summer =

Ephesians 1:17-19

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, 

may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know

the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

and his incomparably great power for us who believe."

Ephesians 1:17-19

The Turner Kids Photoshoot

who: my 3 adorable cousins, who are getting way too grown up
when: Friday night before their parents came home from Florida
where: Anchorage Walking Trails

thursday wish list

{Ever Grateful Collection}

{how high the moon ring}

{time keeps on ticking watch}

{Coventry Jute Rug}

last, but certainly not least:

{mule oxford}

Vanilla

The girls and I found this lovely store Vanilla just as we were leaving.
Can someone help me find a store like this in America!!  Their flowers and vases were to die for!
Wish I could take you here:

Jerusalem and Tower of David

Before heading back to the hotel for dinner, we spent a little time shopping in the Jerusalem markets.
My brother was a pro at bartering and buying, but I struggled and either walked away apologizing or gave in.  Patrick made fun of me for buying these cute little fabric bird thingies.  I have no idea what they are for, but I pictured them hanging over a crib as a mobile.  He just didn't understand why I would buy birds on a string when I'm not pregnant!  haha  He'll be glad one day when I pull them out of a box and save money by creating a cute Israeli mobile.
(actually it will probably end up in my closet next to the broken wooden stool I found on the side of the road)

Later that night, we went to the most gorgeous mall!  I think it was recently built, but the architecture and light fixtures were beautiful... not to mention the designer stores!!! 

Our shopping trip was cut short because we were going to "The Night Spectacular!"  This light show in the Tower of David showed the history of Israel through music and images projected onto the walls of the tower.  It was interesting for the first ten minutes.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is venerated by many Christians as the location of Christ's crucifixion and burial (sepulchre).  Honestly, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre did not feel like the place of crucifixion and burial, even though it very well could have been.  An abundance of incense and candles thickened the humid air.  The dark halls were crowded with pushy foreigners and gaudy decor.  Thankfully, we were warned before entering so we weren't disappointed by our negative reaction to such a historical site.  While many people believe the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the actual site (look at the evidence shared on this website {here}), there is another place that claims to be "Golgotha" and Christ's burial site that we visited later.  You will see in a future post the enormous difference between these two places.     


There are six denominations that own this church (Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox)  As you can imagine, it is very hard to get anything done because all six denominations must agree about certain areas that are common ground... Check out this video showing a physical fight between the monks inside the church {here} 
Notice the ladder underneath the right arched window.  This has not been touched since 1852 because they cannot decide on which denomination it belongs to and who should move it!  

 Above is the Alter of the Crucifixion.

John 19:38-42

"Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.  Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.  At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.  Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there."

As depicted in the artwork above, the slab of stone in the following picture is believed to be the place where Jesus' body was prepared for burial after his crucifixion. 

 Mark 8:31

"He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things 

and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, 

and that he must be killed and after three days ... rise again."