a quote for your tuesday | v.ii

a new thing i’m starting for the next few months-- combing two of my very favorite things, graphic design + quotes. i’m setting a goal to create one graphic image a week, for the next three months. yay belated new years goals! 

xoxo. -marcia

TELL THE WORLD I'M COMING HOME | blog relaunch

it's a new year (okay, okay, it's a 21 days old, but it's still new. ;)) and I'm so excited to relaunch this blog with something that God's been working in my heart for quite some time now.  IN RECKLESS ABANDON has been the name of this abode a little over two years and I truly feel that it has served it's time very well in my heart. but, it's time for a change. don't get me wrong, the sole object of my life is still to live in reckless abandon for the King and His Kingdom, but it's a new season and it's time for growth. 

so let me introduce you to

COMING HOME.

over the summer of 2014, Jesus taught me so much about "home" and where "home" is. I didn't notice it at first, but suddenly it became the theme of my summer. "home" started popping up everywhere, I kept finding tons of quotes mentioning it, my pastor spoke about it several weeks in a row... it became very evident that there was something to be found in this theme. there are hundreds of quotes about people realizing their home isn't a house, it's a person, their soulmate. and i always thought i'd have to wait for home to be in the person i'd spend forever with but, Jesus changed my entire aspect on that. He gently showed me that HE is my home. And my relationship with Him is just like a marriage-- I have to move in (being IN Christ), unpack my bags, and resolve to stay forever. i realized, my home IS in a person- it's IN Him, and He is going to be the one my soul is going to spend forever with. i once saw a quote on tumblr where someone was giving marriage advice-- and forgive me, i'm going to completely kill how she said it, but she said something to this affect:

"when you get married, you are two pilgrims searching for new land, you both find the piece of land you want to settle on and you know you need each other to survive. so you swear to face each day, side by side, and burn your ships and the port in order to make leaving not an option." 

that's what I have to do-- I know He isn't going anywhere, however, my soul is prone to wander and I need to make leaving not an option. so, this is my journey coming home. 

and I also want to thank you all for following along on this journey. seriously, you guys are the absolute best and your comments make my heart smile every single time. 

be blessed, friends.

xoxo. -marcia
[ post title credit x ]

a quote for your tuesday.

original floral pattern credit // x

i was working on a design project and i'm so in love with these florals, 

so i decided to make a quick graphic with one of my all-time favorite quotes. 

happy tuesday, friends! 

xoxo. 

-marcia

books I read in 2014 + my 10 favorites

one of my resolutions for 2014 was to read a total of 60 books. and I made it to 54 and a half (it took me the first two days in january to finish that last one, haha) out of 60. obviously not as cool as 60, but hey, it was pretty darn close. you can see a list of the all the books I read this year here!
here is a few of my very favorites I've read this year:

GRACE FOR THE GOOD GIRL -- emily p. freeman

       this book, oh man. it completely rocked my world! I read it during our yellowstone trip this year and it was so good, I literally finished it and then read it again the next day. 

BREAD & WINE -- shauna niequist 
       
        if I had to choose one book to be my favorite this year, it would be this one. shauna has such a beautiful way of telling a story and combining life and love and food into it. it's an absolutely beautiful read and definitely a book worth reading over and over again. 

MY LIFE IN FRANCE -- julia child

          I basically want to be Julia Child when I grow up. I absolutely adore her quirky character and humor along with her passion for food and France. she's basically queen in my eyes. 

HAVING A MARY HEART IN A MARTHA WORLD -- joanna weaver

          so crazy story time: I read this book in february of last year because I saw it on the shelf in my library and I was like "that is such a great title!" (let's have a moment of appreciation for that title... okay, we good now.) so, I checked it out and read it and absolutely loved it. flashforward a few months: in june, my best friend and i attended the set apart girl conference together and one of the guest speakers was Joanna Weaver. I didn't remember ever hearing her name and I had absolutely no clue that she had written this book. (which is just really weird because I have this thing for always knowing the author of book I read, especially if it's a favorite book.) so anyways, we were sitting in the chapel waiting for the session to start and there was a slideshow of books available on the book table and suddenly there is "Having a Mary Heart in A Martha World" and bam, it all connected in my mind! andddd, I totally had a moment. :P but, Joanna Weaver's session was one of the highlights of that weeekend and I got to meet her sweet self. she is absolutely amazing! 

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES -- sue monk kidd

          it's most definitely a classic. it's heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time. the characters are so rich and the symbolism is absolutely beautiful.

PERSUASION -- jane austen 

         I have 3 more Jane Austen novels to read before I've read all of them, but I'm pretty sure Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen novel (although Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility are two of my dear favorites as well). 

I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS -- maya angelou 

         Maya Angelou has been one of my heroines over the past and some of her quotes have become my favorite, so when she passed on earlier this year, I decided I needed to make her book a priority. and I absolutely loved her real transparency in her writing. she struggled and she wrote about that. and then she found grace and the power to rise above that. 

“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.” 
― Maya Angelou


COME BE MY LIGHT: THE PRIVATE WRITINGS OF THE SAINT OF CALCUTTA -- mother teresa
        
         this book wrecked my heart over and over again. I'm not a catholic and I do find that I disagree on several points with their theology (although I may be speaking in ignorance here, I haven't exactly studied their faith), however their endless devotion to Jesus puts my heart to absolute shame. and mother teresa's absolute devotion to serving Jesus with everything she had broke me.

it's so so humbling to read the letters and words of somebody who realizes how absolutely worthless they are without Him. I have never felt so small while reading a book- it showed me how fickle and empty all my attempts at living for Christ are without Him. I feel as though I've caught a bigger vision of who I want to be as a woman and that has changed my stubborn heart. 

MY PARIS KITCHEN -- david lebovitz

        THIS BOOK. oh my heart. I've read a lot of French cookbooks over the past year; however, this one is by far my favorite. not only is the entire makeup of the book absolutely beautiful (the photographs are so fresh and clean), but the book is so practical for cooking as the French do, in America. It combines just the right amount of French history and culture while remaining an easy book to cook from.  It's definitely right next to Mastering The Art Of French Cooking by Julia Child (of course!) in my list of cookbooks I need to buy. 

what are some of your favorite books you read this year? and what are a few books you have on your shelf to read this year? 

xoxo. -marcia

2 0 1 4 in review + recapping my 365 project

over the last few weeks, as i've been working on packing up our home and preparing for the changes 2015 is going to bring, my heart has been full. i've been reading through journals and posts i wrote at the beginning of this year (let's not even talk about my lack commitment with my 2014 resolutions #smh) and finding all the little notebook scraps of thoughts i just never had the time to fully develop, and through the scribbled letters and tear stains; i've been finding His faithfulness. over and over. moment after moment. His faithfulness.

2014 was such a year of growth in my life. i started out as broken and tired. i needed life-- His life, His breath. and somehow as much as i tried, i couldn't seem to grasp it. i had to stop fighting for control and when the clenched fingers of my stubborn heart finally let go-- He came and gave me life again. it was a year of finding passions and realizing what makes my heart beat faster. and also it's been a year of hard stuff, learning how to let Him make me brave, learning how to keep an invincible joy, learning about coming home, learning how to be grateful for the beautiful people who make saying goodbye so hard, learning, learning, always learning. 

but "it's been a beautiful fight, it still is." 

JANUARY: was learning about community. and how important it is to be surrounded by people. it was restless nights, searching for something i didn't know i needed. 

FEBRUARY: was sweet sixteen. it was birthday cards and full page letters in the mail from some of the dearest people. it was permit tests and driving on the road for the first time. it was hearing favorite songs on the radio for the first time and dwelling on who He Is. 

MARCH: was carolina accents and reuniting with old friends and picking up right where we left off. it was dunkin donut runs, watching movies while making our own comments throughout the entire movie. it was that little tan house tucked back on a north carolina road. it was cousin shenanigans and 10:00pm carrot jello cravings. it seeing a smile on the face of a broken heart. it was good hearts and good laughter.  

APRIL: was a growing month. it was learning how to put selfish feelings aside and give love. it was spring arriving and library book hauls. it was learning "to love the the skies i'm under." (mumford & sons)

MAY: was finding joy again. it was trying to get back the words i had lost and finding i don't hate summer quite as much as i thought i did. 

JUNE: was finding forgiveness and healing. it was conferences with my bestie and coming to the end of myself all over again. it was tears of joy and tight hugs. it was once again, choosing love and learning how to keep choosing it. 

JULY: was stretching. hard. yet, learning how to live with the curveballs life throws. discovering the people you called "home" for the longest time, don't feel like home anymore and then realizing that i guess maybe it's okay. maybe it's part of growing up.

AUGUST: was yellowstone adventuring. it was good books and family jokes. it was huckleberry froyo and learning to let Him make me brave. (still working on that one now though.) it was iced chai lattes and dowtown adventures with my kindred spirit. it was those moments when it just hits you-- how beautiful life really is. 

SEPTEMBER: was kitchen dance parties and homemade pizza at midnight. it was running into old friends and making way to much applesauce. it was a bonfire night and realizing how blessed i am to be surrounded by so many good souls. 

OCTOBER: was my favorite month. it was rainy afternoons and baking pie at 9:00pm. it was a first red rocks concert. it was golden leaves and tuesday night baking. it was photoshoots and 1am heart-to-hearts and early morning adventures with my best friend. 

NOVEMBER: was finding contentment. learning how to wait. learning how selfish my heart still is. longing for more of Him and less of me. 

DECEMBER: was a month filled to the very brim- graduations, semester finals, packing, traveling, Christmas. it was the month of peace and joy and bittersweet realizations. it was the month of realizing how growing up changes your outlook. i realized that i now see things so differently than i did as a child-- i can see the mistakes and the regret and the pain, but i can also remember the laughter, the bear hugs, the love, the safety. and i'm still working on finding the balance between the two perspectives. 

oh, 2014, you've been one heck of a year and i will be forever grateful for the love and growth you brought to my life. 

happy twenty-fifteen, friends! as the C.S. Lewis wrote, "further up and further in." 

let's press deeply into the heart of Jesus this year! 

xoxo. -marcia