I make him take pictures with me...

...and he makes funny faces.

We arrived at church separately only to find that our outfits coordinated. I thought this called for a picture. He thought differently. Hence, we compromised. 

P.S. In case you wanted to know something sentimental, Dave wore that sweater vest on our first date. I think about that night every time he wears it. :)

Maundy Thursday

Dear (5) Faithful readers,

I do apologize for having gone almost a week with no comments on the weather (did you know it's 80 here right now??), no comments on anything teal, and no sweet/nerdy book or graphic design related item to show you. Please forgive me.

Since this is Holy Week and today is Maundy Thursday, I thought I'd share with you a project I have been working on over the last few weeks. A group of artists at church (including myself) have been collaborating on creating the Stations of the Cross. I was put in charge of three, including Jesus in agony in the garden of Gethsemane. I'll post that one for you today in honor of Maundy Thursday. Tomorrow I'll post the other two in commemoration of what cannot be called a "happy friday" but rather, a "good friday."

I hope you are well and enjoying sunshine as I am!

Love,
Ashley


Jesus in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane

Lent

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, a forty day period of prayer and fasting before Easter. It's my first time experiencing Lent in a liturgical church that commemorates this season. Last night we had a special Ash Wednesday service at church and it was really a very beautiful experience. As a reminder of our frailty and humanity, we were marked with ashes in the shape of the cross on our foreheads (hence Ash Wednesday). It was very powerful to hear "You come from dust and to dust you will return." It puts life into perspective a little. Our time here is fleeting and there is much more than the day-to-day routine and grind. It was very powerful.

I've decided to give up shopping to mark a "fast" for this season. It's not that I'm a shopaholic or anything, I just often find myself consumed by consumerism. I aimlessly peruse online stores when I'm bored, looking for things that I might want. I can sometimes be overwhelmed by what I need to purchase to stay in season and up to the trend. So for the next forty days, I've decided to set that aside and focus on other things. So here's to Lent.