Turn it up Tuesdays ♫

 this thursday i'll be packing up my car
and heading 2,793 miles to the east
(here's why)

 luckily i have some of the best friends out there
-seriously-
who flew to CA to make the trip back with me
so.excited.

AAA ✓

oil changed ✓

trail mix ✓

best friends to experience this epic trip with ✓

 No road-trip checklist is complete without good music

playlist ✓

can't wait to blast this

 

                     6 days
                     8 states
                     2,793 miles...ready, go!

{check out more of the Branches awesome music here}

oh hey transition, we meet again...

this bittersweet feeling is becoming very familiar...

i'm once again at a point of transition in my life

Twice now, I have begun the year thinking, 

“this is just for 1 year”, 

and now that I am again at the end of my internship, 

I cannot deny that the Lord is leading me 
to continue serving Him through the Cru ministry.

Through my experience working in the PSW office, through the counsel of friends and mentors, and most importantly through prayer,
the Lord has led me to apply for a full-time staff position with Cru.
And just last week I received my acceptance!

The exciting decision to join staff with Cru 
and attend New Staff Training this summer

also means:

moving back to FL

2,500 miles away from the people and places i grew to love this year

for an unknown amount of time 

while I attend 5 weeks of training and raise support

my sinful heart is so quick to be frustrated

to doubt

to complain

but--thankfully, I belong to a gracious God

who quickly reminds me of His trustworthy track record

comforts me with faithful friends

and calms my anxious heart with His provisions. 

so in the midst of change

and in the whirlwind of my emotions

I cling to the one who is constant

Numbers 23:19 - 

God is not human, that he should lie,
   not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
   Does he promise and not fulfill?

Hebrews 13:8 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

the joy of exploring california...

i love having visitors, especially these ones: 

"We're passing the landfills", says my mom as she and my dad enter Irvine, CA for the first time. She's obviously not used to seeing hills...because in Florida, anything resembling a "hill" would be a landfill....and so begins an east coaster's journey to the west coast...

although moving from one coast to another has had its challenges,

{like being new to everything}

it has also opened the door to so many new opportunities and chances to grow

one of the things that i've learned about myself in the last couple years is that

 i love to explore

 new scenery, new foods,  new people

gives me energy

stretches my comfort zone

and opens my eyes to a bigger world

and since my parents had never been to southern california before, 

we got to do some more exploring!

 Here are some of my favorite spots around + some new ones!

Walking around the story-book island of Balboa with a frozen banana as the sun sets 

You cannot get the full California experience without an In-n-Out burger

...animal style, of course.

*This place is ranunculusly beautiful*

right off the HWY-5 in carlsbad, ca is "The Flower Fields"

50 acres of extraordinary color in bloom on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean

it's open March-May-- it's a MUST see!

after a few days in Orange County, we decided to take a trip up the coast a bit...

although driving along the coast is beautiful, I prefer taking "the pass" (just north of Santa Barbara) through Los Padres National Forest with views the Pacific Ocean, the Santa Ynez mountains and Lake Cachuma--it's absolutely breathtaking 

(especially when you run for your life across the street
before a car comes zipping around the corner)

Montana de Oro (Point Buchon Trail)  was my parent's favorite part of their trip

 (and mine, even the second time) 

 california poppies, wildflowers, wide open space, oceanside cliffs,
and a WHALE SIGHTING! 

Keep driving north on US-1 for about an hour until you hear the seals...

seven miles north of San Simeon, is the Piedras Blancas rookery-- home to hundreds of elephant seals for their molt season for about 1 month

and of course, you can't come to california and not taste the wine

seriously...route 154...take it

And to finish off the trip, we stopped in Santa Barbara to see the old Mission

and there's so much more to explore...