My Very Favorite People

I love family

photo-shoots.

We had these pictures taken

last month and I haven't

had the chance

to post them

until now.

I love these faces...

Bekah-Girl

More Engagement Pictures... and When You Wait

Three girls walk down the sidewalk

of a tiny town off the highway.

Three highschool pals.

Two visiting their

recently-relocated

friend.

March air surrounds the trio.

They laugh,

talk,

laugh more.

"I hear that two interns are coming to your church for the summer,"

a tall, light-haired girl comments.

"Yep.  I think they're around their early twenties,"

the only brunette in the group replies.

"That'll be fun! I'm sure you'll fall in love with one of them!"

"Perhaps, after all...

romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare,

like a gay knight riding down;

perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways;

perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose,

until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages,

betrayed the rhythm and the music;

perhaps . . .

perhaps . . .

love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship,

 as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath." 

— L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Avonlea)

What I love...

I love pretty teacups on shelves

in the kitchen.

Of Melting Snowflakes and Little Girls...

*deep sigh of joy*

The first snow has come

and gone.

It was so light that it

melted almost

instantly.

But some clung to a

lawn chair

long enough for me to

capture it.

Immortalize it.

Birthday Photo-Shoot: Part 2!

Continuing from my earlier

post....

Natalie and I walked through the

"main part" of

our teeny town.

The railroad tracks were just too

appealing to

pass up!

Birthday Photo-Shoot, Part 1!

Natalie Jayne had her birthday today.

Our "Pixie Fairy" is

growing up

so fast.

And I'm their Big Sis...

Beautiful, wide-eyed gaze.

Locks of sunshine.

Playful spirits.

Adventure.

Three Wrinkled Shirts

"Hey buddy,

could you help me fold your laundry?"

Perception vs Reality

I live in a world of expectations.  How life is going to be.  What my day will be like.  What time I will get up in the morning.  How much time on the piano I will have this afternoon.  That I will take a walk today.  That I will get my devotions done before anything else happens.  That I will have a long fuse with my siblings instead of blowing up in their faces at the first offense.   That I will dress fashionably and femininely every day.

The list goes on.

Lament for Marius

Oh Marius...

how could you do this to me?

We were so close,

the dearest of friends,

comrades.

Daily rendezvous.

Sweet times.

Enchanted Days...

Browsing old pictures...

Pictures from an autumn about ten years ago.

Wondering at how strange,

distant,

it feels.

Like, perhaps, I dreamt those years

and days

of enchantment.

On this Friday Morning...

Taken several years ago... we had beautiful wooded trails
down the road from where we used to live.

I am

*tired*,

but happy.

Jessie and Mom

left yesterday morning

for a mother/daughter

getaway.

So, Natalie, Dad, and I

have been

running the household.

Coffee Day...

I confess...

I have them.

*sigh of pleasure*

Coffee days...

Found at a gas station on a roadtrip... I was instantly in love!

Lazy Days...

Lazy old day
Rolling away
Dreaming the day away
Don't want to go
Now that I'm in the flow
Crazy amazing day

 

Oh Time, Why the Rush?

Sometimes there is nothing like

beautiful pictures

from the

past.

I'm thankful that I've always loved photography.

A very happy day...

Yesterday I got something very special.  It made me very happy then.  And it is still making me happy now.

Of Picnics and Pickle-Ball...

This evening my family packed the van with a cooler, two big quilts, lots of sweatshirts, and drove to the park on the outskirts of town for supper.

I Remember You...

I remember You,

Precious Jesus,

I remember You.

Healer of our hearts.

Lover of our souls.

The words of a song have been playing through my head all day.  Yesterday too.

A simple tune...

So it begins...

School has officially begun here!!!

I know... most people start in August...

but we've never started till the week of Labor Day.

Sunshine and Raindrops

The weather outside my window mirrors my soul.

Sunlight streams down from the broad heavens... so radient.

Rain tumbles down softly from the sky as well... so unexpected.

Incredible to stand in the bright glow of the sun
and feel rain gently splashing again my skin.

In a Dry and Weary Land...

It has been a hard day.

Very. Hard.

It started with not being able to get the warm, refeshing shower that is part of my daily routine.

Then I fell down the stairs.  And I hurt all over now; stiff neck, bruised arm.  I banged up my healing finger... and can no longer bend it the way I could without a lot of pain... something I'd worked hard at getting through and now I have to start over.

Birthday Photo Shoot

My dear, darling sister, Jessica, celebrated her birthday this week.  There were smiles, gifts, blueberry pies, family, and friends.  What a fun time.  I must say though, my favorite part was walking around with Jessie taking pictures of her.  What an extremely fun time!  Except walking back home in the afternoon heat... after accidently taking the long way home.  Not as fun. 

I wanted to share these pics with you.  She is such a fun, loving person and I know that God has used her greatly and will continue to do so.  (I apologize for the length of this post... but I couldn't choose favorite pics... trust me, I DID leave out some!)

Mr. Media Man

He takes many forms.  He can be a man in a tight-suit with the big “S” on his chest.  He can sport a cowboy hat and chaps.  He sometimes has a beautiful voice, a perfect animated smolder, and falls for the long-haired princess.  Perhaps he is dashing and serious; the owner of a factory in England.  He may carry a gun.  Or a feather pen and paper.  He may wear a crown.  Or a leather jacket and blue jeans.  He is a poet with dreams.  He is a warrior with conviction.  He is a business man with difficulties.  He is a prince in search of love.  He is a farmer fighting for his land.  He is a punk teenager trying to survive highschool.

He is Mr. Media Man.

And whoever he is… is perfect.

The Promised Pictures...

   Update on my life:  I went to the doctor this morning and my finger is officially healed.  *cheer*  I don't need to wear my splint unless I'm outside working or doing anything "rough".  :-)  It is still very delicate and I need to be careful not to bump it around.  Don't want to rebreak it... no way. 
   So, I start therapy next week, 2-3 times a week for 4 weeks.  Please pray for me, as it really hurt to bend my finger at all.  Call me a big baby, but I was a mess after the Doctor bent my top knuckle this morning.  It HURT!  And I don't do well with pain.  Who does?

   Alright, on a much lighter note... I promised to share some pics that were taken last week before Andrew left.  Well, here they are!  I hope you enjoy them!

Back to School

No, not me.

It seems a lot of people are getting back to school.

Ah, but not me.

Again!

But this year it effects me.

At least more than usual.

What I am Not...

I am not practical all of the time.

But I'm definitely not ditsy.

I'm not an animal lover.

But I'm not willing to let animals be mistreated.

I'm not antisocial.

But I'm not an extrovert either.

This is Me...

You never realize until you've broken a finger

how much you use your

hand.

I use my hand a lot.

The Valley of Vision

I was inspired by this prayer.  Oh to have this surrender to God in the valleys of my life.  I hope you will take a moment to read this...  it is beautiful.

"Lord,

High and Holy,

Meek and Lowly,

Thou hast brought me to the

Valley of Vision,

Where I live in the Depths

But see Thee in the

Heights;

Hemmed in by

Mountains of Sin

I behold Thy glory.

A Tale of Anygirl

In the state of Indiana, up to the north a bit, there is a small town.

In that small town there is a little church.

Inside that church is a white-washed room sporting three couches and a pool table.

Sitting on the couch, or sometimes watching the game of pool, there was once a girl.

Yes, I'm still among the living...

Hi everyone who may have noticed how little I have been blogging recently...

Between having a broken finger, travelling to Utah for a week, needing to rest and recuperate, and just being busy living and breathing... I have had to cut back a lot on emailing and blogging.  And yes, the broken finger is more the cause for that than anything else.  ;-)  And yes, I DID end up having surgery to fix it.  I get the pin removed on the 29th (four weeks after it was put into my poor, tramatized finger) and will then upgrade to a different kind of splint.

So...

When you mix trampolines, water, and "Blind Man"...

It was SO much fun.  Jessica, Natalie, Josh, Andrew, and I were jumping on our trampoline on Tuesday with the hose hooked up to one of the netting poles.  We were soaked and happy.  Then we decided to play "Blind Man"... you know, the game whicj is just like tag only the person who is "it" shuts their eyes and relies completely on sound???

Yeah, that game.

I still love it... but I have a bone to pick with whoever invented that game.

Literally.  A bone.  Namely, my left ring finger.  You know, the extra special finger where purity rings, engagement rings, and wedding bands go???

Don't panic.  I still have my finger.

The Joys of Drama Directing...

I am an easily-stressed, worrying person who can get so overwhelmed that I should never be able to direct a drama.  EVER!

But, like last year, I did and enjoyed every minute of it.  God is an amazing strength when time is running short and you still haven't found that one illusive prop!  The group of young people that made our drama team was amazingly encouraging too.  Many brought some of their own props to help out.  None of them were afraid of working hard to make everything work the way it needed to and kept positive attitudes even when pies where flying in their faces or chewed bananas were getting smashed into their hair.  :-P  Gotta love the skits we do...

Long Overdue...

A post with pictures from my trip out west a month ago is LONG overdue... wouldn't you agree?

So, I won't waste any more of your time!  Without further ado, I now present my trip to Colorado and Wyoming in pictures!  Hold on to your hats...  there are a lot a pictures (and these are only a small selection of the hundreds we took!).

Enjoy!

Guess Who???

Hi there!

So, after long weeks of absence from my blog, I’ve returned!  You may wonder why it has been so extremely long since I’ve taken the time to write a post…  Well, it can’t be explained without telling many long stories that would only confuse you more.  J  So, I’ll just tell one story to give you A LOT of context for the last six months of my life… actually, much longer than that!

In a Nutshell

My life has been busy recently.

Not too crazy.  But busy nonetheless.

My sister, Samantha, celebrated her birthday last week on the same day my parents celebrated their wedding anniversary.  My brother, Joshua, opened all of his birthday presents yesterday because we will be out west for his birthday.

Love you, birthday kiddoes!

I Just Can't Understand...

... how this child does it!

What Six Years Can Do

Yesterday was a good day.  Weird sometimes.  Surreal sometimes.  But, overall, very good. 

There is a family that my family has been friends with for over ten years.  Yesterday their oldest son celebrated his completion of highschool AND college!  We travelled to his open house and were able to see people that I haven't seen in a long time.  Most people reaction with wide-eyed smiles, "I didn't know you were going to be here!".  Honestly, most of what I heard was, "You are so TALL!"  Yes, I did grow in the last six years and I was also wearing heels  (5'9'' without heels is pretty tall when the extra inches of your shoes put you close to 6' and the average hight of all the other young women around your age is 5'4''-5'5''). 

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Wow... I love you, Mom!  You are the most amazing woman I have ever met.  You inspire me.  Your laughter, words, and simple presence lighten a room.  Your creativity, enthusiasm, and encouragement are incredible.  The list of things I love about you is SO long...  Your beautiful singing voice.  Your creative drawings on note paper.  Your crazy spontaneity.  Your bright, gorgeous blue eyes.  Your delicious cooking.  Your tender nature.  Your listening ear.  Your heart that treasures your children, adores your husband, and is wholly devoted to your Savior.

As I said:  Wow... I love you, Mom!

Happy Mother's Day!

Walk with My Sisters

I love cameras.  I love taking pictures.  I love trying, failing, and trying again to capture the essence and beauty of the life around me.  And when I'm able to capture the beauty of a day, of a person, with a click of a camera...  my joy mounts to a level only another photographer can understand.  :-)

Yesterday was a beautiful day.  Chilly later on, but beautiful.  My sisters, Dad, and I had lunch together at our town's Senior Center.  I want to be like the elderly people that come there when I'm ninety!  They are amazing.  One man, Raymond, is ninety-eight and still can get cocky while playing cards with the other seniors.  The comedy between these people is amazing too.  One conversation between two of them, Bettie and Russel (both probably in their late seventies/early eighties) went like this:

Here Spring Comes!

Now that April is coming to an end, spring is starting to look like its here to stay!  Jackets are still being worn outside... unless you don't want to wear one and are determined that it is time for short-sleeved shirts!

He Is Risen!

Low in the grave He lay,

Jesus my Savior,

Waiting the coming day,

Jesus my Lord.

Last Night...

He was wounded for

Our

Transgressions...

He was bruised for

Our

Iniquities...

All our punishment was upon

Him...

And by His stripes...

We...

Are Healed.

Picture from the Past

So, I found this picture today.

I knew I had it,

but had sort of forgotten.

:-)

I love medieval costumes

and

I love femininity

AND

I love flowers.

So this picture is perfect, in my opinion.

;-)

Thursday Morning



Bekah (16 months)... I could just squeeze her and kiss her and squeeze her...

Ohhhh...  this has been a good morning.  I have laughed a good deal and am very happy to be alive today!  :-)

I know, I know... I don't usually do random posts like this that are simply about my everyday life... but I guess this is just one of those rare times.

50th Post and Vacation!

Yeah, wow!  Fifty posts on this new blog of mine!  How fun!  Just thought I'd mention it...   :-)

This week has been great.  Despite major congestion and a horrible, junky (yes, it gross) cough, I've managed to have a very nice week.

I actually got sick on vacation.  This week my mom and siblings went away for a couple days just to have a little bit of "breathing time" before late April hits.  Once this month is over we will have little or no free time till fall.  One thing I've noticed since my Dad became a pastor is that summer is NOT vacation time for people in the ministry... it's actually so crazy that autumn feels like a holiday!  ;-)  Good thing I don't mind being busy.

To Whom Shall I Go?

Church was beautiful today.  It truly is every week...  but this week was special.  We had a guest speaker: a young man from out west who will be moving here with his wife and two-year-old son this June to intern at our church for a year or longer.  I've heard him preach before and can remember this feeling of excitement at hearing such passionate, truth-filled, mature preaching.

Three Sisters...

So alike.

So different.

One dark brunette.

One strawberry blonde.

One in-between.

Oceans of Blessings

Little Beauties.

Blessings

He has

Given.

Everywhere, but untouched.

Obvious, yet unseen.

Screaming, still unheard.

~

A few of my favorite things...

Handmade hairclips.

Soldiers in Training

Mom reading "The Squire and the Scroll" (excellent Christian book!) to her three youngest children.

"Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;

He who guards himself will be far from them.

Train up a child in the way he should go,

Even when he is old he will not depart from it."

~Proverbs 22:5-6

Right where I am...

In this place:

Lost Little Town.

Between Corn Fields.

Amidst the Trees.

Where I am.

Of Snow, Slush, and Vehicles...

This will be a quick post... kinda.  But I couldn't keep from sharing something that happened yesterday.

All was normal yesterday afternoon.  All was quiet... okay, perhaps that's not quite normal for us, but still...

The weather was beautifully warm.  No coats were needed in the outdoors.  The snow was silently disappearing into little puddles, then soaking down into the earth to make two of the things that adults hate with the passion: slush and mud.  Mom had gone out to get a few groceries for supper and everyone was inside after spending some time out of doors playing.

The peaceful calm was suddenly disrupted by Mother's voice ringing through the house.

Home again, home again...

My "dreary" part of the year is mid-January till mid-March.  So now I'm right in the middle of what is usually the dreariest part of the year.

But, notice, that I said usually.

This year has had NO dreary parts so far, which is great!!!  This month has been busy and will only be getting busier.  My latest adventure was a three-day-two-night vacation with my family to a place I've been going to since I was eight years old.

Practice, practice... and practice some more!

That has always been my philosophy with special music pieces: practice the song till you're one step away from hating it.  Thankfully, I've never gotten to the point of hating a piece because of practicing it too much... but, I've gotten close.  :-)  When I was still taking piano lessons, nothing would throw me off more than having to play at a recital after not getting enough practice time to feel fully prepared for the big performance.  My stomach would twist, my palms would sweat, and my heart would beat like a drum... even though the audience usually consisted of ten or so families who would never remember how well I played the songs! 

Goodbye, January...

Here I am,

less than two hours till February...

And I can't believe it!

Usually January drags for me,

but not this year.

It has flown!!!

It's all about You, Jesus...

 "Jesus, Lover of my soul,

All-consuming fire is in Your gaze.

Reflecting...

For those of you wondering...

I am alive and well.

:-)

Great Things He Hath Done

"We were like those who

dream

Then our mouth was filled with

laughter

and our tongue with songs of

joy;

Then they said among the nations,

'The Lord has done

great

things for them.'"

~Psalm 126:1-2