California

Back in the spring I had the chance to visit California for the first time and see my dear friend Jess who had recently moved out there. It has taken me forever to share these images, but I'm finally ready! This trip was equal parts deep and fun. I felt a kinship with the desert that borders on cliche, and yet felt tremendously important to me in my story and my life. The first time I saw the desert was on the way to an engagement shoot, and luckily I was driving alone. For the sake of vulnerability, I share this: I had to pull over and weep. Something about the landscape moved me to my very core. When I looked out to the dry and barren land still full of impossible life, I felt understood. It was... stunning.

Later in the trip, we hit the road and drove 6+ hours north to Big Sur. We saw redwoods and explored the ancient forests, drove pacific coast highway with both fear and awe (those cliffs are high and those guard rails are too small, okay), we walked on beaches underneath rainbows and watched the sun set between stones. Finally, on our way back to Huntington Beach, we pulled over at the sight of an orchard in bloom. Looking back, it was as symbolic as ever. When I think of spring, I think of promises fulfilled. When I see the blossoms blooming after a long winter, my heart exhales the breath it had been unknowingly holding for all those cold long winter nights. He is good. He is faithful. I knew it and yet I held my breath until I saw it once more. It's so beautiful the way God will use the seasons, the scenery, the landscapes, and all of nature to teach us again and again of His unchanging character. For me, California was a love letter to my soul. It was a message written in the sky, "I am still here. I am still good. You are still mine."