Realizations in the Pacific Northwest

It has been way too long since I have gone on an adventure and this past weekend was a perfect opportunity to fly up to the Pacific Northwest to visit my very best friend who is settling into her new home in Eugene, Oregon.

I could only be there for a few days so the short visit called for cramming in as much food, beer drinking, sight seeing, hiking and catching up as possible and although it has been too long since we have seen each other, being together during those few days felt as though we had never been apart. The rainy weather of Oregon did not surprise me, but the refreshing vitality that it brought did. The skies cleared just long enough for us to go for a hike around the Mount Pisgah Arboretum to get a view of Eugene's lush and expansive landscape (not what I have experienced in California so far).  As we explored, my shoes became water-logged and my toes started to lack warmth and feeling but the best part was I didn't even care. I felt like a kid again and couldn't be happier than in that moment, on that mountain, with a friend who brings out the best in me.


There was something incredibly rejuvenating about my trip to Oregon and the time I spent with my friend brought back a lot of joy that I have been missing lately. I realized how important making time to spend with close friends is, no matter how far away they are, especially as we grow older and begin to build our own lives as adults.

We are all trying to figure things out but it's the people you keep close to your heart that will be with you every step of the way.

Speaking of steps- I can't believe that I have lived here for almost an entire year! In just one short month, I will be traveling back across the country to begin my life's next adventure. Through the stress, anxiety and endless contemplation I have put myself through these past two months, I have decided that moving closer to life I have missed is what feels right in my heart. I have learned and experienced more than I could have imagined and I know that as long as I allow myself to stay open to the endless possibilities that lie ahead, the right opportunity will present itself.

If these peak your interest, here are some random moments that I've been capturing from behind the lens...

Hungry For Words

I'm the kind of reader who picks up a book and intentionally reads for about a week or so only to slowly let the book sit on my nightstand with the hope that one day I may finally finish it. This time, it was different. This time, I didn't let it hit my nightstand because I read the entire thing during my 5 hour flight from Charlotte to California. This time I read When We Were on Fire by Addie Zierman.

This isn't to say that I NEVER finish the books I am hungry to read, I'm just saying its been a long time since I've read a book that has left me feeling full and satisfied. The raw veracity about the world of a Christian culture in this book was refreshing, rejuvenating and most importantly, relevant. 

Through Addie's story, I was able to peek into the world of growing up Christian and follow her as her heart and her faith were tested by obstacles that many of us face throughout our lifetime. Where she strove to fit into Christian "norms" in her youth, I strove to stay away, constantly questioning my faith and the idea of Creationism as the foundation of our existence. Where she began to question the intensity of her faith as she grew into adulthood, I began to wonder if I needed something more than science to fill the void I felt in my heart.

Although our journey to find faith are somewhat contrary to one another, I found our stories to converge on the idea that faith is not a straight line from point A to point B, but requires detours and pit stops; pitfalls and triumphs. Through her story and mine, I have felt the strain of doubt, the frustration from unanswered questions and the power of grace that allows us to come out of the darkest corners in our lives. I won't say more about this book, because honestly, I think you should read it. Christian or not, there are things in life we can all relate to.

"Yes, faith is like being born again. But it is also not like being born again. Unlike the newborn infant, the new Christian has memory, memory that spans back into the darkness from which he came. He is not so much born as waking...every moment to new realities. To a new way of looking at humanity. To grace and to peace and to love. It is not Before and After, a clean split, dark and light. It is a gradual illumination, fireflies moving slowly toward you, softening the edge of darkness so that you can see the beautiful mystery around you."