Solitude and Travel

On monday, I traveled back up to Santa Cruz to spend my free day with myself and Jesus. When I told people my fantastic plans, they looked at me very weird. "You are going by yourself? Rebekah, are you doing okay? What's wrong?" Gah! Very few understand the incredible feeling one gets when they travel alone. I get to leave the familiar and experience the world! You meet people you could have never imagined, and see sights you never knew existed. Your own world, which was so large as to consume your whole life, becomes smaller and smaller until it is only a dot in time and space. I travel alone because I need that time to myself. I need to get away from the world so I can get back in touch with myself. Sometimes it's hard to even know who we truly are, because we are so influenced by our society and the people in our lives. We constantly fill our days with activities and if we aren't careful, we begin to mistake all these activities for the meaning of life. Being alone usually leaves someone feeling awkward and depressed, and I think that's sad. We should be comfortable and content to enjoy things in solitude. Actually, Jesus longs for that intimacy with Him. People and relationships are a vital part of both our inner and outer growth. But we all need time alone with no distractions...just Jesus. Nature and the ocean is where I go to nourish my spirit, so that I have strength and energy to give others. Make a point of delighting in the trees and birds and flowers. Let the glories of nature energize, heal your soul and uplift your spirit. Here is how I spent my day with Him.

I needed this so badly. When I go to the beach, I live the whole thing through Him. I feel His presence, and it gives me pleasure.

So much of God's beauty can only be understood and appreciated, when you look at it from a distance.

This couple was so adorable. I followed them around and took a picture. Okay, as I'm typing this I realized how creepy I sound.

Everything I could even want... in one place.

Oh give me to a rambling man, and let it always be known, that I was who I am.

I want to be best friends with them! So rad.

I love finding art walls like this. They are all over.

No matter what town I'm in, I always find myself in bookstores. They are like a magnet for a soul like mine. I just automatically know where they all are.

I love full length mirrors. Not in a conceded way, but because I don't own one. So it's fun to see my whole entire self and feel at ease that I'm alive and well.

Music. Yes, music is wonderful.

There were banjos all over. I was in love.

I ended my day drinking a while chocolate mocha and watching the sunset over the ocean. I LOVE sunsets. I know I say love a lot, but like I really LOVE sunsets. They are God's final brushstrokes on the beauty of the day. I think they are how I feel God's love the most.

I'll end with this silly video of me singing and chasing the sunset :)

Thank you Jesus for all the beauty in this world. Thank you for being so present when I needed your strength so desperately. Thanks for being intimate with me. I know I am loved by You.

I left my ♥ in Northern Cali

Open roads, windows down, my left arm swaying in the wind, a playlist for the trip, road stops in the little towns for coffee and muffins, stopping off to explore, documenting the trip...bliss!
Last week I took off and headed up North to Santa Cruz and San Francisco with my family. I decided if I am to live in California, I would dream it would be in Santa Cruz...or San Diego. I love San Francisco, but it's just too cold for a sun lover. Anyways, back to Santa Cruz, I go there every year with my family and over the years it has become my home. I just love, love, LOVE the fact that you can be crazy and weird and yet you are totally accepted. I went off exploring downtown and I had so many splendid conversations with complete strangers! My heart was so...oh man, I can even find a word that explains how much joy I had. It was really hard leaving. I had to come back Thursday afternoon for work, but I just wanted to stay and enjoy the rest of my day in a place where nobody knew who I was or my story. I was just another face in the crowd going about my business, enjoying that time with me and myself.
I may be back in Fresno, but my heart stayed in Santa Cruz. (Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip, enjoy!)

Alcatraz, Ca (San Francisco)

Double exposure

A place where one can be so weird, but totally normal :)

San Francisco Giants game with the family♥

I love this one for so many different reasons.

Whelp, time to go to work.

My Loves♥

Lately, I have been having SO much fun with my new Pentax k1000. It's a film camera. Kids our age don't really know about film cameras since everything is all digital and stuff. Boy, are they missing out!! I love film camera pictures because the quality is so classic. Here are a few that I took of my siblings.

This is Annaleah Rose. Raw and all. Her freckles are so beautiful.

I am in love with this picture. It's so deathly fantastic. Just look at those eyes!

This picture makes me so happy. They are such a joy in my life. So many laughs with my loves.

Gosh, my brother is a STUD. He's going to be so handsome.

(He was trying so hard not to laugh!)

Well, I'm going up north this week...so that means there's a ton of new pictures to take:)

Hume Lake, Ca

My favorite thing about Hume Lake is that there is no phone service. There is something so freeing about not being able to be reached or contacted. It's as if no one knows where I am or what I am doing. I LOVE IT! It's nice to just get away and disappear.

So many fun people in one picture!

 I've noticed that I have my arms up in a lot of pictures. It's like I think I'm a bird or something.

 I encourage you all to GO and get lost in God's beauty and escape the sprawl. Try and spend a day away from people. All you need is a bible, journal, open space, and a willing heart to be intimate with our Creator :)

This past week has been so splendid! I got to visit my very favorite Aunt and my dear friend Sara met her too :) Then I finally went to the San Diego Zoo! I LOVED IT! Gosh, I loved it so much. Lastly, we spent a whole day at SeaWorld. I just love summer.
And, I've come to face the fact that Fresno, well...it sucks!

And this would be me. With my new film Pentax camera :)

My new mission is to find a hat like this one. One that is NOT $40!

This was probably the best part of the zoo. Yup.

Seaworld!

Shamu!

Hehe (;

I just love being surrounded by God's creation. I feel so small when I'm looking at how the mountains seem endless from the window of the car. Nature just inspires me so much. Thank you Jesus for being so creative. You are beautiful.

I had one of the most splendid days last Thursday. Just one of those days that you say to yourself, "This is what life is for." I could just feel God's presence everywhere.
First, I got to spend the afternoon with my dear friend Nicole. I work with this beauty and have gotten to know her story and heart. She is so lovely inside and out. Full of energy, curiosity, and a wild spirit searching for a deeper meaning in life. Soulmate would be a good name for her because we are so alike in very strange, but good ways. We spent the day riding bikes, taking fun pictures, browsing at target, getting our tan on, and talking about life. 
I'm so very blessed for you pretty girl.

My favorite part of the day happened to be a night. She had invited me to this worship thing that was taking place downtown. It was at this house where 4 young girls live in community with each other...in the ghetto. People our age don't do this type of thing. Purposely live in the dangerous part of town? Man, I DIG THAT. Only You, God, would place like-minded people in my life like this. One thing that really stuck out to me was walking around the torn down neighborhood with Nicole. Each of the houses were beat up and trashed, but yet so beautiful in it's own unique way. Kinda like people. We have so much baggage, but each so delicate and beautiful. Unlike here is Clovis, where all the house are so neatly placed and identical. Families were outside on the porch enjoying the night. Kids were playing with friends and completely content with almost nothing. Unlike kids in Clovis who have game boys, phones, ipods...not much need for friends or people for that matter. I got a sense that the community in that torn down neighborhood was closer as a family, than say Clovis. Hiding in our houses, unaware of who our neighbors even are. I want to live in a place like neighborhood in downtown Fresno. I want to be a light for You in places that seem disgusting.
Anyways, there was about 10 of us who spent the night worshiping our almighty God. Melting on the words of these songs that are so poetically written. God, I am so thankful for the people you have placed in my life this last month. My beloved Savior, thank you for answered prayers. Thank you for not forgetting about me.

6 things I have been absolutely fascinated with lately...

1. Mumford and Sons (Sigh No More)
They are f a n t a s t i c. Their lyrics will carry you into a maze of ideas and emotions. Emotions that you personally wish to share, but can never find the correct words to phrase them. With strong biblical references, I believe this an album of the battle between man and God. I know what you're thinking, "but they say the 'F' word!!!! They can't be christian!" Oh puhhh-lease. That is what I love about them. They are real and raw. Our relationship with God isn't going to be pretty and clean. We are dirty sinners and battle with sin daily, it's messy stuff. This is music. Sorry, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, you aren't that cool.

2. Prayer Walks
Going on walks at night with just my raw emotions, thoughts, desires, dreams, cries, struggles, and a God who listens and cares. When Jesus said we should go into our inner room and shut the door, that meant He wanted to be intimate with us! God providing each day is an invitation to intimacy. If you haven't been much of a prayer, I beg you to be alone with God and have a real conversation with Him. It's so hard to just be alone in todays world, but FIND A WAY. Prayer is SO powerful! I want to share with everyone how God has answered prayers in ways I still to this day can't comprehend how or why. Passionate prayers not only change the world, they have a way of transforming the people who pray them. Ah, prayer is so good.

3. Running at sunset

Running is my stress reliever. I crave mile long runs to clear my head and let frustrations out otherwise I will get moody and go crazy. I'm talking at least, 5 miles long runs. I usually run in the morning, however last semester I started running right before sunset and it's one of my favorite things to do. I get to watch and experience being part of something greater than I. No matter how horrible the day went, I am humbled at God's beauty that is displayed all over the sky when the sun is setting. All of a sudden my problems and frustrations don't seem important, because I am consumed and in awe of God's beauty. There's no room in my brain to be ungrateful when I see a sunset. Go outside around 8pm and just soak it in. Experience God's love. A love gift, utterly unasked for by a sky. (taken with my iphone)

4. Snail Mail
Receiving a real note or letter > Receiving an email, or worse, a facebook message. I encourage you to find a pen pal. I currently have 3 faithful pen pals and it has made my relationship with those certain people sooooo much more meaningful. The last package I got was from a dear friend who gave me a mixed cd with songs that were so relevant to me life, coloring pens for my journaling and pictures we had taken. It touched my heart. I guess it's the fact that someone took the time to think of me and wrote me a letter that leaves me a giddy girl. It's rare to find people who do that these days. Let me know if you want to be pen pals :)

5. 500 Days of Summer

The first time I watched this was January 2011 and it gave me the goosebumps. I honestly related so well to Summer Finn it was scary weird. She loves pancakes, bike riding, reading, has roof top parties, is confusing as heck, sucks at opening up...I mean her name is SUMMER! If you have seen it, you make think she is a mean girl, but I think the movie does an excellent job explaining how complicated and hard relationships are. Plus, the soundtrack to the movie is the best, it's funny, it's sad, Zooey Deschanel is one of my favorites, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is easy on the eyes. I've watched it wayyyy too many times, my roommates threatened to hide it from me:'(

6. Mangos
I am Obsessed. The smell. The unique flavor. The texture.
I love mangos.