A New Home

For all of you lovelies who have read this blog at some point or another or even followed it, I will be switching to our new blog now that i'm married and a Lucht!

The blog will be a place for updates on our lives, a place for shared DIY ideas and the latest recipes that we're trying out, as well as a sounding board for our thoughts.


Go have a look-see:

We Lucht Out

A New Home

For all of you lovelies who have read this blog at some point or another or even followed it, I will be switching to our new blog now that i'm married and a Lucht!

The blog will be a place for updates on our lives, a place for shared DIY ideas and the latest recipes that we're trying out, as well as a sounding board for our thoughts.


Go have a look-see:

We Lucht Out

I am a cheater.

My name is Pride. I am a cheater.

I cheat you of your God-given destiny...because

you demand your own way.

I cheat you of contentment...because you

"deserve better than this."

I cheat you of knowledge...because you already

know it all.

I cheat you of healing...because you're too full of

me to forgive.

I cheat you of holiness...because you refuse to 

admit when you're wrong.

I cheat you of vision...because you'd rather look 

in the mirror than out a window.

I cheat you of genuine friendship...because

nobody's going to know the real you.

I cheat you of love...because real romance

demands sacrifice.

I cheat you of greatness in heaven...because you

refuse to wash another's feet on earth.

I cheat you of God's glory...because I convince

you to seek your own.

My name is Pride. I am a cheater.

You like me because you think I'm lways looking

out for you. Untrue.

I'm looking to make a fool of you.

God has so much for you, I admit, but don't worry...

If you stick with me

You'll never know.

-Beth Moore

I'll start and end with that.  I'm going to chew on this. 

You know--we all have "friends" that struggle with this... 

May we experience grace that will lead us to freedom through humility.

Today in Pictures: Staycation.

I'm still very much adapting to living at my parents' again. As i'm trying to figure it out, i'm exploring places that i've already known with new eyes.

With that being said, here's how I staycayed today...

---a good read in a good seat---

---sun-basking---

---vitamin D dosage---

---lovely little beauties--- 

...all in the comfort of the backyard.

Hodge Podge Friday: I love the mailman.

Ok, Ok, maybe the mailwoman and the occasional FedEx person. I don't know if our postal worker is male or female, but I do know that I love him/her.

1. Goodies that have come in the mail in the last week and a half:

My wedding shoes :D

Three cardio, interval workouts in a box:

Inspiring snail mail:

Engagement Pictures Set 1:

Engagement Pictures Set 2:

2. A lasting utterance from this past week:

"Being disoriented is good; it causes you to stop and be still--to really sit in the presence of the Father."

- Professor Liang

3. My current state with everything that's going on:

Disoriented. Well, at least know I know it's a good thing ;). 

4. Here is one of the pictures that I took of one of my best friends, Becca, this past week:

You can see the rest here: Life With [ED]

Have a great weekend! A few more final projects, a lot more moving, and i'll be more sane by my next entry--hopefully :). 

Blogg[ED].

A little dabble here. A little dabble there. I've finally started a separate blog for just photography-related posts. It's not just a blog for pictures, it's represents a lot that Dave and I will transition into once we're married--working as a team. The site is appropriately named "Life With [ED]." [ED]= Elizabeth+David--aka Team [ED].

I've been blessed with various jobs here and there--shooting engagement pictures, family portraits, even weddings (crazy!). We're really excited to see how God continues to shed light onto this part of our adventure. Dave has the business savvy mind, so it's been really encouraging to have him help me along the way with pursuing this as a more-than-just-a-creative-outlet type of thing. To be completely honest, there have been times when I've been a bit iffy about diving into the world of photography as any form of business venture, but there have been affirming moments along the way. Plus, life's all about faith.

I'm learning faith right now.

We're both learning faith.

Insert leap here: ___________.


We'd love the support; check out the new blog and follow us!

"We Made Teacher Cry."

I told them earlier on in the semester that I cry when I'm happy, I cry when I'm sad, I cry when I'm mad, and that I cry when I'm feeling about almost any other strong or noteworthy (sometimes) emotion. Although I didn't want to bank on the fact that I would, I had a feeling that I'd end up crying in front of my adult-aged students at the end of the semester--not because I was mad or frustrated. Instead, I'd be crying some mix of happy and sad tears--happy because the semester had been such a great experience and sad because I was going to miss my students AND because it'd mark the last class I'd teach at the American Language Institute at CSULB. 


With finishing my master's program, moving home to live with my parents for a few months before the wedding, and getting married, I find that I'm saying goodbye to a job that I love, friends who I adore, and a city that i've called home for the last 6 years. I had told my students this, and they decided to say goodbye in the sweetest fashion ever:

Next to each one of their pictures, they each wrote a note expressing their thanks and wishing me (and Dave) all sorts of  happy wishes for the upcoming wedding :). 

The minute my student Will pulled this cork-board-creation out of his bag, I knew that the tears were going to flow freely.


Grammar 3 Students,


Thank you for investing your time into this class.
Thank you for inspiring to be a better teacher.
Thank you for making me laugh.
Thank you for making me cry ;).
Thank you for making my last term at the ALI so memorable.
Thank you for blessing me.
Thank you for being such a great class!


I really just hope for each and every one of you that you become lifelong learners--in and out of any kind of school environment. For those of you who are going home, I hope that you take things that you've learned with you. For those of you who are staying here in the United States, I hope that you keep those things near as you continue to build on them. 


Love,


Liz

2 Moms+ 2 Photographers+ 2 Friends= One Engagement Shoot Blogged TWO ways!

This past weekend, Dave and I were able to experience something that is hard to put into words. Neither one of us are the editorial, really-good-in-front-of-the-camera type of person (well, at least i'm not). When it came time for engagement pictures, we weren't sure what our experience was going to be. Instead of having us pose, Rosina and Sarah showed us that they are on a photographic journey to capture couples as they are, to facilitate space for couples to just be, and to create an environment where couples are able to look back on that day and remember exactly what they were feeling towards each other and the adventure that led them up to that point. Thank you for capturing memories, and helping us make some new ones. We laughed, we cried, we sang, we danced; and in the best sense possible, it was almost as though Dave and I were the only two people in that beautiful field. That just goes to show how natural and easy it is to be around both Rosina and Sarah.

Thank you for being on a mission to celebrate love by way of capturing REAL moments. Your creative eyes are only outmatched by your beautiful hearts. You've blessed us with pictures that we'll be able to look at and reminisce with "for as long as we both shall live." I know it sounds cheesy, but the hope and knowledge of forever are anything but. 

Go check out their full blog posts from the shoot!

Rosina's post:

Sarah's post:

I was telling Dave my hope of these images being reflective of what the rest of our lives will be like--full of laughter, worship, and love. :)Amen.

Chew On It!

His 

faithfulness 

finds 

its 

home 

in 

us.

"Whoa!" is right!

Natalie.

We were roomies. Now we're neighbors. And for the last few years, we've both gotten to share some significant life stages with each other. I love this woman, and we thought that her soon-coming graduation made for a good excuse to go to take some pictures (and to hang out!).

She exudes a life of love and has a smile to die for, and i'm certain those are evident in the pictures you're about to see:

Musing Morsel

I sat down with intentions of being eloquent and catchy, but I kept on typing and deleting.
Instead, I'll leave you with two of the dominant thoughts as my 25th birthday approaches:

1) Time flies. 

2.) The reminder that we're made in the image of the Almighty, loving God is one that I need to hear and can hear over and over again as it becomes weightier with each utterance. 

"For You created me in your inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13


Thank You for Your life, Lord. Thank You for mine. Thank you for what you intend for our lives.

The Adventures of a 4-Year-Old and my Microwave.

What is this, you ask?

This, friends, was the result of some creative exploration.

My friend lovely friend Rosina  and her husband came out to Long Beach today for a sonogram for their third bun in the oven. Since the appointment was near my neck of the woods, she asked if I could hang out with her two kids for a little while. Personally, I think they're some of the cutest kiddos i've ever laid eyes on, so I was more than happy to watch them for a bit. We watched Toy Story 3, they helped me grind and brew some coffee, they colored, and I loved listening to all of their little anecdotes. The highlight, by far, happened while I was drawing with Abby. I heard the microwave go off, and I asked Caleb if his pretend food was done cooking. He looked at me and said, "No, iss my cawh." I don't know if he was in the mood for some hot wheels action, but the terrified look that came across his face when the beeps came was priceless. Bye bye, car. It was melty mayhem. I tried so hard not to die laughing in front of the two kiddos, but man did I have a good laugh with Rosina and Benny when they came to pick them up. Now Caleb knows that a microwave is only for edibles--not for his favorite cars.

Just for fun, I decided to take some pictures of them while they were playing and entertaining each other. Aren't they too cute for words? 

 [ The kiddos helped me make coffee :)They wanted some proof, so they could show off to their mama ]

I know, you're probably ooo-ing and aahhh-ing about how ridiculously good looking these two lil ones are. I had so much fun, and I think it would be safe to say that they did too :). I can only imagine what kind of memories are going to be made once baby #3 comes around.
Rosina and Benny, you are great parents with some equally fantastic children. 

Good Things Come in Small Packages.

Things that are small/petite: coffee cups, Cuban pastries,and sweet Jenny.:)

Coffee and chats with friends never gets old. It will always be high up on my list of favorites. Coffee with Jenny was no exception.

I had the opportunity to go to Uganda with this lovely young lady two Decembers ago, and I've loved getting to spend time with her here and there ever since. We were long overdue for a catch up sesh, so on  this lovely occasion, Jenny graced me with not just her presence but also some lovely Cuban pastries as well as a few stories to share.

She's vibrant, loving, talented, compassionate, intelligent, and is a beautiful vessel for His love. It was such a joy being in a conversation with someone who is very much in progress (and excited to be in progress). I pray that you continue to discover greater levels of freedom and love in the life He's set before you. The nursing world is lucky that they're going to have a woman like you, Jenny.

Good Mornin' Fixins.

No set alarm clock. No set schedule in sight. It's a lazy Saturday, and it's one of my favorite things ever. 

One of the most satisfying things is knowing that I can take my time on a Saturday morning, sit down with a good read, share some good chats, lots of laughs, and make plans as they come.

If you're wondering, the evening ended with a dinner and a movie date with my love. If you haven't seen The King's Speech, I highly recommend it! :) 

Consumer vs. Being Consumed

To know who I am, I need to know who He is. 
To know what I've been given, I need to know who He is.
To know what promises have been made to me, I need to know who He is.
To know how to worship Him, I need to know who He is.
To know how to love, I need to know who He is.


You get the point.


In this season (or whatever you want to call it), I've been really praying for a renewed sense of discipline in place of the "me-me" mentality I take on when life gets too busy. A friend reminded me the other day that discipline is a form of submission, and that cut me to the core. I've said "yes" to myself so much that in parts of my life, i've forgotten my First Love. I've sacrificed deeper intimacy for temporal satisfaction in things that are fleeting.


"Luckily" for me, my First Love never goes farther than I how far I go away because He's always here, always with me, always loving me. My Dave wrote something the other day that went hand in hand with this: "You always have access to God's heart, but does He have access to yours?" Being in the presence of God requires me giving Him access to my heart, and i'm praying for an increase of that for this season (and for the rest of them to come). 


I'm going through the Psalms right now, and time and time again, I'm blown away by how His character is revealed through the Word. It's thick with who He is, and I love being reminded of how exciting it is to fall in love with Him. This is what I was reminded of again about who He is just in the first 8 chapters:

He is:

*the Giver of Life

*the Sustainer

* the only Peace

*the only Safety

*the Director

*the Guide

*the Giver of Joy

*the Protector

*the Merciful One

*the Healer

*the Deliverer

*the Trustworthy One

*the Defender

*the Just Judge

*the Lord Most High

*the Excellent One 

My prayer is that we would long to know Him more and pursue Him as He delights in pursuing us. I pray that we would know the difference between being consumers of His love and being consumed by His love. 

Hodge Podge Friday: Life isn't about compartments.

So what's Hodge Podge Friday's, you ask? Well, let me tell ya. It's going to be a project--a mixed bag of goodies. You'll never know what you're going to get, but I hope that you'll leave with something you can take along for yourself :). You'll get anything from a mix of new recipes, a new DIY project, some random or not-so-random photography, musings on life, musical recommendations, etc... 


Friday posts may have no rhyme or reason to them, but I'm going to embrace that. One of my goals this year is to do what I can to break away from a compartmentalized life. Life isn't about compartments--it's about experiencing it in whole. Who's with me?

Stay for a little while, stay for the whole time, it's your call!

Come along now:  

#1: Roomie Pizza-making Date

I love my roomie, but we hardly get time to hang out. Our schedules are polar opposites of each other's. She gets to see her man during the week, and I get to see mine on weekends, so that adds to our shortage of hang time. We set some time aside to make some delicious pizzas. I was too hungry to take legit pictures. 

It's too bad I can't take pictures of what my taste buds experienced:

[Butternut Squash and Rosemary and 

Pesto Salad Pizza (If you want this recipe, leave me a comment!]

#2: My Roomie loves Terrariums, and so do I!

She works down the street from the LA flower mart, 

so went nuts with succulents, stones, and our vases.

See?

#3: Don't take for granted a good chocolate chip oat cookie recipe.

Here's why:

It took a lot of willpower not to eat these 

little beauties for breakfast (Ok, I had one). These are best a little warm, so eat them fresh or throw them into the microwave for a few seconds.

What You'll Need:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 cup butter or margarine (a stick)

1/2 cup granulated sugar (I always use a little less than what the recipe calls for)

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup rolled oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 3-4 baking sheets.

2. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl. Set aside

3. With an electric mixer, cream together butter or margarine and the sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy (TIP: If your butter isn't room temp, slice it up into pieces and microwave for 20 seconds)

4. Add flour and beat on low speed until well blended. Stir in rolled oats and choc chips. Drop heaped teaspoonfuls on baking sheets, spacing dough about 1 inch apart. 

5. Bake for about 15 minutes (depends on oven power) until just firm around the gue but still soft to the touch in the center. With a slotted spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.

Makes 60

Recipe taken from Cookies by Hilaire Walden

#4: On a Mission: Collecting

I love going to thrift stores and finding super deals

on super things. Well, i'm collecting amber or yellow-colored glasses, vases, etc. Why? Well, stay tuned :).

 These two are my newest finds.

#5: The Feed Store, in Long Beach, CA.

 If you live in Long Beach, CA, checkout The Feed Store on Retro Row. It's the newest, vintage-thrift store whose proceeds go to providing food and other necessities to those in need. They have everything from clothes to home goods.

I found some cute doilies to craft with: 

 #5:Know that you're loved and have the capacity to love others.

There's a Love that's beyond words, beyond feelings, and beyond your wildest dreams. It's not fleeting. It's eternal. It's hopeful. In it there is joy and peace.

"Oh, how He loves us."

Thanks for comin' along for my first Hodge Podge Friday. I hope you come back and visit really soon. Have a great day :).