69 posts Posts by hope

7th Anniversary in Big Bear

7th Anniversary in Big Bear

This weekend we drove up to Big Bear, California to celebrate our seventh year anniversary. It was such a wonderful thing to get away from the big city and to stay in an Air BnB (that had a bedroom! what a luxury after living in a studio for 3 years!) in the mountains. Our cabin was walking distance from the Village and a 10 minute drive from local hiking and biking trails. During the day, …

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Christmas 2018: Cyan in Town!

Christmas 2018: Cyan in Town!

Cobalt’s sister Cyan came to visit us for Christmas! What a fun time we had together, hiking in Palos Verdes, visiting the Getty Museum, eating seafood, attending our church, and of course celebrating the birth of Christ together! Here are some photos from her visit (click to see larger photo)!

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Thanksgiving 2018: Coxen visit Austin

Thanksgiving 2018: Coxen visit Austin

Thanksgiving was such a blast this year! Cobalt and I visited my immediate and extended family in Texas and had a wonderful time. Spots we visited: Pennybacker Bridge, Wild Basin Preserve Lake LBJ, Zilker Park and more Fave food: Salt Lick BBQ, Lick Icecream, Guero’s Tacos, Gourdough’s, Homeslice Pizza and more Here are some photos from our trip (click to enlarge). I’ll add more later.

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Adventures in Oregon

Adventures in Oregon

In early October, Cobalt and I had the privilege of visiting Joel and Katherine and their family in Oregon. We spent a long weekend there, exploring Sahalie Falls, the Oregon Coast and a nearby Lake. The whole trip was a dream. The loveliest 76 hours I’ve experienced in some time. I can still remember the fresh, piney smell in the air. The autumn chill. The explainable quiet. The joy of being with family and God’s …

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Four Years and Counting

Four Years and Counting

FOUR YEARS. Wow. I can’t believe it! It’s really been four years since we packed up our little Honda Fit with all of our belongings and drove across the country, leaving our friends, family and familiarly behind…? Read about our Two Year Update here –> Life the Last Two YearsIt’s been getting harder and harder to remember all that has happened since we drove up to our new West Coast Home-on-the-Corner that Monday, October 6th, 2014 (photo …

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Hope Starts a New Job

Hope Starts a New Job

In June, I paused the urban farming and garden education career I’d been passionate about the last three and a half years and — after much prayer and talking through the pros and cons — transitioned into healthcare. This opportunity came about through a friend at church. JL had been looking for an extra hand in the Continuing Medical Education (CME) Department for about a year and, after a lengthy approval process, was able to …

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Missing Winter

Missing Winter

Jan 5, 2018 I miss winter. Real winter. I miss living in our poorly-insulated house. Miserably maintaining the thermostat at 57F from December to March to save money. Closing off all the vents in the parts of our house that we weren’t using and huddling in one room with a space heater and several layers of clothes. At night, cranking up our heated mattress pad 30-minutes before snuggling under the mountain of blankets. In the …

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Cobalt has a Job!

Cobalt has a Job!

Praise God, he has answered our prayers! Cobalt has been out of work since early October — when he and Joel closed their company — and out of paying work since early summer. But through some really cool circumstances (which Cobalt wants to write about), Cobalt is going to start a new gig early January! We could not be more ecstatic and grateful for God’s provision!  

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Through the Desert

Through the Desert

“Shepherd,” she said despairingly, “I can’t understand this. The guides you gave me say that we must go down there into that desert, turning right away from the High Places altogether. You don’t mean that, do you? You can’t contradict yourself. Tell them we are not to go there, and show us another way. Make a way for us, Shepherd, as you promised.” He looked at her and answered very gently, “That is the path, …

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Trusting God with the Unknown

Trusting God with the Unknown

July 15,17 Life is Full of Unknowns… Yet we live meticulously planning out the finite details of each moment (perhaps not on paper but certainly in our minds) in order to prevent these unknowns from happening. We pursue consistency and stability as if our lives depended on it. On a short term level, we plan what time we’ll wake up. What we’ll eat (or not eat) for breakfast. Our caffeine beverage of choice, if applicable. …

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Busy Summer Ahead

Busy Summer Ahead

Eesh, I haven’t written in a while so here’s a quick update! Summer is upon is! This doesn’t mean a whole lot for Cobalt because his work is fairly the same throughout the year. But this means that school is out for me and I will not be teaching garden classes again until September. I have been assigned 17 gardens to attend to this summer as well as help lead garden workdays (renovations and restorations). …

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Home for Christmas

Home for Christmas

I was pulling food out of Grandmother’s fridge, on Sunday Dec 25, 2016, helping her get ready for Christmas lunch. When all of a sudden, I heard a galloping through the front door, located in the other room. The sound became louder as it continued through the dining room and into the kitchen. With a squeal, Cobalt’s sister (C2) grabbed me around the neck and squeezed me so hard that both our eyes teared as we …

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The Countdown to Christmas

The Countdown to Christmas

We’ve bought our tickets to Chattanooga for Christmas! We’ll be visiting for two weeks during the winter break. We plan to visit Cobalt’s family and hopefully a few old friends, too, up in East Tennessee and Georgia. Oh, my heart can’t take the excitement! I doubt it’ll snow while we’re there but I am looking forward to experiencing a tender Tennessee Christmas! It’s the only Christmas for me!    

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Life in LA the Last Two Years

Life in LA the Last Two Years

Saying goodbye to the sister in laws on October 4, 2014. Today marks two years since Cobalt and I moved to Los Angeles. Friends have been asking us: “Did it go by quickly?” And my reply would be: they’ve been the shortest two years of my life … and simultaneously the longest two years of my life. Day to Day Life Flies By Since the weather is fairly consistent, I find that the days and weeks go by swiftly and tend …

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Out with the Summer, in with the Schoolyear

Out with the Summer, in with the Schoolyear

Gosh – it’s been three months since we moved into our new apartment? With work being busy this summer and my heart as free as a bird, the time has flown by. My bitterness about Los Angeles has completely subsided and I find myself bored because my mind isn’t grumbling all the time anymore. With all the extra mind-time, I’ve taken it upon myself to check out audio books from the library to listen to …

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