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Well would ya look at that!  It’s me and my dear friend Rachel.  IN THE SAME PICTURE!  Yes, she’s visiting me right now and I couldn’t be happier.  We are having quite a fun time (understatement) and when we get together photo shoots are a must.  Remember this one?  So we mixed and matched our clothing last night and ran to my favorite park to catch the setting sun and snap some pictures for memory sake.  Laughter ensued and the light was golden and it was perfect…except for when we forgot the part for the tripod and had to awkwardly ask someone to take pictures for us. 😉  Yet I’m so thankful for these moments captured.  Dear friends that encourage and support you, laugh and are silly, make ice cream runs to the store twice in the same weekend but also pray for you and listen are rare and such a gift.  Rachel, thank you for being that friend to me.  I’m very much looking forward to the adventures we are going to have in the next two weeks.  I love you beautiful lady!

(You can see Rachel’s post here!)

Time for a book review! And while I did finally finish Crime and Punishment ::happy dance and sigh of relief:: I don’t quite feel up to giving my thoughts on that one right now (maybe ever).  So instead I’ll tell you about a book that I can’t shut up about.  No, I really mean that.  I even told the lady on the plane a few weeks ago about this one.  It all started when I went to babysit my nephew and niece and I had the honor of reading the bedtime story.  Don’t you just love bedtime stories?!  I do (yes, you would think I’m three myself, ha!).  Anyways I’d heard rave reviews from parents about how much they loved this Jesus Storybook Bible and that they got so much out of.  But it took me reading it that night to the kiddos to fully understand.  I can’t recommend this enough! It is simple and profound.  Every single story makes me stop and look at things in a new way.  And feel so SO loved.  Because every story points to Jesus, the very essence of love.  “You see, no matter what, in spite of everything, God would love his children – with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.”  The pictures aren’t bad either. 😉  Here is a sample from the part “A giant staircase to heaven~the tower of Babel, from Genesis 11”.  God has just confused the speech of the people and halted the work on their tower to heaven and the author writes this:

After that, people scattered all over the world (which is how we ended up with so many different languages to this day).

You see, God knew, however high they reached, however hard they tried, people could never get back to heaven by themselves.  People didn’t need a staircase; they needed a Rescuer.  Because the way back to heaven wasn’t a staircase; it was a Person.

People could never reach up to Heaven, so Heaven would have to come down to them.

And, one day, it would.

Finally! I can tell you the secret.  And don’t we all like being in on those?  For months now my dad and I and a dear friend of ours, Jason, have been dreaming up something special.  My father is a talented craftsman and since his work is just too beautiful to keep to ourselves it is time to share.  We are creating functional art.  Our first design is a minimalist wood wallet and my oh my are they beautiful.  We need your help though!  We are launching our idea on Kickstarter but we need pledges.  If we make our goal then we can fund our project and you get a handcrafted wallet but if we don’t reach our goal in the next 40 days then we get nothing and neither do you.  So please check it out and pledge and we’d be ever so grateful if you would share the link on Fb, twitter, your blog, or even in an email to friends.  You can check out our video (yes, that is me and my dad) and more pictures here!  Thank you so much everyone! We hope you love this as much as we do!

dande (pronounced dan-dee)
The name is after my father’s name and my own. Dan and Elaini… D and E.

For quite a while now I have been keeping a secret from you all.  BUT later today I finally get to tell you all about it and I’m VERY excited to do so.  So make sure to check back in a bit! 😀

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans!  May we be grateful for freedom and value the heritage we have been given.  I hope you all have a fun and safe day!  xxx

Time for some link love!  Until I am able to get some more fashion pictures taken the “schedule” might be a bit wacky for a while faithful readers.  Thanks for sticking around!

We’re having a heat wave right now in Portland and I wouldn’t mind licking away at one of these.

This will make you want to put on your swimsuit ASAP.  Simply beautiful…

Now who hasn’t secretly wanted ones of these clever designs built into their house?!  Shh don’t let the secret out. 😉  I especially like 4 and 15.

A letter that needs to be heard.

I actually laughed out loud in my living room when I read this…

What a colorful, pretty piece of art.

I’m going off to try this right now! What cute idea.

We may not be able to avoid seeing or hearing evil but we can avoid speaking it.  Our words are so powerful.  They can be life or death.  When I first set out to raise $50,000 dollars I didn’t really want to tell anyone about the project until it launched.  It remained a secret dream for months!  I had a very distinct reason for that.  While I knew that most people who loved me would try and be supportive they would think that I was crazy.  Let’s face it…sometimes I thought I was crazy, but I was okay with that.  In my heart I knew what I wanted and needed to do and I didn’t want people’s words or reaction to deter me.  Once I started I knew I wouldn’t be able to back out so that’s why I waited to announce my dream.  What is your dream?  What do you want to accomplish?  Why?  What are you going to do to make it happen?  Pray a lot! I don’t know if anyone will read this except a handful of faithful readers (I see you faithful people who comment…and mom) 😉 but I feel compelled to say that if you are reading this and you need encouragement to go do something healthy and maybe a little crazy in your life then I want to be a voice that speaks good.  Are you afraid?  That is okay.  But don’t stay there.  Please, please, please don’t stay there.  Don’t be a slave to your fears.  Care to share that dream so big it takes your breath away?  I want to hear about it! I want to cheer you on! By God’s grace may you move into the fullness of living.  Start by speaking truth to yourself.

Last night as I watched him read that letter out loud in the school room filled with his peers and that one beautiful pearl wearing teacher, I had to choke back tears.  That’s what a good film can do.  Pull you right on in.  Can break your heart and resonate deep inside of you.  When the “misplaced” teen read a part of his story, his life poured out in thought ink more staying than any you find in a pen, that is when you could see that everyone else felt it too.  When he expressed his true raw feelings and it resonated, resonated deep what we all want.  To know that we are home.  Accepted.  Classroom 203 had become home.  And these mismatched and hurting teens from gangs, well they found wholeness when they found they were accepted.  Only when they stopped to see how they were so similar could they stop fighting each other.  And it resonated with me.  Resonated because I’m seeking home.  But my home isn’t in this world.  It’s in heaven.  But I see myself in the mismatched, broken teen.  The one who was wearing last years clothes.  The one in need of acceptance.  But just like those hurting teens found solace in a new family so have I.  And just like that classroom filled with all kinds of beautifully different colored skin my new family is a palette of varying shades.  A conglomeration of people from every tribe and nation.  The family that God is making and calling as his own.  Jesus is making whole in my soul all that is broken.  The rags that I was wearing have been removed and I stand clothed in righteousness from Jesus.  I’m lovely because Jesus loved me.  I’m accepted because he called me his own.  There is so much freedom in that.  Jesus shared his story and wrote me into his so that I might find hope.  “From this moment on the person that you were, that person’s turn is over.” That was what the teacher in the movie shared with her class of kids.  My Teacher said this to me from 2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”  I’m ready to live fully in that knowledge.  What’s your story?

(Musings after watching the movie Freedom Writers.  Please note that this movie has violence and at least one bad word.  It is based on a true story.)

AND Hannah, one of the sweet people that gave up their birthday this month for the kiddos, helped us bring the new total to this UPDATE! $75,967.51  Can we push it over the $76K mark today?!  Especially since it is a happy number post?!  3.7.7.  That’s a great reason to donate! 😉  Actually a good reason to donate is due to the fact that your donations are changing children’s lives in India.  Thank you!

I sat there reading her post.  A post written so beautifully it read like poetry.  Ann Voskamp is in Africa visiting a little girl they have sponsored for years.  And then it hit me with the weight of a ton of bricks.  The ache and the longing.  I miss my kiddos in India.  They hardly know I exist and they don’t need me but…I need them.  You see it might seem that I’m helping them by raising funds for them…and in a lot of ways I suppose that’s true.  But really I’m the one that is blessed.  I’m the one that is taught so much by them.  Sometimes though the longing to be there to cup their beautiful little faces in my hands and play with them and just live life with them is oh so painful.  And I want to look at Jesus and just say “Stop already please!”.  But Jesus didn’t stop.  He did let his heart burst for the people he loved.  He didn’t push away the ache.  He embraced it.  And I want to as well.  His love changed everything.  By his grace I want the love he has so freely bestowed on me to flow out and touch others lives.  Because if I don’t I will shrivel up.  C.S. Lewis expressed this so beautifully when he stated this:

“Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken.  If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal.  Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.  But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless- it will change.  It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.  The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation.”

By being selfish and wanting to protect our hearts from pain we actually do ourselves a disservice.  We are the ones that miss out.  What will you choose?

UPDATE!!! $75,801.51  😀  Soooo will you love on these kiddos and let your actions show your care?  Will you help push us over the $76K mark?! 😀  Even $5 dollars makes a difference.

P.S.  This video is of our kiddos at camp learning to ride a bike for the first time! Can you say ADORABLE?!  It blessed me so much to see them helping each other and serving.  They teach me so much…

It’s a bit overdue but it’s time for Tips&Tricks!  Today let’s talk about statement necklaces.  If you’re anything like me I looked longingly at them and admired them on other women but was never brave enough to try one.  I just felt like I was more of a dainty jewelry person and couldn’t carry off any chunky or bold necklaces.  But when I got this one during the project I warmed up a bit to the idea.  And then when I got THIS gorgeous one (also seen here) I was sold.  I pretty much pair it with as many outfits as I can because it just makes any simple outfit feel special and fun.  Are you the type that likes bold jewelry? Or maybe you just enjoy it from afar?  Have you ever just tried wearing one?  🙂  I’d love to hear your thoughts on statement necklaces in the comments below!

Once again Jeni created a beautiful illustration!  I’d love to have Jeni’s cool and fashionable drawings hanging in my room.  Wouldn’t you?  Well you can! Here is my favorite part about this post:  You can buy a print (or a few if you really love your friends) and $20 dollars will go to the kiddos in India! So you can shop without feeling guilty.  Best.deal.EVER.  So shop away with the confidence that every purchase makes life a little brighter for an orphan.

(Art work by: Jeni Kubicek Art) Go check it out to see some more amazing art!