||Wednesday||

Purple leaves and Ally!

||Never a Dull Moment in SLO||

Yesterday was the definition of a perfect summer day. Monday evening one of my closest friends Joanna Hipple texted me saying "let's go to San Luis Obispo tomorrow to visit Natalie" (also one of our closest friends). Usually I'm not down to do a day trip on such short notice, but this time I said yes and we left at 6:30 the next morning.

Traffic was light and we made really good time, arriving at 8:30. As we ran into Natalie's house we said our excited hellos and after that the day started with a little hike up the "Irish Hills". As our first excursion came to an end unfortunately Natalie had to go to work, so the day was ours for the taking.

Our second outing included a very nice pool which was perfect for the hot day and then we headed to lunch to meet up with Natalie's brother in law Michael. With that included a stressful order at lunch in a place non of us had ever been, but don't worry the food was nothing short of amazing. Then we proceeded to see a gum wall, enjoy some frozen yogurt and walk the streets of SLO. Around 2:30 we said our goodbyes to Michael, then Joanna and I headed to coffee shop called Scout for the BEST tea I've ever had (white coconut) some coffee and a little game of cards.

Some down time and girl talk was exactly what we both needed before heading to meet with another friend who we spent two hours with. To end a perfect day in SLO we headed back to Natalie's house for a yummy chicken pesto pasta dinner.

I'm thankful for yesterday and blessed by the people the Lord's surrounded me with. Days like yesterday remind me how undeserving I am of everything in my life, yet how loved I am by the Creator.

-Deb 

||Reflecting||

Today I was taking some time to reflect back on where I was this time last year. It was the beginning of a long few months of being bed ridden and a limited summer. I was in San Francisco last year about to enter my fourth week of doing a pre-college summer program for the school I was applying to and my roommate and I were walking to a fourth of July party. As I was crossing the street, at a cross walk, in mid daylight a cab driver ran a stop sign and hit me. I didn't really realize what was happening and as I was laying on the ground could only mumble the words "sorry, sorry, sorry". Nothing was registering in my brain and for some reason I didn't know who to blame but myself. As my roommate was standing there trying to a get a hold of someone in charge and a witness was calling 911, strangely enough the two thoughts going through my mind were "I'm not going to be able to do sports again" and "I'm going to get fat".

 An ambulance came and put me on a stretcher asking what hurt and if I could remember who I was. The pain didn't start to over come the trauma until they ejected morphine into me, that's when the burning sensation hit. Although later I would find out I only had a broken ankle and a few broken toes it felt like a truck ran over my entire leg. Never had I felt pain like that before, but in the midst of crying and moaning Marina (my roommate) whispers loudly, "Deborah, I know you don't want to hear this right now but one of the witness was REALLY hot."

 Marina was seriously sent from the Lord to help me get through that hard time in my life because in that moment she some how eased the pain, just a little and made me laugh. So after finally getting to the hospital, alerting my family of the situation and figuring out exactly what the injuries were, I got to go back to the dorms that night and instead of climbing six flight of stairs, got to stay on the first floor. The collage program was something I never got to finish and my whole summer was pretty much spent watching almost every movie in the world but if I could do it over there's not a thing I would change.

Being bed ridden taught me patience, how blessed I was by my community and took me to a deeper level with God. The fact that I got hit by a car and had such a minor injury, during summer with no obligations and nothing but time to heal showed me that God's timing is perfect and His angel's were protecting me. One of my favorite verses ever says, "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure."-1 Corinthians 10:13.

I got to finish my last season of track and field, can swim, jump, run and move around however I want. I have a scar and two screws but my ankle is fixed and I consider that a miracle after being with out it for while. I am truly thankful and feel beyond blessed and undeserving of two working ankles.

Happy July 5th!

-Deb

||Let's Converse||

The other day I was thinking about shoes and how they were one of my favorite inventions ever. I was running bare foot to my house when something sharp pricked the bottom of my foot and that's what led to this thought. If you know me at all, you know I love a good comfortable shoe and converse happen to be at the top of my list. I know four pairs might be a little excessive but honestly, how does one expect me to control myself when the colors are endless! I'd like to say I'm a heals girl but I don't think I would ever choose them or any shoe over converse.

||Road Trippin'||

This past week I was on a road trip with the family. You really learn a lot about yourself when your in a car full of seven people and two on the way. It seemed like every day there was at least three planed activities from Hearst Castle to Alcatraz, a Giants game and much more. I've realized lately how blessed I am to have a dad who is beyond hilarious and smart, a mother who is loving as well as kind, grandparents who I can communicate in another language with, my other grandparents who's quarks make me laugh and siblings who I can be silly with, with out feeling judged. I'm so incredibly thankful for this family who loves me unconditionally but more importantly loves Jesus. When given an opportunity like this I encourage you to take and enjoy it to the fullest, not many of them come along and we're not promised tomorrow.

||Make Today||

Make today beautiful, make it lovely and make it count. It's no longer yesterday and it's not tomorrow so don't waste your thoughts on anything other then the moment before you. Enjoy today!

||Oldies||

I just got a new laptop which I am so thankful for and with it came all my old pictures from my last computer. As I was going through them I came across this old project I had done, which were basically black and white portraits. Portraits are my favorite and I love the simplicity that black and white gives to them. I think every photographer should take time to do a portrait project where they take photos of people they know and strangers. It's an enriching experience and amazing what conversations come along with snapping a photo. (Keep in mind these are old so try to look past the huge logo and off focus).