10 things to be happy about

(just a photo from camping this summer + one of my favorite worship songs)

i: buying plane tickets (tennessee, here i come)
ii: chilly nights and the smell of fall in the air
iii. fresh brewed coffee
iv. new designs (a huge shout-out to sophie who whipped up this beauty while I was stuck in an inspiration rut. she's the bombdotcom, y'all.)
v. finding new favorite fonts.
vi. reading winnie the pooh books
vii. did i mention adventures?
viii. the chilly nights and the smell of autumn in the hair
ix. listmaking for the previously said adventures
x. good new music

what's been happy about your life lately?
xx. marcia

of rainy days + happy lists

listening to:

never let you go - jakaranda (from the parent trap ii soundtrack)

gone, gone, gone - phillip phillips

hello seattle (remix) - owl city

joy unspeakable - mandisa

start of time - gabrielle aplin

i love you, love you - johnny cash

take it all away - owl city

Lord, i need you - matt maher

fly me to the moon - frank sinatra 

hazy - rosi golan

reading:

a tree grows in brooklyn - betty smith

wives and daughters - elizabeth gaskell 

my old journals

the new setapartgirl magazine

loving:

the beginning of fall

the fact that I can drink hot tea without having to sit by the air conditioner

knowing that someone misses you

a clean room

hot cups of peppermint tea in my favorite mug

listening to the oldies

a journal piece / by gabby

a white pillow case / by mary

if not, He is still God

quoting:

"And now, leave me in peace for a bit! I don't want to answer a string of questions while I'm eating. I want to think!"

"Good heavens!" said Pippin, "at breakfast?" - j.r.r. tolkien

"Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?" - j.m. barrie (peter pan)

"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them." - a.a. milne. 

"But for my part, if a book is well written, I always find it too short." - jane austen

"Maybe our favorite quotations say more about us than the people we are quoting." - john green

"I like people and I like them to like me. But I wear my heart where God put it, on the inside." - f. scott fitzgerald

what have you been quoting, reading, loving, or listening to? please tell me, I do so want to know. 

xx. marcia

p.s. it's rained a lot in the last week, almost to the point of a- well, you know- f l o o d. ;) in all seriousness though, we were completely untouched #benifitsofnotlivingnearariver, but a huge amount of the surrounding area was severely damaged. prayers would be so appreciated. 

trinidad | HELLO CALIFORNIA (part 3)

my favorite stop on our California trip was a little tourist town on the coast- Trinidad. the little white lighthouse stood on top of the cliff at the edge of town overlooking the bay where dozens of fishing boats lay. and the distant sound of the waves collided with the cries of the gulls.

we stopped for breakfast at a little restaurant on the pier. while we were waiting on our food, the little restaurant was constantly filled with people going in and out. everybody seemed to know each other... the lady who worked at the little fishing hut came in and ordered the "regular". people dropped into chat with the waitress and talk about "Megan who just got engaged". An older couple sat in the back booth talking quietly while the man drank his black coffee and the lady sipped her strawberry malt with "extra whipped cream, please".

the main street cut along the little beach cottages with their faces pointed towards the sea. each one representing the ocean vibe by the array of hanging mobiles with starfish and seashells in the window, a metal anchor nailed above the garage door, and the nautical striped blue curtains that hung in the window, and the surfboard shaped sign that read "welcome" swaying on the porch.

along the tourist part of town, there were a handful of little shops- each declaring that it had the world's best ice cream or burger. three shops especially caught my eye because of the puns in the names. Windan Sea, Sea Around Us, and the third shop was the Trinidad Trading Company. Each shop was filled to the brim (not joking there, they were stuffed) with various trinkets. Windan Sea was completely beach themed, loads of seashells, mini pirate ships, paintings of the ocean, hanging mobiles, and other souvenirs. The Trinidad Trading Company was filled with darling scarves, books, adorable mugs, and mini figurines. Bunting hung across the entry way, and the entire shop smelled of candles.

it seemed like one those towns, that the kids always dream of getting out of; but when they do leave they come back and realize how important it was.

   trinidad, you were quite lovely.

   xx. marcia

the redwoods | HELLO CALIFORNIA (part 2)

our first stop in California was the Redwood National Park. And boy, was it ever beautiful?! We spent half the day there driving through the deeply wooded and curvy roads, and stopping here and there. And we spent about 20 minutes just walking through a trail in the forest. It was so still and quiet, yet you could hear and see the tops of the trees swaying in the wind.

two random facts:

if you want to feel small, stand at the base of a three hundred foot tree. *cue this song*
a redwood tree would make the most epic tree house.

xx.  marcia
p.s. the next part (and last part) is one of the cutest coastal towns in america- which doubled as my favorite stop. stay tuned!

travels and the ocean | HELLO CALIFORNIA (part 1)

I've never thought of myself as a beach girl. I've only been to the ocean once before even though I grew up only a few hours away from the Atlantic Coast. I've always wanted to go to the Pacific Coast. And a couple of weeks ago, I finally got the chance.  

 

 

  

 

 

 

We traveled through Nevada and Utah, which was basically endless nothingness, salt, and sand. But we passed the time listening to audio book and reading (oh, and drinking iced coffee). Fact: I can read a different book and listen to an audio book at the same time. I also can sleep and still listen and remember what happened. Multitasker? I think yes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technically, we visited the Redwood National Forest before going to the beach, but that's another post.. so I'm skipping to the ocean. We arrived right before sunset, and our first sighting of the Pacific was just as the sun went down. It was absolutely beautiful! The Pacific coast is so different from the Atlantic... the rocks, driftwood, cliffs, and the fog... I fell in love.
And I think I have decided there is a little bit of beach girl somewhere in me.

stay tuned for part two and three,
xx. marcia

(excuse the photo sizes. i'm having a little difficulty with the sizing of my photos. i resize them in gimp and then upload them. but, i'm having a huge problem with the sizes being just a little off, and i can't figure it out. help?)