This Year In Pictures

A little vacay with the Isch's and Passage's


Adam runs his first half marathon in Sacramento.


I attend the IJM Advocacy Day in DC and it rocks my world!


We show Call + Response at CSUB. Finally! Great film followed by a great discussion.


We celebrate 5 years in Bakersfield. I miss these students. Our Bakersfield friends also throw us a very sweet going away party.


Adam and I celebrate 4 years of marriage at Lake Tahoe. Also, Adam's dad retires (we headed over to his party after Tahoe).


Camping with the Codys! Henry's first birthday.


New Area Director Training in Madison.


Fund Development trip through the NorthWest with a stop at Crater Lake


Move to the coast! New roles and new challenges. Loving it so far!


Students from all over Southern California gather to learn about evangelism


Fall Conference where students receive freedom and healing


Tammy and Henry come visit!


I run my first marathon!


Thanksgiving with my Family at Shaver Lake (my cute cousin Riley)


Bekah and Matt decide to plant an IV Chapter in Ventura! Praise God!


We spend Christmas in Loyalton with Adam's Family


New Years with a new baby! Below is Oliver (Tammy and Brian's newest addition).


It was a great year!! I'm ready to take on 2011!!

Reverb10 - Day 4

I write this sitting in the Fresno Airport on my way to my sister and her fam. I'm excited but in for a long night of travel! 2 layovers that are around 3 hours each. Blah. Good payoff though!

December 13 – Action. When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?

Take more photos of people! Practice!

December 14 – Appreciate. What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?

Stepping into a more supervisory role makes me appreciate my supervisors even more. Thank you Joseph for 5 great years (for putting up with me, and going way beyond what I had expected of you or could even recognize) and to Rob for taking on crazy. Thanks for advocating for me and teaching me, and to both for your friendship.

December 15 – 5 Minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.

This year you learned to be a "long distance runner" in everything you do!

And now I'm just choosing my favorites...
December 25 – Photo – Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you.

This was shot by Adam on the way to Loyalton at a vista on the 80. It was snowing and I think I was trying to not let the snow hit me in the eyes. I had already taken the photos I wanted to get and then I was wanting to get back in the car. Some of my friends tease me about something I once said jokingly, "what Tina wants, Tina gets." (I said it when I bought a scone at Peet's and I was "justifying it".) I don't think that's always true, but I am pretty stubborn, especially when I'm tired. But this shot shows my expression when I'm wanting to do something else, but that I'm learning to sacrifice, even if it's just for a minute, and I can do it with a smile :)

Reverb10 - Day 3

December 9 – Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.

Urbana 2009 New Years Celebration (which went into 2010), hands down. I mostly worked in the office for the conference but then got to work crowd control for the last few hours. Brenda Salter McNeil spoke and was amazing. She then conducted communion for 15,000 people. Then there was an amazing worship service that led up until midnight. After midnight the office staff had some pizza then we helped clean up the stadium and the communion. We were there till 2 or 3 in the morning. A fun and exhausting way to end a fun and exhausting week!

December 10 – Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

Attending the IJM conference in Washington DC. I took a risk, went by myself and loved it. I blogged about it here and here.

December 11 – 11 Things. What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

1) Staying up to late! - I need to make commitments for the morning so I have a reason to get to bed!
2) Fear of others opinions. - Often I don't post stuff of FB or blog or be really authentic in our prayer letters because I fear what people will think. I need to hold the balance better of sharing TMI and authenticity without letting fear seep in.
3) Worry. Fund raising, the future, what others think, time...if it affects me, I like to worry about it. I think prayer and time with God is lacking and that leads to worry.
4) Not having our own washing machine. Let's fix that when our lease is up in July!!
5) The extra commercials on hulu. Uncool.
6) Cougar Town. I watched a lot of the episodes but didn't enjoy them. I kept thinking I wanted to give Courtney another chance. Sorry Courtney, no more.
7) A gym membership. Lesson learned, already gone.
8) I honestly can't think of anymore. We went through all our stuff when we moved and got rid of everything we didn't need. I had a hard time finding stuff for white elephant gifts this Christmas! I could go without the stuff I got at those exchanges (Bible trivia playing cards? no thanks).

December 12 – Body Integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?

In November I ran my first marathon. I thought I would hate it but I didn't. I love running because you push your body to do things you didn't think you could do and then you are amazed with your body (not a common feeling for women!). Also, when you are totally exhausted but you keep going you feel every part of your body, even your taste buds feel heightened. But there is nothing like the finish line. That is when I felt most alive, present and proud of myself.

Reverb10 - Day 2

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

Moving to San Luis Obispo has allowed us to walk or ride our bikes more often. I see something new every time I walk just a few blocks. I'm always on the lookout for something interesting that I hadn't noticed before.

December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

Moving to Seattle. For now. I am utterly fascinated by that city. We seriously considered moving there after I was accepted to grad school. It was a hard decision but I finally was honest with myself that the program was not where God was leading me.

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

Other than taking pictures, the last thing I made was probably when I carved a pumpkin on Halloween. Sad, because I like creating things. However, I think photography has been a great outlet for that lately.

December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

I have found community in a small group in SLO that my friend Melissa invited me to. They are all really fabulous people and I'm excited to have more experiences with them in 2011. I also love, love, love the church we are attending (it's not connected to the small group). I feel so encouraged by the people there, young and old. I am hoping to connect more deeply with both of those communities.

December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.

I think people appreciate my friendship the most when they really get to know me. I tend to be pretty shy and quiet at first, but once I feel comfortable I get goofy and more loving. I've tried to make that happen when I first meet people but I just can't fake it. I do try to be kind to everyone though :). What makes me different: my creative problem solving mind, my large feet, and my determination and commitment to things I set my mind to (which makes it hard to let go of things too!).

Reverb10

I came across a project today called Reverb10. It's an "online initiative to reflect on your year and manifest what’s next." I think reflecting is good (I wouldn't still be on staff with InterVarsity if I didn't) and I don't know how I feel about "manifesting" things, but I do think we can go into a year with goals, prayers, and plans. There is a prompt for every day in December. I know I'm coming in a little late, so I'll just do a few every day.

December 1 – One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

Change. I feel like my life is always changing, but this year Adam and I moved from Bakersfield to San Luis Obispo. It was the first major decision we have made as a married couple. I'm always excited for change and then it always proves to be harder than I think it will be. However, I feel incredibly lucky to live where I do and be married to Adam. For 2011 I hope my word will be risk. I think it will be a good year to pursue some things I have been fearful of in the past.

December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?

Stay up too late! I'm addicted to photography blogs right now. I keep saying "just one more page..." I also don't allow enough time for solitude. I think living my life in bite-size pieces with facebook, blogs, e-mails, and hulu is ok for part of my day, but I need to let myself live life in more than 420 characters or less.

December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

Well it would have been almost exactly one year ago (Dec 2009) so I'll use it. Adam and I went to Costa Rica for a bona fide vacation. Each place we stayed was really lovely, but it wasn't all handed to us on a silver platter. We had to figure out driving in CR (not very easy!), figuring out where we were going, and where to get cheap but good food. Each place we went was really amazing and it was the perfect mixture of real life and beauty to make you feel like you were living life and not just watching it.


Yeah, we got a little bit of sun...

Shots Around Loyalton

Adam and I are spending this Christmas with his side of the family up in Loyalton, CA. This afternoon we walked around and took some photos. I hope they convey how cold it is here :)

Panning: take 1

On the drive to Loyalton today I decided to take my first shot at panning. It's when the object you are shooting is moving past you (or you are moving past it, in my case) and you want to capture the idea of movement. You take a longer exposure and try to keep the object in the same location in your viewfinder throughout the shot. Harder than it sounds.

This is the one and only shot I liked. I wish the tree could have been more in the frame, but oh well.

This one really isn't panning, but still created the idea of motion. After this one I started to get sick so I put the camera down.

Rainy Day Out

Today with umbrella and towel in hand, I set out to take pictures of the rain and to attempt to capture the story of "wet". I don't know that I love any of these pictures, but here was my attempt.

Shot from the gazebo in Mitchell Park


In front of Seventh Day Adventist Church


Perfect for rainy day feelings

Rainy Day In

Because it was so rainy today and will be until Christmas, I woke up this morning with a goal of trying to capture the "story of rain." To bad I don't like getting wet. Today I warmed up to the idea by taking photos while still inside :)

Adam and I spent the evening writing thank yous and Christmas cards at our favorite coffee shop, Sally Loos. I don't know if I captured "wet" but I think I did enjoy being there!

Steamed soy milk with honey and cinnamon. My new afternoon favorite.


These were made from old music sheets. Great idea!


We were there for a while :)



Tomorrow I'll gather the courage to go out in the rain!