california road trip: days two & three

here are some snapshots from the last couple of days! 

our first day in san francisco it was pouring rain. I hadn't even thought to bring a rain jacket, so I got pretty soaked! I thought this was supposed to be california!? 

the jelly belly factory (fairfield)

a (rainy) drive through napa valley

a stop for frozen yogurt in japantown (where some of the flavors were lychee fruit, guava, and taro root!)

an impromptu photo shoot at the golden gate bridge where I found out my little sister is actually a really good photographer! 

milkshakes and hot fudge sundaes from ghirardellis. yumyum!

thank you for all the lovely comments on my last couple of posts! you all really brighten my day!

california road trip: day one

we did a lot of driving. a lot. but it was beautiful driving through oregon and california and seeing bustling cities slowly be replaced by rolling farmlands, hay fields, and olive trees. 

we did stop a few times to break up the trip, though...

the boat ride over to the shasta caverns (lake shasta)

inside the shasta caverns (amazing!)

dinner at in-n-out burger (of course)

on the road again

well my family is taking a little road trip down to california!
here is a sampling of the music we will be listening to in attempt to pass the many, many hours in the car.

your love is strong (jon foreman)
coachella (brooke fraser)
set fire to the rain (adele)
closer (shawn mcdonald)
falling (the civil wars)
hills of indigo blue (future of forestry)
soldier (ingrid michaelson)
corner (allie moss)
the stand (hillsong)

what are your favorite songs at the moment?

tissue paper pom-poms

this is one of the easiest crafts ever! really! I've used these as a decoration for parties and I even have some hanging along a wall in my room.

if you gave these a try I'd love to see/hear how they turned out! as always, you can comment or email me (writetorome@gmail.com) if you have any questions!

happy crafting, friends!

friday favorites

taken by me on my diana f+ camera.

*this list of hipster baby names. my favorites are hazel for a girl and silas for a boy!
*jon foreman's "seasons" cd project. I've been listening to him nonstop on youtube playlists! you can see what I mean here.
*this verse: "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." (1 John 10-12)
*staying up a little two late the other night finishing One Thousand Gifts. so worth it. I catch myself randomly thanking God for the little things throughout the day and it gives me a better perspective and outlook.
*this flickr stream with super cool lomography style photos. love.

more than wildflowers...

"Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? ...If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers-most of which are never even seen- don't you think He'll attend to you, take pride in you, do His best for you?"

Matthew 6:28, 30 (The Message)

snapshot of the moment (v.6)

wondering how it's been a week since I blogged. whoops!
thankful for the sun. it now actually feels like summer!
addicted to greek gods yogurt. have you tried it yet? you will never go back to regular yogurt again!
organizing my computer. I realized that I probably didn't need every homework assignment from freshman year clogging up my documents folder.
finishing up ordering my new glasses from warby parker! i'll definitely be blogging about them when they arrive...
reading the book of genesis. soo good. I came to a point where I decided that I needed to learn more about the "old traditions" and story of our faith. I started at genesis. and it has been incredible! I have read genesis before, but I am taking it slower and really trying to take in and research all that I am reading. God is so amazing.

summer goals...

1. read: I hope to make some headway on the towering stack of books beside my bed.
2. clean eating: when I am home all the time, it becomes super easy to just grab whatever is quick (which normally turns out to be bread or sugar- my favorites) but I want to be intentional with what I eat. also I want to branch out and try more vegetables or grains.
3. thrift: there is something super satisfying about discovering awesome finds for cheap at thrift stores. it's also nice to know that you are keeping something from just being thrown away. it takes a lot more work than just going to the mall, but it is definitely worth it!
4. organize and simplify: one annual project I tackle every summer is my room. I like to go through everything and weed out the things I don't need or have kept since second grade. I want to simplify and try to really only have things that have a purpose and/or daily use.
5. create: design. photograph. sketch. sew. write. get inspired again.
6. ride my bike: it is so easy to just hop in the car when I go to the grocery store or work, but in reality it doesn't take too much longer to grab my bike and ride there instead. riding my bike is also a semi-enjoyable type of exercise (which is hard to come by).
7. learn: (this also ties in to the first goal, reading) I love nonfiction books and piecing together events in history. this summer, I want to study up on things I find interesting and also grow in my faith and knowledge of the word.
8. reflect: I want to become better at recording the little things that happen throughout the day- those are often the most fun to look back on anyway. I also need to start (and finish) my photo album from my trip to china last january. it's been on my to-do list for quite a while now and I feel like the longer I wait the more things I will forget!

well, that's my list of goals for the summer. what's on yours?

these are the...

so far the last couple days have consisted of late night chats with friends, value village runs, baking delicious vegan cinnamon rolls (more on this later), catching up on good books, finally putting away the last few items from my major room cleaning adventure, exploring netflix (we just joined!), playing guitar, eye appointments, shopping with the little sister, and thoroughly enjoying the freedoms of summer.
what have you been up to?

friday favorites

*it is officially summer. and I am a senior. ahhhhh!
*went to a show at a local coffee shop tonight to see some friends play and it was a great show!
*ghirardelli brownies. warm. gooey. YUM!
*this awesome cloud lamp. um...where can I get myself one of these?!
*rode my bike to school and back today with one of my buds. I felt so accomplished!
*I've been drooling over this vintage/retro swimsuit lately.
*I think I really, really, really want a hedgehog. honestly...have you seen anything more adorable than this?

there's feathers in my hair...

yes. I gave in. I've been eyeing feather extensions for a while now and I finally went down to a hair salon and got some put in! they were only a couple bucks and they supposedly last up to a couple months. its something a little fun and earthy for summer!

ten favorite bands

I love getting suggestions from people about good music! here are some of my very favorite bands/artists in no particular order...

1. ingrid michaelson

2. brooke fraser

3. hillsong united

4. shawn mcdonald

5. phil wickham

6. he is we

7. future of forestry

8. adele

9. the civil wars

10. jon foreman

what are some of your favorites?