Hello guys! I know I’ve been missing in action this week after my last post. This is kind of late, but I spent the rest of my birthday with family and good friends. Good company always equals deep conversations and infinite laughter. And thank you all for wishing me a happy 25th! Oh man, where does the time go?
My friends Sena and Grace wanted to resume on our long-lost tradition of meeting up around the time of my birthday. Grace’s birthday happens to be on the 15th, and ever since our junior high days, we’ve been sort of celebrating it together. This tradition has been dampened by our busy schedules and “grown-up” lives, but I think it’s safe to say that it is now here to stay. Once again. 
Now, you cannot point fingers at me and tell me that I never warned you of my love for Urth Caffe simply because I told you time and again. And this time it wasn’t quite my idea to hang out there. Well actually, it was in the end. But the girls wanted to try something more new to them, and without objection I happily brought up obliged to eating at Urth.
As usual I went with my beloved Spanish Latte (bold) and the Urth Salad. I love this salad because it is loaded with olives and hearts of palm! Anyone else a fan of those two ingredients?
This night was so chilly (yay!) that the guy taking our picture was pretty cold—or so he seemed. We give him props for taking our picture out there despite the blurry quality. I think he was shivering.
Unfortunately, due to the sudden temperature drop in LA, I caught the mother of all colds and I’ve been on and off out of bed. Thank the Lord that tonight I’m feeling a lot more like myself!
I Want…
I am enamored with Plate to Pixel by Helene Dujardin. What more can I say besides the fact that it is a super fun read, the pictures are gorgeous, and every bit of information is another gold nugget to add to my photography trunk of knowledge? (Not that I have much knowledge…yet.) As a matter of fact, I’ve only been checking it out over the course of a month or so whenever I dropped by Barnes and Noble, but after the tidbits that I’ve read I have decided that it would be a great investment with the monetary gifts I’ve received for my birthday. Eeeek! I hope you can tell I’m excited.
The recent cold bug that I’ve caught has inspired me to wear more–how can I put this intelligently?—warm clothing. Haha. I have always been terrible at keeping myself covered with jackets, coats, and all those things that a sane person would consider as normal on a chilly evening. Hmm…so maybe this should be another gift to myself with the gifts I’ve received?
I really want to make time and go back to practicing rock climbing and bouldering at the Rock City gym Greg and I used to frequent. And soon after that, I would be more than willing to take the risks and actually climb rocks in a place like that! I mean, how beautiful is that view? I bet it’s just like life in general. If we think in spiritual terms, life is like a constant climb up on a rocky mountain. It can be fun, exhilarating, excruciatingly painful, and yet when we hit the mountain top, it was all worth it.
My philosophy is that the view from the ‘top of the mountain’ is worth all the hardships that we may endure in life, only because that pain and sorrow is only temporary. We have an eternity of joy and peace waiting for us at the end of the line! So why fret during this time of ephemeral struggles? I want it to be clear that I’m not trying to belittle anyone’s feelings through this, but my point is that there is hope. There is beauty in the end of it all, and there is beauty in the midst of life’s bumps on the road. So let’s make the most of it.
*Phew*
I don’t know whom this is for! But I sure feel like it’s touching one person in particular, or so I hope. 
What stuff have you been eyeing lately? Please do share!
Do you feel like you’ve been victorious through your struggles as of late?
-I’ve had great and not so great moments. But I constantly find myself knowing that God will provide for us and despite what my heart tells me, I know everything will work itself out.
Love,
Ellie <33
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
I just love the way you ended your post, Ellie! It’s so, SO true that finding ourselves coming out on top after all of hard work and struggles that we’ve had to face is the most beautiful thing. And I think that in a way those struggles are what make the end even more beautiful. I feel like that a lot with my recovery from my eating disorder… As odd as it sounds, I’m actually grateful for everything that I went through because it taught me so much and I honestly feel like it was all part of God’s plan for me. I feel as though He allowed for it to happen and gave me the strength to make it through so that I could go on and help others with their own struggles. It’s a really great feeling, and I’m still trying to figure out how to make it happen
wow, I am so blessed to read that Amanda! Although God doesn’t give us the problems, He certainly allows things…but He works out everything for the good of those who love Him. So glad you’re victorious and I know you’ll do great things with that
awww. Ellie. I hope you feel better soon. There was a sudden drop in temperatures here too and I’m starting to catch a cold too ( I also have the problem of wearing warm clothing on chilly days).
I’m glad to hear that you had a great time celebrating your birthday. It only comes once a year. =) Did you celebrate with some cake?
Finally being on top of the mountain is a really good feeling, in the way that one has made it through a tough part of their life. There always will be rough patches but overcoming them makes us even stronger. We learn more about ourselves than we realize.
Totally! Can I just say how wise and mature you are? Especially for your age…?
Oh and yes!! I had suuuuch good cake with my family! And today at church they gave me another HUGE one.
That’s great to hear. Cake is delicious. It’s good for the soul. What kind of cake?
And, thank you. It’s just through life experiences that make us wiser, and I’ve been through a few very difficult ones. Also, some people experience more things than others. And, some people’s experiences are more difficult than others.
I love the last paragraph, i am a true believer that you enjoy much your the final victory if you went through hardships to get there! you are such a strong and beautiful girl!
You are such a strong woman in my opinion too! Look who’s talkin’
Glad you enjoyed your birthday! And yeah, you should totally get back into rock-climbing… if there was a convenient/cheap one nearby me, I’d consider… great way to work on upper-body strength!
yes! For some reason, indoor climbing seems to force one to use a lot of the upper body, but in real climbing I Hear that it’s all lower. Just how it’s supposed to be? I hope you find one near you because it’s pretty awesome.
I love olive and hearts of palm! I always add them to my salads when I can
I am definitely not an olive fan!
You know, I’m really starting to think that that’s a male trait. Most males I know hate olive.
I’ve been eyeing some new dresses and sweaters from Express. Plus I need a new pair of boots now that it’s getting chilly
Nice! High five for liking Express. I haven’t been there for such a long while, but I used to get everything there. Their sales are just the BEST.
Ellie, your posts are always so thoughtful and genuine! I really enjoy reading them.
I feel like I’ve been conquering (some) of my struggles of late. It’s funny – I feel like gaining a grip on one thing means something else starts to slip. It’s all part of the journey
Aww thanks Alex! Made my day to read that
And you know what they say…In life you’re either going into a storm, in the midst of a storm, or on your way out of a storm. But there’s always a positive to it, and that’s growth and God’s loving help!
Ooh that plate to pixel book looks brilliant! I definitely need to check that out!
yes I highly recommend it Rach! It’s pretty fun and very informative. Plus, Ms. Dujardin is very good at trying to help her readers keep everything low cost.
I’m glad you’re feeling better! This post has a whole heap of things I love / would love…rock climbing indoors is on my to do list too!
Happy Belated Dear!
My birthday is next month and I have noo idea what I’m going to do. I want to do something special to make me look forward to getting older (hah), but also decent $ wise since I don’t have a full time job right now. Any suggestions?
gaaah I LOVE rock climbing!! My daddy used to take me when I was little. We would do it on the rocks by the river. WHat a peaceful and beautiful scene to just let loose and enjoy our time together
And trust me girl…Id love for some cold weather right about now as well. Im sick of sleeping with the fan on, its totally giving me a sore throat!