africa in a nutshell

how do i describe the last 2 weeks?

 

words that come to mind first are : difficult, rewarding + joyful.

 

difficult:

 

our team was full of champs! when we landed in amsterdam, we found out that the nairobi airport was on fire. so our flights were cancelled until further notice. due to this, we were unable to go to the ethiopian part of our trip. it was devastating + difficult to understand why this was happening? thank God for modern technology though because we were able to wire our ethiopian friends money to still do the kids camp, pastors workshop + all other events we had planned for them.

 

it was also difficult being in the same clothes for days at a time + in airports. but some how, we made it work (even though i'm sure we smelled!)!

 

rewarding:

 

our team was incredible to serve alongside. we bonded immediately + worked great together! it was so rewarding to the change that has taken place over the last 4-5 years of our team serving there! because of their efforts, 50 orphan boys are funded for school each year. the church + the church plants have grown! God is up to something huge in Kenya + it's rewarding to see a glimpse!

 

joyful:

 

while we were there, me + trav walked through some personal devastating news. we aren't ready to share, but we were in a lot of pain. reflecting on it, we were so thankful to be in a place where we were surrounded by so much joy!

 

i'm so thankful for the time we had there. kenya, fountain of life, our 50 boys, thank you. you are just what i needed. and thank you to everyone who supported us with finances + prayer. we felt covered the entire time we were there. so truly, thanks times a million.

 

here are some of my fav snaps of the week!

 

everytime we got on the bus, all the street kids would stand at the bottom + waive us off.

 

kids camp with the slum kids!

 

they get so creative with entertainment!

 

my favorite day! 50 orphan boys getting new clothes. the dressing room became a cat walk! lol

 

my sexy husband leading the older boys in a bible study.

 

5 years ago, we made these shirts as business partners. today, we wear them alongside two of our favorite african brothers!

 

hope you enjoyed.

 

xoxo

ny resolution 1: spontaneous trips

i was sitting at work, dreaming of traveling {which i do often - i'm not the only one right?!}. then i decide, i'm going to book tickets to see our friends in redding!

{source}

within 30 minutes, tickets booked, confirmations made, spontaneous trips to be had!

hope ya'll are still crossing things off your new years resolutions lists! always a work in progress, but let's be real - it's only january 10th! we can't be slacking yet :)

hope 2013 has been good so far!

can't wait to share some new exciting news for ya'll! big things happening!

xo

rose bowl party

we did it! we braved the cold, the crazy crowds and had an incredible experience at the rose bowl parade!

10am (NYE): the streets open for people to start setting up their "spots" at  new years eve! 

3pm (NYE): i called trav while i was at the mall (he was on his way back from hunting) and we decided to do the camp out! so as you can imagine, the streets were full!

3:30-4pm: we didn't let that crush our dreams! we found our spot (3 blocks up from our place) and set up by 4! we met the kindest family next to us and had quite the adventure.



around 7/8pm: my sexy husband reppin' '13! 

 

around 7/8pm: me lookin homeless! 

midnight: kissed + celebrated on the streets with thousands of others! tortillas flying, marshmallows mid air, and horns blaring!

2am: shaun + salina arrived. i was half asleep on our blow up mattress and asked salina if she rather sleep in our cozy bed. us girls headed three blocks down the street and snuggled while the guys braved it on the streets! (love you baby! thanks for the sacrifice!)

7am: my man cooking breakfast burritos. him + shane made other husbands/fiances look like chumps!

7:45am: me + salina trying to keep our front row seats while eating our breakfast burritos!

8:30ish: after fighting some people away, we were still front row!

one of my favorite moments! salina is from wisconsin (and is a huge fan). the float was stopped in front of us for a couple minutes. salina ran into the middle of the street and got a good shot with the wisconsin float! what a die hard fan ;)

10:30am: the last float! rose parade float! 

ps - who was that chick singing on it?!

the four warriors!
trav, me, salina + shaun! salina + shaun are engaged and are tying the knot in June! we could not be more excited for the two of them! it was such a fun experience. thanks to them, we have memories to last us a lifetime! love you (soon to be) lane's! 

my parents spontaneously came out for the parade too! what sweeties they are. they drove from vegas to san diego new years eye night to get auntie + uncle. woke up at 5am new years day to make it in time to the parade! what gems. love them. 

 hope ya'll enjoyed. and i hope to see each one of you on the streets with blow up mattresses next to us ringing in 2014!

xoxo

hot spots.

if you ever catch me looking upset, disgruntled, or even mad, it's probably because i'm hungry.

one thing you must know about me is i love good food! check out some new hot spots i've been loving lately.


the penthouse @ huntley

this spot is HOT. it has a 360 degree view of santa monica beach/la hills. i want to take the center of the bar, filled with candles of different heights and sizes, and put it in my home one day! it's gorgeous! the decor is chic and clean. each table has white linens on the side with a window view so it made it a little intimate.

AND THE FOOD! i ordered the salmon and all i can say is, i think they caught it right before they served it. it was so fresh! trav ordered (me) some mac + cheese (obviously) and i about died. i L.O.V.E mac + cheese. even at fancy restaurants. pair that with a glass of wine from england and you are set!

that was all great but the company was even better:

great (double) date night spot. thanks jamin for taking us there! loved it.

abricott in pasadena

when i have a home one day, i'll have the designers of abricott do it. what a fun spot! the ambiance is so on point it's not even funny! every detail about the decor is fabulous. i wanna say they went to rosebowl flea market and bought everything wonderful from it! it's so unique.

i LOVE their breakfast + dinner! and it's a great patio so you better believe i checked that one off the bucket list! they don't have a corkage fee so bring on the wine!

whenever y'all come out to visit, this is most likely the place i will take you. and we can even walk there! it's only .6 miles from our home!

leone cafe in las vegas!

my mom brought me here a couple weeks ago when we were in vegas. i wish this spot was there when i lived there cause i would have bought myself a cup of coffee and read for dayz (ya i know there's a z after day- it's on purpose) there! it's really gorgeous and the food is great too! sometimes they have a farmer's market at tivoli so be sure to go to leone when they do (prime people watching!).

hope you enjoyed my list of eats!

i shared mine - now you share yours!
xo

keep it simple

i remember before we got married, a dear friend of ours gave us advice: keep it simple your first year - play board games, go on bike rides, etc. it's been some of the best advice ever! well we kept it real simple the other night (and crossed something off my summer must do list) and made a fort!

it's not our finest fort, but we have a game plan for our next one! 

go out + make some memories with your husband, friend, families. keep it simple! build forts, go on a walk, play cards, make dinner, do something! 

xoxo

summa time

we all need one. every season we need one. typically it’s my bucket list, but let’s be honest, I need a summer must do list:

-camping (either on beach or in wilderness)

-find a new fav dinner spot with a killer patio (to enjoy the perfect weather)
-take the Metro into LA and have an adventure
-turn off all electronics for 24 hours (iphone, ipad, tv, etc.) and just be.
-make a pie
-make a fort in our living room (I’m real into the camping theme if you can’t tell!)
-deep clean closet
-go to a concert
-send 5 letters by mail to friends
-have an Olympics party

I know there are plenty more on the must do list! what do you plan on doing this summer?!

xo

bucket list #7: check.

already checking things off the bucket list.

me and trav hit the course and dominated! (he did- i got better around hole 12. lol) we have never played golf together but have always wanted to and boy did we have fun!

my favorite part: the two-some we played with were these older guys (probably in their late 50s, early 60s) and they kept calling trav- brandon. we giggled every time they said it. haha it was silly.

how are your fall bucket lists coming along?!?!

xo

fall bucket list

we all need a seasonal bucket list. here's mine for the fall:

1. knit 4 scarves, give away 2 to a shelter. and 2 for some friends.

2. throw a killer Halloween/harvest party.

3. learn 3 new soup recipes.

4. restore one piece of furniture (at least).

5. read 2 new books (any recommendations?!).

6. discover a new (favorite) restaurant.

7. do something new and fun with my husband that we haven't done together yet.

8. go to a new gym class (want to try a body pump one).

9. give away 5 things in my closet.

10. memorize five new scriptures.

last time i did a bucket list, i got engaged! lol nothing can really top that, but maybe this one will be somewhat memorable. post yourfall bucket lists! i want to see!

xo