the end of 'grasping at perfection'...

it's true that parting is such sweet sorrow...but alas, there's no need for tears friends. the fact is that this blog is no more.

i would love for you to continue following my writing's along with much more at:

www.amandaandstephen.com

cheer's friends!

last song...

i'm sad to say friends that as i sit here and type this there's a little bird out on our patio that is literally singing it's last song. he's attempting to hop around while getting out his final notes. doesn't that just break your heart?

we've tried feeding him, giving him water (i've taken to calling it a 'him'), encouraging him to fly and nothing. he isn't to our eye physically hurt and yet there he is singing his sad song and breaking my heart.

it's reminding me how fragile life can be, we never know what each day holds, i feel as a little child might as i say a quick prayer for our little birdy friend, and hold onto hope for his tomorrow.

i hope this isn't to heartbreaking, just honest. sleep well dear friends, until tomorrow...

the leading role.

some mornings i wake and say to myself "okay here we go, you can do it amanda..."  i strip off the sheets, turn to place my feet on the ground and push off.  "will today be just like yesterday?" maybe that's a good thing, there are those of us who truly enjoy the 'routine' of each day...

i'm reminded of Harold Crick in the movie Stranger than Fiction, he most certainly enjoyed the routine, he loved doing things the same way it was safe, consistent he could rely on that...until it was thrown a bit. as the movie unfolds Harold learns that he's the Main character, the leading role in his LIFE. he realizes that he wants to fight to stay alive, that each day holds something different, something new and he wanted to find out what happens. 

we each play the leading role in our lives, will you let someone else write or dictate your character for you, or will you take part in the unfolding of your mystery? today is not just any other day...

San Francisco...

you know what i just love?

i love the feeling of being around people that you haven't seen for a long time and it's like you were never apart! things just 'click' again, they ebb and flow together as though things were always that way.  it's like coming home but you're somewhere you've never been before, seeing things your eyes have yet to see, having conversations you have never had, and still it's familiar. i love that feeling.

many of you know this already but Stephen and i were just down in San Francisco for a week! our main purpose in going down was to see our great friends the Haythorpe's and Miss Morgan Hirning, as if that wasn't enough we were pleasantly surprised to find even more!

we spent most of our time in the heart of the city, the 'tenderloin'. where we were able to stay at the YWAM base, which was a huge blessing and heaps of fun! we had such a wonderful time exploring the city, seeing some of the sights, and experiencing the locals. we were also able to spend a few days in San Jose as well, which we just loved!

the best part about the whole trip is two fold, we were able to spend so much time with our friends, re-connect and continue to dream together about the ministry we are starting, Ember Ink. we were also able to really grasp more of God's heart for us as a couple and what he's calling us to! needless to say our trip was GREAT and we look forward to being back there again in the near future...

please stay tuned for photos and much more about the ministry to come...

rose between two thorns.

just the other day i was lucky enough to stumble across some hidden treasure. smothered between a shop called "all things glass" (selling shower doors, front doors, windows, literally all things glass) and a run down bottle depo was a lovely little bookshop.

so of course taking into consideration my love of books and the urge to follow in Curious George's footsteps i ventured inside.

do you have as much as an obsession for books and quaint little bookshops as i do?

well, to my delight "The Pandosy Bookshelf" did not disappoint. i am on a poetry kick right now and i was able to track down some of what i was looking for. i have really enjoyed john keats lately. i found the cutest little book with some of his writings.

"poetry soothes and emboldens the soul to speak boldly..."

nerves a flutter...

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breathe in, breathe out...four words run circles in my mind this morning as i look out over the lake upon this new day, i feel as Danielle De Barbarac did in one of my favorite movies from adolescence "ever after", cheesy i know but i'm willing to accept that. i love the part when she climbs the steps to the ball and she's dressed in this enchanting outfit, looking as lovely as ever and the words she mumbles to herself in order to try and attain even the smallest amount of nerves are, "just breathe".

today is a new day, to look upon it with such awe and fear in hopes of making the most of it, well it's an exciting feeling. oh and today flowers are on my mind...

a whole new world.

so today i walked into a store that i used to enter quite frequently with my mother as a child. the ironic thing is that i can remember taking the stance of disheartened child and whining the whole time making the experience quite painful for my mother. the thing is, at that age clearly i didn't understand the world that i had entered while holding my mother's hand. but today...today was different.

it was as though i was seeing it for the first time. as i stood in awe trying to take in all the beautiful patterns, colors and textures i was a little overwhelmed to be honest. the bottons and thread were to my left, the scissors, needles and other accessories were on my right and layed out before me were bolts and bolts of fabric...i'm sure you've gathered by now that the world i entered was that of "fabricland".

i have wanted to learn for a few years now how to sew and i have finally made the decision that i'm going to take the time to do just that. i have quite a few things that i wish to create and perhaps eventually sell so keep your eyes peeled for handmade goodies!

4 months...

...to the very day has it been, since i have made a post on my blog. i have become quite the excuse maker these days, reasons not to do things like this...laundry, work, cooking, cleaning, friends, etc, etc, etc. all good things, but not reason enough to no longer use words to express myself.

why am i writing about my failings, well i guess in a small way as a means of accountability, to whom i'm not sure, the digital world i suppose. i'm not making any kind of vow or resolution, we all know how most of those end up, but i am just starting again. giving it another go, let's see where it ends up shall we?

and so it begins...more appropriately, continues.