Life Through a Lens

Love Defined By LOVE

2012-02-14T11:44:00.001-05:00

Today is Valentine's Day, and while at times it is, more often than not, over commercialized with extravagant heart-shaped candies, cutsie heart balloons, and overly-stuffed pink, fluffy bears who have hearts on their feet and utter things like, "I love you beary much!" it is in fact a holiday dedicated to real, genuine, I-honestly-love-you, love. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a checkmark in the box labeled "in a relationship" to enjoy Valentine's Day. It is a day to celebrate love with the one(s) you love, but what about celebrating the love you have for The One you love. Not Prince Charming, but the one who first stole your heart when He called you His.....that One. Love wouldn't exist without Him. You know why? Because He IS love (1 John 4:8). But what is love? According to Google, love is an intense feeling of deep affection...that's it? Love is summed up in 6 words. I'll be honest, that definition of love doesn't explode my heart and make it swell with joy. However, this definition of love blows me away:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." -1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Patient. Kind. Not jealous, boastful, or proud. Not dishonoring, self-seeking, easily angered. Doesn't keep a record of wrongs. Doesn't delight in evil, but rather rejoices in truth. Protecting. Trusting. Hopeful. Persevering. Never failing.

That definition comforts me because I know that the One who has my heart is full of the same type of love described in 1 Corinthians 13. His love never fails. It lasts FOREVER.

There is so much hope in that. So today while you enjoy candy, balloons, pink bears, and being with the one(s) you love, take time to also relish the love that The One pours out on you. Rest in it, sink it, and let the Ultimate Love sweep you off your feet and steal your heart.

Sarah {maternity}

2012-02-09T14:17:00.001-05:00

I am just now getting around to blogging about the maternity pictures I did for my sister…funny thing is, she already had her baby (Isabel), and she will be 2 weeks old on Saturday! Man, I have a lot to catch up on :)

Here are the last few pictures of Sarah before she became a mommy for the second time:

Isabel was born on my birthday last month, and she was the best birthday present I could have ever gotten :) She is such a sweet baby and a little cuddle bug! I’ll post some pictures of her later- she’s a chubby-cheek cutie pie!

Alex’s House, Haiti, and “Our” Girl

2012-01-24T15:57:00.001-05:00

This May the college group at my church will be going on a mission trip to Haiti to do some construction work, love on the kids at my church’s orphanage, Alex’s House, and teach them about Jesus Christ! I strongly feel like God has called me to go with them in May, and I can’t describe how excited I am to not only meet these precious kids that I’ve heard so much about, but to share the love of Jesus with them as well!

Alex’s House was started in 2009 by the Senior Pastor of my church, Bill Howard. It is an orphanage for the kids in Haiti who lives on the streets, or whose families can’t take care of them anymore, to come and live. At Alex’s House these kiddos are given clothes, food, a place to live, and are taught about Jesus Christ. It is such an awesome thing to hear and see all that God is doing through Alex’s House. If you want to read up on it, click here.

They started a sponsorship program where families can either choose to be a “Daily Bread” sponsor or a “Child to School” sponsor. Families can choose which child they want to sponsor, and what type of sponsor they want to be. For the last couple of months my parents and I have talked about wanting to sponsor a child at Alex’s House. We felt like we were supposed to do it, and recently we got “our” girl. She is new to the orphanage, and I feel so blessed that she gets to be part of my family’s life now. Her name is Fadeline. She is 4 years old and is so so precious!

This morning I received this picture, and it made me so excited! I heard Fadeline’s story through an email earlier this month, and shared it with my parents. We all agreed that she was the child for us, and we became one of her sponsors. I want to just scoop her up and love on her right now, but I can’t until May. It’s going to be tough to wait a few months until I can meet her, but I am looking forward to that day so much :)

If you are interested in sponsoring a child at Alex’s House, you can click here and find out more information about becoming a sponsor!

A Lesson in Sharing

2012-01-23T09:58:00.001-05:00

Sharing is usually an issue with smaller kids, but I’m going to admit that at 19, I have struggled with sharing. It’s not with dolls or little G.I. Joes, or blankets, or snacks….I struggled with sharing my arms. That probably doesn’t make sense, so let me explain.

A little over a year ago, my niece Brie passed away. She went to be cradled by my Savior, and that was very hard for me to accept. There have been times in this last year when I’ve tried to be an aunt to her, and then reality stepped in and reminded me that she wasn’t here. I realized that the last Aunt thing I did was hold her when she was born, and I felt like if I held onto that moment in my mind, I could hold her forever. I’ve held her as close to my heart as I could over the last year, because I felt like if I didn’t hold onto her memory, She would disappear forever. I didn’t want that to happen, so I wasn’t going to let her go.

This past June my sister got pregnant again, and I was thrilled for her! As each month passed by, and her belly got bigger and bigger, everything began to fully sink in. She was gonna have another baby…another little girl. I didn’t think it’d be hard for me to accept another girl, but it was. I felt like if I loved this baby, I couldn’t still love Brie. I felt like I could only hold one baby at a time, and I didn’t want to let go of the one I had been holding onto so tightly. It’s taken me a long time to figure out that it’s ok for me to share my arms. I don’t have to just hold one girl; I can hold both, just in different ways. These two precious girls are my nieces. I will always hold one in my heart and hold the other in my arms.

My Freedom

2012-01-17T21:32:00.001-05:00

The last thing I shared regarding Passion was the first night when I watched 100's of people call a "truce" with the Creator, raise their white flags, and surrender their battles. As I think about that night, I remember God nudging my heart with a few things. I went into Passion distracted by some things and fighting a few mini wars within myself. I am ashamed to say that I fought God that first night. I told Him I wasn't quite ready to call a "truce" when it came to my mini wars, because I honestly thought that they were small enough for me to handle by myself. When we got back to our hotel that night, I realized the opportunity I had missed. I realized how arrogant I was to even think that I could fight wars by myself, even little ones. Here's the deal, no matter how big or small the battle, we still need God's help desperately. I went to bed that night with my heart crying out to God how sorry I was for not releasing my miniature white flags.

The next day was day #2 of Passion. It was a new day, and I was very excited about what God had in store for us. We went through our morning worship, our session, and finished the afternoon off with lunch. We headed back to our hotel to catch a few "zzz's" and eat dinner before our night session. After the message and meeting with our family groups that night, we headed back to the Dome for the late night special. Chris Tomlin sang that night, and I will never forget what happened to my heart. As we worked our way through various songs, something began to tug at my heart. I knew Who was tugging, and this time I wasn't going to resist Him. One of the last songs Chris Tomlin sang was "White Flag". As I lifted my hands and closed my eyes, my heart began to grab hold of the words that were freely flowing out of my mouth... "I raise my white flag, I surrender. All to You, all for You. I raise my white flag, the war is over. Love has won. Your love has won!" After I sang those words, I felt God whisper two words to my heart, and those two words changed my life forever. Some of you may say, Aly, isn't that a bit dramatic to phrase it like that?" And you know what, it may be slightly dramatic, but what happened to my life that night was dramatic :) It was HUGE! I can't explain it. I had been wearing heavy chains around my neck for a very long time, and what I didn't realize was that those chains had begun to suffocate me. That night Jesus broke my chains, and I could breathe again. The first thing I inhaled....my freedom.

White Flags of Surrender

2012-01-15T21:58:00.001-05:00

I've been wrestling with finding the right words to describe what unfolded at Passion since I got home two weeks ago. Every word that comes to mind just doesn't seem to do any of it justice.When we first got there, Louie Giglio summarized Passion in one word: Jesus. I was left a little confused by that summarization. Now, don't get me wrong, I thought that was an awesome way to summarize something like this, but I was expecting emotional words like impactful, awakening, refreshing, renewing, indescribable, etc. I didn't fully understand why every speaker continued to use 'Jesus' as a summarization until I came home.

When we returned home, I was thrown a million questions from my family and a few friends on how Passion was. The only word that I could use to describe it was- yep, you guessed it: Jesus. His name summarized everything that occurred at this conference. I began to quickly understand why the speakers used His name to summarize it.

"Jesus" defines more than any word in the dictionary ever could. Ordinary words have definitions that have limits, but the name of Jesus Christ does not posses limits. He has no limits....He is God! His name describes the unthinkable, the unimaginable....the indescribable. It is difficult to put into words what I was exposed to, awakened to, and moved to at Passion. It was unlike anything I've ever been to before, not because of the speakers, messages, worship, or videos, but solely because I experienced, felt, and saw God's majesty, power, and love move in ways that I never had before! There was no question that God was present in the Dome watching 45,000 of His children gather together to worship His name. The first night consisted of thousands of Christians raising their white flags, calling a "truce", and surrendering everything to the One who gave it all...that is something to celebrate!

2011: A Look Back

2012-01-01T15:33:00.001-05:00

I can’t believe a new year is here already! 2011 flew by….seems like I always say that, but it’s true! This year held many memorable moments that I don’t want to forget:

It was my last year being a teenager!

I attended my senior prom with some great friends!

I graduated from high school!

Attended my first mission trip to Maryland with my church and went to an Orioles baseball game!

Interned at my church for the summer and attended an Atlanta Braves game!

Completed my first semester at USC Aiken!

My sweet nephew Gabriel turned one!

And December marked one year in Heaven for my niece, Brie

2011 was crazy year! I’m looking forward to 2012 being a year of hope and joy, new opportunities, new beginnings, more laughter, and year to grow closer and more intimate with Jesus Christ! Tomorrow I leave for Passion with the college group at my church and am looking forward to what God is going to do in all of our hearts! Here’s to a great 2012!

Home for the Holidays

2011-12-31T00:20:00.001-05:00

Every year since we moved to South Carolina, we have gone down to Alabama the day after Christmas to visit with friends and family. I see my brothers and sisters every few months, which is wonderful, but nothing quite compares to being in Alabama with them during the holidays.

Usually when we’re in Alabama my mama and I try to set aside one day to catch up with old friends. I meet some friends that I went to elementary school with, and my mama catches up with some of the teenagers that she taught Spanish to way back when. We’re usually short on time and end up having a quick lunch with speedy conversations, but this visit was much nicer. We had the whole day to see old friends, visit old neighbors, and my best friend drove me by the house I grew up in so I could see it :) (no pictures of that though, left my camera in the backseat).

I grew up with both of these girls and value their friendship so much!

My best friend is the girl on the far left :) Her name is Jess; she and I have been friends since 1st grade. We’ve remained very close, since I moved to South Carolina 4 years ago. While we were in town, I had the chance to spend the night with her, and it was just like old times. We went to go see the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie “Chipwrecked”, which was very cute and so funny! We spent the night catching up and playing Just Dance on her Kinect (y’all those games are a WORKOUT!) It was so nice to just spend a whole day with my bestfriend :)

Yesterday was our last day in Alabama, and it was such a gorgeous day! We all spent the day in our pajamas and played outside while my nieces took turns riding the bike and taking wagon rides with my nephew!

I love these kiddos with all of my heart! My heart melted every time I heard them say “Aunt Ayeee” :) It was good to be home for the holidays!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T23:29:00.001-05:00

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2: 1-20

I pray you all have had a Merry Christmas with your family! May we always remember the true reason for the season. Merry Christmas, friends!

Photo Letters and Antique Frames

2011-12-22T20:02:00.001-05:00

I’ve been on Christmas break for almost two weeks now and am loving all of this free time to finish Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts, doing crafts, and getting ready for Christmas. It’s been so fun! I’ve spent ~~countless hours~~ some time on Pinterest trying to get some cute ideas for homemade Christmas presents for friends. One of my favorite ideas was taking photo letters and spelling out peoples names. I’ve seen ideas like this at the market in Charleston, but I’ve never tried making them myself.

I ‘googled’ photo letters and printed some off, which was free :) I wanted to find cheap frames and paint them to look antique-y, and Wal-Mart had what I needed. I bought 10 silver frames for 50 cents a piece- that made me very excited! I took the frames apart and painted them an off white, then lightly painted a slightly more yellow version of the white over them. It gave them that antique white color that I was going for.

My dad went to Home Depot and bought a 1x10 piece of wood to mount the frames on. He cut them in half and sanded them for me. Then he spray painted them a chocolate brown color, and I hot glued the frames on the pieces of wood. I love how they turned out!

Patience That Leads to Redemption

2011-12-14T21:19:00.001-05:00

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

2 Peter 3:9

I don’t know about you, but there are days and times when I feel like I fail God miserably. Everyday I try to live in complete surrender to Him, but there are days when it’s hard. There are many days when I struggle with giving something to Him, letting Him hold the reins, giving Him control of something that I so badly want to control myself. It’s hard and is a daily struggle for me. Sometimes I feel like if I’m not perfect, than God gives up on me. But, that is just a lie that the enemy wants me to believe. Have you ever believed that lie, too? This morning I was reading through 2 Peter, and my mind was blown--I love it when that happens! I read the words, “Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” and it hit me! God is patient with us ALWAYS! He knows we aren’t perfect, He knows that we will fail miserably at life, and He knows that we have struggles. He knows that we get frustrated and impatient with Him. He knows that we turn our backs on Him sometimes, He knows that at times our hearts are brittle and our faith is weak- but He is patient with us through it all.

I’ll be honest, the moment I read those words, my heart fell to its knees. I wanted to just cry thinking about the many times that I’ve treated God absolutely terrible, the many times that I have been angry with Him and pretty much given Him the silent treatment, the many times that I lifted my hand and said, “I got it, God.” Talk about pride! I am disgusted with my past attitudes with God. Who am I to tell the Creator “I got it. I don’t need, nor do I want Your help.” As I began thinking through this year, I realized how many times I told God “I got it.” and how many times I fell flat on my face, only to crawl back to God on my hands and knees, my face hanging down in shame, and my cheeks stained with tears. Every time I came crawling back to my Savior, He was there, and He was patient.

This year has been a challenging one for me. I have struggled, I have fallen…HARD. I’ve gotten up many times and given up many times. My faith was tested and my relationship with Christ became my second, third, and fourth priority. It wasn’t until this summer that I pushed my pride to the side, jumped in the back seat, and let God be the driver (for the first time in a long time). Not once since then have I regretted jumping in the back seat. Sure, there are times when I still fail at being who God calls me to be, but no more do I even consider uttering the words, “God, I got it.” Jesus wants us to come to Him, weary, heavy-laden, failures and all, and He promises to give us rest (Matt. 11:28). He promises to be patient with us (2 Peter 3:9) and that patience brings me to my knees. We’re so underserving of God’s patience, grace, and mercy! But, His patience, grace, and love will constantly bring us to our knees. With our heads bowed and our hearts completely surrendered, we will be lead back to redemption time and time again. That is huge!

A Favorite Christmas Recipe

2011-12-09T19:44:00.001-05:00

Every year around Christmastime I find myself making these cookies. They’re my favorite and don’t fit your typical holiday cookie recipe, which is why I love them! Don’t get me wrong, I love the old-fashioned Christmas sugar cookies and your gingerbread boys and girls, but there’s just something about melted snickers inside of peanut butter dough, drizzled with chocolate, and lightly dusted with powdered sugar, that just puts me in the Christmas spirit!

I find myself posting this recipe every year, but it’s too yummy not to share :)

Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies

(350° for 15-20 min. or until golden brown)

2 bags of fun-sized snickers
2 1/2 c. of flour
1 1/2 tsp. of baking soda
1/2 tsp. of salt
stick and a half of butter --I never said this was healthy ;)
1/2 c. of smooth peanut butter
1 c. of sugar
1 c. of brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. of vanilla
1 bag of chocolate chips

Mix flour, soda, and salt in separate bowl. In a mixer blend (room temperature) butter for 30 sec., then add peanut butter and sugars until all blended together. Add eggs and vanilla until the batter is smooth. Slowly add flour mixture until everything is combined together. Place one small snickers in your hand, cover with dough, and roll into a 2 inch ball and place an 1inch. apart on cookie sheet. While cookies cool, empty bag of chocolate chips in a bowl and put in microwave for 30-second intervals until it’s smooth, chocolate-y goodness :) Put in a big Ziploc bag and make your own piping bag. Cut 1/2 off the tip of the bag and pipe away, dust with powdered sugar….happy eating!

Letting Go…

2011-12-03T11:22:00.001-05:00

I’ve been fearing this particular day for the last 12 months. The day that Brie was born into Heaven…the day that we had to unwillingly give her back to Jesus. I never knew what a person’s heart felt when they had to give a loved one back to the Lord. I could try to imagine what they felt, but I never knew. I never fathomed that I would know that feeling personally, become acquainted with it, and know it so intimately that I would recognize it a mile away. Unfortunately, I know that feeling now. Over the last year there have been many days when I hated that feeling…the feeling of having to give up someone I loved to the One that I love. But, isn’t that surrender? Giving up something or someone you love to your Forever Love. It is surrender, in its deepest, most intimate form. I didn’t know that then. I know it now. Surrendering is a hard thing in and of itself. Surrendering to GOD is a whole other thing. It’s you waving a white flag, calling a “truce”, giving up your side of the battle to the Creator of the Universe. That is huge…and also very hard! It’s not fun to let go of something, but it also isn’t fun to hold onto something so long that your knuckles begin to turn white from you griping it so tightly. Letting go is painful, releasing a tight grip hurts. Your fingernails pierce your palm, and indentions remain there still, even after you open your hand. The indentations are red, and they hurt a little bit, but after a few minutes, they fade away. Surrendering is very much like that. There are marks leftover from holding onto something for so long , and it hurts to let go of that something. But, the pain from letting go fades away, the indentations fade away. You’ll always remember where they were, but they don’t stay there forever. You won’t ever forget that which you surrender to Christ, but His freedom and healing are hidden within the heart of surrendering to Him. Giving someone back to God is one of the hardest things a person ever has to do, but the love that you experience from God, for surrendering that loved one back to Him, makes it all worth it!

Peppermint Christmas Wreath

2011-11-27T15:38:00.001-05:00

I’ve never been very good at artsy/crafty type of things, but Pinterest has helped me become a little bit better. I love it! For y’all who haven’t checked it out yet, close this post and go check out their site! You join through them sending you an invitation, and it might take a little while to get a confirmation email from them, but it is worth the wait! :) They have so many ideas, recipes, projects, crafts, etc. it’s great! I was looking up Christmas crafts, just to see if there was anything posted that looked like it’d be fun to make. I found a pin for a peppermint wreath, and thought I would take a whack at it! It cost me about $25 at Hobby Lobby (HL) for all of the material. You will need a glue gun and a bag of 20 glue sticks :)

Here’s how it goes:

(1) 18’” styrofoam wreath form *11.99 at HL* (you can use a bigger/smaller one. I had to get an 18” one because it was the only wreath form left!)
(3) 4 yd. rolls of 2” red floral ribbon *HL is currently running a 50% off deal on all of their ribbon. I got all 3 rolls for $2 a piece* :)
(5) 8 oz. bags of peppermints or (2) 20oz. bags (I got mine at the Dollar store because it was cheaper :) A buck a bag.

You start out by wrapping the ribbon around the wreath form, pulling it tightly around, and gluing it every few wraps.

When you’re finished wrapping the ribbon around, then the most tedious part comes- unwrapping all of the peppermints. This wreath took close to 400- needless to say, my kitchen table was COVERED in plastic wrappers :) I glued the peppermints in rows of three on the front and rows of two on the sides.

I’m not quite finished with my wreath yet. I’m going to glue another two rows of peppermints on the inside middle part and brush modge podge on it to keep the dye in the peppermints from running. I also put a small bow on the top of the wreath, but I’m going to use the leftover ribbon I have to make a bigger bow. The wreath should look something like this when you’re done gluing the peppermints and bow on it :)

Family Visits

2011-11-24T23:20:00.001-05:00

I have so much to catch up on, so many things I want to write down and remember, but for now the catching up is gonna wait. Beth, Joe, and the kiddos rolled into our driveway about 10 Tuesday night. Since then I have been woken up super early every morning by a sweet girl yelling, “Wake up Aunt Ayee!” Can’t say I mind it, though :) I forget how much I miss my family until they come visit!

We celebrated my nephew, Gabriel’s 1st birthday last night, and it was so funny watching him make so many different faces. I love that little man so much!!

It’s been so fun having my niece and nephew visiting! The other day we were playing outside in the leaves, on the hammock, and riding in the wagon. I tried to capture a few cute shots of them before they got all covered in leaves and grass :) I love family visits during the holidays!

A Picture of Thankfulness…

2011-11-07T22:05:00.001-05:00

I love November because it is an entire month dedicated to thankfulness. Every day we’re all guilty of complaining about something or someone, I know I am. But it doesn’t seem right to complain about people or things when we are so blessed beyond belief. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it is hard to see good in things, sometimes it’s very easy to focus on all of things that seem to go wrong in our lives, and sometimes it’s easy to be ungrateful and look passed the little blessings in life.

This month God has been teaching me to be thankful regardless of circumstances, despite struggles, and in spite of trials. As the last little bit of this year begins to trickle away, I’m reminded of circumstances that left me confused and questioning God, sufferings that I dealt with as I painfully learned that God is the only source of happiness, and trials that my family faced in the passing of Brie. This year was hard to say the least, but in spite of everything that happened, I am thankful. There are things in life that don’t make sense, but that’s ok. I read something this weekend that spoke volumes to my heart:

“It is better to know God than to know answers.”

I don’t know the answers behind circumstances, I don’t know the reasons for sufferings, and I don’t know the answers for trials, but despite everything that happened this last year I have nothing to complain about. I can’t express into words all of the things that I am thankful for, but this pictures says it all.

Tears of Sorrow and Tears of Joy

2011-11-01T00:37:00.001-04:00

It is late, and I should probably be in bed counting sheep until the heaviness of sleep decides to weigh on my eyelids and close them shut, but here I am wide awake, letting waves of memories break on the shore of my mind. I can’t get through reading an entire post or writing a post without crying over Brie. As of late, tears seem to flow more freely. It’s like my heart just decided to pull out memories of my niece again and spend some time gazing at them. They’re not always tears of sadness, sometimes their tears filled with joy. As November rolls in, another month blows away. At times I have had to catch my breath when I realize that December 3rd draws nearer and nearer with each passing day. That is Brie’s first birthday. I am honestly a little bit scared of this day. I’m not sure what it will hold, but I know that it will be a sad day. It will be the day that a little girl should’ve turned one year old. That thought saddens my heart. But, joy does break the clouds. There is light after the dark. There is a rainbow after the storm. As I write this I find that I am crying, yet again. A year ago I would have never guessed that things would’ve turned out the way that they did. In that year though, I have learned a lot. The biggest thing I’ve learned—Jesus is the only source of strength, hope, and joy. Without Him, I wouldn’t know the meaning of love, of joy, and of hope. Even though circumstances change, God never does. He is the same each and every day….the same loving father who NEVER leaves, who loves no matter what, and who holds us close no matter how far we’ve been. That is something worth crying tears of joy over :)

An Apple a day….

2011-10-22T21:10:00.001-04:00

I used to go to an apple festival when I was younger, and I had tucked that memory away until recently. A few weeks ago my mom brought up the idea for us to go to an apple orchard as a family and pick some apples, and my old memory of fried apple pies, fresh, hot apple cider, and caramel apples crept back out. I like apples, but I don’t eat a ton of them, but y’all, I have a new love of apples after spending the day at Sky Top Orchard! It was beautiful and the apples were SO good! I’ve never seen so many in my life!

This is the first time we have all picked apples together, so everything was a little bit new to us. We decided to bring a wagon down into the orchard with us, thinking that it would make it easier to haul up our buckets of apples later. My poor dad tangoed with the wagon and took a tumble down the hill. Praise God he didn’t get seriously hurt. After we realized how much of a pain the wobbly wagon would be, we decided to just leave it at the top of the hill and carry our buckets. As we worked our way deeper and deeper into the orchard, we noticed that quite a few trees were bare.

We finally found some trees that were pretty full of apples, and that made the 2 hour trip so worth it. There’s just something about fresh picked apples that truly makes it feel like fall! Our stomachs were full and our buckets were too!

I couldn’t get over how beautiful the trees were! They were all turning and the vibrant shades of yellow, red, and orange went on for miles. It was so pretty! I definitely want to come back next year! My dad might just need to stay in the store area so he doesn’t get hurt :)

My Stretcher

2011-10-19T21:46:00.001-04:00

A few weekends ago I helped with a youth camping trip at my church (SHOC). We had an awesome speaker whose words were just coated with God’s love. He shared a Bible story that I had heard a few times, but one that I had never taken the time to really dissect. He shared the story of the paralytic man in Luke 5. In this story four men bring a paralyzed man on a stretcher to see Jesus. There were so many people in the house that Jesus was in that these men went on the roof and lowered the man on the stretcher so he would be in front of Jesus. In verse 20 it says “When Jesus saw their faith, He said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’ “ The speaker challenged us to look at our lives. What makes us tick? What things are we good at? What is our stretcher and how can we use that to bring others to Christ? For me personally, my stretcher is photography.

My niece passed away in December of last year. There is a company called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. They specialize in taking pictures of families whose children are born sleeping, or families who have a child with a serious medical condition. This company came in after Brie was born and took precious photographs of her. Those photos have brought my family hope. They allow us to hold on to our Brie while Jesus cradles her in Heaven. Seeing how much hope this company brought my family through photographs inspires me to bring others the hope and love found in Jesus Christ. In Him we have hope. In Him we find joy. And in Him we find our strength. Brie inspires me to keep taking pictures. I pray that I can draw others closer to Christ through her story and through photography. She is my inspiration.

He Hit the Nail on the Head!

2011-10-12T11:48:00.001-04:00

I think sometimes God speaks words to our hearts, and we dismiss them, not even thinking for a second that maybe He’s trying to prepare us for something. We’re always going, always moving, always talking, and we never stop to just be still. I’ve heard many many times that it’s hard for two people to have a relationship when one person is doing all of the talking. That’s very true, especially when it comes to our relationship with Christ. How many times do you find yourself talking to God, praying for this and that, asking for His help with something, but never being silent to hear what He has to say? I find myself , more often than not, doing this exact thing, and at times, it has cost me something.

A few years ago I was on a camping trip with my youth group, and we were told to break off individually with our Bibles, find somewhere quiet, and spend some time reading God’s Word and talking to Him. I read some passages, and just told God that I didn’t even know where to begin to start cleaning up the mess I had made of my life. I was stuck and miserable. I needed His help desperately. After a few minutes my heart grew silent because I didn’t know what else to pray. I just sat there and then as clear as day, I heard the words “trust me” whispered to my heart. I remember thinking how neat it was to feel God speaking to me, but I didn’t take His words to heart. The next year I went on the same camping trip, and we were given time to go be still before Christ. This time I didn’t say anything, I just sat there and listened. Again, I felt God whisper to my heart “trust me”. Hearing this two years in a row made me think that I might really need to start trusting God, but I didn’t take those words seriously and dismissed them, yet again. A month or so passed and those words “trust me” seemed to get tangled and disappear within the mess that I call life. My sister Beth (who was also pregnant) and I were planning a baby shower for my oldest sister Sarah, and we were all anticipating the birth of my nephew and niece. November rolled around and Beth gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Three days later Sarah gave birth to a sleeping baby girl, Brie. I’ll be honest, I had no idea where God went. I didn’t know what He was doing, and I was mad. I harbored my anger against God for a long time before I was able to let it all go. The words “trust me” floated back to the surface, and I saw them. I remembered God telling me to trust Him, and I remember I couldn’t figure out why. I’m not sure if it was because of what was going to happen with Brie, or if it had to do with something else, but for whatever reason, God told me to trust Him and I dismissed it. Having to find God again after I lost Him was hard. It was a journey full of temptation, struggles, pain, being uncomfortable, and finding myself in desperate need of my Savior. I can’t help but wonder if I had just listened to God and trusted Him fully with everything, maybe I wouldn’t have lost sight of Him during Brie’s death. God hit the nail on the head when He told me to trust Him, I just wish I would’ve listened sooner :)

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made…

2011-10-05T21:07:00.001-04:00

After we lost Brie,we went through a time when our hearts were heavy and our faith was fragile, a time when we couldn’t see God’s hand on losing a precious little one. In the ten months since Brie went to be with Jesus I’ve learned many things. I’ve learned to trust God through the easy times and the hard times. I’ve learned that He doesn’t stop being God, despite the things that happen. Brie’s death was very difficult. I didn’t understand why God allowed my niece to be born sleeping. To this day I’m still unsure of why we lost Brie, but I look at Christ much differently now! He is a God who always has a shoulder for us to cry on. A God that cradles us when we are hurting. He is a God who’s love never wavers for His children. He is a God we can trust to pick us up when we fall. A God who restores us when we’re broken. He is a forgiving, merciful God. A God who brings us joy….but something that I’ve learned the most from Brie’s death is that God is a God of Hope. He carried my family through a time that we weren’t sure we could get through. He never left our sides, and He never stopped cradling our hearts when they were broken and hurting. Through Brie’s death I’ve learned to trust God with all of my heart. I have found joy and hope again….I’ve fallen in love all over again with my Savior, and learned to only cling to Him!

He blessed my brother in law and sister with another precious baby girl- Isabel! She is fearfully and wonderfully made by the only source of our hope! Thank you Jesus for this little life!

“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are Your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of the sand- when I awake, I am still with You.” – Psalm 139:14-18

Perfect Love

2011-10-03T11:40:00.001-04:00

What is love? I've been thinking about this question a lot lately. Recently I finished reading a book called "Lady in Waiting" and it focused so much on the difference of the love between a man and a woman and the love of a father, a Heavenly Father. Love is so much more than being cared for by someone and caring for them. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails..."

If you grew up in church, than you've probably heard these words on more than one occasion, but have you ever thought about them? Have you ever really spent time digesting the definitions of love, what it looks like to love or be loved? Love is such a powerful emotion and should be a prominent characteristic of every relationship, including the relationship between a Heavenly father and His child.

1 Corinthians 13 describes the kind of love that Christ has for His children, but does it describe the kind of love that we have for Him? I read through 1 Corinthians 13 again and thought about how many times my love fails Christ. I'm not always patient with Him. At times I become angry with Him when I can't clearly see His plan. But the thing that stuck out to me the most was trust. How many times have I thought, "God, should I just do things my way?" How proud does that sound, though?! I realized that in every area of my life the love I have for Christ falls short...it fails Him. But the beauty of Christ is that His love NEVER fails us! He is a jealous God who wants nothing more than for our hearts to be completely devoted and surrendered to Him. He is always patient with us, even when we're not patient with Him. He doesn't keep a record of all the times that we've sinned or been prideful. His love is concrete and worth trusting in. And His love ALWAYS perseveres. His Love is perfect and NEVER gives up on us...HE never gives up on us. I don't know about you, but that perfect love is worth surrendering everything for!

Under Lock and Key

2011-09-17T12:02:00.001-04:00

I’ve been slowly working my way through the book Lady in Waiting by Jackie Kendall and Debby Jones. I’ve never read anything like it before! It is such an incredible book written by two women who both know what goes on inside the hearts and minds of every God-fearing woman, whether it be struggling to find your soul mate or simply just struggling with finding that one thing that brings satisfaction and happiness. It takes you through the journey of Ruth, breaking down everything that Ruth went through from losing her husband, to relocating with her mother-in-law, and finally being brought a God fearing man who not only respected and loved her, but a man that recognized Jesus in her before he noticed anything else. The book consists of ten chapters that each breakdown one characteristic that Ruth possessed. All of which strengthen and encourage you on how to better become the woman that God created you to be.

So far I’ve learned that Ruth was a lady of reckless abandonment, a lady of diligence, and a lady of faith. The more I read about Ruth, the more I want to emulate her. She followed God with everything in her! She laid down her life and let God lead her where He wanted her to go. She diligently worked hard at whatever she was given to do, and she consistently cared for her mother-in-law, Naomi, who I imagine was just a delight to be around every day ;) Through every trial that Ruth was faced with, she never lost faith in God. She gave Him her all, including the key to her heart.

While I have learned so much about Ruth from reading this book, I’ve also come to realize that following Christ with reckless abandonment doesn’t only mean that you surrender your life daily to Him, but that you also surrender every area of your life to Him- even your love life. Jesus wants to be the first man that a woman ever gives her heart to, the key, the lock- all of it! He will protect a woman’s heart under lock and key, until He brings the right man into her life, who will protect her and love her in the same way that He did!

Reflection

2011-09-10T22:53:00.001-04:00

Mirrors should reflect more than just the outward appearance, but we usually think that’s the only purpose for them. They not only reflect what’s on the outside, but what’s on the inside as well. A reflection should portray who you are, your character, your heart, and most importantly should reflect who lives in you!

I went to a conference this weekend called Worthy, and it was absolutely incredible! I won’t ever look at my relationship with Christ the same way! He truly is EVERYTHING that we need, but we don’t always think that. God isn’t just our Heavenly Father; He’s a protector, a husband, a father, a healer, a savior, and so many others. He loves us so much more than we can fathom, and I think that’s such a an awesome thing!

There are times we throw ourselves mini pity parties. Sometimes the guest list is the loneliest number of one, but sometimes we extend our guest list to two, three, or four of our closest friends. Pity parties usually occur when we are having a “moment”, or when we feel worthless and unworthy of being loved, or when our hearts are simply just broken. At times I wonder why God created our hearts to be such sensitive and fragile things. He created them to be so easily broken so only HE could put them back together for us. The only way that He can put our hearts back together is if we’re willing to surrender our hearts completely to Him and ONLY to Him. We have to whole heartedly hand God the key to our heart and trust that He’ll hold onto to it until He chooses to place the right man into our lives.

I can’t even begin to scratch the surface of what this conference convicted me of, taught me, and what God revealed to me about my heart and His.

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for me with ALL of your heart.”- Jeremiah 29:13

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (healthy style!)

2011-09-09T14:01:00.001-04:00

I’ve been on this healthy cooking/baking kick the last few weeks and am loving all the new recipes that I’ve found! I think it’s a common misconception that eating healthfully means that you have to sacrifice flavor, especially with sweet treats! This recipe for Oatmeal Raisin cookies has proved to me that eating healthy doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor :)

This recipe is super quick, easy, and doesn’t leave a mess behind!

1 c. of flour
1/2 tsp. of baking powder
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
3/4 c. of brown sugar
1 and 1/2 c. of old fashioned oats
1/2 c. of oil
2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. of raisins

Mix all dry ingredients together, then add oil, egg whites, vanilla, and raisins. Scoop onto a cookie sheet with a tablespoon and cook for 15-18 min. or until golden brown :)

Buon Appetito!

2011-09-07T21:32:00.001-04:00

My mom is back teaching, which means that my dad and I are left with dinner duty! I decided to try making Chicken Piccata with pasta and mushrooms, but I made a few changes here and there to cut down on cooking time and calories. Italian made easy and healthy- can’t ask for a better combination! Here’s what you need:

4 chicken breasts (defrosted)
1/2 c. of water
lemon pepper seasoning (McCormick’s is really good)
garlic salt
8 oz. carton of mushrooms (any kind)
2 c. of low-sodium chicken stock
5 tsp. of all-purpose flour
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. of lemon juice
2 tbsp. of capers (optional)

I started by defrosting 4 chicken breasts and seasoned both sides with lemon pepper. I placed them in a crock pot full of 1/2 cup of water and added a dash of garlic salt. Place crock pot on low and cook for 3-4 hrs. Having the chicken already cooked ahead of time makes the rest super easy!

I sliced the mushrooms and cooked them in a skillet (on medium heat) with 2 tsp. of EVOO for about 5 min. After 5 min. I turned the heat up on high and added the minced garlic until it’s brown. In a separate bowl whisk 5 tsp. of flour into the chicken stock. Add half of the chicken stock mixture into the skillet with the garlic and cook on high until it’s boiling.

While you’re waiting on the stock to boil, bring a pot of water up to a boil and cook the pasta for 8 min. Drain and place the pasta back into the pot with 1 tsp. of EVOO (to prevent a sticky pasta mess!) Add the remainder of the chicken stock/flour mixture to the pasta and mix together.

Once the stock is boiling in the skillet, bring the heat down to low and simmer. Add 2 tsp. of lemon juice and 2 tbsp. of capers. Add the chicken breasts and cover for about 5 min.

Scoop pasta on a plate and top with chicken breast. Spoon some of the sauce onto the chicken and top with parsley (optional). As they say in Italy “Buon Appetito” or happy eating! :)

The Old Mill

2011-09-03T21:41:00.001-04:00

Since we moved to Lexington I’ve always been intrigued by a little place called The Old Mill. I was curious about the history of it, so I did a little research. The Old Mill used to be a functioning cotton mill back in the 1890’s. Business flourished there until the stock market crashed in 1929. Once the Great Depression hit, the owner decided to shut down the Old Mill for a few years. It was reopened in 1934 and has served to house various shops and restaurants over the decades. It still stands today, and if I say so myself, it is an incredible place to take pictures!

I’m planning on bringing some friends here to take their pictures, but I decided to go and scout out a few spots out beforehand. I did a little exploring and had my friend Tori meet me so I could practice taking pictures around these areas. She was giggling and laughing the entire time, which made my “job” so much more fun! :)

She was so much fun to be around, and I’m so thankful that she was willing to be my guinea pig ;)

A New Little One

2011-08-27T21:33:00.003-04:00

Every time I go to write about my sister's second pregnancy, I find myself wiping tears off of my cheeks.

We have a picture of Brie's hands on our mantle, and I find myself resting on that picture whenever I think of this new little one. It makes me sad knowing that this baby won't be able to meet their big sister, but I know that we will tell him or her all about Brie...what she looked like, how she loved when her mama ate M&M's, and how she LOVED to dance!

This new baby is beginning to "flutter" inside of Sarah's tummy, and it's been a reminder of the hope that we have from this new life that God has woven together. He makes this baby's heart beat, He has given him/her life, and I'm so thankful for that!

New Beginnings

2011-08-16T17:45:00.001-04:00

I’ve always loved the phrase: “Turning over a new leaf”, but it hasn’t held significant meaning to me up until recently. This time last year I was getting ready to start my senior year at White Knoll. I was anxious, nervous, somewhat excited, yet dreading school and everything that comes with it. This year I have some of the same feelings along with a few mixed emotions. I’ve had to say goodbye to a few friends- well, more like see you later-but regardless, it’s bittersweet. In that bittersweet emotion I’ve realized that growing up and parting ways is just a part of life. College is also a part of growing up. It is about figuring out who you are, discovering what exactly it is that makes you “tick” and running with it, becoming your own, and being confident in that. Sometimes it is hard, and I’m sure there will be ups and downs. But college is a new environment full of new people to meet, new experiences to be had, fresh starts, and new beginnings. I’ll admit…that does make me excited. :)

Another new beginning that makes me excited is knowing that there will be a new baby joining my family at the beginning of next year. Sarah and PJ are pregnant with their second child. It’s been a rough year with losing Brie, but God has blessed them with another baby who has such a strong heartbeat! I am overjoyed for the both of them and am so excited about this new little life :)

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
-Hebrews 10:23

Little Ones to Him Belong…

2011-08-12T00:25:00.001-04:00

I grew up in Sunday school singing Jesus Loves Me, just like the next person. One of the verses says this, “Little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong.” I can’t tell you why Jesus Loves Me was stuck in my head recently, but it made me immediately think of Brie. Eight months and eight days ago Brie was born sleeping. I think about her often, but last night I went to bed wishing that she was here.

I don’t know why Brie was born sleeping, but I know that she belongs to Jesus. I know that He cradles her and keeps her safe. While that reality makes me cry, it does makes my heart smile knowing that she has the fullest life that she could possibly have.

I wrote Brie a letter a month after she passed. Somehow writing her letters brings me comfort. It makes me feel like I’m talking to her, and it just brings me overall peace. Last night I wrote her another letter.

Little brie,

It’s been eight months since I met you face to face and held you for the first time. Those moments are the ones that I never forget. I miss you, but those three words don’t seem to cover the feeling that I have when I think of you. I often wonder what it would’ve been like to walk down the street and know that I would see you soon. Or what it would’ve been like to listen to you laugh, watch you smile, hold you close, and rock you to sleep. I wonder what you would’ve been like as a toddler… would you have been quiet like your daddy, or loud like your mommy? I wonder… I wonder what you’re doing when I lie awake thinking about you. Sweet girl, you are so loved. You are missed more than you will ever know. I wish that we could hold you again one last time, but I know Jesus is holding you tight. We’re always holding you close to our hearts. I love you precious girl.

Aunt Aly

What Matters Most?

2011-07-25T17:23:00.001-04:00

I've been marinating on this question alot over the last week. My youth group just got back from a mission trip to Baltimore, Maryland, and this question has been bouncing around in my head since we got back. The team that I was on this last week was working with a church that has been through alot over the last few years. They had their church motto painted on a wall in their fellowship hall, and it got me thinking. Here's what it said: Loving people... Meeting Needs...Changing Lives...

How much do we really love people? How many times do we meet others' needs? Do our lives have enough of an impact on others to change their lives? I think the answer to these questions is simple....no. I think we attempt to do all of these things, but we fail at them constantly.

What does it really mean to love people? I think the majority of the time we only show love to those that we think deserve it. We only love those who we're comfortable loving. If you really take the time to think about it, there really isn't much love in our love. That's sad. This week I learned alot about what love really is. It is loving those who get looked passed constantly. It is praying for somone that you've never met. It's taking the time to ask a stranger how they are. It's accepting someone that may not look or act like you. It's showing the love of Christ to people that we may not feel the most comfortable around.

How do we meet the needs of others in order to help change their lives? The answer is to love them, despite what they've done, and how they look.

The team I was on was in a rough part of town. We went door to door asking to pray for people and inviting them to the backyard Bible clubs that we were doing. It was in what we were doing that I began to really grasp what love is, and what it looks like. Just because someon lives in a rough part of town doesn't mean that they don't derserve to have someone care about them. It doesn't mean that they're bad and don't derserve to be loved on and prayed for. It doesn't mean that they aren't good enough to be invited to church. We should be taking time out of our day to care about these people. We should be inviting these people to church, and ACCEPTING them in with open arms. So what if they've done drugs, or have a past struggle with addiction, or have been involved in prostitition? Whatever it is that they've done, or wherever it is that they've come from, it shouldn't matter. People like that need Jesus just as much as we do. They're the ones who should be showing us how to live for Christ because they're the ones who understand the meaning of repentance, of forgiveness, of redemption, and the vastness of God's love. We should be learning the meaning of acceptance and God's love from people like that.

A Day at Aiken

2011-07-15T21:56:00.001-04:00

I’ve been looking forward to college since I graduated in June. What I didn’t think about was all the little details that go into attending college. After attending orientation this week I have a pretty good idea of what this upcoming school year is going to hold for me. College is a fun thought but a harsh reality. I wanted to save money my first year, so my parents and I decided that I would commute. USCA is about an hour from my house, which isn’t bad, but I quickly realized how old that drive is going to get every day. It’s going to be tough, but it’s worth saving $5,000 a year! :)

I went down to Aiken on Wednesday and Thursday to register for classes and get everything in order for the fall semester. It was really overwhelming at first, but the people were so friendly there and helped everybody get there classes together. I’m nervous about starting college, but I’m looking forward to ~~getting space from my parents~~ growing up a little bit more and starting this new adventure in August.

Aiken is such a beautiful town and the USCA campus is so pretty! They have a fountain in the middle of the campus, and it’s so nice. It’s a peaceful little place, and a nice break from the chaos of classes. I have a feeling I’m going to spending a lot of time there!

Strike 1!

2011-07-08T12:43:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite responsibilities as a youth intern is taking pictures of every activity we do as a group. I love everything about photography. I am no pro, but I sure do enjoy shooting :) We’ve had a few pool parties and small events at the church, but yesterday we took a little road trip to Atlanta for a Braves game. Atlanta is one of my favorite cities to drive through. I grew up in GA and AL, and my family would take frequent trips to Atlanta and the capital. It brings back so many memories from my childhood. Maybe that’s why I like visiting it so much!

This was the view of the city from the stadium:

I haven’t been to a baseball game since I was 8, so I wasn’t real sure about the all details of baseball. But, the guy next to me was nice enough to clue me in on what was going on!

It was such a fun game! We got caught in a few storms on the way home and rolled in pretty late last night. It was worth it though! Go Braves!

Live Strong {Jr. High}

2011-06-18T14:25:00.001-04:00

I’ve been so busy lately that I have neglected the blog world- so sorry. This last month has been amazing, and I have been given so many opportunities that I am so thankful to have had thus far. This summer I was given an internship position in my youth group, and it has been one of the most challenging and overwhelming, yet most rewarding and fulfilling experiences that I have ever had.

Interns have the opportunity to go to beach camp with the Jr. highers. They assist with activities and help lead small groups. We left Sunday for beach camp and returned home yesterday afternoon. I am more exhausted than I thought I’d be, but I wouldn’t trade anything for the time I had with those kids.

Beach camp was fantastic overall, but there were two things that stuck out to me the most from this week. Nothing warmed my heart more than seeing the Jr. high kids from my church worship Christ with everything that they had in them. One night I just sat in the back and watched as those students with their hands raised high, closed their eyes, and worshipped Jesus. Their love for Christ was evident every time we went to worship. They were attentive during chapel time, good sports during game time, and loved on each other during free time. It was awesome seeing them interact with each other with Christ-like attitudes.

Another thing that blew me away was leading small groups. I led with another intern that I’ve become close with this summer. Tori is so in love with Jesus, she is always the first one to help out another leader or student, she has a servant’s heart, and a love for kids that is so concrete. Together we led our group of girls, and it was the most fulfilling thing I have ever done with someone. The very first night of camp we had a girl open up with us and share what was going on in her life. She shared her struggles and admitted to needing God’s help. We all prayed with her and encouraged the rest of the girls to open up and soften their hearts toward Jesus this week, so He could use them in mighty ways. Every night another girl would share something, and by the end of the week, Tori and I were amazed at the closeness of our group. We had one of our girls accept Christ for the first time, and we had two or three re-dedicate their lives back to Him. I learned so much from our girls! They have impacted my life in a huge way this week, and have shown me areas in my own life that I need to work on and get right with God. Tori and I were so blessed to have had the girls that we did!

On Sunday I leave for my last Sr. high beach camp as a student. I am looking forward to what God is going to teach me, growing closer with the amazing friends that I have, and coming back with a heart eager to learn more about Christ and a new found love for Him! Please pray for all of us as we are there. It is so easy to make commitments and be on fire for Jesus at camp, but the challenge is keeping those commitments when we all come home. Please pray that we could keep our lights burning for Christ when we come back, and that we would let nothing burn those fires out!

Splish Splash!

2011-06-03T16:15:00.001-04:00

I love the many sounds of summer. The sounds of water splashing, the giggles of my nieces and nephew as they play together, and the sound of wagon wheels as they roll against the pavement. Those sounds have been filling my ears the last couple of days, and I have been loving every minute of it!

Tim, Mel, and Abigail, and Beth, Maddy, and Gabe are all in town for my graduation, and it’s been great getting to spend time with all of them. This afternoon all of the kiddos played in the pool together. An afternoon of splashing, jumping, giggling, and playing with water toys is always so fun! Especially, when you can cool off from the crazy heat that we’ve had lately :)

Gabe was having a blast rolling all around in the grass! :)

A Few Silent Minutes…

2011-05-17T18:20:00.001-04:00

A had a few silent minutes with my niece Brie over the weekend of Easter. Sarah has gone and spent time at Brie’s grave many times, but I never felt strong enough to go until a few weeks ago. Over spring break my parents, sisters, and I all went to spend some time with Brie as a family. It was the first time Beth and I had visited her since her funeral in February. I went not really knowing what to expect, but I knew it would be extremely difficult.

Brie is buried on a beautiful hill. One that overlooks the cemetery yet holds so much privacy. A bouquet of pink flowers rests on her grave marker, and a little stone with her name marks the place where she is forever sleeping.

A few silent minutes is all I needed to look at the place where my niece was sleeping and to know that she will always be a very loved little baby, who will forever be missed. Sleep peacefully sweet baby Brie. I love you forever and always!

Josie {Maternity}

2011-04-30T23:33:00.001-04:00

A few weeks back I asked a small group leader at my church if she would allow me to “practice” and take some maternity pictures for her. I am so grateful that she let me! :) We had planned to take pictures at the park in downtown Lexington, but upon arriving, we noticed that the local Christian radio station (WMHK) was beginning to set up for a kids fun day at the park. Thankfully we were able to take some pictures without getting in the way! I am so glad everything worked out!

Josie, I can’t thank you enough for letting me “practice” on you. Thank you for your pointers when I got a little stumped. And thank you for your patience while I figured out some camera settings. I’m so happy with how the photos turned out! I can’t wait to meet your new addition! :)

These are a few of my favorites:

Natalie Eva {Preview}

2011-04-20T21:43:00.001-04:00

I had the pleasure of taking pictures of a friend’s baby girl this morning. She was such a joy to photograph and was absolutely adorable! Noelia, thank you for letting me shoot your little girl! It was so much fun!

Random Thoughts...

2011-04-20T19:00:00.001-04:00

As Easter rolls around my thoughts seem to reside on Brie. My nephew Gabriel was born just a few days before Brie, and as I’m around him this week, I can’t help but wonder how different things might be if Brie was here as well. Although she isn’t here physically, the pictures that we have of her seem to keep her memory alive. Not very often am I driven to tears, but my heart aches for Sarah as she gets through another holiday without her Brie. There will always be a void in our hearts that can only be filled with Brie, but I find that there are some things that can soften the emptiness of that void.

For me, it’s photography. Photography seems to ease the sadness I feel when my heart begins to miss Brie. It takes my mind off of what isn’t here, and helps me focus on what is here. Pictures bring so much joy. They capture life at its essence and hold memories still forever.

There is a company called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. If you haven’t heard of them, they are a group of photographers who volunteer their time to take pictures of still born babies, sick infants that aren’t expected to survive very long, and many other situations with infants. They give each family a disc so they can have those memories forever, even after their children pass. After seeing the pictures they took of Brie, my love for photography has grown. Although I can’t take pictures of Brie, I can take pictures of my other nieces and my nephew, and I can take pictures of other family's’ children. Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep inspired me to capture memories for families. Brie makes me want to be someone who can bring joy to families through pictures. I want to do it solely because of her!

Maddy and Gabe at the Beach

2011-04-19T09:50:00.001-04:00

I’ve never been to the beach with two kiddos under the age of two before! It was hectic at times, with one crying while the other stuffed sand in her mouth, but it was so so very fun! My sister Beth is in town visiting with us for the next week. She brought Maddy and Gabe with her, and we have all been keeping busy! Maddy has been to the beach before, but she seemed to enjoy sand as a snack more this go ‘round. Gabe just snoozed and ate ...typical baby boy stuff :) We had so much fun playing in the sand and sun!

Here Today and Gone Tomorrow...

2011-03-29T20:42:00.001-04:00

There are so many things in life that are here today and gone tomorrow. From simple things like flower blossoms, which are eventually carried away by the wind, to significant things like life itself, which is never guaranteed. I’ve learned to not take the little things or the big things in life for granted. Everything matters and holds great significance to someone or something.

While we celebrated my nephew’s dedication this past weekend, my brother-in-law also took that time to recognize the baby girl who will always hold a special place in our hearts. He shared the story of Brie with the church congregation, and I fought back the tears that were rapidly collecting in my eyes. I can’t help but wonder if I’ve hidden memories of Brie away somewhere in the most sacred areas of my heart, so I wouldn’t lose them. Memories are such a precious thing in life, and they hold so much more meaning when life is lost. I think I’ve been almost afraid to open my heart wide enough to reveal the memories of that little girl, because I know it will also mean exposing the pain and bittersweet joy all over again. Sometimes when your heart is hurting the last thing you want to do is force it to open more than it wants to. In time you learn to adapt to life without someone, but it doesn’t mean that you forget about them. Brie taught me a valuable lesson: never take anything for granted. That precious baby girl will always be my niece, she will always be a part of my life, and I cherish everything so much more solely because of her.

Soccer Time!

2011-03-22T21:01:00.001-04:00

This past weekend I got to take over someone’s job and play “photographer” for some soccer games with the little kiddos at my church. It was so so fun! I never played sports as a kid, and I still don’t. I’m just not good at them; although, I can kick butt with sports on the Wii, but that doesn’t really count! I did enjoy watching these kids play soccer! Some of them are really really good for their age! I was impressed :)

I loved watching the kids play soccer. The teams ranged from 4 years old to elementary school age, and there was never a dull moment! I had fun playing with my different camera settings and running around the field looking like a nut. :)

I noticed two little boys who wouldn’t leave each other’s side. I thought it was too sweet, so I had to get a picture of them!

My Little Model

2011-03-12T18:57:00.001-05:00

There is nothing I love more than a toddler who is willing to pose and say “cheese” at the count of three! On Wednesday one of my nieces came to spend a few days with us, and I had so much fun spending time with her! She is such a hoot and definitely has that Alabama accent, which just makes her more loveable!

Friday night I braved the cold ~~(well, high 60’s)~~ and waited in line for Winter Jam. Every year I go and am never disappointed! Last year Third Day performed, and they were amazing! This year the David Crowder Band played, and I have never experienced such awesome worship than I did with them! They were incredible!! I expected David Crowder to be this polished up guy, but he looked like an ordinary guy. I love musicians like that! David Crowder is an ordinary guy with an extraordinary voice and songwriting ability. He sang one of my favorite songs, “How He Loves” and I was reminded of how incredible God’s love for us truly is!

“I Will Carry You”

2011-03-03T21:41:00.001-05:00

Three months ago today Brie was born. Thoughts of that sweet baby girl filled my head today, and I couldn’t help but wonder how different things would be if she were still here. By now she would have been three months old and growing like a weed. It’s hard to imagine life with a baby niece living right down the street, because I’ve begun to get used to her not being here. I miss her so much, but lately what I’ve found joy in is the memory I have of holding her when she was first born. The fact that she had already passed took a toll on her little body, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care that the first time I would hold my niece, she wouldn’t be breathing. All I knew was that I wanted to hold her, and have that time with her that I experienced with my other nieces when they were first born. My mom and I were the only family members able to see Brie and hold her before we had to let her go. The image of that precious little girl is still in my head, and it is something that I will never forget. I never understood fully how my sister felt after losing her daughter. I can’t imagine how painful that has to be. I’ve only experienced this loss as an Aunt, and that alone is almost too much to handle sometimes. However, I’ve been reading a book that has better helped me understand what my sister is going through. It has helped me look at loss differently, it’s made me cry, it’s touched my heart, and encouraged me on days like today when I think about Brie and get lost in the “what if’s”. The book is called, I Will Carry You, it is by Angie Smith, and is one of the best I have ever read. This book inspired the song “I Will Carry You” by Selah. I sang it at Brie’s funeral and think of her every time I hear it. In reading the book I understand on a new level how difficult this is for my sister. Earlier this week I wanted to stop by her classroom, hug her, and tell her how sorry I was. I can’t begin to understand what she thinks about every day. I can’t begin to understand how hard it is losing your firstborn. I can’t begin to understand how much it hurts to have empty arms that should be filled with a living, breathing, perfect baby. I don’t know what that’s like, and I can’t even begin to imagine. “Sorrow is one of those things that are lent, not given. A thing that is lent may be taken away; a thing that is given is not taken away. Joy is given; sorrow is lent. We are not our own, we are bought with a price... {Our sorrow} is lent us for just a little while that we may use it for eternal purposes. Then it will be taken away and everlasting joy will be our Father’s gift to us, and the Lord God will wipe away all the tears from off our faces.”: Amy Carmichael

Picture This!

2011-02-27T19:15:00.001-05:00

My last semester of high school is going by so fast! Although, at times it can feel like it is dragging. I am taking photography this semester and am loving every minute of that class! We’ve been taught how to roll our own film, develop our negatives, create a photogram, and make our own prints. It has been so fun! So while I eagerly await graduation, I am soaking up everything I can in my photography class and taking advantage of every opportunity I have to practice what I am learning! Here are a few things I’ve been photographing lately :)

Brie’s Funeral

2011-02-17T21:38:00.001-05:00

I can’t begin to smear my feelings across this page because I have so many of them I can’t manage to sort through. So many thoughts dance around in my head as I think about Brie and would could’ve been. I don’t understand why she couldn’t have stayed with us. I can’t think about it too much, or my heart becomes sad and aches inside of my chest. Brie’s funeral was this past Saturday, and it was by far the hardest day that we’ve ever had to experience as a family. Some of us cried more at sweet Brie’s funeral, while some cried more at her dedication. Either way, we have all felt loss in some form or another. We have all experienced grief in different ways, and we are all working through it at different speeds. Brie’s funeral stirred so much emotion in me, that I felt like I was going to completely shatter into a million pieces. My heart ached so much more on that day than I ever thought it could. It ached for the loss of a niece, it ached because I so desperately wished that my sister could have held on to her precious little girl, it ached for what could’ve been, and it ached for what wasn’t anymore. On the day of the funeral reality hit me. I realized that Brie was gone. For real gone, and she wasn’t coming back. While that thought still breaks my heart, I am beginning to understand more each day that she is dancing with Jesus. At times I feel completely ridiculous because tears will be staining my face as a smile works its way across my mouth. I grieve the death of my niece. My heart hurts for that little girl and what joy she would have brought to my family; however, my heart also is learning to rejoice in the fact that little Brie is dancing away with Jesus. She is happy, healthy, and is perfect in every single way. She is our little angel and will always be.

Love Letter

2011-02-11T07:58:00.001-05:00

Precious Brie,

I want you to know something. You are a very loved little girl. I hate so much that you weren’t with us longer. My heart breaks over that. But, you were with us for nine months. We felt you kick and wiggle, flip and dance. You absolutely loved it when your mama ate chocolate! We would always say that you were dancing because you got so excited about sugar!

Sweet little Brie, I remember when Grandma and I got to meet you for the first time. We went with your mama and daddy to and an ultrasound. You were being so silly and refused to show us your face. You would grasp your hands together and hide your little face away from us. I wonder if you wanted to surprise us about who you looked like. Looking back, I’m glad you kept that a surprise. On the day you were born, we got a chance to see your beautiful face. You looked so much like your daddy, but you had your mama’s rosebud lips and her nose. You had your daddy’s little ears and his toes, except you had your mama’s pinky toe. Your hair was dark and had a little wave to it.

Brie, you were our girl and will always be! You were healthy and your heart was so strong. You were perfect to us in every way. I wonder what you would be like if you were still here with us. Would your eyes have been greenish blue, or would you have been our “brown eyed girl”? Would your hair have been curly or straight? I wonder what your little laugh would have sounded like? I wonder what your smile would have looked like.

Precious girl, I want you to know that we all miss you so very much. Our time with you was way too short! I wish that you were still here with us, but I know that you are dancing with our Jesus. I know that He is keeping you safe, and watching you twirl to Him. He loves you far greater than we ever will, and I know that you are in the best place you could ever be. Regardless, we miss you so much, and we will forever love you! You will always be our Brie girl!

We can’t wait to cradle you in Heaven. Dance away with Jesus, Brie! He will carry you in His hands until we can! I love you so much!

Love you always,

Your Aunt Aly

Our Yellow Rose

2011-02-09T21:16:00.001-05:00

As Brie’s funeral approaches, none of us are ready to say goodbye to the sweet little girl that we all fell in love with. It is hard to fathom that only two short months ago we lost our sweet Brie; at times it has felt like years. We never expected to lose that which we held so dear to our hearts. I remember the day when my niece was born. As I made my way to the room Sarah was in, my heart sunk when I saw a white door with a yellow rose gently resting on it. That rose represented the most precious little life of a granddaughter, a niece, a cousin, and a daughter. Brie was our girl. We had all anticipated meeting this “wiggly” one that had captured our hearts from day one. Although we did meet our Brie, it was definitely not the way we expected. Brie was absolutely perfect in every single way. There was not one thing wrong with her. I don’t understand why her little heart simply just stopped, but our lives will never be the same without our Brie in it. We will never forget the sweet little girl that captured our hearts.

Shelter From The Rain

2011-02-01T21:57:00.001-05:00

There is a song that seems to be following me everywhere lately. Maybe you’ve heard it: “Bring The Rain” by MercyMe. This song blows my mind every time I hear it. Sometimes it stirs anger within me, sometimes it makes me bitter, and sometimes it simply just makes me sad. The death of Brie has dented my relationship with Jesus so much more than I thought it would. There have been Sundays when I’ve refused to go to church because I didn’t want to be there, and Sundays when I’ve gone and just sat there in silence while I watched everybody worship. If you know me, than you know that I love to sing. I love to partake in worship at my church, but lately I’ve been the girl who just stands there and stares at the band as they play. Every Sunday it is a struggle for me to sing the words on the screen because I wrestle with believing those words. I know that Jesus didn’t change, He is still the One I love with all of my heart, but I’ve found it really hard to love Him. In the midst of the rainstorm, He stands in the middle of the street with an umbrella over His head, not a raindrop on Him, simply just being patient and waiting for me to come to Him. Yet, I continue to sit on the curb getting soaked in the process of debating if I want to run to Him; my shelter from the thunderstorm, my safe place, the One that I love. I’ve sat on the curb for a long time, and I’m so scared to move, to trust, to seek shelter from the rain, and to love the One that won’t ever abandon me...

A Loss for Words

2011-01-16T18:12:00.001-05:00

This is very much what I feel like sometimes...blank. I want to pour out my heart on paper. Just really drench the sheet with honesty. The kind of honesty that doesn’t come to the surface very often, the honesty that is brave and trusting, one that reveals itself and isn’t afraid to be exposed. That is the type of honesty that I want to have. I attempt to conceal myself when I’m angry, sad, or broken. It’s just something I do, and I’ve done it much more since we lost Brie. My heart said “Duck!”, “Hit the deck!”, whatever floats your boat, that’s what my heart told me to do; I ducked, hid away, pulled the covers over my head, and said that I wasn’t coming out. My heart still hurts, and I think it will for a while. Even though that little girl isn’t here anymore, she touched my heart’s “soft spot” per se, and I miss her. I’m at a loss for words. I simply just miss this:

January- Sweet Potato Biscuits

2011-01-12T09:49:00.001-05:00

Change isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, trying new things is highly recommended! Well, I tried something new yesterday....sweet potato biscuits. My mom surprised me a few weeks ago with a Paula Deen calendar. Every month has a recipe, and I can’t wait to make everything on it! Paula Deen is the epitome of southern charm, hospitality, and good ‘ole southern cookin! The woman knows how to cook southern food, and she definitely knows how to use her butter! I made the recipe for January last night, and oh my goodness, was it good!! :) The recipe was for sweet potato biscuits. If you like sweet potatoes, then you’ll love these! They take 15 min. to prep and 15 min. to bake. Sounds easy enough, huh? :)

2 tbsp. of sugar
1 & (1/4) c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
(1/2) stick of butter
(3/4) c. of mashed sweet potatoes
(1/2) tsp. of salt
2-4 tbsp. of milk
Preheat oven to 450. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large bowl, mix mashed sweet potatoes and butter. Add flour to mixture to make a soft dough. Add milk a tablespoon at a time, until dough is moistened and completely mixed. Sprinkle flour onto a cutting board. You might need to add a little extra flour to the dough if it's too sticky. Roll out dough until it's (1/2) inch. thick. and cut with cookie cutter or biscuit cutter. Place biscuits on a greased pan and coat tops with a little melted butter. Cook for 15 min. If the biscuits are browning too fast, then you might need to lower the temperature. I sprinkled a little bit of cinnamon and sugar on the tops of the biscuits when they were done baking. You don't have to do that, but it makes them extra good!

Snow Day

2011-01-11T10:30:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was absolutely magical for the South. We had snow...and a lot of it! I figured once we moved out of the North, one thing that I wouldn’t be seeing much of was snow. There weren’t many snow sightings in Alabama, but we’ve seen the white, sparkly stuff three times already since we’ve lived here. :) I haven’t played much with my new “toy” since the holidays, so I bundled up and faced the cold, despite still being sick. The snow was just so pretty, I couldn’t bear to stay inside! :) There wasn’t much physical playing in the snow, considering that both of my parents are recovering from back injuries and surgeries. But I did go out and get a few pictures :)

Little Man

2011-01-04T15:16:00.001-05:00

Sometimes life is very bittersweet. The death of my little niece has been so hard, but amidst the sadness, there has been joy in the birth of my nephew. His name is Gabriel, but I call him little man. This past week we were in Alabama visiting with family (I have a post on that, and I’ll share it later). I’m close with my brother and sisters and enjoy spending time with them. Plus, getting to spend time with my nieces and nephew is also wonderful! Those kiddos mean the world to me! This trip to Alabama was more special than all the others because it was the first time that we all met and held Gabriel since he was born. He is the sweetest little boy! One afternoon he fell asleep on my chest, and I held him like that for hours. I’ll treasure that time with my nephew forever. He would coo and squirm, and snore, yet his head never once left my shoulder. Gabriel is all boy. I love him and his sweet little dimpled chin! :)

Little Man had to go to the hospital yesterday for spinal meningitis and irregular breathing. Thankfully the meningitis is all gone, but he has a viral respiratory infection. He is hooked up to an IV and won’t be released until his breathing is back to normal. If his breathing doesn’t regulate, he’ll have to be put on a respirator. Gabriel is only 3 weeks old, and it breaks my heart knowing that he has to be hooked up to all of these different machines. We’re praying that the doctors can release him on Friday. Please keep the little man in your prayers!

Fog and Rain

2011-01-03T16:56:00.002-05:00

There are things in life that I may not ever understand. Lately I’ve come to realize that there are times when death won’t have an answer. You can ask “Why?” a million and one times, but you may not ever receive an answer back.

I can’t begin to explain how many times I've asked “Why?” and gotten no response in return, no explanation to the chaos.

Questions have a way of flooding into our heads, distorting perspective; thus, causing blindness to reality- very similar to the way fog and rain blind our view of the course in front of us and throw off our perception of depth and distance. When fog and rain are in the way, it is almost impossible to make objects out, let alone see more than a few feet down the road. Fog and rain can be so frustrating because all we want is to be able to see clearly, and we can’t. Unanswered questions are the same way. Almost everything has an answer, and it just seems illogical that something might not have an answer to it- no possible cause, reason, explanation...nothing. I don’t understand a lot of things, and I feel like I’m missing something; like a lost puzzle piece that I can’t seem to find. That, more than anything, frustrates me so much. I don’t understand why my niece passed away, and I may never. I may never understand, while I looked at her little body, why her eyes never opened, why her chest never moved up and down, why her tiny fingers and toes never wiggled, and why her precious heart just stopped. Just like that. That little girl is no longer here, and that makes my heart so sad. Fog, along with the rain, blew in and either have yet to shine some clarity on anything.

Jack Frost

2010-12-26T13:06:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

As I write this, my eyes can’t help but wander to the window and stare at the magic that is falling outside. Flurries are frantically dancing in the wind, and our Christmas lights are swaying back in forth as Jack Frost blows on in. It may have not been a “White Christmas” this year, but it was a very white day after Christmas. Our yard, as well as our roof, is covered in a white sheet of glistening snow along with all the roofs down our street. I keep thinking if I look away for just five minutes, the flurries will stop falling, but they haven’t yet. Even though Christmas is over, the snow manages to bring it back to life! My parents bought me a new camera for Christmas, and I can’t manage to put it down! :) A camera definitely came in handy for this snow day!

There’s nothing more fun than capturing the magic of winter, catching flurries on your tongue, and playing in the snow!

It’s Christmas time again...

2010-12-21T18:50:00.005-05:00

Are there really only 4 days left until Christmas? I have a hard time wrapping my head around that little number. The holiday that always seems to take its sweet time getting here, is now the holiday that we’re all hesitantly easing ourselves back into. It’s been a rough few weeks, but in the midst of everything, the sweet joy of Christmas is slowly seeping back into our house. I love everything about Christmas! It makes my heart smile at

the joy that Christmas never fails to bring, the laughter it creates around fireplaces dressed in garland, the harmonious medley of voices singing carols around the piano, and the delectable smells of gingerbread and sugar cookies baking. Those are the things I dream about this Christmas season... One of my favorite things about Christmas, other than singing carols around the piano and watching cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies, is the baking! I bake like a crazy woman around the holidays, and it never gets old! Every year I make snickers cookies, sugar cookies, and little gingerbread men. My gingerbread men are in the oven baking as I write this, and our house is beginning to smell of cinnamon and molasses- so very yummy! This week has been full of Christmas parties, cookies, trees, friends, and stuffing stockings... The last few days leading up to Christmas are usually the busiest and most chaotic. During those days it’s a little tough to squeeze blogging time in. So, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy making cookies, listening to Christmas music, looking at lights, and spending time with your families! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! :)

Seasons

2010-12-06T12:50:00.001-05:00

There are seasons for happiness, seasons for joy, seasons for mourning, seasons for grieving, and seasons I never imagined my family having to go through. My heart is sinking as I write this post. I never could have fathomed having to deal with a week as difficult and bittersweet as this one. Last Saturday my dad fell off the roof putting Christmas lights up. On Tuesday my sweet little nephew, Gabriel, was born. And by Thursday we were mourning the loss of my little niece, Brie. It’s been an excruciating last few days, and we’re all completely drained. The house is a little quieter, hearts are a littler heavier, tears flow more freely, but family bonds have never been stronger. There have been little slivers of happiness and laughter, but also big slices of grieving and sadness. Our hearts are just broken and ache so much more when my sister and her husband grieve. I will never understand why families, like mine, have to go through seasons of great sorrow. But despite the loss of a little one, we do have joy in knowing that little Brie is dancing at the feet of Jesus. There will be a time when we will all get to see sweet Brie again, but for now we can just sit back and smile knowing that she’s dancing up in Heaven with her Savior.

A Thanksgiving to Remember

2010-12-01T17:11:00.001-05:00

This Thanksgiving was definitely one to remember. Thanksgiving day consisted of food as far as the eye can see, playing games in the backyard, running through piles of leaves with my niece, swinging in the hammock, enjoying being with family, and soaking up every minute of the day. I always joke around that Tim (my brother) is the happiest kid in the family. Not that my sisters and I aren’t happy, but I can tell you for a fact that we don’t laugh nearly as much as my brother does. He is just an all ‘round happy boy! :) Him and his wife, Melanie, and their little girl, Abigail, flew in Thanksgiving morning and spent some time visiting us. My little niece is so precious and is such a hoot sometimes! She is quite the talker too! I couldn’t help but smile every time I heard her squeaky little voice say, “Aunt Ayee”. I love that little booger!! :) Usually we put up our tree and Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. We tried to this year, but there was an unplanned trip to the ER on Friday afternoon. My dad was putting Christmas lights up on the roof, and the ladder slipped on his way down. He fell and ended up fracturing his pelvis and a vertebrae. We spent the majority of Friday in the hospital with him, and the doctors were able to get him in a brace and fix him up. Thankfully he is home now and taking it easy along with my mom, who is still recovering from back surgery. My poor family is falling apart! Needless to say, this year was for sure a Thanksgiving to remember. In baby news, Beth had her little boy late last night. 6lb. 4 oz. of pure adorable-ness! His name is Gabriel Joseph, and I happen to think he his the cutest little baby!

Sarah (my other sister) is getting bigger and bigger every day and is due in the next two weeks. It won’t be long before we meet little Brie :)

With a Heart of Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T12:03:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving is always such a humbling holiday. It can also be an enormous reality check for some. So many times I get caught up in the “what if’s”, and am blinded to the wonderful things that I am truly blessed with. Things may not always turn out the way I wish they had; however, things turn out they way they do for a reason. Though those reasons may not always be clear, God never fails to remind me that “all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose.”(Rom. 8:28) After this"slap in the face moment" I quickly catch myself, snap out of the “what if’s” and focus on the now. In light of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share the things that I am the most thankful for, which when I took the time to think about, made me realize how many things I truly take for granted. Aren’t we all guilty of that?

Though I haven't always been so thankful for our move to South Carolina, I have never loved living somewhere so much (aside from Alabama :)

A wonderful house that God so graciously handed in our laps.

A house that has room enough to hold our ever expanding family.

My family, who love each other so much...well, the majority of the time! ;)

My nieces who never fail to melt my heart, and I’m grateful for the newest additions to the family, Brie and Gabe, who will officially become part of the family in three short little weeks!

Such amazing friends who draw me closer to Christ.

A job for my dad

A church that continues to challenge me

Toby (my car) without him I would be walking...

The list could go on and on. But out of everything, I’m the most thankful for my Heavenly Father, His never ending mercy, His constant forgiveness, and His never failing love. He gave something that was never deserved, but because of His great love I’m able to be called a child of God. That in and of itself is the thing that I am most grateful for! :)

Babies, Blocks, and Bows

2010-11-23T16:20:00.005-05:00

Lately I’ve been experimenting some in the world of photography. I’ve been playing around with black/white and sepia tones, learning what works and what doesn’t work in a picture, and spending hours just messing around with the Picasa program. I absolutely love taking pictures and am fascinated by artists’ photographs. Photography is a passion of mine, and my sister graciously let me experiment on her with some maternity pictures.

I’m still learning what to do and what not to do, but I had a great time shooting my sister and her sweet baby bump! :)

Magic

2010-11-20T10:05:00.001-05:00

Yesterday my mom and I headed down to Aiken to check out USCA. I still have a hard time grasping the fact that college is right around the corner for me. It doesn’t feel real, but I know it’ll hit me next year! It was relieving to get the day off from school and just focus on something that didn’t require too much effort on my part. As soon as we arrived on campus, I knew I was going to love it! The buildings were smaller than what I had expected, the campus itself was more compact than I thought it’d be, the classes were smaller, and the environment was much more friendly and welcoming than I could’ve ever imagined! Needless to say, it was a breath of fresh air! I was able to talk with fellow students and ask them questions, peak into classes, meet professors, and tour the campus, which is beautiful during fall!! It was such a great experience!

My mom and I left a little early and made a quick stop in Aiken on our way home. All of the trees had turned and garland was wrapped around all of the street lights in preparation for Christmas! It was so pretty! I couldn’t get over how vibrant the colors were on the leaves! It was fall like I had never seen before! :) Magic just happens when fall is around! Happy Fall, y’all! :)

The Big Picture

2010-11-05T20:31:00.001-04:00

I’ll be the first to admit that I constantly have trouble seeing the big picture. I tend to focus on a small portion of the picture rather than viewing its entirety. Sometimes the

big picture is right in front of our faces, but we don’t see it because our perspective is all off. Perspective is such an important factor in life. It is defined as a mental view or outlook on something or someone. When our perspective is distorted we aren’t able to perceive something realistically. And when we can’t perceive something realistically, we can’t process it rationally. Perspective allows us to see things for what they are. There are so many times that I’m not able to see the big picture for what it is because my entire perspective is based on one little piece of the puzzle rather than the whole thing. A puzzle is not solely created by one individual piece. It’s created by thousands of little pieces that come together as a whole and create a masterpiece (AKA- the big picture). Sometimes when you put a puzzle together there are pieces missing. With all of those pieces missing, our perspective is changed because what we thought the puzzle would look like isn’t anything like how it looks in reality. It’s hard to understand the overall picture of a puzzle with pieces missing. However, when every piece is accounted for, our perspective of the puzzle changes, and suddenly something is transformed into a masterpiece before our very eyes. Perspective is key to our attitude and perception of something. When our perspective is accurate, we can begin to see things clearly and be able to see the big picture rather than just a portion of it!

Trunk or Treat!

2010-11-01T20:43:00.008-04:00

Last night my church hosted a trunk or treat. I wasn’t planning on going but had a friend talk me into it at the last minute. Seeing as I didn’t have a costume pre-planned, I ran into our garage and dug out my old dress up box. In it I found an old pink tutu and tiara that I dressed up in when I was a little girl. I’m a little on taller side these days, so I wore some leggings and shorts under the tutu, put on my tiara and ballet flats, and headed out to trunk or treat. I got a few laughs and some strange looks from a few people, but it was all in fun! :)

I felt a little on the silly side being dressed up, but then I ran across my friend, Dianna, who was dressed up too, and then I didn’t feel so ridiculous :)

Of course I had to get some pictures of the silly kids that I call my friends...

I had so much fun being a "big" kid with my friends for the night! At one point someone told me that I was too old to trunk or treat, but I just giggled and twirled away :) Hope y'all had a happy Halloween!

Ups and Downs

2010-10-25T17:46:00.000-04:00

Life is full of ups and downs, and no one has any way of knowing what they will get out of life. I assume that we’ll walk away with more wisdom and knowledge than we had going in. However, I do know that in order to gain that wisdom and knowledge, it is important that we fight battles, learn how to dance in the rain, experience hard lessons, and understand how to better handle others. At times we run out of patience though, and we want to explode rather than keep our cool. That’s when life gets hard!

Over the last few weeks God has been showing me that patience and perseverance are two traits that I so desperately lack and severely need! I seem to lack patience when I need it the most. I get so frustrated with hypocrisy, people who judge, and condemnation of others. As God has been revealing these things to me, I’ve been praying through them ; asking for patience during times of frustration, and pleading for perseverance when I deem a situation too hard and want to give up on it. I’ve heard that you should never ask God for patience, and now I’m wishing I hadn’t.

There is a girl in my first block class that has repeatedly talked down to me, called me rude names, told me to buzz off (in a very vulgar way), and has made class miserable for me. I’ve tried show her God’s love, but when patience is your weakness, loving can become extremely difficult. On the day that my patience was running thin, this girl decided to treat me worse than she ever had before- go figure! I got extremely frustrated and wondered why God would put something like this in my path when it was obvious that I couldn’t handle it.

This verse immediately popped in my head:

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9

Funny how God works sometimes...

S.H.O.C. ‘10

2010-10-19T18:21:00.003-04:00

Every October I get more and more excited about camping with my youth group. I’ve never been a huge fan of camping, but camping with a group of teenagers, that I absolutely love, has definitely changed my attitude toward it. There is nothing like being able to get away from the chaos of life, sleep in the middle of the woods, spend time with your friends, spend time with Christ,and just enjoy the awesomeness of fall!

S.H.O.C. somehow always comes at a time when every one seems to need a break. This year was the first year it didn’t rain! Praise the Lord! Camping in the cold and rain is miserable! We left Friday night, and it ended up being a little colder than I had originally thought. Everybody in my tent woke up about 4 Saturday morning, and we were all shivering. After looking around at how silly we all looked, we burst into laughter! I’m pretty sure the tents next to us loved being woken up early by a bunch of teenage girls giggling! :)

Saturday afternoon I did a little exploring around the woods with some friends. We found some pretty cool things!

During the afternoon we also had some “friendly” team competitions, but you know how those always seem to go... a little less friendly and a little more competitive! ;)

All in all, it was a great weekend! Wilbur even made an appearance- as our lunch! Poor guy! :(

Baby on the brain...

2010-10-09T21:22:00.007-04:00

Weekends full of family, friends, and babies are the best! Beth and I hosted a baby shower for Sarah this weekend, and it turned out great! We decided to do pumpkins as our theme, with a little touch of pink here and there.

We made little white pumpkin cookies with monogrammed B's for Brie's name!

While Sarah opened her presents it began to hit me that she really is having a baby! I looked at my mom to see what she was thinking, and she was tearing up. I think we both came to the realization that there will be two new little ones in the family very very soon!

Senior Pictures

2010-10-02T21:11:00.006-04:00

I’ve been looking forward to getting my senior pictures made since I was a freshman. I watched Sarah take Beth’s pictures when she was a senior, and I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to get mine taken. I asked Sarah to take mine, and she was more than willing to, which I was so grateful for! (Did I mention that she’s 7 months pregnant?) You bet I was thankful! She is very camera savvy and is an excellent photographer! We decided to take some pictures at the park and around downtown Lexington. My mom is still recuperating from surgery and decided to tag along with me and Sarah. So with medicine, blanket, and walker in tow, we headed to the park. While my mom sat down and rested, Sarah worked her magic. These are some of my favorite shots:

Sarah took a picture of my shoes, while I was climbing a stonewall by the pond- very lady-like, I know ;)

I couldn’t have asked for better photographer! In a few weeks my role will switch from the person being photographed, to the photographer! Sarah is letting me take her maternity pictures, and I’m so excited!!! :)

Birthday Girl!

2010-09-29T20:30:00.002-04:00

Sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to do everything that you want to do! I’ve felt like that the last few weeks, hence the lack of posts. There’s a lot of things I want to write about, pictures I want to post, and things that I’ve been learning and want to share. But because I so desperately want a break ~~from the relentless homework and studying~~ , I’m going to keep tonight’s post short! :)



Today is Abigail’s birthday! I can’t believe my sweet niece is 2 years old! Where did the time go?! She can’t be 2 already! I wish I could keep her from getting older, but the older a she gets, the cuter she becomes!





Abigail has grown into the sweetest little 2 year old! She loves to spend time with her cousin Maddy whom she calls “Manny”. She is such a sweet little girl, and has brightened all of our lives with her giggles and smiles!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Abigail! I love you sweet girl!

Mangia, mangia!

2010-09-12T15:02:00.002-04:00

Every since I was little, I always remember my grandpa saying “Mangia, mangia!”, which means, “Eat, eat!” in Italian. My grandpa’s family is Italian, and if you know Italians, they love to eat! That explains why my family is the way that we are! We love Italian food, but even more, we love to eat it! A few weeks ago I wanted something different from the usual pasta meal. I ended up finding a pizza crust in our fridge and just grabbed whatever pizza ingredients we had on hand. I came up with a 5 Italian cheese, pepper, and onion pizza. It was quick to make and didn’t require a long list of ingredients. I mean who has time to make a complex dinner on a week night? We sure don’t!

Here’s what I used:

one bag of pepperoni, a bag of Italian cheeses, half a jar of Prego, one onion, one green bell pepper, a garlic clove, and a tube of pizza crust.

I rolled out the pizza dough, drizzled a little EVOO on it, put a little salt and pepper on the top and baked it for 10-15 minutes on 425.

While the dough was baking, I sautéed the peppers and onions with a few tablespoons of EVOO, and covered the skillet until the peppers and onions became soft.

Once the crust was ready, I spread pizza sauce over it, covered the top with peppers and onions, sprinkled the cheese on it, and placed pepperoni on top. I baked it for another 10 minutes and ended up with this:

We had a lot left over, so my dad and I have been munching on it the last few nights, while my mom recovers from back surgery.

Blue Skies and Hay Bails

2010-09-04T22:34:00.002-04:00

I know the first day of fall isn’t for a few more weeks, but I passed by this field full of hay bails, and I got the autumn bug! Hay somehow always manages to put me in the mood for fall! :)

Change is in the Air...

2010-08-25T17:29:00.001-04:00

In the past week, I’ve come to realize that not all changes are bad. This year my parents and I ended the homeschooling streak. They enrolled me in public school, and I no longer wear the “Homie” label. Attending public school wasn’t exactly my idea of fun, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try it. To my surprise, it really wasn’t/ isn’t that bad. I mean, it’s no Christian school, and sure there are a lot of immoral things that go on in public school; all in all though, it’s not terrible. It’s obvious Christ isn’t prominent in public school, but as a child of God, I know it’s my job to change that. I make it a point for other students to know that I’m a Christian. I’m not beating them over the head with a Bible, but I do want them to see a difference in me. Even if it’s through little things, like not being disrespectful to a teacher, not swearing, having a good attitude, smiling to someone, holding the door open for a kid, etc. Little things like that can make a huge difference in someone’s day. You get out of something what all you put into it. I know if I focus on all the things I don’t like about public school, I will end up loathing it by the third week. However, if I focus on the good things, and stay grounded in Christ, I know I’ll be able to get through my senior year just fine!

Another change that I’m adjusting to is leading a 9th-12th grade girls Bible Study. Last year I attended one that my friend was leading, and I loved it! But, being a part of a Bible Study, and leading one, are two very different things. I’m not going to lie, leading a Bible Study is tough. It’s hard work, and it’s rough getting up an hour earlier every Monday morning for it. However, I notice that being in God’s word first thing in the morning starts off my day on the right note. I want to encourage girls, boost their self-esteem, remind them that they are daughters of the King, and are ALWAYS loved by Him! We had our first Bible Study Monday morning. We went to Burger King, and coincidentally enough, they had princess crowns! Apparently I talked about the right thing at the right time! :)

Little Pumpkin

2010-08-16T12:51:00.001-04:00

Beth and I have been throwing a few ideas around for Sarah’s baby shower. It took us a little while to decide on a theme, but we finally did, and I’m so excited about it! Sarah’s shower is going to be in October, which means....fall! Fall is one of my favorite seasons! The leaves change colors, the weather finally gets cooler (thank the Lord!!), football is in full swing, hay rides, craft fairs, and pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins!! The mommy-to-be LOVES pumpkins, so what better of a theme to go with, than pumpkins?! :)

We found these cute little invitations at www.candlesandfavors.com

I just think they’re too cute! I just love them!!

Around Thanksgiving we buy little white pumpkins, carve out the middle of them, put a tea light candle in it, and use them to decorate the table with. We thought they would make good table decorations for the baby shower!

pictures from: www.glamorousbride.blgospot.com & www.countryliving.com

Food wise ,we thought about filling goodie bags with candy corn and making pumpkin cupcakes! :) I was looking at a few cupcake/cookie recipes and loved these!

pictures from: www.sweetestkictchen.com

Do any of you have a favorite pumpkin bread, cupcake, cookie, or any fall dessert recipe that you love? If, so I’d love to try them! :) Also, if y’all have any ideas/suggestions, let me know! Beth and I are open for ideas! :)

Baby Sprinkle!

2010-08-08T14:40:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Sarah and I hosted a Baby Sprinkle for Beth. We rented out a room in this cute little restaurant called Another Broken Egg Cafe, in Mountain Brook near Birmingham. They’re known for their amazing brunches!

Gabriel is going to be such a blessing to our family. He already has been! A few months ago, we really weren’t sure what was going to happen. The fact that Baby Gabe is healthy and perfect in every single way is such a relief to us all! The sprinkle turned out perfect! It was great being able to see old friends, catch up, and being able to celebrate this little boy! We can’t wait to meet you Gabriel Joseph! :)

Here are a few pictures from the sprinkle:

All of the girls :)

Life is a Highway...

2010-08-03T19:22:00.001-04:00

Over the last few weeks my dad and I decided to embark on the “shopping for a car” adventure. My mom and dad both needed their cars for work, and I needed a way to get to school. Now, I love my dad to death, but the only problem is that he’s a car expert! He knows cars inside and out. He can look at one, tell you when it was made, what the name of it is, and what kind of engine it has. He’s really good! However, finding a car that we both could agree on became a slight problem. Whatever car we even came close to considering, had to pass his checklist with flying colors, which turned out to be both a good and bad thing. After a couple weeks of looking, I was getting anxious and starting to worry that I wouldn’t find a car before school started. I would’ve taken a box with fours wheels as a car, I didn’t really care, I just wanted something to drive.

God heard my whining though because this weekend my dad finally found a car that met his criteria (thank the Lord!). The one the dealer had originally had was sold, but someone had traded in another car that hadn’t even been put on the lot yet. My dad looked at it, loved it, and brought it home for me test drive. I loved it, so he went back to the dealer to talk about the price. This was really a God thing because we were the first to look at it, my dad was able to talk the guy down some, and it only had 18,000 miles on it! That blew my mind! I still can’t believe we found one that we both loved, but I’m so grateful that we did! I couldn’t have asked for a better car! Toby and I are a perfect match :)

Chocolate, Anyone?

2010-07-30T19:49:00.001-04:00

I love to cook almost as much as I love to bake. My friend, Dianna, loves to bake just as much as I do. During beach camp and mission trip, Dianna and I had talked about doing a baking day, where all we did was bake and indulge in our sweet tooth! We finally got around to doing it, and we had a blast! Our hands were covered in flour, chocolate, and powdered sugar. After the kitchen and our hands got a good scrubbing, we indulged in our sweet treats.

Our first order of business:

Oreo Cheesecake Bites. I posted the recipe for these a few days ago, but all they are, are Oreos and cream cheese mixed together, rolled into balls, dipped in chocolate, and drizzled in white chocolate.

Second order of business:

Snickers Cookies. I love these cookies! They are by far my favorite! :)

The recipe is just a Peanut Butter cookie recipe, but with a fun-sized snickers in the middle. They are drizzled with chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar- YUM!

Thanks for baking with me, Dianna! I had a blast and a half! :)

Oh Baby!

2010-07-28T17:47:00.003-04:00

Bottles, booties, bibs, onesies, pacifiers, diapers, cribs, Bumbos...yep, baby mode has officially begun at my house! Never in a million years did I think that both of my sisters would be pregnant at the same time! So far it has been a crazy, thrilling, chaotic, and at times, very stressful journey. The last few months have proven to me that you never really know what life will throw at you. Three months ago we weren’t even sure if my sister, Beth, would carry to term. However, God has proven Himself mighty and awesome in every possible way, yet again!!!! Beth is carrying a healthy, perfect in every single way, baby boy, and Sarah is carrying a healthy, perfect in every single way, baby girl! Gabriel (Gabe) is my very first nephew! Up until this point, I’ve only had nieces! All I’ve known is frilly bows, pink bibs, pigtails, dresses, ponytails, and tutus :) In all honesty, I’m not quite sure what to do with a boy! I do know that I’ll be trading in the Barbies for Legos, the tutus for pants, the twirling for wrestling, and the hand holding for high fives! :)
I am so thankful that Brienna and Gabriel are perfect, healthy, little babies, who are growing bigger in my sisters’ bellies every single day! I can’t wait to be and Aunt of four! I got my girls and now I’ve got my boy! :)

Oreo Cheesecake Bites

2010-07-27T17:34:00.001-04:00

Sarah has made these cheesecake bites numerous times for various showers she’s helped host. She and I made them for Beth’s first baby shower, and they were a hit. So much so, that we decided to make them again for her second baby shower (for baby #2). They’re super quick and easy to make, and I happen to think they’re better than an actual slice of cheesecake! :) Here’s all you need:

(1) 8 oz. block of cream cheese

(1) box of Oreo

(1) box of White Almond Bark

(1) box of Chocolate Almond Bark

Place the Oreos in a big Ziploc bag, and smash them with a rolling pin until they have a crumby consistency. Pour them into a mixing bowl with the cream cheese and mix until everything is combined together.

Line a baking pan with wax paper, and take a spoonful of the mixture and roll it into 2 inch balls. Place them into the freezer until they’re hardened.

Melt the chocolate bark, and dip the Oreo bites in the chocolate . Freeze until hardened, and then drizzle them with white chocolate!

WARNING: Oreo Cheesecake Bites may become addictive :)

Uncomfortable Comfort Zones

2010-07-25T15:14:00.007-04:00

At the beginning of the summer I had written a list of everything I wanted to do, places I wanted to go, books I wanted to read, and people I wanted to see. At the end of the summer I wanted to be able to cross everything off of my list and feel that sense of accomplishment in knowing that I had accomplished everything I had set my mind to. Funny thing is, if I still had that list, I can almost guarantee you that there would be nothing crossed off...ok, well maybe a few things would be, but that would be it!

This summer has begun to unfold in way that I wasn’t expecting at all! Although I may have only accomplished one or two things on my list, I feel this huge sense of accomplishment! I’m the type of person who loves to stay in her comfort zone. I hate doing things that put me in that “uncomfortable” zone. What I’ve begun to realize though, is sometimes staying in your comfort zone can hinder you from everything that God has planned for you. Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty, sometimes you have to be uncomfortable, and sometimes you have to give up everything in order to be where God wants you!

In the last two months, I’ve learned that being uncomfortable and being in God’s will is so much better than being comfortable and outside of God’s will! Corrie Ten Boom had it right when she said this:

"I've learned the safest place in the world is in the center of the will of God."- Corrie Ten Boom

Summer Days

2010-07-17T01:32:00.001-04:00

Bike rides ...

Small doorways to duck under ...

Old buildings covered in vines... Spiral staircases...

New perspectives... And another day spent at the beach!