Fun Post: April Favorites

Hello there!

*fervently hopes no one thinks I'm super annoying for posting April favorites halfway through the month of May*

Ahem.

Life happens, and I apologize for this post's lateness. ;P Some of the things I've been loving this past month...

Reading...
Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar. This is my second time through this two book series, and I love it so so soooo much. <3 It's a fiction about an unusual young woman's adventures and spiritual growth in the Persian empire. I love the heroine because she is so... real. Her life doesn't go as planned, and unlike many "perfect heroines" she doesn't immediately grow and learn and become even more perfect. It takes her a lot of time and frustration before she begins to see God's Hand in her life. (He has been working all along, she just hasn't recognized it...sounds familiar somehow? ;) Anyway, awesome read that I would highly recommend, along with the one that comes after it, Harvest of Gold. :)

Wearing...
A new skirt I got at Goodwill; it's floor length, black lace ruffles. Guys. It's so me!! :O Also, a super soft and comfortable Curious George shirt that I got in Leavenworth. ;P

Learning...
Grieg's Wedding Day at Troldhaugen. As some of you already know, a church member has graciously provided me with a set of piano lessons, (my first ever!!). It has been so awesome, and I'm really going to miss my amazing teacher. Anyway, last month and this month I am learning this song, and it is pretty hard, but I love it! It's so fun to push myself to new heights and try something I probably wouldn't have previously gone for. :) When my teacher first played it for me though, I was thinking, "There is no way I can learn this song, what are you even doing assigning me this?!" ;P

Vacationing...
With the whole family, in Sunriver Oregon. How much more perfect can a vacation get?! It was amazing. We thought that Micah, (my next brother down), wouldn't be able to come due to work, but he was able to after all! We rode bikes, went in the hot tub that came with our house, got lost on the bike trails, picnicked next to the river, drank coffee floats from Brewed Awakenings (love that name ;P), and played games. It was so special. <3


Reaching out...
To over 4,000 people during Wenatchee's Apple Blossom Festival. It's a two week long celebration that people come from two and three states away to attend. It's like the Olympic games, traffic is insane, and my workplace becomes not much more than a bathroom and a place to come and be rude (thank you, Seattlites. ;P) Kidding, not all people from Seattle are rude. Just a lot of them. ;) Anyway, in the midst of all the craziness of parades, shows, etc., we had the youth group from Stanwood, Washington come over to help with outreach. And did they ever!! They worked sooo hard, walking miles and miles every day passing out tracts and witnessing. With thousands of people in town just for the festival, we had a very easy time finding people to talk to!! ;) So thankful for the many Gospel tracts that got into people's hands, as well as the personal evangelism that was done. Praise God!


Visiting with...
My friend Jenny. During the time that the youth group was here, Jenny "happened to be" house sitting for the pastor of a nearby church. That house was only 2 minutes away from my place--just down the road!! I was able to spend the nights over there to free up some bed space here, and it worked out so well. It was super fun and special to spend some time with her! :) There was one night when we had a discussion on how we would go about embezzling money without getting caught (which sounds dreadful until you realize that we are writers and were trying to help a friend with writing a fiction paper... :'D). Then there was the night that we watched Facing the Giants, and as usual, something got in my eyes and they ended up watering a lot. :') Heh heh. And of course there was lots of snacks and ice cream. I mean what would a visit from a friend be without junk food?! (Right Kimberly?? ;D Haha!) Anyway, I had a great time.

Drinking...
HOMEMADE KOMBUCHA. Ok guys, I have always had a chip on my shoulder about Kombucha. I thought it was weird and sounded gross and icky and I would never drink it. Ahem. Then a church member gave me a bottle of her homemade stuff, sweetened with fresh grape juice, and WOW. I'm hooked. ;P It's so good!!!!! I've never tried the store bought stuff yet though...

Watching...
The hills around Wenatchee slowly turn green. It looks like Ireland around here, and until the summer gets insanely hot, I'm going to continue to marvel at how beautiful the surrounding mountains are. Thank you, Lord!

Well, that's it for this month, folks! Hopefully I can get my next favorites post out in a more timely fashion. ;) Have a lovely week, everyone! 
Mykaela