project 52.34

surrounded.

I have wanted for so long to live in a place where we have community.

I want to raise y'all around other families who love Jesus and I want y'all to be surrounded by family and friends.

I grew up with that.  Tons of cousins living within a two mile radius.  Lots of houses to go between.  Lots of meals shared, lots of games played, holidays all together, Sunday afternoons spent hanging out.  

Since your Nonny and Poppy are the only two family members we have locally, I have been worried that we wouldn't have the community I longed for.

But, oh man, did the Lord have a plan.

We celebrated Thanksgiving tonight with our "family". 

[And y'all were there :) Hidden in the picture, but there!]

I am seeing my dream happen before my very eyes.

You are being surrounded by families and friends who love Jesus.  

We do have community.

And I am oh so grateful.

celebrating the one i love.

Okay, so it appears that all my friends have been quick to post about their Labor Day weekend.  And, I have the urge to type like two sentences.  Which is more than normal these days.  So, I better take advantage.  Keep in mind, I didn't edit any of these pictures.  I only took pictures of a fraction of the things we did this weekend and it all is going to be super sloppy.  But sloppy is better than nothing, right?

We had such a fabulous weekend.  

My whole family was under one roof for longer than 24 hours.  First time this has happened since May.  It was a sweet time.  I love them.  And they love me well.  I am blessed.

We also spent the weekend celebrating the boy.  He turned 31 on Saturday.  It was fun to spend the weekend celebrating him.  

He was super bummed because he recently broke his arm and didn't get to go dove hunting.  This was his only birthday wish.  So, since that plan was no longer an option, I came up with a new plan.  A surprise trip.  Just me and him.  We left on Saturday morning and to say that Jordan was antsy would be an understatement.  He kept trying to guess where we were going.   

Finally, we pulled up and Jordan could see this...

Since he still didn't know where we were, I finally told him we were at the Hillsville FleaMarket and GUNSHOW.  He was beside-himself-excited :)  I'm so glad the surprise worked out.

They had tons of old fun stuff.  So, I spent time taking pictures while he spent time looking at guns and knives.  He was having a ball. 

We spent the entire rest of the weekend with family.  Eating good food.  Drinking good coffee.  Playing fun games.  And having good conversation.  

We sang happy birthday multiple times to the old man :)

[thank you dad, for the reminder to be extraordinary.]

Seeing my brother and sister love the twins is one of my greatest joys.  It just makes my heart so happy.

 We had a cookout with my dad's side of the family on Sunday night and I didn't take many pictures.  In fact, I only brought one lens for my camera - big mistake.  The night time pictures were a mess.

This morning, we came back home to celebrate Jordan's birthday with his family.  It was also such a sweet time of being together with his family.  

I love celebrating the one I love.

I feel very high-on-life as I settle back on my bed tonight.  Just thankful that I am able to call all the people in this post family.  There are so many people who would kill to have what we do.  And I do not take one second for granted.  I am blessed beyond measure.  And oh, so grateful.

project 52.22

free.

Freedom is not something I ever want you to take for granted.  

That is hard.  To live in a place where you have always had freedom, it is easy to forget that so many others don't.  Daddies and brothers, sons and best friends are protecting our country every day.  So that we can live the way we want to live.  And worship the way we want to worship.  To have rights. And to be protected.  I want you to be ever grateful for that.

I also want you to come to know the freedom that Christ offers.  It is easy to live a life of bondage.  To sin of all kind.  Sins that pull you away from Jesus.  And sin that ties you to the idea that you must be good enough to be accepted by Jesus. But Christ offers freedom.  For you to come to Him, unashamed.  Just as you are.  

I pray that you accept that freedom, too.

project 52.13

magical.

The holidays have become new to me since y'all have come along.  

I have always loved holidays but now, they are magical.  

I love decorating for them.  And finding themed desserts to make.  And buying little gifts. In fact, the day y'all came home from the NICU, we loaded you up and drove to get our Christmas tree.  I absolutely 

could.

not.

wait.  

We typically take a trip to the mountains to get our Christmas tree but we were quarantined and couldn't go out in public.  So, we loaded you up and the three of us sat in the car while your daddy picked out the tree at a local stand. You had no idea what was going on...but it was so much fun to do this as a family of four.  

It's so fun to be a mom during holidays.  It feels like I have the ability to make it something big.  And, oh we're going to go big.  To allow the suspense to build in the weeks to come and  decorate the mess out of the house and do every Easter dessert pinned on my "Easter" board and just celebrate life to the fullest with y'all. 

I can't wait to make the holidays magical for you. We're gonna do it up right.

merry christmas!

So thankful for what we celebrate today! That years ago, God set his "Great Rescue Plan" into motion! (As the Jesus Storybook Bible puts it). True love really was born in a stable.

"Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'" - Luke 2:10-11

valentine.

my valentine:

got me tickets to this for valentine's day:

i'm pumped!

nyc.

so i realize i'm pretty behind with this post.
but, we had such a great time, i definitely wanted to post some pictures of our trip to nyc.

we went with these two:

we seriously had a wonderful time.  we left early saturday morning and got home late sunday night.  it was a whirlwind but we fit in so many things.  here are a couple of collages i put together from the trip.

we can't wait to go back!!

well hello 2011.

I've been thinking a lot this week about my New Year Resolutions.

Do yall make them?

Do you ever keep them?

I'll be honest, my opinon on them changes every year.  Sometimes I can't wait to make my resolutions and get started on January 1st.  In fact, I get giddy over January 1st.  But then the next year I decide that I don't love them.  And I know that guilt will come in February or March when I fail [if I last that long].  So I'd rather not deal with the guilt.

Well this year I like them :)

But I've been thinking long and hard about what I want them to be.  So often it's a checklist kind of item that I want to do.  One that appeases my Type A, listmaking personality.  Like working out at least three times a week.  Or cutting out all caffiene.  Or doing a quiet time every single day without ever missing a day.

But I've realized this year that even though some of those might end up on my list, I would much rather my 2011 be focused on changes on the inside.  Changes to my heart.  Changes to the way I react and relate to others.  Changes to the way I see things.

And I believe that sometimes it takes deciding.  Deciding to see things more positively or deciding to love people better.  It's all about the decision.  If I don't conciously make the decision, then my flesh gets in the way.  I get selfish, or negative, or envious, or snappy.

Lately I've been chewing on these two things:

Love Well.

Live Simply.

I've been running them around in my mind.  And doing "trial runs".  And seeing the impact these two things have on me.  My heart.  And my attitude.  As well as the impact they have on the people I'm around.  The ones I have a relationship with as well as the barista at Starbucks and the highschool kid bagging my groceries.

And I have to say, I like what I see.

And, more importantly, I think God likes what He sees.


They are not easy.  And I fail often.  In fact, as I just reread what I wrote, I realized that I referred to doing "trial runs" but in reality, that's not what they started out as.  They started by me deciding I wanted to love well and live simply.  But they ended because my flesh got in the way.  I decided to be selfish or envious.  They became "trial runs" because they only lasted through one or two interactions before I returned to my old ways.


They definitely deal with my heart.  And allowing God to work through me.  Because only through Him will I be able to make through more than an interaction or two.


I know these are different than lots of New Year Resolutions.


They are much different than my normal ones.  In fact, they may fall more under Shawni's "motto"  idea like last year.  But regardless, I think I'll start there.


I plan to come up with another "checklist" for my OCD too :)
Maybe I'll post it?


What about you?  Any resolutions?

cornucopias.

Growing up we have always made little snack cornucopias for Thanksgiving.
My mom made them every year for me, my brother, and my sister to take to school the week of Thanksgiving.  I always hoped there would be a few left at the end of the day because they were always better once they had sat out for a little while.  My sister remembers hoping for this too!

All you use are Bugles, Trix and cream cheese frosting to make them:

My sister is a freshman in college and we were texting back and forth a few weeks ago about how amazing these things were. 

Last weekend, I had a sleepover with my three "soul friends" from college.  So, since I was going to be in Raleigh, I made some for Sidney and planned to surprise her.

Well after tracking her down like a crazy person, I finally delivered the goods :)
But I forgot to ask her to take a picture.

So I asked her to take one and send it to me.

The next day, I opened my inbox and had nine attached pictures all displaying the love of the cornucopias:

I'm thankful for her.


And cornucopias.

Kelle Hampton It.

Do you ever plan for your weekend to be fabulous only to be disappointed Sunday night?  Like you think of all the fabulous things you're going to do for the weekend.  And in your head you concoct the perfect blend of relaxing and productive, funny and romantic, lazy and exhilarating.  It's like the perfect mix of everything that's going to happen.

Especially on Saturday.  You plan to get up early and go for a run.  Then come back and clean your house.  Have the floors mopped, the baseboards wiped down, three loads of laundry done, your bathroom sparkling, and your refridgerator cleaned out.  All before 10 a.m.  Then for the afternoon agenda, sew and finish your photography website.  Order business cards.  Start an Etsy store.  And clean out the attic. 

So all OCD dreams are fulfilled for the weekend.

But, simulatneously you expect the weekend to be relaxed and lazy and dreamy.  So you plan to sleep late and wake up to snuggle your husband for another half hour.  Then mozy into the kitchen and make a fabulous pot of coffee.  Do your quiet time on the screen porch while enjoying your coffee in a paisley mug with french vanilla creamer.  Then, you shower and get ready when you finally get to it and head out to....I don't know, that's where the dream gets fuzzy for me.  I got to Target and maybe to a couple of thrift stores.  Have a relaxing lunch, outside with a cool breeze and then wonder over to the bookstore to browse a bazillion different books.  It just makes sense.  

But then, Sunday night you realize that you've accomplished neither.  In trying to get everything done, you missed the opportunity to snuggle with your husband and enjoy your coffee.  And in being relaxed you totally stressed yourself out with your house is still being a wreck.

  Plus on Sunday night you realize that it's ridiculous to think that you'll clean your baseboards considering you haven't cleaned them in months.  [Don't be too grossed out].  Or that you'll actually finish your photography website that you've been working on for months.  Then you also realize that you don't really like to sleep late.  And that the cool breeze at an outdoor lunch?  Ummm...it's July.  Let's get real.

So, all of that to say...

Last Friday I showed up to work and had a twin.  And we had the whole conversation that I mentioned above.  So, we determined that in place of another weekend with ridiculous, unrealistic plans, we were going to Kelle Hampton it.

Oh you haven't heard of Kelle Hamptoning It?  Well, it's probably because we made it up.  But it's like saying that you're going to rock it. Except you're going to rock it time a bazillion.

Have you read Kelle Hampton's blog?  Well, first of all...you should.

And, once you read it you'll quickly realize that you want to Kelle Hampton It too.  Because she always finds the positive in everything.  Like everything.

And she...how does she put it?

Oh yeah, sucks the marrow out of life.

So, last Friday my "partner in crime" and I decided that we were definitely going to Kelle Hampton It.


When we left work, we both went home and painted our fingernails a shade of watermelon.  Yes, because Kelle Hampton did.  Well that and because it was going to be our visual reminder that we were going to suck the marrow out of life.  Even the little pieces.  Even when things are frustrating.  Finding a little thing.  That's so exciting.



And I went with the toes too.
Just for extra special measure.


It was a long weekend, ya know.


So, here's a little snapshot of my weekend.  Kelle Hampton style.




First a lazy Saturday morning. Check.
Quiet time with fabulous coffee on the front porch.



Looking at this across the street.
Could it be better?
Seriously?



We then moved on to green beans.
Picking, stringing, breaking, canning.



Talk about a ton of work!
But so worth it.
20 quarts :)


After canning green beans we went to the community 4th of July parade.
It was sweet.  Even though it only lasted 15 minutes :)



Once the parade was over, we docked the number one family get together with my dad's family.
Definitely ranked number one in the last few years.


We got together and had a cookout around 8:30 on Saturday night.  We planned the cookout around 7 that night.  Mom called all the aunts and said let's just throw everything together for a cookout right quick.  So we showed up at my grandpa's house with a hodgepodge of cookout items and a firepit for good measure.  I'd say the firepit definitely made it.  Homemade icecream, s'mores and a fire.  Could it get any better?



On Sunday afternoon we headed to the New River Trail in Virginia to bike along the river.
It was a twenty mile ride that was so.much.fun.  Exhilarating and hard.  But amazing to feel the breeze on your face and just soak it all in.



Such a beautiful place.



Such a wonderful family.



Then, in continuing to be Kelle Hampton - esque, I found the joy even in getting car sick to the point of laying in the grass in front of KFC on a major highway.  But all was okay.  Because my wonderful mother photographed the event and my wonderful husband went back to the KFC counter three times to get my bland mashed potatoes just right.  How hard to mess up, right?   But, my sweet husband was willing to get everything just right.




Then on to fireworks.
Which were so much fun.  Sitting all in the back of the truck beds all lined up and the bag chairs all sat  out in front of the trucks.


What's crazy is that there are plenty of weekends I spend with my parents.  In this gorgeous setting.  With such a fun and love-filled family.  Doing so many fun things.  But how often do I truly suck the marrow out of this life?  This crazy, exciting but sometimes ordinary life?  Not enough.



So here's to Kelle Hamptoning It.


And, FYI, my nails are watermelon again this weekend.

2 down.

on monday, worker man and i celebrated our two year anniversary!

it's really hard to belive the we've been married for two years already - seriously, it's crazy!

we went to the melting pot for supper and it was fabulous.

worker man had never been and we had the best time.

i would definitely suggest that restaurant - it was amazing!

happy two years worker man!

i'm blessed beyond belief.

marriage is way better than i could have ever imagined :)

umm...does this mean i'm not a newly-wed anymore?  because i totally still feel like one.

padre.

so yesterday we celebrated two of the most special men in our lives.

my dad.

my family came to our house for church and lunch and spent the afternoon with us.  it was so much fun.  we love to have them in our world :)

i am so thankful for my dad. 

for all that he means to me and for all that he does.

yesterday our preacher talked about fathers and the critical role they play in the family. 

the rock, the provider, the protector, the encourager, the responsible one.

and i must say, my dad hits the nail on the head.

he has always been an incredible father.  encouraging in all the right ways, providing in the ways our family needs, offering advice, providing incredible spiritual leadership, being a role model for us to look up to.  he truly is a man after God's heart.  and a dad that has always strived to show us how to be in relationship with our Creator.  i am so blessed to have him.

and worker man's dad.

we met all of worker man's family last night for supper.  to celebrate ffil.

he too is such a blessing in our lives.  he is so full of grace and acceptance.  he loves us for who we are.  i mean like really loves us for who we are.  like me, being me and worker man being worker man and fmil being fmil [etc.], adds pieces to his life that no one else could.  he soaks up the seconds we're all together.  living in the moment and just enjoying every second of every day.  he is one of the most determined people i've ever met.  just up and decides he's going to do a triathlon and goes for it - all out.  decides he wants to get into riding bikes...and works up to riding 10 and 20 miles in a day.  he's the adventurous one.  even wants to go skydiving with me!  he is always so much fun and i must mention...he's a pretty good cook too!

we are so so so thankful for the dads in our life.

they are both such role models for worker man and i must say, if worker man ends up like ffil and like my dad, someday my kids will have a pretty awesome daddy :)

ahhh.

i'm headed here for the weekend!


what are your memorial day plans?

md 2010 ctd.

when worker man and i got married, i knew i was marrying into a beautiful family.

full of love.
for one another.
but most importantly for Christ.

i knew that i was blessed.
that his parent's were wonderful.


but never did i imagine how instrumental this woman would be in my life.





she is such a blessing.


she provides just the right amount of advice at just the right times.
she loves me even though she didn't carry me around for 9 months.
she values my opinion and makes me feel important.
she listens.
like, really listens.



she's hilarious.
and stylish.

she's forgiving.

she sees past my many flaws.


she loves family.
and values that more than anything.



i am so grateful for her and for the invaluable relationship we have.



happy mother's day fmil!

we love you :)