it's 5:31 in california, and i'm missing home.

they said you'd feel it, after the excitement of adventure and the congratulatory remarks wore off: you'd feel it sewn into your spine when you smelled a certain scent on the breeze or noted the absence thereof. you'd feel it when you realized the crickets didn't sing to each other out the window at dusk. you'd feel it when the hills slipped away, replaced by endless miles of woods and foreign red ocean. 

the timepiece by my bed says 7:30, but in my mind it's 5:30 back in California and the sun is slanting through the lattice french doors, spilling august, honey-tinted light all over the dining room floors. the open windows are allowing a sweet breeze to let full reign through the house, while a dove's gentle cooing haunts the otherwise serene world out of doors. on the other side of the garage, heirloom tomatoes are warm and ripe under the age-old lilac tree. 

it's 5:31 back in California, 
and i'm missing home. 
xx 
postscript // a playlist pour vous that reminds me of home. 

birds of a feather flock together | in which the goose and the turkey {ie my twin sis gabby} finally meet

Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.

// l. m. montgomery // 

three years ago, by some great chance {though in my experience with these things, it's not so much Fate but by the incredible direction of our faithful Heavenly Father}, a Southern gal happened to click on my long lost crafting blog which then directed her to this little corner of the blogging world. she left a comment, and one thing led after another, and three years full of lettering, phone calls, late night instant chatting, a handful of Skype dates, and nicknaming each other after poultry {don't ask} later lead up to this one day: when the goose and the turkey finally met. 

>> this girl. there's too much to say about her. she's probably one of the sweetest young ladies i know, and her tender, affable spirit is such an encouragement to so many. it isn't a wonder why fellows flock to her, why she's "miss extrodanaire" at the gypsy house, and i won't be surprised if in a few months, i hear word that she's the most popular girl at school. she's the epitome of southern hospitality and her laugh is kind of the cutest thing ever. but her smile is genuinely her loveliest feature, and you can't help but crack into a huge grin when you're around her. she's living proof of what a blessing the blogging world as a community can be. this is gabby. my Southern belle. my turkey girl. 
and it was an honor to meet her. 

the afternoon flew by rather quickly, but was filled to the brim with many giggles, smiles, and pinching ourselves to make sure the dream was all real. we ate lunch at five guys and wandered about in a bookshop across the way. skipping over to the mall in alexandria, we wandered a bit more {in an intense search of a photo booth X)} and purchased two cutesy necklaces that all best friends must have. afterwards, we returned to the book shop where we settled down over chai lattes and chatted about sweet tea and southern accents. being in the heart of town, we dragged my parents all over the alexandria parish to find a pretty green spot {that wasn't someone's yard} to snap a few photos; and finally found a few places after traipsing about {another word for trespassing} all over the countryside. 

overall, it was a never-to-be-forgotten-day, and louisiana will always claim a piece of my heart.
xx 

a summer in memoriam

MAI // 

Juin //

Juillet // 

{if you haven't noticed already...we took a lot of pictures when i was down in LA X) } 

AoÛT // 

all in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer - one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going - one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends, and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.

|| anne's house of dreams, lucy maud montgomery || 

summer twenty fourteen. where do i even begin?

this summertime was a romance novel, an adventure, a vibrant mosaic composed of both firsts and lasts. it was days painted in gold, and memories preserved in sepia tones rather than journals.

summer dawned early in may. textbooks were thrown away with jubilant celebrations, and i took my first plane trip in over seventeen years. this small town californian girl meeting pensacola's sugary white shores resulted in a culture shock for sure, but i think i have left a part of my heart there i have yet to recover.

weekends in june were spent with friends in lavender fields, swing dancing, and combing downton shops. other days were spent running after kids in muggy 90 degree weather, while evenings were filled with Skype dates and the planning of week and a half long trips.

july brought menagerie of adventures including that of visiting my dear OC family for 10 days, and my first stay in Arrowhead. from the time i met up with johanna in an azusa costco until the very last day when we parted over in n' out burgers - every single second was filled with uncontrollable laughter, frightful teasing, traditions two years established, inside jokes, and echoing memories that are now lining my shelf. out the three trips i've made down to LA, this year was by far the best.

august came in the blink of an eye, with a handful of goodbyes i was reluctant to say. last sunday, after weeks and weeks and WEEKS of misunderstandings, mishaps, and miscommunications; my family and i {along with my very dear friends} pulled off one of the best church gatherings i can even remember, as all my good friends bid me goodbye. read about it here. my best friends surprised me with a stunning coral dress {with a matching nautical bracelet} that i've been admiring ever since it was first displayed in my favorite downton shop. last night, we went shooting in the country and sat under a ceiling of never-ending stars as a last hurrah to summer. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

now, i'm here: my last day in cali, and tomorrow my parents and i are packing up the only life i've ever known for the past seventeen years, and making our way to florida over the next two weeks. i'll admit, that i've been swinging from wild excitement to utter terror all within these past 72 hours; but i am looking forward to the many adventures i'll be sharing come christmastime.

do tell me about your summers!
and to all you students/graduates who went faraway for college shoot me your best college advice + something that you couldn't live without in your college years. ;)

je t'aime beaucoup, mes amis. 
xx
listening to // c'est ça l'amour || laughter lines || make this leap || love like this

created for a place I've never known...

I've got my memories. always inside of me. but I can't go back. back to how it was. 

created for a place I've never known.  

this is home. now I'm finally where I belong. 

this is home // switchfoot 

|| the food in the florida? amazing!...and also mostly fried. (from right to left): shrimp po boy, fried avocado taco, grilled tuna w/lobster fennel sauce & smoked gouda grits ||

|| stills taken on my trip to pensacola, florida this past may || 

a lot of people think i'm crazy. moving from coast to coast, uprooting from small social circles only small towns offer. why are you leaving home? 

i sincerely believe there is a difference between "home" and "belonging." home is a gift, free so long as you freely receive it. it's not simply a house on a hill or four walls, but memories preserved in the people you choose to spend time with. it is laughter lines on grandparents and aunts who never fail to make you smile, and old photographs of your family tree on the mantel. it is siblings who wake you up early on christmas day and best friends who make it hard to leave. home is wherever the cliche "home is where the heart is" is kept alive. 

belonging, on the other hand, is not freely given. it is something that must be earned, that must be fought for with blood, sweat, and tears. it is enduring the broken hearts and the cuts from the jagged pieces. the misunderstandings and the disapprovals and the goodbyes you never in a million years dreamed of saying. it is the long nights tormented by homesickness and the missing and the tears over people who will forget you in time. but it is the peace that you feel when you know are where God has placed you. belonging is a place when you know you are in His will.  

California is and always will be my home. Florida, is where i know i'm bound. 

xx 

p.s. i know it's been quiet of late. college packing and prepping and last-minute get-togethers don't allow for much of blogging - for anything really. i'm still writing bits n' pieces {while i'm on the hunt for a blank journal}, though, and if you want to stop by my tumblr or instagram (gracethelavendergirl) and leave a note, I'd dearly love that.