FRIENDS: When Nothing Else Will Do.

I have to admit that I've never been really good at making friends. I married an extrovert and quickly realized that his need for attention and being around others was one of the things I loved and found most challenging about him. But wait, this isn't about him, or me really, but essentially it starts with me.

My sisters are two of my closest friends

When I was very young I was extremely quiet, I would get very embarrassed when I had to talk to people and every time I was the spot light I would turn bright red. Things didn't change much as I got older and may have actually gotten worse. I had very few close friends in middle and high school and basically kept to myself as much as I could. I don't know why my social skills lacked so much, maybe it was my lack of confidence or some strange childhood trauma (yes I know, everyone blames their parents! haha)

When I entered college I was so afraid that I would be the lonely loser sitting in the back of the class hoping to disappear. But as luck would have it (or mostly just our Creator being gracious) I started getting out of my shell. My journey through college helped me to learn so much about myself, my character. As it turns out my shyness as a child didn't turn out so bad, I'm an introvert and that's ok. 

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Psalm 139: 13-15

As I look at my life I realize that despite my insecurities I have been blessed with amazing friends. They have all come at different times and through different circumstance, but they have been exactly what I've needed. When I needed someone to help me enjoy life and not take things so seriously one of these lovely ladies was there. When I needed spiritual guidance one of these lovely ladies was there. When I needed someone to help me get my head back in the books one of these lovely ladies was there. When I needed a shoulder to cry on one of these lovely ladies was there. When I needed to be challenged about my views and believes one of these lovely ladies was there.

I am who I am because of who Creator made me to be, because of the grace of my maker who gave me the support and encouragement that I needed when I needed it. When Nothing else will do, our Creator's love is there through friends.

EMBRACE THE CAMERA

Keeping Perspective

Its been about a month since I had the opportunity to post. Life has been full of unexpected challenges and I just haven't been able to find the time to sit down and share about what has been going on (nor have I been really ready to). When I started this space I did it with the intent of documenting the daily happenings and as a way to provide myself a creative outlet. But here I am letting time pass me by. 

So today I decided it was time to make the space and share what keeps me going. You guessed it, those two little loves of mine. In the midst of the chaos and the hardship Mr. M and Little Mama provide a fresh perspective on life. 

Six years ago I met the love of my life; he came quite unexpectedly as most wonderful things in life do. After a year or so of being in community we realized that we had very similar ideals, hopes, and dreams and that we didn't want to be apart any longer. We skipped the traditional dating and got engaged, we married four months later and began life as Mr. & Mrs. M. 

We've had our struggles as a couple, but love, a sence of humor and our Creator has seen us through it all. 

Two and a half years into our marriage we decided to add an addition to our tribe. 

Yasmin Alisandra was born on April 27th.

This little lady has changed our lives in an incredible way. It is amazing to see ourselves and our parents in her. She is teaching us about love, about patience and about remembering to have a little fun. She and Mr. M are so wonderful I couldn't ask for a better pair to make up our little tribe. 

Your Refrigerator, Ma'am, is Broken.

This post is gonna start out pretty ridiculous and kind of wordy, but I hope you keep on reading and make it to the end. 

For the last four weeks our Tuesdays have been pretty routine, not very eventful. Today started out much the same way all the others did. Our wake up call, Yasmin, sounded off promptly at 6AM. Mr. M. graciously offered to prepare breakfast and I took Yasmin for pottytime, and after that was said and done we made our way to the kitchen to see what Mr. M. was cooking up. 

As I walked into the kitchen things started getting interesting. There was a huge puddle of water by the fridge that Mr. M. hadn't notice and we began to investigate the root of the problem. We quickly realized the freezer temperature was no longer at 0 degrees F, but had climbed to 38. What? The ice dispenser was leaking and the contents of the freezer where thawing out. The temperature kept climbing. 

We quickly pulled out the manual and tried to resolve the issue, but after nothing worked we called the manufacture and requested a house call before all our goods went bye-bye. They obliged and we continued our day...ok maybe it wasn't that easy. First I freaked out, I may have said a few cuss words and then I pleaded for Mr. M. not to make the drive to Portland for school today. Three hours away he'd be and I'd be left with spoiling food and a needy toddler, I couldn't possibly make it through the next 48 hours alone. 

You might be thinking, wow this girl is quite the drama queen, and I'm sure there is truth in that. But my side of things is this: we got caught up living outside our means (a very prevalent issue in this country). Once we remembered that God (yes we are trying to be followers of Jesus) doesn't want us to live this way or share our devotion, we made the choice to sacrifice some comforts. I do not work outside the home so as to be more free to focus on caring for my family, meaning we only have one income and we still want to be able to pay off our debts plus help God's work and our extended family. A budget that doesn't always seem to balance out. In my own self-absorbed way I thought, well I've been giving up comforts left and right (we sold our 1400squarefoot home and moved to a 950squarefoot apartment only to have to move to an even smaller place) I should be able to have a little something. So that's were this lovely little fridge came into the picture. I told Mr. M., I will give up as much as we need, as long as we splurge on a fridge with an ice maker and ice dispenser. Its not asking for much, right? Well it might not be, but who am I to bargain with our Creator? 

I started reading this little book called Not a Fan. that in one section asks the question: What disappoints or frustrates you the most? The answer to this might tell you where your heart really is. My answer is financial difficulties and when my very prized items (fridge) that I feel I deserve to have don't work the way they should. I'm supposed to be following Jesus and I'm worried about having a fridge with an ice maker? I guess I'm still holding on pretty tightly to my material things, thinking they might be able to bring me happiness or something. What a wake up call. Don't get me wrong, I know material things are mostly necessary, but if a person falls apart because they don't get to have those things they want or they're willing to compromise their values to obtain the things they desire then I think that's where it gets a bit tricky. Following Jesus doesn't come without a price, but the alternative is much harder to swallow. I've got to trust that Jesus is calling me to a life free of financial burdens or a rat race that has no end. I've got to trust that my life has a greater purpose than all the pretty shoes I could own or the great car I can drive. 

I've got to trust that my life is better off in Jesus' hands.

An Unlikely Discovery

While we were out tracking down berries the other day we came across an unlikely little bag of flour with the name Indian Fry Bread Mix on the front. While I don't really know the history of fry bread, I do know this, it is absolutely delish. 

About six years ago I had my first introduction to fry bread and I was captivated. You can eat fry bread in many ways, but I particularly like the fry bread taco. (Being Mexican, I love anything taco). The little bag of fry bread mix was extremely easy to prepare, just add one cup of water it said. Except I must have added too much water or this simple recipe tricked me because it came out all gooey and I had to add more flour. After I resolved the little mishap we were on our way. I fried the little tortilla like patties and they came out great. We topped them with refried beans, ground turkey, tomato, avocado, lettuce and cheese. 

And then we had a feast! 

While fry bread tacos are not particularly healthy (particularly meaning not at all), we definitely enjoyed this discovery. Who knew a roadside fruit stand could yield so much greatness?

Berries

Yesterday Mr. M., the little mama and I took a drive to the country (ok the country is like 5 mintues from downtown here in the Palm Springs of WA, but it was still "a drive"). 

I woke up with a need for fresh picked berries, but the orchard I wanted to go to posted on their website that U-pick wouldn't be open until the second week of August. I told Mr. M that we should just take a drive and see if we found a roadside fruit stand that had berries. He obliged and we were on our way. 

I've always thought myself a city girl, but these last few weeks I've really found a new love for this small town we moved to. Maybe its the yummy berries we found, I don't know, but ask me how long it took us to eat ALL the berries? Not long, not long at all.

I hope the summer is treating you well, we love picking berries around these parts. What summer activities do you love to do?

Embrace the Camera: Spokane Adventure

Mr. M. recently had a work event to attend in Spokane and Yasmin and I tagged along. It was a short little trip, but one we thoroughly enjoyed.

We spent one whole day playing at the Riverfront Park (riding on the gondola, sliding on the giant red wagon, and playing on the blocks) and eating yummy food. We also made a pit stop at Target (where I found some awesome moccasins for winter on sale) and Apricot Lane (where I bought these great flats I'd been scouting out online at more than half the price!)

It was a fun time with the two people I love the most.

Embrace the Camera

Life Lately

Since we moved from Portland OR to Central WA about three weeks ago we have been constantly on the go. Despite all this running around, life has been wonderful. 

This past weekend my parents, younger sister and niece came to visit. We had a blast.

                       

We enjoyed some pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread), a picnic and of course some great backyard fun including a BBQ.

We got the girls a kiddy pool and filled it up with lots of water. It was Yasmin's first swim in a kiddy pool so we filled it up with luke warm water from inside (so as not to traumitize her from her first outdoor swim). We ate some yummy Paletas (Mexican popsicles) and I even made my favorite cookies, Polvorones. 

 It was a lovely time and now I miss my family so much. It is definitely a bummer that they live far away, but it helps me cherish the time we are together that much more.