22

a bit more independent.
a bit wiser.
a bit older.
ventidos
My birthday started off by going to school and then coming home and eating dinner with my family and two of my lifelong best friends.

It was nice.
I felt blessed.
God is good.

night
xo
-esther

sunday hike

a couple of instagram photos from a sunday hike I went on with David, Alyse, and Ryn.
Gotta love my dorky fanny pack and embarrassing shoes. They are the only athletic shoes I have. I got them for free on the Bonnie Hunt show.
Well I haven't much to say. Or perhaps it just that I don't have the time to say it. Tomorrow I have an early morning and I should already be fast asleep. My last night as a 21 year old. Gosh, why am I so incredibly dramatic.

night
xo
-es

every time

such mixed emotions.
my birthday approaches and i enter this peculiar stage
My mind experiences a combination sheer joy and a bit of fear.
this whole growing up thing is so strange.
22
twenty two?
Part of me thinks about how I'm just not ready to be "22".
I haven't figured it all out yet. This whole "life" thing and further more what exactly I'm going to do with mine. (career wise)
I mean I know what I want but it is not yet time for those things.
As much as I want it to be I must rely on the timing of my Savior and truth be told that is probably one of the hardest thing for me.
The whole trusting thing.
Trusting that my dream of having a family of my own will really happen.
Yep pretty darn difficult.

I still don't know exactly what I'm going to do after I finish school. I guess as a naive child I somehow thought by the time I was around 21 or 22 I would have these things figured out. Childhood was quite simple all major decisions were pretty much made for you. And then BAM you grow up and it's all in your hands. Of course your parents try to share the wisdom they have to guide you in your decision making but when it comes down to it you have the final say. Ahhh adulthood.

Lately I've been thinking about pursuing another job as a nanny or au pair. I really have that traveling bug! Ireland, Italy, or perhaps even back to Spain. Or maybe even a job stateside. Who knows?

I must say that when I do think about growing older I am yet again OVERWHELMED by the blessings God gave me in my 21st year.

Blessings that were wholeheartedly desired but absolutely undeserved.

I felt unbelievably blessed spending a semester living in England when I was 20. Little did I know that I would get the opportunity to experience life in Spain for a summer when I was 21. Sometimes I feel as if it were a dream.

My heart is so grateful for the many experiences the Lord has given me in my 21 years. That's where that sheer joy that I mentioned earlier comes it.
Thinking about all my beautiful experiences gets me so excited about turning 22.

I wonder what 22 holds for me. It may not be what I planned it to be but I'm still looking forward to finding out what the Lord has planned for me.

night
xo
-esther

Some More Santa Barbara Photos

I played with this last one for fun.


School starts tomorrow. Eeeks. I don't want to even think about it. Not excited about waking up at 5 AM...

xo
-esther

Santa Barbara

Yesterday was spent in Santa Barbara with some lovely little ladies. It's always a good time with these Jessi, Rynie, and Jackie. There was a whole lot of laughing going on throughout the day. These girls are hilarious.
We went to the mission which I loved. I definitely have acquired my mother's love for California history. It's just so interesting. I love seeing all the Spanish/Mexican influence in all the architecture of so many Californian buildings. The girls and I enjoyed a picnic lunch at the beautiful mission. We ate and then just laid beneath the tree and relaxed. Ahh the joys of being young and free. It was really great being able to do one last summery thing before I had back to school on Modnay. sigh...


More pictures to come tomorrow.

Night
xo
-esther

a bit of baking

I wanted to make something easy, dainty, and lovely. Oh and I needed it to be a recipe with ingredients I already have because I had no desire to go to the market.

So I pulled out the above cookbooks. I knew I would definitely find a recipe that would meet my requirements. These are some of my new favorite cookbooks. Below are two of the books I have particularly been enjoying as of late.
They have all sorts of inspiring images and recipes. I decided to make some mini lemon meringue tarts. I absolutely love all things lemon and any excuse to make some lemon curd is a win win.
These little desserts were a bit more time consuming then I thought they would be. Such patience you need as a baker. Who has time to chill their dough multiple times, or wait for their lemon curd to thicken... I so often forget to account for the time that will be spent in-between preparing components. I really don't mind taking my sweet time in the kitchen when the weather is cool but baking in the hot summer heat can be quite frustrating to me... Hoping my frustration disappears before I start my last semester of baking school next week.

Well tomorrow my sister and I are taking a day trip to Santa Barbara. Can't wait! A last little summer hurrah!

xo
-esther

a bit more celebrating.