just being honest.

I was going to write another {What I've Learned} post today, but instead, I want to share a little bit of my heart with you guys. My ugly heart. Oh boy, here goes.

I struggle with jealousy.

It's so ugly and such a yucky part of my heart. Far too often, I compare myself to others and notice that I come up lacking. And I want what they have. I want their handmade biz success. I yearn to be the one announcing a pregnancy. I want a beautiful house with hardwood floors. I wish I was a better writer, photographer, artist, etc. etc.

Some days it doesn't affect my day or my mood. but I have noticed that lately I am starting to feel sad about what I don't have and I lose the joy for what I do have. The overflowing blessings in my life that I don't merit at all, but that God has poured on me-- on us-- because He just loves me.

The truth is, there are always going to be people who are better at me in XYZ. There will be people who have what I want, what I don't have. And I need to get over it.

Jealousy is so unattractive. Ew.

I have a gorgeous husband who is my very best friend and loves me with all his heart.

I have a job that lets me pursue my passion and get paid for doing what I love.

I live in Hawaii.

I attend an awesome church and have group of beautiful sisters and brothers that encourage and support me.

I have 12 (yes, 12 now!) nieces and nephews, 6 brothers and sisters, two loving parents and amazing in-laws.

I get to eat three meals a day, I have a roof over my head, and a soft bed to sleep in at night.

But even if I didn't have any of that, if it was all taken away tomorrow-- I have a Father who loves me and calls me His child! Even with this ugly heart, He is enraptured with me. And that will never be taken away. 

So, go away jealousy. You're not wanted here.

I wish it were that easy, but at least it's a start.


{photos from my walk around the neighborhood last night.}


lindsay

Let Me Know When Your Flight Gets In...

Since Chris has been home, we've been doing a lot of playing around the island. And one of the reasons I bought my DSLR in March was so that I'd be able to capture at least some of the beauty of these islands we are blessed to live on for just a short time. We are constantly reminded of God's might and glory as we watch waves crash on the beach and stare at the mountains that shoot straight up from the sea. 

So, I've been busy snapping away as we've been cruisin' around. Before I hop off for the weekend, I thought I'd leave you with some of the photos I've taken recently. 

Makapu'u Point/ Tidepools

Sandy's Beach 

Spitting Cave

Chinaman's Hat

Got your tickets yet? Let me know when your flight gets in, I'll be sure to meet you at the airport with a lei! ;) 

lindsay

My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness & My Tummy Is Filled with Pad Thai.

So, are you ready? This week's posts are going to be filled to the brim with photos from Thailand. I took over 650 photos and I want to share every single one with you. But I won't. Cuz that just might be overkill. Maybe I'll just share 600 of them. 

Today is just a general overview, but later this week I'll be posting about more specific adventures we had like our ah-mazing cooking classes and the food we ate all week, zip-lining 150 feet high through the Thai rain forest, and visits to the market with some very strange oddities. Oh, and of course, an outfit post. 

The best part of the week was, obviously, being together again with Chris. It was blissful to be by his side again, to be reunited with my other half, my best friend. Gosh, I love him. 

We ate tons of amazing food. And it was really cheap too, which was a bonus. While Chris was away for two days in the middle of the week, I feasted on pad thai and panang curry room service meals. This pad thai was less than four bucks! And it was leaps and bounds tastier than the $15 plates we often get here in the States. 

Of course, shopping had to make its way into the agenda. Honestly, I was pretty disappointed with the shopping. I was hoping to find some beautiful jewelry to take home with me, but alas, I did not. We did buy a few trinkets, like a wooden elephant and a mortar and pestle for making delicious curry pastes!

We visited the zoo not once, but twice, and got to see all sorts of fascinating wildlife, including these monkeys that rain wild through the zoo.

While the trip was filled with lots of beauty, the truth is we were staying in a city that had been dubbed the "Sodom and Gomorrah of Thailand" by several of the travel sites I checked out. What you won't see pictures of are the streets lined with prostitutes, the old men walking with young boys and girls and the go-go bars with scantily clad women. It was emotionally exhausting to see all the depravity in the city. Chris and I were both touched by the situation in Pattaya and are thankful for ministries like Zoe International, who do amazing work with those directly affected by human trafficking. 

I think thankful is my word for the week. So thankful that every detail of this trip worked out the way we hoped, that I have a husband who makes me giddy with joy. I'm thankful that I can return to this country that he is defending, a great country that is certainly flawed, but it's home. And thankful that we don't have much longer left in this deployment and from here on out, I'm getting ready for his return! 

Happy Monday! 

(a special thai-esque font, just for this week. ;) 

PS. Today is our two year wedding anniversary! Check out my facebook page for a special celebratory discount code for today only! :) 

[over the weekend] Chowing Down at Opal's

 

I drove up to the North Shore with my friend, Krynn, last week to meet our buds, Dahlia and her hubby, Evan at Opal's food truck. We sunk our chopsticks into a round of the best samplings of Thai food on the island. Oh my goodness, it was heavenly delicious. I can't believe I've been here almost two years and that was my first time eating there. (And second soon after, I went back up on Saturday and ate there again!) 

The owner's young son, Leo, was hilarious and we had fun quizzing him on the continents and oceans as he brought us our green papaya salad, shrimp pad thai and fresh cranberry lemonade. 

Don't you love awesome times with good friends and tasty food?  And... well, being in Hawaii doesn't hurt. 

Did you do anything fun over the weekend? How was your Easter? 

Oh hey, I've been listing some new paintings in the shop the past few days. Go check them out! 

(I'm still on schedule to go see Chris in Southeast Asia in May! Thanks to each of my really awesome customers for supporting my trip to see my beloved hubs!) 

Plumeria, Ghost Ships and Gratitude.

 The evening I bought my new camera last week, I went out for a walk around the neighborhood near sunset. The light was beautiful and it was so peaceful to just meander with my thoughts and my camera.

I love the many different varieties of plumeria within 1/4 mile of each other. Each so beautiful, they look like God took a paintbrush to each petal. And boy, I wish I had a smell-omatic app on my blog because the scent of these beautiful blossoms is heavenly.

Love this shot of my neighbor's old Chevy truck. Linking up to Sweet Shot Tuesday! 

We live across the street from one of the fingers of Pearl Harbor. The ship graveyard is home to decommissioned ships and the shape of their silhouettes are eerily peaceful against the mountains. 

I love taking pictures. Mmhmm.

Sooo...I hit 100 sales yesterday! (And 101 sales!) I'm still in disbelief. It was only a few months ago that I made the goal to have 50 sales before June. Um, wow. Was not expecting to hit 100 sales in such a short time.

  

When I opened shop in September, I had no idea what to expect. I certainly didn't expect for my shop to become a full time job. I didn't expect to find true, real life friends in this community of bloggers and shop owners. I didn't expect that this job would keep me insanely busy while my husband was deployed. I didn't expect to fly to Arizona for a blogger and creative business conference and to play footsie with some of my blogger/real life friends... er, what?? 

Anyways, I'm grateful. Ephesians 3:20 speaks about our God who "... is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine..." I know that God. He works in big ways. And He works in small ways. And 100 sales may seem like nothing compared to the shops that have thousands under their belt. But it's big to me and I've gotta say that He deserves all the credit.   

And I'm grateful for you guys too! Thanks to your awesome shopping habits, I was able to pay my way to Creative Estates AND buy my dream camera. Awesome, huh? THANK YOU. And now, I've got another goal. You ready to help me with this one too?? 

I am praying. and hoping. and mostly praying. for the chance to go see Chris next month. I can't say where just yet but I will tell you that it's a beautiful, exotic country with lots of yummy food and it's on my list of places I want to visit. Plus, Chris will be there. Hopefully. Military schedules can change at the drop of a hat, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up. 

But I'd love to be able to pay for at least some of my trip. So, feel free to buy up lots of paintings for your home, your friend's homes, your boss' home... whatever. And know that you're helping this girl go visit the love of her life. In a really cool place that I really want to tell you but I can't because the military says so. 

Whew. That's alot of words. Thanks for reading. Or just for looking at the pretty pictures if that's all you did. ;) 

I Bought a Camera & Took Lots of Pictures

 So, I was going to share a little photo shoot that Sandy and I did last weekend, but I still need to get those photos edited. So, instead you get to see just a few of the 300+ photos that I took in the first 24 hours I had my camera. Ready for lots and lots of pictures?? Ready... go!

My girl friend, Dahlia, and I went into Honolulu to buy the camera on Tuesday. I ended up buying the Canon Rebel t3 which I think is the newest model from Canon. I honestly don't know much about the specs, but it was the right price range and I LOVE this camera so far! I'm excited to learn more and I've already tried venturing out of the auto setting. Scary!

We went downtown after the big purchase and discovered a fun local market. I was super excited to try out the camera on all the fun textures and strange delights. Have you ever eaten tiny "Crispy Crabs"? Weird.

Next was lunch at Kaka'ako Kitchen. I was so occupied with taking pictures of everything around me that I could barely eat my favorite-- spinach and calamari salad with a chili vinaigrette.

We meandered down to Ala Moana Park. Sailboats, palms, and white sand beaches. 

I think my favorite stop was Down to Earth, the natural grocery store in our neighborhood. Lots of fun, colorful goodies to capture. And people staring at me strangely as I crouched down to take pictures of garlic and broccoli. 

Lastly, a little fun in the bathroom mirror! 

If you've bought a painting from me in the last 6 months, a humongous mahalo to you for being a part of this camera purchase. I have so many more ideas for blog posts now that I can communicate so much more through my camera! 

So, any fun plans for the weekend? I don't think I really have any plans, which I'm just fine with. A weekend filled with nothing sounds fabulous. Happy Friday!