This is fall

Okay, okay, I know I'm a nerd. But, to me, this is perfect. 

This summer we stopped through SLO and had brunch with our dear friends. One of the high points? Looking across at Jen and realizing that her nails were the exact fall hues of her dress. That isn't nail polish, but paint that happened to stick to her fingernails so perfectly. The colors! It was a sign. Fall would come. The trees, on their way to nakedness, would encourage their leaves to change from reds and oranges to yellows and browns. And now, now that fall is here, we get to be the witnesses. 

My oldest friend gets married

(Joe with my twin, Gee.)

This weekend we flew back to CA to see one of my oldest friends get married (we've been neighbors since we were 1!). From backyard forts to girls vs. boys battles to adventures around the neighborhood, my childhood would have been much different without him. Joe and Britney have loved each other since high school, and seeing them happy makes me happy too. 

Congratulations to Joe and Britney!

(The sweet couple and their first dance.)

(Joe being hoisted into the air by the crazy boys.)

Day at the aquarium

"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." Loren Eiseley 

Welcome, Fall

(David and Half Dome.)

Goodbye, Summer. I have enjoyed your silliness and your carefree ways. But, you see, to me you are but a step on the way to the most beloved season of all: Fall. 

Fall with its pumpkins, lattes, blankets, colors, scarves and birthdays (mine! David's! Gee's! Dad's!). Fall with its coats, candles, boots and leaves. Welcome, Fall. Now, please start making the weather cooperate. Scarves are no good when it is 80 degrees.

Two of my favorite things

David and vegetables.

Hot Mama

She might kill me for this, and I have a vague memory of her saying something along the lines of, "You better not post these," but I can't help it. There is a little baby in that belly, and last weekend I got to feel him move. He wasn't just kicking- he was rolling and pushing and saying hello to my hand. 

Dear Baby Silas, 

In a few weeks, when it's time to come out of there, don't be scared. Life is hard, I know, but you have a lot of friends who are very excited to meet you. And there are nice things out here too. Things like trees and whales and trains and cookies. Things I know you will like a lot. 

Love,

Lindsay

Grace

It is one of those times when my spirit feels heavy and discouraged. So much of life is sad. There are layers upon layers of pain and grief that every person carries, whether visible or protected inside, and my burden is that I tend to take others' sadness as my own. My sweet friend Vanessa gave me these verses yesterday, and they remind me that I don't need to be strong. It's okay to cry and breathe in the pain of this world. His grace is enough. Thank goodness.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

All in a day

Went to DC for the day. Not to rub it in, but we can do that now that we live so close. Just hop over to our nation's capital like it's no big deal. When you live in California you really never leave California (no need). But here, you can travel to the moon and the African plains and deep in the ocean and back to prehistoric times all in just a day. Pretty neat.

 

Orioles game

We had great fun doing as the Baltimoreans do by going to an Orioles game. Good thing we had someone with us to explain the strange Orioles traditions, such as yelling "O" during one part of the national anthem. O=Orioles. Get it? Did you know Baltimore flies a different American flag than other states? 15 stars and 15 stripes. We're learning so much.

(So close!!)

(Our sweet friend Paul who gave us the tickets.)

(This drink-seller was hilarious. He kept walking up and down the aisles  looking for "the party people." Apparently he's famous!)

Our apartment

To see it all in color, you'll just have to come visit. 

We have a blow-up mattress waiting.

(Lovely chair courtesy of the even lovelier Greene family.)

(Ignore the frame without any photos. Photos to come.)

Missing SLO

As much as I'm loving the city life, I miss this too. Really miss it. 

I miss getting off work and rushing over to hike Bishop's. Hurrying up the path to make it to the top before dusk sets in. The freshness and newness of the air I'm breathing and the plants I'm passing. Feeling the cool breeze at the top and considering God's creation, the beauty of this area of the world. Little peaks rising unexpectedly, a town of twinkling lights weaving through, vineyards stretching out in rows, the blue ocean just beyond. There are some things I will miss forever.