Being a Tourist at Home

Traveling is an incredible gift and if you are given that gift I hope you'll cherish it, learn from it and with all that you gain, I hope you'll give back to others. But every place has a story, a history, a culture, a language, a people, even the place you call home. It's been my experience that we often miss out on what is right in front of us. We take for granted the sights, the sounds, the smells, the people, that home is made of. Sometimes I think we'd find what we're looking for if we would just look up...

I have wanted to explore more of Los Angeles for a long time but never really had the time or energy to do it. This season has been great for travel and exploring new places but it's also been great for slowing down to see the beauty that's right in front of me. Here are a few of my favorites from my day in LA, which by the way was VERY rainy, a great surprise to this sundress and sandal wearing girl, good thing I don't mind getting wet! 

One of the really awesome things about the area surrounding Union Station is that pretty much everything is free (except the parking!) including The Chinese American Museum, Pico House, La Plaza and Olvera Street... you should go there!!!

This mural depicts something important and I can't remember what... 

(insert shameful emoji face here)

The Pico House

Olvera Street

I love this hall in Union Station, apparently you can rent it out for events, that would be so rad!

These mural painting people love LA too :) 

You will see Junipero Serra all over the place when you read about the history of California, in the background of this photo is the beautiful Union Station. 

What do you love about your hometown? Is there someplace you have yet to visit there?

 I hope you get to go soon! 

How Making a Bad Decision Helped Me See God's Grace

The last couple of years have been hard. Most of the time I have felt like a lot of the hard things were happening TO me and out of my control. Now I know that's usually not entirely true but it was often how I felt.

This last week, I made a bad decision. In a split second of time, I made the wrong decision. It was stupid. It had consequences. It was scary and painful and it's effects will weigh out into the future.

Two things happened in that moment. One, I knew I made the wrong decision. It was stupid and foolish. But even though I knew all those things to be true, I also knew I wasn't stupid or bad or foolish. I wasn't going to be defined by that one decision. I am so grateful for this truth and grateful that I actually believe it. This, is grace. 

The second, was that the consequences of my decision were far less than they could have been. It could have been so so so much worse. Did God prevent consequences entirely? No. Could He have? Sure. But I saw God's protection and grace in that moment more than I have in a long time. Protection and grace that have always been there, in every circumstance, but that I wasn't always able to see.  It caused me to think about all the other hard things I'd experienced recently; about how there are so many things I don't see and understand, about how others need grace as much as I do, about how so many things are working together mysteriously for good even when the ending isn't what we'd hoped for. This, is grace. 

Now all of this is still a mystery to me and I won't pretend it doesn't still hurt but there's comfort in the grace of God, there's comfort in the presence of God and a God who is faithful even when we are faithless.

I hope that when you look at your life, when you look in the mirror, you don't see one or even many bad choices you might have made but you see the grace and beauty of God, in whose image you are made. I hope you see that grace overcomes, grace overwhelms, grace heals and gives new life even among the ruins.

Love you friends,
Jen

They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Isaiah 61:4

Best of Sabbatical Road Trip Pics Part 4

 This is a mix of photos taken on my iphone during my road trip. Many are taken while actually on the road, one of the benefits of traveling with very little agenda is that I was able to stop and take photos and take in the moment whenever I saw anything beautiful, which happened often :) Others are taken on long walks, always with a friend who sometimes was visible. 

 Glass Beach

 My cousin's daughter Bella making her lunch for school the next day (she's six :)) 

 These trees were right outside my window! 

 My sweet cousin and her little girls! They are home from the hospital now! 

 Pit stop!

 On a bridge in Folsom

"Perhaps one does not want to be loved so much as to be understood" George Orwell

 Labrinth Prayer at the Jesuit Retreat Center

 Fort Bragg Beaches are breathtaking...

 My sweet friends came to Fort Bragg to see me! 

 Chico Sunset

 Chico Trees

 An attempt at an artsy tattoo selfie. Yea baby!

"I always pray as if this one thing is true: God is for us. And it's worthwhile to keep knocking. That's all I know about faith for sure." Sarah Bessey

A red umbrella makes any picture and day better :) 

 The tides are in our veins~ Robinson Jeffers

This tiny beach in the  middle of a construction zone was supercalifragi...(you get the point)

 Clear Lake, on my way to Chico

This one makes me think about the vastness and the beauty of the unknown that is before us, all we can do is keep walking...and trust (or freak out, let's be honest, that's beautiful but also terrifying!). 

Reflections are favorites!

 Upper Park, Chico

There will be more to come in future posts I'm sure! Thanks for stopping by, feel free to say "hi" or bring me a pie (well, cookies, I really prefer cookies) :)