repeatedly repeating its self and no one likes that.

My emotions got clogged up under the weather and I think I might sink. I got tooling around,

thinking about the day that mine would mean more. I planned to let this conglomeration of

ridiculous fall, but my persistent imagination never fails me. Letting it continue on, running

my mouth and my hopes up the wall, it helped nothing. Each time it was on its way down

something would catch the corner and slowly, inch by inch, it would find its pedestal. Now I

see that it is the same mistake, without eye contact and a full brain.

mutter

Lay me to rest, in the assuredness, that you are good.

Hold me now, in my fear and my doubt, that you are good.

I lay my head, in the dust and the filth but you still wait.

I pick up my feet, ready to leave, are you still there?

greatest

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers is something my mama has been reading for years, sometimes she would pass her book to me so I could reap the benefits of the wise words to be found. I didn't think of it much till last year we had a speaker that encouraged us to read it, now they have a website so all I have to do it click on my little favorite button for it and WA-LA! It is so challenging, sometimes I just read the opening paragraph and then stop because that is enough to spin me.

You can find it here: utmost.org

Here is the on for November 10, that day it was like a spanking.

frolic

Adorable, right!?
By: arrow&apple

thanks giving

This is from thxthxthx.com and discribes some of my feelings. Peach pie is probably my favorite dessert excluding chocolate.

Thanksgiving holds so many sweet, sweet memories for me.

Since we have no other family living in the great state of Alaska we spend it with friends. Our group has changed from different seasons of life. One thing we do with out fail every year is make little candy houses with frosting and gram-crackers, it is my favorite! Also we have the traditional Turkey feast, sledding, and football. If the Packers play then I actually watch, if they don't I half watch while reading.

My first memories are running around with my siblings, along with the Zufelts and Beesons, we would play sardines (opposite hide and go seek) and I rocked at it cause I was the youngest and tiny. My best year I hid for more than an hour, unfound, underneath a sewing table. That was the one thing I was better at.

Yankeys and Kauffmans were my nearest and dearest through Junior high and the first years of high school. One year Mr. Yankey, rather than sticking the gumdrops to a little cracker house he started glueing them with frosting to his head! Both families have moved away, they are missed during the festivities.

This year we are just having the Needhams but Ramsey and Fran make up their own little family and MY BROTHER is coming home!!!! I am super excited!

It is Happy Thanksgiving Time!!!! After that comes Christmas you know!

wanted

Andrew and Carissa have been waiting to bring their daughter Rinah home from Uganda. Finally it has happened so to celebrate family, here is a film they made and something Carissa wrote. You can find them here: www.andrewandcarissa.com

'it was rather like looking down from a high hill onto a rich, lovely plain...' csl

Every day we wake up feels like Christmas. I light a candle and open the cupboard, while tea water is boiling, to pick out my favorite tea cup. These simple things, they make me want to kiss something.

It's all I can do to be quiet in the morning and not purposefully wake Rinah up. I am the mother here, I shouldnt be the one waking up the jet lagged household.

Soon I hear stirrings, and the day begins. A day that feels so new. And here we are, a family, at last. After such a long time of waiting.

We made a film, and wanted to share it, to hopefully, somehow, show our gratefulness. maybe you will be able to see it through our faces, in our smiles, somewhere. We have felt your support, love, and encouragement. And those things have made this sweeter than ever.

I love plants,

like some people love animals.

Do you see that white fluffy thing in the back? Gorgeous!
Yesterday, I was going to pick up some spinach for salads at Kelsey's house during the creation of our set list however instead I wandered into the floral department. This is a dangerous place for me, it takes up my time quicker than I realize and I always have to buy something. There is the color of course, then the texture, but to top it off the smell! All this to say, rather than buying dinner I bought a big bunch of greens that smell like Christmas and look wonderful on the table.



All flowers, styling, and photos by Amy Merrick of An Apple a Day.

Egg sandwich.

The very thing that has made many a day better.
Grilled Rosemary Herb Bread spread with Pesto
One Fried Egg covering a handfull of Caramelized Red Onions
with Fresh Tomato in every bite. Every Bite.

Poison & Wine

I know that this video has been posted everywhere for two years now but it is profoundly perfect so enjoy it again.

lets just say it is sick...

MI3 Part 1 .uk

My mom told me about it, but I think my brother probably found it.

itchy feet.

I am dreaming of travel all the time. My feet are itchy from staying in the same place for so long (as Kate would say). In my faithlessness I worry that Japan isn't going to work out, which makes me gasp for a new faultless plan. A plan that won't fall through and will get me far, far away from this little frigid town into the land of unknown, where everything is new and I feel like I am going to miss my train stop.
My back up plans are superficially comforting but when I am honest with myself there is no point because all of my new plans are silly compared to the call I feel toward Japan.

Here are some lovely photos of travelers.


Photographs by WeLiveYoung

"You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes."
From my favorite childhood character, Winnie the Pooh

in.

My delightful alone time will include.

Food: Bad Asian Noodles, Cookies&Cream Bar

Magazines: Travel with Afar, Fashion with Elle

Music: The Civil Wars, Imogen Heap

Installing: Rosetta Stone Japanese Level 1&2, Final Cut Express

and various other things that distract me.

Here is a picture that I happen to adore.

10 things

My head is scattered with too many bits and pieces to formulate any good paragraphs and today I realized that the reason most people look at this blog is to figure out where in the world I am and I have only been post things from other creative people so here is ten things that are going on with me. (To my dear Ramsey Jo: I am not going to proof read this so don't judge me.)

1. Japan, Japan, Japan! I have been waiting for the last months for some paper work from my church, last Sunday night I had a meeting with the mission board and things sounded positive for them to be signed very soon! Then I will begin the support raising phase of my trip. Hopefully I will be flying over the ocean blue to Tokyo by the end of January. My goal is to get there before my birthday in February so I can still be a teenager, weird, I know, you would think I would want to spend it with my family but I have this weird thing about 20 being super old and not having accomplished enough to be 20... rant over. and
Number 2: It is now very very wintery in Alaska! We have enough snow the Cross Country Skiing trails to be ready, to snowmachine (snow mobile), and to sled. I have yet to do the later two, but skiing was quite enjoyable.
3. Being American I have a disadvantage of not knowing Celsius like the rest of the world, among other things, so I am trying to learn it. Today it was FRAAAAA-reezing! -7 F = -27.6 So now I have to plug in my car, Ingrid (I named it this before I lived in Norway and knew any Ingrids) , so it will start.
Four. I am currently struggling to be creative, my song writing has been different than usual. I think my melodies are getting better but my lyrics are struggling, I can write really great 1/2 songs. Does anybody want some half songs to play with and finish? Colabs???? seriously. Also since I recorded, I really really want to get in the studio again, however, I don't have one, so I dream of microphones and friends that know how to use them often.
#5 My current art form is embroidery. I just started today and these things don't normally last long with me but I am enjoying it right now!
6. I am trying to make little booklets with everything a supporter would want know about my trip and it is going terribly. I can't get them to look write and my writing is scattered and you can pretty much tell that I am ADD, so my sister (the really smart one) she is going to tear it appart when I am done and I will start again. Prayers please!
7. November is Movember for men and I wanted to have a theme month too! So November is Sadie better living month, except I started a few days late and hopefully it will last longer than a month... so basically the theme is a bust and I should come up with a different theme like wool sock month but anyways!!! it includes daily skiing/running/yoga pick one, more whole grains, less animal product foods, more cleaning, more reading, more creativity, ect.
8. I ordered Rosetta Stone.
9. I have been meaning to clean my hard drive for a month now so I can dabble in film again. procrastination.
10. My visit to Norway was good and I have been back for a while now. Extremely vague, I know, but I hate to write about old news but I like to talk about it so we can chat if you want to know. :)
Congrats if you made it to the end of this.

and I am super stoked my dear brother is coming home for Thanksgiving!!!!!!

Looks like a fun party to me!

Isn't this design fabulous!
By Grady McFerrin, WW.GMILLUSTRATION.COM

freight

"I think someone must be praying or I am extremely unfortunate."

Photos by Charles Bergquist.

tune

Thank you Wendi, for showing me this talented man. He is often blasted before sleep comes. Thomas Dybdahl.

crystal.

--Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
This book that Katie read and then I read, we both liked it a lot.

kid.

Okay, Mindy Kaling.

She is best known from the office and I haven't seen her in many other things. She isn't my favorite but this quote/picture made me laugh and cry a little bit.

"People think I'm exaggerating when I say that I was a happy child who you could not tell was male or female," she says.