I believe I hijacked this picture from my friend, maxine.  it struck me as gorgeous.  why am I posting a quite snowy picture when the date speaks of spring?  well, I am not sure I know the answer to that question, entirely.  I can say that there are days that still feel like this here in colorado despite the page on the calendar.  and...I am over it.  I said this statement as I got out of my car the other day to walk into subway for a sandwich.  I said it loudly to the snow blowing due to the wind gusts and grayness that my small town was wrapped in at that moment.  frustration was at a high toward the cold temperatures that still linger here.  I know that proper spring is on the horizon, so I have taken deep breaths of mountain air and just made another cup of tea to warm my insides.  still...spring, don't be afraid, just settle in.  I assure you that you will be welcomed with open arms by all.

my word.  my last post was in march.
so, I suppose this fact tells me I could comment on quite a lot from the last month and a half.
let me have a think...
claire and maxine.
I got to pop in on these two precious girls @ wake forest at the end of march.  oh how delighted I was to see these two beautiful friends.  so fun that these two who I knew in different contexts while living in london now spend time hanging out together in north carolina.
in some ways, it was if no time had passed since I last laid eyes on them.  in other ways, I felt deeply how much I had missed just sitting and chatting with claire.  we spent so many hours just sitting, chatting from time to time...eating gummy candies, drinking diet coke, and video chatting with micaela across the city.  she and I both enjoy just being with people.  I miss her.
max and I spent most of our time together in a cabin in either bulgaria or macedonia on our yearly service projects.  speaking of, this year's project just finished.  my friends, katie and ian, got to go be a part of it this year.  katie and I sat just yesterday chatting about bulgaria over coffee.  my heart smiles to hear her take on what is always such a time full or richness for all who attend.  katie also played courier, bringing me back some go ahead bars and dark chocolate mcvitie's from kerry.  I sat in my office sharing these treats, being transported back to my city life.  a delectable blessing.
sadly, I forgot to take any pictures during my time with claire and max.  but, that time, though short, blessed my heart beyond words.
I also got to see lauren while in north carolina.  what a sweet, dear friend she has been to me for so long.  I find it difficult to explain how dear this girl is to me.  I will not even attempt a description.  she knows.  I know.  so fun to see here and her hubby patrick living their sweet young married life.  love.

love, I say?  well, I may take a minute here to boast just a bit.
adam and lana.
adam has been a friend for many years, and he and I always fail to clearly backtrack to our friendship's origin.  he is a kindred in his deep-thinking, love for english culture, and bent toward counseling.
lana became a dear friend in london.  we have arkansas ties, as well, though not when we both lived there, in the way that the world is so small and interconnected.
one day last september, lana came to pick me up from adam's house in denver.  lana and I had plans to eat thai food.  adam was being my host before I flew out for a bit of holiday.  she walked through the door.  I looked at adam.  he lit up.  she smiled.  I had an inkling of potential connection...
about three weeks ago, adam proposed.  lana accepted.  they will be married just about a year from the time they met in the afore mentioned story.  they thank me for my part in their meeting.  I accept this thanks, as I did have a hand in it, clearly.  however, just as clear is that all I did was bum a place to stay and eat pad thai.  I love that they love each other.  I adore them both, and I feel honoured to have been a blip in their story.  congrats, sweet friends!

above is the corner of my room where I spend much time reading, contemplating, writing, watching episodes of tv shows...  I don't know that I would called myself a person attracted to the colour yellow prior to purchasing this dresser from the eccentric furniture salesman who sold this to me.  however, this dresser is very much at home in my colorado room filled with an eclectic mix of colour.
having a cozy spot to retreat to has always been an important thing to me for as long as I can recall.  I made my walk-in closet into a sort of nest when I was growing up where I would sit for hours reading.  funny how we change so deeply as we age and yet we still remain who we are in so many other ways.
reminds me of a poignant statement my friend laura made to me the year before I moved overseas..."remember, wherever you go, you take yourself with you."
at times, this truth is frustrating.  many moments, however, this phrase wraps me in comfort.
for someone who needs a nest to feel safe and centered, I treasure the knowledge the Lord has revealed to me about myself that help my nest be present no matter where I am in locale.  abroad or stateside, I remain in my core, kym.  and yet, growth and stretching occur constantly.
how gracious is the Lord to allow the simultaneous presence of core and change.  I sit thankful.
peace that passes understanding.
thanks be to God that I can never figure Him out.
thanks be to God.
cheers,
kb.
oh, and yes, I did stay up all night glued to bbc america watching countless hours of the royal wedding happening live.  I enjoyed every minute of it.  lovely.
happy may!