it don't come easily

Dear Life, 

       if a person slumbers and there is no one around to hear- do their snores make a sound? That's what I have been catching up on- sweet, sensible, sleep. Although this does present the problem of more dreaming; and if you do not already know I HATE DREAMS. 

      I was digging into an orange earlier and it's juices were spilling out onto my hands and it tasted quite delectable. Simple things. 

      I tend to live out my day in an entirely selfish way. Especially if that day is in the middle of summer, with my job still a good week away and no other real obligations. I want to work on that. Mom needs help sorting out boxes and such for the house move (insert sad emoticon and actual forlorn face here). And the Lord deserves a good chunk of my day reserved for processing Israel and praying for life, friends, Zababdeh (small town in the West Bank), etc. Even the beach has not received my adequate attention. There are grains of sand to be scuffled, waves to be surfed, and sunsets to be admired. I am sounding more selfless already, aren't I?

But for serious, here is to glorifying the Lord more in my every day life!

zealously yours, 

Kelly 

p.s.- Another smattering of thoughts for a post because too many giant events and overarching thoughts to even begin something worthwhile. Beggin your pardon- I'm sure you don't mind.

Holy, Holy, Holy

I am departing for Israel tomorrow. 

It is happening. If I continue to think/talk about it I will FREAK OUT AAHHHH ASLKJHCGDUSHDUWFTCVGSBHIJHBTDR9876TBJHG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me just say, I cannot wait for encounters with my Savior and Father on this trip, but I am fearful of trying and worrying and over analyzing and comparing and too much journaling and not enough journaling and feeling emotional etc etc

I just want to be. With Him.

Soon, and very soon.

A smattering of consciousness

Dear Life, 

       I have been thinking about how nothing feels substantial enough to blog about, nothing has given me that zing thought "Oh I am totes gonna blog about that". But, then I realized, actually maybe so much is happening right now that I have not slowed down to blog, or they are all far too substantial to blog about. Moreover, I cannot put into words the rush of emotion I feel about this season of life ending, or the anxiousness I have towards this summer, or the joy I have felt as my friends and I execute some "lasts" of ours. Often I post light-hearted, unimportant content on here and there just has not been much of that. So, in hopes to alleviate this feeling of hurriedness (I think I made that word up) and becalm my spirit, I will make quick, snippity (also made up) remarks on 'common' events lately. 

       I saw the sun rise this morning over the mountains with some good friends amidst a week of busyness. What a gift. Thou burning sun with golden beam, indeed. Oh praise Him! 

      I love when the purchases I buy in one outing are so fun. And it is never about the purchases themselves but the reason behind them. Buying blueberries, pears, spinach lettuce, gorgonzola, and green peppers to make a summery dinner for a friend. Buying a new, beautiful journal that I love so I can document ISRAEL. (IsraelIsraelIsrael) And buying some necklaces to give to several of my 8th grade girls whom I adore and have been so privileged as to be a part of their lives.

      Lastly, because it is the norm that I complain about the weather...seriously summer has still not come full force and even spring has been weaksauce. I can't wait to be in California climate soon.

avoiding the reality that this week signifies, 

Kelly 

p.s.- *sob*

O sweet spontaneous earth

Dear Life,

I need to pause more often. 

Just this late afternoon I wound up having some unexpected free time and pulled over to what appeared to be a scenic road. I stopped and got out and plopped onto the grass. Often I punish myself for thinking too much, especially about issues or circumstances I feel can injure my heart if I dwell on them. But, perhaps I need to give myself some healthy moments of peace where I can think and breathe and see that my thoughts are not going to bring the world crashing down on me. It was a beautiful day. I was lying down on my stomach, propped up on my elbows, taking special notice of everything surrounding me. The blades of grass were dancing and fluttering endlessly in the wind, with the few vibrant yellow flowers close by bobbing up and down. There were birds flying and zipping from tree to tree, and others were singing their repeating melodies. Two high whistles and one lower one. Two high whistles and one lower one. Like a chorus in a song. The clouds were wonderful. All sorts were out today. There were the wispy long ones that look like a paint brush sweeped them across the sky. There were those full and majestic clouds that look proud and of whitest white. And then I saw some like cotton balls with the ends all teased out. The sun was not quite saying farewell but was definitely not at it's strongest. There were rolling hills in the distance, and a church with it's empty parking lot right next to my peaceful spot.

Sacrifices need to be made more often for me to set aside time like I had today. 

Thanks for letting me get all lyrically descriptive up in hurr. I just felt like taking my artsy thoughts and putting them on [internet] paper. 

wistfully yours, 

Kelly

p.s.- another e. e. cummings poem in my title. Cheeyeck it out.

So photogenic

Dear Life,

      So I have this tendency to go on to the National Geographic website, to the countries section, and just choose a country and look at the pictures & occasionally read some facts (Jamaica has been colonized since 1494!!).

Today I share with you some of my favorite photos (bear in my mind I still have much exploring to do on the sight, these pitchyas are a small percentage). Click to enlarge.

This is in Mumbai, India at a [hard-to-pronounce] railway station. I love the blurriness with the still frame. And the architecture of the building is so elegant.

The North Pole??? No such luck. This is a view of Svalbard, Norway, at night with snow-covered mountains.

The vibrant colors are just shouting beauty and I just love how they adorn their wrists with gorgeous crafts. These are Maasai women in Kenya. 

These little girls in Brazil are wearing beautiful head wraps that make them look like young ladies. If only I could rock one as well as they do.

Vacation getaway to the South Pacific island of Tonga, anyone?? It's quite small and quite breathtaking. 

This might become a habitual occurrence on my blog- to display my findings during my internet travels. 

hoping to be an actual world traveler, 

Kelly

p.s.- which photo do you love the best y por qué?

freezie pops > a downpour

Dearest Life, 

       I am excited about the hopefully auspicious event of Graffiti Goes Out with a Pop(sicle)! What a good time it is bound to be. Please Lord bless us with favorable weather. I want the conviviality to be wildly out of hand. I want the merriment to be maximized and the enjoyment to be endless. 

       I had far too many cats and dogs fall all over me today. This pouring rain does not fly with me. It actually makes me angry. Please just let me be angry, I am not an angry person so it is unnecessary to press your optimism upon me- I am allowed to dislike something. And today that something is COLD, HEAVY RAIN. Thank you, Life.

       Let's hear a hip hip hoo-rah! for my social activeness lately. And doing it all without spending actual money (JMU dining dollars does not count). Reminding me of my extrovert tendencies is the energy and joy I gained from intentional time spent with many friends today and last night. Cowabunga! I'm surfing the waves of friendship. And it is refreshing.

(Great now I am even more dejected about the weather and yearn for the beach)

Parsimoniously yours, 

Kelly 

p.s.- Graffiti goes out with a POP! and I am left here with a sob. Such is Life.

Like what you like and be who you be

Dear Life,

       I love playing Ultimate Frisbee. I love being on a team of people who are going to try their best, not just to win but because it feels good to care and be fervent about something. Many people don't understand competitiveness in sports but boy I sure do. Ultimate is a sport I feel confident in. I like being an integral part of a team. Because in volleyball, yeah I can hold my own and might not be bad, but still. It's like cereal...it might not be bad for your health but it's not hugely improving it, either. In frisbee I feel more like grapes or lettuce (not quite the gnarliest vegetable/fruit). I like strategizing when to cut in and where to send the disc; how to flick it so it arches over that guys head & into my teammate's hands. Sports can sometimes be an art form.

       I was talking to a very good friend of mine about being who we are and being okay with who we are. I thought of how I enjoy sports and being competitive. Often I feel like I should apologize for that. Perhaps it's the stigma that only men can get roused up about athletics, or that it is not Christian to want to win or to care so much about a game. I call it passion. And I take personal affront to those who claim I am not being "lady-like". 

I grew up with 4 boys, 

Kelly 

p.s.- What is something you might feel silly about being passionate towards?!