Double Post Day? Say What?

Yes. That's right folks. Two posts in one day! Say it ain't so. But it is...so don't say that. Speaking of music, if you read my last post. You ever feel like you could just spend the afternoon or evening laying on the floor with music spinning. It's a very real way of feeling for me. I remember specifically 2 years ago on a warm Texas spring day processing some heartbreak. I will always love City & Colour for the way it fills me and helps me to process emotion. I opened my window, laid on my bed, stared up at my ceiling fan and processed specific parts of the previous 7 years. There was a lot of letting go. There were a lot of dead and dying dreams...hopes. Seasons were changing. They always were. It was a slow change but came to a significant climax. I'm thankful for the ability to process. A lot of my processing is no longer talking through pain but feeling through it, letting it go, and deciding to grow from it. Maybe it's this stormy tornado weather that has me feeling like I just need to go spin some vinyl, open my windows to smell the rain, and lay on my bed in silence. Sounds like a dream to me right now. 

Photo by Luke Rieke (February Snowpocalypse 2015)

F a s t C a r

I adore this song. I have a few memories attached to it. The feeling of weightlessness and peace. The feeling of excitement of the unexpected ahead. I'm feeling pretty nostalgic these days. I'm challenged to dream again. I'm dreaming further and farther. I'm embracing the now and savoring it because I know that soon, this chapter will write off, and I'll be on to the next. 

If there are any memories I can keep...can I keep these?

That Spark

One of my soul friends wrote something that touched my core today. Uncomfortably so...and I'm glad. This is my heart in words. I shared with her that it captivated me and she responded with "...then this is for you and also me. A love letter to every moment... May they be used to hand make our futures!! xoxo..." I feel that there's so much within this love letter. I'll be meditating on this one for quite some time. Have a read. Let it resonate where it will. & then go check out her website! She's most incredibly talented in her photography, her art, her writings and she's published!

We are all looking for that spark,
that one idea,
that one decision,
that will revolutionize our world.
Our spirit.
Our relationships.
Our career.
When we find that spark,
we start making choices.
New choices.
Different choices than before.
We grow immensely or heal rapidly.
That spark is the one that lights the inner fire.
The thing about a spark is in the presence of void it has no power.
Substance and Being must be Present.
The spark must have something to light....Which means that this spark changes your world only when you have a world to change.
A culmination of everything you have learned up until this moment is set in motion.
Set ablaze.
Each shift, each opening has prepared the ground for harvest,
Each log and leaf prepares for the roaring fire.
Leaving an unhealthy relationship.
Quitting that job you hate.
Going to therapy.
Moving on. Or up. Or too.
Starting your dream project.
Having this baby.
Saying yes to whatever you said no to before when you were too scared.
All are big shifts.
But really they are a culmination of little shifts,
little shifts that have been opening ones soul for the leap.
Which is to say:
all of life matters.
The small connections.
The little sentences of inspiration.
That act of kindness.
That act of grace.
That act of selflessness.
The choice to remain present.
The choice to love yourself anyway.
To keep getting up and trying.
Each moment matters if you want the spark that will change your world.
Because it's all tinder.
You won't know which day brings the big change to your door.
But it will come.
It always does to those who collect stick by stick,
moment by moment, placing them together as an altar.
Prepare and gather enough to withstand the hours and seasons of waiting.
So when the spark comes... the fire will roar.
The fire won't die out.
The fire will burn all that does not belong.
www.aglobalwalk.com (Ashley Fincham)

Accompanying Photo By Ashe Arends Photography

Guatemala May 2014

It's here!! 35 days until I leave for Guatemala! As that countdown becomes a smaller and smaller number I'm getting more and more excited! If you haven't seen my posts on Facebook about it this is where I will go a little more in depth on what I am doing with the Hogar Miguel Magone in Guatemala in May!

Almost a month ago I was asked by my dear friend Alli if I was interested in going with her and a team that she works with to be a videographer on their trip to Guatemala. The orphanage which has been around since 1997 started out in a woman's home and now functions out of several buildings dedicated to over 80 children between 3 and 16 years of age. The majority of these children have been victims of abuse or neglect. Over the past 3 years the orphanage has been working with a group called Orphans Hope and Legal Shield as well as other donors to build a home for the girls they have taken into their care. This "princess palace" will be a building dedicated to the girls of the orphanage, whereas before the boys were all separated by age group and the girls only had one section of one of the buildings for accommodation, now the girls will be able to have their own space and eventually the orphanage will be able to expand their mission!

So here's where I come in! The orphanage is constantly in need of donations to keep the orphanage to keep up and running! I have been asked to come to Guatemala to spend a week filming material to be developed into promotional video segments, that will help to tell about the orphanage and their mission, and be used to bring in more financial donors. I will be capturing what an average day looks like for the children and people who run the orphanage. If a picture can speak a thousand words then think of how much more a 1 min, 3 min, 5 min, or 10 min video can speak! I will also be capturing the grand opening ceremony for the Maria Auxiladora Hogar (Home).  Having the footage of the grand opening will be a testament to how donations that have been made over the past 3 years have been such an incredible blessing to these little girls. 

I cannot wait for the 20th of May to come around but then again I still have a lot of preparing to do! Before the 10th of May I am needing to raise $1000 towards my trip. I am working completely pro bono and I am also having to raise my own funds to cover expenses of the trip. You can find a break down of my financial needs on my fundraising site: Send Gabrielle To Guatemala 

I am so thankful for the opportunity to go and serve using the skills I have acquired in the field of documentary filmmaking. Allison (my friend asked me to join the team) and I are fully trusting that the Lord will provide everything we need for this trip and that He will continue to provide for the orphanage even after we return to the states. I started to cry a little over a week ago when she told me the day after I started raising money that someone had already pledged to donate some funds to both of us! If any of you would like to give towards my trip to Guatemala you can find more information on how to do that through the link above or the little widget on the side of this page! :] Any amount helps even 5 dollars gets me closer to reaching the goal! 

Anyone who may have followed my previous blog: A Heart for Hearts I will probably be using the same blog to document my time in Guatemala! I will definitely be posting the link in this blog to direct y'all to the other blog when I have posted there. :]

It's so interesting to think that I never saw this trip coming, yet, here it is! It's really happening! I am really getting to live out part of my dreams as an artist and advocate for those who are suffering or are in need. I have already been learning so much as you all know who have been keeping up with this crazy thing I call a blog. I can't imagine what's coming and I'm so excited for it! If you would friends, be keeping me in prayer for the preparation of my heart, mind and spirit, for the preparation of needful things, for our team and their safety and health; for the orphanage and the finalizations with the girls home; and for the film that comes together after I leave central america that it would be a vehicle for future fundraising and support for the orphanage. 

Psalm 10:14But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.

If you all have any questions about my trip feel free to ask! Also, if anyone would like to share my fundraising link with friends or family that would be so awesome!

p.s. here is a link to the orphanage's website that was made by a volunteer that worked with them at one point. http://www.hogarmiguelmagone.com

// Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

Forgive me readers I am soooooo behind on posting. The last month has been pretty eventful, which is great! I'm so thankful to have been busy! So I owe y'all some pictures from my spring break! I will put them in this post and then continue on today with another post about some new things!

So I totally forgot that there was this thing called Spring Break! My dad and sister have a week in March to take off and I never really took Spring Break when I was in college because I was a crazy person double majoring and always in a show or on a film set; so when I heard 'Spring Break' I was like... "what is this spring break that you speak of?"

We booked a trip to Florida two weeks before we left so it was super last minute. Omgsh how incredibly refreshing it was to be back in one of the places I once called home. I started writing this several weeks ago but never finished... so I will just leave you with what I previously wrote:

Spring Break. Something I forgot existed! I think I may have taken one spring break out of the 4 years I was in school. I usually was on set for a film, in a show or had RA duties during breaks. So when the opportunity arose to take spring break with my family this year I was ecstatic! Long story short we found cheap tickets to fly to FL for 5 days. When we got there we stayed at a familiar resort and got to spend a little time in St. Augustine where we used to live. Waking up with the ocean right outside your window is one of the most peaceful things on this earth. If I could wake up every day near the beach or in the mountains that would be the dream! Honestly I think I would prefer the mountains but the beach stole my heart for the time I was there. I ended up with a pretty gnarly sunburn which I am still recovering from but what else is new? haha. Spending time with family away from work and my sisters stress of schoolwork was really nice too. Dad mentioned it was refreshing to be driving down A1A and that it seemed like we were coming back home after a really long trip. I agreed and stated that we should just move back. ;) One of my favorite days was the day I got to spend with several of my wonderful girl-friends. It was so refreshing to be in their company sharing matters of the heart and growing closer to each of them. It takes a lot to be vulnerable with other people especially when it comes to sharing secrets of the heart and things that are on your mind. One particular conversation that encouraged me was one that I had in the car with my dear friend Caron.

It's incredible the things that we are so careful about sharing for fear of being judged for your way of thinking or for fear of being presently judged by your past mistakes. Anyway there was a lot of different things we talked about but there was just something that touched my heart about that moment in the car when we both talked about some of our past mistakes and neither of us knew we both had dealt with some of the same baggage. I was kinda blown away because we both have come so far from those mistakes and we both have learned some of the most valuable lessons of our age. Wow Wow Wow. How incredible and merciful God is and how He can restore ones spirit. I am so thankful for that conversation although it wasn't long, it was a moment to be human and express what humanity looked like in our lives therefore giving God all credit where credit is due for being almighty and redeeming. A moment to be reminded about how human we are and how Great God is. Blows my mind. 

Ok so thats what I had written several weeks ago. I also went to Oklahoma for several days which was a blast! Got to go to a wedding for a childhood friend. Caught the bouquet! Whoop! Spent time with people my age and enjoyed the company of a most beautiful and strong woman named Allison! But here are the pictures to accompany this post about Spring Break.