What I Learned from (almost) 31 Days of Photos

A Look Back... 

On July 1st I began a personal experiment. One month, 31 days, countless photos, daily thoughts, all with the goal of getting a better look into how I spend my time, and how I could be a better steward of precious moments, hours, and days. 

So, how did I spend my time?

What did I learn? 

I spent hours and hours reading. My favorite reads included Texas by James Michener, Monday Mornings by Sanjay Gupta, Never Give Up  by Joyce Meyer, Healing & Wellness by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, and Science magazine. The last time I did this much reading was in high school, and my brain thanked me for it. The more I read the more I am overflowing with thankfulness for the ability to see, understand, and remember information. Knowledge is powerful, and time spent building it is an amazing investment. 

This was my first summer doing full summer classes and a lot of time was spent working through Calculus questions and studying Physics. July brought one Calculus midterm, 4 quizzes, 8 homework assignments, and 3 Physics tests. You could say I spent a lot of quality time with my notebook, calculator and trusty white board! What did I learn from this? Well, apart from copious amounts of math, I learned that education is so amazing. I never want to take the blessing to sit in a classroom and learn for granted. 

In almost every photo collage there was a picture of some sort of hot (or iced!) beverage. Now, this is no surprise to me! I've always loved a good mug of soothing tea. What this has taught me is that tea actually helps me be more focused with my time. When I have a mug of tea beside me I can study for a few hours without stopping. Why? This may be because drinking tea has become ingrained as a part of my routine. Pathways in my brain have formed that say "oh! a mug of tea! okay guys, time for some serious focusing." My favorites are green tea, lemon ginger tea, and good old earl grey. 

The time I spent with friends and family uplifted and encouraged me. I was blessed with brunch out with a friend, birthday celebrations with both friends and family, genuine conversations, walks, laughter... People are blessings. And people take up time! But, what a wonderful way to spend our time. Investing time into others requires effort, sacrifice, generosity, and often, vulnerability. It comes with the risk of getting hurt, but it also comes with the potential of blossoming into a meaningful lifelong mutual blessing, which totally outweighs the risk. 

Time spent being brave is time well spent. In this post  I talk about how we constantly have the choice to choose faith or fear. I only want to spend time choosing faith. Fear has no place in my life, and I never want to give it a foothold. 

Social media can be a time sucking black hole. I would open up facebook and casually browse, and the next thing I knew 20 minutes had gone by. Similarly, I would open instagram and be lured by one photo after another, and another, and another... I am so aware that what we put on social media is simply a surface that we want others to see. We don't put up the tough, messy days or our mistakes and weaknesses. I'm still trying to find a balance with social media. As for now I want to focus on people over profiles. Call me old fashioned, but I'm not satisfied with sending texts, but face to face is where my heart is. 

And finally, God is always good. I learned that in different ways each and every day. He is the one who helps me focus in my studies, work, volunteer and stay full of hope. Right now I am believing for complete post-surgery healing, and I have full confidence that soon I will be running that 10 k race.. :) 

There it is, friends. If you followed along this journey I hope that it left you encouraged and blessed in some way. I certainly learned a lot through each post and daily "analysis" of my time. Until next time, dear friend! 

Much love, Vivi 

The Past Few Days...

J U L Y 28, 29, 30 & 31 

I'm blogging everyday for the month of July, sharing what I learn about what it means to be a steward of time. Time is so precious. This series is a personal experiment where I hope to get a better look into where I invest my time, and how I can better shape my life to serve God through my actions, words, and priorities. Look up the tag "July series" to view each post. 

Hi friends! These past few days have been particularly difficult on the post-surgery recovery side, so I decided that taking a full rest was the best way I could spend my time. I did take a few pictures, however.. :) These past few days were spent reading for hours, drinking plenty of tea, attempting to keep up with my math class, awkwardly trying to shower (surprisingly difficult) and sleeping more than I ever have. I had an emergency appointment with the surgeon after a bit of a scare, which ended up being a huge blessing to be assured that everything is going as it should. 

When I met with the surgeon this week he asked me if I was a student or working, most likely in an attempt to put me more at ease in the midst of great discomfort. I told him I'm doing pre-medicine classes. He laughed and said, "Well, this must be turning you off!" I smiled and responded honestly, "Actually, it's done the exact opposite. It's made me want to get into medicine even more." 

It's true. This whole crazy and confusing journey has done the opposite of what everyone thinks it would do. It's actually driven me towards my goal rather than away from it. To see how medical professionals have been able to help me is immensely inspiring.  I feel more driven than I ever have to help others the way all 8 doctors have helped me. 

I may be walking 1 meter per minute and sleeping 14 hours a day today, BUT! Let me tell you this, I am getting better every day. I am able to walk a little bit more every day. I laugh more every day, do more things independently every day. Every day is a testimony of God's goodness and His healing power in my life. 

I hope this encourages you, that no matter what you are going through, whether it be pain, heart break, depression, confusion, all these things that the enemy uses to try and smoosh us into the ground, God can use them to accelerate us into an abundant life full of blessings. I've already seen how God has blessed me in spite of what the enemy thought would absolutely crush me. Be encouraged friend, have faith that God will turn your situation around. If He did it for me, He WILL do it for you.

Much love, Vivi  

  

Still Valuable

J U L Y 26th

 I'm blogging everyday for the month of July, sharing what I learn about what it means to be a steward of time. Time is so precious. This series is a personal experiment where I hope to get a better look into where I invest my time, and how I can better shape my life to serve God through my actions, words, and priorities. Look up the tag "July series" to view each post. 

Dear day two post surgery, you certainly came with your challenges. You were not easy or anywhere near enjoyable, but that does not mean that you held no value. Each day that I press on through this journey of  healing and recovery is a day worthy of celebration. Each day of healing, as slow and painful as it may feel, is still a valuable day. I choose to celebrate rest, to celebrate downing green smoothies and reading for hours. I choose to celebrate the fact that it's not sweltering hot outside, but that July has blessed us with gentle rains. I choose to celebrate the fact that my family is supporting me so graciously and giving me my every need. 

Physical pain is never fun. No one likes being stuck to the couch for days with doctors orders of no showering for four days. So how do I spend my time honoring God in the midst of great pain? Here's what I've learned:

1. I can get excited for what lies ahead in my future. This pain is only temporary. It will pass. I will run 10k races and go to medical school and take ballroom dancing classes one day. 

2. I can praise God for all the goodness still present in my life. For family, for friends, for tea, for warm blankets, for who He is as my Healer and Provider and Comforter. 

3. I can celebrate every little moment towards full recovery. Feeling a bit better? Not so sore? *High five* body, you're doing awesome.

Let's here it for two days closer to running that 10k! ;) 

Much love, Vivi 

Green Pastures

J U L Y 25th 

I'm blogging everyday for the month of July, sharing what I learn about what it means to be a steward of time. Time is so precious. This series is a personal experiment where I hope to get a better look into where I invest my time, and how I can better shape my life to serve God through my actions, words, and priorities. Look up the tag "July series" to view each post. 

Hey, friends. Today was day one post-surgery. I was loaded up with pain medication, good books, and my brother took photos of the flowers from outside on my phone for me (can you get any sweeter?!) I've lain here on the couch since 6 am this morning and don't plan on moving any time soon. Here's to rest and recovery and God's amazing healing power! In the midst of this crazy journey, psalm 23 never fails to quiet my heart and bring me peace:

The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Much love, Vivi 

The Road to Recovery

J U L Y 24th 

Today's post is a little different than the rest of the July series. As I am writing this it is July 22, and by the time you are reading this I will have had surgery and will be resting and starting the road to recovery. I've decided to share some beautiful pictures of the backyard's flowers that I took earlier this week so that I could rest fully the day of the surgery. Please pray that I will have a quick and amazing recovery. God is good and He is the Great Healer! 

Much love, Vivi 

You are a conqueror (yes you!)

J U L Y 14th 

I'm blogging everyday for the month of July, sharing what I learn about what it means to be a steward of time. Time is so precious. This series is a personal experiment where I hope to get a better look into where I invest my time, and how I can better shape my life to serve God through my actions, words, and priorities. Look up the tag "July series" to view each post. 

Productivity: 

Calculus class in the morning. 

So. Much. Review. The current math chapter is unlike anything I've done before, so I'm putting in a lot of study time to fully understand the concepts. Hence the copious amounts of dark chocolate... I only had four small squares, I promise!

Having an interview for a new volunteer position 

Getting new library books. Oh, beautiful words on thick paper, I love you. 

Rest & Enjoyment:

Having a long & meaningful conversation with a dear friend. 

Reading my current novel Monday Mornings (almost finished!)

Listening to a Joyce Meyer message about standing strong in the midst of challenging circumstances.  

Take aways: 

A few years ago I discovered author and speaker Joyce Meyer. I saw her book 100 Ways To Simplify Your Life at the library, and quickly grew to love her ministry. This morning when I was listening to one of her messages, I felt the true and encouraging point of her words speaking to me. Don't give up. Stand strong. Having done all you can, stand. Oh, trust me, there have been times in life when my knees feel week and everything within me says "Give up!"And you know the only thing that keeps me strong? Being honest with God, acknowledging that without Him I can do nothing, but WITH Him I am a conqueror, a victor, and prosperous in life! 

Our time may not always be filled with beautiful, picture worthy moments, but when we recognize that our strength to persevere comes from God alone, we can make it through the "messy" moments (or longer times) of life. 

So I encourage you, dear reader, that no matter what you are going through or have been through, you are dearly loved. God has a purpose for your time on earth. You are precious in His sight. If you feel like giving up, proclaim the TRUTH about yourself: that you are a conqueror! Your time, just like you, is so precious. Ask God for strength that only He can give, and you will not be disappointed.

Much love, Vivi  

Thankfulness & Brain Workouts

J U LY 4

I'm blogging everyday for the month of July, sharing what I learn about what it means to be a steward of time. Time is so precious. This series is a personal experiment where I hope to get a better look into where I invest my time, and how I can better shape my life to serve God through my actions, words, and priorities. Look up the tag "July series" to view each post. 

Productivity: 

Submitting a Physics assignment 

Getting my passport photos taken, and of course practicing my "non-smile" face beforehand. All of the no smiling called for an extra smiley picture. ;)  

Costco grocery shopping and the full on lunch of samples that accompany it.

Working on some very challenging Calculus questions 

Completing a "things to know" sheet. Essentially, it is a bunch of definitions that I find myself often wondering "hmmm, what is that?" A few of the items on my list were LDL and HDL cholesterol, communism vs. capitalism, and soluble vs. insoluble fibre. Am I the only one who does this..? Haha :) 

Chores chores chores. Today was a cleaning day!

Rest & Enjoyment:

A very healing conversation with my mom about forgiveness & friendship, and in the middle seeing the most beautiful butterfly. It stayed perfectly still while I moved closer and closer to take the picture above.  

A delicious berry sundae.. Omnomnom. 

Watching an episode of Father Brown with my family. If it's British and has some sort of mystery, we've probably seen it. 

Reading Monday Mornings in the evening 

Take aways:

1. The only way to spend our time is by being thankful. In addition to other things, my mom and I talked about blessings this morning. It's easy to focus on the negative and quickly over look the beautiful things happening in life. My mom called me out on it this morning. I was feeling a little down, and a good dose of my mom and her honest, to the point, genuine love was more effective than the biggest mug of tea (and a mug of tea is pretty effective). 

2. Time spent working out your brain is time well spent. Have you ever mastered a tricky math problem, written an excellent paragraph, or read a great chapter of a book? My brain loves me for it. The more "intellectual workouts" I do, the more I can feel my brain laying down healthy neural circuits (that's a good thing.. :) 

Thank you, July 4th, for teaching me that there really is no time to live negatively or with any unthankfulness. There is so much goodness right here under our noses. Thank you for showing me how important it is to spend some time each day giving our brains a good workout; to read, to inquire, to ask questions, to take the time to find answers.

Much love, Vivi  

A New Goal...

Do you ever have moments of being completely inspired, fired up with passion about a goal, or strong feelings of motivation all of a sudden? When I have these moments (which often happen after a mug of coffee or tea, so maybe caffeine has to do with it.. ;) I feel creative and it's the time when I have ideas pop into my head. For the month of July I'll be conducting a personal experiment. My goal is to take photos of what I'm doing throughout the day at random times. By doing this, I hope to get a clearer idea of what I spend most of my time on, and ultimately, how I can be a better steward of my time. In the summer I have more spare time, but time is still precious and I never want to waste it. At the end of each day, I will make a collage of the day and post it here. Yes, I will be posting everyday! It's quite the challenge, but I feel inspired and am determined to see this goal to completion! July is a very full month for me. I'm doing math and physics classes, turning 20, volunteering, and having surgery at the end of July. I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me, and I trust Him to give me wisdom into what it looks like to be a wise steward of my time. Of course, I won't be able to include everything from each day, but hopefully what I learn throughout this journey will teach me more about spending time wisely, with a healthy balance of productivity (work, chores, required activities), and rest & enjoyment. 

So, without further ado,

J U L Y 1st 

Productivity: 
Waking up at 7am (a big deal for me in the summer!)
Baking cookies for a neighbor 
A few hours of Physics homework
Practice MCAT questions (I'm writing it next summer, but I do these for fun... Yes, for fun.) 

Rest & Enjoyment:
Reading a new novel with lunch in the sunshine
Painting my nails & having a few chocolate peanuts 
Having lunch with my family on the deck and discussing the Game Theory. Haha, family conversations in my house and very interesting. 
Having a mini picnic with iced peach tea and more books outside 

Take aways:
1) Waking up at 7 am was amazing. I was able to spend time in my Bible before my day started and begin the day in peace and focus on God's word. The soft light through my blinds was an added bonus. Seriously, waking up early is a new priority in my life! Thank you, July 1st, for teaching me a lesson about spending my time wisely already by starting early and starting right. 

2) I spend a lot of time eating or making food. What resonates in me with this is how important it is to eat well. I'm going to spend time eating anyways, so it may as well be food that makes my organs sing "thank youuuuuu!" 

3) It's okay to rest. Actually, it's WAY more than okay to rest. It's so needed, and so healthy. Reading in the backyard with iced peach tea was rejuvenating. Everyone rests in different ways, but there is one common and uniting theme: resting enables us to be productive when accomplishing our goals, and it gives us strength to do them WELL. 

I have learned more from one day of life than I had expected to, and I'm looking forward to continuing this challenge. Time is a blessing. Time is one of the greatest gifts we have. July 2nd, I'm ready for you.    


Much love, Vivi 

Seventeen!

Hello friends! I know I haven't been blogging regularly lately, but with all of this glorious weather we've been having, I find myself trying to squeeze every minute of it with hikes, runs, and tanning on the back deck! :) Also, yesterday was my birthday and I turned seventeen! I had such an amazing day spent with my family. We went to our favourite lake for a BBQ, and the day was so relaxing. Hopefully you can see how beautiful it was from the pictures below! Nature was at its best, and we were surrounded by towering evergreens and  beautiful streams. In the evening I went to my youth's summer party. Chad Veech, a speaker from down South, spoke on faith and it was so amazing! I definitely left feeling encouraged and challenged to have more faith in God's plan for my life. Then chaos was let loose in a massive water fight outside. I was thoroughly soaked. And thoroughly soaked many unassuming victims. ;) Here's a little piece of my day.....

{ Birthday outfit! Although I changed later into lake appropriate clothes... :) Top and pants from Bluenotes, sandals from Payless Shoe Source } 

{ fresh raspberries from our garden }

{ my mom and brother! my dad was getting the BBQ started for some grilling }

{ we were so blessed with amazing sunshine! }

{ down by the lake }

{ wild berry galette about to be baked! SO delicious! }

{ trails speckled with light }

{ first thing in the morning, opening presents! These little guys go in the Smash book I got }

{ more beautiful scenes }

This past year of my life has been life changing. God has shown me so much about who He is and what He has for my life. At the end of Grade eleven, I read through all of my journals and was amazed at how much I've grown. Little things that used to bother me don't anymore. Mean comments from people that used to hurt me, don't affect me anymore. And I can give only one reason: Faith. If it wasn't for faith, I would be a worrying mess. Faith is the reason I don't let mean comments affect me anymore, because I know at the very base of my soul that there is a God who loves me and accepts me exactly the way I am, every flaw and imperfection included. There is a God who knows the plan He has perfected for my life, and the divine purpose that He has blessed me with. I feel so encouraged to look back at everything that God has done, because it makes me even more excited to experience what is to come! On my own, I could never have done a musical and fit in time for youth group. On my own, I could never have written a blog and still keep my grades up. God's strength has carried me through this past year, and I am so looking forward to this next one! :)

Much love, Vivi

The beauty of it all

It seems that whenever I embark on a "casual evening stroll" it quickly turns into a photo session, with eyes scouring out for great photo opps, bending to find the perfect angle, and falling far behind my walking buddies. I really can't help myself. Surrounded by nature, my first inclination is to go camera crazy and snap away at every bit of beauty that I can see. Whether it be a soft streak of white in the sky, or so called "weeds" sprouting up in a ditch When captured in a photo, all can be beautiful. I may sound all emotional talking about nature's beauty, but gosh, even a fire hydrant is beautiful!


Much love, Vivi

thankful.

clouds. espresso. creamy chai. sleeping in till 10. coral nails. chatting. cherry blossoms. my bible. nature. anne of green gables. instagram. foster the people. vintage candy shoppes. joyful people. to-do lists. everything floral. freshly cut grass. God's grace.

What are you thankful for today?

One bright and rainy day

Hello lovelies! Today was the perfect day to snap some photos of nature.I wasn't so happy about it raining and raining for hours this morning, but rain has the skill of making all plants look even more beautiful. Without rain we wouldn't have lush flowers, long grasses, or tall evergreens to enjoy! My family has lived in beautiful British Columbia for around 12 years last month. Nature has been something that we've always enjoyed. Through the rain, snow, and sunshine, the world that surrounds us truly is spectacular. Whenever I feel upset or down, I make myself go outside. Something about the outdoors makes me really happy. All of these photos were taken in our backyard, and today, I hope you find joy from the beauty of nature !

Wanna know why I love evergreens? They're constant. They go through all four season of life and never change. Their thick and burly needles remain sharp and attached, even when the snow of winter weighs them down. God is like that too. He is constant, never changing, and stays attached to us no matter what life gives us! No curve ball or dump of heavy snow can change that. Isn't that so reassuring? Remember today that God is with you wherever you go, and whatever you do, He is there. He will not leave you nor forsake you. Think on this today, think on God's constant

love.

Much love, Vivi