ohhhh mexico

i live for adventures! and i havent been on one in a while. so i was excited for girls weekend to rocky point. i have never heard of rocky point but it meant flying to tuscon, hanging out with girls that i love, and exploring a new place. ie...adventure! im in. i called my friend amy the night before because i wasnt sure if i should bring hiking boots and a tent or a beach towel....what is rocky point??? she explained to me that we were staying at a nice beachfront hotel. score. beach towel it is. amy picked me, elisa and brooke up from the tuscon airport on sunday and we drove to mexico. it went from cactusy mountain range to sand dunes. i love mexican culture and i was sooo excited when we got there! (most of my mexico experiences havent left the all inclusive hotels with my family). our days there consist of eating as much shrimp (they are known for their shrimp!) as possible, bartering at the local shops (in spanish), playing in the ocean! yesss!!, driving through rural areas (which is always a bit of a rush - driving in another country), taking a million pics, drinking strong margaritas, and we ended our trip with a spa day. girls will be girls :)

new favorite

i love going to concerts.

last week me, han, josh, and just went to "praise on the rockies" a christian concert weekend in estes park. its up at the ymca and i guess this is the last time they are having it in estes. sad. anyway, it was pretty amazing. shane and shane, bethany dillion, and joy williams were there. but we were most excited for jon forman (of switchfoot) and shawn walkins (of nicklecreek)...they have formed there own little band called "fiction family." so good...

also on thursday i got to see joshua radin for the second time. he is mostly depressing, acoustic music. but i absolutely love him and he is amazing live. he would just look at people in the audience and we made good eye contact....a good 10 seconds. im pretty sure he loves me. ha. his new cd comes out september ninth.

i heart iowa

as much as i travel you learn that a lot about experiencing the world and new things is about who you are experiencing them with. you could be surrounded by a million people in paris and be so lonely. anyway what im trying to say is i love to travel - anywhere with anyone usually. but sometimes i just want to go to IOWA.
last wednesday emily, sara and i left denver for des moines. road trip style. we were there for 5 days and it was so much fun...here our my top 10 memories.

1. when we got gas and oil 2 minutes into the trip. my car alarm went off twice. the car rolled away. i poured in the oil and then read the directions. oppsies.
2. using corn for gas in nebraska. or something.
3. yelling "YEAH IWOA" out the windows and getting strange looks.
4. 'A-lining' it to des moines
5. the most amazing sandwich place (south union or something)
6. buying evie's wedding dress!!!!
7. evie killing emily with her eyes...haha
8. catching fire flies! yesssss.
9. thunder and lightning storms every night! watching in the living room with the lights off.
10. robin's windshield wiper sound effects
11. painting pottery. (evie's dots :)
12. playing would you rather on the way home.

i love you girls!

my new favorite

so at urban outfitters i found this book "other peoples love letters" - my little sister and i started looking through it and got immediately addicted. i dont know if all people are like me...but i found these random strangers' love notes exceptionally intriguing. its kind of like post secret but not as morbid. these letters are from real people - some are funny, some sad, some almost made me cry. perhaps its a girl thing. with the iowa road trip coming i thought it fit the occasion since we were celebrating a love between two friends. (ha okay i just really wanted to buy it) in the car we took turns reading random love notes...trying to figure out the story behind them.
i suggest buying. now.
also i suggest keeping all of your lovers' love notes that they have ever given to you and creatively displaying them in a book like this. wouldn't that make a great gift....or like happy 50th anniversary. ha. (the gift thing was my sis's idea...i think its a good one)

my heart is beeping....still

this last week i went with some friends to an exhibit put on by world vision. it was a stimulation to help us understand what it is like to live with aids in africa. a kind of "pull on your heart strings" presentation. i was looking forward to going. i always think that im used to these sort of things...but it gets me everytime. i miss my invisible children days where i was constantly reminded of the need in africa. people's needs in general. instilling hope in the young people here that things can change. the continuous burden to pray for those in tribulation.
i pray that my life will not get to comfortable, that i forget. i pray for this exhibit, as it travels around, will open peoples' eyes to what they can give or do. i pray for the children who are waiting to be supported...that they will rely on you and get the care and love they need. i pray for the organization of wold vision, that the money can be used in the best way possible.
i pray for gulu and the kids who have or currently been affected by the LRA - give them peace and renew their minds. i pray for encouragement for volunteers who overwork themselves for your glory. amen

i am the only one to blame for this

I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
so wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
so steal my heart and take the pain
take the selfish, take the weak
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
take my world apart

-jars of clay

live music anyone?

phil wickham . july 11 . calvary chapel
feist . july 15 . fillmore
rocky votolato . july 19 . marquis theater
joshua radin . august 14 . bluebird
amos lee and priscilla ahn . august 16 . gothic
jenny lewis . september 17 . ogden
sigur ros . september 27 . red rocks
tegan and sara . october 13 . paramount
rachel yamagata . november 11 . bluebird
coldplay . november 21 . pepsi center