Rocky

Sometimes you just have to be happy for the little things. Sometimes you must count your blessings... and when I say sometimes I mean all the time, but especially on days like today. There is a woman who wrote a book called One Thousand Gifts , I haven't read it but I hear its a book where a woman counts her everyday blessings, and its fantastic. There once was a little girl who lost a finger in World War II, and every day following that she started thanking the Lord for her nine fingers. She never thanked the Lord for her fingers till she lost one. Often times I am that little girl. I want to be a person of gratitude, encouragement, truth, life, love and freedom. These things don't come naturally and they aren't attainable from a place of passivity. You must practice them and allow G-d to work them out in you. He doesn't just want you to do acts of kindness, He wants you to be kind, so that everything you do is done through you being kind. He doesn't just want ...

I saw this video this morning and I love it. I love it from the point of view of an artist, as a woman, and as a human being. Years ago I did a series of photographic portraits of people. I didn't shy away from their wrinkles or hide their imperfections nor did I focus in on them to make some sort of a statement. Rather I allowed them to be there in their own subtle ways. As I developed the pictures I really had fallen in love with them, the expressions, depth and emotion of them were so evident and beautiful.  But over and over again as I revealed the images to the subjects most of the women would cringe and stick their nose out in disgust at the sight of themselves. I was a little taken a back. It was during this series of photographs that I realized that every human being has an intrinsic beauty to them, and I think it has to do with the fact that we are made in the image of G-d. If you truly look at people they are fearsome thing to behold. Every feature unique and lik...

Though I thoroughly washed my hair this morning, it still smells like smoke and my boogers are all ashy  (sorry about that, tmi) because we had our Chi Alpha beach bonfire. We had several new international students join us and we had the privilege to introduce them to roasting hot dogs and the art of making s'mores. (I am not a s'mores artisan as some of my friends are, I am more of a "catch-the-marshmallows-on-fire" kind of gal, I don't have the patience for perfectly toasted marshmallows. Plus I kind of like the charred flavor...don't judge me.) We played volleyball, soccer and tossed the football around (and when I say "we played" I mean I watched them play and I merely messed around with the soccer ball trying to be cool). And of course we gathered around the fire telling stories. That's not all folks! This past quarter I connected with Joao, a Brazilian student (sadly, none of us can actually pronounce his name correctly) and Joyce, a Chi...

This is going to sound bad and it may not even be theologically sound, but please hear me out. I have decided that I am tired and that I am no longer going to seek G-d's will. It is all so very exhausting... where should I go, should I stay here, go there, do this, do that with this person, that person, without that person, at this time or later, where should my next step be?! Instead of seeking His will I have decided I just want to seek His face. Is that too much to ask? That instead of questioning every single step I take or don't take and whether or not I am perfectly within a set plan, can I just look to Him and rest in that? Is it possible to just set my gaze to His face and live life? That doesn't mean I don't want His will, but rather I am tired of searching and scouring the earth for what that will might be. Maybe its much simpler than what I have been making it. Maybe life is a lot less like a puzzle that must be assembled in specific steps and is a lot more l...

The market value of my blog rose exponentially after Farrah's guest post, and if I were smart I would end on a high note and never blog again. There's no way I can compete with that and its a hard act to follow. So I am not going to try and compete. I will just continue with my low brow humor, subpar photography and grade-schoolesque writings and throw you a bone every once and a while with more guest posts. So stay tuned for those. So back to normal... (sorry). Mom: I can't find you on Instagram. Me: Because I don't have Instagram anymore. Mom: What?! Why don't you have Instagram?! (slightly annoyed/angry tone) Me: I don't know, it seems like a lot to juggle, between Facebook, my blog, Pinterest, LinkedIn... (trails off defensively) Mom: (sigh) Ok, well when you get an account look me and your sisters up and follow us. Days later... Farrah: Why am I all about Instagram right now? (looking at phone smiling) Me: (silently looking at ...

By: Farrah Vazquez, guest blogger extraordinaire SPOILER ALERT: I’m about to ruin the Mad Men Season 6  Premiere for you if you haven’t watched it already. Rachelle and I secretly love Mad Men, although we never talk about it and we watch every episode in secret - it’s true. Rachelle may or may not have dressed up as Joan Harris to church yesterday, though the act was not as bold as you may think since Rachelle is totally Joan’s twinsie anyway (which she is not likely to admit).  We have adorable matching laptops too When Rachelle asked if I would be interested in contributing to her blog, I thought I would seize the opportunity and go public. WE LOVE MAD MEN. And it just so happens that the 2-hour Premiere of Season 6 aired last night. We were all about it. So, let’s talk about my favorite character.  Although I love several different characters, I aspire to be like Peggy Olson. The Pegster. Peggemz. She is immensely talented, smart, and...

I had never been to San Diego before, so when I was asked if I wanted to join on a SD Zoo excursion, I happily obliged. It's funny because I hadn't been to the zoo in years and then last year I went to the LA Zoo and now this one. I'm becoming quite the zoo connoisseur. We decided to take the Skyfari which came with the price of our tickets. Not going to lie, my heart was pounding a little, especially when it stopped moving and was stationary about halfway through, which isn't supposed to happen. We fed the giraffes! When I sent my mom the picture on the right, she texted me the picture on the left. It turns out I fed giraffes at the Denver Zoo before. (She says I fed them in the KC Zoo too haha.) We held baby pandas! Not really... I wish. haha We didn't hold any baby pandas but we did see a tuft of its fur up in the tree that it was sleeping in.  He looked kind of angry...

I'm a big fan of honesty and authenticity. I find myself sharing too much information and sometimes self-deprecating information because I think vulnerability is key to breaking the ice and finding a connection of commonality. Also sometimes being completely honest is really funny (and I think it has to do with that connection of commonality). Take for instance my friends and I have this thing where whenever we do something stupid/horrible we will quickly text or call and say, "I have a great shameful admission!" and the next time we are together we share and laugh at our mistakes. I wasn't always this way, and honestly I can't always be this way with everyone. There are certain circumstances and with certain people you know you cannot share everything. Either because it is a professional relationship or you know that they do not want to hear it. When I was a child I had a problem with lying. I wasn't a good liar but I would lie to cover my tracks all the ti...