recapping twenty thirteen + happy new year!

"It was the best of years, it was the worst of years."

Dear 2013,
You were filled with so much laughter, tears, good times, and nights with heavy hearts. 
Twenty -thirteen was learning what's right, and sticking with it. It was diving into the past to see how God worked and learning to let go of the battle wounds. It was learning that sometimes it's right to let go, but sometimes you're suppose to hold on.  It was finding out that people move on, and it's okay- it's part of life. 

This year was the hardest year of my life. It was filled with too many tears, a heavy heart, and empty days, but I learned something worth all the pain. Grace will always remain. No matter how terrible the day is- my God is alive. And He is faithful- so so faithful.

Ahh, but there were good times too, so many good times. 
 +  riding shotgun with the radio cranked up   +   so many awkward moments   +   group hugs  +   awkward "family" photos with the 17 people in drama class   +    laughing till our throats were sore and our stomachs ached   +   seeing the West Coast for the first time   +   wearing dorky plastic fedoras and 5 in high hot pink bunny ears while stocking my uncle's store    +   happy selfies with my cousins at midnight (it was worth using flash)   +   roadtrips all over the state   +   flying solo across the country    +   long talks with my bestie    +    finding new music   +  meeting new people   +    finding new favorite books  +  learning that i am not, but i know I AM   +   earning new nicknames  +   finding Jesus in the mundane   +

Twenty-thirteen, you've been grand.
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Dear 2014, 

Please be good. 

"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly- you're doing something. So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make new mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Makes mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work, or family, or life. Whatever it is you're scared of doing,  d o   i t.  Make your mistakes, next year and forever. "

- Neil Gaiman

Happy New Year, darlings!
xxx. -marcia

one frame + a quote + two (winter) songs

"Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart, one who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them."  -Marvin J. Ashton 

baby, it's cold outside || new design + playlist

    it's been a while since i've made an inspiration board.  i quite miss it. 

    and these are just a few of my favorite tunes for the season. 

    do tell me, what are your favorite tunes for Chirstmas? 

     xx. marcia

     p.s. i promise i shall write a proper blog post as soon as i finish my school deadlines. 

     p.p.s. what do ya'll think of the new design?

     (all photos via my pintrest board: merry & bright)

sometimes photographs can tell a story better than words

  (i'll let the photographs speak for themselves.)

   xx. marcia

my first solo adventure | my tennessee trip

i. My flight from Denver left at 12:59am. Aside from *almost* sitting in the wrong seat, (Really, Marcia. How hard is it to find the little sign saying "A, B, C" over the right side, and "D, E, F" on the left side.) everything else went smoothly. Flying during the night has got to one of the most gorgeous sights, it's definitely worth losing sleep over. (Hey, sleep is important, but most times we spend some of our most valuable hours sleeping instead of living.) As we started getting into Charlotte, North Carolina, we ran into a little thunderstorm. And here's the fun part... I was watching some distant lightning, when suddenly the lightning struck the wing of the plane, which I was sitting directly behind. It literally blinded me for about four seconds, and all I could see was bright electric white. Once we finally landed, I had a four hour layover, and it was quite delightful. (Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Wives and Daughters combine quite well.) My connecting flight was an adventure too. The plane I flew in was the smallest little old thing, the sound was almost deafening. But the people were amazing. I JUST LOVE THE SOUTH. My flight attendant was a really tall black guy with the coolest Southern drawl. And the flight buzzed with conversations the entire flight. I had the sweetest older gentleman sitting beside me. We talked about places we've traveled, what I was planning to do in the future, his wife and two boys, and he told me to stay in school. 

Also North Carolina mountains in October are beyond beautiful.

ii. The entire reason for my trip was to help my aunt who just had baby who was two months early. She also has a two year old with almost endless energy and spunk, so she was slightly busy. ::wink:: My dad's entire family lives in the same area, and it was so good to see family again. (All of my relatives live out of state, so it's a precious treat whenever we get to see them.) I had forgotten how much I missed hearing my Grandpa constantly crack jokes followed by that deep chuckle of his.  I got to watch my Grandma continue to try to be superwoman and do everything she possible could in a week's time. And I watched all my little cousins (who are growing up way to quickly) run around and playing in all my old haunts around the home-place. 

It's funny how things can change so much, yet still be so much the same. 

iii. One Saturday, we set up a small booth at the local flee market. I know what you are thinking, "Oh, cute vintage dresses, record players, film cameras, and antiques." Um, no. Guys, it was redneckkk. There were no hipsters there, I'm telling you. We had multiple people buy an item after standing there for two minutes saying "I really don't know what I'm going to do with this." Some of the other vendors came to our booth and bought items to resell at their own booths. (Free enterprise at it's finest.) And there were plenty of old fellows all wearing various forms of plaid and coveralls all talking about something that happened a few weeks ago. It was quite the experience! (and boy, did we ever have a lot of laughs about it later! :))

iv. It all went way to quickly, and two and a half weeks seemed like one. But it was good, really really good.

 It was a chance to test my wings, and realize I can fly, even if it's just a short distance.
But no matter how much I love travels and adventures, it's always so good to be home.

(excuse the long rambles. those were just some of the highlights of my short adventure)
xx. marcia

jaxton | a short photo essay

    meet my darling little cousin, jaxton

    he's one of the little guys that I helped care for when I flew to tennessee a few weeks ago.  

    isn't he the cutest??

   

    xx. -marcia

can she bake a cherry pie, billy boy?

"Can she make a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she make a cherry pie, Charming Billy?
She can make a cherry pie, quick as a cat can wink an eye,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother." - (x)

On Saturday, I made a cherry lattice top pie for the first time. check: number 21 on this list. And it turned out really well, at least for the first time. I also made an apple pie and a pumpkin pie, but my pumpkin pie had a crack the size of the Grand Canyon in the middle.... okayyy, maybe that's stretching things a tiny bit. (note to self: next time let it cool down slowly.)

I think pie might be my favorite thing to bake, even if it takes more time and practice.
You can be so creative while still being traditional, and that's just cool.
xx. marcia