one month in paradise.

Hey all! I'm so terribly sorry for neglecting to keep you updated, but life in Hawaii has been quite hectic.

I've been here for a month now, and between my classes, assignments, and hanging out with friends, it's been tough to find a moment to sit down and blog. 

I've learned a lot since my DTS (Disciplship Training School) started. Like I've said, head over to my YWAM blog (steps of faith) to read more about what's been going on.


Here are some recent photos of a few of my friends. :)


This lovely girl is Sabrina, one of my 6 roommates. 
(Yes, there are 7 girls -including myself- in my room)

This is Deb. She is beautiful. and amazing. :)

This is Sunkyung. She's sweet. and also amazing. :)

Ellie! She's super cute. and totally amazing. :)

I don't know this girl's name, but I call her a "cookie angel".

She gave me a fresh chocolate chip cookie and it was heavenly.

Isn't she the cutest ever? :)

Hawaii is amazing.

Hey everyone!

I feel so bad for not updating you all for the past few weeks (months?).

I'm in Hawaii now.

I've been here for the past week and we just finished the first week of our lecture phase.

I'm so exhausted, but it's been so amazing!

I can't believe that I get to live in this beautiful place for the next three months...

Here are a few photos, (but if you want to see more, just hop on over to my YWAM journey blog www.valeriebeth.blogspot.com). :)

elizabeth ann {newborn} + jacob scott {big brother}

On February 12th, my Uncle and Aunt welcomed a new baby into their little family. Her name is Elizabeth Ann...and she's the cutest thing ever. :)

I had the chance to do her newborn photos about three weeks ago, and I also snapped a few photos of her big brother, Jake.

This kid is just too much. He makes me laugh. :)

Jake being an adorable big brother. :)

(Can you tell that they're siblings?)

Meet Liz! :)

She was wide awake almost the whole time I was taking the photos, and the window lighting was pretty much perfect. :)

I seriously have the cutest cousins. ever.

Her daddy is going to have his work cut out for him when she gets older. ;) She's gorgeous.

The next photo is one of my favorites.

She's not a fan of feathery things in her face...

...but I think she is adorable when she's crying,

and even more adorable when she's cooing. :) 

Jake wanted to give the baby a kiss. :)

(I love this so much. <3)

Liz wasn't exactly happy about the big brother kisses... :)

She was born two days before Valentine's Day, so we had to take a few photos in the special outfit she wore. ;)

I'm so privileged to be able to photograph my cousins (my cousins are cuter than yours...don't deny it). :) 

I love being able to capture moments like Lizzie's newborn photos.

I couldn't ask for a better job!

Life in Hawaii {a guest post}

after getting a super sweet comment from a girl named Kimberly, i checked out her blog and found out that she lives in hawaii. i emailed her and explained what i was doing (YWAM - DTS), that i was leaving maryland for hawaii in a few weeks, and asked her if she'd be interested in doing a guest post about hawaii. well, it turns out that she actually lives on the island that i'll be staying on, and she's been to the University of the Nations' campus where i'll be living for 3 months! it's a small world. :)

i love being able to see how God is directing me and using little things as a confirmation that this Discipleship Training School with Youth With A Mission is what i'm supposed to be doing! but anyway, enough of my blabbering...enjoy the post and lovely photos! :)

~Valerie

This place is dubbed the land of Aloha, pristine beaches, and hula dancers.

At least that's what most people associate with this little dot in the middle the the Pacific Ocean.

However, after having lived here most of my life, for me Hawaii is much more then a vacation getaway.

It's home.

The terrain here is quite diverse for such a small area.

There are mountains, rain forests, beaches, barren lava fields, and green pastures.

One can even admire snow-capped peaks in winter from a sunny beach on the coastline.

Oh, and I certainly won't deny that the beaches here are gorgeous!

Even after living here for years, the view can still take my breath away.

At times, the water is crystal-clear, the sun is beaming, and the breeze is enchanting.

At other times the atmosphere is stormy, the foamy waves billow, and surfers dot the waters.

Not only is the terrain unique, but the local lifestyle is also interesting.

Many people speak "pigeon" which is a sort of local slang.

It can be hard to understand at times; for example, instead of asking "Would you like to go to the beach?" it would go more like, "Eh, you like go beach?"

Then there's the food.

Locals love to eat poi, which is a purple, pasty food which is made from pounded taro roots.

Another popular dish is called lau lau, which is salted pork wrapped in tea leaves and then steamed to perfection.

One of the interesting places on the island is the YWAM base in Kona.

It's a place of worship and spiritual growth, filled with people devoted to spreading the gospel.

The few times I have attended a YWAM meeting, the energy of the worship filled me with joy.

Seeing so many young people gathered to serve Jesus Christ is encouraging and overwhelming all at once.

I am so very excited for Valerie, and know the Lord has amazing plans for her time here!

this blog post is brought to you by the lovely Kimberly. 

you can find her over at AMUSING.

go check out her super adorable blog and leave her some aloha (love)! :)

"Old Lady" Adventures.

These four girls are the best (even though they're not all looking at the camera). :)

I've gotten to know them pretty well over the past year (it helps that we all go to the same church). :)

(yeahhh, that's me on the swing...)

This is Cassie.

(You may remember her senior photos from last year).

My friend who is friendly and outgoing.

This is Colleen. 

My friend who is sweet and genuine. 

This is Lesley.

My friend who is funny and adorable.

(and she's slightly strange too, but I love her anyway). :)

(i really like this next one).

And this is Keshia.

My friend who is completely lovely and gives the best hugs.

(she's also cute when she laughs). :)

And this,

yeahh, this is me. :P

We decided to go to the park and have AN adventure (and a picnic). We had a blast walking around the park. :)

We also went into the museum, and we weren't allowed to take pictures, but I snuck this one of Colleen. :)

Sadly, we didn't get to "feed the waterfall." :P

But we did see some pretty geese! :)

And we also made silly faces at the camera.

It was a good day. :)

Cassie, Colleen, Lesley, Keshia, you girls are lovely.

I'm privileged to call you all my friends and I'm going to miss you terribly when I'm in Hawaii (and wherever else I go). Let's not wait too much longer before another of our "old lady adventures", okay? :) <3

~Valerie

(thank goodness for cameras with self-timers! :D)