dallas + hope spoken

a couple weeks ago (okay, a month) my sister and i found ourselves in dallas for one of my favorite weekends of 2015 so far... Hope Spoken. it's a women's conference started by three of my favorite bloggers, "celebrating the hope we have in Jesus and sharing our stories for His glory." i had dreamed of going, as did many others, because the tickets sold out in a ridiculous, under 24 hours amount of time + i wasn't one of the lucky ones. BUT, what felt random, but was obviously so meant to be, a giveaway came about for two tickets and we got them... i mean, i never win anything, but this was gold. 

the weekend was wonderful. i left my babies for the first time EVER in the history of being a mother, and it was so hard +  i thought i might not get myself to pull out of the driveway, but i prayed and asked God to help me let go + have open hands, and trust Chris as my partner to take the best care of them... and as expected, he did. (we're talking videos as he went into their room when lucy woke in the mornings, pictures galore + even updates on the diaper rash i had left behind... :) he's a good daddy + husband.) i was thankful to have left them in good hands, and to have taken the weekend for myself and for my own spirit to be rejuvenated. 

we met wonderful people, listened to some of the most wonderful speakers, ate and ate, saw some family, tried our first Sprinkles Cupcake ATM + bonded as sisters even more than i thought we were capable of. it was truly a wonderful weekend. i naturally took a couple billion photos + so here we are! our weekend in dallas for hope spoken, in pictures...

our first day in town we had a few hours to kill before the event started, not enough time to venture to our hometown to see any of our family unfortunately, but enough time to grab an uber and find a place we had never been for lunch! we chose potbelly sandwich works... if you know me, this might surprise you that i'd even consider a place with that name... but the cute atmosphere won. two thumbs up for the food as well, and we were on our way to the event!

the decorations at the event were soooo beautiful... like want them in my home year round beautiful. we all got checked in, met our precious small group leader, ate too many sweets + heard our first speaker, jen hatmaker... she is so funny, and AMEN, i needed to hear what she had to say. we finished the night worshipping with Jason Castro, and it was truly so special + i still couldn't believe we were actually there.

^^^i'm not gluten free, but the gluten filled table had already been seriously nommed on + wasn't picture worthy anymore, so gluten free photo it is!

day two!

^^^i mean, we hardly knew what to do with ourselves without babies around

^^^got to see our aunt + uncle who lived only a couple minutes from where we were staying! SUCH a great night with them, honestly it was probably my favorite night of the weekend! lemondrop martinis, cupcakes + good conversation are always wins for me, plus my uncle greg says funny things like, "she's a teacup + saucer away from a full place setting" when referring to someone's crazy... crying laughing emojis for days.

^^^the sweetest small group around. SO happy to have spent the weekend with these wonderful women + to have had Mandy Castro leading us! Thank you Jesus!

hello monday.

Last week my siblings, husband and i made an unplanned trip to arizona. Something I haven't talked about on this blog is cancer. Not just cancer as a whole, but specifically the cancer that has found its temporary home on my dads lung. Six years ago, my dad was diagnosed with throat cancer & after fighting like a champ, 6 months later, found himself cancer free! He has been clear of it for such a long time, but when a nagging cough & trouble breathing lasted longer than your average cold, he went in to get checked out and that is when they found this new cancer. In the exact place they said it would set up shop, should it ever return. 

There are not many things I hate. Hate is such a strong word. Even hearing myself say it sounds harsh... But I hate cancer. I hate seeing my loved ones in pain or struggle. I hate that MY dad's life is the one at stake. It just doesn't seem fair.

So, a month ago, my parents went down to Scottsdale Arizona to a treatment facility where my dad could receive naturopathic healing & a very specific chemo that we are praying will heal him, without all of the awful side effects regular chemo has on the human body.

My sisters,  husband and i have been here in colorado holding down the fort, taking care of my younger brothers, the shop & all of the pets. After a long 3 weeks, and a lot of missing each other, my parents were finally coming home for a quick, weekend visit! Things however, took a sudden turn when my dad broke out in a fever & chills before boarding their flight. Thankfully, they rushed to the ER, and doctors started working on him. He had gotten pneumonia, fluid in his lungs & a staph infection in his blood, and he went from totally normal to super scary, my mom flying us all down in case, fast. Praise God for healing him after a week long stay & for him being able to get back into his regular treatments again! The plan as of now is for them to be down there for 3-5 more weeks of treatment, and then hopefully coming home cancer free, just in time for the holidays. What a wonderful celebration that will be. We are so hopeful & have all of our faith in God. Only He can work miracles, and i pray daily that my dad is due for one! I would appreciate YOUR prayers too! 

Here’s our quick trip through iPhone photos. Thankfully, by the time we got down there, my dad was stable & we were able to spend a lot of time sitting with him & being with my mom. The update today is that, he looks & is feeling GREAT, and to look at him you’d never know he has such a hard last week or that he isn’t 100% healthy :) Thank you Jesus!

here & there: nyc edition.

okay, okay. i agree, one week is max for posting about one trip! so i tried my best to feature a few things & then compile the last kajillion photos into a simple… here & there in nyc post. to say the least, it was a wonderful trip. i love my brother & sister SO SO SO SO much & had a great time with them! nyc is a fun place & there is so much to see and do! this won’t be my last trip… however next time, i’m going when it’s fall or winter & not a million degrees out :)

happy weekend!

central park.

the metropolitan museum of art.

grand central station. (totally felt like i was on gossip girl)

brooklyn bridge.

oh yea… and a bird pooped on me… part of the damage on my dress ha!