together.

And when life is just plain crazy, uncontrollable in all it's might.

You don't fight. You know you can't.

So you wipe away the tears, hug each other close

And soon you come to realize

Together is a good place to be.

weekend of September 26th

I remain confident in this: 

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord

Psalm: 27:13-14

wftw: sadness

After experiencing one of the most emotionally tough days I have had in a while, I came across this article that clarified so much of what I have been going through. So I post it here in hopes that it will help or clarify "tears" in the life of someone else who is struggling. We need to know the truth— that it is ok, even beneficial for us to cry when experiencing loss; it's ok to feel our pain. God created us with emotions and I believe part of their purpose is to point us to God himself. Jesus created tears and shed them. He knows our pain.

Here's a favorite excerpt from the article from Relevant Magazine with the link to the entire work below.

Sadness Doesn't Mean We Are Struggling in Our Faith
by Sean Bess

We often act like tears are silly or selfish—and they can be, but they can also be life—affirming. I believe in the soul, in part, because of tears. There are evolutionary reasons for tears-like washing out debris from around the eyes—but humans are the only creatures that cry due to grief. I think it's possible we cry tears of grief as a way of washing out debris from around our souls.

Have you lost someone? Cry. Are you having a really rough day? Cry. The smile will stretch back across your face in time, but sometimes in order for this to genuinely happen, you have to allow the tears pool in your eyelids and draw hot lines down your cheeks.

One of the best things you can do with heartache of any sort is to allow yourself to feel it. However, there seems to be a prevailing movement of positive thinking in the Church—sometimes it looks a lot like happiness worship—and it’s leaving less and less room in its theology for tears.

But even Jesus wept.

read more: HERE

solo weekend do's

The last weekend of summer has come & gone. I've been venturing alone the past 4 days because G is away traveling. So, I took the time to walk up & down the city photo shoot shopping (hurry up & get here Fabz!), farmers market visiting, & sunset picture taking; all favorite things I love to do to keep me busy while G's away. It's so strange not having him around. You don't realize how much you become accustomed to having the person you love most with you everyday, until they're not. And you wake up thinking they are lying next to you, but after a split second you remember. Not there. Ugh. I'm ready to have you back G! In the meantime, I'll be going back & forth between homework, Gungor & outings. This weekend I've had a variety of things hitting me. God has been so good to remind me He is here, but it's been hard. For one, it's hitting me HARD that we are leaving Chicago in um..........three short months! Ah! I'll stop writing about it now because my heart is pounding and I'm getting emotional already. But that's one reason I love taking pictures everywhere I go. I already cherish these memories so much.

And I love this place. But it's true, I love it more with you G.

babysitting balcony views

anthro loveeee

TJ's arugula pizza, a sunset & a chick-flick for the win

I'm sure gonna miss this.

lyrical: we step into freedom

We step into freedom

We step into all You have for us

We step into freedom

We step into all You have for us

by: Bethel Music

This short, sweet song has been on my heart & mind the past couple weeks. Looking back, I find it interesting that I asked G to teach me how to play it on the guitar just days before having a raw conversation with Jess (just love that girl), that tied these lyrics into what was happening in my own life in a way I had never seen. In essence, she spoke of how God has brought freedom and joy into my life because of my obedience to Him some time ago. But, how sly is satan for planting thoughts in me that grew into desiring bondage & grief instead. I did not see my doubts & questions in that way at all, but after she said it that truth became so clear in my mind and has made it's way into my heart through this song. I have no need to be afraid to live into the freedom Christ has given me. I receive it & step into it knowing that God's plans for me are good, even if the entire "good" has not been revealed. Yes, I step in. Eyes looking wide to Jesus to carry me home. And I play. I play this song, so imperfectly it seems as a parallel to my life, in faith; I am being redeemed. 

Lindo maravilhoso, Rio.

After many hours of emailing myself hundreds edited photos from our Rio adventure, here are our favorite memories from the trip! There is so much I could say about our days spent with family, friends, beaches, sight-seeing & sun-burning. It truly felt unreal being in Brasil together and feeling at home even though I hadn't been there in years.

More than ever, on this trip I realized that God is so wise & awesome for giving me a man that shares a love for travel just as much as me. I think our common passion for seeing the world will bring us to many places; this being our very first international adventure was the perfect way to start off.

Saturday

Our three year, leather anniversary gift came in handy sooner than we imagined it would! G's has his initials engraved which fittingly are "GO" and mine says "adventure"

After two delayed connecting flights we were on our way to Rio!

Sunday:

Look at that happy face! When we landed we were both relieved. We sat with FIVE whining, crying babies all around our seats. It was the worst flight we've both ever been on, but of course it was worth it once we saw those mountains. 

Monday

A quick breakfast stop before our beach day. It's true, there's nothing like fresh bread & mango juice in Brasil. 

How charming is this beach?

After exploring Prainha (including G making me hold a couple fresh fish these men brought in!), we decided we had to stay. For it's natural charm, mountains & adorable town - this was my favorite beach by far.

G's uncle, Josue was looking for more adventure, so we deiced to climb up the huge mountain (you can see in a couple photos above) and encountered a few friends.

You know we jumped in that water after our climb! I wore this band instead of my wedding rings to keep them safe while traveling. I remember taking this picture & thinking, I just love this man.

Tuesday

This is the view from our room at Tias house, one I absolutely loved. 

Although overcast, the day was gorgeous. We explored downtime Tijuca and roamed the streets G grew up on. I'll probably keep repeating myself when I say, it was amazing! I could definitely see where his love for city life came from.

Lunch at the Leblon beach. The food was just as good as the views

Later that evening we went to visit some friends that are more like family to G growing up. Quickly, they became mine too.

We spent some time on Facetime with my mother in love Denize! It was her birthday and she was so happy to see everyone together.

Wednesday

By morning, we visited old friends. By afternoon, we drove up the largest urban forest in the world. By night, we (me & Tia) braced ourselves and g (super excitedly) went to watch Flamengo play! 

As you can probably tell, it was an intense game.

But we won! And it was the most fun live sport I have ever seen in my life! Dale Dale Dale Dale Oh, Mengao do meu coracao!! (borrowed this one from Tia Gils insta!)

Thursday

We didn't have a car on Thursday, so we traveled through the city by bus (which is as crazy as G described) and spent time with more family

Afterwards we headed to the Centro da Cidade to do some shopping! We arrived during my favorite time of day, golden hour. I could not be happier.

This is the view from the therapy office Tia Gil does her consultations right downtown. It is the very same office G's grandfather practiced law decades ago. It felt so special being there.

Friday

Was one of the most special days.

Cristo Rendentor

Visiting this monument again was a dream.

Simone found 55 reais on the ground as we were leaving! It ended up paying for the best food I've ever eaten on the beach.

Sao Conrado. The beach that's known for it's paragliding off the mountain and onto the sand. G & I almost did it, but it was pretty expensive. Maybe next time we'll plan on it. Maybe.

& then the sun began to set. Swoon.

We ended the night eating some delicious Brasilian style pizza with our dear friend, Gui and his sweet fiance. Next August we hope to be returning to Rio for this lovely couples wedding! 

Saturday

After an early morning breakfast we headed to......(can you guess?) another beach! Multiple beach days may or may not have been my idea. ;)

Praia de Grumari

 

Meeting G's grandma was another one of those very special moments. She was so happy to see us, she went right to her piano and started to play her favorite hymns. We were all singing together, I was holding back tears; it was beautiful.

Sunday:

The church G's parents were married in over 30 years ago.

Vovó made us a banquet! We really had multiple ones that week. She was so excited to see us she cried & prayed with us as soon as we walked in the door. It was a moment I will never forget.

Vovôs law school graduation photo when he was 40 years old. 

And a final airport selfie goodbye!

timer cammmmm

There was some major anxiety passing through immigration because I accidentally left my Brasilian passport in my checked luggage. Worst mistake ever. But after waiting for about 20 minutes, the officer let us in & we made it to our gate just in time! We were thanking our Lord Jesus that we made it AND that our flight home was empty! So, when those doors closed we ran to the back of the plane and had the last 4 rows (the left, middle and right sides) all to ourselves because they were blocked off! There were no crying babies & people talking away, but extra blankets & tons of sleep. It was the polar opposite of our flight to Brasil & the best ending to our trip.

Ser carioca é muito bom. ;)

& in conclusion, my favorite photo captured in Rio.

August 17th - 25th, 2014