L.A. Update via Instagram.

Here is the update on life in L.A. over the past couple months via Instagram; lets head all the way back to the Hunger Games...

Went to a Hunger Games screening with my roommate and saw Katniss and the Fandango puppet.

Springed up the house a bit!

My Mom and Mimi came to visit and we spent a gorgeous afternoon at The Getty.

Read this greatness in Desiring the Kingdom

Watched the Dodgers beat the Pirates with some friends from church.

Helped with the aesthetics and flowers for a wedding.

Ate Chick-Fil-A four times in one week!

Saw Coldplay at the Hollywood Bowl with some friends.

Enjoyed a very relaxing Sunday afternoon with a friend in Malibu.

Studied, studied, studied for a history mid-term.

Just this week was at a local restaurant's waiting area and this book was sitting on the coffee table, therefore I regained hope of people learning manners in Los Angeles. Just kidding. Sort of.

And, then there is the non-Instagram update...work stuff at PCC has been on the busier side with organizing a month long Relationship Seminar (you can and should listen to it here, it was great!) and hosting a Neighborhood Party this past weekend. Plus, there is the everyday, keeping up with friends, sitting in traffic, babysitting, RUF, emails, trying to keep my room clean, you know the drill. Whew, what a great spring it has been! Glory glory! Now it's time to bring on more sunshine, warmer temperatures (May gray seems to be a real thing here, boo!) and summer, summer, summertime! 

p.s. Here is my Intagrid.

Blue Like Jazz.

Who is excited for this movie? I am!!! And, it's not just because my awesome Community Group leader, Matt, is in it. But because it is a great book and from what I hear has been made into an excellent film. I will be seeing opening night, April 13th, for sure. Now, who's with me??? 

Oh yeah, my CG leader is the guy yelling "you know nothing!" in a Russian accent. 

V-Necks and Button Downs.

So the other night my roommate (and now co-worker) Scarlette and I were killing time at Target before going to meet our friend Irene downtown at Pattern Bar. We were passing the Men's section and I noticed several pairs of colored chinos hanging there, and mentioned that I would like those on a man. Scarlette and I then decided to pick out an outfit each that we think would be really cute on a guy. The results were absolutely hilarious.

Scarlette's Picks:

And, here is what Scarlette was wearing:

Target V-Neck

Gap Jeans

Here were my guy picks:

 And, here is what I was wearing:

Old Navy Button Down

Anthropologie Pilcro Cords 

It may not seem that funny to you, but we laughed for a good while there in Target once we realized each of us had chosen pretty much just what we were wearing ourselves. Basically it appears we are looking for a boyfriend we can share clothes with. 

Where I Spent My Afternoon...

Santa Monica, CA

I Love the Mannings.

Although Sunday football is over for the season, here is a nostalgic picture of my two favorite Southern Superbowl Quarterbacks.

via Back Down South

Oh, Domino!

The return of my favorite magazine of all time, yesss! Do you think that this might mean the permanent return of the best home design magazine ever? That my friends, would be dreamy. So, April 17th buy as many magazines as you can so there will be such a demand that Domino will just have to put their glossy pages back on the newsstand. 

Here are a few of my favorites from the beauty that was Domino magazine:

Source: google.com via S on Pinterest

Source: habituallychic.blogspot.com via Meredith on Pinterest

Source: google.com via natalie on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Mary on Pinterest

Source: brides.com via Mary on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Holly on Pinterest

Source: decorpad.com via Sarah on Pinterest

And, thanks to my sweet friend Lindsay, I own the Domino book.

And, one more note about Lindsay. She had a precious little baby Friday, baby Henri Jude. 

Goodness, he is cute, I can't wait to meet him!

Rainy Monday.

Not a bad rainy Monday morning in Los Angeles...

(By the way, I just love Starbucks' Valentine's Day cups. Even though I don't have a special Valentine this year, I am a sucker for any day and thing that celebrates showing other people just how much you love them. )

And, in the midst of the rain this a.m. my soul was fed by these words...

"It is confidence in the invariably overriding intention of God for our good, with respect to all the evil and suffering that may befall us on life's journey, that secures us in peace and joy." 

-Dallas Willard The Divine Conspiracy

Stuff YL Leaders Say.

To follow up from yesterday's post about the serious side of my time on Young Life Staff in Knoxville here is a hilarious, (well I think it is hilarious, if you weren't ever a YL Leader  you probably won't think it is funny at all) glimpse into the Knox YL culture and a pretty accurate picture of my life in college at UT...

"So, who's your QUEST crush? What about your team crush?" 

How Cute!

Source: thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com via Holly on Pinterest

And, they even used my name for the example, it's meant to bee!

Home Office.

A glimpse into my life today...

Of course every good home office includes Powerberries, pretzels, and peanut butter as well as colored pens and custom stationary.  

It's That Time of Year Again!

Yes, you have been dreaming of this since last February, the love, the beauty, the little flutter in your heart; because in just two days it is ranunculus flower season! I am not a fan of most flowers or flower arrangements, because I think they end up looking and coming off as unoriginal and overdone. But, I looove ranunculus, like heart skip a beat love them (now that may be a bit of an exaggeration). But, in any case, it's their time to shine and make themselves a staple in my kitchen and on my bedside table. What a great something to look forward to this week! Here are some images for you, so you can pick up a bunch at at your local grocery store for yourself or someone you love (hint hint). 

Source: google.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: gardendesign.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Erin on Pinterest

I'm Just Saying Hiii, to Your Answering Bell

I have been watching Bridesmaids as I work this morning from my house. (And, I just noticed it is 1:00, where has the day gone?) Even though there are some sketch parts, Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy are hilarious ("I took 9 dogs and it turns out I am probably more comfortable with 6"), the cop is precious, and I love that the movie is about relationships and things girls really think and feel. The part where I am right now has Ryan Adams' song Answering Bell playing in the background. What a good song. The lyrics at the beginning just speak to my single girl heart that although not flippantly, does know what it feels like to meet guys and think oh, boy I wish I knew you well. In case you don't know the song, here is an acoustic version that is worth a listen.

Sports.

I just realized that this past week most of the television shows and movies I have watched have been about sports; Friday Night Lights (tv) and Moneyball (movie). My dad has worked in sports as long as I can remember and watching FNL and Moneyball reminded me of a lot of moments from when I was growing up.

As a kid and teenager my family would spend our weekends going to college basketball tournaments, NASCAR races, golf tournaments, and traveling to see professional baseball games. I remember talking about Georgia Tech's Triple Threat over the family dinner table, discussing whether or not Heath Shuler would enter the draft early with my dad in the car on the way to school in middle school, watching Wimbledon at the beach every summer, and going over baseball stats in the sports page on Saturday mornings with my brother before he was even in kindergarten.

Those times made up some of my favorite childhood memories. It was something my family could do together, it was something we could do with other families, and it was something we could all talk about together.

I am really thankful my Dad worked in sports growing up. (And, he still does, go BMS!) Not only did it allow me to win a sports trivia contest in college, but also brought my family together in a really neat way. I hope one day if I have my own family we can eat a game day dog from Neyland Stadium, experience a NASCAR race in person, and see our favorite Major League Baseball player (who will definitely be a Cardinal) hit a home run. And, at the dinner table I hope we talk about things like who we think will win the Masters, how great the SEC is, and what an awesome quarterback Peyton Manning was in his prime. I also hope that sports are something that brings my family together the same way it did for me growing up.

My Dad and me at a Tennessee football game a few years ago. 

Don Miller, My Thoughts Exactly.

 Part of my new job is to mingle and talk to people I don't know after church. It's kind of like going to the cafeteria as a Young Life leader, but with adults who can't throw their lunch at you and don't ever ask if you have friends your own age. 

Sometimes mingling has made me in the past and still makes me nervous because I feel insecure about being awkward (hasn't that become seen as the worst thing you can be in our young adult culture), not very interesting, and what I look like. Most of the time though, it is who I am to be friendly, to want to know people, and it just feels I am being who God made me to be to hospitable. 

In any case, I think I am going to print this letter off, put it in my pocket, and take it with me each Sunday as a reminder that we are given by God to the people around us. 

Almost 6 Month Update.

By Christmastime I will have lived in Los Angeles 6 months. And, I gotta say, I am really loving life here on the West Coast. Things haven't exactly gone as according to plan, but in the best way possible. God had way better plans for my life than I had for myself. (Isn't that typically the case?)
Moving to L.A. I thought my life would look pretty much like it did in Dallas, just in a different time zone...
-Interior Design classes at The Art Institute.
-Working part time at Anthropologie.
-Getting involved in a church.
-Helping out with RUF.
-Trying to get into Set Decorating.
-Hanging with friends (and pretty scared I wouldn't make any).
-As well as learning about Los Angeles and (hopefully) growing to love the City of Angels.

South view of the 405 from The Getty Museum with Westwood and Century City (I think) in the background. 

Well, only about 3 1/2 of those things are still what my life looks like 6 months into living in L.A...

-I am now taking classes at UCLA in Interior Design. 

-I don't work at Anthro anymore. Before I even moved to L.A. I prayed for a part time job in ministry while in school. Well, the Lord provided! Now I work for my church, Pacific Crossroads, getting new women at our Downtown service connected and also coaching Community Group leaders. I don't think if you asked me to create my perfect jobs in ministry more perfect ones could have been created. 

A view from the balcony of St. John's Cathedral, where PCC meets in Downtown L.A., before last night's service. 

And, I also babysit for my pastor's kids a couple days a week. They are the cutest, and the little boy, Jack, has quickly become my 2 year old boyfriend :) 

-I am helping with RUF at UCLA and it has become one of the highlights of my life here in L.A. The college students have been so fun to get to know and I have just fallen in love with them. 

Most of the girls at the RUF Christmas Party. 

Plus, Joe and Tiffany, the Campus Minister and his wife, feel like family to me here. Tiffany has quickly become one of my greatest friends and I just can't imagine life here without her in it. 

-Well, I would still love to be a Set Decorator, but am trying to look at that career as a marathon, not a sprint, where I just pursue that dream constantly and ignore the other parts of my life that build a life in L.A. So far I have met a bunch of people and am attending SDSA events when I can, and am just trying to figure out how the whole industry works and what the Lord is doing. I did get to see the set of How I Met Your Mother and just about died when I saw a sign that said "Ted Mosby - Architect"

It was, legend, wait for it, dary! 

-I was so scared I wouldn't make friends and that it would be really lonely living in a city 3000 miles away from my family. But, so far, I have met some wonderful people! I feel like I have some real heart friends who love Jesus, talk about real things, are a lot of fun, and completely debunked my view of what people in L.A. are like. They also put up with me when I am stressed with school, trying to figure out what my life should look like, and the mess I can create while working on projects. The Lord has immensely blessed my heart with people to live life with here. 

Some of my roommates and some friends picking out our Christmas tree. This is the only picture I have with friends from the entire 6 months I have lived in L.A. New Year's Resolution #1, take more pictures with the people I love. 

-Well, I have definitely fallen in love with L.A. so far. Sure it is hard to run errands some days because parking and traffic can be a beast, rent can be astronomical,  people can be flakey sometimes, and there aren't many preppy boys. But, all in all I love that I live in a city where television shows and movies are made, there isn't one style of dress, not everyone goes to church just because it is the acceptable and right thing to do, there are mountains and an ocean in my backyard, it is sunny most days of the year, there are so many parts of the city to explore that a Saturday afternoon never has to be boring, people are pursuing their dreams and it is amazing to watch God work in the midst of the journey of pursuing those dreams.

I have started fixing up my house, and it is slowly getting there. It is definitely a place though, that feels like home. 

So, that is the almost 6 month update of life in L.A. It is a pretty great place to live. If you don't believe me, come for a visit! You can sleep on one of those green sofas. Thank you to everyone who has prayed, been a shoulder to cry on, gotten excited with me over new seasons of life, and everything else in between!

In a New York Color Minute.

One of the best $1.29 I spent all week.  

Canal Street by NYC. 

"Be honest is the turkey's name Paul? No, it's Hank...Hanksgiving"

Oh my goodness, this is the funniest episode of New Girl yet. So, if you aren't watching the show yet you need to get with the program, set your DVR, and catch up immediately. Did I mention that I have become friends with a guy who works in the Set Dec department on New Girl. Well, over Labor Day he invited me and my friend Melissa to come visit the set, since I want to work in Set Decorating. It was really neat to hear all the inside scoop and we even gotten to see Zooey film a scene! She is just as adorable in person as she is playing Jess (who's that girl, it's Jess!) and singing with M. Ward in She & Him. Happy Hanksgiving Eve everyone!

Casa Bonita.

There are some days living in Los Angeles that I miss Dallas so much it hurts. Today is one of those days. It isn't Dallas the city that I miss so much, it's simply my life in the Big D. Good friends that I know well and know me well, knowing where everything is and how to get there (in under 10 minutes), Matt Chandler, the ease and convenience of the AI computer labs and light boards, Chuy's queso and Gloria's margaritas, Chick-Fil-A on every corner, Kidd Kraddock in the mornings, the clean Kroger on Mockingbird, walking Katy Trail, just the history of living in a place that makes for a strong rhythm to life, and my precious house on Bonita Avenue that really felt like home.
There is something about a place feeling like home that is hard to move on from. One of my old roommates, Melissa, took some pictures of our old home over the past couple years we lived together and they are really beautiful. She is so wonderful at catching the light at just the right time and place that it makes our dusty little house look like it should be in a magazine.

"Home wasn't built in a day." 

-Jane Sherwood Ace