trace & adriana. a wedding video.

i guess i am updating the content previously shared with the images complimenting them in a backwards order. my younger cousin drew has been on a video mash-up kick. they are awesome. enjoy.

life, in fast forward

i have to apologize for the neglect i have casted to my little blog and its few trusty followers. so much in the past six months has changed it is astounding to see where my life is today. if i was able to project from where i was six months ago i would not have believed the person delivering the exciting, sad, noteworthy news that seems like it should belong in the story of someone else's life.

jump to this summer. in between the past three weekends of travels i am filling my time with work, my senior capstone class, and an internship...wait i am a senior?! ah that is a thought to tackle in another post, soon to come. i am loving my class as it concentrates on communication theories with a sociological perspective. maybe i am just a nerd but i really love going to my 4 and a half hour class tuesdays and thursdays. i am interning for a non-protit organization in ventura. although i am early into the start of working for this internship it has already shown itself to be a significantly rewarding life experience.

living from my suitcase. san diego. arizona. thousand oaks. arizona. texas. a whirlwind tour. immediately after my last final i scurried down to my dear friend julianna's wedding! it was absolutely beautiful, genuine, full of raw emotion, and most of all incredibly FUN. it was one for the books. her outdoor theme combined with a classic style put interest boards to shame as it so effortlessly represented both her an her husband.  pictures to come in another post as well.

the evans wedding ended but another adventure began as i road tripped with my best friend jacqueline to arizona for her younglife interview which she nailed and will now be living and working in scottsdale, az!! i could not be more excited for her as God takes her on this journey across the country doing something she has an amazing heart for. spending time with family was much needed as i bounced back and forth from prescott to phoenix. leaning on God and trusting him with my whole heart also comes with the trust in his timing. with the sunshine does come the rain and i am so grateful i have him to comfort me in times of suffering.

leaving my family was extremely hard in a time when i wanted to be with them more than anything, but responsibility calls and life does not pause. i had to start my summer class, continue working and start my internship. i am grateful to be busy and have these amazing opportunities. 

i was only in thousand oaks for three days before i was jet-setting back to arizona for my brother and cousins high school graduation. more of the family craziness that i love. a short trip which brought tears of joy, laughter and quality time ended too quickly. i was back on the plane to carry out my duties for the week.

next stop, el paso, texas!! my oldest cousin got married to the perfect woman wile simultaneously bringing two families filled with love, fun, and extraordinary family values together to celebrate. this was a beautiful ceremony followed but a fun-filled reception. my younger cousin drew made a video mash-up of the weekend's festivities. (soon to come) weddings really should be a weekend long in my opinion. i loved the way they incorporated so many family values into the entirely of this weekend.

LP Round 1

all the saba gang, plus a few extras we picked up along the way were rounded up as we set out on our annual adventure to explore the great depths of lake powell!  every year i look forward to this crazy, chaotic, assortment of people thrown together on a little old houseboat we like to call a family trip. my family has been going since before i was born! and later that year when I was just 6 months old i was granted the privilage of embarking on this adventure although i dont remember much of anything from this trip, i'm sure it was a blast. once i learned to crawl and eventually walk potentially out of my mother's sight, my invitation to the saba family lake trip was postponed until i was about 7. then all i could remember was that i had to wear a life jacket pretty much 24/7 and that i hated being the "little kid" of the trip, because of course all of my cool older cousins did not have to wear their life jackets when they were eating, sleeping, and just breathing. of course at this young age i did not see the reasoning my mother had behind this strict rule, which i despised so much.

after years had passed and i was no longer the youngest on the trip, we upgraded houseboats, this brings me to this year's trip!

we set sail to camp our newly acquired houseboat, Howie Doin? to the beautiful padre bay. with luck and some scouters we found the perfect spot! one we the anchor ropes were tied we started to set up camp and started cooking! sometimes as silly as it sounds i feel like this trip very well could revolve solely around the meals; what we are having, who is cooking and the scariest question of all, who is on dish duty?? i must say the food is exquisite, i must say no one ever goes hungry on this trip. with the amazing cooking of my grandma , aunts and uncles, and everyone else who helps fill in between it feels like a week of non-stop eating delicious foods, especially lebanese night. my favorite!

between meals our time is filled with jet skiing, wake boarding, tubing, and waterskiing. we have a blast on the water as well as on land. at night there are campfires with great company and a beautiful atmosphere. another one of my favorite things about this trip is the scenery. you couldn't ask to be stranded with 23 people on one houseboat in a more beautiful place! jokes aside, when the sun reflects off of the red rocks making a perfect reflection on the water as it sits like glass. all is peaceful. i marvel at the astounding creation that this place is, and take a moment to thank and almighty creator that i can enjoy His creation surrounded by the love of my family!

as the trip itself is a tradition, there are many smaller traditions within the trip as a whole. once safely ensured that we are along the utah border we have a thrilling night of fireworks!! this year's firework show filled with bright colors and loud bangs was extra special! my oldest cousin trace, proposed to his girlfriend audrey right there, down on one knee in the sand, headlamp and all underneath the shine of the moon and the blaze of fireworks...and she said yes!! tears were flowing and family was smiling. it was an awesome surprise and i know she will be an awesome addition to this wild family.

all and all it was a wonderful trip. with a minor setback of the top of our houseboat ripping off, the hot afternoon wind carried it right off and into the neighboring waters beside our houseboat. aside the damages to the boat, thankfully no one was hurt. being on the top of the houseboat just soaking up some early afternoon sun it was unreal to see the powerful micro-bursts of wind detach the metal canopy along with the railing off of the boat through the air and into the water, it looked like something out of the movie twister! this did cut our trip short as it altered the functionality of the electricity inside of the boat and we had to head in to the docks...topless! the boat of course ;)

masterpiece

HE>i

 HE>i (HEgreaterthani) is a lifestyle company. They create apparel and other gear inspired foremost by our faith in God and His word. They also gained inspiration from the art scene,  friendships, and surf & skate cultures.

The idea for the name came in 2003 while trying to think of something clever to put on the main screen of a Nokia phone. After browsing through the selection of symbols, the '>' symbol seemed to stick out. John 3:30 came to mind. It says, 'He must become greater and greater; I must become less and less.'
Today, they are a full-time company sending out orders globally. Their home base is on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. By choice, they only sell directly to  customers. So, their gear can only be purchased on their website, in their shop on the North Shore, or at events they attend. with minimal writing it portrays this very powerful message, and says it like it is...or how it should be.


check out their website here

all knowing wisdom

i have only been to this bible study two times and we are studying the different attributes that God has. among His perfectness we are focusing on love, all powerful, all knowing, and more to come.

last week we studied His wisdom. ultimately as a christian I know that God has a perfect plan for me, but what i sometimes struggle with is wholeheartedly trusting that plan and giving Him complete control. it was really made clear to me through this teaching that God plans purposefully in my life and he has chose each entity of my life exactly for me. everything about my small life he has placed carefully together from my past decisions, what i will eat for dinner tonight to the amazing people he puts in my life. it is a miracle if you really think about it. each step we take is carefully watched over by our creator. each of us is a part of this astounding creation for a reason. each action we partake in is leading up to, or a part of what He has planned for our life. therefore if i know these facts why would i try to determine my own life? He has complete control and i am working each day to wholeheartedly trust in Him.

do something.

that scares you

for yourself

nice for someone else, with no expectations of anything in return

you have always dreamed of

you have never imagined to do

brave

or

silly

for no reason other than you genuinely want to

because it is Sunday

in the name of love

you felt you were called to do

that keeps you young, do not let age defy the joy of blowing bubbles or playing tic-tac-toe

spontaneous and adventurous

anything

and do that something, whatever it may be, do it today, with no fears that anything will stand in your way, for we do not always have the securities of tomorrow to lean on. Do not be shy, live for yourself and stay true to your morals and beliefs. Do not hesitate in life. Be sure of yourself and do not be afraid to be wrong. Speak your mind, others do not always know what you are thinking. In life we must take chances and live the life we were given. What is the point of always holding back? We feel we cannot read a good book because we do not have time. Must we always live by the concept of time? Relax and remember to breathe. Our work and responsibilities of everyday life will always be there waiting for us when the day is done. What are we waiting for? Let us live in the here and now. The possibilities are endless and only you can make them a reality.