Gordon Trip: Part 1

I know this was a while ago, but it's all worth being remembered. I'll post it piece by piece. This was the first night. Taking a walk and finding shells. Lots of peace and quiet and fresh cold air and open space. the sky looked rainbow-y. can you see it?

17/52

An evening picnic in the arboretum. We did somersaults and cartwheels across the field. We made wishes on dandelion puffs. We climbed to the top of a huge tree and saw the whole world. We ended up with grass stained knees and eyes reflecting the stars.

A day in Philly

Yesterday was a wonderful day in the city. Spring does things to people, I'm pretty sure. Everyone in the whole city looked happy. There were pink flowers overflowing off the trees. People were smiling and out on their runs and walking their dogs and pushing their strollers. And let me tell you, a cheesesteak tastes pretty amazing when you haven't had one for two years!

16/52

An adventure on Addison Street in Philly. a new discovery, a really great little alley. a reason for skipping with joy, clearly.

I guess I would just end today and this week with thankfulness. For good friends and wandering through the city with not a clue where you are. there's always surprises.

15/52

This week I took a wonderful weekend trip to Gloucester Massachusetts, where I forgot about real life and just laughed and breathed deeply and spent a lot of time outside. what is spring for pennsylvania is not for massachusetts. Yes, it was still really cold. yes...we went to the beach anyway.
Also this is my sister, (ca-rah) someone i love a lot. also my camera is back. say goodbye to ugly pictures! (hopefully) the past four weeks i haven't had pictures that I'm proud of at all. but there's something about this camera that says it all. i'm glad it's back. <3

p.s. more pictures of this gorgeous place with some funny people to come!

thoughts & links to check out

• I get my camera back today!
• I was looking through photos of this past year and realizing how glad I am just to be able to take pictures of everyday life again. Looking back, I realize how good it is to capture what is beautiful in life or fun times. It brought so much thankfulness to my heart. I think it's important to document things. Write them down, take pictures. Because it's so easy to forget God's goodness. It's so easy to forget those moments where His glory really shone through. 
• I came across these photos and thought they were so interesting. I have a theory that kids don't really need toys, just a good cardboard box and some crayons, and a day spent outside. In thinking about material possessions, I've been going through my room and completely clearing stuff out to give to the thrift store. Less is more. 
• Also, I read this article. What do you think? I think marrying young could be a good thing, and I disagree with the mindset of putting off marriage until you're done having fun, you've figured out a career and you've apparently "arrived" to the adult world. I read criticisms of this article that said it was overly conservative and unrealistic...but I don't think so. But also, I don't really know, and it's the kind of thing that is completely up to what God will do, and His perfect timing. 
• This music is what I've been listening to lately. I love this video, I love the joyful and accessible way they sing, and I love their vision of what the church really means. 

and here is some goodness to think about:

 

14/52

I am super late in posting this, but it was still taken last week, so everything is still okay.
I don't even remember enough about last week to write about it. Is that bad? Oh...I had the stomach bug. But that went away, and winter went away with it. It's safe to say it's finally, actually, really spring. The day this photo was taken, I went on a walk through pennypack, and it was nice enough to wade through the water to the little island and eat lunch. Just sitting there with the warmth sinking into my sun starved skin and feeling a deep, settled peace.
there's been warm days this week where I've sat in the sun, picked flowers, breathed fresh air, and let things go. I am so ready to say goodbye to being cooped up inside and to remember what it is to spend about 80% of my day outside.

          "In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." -Margaret Atwood