Sweet Inspiration

Dave and I just had the most wonderful weekend in Costa Mesa. We were in charge of the marriage retreat for our church and it was so great to celebrate, along with 15 other couples, our serious commitment to a lifetime together.

Among those special couples; Bob and Emilie Barnes - our speakers. With 52 years of marriage behind them, we were all blessed and inspired by their sweet love. Just watching them look at each other with such deep respect and adoration, infused us with a fierce determination to learn their secret. So we soaked them up and hung on every word...

Emilie is a successful author with over 50 books in print. She and I spent time talking about my dream of being a writer. She was my age when she published her first and she encouraged me to pursue my passion but to always be mindful of my first priority - feathering my nest. She fueled my desire to press on with my work, balanced with some much needed perspective. I will always treasure the time she took to mentor me that weekend. We formed a special bond...

During our free time Dave and I stole away to The Wedge in Newport Beach; the place where we got engaged. We took some fun photos and remembered a bit of what life was like at that very spot on the jetty 19 years before. After loving each other for 22 years our relationship remains strong and secure. It has been far from easy many days, but God is blessing our desire to be committed for life.

Bob told a truth within a funny joke one night. He said when you get married you get three rings. An engagement ring, a wedding ring, and suffe-ring. As a result of this simple little retreat, when we hit those inevitable potholes in the road, I think we'll first pray and then find ourselves stopping to ask -

- what our sweet Bob and Emily would do...

Brain Yoga

Every Thursday I am such a happy girl...

People think I'm crazy for making the hour plus commute to Westwood to further (ok, pretty much begin) my higher education. I've actually created a little weekly ritual for myself.

I try and leave early to avoid as much traffic as possible (thank you mom) and use the time in the car to talk with God or catch up on phone calls. Once there, I stop into Whole Foods Market around the corner from the campus to grab a Spicy Tuna Roll and some iced tea for a picnic dinner for one. There are a few special spots where this little meal takes place depending on whether or not I feel like communing with nature and architecture or students and coffee blenders. Either enables me to savor the flavor of University life...I relish the moments before class as much as I do the classes themselves.

School for me is like Brain Yoga. My mind is stretched to capacity and then holds it's pose as creativity and instruction breathe life into my being. The experiences I've had so far on this beautiful campus have been nothing short of a gift from God. My class last quarter, "The Art of the Personal Essay" was held in the amazing Royce Hall (above). Its tall, brick archways, ornate, carved details and glass bottle windows are rich with history and culture. I also love to sit in the beautiful Powell library (below). It smells of books and old plaster and I'm regularly drawn in to sit for a spell. While shooting these photos, I felt so blessed to be able to study here. I'm certain I will never take my time at UCLA for granted.


It is a precious few hours each week of sheer mental bliss...