highlights from a week of travel

fun in the nation's capital

                 

thanksgiving -  new york 

what happens after you overstuff on turkey. walk around in pj's



sunrise in ithaca, new york @ 5:30 am



ready for some times square



   



loving auntie duty

i had such a sweet time traveling
i was able to enjoy family and friends
i felt blessed
and very grateful

The little window...

 

on the fourth flour of this building in a corner of new york city is a little chair with a little window in a small kitchen. the little chair is always occupied as we sit and watch people pass by.

and this little window holds dear more laughs, tears and stories of long ago than any other place in this home. it's tradition to sit here and talk, drink coffee, laugh and rejoice.

when i visit, i enjoy sitting in this chair while the aroma of my sister's cooking engrosses me and her children caress me and my mother spoils me. all while i sit and look out and ponder about the souls that I see from above, bundled together, trying to hold their own warmth in the cold. others just stand around and laugh, do things i rather not watch, blast music in their cars and seem to have a good time. or what they may deem as a good time. such is new york. loud, mad, gloomy, cold and full of people's good or bad. this little corner that i can spy from above has seen it all, or at least i am told.

and yet, with all it's good or all it's bad people young and old, continue to walk and pass by... seeming like they are conformed to this as all they have and maybe even hopeful for the future to surprise them with  more than this life. it almost breaks my heart to see this happening here. no hope, no money, drugs and alcohol... people are just wasting away in this little corner. i wonder if anyone cares enough...

the church across the street embraces this place, feeds, prays and cares for them all... they believe in what may come.

seeing the good in the midst of what may be the worse, gives me hope. all is not evil in the world and there are people who care and who love. that is what makes this little corner, from this little kitchen whole.

today i'm headed south for home [for some reason this post is late so, i'm already home.] i will miss the little window, this little kitchen and all the people on the inside and the outside of the glass. im not sure i'll miss this part of new york or the way it takes its told on the people that occupy it.   

so many things to be thankful for

thanksgiving is probably one of my favorite holidays. it's a day to be with family and give thanks for the year's worth of blessings and even difficult times. and everywhere you turn people are coming together, cooking, shopping and eating. there's no other day in the year that i eat turkey, but today is a day worth eating it and sharing it.

today there's nothing more that i am thankful for then having jesus in my life, my family and friends. 

jesus because without him i would be nothing. and without his love for me and his work in my life i would not be able to enjoy my family or my friends. and everything that i am today, that i have, that i have accomplished, and even every tear i've shed, he's had to do with it. he has made every second of this year worthwhile, no matter the cost (Rom. 8:28). he has made me better, continues to make me better, and everyday he reveals to me who i am and where i'm going. and although, seeing my humanity for what it is, it's not always fun, he shows me it to remind me of my worth, his love for me despite that and to show me how much potential he sees in me for his kingdom. and today unlike any other thanksgiving, i am grateful for who i am in him. i'm grateful for every good quality, every flaw and every little thing i struggle with, because with all of it, he has made me, he has chosen me and wants to use me.

and today im grateful to be in love with jesus. to posses a new found joy and contentment. and even for the battle i've chosen to fight, daily, to let go my will in order to have his. i'm finally learning what matters most and for that i am grateful.

and i am also thankful for you. i've learned so much from you all about love, creativity, selflessness, and being real. thank you for that and for visiting my little place where i've learned to shed some light into my heart and to allow my heart to bloom. 

may you have a happy thanksgiving and beautiful joy with your loved ones.

and please do eat tons. i sure will. 

it's a jungle out there

picture is a little dark, but wanted to remember this day in dc waiting for my bus to nyc

after a long bus drive yesterday i finally made it to new york. amazingly, the rain couldnt stop me. the cold didnt scare me. i braved it out and made to the city, the jungle. it really is a jungle. people everywhere all shapes and sizes and colors in every street corner. people smiling. people walking with their head down. some sad. some angry. each with stories untold that maybe if we heard them, we'd be changed forever. i saw all that, as i waited to be picked up. hands freezing, clutching tight to my bags at every passerby. and i felt criminal to judge them that way. so i held on to my faith instead, knowing that i was not alone, nor needed to be afraid in this city, just needed to be brave.

my ride finally arrived... i made it home. momma's warmth. my sister's soup. a hot shower. and i was ready. ready again to spend my next few days in awe of family's love and friendship's care. looking forward to that turkey tomorrow and a parade.... from the comfort of a living room though... not sure i want to brave out the rain... i rather see it from home anyway, coffee in hand and beautiful people around me.

and of course this little thing, that steals my heart over and over again...

my niece styling the cutest hat ever (of course i picked it!)

 hope you holiday is beautiful...

No place like DC

Every place I visit steals my heart a bit... DC is no different. I arrived yesterday to a chilly afternoon and the embrace of color everywhere I turned. oh and I knew it then, I was in love.

The trees. They stole my heart. I never get to see them like this, in such splendor.

Here I realized my heart was made for Fall... For cardigans and scarves. For walks on colorful leafy roads holding a warm cup of coffee or hot chocholate (the content doesn't matter as much as it's warmth). Or just chatting away, clutching to my bag, feeling the cool breeze over my dark tights and listening to the heel of my boots reminding me I'm at a home away from home... and for a second or two I want to stay... but then I am glad to visit and take with me a new perspective, fond memories and a new love...

last night i had an amazing evening...

first. rachael lampa in an acoustic set. sharing stories and songs. while surrounded by books.

then. miami food trucks. cause you know food is a must. any day.

the end.

i wanna do it again.

i had a really dear time with my family this weekend. it's just too bad i dont have pictures of me smiling or them smiling back. my twin sisters (not me a twin, my sisters are twins) are the sweetest things, but dont like to be photographed. neither does rocio, the youngest. nor dad or stepmom. so instead i took pictures of food we had. and i caught one of the lovely twins on our dinner date.



i drove two hours, get off the car and this is how dad welcomes me.
can't say i complained.



i convinced one of my dear sisters to dinner, without the others,
they all work and being with them is a balancing act.

 

and of course the meal is the most important part of this ordeal.



oh the sweet taste of overly tangy, sweet ribs.
they were worth the upset stomach after.

my take on 11.11.11. and a video.

quito, ecuador. not my side of town, unfortunately.

its such a beautiful day on this side of town. and im a thrilled to enjoy the  weather and the great company. im driving north to spend time with my family and i cant wait to see my girls. my sisters. my dad. and stepmom. 

to celebrate the spectacle that is 11.11.11 i want to share 11 things that i love, am learning about or just cant live without.

1. family is really important. 

my sister rocio. the youngest one.

today, i know that family are those who are always there for you no matter what. friends have left me. friends have abandoned me. but my family, they still stick around. yes, they have failed me, they too have abandoned me, but no where else have i found the satisfaction when one of them feels proud. no where else have i seen people break their backs to make sure im fine. their love for me is special. 

2. friends are highly valuable and needed in ones life.

i've been blessed with many good friends that should all be honored for their love. but these girls right here know how to give a girl a good time and pick up a sister in prayer when she needs it. these women, one time or another, have held my heart in their hands and lifted me up to the lord and loved me during the awful times as well as the great ones.

3. break for that tea or coffee. 

i love coffee. and tea. and their warmth in my hand bring me inspiration, energy and joy that i just need throughout my day.

4. a great purse

i love bags. and i love the way a nice vintage, thrifted bag adds a unique touch to any look.

5. and a scarf

i have more scarves than i dare to count, but this h&m scarf is probably one of my favorites. and i love the sassy touch to it.

6. lovely meals.

these pictures say it all. yum!

7. books that reach deeper than mere humans can

excuse the bird droppings please. and yes, these shoes should have made this list too.

i really love to read and i have a large bookshelf to prove it. oh and a bag ready to go to goodwill with a good 30 of them that didn't fit anymore. and this 2011 i have been able to enhance my love for reading by participating in a book club and it has been an amazing blessing to read great books and share them with peers. god has blessed us and united us through our book study.

8. great blogger friends

i've met amazing women through blogging and i have felt so blessed to know an incredible amount of creative, god-loving girls. i met Ana (pictured here) from the recordologist in boston this summer and have begun a great relationship, from a far. but glad to know she is someone to call to. 

9. a nice camera

im really enjoying photographing everything around me. i need to better my skills but it's still fun to always have a camera handy.

10. desire to let go of the old and welcome the new

the lord has been molding me intensely this year. but i think, that finally i am getting closer and closer to letting him take out the old and pour in the new. there is no better feeling than knowing he cares so much for me to make me over.

11. recording random, awkward  videos while everyone is sleeping and trying to whisper through a song... enjoy!

my weekend at camp

my body still aches from the effects of an amazing weekend at camp.

our annual camp did not disapoint. not only did we have amazing fun,

but we also had amazing moments in the lord's presence.

he really embraced us with his love and adoration. we felt so loved by him.

his ways are so beautiful. i felt his hand holding me close. i felt his encouraging love.

and he affirmed me so strongly in the moments that i needed it most.

he surely loves us. he is surely good. he is surely faithful when we choose him above all.

seeing the pictures takes me back

how sore my legs are, takes me back

it takes me back to those long hours standing up

those hours of me in the kitchen, making grilled cheese, pasta, ribs (for the first time)

and it takes me back to worshiping the lord with all my heart

and seeing young people worship him with the utmost desire for more

and our hearts connected

we became one

and as camp arise came to an end sunday afternoon

we were all convinced that this had been the best weekend of our year

and that there was nothing more we wanted

but to go back there

to meet with god, eat smores

and run like crazy.