a collaboration of our New Years

our Christmas present was a get-away to a condo in Estes Park. we hadn't had a break since the boys came last May. It was so beautiful. Estes Park has always been on of my favorite places, especially in the winter. 

Winter has always been a favorite with me. I love the cold, the snow, the hot drinks, the Christmas lights, and cozy fires. 

*inset rabbit trial here*

||  I have determined that I need to find a town tucked away in the mountains, where it is always snowing and Christmas and I can live in a cabin with books that reach to the ceiling and drink tea and coffee.  that would just be the best. ||

*end of rabbit trail*

 it snowed a little bit, we walked the shops, read books, watched movies, went to the library, and slept late. And we went shopping. There is this leather store where everything is below $30. and I found the bag of my dreams. I could have actually stolen all of the bags there, they were absolutely gorgeous. 

((and I was finally able to take a picture of the stars. I was super happy, it isn't anything super glorious, but it's a step in the right direction. ))

HOW WAS YOUR NEW YEARS?

snapshots of 2012 || with a favorite quote

// some favorites from 2012 // almost - wordless recap. 

"To be human is to be beautifully flawed."

-october baby

a fresh start | January 2013

today is the first day of a new year, 2013. that number seems so strange to write. This is rather cliche` but this year flew by.  It seems like just a couple of nights ago, I sat up waiting and watching the clock till it turned 12:00. 

this past year I have learned so much. my life was flipped upside down in so many ways. 

but, God has been so faithful! I have never felt so alive, and happy, and just blessed.

I can't describe how very blessed I feel, but I do not have a perfect life. 

I make mistakes, I have problems, I cry, and sometimes I feel as if I can't go on anymore. but, I am still so very blessed. I have my family, and my church. I am surrounded by the best friends in the world. and I have Jesus!

I will not be doing a 102 list this year. I want to still make goal lists, but I want to write them as monthly lists instead of an entire year.

last year, my word for the year was HOPE. and it is really amazing how that all played into God's plan. I did have a lot of HOPE through the year! 

but this year I was thinking about what word I was going to choose, and one day I was scrolling through Tumblr. and I saw this word. and it just struck me. so, my word for 2013 is:

this is who I want to be know as. I want to love life, and live it to the very extreme. 

and I will not be doing a 102 list this year. I will still make a goal list, but I want to write them as monthly lists instead of an entire year. 

lately, I've been feeling like my life is so cluttered. I have a lot of good things that are going on in my life, but I don't feel organized and I just need to clean up all the clutter in my life. and that is what I am planning to do for the month of January. today, I signed out of my polyvore and pintrest. I am going to try to go off of sugar for the month of January. these are just a few little things I want to just take time away from, they aren't bad things, but far not. but I just need to take a little break. 

I want to focus on spending more time with God, reading more, writing more often, and growing in my photography. I will, however, be posting on here. and I want to be more real. It is so easy to paint a picture of the life you wish you had all the time, when you have the internet to hide behind; but I don't ever want to do that, because my life was designed by God. He has a plan for every moment, every little mistake or blessing is all part of his final plan.

[typography and photo by yours truly]

so, here is to 2013.

may it really be the best year yet!

xxx. 

marcia

p.s. I want to especially thank you guys for sticking with me on this journey! you guys really are amazing and all your sweet comments really make my day! 

okay, so it's CHRISTMAS!

first of all I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!! I hope the Lord blesses you abundantly in this beautiful season! You guys really are the best, and all your sweet comments and notes make my day every time! 

the most beautiful Christmas miracle happened today. the last couple of week, it hasn't felt like winter at all. we have had hardly any snow. and I was hoping for snow over Christmas so badly. and tonight it started snowing. and we now have a couple of inches on the ground, with more to be expected!

 it's a perfect white Christmas

lately, I have been searching for something that I haven't been able to grasp yet, but I feel it's in reach. God has been so good, He has just been showing me so much. I am just so utterly blessed. and life is so beautiful, even though it is far from perfect. but I am planning some changes and such in January! 

and I have updated my 102 in 2012! instead of posting it all here, you can just hop on over to the page and see it there. SO... tell me..

  what are some of the things you accomplished this year?

xxx,

marcia

p.s. yesterday was my Mama's birthday!!

 happy birthday, Mama! you are really the best, and I love you to the moon and back! 

awkward and awesome [no. 8]

first of all: I have been rather absent lately, and it's just been a lack of inspirations. but I'm back! and the randomness in this is just way to much, but that's how I roll! :) but this is just been snippets of my very awkward and awesome life lately. and also, I know it's not a thursday, but anyday can be A&A right?

awkward and awesome

AWESOME:

- this cd. okay, so I am a huge fan of Scotty, and I've been wanting to buy his cd ever since it came out, but every time I went to the store, they were sold out. but, I promised myself I wouldn't listen to any of the songs until I bought it. and then his music video came out, I decided to listen to it. and I pretty much died over the adorableness. and then I went to Amazon and bought the cd. and ohmygosh! it is the best CD ever!!!

-this is pretty much perfection in a photo. I found it on weheartit the other day... sparkley nails, Christmas with Scotty, Ford, and coffee. yes, please!

-our co-op winter program, it was one of the best nights ever. I performed for the first time in front of people, and it was marvelous. 

-talking to my most favorite cousin for one and a half hours about pretty much anything under the sun. 
-being called dainty by one of my friends (HAHAHA, I died laughing.)

-Mom was asking the boys what they thought they needed for Christmas... and the oldest two both said something, then Mom asked Esteban what he needed for Christmas, and he said "Oh Nothing"... then he was saying how he wants to give something to Jesus... "Tink [think] I could give my scissors to Jesus!" his scissors are one of his prized possesions, he treasures them! and then they were talking about how he could give Jesus his scissors, and Antonio said "We could throw it up to heaven!" and Esteban thinks then he says "No, I think he could come down to us!"

-that moment when you see that your library card expires in March of 2038. WELL... at least I won't be running out of books. well, actually I probably will be, by that time all the good books will be history, and only junk will be left. :(

-having a really awkward dream (filled with everyone awkward) but the worst part of it: I didn't get to keep the cutest pair of flats in the world! :( seriously, they were adorable, and they fit my huge feet... I am still regretting them.

-Hector was telling my how he likes the Broncos and the Steelers: 
Me: How do you know who the Steelers are?
Hector: eyes get big You just KNOW!!! he said this is a very DUH-everybody-knows-who-they-are tone. and this is a 5 year old talking..

-"You're so weird and awesome at the same time." -veggie tales

-Esteban was looking into the my big camera lens and he looked at me "OHMYGOODNESS, it looks like a toilet down in there!!!" 

AWKWARD:

- that awkward moment when your entire house smells like cleaning supplies, chocolate cake, and garlic and beans. 

- writing two pages of my journal completely upside down. awkward.

-logging into my facebook and realizing I am friend with a guy who really doesn't need to be friends with me... so I freak out. because there is no way that I would accept his request, so I go to his page to unfriend him... and then I realize Mom is logged in. I was seconds away from clicking the "unfriend" button. woah. that would have been awkward  (and just for the record, I haven't seen the guy for years, and he knew me when I was like 8...)

-scrubbing a spot on the kitchen floor for about 5 minutes and then realizing it is part of the design on the floor. 

- that AHH moment when you find out two of your friends know someone else you know... in the most bizarre way.

-we were shopping and I was getting something, and I found Mom and there was a cart behind her so I just thought it was ours and I plopped my purse and the item I was buying into the cart, then Mom looks over and said "uh, that isn't our cart" just as the lady came over to find a strange purse and a bag of sour gummy worms in her cart. I could have died laughing, the woman gave me the weirdest look ever!

-one of those I-can't-believe-I-was-that-stupid cooking moments... I was making chicken noodle soup and it needed some more broth, so I found this jar of stuff that said "better than bouillon" on it. so I grabbed the jar and dumped it it, I totally thought it was normal broth. and then I noticed my soup was really yellow and it smelled super strong. then I looked over at the jar and it said Makes 38 servings and then it said Makes 9.5 quarts of broth FACEPALM. I didn't even taste the soup, after draining ever drop of broth out of the soup I finally made it edible. but if I would have tasted it before, I probably wouldn't be allowed to have any more salt for the rest of my life!!!!! it was so salty. #facepalm  

so now, that I have spilled all of my awkward and awesome moments of late.. it's your turn!