So I figured out where I want to go on my honeymoon!

Step one: find the man. Step two: get engaged.
Minor details...

But more importantly, check out what I discovered this morning!

Glamping n. [glæmpiŋ] 'glamorous camping'

You should know that I love the outdoors. If there's a trail, I'll hike it. Surround me with fresh air, lots of trees and rushing water and I'll never leave. Tent camping is my favorite, but check out this alternative. The Paws Up Resort in Greenough, Montana would be incredibly romantic but also tend to my insatiable appetite for nature. I've always wanted to visit Yellowstone, but I think this would suffice. :)

I'm swooning. Right..about...now.

:)

 Quick way to my heart: take me to an open meadow for frolicking and strolling. More frolicking than strolling :)

Amazing right? Only thing: I don't know if I want to fork out $4000-5000 for a romantic getaway for two. But you know what? This is my IMAGINARY vacation and money is no issue!

Wasn't that fun?
Now back to reality.

Camping Love

My family and I have gone on our annual camping trip at San Clemente State Beach for 6 or 7 years now. (I forget, it's been awhile...) What I love about it is that we always go with family and friends so we never get bored. There's always tons of laughter, food, and babies! There is just something so refreshing about living outdoors for a few days. Pitching tents, roasting marshmallows, singing campfire songs...

It was lovely to get away for a few days before school started up again. (BTW, school has been awesome! I love my classes and professors and the people are just the sweetest. Thank you God!)

Plus, one of the families that joined us had never gone camping before! It was so sweet to see the kids so amped about it. I think every kid needs to experience the great outdoors -- no matter how afraid of the dirt their parents may be! :)

There's a little monster in my tent!!

"It's too cold to go swimming!!"

Mmm marshmallows!

"Family" picture :)

Joon, Mom, Dad, and Windsor. Joon is practically family :)

"Great, all packed up!"
"Now where do we sit??"

Beautiful Orange County :)

Probably the best Friday in the history of Fridays.

So today, my friend Sarah and I drove up to Pasadena for the International House of Prayer. Finding the place in itself was quite the adventure -- thankfully God literally YANKED my car to the curb and we had a moment of "OH! There it is!"

We walk in and it's dark, quiet, and there are people gathered together in prayer. Sarah and I decided to quiet our hearts by diving into the Word and worshiping. An hour had gone by in what felt like 10 minutes! I prayed that God would speak to me, and I felt Him saying, "I want to speak to you. There is so much to say, but I want it to be clear." And within seconds, a man named Chris came up to us and asked, "Would it be alright if we prophecied over you?" And I said, "Absolutely."

There is just so much that I could write about! I felt so at ease with these blessed people -- they had such kind hearts that were so receptive to the Lord's voice. Almost instantly after we opened in prayer, a woman named Florence said she saw me at a desk, creating art. Another said she saw a bird, specifically a beak, "an iron mouth that can break through hard surfaces, the mouth of God." Two other women saw shackles and said that one day I would be able to heal others through the power of Christ and my practice as a speech pathologist. Another said she saw me being held by God, and that He wanted so badly to heal the "Father wounds" (My relationship with the men in my family had been severely tested by an instance of sexual abuse from a relative.) Two others saw me running a race, not running but "soaring on the wings of eagles" and leaping over hurdles. Florence added that she saw me and knew that I was a child of God, dearly beloved and cherished. Something I longed to hear from the Spirit. They prayed over me, over my future ministry, that God would break me free from the tough spots in my heart.

Amazing. There is so much more I could say but at this point... all I can say is THANK YOU GOD for bringing me to that incredible place. Thank you for speaking to me so clearly, and for the first time in nearly 2 years... for showing me YOUR love and YOUR light. God is so good!

So Sarah and I, feeling completely refreshed and filled with the Holy Spirit decided to get CHICK'N AND WAFFLES at Roscoes! Mmmm....

Adorable Sarah ready to devour her lunch! She's from Georgia so that girl KNOWS her fried chicken :)

After eating way too much, we decided to walk it off by exploring the gorgeous Lake Avenue. All the shops and restaurants are so beautiful! We poked through home furnishing stores and fantasized about our future homes. We sat on overpriced furniture and excitedly chattered away about our experience at PIHOP, about marriage, about school, and about how amazing God is and how grateful we were that He revealed a part of His plan for our lives!

On that extremely happy note... I'm going camping tomorrow with family and friends and I'm super excited! This week just keeps getting better. I know I've said this about a million times, but GOD IS SO GOOD! He LOVES us like mad and for the first time in a long time, I know I'm never alone. And that I never was.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

Happy, Sunny Monday

I had the best chat with my friend Sarah today. She is just the sweetest, and so upbeat and encouraging! We talked for a couple hours on relationships, our walks with God and what we've been up to lately. She's also a post-grad! So proud of her. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful sister in Christ. Thank you God for friendship! We're planning to go to the international house of prayer in Pasadena this week too. Going to be an INCREDIBLE time.

We actually did study too. She's taking the LSAT and me the GRE. Tests are no fun, but good study buddies sure are! Gotta love the CSU Fullerton library (my home for the past month). But I DID come across an amazing song that I wanted to share. Enjoy!

Sweet Saturday

Today was such a gorgeous day. First of all, waking up early to a nice cloudy morning was delightful. It gets so hot here, and having a nice break for a few hours was refreshing. I went for a bike ride, studied at the library, and went to church with my beautiful family. Oh! And I made delicious brown sugar iced cupcakes!

The magic ingredients? Brown sugar and butter. Mmm...

I got the recipe from Ryan, a baking savvy blogger. Check out the tasty recipe (and sweet blog!) here.

Moving on, today's sermon was incredible. Pastor John is so humble and warmhearted, but also candid in his lessons. He will tell you like it is! Today, we went through 1 Timothy 2 and talked about what is expected in a woman of faith. How we must be cautious of how we appear to others and how we act in public -- for there is always someone watching and our actions represent our dear Savior. I felt so humbled in that moment; I felt as if the chapel was empty and that message was just for me. Who knew it was possible to feel so guilty, but so liberated to hear the truth, and so encouraged to repent and live a life pleasing to God! 

My faith has been shaky for quite some time now, and I'm not proud of it. I was tested, and I failed time and time again. But God is so faithful. Pastor John said, "He is so faithful to cleanse our hands and make them holy and blameless!" He also added that we must be fully "cleansed" in order that we can pray on behalf of our dear friends. I have so many people that I love and cherish, but who are far from Christ and do not yet know of His love. I want them to one day have a relationship with Him and feel true JOY! But I can't help them like this -- I am so unworthy of His love but He gives it so freely as long as we come to Him first.

As I said before, my walk with Christ has been tested. From an incident of sexual abuse from a family member to bitterness towards God to thoughts of self-hatred... But it is time that I let that go. That I just be grateful that I am still here, still healing, and that I can let the "doom and gloom" phase end right here! (A good friend of mine said that -- "doom and gloom!" Is that how I want to live my life? NO WAY.) So here we go. The Christina Reformation. It won't be easy, but it's going to be good. No, great!

Blessings to you all,

C

P.S. I know this is completely irrelevant, but look! My pastor (John Werhas) used to play for the Dodgers. I know, random... but I'm just so proud to say that I look up to this man!

graphic paper & promises

I love you, broski

I am always amazed at the heart of a true friend.

Trusting others is something that I struggle with constantly. God has blessed me with people that I can truly confide in, and I am so grateful for that!

One of those people is my dear friend Justin. We met in Japanese class (of course!) and became fast friends. I poke fun at his "girliness," but heavens knows I absolutely adore his thoughtful, sincere nature. Whether it be an encouraging note hidden in my bag, or a deep heart-to-heart, or a phone call just to check in, Justin never fails to make my day.

I call him my little brother, "otouto", and it suits him so well! He's two years younger than I am and is such an innocent soul. Even though I often feel like his senior, he has been there for me during tough times. When I opened up to him about a disturbing event in my past, he was so understanding and didn't judge me. When I went through a tough break up, he called every day to see how I was doing. He prays for me when I forget to do the same.

I have an incredible family at home, but I had an incredible second family when I was living in San Diego. Justin was there for me anytime I felt lonely. We may not be blood relatives -- at 6'5 with his deep blue eyes, we obviously look NOTHING alike. But sometimes I have to remind myself that we're actually not blood related!

Much love. Much, much much!

"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who 
sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

"Blink" by Revive

Beautifully spoken words of wisdom. I thought I would share this song since it spoke to my heart. 

Happy Thursday!

Hello Gorgeous! What Inspires YOU?

Sometimes, all it takes is a beautiful photograph or pretty words to get those creative juices flowing. It's so important to keep that part of your imagination alive.

knick-knack/odds&ends/pretty thing obsession

Swing obsession.

From amyyy.tumblr.com.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/greetdeschipper
This photo is so beautiful. It gives me chills just looking at it...

Note(s) to self

1. Do not chop jalapenos and rub your eyes.
2. Be nice to the people who love you the most.
3. Push yourself to be the best you can be, but don't be overly critical.
4. Refrain from drinking for a while...
5. Eat healthy.
6. Pray.
7. Forgive more often (this includes yourself).
8. Live happy.
9. Live long.
10. Live free.

Ordinary People by John Legend

This ain't a movie no
No fairy tale conclusion ya'll
It gets more confusing everyday
Sometimes it's heaven sent
Then we head back to hell again
We kiss then we make up on the way

I hang up you call
We rise and we fall
And we feel like just walking away
As our love advances
We take second chances
Though it's not a fantasy
I still want you to stay

We're just ordinary people
We don't know which way to go
Cuz we're ordinary people
Maybe we should take it slow

This time we'll take it slow

I love this song. John Legend is incredibly talented and his lyrics speak so much truth.

My mom bought me a white gold cross pendant. I guiltily strung it onto a chain and have been wearing it ever since. Last night, I told her that I've been a phony and that I wear a cross pretending that I'm a good Christian living out her life pleasing to God.

She said something that got to me: "I don't wear the cross because I deserve it. I wear it because I want God's protection to surround me always." We don't deserve His love. I will always be a sinner saved by grace. The fact of the matter is, we are ordinary people. We have no idea what to do or how to navigate this psychotic, tortuous mess we call life. We screw it up all nice and nasty on our own. I had to remind myself last night to take it slow. To stop and realize that I don't deserve anything. I never did. I never will. But somehow, God has carried me through 21 years and He will continue to stay present no matter what.

God, please forgive me for falling short. For calling myself a "God-follower" and then recklessly placing myself in situations that You would never approve of. All I can say is I'm mortified and I'm hopelessly in need of your forgiveness each and every day! I'm only ordinary -- You are what gives me life.