clear eyes, full heart

i feel like the last two months i've really lived up to my blog title.
well, i guess just the crazy part.
the whole "white woman" thing kinda sticks with you.

anyway,
it's been a crazy two months.
and i'll recap maybe not so quickly.

my sister got married.

it was a crazy weekend full of laughter,

 

special moments,

 and, most importantly, dancing!

at the end of september,
 i moved out of my apartment and home

for the past three and a half years.

it was definitely a bittersweet time.

i'm back living with my parents.

who knew i'd be 28 and living at home.

weird.
{i'd prefer not to have this photo documented}

the giants made it to the world series!

i really love post-season giant's baseball.

i spent a week in socal visiting some dear friends.

after a month and a half of battling,
i finally got my visa!
i think the phrase "best day ever" might actually apply.

i've worked my last day at the VA for a while.

it's been my home away from home for the past four years.

i'm still blown away about how the Lord got me there,

but that's a story for another day.

 the giants are playing in the world series!

did i mention that?

packing.

trying to prioritize your life into two suitcases that 

weigh less than fifty pounds is proving a challenge.

i leave for india in SIX days. 
unreal.
i haven't really had much time to process it all.
in all honesty, some days i feel totally 
unprepared for all that lies ahead.

the tv show friday night lights came up recently,
specifically the famous words of coach taylor:
"clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose."
i know it's completely cheesy
and completely out of context, 
but i think i have a new way of looking at this phrase.

my eyes are clearly fixed on the 

task set before me and on my prize-Christ.

my heart is full with support and affirmation 

from those around me, and full with 

the promises and love of the Lord.

i can't lose. 

romans 8:31, 37-39 says this:

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

a bit of a stretch, i know.
but i don't really care.
every girl needs a theme
and this is an obvious contender.
 
i probably won't post again until i'm in india,
and then i'll really live up to that crazy white woman thing.
so we'll see ya then!


cincerely,


cindy

 

when friends come to town

last week, some of my very favorite people came to visit.
they drove the rough seven hours from riverside to san mateo.
on labor day weekend.
with the bay bridge being closed.
that's friendship proven if i ever saw it.

good lookin' group a gals, huh?
we chatted and hung out sunday afternoon,
then headed to a couple of my favorite spots downtown san mateo.

the next morning, we were up early and off to sonoma!

  and what a beautiful day!

i had bought a groupon for a guided wine 
tasting tour through sonoma square.
we enjoyed looking at sites, meeting new people,
 and some yummy wines.

jennifer gave me a bad time for not blogging much lately,
so i started snapping photos of her.
sass is her middle name.

we then headed back to san francisco.
we purchased tickets for an alcatraz tour.
usually, we would have had plenty of time to get from sonoma to the embarcadero.
BUT the bay bridge was closed and there was more traffic on the roads.
i was nervous we wouldn't make it,
but God is good and we made it in plenty of time,
enjoying some great views along the way.

we made it to pier 33 and boarded to ferry to alcatraz.
the sky was beautiful and the weather was perfect!

and then we got to the rock.

we did the audio tour and it was amazing.
i went to the rock in school when i was a kid,
but all i remember is getting sea bay sick
and being completely freaked out.
the tour was well done and it was neat to see this
part of american history with new eyes.

 

laura was our resident historian on the tour.

you can tell she was in her element.

if you didn't believe me before about the gorgeous day, maybe you will now. 

since we were playing tourists,
i went ahead and bought the professional picture.
tens all around!

on tuesday, we went to a local coffee shop.
i didn't snap any photos, but it was a good time.
almond croissant, i love you.

all in all, a fabulous time spent with friends!

thanks again for coming to visit me;

love you ladies!

Cincerely,

Cindy

Nurses' Weekend Out

one of the perks of being a nurse is getting week days off.
that perk turns pretty sweet when your 
fellow nurses have those days off too.
pretty sweet turns into awesome when you get to hang out with them.

two of my longest friends from college 
and i got together this past week.
ventura was our destination, home of the beautiful amanda.
the original intent was to fly to san diego, meet up with the lovely leah, and then road trip to ventura.
sadly, weather sucked wasn't on our side 
and plans had to be changed.
good news! all three of us ended up in ventura.

sweet, sweet reunion.

 coffee bean is always a must in socal.

also, new fave: chocolate covered meringues.

 santa barbara is crazy.

mail boxes without slots, 

fancy mcdonalds that take golden arches to the next level, 

and scandalous jewlery stores.

the weekend only got better when i found that shirt.

"work hard, party harder."

i mean, duh.

amanda and i went to india together so we love to eat food 
from indian when we're together.

one of my favorite traditions.

the next day included chick-fil-a,

a precious pup named bo,

and xbox connect.

overall, an amazing week with some bosom friends.

while it was sad to say goodbye, i was thankful for a smooth flight back to the land of milk and honey bay area.
thanks, ladies, for an amazing time!
can't wait until we get to hang out again.



cincerely,


cindy

and that's a wrap!

well folks, 2012 is about to be over.
when i was a kid, adults would tell me time would go by even faster when i grew up.
that's one of the truest statements i've ever heard.

this year has been a good one.
let's review, shall we?

i turned 26, celebrating the last year of my mid-twenties.

i also participated in intensive training weekend at my alma mater, 

watching four hundred staff and students eager to serve the Lord.

i watched hope church spread it's wings

as we sent teams to south sudan

and partnered with hurting people there 

as well as in its neighboring country of sudan,

proclaiming Christ all the way.

i loved getting be a part, however small, of God's work in a post-sandy new jersey, 

and spending some precious time with my friend who returned from 

the field after two years in southeast asia. 

i was able to watch four of my dear sisters get married,

went to a few concerts,

and watched and listened to a bunch of giants games.

oh, did i mention that the giants won the world series?

cause they did.

went to tahoe with my sisters and discovered snowshoeing is one of my favorite things.

went to hawaii with my fam,

hiking in yosemite for the first time i can remember,

and hung out in sunny san diego.

said goodbye to my beloved grandmother 

as she went to be with the Lord

and said goodbye to our sweet puppy.

all dogs go to heaven, right?

baked and tried some new recipes,

read a lot of good books,

listened to some fantastic sermons,

and read some soul piercing and spirit quenching scripture. 

and those are just the highlights!

2012 will definitely go in the books as a fantastic year.

as for 2013,

what will it hold?

i have no clue!

but i know that i'm not making any resolutions, per say.

i simply strive towards what i always want:

to love Jesus more and to know Him more,

all the while serving and loving people.

of course i pray that this year would be the year i get to go overseas,

or that i would actually run that half marathon, 

or have some miraculous attitude transformation 

to be a hard core health nut.

but instead of setting my standards on things,

and things often too lofty,

i will set my gaze on Christ,

trusting in His perfect timing and all-sufficient grace,
praying i would fight through laziness and self-absorption.

^"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

ephesians 3:12-14

cincerely,

cindy

Wild Wedding Weekend

i love weddings.
i'm kind of obsessed.
i mean, they're magical.

this saturday, my dear friend from college got married.

we met freshman year, served in rwanda together, were RA's together, and were nursing students and roommates. 
this girl is pretty dang special.
it was so fun to be part of her wedding week!

i flew down to riverside on thursday.
showed up an hour later than i was supposed.

plus side: i got an upgrade in a rental car.

yes, that's a prius.
and yes, i'm in love.  

jennifer hosted the lingerie shower that night.
i was on refreshments.
caramel apple cupcakes, apple and caramel rice cakes, 
and hot apple cider.
the favors were paper straws and caramel apple pops.
i think it was a hit! 
thanks again for the recipe, emily!

on friday, i woke up to this sky.

and then i got to spend the morning with my beautiful friend from nursing school.
it's been almost a year since we've hung out, but it was great to pick up where we left off!

later that day was the bachelorette party.
we headed to temecula for a scenic lunch and wine tasting.

 

such a good time! 

saturday started out right with some coffee from bean coffee.
their gingerbread syrup trumps starbucks.
just sayin'.

we headed to oak glen to set up and get ready for the wedding;
everything was picture perfect!

 and there were some pretty awesome people to celebrate with

a beautiful day celebrating a beautiful couple

so many congrats to mr. and mrs. williams!

such a fantastic weekend with so many amazing friends!

the 2012 year of weddings is officially over for me.

can't wait to see what weddings await in 2013!

cincerely, 

cindy