Courtney Dellafiora » xocourtney.com

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Posted in adventure,my heart

If there is one thing I have learned in life, it’s that true friends are few and far between. You may have a whole bunch of them, but most people are lucky to get just a few in their lifetime. I can honestly say I feel like I hit the jackpot with my true friends. I don’t have many of them, but the ones I have are incredible. Friends for LIFE.

I want to tell you a little bit about one of my dearest and oldest friends, Bethany. Bethany and I met in Peru. She was 11 years old and I was 16. We hit it off immediately. Even though she was 5 years younger than me, we totally clicked.  She got me and I got her. I had moved to Peru when I was 11… then Bethany came 5 years later at the same age that I was when I moved there. So we instantly already shared a common ground – moving to a foreign country at age 11. The rest is pretty much history.

Living in a 3rd world country is something you will never understand unless you’ve done it. Bethany and I share a special bond that I don’t share with any other one of my friends. She understands and gets me better than most. We went through similar hardships as homeschooled missionary kid teenagers living in Peru.  We are both so much alike but so different. We are both super artistic. (AND SHE IS WAY TALENTED BY THE WAY!) We both appreciate music. We laugh with and at each other a lot… like a lot. And we both have always ALWAYS had huge dreams. We have shared so many crazy wonderful adventures together (mostly in Peru) and have made memories that I will forever cherish.

Ask anyone who knows us, we are two peas in a pod. And I know it will be this way forever. I am so incredibly grateful for Bethany. I would trust her with my life. She is one of a kind and I am BEYOND grateful to God that he loved us both enough to bring each other together in life. I feel honored to be her friend. Truly.

This Valentine’s Day, I received the greatest surprise ever. FedEx delivered an envelope from my sweet Bethany. I had no idea what it was but when I opened it up, I immediately had to fight the tears. Bethany (with the help of her boyfriend Jesse) had drawn/painted 4 cards that each told a story of a few of our adventures together. I was in shock. I could not believe she had gone through so much to make me feel so special on Valentine’s Day. I felt overwhelmed by the love outpouring from these 4 little cards. I just couldn’t get over it. Even now I am still just so amazed by her love and friendship. Not only was I in awe by this gift, but I LOVED what it represented… our friendship over the past 14 years and our many adventures we have shared together. It was more than just a gift. There is honestly no way I could ever express in words how much this gesture meant to me and how much I love my Bethany Rose!! What a blessing she is and what a blessing this life has been. I knew right then my Valentine’s Day had topped everyone else’s!!! ; )

Bethany – I love you so much!!! I am so grateful for everything you do for me and mostly for your true friendship. Can’t wait to see you again soon. Friends forever and ever. xo

Now to share the beautiful cards she sent me!!

Our first adventures together were obviously spent in Peru. Below we are enjoying Inca Kolas (the soda of Peru) together as we are in awe over Machu Picchu.

Here we are in Thailand together playing with elephants with the beautiful and famous ruins behind us. Bethany was living in China during the time I went to Thailand. It was amazing that we were able to meet up there together and explore some of this beautiful country together.

Another one of our favorite adventures together was a hot air balloon ride over Napa Valley. SO MUCH FUN. See the cute little vineyards below?

And one of our more recent memories together was my 30th birthday masquerade party in New Orleans that Bethany flew in all the way from California for. Not only does this image replicate the masks we both wore, but even my cake made an appearance! LOVE IT. What an amazing night, amazing memories.

I look forward to many more adventures with you Bethany! Even when we are old and grey! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!

 

by courtney

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Posted in my heart

I absolutely loved sunsets. Any kind, anywhere. I think they are truly breathtaking and a sign of God’s love for us. His beauty is astonishing and a sunset is just one of a million reminders of this. It never gets old to me.

While I was in California I documented a few of my favorite sunsets I got to see every day. Here are a few of them:

So the next several photos are one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen, beginning to end. It was constantly changing every second and got more and more beautiful every moment!

Phase 1:

Phase 2:

Phase 3:

Phase 4:

 Phase 5:  Phase 6: Phase 7: Phase 8: Phase 9:

 Phase 10: Phase 11: Phase 12: Phase 13: Phase 14: Phase 15: Phase 16: Phase 17: Amazing right??

The next series was another beautiful one.

by courtney

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Posted in my heart

30 years. Wow… it’s amazing to think I have been alive that long. All I can think is what an amazing gift this thing called life is. I don’t take it for granted that I am alive and well. It is truly amazing the blessings God has bestowed upon me and I hope I never ever forget any of them. I want to celebrate my life every single day for I know I have only been given one and I want it to be the best life ever.

I have always known I would have to make my 30th birthday one to remember. I mean HELLO, 30 is a big deal. And I wanted it to be my best birthday ever. Boy was it!!! I have always been obsessed with the Phantom of the Opera and masquerades in general. I have always wanted to attend one so I knew when I began planning my party, it HAD to be a masquerade. I thought it would be SO much fun to see my friends get dressed up and play this mysterious role. Let me just say, my guests did not disappoint. Everyone showed up looking BEYOND FABULOUS. Their outfits and masks were creative and it was truly an incredible night. 40 of my closest friends were there and it could not have been more perfect. We celebrated and danced the night away. Every one was having SO much fun the entire night. There were moments I felt myself getting emotional because I felt overwhelmed with love from my friends. There are no words that could ever describe how special they all made me feel. I will remember it forever.

I am truly the luckiest girl in the whole world. Best birthday ever. Love you my sweet friends!!

by courtney

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  • AndreaJanuary 23, 2013 - 9:10 pm

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! It was such a FABULOUS party!! You are an amazing person and friend :)ReplyCancel

Posted in my heart

Do you not see how beautiful you are? I cannot figure out why you punish yourself. I cannot understand why you treat yourself so poorly and have lost all respect for yourself and for everyone around you.  Have you forgotten that God created you and he loves you so much? You used to be so full of love and life, so happy and full of dreams. Then somehow along the way, you allowed darkness into your world. You let something or someone make you feel like you were no longer worthy of good. That you were no longer worthy of what God has wanted to give you all along. I hate whatever has done this to you. I hate that you’ve allowed it to control your life. I hate that you refuse to fight against the evil of this world but instead you give into your weakness and just fall into its ugly and despicable traps. You are SO much better than this. You are so special. You are a chosen one. Why do you run from it? Why do you run from God? He literally has so much love and blessings that he is waiting to pour out onto your life if you will just run to him and surrender to his will that you so desperately are trying to escape. What are you so afraid of? There is so much life and happiness if you’ll just stop hurting yourself.  Why are you so angry? LET IT GO. It’s easy to see you’re not happy. You haven’t been happy in a very long time and it literally breaks my heart into a million pieces. I wish you could see in yourself what I see in you. Your potential is out of this world. Why do you waste it? I do not understand. I know you better than anyone knows you. I know that deep down somewhere inside of that heart of yours… buried underneath the walls you’ve built, and the anger that incases it… you are full of love and life. I know it. And I know it still exists, no matter what you or anyone else thinks. I desperately wish you’d stop doing this to yourself. Stop hating yourself. I wish you’d just break down, let the truth out and let God’s grace wash over you. It’s not too late. It’s never too late. Please, believe in yourself. I will never give up believing in you. I will never stop praying for you. No matter what anyone else ever thinks of you, I will always know the real beautiful soul that still exists inside of you. My heart hurts for you. It kills me knowing what your life could be if you’d just STOP. Please, save yourself. There is still hope. There is always hope. God loves you SO much!! He will never stop loving you. Don’t let your life be a waste. Stop throwing away your potential. There is still time. FREE YOURSELF. You have become a slave to misery and it’s not too late to fight back. Fight for your freedom. Fight for your happiness. Fight for your dreams. Stop giving up on yourself and just, FIGHT. I know you have it in you. No one can fight this battle for you. Only you hold the keys to your life, your happiness. FIGHT. There is freedom waiting for you.

I believe in you. I always will.

by courtney

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Posted in my heart

12.12.12

Today marks a significant day in my life. A day of big changes in my life that I will remember forever. There are so many crazy things happening in my life right now that I hope to share publicly very soon. It’s all so very scary but also beyond exciting. I believe as I approach age 30, God is preparing me for a new chapter in my life. My journey up until now has been amazing. But I feel as though it’s all been leading me to this point in my life. 2013 is right around the corner and I am so ready to prepare for what I feel is going to be the greatest year of my life.

With that being said I am off to California for two months. I am on the plane now and can’t wait to be there. I decided I wanted to bring in this new year by spending time away from my “normal life” and really search my heart for what it is God has for me in this new year, and new decade of my life. The next two months will be a time of major reflection and soul searching. No scheduled weddings or photoshoots on my agenda. Simply time with myself, with God and with the beautiful sunny California. Life is so short and I don’t want to waste any of mine. Which is why I feel as though this time away is going to be so so good for me.

I am so incredibly grateful I have been given the opportunity to do this – I realize what a huge blessing it is. I can’t wait to see what dreams come my way.

This is only the beginning. THE BEST IS YET TO COME.

xo
Courtney

by courtney

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