I'm a painting machine!

In the past two days I have completed 5 new paintings! I don't know how, I guess I've been pretty inspired by those I love. I finished 2 for my brother which completes his set of four! 1 for my friend mark carter and one for his wife rebecca that I did last night.
I also finally finished the two for the Risto family. At Erase the Dark their two year old daughter Isabella ran straight up to my painting, Dance Upon Injustice, and jumped up and down pointing at it. The won it for her in the auction and ask me to paint two more for her bedroom.

It honestly has been really cool to have people interested in my art. It was always something I just did for myself, as worship. I love being able to paint for people, if the lord can speak into their lives through the colors and shapes I produce, let me be a vessal!

a day in chico

It's been a long and hard week. My fish, Sufjan, died; I want to quit my job, I had a few awkward run-in's with some people, I fell long boarding and I have a giant gash on my arm, and I'm so close to graduating and it could not be coming any slower!!!

So I despretely needed to get out of town!

So now I'm driving home from a day spent in Chico, CA (well I'm not driving...that is just dangerous and not smart) here's how the day preceded...

-Leave at noon
-Got lost
-Arrive at 1ish.
-Ate lunch as Kona's (an amazing sandwich place!) Totally hit the spot!
-Walked around for a bit. In n out of stores.
-Went to the salvation army...got a old tin chocolate case for 4 dollars. And bekah got a jewelry box.
-Went to Gigi's shoe parlor. bought some new sandals.
-Pete's coffee...need I say more.
-Got lost (really lost) but with the combination of my inner gps and my phone's navigator we found our way to Trader Joe's.
-Bought my dad some jam, smart water, fruit leathers, pirates booty and some horrible sushi (I thought I was going to puke)
-Now we're on our way home...almost to Redding.

Good day.

New Bike

This is my new bike...I bought it at a garage sale for $5, today I put $40 ( $30 for new tires/$10 for Dusten helping me out!), and into it and if I don't say so myself...it looks pretty dang nice.

I have wanted a bike for sometime now and I believe good things come to those who wait. After cleaning her up with some steel wole and windex, she is beautiful!

Call me if you want to ride!!!

Ready for change...

I think my life needs so changes, to make it a little more exciting. I've been doing the same thing for 2 years. For an eighteen year old working the same job for that long is a pretty big deal.

So today I am applying at starbucks!

Please pray for me!

Boredom at it's finest!

The most exciting part of my day was giving these poor drawings mustaches [for mustache May of course] and turning them into celebrities [Billy Ray Cyrus, K-Fed, Macy Gray, and the tortilla chip lady with all the fruit on her head!]

This was in Piano class. I'm horrible at piano and my teacher teaches us absolutely nothing! Today was a first, where she actually gave us an assignment. I'm supposed to play at a recital on May 31st, so if anyone is interested in seeing me embarrass myself it will be held at Barnes and Noble @ 3 pm.

today they come!

Sorry for the poor pic quality...it was a quick shot with my camera phone.

If you are not in the know, I live at Simpson University. I've lived here since I was 8 years old. And every year, after graduation, the campus is rented out to different organizations for the summer.

Today the Salvation Army ladies arrive. It would be so pleasant if it was the nice Salvation Army officers that came to visit, or even the bell ringers but no, they pick up these crazy old women from the inner city and bring them to good ol' Redding for a week.

Don't get me wrong...this is an awesome ministry! And they have been coming every summer for the past 10 years so I should be used to it, but I'm not and I don't think I ever will.

They are loud and crabby. They all smoke 8 packs of cigarettes a day, so there are hundreds of signs all over campus that say "NO SMOKING." HA! But you still see them squating between cars in the parking lot.

Oh! These women are crazy. I'm sure there will be more stories as they arrive. But seriously I love seeing hiding in the parking lot puffing away!

Happy 5th of May

I'm so happy in the place I am right now. I can't describe it in fancy words...so I will make a list!

- Every week it is confirmed that The Stirring is my home, and it has definitely become the catalyst for the rest of my week. I seriously love serving there. I am able to use my gifts that God gave me to help and carry weight but not get worn down.

- The Lord is restoring relationships in my life, that hopefully will become amazing friendships!

- He is confirming the call on my life for social justice. Giving me more dreams and heavying my heart.

- I have had the most amazing conversations this week too! I used to never be good at connecting with people. I would have considered myself a little awkward...but now I am able to connect with complete strangers and talk with them about their lives and hopefully speak into them. It's when I am in fellowship with people sitting at Starbucks or wherever that I feel most spiritually alive. There is something about conversing with people that increase the dreams of my heart.
I was driving to the lake with some girlfriends and some how we got on the subject of witchcraft in Mt. Shasta...and I got the idea of driving up there once and awhile and creating relationships with people there...and not just people who have chosen a dark life style but teens who don't have anything to do but party. Wouldn't that be amazing to create a bond with them? By just hanging out and being there. I believe God is starting something in coffee shops by us, as followers of christ, connecting with people over a cup of joe!

- And I graduate in exactly 1 month from today! (If by the time I'm finished with the blog it's Monday)

Life is good...God is good.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!

young woman dies of heart attack

I go to a huge high school, well huge for the redding area. So on the way to school there is a gigantic line at all the stop signs! Today I took the short cut. As soon as I turned right there was a cop! And I didn't just make any legal right turn...I drove in the shoulder for 100 plus feet and I'm not exactly sure if I came to a complete stop.

So there was the cop...and then a truck turned right behind me...and then the cop turned and started following us! I spilled my coffee and was officially FREAKING out! I have yet to be pulled over and I have only gotten one ticket for parking with out a permit! So I'm quite paranoid. Anyway...the cop is following us. I turn left, still following us. At this point I am praying out loud like crazy! And then, from my rear view mirror I see the truck pull over and the cop pull behind him! Hallejuah!!!!!!

That was my first scare, I seriously thought I was going to have a heart attack!

it's impossible!

I'm sitting in piano class, starring at the keyboard and I cannot play it! It's impossible.

I think I'm the type of person who loves music, it's a huge part of my life but I could never play an instrument!

Okay, so I can sing, but that's it. And I've actually had people speak over me about singing. Last night, when I was at in n out, I met someone and he asked if I was a singer . It was like the second thing he said...“Hi, nice to meet you, are you a singer?”

I don't what this means. Yes, I enjoy singing. I sing in the shower, in the car, in my bedroom when no one is listening. I love to belt my heart during worship but when people ask if I'm a singer I don't consider myself one...

I don't know. I guess I'll just have to keep thinking about it and continue to butcher this Death Cab For Cutie song because I will never play the piano well.