empowering and makes me want to do something more tangible to raise up strong, confident, independent girls.

Cupcakes and Curry

Just the other night I had the privilege of spending an evening with two incredibly beautiful and fabulous women that I am so happy to call friends. Our evening began at Jai Thai where we enjoyed a meal of curry, rice, and veggies around a low table complete with cushions and a beautiful view out the window. We talked about life in a candid and completely raw and honest way. Family, future plans, futures with no plans, the craziness of being a young twenty-something, discouragement, tough decisions, the beauty of small moments. These sorts of conversations are glimmers of hope. They remind me that I am not alone. They whisper to me that my life is worth something, that even when I feel lost someone cares enough to tell me that they see me where I'm at. Feeling so content with good food and even better friends, I was asked questions that I knew I could respond to in a completely honest, vulnerable way. It is moments like these that make life worth living. Moments where I can say things I didn't even know I was thinking. Moments that make a hard day dissolve into the realization that there is more to life than what that day was about.

And then we paid our bill, put our shoes back on, and walked out into the cold. We ended up at Cupcake Royale where we bought more cupcakes than we needed and drank Americanos that the barista gave to us for free. It may sound ridiculous, but that barista has no idea how he impacted us (and me in particular) and infused our night with a little extra joy. An extra cupcake, a free drink. That's all it takes sometimes. How freeing. We can all do things like this daily with just the smallest bit of intentionality. Just take a moment to notice those around you. Pay for someone's coffee, take cookies to work, hold the door open for someone, speak an intentionally kind word, share a smile. You really never know when you have given someone exactly what they needed to change their day from lonely to hopeful. It's the little things in life that make it exciting and special and hopeful. Little things like curry and cupcakes and good friends.