modesty.

i've been doing some thinking lately. 

thinking on the topic of modesty...

how we choose to dress, act, and present ourselves,

and how it impacts others. 

i dress modestly because i respect myself.

i dress modestly because i respect my heavenly father. 

and lately, i've realized the importance of dressing modestly to respect others.

like the little girl sitting across from me in the parking lot shuttle at the salt lake city airport last weekend.

eight years old, she was the epitome of innocence.

clad in basketball shorts, a nike tee with the word "athlete" printed across it, and sneakers,

her blue eyes peeked out behind her messy pony tail.

and the way she looked at me, i could tell that she thought i was cool. 

even though i was terribly sleep deprived and felt less than glamourous, 

i could tell by the look on her face and her frequent, shy glances in my direction that she was admiring me. 

i'm sure it didn't have to do with much more than the fact that i was a twenty-something, plugged into my iphone with car keys in tow (i've since recalled how i believed everyone who could drive to be so cool when i was that age),

but i realized that this girl noticed me. 

and not only did she notice me, she looked up to me.

and at that moment, i was really, really grateful that i was dressed modestly. 

because you know what? 

you never know who's looking at you. 

you never know who you'll affect a few days, months, years down the road.

i'm sure grateful for the many strong women i've been surrounded by throughout the years who instilled values in me.
on a lighter note, i'm also grateful that cropped pants and maxi dresses are in style this summer.

photo taken with some of my favorite women outside el teatro real, madrid 2011. (OH, MI CORÁZON!)

post script: nine eleven.

i just stumbled upon this video on a friend's blog, and i thought it was too good not to share.

it sums up some of what i was trying to say in my post below, in a much more real and eloquent manner. 

it's a really, really beautiful story.

please take the eight minutes to watch it. 

nine eleven.

when the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.

-jimi hendrix

when i think about 9/11/2001, i am still a little bit confused.

i cannot even begin to fathom such human cruelty and hatred, such bigotry.

i hate how this event tore families apart, brought grief and torment to survivors' lives, and broke so many hearts.

how in a few hours, the world was taken over by uncertainty and grief.

i hate how it tainted the islam religion and created prejudices against innocent middle-easterners.

i hate the war that's ensued and the thousands who have died since.

but this isn't about hatred... it's about the opposite, in fact.

if we had a little more peace in the world, we could prevent these tragedies from happening again in the future.

i think about the columbine shootings and 9/11, the two tragedies that i spent hours watching news footage of, the two tragedies that shaped my childhood,

and i get worried.

i worry about what distaster will come next for us... will it be worse?

but i also know that all will be well in the end and we'll be taken care of, as long as we're faithful and courageous.

God will look out for us and has a greater plan for all of us.

but i still think that we can all take part in creating a more peaceful earth.

we can be more tolerant, less judgmental, and kinder.

we can smile a bit more, open our minds to learn about other cultures and faiths, love ourselves more, and love each other more.

i know that i can improve in these regards, at least.

9/11 was a tragedy... still is a tragedy for our nation and many others.

but we can learn from this experience and work hard to prevent this type of hatred from surfacing in the future.

i think this sums it up really, really nicely.

may God bless those who are mourning lost loved ones on this day and help us to love a little bit more.


*image taken in dachau, germany at a nazi concentration camp, ® anna gleave photography 2009.

an ideal world.

someday, i'll have a balcony just like this.

with lots of bright flowers

that need little watering.

i'll play tennis in the morning,

go on evening strolls,

read for fun,

and photograph every beautiful moment.

in the winter, i'll drink hot cocoa in the afternoons

and take weekend trips to the mediterranean.

i'll grow old with my love

and be utterly content.

to live.

so, i'll admit it.

i'm kind of a nerd.

and sometimes (okay... oft times), i think that school is pretty cool.

so when we delved into rousseau a bit in humanities tonight, i was quite impressed with what i learned (minus the whole "let's not educate the girls" thing...not okay).

i thought this, in particular, to be a really cool idea.

what do you think?

oh! and just a reminder: there are only a few days left to enter my valentine's day giveaway! i'd love for you all to enter! plus, there might be a special discount awarded at the end, to all participants... hint, hint :) every person can get two entries!

p.s. the title of this post is in reference to a really, really awesome (yet somewhat tragic) chinese film. see it, if you get a chance!