Unsteady Ground

Our church is doing an area on Journey's which we're going through the book of John..

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This series couldn't have come at a better time. I'm going through a new season, I'm feeling my heart torn into multiple different ways.. and as much as I want to be with Jesus I see myself clinging to what is here, what I can physically grasp to. 

I am working towards letting go. 

I'm working on having nothing: Jesus+Nothing=Everything 

I am scared of moving, to be completely honest I'm scared of how A and I will turn out. I find myself praying for us daily, I find myself thrown into a state of depression which becomes scarily clear to those around me before myself. 

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I'm on unsteady ground. I am not sure where my future will lead, but I am sure that I'm starting to cling more to my Father than to anything else.. which in itself is scary. 

I am looking at getting that tattoo, I was thinking about how my pastors wife said "YOU ARE NOT A MISTAKE!" and that verse makes me feel like I'm not, I was not and HE LOVES ME! 

I have a torn life right now, and I'd appreciate prayers for it.. 

Long Exposure Photography | Titlow Beach, University Place WA

So Easter weekend I took advantage of the beautiful weather and took some long exposure shots at a beautiful spot in UP/Tacoma called Titlow Beach. I've done pictures with A here, shot an "engagement" session there and also just hung out with my pup. He loves to swim and try to eat seagulls. I look forward to experimenting with long exposure for the remainder of our time in Washington.. I'd like to take one of the lake at the base of Mt. Rainier.. or in the Olympic Peninsula.  But until the summer, these are what I have! 

PS to check out any other photography check out my site here.

Living for Him

So.. lets talk faith, lets get down to the nitty gritty of faith.. 

So I am Christian, this meaning I follow Christ and fully believe He died for me. 

Do I always live up to the sacrifice He made? Nope, not even close.

Do I constantly mess up and have to ask for forgiveness? Yes, all.the.time 

So what exactly is the nitty gritty? 

...coming to terms with the fact that I slipped into my old ways

drinking, cursing, no modesty and yes... being the ultimate sinner, living a life that Christ wouldn't like. 

Boom, there I was the other day (lets say December when Jessica came home) and here is my beautiful friend, giving her all to Christ and letting Him take her sins, take her hurt and just being overjoyed with the fact that HE IS! I start thinking. Contemplating. Praying. 

These prayers led me to Fresh Start.

Fresh Start led me to coming clean about sins, feeling like He was calling me and tugging on my heart.. 

and that led to me wanting to worship HIM to constantly praise HIM and to live my life for HIM. 

weird. 

Why? Because my family looks "down" (it seems that way to me, my family has never really been on board with my faith) on it.

A is almost there, but questions it 

and my past should keep me from Him, but it doesn't. 

So here I am, opening myself up for ridicule, for those who say "she's at it again" that my faith is shallow, like myself, and that I'm doing this for the attention. But I truly feel that I am turning a page, beginning anew and wouldn't be able to do that without His grace & mercy. 

But if anyone would like to help along the way, be my friend or sister in Christ, please ... don't hesitate. I am unable to go to my church, hopefully that changes soon! but I am always up for fellowship and if you're in Washington we should meet up for coffee.. because I need friends with similar faith and that's what I feel is important on this road. 

-Acacia 

living with my big sister 2.0

Coming from a family of four kids and being the youngest you really realize later on in life how much you like living with your siblings

Me (baby) keelan (brother) and kira off to the left is tally the other sister

The biggest thing I've come to love about my sister being here for the next few weeks is that 1. she cleans and I don't have to, and 2. her boyfriend is a great cook! But really, she's my sister and its nice to have family around. We get to talk about fashion and life and get things squared away.. I've looked at the apartments she & Dave are searching for and found that.. HEY maybe in a few months when A PCSs I'll be looking for something similar! Its nice to also have someone in your corner.. I feel a lot through living in WA that people suck.. and therefore having someone who you automatically call a friend/sister is the best thing ever. 

Us in seattle 2011

We used to fight and get on each others nerves, we also used to think the other was constantly annoying! But now that we're in our 20's have lived in other states and gotten to actually know each other aside from being sisters... we're friends.

I look forward to hanging out with my sister and having her around.. I can only tell other little sisters that it does get better, your siblings DO become your friends and they don't hate you all the time (if you fought like us, you probably understand) 

so heres to being family and having a mutual interest in face making, noises and calling Dave a douche (its a joke) 

Fashion | Washington + Rain

So I've been in the PacNW for the last four years, Washington for three... and I have to say that for the first 3 years I didn't own a winter coat, rain jacket, umbrella, rain boots or anything remotely decent for rainy weather. I'm from Arizona, this mythical thing called rain rarely happens there.. and yet I moved to the raniest state.. genius award. 

Now things that you definitely should spend your money on? A good rain coat w/ the zip out liner. I recommend Columbia or North Face, both amazing, but Columbia is a little cheaper -at times- than North Face. 

Rain boots- just get some, trust me. 

Boots - I had some cowboy boots, till Bru ate one, now I have no boots and am sad.. bring on the sister and her $10 Frye boots! 

Umbrella, though I don't use one, I hear they work wonders! 

But just because its chilly and rainy doesn't mean you have to turn in your summer wardrobe. In fact I wear my summer/spring clothes year round by layering on with my fall clothes. These two style boards are from my pinterest that I absolutely LOVE. Though add more color if you live up here, seasonal depression is a killer. 

I hope to make more attempts at fashion blogging, with my sister moving up here I'll finally have someone that I can A. have dress me + update my style and B. take pictures. You'll more than likely see her fashions on here more than mine, but hey.. use your resources, right?! 

I hope you ladies enjoy the fall/winter, and those in the PacNW feel free to let me know your must haves for the rainy season. 

-Acaica

Exciting

My big sister is moving to Washington!!!!!! I'm so excited, I finally get to have my best friend (girl) in my life again, full time, and my very own fashion expert. Seriously, you have no idea. 

K & I are four years apart, and it took us living apart for the last 5 years to really value our friendship as sisters.. so to say having her be here is amazing is probably an understatement. 

I can't wait. 

These next 1.5 month(s) will hopefully go by quickly, since I get two great presents before Christmas it truly makes life better... now if only A could come home early.. hmmm. 

great adventures, great goals.

I'm finding that as I grow older, I long to go on adventures and travel.. but lots locally. I have time to see the Eiffel Tower and go to the Great Wall -hopefully- but until I can afford to go on such lavish adventures.. might as well start with my own backyard. 

So now I bring you to: The Bucket List (its a title, it gets caps) 

Not your average bucket list, this is my PNW bucket list, what I must do before we either PCS or I move to another place. The PNW has always had a special place in my heart, not so much Washington,  but Oregon. I spent summers here as a child with my grandparents and cousins, and longed to move here after graduating high school.. but some situations arose and before I knew it I was headed down a path that seemed so not me I was on my way to being a bride, to living my life being a housewife. After the Navy deal, I moved to Dallas, OR which is by all means a small, small town. But I was surrounded by family and people I really wanted to get to know.. but then I grew restless and idiotic again. I moved to Washington, got myself a 9-5 at a daycare and promptly began hating my life.. loathing it and here I've been.. sitting in my tiny little house with my giant dog and not really embracing where I live. I've done some shooting, some swimming and some boating.. but not really traveled. Last summer I got an itch, I hiked a little of Mt. Rainier! But now its time to REALLY embrace it. Become a Northwesterner and love where I am. -Some of this was brought on by my recent readings of Wild by Cheryl Strayed) 

PCT of Washington Via

Visit at least 10 spots of the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail)
Visit the Olympic Rain Forrest
Try paddle boarding on the Puget Sound
Go kyaking
Visit Alki beach in Seattle
Go snowboarding at Crystal Mountain
Visit all the "weird" landmarks of Seattle
Go whale watching
Go to Eastern Washington

Knowing the military and their awesomeness -and also the boyfriend- I have about two years to accomplish this, maybe more.. who knows, I don't want to give myself a small time frame, I want to enjoy ALL this state has to offer. The drinking and night life, the idiotic people I run into from post.. all the things that make me want to leave are not truly what this state has to offer.
Washington isn't my "home" Oregon is, but since I'm not in Oregon.. I might as well enjoy this temporary state of living. 

Oh heyyyyy

HEEEEY GIRL! 

ok.. its been awhile.. and I'm a terrible blogger and life seems to have gotten the better of me.. we finally had some sunshine, I went on my bosses boat which was pretty exciting! I saw Rainier in a whole new manner.. in the middle of a freaking lake. 

I went on a cleaning/decorating spree with my house, though we'll only be here for another year (maybe) or so. I've finally started putting pictures up, and ordering some sweet home state prints for A & myself. Obviously AZ & OR, but with WA in the middle with "where it all began" its kind of a surprise for A when he gets back, speaking of, we're OVER A MONTH DOWN WOOOOOOFREAKINGHOOOOOOOO! This deployment is going quickly, A is busy and so am I... which makes for mundane conversations, but at least I'm that much closer to being with him again.

My dad is coming to town in a few weeks for my twenty-fourth birthday, yeah buddy! Mr. Dad and & I go way back.. like to conception.. and we're pretty much the same -just ask mom- so I'm excited to introduce him to some of my favorite Washington haunts and some of the people in this world of mine. 

Bru baby is doing well, at 8 months he's just over 100lbs and standing at my hips, well his head is. My Brutus is such a big guy :) and he melts my heart a lot.. except when he digs, that gets under my skin.

I hope at some point (probably September) I'll be able to start making picture posts and what not, being that I have a "desk top" laptop kinda makes it difficult to want to come into this office.. maybe if I decorate it?? I guess I could start.

-Acacia

hello, hello, hello!

I guess starting a new blog twice in one year is kinda crazy, but finding my "blog home" is pretty important in order for me to even continue blogging. You may remember me from "The NOT TACP wife" which later changed to "the best of me" then was promptly deleted. HA! 

This blog is non-centered.. meaning? Well, its about everything and anything.. like it says "Love, life and some hello's" since a lot of being in the current career field of A, we say "see ya" a lot and so we get a lot more hello's than most. 

Obviously he's a TACP, but not for long. :) 

After this week, I decided to go full force into blogging again.. it was one of those weeks that just knocks you on your bum time and time again. So I found some comfort in (terribly) designing my blog.. any help is welcome *hint* so here I am, the twenty something living in the Northwest with a giant malamute, who at seven months is almost 90 lbs, and sans boyfriend of three years because he's off galavanting in God knows where. 

And here I am, blogging before I have to run off to church! I bet you're just itching to know more, but I suppose saving more for another date is wise.. especially since I really need to get going. Enjoy this place, I hope I will.. and keep A and all his guys in your prayers if ya don't mind. 

-Acacia