songs and pictures and missing people

Let Your Love Be Strong.
Yesterday.
Blue Velvet.
Why Not?

These songs remind me of them.
Mainly because they're songs that I listened to over and over again in the days right after they died. Malachi and Kellie are never far from my thoughts and the longer they are gone the weirder life seems without them. I guess I've gotten used to the reality of not having two of my best friends around but still, everyday it feels like something is missing and often my mind goes back to that day when they left. I just need to keep writing "their song" and hopefully it'll be my best one yet. Because for them it has to be.
Overall the hurting gets better and everyday it's easier to just remember the happy times we all spent together and how they are in a perfect place now but still, I don't think the pain will ever fully go away. How could it disappear when everyday you wake up and they are still gone?
God is so faithful. He never leaves even though life often gets hard. I've been reading Psalms lately and every verse is so good. One in particular is Psalms 3 though so if you want to be encouraged, read it ;)

Oh and one more week and I'll be flying to California! I can't wait for everything that's to come and I'm ready for a break :)

L to R: Me, Kenzie and Kellie last Summer which was the last Summer we spent together.

x, a

the people

The people here are so beautiful. Same as any other country I suppose but when you live somewhere for a long period of time they become part of you. You can understand them without speaking their language perfectly and you can love them because He made them. And they're not any different in His eyes.

I like it how the buses here are a common mode of transportation for everybody... not just the poor, the homeless and the lower class people. When I get on a bus anywhere in my city, I'll be squashed between business men, young women in high heels, cute college guys and little street sweepers returning home after a long day in the sun. So I feel perfectly welcome ;)

Like all countries though, any type of person can bug you. When someone starts snapping pictures of you with their big camera from the back of the bus or when someone spits (wayyy too loudly) right in front of you, it makes you want to... uh, yeah just leave. At least for a few days.

But you get over those things (or just get used to them if you can) and accustom yourself to the beautiful parts of leaving with another race and in another country completely different from your own. 

It's pretty great guys. And the experiences I've had are like none other.

And in case you were wondering what I think, Asian (this means all of Asia ;)) guys are hot. 

x, a

p.s. I redid the blog a bit! I'm diggin' the faded blues and blacks with accents of brighter colors thrown in. And it's good to freshen things up every now and then ;)

the lake, the city and the people

In the middle of our city there is a lake. And I've probably mentioned it more than once ;) It makes for a really nice city and I wouldn't want it any other way. Most days if I take a bus I go by the lake and every time I do I listen to the same song and I always think about how much I'll miss it when I go.

So, a couple of days ago I took my littlest sister and we took some pictures. Next post I'll share all the "people pictures" I got. 

I'm lovinnnn' the warm weather and it's glorious wearing shorts and t-shirts again.

Suzhou, you got it going for you.

x, a