tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62044646300817279802023-11-16T03:39:44.091-08:00kimberly oyler(this is where i type like i talk)Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.comBlogger161125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-71794986762053927742015-01-04T23:47:00.000-08:002015-01-04T23:57:24.676-08:002 days until hawaii | an update on raising support<div style="text-align: justify;">
i was planning on writing out a long post about all the amazing things that have happened since i've started raising support, but it is currently 1am, i procrastinated, and i have to work tomorrow. i still hope to write out those stories because i never want to forget them, but until then, i will just say God has taught me a lot about Himself through this process. asking people for money, or help in general, makes me uncomfortable, but i knew i had to have help so i've stepped out and asked anyway. and what do you know, Jesus is a really good guy and has not let me down.</div>
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i will give you the highlights:</div>
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a one way ticket to hawaii for $163(!!!).</div>
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college friends randomly sending me hundreds of dollars.</div>
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an incredibly successful instagram auction that raised nearly $3500 in 24 hours. from mostly people i don't know.</div>
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an unexpected job at the church as the interim secretary. which has secretly always been my dream.</div>
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and the ability to show up in hawaii with the first 3 months already paid for.</div>
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i cannot actually believe that i have already raised so much money in such a short amount of time. i never dreamed i would. i am incredibly grateful for all the people who have given already and i wish i could thank them with their own trip to hawaii. one day if i am as rich as oprah i will do just that.</div>
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i leave for kona on wednesday, and as i already mentioned, the first 3 months are completely paid for. this is nothing short of a miracle. we have about a month to raise the remaining 3 months which pays for the outreach portion of this trip. i've been asked to raise $6000 for outreach to ensure that all of our expenses are covered. as you can imagine, i am tempted to be nervous about raising 6000 more dollars but mostly i am like bring it on. when i told a good friend of mine that i was going to YWAM, she was obviously excited for me, but mostly she was excited that i had to raise money. this conversation happened over the phone but had it happened in person i would have been giving her a blank stare. i don't know many people who are excited about raising money, but she was sure it was going to be an incredible faith building experience, and boy was she right.</div>
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i would like to outline some ways that you can support me if you are interested.</div>
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paypal option A - the donate button</div>
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on my blog sidebar, right over there ------------> is a yellow button that says donate. you do not have to have a paypal account, just a credit or debit card, to use this option. it goes straight to my paypal account where i keep it until i'm ready to make a payment to YWAM. the downside to this option is that i have to pay a fee once i receive the money, which adds up after awhile.</div>
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paypal option B - send money to friends and family</div>
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when you log into paypal there is a button on the top toolbar that says "pay or send money." if you click that, it will take you to a new screen where you can select "send money to friends and family." if you have a bank account linked to your paypal or you have a balance in your paypal account, there are no fees that have to be paid with this method. if you don't have either of those things, it will ask you to pay the 3% fee to send the money. please feel free to just use my donate button if you don't want to pay the fee.</div>
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YWAM payment A - the credit card</div>
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you can also make a payment straight to YWAM. using <a href="https://universitynations.diamondmindinc.com/?AccountID=13065&StudentFirst=Kimberly%20Elizabeth&StudentLast=Oyler" target="_blank">t h i s l i n k</a>, you can donate using a credit card, but not a debit card. please do not change the name that is automatically written on the first page, or the donation will not go to me.</div>
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YWAM payment B - an electronic check</div>
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using the same link above, you can donate with an electronic check. this will ask for your bank routing number (which you can find on the bottom of your checks) and account number and takes 2-3 days to transfer. i have made all my payments to YWAM this way and have had no problems at all. it is a secure website.</div>
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the good old fashioned way - a check</div>
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if you would like to donate using a check or cash, please email me at lifeasaneskimo (at) gmail (dot) com and i will send you my address.</div>
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lastly, i recently sent out these postcards to remind people to pray for me while i am in hawaii and overseas. if you would like one, please email me your address and i will get one out to you. my incredibly sweet and generous friend katy made these postcards for me out of the goodness of her heart of gold. she will punch me right in my face for saying this but she has an <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/katygirldesigns" target="_blank">e t s y s h o p</a> where she sells beautiful prints. i have gotten a lot of them because i'm obsessed, so i encourage you to hop over to her shop and look around. thanks katy, you're one in a million.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyI29m573oFmIQtl-L09tAtsIIR-bwwNJb6l4FOvQBz4vmXZXz3xQL5_IgUmTVuqTc8M5CwZs32gcwkPcbZ_ozUUppJ5yNK7RF2KsbbLBmH_AMX8xesVwHXwzDushMJLGsRbzII0p77iU/s1600/postcard+thank+you+front+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyI29m573oFmIQtl-L09tAtsIIR-bwwNJb6l4FOvQBz4vmXZXz3xQL5_IgUmTVuqTc8M5CwZs32gcwkPcbZ_ozUUppJ5yNK7RF2KsbbLBmH_AMX8xesVwHXwzDushMJLGsRbzII0p77iU/s1600/postcard+thank+you+front+(1).jpg" /></a></div>
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xoxo,</div>
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ko.</div>
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<br />Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-80190520451676017932014-10-12T11:05:00.001-07:002015-01-04T23:58:08.090-08:00aloha. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wINlS4K2s-NlcTMSCCRmiXsfu5FPQaW0C7cDA5tOFEA02ISxaNV5we_x7w6mDYUHoIpsJ60kmHqlu3LS_kuq381K30cn0dRGd0N-szOhzI2AMHF2ZSL22nIWva7MYv6aXLSkbM7F7wY/s1600/23778_412691688383_7689377_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wINlS4K2s-NlcTMSCCRmiXsfu5FPQaW0C7cDA5tOFEA02ISxaNV5we_x7w6mDYUHoIpsJ60kmHqlu3LS_kuq381K30cn0dRGd0N-szOhzI2AMHF2ZSL22nIWva7MYv6aXLSkbM7F7wY/s1600/23778_412691688383_7689377_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">picture from a trip to maui in 2010.</td></tr>
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a little over a year ago i heard a song called "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJT1IBaMb0U" target="_blank">all is for your glory</a>" by cory asbury (that link takes you to the laura hackett version though.) the bridge of that song says this:<br />
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"put me anywhere</div>
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just put Your glory in me</div>
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I'll serve anywhere</div>
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just let me see Your beauty"</div>
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i think i sang that song at school and church approximately 400 thousand times since then. at least once or twice a week. that and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLqTZ07ja7g" target="_blank">oceans by hillsong</a>, but thats a whole different story. </div>
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anyway, over the last few years, i've learned a lot about the importance of the words that we speak. there is a <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+18%3A21&version=NIV" target="_blank">verse in the Bible</a> that says "the tongue has the power of life and death" which makes me think a lot more about the words that come out of my mouth. because of this, i've become a lot more choosy about the songs that i'll sing. i don't want to declare words, even in song, that i don't agree with or really believe. just because they're singing a song at church doesn't mean i have to sing it too. make sense? (i could go on and on about the power i think words carry, but i'll get to the point...)</div>
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so when all is for your glory started being played everywhere i went, i consciously chose to sing those words. i genuinely thought about the words i was singing and the implications they might have. i was, with tears in my eyes, really saying <i>send me literally anywhere. i'll go. i'm literally scared out of my mind to agree to that, but i trust You. send me anywhere as long as You go too." </i>(and duh, obviously, Jesus is going too.)</div>
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who knew i'd actually have to put my money where my mouth is. </div>
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over the last year at least 10 people, half of whom i didn't know, asked me in one way or another if i'd ever heard of/thought of going to an organization called Youth With a Mission or YWAM as most people call it. those people popped up over the course of a few months, and it didn't take me long to notice the theme. i had heard of YWAM before, and it was something i had even considered doing, but taking 6 months to go do 3 months of discipleship and 3 months of international outreach was a little too scary for me. but i knew that all these mentions of YWAM were not just coincidental, so i told Jesus okay, i'll do YWAM. sure. knowing that He wasn't asking me to do it right that moment. </div>
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all of that to say, although this may seem for some people like its coming out of left field, i've known about this in my heart for a long time. i just had no idea He'd say "go!" so soon.<br />
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SO, in january 2015 i am getting on an airplane to kona, hawaii where i will join people from all over the world to do a 6 month discipleship program. i'll be in kona for 3 months going through the "lecture" phase of the school, and then i'll be going with a team for a 3 month international "outreach" phase where i'll put all the things i learned in lecture to practice. right now i don't know where i will go on outreach as this is something the school leaders determine after all the students arrive. <i>"send me literally anywhere" </i>is beginning to hold a lot more meaning as i could literally be sent anywhere in the entire world. </div>
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i have to be honest and tell you that i am really really nervous. i am 150 thousand percent confident that this is what Jesus has for me in this season, but i am truly so nervous. i am nervous about being gone for 6 months, i'm nervous about not seeing any of my friends, i'm nervous about going to a foreign country, i'm nervous about saying yes to a foreign country before i know which one it is, i'm nervous about what i might have to eat in that foreign country, i'm nervous about raising all the money i need, i'm nervous that i'll hate being in hot weather for 6 months. etc, etc, etc. BUT, this was so completely and totally the Lord's idea and i trust Him 100%. He already knows where i'm going, who i'm gonna meet, where the money is going to come from, what i'm gonna eat, etc etc etc. i have nothing to worry about. He's got it.<br />
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i am brainstorming some ways to raise the funds i need to make this happen. i've thought about selling prints or having an instagram auction or maybe going with the trusty old send a letter to people method. i will of course let everyone know once i decide what is the best route to go. :)<br />
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please be praying for me as i continue to work out all the details and prepare to head to hawaii in less than 3 months. so much to do, so little time!<br />
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for more information on YWAM go <a href="http://www.uofnkona.edu/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
xoxo,<br />
ko.<br />
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Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-25520831674548255652014-09-15T04:00:00.000-07:002014-09-15T04:00:04.184-07:00a trip to my other home.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
first i just want to say that i'm really sorry that this is basically just a play by play recap of my trip. i don't even know how to write a blog any other way. i'll work on it, i promise.</div>
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insert amazing transition here.</div>
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four blessed years ago, i had just made the drive to indiana for my first year of college. not a bone in my body ever wanted to live in indiana for a single minute past college. i thought marion was small and boring. it didn't have a target or a panera. my friends were hundreds of miles away. i could never imagine myself living there. i wasn't even sure why other people lived there. </div>
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isn't it funny how things change. </div>
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now, of course, <a href="http://lifeasaneskimo.blogspot.com/2014/02/maybe-im-being-dramatic-premature-post.html" target="_blank">i'd move there in a heartbeat</a>. it still doesn't have a target or a panera, but those things are only a few miles away. i don't think its all that small anymore. i don't find it boring. so many friends are there. large pieces of my heart stayed within the lines of grant county. </div>
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<a href="http://lifeasaneskimo.blogspot.com/2014/09/a-michigan-wedding.html" target="_blank">dev and stephen's wedding</a> provided the perfect excuse to go back for a visit. i mean if i can't live there, i'm at least going to visit every chance i get. i posted the picture of the state sign on instagram with a caption expressing my deep joy to finally be back in this glorious state. several people were confused by that. i guess most people don't think indiana, <i>the crossroads of america</i>, have anything to offer, but they would be wrong.</div>
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so saturday morning, i hitched a ride back with chloë and james. it was a fabulous 3 hours with lots of talking, a really good podcast, some chipotle, and a stop in ft wayne to shop. bless.</div>
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once in upland, i was finally reunited with my one true love, max. or #hitinydog as he is known to many. max is one of two dogs on the entire planet who i will let into my bed. he joined me off and on for a nap or two. and he made the best reading buddy.<br />
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james grilled us hotdogs for dinner and we ate them on their magical front porch. i can't remember the last time i ate a hotdog. i'd say its probably been at leaaaast 6 -8 years. but i ate 2 and it was sort of really delicious. throw some spicy mustard on a hotdog and its amazing. who knew.<br />
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the next day was chlo + james' wedding anniversary, so i left them to have breakfast at the guys house. we had delicious pancakes, eggs and cat mugs. a recipe for perfection. me and kelly had a little afternoon snuggle session while the boys played chess (???) and we dreamt up instagram hashtags. thats the truth.<br />
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kel, luke and i also took a little trip to my favorite starbucks on the planet. we squeezed into a truck that i'm pretty sure is only meant for 2 people, but you know it just felt right. as we were leaving, luke rolled down his window and said, "oh i bet you don't want the window down because you did your hair." i had not done my hair that morning. in fact i had just rolled right out of bed. but thank you for noticing. what a compliment! you are the winner, luke.<br />
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later i headed back to chloë and james' to hang out before church. i snuggled with max, we watched tv and had tea. chloë has really spoiled me with all the british treats she feeds me. british cookies from waitrose, delicious chocolate and gummies. america needs to get her act together and offer something of this caliber. and of course chloë makes the best tea.<br />
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and then the moment i had been waiting for all week. all summer really. i walked back into this church. the one with the beautiful wood ceilings and the tall cross and the walls that i helped to paint. the one that holds my friends each sunday and is a part of so many of my best memories. the one i've laughed in and cried in and met Jesus in over and over again. there is no place i'd rather be on a sunday night.<br />
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kristen, nate and i matched, so i demanded a picture. i also got to wear a name tag again. i don't know why i love this so much, but i do. every time i see a name tag like these a think of kingdom life, even though i've worn name tags like these dozens of other places. i always save the ones from church. because i'm a hoarder. and entirely too sentimental.<br />
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AND I GOT TO SQUEEZE THIS FACE AGAIN. elizabeth and i met last year in a class we took together at church. i introduced myself to her and ashley afterwards. they asked me where i lived and it turns out they lived across the hall, two doors down from me. i was a loser senior and didn't know anyone in my hall. except them. my precious girls. i spent dozens of early mornings with this girl in mcconn and lots of nights laying in her bed. her, ashley and i drove back and forth to upland all together more times than i can count. most of those drives i would force them to listen to whatever new songs i had found that week, and i would go on and on and on about whatever was in my brain. they are the best listeners. i could learn a thing or two about that from these girls. they're wise and kind and so full of love. i'm sure its not hard for you to imagine my delight in seeing them again.<br />
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the next day, i said goodbye to james and chloë and upland and headed to marion. there weren't very many people on campus when i was there since school hadn't started, but i did run into my friend jenn a couple times, and i got to have the shortest coffee date ever with ashley. 30 minutes was not long enough. any amount of time with her is suuuuuuch a blessing, but i could have used at least 3 more hours.<br />
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that night i stayed with my bestie for the restie, amanda. she is an RA this year. i helped her with her decorations and did handstands on the walls and played my music too loud. i've been running around with this girl since she was in 3rd grade, so it makes me teary to think about how much we've both grown up since then. she is my person and i love her forever.<br />
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tuesday, mary drove to marion and we had lunch with our friend who is going to zambia for the semester. we also managed to get free coffee from our former place of employment, mcconn. thanks seth! then i had to say goodbye to mandy and one of us cried. it wasn't me. i hate it when she does that because then i cry. rude.<br />
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mary and i drove to indy where we had the best tacos on the entire planet at bakersfield. i dream about these tacos daily. they're that amazing. we went there last semester and i've been thinking about them ever since. i've wanted to go back so bad and she made it happen. i love her. i wrote about all the reasons why in <a href="http://lifeasaneskimo.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-drive-out-west-sedona-to-palo-alto.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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the next day was my birthday, so mary took me out for a delicious breakfast, and then we went to a local coffee shop that had the best sweet iced tea i've ever had. i bought some so i can make my own because woah. it was good.<br />
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and then i pierced my nose. i was really scared. i have the pain tolerance of a small child. i told the tattoo covered woman this and she laughed. she told me it felt like plucking your eyebrows or waxing them. "just like pulling a hair out, really!" WHATEVER. i've only plucked my eyebrows three times in my whole life and i've never had them waxed (blonde hair thankyouverymuch) so this comparison didn't really help. also IT HURT WAY WORSE THAN THAT so um, no it doesn't feel like plucking your eyebrows. again, WHATEVER.<br />
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she marked my nose to show me where it would go. i looked at it and said, "yeah i guess go ahead and poke a hole there." mary held my hand and i cried a little. i mean she just shoved the needle right through my nostril!<br />
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my favorite part of the whole experience was when i told her i was a nanny in california. our conversation went as follows:<br />
tattooed woman: "oh california! cool! how big is the family?"<br />
me: they have five ki-"<br />
tattooed woman: "f***ing grosssssss!"<br />
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you know, cussing gross isn't exactly how i'd put it, but yes, i guess 5 kids is a lot? it made me laugh.<br />
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so there's a hole in my nose now. with a shiny metal thing in it. i went straight to a hoop because i guess i just think i'm cooler than i really am.<br />
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after that we had to go to the airport. that was a terribly sad moment. but i was grateful for the time i had with this precious friend of mine. we are nose ring twins now. if only i could get my hair as big as hers, we could be real twins. a girl can dream.<br />
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the cornfields of indiana always do so much good to my heart. its probably less about the cornfields and more about the people who exist in between them. but regardless, indiana is a place i'll love forever.<br />
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california is slowing making its way into my heart, but it'll be a tough competition to beat out kansas and indiana.<br />
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and don't worry grant county, i'll be back.<br />
ko.<br />
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Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-9112938376924872522014-09-12T15:53:00.001-07:002014-09-12T15:54:13.458-07:00a michigan wedding.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
i have been trying to write this blog for 5 days. give me a round of applause if i ever finish it.</div>
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last fall i made a beautiful new friend named devon. in january, her boyfriend stephen asked me to be a part of an elaborate surprise proposal for her. and a few weeks ago, i got to be a part of the wedding. never ever in those first few weeks of our friendship did i think that less than a year later i would be standing up in her wedding.</div>
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praise the Lord i was able to fly from california to michigan a few days before the wedding. i had to leave for the airport super early on wednesday morning, but i made it to grand rapids just in time for the bachelorette party. </div>
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have you ever been belly dancing? dev's best friend from high school planned the party and she signed us all up for a 90minute belly dancing class. i was really nervous about it, but it ended up being really fun. our teacher was incredibly nice and we just had fun laughing with each other and of course at each other. i have to admit, my favorite part of the class was the first 10 minutes when we did stretches to john mayer music with the lights dimmed. oh john. i love you.</div>
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some of the girls had an in with the owner of a dessert bar in downtown grand rapids, so we headed there after our dance lesson even though all i wanted was a cheeseburger. they had seriously delicious desserts. cookies and milk! chocolate cake! other things i don't remember! (i still wanted a cheeseburger, but mcdonalds was closed.)</div>
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we slept in the next morning. enjoyed dev's grandma's perfect screened in porch (with a view of the lake!), and headed to starbucks for drinks and a copy of a british folk cd which features chloë's brother. #5 if you're interested. </div>
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the best part about weddings, if you ask me, is that they are basically reunions. all the friends from indiana started showing up on thursday, and boy was i happy to see them. i mean look at these stunners!</div>
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thursday was the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. i got yelled at several times at the rehearsal for not exactly paying attention and talking too much. but i mean, can you blame me? wouldn't you want to talk to all your people you haven't seen in months? the rehearsal was a fiesta pool party which was both delicious and a blast.</div>
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dev was a genius and had all the girls stay at her grandma's house (the wedding was in the backyard). this meant we had several late nights on the most comfortable bed ever, catching up and laughing and soaking each other up. hannah, emily and i stayed with dev at her house while she wrote her vows the night before the wedding. i have been to one other wedding where i stayed with the bride on her last night as a single lady, and i have to tell you, it might be my favorite part of the whole wedding. it always feels like such an honor. its just you and your closest gals. no fuss. just a sweet few moments together before everything changes the next day.</div>
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we decorated for the wedding the morning of, which i thought was going to be terrible, but it was actually so fun! even the guys helped. plus it isn't that hard to make a location like this look beautiful. and boy did it turn out beautiful.</div>
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chloë and james officiated the wedding. chloë wore the most stunning dress from london. and she did my makeup. thanks again, chlo. i heart you. </div>
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and as if there weren't already enough friends involved in this wedding, even the photographers were good friends of mine. bless. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miranda-Coralyn-Photography/164566730296203" target="_blank">miranda fuchs</a> was the main photog and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alicia-Wines-Photography/99821299268" target="_blank">alicia wines</a> second shot with her. (click their names to take you to their facebook photo pages.)</div>
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this massage chair was in our room. i spent every spare minute in it.</div>
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let us take a minute to talk about the flowers. are they not incredibly beautiful? i will let you in on a secret, dev and her mom made them. from paper. can you even believe it!? i love flowers. they're one of my favorite parts of a wedding. and these ones were SO beautiful. some of my favorites. ever. </div>
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if you know dev, you know that she does just about whatever she wants. she does not care if people think she is crazy. example: she would often scream my name down the mallway in the student center at school. i would cower in embarrassment, shushing her as she came running down the mallway laughing and shouting. so, when dev told me she was going to cut her hair AT HER WEDDING i wasn't surprised. when she said she was going to cut it TWICE, i still wasn't surprised. </div>
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so, despite my <i>many many</i> protests, she cut her beautiful long, thick, luscious curls into a bob between the ceremony and the reception. i took a selfie with a piece of her hair. it was just so beautiful! but the bob was adorable. and then after the reception, before they left for the night, she cut it into a pixie. i don't have a picture of that. but she's crazy and i love her. you do you, dev. never stop.</div>
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and then, as if the day had not been fun enough, the entire bridal party took a yacht to the reception. because God bless america if you don't take a yacht to the reception, you're doing it wrong. it was so much fun. this whole bridal party was so. much. fun. </div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">don't you even worry, we toasted with sparkling cider. and then we danced so wild that we had to take our hair down. texas sized hair forever and ever amen. i've never danced so hard at a wedding, but i was just really feeling it that night. they didn't even play the wobble, which is my go to dance song, but there were so many friends there and the boys were dancing so wacky and i just went with it. i threw caution to the wind and i danced my hair out.</span></div>
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they left for the night through a tunnel of sparklers and i said goodbye to stephen and dev for who knows how long. </div>
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it was a beautiful day. i mean truly so perfect in so many ways. i laughed and cried and danced and soaked every moment in. someone get married again quick. lets do this reunion thing all over again. </div>
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and don't worry, the fun doesn't stop there! i followed most of these people back to indiana to spend more time with them. but you'll have to wait until the next post for that. hopefully it doesn't take me a whole week to write it. </div>
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xoxoxoxoxoxo,</div>
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ko.</div>
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Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-69688896725645671732014-09-06T02:00:00.000-07:002014-09-06T02:00:01.702-07:00august in pictures.i'm working on a blog about my trip back to indiana, which really means i'm thinking about maybe trying to possibly write a blog about my trip back to indiana, but in the mean time i figured i should at least blog <i>something.</i><br />
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i'm sure i could blog about each of these things individually, but who has time for that.<br />
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so without further ado, august.<br />
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(top to bottom, left to right)</div>
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1. driving the boys all the places, all the time.</div>
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2. snuggles at the doctor's office.</div>
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3. 4. 5. 6. a visit to muir woods</div>
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7. finally got a pair of white hightop converse.</div>
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8. told the boys to go get in the car. little punks.</div>
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9. jake fell asleep in the car. a modern day miracle.</div>
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1. happy hour with tate. hot chocolate for me and juice for him.</div>
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2. the best way to spend an afternoon.</div>
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3. road trip to oregon</div>
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4. driving through redding, ca.</div>
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5. driving through weed, ca. </div>
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6. made it 7 hours on the trip without starbucks.</div>
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7. woke up with a toddler in my bed. didn't hate it.</div>
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8. looking out over the garden in oregon.</div>
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9. fresh berries.</div>
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1. oregon goats.</div>
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2. snuggles with tate.</div>
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3. oregon country.</div>
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4. stepped on a rusty nail and had to go to town for a shot.</div>
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5. gathered some fresh eggs with a cute little girl.</div>
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6. oh, oregon.</div>
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7. oregon sunset.</div>
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8. the new shoes.</div>
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9. voodoo donut in portland. didn't live up to the hype. but i do love a donut.</div>
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1. silver falls state park.</div>
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2. night ride.</div>
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3. driving off into the sunset.</div>
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4. goofing around with tate.</div>
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5. jake keeping himself entertained on the drive home.</div>
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6. driving through redding again.</div>
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7. the kids school books arrived. lots of fun with boxes.</div>
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8. the boys got a haircut.</div>
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9. i was sad.</div>
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1. tate chickened out on the escalator after jake and i got on. happily rode down with a stranger. notice they're holding hands.</div>
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2. packing for indiana.</div>
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3. birthday packages.</div>
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4. first day back with the boys.</div>
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5. hot harvest nights farmers market.</div>
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6. off to the park with the boys.</div>
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7. california sunset.</div>
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8. beautiful clouds on a <a href="http://momastery.com/blog/2013/10/02/life-freaking-brutiful/" target="_blank">brutiful</a> day</div>
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9. happy boy after a nap.</div>
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1. 2. 3. spending the day at a new beach. san gregorio.</div>
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4. gallery walls forever and ever amen.</div>
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5. visited my nana. she put out all the stops.</div>
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6. wasn't much help packing her house.</div>
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7. nana.</div>
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8. aunt suie.</div>
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9. so glad to see them both.</div>
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1. the kids found a baby squirrel. named him grayson.</div>
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2. we took him to a rescue shelter.</div>
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3. i'm pretty sure he died.</div>
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4. but i was happy to hold him. a dream come true.</div>
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5. typical trip to target.</div>
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6. we do this a lot.</div>
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7. great end to a terrible day.</div>
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8. the boy loves selfies.</div>
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9. went to the farmers market alone. sat on a bench and enjoyed this treat.</div>
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1. no of course i didn't pose them this way. they always swing like that.</div>
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2. blurry babe.</div>
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3. took them to the park. they watched the lawnmower instead of playing.</div>
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4. we take a loooot of selfies.</div>
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5. we love them!</div>
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this sums up our days pretty well. target. park. starbucks. selfies. beach. snuggle. repeat.</div>
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happy saturday.</div>
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ko.</div>
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<br />Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-20227183383524742882014-08-04T00:44:00.000-07:002014-09-05T23:02:30.852-07:00the drive out west || sedona to palo alto (part 2)<div style="text-align: justify;">
so where were we? is everyone bored yet? no? good, we've got more road to cover. literally!</div>
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after waving goodbye to new mexico, i journeyed onto arizona. like new mexico, i had never been to arizona. it is hot there. too hot. over 110 degrees hot. i'm not sure i can go back. unless i can go to sedona. which is where this story starts!</div>
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less than a week before my trip, i was texting my precious and dear friend mary. i met her freshman year at school waiting in line for FNL. at least that is my first memory of her. i thought she was a couple years ahead of me, why, i do not know. we lived in the same building sophomore year and had a class together. it was a memorable class for me since i started SOBBING on the first day when a friends of ours asked me how my break was. (break was fine. but i'd just said goodbye to the bff 5 minutes earlier.) the only thing i can remember about junior year is that we went to rebash together. but senior year? boy that was our year. i was weirdly excited to see her at the beginning of the year, not really sure why exactly because we weren't close friends. and then we got scheduled together for a weekly shift at mcconn. we'd always leave the shift together and go get stir fry. it was the best. i loved that semester. i even got to stay late to see her graduate. </div>
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i am not sure why i am telling you all of this except to say that i love this girl with all of my whole heart. she has the best hair AND the best heart. the perfect combo if you ask me. </div>
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so, we figured out when we were texting that she was going to be in sedona when i was driving through. being the good and flexible friend that i am, i changed my plans around so i could see her. best decision ever. thank you Jesus for arranging this. we know you did it, you are the man.</div>
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mar was on vacation with her whole family. they come to this magical place in sedona every year. i think i am going to try and join them every year because it is beautiful and relaxing and perfect and her family is incredible. </div>
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mary showed me around the place they were staying and we got to spend time in the creek, see the private orchards, walk over the bridge that is apparently always closed and very bouncy, swing on the biggest rope swing, talk and talk and talk and of course spend time with her family. it was so so good. i miss my friends from school a lot, so to be able to spend time with a school friend, and one of my favorites at that, was just so good. </div>
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i mean just look at that family! i felt so lucky to be able to spend time with them. and how cute are mary's nephews? </div>
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after saying another stupid goodbye, i drove south to phoenix. the temperature rose at least 30 degrees. #blessed. i stopped to see my friends dick and donna who i worked with in alaska 3 years ago. unfortunately, donna had gotten back from the hospital after a knee surgery just an hour before i got there. talk about bad timing! so i only stayed to chat with them for a bit. annnnnd i didn't get a picture which is a real bummer.</div>
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next, i drove all the way across phoenix to see my friend <a href="http://sanctifiedpearl.com/" target="_blank">KC</a>. we <a href="http://lifeasaneskimo.blogspot.com/2012/10/influence-weekend-of-transitioning-my.html" target="_blank">met at the influence conference</a> 2 years ago. pretty much all i remember about that entire weekend is spending time with KC and 3 other seriously lovely ladies. it was kind of the best. i had suuuch a good time with them. this past march, i got to see all 4 of them together again at <a href="http://lifeasaneskimo.blogspot.com/2014/04/hopespoken.html" target="_blank">hope spoken</a>. it was great. they're all great. anyway, KC is moving from seattle to texas. talk. about. a. weather. change. so she was visiting her parents in phoenix in the middle of her crazy month long move. her parents, who were so sweet, let me stay with them for a night even though they were already hosting KC's family too. </div>
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as soon as i got there, i changed into something acceptable for a luau and headed to their country club for hawaiian night! i got to meet her parents, husband and adorable kids. but mostly we ignored them and chatted with each other the whole time. it was fabulous. </div>
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KC is so easy to talk to. i want to say that she "just gets me" but that will make me feel cheesy. but come on! she gets me! she is so fun and sweet and kind and tan. so many qualities i aspire to have! i love that our paths were literally crossing on this trip. please Jesus let them cross again soon.</div>
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her children all begged me not to go, but i had to leave right after breakfast so i could drive allllll the way to the LA area. but first, i made a pit stop at a mormon temple. i read a few mormon blogs and find it all very interesting, so i thought i may as well stop and see a temple since there are so many in arizona to be seen. i am a tad bit disappointed that i didn't drive a little bit further out of my way so i could see the bigger temple in gilbert, but i guess i'll have to see that one next time. i am contemplating flying to indiana next year when they open a new temple so i can see the inside before they consecrate it. i'm not mormon, but i think that they have a few really good values that would be great for anyone to learn from. i don't think it has ever hurt someone to learn from people who are a little different than them, just like it has never hurt anyone to eat salt water taffy in bed at midnight. ahem. </div>
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WHY AM I SO STRANGE? i don't know guys. i took a selfie with the temple. i sent it to my sister. pretend its all very normal. maybe i will visit all the temples all over the world and take selfies with them. i won't do that, but its fun to dream.</div>
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once i finally got on the road (after being told by a gas station attendant "that we don't have a public bathroom" what is this? nyc?) i pinky promised myself that i would not miss the california state line sign. i missed lit.tra.lee. every other state sign and was pretty desperate to get a picture with the california one. for instagram, obviously. it was about twelve thousand degrees where i took that picture as i am pretty sure i was standing on the actual sun. why do they keep it so hot there? why was no one passing out bottled water and sunblock? i will never know. </div>
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pretend like this next picture is somewhere in california. in reality it could be from anywhere. i just don't know.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3MhMt-Szq6zVL_3HZv2Ba1Mb4RtoZ18gBR3-osl5rGupXi2Yr4Gchi5xGrn6sGd0RaTueiEUeEL0HUIuberZ5YLnvUmtxjOrbzmvGjFQEPSYEXcBTrtry3HqV49-oxscoLpKnxGUxOo/s1600/h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3MhMt-Szq6zVL_3HZv2Ba1Mb4RtoZ18gBR3-osl5rGupXi2Yr4Gchi5xGrn6sGd0RaTueiEUeEL0HUIuberZ5YLnvUmtxjOrbzmvGjFQEPSYEXcBTrtry3HqV49-oxscoLpKnxGUxOo/s1600/h.jpg" /></a></div>
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once i made it through the boring part of southern california where i was blessed to see approximately 300 million windmills, i got just outside of LA and nearly died. california traffic. oh em gee. where is everyone going and why are they driving so fast. until this point my drive had been great. relaxing even. the relaxing part was long gone and i was gripping the steering wheel like my life depended on it. because apparently, it did. miraculously, i made it to <a href="http://www.sunrisesunsetblog.com/" target="_blank">kara's</a> house. </div>
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kara is one of the people who i can without a doubt say i met on instagram. what is the 21st century. we meet people on the internet. i commented on someone else's picture saying i liked her (kara's) sweater. we've been friends ever since. we met IRL (in real life) at hope spoken, but didn't actually get to hang much. kara was nice enough to leave her cute kids at home for the night and take me to newport beach. we laid by the water, walked on the pier, ate delicious mexican food and got matching tank tops. i'd say that makes up for not hanging out at hope spoken.</div>
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you should probably go stay at her house as soon as you can because she will make you the cutest little treat basket. i already burned the entire candle she gave me and bought another just like it. </div>
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after breakfast, i left kara's, got starbucks (duh) and started out on my last leg of the trip. it was uneventful and i was so (not) glad to save the most boring part of the entire drive for the last day. a glorious 5 hours on the 5. b o r i n g. </div>
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however, all of that quickly faded into my memory as soon as i pulled up to the house. i actually couldn't find it at first, which was funny. but the palm tree and the pool and the hot tub made the long drive worth it. and the cute kids of course. now it all seems like so long ago, probably because it took me three weeks to get this up.</div>
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i don't know an exciting way to end a post like this, so i will end it with this picture proving that at some point i drove on route 66. i don't know what state i was in. i don't know what day it was. all i know is i drove for a whole mile on the famous rode just to get sonic. </div>
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God bless america.</div>
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ko.</div>
Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-7197384808015018672014-08-01T07:00:00.000-07:002014-09-05T23:02:30.866-07:00ze beach.<div style="text-align: justify;">
in a perfect world everything would be posted on this here blog chronologically. but how boring would that be. plus it is one thousand times more fun to blog about THE BEACH than it is to blog about anything else. normally i would be posting these pictures with a tinge of sadness because deep down i would know my next visit to the beach wasn't any time soon. i think that was a run on sentence, but who cares because the only thing i know deep down is that we're going to the beach again tomorrow (yesterday by the time you read this). different beach. different day. same story. </div>
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i love the ocean.</div>
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without further ado, a zillion pictures from the beach from 3 different trips! and you can meet the children! it's your luckiest day.</div>
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jake the puppy/ professional sand licker and ellie the birthday girl. on this beach day at least.</div>
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your one and only chance to see cael is happening right now. blue shorts on the left. he's not really into letting me take his picture <i>every 5 minutes.</i> cannot figure out why. cory is also in this picture but since he is an adult he does not get to be introduced since i only said you could meet the children. rules are rules. jodi also snuck in here in that picture riiiight up there.</div>
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puppy jake again. and tate. he loves the camera, that boy.</div>
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hello, ava! working so very hard on her sand creation.</div>
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hello again ellie and hello sand castle complete with a seaweed palm tree.</div>
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i love this boy. he sings we will rock you and let it go all.day.long.</div>
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below you will see a magical comparison between a cloudy day at the beach and a sunny day at the beach. the magic that you will not see is the 32943849328 people i edited out of the cloudy picture.</div>
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on another day at the beach jake and tate spent a solid 10 minutes running towards the water, sitting down, getting up and running back to us and yelling "ta-da!" i laughed every time. they're reasonably cute, i guess. </div>
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and excellent at getting sand all over their bodies i might add.</div>
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we also saw a bunch (like hundreds) of these strange little creatures wash up on shore. i mean they were everywhere. you could see them floating in way out on the water. i did some googling around and determined that they were baby portuguese man of wars which is a type of jellyfish. which is totally normal, i'm sure. we think they were dead. i hope they were dead because the adult ones grow tentacles up to 30 feet long. no, i am not ever getting in the water again.</div>
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and now for the black and white series. i'm sure somewhere there is a rule stating that you may not turn beach pictures black and white because hello you're at the beach, but these are just so pretty b+w. i'm not even sorry. </div>
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i only made ellie retake this picture 23 times. its fine. and little worker bees working away on a trench that they promptly destroyed.</div>
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i was also generous enough to allow ellie to retake these boogie boarding pictures 47 times. and by that i mean i made her do it. again and again and again and again.</div>
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it was worth it, wouldn't you say? framers for sure.</div>
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i purchased one (or two) one piece swimsuits so that i can boogie board next time. all i had were "sleeveless" swimsuits (as ellie likes to call them) and believe me, sleeveless swimsuits are no good in the waves. no good at all. </div>
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see you tomorrow, beach. </div>
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xoxo,</div>
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ko.</div>
Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-69201758547267793462014-07-30T12:08:00.000-07:002014-09-05T23:02:30.861-07:00the drive out west || kansas to albuquerque (part 1)<div style="text-align: justify;">
so, i was going to just do this in one post, but its way too many pictures for just one. so two it is. i also know that most people may not be interested in reading a long stop by stop account of my trip, but i had such a good time on this adventure and don't want to forget one single thing about it. plus my mom wants to read it. </div>
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i left kansas on july 6th and headed to um, kansas. it was only a little over 2 hours to <a href="http://jessmcclenahan.com/" target="_blank">jess's</a> house, which made it a perfect stop for lunch. i've been reading jess's blog for over 3 years, and i was able to finally meet her in person at hope spoken, but boy was i still nervous pulling up to her house. </div>
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obviously, i had nothing to worry about. jess is so sweet and meeting her family was so fun. it is funny to read about people on a blog for several years and then meet them. especially when its not the person writing the blog. but her husband and two (now three!) boys were the sweetest. the even took me to the farm and levi gave me the grand tour. he told me the name of every single tractor. silly me thought they were all just called tractors, but it turns out they each have a name. jess had her baby less than 2 weeks after i stopped by, but i'm sure i'll get to meet the sweet guy when i drive home. a girl can dream can't she?</div>
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excuse this really low quality picture of me and the boys. i took a screenshot from jess's instagram. not the best way to do it. :)</div>
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next i headed to tulsa, which is in fact the opposite direction of west. originally i was going to go straight to texas from jess's house, but who can resist a stop at <a href="http://recipeforcrazy.com/" target="_blank">lesley's</a> house? lesley and her family had just gotten home from a big roadtrip to montana, but they were still willing to have me for dinner. lesley is quite the cook and her husband is a pretty great griller. so obviously dinner was delicious. and they had a whole plate of homegrown tomatoes from their yard. i thought i had died and gone to heaven. their two little girls are about the cutest things ever. i asked the older one what her favorite food was and she said bacon. i wish i could agree with her. </div>
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lesley is such a nice lady. and so funny too! i was so grateful to get to meet her at hope spoken after following her on instagram and her blog for a year or two. she is full of spunk and knows how to dream big dreams. also she has chickens. so fun.</div>
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lesley sent me on my way to ft worth with a bag of the most delicious cookies i've ever had. i rationed them all the way to arizona. i ended up driving past midnight to ft worth, so i enjoyed quite a few of those cookies on the way. at one point i was so sleepy that i had to pull into mcdonalds and get an ice cream cone. i'd never done that to keep myself awake before, but you can bet your bottom dollar that it won't be the last time. </div>
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when i finally got to ft worth, i didn't think i could possibly be any happier to see my bed. that was, of course, until i saw this little package waiting for me. </div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/KimberCreates" target="_blank">kimber</a> has a super cute etsy shop and was sweet enough to gift me a few prints. she also wrote me a sweet card AND stayed up waiting for me. she's a keeper, that one.</div>
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kimber knows how to make a girl feel welcome. the next morning, we had cinnamon rolls with her cutie patootie daughter, then went to shipley's and had the best donut i had eaten in months. after lunch at panera (all we did was eat) we met up with <a href="http://ajfrench.com/" target="_blank">anna</a>, and i got to meet her family. i met both of these girls at hope spoken and am so very glad that i did. we probably only got to talk for an hour over the course of the weekend, but we clicked and we're rooming together next year! visiting these girls felt like visiting old friends i've known forever. we get along so well and all enjoy similar things. including shopping and food. which is what our day revolved around. anthropologie, because duh. anna even made her first anthro clothing purchase.</div>
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they took me to velvet taco, where i proceeded to eat one of the best tacos i have ever had. i mean really, it was incredible. i am still thinking about it and would like 5 more please.</div>
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you could say it was taco heaven. </div>
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then we went home and watched <a href="http://americanblogger.com/" target="_blank">american blogger</a> because what else would you do with friends you met at a blogging conference. kimber's husband joined us too. i think he paid the most attention to it since kimber and i couldn't stop chatting.</div>
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i was really sad to leave ft worth. these two are sweet friends and i'm counting down the days til i get to see them again. but it was off to the next place! a fews hours west landed me in midland to see <a href="http://wynneelder.com/" target="_blank">wynne</a>. i also met her at hope spoken (are you sensing a theme?) and she is about the cutest texan you'll ever meet. i've never seen her in an outfit i didn't like and she got the prettiest hair. but more than that she has a heart of gold and never stops adventuring. she's been to africa 8 or 9 times in the last three years and is such an advocator of those in need. after hearing her story at hope spoken, hanging out in her home and meeting her sweet kids was so fun. she was also kind enough to have me for lunch even though she had just returned from a 19 day road trip out east, 12 of which it was just her and the kids. she was home for 3 days before she headed rwanda for 10 days. this girl has got a love for travel. i love that about her.</div>
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after i said goodbye to wynne and found a much needed ipod charger, i waved goodbye to beloved texas and started off towards new mexico. i've never been to new mexico, so i was excited to see a new state, but i was also excited to see the two cute little girls that were waiting for me.</div>
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this stretch, despite being over 6 hours, was actually my favorite part of the whole entire drive. i probably saw less than 10 cars going the same direction as me. it was so green and beautiful. i seriously did not want it to end. buuuut the babies were calling my name. boy was it good to finally see their faces. (and their mom and dad of course.)</div>
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after a good night of sleep with all twelve thousand of annika's stuffed animals, we spent the day at the botanical gardens, the aquarium, and well, shopping of course. 46 pictures for your viewing pleasure.</div>
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the gardens were sort of magical but also sort of really stinking hot if you weren't in the shade. although in kansas it is just hot everywhere. shade or not you're sweating your buns off. but it was worth the heat to spend time with these cutie pies. i taught isabella how to do this trick with her tongue when she was literally just hours old. i'm sure it was just a reflex or something, but i made this face at her and she made it right back. also i would like to take a moment to talk about how she is going to be in 5TH GRADE this year. stop the time people. its all happening to fast.</div>
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jocilyn bought me a sweater at anthro. bless her heart. and annika gave me some stuffed animal company while i tried things on. that girl loves her stuffed animals.<br />
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after some delicious pizza, a viewing of frozen and a full nights sleep, i had to say goodbye. but i didn't have far to go. just a quick drive across town for an impromptu stop at <a href="http://gracelaced.com/" target="_blank">ruth's</a> house. i commented on her instagram the day before saying i was driving through and wished i could see her. well what do you know, she was free the next morning and was sweet enough to let me bring her some coffee. i obviously loved all of my stops, but this one was such a fun surprise. i met her 6 boys, who were some of the most polite little boys i have ever met, and got to see her cute house. best of all, i just got to sit and chat with her for an hour. we met at hope spoken, but probably only talked for 5 minutes. so to spend a bit longer with her was a treat. she is such a gracious and wise woman and is an incredible mom. i took lots of mental notes while i was there. her boys are lucky to have such a great mom. she is speaking at hope spoken this year, and i am s t o k e d to hear her share.<br />
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part 2 coming sooooooon. scout's honor. for now i leave you with this picture from somewhere in america. your guess is as good as mine. </div>
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ko.</div>
Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-28055513430564418372014-07-16T03:00:00.000-07:002014-09-05T23:02:30.855-07:00i went coastal.i'm here! i finally arrived in california 2 days ago after a week long drive across the country. i am going to write all about my trip here soon, but figured i should at least update the blog to say that i'm here.<br />
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i have gotten so out of the habit with blogging lately, and since this is sure to be such a wild time in california, i really want to get back into it. so i'm making myself blog even though it really bothers me to not write about things sequentially. someone give me a medal for using the word sequentially. is sequentially even a word. now i am unsure.<br />
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moving on.<br />
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i have been to california to visit my mom's family a bunch of times, but this is obviously the first time i will have lived in california. which means it is also the first time i have driven in california and done normal things like go to the grocery store. despite only being here for a few days, i feel like i'm already noticing things that are different from kansas or the midwest in general. i'm sure this list is only going to get longer (i'm literally keeping a list on my phone), but i thought i'd post some now.<br />
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DRIVING.<br />
y'all. the speed limit in california is merely a suggestion. i am sure of it. this was also true of arizona. i used to be a speeder, but then i got pulled over on the way to school one year for going 10 over (oh hey mom, never told you about that...) and changed my ways. i didn't even get a ticket, just a verbal warning, but i decided that it wasn't really worth it and you don't even get there <i>that</i> much faster unless you're really hauling. but here, that is not an option. going 10 over is barely keeping up with the flow of traffic. everyone is angry at you. people do not let you over. people laugh at you when you are about to ram into a median because they will not let you over. everyone is a hurry to get somewhere. and you have to take the freeway everywhere. BUT NO ONE USES CRUISE CONTROL. this may be the end of me. i use cruise control in the city sometimes. because hello, why should i have to be in charge of remembering not to speed. and you can't talk on your phone here. what do you want from me california. why are you doing this to me.<br />
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GOING OUT.<br />
you're probably thinking, wow, she's been in california for 2 days and she is already going out? oh no, do not be confused. i am not going out to parties or fancy dinners. no, i am just going to the grocery store and to target and ikea. did you know that in california you may as well call a trip to the grocery store "going out" because you must in fact dress up as if you were "going out." i've gone to stores on 2 different days and both times i just felt so out of place. i felt like everyone was staring at me. this was unusual because i so do not care what strangers think. but suddenly on the second day, it finally occurred to me: <i>no one else is wearing nike shorts, a baggy tshirt and chacos.</i> <i>everyone has nice clothes on. even the children.</i> leaving your house is an occasion to put real clothes on for. waking up, in fact, might be a occasion to put real clothes on for. who knew!<br />
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GO GREEN.<br />
the recycling bins that everyone puts at the end of their driveway is twice as big as the trash can. there are no stores that will give you plastic bags. everyone brings their own bags unless you want to pay 10 cents for every paper bag you use. i kind of like this because sometimes i'm sad about how mean we are to the earth, but also who in the world can remember to take reusable bags to target?? i don't even have any reusable bags.<br />
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BLUETOOTH.<br />
so many people here talk to themselves. at least it looks that way until you realize they are actually just having loud conversations in the aisles of safeway with their bluetooth. because you have to be handsfree with your devices while driving, i guess most people here are just used to talking on a bluetooth, so they just take them into the grocery store. i hate talking on headsets, but you know, when in rome.... on second thought, think of how easy it would be to shop with two hands!<br />
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thats all i've noticed so far. there will be more i'm sure. i can't wait to tell you all about the house we're staying in and how close the beach is and how many amazing stores there are everywhere. and of course about my trip here. it was a good one.<br />
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until then.<br />
ko.<br />
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<br />Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-47558922620944758052014-06-12T03:00:00.000-07:002014-09-05T23:02:30.858-07:00#kimberlygoescoastal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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i am pretty sure most people know by now, but i thought i might as well put it on the blog too. so, if you didn't already know, i'm moving to california!</div>
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i'll be in the palo alto area for 6 months to nanny for the cutest family from my church. i'm still not exactly sure how this happened, but i'm really excited. i'm going to be close extended family, the beach, and in-n-out burger. i never ever thought i'd live in california, even for a minute, but i'm excited to experience it for 6 months.</div>
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i'm also pretty excited because several friends will be moving out to california at the end of the summer. most of them are going to be 4-5 hours away, one will even be all the way south in san diego, but 5 hours is at least a lot closer than kansas or indiana. </div>
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since i'm not really sure what my time in california is going to look like, right now i'm most excited for my drive out there. instead of driving an efficient route through colorado and utah and nevada to get to california, i've decided to go the long and out of the way way to see old and new friends. i sort of feel like i'm going on tour. i also feel like i never want to go on an actual tour because packing this many stops and people into one trip is going to be a lot. but it will be worth it to see <a href="http://jessmcclenahan.com/" target="_blank">jess</a>, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/KimberCreates" target="_blank">kimber</a>, <a href="http://www.ajfrench.com/blog" target="_blank">anna</a>, <a href="http://wynneelder.com/" target="_blank">wynne</a>, <a href="http://lifeasaneskimo.blogspot.com/2012/12/family-pictures.html" target="_blank">my sister and her family</a>, dick and donna, and <a href="http://www.sunrisesunsetblog.com/" target="_blank">kara</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYu9Ju4MA6UtZI8PVEOZsZDvfT4B5Qx4yjC5SU350wkgLpz6DFtr22Z5go039uIisSqYfMdzeTwEd6yJvjB0RpKzDfr43Sbb09x_gaI-UdYtwnha5YdXtNYg13gHu3VwBgdvtNc34n3W0/s1600/2014+map3-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYu9Ju4MA6UtZI8PVEOZsZDvfT4B5Qx4yjC5SU350wkgLpz6DFtr22Z5go039uIisSqYfMdzeTwEd6yJvjB0RpKzDfr43Sbb09x_gaI-UdYtwnha5YdXtNYg13gHu3VwBgdvtNc34n3W0/s1600/2014+map3-01.png" /></a></div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />i leave in 25 days and considering i still haven't unpacked from school or alaska, i have a loooooot to do. i'm also squeezing in a week long visit to the lake house with my main squeeze amanada.<br />
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here's to the next 3 weeks!<br />
koKimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-86155272137461995802014-05-02T04:00:00.000-07:002014-05-02T04:00:08.419-07:00alaska or bust.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRER3feOwXcR9tIoK5y1ds4iSyEMB2LFgca2hz5Fv2migz3dPkFIPfJQT-1ogFxbiHMvIT5cf8X-pATo8_RyyRUJei8SsH7jbWlXeHEimMnGAZMbQfWgi3rrX8J699riG_Jj7MFurdzqo/s1600/2014+mapak-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRER3feOwXcR9tIoK5y1ds4iSyEMB2LFgca2hz5Fv2migz3dPkFIPfJQT-1ogFxbiHMvIT5cf8X-pATo8_RyyRUJei8SsH7jbWlXeHEimMnGAZMbQfWgi3rrX8J699riG_Jj7MFurdzqo/s1600/2014+mapak-01.png" /></a></div>
three summers ago, i traded in hot and sunny skies for mild and rainy weather and ventured off to the last frontier to spend a few months counseling at a bible camp. (you can read about my first summer <a href="http://lifeasaneskimo.blogspot.com/search/label/alaska%202011" target="_blank">here</a> and my second almost summer <a href="http://lifeasaneskimo.blogspot.com/search/label/alaska%202012" target="_blank">here</a>.) that summer is the reason this blog was born. it's the reason my url is lifeasaneskimo.<br />
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do you ever just get an idea in your head? one that you're not sure how it got there, and you're not sure its leaving anytime soon either? well last summer i got one of those ideas. i decided i'd be spending the may after my graduation in alaska. it took awhile to figure out how long to stay and when to go and what i'd be okay with missing at home, but i finally made up my mind and bought my tickets three weeks ago. and yesterday, i boarded that flight. boy is it good to be back.<br />
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i'll be here for exactly 3 weeks. 3 glorious, probably will go too fast, weeks. i'm spending a few days in juneau with my friend bethany, and then i'll go out to camp for the rest of the time. i cannot wait to see the mountains and the ocean and the whales again. and the people, of course. i'm looking forward to spending mornings in the dining hall watching the waves and the whales while the sun comes up. i'm looking forward to being outside and wearing my xtra tuffs and rain coat. i'm looking forward to simple days and drawn out sunsets.<br />
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alaska, and camp specifically, is one of my favorite places on the planet. its the perfect place to go as a graduation present to myself.<br />
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i'm not sure how much i'll be able to be on the internet at camp, i'm not sure if the internet setup as changed since i've been there, but i'll be sharing looooots of pictures, i'm sure, when i get home.<br />
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ko.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-38743172840873720392014-04-01T03:00:00.000-07:002014-04-01T20:21:33.857-07:00#hopespoken.late sunday night i returned from a 5 day trip to dallas. i attended <a href="http://hopespoken.org/" target="_blank">hope spoken</a>, a conference i have been anxiously waiting to go to for over a year. i have only been to one other women's conference that was related to blogging, but that one was geared almost completely towards blogging, while this one was just hosted by bloggers, so i wasn't sure what to expect.<br />
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but it turned out to be so so wonderful. i went in hoping to meet a few bloggers i had made friends with over the last year or two, but ended up making friends with people i couldn't have even dreamed of connecting with. i posted this on my instagram and i feel like it sums up the weekend pretty well:<br />
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<span data-reactid=".r[3].[0].[0].[0].[0].[0].[0].[1].[1].[0].[0].[0].[0].[1].[2][1].[0]" style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #222222; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">as I'm sure most of you know, I love reading blogs. it's probably because I love stories. I love hearing what people have been through and where they have come from. I love hearing what they've conquered and what they've learned. mostly I just love seeing the story He's telling unfold in people's lives. so </span><span data-reactid=".r[3].[0].[0].[0].[0].[0].[0].[1].[1].[0].[0].[0].[0].[1].[2][1].[1]" style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #222222; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">#hopespoken</span><span data-reactid=".r[3].[0].[0].[0].[0].[0].[0].[1].[1].[0].[0].[0].[0].[1].[2][1].[2]" style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #222222; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> was kind of a dream for me. a weekend of hearing people's stories of love and life and joy and death and sorrow and redemption and hope. I made new friends, both with girls I was looking forward to meeting and with girls I didn't expect to connect with. it was a good weekend.</span></blockquote>
and really that is what it was. it was a weekend of stories speaking hope into other stories. it was a chance to be reminded that God is in the process of writing the most beautiful story of all time and we get the honor of playing a supporting role in the whole thing.<br />
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there were 11 different speakers, all of whom told their story. there was very little teaching and preaching and lots of just honest, "this is my life but look how good He is." i could honestly listen to people tell stories about their lives all day long, so i was a little bummed that the schedule was made so you had to choose 4 of the 8 breakout speakers. i really enjoyed the ones i went to, but heard really good things about the ones i missed.<br />
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i also was asked to lead a small group of 10 women for the weekend which was completely nervewracking. i made them goodie bags to win them over. including a mixed worship cd. they ended up being really sweet women who were completely capable of talking without my leading. i learned from them way more than i think they learned from me.<br />
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honestly, it was one of the most relaxing weekends i've had in a while. i went into thinking it was going to be challenging or hard, but really it just felt right and kind of like home. i could have stayed for another whole week and just hung out with all the women. i would also like to propose that next year we have a conference where you aren't allowed to wear hard pants (jeans). so basically that means everybody has to wear yoga pants or leggings with long shirts over them. doesn't that sound like a dream?!<br />
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i'm really proud of danielle and emily and casey for pulling this conference together. the food was fab, the decorations were incredible, the swag bags were amazing, the speakers had hearts of gold. i never felt like i was imposing if i went to talk to emily, danielle or casey. they were so sweet and so on the same level as everyone else. i loved that.<br />
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i highly encourage everyone to go next year. i already have my roommates for next year. i figure i'm just gonna buy a ticket and then if i can't go i'll sell it. wouldn't want to risk missing out!<br />
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here are one billion pictures from the weekend, all taken within 30 minutes, all of which look nothing like me.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwLbDF1Jw-nTB-BeYYb13ubYyATs95g5H2uwmEFoi3q1RnuJg9QoXqzz84Y8H5bvAxBPHWPXujeyDaA9KnOkZOEIVn3f39AkOeE3_xtev0XvVKeYcfT_aH7fqqfaZjmj2KCLqS1jGrlU/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwLbDF1Jw-nTB-BeYYb13ubYyATs95g5H2uwmEFoi3q1RnuJg9QoXqzz84Y8H5bvAxBPHWPXujeyDaA9KnOkZOEIVn3f39AkOeE3_xtev0XvVKeYcfT_aH7fqqfaZjmj2KCLqS1jGrlU/s1600/7.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gracelaced.com/blog/" target="_blank">ruth</a>, <a href="http://recipeforcrazy.com/" target="_blank">lesley</a>, <a href="http://ajfrench.com/blog" target="_blank">anna</a>, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/KimberCreates" target="_blank">kimber</a>, me, <a href="http://mypaperpinwheel.com/" target="_blank">thuy</a>, <a href="http://ashleyannphotography.com/blog" target="_blank">ashley</a><br />photo via thuy's instagram</td></tr>
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if i could hang out with these 6 women for an extended amount of time, i would be so happy. they were all the sweetest, most precious people on the planet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yi_qRgCA94BY4aEULbi5wOsJhWtp3ADpY5aIhVZjLcgrUpmQE0TqGJQMdMX6aNI6vTT4RSJhmlDotw-CDVJEjYReRoVggMWwDb773TzVF5dfA2aqcQ0WFHHFa9yVqFZPZUTd0FKFbE0/s1600/double2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yi_qRgCA94BY4aEULbi5wOsJhWtp3ADpY5aIhVZjLcgrUpmQE0TqGJQMdMX6aNI6vTT4RSJhmlDotw-CDVJEjYReRoVggMWwDb773TzVF5dfA2aqcQ0WFHHFa9yVqFZPZUTd0FKFbE0/s1600/double2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://danielleburkelo.com/" target="_blank">danielle</a> // <a href="http://wifeysinger.com/" target="_blank">hannah</a></td></tr>
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the hostess with the mostest and my sweet, sweet, generous friend hannah. love them to pieces and can't believe we finally got to meet in person.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJh67YdE-qkYdryU2sFTYrfbusXdN-hcKldz-iIr7TXT2_6VSJeRAHu09SfR2Je1V2E-QhwqS3sQg_rEj_RcdmEyAmK0vnYpr0V9kgNoz6aJFqVVpJ8K58FEfJcCs3Cq-Imgfmbu-tq5I/s1600/double3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJh67YdE-qkYdryU2sFTYrfbusXdN-hcKldz-iIr7TXT2_6VSJeRAHu09SfR2Je1V2E-QhwqS3sQg_rEj_RcdmEyAmK0vnYpr0V9kgNoz6aJFqVVpJ8K58FEfJcCs3Cq-Imgfmbu-tq5I/s1600/double3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wynneelder.com/" target="_blank">wynne</a> // <a href="http://unfoldingblog.com/" target="_blank">leslie</a></td></tr>
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these two were some of my surprise treasures from the weekend. i had heard their names in the blogging world before, but they weren't people i had kept up with. that will promptly change as i adore them and would like to immediately move into each of their houses. wynne is a gem and has the sweetest heart. leslie loves depressing music just like i do and we decided we're both melancholy. yes i had to look up what that means.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5QKZwc-44USzJaA48eG1ksqTRqPdVfXO1x8G2powbCarjBNNFfYI29RduamRmvRP86nHqVMdGXTq7GBlyjxmqjXI38OuoFF3GslIxPGn7TCOQrWW4Gj-5lCT7XOBSAeNRWpeKkTFGc4/s1600/double4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5QKZwc-44USzJaA48eG1ksqTRqPdVfXO1x8G2powbCarjBNNFfYI29RduamRmvRP86nHqVMdGXTq7GBlyjxmqjXI38OuoFF3GslIxPGn7TCOQrWW4Gj-5lCT7XOBSAeNRWpeKkTFGc4/s1600/double4.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ashley // <a href="http://jessmcclenahan.com/" target="_blank">jess</a><br />picture on right from jess</td></tr>
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i've been reading ashley's blog for over 2 years and i am so encouraged by her. she is such a cheerleader of others and inspires me to be an advocate for others. she is the craftiest person who was ever born and it turns out she is pretty funny too. i was so looking forward to finally seeing her in person. i've also been reading jess's blog for over 2 years. her session made me ugly cry and she even took time to talk with me saturday night. she is so sweet and i'm blown away by the strength that she carries.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1hFgGSSCj5D5CbAjDwBPOPXI8dxHA_Bzcv5hxxuzZOp2Lu9P0cn7SeFnscihDPeQJ1xgOo12XiBV99R_2-CeeJuBF0U1_3KGSLWTtPRuoJZ2d47Vm4la7x0aLXBi9eWHbetfWrPgr48/s1600/double5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1hFgGSSCj5D5CbAjDwBPOPXI8dxHA_Bzcv5hxxuzZOp2Lu9P0cn7SeFnscihDPeQJ1xgOo12XiBV99R_2-CeeJuBF0U1_3KGSLWTtPRuoJZ2d47Vm4la7x0aLXBi9eWHbetfWrPgr48/s1600/double5.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">kimber + anna // kimber</td></tr>
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these sweet ladies were my other surprise treasures. (you too thuy!) anna texted me on my flight home asking if i wanted to room with them next year. i said yes as fast as i could! they are sweet texas mamas who i clicked with as soon as i met them. we didn't really get to talk until late saturday night, which was a crying shame, but i can't wait to hopefully room with them and their friend brit next year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprB96MKpyCFvARuv6HQOn8AO7Tv-D19n3_1WdljhTozo5GSvGWSnbqeCn51Gi2Z_FE-oMro9qe3WPZEivi2-VDSdsggXIxLJB4vnvx0s6Ljv-7A2UhKuM9KLDKdhSF3ssL-A0NWw6aEE/s1600/double+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprB96MKpyCFvARuv6HQOn8AO7Tv-D19n3_1WdljhTozo5GSvGWSnbqeCn51Gi2Z_FE-oMro9qe3WPZEivi2-VDSdsggXIxLJB4vnvx0s6Ljv-7A2UhKuM9KLDKdhSF3ssL-A0NWw6aEE/s1600/double+1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ourhopereclaimed.com/" target="_blank">sarah</a> + hannah // <a href="http://sunrisesunsetblog.com/" target="_blank">kara</a></td></tr>
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i met sarah through the hope spoken link up and was totally confused about why we weren't already friends. she is a gem and has the cutest girls. kara i met on instagram when i stalkerishly told her i liked her sweater in one of hannah's pictures. the rest is history. i'm hoping to see her again early this summer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVJSEHgMEIkNF7LpTdwxHltniaCSlWAYXIc1oArvjZvPst-pX2bhyphenhyphenqO4ZRjNeGW0dmJr18Hu5KVmJRShnnrMxdJpLCdiCJ2s14z_uQKsDYzrrIXdVQofTm_r30rKdv-jbRJQA5sLXms8/s1600/double+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVJSEHgMEIkNF7LpTdwxHltniaCSlWAYXIc1oArvjZvPst-pX2bhyphenhyphenqO4ZRjNeGW0dmJr18Hu5KVmJRShnnrMxdJpLCdiCJ2s14z_uQKsDYzrrIXdVQofTm_r30rKdv-jbRJQA5sLXms8/s1600/double+6.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://flowerpatchfarmgirl.com/" target="_blank">shannan</a> // my small group girls</td></tr>
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emily and i picked shannan up from the airport on thursday to take her to the hotel. friday afternoon rolled around and i was standing with a group of people in the conference area. sweet shannan proceeded to introduce herself to everyone individually, including me. i, thinking she was just joking around, said, "my name is kimberly. i picked you up from the airport." she was so confused and asked if i was wearing a hat in the car. i wasn't. we both laughed and joked around about it all weekend. shannan actually lives 2 hours north of me. she is also a gem. and of course i had the best small group :)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpOFNhTFnMRBhlRbfhc1rj_-FbO1-eVDC16AN_l4bITZdrusPXlKnFpgydJnXg4-siqdUvNZqic7hFw7h_tHwIul9T2O2kC_01VUZ7etlOqBvRHEprP9PEAngMjZ206YbRANy8NCpDQ7o/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpOFNhTFnMRBhlRbfhc1rj_-FbO1-eVDC16AN_l4bITZdrusPXlKnFpgydJnXg4-siqdUvNZqic7hFw7h_tHwIul9T2O2kC_01VUZ7etlOqBvRHEprP9PEAngMjZ206YbRANy8NCpDQ7o/s1600/8.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lifeasyouliveit.com/blog" target="_blank">stacey</a>, me, lesley, <a href="http://theandersoncrewblog.com/" target="_blank">emily</a>, ashley, leslie, <a href="http://thenatos.com/" target="_blank">jami</a><br />photo via ashley's instagram</td></tr>
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probably if you are't my mother than you stopped reading 8 pictures ago. thanks mom.<br />
<br />
i can't wait to see what happens for next year. i've got my fingers crossed that i will be able to go.<br />
ko.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-2260919392279052002014-03-21T03:00:00.000-07:002014-03-21T03:00:09.554-07:00i should be writing a paper.but i decided to make a graduation gift guide instead! i know you were wondering what to get me, but worry no more!<br />
<br />
okay, so i'm mostly kidding about this being a gift guide. i don't expect you guys to buy me graduation presents. <i>but i certainly won't stop you</i>. ;)<br />
<br />
i haven't purchased an "item" for myself since december. i, being the person who knows what she is going to spend her paycheck on before she even has it, have started to feel the effects of this little self-imposed challenge.<br />
<br />
i have a running list of the things i want to buy myself when this is all over in may. most of these things are kind of expensive, but since i haven't blown all my money on stupid little impulsive trinkets, i will hopefully be able to buy some of these beauties.<br />
<br />
truth be told, i've spent most of the money i would have saved on traveling this semester (i have been/will be out of town 9 of the 16 weekends this semester), so this actually isn't realistic at all, but it's more fun than homework, so there.<br />
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<br />
and in case you were wondering, YES! it does take a flipping long time to make one of these cute little images. and YES! i had plenty of things i should have been doing instead including but not limited to: reading a book, writing a paper about that book, eating dinner, cleaning my room for the friends coming to stay with me tonight, prepping for my hope spoken small group, engaging with humans, etc. oh well!<br />
<br />
1. <a href="http://www.cathkidston.com/knitted-blanket/view-all/cath-kidston/fcp-product/1011753" target="_blank">cath kidston knitted blanket</a> -- first up is this lovely knitted blanket. my cute british friend chloë told me about cath kidston from the u.k. and i spent approximately 2 hours looking every.single.item. on their website. i'm obsessed. i love everything. i want everything. fly me to london and let me buy it all.<br />
<br />
2. <a href="http://store.kellymoorebag.com/products/libby" target="_blank">kelly moore "libby" camera laptop bag</a> -- i have the <a href="http://store.kellymoorebag.com/collections/all/products/classic" target="_blank">kelly moore "classic" bag</a>, gifted to me by the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1241388592"></span>sweetest woman<span id="goog_1241388593"></span></a> on the whole planet. i love it. it fits all my camera stuff. it has great pockets. the only downside is that it doesn't have a laptop sleeve. 98% of the time that i'm using this bag is when i'm traveling, and i never ever ever go anywhere with out my camera and my laptop, so its hard to not have a sleeve. enter: the "libby." plenty of room for camera stuff, extra stuff AND a laptop. a dream.<br />
<br />
3. <a href="http://www.zara.com/us/en/woman/dresses/long-dress-with-low-back-c358003p1818531.html" target="_blank">zara maxi dress</a> -- chloë told me about zara a few months ago and i finally was able to go to a zara store this past weekend while i was in chicago. i basically died. i touched everything. i couldn't buy anything. it was horrible. "horrible" being a relative term here. i was perusing the website today and came across this beauty. perfect summer dress if you ask me.<br />
<br />
4. <a href="http://www.converse.com/regular/chuck-taylor-classic-colors/MP_50.html?dwvar_MP__50_color=optical%20white&dwvar_MP__50_size=030" target="_blank">white high top converse</a> -- i've wanted these for around 2 years now. a friend just got engaged and her fiance gave her these shoes when he proposed. i told her to her face that i was mad about it. ha. my way of "rejoicing with those who rejoice" i guess. if i have to get engaged to get these shoes, i'll do it. i will! <i>i won't, actually. </i>when i was younger i used to tell people i was never going to get married, i was just going to have boys bring me presents. i think i am going to go back to that plan. look boys, you know what to buy me!<br />
<br />
5. <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/873481.jsp?cm_vc=SEARCH_RESULTS" target="_blank">anthropologie teapot</a> -- i have been drinking a lot of tea lately. it probably has something to do with the british friend. she's turned me into an earl grey snob. i even bought some loose leaf tea in chicago (doesn't count as a purchase since it's technically food.). now all i need is a proper tea pot and a <a href="http://www.republicoftea.com/tea-strainer-with-handle/p/V20024/" target="_blank">loose leaf infuser</a> and i'm ready to go.<br />
<br />
6. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/91042612/longitude-latitude-location-necklace?ref=favs_view_3" target="_blank">hand stamped longitude and latitude necklace</a> -- as you may know, i'm <a href="http://lifeasaneskimo.blogspot.com/2014/02/maybe-im-being-dramatic-premature-post.html" target="_blank">really sad about leaving</a> my people here in indiana. i thought about getting an indiana shaped charm necklace, but that is entirely too cheesy for me. i was looking around on etsy and saw these location necklaces. just the right amount of cheese for me. and this way i can add several charms if i want. one for lawrence, one for indiana, maybe one for alaska, then new ones for any place i go and desperately don't want to leave. a perfect solution.<br />
<br />
now that it's 9pm and i still haven't eaten dinner, we'll end the list at 6. i hope you've enjoyed this complete waste of mine and your time. i know i have.<br />
<br />
ko.<br />
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<br />Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-4260779119267809462014-02-24T21:28:00.001-08:002014-02-24T21:28:20.721-08:00He's the One thing.<br />
this might end up being one of those posts that i regret publishing so quickly, without reading it over and over, but sometimes just writing when you can feel all the feelings the strongest is the best way to express yourself.<br />
<br />
i started this year with grandiose plans to change the way i saw money, and stuff and spending. i set out to embark on this challenge i saw on <a href="http://laracasey.com/2013/09/09/contentment-challenge/" target="_blank">lara casey's blog</a>. i even wrote half a post about how i'm not buying anything new and i'm not eating out, planning to post it with all its glorious details in january for the world wide web to see.<br />
<br />
but as you may have noticed, its now february and i have posted no such thing. it never felt right. i never could find the words that did it justice, but still sounded like me.<br />
<br />
that's changed. and so here i sit in mcconn, at 11pm on a monday finally realizing what God wanted to teach me through this whole contentment challenge. finally realizing that the details matter less and the lesson matters most.<br />
<br />
<i>He's the one thing that matters. He's the only thing we get to keep forever.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
i was scrolling through instagram for the one zillionth time yesterday and saw a post about a family who had been affected by mold and was losing a lot of their possessions. i didn't have time to really read about it then, and i was sad for them, but i didn't understand the weight of their situation until i had time to read through <a href="http://charliessong.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/from-the-eye-of-the-rain-storm/" target="_blank">their blog</a> just now.<br />
<br />
to give you the short version, they've been living in a house with toxic black mold for a long time and it is costing them everything. unborn babies. their home. their health. their wealth. their lives, maybe. every single possession they own. gone. given away or destroyed.<br />
<br />
and i know deep down in my heart that this challenge i'm giving myself of spending less and wanting less and giving away more is so small in comparison to this battle they're fighting. and i know i don't fully understand the pain they feel. for me, it was a choice. for them, it's out of their control.<br />
<br />
i sat in mcconn and cried as i read their story. and i told my friend about it as i got some tea from mcconn, and he said his family went through a mold situation when he was 10, and then it got more real and i cried a little bit more. because i realized what He's been saying more fully and clearly than i ever had before.<br />
<br />
<i>He's the one thing that matters. He's the only thing we get to keep forever. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
the only thing we get to take to heaven is what we can fit in our brains and hearts and spirits and souls. we don't get to take anything else. i've heard people say, "you can't take a suitcase to heaven!" probably a thousand times, but still i acquire a bunch of stuff. a little shopping here, a little shopping there and soon my closet is busting at the seams and i'm sitting on <i>piles and piles, drawers and drawers, boxes and boxes </i>of stuff that doesn't. even. matter.<br />
<br />
the Lord is constantly asking me to check my heart and challenge me in how content i am. when i'm scrolling through pinterest and see something i want to buy. when i want to get new spring clothes. when i want to try new makeup. when i want to buy new prints for my wall because my favorite etsy shop is having a sale. when my friend gets a cool new thing and i want one too.<br />
He whispers in the gentlest way,<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"where's your treasure?"</i><br />
<br />
<i></i>and i say, "its in You!"<br />
<br />
but until this very moment i didn't even get what that really means. i didn't understand what it meant to really give up everything. to really hold everything loosely in my hands.<br />
<br />
i think contentment is a choice. being content is making a choice to believe everything the Lord has given you for right this second is enough. it's choosing to believe that none of it is yours anyway and that every single thing you call "yours" could be taken away from you in exactly one second. it sounds dramatic, i guess, but really its just reality. contentment is choosing to believe that everything you have and don't have doesn't matter as long as you have the Lord. as long as He's still good, its enough. He's enough.<br />
<br />
would i give it all up? would i give it all away? would i hand a stranger every dollar i had on me if i thought they needed it? no strings attached? would i give away something i loved, knowing i'd never be able to replace it, if He asked me to? would i give my iphone away? would i empty my bank accounts for someone else who needed it?<br />
<br />
i know there are people who think i'm a little crazy. a little radical maybe. but doing what Jesus told us to do isn't radical, its just obedience. He wasn't unclear when He said it may cost us everything to follow Him. He wasn't asking the disciples to be radical when He told them to leave everything and follow Him, He was just asking them to be obedient, to trust Him. i don't think there is any such thing as "radical christianity" or "radical giving." there is just normal obedient christianity. and normal obedient giving. (and no, i don't want to debate about that with you.)<br />
<br />
He's just asking me to be obedient. to hold it all loosely. to fix my eyes right on His face and stop worrying about the rest. to stop wanting anything more than Him. i don't pretend like that's easy. and i don't pretend like i'm very good at it. but i don't want to pretend like its not what He's asking me to do, either.<br />
<br />
heidi baker once said, "my only regret is that when i see Him, i'll have held something back that i could have lavished." what a way to live. regretting only that you could have gave more.<br />
<br />
i also want to say that i'm certainly not saying this is what He is asking you to do too, i don't want that responsibility. but i hope you'll understand more clearly that it's all about Him, not just in the end, but right now too.<br />
<br />
because He's the one thing that matters. He's the only thing we get to keep forever.<i> </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
ko.<br />
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Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-29519541252460860512014-02-18T11:40:00.001-08:002016-05-13T19:25:43.341-07:00maybe i'm being dramatic | a premature post about graduating<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
it hits me most when i'm driving.<br />
<br />
i love to drive in the car by myself. music up and windows down if its warm enough. this year i've driven a lot. mostly back and forth to upland for church and practicum and friends.<br />
<br />
i've made that drive millions of times. making my mark on the town as i'm making my mark on the road. growing my love the for little strips of life each town holds as i've made my way to Upland day after day, week after week. knowing just the time that the sun would be dipping behind the trees and cornfields i have grown so familiar with. knowing exactly when those fields wouldn't hold corn any longer but just a distant memory of it.<br />
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<br />
always thinking about the the I-69 travelers who would be beckoned off the highway and onto an exit by the towering starbucks sign, unaware of the memories i've made and friendships i've built at those wooden tables. not knowing that for them it was a pit stop and for me it was home.<br />
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<br />
i never realized how risky it was to build roots. and how painful it would be to dig them back up. i failed to recognize the danger in using "my" in front words like church and walmart and starbucks and home as if they'd be mine forever.<br />
<br />
my church.<br />
my walmart.<br />
my starbucks.<br />
my community.<br />
my home.<br />
<br />
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<br />
i didn't think time would really run out or that bags would really be packed for a final time. i never thought the time would come that i'd just be a visitor again, beckoned back by more than starbucks, but a visitor nonetheless.<br />
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<br />
leaving community is really hard. it has been so long that i've had to completely uproot from a place i've grown so familiar with, so i've forgotten the grief that comes with it. i guess its a good thing that i've learned to love this place, this community, this home, so much. but it doesn't make it any easier to leave.<br />
<br />
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<br />
"you're in college, kimberly! of course you found community!"<br />
fine, but this sure wasn't the one i was expecting. i couldn't have even asked for a group of people who push me and love me and disciple me and laugh with me so well. but the reality is that's what i got. and in 66 days i have to leave it. i have to say goodbye to the people who love me so well.<br />
the church that loves me so well.<br />
the people who choose to see others through the eyes of Jesus.<br />
the people who honor others.<br />
the people who make sharing meals and laughs together a priority and sacrifice for it.<br />
the people who rejoice in testimonies.<br />
the people who will give up their weekends to do ministry for another ministry thats going to a different church in another state.<br />
the people who make you your own pan of food because they know you don't like beans.<br />
the people who drive 4 hours round trip to see you for less than 10 minutes.<br />
the people who tell you where the spare key is.<br />
the people who you've only know for a year but feel closer to than people you've known for a decade.<br />
the people who forgive.<br />
the people who show grace.<br />
the people who trust in Jesus and believe He is who He says He is.<br />
the people who hear His voice.<br />
the people who are family.<br />
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how do you say goodbye to that? how do rip yourself out of that community just because you've been handed a diploma?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_zp57bBnTKOC-T80IAO7__K8WsFsWiz_s9R1SeBPfIyKvezv6dL2c-VPvZXjTznZFytaZgHce1ErRjezSgLqV3pnZ64LssTUs8WoFl6g0D8q3ae-eddxaWLCMdUc4LRcAsTm3-Rvu7w/s1600/IMG_9486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_zp57bBnTKOC-T80IAO7__K8WsFsWiz_s9R1SeBPfIyKvezv6dL2c-VPvZXjTznZFytaZgHce1ErRjezSgLqV3pnZ64LssTUs8WoFl6g0D8q3ae-eddxaWLCMdUc4LRcAsTm3-Rvu7w/s1600/IMG_9486.jpg" /></a></div>
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not once did i ever think i would find myself so deeply rooted in a community that i would want to stay in the cornfields of indiana for it, but thats what these friends, this church has become for me. the loveliest community i've ever known. with its own problems and issues sure, but with a great enough love to work through them.<br />
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"can i stay?" is a question i've asked approximately 400 times, but the answer, "not right now" hasn't changed.<br />
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and so i soak in these last 65 days. pondering and treasuring each moment of them in my heart. which is cheesy, but true.<br />
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lately, anytime i've gathered around a table with a group of my friends i cry or almost cry because i love it so much. bittersweet tears acknowledging the reality that it will be over all too soon.<br />
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i prepare to say goodbye. i prepare to pack up. i prepare to drive towards Upland one last time, stopping just short of it and getting on the highway, headed towards my other home.<br />
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indiana, you have my heart.<br />
ko.<br />
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<br />Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-56353708682268251862014-02-11T03:00:00.000-08:002016-05-13T19:25:43.352-07:00choose Him | my first "sermon"<div class="p1">
this.</div>
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this right here, posting this on the internet, is perhaps one of the most frightening things i have ever done. perhaps even more frightening than actually "preaching" this "sermon". i use quotation marks around those words because i read my "sermon" sitting in a stool in front of my class rather than actually preaching it like the rest of the class. it didn't really feel like preaching. it felt more like an out of body experience in which i was observing myself speak too quickly and tap my foot too often. </div>
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but my outfit was cute. and i got a good grade. <i>and i didn't throw up.</i></div>
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#winning</div>
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this sermon was for my homiletics 1 class last semester. i took it, not because it was required, but because the professor coerced me into it. i'm glad i did it. i'm glad i don't have to do it again. i promised my mom (3 months ago) that i'd post it so she could read it. so here you go, mom.</div>
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i start to tear up a little when i read this. not because i'm emotionally moved by my own words, <i>(awkward)</i>, but because i can't help but remember all the ways Jesus moved to make it possible. i had called it quits on writing this sermon, so frustrated with my lack of ability to actually write a sermon, when suddenly i had paragraph after paragraph of words running through my head. i have a feeling Jesus put them there. God bless Him. </div>
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also, my professor and classmates gave me lots of good feedback on ways that i could improve this sermon, but this is the version i presented in class. so it seems right to post this one. this version is also unfortunately full of capitalized letters and grammatically correct sentences, which is a total bummer, but hopefully you (i) will live. there are a couple places where it is really text, as in Scripture, heavy. don't give up. just push through it. </div>
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insert awkward transition here. </div>
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<i>(you should know that this is not actually a picture of the red sea, but a picture of the dead sea. i have not visited the red sea, but i have visited the dead sea and since it was in israel, or the promised land as some like to call it, i decided i could use it. just go with it.)</i></div>
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I once read a story about an elderly woman from France who was stuck in her own bathroom for almost a month. Apparently, the lock broke after she shut the door, and she had no other way of getting out. She spent nearly a month living off of water from her sink and banging on the walls for help. When her neighbors finally realized she had been calling out, they called the police, who rescued her immediately. By this time, she was badly malnourished, but fortunately recovered just fine in the hospital. </div>
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I wonder, sometimes, if this happens more often than we think it does.</div>
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I don’t necessarily think that hoards of people are getting trapped in their bathrooms for weeks on end, but I am pretty certain that there are a whole lot of trapped people wandering around the world. Most probably aren’t physically trapped, but there’s no doubt that they are stuck and they need a way out. </div>
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I read another story once about over a million people being stuck in one place together. </div>
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Exodus 14:19-31 reads,</div>
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<i>Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.<br />The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.<br />He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, <b>"Let's get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt."</b> Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the LORD swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen--the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea.<br />Not one of them survived.<br />But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.<br />That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.</i></blockquote>
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Okay, so to catch us up to this point in the story we have to know where the Israelites came from. They had been in Egypt for 400 years as slaves. There were over a million of them so Pharaoh had gotten nervous, and ordered all the baby boys of the Israelites to be thrown in the Nile. But, one Israelite woman hid her son, and eventually put him in a basket in the Nile River where Pharaoh’s daughter found him. She then raises the baby, Moses, as an Egyptian, he ends up killing someone, finds out he isn’t really Egyptian, and runs away to the dessert. There the Lord calls him from a burning bush to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses puts up a fight, eventually gives in, and treks back to Egypt to talk Pharaoh into letting his free labor force go. Pharaoh says no, then yes, then no, then yes, then no, then yes and eventually let’s them go only after God releases all kinds of horrible plagues on the Egyptian people. Now obviously that’s completely paraphrased and there are a lot of other details that make Moses’ whole story a miraculous one. But even still, here we find the Israelites after they’ve left Egypt and they’re camped around the edge of the Red Sea. </div>
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Just a few verses before our passage the Israelites see the Egyptians pursuing them and they’re terrified. They cry out to the Lord saying <i>“Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?” </i></div>
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They didn’t trust God. </div>
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He had displayed His power with plagues and signs and He had delivered them out of Egypt. But the second opposition came towards them again, they were overwhelmed with fear and didn’t think they could trust Him<b>. </b>God responds to their cries in verse 13 and says, <i>“Do not be afraid! Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” </i></div>
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Then the Lord said to Moses, <i>“Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” </i></div>
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So Moses does what the Lord instructs him to do and the Red Sea parts in half.</div>
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You can’t just see a gigantic body of water split open right in front of your eyes and not immediately recognize the Lord as mighty. You can’t be surrounded by your greatest enemy and be moments away from defeat then have a miraculous way out, on <b>dry</b> ground no less, and still continue to think the Lord isn’t on your side. </div>
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The Lord made a way out for them because they were His people. Because He had a promise to fulfill. He promised He would fight for them and He did. They couldn’t offer Him anything and they were about to be destroyed, but He said, “<b>No</b>, you are My chosen people and I’m going to save you and I’m going to show you that I’m for you. And even the Egyptians are going to recognize that I am Lord over all the earth because of the way I am fighting for you.” He was fully aware of every way they were going to betray Him in the future. He knew every idol they would place before Him and every time they would turn their back on Him but He saved them anyway. They were wrapped up in their fear and He stepped in, destroyed the Egyptian army and gave them a reason to put their trust in Him. He displayed His power and His might in a way they would never be able to forget and the Israelites looked back on it for thousands of years. He provided for them in this unforgettable way so that for years and years they could look back on the way the Lord chose them and protected them, and they could take that experience with the Lord and stand on it as a promise <b>that He would do it again.</b> He would provide for them again. He would keep His promises and He would never stop making ways for them. </div>
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He parted the Red Sea not because He wanted the Israelites to be victorious, </div>
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but, so that they could put their trust in Him, </div>
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so that they would chose to follow Him, </div>
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so that He could bring them into the Holy Land, </div>
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so He could set the stage for Jesus to come in and make <b>another</b> way them, </div>
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but not just a way into a Holy Land, </div>
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a way into the Holy Place for eternity. </div>
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He made a way.</div>
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He didn’t do it for them, He did it for Him. He did it so He could be with them in the end. The whole Bible is a story of God making ways for us so He can be with us. Because He loves us and He chose us and He’s still choosing us. He is still making a way for us and He is still wooing us into relationship with Him because He wants to be with us. And He wants to bring us out of the mindset of slavery and into the mindset of chosen children of the most high God. </div>
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The Israelites were stuck, and they were afraid. The Lord made a way for them but they had to choose to walk into the freedom He was creating for them. Imagine it for a second; you’re standing on the edge of a sea with a million of your closest friends and over the course of a night the water parts right in half. The scripture says there was a <b>wall </b>of water on their right and on their left, so it’s not just like they’re cutting through the shallow end of a pool, they’re walking through a large body of water and they’re probably afraid. No one walks into something like this without some hesitation. What if the walls of water fell?</div>
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God creating a way for them didn’t make them any more free, it gave them options, sure, but until they walked through the sea with the water on their left and on their right, they were still trapped. They had two choices: they could let the fear of walking through a body of water overcome them and let the Egyptians conquer them, or they could choose to walk in the promise that God would fight for them and walk in faith that He had brought them this far and that He was on their side. </div>
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For me, my fear? Where do I most easily struggle to trust that the Lord is on my side? It pops up in different ways at different times. Sometimes it’s feeling stuck in a social situation I’m not in control of. Sometimes it’s walking into new situations that I haven’t spent hours and hours researching. Maybe you feel stuck in your relationships. Maybe you feel stuck in your major or your living situation or your family or your job. Maybe you fear taking grain from this Book (the Bible) and making bread from it and feeding it to people and hoping it’s a good meal and that it’s honoring to the integrity of the Word and to the Holiness of Jesus. </div>
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But no matter what our fear is, no matter which way we feel stuck, we have a choice to make. We can choose to sit in our fear or we can choose to listen to God when He says, </div>
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“Hey daughter, </div>
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hey son, </div>
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I made a way for you. </div>
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You don’t have to be afraid. </div>
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I’m gonna give you the words to say. I’m gonna make the bread for you. I’m gonna get you through this social situation that brings out all sorts of anxiety in you. But you’re gonna have to trust me. You’re gonna have to walk through the sea. You can stay in your fear, and I’m still gonna love you, but I’ve made a way for you. So, follow me. Trust me.”</div>
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I don’t know what your Egyptian army is. I don’t know what you feel stuck in. but I do know that the Lord will make a way for you. The Lord will make a way for you that brings Him glory. Because it’s all about Him anyway. It was about Him when the Israelites crossed through on dry ground and it’s about Him when we’re seemingly stuck in our fear now. I don’t know which seas He is going to part or which ground we’re going to have to walk on, but He’s gonna make a way and we’re going to have to say <b>yes to love</b> and<b> no to fear,</b> and we’re going to have to follow Him into the sea. we’re going to have to choose freedom if we want to be free. He already made a way for us, but we’re going to have to choose it. Because He chose us. He chose you.</div>
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He split the sea and He tore the veil and He chose you. And He’ll always keep on choosing you. </div>
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So choose Him.</div>
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Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-82112237953292220482014-01-14T03:00:00.000-08:002015-01-04T23:59:16.259-08:00i'm not on the bandwagon this year.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48S6jHKO7QED-jN3S1e8Pqe-cFOu1a_UP0BlyTKdNplLk6qJzm8pwDsPrghn7HTUqaSJQJoiCF07FQRXYGH1eszwXGxqTdf2n7AMNn_TRQLEIC2oW7B7RKrg7GNV-bHNQ47uBEKwuUXU/s1600/unnamed+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48S6jHKO7QED-jN3S1e8Pqe-cFOu1a_UP0BlyTKdNplLk6qJzm8pwDsPrghn7HTUqaSJQJoiCF07FQRXYGH1eszwXGxqTdf2n7AMNn_TRQLEIC2oW7B7RKrg7GNV-bHNQ47uBEKwuUXU/s1600/unnamed+copy.jpg" /></a></div>
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the beginning of a new year to me is so very strange. it has a certain feeling of hope to it, hope for a fresh start and new routine, but also a certain sense of pressure, pressure to pick a word and commit to resolutions and form good habits. i've read around one thousand posts about words that people have chosen for the year or resolutions that they've made and i've been struggling to come up with anything for myself. don't hear what i'm not saying, i'm not making a judgment about words or resolutions, i'm just trying to explain how my vision for the year doesn't include a word or a resolution.<br />
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in reality, i could come up with several words that i could bend and twist and mold into what i think the Lord wants to do this year. i could pick faithful or trust or rest or risk or joy, or content, or i could say i'm gonna read my Bible all the way through 14 times or plan to go to the gym everyday (el oh el. like that would ever happen.). but the problem that i'm facing, which is a good problem to have i guess, is that i don't think i can fit what the Lord is going to do into one little word. because from the little bits of vision that He's given me already, it seems like His plans for 2014 are a million times bigger than what i can express in a word.<br />
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what a glorious thought.<br />
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what a beautiful thing to ponder on the reality that God wants to do more in our lives than what can be expressed by one or two or ten words.<br />
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i really did try to pick a word. i asked for one. even just now as i sat down to write this i said, <i>Lord give me a word for the year. </i>and you know what He said? He said, <i>if you have to have a word, pick Jesus. </i><br />
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He's so sassy sometimes.<br />
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so i'm not going to pick Jesus as my word, because i think its cheesy and i really don't like cheese, but i guess thats going to be my vision for the year. Jesus is going to be my vision for the year.<i> </i>because all those words, all those resolutions that i would come up with are meaningless unless they center around Jesus. faithful is about Jesus. trust is about Jesus. rest and risk and joy and content are about Jesus. even going to the gym is about Jesus because He wants you to take care of your bod, yo. its all about Jesus always only.<br />
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i feel like maybe those last few sentences maybe some people would disagree with, but its my blog and i don't care, so i'm leaving it.<br />
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so my vision is Jesus. i'm wordless. i'm resolutionless. but i've got my eyes set on Jesus. thats all i need.<br />
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ko.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-53705851029136971452013-12-19T03:00:00.000-08:002013-12-19T03:00:03.718-08:002013: the year in which i was 35.7% successful. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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you should know that i had to ask my high school sister how to do the math for that title. after trying several complicated problems to figure out what percentage of seven 2.5 is, she told me to just divide 2.5 by 7. duuuuuuuuuh kim. i really am smart, just in the untraditional way.<br />
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i'm sorry that i just spent a whole paragraph talking about math. but i felt this was the best way to pretend that i measure my success by how many new year resolutions i accomplish. really i couldn't care less about resolutions, but i figured i should probably write a follow up post since <a href="http://www.lifeasaneskimo.blogspot.com/2013/01/new-years-resolutions-or-something.html" target="_blank">i blogged about them in january</a>.</div>
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as you can tell by my lack of math, or lack there of, i was successful in 2.5 of 7 of my resolutions. considering i never.ever. do these, i feel good about this result. i guess. </div>
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ONE: quit eating mcdonalds.</div>
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i didn't eat mcdonalds for the whole year, which yes, was as a painful as it sounds. i had it once in israel (it wasn't the same) and i had a shamrock shake or two, which i knew would happen.</div>
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----------> SUCCESS</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">TWO: complete a </span><a href="http://www.kendieveryday.com/2010/07/30-for-30-again.html" style="text-align: justify;">thirty for thirty</a><span style="text-align: justify;">. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">yeaaaaah, never did this. maybe this year. i'm making some changes in the wardrobe/clothes shopping areas, which i'll talk more about in another post, so i'm hoping to still do this at some point. </span></div>
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----------> FAIL</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">THREE: read the bible in a year. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">didn't happen. "we don't read the bible to finish, we read the bible to change." thats what i remind myself. but i was talking to a mom today who said she had read through two different versions of kid versions with her daughter who is only like in 3rd grade, so that motivated me a bit to get my butt in gear. i think i'm going to try and tackle this in 2014 by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Jesus-Storybook-Bible-Whispers/dp/0310708257" target="_blank">reading the storybook bible by sally llyod-jones</a>. yes i know its for children. gotta start somewhere.</span></div>
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----------> FAIL (but Jesus still loves me, so there.)</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">FOUR: drink some more water. like probs at least 2 nalgenes a day.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">i tried really hard to drink a lot of water. i probably for sure drank more water this year than last year. but i certainly didn't drink 2 nalgenes a day because i'm not a horse, so i call this a partial success.</span></div>
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----------> A FOR EFFORT</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">FIVE: get back into some sort of regular physical activity.</span></div>
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i've been laying in bed for over a week watching netflix, so you tell me what you think the answer to this one is. i did take up rock climbing for a few weeks, but i wouldn't call that "regular"</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">----------> FAIL</span></div>
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SIX: save more than i spend.</div>
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i think i got even better at spending money this year than ever before. who knew that was possible! i have a big plan/experiment/scary thing planned for next semester to address this issue. i'll be talking about that in another post.</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">----------> FAIL</span></div>
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SEVEN: go to church.</div>
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i finally found a church i like in the mornings! after 2.5 years, i landed at exit 59 in the mornings and kingdom life church at night. i love both of them. i didn't do super well at going to exit 59 towards the end of the year, but i went all of spring semester, all of summer and a lot of fall semester. way to go self. </div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">----------> SUCCESS</span></div>
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overall, it was a really good year. i guess at some point i could review the actual year, <i>or you could just read through my archives.</i> :) </div>
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there is still a lot of good things planned for the remainder of 2013, but 2014? she's gonna pack quite the punch. more on that soon!</div>
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ko.</div>
Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-535856194948882312013-11-05T03:00:00.000-08:002016-05-13T19:25:43.349-07:00red river gorgeous. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
it isn't uncommon for me to visit a place one time and then become completely enthralled with it. i go into these places as a foreigner, but leave as a friend. they burrow little dents in my heart that can only be filled back up by spending more time there. i often find myself getting in these bizarre moods where i'm longing to feel the air of that place again. i crave the sounds and the smells and the views. i pull out pictures and listen to songs i heard there, but it never quite fills the hole. alaska, israel and hawaii did this to me, which i expected, but did new york city and detroit and half moon bay left their own dents too. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6pT3aeaBq7bSfXnejY76jSRTfdbjK5OnchRL930mRhhPona3nm-sk7TOxXggKUrj5Ae7YyYO6vJyEg5M4eT-oOEfFrUWVSvMCkOAflL2nOTZzyZhjHpQjQ6rlPTYYh4y1WEAeMyiz2Q/s1600/IMG_8445+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6pT3aeaBq7bSfXnejY76jSRTfdbjK5OnchRL930mRhhPona3nm-sk7TOxXggKUrj5Ae7YyYO6vJyEg5M4eT-oOEfFrUWVSvMCkOAflL2nOTZzyZhjHpQjQ6rlPTYYh4y1WEAeMyiz2Q/s1600/IMG_8445+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6pT3aeaBq7bSfXnejY76jSRTfdbjK5OnchRL930mRhhPona3nm-sk7TOxXggKUrj5Ae7YyYO6vJyEg5M4eT-oOEfFrUWVSvMCkOAflL2nOTZzyZhjHpQjQ6rlPTYYh4y1WEAeMyiz2Q/s1600/IMG_8445+copy.jpg" /></a></div>
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a split second decision landed me in the red river gorge of kentucky for fall break. and a split second was all it took for kentucky to leave its mark on my heart. 4 days was enough to get me hooked on the gorge. it was gigantic and beautiful and full of life and excitement. the culture was new to me but the way it felt being there was familiar. i was at home amongst the changing leaves and showerless climbers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeOLfHk2bwpXzjH_hGOGXRZtuT9k1WQcld7PiT0rowVEeLha8DOS9fq2F_lfzVEwxbTQ1zCI6SqKalHpUhgBLsB0egjznRQvF21q5_LB30P38pv9MdEzMHOj1dlO5theWX_oOKyT6spw/s1600/IMG_8271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeOLfHk2bwpXzjH_hGOGXRZtuT9k1WQcld7PiT0rowVEeLha8DOS9fq2F_lfzVEwxbTQ1zCI6SqKalHpUhgBLsB0egjznRQvF21q5_LB30P38pv9MdEzMHOj1dlO5theWX_oOKyT6spw/s1600/IMG_8271.jpg" /></a></div>
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i'd been climbing in gyms before, and that was something i enjoyed, but natural climbing was a whole new beast to conquer. the crags aren't always flat and can't be sized up from the ground. sometimes you can't see your holds until you're grasping for them. the rock can be cold and wet. for someone like me, who plans their whole route while planted firmly on the ground, all the unknowns brought with them a lot of anxiety. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheA_dnzFGI4UebVaZGmvRwAmlMZK6ex7y-FbXwWDKLYxzKyT69Tsk87CmkwhC2s8jCqcYwHGyU8xXa5DnbduyAPO1aDvoNvwXXSRowPU9gXNm55iuMKg1_X3iQ4LO_CHlLOM-2VPBkKGE/s1600/IMG_8319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheA_dnzFGI4UebVaZGmvRwAmlMZK6ex7y-FbXwWDKLYxzKyT69Tsk87CmkwhC2s8jCqcYwHGyU8xXa5DnbduyAPO1aDvoNvwXXSRowPU9gXNm55iuMKg1_X3iQ4LO_CHlLOM-2VPBkKGE/s1600/IMG_8319.jpg" /></a></div>
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i'm, unfortunately, a naturally anxious person, so going in to the weekend, i was nervous. i was nervous about camping and climbing and hiking and spending almost 96 straight hours with a group of people, most of whom i didn't know. but i packed my bag and i pushed my nerves down into the box i always keep them, and i got in a van with 11 new friends and i went to kentucky. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybjXPy5fHeJjvp9HmMrX8jp177hKvaaOGOlQ0DcMs3vEKPLBO-ocetU-C8UPNLs6YEmGsDq_cp9TN6sdoLeqGaWHF-I5BaRH1yE869LirhzAH3HRgV6bFfxfvZy61sN83kq42b_b25co/s1600/IMG_8294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybjXPy5fHeJjvp9HmMrX8jp177hKvaaOGOlQ0DcMs3vEKPLBO-ocetU-C8UPNLs6YEmGsDq_cp9TN6sdoLeqGaWHF-I5BaRH1yE869LirhzAH3HRgV6bFfxfvZy61sN83kq42b_b25co/s1600/IMG_8294.jpg" /></a></div>
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my anxiety only sprung back in full force one time on the trip. this wouldn't have been a big deal, but i happened to be hanging from a rope, halfway up a 60 ft route. it was the second day and i had climbed other routes, but for some reason this route unnerved me. honestly, i'm surprised i was able to finish. my favorite part of climbing is rappelling down at the end, yet, when i finished the route, not one fiber of my being wanted to let go. i was petrified, and it was horrible. with much coercing from my roommate, i reluctantly agreed to come down. as our trip leader untied me i could feel the tears coming and my face getting hot. i stepped away, trying to hide the tears now sliding down my cheeks. but i failed. i hyperventilated. my hands clamped up as they lost oxygen, and i spent the next 30 minutes sitting on a boulder in front of this crag i had just climbed, calming myself down. some people call it a panic attack, i call it embarrassing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPsJbAP8d975WuQFXWI0thW34EHbXQq8M90ItyedLj-HW2Gz7HrbvyZ4sidlKF3Unrf3x-p0q6Ar1uixiIgDPjTYxM1Ub8LTAUWqeQTdFwgr13MrIpsSZSSg6zSAu-vl2QYD6PSLm-Ss/s1600/IMG_8362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPsJbAP8d975WuQFXWI0thW34EHbXQq8M90ItyedLj-HW2Gz7HrbvyZ4sidlKF3Unrf3x-p0q6Ar1uixiIgDPjTYxM1Ub8LTAUWqeQTdFwgr13MrIpsSZSSg6zSAu-vl2QYD6PSLm-Ss/s1600/IMG_8362.jpg" /></a></div>
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i swore off climbing from that moment on, and i resigned to sit in a hammock eating goldfish and cheering people on. "this just isn't my jam" i would say over and over. but that only lasted a day, and the next morning i found myself itching to get back in a harness. i lead climbed a route. which is a little bit of a big deal. it was a really easy route, but it was a milestone for me, regardless. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JrIbDThBe6oX8-YUEZe2Vcu3q7G2A68Hcqtw8NUczuZvMOsJgas0nmqCe1Oeil4fW7gfKoz6fpK0pILdy3Oe436T5lfJIxOEOYKJpzj3iS4IrL-gnsUswPs5qRznCNlhNAsosKU-GOA/s1600/IMG_8338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JrIbDThBe6oX8-YUEZe2Vcu3q7G2A68Hcqtw8NUczuZvMOsJgas0nmqCe1Oeil4fW7gfKoz6fpK0pILdy3Oe436T5lfJIxOEOYKJpzj3iS4IrL-gnsUswPs5qRznCNlhNAsosKU-GOA/s1600/IMG_8338.jpg" /></a></div>
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despite the panic attack on saturday, i'm hooked on climbing. and camping isn't so bad either. i have a place, <i>a very big place,</i> in my heart for nice hotels, but sleeping in a hammock under a canopy of trees and a sprinkling of stars is an experience you can't compare to the hilton. i was afraid of bears, sure, but i was warm and with friends and there were always nice boys within a few yards of my hammock should trouble arise. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEgNlkSPyZ7O08FKX5XuWoP1OhobIUqvLisv0W4B2WDSkY7tKFqNqQmeeizi9BOQXwGoJTQmiKIzHLvxhFO7sD129eNAk8fyjnBf3MrCpN3skN7IWlxk7-2Ed-sOYP6XpWvmsAXs4K8Q/s1600/IMG_8382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEgNlkSPyZ7O08FKX5XuWoP1OhobIUqvLisv0W4B2WDSkY7tKFqNqQmeeizi9BOQXwGoJTQmiKIzHLvxhFO7sD129eNAk8fyjnBf3MrCpN3skN7IWlxk7-2Ed-sOYP6XpWvmsAXs4K8Q/s1600/IMG_8382.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioddH5Q1JZUiGxWpN_kRfYXG9xKPC5avn-mxhpDhO8uIOQ5gjVYPX73gNUFxIJ-lBEQFrfCLxl2VvgFqzBEDNgiwZDy99C23GPgUaATSi9Q-OeudNpkijbXxszj-D0Q5Vbp3bU8zN0RzU/s1600/IMG_8428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioddH5Q1JZUiGxWpN_kRfYXG9xKPC5avn-mxhpDhO8uIOQ5gjVYPX73gNUFxIJ-lBEQFrfCLxl2VvgFqzBEDNgiwZDy99C23GPgUaATSi9Q-OeudNpkijbXxszj-D0Q5Vbp3bU8zN0RzU/s1600/IMG_8428.jpg" /></a></div>
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climbing is my jam, i guess. and camping is my jam, i guess. and spending 96 hours with precious people who have precious hearts is my jam, but i guess i already knew that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitnwt3SG1kxNMY0iRO6Idf75lfaRQ_3pjXtqLbGb-bi5tJCMOI5UNux_m9gw9pBwOSgpgq05BLdAFHdWZ0n32LnrsGWgQS-PTpdghTT_vX1yy2KqJFXazoRG_lyvwyPBjp8Gmsg60F28/s1600/IMG_8456+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitnwt3SG1kxNMY0iRO6Idf75lfaRQ_3pjXtqLbGb-bi5tJCMOI5UNux_m9gw9pBwOSgpgq05BLdAFHdWZ0n32LnrsGWgQS-PTpdghTT_vX1yy2KqJFXazoRG_lyvwyPBjp8Gmsg60F28/s1600/IMG_8456+copy.jpg" /></a></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHY8TAVyWDY6tfSir1ehG87OSYvHDaZzJcqBs7s2CXtQPlVKSpOsRiUS4ZhdLsyHNTqJUlGK6PXloaX2JNRQ1icfwvEYKDDHWMpjELCadSCOV50a0zxQ-AkNiUsyurUijsDtguuz0-UjM/s1600/IMG_8504+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHY8TAVyWDY6tfSir1ehG87OSYvHDaZzJcqBs7s2CXtQPlVKSpOsRiUS4ZhdLsyHNTqJUlGK6PXloaX2JNRQ1icfwvEYKDDHWMpjELCadSCOV50a0zxQ-AkNiUsyurUijsDtguuz0-UjM/s1600/IMG_8504+copy.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hey look, its me on a crag.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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the last day held the biggest treasure. it wasn't expected and it wasn't planned, but boy was it big and man was it beautiful. we took the long way back to the vans because my friends, who had mostly only known me for 3 days, knew i would love this place. that gesture alone made me want to cry. they were new friends, but they knew me so well already and they were willing to go out of the way to show me this surprise.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0LS_XuVYV0g-TBxvVBloGPE_7qIPIYl8wsWSVW8Gei9GYPYOivTfbuQoRGyEiW-CJ5lbP3RkNvKXru9X1HGBaB5GdoHRt1RCdK5mkvnkpAVFin3n8JLVeFLGTMS8MoOJ2b2TyygaEN8/s1600/IMG_8531+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0LS_XuVYV0g-TBxvVBloGPE_7qIPIYl8wsWSVW8Gei9GYPYOivTfbuQoRGyEiW-CJ5lbP3RkNvKXru9X1HGBaB5GdoHRt1RCdK5mkvnkpAVFin3n8JLVeFLGTMS8MoOJ2b2TyygaEN8/s1600/IMG_8531+copy.jpg" /></a></div>
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i asked, "is this it?" at least 10 times on the way there. and every time they assured me it was bigger and better than whatever we were currently looking at, and it would be worth the walk. they were so right. we walked into this giant overhang, and suddenly i felt small and speechless. i'm rarely speechless, so that in itself should tell you how beautiful this place was. i wish i had a panoramic picture to show you, but it wouldn't do it justice, and honestly i was too stunned to move or take any pictures. i stood at the edge of this humongous cave for as long as they would let me, and i tried to take it all in. i could have stood there for 39 years and never soaked it all in. two weeks later, i can still think of nothing more beautiful. as big as it was, it still brought me to the realization that i was only standing in a tiny piece of the earth. this massive corner of the gorge was just a speck on the globe. it put me in my place. it made me feel small. but it made Him feel big and fully of beauty and full of glory.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZLI8tryj0vp09VVstgOXH_p3QbETRIGVvQzklS4-CAx0I1DapkxzD0mLdhxl-LAGdn9Nlrt-GyFSEXY_xYlKJpvsJlyn2KypWlKCmgPp0VHbDXSfo-I-GNtHjJ26pCfcW1xo3cBh-vM/s1600/IMG_8530+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZLI8tryj0vp09VVstgOXH_p3QbETRIGVvQzklS4-CAx0I1DapkxzD0mLdhxl-LAGdn9Nlrt-GyFSEXY_xYlKJpvsJlyn2KypWlKCmgPp0VHbDXSfo-I-GNtHjJ26pCfcW1xo3cBh-vM/s1600/IMG_8530+copy.jpg" /></a></div>
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and one day, i'll have a picnic there. i can hardly wait.</div>
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ko.</div>
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Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-33294205931171969622013-10-31T09:41:00.001-07:002013-10-31T09:53:03.438-07:00the thing about coffee and instagram.<div style="text-align: justify;">
people are always writing emotional blog posts about how instagram makes them compare their lives to other's lives and their bookshelf from walmart to someone else's thrift store bookshelf made of crates and unicorns. the posts usually end with some sort of resolve to stop this madness and to just be content with what they have, and then maybe they throw in a cute quote about being content that has a tinge of condemnation mixed in. i've maybe felt this way about about instagram a time or two, but mostly the thing about instagram or the internet or maybe even college is that makes me want to drink coffee more than it makes me jealous of people and their stuff.<br />
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i've been professing my hatred for coffee and anything else that tastes like the ground for awhile now, but i've let up on some of those ill feelings recently, and i embarked on a journey to learn to love coffee. maybe this has something to do with working at a coffee shop, but we'll never trace the root of my motivation for sure. i've had this irrational view of social situations involving coffee floating around in my head and out of my mouth for some time now that generally involves me going to someone's house and them proceeding to offer me coffee. then i, because of the absolute disdain i have for the stuff, have to turn them down. immediately after this i drown in a lethal cup of guilt, embarrassment, and shame because of the ways i've surely offended this host. and to make matters worse, i probably have absolutely nothing to drink now because they probably only have fruity tea as an alternative to coffee, and i don't like fruity teas anymore than i like coffee, so surely i'm going to die from thirst. now at this point you're probably concerned for my mental health more than you care if i like coffee or not, but i assure you that i'm just fine, and admitting i have a problem is the first step.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAMxuypXt-wm0Lg_7XRQSv8GhAB3eRt5EjbHxscYhAk8GJ67dWl2z2psKKAH3cuXa26nLs4mri8JPkFW8PzsMx0CgJtPFaL9o1hKFlz_gfKrAUtQRJNxSP9I3tU5nLEP9TmPNWbYm56g/s1600/coffee+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAMxuypXt-wm0Lg_7XRQSv8GhAB3eRt5EjbHxscYhAk8GJ67dWl2z2psKKAH3cuXa26nLs4mri8JPkFW8PzsMx0CgJtPFaL9o1hKFlz_gfKrAUtQRJNxSP9I3tU5nLEP9TmPNWbYm56g/s1600/coffee+blog.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">learning to make latte art at barista training.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
so this absolutely irrational situation paired with instagram's glamourous depiction of beautiful mugs, tasty scones, and bright rays of sunshine led me to drink coffee. mostly accompanied by copious amounts of cream and sugar. and i have to be honest and tell you i've grown to like it. it only has small hints of tasting like dirt, and as long as i keep throwing some french vanilla creamer into my latte, i can see myself on the path to addiction and success. <br />
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what instagram didn't mention, however, is how much my stomach would absolutely hate me for drinking coffee. it hates me so much that it's started to write me hate mail and post mean things about me on the internet. i've come to terms with the amount of craziness i have rattling around in my head, but compared to the insane people drinking coffee, thinking their $5 carmel macchiato is worth the crippling stomach pain they'll feel for the rest of their life or at least the rest of their day, i am the most normal person on the planet.<br />
<br />and so my coffee journey abruptly comes to an end. i guess, in a way, i achieved my goal in learning to like the taste of java, but i also became an enemy to my own body, and it is just not worth it. i'm waving the white flag of surrender, and i'm going to ask my faithful friend, the vanilla chai, for forgiveness. it will be humbling to say the least, but my chai has never let me down before.<br />
<br />so long, coffee. it's been real.<br />ko.</div>
Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-29152923247450275982013-10-23T07:23:00.002-07:002013-10-23T07:23:47.746-07:00hope spoken link up!today i'm linking up with <a href="http://theandersoncrewblog.com/" target="_blank">emily</a>, <a href="http://danielleburkleo.com/" target="_blank">danielle</a>, <a href="http://thewiegands.com/" target="_blank">casey</a> and the rest of the gals headed to the <a href="http://hopespoken.org/" target="_blank">Hope Spoken conference</a>. i'm thrilled out of my mind about attending and can't wait to head to texas in march! <div>
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for those of you dropping in from the link up party, i guess i should properly introduce myself. i'm currently hanging out in indiana while i finish my last year as a college student. i'm originally from kansas and i've heard literally every <i>wizard of oz</i> joke in the book. i'm the 5th of 7 kids, i like to laugh (sometimes at inappropriate moments) and i don't like to take anything too seriously. i don't believe in proper capitalization or grammar, but i do believe in Jesus, and i love to see His redeeming power change people's lives.<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
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i wouldn't say that i'm super nervous about anything for the conference. i know several women in real life who will be attending, so i'm pretty confident that i'll have a good time. i suppose maybe i'm most nervous about how my professors are going to feel about me skipping class to go to a conference in texas. :)</div>
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i'm suuuuuuuuuuuuuper excited about the heart behind this conference. i believe so much in the hope that is given when we tell our stories and give God glory for the ways He's been faithful to us. i am hoping to walk away from the weekend feeling encouraged. i also hope to walk away with some new friends. </div>
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a random fact about myself is that i'm horrible at coming up with random facts. so instead i'll just tell you that i love baking, babies, and instagram and that i cannot wait to meet all you sweet ladies at the conference. </div>
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xoxo.</div>
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ko.</div>
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Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-17355950893151161552013-10-07T13:59:00.000-07:002016-05-13T19:25:43.332-07:00fall and hope.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3bGwoizFv5u14NEpCN1jB9rpFr-Tn33d6ZYuMv4cRG8WK8I2V6PY5kFY58gQ6fweuVOEA8ciYOed5BzZTWwlEti6VB5Wfu6iw-39FUJdRg2_aeH9tRjO67Fu98528yi-M6nZk5FgaR4/s1600/fall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3bGwoizFv5u14NEpCN1jB9rpFr-Tn33d6ZYuMv4cRG8WK8I2V6PY5kFY58gQ6fweuVOEA8ciYOed5BzZTWwlEti6VB5Wfu6iw-39FUJdRg2_aeH9tRjO67Fu98528yi-M6nZk5FgaR4/s1600/fall.jpg" /></a></div>
there comes a time in your blogging career when you don't blog for over a month and you realize that probably no one is reading anymore and that you're really stretching the truth a bit when you call yourself a "blogger." and then it becomes obvious that you're probably just blogging for yourself at this point and then you're reminded that you were supposed to be blogging for yourself all along and suddenly it unlocks a freedom to write about anything you want. all the thoughts swirling around your head are up for grabs and you can pick any one you fancy. so what brings me back to this dusty corner of the interwebs?<br />
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death.<br />
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the death of my blog maybe? no, but i guess anything is possible.<br />
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death has a way of making you stop dead in your tracks. it nails your shoes right to the place where they're standing and holds you down with its unwelcome self.<br />
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i've never felt like i had any place to talk about death. the thing about death is that it has such a certain uncertainty about it. it's so final, yet so unknown. there's a tension between the knowledge of a celebration and the reality of mourning. celebration, because someone is finally meeting their maker. glory to glory. face to face. but then there's the mourning: the thick, unavoidable, heavy, devastating mourning.<br />
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sometimes there's no celebration at all and we're stuck in the grief of a life lost forever.<br />
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you'd think i'd just lost someone close to me as much as i've thought about the concept of death lately. but i haven't. i've just seen and heard of a lot of it lately. it rips people apart and pulls others together. it brings us to tears and then shakes us with laughter as all the moments that made us love someone come flooding back.<br />
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we were talking about fall at work the other day and someone said that they absolutely hate fall. they hate watching everything die and wilt and end. i was almost offended, really, at their bluntness. i love fall, it's my favorite season, but i had never given any thought to all the death that happens in the fall season. everything, literally, dies. but at the exact same time, it's tragically beautiful and hope is falling all around us. yes, fall ushers us into a season of bitter and lifeless cold, but that hard season always, always, always births the most beautiful season of life. we rake up the dead leaves, we strap on our boots, we trudge through the cold and we bunker down for winter.<br />
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but then the snow melts. and the trees bud. the flowers bloom and faithful spring shows itself again.<br />
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i guess that's how i see death. it brings us grief and pain and tears and maybe we have to bunker down for a season of bitter cold. but knowing Jesus is knowing hope and spring always comes again. He always breathes new life and He's always getting glory and He's always working it together for His glory and our good. and in death is where we begin to appreciate the spring and the life and the knowledge that death isn't all there is. and this life isn't all there is. the hope is the certainty that one day we'll be glory to glory and face to face with the One who breathed life in us at the beginning of time. and we'll sing holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come and we'll never be in mourning again.<br />
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<i>o death, where is your sting?</i><br />
<i>o hell, where is your victory?</i><br />
<i>oh church! come stand in the light!</i><br />
<i>the glory of God has defeated the night!</i><br />
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because that's the reality of the gospel. it scoops us up out of our mourning and our nailed down shoes and it gives us hope. it anchors us in the reality that Jesus defeated death 2000 years ago and in time, He'll call us back to Himself.<br />
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glory to glory. face to face.<br />
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ko.<br />
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<br />Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-50789471320939609902013-09-04T19:44:00.003-07:002013-09-04T19:44:55.004-07:00well, hi.<div style="text-align: justify;">
oh i have a blog? you'd think i didn't know considering how often i've been posting. lately, i haven't even been able to find the motivation to read my favorite blogs. which, if you know me <i>at all,</i> is kind of saying a lot.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPrYW0Z05BHgch0VKiZsOXQWb2GuXvevQPQn93nwHUY3cdfduEfFEUEXq3_VD7R2_qXNTe34DlG3dXHq7FlfH3Zoypp5kip_uw4rnPZ_iiH8_6XGEQmCFWvSBq02GLKt3MSPbhZOlMz4/s1600/IMG_6719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPrYW0Z05BHgch0VKiZsOXQWb2GuXvevQPQn93nwHUY3cdfduEfFEUEXq3_VD7R2_qXNTe34DlG3dXHq7FlfH3Zoypp5kip_uw4rnPZ_iiH8_6XGEQmCFWvSBq02GLKt3MSPbhZOlMz4/s1600/IMG_6719.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">round 4 with this beautiful lady.</td></tr>
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i love blogging. i love reading blogs. i love meeting bloggers. i love it all. it's my very favorite hobby that i've ever had. and a lot of my favorite parts of life are wrapped up in blogs. i love reading about <a href="http://ashleyannphotography.com/blog/adoption/" target="_blank">adoptions</a> and <a href="http://www.thenatos.com/search/label/marriage" target="_blank">redeemed marriages</a> and <a href="http://www.wifeysinger.com/2013/03/telling-devil-to-go-to-hell-update-on.html" target="_blank">telling the devil to go to hell</a> and <a href="http://www.megduerksen.com/craft-weekend/" target="_blank">crafting</a> and <a href="http://www.danielleburkleo.com/2012/12/word-for-year-brave.html" target="_blank">being brave</a><span id="goog_1727432424"></span>. <i>(ps. you should probably take a few hours and visit all of those links.)</i><span id="goog_1727432425"></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRrbF3-jQ0hcz_7n40YnELME3kN_5pMELWM95QIcN0AC7Yh3_UgV-kdEld8nkY67rjBj-8JygTEY1Q9iEvzBl24Wk1Mq2n6m9blMjt-rIJniFM7iOVK3mGASHuQ0CJoXqhGDmpWdBzLc/s1600/IMG_6707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRrbF3-jQ0hcz_7n40YnELME3kN_5pMELWM95QIcN0AC7Yh3_UgV-kdEld8nkY67rjBj-8JygTEY1Q9iEvzBl24Wk1Mq2n6m9blMjt-rIJniFM7iOVK3mGASHuQ0CJoXqhGDmpWdBzLc/s1600/IMG_6707.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#croppediphonepicture</td></tr>
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but as much as i love seeing all of those stories unfold and as much as i feel like those ladies have become a part of my life, i'm starting to find some really beautiful stories unfolding in my own life. in the real, in person, right here, right now moments that take place around me every day. in fact, i'm sure these beautiful stories have been taking place for sometime, but i suddenly feel like i have new eyes to see them.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUyZsbxPzYNu4dd0Z-9akN8j8_Pzm7dYtlK0tI1Q1jM4vCyYHxqKWeFT8jRa-OowH36GVDj5CxmXqyLcj-E8AcnaMw7fwGLtKZirjJlUdSyMp7nz0gIxY3KJpkj4z5VaLslSFi6rlDNU/s1600/IMG_6725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUyZsbxPzYNu4dd0Z-9akN8j8_Pzm7dYtlK0tI1Q1jM4vCyYHxqKWeFT8jRa-OowH36GVDj5CxmXqyLcj-E8AcnaMw7fwGLtKZirjJlUdSyMp7nz0gIxY3KJpkj4z5VaLslSFi6rlDNU/s1600/IMG_6725.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">marge's birthday // first day of school with the roomie.</td></tr>
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i will always love scrolling through instagram, reading blogs and writing blogs, but i'm not doing such a great job at it lately and i've had to give myself permission for that. because i'm living so much good, beautiful, uninstagramable life right now. it's a little bit weird that i'm even writing a blog about this, but i'm not joking when i say that the blog world is a substantial part of my life. <i>i love the interwebs.</i></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQaJJuAV8-8Obid1Fddl5PO6XXqEjnXPO6jnWz0MzHikL3eV-rEYXv2KTYGH7j4Yj5OswMBXTNAryxUdUpi8Z_WKaIayea0qJ_fntPNaTdxvIQSHsPwAOWz_mWuQ1vToGkoy-gV-lZns/s1600/IMG_6708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQaJJuAV8-8Obid1Fddl5PO6XXqEjnXPO6jnWz0MzHikL3eV-rEYXv2KTYGH7j4Yj5OswMBXTNAryxUdUpi8Z_WKaIayea0qJ_fntPNaTdxvIQSHsPwAOWz_mWuQ1vToGkoy-gV-lZns/s1600/IMG_6708.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dirty dan's donut run.</td></tr>
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who knew i'd also grow to love the tangled and beautiful web of people surrounding me. the ones i see everyday. the ones who know all the little corners of my mind and heart. the ones who i can do <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw1mgkGF-ZA" target="_blank">the wobble</a> with on saturday night and carpool to church with on sunday night. the ones i go on <a href="http://theadventuresofpaige.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">dates with every monday night.</a> the ones who i live with. the ones who i have to drive a few hours to see. the ones who speak life over me. the ones who i have class with. the ones who go to an old church with me in the middle of the afternoon just to play worship music.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQILhIwtbCe6uRUmwTEfo8rWCj0vGQN3hEHmqzC7EPTph8nJyqKjR7OIalZADSoQLfzhCKcMJjhyWlFF5NLCHgwvvK2l7lMIVC4BpHYUEN6jgejJItPhtFGa1ciLoHi3y2Z9d2omFMQPQ/s1600/IMG_6758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQILhIwtbCe6uRUmwTEfo8rWCj0vGQN3hEHmqzC7EPTph8nJyqKjR7OIalZADSoQLfzhCKcMJjhyWlFF5NLCHgwvvK2l7lMIVC4BpHYUEN6jgejJItPhtFGa1ciLoHi3y2Z9d2omFMQPQ/s1600/IMG_6758.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the best and shortest visit from kelly and ashlyn.</td></tr>
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the Lord has weaved the most perfect web of people for me as i'm starting my senior year. i'm going to do my best to document this last year, but more importantly i'm going to use my new eyes to see the life going on around me. because you know: clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.</div>
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ko.</div>
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Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-90292056575008528082013-08-24T14:45:00.001-07:002013-08-24T14:45:40.084-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCjKyz23Z3D-_Pw3Cld7DPoPPQT6A3fNowgVni6cgAxyFy4Wy8Ga5vumM-O_Cu7vLvW38DtHsHENn2eRvkMEnFbYwWROB7hzMeST9sP0WHzYopjeAUK16iemqTy7JrYdxR1S6O6c9IyU/s1600/IMG_6486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCjKyz23Z3D-_Pw3Cld7DPoPPQT6A3fNowgVni6cgAxyFy4Wy8Ga5vumM-O_Cu7vLvW38DtHsHENn2eRvkMEnFbYwWROB7hzMeST9sP0WHzYopjeAUK16iemqTy7JrYdxR1S6O6c9IyU/s1600/IMG_6486.jpg" /></a></div>
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i'm packing to go back to school today. i'm not one of those people who only take some of their clothes with them to school. in high school, i remember people saying things like, "you really don't need as much clothes for college as you think you do." and i never understood that. it's not like you're going on vacation. you're at school for more of the year than you are at home. all that too say, it's a lot of work to pack my clothes. i pretty much take my entire closet. which is preeeeeeeetty full. but i changed up my technique this year. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Space-Bag-Saver-Set/dp/B00BEBXH5O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377380166&sr=8-1&keywords=space+bags" target="_blank">space bags</a> for the win. <br />
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it's weird to think that the summer is over. i mean, i suppose i technically have two more days. but packing and driving 10 hours don't exactly scream "summer" to me. but i'm looking forward to seeing my friends, although i'll miss laying around until 3pm reading blogs.<br />
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it was a good summer. certainly different than i <a href="http://lifeasaneskimo.blogspot.com/2013/06/having-purposeful-summer.html#comment-form" target="_blank">anticipated it being.</a> but it was good.<br />
now, off to do more packing.<br />
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so long summer.<br />
ko.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204464630081727980.post-83160467602374679212013-08-08T06:54:00.003-07:002013-08-08T06:54:47.093-07:00where i'm headed.i finished the last day of my internship yesterday. and now i'm headed to one of my favorite places. the lake.<br />
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amanda and i are headed down for a long, long weekend. and we're planning on doing lots of lounging and lots of reading and relaxing. so i won't be around here until late next week.<br />
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have a happy weekend.<br />
koKimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11226519585695857207noreply@blogger.com0