NOVEMBER 2018

NOVEMBER 2018

#305 Skies on Fire

01 November 2018 // San Diego, California

California sunsets late in the year are my favorite.

#306 Make it Personal

02 November 2018 // San Diego, California

Why does it really matter?

I know and I get to work with so many people who are all about creating change. Almost all of them face the same struggle. How do you get other people to care? You can’t do it alone, and sometimes apathy is worse than opposition.

You need to always remind yourself why it matters and keep making that clear to matters. Don’t take it for granted that you have a great solution to a problem. Talk about how that problem affects people, how it affects you. What makes you angry? What’s at stake? What does the world look like if the problem gets solved? 

If you can stay close and connected to your own reason for being on the path that your on, the more attractive that path will be for others.

#307 Garlic Toast

03 November 2018 // San Diego, California

Saturday night dinner with Ivy & JB.

#308 Letters to Tree of Life

04 November 2018 // San Diego, California

After an incredible, challenging, and important sermon on privilege, our pastor announced that she was going to Pittsburgh the following week and would have a chance to visit the Tree of Life Synagogue that lost members of its faith community during a terrible shooting last week. She invited us to write letters for her to take, and to contribute to a prayer quilt.

Richard Rohr says that all great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. When we embrace it in a way that helps us connect with each other, we imitate God.

#309 Neighbors & Crops

05 November 2018 // San Diego, California

Low key obsessed with this chair for reasons I don’t even get.

#310 Election Day 2018

06 November 2018 // San Diego, California

Voting is easily the coolest way to get a sticker that I can think of– and also, it can be an act of love.

As a US citizen, my vote has an impact that’s felt around the world. A vote in a US election just might be the most impactful around the world. It’ll impact people in hospital beds. It’ll impact people who have lost everything due to war. It’ll impact those in hospital beds, in unemployment lines, or in need of mental health care. It’ll impact the environment, soil, and our ability to grow enough food. It’ll impact the kids who live down the block from somebody who really shouldn’t own a gun. It’ll impact the kids who witness what happens to adults who abuse, assault, or bully.

How did I get such a privilege? It was hard earned by people who came before me. It’s a privilege I might not have had for about 80% of the country’s history. I was born in the right place and right time to have this sort of privilege.

Voting isn’t always easy. Some issues are complicated and tricky, others are a little more plain. But I believe that I’m blessed with what I have so I can give it away- and that includes my vote. I believe that it would be terrible stewardship to not use it.

Vote as a responsibility. Vote as a prayer. Vote as an act of love.

#311 Steady Progress

07 November 2018 // San Diego, California

One of my most steadily growing beliefs is this: Lasting change happens through long-term, committed, sustainable actions.

I’m not a believer in overnight fixes.

While seeing the election results come in, I was bummed to see how many candidates I was cheering for come so close to winning while falling short. I was also thrilled by a lot of other races, surprise wins, and that sort of a thing. What a mixed bag.

Ultimately, I’m happy to see all the firsts. The increase in women represented. The turnout from the under 30 crowd nearly tripling from 2014. I think these might be better indicators of long term change than any one candidate’s victory.

Elections are extremely important, but I think they simply take a snapshot of attitudes and values that are always evolving. This one reminds me that there is a lot to celebrate, and a lot more that needs to be done to encourage empathy.

Keep at it, friends.

#312 Surprised By Hope

08 November 2018 // San Diego, California

“What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself—will last into God’s future. These activities are not simply ways of making the present life a little less beastly, a little more bearable, until the day when we leave it behind altogether. They are part of what we may call building for God’s kingdom.” 

–N.T. Wright

Book No. 21 of 2018

Falling wayyy behind on my reading goals this year. I forgot how rich and dense N.T. Wright’s writing can be so it took me a good while to get through this, but I’m glad I did.

Many mentors I’ve had passed on helpful wisdom to me that came from this book. It’s amazing it took me as long to start reading it as it did. The big idea it instilled in me is that my faith isn’t an escapist one, where this world is disposable and Heaven is all that matters. Instead, the great hope for the future is one where the current, created world is revived and transformed.

The ideas in the book resonated with me greatly. The one thing I wish was a little different was that I wish it was a little more accessible. The ideas in it are just that important.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#313 Table Topics

09 November 2018 // San Diego, California

I was commissioned to put together a deck of table topics for a church potluck. I suppose I should answer my own prompts.

1) My most memorable birthday was my sixth, celebrated on board a flight from Cairo to California. A bunch of other passengers, and the flight crew improvised a whole party using whatever was available on board.

2) The portal would be at my office. The catch is that my home would then be in Oregon. That would be much cheaper than having a portal to Oregon while living in San Diego.

3) Nachos count. If they don’t, I can accept that argument as long as you’re also willing to disqualify potato salad and macaroni salad for being carbs drenched in a sauce with some fruits or veggies.

4) To most people’s surprise, I would probably pass on the unlimited travel. I LOVE travel, but even if it was free, I wouldn’t necessarily want nonstop travel or have the schedule for it. Plus, with the amount I’d save on not buying food, I’d save thousands I could put towards travel.

#314 Daniel Visits SD

10 November 2018 // San Diego, California

Daniel is in town and we’re up all Mexican lucky.

#315 Daniel’s in Town

11 November 2018 // San Diego, California

A good friend is one who will get out of bed at 3 in the morning to respond to your needs.

Even if that need is going to Denny’s to build a Lego spaceship.

#316 Weekday Surfers

12 November 2018 // San Diego, California

“When you put creativity into everything, everything becomes available.”

–Robert Rodriguez

This has been one of my favorite quotes lately, since I’ve seen it come true in my life quite a few times.

When something doesn’t happen the way you thought it would, it can be easy to assume that it’ll never happen. It just means it won’t happen the way you expected to. Creativity is the ability to see plenty of solutions to a single problem, multiple pathways to where you want to go.

#317 Lego Spaceship

13 November 2018 // San Diego, California

What did I learn this week? I learned that the Denny’s by my house is the most happenin’ Denny’s at 3:00 AM.

#318 Brisket Sliders

14 November 2018 // San Diego, California

Mid-November, but who’s to say that we can’t bust out the grill.

#319 Potted Leaves

15 November 2018 // San Diego, California

A crazy productive writing day spent offsite. Good things.

#320 Staff Beach Cleanup

16 November 2018 // San Diego, California

I love this team and how we’ll even make the beach cleanup competitive.

#321 Milano La Jolla

17 November 2018 // La Jolla, California

Accidentally discovered a great new Italian spot for date night.

#322 Fell in the Sun

18 November 2018 // San Diego, California

Really ready for life to look a little bit different.

#323 Dogs Watching Dogs

19 November 2018 // San Diego, California

What’s better than watching Dogs on Netflix? Watching your dog watching Dogs.

#324 Shiitake Lamb Noodle

20 November 2018 // San Diego, California

I love the way this dish came out. Noodles and lamb with shiitake with chili and sesame oil. I’m hoping to make this part of my regular repertoire.

#325 Grilled Cheese Thanksgiving

21 November 2018 // Carson, California

Earlier in the week it seemed like Thanksgiving this year was about to get cancelled. Wildfires and sick bugs and everything else seemed to create the perfect storm to disrupt it all. But a little improv meant that in exchange for the typical dinner, we were able to see even more family this weekend.

Hopefully next year we won’t get as many curveballs. But we’re here and we’re thankful.

#326 Norm’s

22 November 2018 // Carson, California

We’ve been seeing a lot of this diner this weekend.

#327 Turtleneck Puppy

23 November 2018 // Bakersfield, California

Some Thanksgivings look a little more like grilled cheese and the Parent Trap, my doggy in a turtleneck, 24 hour diners, Playdoh Pictionary, and sticky buns. (Really though, Beignet’s giving off some hardcore 90’s mom vibes.)

#328 Class of 2008 Reunion

24 November 2018 // San Diego, California

The high school reunion episodes of every show are usually some of the best. In real life, these things are weird. How has it already been ten years?

My class reunion and Deanna’s were on the same night, but I think I have more friends from her school than my own, so I got to party with the Centennial Golden Hawks. What a riot.

#329 Bedroom Cubes

25 November 2018 // San Diego, California

One of these days we’ll own a real dresser.

#330 Green Needles

26 November 2018 // San Diego, California

Seeing gray skies and rain through these needles is really making me miss Oregon.

#331 100 Miles With Cam

27 November 2018 // San Diego, California

Congrats to my buddy @cam8schmidt for completing his quest of a 100 mike run earlier this week, and on your birthday week to boot!

I love cheering for friends who pursue the big goals they’ve got in them. Glad I got to join for a single percent of it.

#332 For The Family

28 November 2018 // San Diego, California

I legitimately LOVE that #GivingTuesday is a thing. Over the past few months, I’ve had a blast working on @plantwpurpose’s campaign for this year’s event.

Rampant consumerism can be quite destructive, so giving in a way that simultaneously helps people and the environment is such a good move. This year, @plantwpurpose is aiming to help 250 families overcome poverty by healing their land.

Poverty and environmental problems can seem like such large issues that are out of our hands. I’ve had the treat of meeting a few Haitian families this year who have turned barren hillsides into mini-forests, all while growing more food to eat and sell.

I believe that a little bit of help goes a really long way when you have locals in leadership, good soil, and a generosity of spirit.

#333 Rainy Day Walk

29 November 2018 // San Diego, California

Days like these don’t happen very often in San Diego, but I wish they did. My favorite weather.

#334 Public Market Crowds

30 November 2018 // San Diego, California

Packed night at the public market because the Christmas tree is lit.

Giving Tuesday 2018

CAMPAIGN

I helped design the Plant With Purpose Giving Tuesday campaign for 2018. The campaign, branded For The Family sought to raise $30,000 to help 250 families begin their journey out of poverty. My involvement included crafting the campaign narrative, designing the webpage for the campaign,

NARRATIVE

The campaign narrative focused on the objective of helping families reach their dreams. I highlighted the common goals parents have of feeding their children adequately and sending them to school, along with the contrast of how much harder that is for a family in poverty. Storytelling focused primarily on families who have overcome poverty, serving as a reminder that such a change is possible.

WEB

The Plant With Purpose website was redesigned to make giving to the campaign as easy as possible. Links at the bottom of the page led towards more information about how donations would be put to use.

SOCIAL MEDIA

I managed the Plant With Purpose social media channels throughout the day, providing immediate updates as funds came in.

EMAIL UPDATES

Four emails were planned for the campaign over the span of three days. While this was an unusual volume of emails for Plant With Purpose to send in such a small window, they acknowledged the uniqueness of the campaign and provided exciting updates throughout the course of the event.

A Thank You email, recapping the event was sent out the day after. An immediate thank you email is uncommon following a Giving Tuesday campaign, as many organizations avoid exhausting their mailing list. Many Plant With Purpose supporters responded enthusiastically however, replying with their congratulations.

Anderson.Paak, The Pine Forest Lodge, & Intellectual Humility

ANDERSON.PAAK

Here’s a digital sketch of Anderson.Paak - If you told me six years ago that In the future, I wouldn’t be able to stop listening an album about Oxnard I wouldn’t have believed ya, but here we are. Anything is possible. If Anderson.Paak were to tell me his next project was a 2020 album about Bakersfield, I’d give him a chance to deliver.

Really though, it’s become kind of a rarity for me to like an album as a whole these days. This one has some tracks for the gym, some for the road, and all other kinds of moods.

THE PINE FOREST LODGE

The legend of the Pine Forest Lodge. This is where I stayed for most of the time I was in Haiti. There aren’t many structures like this in the rural forest. It had enough bedrooms and dorm areas to sleep dozens, multiple in each room, a large central living room, and an out of commission kitchen.

It also had a bathroom, but not running water, and electricity through a generator that took an hour to get started. Despite being the nicest structure for miles, my stay was still a bit more like a camping trip.

Our translator told me that every Haitian president over the past few decades had stayed here- which if true would be a fascinating bunch of personalities. I didn’t think that was too likely, but also, there aren’t many other options in the area for accommodations. Either way, the 50 chairs in the living area suggested there was recently some meeting of importance, and there was graffiti on the outside denouncing the mayor.

I’ll mostly remember this spot just for its beauty, and the morning moments spent on the dirt trails behind the lodge.

Also, please keep Haiti in your prayers. There’s some unrest there again this week, and it’s gotten pretty rough at some moments.

TABLE TOPICS

I was commissioned to put together a deck of table topics for a church potluck. I suppose I should answer my own prompts.

My most memorable birthday was my sixth, celebrated on board a flight from Cairo to California. A bunch of other passengers, and the flight crew improvised a whole party using whatever was available on board.

To most people’s surprise, I would probably pass on the unlimited travel. I LOVE travel, but even if it was free, I wouldn’t necessarily want nonstop travel or have the schedule for it. Plus, with the amount I’d save on not buying food, I’d save thousands I could put towards travel.

Nachos count. If they don’t, I can accept that argument as long as you’re also willing to disqualify potato salad and macaroni salad for being carbs drenched in a sauce with some fruits or veggies.

The portal would be at my office. The catch is that my home would then be in Oregon. That would be much cheaper than having a portal to Oregon while living in San Diego.

INTELLECTUAL HUMILITY

Wherever my conversations lead, intellectual humility is a beautiful thing our world needs more of.

Here are some pointers I love courtesy of Dan Pink:

Soldiers defend, scouts explore. Do I think more like a soldier or a scout?

Do I want to understand or just be right?

Do I seek opposing views?

Do I enjoy the pleasant surprise of being wrong?

THANKSGIVING 2018

Some Thanksgivings look a little more like grilled cheese and the Parent Trap, my doggy in a turtleneck, 24 hour diners, Playdoh Pictionary, and sticky buns. (Really though, Beignet’s giving off some hardcore 90’s mom vibes.)

Earlier in the week it seemed like Thanksgiving this year was about to get cancelled. Wildfires and sick bugs and everything else seemed to create the perfect storm to disrupt it all. But a little improv meant that in exchange for the typical dinner, we were able to see even more family this weekend.

Hopefully next year we won’t get as many curveballs. But we’re here and we’re thankful.

THE GAP BETWEEN GOOD

There are a lot of people doing good, and many more who want to do good. But we need to be very careful about that gap in between wanting to do good and actually doing good. Within it, there’s a lot of harm done.

Accountability, discernment, and looking out for the vulnerable must be priorities. It’s important to be hopeful, but not naive. Bold and aspirational, but not reckless.

TRAVELS OF 2018

Spent a bit of the weekend planning trips in 2019. I don’t have any big ones on the calendar for the rest of this year, which feels foreign but is also kind of nice. The next month will hopefully be a much needed recharge.

This year had me on the go way more than I expected, but it was a lot of fun. Here are a few of my favorite destinations from the past year:

5) Haiti

Not exactly the comfiest place in the world, but maybe one of the most eye-opening. I was lucky enough to stay in one of the country’s few forests, which is such a gorgeous reminder of Haiti’s potential.

4) Atlanta

I was amazed by how much I felt like I fit right in. Such a strong sense of community that didn’t take me long to discover.

3) Cinque Terre

Using this as kind of a stand-in for the rest of my Italy trip that included Siena, Rome, and Montalcino. One of the prettiest places I’ve seen.

2) Vancouver

The beauty of the PNW but with the diversity of... the world. And endless outdoor adventures. I could live here gladly.

1) Iceland

Finally got to visit my long awaited dream destination and it was as gorgeous, adventurous, and quirky as I would’ve expected.

Stan Lee, Privilege, & the Tree of Life Synagogue

Tree of Life Synagogue

Our calling isn’t to find the solution to all of the world’s problems as much as it is to rush to the vulnerable, to be with those who hurt, and to love across all kinds of lines.

Last week, after giving one of the best, most important, and most challenging sermons I’ve heard in a long time- our pastor announced that she had an already-planned trip to Pittsburgh that would take her within two blocks of the Tree of Life Synagogue where the terrible shooting took place. She invited us to write letters and contribute to a prayer quilt that she would take with her.

Being able to participate in that, from one faith community to another meant more to me than I realized it would. Togetherness heals.

Inuksuk

Stacked stones have long been used to help people find their way. They’re made to be helpful, sometimes pointing out danger or showing the way to a generous fishing spot.

In Inuit tribes, when they take the shape of a human, then they also symbolize welcome, hospitality, and friendliness. The shape lends itself well, appearing on the flag of Nunavut and the 2010 Olympic logo.

In Inuktitut, these are called inuksuk- "to act in the capacity of a human." There’s a cool bit of symbolism of a person being made up of parts that rest and rely on each other, providing balance and all that.

Stan Lee

Stan Lee’s passing has called some attention towards his Stan’s Soapbox columns that used to go at the end of Marvel comic books in their earlier days. Some of these are such gems, like this one taking a hard line against bigotry while still sounding very much like a 60’s comic book.

I have lots of respect for storytellers who can build entire universes. Great storytelling builds a better world, and Stan Lee got that. He made heroes human and allowed humans to be heroes. He made characters that broke barriers. 95 years is no mere cameo on the Earth, but just like a good surprise appearance in a movie, he managed to deliver his message well.

Pax et justia. #wowradhumans

Daniel’s Visit

A good friend is one who will get out of bed at 3 in the morning to respond to your needs.

Even if that need is going to Denny’s to build a Lego spaceship.

Privilege: Give It Away

I remember participating in one of those experiments where for every bit of privilege you have you’d take a step forward. Being male. Never worrying about your next meal. White skin. Etc. By the end of the experiment I was one of the ones far ahead of the crowd.

The other week, our pastor gave one of the best sermons I’ve heard in a long time and it was on the topic of privilege. That’s not a topic I hear churches very often. But if we can get our heads around the idea that the things we’ve been given aren’t just for our own benefit but for the purpose of helping others- money, abilities, time, then privilege totally belongs on that list.

When we’re asked to consider our privilege, the end goal isn’t to shame us. It’s a reminder of another thing we have to give away for the sake of others. Success isn’t a measure of how much we accumulate, but how much we give.

Prints With Purpose

I love that a good chunk of my working day revolves around simply sitting down and making stuff.

I’ve had my hands full lately on some print products, and that’s totally fun for me. Here are some recent things I’m pleased with.

Robert Rodriguez on Creativity

This has been one of my favorite quotes lately, since I’ve seen it come true in my life quite a few times.

When something doesn’t happen the way you thought it would, it can be easy to assume that it’ll never happen. It just means it won’t happen the way you expected to. Creativity is the ability to see plenty of solutions to a single problem, multiple pathways to where you want to go.

The 2018 Election, Daniel's Visit, & Finding Your Voice

Gapminder

If you’re standing on top of one of the tallest buildings in the city, every other one will look short. There’s a pretty big difference between a 16-story building and an 8-story building, but if you’re on the 200th floor, it won’t look that way to you.

That’s the analogy Hans Rosling uses in Factfinder to talk about how people in developed nations tend to view poorer countries. There’s a much broader spectrum of lifestyles out there. There’s a big difference between dollar-a-day living in Central Africa and earning $90 each week by driving a taxi moped around Delhi.

I recently started poking around his Gapminder website a bit. Gapminder.org/dollar-street has the coolest visual matrix of the way families live at different income levels in various different countries. This sort of thing never fails to capture my curiosity. There’s so much more to the world than our daily experiences might lead us to believe.

The 2018 Election

Voting is easily the coolest way to get a sticker that I can think of– and also, it can be an act of love.

As a US citizen, my vote has an impact that’s felt around the world. A vote in a US election just might be the most impactful around the world. It’ll impact people in hospital beds. It’ll impact people who have lost everything due to war. It’ll impact those in hospital beds, in unemployment lines, or in need of mental health care. It’ll impact the environment, soil, and our ability to grow enough food. It’ll impact the kids who live down the block from somebody who really shouldn’t own a gun. It’ll impact the kids who witness what happens to adults who abuse, assault, or bully.

How did I get such a privilege? It was hard earned by people who came before me. It’s a privilege I might not have had for about 80% of the country’s history. I was born in the right place and right time to have this sort of privilege.

Voting isn’t always easy. Some issues are complicated and tricky, others are a little more plain. But I believe that I’m blessed with what I have so I can give it away- and that includes my vote. I believe that it would be terrible stewardship to not use it.

Vote as a responsibility. Vote as a prayer. Vote as an act of love.

Remembering Roy Halladay

A year ago today, one of my all time favorite ballplayers was killed in a plane crash. Roy Halladay gave me some of the most exciting moments cheering for the Phillies— and you know you can’t always take those for granted.

Halladay had the best work ethic I’ve seen in an athlete. Here’s a sketch I made as tribute.

#wowradhumans

Steady Progress

One of my most steadily growing beliefs is this: Lasting change happens through long-term, committed, sustainable actions.

I’m not a believer in overnight fixes.

While seeing the election results come in, I was bummed to see how many candidates I was cheering for come so close to winning while falling short. I was also thrilled by a lot of other races, surprise wins, and that sort of a thing. What a mixed bag.

Ultimately, I’m happy to see all the firsts. The increase in women represented. The turnout from the under 30 crowd nearly tripling from 2014. I think these might be better indicators of long term change than any one candidate’s victory.

Elections are extremely important, but I think they simply take a snapshot of attitudes and values that are always evolving. This one reminds me that there is a lot to celebrate, and a lot more that needs to be done to encourage empathy.

Keep at it, friends.

We Must Be Concerned

Sadly, the shooting in Thousand Oaks wasn’t the first time one of these hit pretty close to home.

The line dancing community on the Central Coast is a surprisingly vibrant one. I couldn’t go a week without getting invited to go out line dancing. I never fell head over heels for it the way a lot of friends did, but I loved the way everyone at bars just like Borderline were always welcoming, warm, and happy to share the steps.

It feels like we’ve been trapped in a stalemate where nothing happens to prevent the next one, but I still believe that it doesn’t have to be this way and that it won’t be this way forever.

When that change comes, I will be unbelievably happy. But the road to get there isn’t an easy one. I’m with MLK on this one, it’ll take big picture thinking, concern, and looking beyond ourselves.

Daniel’s Coming

We’re having a sleepover this weekend and it’s gonna be dope!

Finding Your Voice

A long post about finding your creative voice:

As a maker, once you find your voice, so many things fall in place. People know what you’re about and can meet your enthusiasm with their own.

I’m still a work in progress as far as that goes, but I think this year I’ve taken some good steps.

Without finding your own voice, the temptation is to just mimic the stuff you admire. But if you push further into that, it might actually help you develop your voice. You just have to dissect the things you admire and figure out why you like them.

When it comes to visual art, I’ve always been fond of blues folk art, a bit like this painting at Prince’s. I also like a little bit of propaganda print style pieces (think Shepard Fairey) or the types of murals you might find on storefronts and walls in Mexico or South Africa.

Those styles are pretty different, but they have some aesthetics in common. Thicker lines, lots of human subjects, focused colors. In popular use, these styles reflect community, fighting injustice, and preserving marginalized culture. Because of that, bold lines, selective color schemes, and drawn portraits get associated with that style.

The work I enjoy doing most is work that reminds us of the value of human lives and culture, and the importance of fighting for justice joyfully. And so I like to adopt those visual styles that match.

This approach isn’t limited to visual art. It can work for music, writing, cooking, costuming, or any sort of craft. Once you find the way to speak to the world that’s unique to you, good things happen.

Sahle Work Zewde, Cantina Mayahuel, & the Strongest Person I Know

The Trip

About a quarter of the podcasts I listen to are food related. The Sporkful and Gastropod are consistent favorites. I love Dave Chang’s too, but his is so multifaceted that I’m not sure it’s best described as a food show. Good storytelling and good food have the power to connect people.

I’ve been dreaming up some new creative projects for next year and while a food podcast isn’t exactly one of them, the ones I listen to have my creative juices flowing. The best ones make me feel connected to others, grateful to live on this planet, and all the more curious. That’s the effect I want my work to have.

In the meantime, since I have no food podcast, Instagram will have to do! Here were two of my favorite dining spots in Vancouver: Juke Chicken in Chinatown and Bodega over by the train station.

Sahle-Work Zewde

“When there’s no peace in a country, mothers will be frustrated. Therefore we need to work on peace for the sake of our mothers.”

–Sahle Work Zewde

Over the summer, Ethiopia ended its longstanding war with Eritrea. Then last week, they named Sahle Work Zewde to be their first female president.

Then- they announced a gender balanced cabinet where women hold half the seats. Just a couple days later, the same thing happened in Rwanda.

Change isn’t linear and change doesn’t happen overnight. Even these changes are the result of things boiling under the surface for a long time. But when things like these all happen in succession, it’s still really exciting.

Cantina Mayahuel

Last week, a friend introduced me to Cantina Mayahuel- a sweet Mexican spot where the old time Oaxaca’s vibes are absolutely doing it for me. Not to mention their impressive mezcal collection that’s gonna require some return trips.

Last week was kind of a rough one for me, but that made the simple gesture of an invitation to lunch and a plate of braised steak tacos so much brighter. The simple acts of good always matter.

What I love about Mexican countryside cuisine is the feeling of welcome most dishes bring. It’s like the eater’s presence is being celebrated. And sometimes, that’s just what the eater needed in the moment.

Keys to Great Branding

Last week, I got to lead a little training on what branding is anyways. Sometimes the word “branding” is one of those buzzwords that everybody uses but nobody understands. It’s so much more than just logos.

Logos themselves are more like empty vessels that gain meaning when the story you tell connects with people. My session highlighted four key actions brands can take to be meaningful.

One of my favorite things about my role is getting to dive deep into how storytelling can help nonprofits and purpose-led organizations move people.

I’m hoping to do more with this material. Maybe flesh it out into a mini-course or something. Know anyone who might find it useful?

Voter’s Homework

Honestly, I find voting really fun! I took about an hour to hole up in one of my favorite coffee shops and dig into some of the issues going on in this year’s ballots.

This election, like every election, has an impact. On people inside the country and outside of it, on kids and kids yet to be born, on the poor, on struggling families, on the sick and elderly. What we do during an election has an effect, even deciding to stay home. But with all that at stake, why would you want to do that?

We don’t get to choose the moment in history we’ll be born into but we do get to choose how we’ll show up for it. Vote for accountability. Vote for empathy. Vote for others.

The Strongest Person I Know

Easily the strongest person that I know ❤️ @deanna.suzanna

Make it Personal

Why does it really matter?

I know and I get to work with so many people who are all about creating change. Almost all of them face the same struggle. How do you get other people to care? You can’t do it alone, and sometimes apathy is worse than opposition.

You need to always remind yourself why it matters and keep making that clear to matters. Don’t take it for granted that you have a great solution to a problem. Talk about how that problem affects people, how it affects you. What makes you angry? What’s at stake? What does the world look like if the problem gets solved?

If you can stay close and connected to your own reason for being on the path that your on, the more attractive that path will be for others.

OCTOBER 2018

OCTOBER 2018

#274 Don’t Stop Seeking Justice

01 October 2018 // San Diego, California

I’m probably not doing #inktober but here’s a drawing and a story I’ve been thinking about a lot lately about a woman and a judge:

The judge was, to be honest, not a very good guy. He didn’t care much about doing right or about people, which seem like two important things for judges.

As for the woman, she had been harmed by someone. Mistreated. We don’t know much about the details, just that something happened to her that shouldn’t have. 

Anyways, she kept showing up. In front of the cranky judge. She kept demanding justice. She wouldn’t get over it.

The judge wished she would just simmer down and let it go. She wouldn’t. Finally- he gave in. Not because I agree that it’s the right thing to do, he clarified. He didn’t care about that or about her. He just didn’t want to be attacked.

The first time I heard that story, I didn’t get it. It didn’t seem dramatic enough to me. Almost all the details are fuzzy. There was no plot twist where the woman figures a strategy to outsmart the judge into doing right. The judge’s heart doesn’t grow three sizes. She just keeps going at it until finally, it works.

Perhaps it’s not the romantic story I want, but it’s the true story we need. There are lots of stubborn people in places of authority. Sometimes, seeking a more just world looks like showing up every single day, speaking truth, sharing your story to the ones who can change things, each day showing up stronger than the day before. Persistence is a virtue.

#275 Parking at Home

02 October 2018 // San Diego, California

The sun goes down earlier, I get home later. This is October.

#276 Rocketeer Recording

03 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Spent a few hours in the recording studio for a video project. It’s happening!

#277 College Area

04 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Not much parking in the area, but there is good Southeast Asian food.

#278 Working Late

05 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Emma’s keeping me charged while putting in a late night of work.

#279 Planting Hope Gala 2018

06 October 2018 // Carlsbad, California

Gala was a smash hit this year.

#280 Big Breakfast

07 October 2018 // Coronado, California

Dude. I have always been such a big breakfast lover. I feel like my appetite can be twice as large in the morning than at other points in the day.

Last week was a crazy one for both myself and @deanna.suzanna - she left one clinic and started at another. In the in-between, @plantwpurpose held its annual Gala. So many things!

So, on Sunday, Deanna plans the perfect morning for me. BIG breakfast- at the @delcoronado breakfast buffet. Such a brilliant surprise. Such good lox. And such a great nap afterwards.

Here’s to learning to rest. Any good surprises come your way lately? I hope the answer is yes. Stay on the lookout for them.

#281 Cactustown

08 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Took Beignet to the vet and I liked the look of this guy.

#282 Deanna’s 29

09 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Today is National @deanna.suzanna Day. Go greet her everybody!

I’m constantly in awe of how much she uses her gifts of listening, digging deeper, and being available to literally save lives. If everyone who knew her could actually see how much of an impact she makes on our world by showing up for those who struggle, they’d be floored.

I’m so thankful for you Deanna! Every day brings deeper and realer love.

#283 Turtle Pond

10 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Haven’t been out for a visit hear in too long to remember.

#284 The Pink Sky

11 October 2018 // San Diego, California

One of the best parts of one of the best parts of the year.

#285 The War and Treaty

12 October 2018 // San Diego, California

This album. It’s been a long time since I’ve come across a full record this moving, stirring, and well, healing. Healing Tide legitimately lives up to its name.

It only took a couple of listens on Spotify to get me to go out and buy the record, which is saying something, cause I try to limit the record collection to only albums I know will be all-time faves. But from the moment ‘Love Like There’s No Tomorrow’ takes off, I was so energized by heart and vulnerability that I went for it.

I’m so glad I did. Even the liner notes are as motivating as the album itself— “While listening to this record, commit to searching yourself and finding a new love from within. Visit a place you’ve never been before. Meet new people on purpose, not by accident. Open yourself up to the idea that we are all one and the same.”

#286 The Other Happiest Place

13 October 2018 // San Diego, California

We were supposed to do Disneyland this weekend, but started feeling a little under the weather on Friday night. We decided laying low would be the wiser way to use our weekend, and so we turned this into the happiest place on Earth.

I needed that! It turned out to be an amazingly restful weekend. I got to enjoy Friday night’s beautiful lightning storm, a spectacular pink sunset, a half season of The Good Place, and the most exciting Ducks football game I’ve seen since, like, 2015.

#287 Andes Market

14 October 2018 // San Diego, California

I work so close to this South American market, but it took me an unfortunately long time to pay it a proper visit. Happy to change that!

#288 Andean Corn

15 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Choclo. Honestly a very underrated ingredient.

#289 Pastel de Choclo

16 October 2018 // San Diego, California

For #internationalfoodday I took on the challenge of making something from Chile. It’s been a while since I’ve tried making something in the kitchen I’ve never made before so I thought it would be a fun challenge.

I went with pastel de choclo- a beef pie topped with a layer of cooked corn meal. I got to try this in Chile, but that was seven years ago and I haven’t thought about it since.

Turned out pretty good! Now I’m wanting to visit Chile all over again. Swipe around for some recipe notes.

#290 City Heights Future

17 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Spent the workday doing some writing in City Heights. This part of the neighborhood’s got some energy.

#291 Small White Church

18 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Eager to get through the next three weeks.

#292 Kaiserhof

19 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Some days the inspiration just flows and other days it just makes grunting noises while you try to crank the lever harder and harder. I’ve been in a bit of a creative rut lately, and that’s no fun.

These dry spells don’t scare me the way they used to, though. They just run their course. The thing about ruts is that they expire, but they don’t have marked expiration dates. That would be so helpful, but you just have to keep going. Hopefully this week turns some things around. Sooner or later, the groove will be back and it’s so freeing to remember that.

#293 Dog Beach Dynamo

20 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Come here for an instant pick-me-up.

#294 Time For Gear

21 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Here for the gear and to dream up some future adventures.

#295 Stained Glass Cross Plans

22 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Monday night small group and a sneak peek at an upcoming addition to the sanctuary.

#296 PB Outing

23 October 2018 // San Diego, California

How do things get better? One step at a time. 

I’ll be honest, this past week was a rough one for me, and it seems like it went that way for a lot of people. I felt unmotivated for the days at hand and impatient to live in better days.

To get to those better days, you sometimes have to fight through the discouragement and lack of motivation. What helps me is remembering that I don’t need to solve everything all at once. I just need to take the next step for making things right that are in front of me.

Here’s to that next step, whatever that might look like for you!

#297 Man Made Pond

24 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Work days made better with a lunch break walk out here.

#298 Casita Mayahuel

25 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Got introduced to Casita Mayahuel this week. I’m loving the old time Oaxaca vibes plus the impressive mezcal collection.

#299 Poverty Uprooted

26 October 2018 // San Diego, California

It’s the heart of production season for me at work. I’ve been able to dig in and start making a number of things. Here’s one work-in-progress that I’m especially excited about. 

Poverty Uprooted is a look at what growing out of poverty looks like at a household level. @plantwpurpose is geared to make a widespread impact across entire regions, so it was fun to switch it up and focus on how individual families transform as well. Having met a bunch of these faces made it all the more special.

#300 Dia de los Muertosfest

27 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Squeezing in a little Dia de los Muertos funtimes on an otherwise packed day.

#301 House Preview

28 October 2018 // San Diego, California

A little house inspecting after church.

#302 Not in Montreat

29 October 2018 // San Diego, California

The last time I was in North Carolina, about three years ago, I hiked totally by myself in search of waterfalls and fell in love with what I saw.

I was supposed to be there last weekend, but last week I realized that I needed to be home. So I cancelled the trip, and I’m feeling happy about it being the right move.

It feels totally weird for me to be this happy about a cancelled trip. But, I know where I need to be.

I love to travel. So much. But I’m also learning that it can be a bit of a crutch or an escape for me. I’m working at figuring out when that’s the case. For now, it feels good to have made the right choice this week.

#303 Voter’s Homework

30 October 2018 // San Diego, California

Honestly, I find voting really fun! I took about an hour to hole up in one of my favorite coffee shops and dig into some of the issues going on in this year’s ballots.

This election, like every election, has an impact. On people inside the country and outside of it, on kids and kids yet to be born, on the poor, on struggling families, on the sick and elderly. What we do during an election has an effect, even deciding to stay home. But with all that at stake, why would you want to do that?

We don’t get to choose the moment in history we’ll be born into but we do get to choose how we’ll show up for it. Vote for accountability. Vote for empathy. Vote for others.

#304 Halloween Evening

31 October 2018 // San Diego, California

A pretty quiet halloween this year, but I think that’s what we needed.

Eugene Peterson, Gala 2018, & a Creative Rut

Eugene Peterson

Eugene Peterson passed away earlier this week. If you don’t know who he was, he was a pastor who believed that pastors pretty much spend their whole lives preaching one sermon. He thought that great writers like Hemingway and Faulkner spent their whole life writing the same book, retold many different ways, and that it wasn’t so different for preachers.

If that’s the case, Eugene preached his sermon well. He delivered countless sermons, translated the Bible, wrote a great memoir, and gave amazing interviews, all of which preached the same thing- staying in awe and wonder. If you want a taste, Google his chat with Bono or look up his @onbeing interview.

Photos of him suggest he spent his whole life smiling ear-to-ear. If I’m ever as visible on Google Images as he is, I hope I look as joyful as he does. I think his quote is a behind-the-scenes peek at how to be a joyful person. The biggest, most sacred things in life- people, God, Scripture- these weren’t problems to solve. Just sweet mysteries.

A Creative Rut

Some days the inspiration just flows and other days it just makes grunting noises while you try to crank the lever harder and harder. I’ve been in a bit of a creative rut lately, and that’s no fun.

These dry spells don’t scare me the way they used to, though. They just run their course. The thing about ruts is that they expire, but they don’t have marked expiration dates. That would be so helpful, but you just have to keep going. Hopefully this week turns some things around. Sooner or later, the groove will be back and it’s so freeing to remember that.

National Book Month 2018

October is #nationalbookmonth - so here are my five favorite books that I’ve read since this time last year. Over the last few months, life happened and I’ve fallen way behind on my reading goals, but I’ve still managed to read through some really good ones.

America Is Not The Heart was a great read featuring a character’s attempt to build a new life after acting as a student revolutionary in the Philippines. Little Fires Everywhere was about the secret lives lived between two families. Both were a big reminder that everyone is going through something.

Factfulness is some of the best storytelling that I’ve seen done with data, and the story it tells us is an encouraging one- the world is getting better. Poverty is way down and opportunities are expanding. It doesn’t dismiss the work that needs to be done and Just Mercy captures how to approach that work with compassion and boldness.

How To Stop Time was a bizarre read about a man who lives a millennium and as a result has to change his identity every four years. In spite of the wild premise, the book is actually about loss, grieving, and not fearing the passing of time.

One Step at a Time

How do things get better? One step at a time.

I’ll be honest, this past week was a rough one for me, and it seems like it went that way for a lot of people. I felt unmotivated for the days at hand and impatient to live in better days.

To get to those better days, you sometimes have to fight through the discouragement and lack of motivation. What helps me is remembering that I don’t need to solve everything all at once. I just need to take the next step for making things right that are in front of me.

Here’s to that next step, whatever that might look like for you!

Not in Montreat

The last time I was in North Carolina, about three years ago, I hiked totally by myself in search of waterfalls and fell in love with what I saw.

I was supposed to be there last weekend, but last week I realized that I needed to be home. So I cancelled the trip, and I’m feeling happy about it being the right move.

It feels totally weird for me to be this happy about a cancelled trip. But, I know where I need to be.

I love to travel. So much. But I’m also learning that it can be a bit of a crutch or an escape for me. I’m working at figuring out when that’s the case. For now, it feels good to have made the right choice this week.

A Mid-Hike Bar

Life has its challenges, but there are also those times when you’re in the middle of a steep hike and right there, surrounded by nothing else but the trail and its cliffs, is a tiny little bar.

Why can’t there be one of these on every hike? Italy is great.

Planting Hope Gala 2018

Gala 2018- this night makes me really proud to be a part of the @plantwpurpose team, getting to celebrate all the trees planted, people helped, and lives changed across seven countries while raising some funds to go out and do even more.

It’s also my rare opportunity to suit up. And, I got to take along a hot date.

SEPTEMBER 2018

#244 Guisados

01 September 2018 // Los Angeles, California

I’ve gone through LA’s Diamond District so many times, but I was surprised to find a sweet food alley almost hiding in plain sight.

We walked past the crowded streets and busy storefronts hawking discounted jewelry and stepped into the Spring Arcade Building. Suddenly we were in a large open food hall with overhanging light strings and marble floors that kept cool.

That was the first pleasant discovery of the day. The second was Guisados. I know San Diego’s tacos much better than LA’s so I was happy to get them on my radar.

Their specialty is their braised meats on top of super soft corn tortillas. It was still hard to narrow down which ones to order, but thankfully they had a 6 for $7 sampler. Steak picado went down as my favorite, closely followed by mole poblano.

Lots of their tacos had a Oaxacan take. Also, their agua frescas looked great but I couldn’t say no to a Mexican lager. Thanks for the intro Nat & Mus.

#245 Luke Turns 5

02 September 2018 // Bakersfield, California

On Luke’s first birthday, we went to the dollar store and bought him things that were squishy and fun for a one year old to wrap his hands around.

Now that he’s five, the gifts have gotten a little more sophisticated. Magic and Pokémon cards, and a fish that gave birth on the ride over from the pet store, apparently.

Thanks, Luke, for making being your uncle so much fun.

#246 Norwalk Crossing

03 September 2018 // Norwalk, California

A quick stop in Norwalk on the way back from from Bakersfield. This spot has one of the most unusual In N Out settings.

#247 Henri

04 September 2018 // La Mesa, California

Finally got to meet Henri, and he’s a social little dude.

#248 Raw Spoon

05 September 2018 // San Diego, California

This week we’ve started a collaboration with Ross Boone- an artist I had the chance to meet at Plywood. It was a pretty spontaneous team-up but a really fun one. Can’t wait to see what we make together.

#249 Combo Slice

06 September 2018 // San Diego, California

I was finally recognized as a regular and asked if I wanted “the usual” at an eating establishment. I always hoped that would happen, though perhaps not at the Costco food court.

#250 Cali Flops

07 September 2018 // San Diego, California

A super cheap pair of flip flops are surprisingly hard to come by when you need them on an emergency run.

#251 Reading Swing Chair

08 September 2018 // San Diego, California

I listen to all my podcasts at 2x speed. Sometimes I’ll give someone a ride, one will start automatically playing, and my passengers think I’m listening to a Hungarian audiobook. I do this with every show. The only exceptions are shows about music where they’ll play a lot of clips, and the occasional show that has really, really, good mixing. 

This is pretty consistent with my (often bad) habit of trying to “squeeze it all in.” I’m working on that, but I don’t think podcasts are the area of life where I’ll see much change.

I’ll drop it down to regular speed when Deanna is in the car, because the speed talking drives her nuts. Or we’ll do the ULTIMATE MARRIAGE COMPROMISE of... 1.5x speed, but you know what happens when I do that?

Sarah Koenig, Krista Tippett, Francis Lam, and all my favorite hosts suddenly sound foreign to me and stuck in molasses. Regular speed is unfamiliar territory. Compare the way you talk to the way a podcast host speaks sometime. It’s proper form to slow down and enunciate on audio, but It feels like they might be assuming I’m not a native English speaker.

Disclaimer: this is not a photo of me with a podcast. That is a book in my hands. One I am perhaps reading at 2x speed.

#252 Start With Why

09 September 2018 // San Diego, California

“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.”

–Simon Sinek

Book No. 20 of 2018

I probably should’ve read this book long ago. I’ve been familiar with it’s concept for so long, and I knew it was one I would heartily agree with. But it took a while to actually just read the book, you know?

Anyways, I’m very glad I got to it. There are still so many organizations that try to promote what they do and all their features and benefits instead of answering the most important question: why does this matter?

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#253 Monday at Phil’s

10 September 2018 // San Diego, California

Just a little Monday night BBQ action with my parents.

#254 Board & Brew Meeting

11 September 2018 // San Diego, California

I’ve got it pretty good when this is where I take business meetings.

#255 Vet Visit

12 September 2018 // San Diego, California

Took our bargain dog to the not-so-bargain vet. Here comes the fleapocalypse.

#256 Keep Oklahoma Friendly

13 September 2018 // Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Oklahoma City, you're great! Don’t let us snobby west coasters tell you otherwise!

I have a thing for places that go overlooked. I’ve known too many people who think that if it isn’t California, New York, or Hawaii, it must be boring. Those are good places, but they miss out on a lot of others.

This was my second time in OKC, and my first visit in years. Both times I’ve come here to discover new people, places to eat, and sweet hangouts that make this place an underrated, friendly gem.

#257 John Mark McMillan

14 September 2018 // Waco, Texas

“There’s a physicality to faith.

You love God by the way you love people. My friend says that you love God as much as the person you love the least.

When I think about who my neighbor is, my definition is— anyone affected by the way I live. The poorest of the poor are affected by the way we live. What does that mean for us?”

–John Mark McMillan

Thank you @johnmarkmcmillan for helping us remember that our attitudes and behaviors regarding the environment and poverty are a reflection of our faith.

Way to lend your voice. Keep up the wonderful tour!

#258 Waco

15 September 2018 // Waco, Texas

Had a bit- not a lot- of time to explore Waco today. In the weirdest way, it’s like Bakersfield and Eugene had a baby.

“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.

#259 Rich’s 60th

16 September 2018 // Bakersfield, California

Happy 60th to my father in law!

#260 New Intern Class

17 September 2018 // San Diego, California

And just like that, we’ve got a whole new class of interns.

#261 Nashville Arrival

18 September 2018 // Nashville, Tennessee

I’m on board a Southwest flight right now. The past few days have been a fully loaded. My father in law turned 60. I got a new squad of interns. I made it from Waco to Bakersfield to San Diego all to head back out again.

My favorite part of all the mini-missions that I’ve been able to go this year has definitely been all the people I’ve met along the way. Activists at conferences, small business owners in hip neighborhoods, artists on tour. Even the friendly plane seat neighbors and Airbnb hosts. I love people who find their way to make things the world needs. My kinda community is one where creativity and compassion are in full force.

#262 The Wonder Workshop

19 September 2018 // Nashville, Tennessee

My heart is FULL.

Years ago, a guy named Brad and I started following each other on Tumblr of all places. I was just trying to figure out the internet in a post-MySpace world, but we had the same sense of humor and taste in memes, and Brad would share some of the things he kept making. He kept getting better and bolder and people started to notice.

Then his @iamkidpresident videos started to get some deserved attention, along with his drawings, his poems, his Joyful Rebellion and a whole bunch of other creative work. He really made the internet a better place, and with so much heart that it was a joy to cheer him on.

The whole time @bradmontague has been inspiring others with his voice, he’s stayed true to himself. He’s a big encourager for people he may have met on Tumblr long, long ago.

And after all that time, it was great to finally meet in person at the Wonder Workshop. The whole day felt like playtime. Keep making magic, Brad!

#263 STORY 2018, Day 1

20 September 2018 // Nashville, Tennessee

“Be comfortable with the uncomfortable and see the beauty of it all!”

–@sam.edwards

I came to @storygathering to make new connections and walk away with some new insights. I did that! But I also... got to bust out in karaoke, shake hands that have made things that moved me, go to a tea party, get my life story written in a minute, and think about the last sound I want to hear. Ultimately, I got to get reenergized because of the why that guides what I do. And I underestimated how much I needed that.

#264 STORY 2018, Day 2

21 September 2018 // Nashville, Tennessee

Ultimately, I got to reconnect with the reasons I love what I do. I love moving people. I love helping people see the world as a big, incredible, sometimes scary-but-valuable, beautiful place. I love making people want to come alive by helping others.

I’m pumped. Not for any one thing in particular. I’m excited to put my whole heart in everything I do. Let’s do this.

#265 Exploring Nashville

22 September 2018 // Nashville, Tennessee

I love you, Nashville! The last time I was in town was such a tease. I know it’s a great city thanks to all of you on Instagram. But I only got like six hours to explore. @pinewoodnashville and @parnassusbooks were great but then we were out the door!

Booked myself a whole week here this time. Fun place and fantastic people... why rush that? So much to do, so much to eat. Sometimes you want to run around the Parthenon in the park like Indiana Jones. Other times you want to nap after too much hot chicken. I booked myself a week, so I can do both.

#266 I Believe In Nashville

23 September 2018 // Nashville, TN

Nashville! What a blast you are.

To tell you the truth, the past few months of a really heavy travel schedule have been a lot of fun for me, but they’ve also come at a cost. It’s been physically tiring, and it’s also taken me away from home more frequently than I would like.

Deanna and I decided that if I couldn’t stay home this month, then she’d come join me on the road. When the road leads to Nashville, that’s an easy sell!

We spent our weekend making friends over brunch, catching a few random live shows, crossing things off our food bucket lists, getting sick off of sweet tea, and enjoying simple good times together.

When you empty yourself out for the right things, you’ll actually always be full.

#267 Hanging With Crystal

24 September 2018 // Nashville, TN

Nashville! What a blast you are.

To tell you the truth, the past few months of a really heavy travel schedule have been a lot of fun for me, but they’ve also come at a cost. It’s been physically tiring, and it’s also taken me away from home more frequently than I would like.

Deanna and I decided that if I couldn’t stay home this month, then she’d come join me on the road. When the road leads to Nashville, that’s an easy sell!

We spent our weekend making friends over brunch, catching a few random live shows, crossing things off our food bucket lists, getting sick off of sweet tea, and enjoying simple good times together.

When you empty yourself out for the right things, you’ll actually always be full.

#268 Barista Parlor

25 September 2018 // Nashville, TN

Nashville! What a blast you are.

To tell you the truth, the past few months of a really heavy travel schedule have been a lot of fun for me, but they’ve also come at a cost. It’s been physically tiring, and it’s also taken me away from home more frequently than I would like.

Deanna and I decided that if I couldn’t stay home this month, then she’d come join me on the road. When the road leads to Nashville, that’s an easy sell!

We spent our weekend making friends over brunch, catching a few random live shows, crossing things off our food bucket lists, getting sick off of sweet tea, and enjoying simple good times together.

When you empty yourself out for the right things, you’ll actually always be full.

#269 Ben Howard in San Diego

26 September 2018 // San Diego, CA

Speak it simple, make me smile
Tell me a thought, tell me beautiful things
Like how the river bends in a wild wood creek
Am I making history, am I working out?

– Ben Howard, What The Moon Does

Last week I had the chance to catch @bhwrd play in San Diego. It was a somber show played outdoors on a Wednesday night. It was brilliant. The last time I saw him play live, he completely owned the room. That was six years ago and I don’t think he played a single song from that set list this time around.

He played more stuff from his new album, which is more sophisticated and has taken me more time to get into. I usually have no idea what the lyrics are about but I know exactly the feelings they’re bringing up. Mr. Howard is quite good at that.

Sadly, however, he also left his remarkable Call Me Maybe cover off the setlist. Maybe next time.

#270 Hustle & Heart

27 September 2018 // San Diego, CA

When you empty yourself for something bigger than yourself, you end up living fully.

I love @toddhenry’s mantra ‘Die Empty.’ I love all the different variations of it. The coaches who remind you to leave it all on the field. The Facebook chain your auntie shares about arriving in the casket worn out saying, my what a ride.

I don’t actually like the word hustle. I prefer words like ‘ukulele’ and ‘oolong.’ But the word hustle describes this season a bit more accurately. So many new opportunities. So many chances to meet and collaborate with people I never dreamt possible. So many open doors.

A season of hustle can be good for some people. It eats other people alive. Making sure you go into every day with a big, open heart makes the difference.

Life comes at you fast. Let heart and hustle go hand in hand.

#271 Point Loma Rotary

28 September 2018 // San Diego, CA

I suppose the world can seem like an intimidating place these days to tell your own story in your own voice. I don’t blame anyone for feeling that way. But- your story and your voice still hold sway. They can still move people, no matter who they are.

On Friday, I had the chance to speak in front of a local rotary group. I actually really enjoy speaking and haven’t gotten to do much of it in months so I was excited to get up and to start sharing my story.

The group was way different than my usual audience, demographically speaking. I speak most often with younger crowds interested in solving problems and changing the world, if you will. I’ve also been known to make occasional references to Fresh Prince episodes and to use Pokémon as metaphors. I was real curious how this would play in a crowd of mostly senior age men.

It went real well! No Fresh Prince references, but I otherwise just told my story of wanting to do something bigger with my life and how that led to connecting with @plantwpurpose. It reminded me of how much I love to speak. And they gave me a ballcap and had me sign a children’s book I didn’t write as a thank you.

#272 Coffee Outside

29 September 2018 // San Diego, CA

This week: So much to process. So much disappointment. So much frustration. So many surprises. So many discoveries. So much going on. So much learning on the fly. So much heart. So many problems solved. So many reasons to celebrate. So many reasons to keep going.

When it seems like life is bloated with joy, struggle, and chaos, there’s one thing that there’s always more room for. Love. Turn it up loud.

#273 More Love

30 September 2018 // San Diego, California

This week: So much to process. So much disappointment. So much frustration. So many surprises. So many discoveries. So much going on. So much learning on the fly. So much heart. So many problems solved. So many reasons to celebrate. So many reasons to keep going.

When it seems like life is bloated with joy, struggle, and chaos, there’s one thing that there’s always more room for. Love. Turn it up loud.

Path by Plywood

About a month ago, I got to connect with the Plywood community and you guys- it is one really cool community. I met plenty of artists, entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, creatives, activists, and others who were in their zone, doing meaningful work they believed in.

⠀

So many of the people I met said Path was their first step to getting into action. And now I’m in the middle of the course myself.

It took me a long time to discover the reason so many of my ideas weren’t working out was because I was trying to build things on my own. Path brings community, support, accountability, and all that good stuff in the form of an online course.

If this sounds like it just might be a good step for you too, sign up via the link below. I’ve got a partnership going where if you sign up, Plant With Purpose gets to plant 50 trees. And lemme known if you have any questions! 

AUGUST 2018

#213 Plywood Presents, Day One

01 August 2018 // Atlanta, Georgia

Day one of Plywood Presents was a good one! Definitely a marathon of meeting people, swapping stories, and learning a whole lot. So many ideas to take back to Plant With Purpose.

I love what happens when you get a whole bunch of problem solvers together in one spot.

Like Michele Sullivan says, “rarely in life do you do anything by yourself.”

#214 Plywood Presents, Day Two

02 August 2018 // Atlanta, Georgia

Wow. Love is the greatest disruption.

🌇 I’ve been moving nonstop the past few days, (and will continue to for the next week!) but I’m able to do that because of how much energy I get from being around creatives, connectors, and problem solvers.

🌄 My favorite part was making so many connections, and the whole reason Plywood Presents caught my eye in the first place was the strong sense of community. And it delivered on that.

🎆 It was a blast getting to make so many new connections. Love ya, Plywood People. If there’s anything I can do to help any of you out- let me know!

#215 Stuck in Fort Lauderdale

03 August 2018 // Fort Lauderdale, Florida

We’ll get to Haiti eventually, but for now, we’ve spent way too much time in the Fort Lauderdale Airport.

#216 Haiti

04 August 2018 // Fonds-Verrettes, Haiti

My trip to Haiti is a storytelling trip. This is pretty much my favorite thing that I get to do for work. I’ll meet with several members of the Plant With Purpose in-country program and got to listen as they shared how their lives have been impacted by it.

This is an opportunity I don’t take lightly. Whenever somebody shares their story with you, it’s a tremendous thing. Even if they share with enthusiasm, it still calls for them to be vulnerable and open. People’s stories should be handled with love.

There is a lot of work ahead. There’s also audio to be transcribed, scripts to be written, videos to be processed and photos to be edited. Lei and I have our work cut out for us for the next several weeks. But we are so eager to get to it. This is a big project on so many levels.

#217 Dieula

05 August 2018 // Fonds-Verrettes, Haiti

Dieula was one of the warmest people I’ve ever met. She greeted us with hugs and kisses, and she wasn’t going to let a language barrier stop her from expressing her enthusiasm.

The whole time we were at her house, everything she did was underlined with a strong sense of joy. She opened up to us about the people she knew who she lost in the earthquake and the challenges her rural community faced. She showed us the tree nursery in her backyard, and her collection of rabbits. She frequently gives tree starters and rabbits away to other people in her community and doesn’t ask for anything in return.

“This generosity helps me feel happy and blessed; Plant With Purpose came to share with me and now I must go and share with others.” 

Everybody I met in Haiti had something to teach me. Dieula reminded me how inviting it is to be around a deeply joyful person.

#218 Lei

06 August 2018 // Fonds-Verrettes, Haiti

I’ve loved being able to work on this video project with Lei. 

Being able to help him fulfill a lifelong desire to go to Haiti, while collaborating on something meaningful and creative was so rewarding.

It was great to work together on something for the first time in years. From touring with LiNK together years ago, to making my own wedding video, to now this, it’s fascinating to see how different parts of life build off each other to get you where you end up.

Lei constantly reminded me that it’s a gift to find something so meaningful to you that you’re willing to work on it tirelessly. That drive helped us push ahead after the later hours of a long day’s video shoot in the sun.

This project also reminded me that collaboration is awesome. You get to feed off each other’s energy and see where your gifts complement. I want to do so much more of that.

#219 Translating

07 August 2018 // Fonds-Verrettes, Haiti

Our main goal in Haiti was to produce a video series showing how a bunch of small but significant actions could change lives in a pocket of the world that hardly ever gets the positive attention it deserves.

Our days were packed with interviews, activities to film, and more technical work like handling gigs on gigs of video or translating hours of footage.

I think this has been my favorite thing I’ve had to work on with Plant With Purpose thus far and I hope it keeps on raising the bar as to how we tell stories.

We’re aiming to release the final product in October. Hang tight. Previews until then and once it’s out, I’ll be sharing wide and far.

#thisisfondsverrettes

#220 Port Au Prince Departure

08 August 2018 // Port Au Prince, Haiti

Haiti’s given me so much to process. And that’s on top of all the sleep and showers I’m still trying to get caught up with. 

I kind of suspected that it would be like that. A visit to Haiti has as about as much to reveal about its visitors as it has to reveal about the country.

Part way through the trip, I felt nudged by God to try and take note of what I could learn from every encounter. And that’s pretty much what happened. Haiti ended up enriching my perspective so much. It felt like a master class on being human. I love that rural villages like Fonds-Verrettes are my second office.

Even though my time in country was fairly short, it was so full and rich that going back will also be a jolt. But I’m so thankful to have that. The road shapes your perspective but home is where it has its impact. And we’ll always have Fonds-Verrettes.

#thisisfondsverrettes

#221 Justice

09 August 2018 // Atlanta, Georgia

Racism angers me. It always will.

It does seem like every day I hear about more and more reasons to be upset about it. Stats like wage gaps or incarceration rates. Incidents like Middle Eastern families having to endure verbal abuse at parking lots, or cops being called on black kids trying to do normal things in common spaces.

These things kind of make it feel like we often fail at the most important parts of being human: to know that we’re all connected.

My visit to the Center for Civil Rights underscored the fact that this isn’t anything new. A generation and a half ago, so many public offices were held by people who were so committed to segregation that their infamy landed them in museums.

But as long as they’ve been around, so have sit-ins. So have Freedom Riders. So have student activists and theologians. History is so full of people who have been willing and committed to putting themselves on the front lines, jeopardizing their own safety and taking beatings in order to move the needle.

Humans are capable of so much bad and so much good.

Throughout history and even today, there are so many people insistent on the idea that some groups of people are better than others. I’ll never understand that. But I’ll also always be amazed at the mystery of how many people have tapped into unbelievable bravery and courage to make things different.

#222 Last Morning in Atlanta

10 August 2018 // Atlanta, Georgia

One last morning in ATL. This city has so much more for me than I ever would’ve expected. Hope to be back someday soon.

#223 Phillies vs. Padres: Nola Day

11 August 2018 // San Diego, California

Successful double date!

Once a year, the Phillies come to Petco Park and I get a chance to cheer for the road team. I got back into town just in time for this. Oh, and Aaron Nola was starting, so my odds of catching a win were pretty good.

Phillies took the game 5-1. This team is way different from the one I went out to see last year, and I couldn’t be more happy about that. #BeBold

#224 Cowles Hike

12 August 2018 // La Mesa, California

Observation from mid-August: this has actually been a really humbling year.

That means it’s been full of unexpected challenges, and in order to face them, I’ve had to become so much more honest with myself.

I have a huge independent streak, but that doesn’t make me immune to anxiety. I value people and have some great ones in my life, but that’s no immunity from loneliness. I love the life I get to live, but I’ve also encountered envy and impatience.

You can’t confront something that you aren’t willing to call by name, and that’s been so much of the hard part.

The good part is this- these familiar words have taken on so much more meaning these days:

Your eyes saw my unformed body; 

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

“You’ll be taken care of. I already know how your story shapes out, and I had a blast writing it—” it’s the piece of reassurance I can’t get enough of.

Learning to drop the act and own the fact that I’m not in control has been a process, and it’s not done. But I’ve gotten far enough to catch a glimpse of the reward.

There’s no feeling that compares to feeling both small and known. Small but seen. If that’s what all these months have been trying to shove me towards, I’ll take that.

#225 Tacos With Matt

13 August 2018 // San Diego, California

Matt took us out for tacos on a Monday night and I have no complaints about that.

#226 Mental Good

14 August 2018 // San Diego, California

Today I got to meet up with somebody who just started doing my job at a different, but similarly-hearted organization, and I had a blast sharing what I've learned. I also realized I've learned so much in the process of doing my job.

#227 America Is Not The Heart

15 August 2018 // San Diego, California

“As for loving America or not loving America, those aren't your problems, either. Your word for love is survival. Everything else is a story that isn't about you.”

–Elaine Castillo

Book No. 19 of 2018

Of all the books I’ve picked up this year, this was the one I was the most excited about. This was the first novel I’ve read about a Filipina-American experience or written by a Filipina-American author. It was unusual reading references to my stepdad’s hometown, which I’ve always thought of as small and remote in a hardcover book I got from Strand’s.

The novel is set in the 90’s where a newcomer to the US tries to bury her past as a student-dissident during the Marcos regime. There were some parts that felt long, but overall it was a story well-told.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#228 Fish & Chips Tips

16 August 2018 // San Diego, California

The key to good fish and chips is good batter. The key to good batter is vodka. The high alcohol content will evaporate much faster when it hits the oil, leaving you with a satisfying crisp.

#229 Caytlin Arrives

17 August 2018 // Chula Vista, California

Caytlin is in town! This is gonna make for a really exciting weekend.

#230 CC in SD

18 August 2018 // Coronado, California

We loved having Caytlin in San Diego! Tacos and beer and international houses and movies and carrot juice that was either free or stolen.

Come back again! Hopefully we’ll have a new paddleboard and a new apartment to store it in when you do.

#231 Spreckles & Segways

19 August 2018 // San Diego, California

Did the organ make this the most ominous Segway ride? Or did the Segways totally cancel out the epic sounds of the organ?

#232 Charnelton

20 August 2018 // San Diego, California

Monday night strategic planning.

#233 Packing My Bags

21 August 2018 // San Diego, California

On my way to the PNW tomorrow. Gotta make sure I don’t run out of black t-shirts.

#234 Hazy Northwest

22 August 2018 // Portland, Oregon

Oh no, Portland. This isn’t the Portland I’m used to! Smoky skies, terrible air quality and 90-something degrees? Well… I’m here for a week, so hopefully I’ll get to see it return to being its usual self.

#235 Rhododendron Gardens

23 August 2018 // Portland, Oregon

I’m back in the PNW this week and to absolutely no one’s surprise, I’m loving it. I’m here for trade shows and meetings but of course I’ll still find time to model and grab Pok Pok with Raquel & Jesse.

Even when it’s not its usual fresh airy self because of all the fires and climate issues and what not, it’s still a joy to be back with some of my favorite coffee shops and doughnuts and people.

I wanna ‘grow where I’m planted’ and all that, but I’d just be lying if I said I didn’t miss living up here. I’m much more at home when living connected to the natural world, and Oregon makes that so easy and appealing.

I’m thankful that some places get to play important roles in our lives, and I’m especially thankful for the places I’ve been paired up with.

#236 FarWest PDX

24 August 2018 // Portland, Oregon

My job takes me to the most colorful assortment of places sometimes. This month, it’s already brought me to the Symphony Hall of Atlanta, a pine forest in Haiti, and now I can add the Washington State Fair Dog Show and a tree industry trade show to the mix.

Bay Dave and I got to be at FarWest in Portland, representing Plant With Purpose to corporate partners, meeting potential new partners, and trying to raise enough money to plant 10,000 trees at a dollar per tree. We got a supporter who offered to match all gifts, and the people at FarWest were helpful in getting us the other $5,000.

This weekend let me physically see more of the people who came up to us and offered us gifts. Our supporters are an extremely diverse bunch, I’ll say that. It just goes to show that generosity really is for everybody.

#237 Weekend in Washington

25 August 2018 // Monroe, Washington

I’ve gotten to spend my weekend in Washington, and so far that’s meant meeting the mayor of Monroe, coincidentally winding up in the community parade, and attending the Washington State Fair dog show. All in a day’s work.

#238 Saltwater State Park

26 August 2018 // Saltwater State Park, Washington

Hey, I’m Philippe, and my interests are way all over the place. I work in the nonprofit world, on sustainability and international development. I’m obsessed over the craft of storytelling, I love traveling pretty much anywhere and tasting almost anything. The one thing that always freaked me out was the idea of having to do just one thing for most of my hours every day for the rest of my life.

I’m a true-to-form Enneagram 7, and I hated the idea of being put into a box. And it seemed like that’s what life demanded out of most people. Getting good at one thing, calling it a career, and so on.

What I’ve been finding out is that with some creativity and old school hard work, the “box” you wind up in can turn into a pirate ship, a fort, or anything you imagine.

In the past month, I’ve gotten to participate in a tree-growers convention, direct a short film, and collaborate with a couple brands I look up to. I also get to head to Waco in about a week to join a concert tour we’ve partnered up with. And that’s just the day job. I’ve started getting my feet wet in illustration and I’ve been loving that.

It’s especially fun when I see things that resemble past “odd jobs” or “student side hustles” pop up pretty often. All that to say, it’s okay to be a mixed bag if that’s how you were assembled. All those odd pieces somehow find their way forward.

#239 Kainos Coffee

27 August 2018 // Portland, Oregon

One of my favorite things about Portland is how the streets are just lined with places that seem instantly boost your creativity just by being there. I haven’t been as much of a coffee shop lurker the past couple of years as I used to be, but the past week sort of makes me want to change that.

#240 Coffee & Conversation

28 August 2018 // Portland, Oregon

To the Portland-area coffee shops, doughnut spots, and nurseries that served as my office space over the past week– thank you.

I’m looking at you, Peaks, Case Study, Pistils, Kainos, Blue Star, and Cup & Bar... man that’s a lot for one week! But I’d say I was productive enough to justify all the caffeine.

#241 PWP Lobby

29 August 2018 // San Diego, California

Dreaming up a refreshed look for the lobby.

#242 Bay & Bike Path

30 August 2018 // San Diego, California

Quick stop at the bike path after work.

#243 Cali Baguette Breakfast

31 August 2018 // San Diego, California

Discovered a new lunch hub, thanks to grabbing breakfast with Matt.

JULY 2018

#182 Our First Apartment

01 July 2018 // Eugene, Oregon

We took a second to pay a visit to our old apartment, the first one we ever lived in as a married couple.

Sadly, it might also be the last one we’ll ever rent for less than $1000. Some parts of Oregon are especially easy to miss compared to California.

We remembered moving all our stuff in just before the wedding, the day we brought Beignet home, her walks all over the bushes, the crazy ice storm that knocked over all these trees, and the Saturdays we would start things super late, make pancakes, and throw on our shows.

#183 Pip’s Original Doughnuts

02 July 2018 // Portland, Oregon

Filling up on Pip’s on my last day in town. Because if you didn’t have a bunch of doughnuts, were you even in Portland?

#184 I Fly PDX

03 July 2018 // Portland, Oregon

Headed home, by way of my very favorite airport.

Bring it on, two day work week!

#185 Fourth of July 18

04 July 2018 // San Diego, California

“Home is home.”

After a long conversation with a South African about all the challenges and problems in his country, that’s the conclusion he drew. When some place becomes home to you, you have some degree of ownership over its challenges and the process of making things better.

The USA is my home. There are changes I’d love to see happen, sure, but part of calling it home means being part of that process. It’s not an overnight process, and the path isn’t always linear, but home is home.

#186 One Hundred Years of Solitude

05 July 2018 // San Diego, California

“It is enough for me to be sure that you and I exist at this moment.”

–Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Book No. 16 of 2018

Alright, a bit of a confession- I wanted to like this book a lot more than I think I actually did. I really like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I’ve had a positive interaction with him, I’ve liked other books of his, and I do like magical realism. Yet this book just was a bit too meandering for me. There were some interesting moments for sure, but on the whole, it felt like I never got too deeply invested in anything.

⭐⭐⭐

#187 Bao

06 July 2018 // San Diego, California

Bao, the out-of-the-box Pixar short that will make you want to call your mom, instantly take away that desire, and then just make you really hungry instead.

#188 Heatwave Antidote

07 July 2018 // San Diego, California

I’m not much of a surfer, I’m definitely not a hot weather person, but I’ll sign up for everything about this pic. Heatwave antidote.

#189 Watermelon Smile

08 July 2018 // San Diego, California

Think of the bravest person you know.

Take 30 seconds. Just think about them.

Good job.

Now run towards that thing you’ve felt resistance towards.

#190 Pray for Port Au Prince

09 July 2018 // San Diego, California

This weekend I’m set to fly to Haiti with my friend Lei to capture some stories of Plant With Purpose communities, but right now I’m hoping that this trip can still happen. This weekend was a tumultuous one in Port Au Prince. The government increased gas prices, sparking a lot of heated demonstrations that have blocked roads and caused flights in to Port Au Prince to be cancelled.

There is hardly anything about this on my newsfeeds, timelines, or on headlines I’ve seen. Here in the U.S., I’ve had to do a lot of my own research to find out this is even happening, let alone the complex causes behind it. Just a reminder of how “reading the news” doesn’t always mean being fully informed. Our focus is often narrow and misguided. When places like Haiti do get our attention, it’s only over things that seem shocking or scary.

But that’s a large part of the reason I’m drawn to international storytelling. And not just in a journalistic way, but on a human level. And that’s why I look forward to capturing those stories in Haiti, whether that happens next week or needs to be postponed for another, calmer time. Because beyond the unrest and hardship, there are people helping other people. There are people healing their land. There are so many more stories that capture the human spirit. Haiti deserves more than a one-sided story.

#191 Lola’s 100th

10 July 2018 // San Diego, California

Today my grandma would’ve been 100 years old. She lived to be 98, and I last saw her at her 96th birthday party.

This plate is kind of a strange memento, but it reminds me of the last time I saw her- and that might actually be one of my fondest memories of her. I introduced her to Deanna, and although her memory was mostly gone by that point, her warmth and excitement were unmistakeable. She went on to give us a tour of her house, four times in a row, each time pointing out the same things. Every time we went into her room, she showed off this plate and told us, “imagine… you can have all this!”

That was a summer that followed a very eventful and fairly tragic spring. I spent it in a few Asian countries, and the phrase ‘go where the love is’ replayed over and over in my head. I knew that me and Deanna in the Philippines was one way to do that. When Lola passed two years ago, it occurred to me how much she embodied that phrase. Even though I had no idea how to afford the trip, I booked a flight from Eugene to her hometown of Iloilo.

After her memorial service, I asked her caretaker if she knew anything about the plate. I hadn’t given any thought to heirlooms or mementos, but I thought the plate might be a meaningful thing for me to hold on to. I had no idea if she’d even know what I was talking about. 

“You know, the china plate with my grandma’s face!”The next day, she found me and handed it to me wrapped in a plastic bag.

I continue to ask myself what it means to go where the love is. That question never fails to help make things clear.

#192 Haiti on Hold

11 July 2018 // San Diego, California

My trip to Haiti this week is officially off.

Thankfully, however, things seem to have improved a lot over the past week. The fuel increase was called off and a lot of the streets have emptied and clean up has begun. It’s still a fairly volatile area, though, so continued prayers are still a good idea.

And if all goes well I’ll be going in August.

#193 Illustrator: Seattle

12 July 2018 // San Diego, California

I’ve been using Photoshop for like, 13 years. That’s gotten me way too dependent on it. I use Photoshop even for tasks where there are definitely better Adobe products for the job. One of my summer goals has been to get way better at Illustrator.

Here are some early returns- a poster of Seattle that I used to practice shapes and a mock-up Plant With Purpose enamel pin to practice the pen tool.

#194 Angie

13 July 2018 // San Diego, California

Good friends. Good talks. Good eats.

What more could you want?

#195 LA Rooftops

14 July 2018 // Los Angeles, California

Since Haiti didn’t work out, we went to LA to help Nat and Mus move into their new place. DTLA is all about linear patterns, right angles, and rooftop hangs. And being right in the middle of everything.

#196 World Cup 2018

15 July 2018 // Los Angeles, California

I pretty much remember where I was for every single World Cup game I’ve watched since high school. None of them were at home. For the World Cup, I try to seek out the most packed house, public viewing I can find.

I had to be in the US for the finale this year, but Downtown LA isn’t a bad spot to try and find a spirited crowd. This Irish pub had just the right lower level seating area to meet my tastes for a final viewing party.

#197 Alex’s 25th

16 July 2018 // San Diego, California

Welcome to quarter life, cous!

#198 Beloved

17 July 2018 // San Diego, California

“Something that is loved is never lost.”

–Toni Morrison

Book No. 17 of 2018

Of all the books I’ve read in the past few years, this might be one of the hardest ones to describe my reaction. I’m simultaneously impressed and confused, I guess. It’s thematically rich and robust, the way a ghost story speaks to the psychological legacy of slavery is brilliant and kind of a spiritual predecessor to something like Get Out.

At the same time the book is so densely packed with allusions and themes and meaning that it’s hard to know exactly what just happened and what it all really means.

I have a bunch of respect for Toni Morrison, though, and I get why this book gets the attention that it does.

⭐⭐⭐

#199 Brew Coffee

18 July 2018 // La Mesa, California

Usually when I do a writing day off-site and at a coffee shop, I go in search of whoever has the best outdoor seating where I can still grab an outlet.

This week is different. If your A/C is on blast and you’ve got cold brew, I’m there.

#200 Combo No. 2

19 July 2018 // San Diego, California

You know how awesome it is to try and control the emotional energy in a room only towards the positive ones? You can totally tell jokes and respond for people to make sure nobody has to feel sad or angry or embarrassed or anything!

Oh did I say awesome? I meant to say easy. At least for me. It’s way too easy to do that and it isn’t always right.

One of the bigger things I’ve been developing this year is a better ability to hold back from “fixing things” or offering the sunny solution in less than a second.

I’d share what I’ve learned by trying to work on that, but I’m still in the early part of the process and I mess up a lot. I guess my one note would be that it’s been worth it. Discomfort is often worth it.

#201 Red Sea Restaurant

20 July 2018 // San Diego, California

Trying to help people is hard work, and you don’t want to get burnt out. That’s why I think it’s important to celebrate every single win.

Plant With Purpose just ended a really good fiscal year and I’m glad this team know how to celebrate the right way- by spending a Friday out of the office hunting for treasure in the park and discovering that the real treasure is the Ethiopian café you go to at the end of the day.

#202 Bob’s Burgers x Shake Shack

21 July 2018 // San Diego, California

We’re all here for this Bob’s Burgers Comic-Con activation, hosted by Shake Shack.

#203 Nephew Safari

22 July 2018 // Escondido, California

Went with my nephews and in-laws to the zoo yesterday, got to see Simon woo a kangaroo into lettimg him pet its back, and went back for more Ethiopian food for my sister-in-law’s birthday.

All this in spite of the fact that the Earth’s thermostat is stuck and it’ll never be cold again.

#204 The Next Few Trips

23 July 2018 // San Diego, California

I’m extremely excited for some of the events and trips I have coming up over the next few months. Can’t wait to meet new people and spend time in a few of my favorite cities.

+ #plywoodpresents is one I’ve been anticipating for a long time. I’m looking forward to getting connected to other problem-solvers and getting more involved with the Plywood community.

+ I’ll be going to Haiti immediately after to make up for that trip that was postponed from last month. Can’t wait to see my next Plant With Purpose field site.

+ #farwest2018 is in Portland, and I’m excited to be able to return to PDX so soon. Repping a nonprofit at a trade show for nurseries will be a new one for me!

+ I’ve been following the #STORY2018 world for quite some time and I’m excited to get to be there in person this year in Nashville. Plus, I don’t spend enough time in Nashville. Nashville is great.

#205 The Milk Lady of Bangalore

24 July 2018 // San Diego, California

“You tie empty Coke and Sprite bottles around your waist in order to float in the water; you line up tattered shoes as goalposts when you play football; and you figure out how to get an animal to the third floor. But you don’t give up on culture and tradition, particularly when they bring you good luck.”

–Shoba Narayan

Book No. 18 of 2018

This book was a bit like a This American Life episode, minus the fact that it wasn’t really American at all. I went back and forth between thinking that cows were way more fascinating than I would’ve ever guessed, and wondering if the story had any direction or point at all.

⭐⭐

#206 One Word at a Time

25 July 2018 // San Diego, California

A story written with my nephews, each of us contributing one word at a time.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

They died.

#207 Two Family Dinner

26 July 2018 // San Diego, California

Such a treat getting so much family time over the past few days, especially when it involves getting both families together.

#208 Bali Hai

27 July 2018 // San Diego, California

Bali Hai confirms my theory that there’s a tiki bar lover somewhere deep inside each of us. Always a treat whenever I get to eat here.

#209 It’s Gonna Be a Girl

28 July 2018 // San Diego, California

It’s gonna be a girl!

Congrats Ivy & JB. We loved being there for baby’s first text.

#210 PWP x PLCPC

29 July 2018 // San Diego, California

I had a blast this weekend getting to share Plant With Purpose’s work with my church. Point Loma Community Presbyterian has sponsored a village in the Dominican Republic for several years.

Now Los Arroyones is at the point where it just doesn’t need as much support from the outside, and it wants to be an advocate for environmental stewardship to neighboring communities. Happy to celebrate the occasion with the congregation across three services.

#211 The Packup

30 July 2018 // San Diego, California

It was a good day.

Got to catch up with an old friend. I surprised myself with how much I got done at work just before leaving the office for a couple weeks. I got to spend quality time at home with Deanna and Beignet.

Much of life has felt like a pursuit lately, and that’s kind of a good thing. But I also love those in-between days and where we are right now.

#212 Atlantabound

31 July 2018 // Atlanta, Georgia

Made it to Atlanta and woke up pumped for day one of Plywood Presents but yesterday was a travel day for sure.

Storms kept us circling the airport for so long we had to stop in Nashville to fuel up the plane. Made it to ATL later than I would’ve liked but I still managed to grab burgers at a local fave- Grindhouse Killer Burgers Just might be directed by Quentin Tarantino but their Grindhouse double burger was tough to argue with.

JUNE 2018

#152 Deanna’s Last Day at CRF

01 June 2018 // San Diego, California

This weekend, Deanna finished up her last day at the Douglas Young Clinic, bringing light to darkness there for over a year.

Celebrating the change in jobs with some German eats.

#153 Pool Fun

02 June 2018 // Bakersfield, California

Yeahhhhhh- we’re due for some summer.

Between Deanna switching jobs and spending the afternoon beating the heat with some swimming pool time, I think today marks the start of the summer feeling. At least for me. And this summer has so many trips and adventures and hopes, I don’t want to miss a minute of it.

#154 Beth’s Retirement Party

03 June 2018 // Bakersfield, California

What a career.

We got to head up to Bakersfield for a day to celebrate my mother-in-law’s retirement. Beth has been such a big help as I’ve gone further into my professional life, from giving me the best mock interviews while applying for jobs to simply being a great example of pouring out love and hard work into serving people through your career.

Thanks for being such a good example of how to go to work every day with joy, dedication, and purpose.

#155 Deanna at UPAC

04 June 2018 // San Diego, California

Today Deanna started her new adventure as a therapist with UPAC.

It’s been such a wild ride being with Deanna from the time she was picking grad programs for social work to now being at the final stretch towards licensure. It’s really difficult work that never really gets the gratitude it deserves. Some parts were extremely tough, but I keep seeing her get better with every new experience.

Right now, we’re really happy about this new opportunity. I admire how committed she is to using her professional skills to making sure people get the help they need, no matter where they’re coming from.

#156 At The Polls

05 June 2018 // San Diego, California

Because I really procrastinated registering to vote this time around, I had to wait in this really long line at the voter registrar’s office for people whose registration status was “it’s complicated.”

I was there for maybe an hour, and I met so many fun people in line. I don’t know how much that speaks to turnout overall but that place was packed. And lots of younger voters too, a lot of people there for the first time.

I love the energy. The desire for things to be better and the desire to play a part in the process, no matter how small.

#157 The Car Show

06 June 2018 // San Diego, California

Every other Wednesday, the neighborhood gets together for a car cruise of classic lowriders. It’s a lot of fun, and I didn’t know it existed until now.

If I did, then I probably could’ve avoided accidentally ending up in the show, cruisin’ in my 2014 Nissan Sentra. But life is full of surprises.

#158 Just Mercy

07 June 2018 // San Diego, California

“There is a strength, a power even, in understanding brokenness, because embracing our brokenness creates a need and desire for mercy, and perhaps a corresponding need to show mercy. When you experience mercy, you learn things that are hard to learn otherwise. You see things you can't otherwise see; you hear things you can't otherwise hear. You begin to recognize the humanity that resides in each of us.”

–Bryan Stevenson

Book No. 13 of 2018

Wow. I loved this book. I always knew I would, but I was still surprised that it resonated with me more than I expected. Bryan Stevenson has a heart and mind that every single person should take note of. The way his book emphasizes redemption and justice for everyone exemplifies what my faith is all about.

Bryan provides an intimate look at the issue of incarceration, the wrongful sentencing of innocents, the role that race and poverty play, and the lack of solutions for the wrongfully convicted. His knowledge stems from experience and he weaves in very well-told stories that deeply humanize the issues. (His wealth of knowledge was what I expected, his impactful skill as a storyteller was a surprise.)

Beyond providing knowledge, this book was motivating. It made me want to make sure justice and mercy were key pieces of my life.

I put this in the top five of important books from this decade, and it it’s one of my all-time faves.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#159 Anniversary 6

08 June 2018 // San Diego, California

Six years ago, there were these two kids who went on their first date.

Y’know, you’re not supposed to date somebody whose been a really good friend for three years. It’ll just make everything complicated and messy. And who knows if the friendship will survive that? Why ruin a good thing?

Or you can say, screw all that, and go on to have the time of your life for the next six years and counting.

Happy dating anniversary to us, feat. Russian food and Improv.

#160 Happy Birthday Levi

09 June 2018 // Orange, California

Happy birthday, Levi. I hope year three is your best one yet. TFTI.

#161 Confirmation

10 June 2018 // San Diego, California

“Would you guys want to be confirmation mentors?”

“Okay, sure! Wait… what does that entail?”

For the past few months, Deanna and I had the chance to be confirmation mentors for a couple kids at our church. It meant meeting up over frozen yogurt, greek food, or burritos over the past few months and talking about the topics discussed during confirmation classes, their confirmation retreats, or Star Wars… let’s be real, 80% of my conversations were about Star Wars.

The confirmation director said that was cool, though, so on Sunday, Alex, Jordan, and the rest of their cohort were officially confirmed and welcomed.

#162 A Corner of Home

11 June 2018 // San Diego, California

Keep aiming for a life of full-fledged empathy. Understand that it’s an ideal we’ll never get to fully embody, but that it’s so important to keep trying and to keep reminding ourselves that we’re meant to be here for each other. Take sips of both grace and ambition, and keep showing up.

#163 Bel Canto

12 June 2018 // San Diego, California

“If what a person wants is his life, he tends to be quiet about wanting anything else. Once the life begins to seem secure, one feels the freedom to complain.” .

–Ann Patchett

Book No. 14 of 2018

I’ve been such an admirer of Ann Patchett’s writing ever since I bought State of Wonder on a whim years ago. Bel Canto is probably her most known book, at least as far as fiction goes, and gets a lot of praise. I couldn’t wait.

Overall, I liked the idea and the poetic way the story unfolded– a birthday party for a CEO of a Japanese mega-corps thrown in the home of a South American Vice President goes wrong when rebels invade and hold a bunch of the dignitaries hostage. There were some great ideas, but there were other parts that were a little bit too drawn out for me. (I guess that matches the feeling of a drawn-out hostage crisis.) I think I was more partial to State of Wonder, but Ann Patchett is still one of the best literary storytellers out there.

⭐⭐⭐

#164 Writer’s Day

13 June 2018 // San Diego, California

My work flow includes writing three blog posts a week, seven emails a month, a weekly newsletter, and so on.

That’s a lot of writing, and in order to make sure it comes out well, I need to get in “the zone.” I’m a much more effective writer when I can just sit down with a cup full of focus. I can knock out several weeks' worth of writing or so all at once that way.

Batch working is the best.

When it’s this warm, I love getting to do that work outside, and for that reason I love Better Buzz’s front porch. And their Best Drink Ever. Iced. Such a good writing companion.

#165 Cliff Lines

14 June 2018 // San Diego, California

At a glance, my pursuits are all over the place.

I don’t really like to compartmentalize. But- it would be nice to quickly communicate what I’m all about with a smaller word count.

Lately, I’ve been working to clarify what it is that ties it all together. Here’s what became clear:

I’m a big believer in something MLK said... that the most urgent question in life is what we are doing for others. I want to help people answer that question.

My travels and storytelling follow a desire to help people connect and empathize across cultures and distance. Applying that to the world of nonprofits and social justice helps empower those who help.

Every time I’ve seen someone go all out in answering that question, it leads to purpose and connection- and that’s something we all need.

#166 Won’t You Be My Neighbor

15 June 2018 // San Diego, California

“I think you’re special just the way you are and I like you very much.”

Morgan Neville’s Mister Rogers documentary was fantastic- and such a timely reminder that standing up against all the scary things of the world can look like being the living image of gentleness.

Fred Rogers had a simple but big belief that was at the heart of everything he did- everybody has value regardless of what they have or haven’t done. If one person acting on that belief can impact so many lives, imagine what could happen if we all did.

#167 Elote

16 June 2018 // Del Mar, California

Enjoying a weekend at home before we return to the PNW for the first time since moving. If happy wife equals happy life, then elote also equals happy life.

#168 Neighborhood Days

17 June 2018 // San Diego, California

Whenever I’m stuck in a long line, I’m pretty good at daydreaming and outlining things in my head and running thought experiments to keep myself entertained. I don’t get upset at slow service at restaurants because I think food should be enjoyed slowly. I don’t express anger often. All that made me think that patience was a strength of mine.

I’m learning that patience is so much more than that. And I have a lot to learn about patience.

Patience also means being able to sit through a season of life that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. It means being able to endure the time it takes to resolve uncertainty. It means being able to keep working towards progress, even if change happens so, so slowly.

In that regard, I’m not particularly patient. But I’m getting there.

#169 Factfulness

18 June 2018 // San Diego, California

“The next generation is like the last runner in a very long relay race. The race to end extreme poverty has been a marathon, with the starter gun fired in 1800. This next generation has the unique opportunity to complete the job: to pick up the baton, cross the line, and raise its hands in triumph. The project must be completed. And we should have a big party when we are done.”

–Hans Rosling

Book No. 15 of 2018

In the last 20 years, the portion of the world population in extreme poverty has halved. Most of the world now lives in middle-income countries.

This is just one of numerous pieces of data that indicate the world is improving, extreme poverty doesn’t always need to exist, and that progress is possible anywhere. Hans Rosling does an excellent job pointing out that we are severely conditioned towards seeing the world as a scary place where everything is getting worse, and even “experts” are prone to thinking this way when our best indicators suggest otherwise. By ignoring these trends, however, we’re adopting a very skewed view of the world.

This book was the best storytelling I have ever seen with data and statistics, and Rosling presents them all in such good humor, that it didn’t even feel a little bit dry. I appreciated how effectively he dismisses the idea of thinking of the world as developed vs. underdeveloped, and instead presents a spectrum of development.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#170 Open Door

19 June 2018 // San Diego, California

“Never be afraid to show up for someone else.”

–DeBraun Thomas

Happy World Refugee Day. Open doors are a great way to spread Love to the hurting.

An open door can look like activism, phone calls, and letter writing to make sure our policies stay compassionate. An open door can look like grassroots efforts to help new neighbors find jobs and get settled. An open door can look like fundraising to help somebody make the journey out of North Korea… Syria… Somalia. An open door can also look like a literal open door, with some soup and sandwiches on the other side.

#171 Mitch’s Harbor

20 June 2018 // San Diego, California

I had a lunch meeting, but since I’m the most painfully slow eater, by the time my meeting ended, I still had half of an octopus tostada left.

I was sitting by the harbor and it was nice out, so like, no complaints. I was ready to enjoy the rest of that tostada on my own. Then the waitress going on her lunch break decided to share the table and I wound up getting to learn about her time living on the Barona Indian Reservation and the challenges of working as a surgical nurse.

That was time I would’ve otherwise spent just scrolling on my phone or getting mad at Twitter or something. Instead I had a good chat. I wish this was more of the norm in our world. Where our default behavior wasn’t just to retreat back into the keep-walking-straight-ahead routines of our day, but where we took more time to notice the places and people around us.

And with more octopus tostada too.

#172 Canada Badge

21 June 2018 // San Diego, California

The excitement is real. I can’t wait for this time next week and being in Canada!

Even though I’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest, all my Canadian experiences have been out East. I’m looking forward to seeing Vancouver for the first time.

Any suggestions? You know I’m always down for unfamiliar foods, good breweries, great hikes and outdoor activities, and such. I’m also also a big fan of meeting new people- so if you’ve got some friends in Vancouver you think I should share one of those local microbrews with, let me know!

#173 Parts Known

22 June 2018 // San Diego, California

Last night, I was watching a few Parts Unknown episodes, because that’s just a good way to get yourself pumped to travel again. I think peak Bourdain is when he’s at a place you’ve been yourself, so I hopped around to those episodes. Buenos Aires, Manila, then South Africa.

Smack in the middle of his time in Johannesburg, I had to hit pause on some b-roll.

I would know that school uniform from anywhere!

St. Ende’s!

The rest of that episode made me happier than I had words to explain. I felt so fortunate to have South Africa as part of my story. To have had the chance to eat at the markets and to learn about the changes that have taken place in my lifetime by chatting on rooftops with guys my age. I felt so privileged to have had the opportunity to go to church, clubs, malls, and movies with people, being invited into their world.

The best storytelling is the kind that leaves you thankful to be alive.

#174 GCF Reunion

23 June 2018 // Bothell, Washington

When we first moved to Eugene, finding community didn’t happen right away. It was surprisingly difficult. Then we met these people and that changed everything.

When Deanna and I left, so did most of the rest of us. To Denver and Minnesota and North Carolina and Boston and beyond.

But reunions and weddings and returns to the PNW are great and it was so good to see everybody again.

#175 Seattle Pride

24 June 2018 // Seattle, Washington

Our visit to Seattle put us right in the parade route for PRIDE.

Not only that, but we had the perfect guides to meet us for the occasion. Deanna’s old coworkers and classmates met up with us along the route for some snacking and spectating.

We learned a lot from an insider’s take on Seattle‘s edge, the massive presence of Amazon, and all the populations you’ll find in town.

#176 Gastown

25 June 2018 // Vancouver, British Columbia

And my earliest impression of Vancouver turned out to be this: that it was one hip city with a whole lot to do. There’s absolutely no way we’d make it through a three day stay without racking up a large list of things for a return trip.

All this was perfectly reflected by trying to find somewhere in Gastown to eat for the evening. The trendy, steampunky neighborhood by the waterfront was home to a bunch of good eateries and shops.

Oh and Gastown is now one of my favorite neighborhood names, alongside KC’s Power and Light District.

#177 Capilano

26 June 2018 // San Diego, California

I got to spend my day in this wonderland of trees. BC is beautiful.

#178 3rd Anniversary

27 June 2018 // Vancouver, British Columbia

Our third anniversary was a really sweet one, trying to make the most of our time in Vancouver while celebrating.

We had a look around Granville Island, went for a bike ride around Stanley Park, and got ourselves a dinner at the Nightingale.

Deanna, thanks for being the best adventure partner I could ask for.

#179 Go By Train

28 June 2018 // Portland, Oregon

Being in Portland comes with such a strong and vivid feeling that always makes me feel alive and at ease.

A little sad that I only come here now as a visitor but also really happy that I get to come visit, y’know?

#180 Trillium Lake

29 June 2018 // Government Camp, Oregon

A deep sense of respect for nature. Understanding our connection to the Earth’s natural systems and processes and wanting to be in proximity to that. A deep desire to cut out waste, unnecessary consumption, or dependency on technology. These are things living in Oregon taught me.

It makes sense that my next stop afterwards is a mission to help others understand and value these same things, as I see how much the environment affects the vulnerable around the world. I don’t get to come out to scenes like these quite as easily, but they really are the best teachers.

#181 Return to Eugene

30 June 2018 // Eugene, Oregon

And just like that we found ourselves back in Eugene.

MAY 2018

#121 Waiting For God

01 May 2018 // San Diego, California

“As one has to learn to read or to practice a trade, so one must learn to feel in all things, first and almost solely, the obedience of the universe to God. It is really an apprenticeship. Like every apprenticeship, it takes time and effort.”

–Simone Weil

Book No. 08 of 2018

This was the first I’ve read of Simone Weil beyond a few scattered quotes, and wow, her writing is sharp, honest, and challenging.

Waiting for God is a collection of essays and letters, largely her correspondence with a priest who was a dear friend. She discusses her reluctance towards baptism, connects her own spirituality with other cultural encounters, and unpacks what it really means to love your neighbor.

In spite of how long ago this was written, Simone Weil is such a compelling communicator that it was easy to get a sense of what she was like as a person. Extremely open minded, capable of seeing things through so many different lenses, while at the same time being completely honest things she can’t buy into completely, refusing to practice something without being convinced of its significance.

I have a lot of respect for her work, and this is one piece I’m really thankful to have read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#122 Leisure Lagoon

02 May 2018 // San Diego, California

It’s always pretty mind blowing when you try and connect the dots to figure out how you got where you are. Who are the people you spend the most time with and how did you meet them? What episodes of your life led to your current job? How did you end up in whatever city you’re in?

Whenever I get a little taste of that perspective, I’m reminded that it’s always more worthwhile to pursue purpose over comfort.

#123 Cliffside

03 May 2018 // San Diego, California

I turn 28 by the end of the week. I can’t claim to be in my mid-twenties anymore. When your age ends with 7, you can kind of stretch it. 8? Yeah, you gotta start using that “late-" prefix.

I’m really happy about where I am right now, and at the same time, it can be hard to remember that. It’s so easy to be given a new opportunity, a great job, a beautiful relationship, and then to have it get so familiar that you forget the marvel that each one is. It’s easier to get caught up in thinking of what could go wrong, what’s still missing, and all that.

But each one of those things is a gift, and each one’s a reminder that God’ll make things work out beautifully in the right time, and not a moment sooner. If life is a bit of a comedy, then timing is a part of the art.

#124 Volcano Rabbit

04 May 2018 // San Diego, California

I don’t deal with the Gaslamp Quarter very much, especially on Friday nights. I never had enough of a reason to swim through the chaos.

Deanna made us reservations at Volcano Rabbit, though, and now I have a few more reasons. To name a few- the octopus taco, the shortrib mole, and the yummy mezcal old fashioned.

#125 Twentyeight

05 May 2018 // San Diego, California

I’ve got it good.

Thank you everybody for the birthday wishes, the texts, the sushi rolls, the memes, the chocolate, the Phillies win, the clear water, the bookstores, the ice cream, the matcha latte, the paw prints, and the good times.

Two years left to finish off everything on that twenties bucket list. I’m not even sure what items I have left to do but I’m happy to have some fun people to collect those checkmarks with.

#126 Puppy Cousin Conference

06 May 2018 // San Diego, California

Imagine taking your kid to a playground with about 150 other kids, telling them that two of them are their cousins, and leaving it up to them to go find each other.

We tried the dog equivalent of this with Beignet and her puppy cousins, with some success.

#127 No Future Without Forgiveness

07 May 2018 // San Diego, California

“One of the most blasphemous consequences of injustice, especially racist injustice, is that it can make a child of God doubt that he or she is a child of God.“

–Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Book No. 09 of 2018

I have a ton of respect for Desmond Tutu, and reading this book of his was long overdue. Hooray for running into this copy at the library bookstore.

Of all the accounts I’ve read of apartheid’s end, this was probably the one I was most enriched by. Tutu unpacks the process of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission- a group that is so easy to romanticize, but one that earned its legacy through difficult decisions, risks, and listening.

Tutu goes into detail when recalling how brutal apartheid was and how much suffering it caused. The way so many South Africans were dehumanized then reminded me of current events closer to home. Change is still needed, but it’s also still possible.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#128 Padres v. Nationals

08 May 2018 // San Diego, California

Finally got to my first game of the season just in time to watch Bryce Harper go 0-for-4 while freaking Jeremy Hellickson almost throw a perfect game against the Padres.

Here’s hoping this is the first of many more stadium trips.

#129 Pupusa Night

09 May 2018 // San Diego, California

Grabbing pupusas at the OB Farmer’s Market because a night like this one was long overdue.

#130 Beignet on the Rocks

10 May 2018 // San Diego, California

“We are sometimes inclined to think that the same things are monotonously repeated over and over again in the history of creation. That is because the season is too long by comparison with the brevity of our individual lives and the transformation too vast and too inward by comparison with our restricted outlook, for us to see the progress..."

–Teilhard de Chardin

#131 New Cuyama

11 May 2018 // New Cuyama, California

We got into our campsite a little after dark. A bummer, at first, since I’d spent peak hours for photo lighting stuck in traffic.

But then, those stars. The pics don’t do them justice, but I hardly care. I can’t remember the last time I had a sky full of stars that bright and clear.

#132 Blue Sky

12 May 2018 // New Cuyama, California

This weekend.

This place.

These people.

It was everything I could’ve wanted from the past couple of days.

#133 Mothers Day 18

13 May 2018 // Bakersfield, California

Made it to Bakersfield this weekend just in time to surprise my mother in law for Mother’s Day, before making it to San Diego to take my mom out to dinner for Mother’s Day.

Yay for all the moms.

#134 Daring Greatly

14 May 2018 // San Diego, California

“Connection is why we're here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives. The power that connection holds in our lives was confirmed when the main concern about connection emerged as the fear of disconnection; the fear that something we have done or failed to do, something about who we are or where we come from, has made us unlovable and unworthy of connection.”

–Brene Brown

Book No. 10 of 2018

I’ve been trying to focus more of my reading this year on books that I should’ve read long ago. This one’s a great example. I’ve read several of Brene Brown’s others and her TED talks have been among my favorite, but despite this one being her most known, I hadn’t gotten to it until now.

I loved it. I found a good portion of this book to be extremely relatable, helpful, and encouraging.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#135 The Food Lab

15 May 2018 // San Diego, California

This package from my sis-in-law showed up last week- what a perfect birthday gift!

Kenji is one of my favorites. I believe he wrote more about eggs in this book than I wrote in my masters’ thesis. And that’s just the first chapter.

#136 Coffee & Writing

16 May 2018 // San Diego, California

Today’s work featured a lot of writing, so here’s today’s workspace. For a long time, coffee shops were pretty much my only workspace. I don’t mind the flashback.

#137 Law St. Beach

17 May 2018 // San Diego, California

“At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.”

–Barbara Bush

#138 Temporary Palaces

18 May 2018 // Solana Beach, California

True statement. All palaces are temporary palaces. Any guesses where I found it? On the side of a very high-end furniture store in one of our most upscale neighborhoods.

Fitting.

I don’t think we can be reminded enough of how the things we tend to hold in such high regard- status, capital, political power, influence, followers- those things don’t last. Whoever’s on top in almost any arena probably won’t be in ten years.

It doesn’t mean that building things, leadership, and ability are meaningless. But it does mean that they get their meaning from being bigger than any one person, and in order to do truly meaningful work, it can’t be just about yourself.

#139 Tiger Stalking

19 May 2018 // Escondido, California

This Weekend Was Wild feat. DJ Richard Parker.

#140 Lunch at Ortiz’s

20 May 2018 // San Diego, California

My new week’s resolution is to come by here way more often.

#141 Everybody Always

21 May 2018 // San Diego, California

“After long enough, what looks like faith isn’t really faith anymore. It’s just compliance. The problem with mere compliance is it turns us into actors. Rather than making decisions ourselves, we read the lines off the script someone we were told to respect handed to us, and we sacrifice our ability to decide for ourselves.” . “The fix for all this is as easy as the problem is hard. Instead of telling people what they want, we need to tell them who they are. We’ll become in our lives whoever the people we love the most say we are.”

–Bob Goff

Book No. 11 of 2018

This book was exactly what I’d expect from Bob Goff, in the best way possible. Several simple but profound chapters that make you smile and get you wanting to do bold things with the life you’ve been given.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#142 Kakawa Coffee

22 May 2018 // San Diego, California

This little spot opened up in my neighborhood two weeks ago and I’m loving it. Kakawa Coffee didn’t take long to make it onto my list of favorites. The Kakawa latte might be my go-to, but the dulce de leche espresso is always a good option too.

Also, that’s Gladys behind the counter, and she’s the nicest! Say some prayers for her homeland of Venezuela. It’s going through a real rough time right now.

#143 Incarceration

23 May 2018 // San Diego, California

Honestly, I don’t give enough thought to the issue of incarceration. My church hosts a monthly meeting focused on racial reconciliation, and last night this was the topic. I had the chance to hear from a couple where the husband spent 25 years behind bars.

Hearing their story- especially their memories of family visits and raising kids with one parent locked away was pretty powerful. What really stood out to me was when the man started sharing about his own childhood, growing up with a mom who’d been assaulted. These things are totally cycles that get passed from one generation to the next.

It’s a complicated issue, and I’m definitely not an expert in spite of all those Ear Hustle episodes I’ve gone through at the gym. I just know that prison shouldn’t be seen as an easy, out-of-sight solution. Everything that happens to a prisoner after a sentence also has huge impacts, at a generational level.

I think that Jesus was being real deliberate when he noted the way we treat those in prison as equal to the way we treat God.

#144 Happy Lunch Ballgame

24 May 2018 // San Diego, California

Turning the lunch break into Little League is always a good idea. Especially when Little League includes pizza, Capri-Suns, sunflower seeds, and Big League Chew.

#145 Yes Week End

25 May 2018 // San Diego, California

“The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."

–Christopher McCandless

Yes, week end.

#146 Mom’s 63rd

26 May 2018 // San Diego, California

Celebrating my mom’s birthday with family over the weekend was a blast because #ballislife

#147 Hanging Tomato

27 May 2018 // San Diego, California

This long weekend so far:

🍤 Stepping in a World Market and discovering that they’re giving gift cards to whoever can find a golden seahorse in the store. I love a good scavenger hunt so it took all but 20 minutes to find it hidden in a stack of bath towels. Then it took a few hours to figure out how to make the most of my $20.

🍅 Successfully building a hanging upside-down planter for our tomato to grow from underneath some snapdragons. Here’s to re-wilding the house.

#148 Memorial BBQ

28 May 2018 // San Diego, California

Really good weekend. Maybe my first time enjoying ribs-in-a-pool. Definitely my first time trying Andrew’s mixology skills and they are sharp. Would recommend both.

#149 The Lowlands

29 May 2018 // San Diego, California

“In a world of diminishing mystery, the unknown persists.”

–Jhumpa Lahiri

Book No. 12 of 2018

I enjoyed this book a lot more than seems to make sense for me. It’s overall kind of a sad story, and things fall apart more than they come together, but something about Jhumpa Lahiri’s ability to craft expertly sympathetic characters made me want to stay immersed in their world.

This is one I’m glad I finally got around to.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#150 Dee’s CRF Farewell

30 May 2018 // San Diego, California

One of the fun parts of being married to someone else who builds their career on helping people is that you meet all kinds of people through them.

I spent tonight hanging out and grabbing pho with Deanna’s coworkers one more time before she transfers to work at a new clinic, talking all things Italy and impersonating Carl from Up.

#151 PLCPC Block Party

31 May 2018 // San Diego, California

“Be a reflection of what you’d like to receive."

–Kristen Butler

APRIL 2018

#91 Vernazza

01 April 2018 // Vernazza, Italy

It was Easter Sunday and it was gorgeous.

Cinque Terre came as beautiful as advertised. It was a gorgeous day outside, so the park was pretty full of visitors especially in the center alleyways if each village.

Still, it wasn’t hard to pull back from the crowds and the hiking trails just outside of each one had incredible views and lots to stop and take in along the way.

It’s been a long winter. It’s time to lose the jackets and the feeling like I’m not doing enough.

#92 Cinque Terre

02 April 2018 // Manarola, Italy

Getting to see some of my favorite places with my favorite person. I think even after a bit of time has gone by I’ll still be digesting how thankful I am for these past few weeks.

#93 Monterosso

03 April 2018 // Monterosso al Mare, Italy

This trip has been a fantastic reminder of my own relationship with travel.

I’ve taken so many different kinds of trips in the past few years– work trips and fun trips and ones that blur the lines. Iconic cities and warm villages. Service trips and food adventures. Weekend camping trips and living abroad for months. There’s one thing that ties together all the best kinds of trips.

Connection.

Sometimes that means traveling overseas to reunite with friends. Other times it means asking for help and getting welcomed in by locals. Other times it’s a spiritual connection that gets stronger. Or a bond between you and your travel partner. This can look so many different ways, but if you ask me whether or not I had a good trip, the answer comes down to whether or not I experienced connection.

The answer is usually a resounding yes.

#94 Italian Marketplace

04 April 2018 // La Spezia, Italy

During our stay in La Spezia, we had this sweet marketplace just below our hotel the entire time. Some days they’d be selling vintage stuff, and other days it’d be more of a farmer’s market. We hopped out for one last look during our last day in town before making our way back home.

#95 Rome to Home

05 April 2018 // Copenhagen, Denmark

And now the journey home. The scenic route goes right over Copenhagen and these nearly untouched clumps of Greenland.

#96 Back Home

06 April 2018 // San Diego, California

Back at home and home feels nice.

#97 Beignet All Day

07 April 2018 // San Diego, California

Beignet all day in this year of the dog.

#98 Auntie Ella’s Birthday

08 April 2018 // Torrance, California

I can never say enough good things about my Auntie Ella. She’s my idea of what it looks like to live a good life. She’s worked hard but has never chosen to spend what she’s earned on herself. Instead she invested in everybody else in her life. Like, every single person. She’s helped people get education, housing, food, businesses, jobs, vehicles, medicine, books, surgeries, and so much more.

We got to celebrate her 85th birthday with her over the weekend and it was so great to see her so happy.

#99 Matt & Kim

09 April 2018 // San Diego, California

True story- Matt & Kim put on a really fun live show.

#100 Depot

10 April 2018 // San Diego, California

“But here’s the thing about time. No matter where you are, it moves in one direction. Forward.

And this linear movement is nature’s way of testing what we have labeled as meaningful. Only time can reveal whether a certain pursuit is driven by fleeting novelty, or if it motivated by a strong sense of purpose."

–More to That

#101 All Our Wrong Todays

11 April 2018 // San Diego, California

“That’s what love can do for you, if you let it— build a person out of all your broken pieces. It doesn’t matter if the stitches show. The stitches, the scars, just prove you earned it. And so I stop trying to keep all these versions of myself apart. Instead, I make us whole.”

Book No. 06 of 2018

Okay, this was an extremely fun and enjoyable read. When I saw that most of Elan Mastai’s prior writing had been for TV and movie scripts, it made perfect sense to me. It was so easy to visualize every fast paced turn of events as it happened.

So the story follows Tom, who lives in a totally different version of 2016 than the one we remember. He lives in a tech utopia, where war is obsolete, diseases are eradicated, and progress happens without a second thought. Then he accidentally time travels into our world, and that sets up a high energy Back-to-the-Future style storyline.

I had a good time reading this book. I loved Tom as a protagonist and narrator, and I look forward to wherever Elan Mastai goes from here.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#102 Costco Squad

12 April 2018 // San Diego, California

Kudos to Miguel for taking the most 🔥 squad photos a Costco has ever seen.

#103 OB Coworkers

13 April 2018 // San Diego, California

New study: weekends that start at Belching Beaver are 87% more likely to be a good one.

#104 Earthfest Oceanside

14 April 2018 // Oceanside, California

Today doesn’t have to be a handful. If you’re not feeling your to-do list, feel free to borrow this one for the day:

Do one thing to serve others, one thing to bring you a step closer to a big goal, and one thing to awaken your own sense of wonder. Just those three things and that’s it!

#105 Puppy Brigade

15 April 2018 // San Diego, California

Hey world, I’ve got the Puppy Brigade over here.

(If you’re imagining us strutting down the street right now, please imagine us doing so to HUMBLE.- thank you!)

#106 Matcha Joe-Joe’s

16 April 2018 // San Diego, California

Current obsession. I don’t know how long Trader Joe’s has been making these in a matcha flavor, but I’m definitely glad they are. Even if the cream filling does look a little bit like wasabi.

#107 Live Love Explore

17 April 2018 // San Diego, California

“What I have learned from my journeys is that I can’t truly experience a place if I am not willing to learn from it. The Way of the Traveler bars us from being experts. Once we are experts, we shut down, we lose our curiosity, we think we know too much. The Way of the Traveler demands that we stay students, learning from the chorus of teachers that surrounds us if we’re only willing to listen.”

–Leon Logothetis

Book No. 07 of 208

This was a good read! At first I was expecting something a bit heavy on platitudes on things I already agreed with, but it turns out, the book makes for a great guide to incorporating exploring, learning, and giving into your own life and story.

I actually found the most benefit in the little Q&A exercises the book has sprinkled within each chapter. It made it less about another person’s story and more about engaging your own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#108 Eye Heart OB

18 April 2018 // San Diego, California

At first I came home thinking I would get even more things done after work and put a real dent in this week’s list. Then that started to feel kind of isolating so I went on a wander around the neighborhood instead.

That resulted in a grand total of zero regrets.

Productivity is great and all, but it’s totally like a dog that just wants to pull you ahead if you don’t have the right grip on its leash.

We’ll get to where we need to be. There’s plenty of good stuff along the way too.

#109 Beignet & Bandit

19 April 2018 // San Diego, California

We’ve wondered for a little while how it would be to have a two-dog household. Now we know. I’m a fan of it. And why stop there?

#110 The New plantwithpurpose.org

20 April 2018 // San Diego, California

When I started working at Plant With Purpose, one of the first things I wanted to do was to get us a new website. I think the work we do in the field is innovative, urgent, compelling, and worthy of attention. I thought our digital presence should reflect that too.

I’m no developer, but I do love to examine and investigate what sets apart the websites that capture my interest versus the ones I ignore. I learned a lot about what makes for an effective site throughout the process and ended up designing a wireframe for the site we wanted. I made a mockup using Adobe Programs and passed it along to an amazing developer who turned the vision into reality.

I don’t know if you’ve ever worked on a project like this, but it can be quite the journey. I’ve now been at Plant With Purpose for over a year but this month, that site was finally launched. It felt like such a relief to have gotten to that point.

Please, check it out! And read about our mission. I’m glad to have my role to play when it comes to global sustainability.

#111 Battle Trail

21 April 2018 // San Diego, California

“One person appears to be keeping silent and yet condemns others in his heart; such a person is speaking all the time. Another person talks from morning to evening and yet keeps silent; that is, he says nothing except that which is helpful to others.”

–Abba Poeman

#112 Balboa Earthfest

22 April 2018 // San Diego, California

Not a bad day to hang out outside and talk to people about sustainability. #balboaearthfestival 

#113 Pam’s Kitchen Table

23 April 2018 // San Diego, California

We heard the sound of jazz and we were lured by a sign that said “Gumbo and beignets. Tonight only.” We looked in and saw a narrow restaurant. The candles and music made me think it would be a fancy one.

We got a seat and ordered a plate of beignets to split. We enjoyed them, then met the owners of the place.

Pam and her boyfriend just moved to San Diego to start Pamela’s Kitchen Table. Before that she lived in Louisiana and in Australia, actually working for the Irwin family. That Irwin family. She’d been a personal chef but the restaurant thing was a new endeavor.

She told us their soft launch was going well and they were mostly finding out what possible menu items would work. They’d already had to deal with curveballs like a no-show sous chef and a noise complaining neighbor.

Then they brought us out some gumbo to try, and that is one good way to get a customer for life. I’m glad we’re getting a Cajun spot with cool owners and I hope they do really well.

#114 San Diego Republic

24 April 2018 // San Diego, California

“The most beautiful people I’ve known are those who have known trials, have known struggles, have known loss, and have found their way out of the depths."

Dr. Elizabeth Kugler-Ross

#115 First Staff Retreat

25 April 2018 // San Diego, California

I’ve had my hands full with our staff retreat this week, but it’s been good times. One of my favorite takeaways was the importance of results, processes, and relationships. Neglecting any one of these things can result in negative outcomes.

📸: Miguel

#116 Team Plant With Purpose

26 April 2018 // San Diego, California

It’s been a really fun week. I love working with this team and it’s actually pretty rare that we’re all physically in the same spot. This staff retreat was a blast.

📸: Miguel

#117 Go Gary!

27 April 2018 // San Diego, California

If there’s anybody who should be giving a lecture about the importance of PLAY, it’s my friend Gary. That’s why I was thrilled he was the featured speaker of this month’s Creative Mornings meetup.

Needless to say, Gary killed it. Play makes everything better.

#118 Bye Bye Bandit

28 April 2018 // San Diego, California

One of us had a really hard time having to see Bandit go back home. Beignet stayed on the grass and was pretty much crying for the next three hours.

That was the saddest thing to have to listen to. We’ll see if we get through this weekend without getting a second dog.

#119 Infinity War

29 April 2018 // San Diego, California

As a kid, I couldn’t play with action figures unless the story ultimately resulted in some battle that required the involvement of every single figure I owned... and even some things that weren’t quite action figures. Board game pieces. Honey bear containers. Precious Moments figurines. (They don’t look useful in combat, but they got the power of prayer!)

All that to say, Marvel seems to get how I like my stories to end and I knew I had to get to my favorite theatre in town for Infinity War.

#120 Salt & Straw Young Inventors

30 April 2018 // San Diego, California

All month, Salt & Straw’s been running a few limited edition Young Inventors flavors, designed by elementary school kids. We got to taste them all.

To the kid who made Lots a’ Nacho - I got a mouth full of tortilla chips in that scoop, but I like the way you operate! You see things that 95% of the world don’t think go together and believe they can mesh beautifully. That’s the sort of thing that gives us stuff like Space Jam. We definitely need more people who think that way.

To the kid who made The Cookie Monster - You know how to play to your strengths! Cookies are great, why not make a great ice cream by loading it up with cookies! Substitute cookies with friends and ice cream with life, and magic will happen.

To the kid who made Maple PB Brioche French Toast - I don’t think I learned what brioche was until I was 17. You are ahead of your years and that’s nothing to be ashamed of! Never lose your appreciation for a full breakfast.

To the kid who made Mango Chamoy Sorbet - I ordered a full scoop of your creation! The chamoy was the perfect tongue tickle. I think you were inspired by a treat that reminds you of home. Always take the time to celebrate where you come from.

To the kid who made Coke Float Caramel Volcano - I think you took something that you really enjoyed and then decided to bring that to others. That way of doing things works for so much more than ice cream, but it works pretty well for ice cream too.

MARCH 2018

#60 The Awakened Woman

01 March 2018 // San Diego, California

“There is a deeper hunger that lies within us, waiting to be discovered. It is the innate human hunger to support one another.”

–Dr. Tererai Trent

Book No. 05 of 2017

This was a fascinating read. Dr. Trent’s story is a journey from being a child bride to a doctor to giving back to her village in Zimbabwe through education, en route to accomplishing her five written dreams. This is part memoir, part exploration into scientific and spiritual ideas that are relevant to her story, part manifesto of global feminism, and a letter to her sisterhood.

In many ways, I was a bit outside the target audience, but I enjoyed it a lot. It definitely got quite esoteric at points, but it’s also one of the most quotable books I’ve read in some time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#61 Young and Fired Up

02 March 2018 // San Diego, California

From the high school and college students I’ve had the chance to speak to over the past few weeks to the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas (who are pretty great on Twitter, BTW), I’m finding myself surrounded and encouraged by the hunger of young people to change the status quo.

I used to think that the energy of young people is helpful for creating change. Now I believe that the energy of young people is necessary for creating change.

I’ve included some of my thoughts about why that is in my newest blog post (link in bio, of course), along with a few simple actions to encourage young changemakers.

#62 Ten Miles

03 March 2018 // San Diego, California

Model posin’ but just cause I’ve ran the furthest I’ve ran in nearly two years.

In a week, I’ll be running the San Diego Half Marathon to raise money for Plant With Purpose. Over the past year, I’ve been able to travel firsthand to meet families in Thailand and Tanzania that have overcome poverty and protected their ecosystems.

In short, I want to see that happen for even more families, and that’s what I’m running for! I would absolutely love it if you could help by donating to support me for a few miles using the link below.

#63 Hodges Hike

04 March 2018 // Escondido, California

Going on a hike around the lake with the family to kick off one really active week.

Three simple recovery runs leading to the half marathon. One more week of fundraising for Plant With Purpose. Celebrating Beignet’s third birthday. Planning a film and almost all my trips the rest of this year. Family in town.

Glad we get to do all these things, but also, I am gonna have such a blast napping the rest of the day after that race!

#64 The Answer is Love

05 March 2018 // San Diego, California

What are you learning lately?

What I’ve been learning is that: 

a) At any given moment, everybody’s got some kind of struggle 

b) Those struggles are usually kept hidden 

c) Those hidden struggles actually have a better ability to connect us to each other than anything else

This lines up so well with what Kevin Love recently wrote on an article I retweeted. It should be required reading for everybody. "Everyone is going through something we can’t see."

“The reality is that we probably have a lot in common with what our friends and colleagues and neighbors are dealing with. So I’m not saying everyone should share all their deepest secrets – not everything should be public and it’s every person’s choice. But creating a better environment for talking about mental health… that’s where we need to get to.”

The past month hasn’t exactly been the easiest, but I’ve also heard things that other people are going through that remind me that there’s no room to be bitter, and so much need for compassion.

#65 Theatre Break

06 March 2018 // San Diego, California

Shoutout to MoviePass for making it reasonable for me to catch 30 minutes of Black Panther instead of sitting in traffic on my way home. How did people even survive in 2016? Such a mystery.

#66 Damn Good Doughnuts

07 March 2018 // San Diego, California

In the world of communication, the messages and stories that are the most effective are almost always the clearest ones. For example, this new doughnut shop just advertised damn good doughnuts. I ended up buying a dozen and they were correct. Damn good. For better or worse, though, this phenomenon isn’t just limited to doughnuts.

Harmful ideas often spread just because they are more easily understood than the truth.

The world needs truth tellers, good leaders, and compassionate people to master the art of clarity.

I put everything I write or work on through a ten question test, to make sure it’s as clear as I can make it. Whether you’re in nonprofit marketing like me, some other form of advocacy, or even if you’re just interested in moving people, you just might find it a useful process too.

#67 Stories Have Magic

08 March 2018 // San Diego, California

“Our stories have magic– they give shape and purpose to communities and even nations. Storytelling has depth that brings collective empathy, reminding us of the essence of our humanity, the ubuntu, the humanness, that makes us human beings."

–Tererai Trent

#68 Beignet Turns Three

09 March 2018 // San Diego, California

We’ve got ourselves a three year old now!

Bringing home this this doughnut is easily one of the best decisions we’ve made. I’m so glad we went the route of adoption too.

There’s nothing quite like Beignet hops to welcome you back home at the end of the day, having a fellow Enneagram 7 in the house, and knowing that beneath all that puppy energy is a total sweetheart.

Here’s to many more years of fluff in our lives.

#69 SD Half Expo

10 March 2018 // San Diego, California

My body is ready.

Let’s hope!

#70 San Diego Half Marathon

11 March 2018 // San Diego, California

Good run- San Diego Half is in the books!

I got to run mostly with my sis-in-law, and my nephew was the one to spot me actually cross the finish line. I beat my last race time by about ten minutes, and I felt like I had even more gas in the tank after this race versus the last time.

I absolutely love the atmosphere around race events, and I just might be hooked now. Can’t wait till the next.

#71 Coffee Grab

12 March 2018 // San Diego, California

“What sustains us, what is fundamentally beautiful is compassion; for yourself and for those around you."

–Lupita Nyongo

#72 One Year at Plant With Purpose

13 March 2018 // San Diego, California

Today marked one year since I started working at Plant With Purpose.

When I got the job I was thrilled to land a job where I could use creativity and marketing... for an organization that exists entirely to help people... internationally! What a great fit. I still feel that way.

These were things I’ve known I wanted to do for a very long time, but I’ve learned so much in just a year by getting to fully engage.

Then there’s the team I get to work with, the communities I get to serve, the ones I got to visit last year in Thailand and Tanzania, and the ones I have yet to meet.

One year down and it definitely feels like I’m just getting started.

#73 Pre-Trip Library Visit

14 March 2018 // San Diego, California

The week before a trip is just the right time for a library visit to pick out what I’ll be reading on the road. Suggestions?

#74 Doing Good in an Age of Anger

15 March 2018 // San Diego, California

If you’ve been paying any attention at all for the past eighteen months, you know we’re living in a strange and divisive time.

There’s so much tension these days. I’m not just talking about the tension between people (although, f’real, there’s a lot of that.) There’s also a whole lot of tension within people.

Like… you want to find common ground with different people, but you also know that neutrality towards injustice is to side with the oppressor. You know the news cycle is unhealthy, but you also believe it’s important to stay aware of the issues. You believe in hope and optimism and positivity, but you also don’t want to be dismissive of the real problems people face.

There are so many questions like these that I’ve been trying to wrestle with over the past few months. And I haven’t just been wrestling. I’ve been taking notes. Paying attention to people who I think are doing good things in spite of the current conditions.

I’ve compiled the things I’ve learned from them into a guide. And these have been such helpful things for me that I’m giving it away for free. Visit philippelazaro.com and you’ll be able to download Doing Good in an Age of Anger. That’s something we could all use more of.

#75 Embargo Grill

16 March 2018 // San Diego, California

This is embarassing... I’ve lived next to Embargo Grill for a year and never went in until this weekend. Oh my. They are amazing, and those were the best empanadas I’ve had in years. I am very sorry everybody for letting you down and I promise to make it up to you all by eating their Cubanos with consistency.

#76 Happy Place

17 March 2018 // San Diego, California

Today I ate a macaron the size of my fist and also a giant poke bowl, but I still think this was my favorite part of the day.

#77 Ladle

18 March 2018 // San Diego, California

When the day you ran a half marathon is the most *relaxing* one you’ve had in about a month, that’s when you know life has gotten pretty wild. It’s just been one thing after another with car stuff, sickness, work deadlines, the whole shebang.

The past few weeks have totally been a sprint towards a finish line that comes tomorrow, when we leave for a trip that I’ve been wanting to go on for as long as I can remember.

In the meantime, I’ll just say that when life gets to be all kinds of madness, it’s a really great thing to have good people around you. That can make all the difference.

#78 LAX Dropoff

19 March 2018 // Los Angeles, California

I never thought I’d find a big downside to international travel, but there totally is one- not being allowed to take along the dogs in your life.

We dropped her off in LA last night and she’ll be roomies with Bandit for the next few weeks. So thankful to Nat & Moose for taking her in.

But for real, chewing on ice cubes is like her favorite thing. She would’ve loved an entire country called Iceland.

#79 Reykjavik Bound

20 March 2018 // Los Angeles, California

Here's to that next adventure.

Here's to the string of flights to get to where you need to be. The people you'll run into along the way. The swim holes you'll strip down for and the nights out you'll suit up for.

Here's to the bright lights of a foreign metro, or and the dim home lamps of a rural village. Here's to every flavor of every bite of every unfamiliar dish you'll come across.

Here's to the unlikely souvenir. The crumpled ticket stub in a pocket. The scuff mark from a subway platform. The bruise from the thing you did that hits the perfect balance between kinda dumb and still worth it.

Here's to the train cars, hillsides, Irish pubs, and rooftops that will host your next breakthrough epiphany. The subtle sacredness of an unexpected holy site.

Here's to going, looking to consume minimal materials, but to drink in new, diverse perspectives from the tap. To going in with a whole heart and open hands, humbly wondering what you have to offer back to the world.

Here's to experience, belonging, and purpose. And always going where the love is.

#80 Reykjavik

21 March 2018 // Reykjavik, Iceland

Day one in Reykjavik was mostly made up of adjusting to the time zone and the cold and hanging around the city center.

Central Reykjavik is artsy and full of personality, all while still having that clean, bold Scandinavian feel. We walked around small shops in between efforts to find some of the more interesting food options.

🇮🇸

#81 Selajalandsfoss

22 March 2018 // Rangárping, Iceland

So thankful.

This was one of the most breathtaking days of my life. We hopped on the road towards Southern Iceland and found ourselves underneath waterfalls, across from glaciers, beside volcanoes, and in geothermal pools. We even got free ice cream! 🍦

#82 Thank You Iceland

23 March 2018 // Keflavík, Iceland

Thank you, Iceland. It really has been a dream come true- one I’ve had for a very long time.

#83 Tim and Sarah

24 March 2018 // Tonbridge, England

I met Tim in college. He was spending a year on exchange from England. I had just spent a semester in Argentina and wanted to hang with international students all the time. We grabbed coffee and hit it off. That was seven years ago.

I met Sarah a year and a half later when Tim was back in England and I was visiting London. They just started dating. Though we kept in touch, that was the last time I saw Tim in person until this weekend.

This is one of my favorite things about life. The simple coffee and conversation can turn into a wedding abroad seven years later. It really makes me wonder what seeds I’m planting in my life right now and what they’ll be in seven years.

#84 Bridal Brunch

25 March 2018 // Tonbridge, England

It was a fantastic weekend! Enjoy the honeymoon. ‘Til next time, which is hopefully soon and maybe somewhere in Canada! 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇨🇦

#85 Fontana di Trevi

26 March 2018 // Rome, Italy

In just a couple hours we managed to grab ourselves a Roman breakfast, and blitz through to the Trevi Fountain, the Vatican, the Colosseum, and the Pantheon.

I know rushing is the least Italian thing ever, but we didn’t really intend to see Rome. I’d been to all these places and was thinking it would be more of a hub to get to Siena. Deanna had never been to Italy, though, and I wanted her to see some of the exciting spots.

We made a quest out of it, then managed to grab our bags and train with just enough time to spare. Now it’s on to my old home base- Siena!

#86 Piazza del Campo

27 March 2018 // Siena, Italy

Siena, Italia. 🇮🇹

One of my favorite cities in the world, hands down. In 2010, I actually got to live here for a whole summer. Taking every day extremely slow, having the best pizza al taglio around every corner, actually getting pretty decent at Italian, and watching people make their way through everyday life on streets that haven’t been changed in centuries. I can’t believe I got that treat. That summer was so good for me in a lot of ways.

Now let’s see how that Italian of mine has been holding up.

#87 Return to Siena

28 March 2018 // Siena, Italy

When I left Siena after studying there for a summer, I said what I imagine a good majority of study abroad students say- I’ll be coming back!

It’s a weird and amazing thing when you actually make good on that declaration. It took me eight years and I now have a wife to come with me. Most things in my life have since changed but this place hasn’t changed much for hundreds of years.

Anyways, it’s a thrill to be back even if it did take a good bit of time. Enjoying every second I’m here.

#88 Cinzia

29 March 2018 // Siena, Italy

Io sono riunito con la mia professoressa Italiana dell’estate che ho pasato qui otto anni fa. Cinzia, è stato bello rivederti e grazie per i apertivi!

La seconda foto è un flashback dell'ultima volta nel 2010.

#89 Montalcino

30 March 2018 // Montalcino, Italy

One thing I didn’t do quite enough last time I was in Siena was... leave Siena. I mean, I love it there, but it’s also surrounded by quite a few other small but magical feeling Tuscan towns.

Return trips are for making things right and so before leaving Tuscany we took a quick bus ride into Montalcino, where a few old streets and thin stone alleyways take you between abbeys and wineries. Brunellos are a must.

#90 La Spezia

31 March 2018 // La Spezia, Italy

“The mysteries of the faith are degraded when made into objects of affirmation or negation, when they ought to be the object of contemplation.”

–Simone Weil

FEBRUARY 2018

#32 Intense Student Art

01 February 2018 // San Diego, California

I gave a little presentation at the cutting-edge, forward-thinking high school in town this week. Their student art on display was full of so many thought provoking pieces. I could’ve brought some of them to MOCA to hang on the walls and nobody would’ve questioned it.

Confederate Kermit… Captain Kim Jong Un… my art classes in school definitely weren’t this Black Mirror-ish.

#33 Mound Visit

02 February 2018 // San Diego, California

“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything – what a waste!”

–Andre Aciman

Rock a soft and open heart.

#34 Gaglione Bros.

03 February 2018 // San Diego, California

Wake up and smell the cheesesteaks. Pregaming for the Super Bowl with San Diego’s best wit whiz, if you weren’t sure which side we were on.

Some guy in a Pats shirt walked in here while we were eating. Bold move, mister. Like… there’s totally a Red Lobster for you across the street.

#35 Super Bowl Win

04 February 2018 // San Diego, California

This is us after the Super Bowl.

This is not us after This Is Us.

#36 New Seeds of Contemplation

05 February 2018 // San Diego, California

“We are so convinced that past evils must repeat themselves that we make them repeat themselves. We dare not risk a new life in which the evils of the past are totally forgotten; a new life seems to imply new evils, and we would rather face evils that are already familiar. Hence we cling to the evil that has already become ours and renew it from day to day, until we become identified with it and change is no longer thinkable.”

–Thomas Merton

Book No. 02 of 2018

It felt like a good time for another Thomas Merton read. This one was packed full of so much good stuff. It wasn’t a long read, but it was so rich that you couldn’t just brush through it.

I’ve been finding more and more value in contemplation over the past few years, and this book seems to offer a very big picture look at what contemplation is– and definitely what it isn’t. I can see how this book could even frustrate some, continually raising the bar for how to approach one’s spiritual life in humility. I’ll definitely be returning to this book a lot.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#37 Amazon Books

06 February 2018 // La Jolla, California

How I rate what I read:

5 – A favorite. This book was life changing to some extent. The difference between a great book and a favorite is if I feel like I might be a better person after reading or if I’ll be returning to the book’s wisdom many times in the future. I’ll maybe give 2-3 books this ranking each year.

4 – A great book. Most books I read land here. This usually means there isn’t anything I would’ve changed about it.

3 – A pretty good book. Maybe I would’ve changed a few things here or there, but reading it was still well worth my time.

2 – I probably didn’t need to read that, or it didn’t meet expectations. Usually I rate books 2 stars if none of these other descriptions fit.

1 – I wish I read something else instead. I give this ranking to maybe 1-2 books a year.

#38 Run the Bay

07 February 2018 // San Diego, California

I’m running again.

Deanna and I are signed up to do the San Diego half-marathon in about a month, meaning my long runs are getting longer, and I’ve had to get creative with weekdays, logging in a handful of miles on my lunch break or just before work. If only we had a shower in the office! Sorry errybody.

Last year, I decided to get a physical checkup for the first time in years since I should probably stop taking my health for granted. The jolly doctor, who might as well have been an Egyptian version of the doctor from the Simpsons, told me in between chuckles– “27! The golden age! You should be in top health!”

Thankfully, I was. But I started to think– what on earth am I doing with my golden age? I started to feel convicted that I wasn’t scaling volcanoes or training for Pyeongchang.

The healthiest I ever felt was two years ago when prepping for the Eugene Half Marathon. Having a concrete goal and a training schedule goes a long way to making sure I actually run an ideal amount… and I know this is a really cliche thing to say, but it helps me feel way better about the rest of my life.

My sleeps are better. My mood is up. I have more energy. All those good vibey things runners don’t shut up about, they’ve been all true for me.

Bodies and souls may be two things, they aren’t necessarily two things totally isolated from each other. Bodies were still deliberately crafted to work in certain ways, and I love that.

#39 Donuts

08 February 2018 // Carlsbad, California

I am giving so much social media love to The Goods in Carlsbad right now for their amazing donuts and extra friendly staff. As if donuts weren’t already a very good way to win my affection, sending me home with a few extra for my friends is a great way to make sure my friends know of their radness.

Simple but great lesson for businesses, organizations, or even people in general– make people feel great! Add donuts whenever possible.

#40 Office Olympics

09 February 2018 // San Diego, California

Opening ceremony for Office Olympics. Fewer drones, but more muffins.

#41 Osso Bucco Plate

10 February 2018 // Carlsbad, California

So this turned out to be an extremely eventful weekend, sandwiched in between two really full weeks- mostly good things though! One of the highlights was definitely the discovery of Tip Top Meats, their little in-house German eatery, a new place for me to get South African boerwoers and this mega plate of osso bucco.

#42 Year of the Dog

11 February 2018 // San Diego, California

Welcome to the Year of the Dog everybody!

I was really hoping to get to go all out for Tét this year, because honestly, I’m way more partial to dogs than last year’s roosters or next year’s pigs, but this weekend got so full between having to handle car registration stuff all Saturday, going for an 8 mile run that night, and feeling a little sick afterwards.

Taking those lazy days with grace doesn’t come easy for everyone. Out of necessity, Sunday instead turned into one of those, which is also a pretty appropriate way to celebrate the year of the dog I suppose. I ended up putting a good dent in Matt Haig’s new book, which I’m totally loving.

#43 Sentra

12 February 2018 // San Diego, California

Financial concerns are strangely universal. People in real poverty have it rough but ironically, others in a much more comfortable position spend a similar amount of time worrying about it.

I try not to worry about finances too much, but we’re not exempt. With both of us working full time we have more financial access than we’ve ever had in the past, but with what’s left of student loans and the cost of moving to and living in California and medical things and grown-uppy stuff, we’ve also had a more expensive year than ever before.

One thing that kept getting more and more expensive was the cost of hanging onto my car. I realized if I were to do everything I needed to, I would’ve spent the equivalent of a down payment of a newer car that didn’t need a bunch of work. So over the weekend we got a pretty good deal on a pretty lightly used Sentra.

This weekend made me feel so privileged… that we have the means and opportunity to solve a problem that simply. That to us, big financial concerns are still a long ways from threatening anyone’s survival. That statistically, we have it easier than almost everybody else, even if it doesn’t feel like it on a day-to-day level.

Perspective matters. It’s harder to be generous and compassionate when daily concerns make us forget how good we actually have it.

#44 Missions Beyond

13 February 2018 // San Diego, California

“Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now."

–Fred Rodgers

Kudos to Brad Montague for putting this truth nugget into my awareness.

#45 Valentine’s Pho

14 February 2018 // San Diego, California

Pho isn’t for first dates. Generally speaking. I mean, it would totally win my heart, but I think that the general population is less eager to overlook the slurping noises or drops of soup flung into their faces from rice noodles being whipped all over the place.

For us on our sixth Valentine’s together and on a busy weeknight, pho was just right. The crazy restaurant-going crowds tend to leave those hidden gem hole-in-the-wall places alone.

So thankful for Deanna. For most of our relationship, Valentine’s Day has been a reminder that love isn’t just a good feeling, it’s also showing up when things get really difficult. There’s no one else I’d rather share life and pho with

#46 ISSA Career Night

15 February 2018 // La Jolla, California

“I’ve been studying marketing and business but I realized I don’t actually like selling things to people for some company. How do you do it for like a humanitarian cause?”

“Is it really difficult to earn a sufficient income from working for a nonprofit?”

“How do you turn creativity into a career that helps people?”

“If I want a job that allows me to travel, what do you recommend I do while in school?”

This was such a fun evening! I got to meet and share some of my experiences with students in the social sciences at UCSD. Their questions were totally ones I had 5-7 years ago and I loved being able to talk a bit about strategic optimism.

I even got to be interviewed by Wayne the master filmmaker!

#47 Alann

16 February 2018 // San Diego, California

“You cannot be a man of faith unless you know how to doubt. You cannot believe in God unless you are capable of questioning the authority of prejudice, even though that prejudice may seem to be religious. Faith is not blind conformity to a prejudice- a “pre-judgement.” It is a decision, a judgement that is fully and deliberately taken in light of a truth that cannot be proven. It is not merely the acceptance of a decision that has been made by somebody else.”

–Thomas Merton

#48 Wakanda Weekend

17 February 2018 // San Diego, California

How much did I love Black Panther? Oh man. I expected to love it and it exceeded expectations. That paint a picture?

I loved the attention to detail, the culturally rich visuals, the way this superhero movie transcends its genre’s tendencies to oversimplify moral questions, the Dora Milaje. I really loved the vision for African advancement that still looks African- not one built on Western notions of what modern looks like.

But most of all, I loved the crowns and the dashikis and the looks of joy on the crowds around the theatres over the weekend. It was a long overdue moment. All storytellers should take note of what a big difference good representation makes.

#49 Panda Bear

18 February 2018 // San Diego, California

The plan was to go to LA this weekend, but we got sick and decided that staying around town was a better call. It didn’t really feel like a long weekend, but I’d say we did our best to make the most of it.

Despite the unexpected, we found time to go on a run, play a bunch of Codenames, read to each other, obsess over Black Panther, discover a new Filipino-Hawaiian restaurant, and hang out with this big guy.

#50 Bonne Table

19 February 2018 // San Diego, California

Cold weather in San Diego makes me happy. Lately I’ve been getting that (at this point really predictable) itch to get out of town and go somewhere. And the plan is to do that very soon! In the meantime, I’m enjoying this chill that makes it feel like I’m somewhere else, somewhere a lot further north.

#51 Ready Player One

20 February 2018 // San Diego, California

“That was when I realized, as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it’s also the only place where you can find true happiness. Because reality is real.”

–Ernest Cline

Book No. 03 of 2018

This book was fun. I used to think Ready Player One was a Kurt Vonnegut title- partly because it sounds like some of his book titles, and partly because Vonnegut is kind of involved in Ernest Cline’s story. Kind of.

Instead, it’s a story set inside a world that’s basically the internet meets virtual reality, where a Willy Wonka-level contest breaks out to see who would end up inheriting the internet company that pretty much runs the world. It all sounds complicated, but it was easy enough that Deanna and I started taking turns reading chapters to each other as a bedtime story. A very, very nerdy bedtime story.

⭐⭐⭐

#52 How to Stop Time

21 February 2018 // San Diego, California

“And, just as it only takes a moment to die, it only takes a moment to live. You just close your eyes and let every futile fear slip away…”

“If I could love without fear of being hurt? If I could taste the sweetness of today without thinking of how I will miss that taste tomorrow? If I could not fear the passing of time and the people it will steal? Yes. What would I do? Who would I care for? What battle would I fight? Which paths would I step down? What joys would I allow myself? What internal mysteries would I solve? How, in short, would I live?”

–Matt Haig

Book No. 04 of 2018

Wow. This book really got to me, taking on our complicated relationship with time and channeling it into a truly creative story.

The novel follows Tom, a 430 year old who literally doesn’t look a day over 41. He lives with a rare condition that makes him age ridiculously slowly and gives him a lifespan of about a millennium. In exchange for being cared for and being allowed to take on a new identity every eight years, Tom occasionally has to do dirty work to keep his true existence a secret. His society of long-lifers have seen what superstition and prejudice have done to others like them literally throughout history.

But of course, all that drama is on the back-burner to the real questions that a 430 year old has to face. How do you find love when you outlive your lovers by leaps and bounds? What does parenthood look like? How do you live in such isolation? This book made me feel. A lot.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#53 Fun Job

22 February 2018 // San Diego, California

“Failure is a part of life, it’s part of building character and growing. Without failure who would you be?"

–Nick Foles

#54 Lunch Break Softball

23 February 2018 // San Diego, California

Lunch break softball has been happening and I am in full support of it.

Thanks for tuning in to my shortstop livestream.

#55 Auntie Ella’s Story

24 February 2018 // Carson, California

There’s no one alive I admire as much as my Auntie Ella.

Her story has so many chapters but they always come back to family and selfless giving. She moved to the US on her own in the 50’s to work as a doctor. After a few years she went back to the Philippines and treated entire villages. She returned to her own private practice in Philly, enjoyed an adventurous marriage full of flying planes with my Uncle Bill, and continued to host medical missions to the Philippines.

She’s helped support medical expenses for family members and life-saving surgery for someone with CHD. She renovated a church, brought a library to a village, and treated that whole township to burgers. She helped fund years of education for a young priest with no resources, a kid from the slums who is now an X-ray tech, and... me.

She turns 85 in a couple months and I knew I had to use her birthday as an opportunity to talk her into sharing her story in front of a camera. As time goes by, I’ll be more and more thankful I did this.

#56 Visiting Dad’s Site

25 February 2018 // Cypress, California

Visited my dad with my aunts.

“What was he doing in 1973?”

“What’s the significance of that?”

“He was my age back then.”

“He was already in the US then… actually, I think that was the year he finished his medical residency and applied to live permanently in the United States. He needed to go back to the Philippines to get a document, but it worked out perfectly with our parents' golden anniversary.”

“Sounds like a pretty big year.”

“That was what he really wanted to do- to become a doctor and live in the United States.”

“He did it.”

“He did it.”

#57 Dormified Office

26 February 2018 // San Diego, California

I just gave my office wall the college dorm room treatment, except with Tanzanian farmers instead of Bob Marley.

#58 Target Night

27 February 2018 // San Diego, California

On paper, it seemed like February was gonna be a chill month. With trips ramping up for the rest of the year, most likely, I was thinking this would be the calm before the storm.

Except it wasn’t really that calm.

Surprises with sickness and car issues and finances and all kinds of things threw quite a few curveballs. A lot of good and a lot of not-so-good.

When life gets like that, it really makes a simple night of going to Target and getting those things you’re overdue to actually buy real nice.

Now here’s hoping for a lot less drama in March. I’m hoping it’ll be a good one.

#59 Somi Somi

28 February 2018 // San Diego, California

It was just a week ago that Oliver posted a photo from Some Some and now look at where we are!! Enjoying ube and black sesame swired ice cream out of a taiyaki fish. A huge thanks for the treats and great hangs last night. Love talking conferences, creative endeavors, work and passion projects, travel, and making the most of life. And I’m definitely coming back here a bunch too.

SHARPEN YOUR MESSAGE

CLARITY IS KING

When it comes to telling a good story, clarity matters. Your message won't be heard if it isn't understood. Your message won't be understood if it isn't clear. 

Often times, our own expertise works against us. We know our areas of specialty so well that we can explore every nuance. But is all that necessary? Not when it complicates your message.

I've designed a roadmap for the people and organizations I work with to be better able to communicate clearly. This list of ten questions to ask yourself before, during, and after producing content will increase the strength of what you have to say.

Sharpen Your Message is totally free! To get the guide, simply enter your info below and it'll be sent to your inbox.

BEST POSTS

MAE SOT

Visiting a Karen Refugee Camp in Northwestern Thailand

IT CANNOT BE IGNORED

We need to stop dismissing racial bias

MOROCCO

If you solve enough problems, you get to go home

NEW ENGLAND

One week, two countries, four states, six hundred bucks

THE HEARTLAND NOMADS

In memory of Shane, Calvin, and Karolina

GO WHERE THE LOVE IS

A Song for the Summer and a Reminder for Life

WHEN PEOPLE SHOOT PEOPLE

Where do guns belong in the Kingdom of God?

THE SADNESS OF SUFJAN STEVENS

Experiencing the Fullness of Grief

BARILOCHE

Belief, beauty, and one of the most beautiful places I've ever bee

BEING MR. LAZ

Lessons from substitute teaching