Park Bois de Sauvabelin - Lausanne, Switzerland

Recently my friend Julia and I went to a nearby park in Lausanne, Switzerland called Park Bois de Sauvabelin. Within the park is a large observatory tower where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city. It was breathtaking from the top of the tower! The whole park was beautiful but the view from the top of the tower was by far the most captivating part of the park. It doesn't have an elevator so for those who have trouble with several flights of stairs this probably would not be a good idea. Here are a few photos of the park along with a short video I captured from the top of the tower.

Quaint pond inside the park. You can rent these boats for the day.   How romantic would that be? :)

Inside the park is a petting farm with several animals including these cows...

...and this creature that I couldn't identify at first. It's a hairy pig for those wondering.

The observation tower from the ground looking up

Half way up the spiral staircase

View from the top!

Hope you enjoyed this little day trip with me! :) Cheers!

Brooke Fraser

Jared and I have the opportunity to go to Ireland this October and if that wasn't exciting enough we recently purchased tickets to see one of my favourite musicians while we are there. I started doing some searching of things to do while we are there and discovered that Brooke Fraser will be in Dublin that same week! I've adored her music for years but never had an opportunity to see her live. It will be an extra treat to an already sweet trip!

Not only is Brooke a talented singer/songwriter but she has huge heart for people. She has been an Ambassador for charities like World Vision, Opportunity International as well as independently travels to underdeveloped countries to share her talents and offer hope to those in need. I admire her in so many ways and I'm thrilled to finally get to see and hear her perform live.

For those who are not familiar with her I wanted to share a few videos. The first is an interview from her sophomore album that gives you a bit more background about her music, her outreach efforts and her personal life. I think if you haven't fallen in love with her already, you will after this video.



Now I'd like to share with you some of her songs. This first one is the music video for the song Albertine that was mentioned in the above video and was the title for her sophomore album.



This next one is probably my favourite from her. Love the lyrics.


The following song is off of her newly released album and reminds me somewhat of Sara Barielles. This one and her song "Something In The Water" are two of my favourite songs off her new album.


Hope you enjoy her as much as I do. I'll be sure to share my live experience of her music after the show in October. I can't wait! :)

Mental Vitamins: Freedom To Love

Beth Moore is a gifted speaker who gets straight to the heart of the issue whenever she speaks. One of my favourite talks of hers is this one on the topic of Loving Difficult People. There are several parts to this but I'm only going to share a brief clip because it is what stood out most to me. I'll ask you to watch the following video first before continuing this discussion....



"We can love people who will give us back nothing because God gives us everything." -Beth Moore

For me this lesson was life changing. One of my biggest struggles has been dealing with rejection. I will have the sincerest heart and best of intent when sharing the truth in love with people only to find that they cut me out, or even hate me for simply sharing the joy and understanding I have found in Christ. It got to the point where I almost feared relationships with people because of my fear of rejection. For a time I did exactly what I dreaded...I shut people out. I didn't allow people to get close to me, I stopped sharing my heart. Just like they pushed me away...I began to push people away. I think we all have dealt with this need for acceptance...to be loved by others. But it was after hearing this message that it really clicked for me.

I don't have to fear rejection from people because God has already accepted me as as I am. I don't have to look to people to validate my significance or reciprocate my love. I am now free to love because in loving others I am no longer seeking to be loved in return. I love because I am loved by God and want to share His love with everyone. There is tremendous freedom and joy in this kind of love. It becomes authentic rather than forced, desperate or self-seeking. Knowing that even if no one else in this world would love me that God always will is so fulfilling. Sure I still struggle with wanting the approval of people sometimes, but I can return to this promise each and every time I face that struggle. God....the Creator of the Universe...the author of love...the Master of design...loves little 'ole...imperfect....me. That makes my heart full with an endless supply of love. And since I'm no longer trying to fill my own heart with love....it frees me to love others for the sake of loving not for the sake of receiving. I hope you too can enjoy this freedom to love by allowing Christ to love you.

Having shared this let me be the first to acknowledge that I still struggle with loving people every single day. To be completely honest, I struggle with loving my own self every single day. But God does not call us to be perfect, He simply calls us to love. We can never love like God...but with God's love, loving others becomes less complicated.

Weekend In Italy -— Part III

Our final day in Italy was spent at our friend's countryside home. He and his family own several acres of land filled with olive trees, fruit trees and grape vines. It was so peaceful and picturesque. It was a glimpse of Italy few will probably ever see. We definitely felt privileged to be there. They were so welcoming and hospitable. We had lunch with their entire family...including their children and grandparents and everything was homemade. Homemade pasta, cheese, bread, wine...even the ice cream was homemade. I don't think they know how much I appreciated the whole experience. It was a once in a lifetime treat and they are such a sweet family!

After lunch Nicoli  gave us a tour of his land which was one of my favourite parts of the whole trip. It is obvious they work very hard to keep everything maitenanced. He was kind enough to give us some olive oil he made with his own olives. So cool and very special!

view of our friend's land with olive trees and vineyards (and interesting turtle shell shaped neighbor's house)

view of the vineyards

our friend, Nicoli, on top of his roof sharing the view and showing his solar panels

Nicoli showing us his olive trees

my Dad enjoying a good conversation with their Italian Grandpa...he was so cute! :)

After lunch he took us over to his next door neighbor's place which is a Cantina or Italian Winery. So we got a private tour and complimentary glasses of wine. We definitely felt like VIP! :)

 his neighbor's winery

inside the wine cellar

some of the wine bottles packaged and ready to go

winery owner

Jared and I wine tasting!

I hope you enjoyed traveling to Italy with us through our photos and stories! :) If you missed them you can check out Part 1 and Part 2 by clicking the links. Ciao for now!

Did you know.....?

25 random facts you may or may not know about me....

1. If I was a superhero my name would be Turbo Nerd. But that would make me more of a superdork than a superhero I suppose...
2. My name means "delicate" and I think that accurately describes me.
3. One of the most important life lessons I've learned so far is that pleasing people is impossible, but pleasing God is simple....and much more rewarding.
4. Trust does not come naturally for me and I love those people who have made me behave unnaturally.
5. I want to hug the man who invented the camera. I want to hug him and take his picture.
6. I collect panda bears, shoes and memories.
7. Ireland will always hold a piece of my heart.
8. I crave sushi at least once a day.
9. If Jared would let me I'd have a cat farm with acres of kitties!
10. The 8 year old and the 80 year old in me are in constant battle.
11. If I could sleep in until noon everyday I would.
12. My family means the world to me.
13. Don't ever sneak up on me or try to scare me...my first reaction is to start swinging. You've been warned. 
14. English is my second language. Sarcasm is my first.
15. I believe in love. And I've been blessed to have experienced it in it's greatest form.
16. My husband is my hero.
17. I'd rather be behind a lens than in front of a camera.
18. I love to cook almost as much as I love to eat. True story.
19. If I had to choose my last meal, it would be the chicken nachos from Qdoba and a pina colada. That would be the way to go! 
20. I love people. Even those who don't love me back. 
21. Driving aimlessly on country roads with the windows down and some good tunes playing is my idea of a good time.
22. I never leave the house without my camera. Ever.
23. My nephew made me a believer in love at first sight. It was the dimples, I'm sure of it.
24. Poppies are my favourite flower.
25. God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams. And I'm humbly grateful for all He has done for me.