Jess and Joy: March 2014

3/31/14

Today it finally feels like Spring, and this time it seems it's here to stay.

And everybody knows what warm weather means! Time to go outside!

Here are a couple shots from frisbee last week with the gang.

Hopefully we'll play again this week!

^^Notice her smile as she is about to hit him with the frisbee?^^

^^Their faces in this one are THE best. I hope they don't kill me...^^

^^Cutie pie.^^

^^Playing barefoot = black feet.^^

3/30/14

A Sunday, homesick, mallow-roasting playlist.

1. Piano Brother by Jordan Klassen

2. Shake it Out by Florence & The Machine

3. Proud by The Icarus Account

4. Piano by Ariana Grande

5. The Suburbs by Mr Little Jeans

6. Be Thou My Vision by Ascend the Hill

7. In/Out by Dan Croll

8. The One That Got Away by The Civil Wars

9. Stealing Romance by The Milk Carton Kids

10. Light It Up by OneRepublic

11. Oh Our Lord by All Sons & Daughters

12. Quelqu'un M'a Dit by Carla Bruni

13. Crazy In Love by Beyonce

14. Oh God by Citizens

15. Check Yes, Juliet by We The Kings

16. I Will Find You by Jimmy Needham

Share Your Passion | Story | Meghan

3/29/14

I have known Meghan for almost two years now. I first met her when she was in my prayer group in the Fall of 2012. We had bistro dates every week, and we immediately bonded over our love of Asians. She also introduced me to foggy londons a week ago, and I may or may not have had four of them since then. She hails from the land of leis and hula girls. Meghan knows how to brighten people's day, just with her adorable smile. She is sweet, creative, and passionate. She is friendly, witty, and takes life as it comes. She is incredibly intelligent and I love to listen to all of her new-found nuggets of information along with her creative ideas. She is also super cute, no matter how many times she denies it.

My passion in life is Story. It love it. So much so, in fact, that is has become entangled with every aspect of my life. It has shaped my understanding of this world-- and the people who populate it-- and it is the foundation on which much of my beliefs about God and life are built. I think I should clarify here that when I say 'Story' I don't just mean books-- though I love a good book more than I love air sometimes-- I mean anything that has a narrative aspect to it. Art, music, movies, if it has a story to it, I love it. (It is probably the reason why I am not particularly enamored of sports or abstract art or poetry; it is heavy on emotion and action, but often time the story is lacking. There are, of course exceptions, but not enough to belie the rule.)

For as long as I can remember, Story has been a passion-- or obsession-- of mine, to the point that even though I thoroughly disliked reading and writing when I was young, I forced myself to learn to love them so that I would gain better access to stories. Now, of course, I could no more go without reading or writing than I could breathing. I can express myself through the written word far more clearly and eloquently than I ever could speaking, and through books I am able to understand people far better than I could just by any other means (books are, after all, little more than a story shaped by the worldview and beliefs of the author; by reading a good book you get the double pleasure of enjoying a well-crafted story and a look into the mind and thoughts of an individual besides yourself. But I digress.)

Though there are many aspects of him that inspire awe and wonder, it is God's role as Author that has captivated me. Honestly, the title of Author seems to me to be inadequate to describe him; what he did was so much more than simple story-telling as we know it to be. When we as writers create a character, no matter how much effort and time and work we put into it, we can never create anything that is any more than a shallow imitation of life. We could spend our whole life creating just one character, and it will never measure up to the depth and realism of an actual human. There is a saying that each person is the main character of their own story, something I will not disagree with. So imagine this. There are over seven billion stories in this world, each one featuring a main character and a rich supporting cast, each one unique in plot and style and genre. Not only this, but each story is interconnected with every other story that is, was, and will be. Then take a step back and realize that not only are all of these billions of stories interconnected, but they are woven together in such a way that they create a larger, meta-story that has been created for the sole purpose to bring its Creator glory. (You might say it seems egotistical, to create something just to bring you glory. But might I say, when we read a good book, we don't say "well done, Book, you told your story well." No, we give--as we should-- the praise to the one whose skill and effort made it the excellent work that it is. Why should this be any different?) It never ceases to blow my mind when I take the time to think about this, and I can say with confidence that this is one of the aspects of his personality I love the most.
Ironically, it is hard for me to express in words just how deeply rooted Story is in my soul, but I hope that these few lines were adequate in giving at least a glimpse into my views on the matter

Meghan, thanks for always being willing to go on crazy adventures with me and letting me take pictures of you! I love you dearly!

RVA Days | Noodles with Mom

3/28/14

The last night I was home, Mom and I went on a dinner date.

It may not seem like a big deal, but the older I get, the more and more thankful I am for every minute that I get to spend with her. My mom is my best friend, confidant, biggest encourager and supporter, and one of the most humble, loving women I know. I am so thankful to have such a godly woman that raised me up to know the Lord, and who has so greatly affected and molded me into the woman I am today.

You know how when you were younger and people told you that you were going to become your mother someday, and you thought, "Ha! That ain't happening!" Well, guess what? They are absolutely right. If there is one thing I have learned my senior year of college, it's that I am my mother.

^^Why don't we have a Noodles & Company in Lynchburg?! WHY?!^^

^^How pretty is she?^^

A Happy List

3/27/14

things that are yellow. friends that make me laugh. the pretty springtime snow. the Lord's provision. london fogs. my sweet friends I have made through this blog world. the anticipation of a Georgia wedding in June. bon iver. baseball season. a spring birthday. pen pals. when friends stand up for you. mix CDs. catching yourself smiling. getting up with the sun. when a stranger smiles back. watching someone talk about something they love. discovering new music. accomplishing something ahead of time. exact change. the smell of a campfire. getting so caught up in a Harry Potter movie that I forget that I am knitting. subconsciously memorizing lyrics. riding in the passenger seat on a long drive.

Share Your Passion | Painted Purple | Karen

3/26/14

I am beyond excited to introduce this new series. I've been stirring thoughts and ideas around in my head about this since summer. The idea for this came about when I wanted to "feature" my friends on my blog. For memories sake, but I also wanted to get to know them better through it.

One of my favorite things to talk about with people is what they are passionate about. Their eyes light up and they could go on forever talking about it. I just love hearing about what God has placed on each persons heart, and why it is that they love it. This is why I decided to do this project. I guess you could say that I'm passionate about others passions.

Without further ado, I introduce you to my new series, Share Your Passion.

My dear friend, and the first to share her passions with me, is Karen. She cracks me up and brings me smiles on a daily basis. We are known for our unashamed concerts and dance parties in the car. #acapella. She is a smoothie maker extraordinaire and shares my love for organization and having things in their place. Karen is sweet, bold, and loving. When she commits to something she doesn't go in half-heartedly, but pursues it with all her heart. Karen constantly encourages me and points me towards the Lord. She is loud, sassy, and outgoing, but the most humble person I know. She amazes me with her attitude of humility, as well as her commitment to and reliance on the Lord.

When I first asked Karen what she was passionate about, she said that she had no idea. I gave her "the look", and she immediately smiled. If you know Karen, then you know this about her. The girl loves purple. I mean she REALLY loves purple.

So we came up with a plan. Karen had never painted the spirit rock at our school before, so we headed out to Walmart, got a couple cans of spray paint, and went to town on the spirit rock. We got a few weird looks as most people paint it at night so that nobody can see, but it was a blast all the same!

"I think that being obsessed with sports or an activity is more common among people today, but not me, I am a little different than “most” people. I am obsessed with the color purple! I absolutely love this color for reasons that may not make much sense to people. Nevertheless, I have been passionate about this color ever since my junior year in high school, which would mean that this relationship has lasted for four years now. Purple has become part of who I am, in that everything I buy has to be or contain some sort of purple. But one reason would be that after I stared loving purple it was fun to identify myself with a color, it became exciting to find things that were purple and adding them to collection. Even now when I go out and see things that usually don’t come in purple, and they so happen to have them, I want to buy them. It also makes it a lot easier to match; being a girl this is really convenient. I can match without going through my whole closet (which is mostly purple) and taking a long time deciding. As I have moved on with my life, people around me start to notice how much purple I own. It is pretty crazy but I love the fact that my obsession brings a great conversation starter. I am sure that purple will be in my life for a long time, but for now I just adore to see my life being painted in purple."

--Sincerely, PurpleHolic :)

Thanks so much Karen for letting me take pictures of you and being such a good sport and brave soul to paint the rock in the daytime! You are beautiful and I am so thankful for you!