this is how much i love you....

....i made this for you to enjoy.

that's what i heard the first time i went here. that's what God was saying to me that day. I'm sure a lot of other people have heard the same thing in the same place. It took my breath away, yes because its beautiful but also because the presence of God is there. So much peace and joy in just sitting in one place and taking in the beauty of the surroundings.
That's how much my God loves me, and i am so thankful He does. Sometimes the little things in life mean the most.

blessed

so i have been a lot of places this last little while, so i put a little mini slideshow together of some pictures!
Chicago, Milwaukee, San Francisco, LA, wow, thats a lot in a few short weeks!
but its amazing how blessed i am at this time and how much God has given me to enjoy. Its been a little bit of an emotional roller coaster and a little lonely at times. the life of a traveler i guess. But when i look back and see the blessings, they are far far greater than any of the difficulties!
so check out my pictures :)

its about the journey

so this has been a crazy wonderful week of my life! i just can't believe it is my life!
anyways today i set off to climb "the mount" in Tauranga, New Zealand because i hear the view from the type is pretty spectacular. so off i go! all ready to give it all and get to the top as fast as possible to see the view as that is what i usually do with a hill!

but this time i found myself stopping every few minutes to take a break, and this was not sue to my fitness levels (well maybe it was a little due to my fitness levels!) but i just wanted to take everything in. its all very well to get to the top to see the amazing view but what about the view halfway up, or how the bay looks when you are on the right side of the mountain of the way the trees frame the view if you stand a particular angle? there is so much to take in and i didnt want to miss it!

its a lot like life, sometimes i am so focused on where i want to be or the direction i am going in i dont take time to look and see whats going on around me. but its about the journey. all the little things that happen along the way.
Being present in the present and not missing what God has RIGHT NOW on the way to where you're going!

This travel blog photo's source is TravelPod page: Home away from home for Christmas.

friends

it has only been a few weeks since the end of tourbut if feels like so long ago already!
finishing tour is always a difficult time, its hard to adjust to not being around 30 people all the time (even though while on tour all your crave is time alone!)
But to go from that to having so much time and space alone is a real challenge.
all of a sudden you have time to think, to dwell on things, to process the last few months, rejoice in the good times and ponder upon the mistakes....of which there are inevitably some.
it can be so easy to get caught up in the shoulda, woulda coulda.....but that gets you nowhere. so instead comes the challenge of leaving things to God, places it in his hands and trusting that he REALLY REALLY does know best and wants that for me.

in some ways this has been a difficult few weeks, emotionally, and its good to have the friends that i do! i only wish they could be here with me! even though they are so far away i am constantly reminded how much they care, and how i am loved. i am BLESSED to have the people in my life that i do and i thank God for the friends i have and the people he has put around me. sometimes all this traveling feels so lonely, but i know we are not made to do this journey of life alone and i'm glad that i know i wont ever have to!

SO thank you to all my friends, all over the place! for being wonderful! and reminding of the truths of this life!