This morning I woke up at 5:30 am due to jet lag feeling wide awake and very bored. What does one do that early in the morning? I decided to take a walk by the strand at Torrance Beach then head over to one of my favorite local coffee spots. I hadn't been there in ages and it was quite the treat.
Lately everyone goes to coffee shops to take instagram worthy photos of latte art and experience the hipster ambience. (I am guilty of that too). While Catalina by no means has the hipster environment, there's something that I enjoyed about an antiquated yet cozy coffee shop. Filled with couches upon couches, bookshelves of books, and lamps you'd imagine to be at granny's house, Catalina's environment is somewhere I feel at home. I snuggled up on a couch and read my current read, R.C. Sproul's, Who is Jesus (which btw I am thoroughly enjoying. It's part of the 12 crucial question series).
I can care less about fancy shmancy hearts or dragons on my coffee. I'm happy with a simple yet wonderful medium roast drip. This place roasts their own beans! super plus! They have pastries and food for the hangry customers. Going in on a Tuesday morning, there were a lot of cute grannys and grandpas, people working on what looks like important things. Then people like me who were reading casually. I'd like to have days like these in the future to go to the beach then grab coffee and read.
too impatient to wait before taking a pic...poppyseed muffin! YAS
One of my mom's close friends had given me a graduation gift and so I wanted to make something for her as a thank you. It's so late (I graduated in May...yikes!). Anyhow, found a pretty neat frame at target and had some dried baby's breath flowers and put this together.
Materials:
frame
dried babys breath
paper
white pen (mine is the uni-ball signo 0.7)
photo
double sided tape
Flatten the flowers in a book, mount it on the piece of paper, and write a note/verse/whatever! Tape the paper and photo, and el fin! Self explanatory. Should take no more than 10 minutes!
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O light that foll’west all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God is of a different nature altogether. It does not hate tragedy. It never denies reality. It stands in the very teeth of suffering. The love of God did not protect His own Son. That was the proof of His love-that He gave that Son, that He let Him go to Calvary's cross, though "legions of angels" might have rescued Him. He will not necessarily protect us-not from anything it takes to makes us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process.
비금도 (Bigeumdo) is a quaint island about a 2-hour boat ride away from 목포(Mokpo). I appreciated this vacation spot not only for the amazing views and scenery, but because it is the place my own mother grew up in. There was some deeper interest in the narrow dirt paths and run-down traditional Korean homes. Seeing the house that my family lived in and listening to stories from aunts of their past experiences made this place all the more special. On another note, I'll never forget waking up in the morning to the view of endless rice fields (2nd picture)! Pictures simply do not do justice! Who knew rice fields could be so stunning. I actually think that they were more memorable than the ocean view, which was also beautiful. Overall, this is a great place to relax and experience the simplistic lifestyle.
