Photo Friday: "frivolous" edition

adjective:  not having any serious purpose or value

Living in the jungles of Ecuador has its perks, like the constant deju vu of being on the jungle ride in Disney World or the brilliant green that covers every inch of the mountainous terrain. Life here is an adventure in everything: cooking, shopping, eating, driving, and definitely speaking.

The adventure part arises out of the simple fact that Ecuador is a completely different world than the one I grew up in.  However, I am a firm believer in the thrill of adventure and love the opportunities of the crazy life that the jungle offers. But sometimes--just sometimes--I miss the familiar of home.

Take a moment to imagine with me life in a place completely foreign to your current existence.  What would you miss -- aside from family and friends?  Think about the tangible easy access things in your life.  Think comfort.  Think frivolous.

It doesn't take long for me to create my list of frivolous comfort items that I miss. I'll share my list, so you won't feel so "shallow" about yours:)

Top Five Things I Miss**

(All of Which are Complete and Total Frivolity) 

Photo Edition

#1

Chick-Fil-A

 Oh how I miss the taste of Chicken Minis and sweet tea in the morning or a Chick-fil-a sandwich with extra pickles in the evening.  (I have been known to eat there twice a day.)

#2

Laffy Taffy

Some days I'm hit with a sudden craving for these sweet things.  I'm not much for chips and cookies, but a little fruity candy makes me giddy.

#3

Target (please read in a French accent)

There's no need to explain this one...but where else can you drink Starbucks while you roam aisles of home goods, clothes, shoes, and movies on a Friday night out. 

#4

Bookstores

Real books...shelves and shelves and shelves of books...the smell...the words...the possibilities. Oh, how I wish for a Saturday night date that started with dinner at Chick-Fil-A and ended with an hour of browsing through the next great novel. (Put Friday and Saturday nights together and you've got yourself one craaaaazy weekend.)

#5

No Fear Hair Appointments

This photos symbolizes refreshment for me. In other words, the place where I may or may not like to refresh my hair color, spend time with a good friend, and then leave feeling like a sassy lady once again. 

Okay, your turn!  Back to the original question: If you were living life in a foreign country, what would you miss the most --aside from family and friends?

** Please note that I was not offered financial return for endorsing any of the items or companies which are listed above.  I'm simply a fan, not a paid endorsee.**

sliver

noun: a small, thin, narrow piece of something cut or split off a larger piece

"We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, 

peering through a mist. But it won't be long before 

the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it 

all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him 

directly just as he knows us!"(1 Corinthians 13:12) 

There are so many days in our lives when we feel just like the verse above.  We are standing alone in a fog that consumes our thoughts and our hearts. We frantically search for the path to take but it is obscured by fog. We only see a small sliver of area around us. We feel lost, abandoned, and terrified. Terrified that the fog will never lift. But it is in these moments, there is only one thing to do...reach for God and hold his hand.  He sees through the mist and knows exactly where we are going. 


Today, I'm reposting a blog by Ann Voskamp, fellow blogger and follower of Christ. May you be encouraged to know that the sliver we now see fits perfectly into the divine completion that God controls and takes us on the path that leads straight to Him.

Because Hard Days are White Horse Days When that window shattered into 7 billion pieces, a sliver stuck my heart and maybe a sliver is all we ever have? It wasn’t so much that our farm boy had turned the tractor too sharp. It wasn’t that he’d backed the tractor into the auger of the wagon hitched behind him. It wasn’t even so much that the steel auger had slammed into the full window of the tractor — exploding the glass into a torrent of shards all over our boy, the tractor cab, across the yard. It was the way I saw our boy turn his face, turn away from sharp fist of the moment. It was the way I saw him turn to hide what was slipping down all stinging wet, him more broken than any pane of glass.

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