the notebook.

For those of who you have experienced the dreaded "long distance relationship", you know how much of a bummer it can be. But the upside? Distance sometimes really does make the heart grow fonder.

I made a book of notes for my boyfriend in Boston. It's full of letters, notes, doodles and quotes to make him smile while we're far far away!

The cover. 

Cutesy doodle and bag of notes. :)

Poem out of a vintage book and envelope full of post-it notes for him to hang everywhere!

The little note on top reads:
Step 1: Open envelope
Step 2: Remove sticky notes of joy
Step 3: Stick everywhere
Step 4: Stand back and admire

"Small fingers 

lost 

in 

his hands 

as if to say 

I care for you."

(The page was taken out of a 1956 Readers Digest edition.)

Post-its! So fun!

We're planning a road trip when he gets back. Just a little reminder for him that good times are waiting for him at home! :)

I attached a pre-addressed, pre-paid envelope so he can write me. 

The envelopes hold little verses and quotes. I printed them in cutesy fonts on transparencies... and they look super cute!

Happy weekend everyone!

I cherish the right to be ridiculous.

wanna see a magic trick?

Embrace the inner dork.
That's one thing I've had to learn. 

I still tend to be too hard on myself. It's so easy to dwell on the negative qualities. The bad habits. The thingsIwishIsaid's and the thingsIwishIhadn't's. But that's life.

Just think: out of 53 muscles of facial expression, 12 are required to smile. The zygomatic major/minor muscles, orbicularis occuli (especially for those of us who smile with our eyes!), risorius, levator labii superior, and levator anguli oris. On the contrary, it takes only 11 to frown. Why?

1. I think it takes a stronger person to laugh at themselves. There's physical proof here! (Yay, anatomy classes!) Sitting and pouting and feeling sorry for oneself can be all too easy. 2. God also created us to be imperfect. I believe that every day is a bit of a workout -- an opportunity to learn something new, become stronger... but some days we can only fall flat on our faces. So darling, just laugh.

I challenge ye: Be goofy on purpose!

So on those off days, remember that you reserve the right to be imperfect. And you reserve the right to love yourself and love the life you're living... quirks, whims and all!

The key to the Creator's heart: Brush and canvas

We were created so that we could create beautiful things. 

I'm always astounded at how creating draws me closer to the heart of MY Creator.
(Messy hair and ripped jeans and all.)

Our Savior is also the ultimate artist. He looked out over His work of art and saw that it was good. Genesis 1:31.

We are in no way capable of creating anything remotely close to what He is capable of.
But He sees our efforts and the joy we obtain through art. And He, in return, is satisfied in our contentment.

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
"Remember your Creator in the days of your youth." Ecclesiastes 12:1

little things

just-littlethings.tumblr.com

Good things

Tonight, I am letting myself post some good things about today.

1. God's relentless pursuit of my heart has left me both humbled and mystified.

2. I made the decision to attend SDSU in the fall. In two years: Christina Lee, M.A., CCC-SLP!!

3. Spent the morning indulging in Gilmore Girls and Everwood reruns.

4. I realized how wonderfully blessed I am to have such amazing friends.

5. God is good.

6. Coffee and terragon chicken sandwich.

7. I am so relieved to have been accepted to graduate school. I can't wait to start!

8. Did I mention how awesome God is?? :)

Goodnight, world.

What the Proust?!

I came across Marcel Proust's Swann's Way in a used bookstore a while ago. 

Light reading? Not quite.

Needless to say, I barely made it through the first three pages.

Go ahead. Cackle.

But in my defense...

I'm rather certain that those first four pages were merely one comma-infested, eternally drawn out, painstakingly gruesome but oh, so eloquently and beautifully crafted sentence; alas the kind that enthralls you with its salaciously masterful diction but ever so delicately steals your soul with every superfluous, wholeheartedly unnecessary display of punctuation.

Ha! Bring it, Marcy. Two can play this game.

Two little scholars. With Starbucks

Yesterday, I had 3 cups of Starbucks coffee.

Bad idea. But you probably guessed that!

So I decided that today would be different.

No coffee!

I lasted til 3:30pm.
Little victories.
Anyways..

So I got my Grande iced nonfat coffee and decided that I should bring a little something for my next student.

Kids Menu: Cool.

Milk? No, if she's lactose like me... we could have a problem.

Juice? Not every kid likes every kind of juice.

Apple Cider or Hot Chocolate? No, today is no "hot drink" day.

I asked the barista if they had non-coffee drinks for kids.
Lemonade, maybe?

He was super sweet and said he could whip something up.

So cute!
He put some syrup and lemon juice in a bitty cup and handed it to me with a smile.

About half an hour later..

Lidny and I are sipping our Starbucks, working hard...

And I laugh to myself.

I'm breeding a little minion. 

I'm helping her develop good study habits,

and introducing her to Starbucks.

Lemonade.

The gateway to a daily Grande Pike's.

(Hypothetically speaking. SO not me.. *cough*)

For the thousandth time, I love my job. :)

monsters

Why is it that every child dreams that they're being chased by a gigantic thing with teeth?
Why is it that every elementary schooler plays lava monster?
Why is it that something always haunts the closet or lurks in the dark, unknown underside of the bed?
Why is it that every prince has to slay some sort of beast in order to win the heart of the fair princess?

Why do we create such elaborate fantasies that always have some sort of terrifying, mysterious, elusive, dangerous, daunting creature involved?

Every story has a villain.

What I'm slowly finding that the most deadly villain has been one that can't be seen or heard, but can most definitely be experienced. The price of following God is one that cannot be measured -- His death was given so that we may live for Him... which is not always an easy thing to do. I feel that God has given me so many opportunities to bless others. I am so grateful for that! I find joy by being his hands, his feet and spokesperson. I think I understand His love the most when I am passing on HIM to friends, family, or even random strangers in passing. However, Satan sees this and I feel him trying to bring me down. Lately, my happiness has been superficial and my temperament has been less than lovely.

I have always struggled with self-confidence. Especially recently. I never quite feel smart enough, good enough, worthy enough, pretty enough, strong enough, brave enough, kind enough, patient enough... the list goes on.

I would be naive to claim that this inner struggle is unfamiliar to others. I know that I am not the only one to feel insecure at time.

The most formidable enemy is the one that we fight alone.

To be quite honest, I'm not sure what inspired me to write this. But I felt that I needed some sort of outlet to make my declaration. Whatever monster is trying to keep me from getting out of bed in the morning, whatever demon is trying to attack my incredible family, whatever thing keeps telling me that I just don't measure up... it's on.

In this story, I hope that this princess does not let any mortal prince fight her battle for her. Rather, I hope that she realizes who her Creator is and that He is greater than any monster. I hope that the princess ventures into her nightmares, enters dark closets, and passes through fire... only to find that no villain can ever bring her down.

Wise Words

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Ella, ella...

Running through pouring rain in sandals without an umbrella through flooded streets--although refreshing--is far from ideal. Naturally, it's got me looking for cute umbrellas. Here are my favorites:

Cath Kidston

Lulu, $50
**I think I've found my favorite... :)


Barneys New York, $125


Modcloth, $30



House of Frasier (UK) $41



 MARC Marc Jacobs, $48
*I'm digging the birdie handle!

Cath Kidston

Stay warm dry and fuzzy, friends!

-Christina

The definition of dormancy in green and white

oversizedgreencardigan.blogspot.com?

Woke up from a nap and didn't feel like doing anything.

I have a feeling that today isn't going to be very productive... 

So THAT'S how you do it...

Thank you, Paula Deen!

A.) Napkin

B.) Dinner plate

C.) Salad plate

D.) Bread plate

E.) Water glass

F.) Red wineglass

G.) White wineglass

H.) Fish fork

I.) Dinner fork

J.) Salad fork

K.) Dinner knife

L.) Fish knife

M.) Soup spoon

N.) Dessert spoon and fork

Morning Playlist

This is a short compilation of warm, fuzzy, folksy, pleasantly effervescent tunes to get you going in the morning.

Happy Thursday!

"This is for you, Teacher."

So one of my kiddos was 10 minutes late to her session today. She showed up with an apple and a big smile. Maybe her mom thought it would be a good way to butter me up. Call me a sucker, but it definitely worked.

I absolutely love my job. It's funny to think how just a little over a month ago I was praying so hard for a job. Any job for that matter! And God blessed me with this tutoring position.

At the end of my third session (long day), one of my little kidlets showed her dad her answer sheet. She was super proud of all the "100%"'s. I thought her dad would give the usual parent response of "Oh, good job." But he stood there for what felt like ages, holding that paper, beaming. He thanked me over and over before I left.

Scarfing down dinner of apple soda (a little gift from a student) and stale cheerios in the car in between sessions in rush hour traffic? Filling out tedious reports and constantly swapping out books and materials?

So worth it.
Thank you God! I always pray before I get to a session. Pray that I'll make it there safely. That my kiddos will do their best. That our sessions will be blessed. And man oh man, are they!

So I'll leave with this funny little moment from today. Evelyn is 7 years old and a complete riot.

Me: "Okay, now read this wo--"
Evelyn: "You're my friend, so I love you. Will you always be our teacher? What if you go to jail? We could bring you flowers and things. AHH but we'd have to go to the jail to get tutoring!! Nooo..." 

Beautiful

C is for...

cabalistic phrase        [cabalistic = secret or hidden meaning]
calculating admiration
callous indifference
calm resignation
calumnious suspicions 
canting hypocrite  [canting = monotonous platitudes; hypocritically pious]

capacious mind
capricious allurements
captivating speech
cardinal merit
careless parrying
caressing grasp

casual violation
causelessly frightened
cautious skepticism
ceaseless vigilance
celebrated instance

celestial joy
ceremonious courtesy
cerulean blue

complimentary glance

Lovely Strangers

www.dannyst.com/gallery/portraits-of-strangers/

This has to be one of the most amazing blogs I've seen in a while. To make up for my brief "RAWR, angry-jaded-V-day-hater post", I've decided to put up something beautiful. 

Happy Thursday!

Hey, screw you too Valentine's Day.

Child's Plea

Listen to me.

Talk to me.

Understand me.

Be kind to me.

Stand up to me.

Stand up for me.

Fight for me.

Teach me.

Guide me.

See me.

Hear me.

Love me.

Eye Heart Hipster

study time

my nerd cardigan. when i put it on, i feel smarter. 

I believe in

the power of prayer.

So tonight,

I'm praying for you.

For me.

For every lost or sick or unloved child.

For every lonely soul with nobody to turn to.

For every person that's going to bed hungry.

For every broken heart that won't be able to get out of bed in the morning.

I'm praying for you.

That you will see His face.
& that He will heal you.
That His spirit will fill you.

That His joy will be your strength!

That His wisdom will guide you.
That He will be the one constant in your life
and that He will be more than enough.

He loves you.

And He hears our cries.

Tonight,

My heart breaks for you.

Goodnight, brothers and sisters.

Here's to a brighter tomorrow.

Bradbury blue

faith coffee & tweed

I daresay this sums me up quite nicely.

Wednesday adventures!

So one fine Wednesday, Matt & Christina went to San Diego! First stop? The ZOO. :)

M: "I can't believe it.. we're going to San Diego!"

C: "Yeah, and last Wednesday we made an impromptu Santa Monica trip."

M: "For real."

C: "One day, we'll just do coffee or lunch like normal people."

This is Matt. :)

 Oh look, a capybara!

 I want one. :) We tried to snatch it and put it in my purse but its neck wouldn't fit. Shame.

 Llamas remind us of Emperor's New Groove :)

 He hated me for this. So worth it.

 So pretty much you can FLY over the entire park. Schveet.

"When I was a young warthog..."

 

Matthew tried REAL Japanese food for the first time. Brave soul!

Then we went to La Jolla Cove and bothered some sleepy seals.

I love Wednesdays. Hope you all had a lovely day as well! :)