Wedding Photos

On May 17, 2014, I said "I do" to my sweetheart. And it was the loveliest day. Every single moment of the day, I saw and felt God's grace. He has his hand over everything in a way I could never explain. 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.

None of this would have been possible without all the work and support of our incredible friends and family. My bridal party was sincerely the biggest collection of excellent humans you could ever find. Ryan and I love you guys so much, thanks big time for all your hard work. To Stephanie (maid of honor), Caitlin (bridesmaid & new sister!), and my dad.. oh my gosh, words fail me here. Thank you so much for all you guys did.
There are many others who helped too. We are just so thankful to have these people in our lives. Tears and a heart full of gratitude every time I think about it.

Hom Photography delivered more than 1000 ridiculously amazing photos to us and somehow I narrowed it down to 200-something. Lauren and Bryant, thank you so so much.

I'd say a few words about how freaking thrilled Ryan and I were to finally marry each other but I think the pictures speak for themselves :)

Engagement Photos

HUGE thanks to Lauren and Bryant at Hom Photography for these photos. Ryan and I couldn't be happier with them. Stay tuned because they will be shooting our wedding too.. CAN'TWAIT :D

Also, pardon my laughing dinosaur face hahah. My fiancé is a funny guy and makes me drown in giggles. 

Engagement :)!

So it was our two year anniversary, and we got all dressed up for dinner to celebrate. I wanted to take some photos beforehand, since the last time we got all fancy we ran out of time and couldn't get any pictures. And I wanted to do it in a nicer location than in the street of my sorta ghetto neighborhood, so I came up with the brilliant idea to go to a specific lookout to take the photos. I asked my roommate Stephanie if she could come with us to take them, and she was so nice to say yes! 

Little did I know is that Ryan had planned to propose there that very day at that very time, and Stephanie was planning on coming anyways to take photos of the whole ordeal. Now they didn't need to come up with some hilarious reason to get me on the edge of a mountain while I'm in high heels before dinner. Hahaha soo I don't know how that inception worked out, but yepppp it was pretty hilarious that it became my own idea. And several smaller issues came up and I almost called off the whole photoshoot off so we could just get to dinner, and I was pretty confused when Ryan and Stephanie were so insistent that we take some pictures :) haaa. So needless to say, when we walked to the end of the point and I saw the set up, I was completelyyy shocked. And it was then that I finally knew what was about to happen!!!!

Galilee, Part 2

Day 3 of our Galilee trip was a game changer for me. By God's grace, I had felt great all of IBEX (well, except for the flu in the middle there haha)! When I woke up that morning, I felt sick (those close to me will know what I mean when I say that), and this sickness continued through the rest of the semester. As a result, my photo taking really diminished, so I can't really say that the rest of Galilee was fully documented and that makes me so sad!!!.. but for what I did get, enjoy!

Galilee, Part 1

Galilee is easily the most anticipated trip of the entire IBEX semester. It is 8 glorious days in northern Israel, and much of it really feels more like a vacation than a field study. Early Saturday morning arrived, and we all scrambled on the bus with our bags and books and eager souls!!! 

Adventures in Greece, Part 3

We woke up to heavy rain on the 7th day of our Greek adventure. Wanting to make the most of our time in Greece, we put on our rain jackets and battled the weather. Thankfully the rain continued to lessen and within a few hours, the sky was clear!

Adventures in Greece, Part 2

Day 4 of our adventure was wonderfully slow-paced which was much needed. Our weeks in Israel before Greece were fully packed and we jumped right into full, long days in Greece. Though my spirit was willing and excited to explore, my flesh was weak, bruised, and tired.. hahaha. So I thought it was really kind of God to send a rainstorm over Santorini :)

Adventures in Greece, Part 1

IBEX has its own version of spring break where the students are allowed to leave the country and explore the world (but mostly just Europe heh). Me, Sarah G, Lexi, Sarah S, Elizabeth, Bryant, Taylor, and Jaden decided to go to Greece for our travel break... aaaand it was the best decision ever :) We spent 9 days traveling around the country and fell in love.

My Dad Visited Israel :)

Let me start off by saying I would not be in Israel right now if it wasn't for my dad. There was absolutely no way I could have afforded a semester abroad on my own, but with his generous help, I was able to come. I can't thank him enough for his support and his sacrifice. I love you dad!!

Negev Days 3 & 4

At 8:14am (Bill loves his precise times haha), we loaded back onto the bus for day 3 of our desert adventure. Continuing in the Negev Highlands from the day before, we made our way to the Timnah Valley and spent a good part of our day there. Our first stop was at what's known as Solomon's Pillars.. which is an impressive rock formation named after Solomon himself.

Negev Day 2

We stayed the night at Mitzpeh Ramon in a youth hostel. It was my first experience in a hostel! I stayed with five other girls and we had a great time :) The hostel was right next to Machtesh Ramon. Machtesh means "crater". It was quite a sight to behold.. I've never seen anything like it. Many times photos don't do something justice, and this is the epitome of that. This giant 3000 ft high crater was formed by a large body of water literally scooping out its insides (come on world, that's evidence of the flood). Close to the edge, you can see it's a looooonngg way down.

Negev Day 1

Welcome to Day 1 of our four day trip to the Negev region of Israel! Negev means south and dry.. keyword: dry. It is a huge barren desert with very little rain and fresh water resources. In order to live in this part of the country, you have to totally and completely depend on God due to this climatic instability (if there's no rain.. yooouu'rree toast!) Oddly enough, this lil section of land was highly coveted by surrounding peoples because it connects the coast to Transjordan (other side of the Jordan River) with its routes.. so it's not just a good for nothin chunk of dirt and sand :) 

Shephelah: Round Two

We got to go back to the Shephelah region!! To see our first adventure to this part of the country, visit Shephelah: Round One

Tel Aviv

Aside from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv is the biggest city in Israel. It's lines the coast of the Mediterranean sea, making it a prime beach location, and its city-ness reminded me so much of Los Angeles. I almost didn't feel like I was in Israel at some parts throughout the day.

Shephelah: Round One

This was the best trip to date, no doubt. The Shephelah region in Israel is one of my favorite parts of the country. It's green, lush, and beautiful. I loved every moment of it. Known as the lowlands, you descend into the Shephelah from the Hill Country of Judah (where I live). It's awesome to see with your eyes the places that the Old Testament describes so intricately. 

Purim Celebration

Purim falls in the end of the month of February. It's a Jewish Holiday where the account of Esther is read, and they celebrate the deliverance of the Jewish people out of Haman's (a real bad Persian man who wanted to kill them) hands. Think of it as a kind of halloween. We dressed up in costumes and got to perform a short skit. It was a great night!! :) 

Jerusalem Approaches

This field study focused on the different ways to get into the city of Jerusalem. It is most easily accessed from the north, but there are also eastern and southern approaches as well. We had a great time exploring the land!!

Non-Field Study Updates

I live in such a beautiful area of Israel, the Hill Country region. My quiet times with Jesus find new locations frequently, because there is so much to explore even just in the area around the moshav. One of my fav things to do is to read Scripture with the mountainous terrain surrounding me accompanied by the cold Israeli breeze and the warm sun. It gives a different meaning to the text. The weather that I feel on my skin here is the same that Jesus felt on His.. He felt the same wind, the same sun warmth, the same rain droplets, the same cool nights. I love living here.  

Benjamin

Finally our first field study outside of Jerusalem! We explored the allotment of land that was given to the tribe of Benjamin.

Jerusalem: New Testament

Everytime I visit Jerusalem, I'm amazed at how big the city is and how much diversity exists inside those city walls. On this field study, I went to parts I've never seen before even though I've spent several full days in Jerusalem. There is always more to see here. I know I say this on every post but... I love this place.