Hollywood Wax Museum I find it very interesting that the majority of the world wants to move to the West… Western Culture is, somehow, intriguing. The promise of Freedom. Employment. Adventure. The so-called “American Dream.” It’s all very mysterious, really. I shan’t bore you with discussing the US of A’s pros and cons about “liberty and justice for all.” If you’re reading this, you’re probably a US citizen and are familiar with this concept. And are probably grateful, …
69 posts Posts by hope
Adapting & Trusting the Lord
Written April 2015 In July of last year, when Cobalt and I began discussing more intentionally that we could move somewhere and probably would move to Los Angeles, the forefront concern was: “We can’t afford to move there!” Consequently, that was everyone else’s concern, too. ‘Twas valid, no doubt – Our living expenses here are three times more than in Tennessee and we projected to be making about the same income. But we believed God led us to LA for a reason …
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! Cobalt and I haven’t written in a while, mostly due to busyness and the fact that soaking in new turf takes a while to process… But without further adieu, here’s our overdue update: Culture Shock When telling our friends in Tennessee that we were moving to California, most of them gave us wide eyes declaring, “Oh! Won’t you experience culture shock there??” I always thought this comment interesting considering that culture shock is …
Home…Sweet *New* Home
There are several of these HUGE palm trees in our neighborhood. Cobalt and I like to take walks and observe how everyone decors their house with either native plants or plants of their own (or nothing, as some yards are completely bare, dirt/sand and all). Six weeks since we’ve moved to Los Angeles…two weeks longer than our adventure last summer (one and a half weeks in LA and the rest driving around the country). Most days …
Week 1: Adapting
Sunday, Cobalt and I visited the beach for the first time this year This week I’ve been learning how to both live in California (which is coming more naturally than I would have guessed) and how to let go of the material stuff I left behind in Chattanooga (which is much harder than I imagined). More about the former in this post and the latter in the next. Friday, after five days being in the house …
We Made it to Los Angeles!
Can it be that Cobalt and I have already been in Los Angeles for four days? Well, three full days if you want to be technical… Truly, it feels like a week; the past seven days were such a blur of activity — last minute packing and selling of furniture and whatnot, along with seeing friends for the final time. And then of course the drive across the country! We left Saturday morning around 11am Eastern, three hours …
We Found a Home in LA!
Time flies when you’re packing for a move! :D We did it: we found a home Sept 18th in Gardena, CA! It all happened so fast that we’re still in shock. More on the story later. Here are some pictures from Joel and Kat, who moved in last weekend: The outside, Spanish Mission Style The owners planted some trees near the sidewalk in the front yard. They also planted lemon, lime and avocado trees in …
Moving to Los Angeles
“Hey, guys! I heard you’re moving!” One by one, different people over the past two months have approached Cobalt and/or I with both a smile and a frown on their faces (apparently one can possess both of these expressions simultaneously?) and arms stretched for a hug as if they’ll never see us again, even though our move isn’t finalized yet. Caught off guard by this statement (more about why below), I usually imagine myself squinting my eyes at the …
Hope Graduates College
I can’t believe it’s been a month since I graduated college! What a ride it has been these last five years: attending three universities, becoming friends with some of the most precious people in the world, meeting and marrying my husband, feeling the final year would never end and figuring out who I want to be when I grow up. I’m still not 100% sure about the last thing but I’m getting there. I’ve been learning that trusting God is a day-to-day thing and that He …
Local Farming: Week 1-2
The other day I wrote in my foodblog about the reasons I love farming. Here’s the exerpt: Hey guys! You’ve probably heard me talk before about Crabtree Farms in Chattanooga and my experiences there, along with some recipes I’ve made thanks to their plentiful harvest!. Well, this year I have signed up to be in their CSA, which stands for Community Supporting Agriculture. This is different from just volunteering because once a week from April til November I will receive a box …
The Summer Approaches: An Update Since Christmas
Wow – despite all my complaining that the school year isn’t going by fast enough, I have to say, that four months have flown by so quickly. I can’t believe it’s only 32 days until I graduate college, which means that summer is right around the corner! Even though I am only walking because I have 1 or 2 summer classes to take, I am so thrilled that this chapter is turning – that I’m …
Thanksgiving 2013
Since there’s still a few minutes left, then Happy Thanksgiving everyone! :) Cobalt and I spent it with his family this year, here in Chattanooga. This was my third with them, as traveling to North Carolina where my parents live hasn’t been do-able since before Cobalt and I were engaged. It was interesting for me — still new to the Cox family — to observe the similarities and differences of this year’s Turkey Day compared to …
First Concert Together: The Vespers
Besides attending Riverbend a couple summers ago, today was mine and Cobalt’s first time to go to a real concert together. :D The sisters who sing in the Vespers went to my high school in Nashville and since then have made a band. Them plus the brothers are super (and by super I mean SUPER) talented; they literally rock my world (cliche but true!!) every time I watch them play. I’ve tried my best to …
Summer Adventure 2013: Summary
It’s been two weeks since we returned from our Summer Adventure… If you didn’t follow us, check out the last dozen posts to read all about it…in fact, if you haven’t read them yet, stop reading this post and take a gander over to the west coast with us! …yet in some ways it feels like we never left. I know, however, that my life has changed in subtle ways. I hadn’t written this “summary” …
Summer Adventure 2013: Day 17-18
Monday morning we left Boulder around noon. At one point we briefly considered staying another day because we’d woken up so late and were still exhausted; but we didn’t even have the energy to spend doing anything but sitting around! (Elliot was going to work so we were on our own again.) So we hit the road instead… Because it was going to be a long day, Cobalt and I twitched driving duties (otherwise Cobalt …