Ola Tijuana

I will be getting up at sparrow's fart tomorrow and meandering down the Interstate-5 with four friends and a smiling face. Our final destination will be Tijuana, Mexico where a team of around 160 of us will be on a missions trip for a week, sharing the gospel, loving people, seeing the multitudes saved, healed and delivered. My heart thumps at the thought of a passion fulfilled. 
Before we cross the border on tuesday afternoon, we'll be spending the night in a Malibu mansion and while I walk around with my jaw on the floor, I will simultaneously be crossing another item off my bucket list. Living in the lap of luxury, if only for a night, won't be so bad. 
I am also secretly looking forward to not having my iPhone glued to my palm and to not be habitually refreshing my social networking feeds with every blink of my eyes. I think a forced internet sabbatical will do me a world of good. 
Adios.

{Preliminary phases of the packing procedure} 

Movie Quotables

A Cuppa Jo

Messy hair day. Sitting in a claustrophobic Starbucks. Earl Grey in hand. Mood matches weather. Rain drops fall on bare trees outside the window. I like the patterns the droplets make on the concrete. I also like the colour of the sky, it matches today's blouse. Jayme Dee's "Rules" off The Hunger Games soundtrack has been swirling around in my ears since this morning, new favorite song. People watching is no fun today. Everyone in here is in a scholarly mood. Head in their Hemingway novels. Eyes glued to journals. This song makes an ideal soundtrack for a rainy day in spring. I think I'll keep my headphones in. Facebook notifications pile up as photo tags from today's successful thrift store adventure roll in. Yellow blazer is my wardrobe's newest edition. Spotify commercials are just as annoying as the day I first heard them. I have a thousand thoughts to write down in my diary but my mind is distracted by coffee shop activity. I'm the type of person that needs stillness and silence in order to construct coherent sentences and organize thoughts. Blank stares out the window. I wonder if the sun will come out again. Don't want to walk home in the rain and send this hair day from bad to worse. Must invest in an umbrella. Loving daylight savings. 
I leave for Mexico on Monday. Will be spending a night in a Malibu mansion on the way down and apparently we'll be engaging in a meet-and-greet with some well known people. I don't know details. I've resolved to spontaneity and am embracing an 'I don't mind' attitude (the good kind). I look forward to having yet another stamp in my passport from an unexplored country. I also look forward to seeing the ocean again. Withdrawal symptoms increase with each passing day. I hear Mexico is wild. Don't know what to expect. I'll be on a mission's trip down there working with children and preaching in churches. I feel so unprepared, though I'm very expectant. It will be an honor to serve people from a foreign land through love, prayer and healing. Jesus has great things up his sleeve, this I know. 
The population of Redding halved in size overnight. It's missions week at school and everyone is now dotted across the planet. Thailand, England, Paris, South Africa, Kenya, Lebanon, Israel, New Zealand. I get goosebumps when I think of the global transformation that is currently underway. I have friends with hearts set on changing the world. They will all do it. I know it. God, people amaze me. Spending hard earned money in order to serve the poorest of the poor. It defies human logic. Love is the most fierce driving force there is, and when it comes to the love of God, it's like a bull in a china shop. I anticipate testimonies of miracles and salvations. God, it's good to have a pulse and be alive to impact the world at large. 
It's been a good week. Giddy with joy. The Good News gets better every time I hear it. Seeing the world through His eyes makes everything a beautiful sight to behold. Falling more in love with life. Every day. Una Bella Vita.

SongLovin'

If your day isn't bright enough already, this dreamy tune by The Paper Kites ought to do the trick.

Thought for the Day

"You cannot tell me who I am, and I cannot tell you who you are. If you do not know your own identity, who is going to identify you? Others can give you a name or a number, but they can never tell you who you really are. This is something you yourself can only discover from within."

- 'No Man Is An Island' by Thomas Merton

Now Reading: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Those of you that follow my blog will know that I have a slight C.S Lewis fetish. I have been devouring his works like they are going out of fashion, and am head over heels in love with the way he puts words onto a page. I found an old copy of 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe' in a second hand bookstore in Chico, so that is my current read. I love the quote of his written above, and am grateful to old Clive for writing children's books for readers of all ages to get lost inside. 
If anyone needs me, I'll just be in Narnia.

Lauren Moffatt Spring '12

In my fashion vocabulary, spring spells w-h-i-m-s-c-a-l. As the flowers start blooming, so does my love for all things girly and vintage inspired. I get my kicks out of shelving the scarves and pea coats, dusting off the frilly dresses and painting myself with a palette of pastels. 

When I think of spring fashion, I think of a 20-something french girl who's messy fish-tail braid and floral dress catches the breeze as she scoots along cobble-stoned streets on a baby-blue Vespa on her way to picnic under the cherry-blossom trees. She sees the sunlit day through her Jackie-O shades and smells of Jasmine and vanilla. 

In honor of the season change, here's a gorgeous take on Spring Fashion according to designer Lauren Moffatt. Visit her website here. 

...

Last weekend, the team from The Luxurie got hold of myself and two other lovely ladies, and styled us pretty for a spring photoshoot. The shoot was done by the legendary Trevor Boyd, and the theme was 'Springtime life in Redding.' The Luxurie is a blog run by my friend and fellow South African Cat Russel, who has a passion for fashion and all things trendy. I had loads of fun doing a shoot for the first time in a few years, and the sun came out to play for the day, so a good time was had by all.
Looking forward to seeing some of the photos and will {hopefully} get my hands on them and post a couple on the blog. Watch this space. 

Thought for the Day

I Love It - March

Spring fever. Cherry blossom trees. Sunsets at Lema Ranch. Tijuana trip. Passion pit radio. Expanding my O.P.I collection. Adventure fridays. Picnicks and parks. Spontaneous jam sessions. Invading the Civic Centre. Mystical school. The sound of croaking frogs. Flowy dresses. The Luxurie. Making the whole world feel like home. Africa memories. Mere Christianity. Almond butter. Declarations. Birds cluttering the sunset sky. Coconut oil. Francois Du Toit. Socks and wedges. Reading like a writer. Seeing the world through child's eyes. The Tree of Life. Our tea collection. Pleats. Cake batter FroYo. A palette of neutrals. Nature's many changing faces. Ripped in 30. The shadow of His wings. Vivid dreams. Not having a plan B. Bowler hats. Gingham shirts. Dew drops splitting the morning light into prisms. Excellence, not perfection. Wooden fences and park benches. The colors of the day tinted by my sunglasses. Hipstamatic. Home-made guacamole. Visiting Laguna beach. Trust. Denim. Watching the Oscar-winning flicks. Egg and banana breakfasts. Pesto pasta. Body Shop foundation. Moleskins. The interesting articles I find in my handbag. Gum that keeps it's flavor. Cookie jars. Color blocking. Letterpress. Etsy stationery finds. Babysitting. Turquoise maxi skirts. Watercolors. Stylish children. Darkening my skin tone somewhat. Stripes. Knowing me, well. Girly banter. Frozen berry medley. Pining for the ocean. Top knots. Plain T's. Torn out book pages. Planning the future, savoring the present. March air filtering into my bedroom. Never forsaking my roots. William Fitzsimmons. Highlighting unforgettable one-liners. Male and female duets. A River Flows Through You. Washi tape. Fashionable mama's. The banjo. Paying no attention to the status quo. Houses on hilltops. Secret moments shared in the heat of the afternoon. Requiring no excuses to dance. St. Paddy's Day. Transition. Interstate-5 road trips. Seeing Jesus love children. Desiring to live no other life than mine. A promising weather forecast. Carrying 20 grocery bags so I don't have to make a second trip to the car. The watch of the night. Nick Drake's voice. Sounds of the throne room. The glory in every sunset. Seeing the weird and wonderful lunches people bring to school. Surprises of any sort. Back bends and pilates poses. Camera filters. Authentic humility. Old dirt roads. 

{Image taken by me at Lema Ranch, Northern California}

Slightly homesick

This week I have been missing home comforts and all those people that have watched me grow and know me inside and out. Living away from family and friends is not for the faint hearted. 
{Took these photos at golden hour this evening. I love the way the birds always seem to be jet-setting to foreign lands come time for sundown. }