grace{cody}

my beautiful friend grace got married this past saturday. now she has "two first names".
it was perfect. she was stunning. and i got to take pictures!

priceless.

you've been framed.

i love pictures. and frames. but i prefer to make my own frames as opposed to buying someone else’s.

this one is going on my desk at school && then on my desk someday when i have a job!

before::

mod podge = amaZING::

TA DA:

if you read the post previous to this... you may be thinking, "that doesn't look like a homemade dress". i'm holding off on the dress until i can find cheap fabric that i like!

greetings.

i've been feeling extra crafty lately. 

just itching for something to do [with my hands]. to create something [that has an ending].

project 1::

tomorrow [or as soon as possible] i'm going to start project 2:: sewing myself a new dress

can't wait.

you know you live in kansas when...

there’s a small tornado outside of your hometown & people are outside taking pictures of it.

and you are in another town 30 miles away when it happened and you didn’t even know it happened until the next day. 

new readings.

crazy love - by francis chan

God is love. Crazy, relentless, all-powerful love. Have you ever wondered if we’re missing it? It’s crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe—the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor—loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss. Whether you’ve verbalized it yet or not…we all know somethings wrong. Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions? God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn’t working harder at a list of do’s and don’ts—it’s falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same. Because when you’re wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.

things i wish i’d known before we got married - by gary chapman

“Most people spend far more time in preparation for their vocation than they do in preparation for marriage,” Dr. Gary Chapman

No wonder the divorce rate hovers around fifty percent.

Bestselling author and marriage counselor, Gary Chapman, hopes to change that with his newest book. Gary, with more than 35 years of counseling couples, believes that divorce is the lack of preparation for marriage and the failure to learn the skills of working together as intimate teammates.

So he put together this practical little book, packed with wisdom and tips that will help many develop the loving, supportive and mutually beneficial marriage men and women long for. It’s the type of information Gary himself wished he had before he got married.

This is not a book simply to be read. It is a book to be experienced. The material lends itself to heart-felt discussions by dating or engaged couples. To jump-start the exchanges, each short chapter includes insightful “Talking it Over” questions and suggestions. And, the book includes information on interactive websites as well as books that will enhance the couples experience.

Dr. Chapman even includes a thought-provoking appendix. By understanding and balancing the five key aspects of life, dating couples can experience a healthy dating relationship. A revealing learning exercise for dating couples is included at the end.

the many faces of us.

don't worry leigh... there weren't any customers in the store while we were doing this :)

Interview tomorrow at noon in Washington D.C. at KidsPeace for my Social Work practicum internship next fall. 

Praying for peace, knowledge, and confidence.

where does the time go?

Originally, 3 and 1/2 weeks in Delaware before I left for Peru sounded like a pretty decent amount of time. WHERE DID IT ALL GO?! I have a week and two days until I leave for Peru and I have really mixed feelings about it. Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked about going. Just feel like my time with Kendall and friends here has not been enough. (Is it ever?!)

I need to start packing... I don't even know where to begin! But thanks to my wonderful mother who sent me a "Peru package" with all of the essential random little things I need but don't feel like buying myself. i.e. Poncho, passport holder, luggage locks, plane pillow, ear plugs, scarf, chapstick, etc... She's awesome!! But still, so much to think about and no desire to think.

And I really wanted to read through some of my photography books before I left and haven't started. Guess it will be a quick scan for some quick tips!

Started wedding planning again. It's fun :] Kendall & I went and registered this past Saturday. Man, that's exhausting! A lot more goes in to it than you think! Kendall was a good sport about it all.

Good friend's wedding this weekend! I am so excited & happy for her!

very neat.

these guys might have too much time on their hands. {click}
however, it is very cool. check it out.

livin' with boys.

It makes me laugh. There have been a lot of things that I have learned since living with boys last summer and now again for a few weeks. Having only one sister, I'm used to a girl infested household (my poor dad...although he says he wouldn't change it for the world!)

My sister and I would run up and down the stairs in our bras and underwear when we were getting ready in the morning (Dad would already be off at work) without thinking about it. Now living with boys, they walk around in their boxers like it's no big deal. "Everything's covered!" Well ya, but if I would walk out in my bra and underwear, you would flip! Oh toooo funnnyyyy.

On the other hand, my new favorite thing.... a diffuser. It's the best friend of a curly haired person. People say that they like my hair curly. Well I do too, until it dries and looks like a lions mane. But with a diffuser, I can dry it how I want and can forego the afro. Hallelujah. Thank you Corlene.

Last night I got to hang out with these munchkins. Oh, how I adore them! It was so much fun to hang out & play with them again. (Notice how I use the term "hang out & play" and not "babysit". While yes, technically I am babysitting... It just doesn't seem like such a task with them like it did with the children I watched this past school year!) However, these three kids have more energy than you can imagine & they know how to wear you out. Power to their mother who deals with them daily 24/7! What a strong woman!

Kendall came with me to watch the kids & we had fun! He's going to make a great dad someday! I just know it!! However, that time is years from now. Many many years :]

photo deprived.

can we go on a photo expedition?

time's a blurrrrrr.

why is time flying by so fast? can't it just slow down? 

there are days when my life feels like this

slow down. i want to enjoy this life God has given me. 

every single interaction. every single moment.

graduating.

Wait what? I'm not only enough to graduate. I've only been in school for three years.
Oh, I don't get my diploma until December. Oh okay, I get ya. :]

Sunday, May 1, 2011::in the rain. [good planning EMU...] but i was surrounded by the people i love. 2 parents. 1 sister. 1 brother-in-law. 4 grandparents. 1 fiance. 2 soon to be in-law parents. 1 soon to be in-law brother & his girlfriend. lots of fellow graduates & friends. wow wonderful. 

I love this man. He has been nothing but supportive &  I know he will continue to support me in everything that I do.
[will post more pictures from grad later]

I'm done with classroom work & I'm done with EMU campus. The rest of the work I have to do to earn my degree is hands-on, life-changing, fun work::


Three weeks in Peru visiting Cusco, Machu Picchu & Arequipa.

4 months in Washington D.C. studying social issues & doing my social work practicum. 

Still deciding where to do it at:: 

KidsPeace - A treatment foster care program providing mental and behavioral services  OR

My Sister's Place  - A shelter for domestic violence serving battered women & their children 

I will officially graduate December 16, 2011. Fifteen days later, I'll be married. 

2011 has & will continue to be an exciting year. 

I am so blessed. Praise the Lord. 

my confessions

I'm a sinner. I was born into a sinful world and I fall to sinful temptations.
I want to be holy and righteous in God's eyes, but I constantly fall short. I want to love the Lord with ALL of my heart but am often tempted by other consuming things. I want to bring glory to God but I fail. I want to follow in Jesus' footsteps and live a sinless life, but I yet I sin.


Scripture says, "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results." {James 5:16} So here I am, confessing my sins to God above and to my brothers and sisters in Christ so that they can pray for me and that God will forgive my sins.


I have outrightly lied. I have lied by omission. I have cheated. I have lusted. I have been angry. I have hated. I have judged. I have no helped when I should have. I have boasted. I have been proud. I have spoke without thinking. I have coveted. I have been foolish. I have cursed. I have stolen. I have been disobedient. I have envied. I have not forgiven. I have done good things but for the wrong reasons. I have not loved myself. I have not loved my enemies. I have broken commandments. I've been negative. I have dishonored. I have not always placed God number one in my life. I have sinned so much more. 


I'm a sinner. I am unworthy of God's love, yet he loves me anyway. I am unworthy of God's forgiveness, yet He forgives me anyway. "And I will forgive their wrongdoings, and I will never again remember their sins." [Hebrews 8:12]

i was born this way.

tonight i was watching glee. sometimes i don’t really like the messages they portray but i watch most of the time for the music. i love their voices.

but, tonight… i loved their message of “acceptance”. they didn’t focus on accepting each other (although it is important) but learning to accept who we are in our selves. taking that thing we don’t like about ourselves and learning to love it. loving all of ourselves. every single part.

they sang the song “born this way” by lady gaga. && once again, i’m not really a big fan of lady gaga, however I do like the message of part of this song.


There’s nothin’ wrong with lovin’ who you are
She said, ‘cause He made you perfect, babe
So hold your head up, girl and you’ll go far
Listen to me when I say
I’m beautiful in my way
‘Cause God makes no mistakes 
I’m on the right track, baby
I was born this way
Don’t hide yourself in regret
Just love yourself and you’re set
I’m on the right track, baby
I was born this way

I’m learning to love myself, every single part. Learning is a process.. It takes time. But I’m working on it. God made me the way I am & I need to embrace all of it. Every single ounce. God makes no mistakes. 

maybe i should try this...

I've blogged once before & quite honestly failed at it. But I was inspired by my friend, Jessica, to do this again. So I supposed I'll try.

First off, if you're one of those people that is going to read this & critique my spelling, grammar & all that stuff....STOP NOW. I can write good papers when it comes to school but when writing on here, I don't care about grammar...I'm just getting my thoughts out! 

Second of all, if what I write doesn't make sense to you, I'm sorry. I'm random....I don't always make sense...But for the most part, my friends get me. And even if they don't, they still love me! :]

Now that I've covered that. I suppose I should get to studying for the last, I repeat, the last awful Professor Elroy Miller exam of my life. Tomorrow, I shall rejoice. YAY!