Cold Depths

The water, not too cold, but heavy, like an animal that might not be your friend surrounded us as we floated barely on the surface, the water deepening out below.  She closed her eyes and I snapped away.

lillian rachel.

Pit Stop

In the middle of nowhere this summer- I honestly don't remember, probably somewhere between upstate Michigan and South Dakota, we stopped for gas, watermelon bubble gum, and to stretch our legs.  I snapped a couple pictures of the girls.

lillian rachel.

This is my brother.

This is my brother.  His name is Jack.  He is thoughtful and kind and goofy and serious and ridiculous. He can make you smile.  He makes Office jokes constantly and is a soccer player/ snowboarder/ longboarder.  He likes his "bro-tee".  He gets bedhead all the time.  He is a goof of a model.  He *thinks* that he will be a better driver than me when he gets his license.  He also thinks his music is better than mine.  That is false.  He hates being short.  He is starting his first online classes tomorrow and I'm really excited for him, I've loved my omnibus class and I can't wait for him to too.  He sometimes cooks spaghetti but only when he has too.  But it tastes really yummy.  I love him, even though sometimes we don't get along. ;)     

Summer sundaes

At grandma and Grandpa's.  We went to the grocery store with a list shouted at us on the way to the car.  "what do you want on your sundae?" "crushed walnuts" "nerds" "whipped cream" "gummi bears"

We searched the store for all the best things.  Bulk candy and peanut butter shell.  I love my cousins a lot.  When we got home the power went out and we worried for our ice cream, but the power came on later that evening after we had passed the time snacking on chips and dip and homemade bread and hummus and playing phase ten.  We took goofy pictures and laughed and reached over one another and didn't finish all ten phases before the power came back on and people came and went and then we had sundaes.

Summer sundaes you will be missed.

lillian rachel

Blueberry picking

Man was it hot.  We went blueberry picking at my grandma and grandpa's house in upstate New York when we visited them this summer, and it was so hot that you started sweating just standing outside.  My cousins and aunts and one of my uncles, and my parents and siblings and grandma went picking and my aunt wanted to fill several buckets full to take home and freeze, so we had some serious work to do.  Of course, the heat kind of got in the way, and we stopped picking earlier than we had hoped, but it was still a really fun time talking and laughing and filling our buckets with luscious blue berries.  And maybe we filled our stomachs too.  

lillian rachel. 

In Starbucks

I am sitting in Starbucks.  My legs are a little cold, and I need to get to my chemistry homework.  But I'm looking around me and I'm just suddenly awed by life.  There is a couple sitting outside who I would love to photograph.  They look kind of young, he's drinking a frapp and she has a iced green tea.  He is wearing a crisp light blue pinstriped shirt and she is wearing a black and white cardigan.  There is a man across from me who definitely doesn't know I'm writing about him.  Oops, maybe he does, we just made eye contact.  He's reading what looks like a coffee table photography book, I can't quite tell, and he brought his own mug for his black coffee.  He has cool black and green leather nike hightops.   

A man in paint-splattered whites just walked out with two hot drinks, and there is a group of three sitting and chatting.  The man has a nice beard.  

I don't know, I should be doing chemistry, but instead I'm writing this down, because we don't often think about the lives around us do we?  I so often write about myself- you know, twitter, facebook, instagram... everything is so geared to bring attention to ourselves and I guess in this little moment I just want to capture the lovelyness of everyday life, of people.  There are lives and pains and joys and sadness and sillyness and love in each person around us, and we cannot even fathom a portion of these lives.  Just think how precious each person around us is.  

And so often I just sit back and keep in my own little world.  Or even worse, I'm rude to some stranger just because I'm not happy at that moment.  

So here's my little reminder for myself- treasure life.  Because each person around us has a story, and how amazing those stories must be.  And you know what?  I am really grateful and in love with my Creator who fathomed those stories and planted those loves and watered those friendships and yes, allowed that pain.  It's all for His glory, and I just think He is great.  

Back to chemistry.

lillian rachel. 

5 am.

Arriving at my grandmother's house at five in the morning after my shift of driving since midnight, and falling asleep on the dock.

lillian rachel.