Pizza and Izzies!

Tonight we celebrated Kyle's 14th birthday! Rachel and Tyler joined us for a dinner of papa johns pizza and fruity drinks! Mom is cooking up some blueberry glaze now to go with the cheesecake for dessert! Yumm!

I can't believe i'm leaving tomorrow. I'm super happy and excited but i also know i will miss home a lot. I'm just praying that God will use this time mightily to grow me more, while furthering his kingdom! :) This is my last post for a month...:/ I won't have internet at all while i'm gone.

All fired up!

My aunt gave my cousin and me coupons to go paint pottery at a place called All Fired Up! We had a lot of fun together, I painted a salad bowl and Abby did a plate. We can't wait to see the finished products!

days of summer

Life seems like it's just been one thing after another...I've got to learn to let God be the focus and the center and my joy! It's a daily surrender and a constant renewal of my mind. :) I'm so thankful for His faithfulness and love!

work and play

Friends make anything more enjoyable, whether it be work or play! This afternoon Shaunda accompanied me in both! After a sweaty hour and a half at the gym we cooled off at the 7-11 gas station with free slurpies due to the corresponding date July 11th (7-11) fun idea and about the only time you will see me consuming one of those icy sugar drinks!

Young minds, teachable hearts

Little Grace and Annora were fascinated by the piano and it's music while Shaunda played. She kindly pulled them up onto her lap and let them join in the song! We were all talking about how much of an influence the older people in your life growing up as a child effect who you become as a person later in life. What a beautiful thing when God blesses us with family and friends to support us and build us up into who we are in Christ.

It's been a while since i posted, my weekend was pretty hectic! I slept in this morning but still was dragging so i took a long nap this afternoon. After that i had a burst of energy so I ended up joining some kids playing beach volleyball down at the park.

Im looking forward to this week and all the preparations i need to start making for my trip! Who knows what exciting adventures await me!!??? :)

Good memories

I spent the day editing pictures from yesterday so i didn't feel much like taking another one to edit. This picture is so sweet and it seemed fitting to post because without this lovely lady as our hostess none of these memories would have been made!!! :)

I'm leaving tomorrow morning early for the wedding, it's a 10 hour drive with Jesse and Laura! woohoo! I'll have another big batch of pictures to edit when i get back.....

Goodnight a lil early everybody!

When we play, we play hard!

Oh my i don't know where to begin with to blog about this day! I am soo tired and my whole body hurts from the crazy things i did! I went thru all my pictures once but have no energy to sort thru and edit them so I took the easy route and posted a general picture thats fun and representative. I'm falling asleep on my laptop with my pillows and blankets all around me listening to the fading sounds of fireworks while our country celebrates it's freedom. Thank you, Lord for all your many blessings! I sure don't like to take them for granted....

Making music

Rachel and I had a little jam session tonight with the guitar and my violin! She was teaching me a new song which, unfortunately needed a capo on the guitar to be able to sing along. We couldn't find one anywhere, so me and my highly evolved brain got to thinking and i scoured the kitchen for a pen and some rubber bands and wrangled something up that worked quite effectively! I had to take a picture of this work of art...and of course Rachel's smiling face makes the picture more memorable and sweet. :) It's been a nice day, and I can't wait for the fourth of July festivities to begin! Time to curl up in bed.....

my debt's been paid

Make me to know Your ways, Lord. Lead me in Your truth, and teach me. For You are the God of my salvation, and on You i wait day and night. Remember Your mercies, and Your steadfast love, for they have been from old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions against you, according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of Your own goodness, my God.

~Psalm 25:4-7

A kitchen of sweets!!!

I have been baking all day it seems! This morning I made blueberry scones for Hannah's bridal shower this afternoon, and then right after dinner i made a huge cake for tomorrow's family party! It was a big success and all the boys got to be involved with helping! I would post a picture of that but i'm making one for Monday's 4th of July party too and it's kind of a surprise. For any of you that don't get to see it i will post a picture of it that day :) We made cupcakes with the leftover cake batter so this process i decided to record with my creativity.....hehe

Trampolines and ice cream

Tonight we went to the grand opening of a place called sky zone. Its an indoor trampoline place that is lots of fun! it normally expensive to go but tonight was free admission, and it included free concession sponsored by chickfila!! yuum....so we all got ice cream cones to finish the night.

Pretty in Pink

A friend gave me a bouquet of carnations today! I decided to experiment some artistic ideas using these cheerful flowers as subjects! And pearls add to the charm and beauty! Makes me think of the verse, "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." How God admires the lovely things He has created and He delights in our enjoyment of them, but how much more the inner appearance of our hearts before Him.

Riding in style!

Rachel is borrowing her sister Jasmine's sports bike today, so she and I took advantage of it and went for a little joyride around town, to spend some fun time together. After a trip around the lake we ended up at Panera and sat there and talked a while. When we got home there were a few eager boys hoping for a spin as well! Rachel was all too willing to oblige!

summer rain

The rain has been so nice these past few afternoons! This saturday was nice and relaxing, involving another baseball game in the morning and Shane's graduation party in the afternoon with lots of food and volleyball! :) I was extra tired this evening when we got home so i fell asleep for an hour...now i'm kinda awake and wondering what to do until it's really my bedtime...hehe

A refreshing evening

My dad started slow and kinda bla for some reason. But around 11 I met a bunch of people at Starbux for Julia's birthday, and after some coffee and chatting i was feeling more energetic. I babysat for the afternoon, then when they left after dinner I headed down to the ballfields by our house with the boys and we watched one of their friends play a game. The weather was so breezy and cool because there had been a light shower around 6 oclock. Also the sunset was gorgeous, some of the most vibrant colors i've seen in a while! It was so awesome to watch the sky change from blue to orange to pink to purple!!! You can see that in the two very different looking pictures i posted! lol

All that said, to top it off the ball game was close and our team won! :)

Now we are home and my parents are gone for the evening so i managed to talk my brothers into finishing the laundry chores by letting them watch some tv before bed. Nothing like a little sisterly bribery when i'm in charge! hehe

Time for the park!

This morning i took the kids down to the park to play before it got too hot. There are lots of trees so we stayed mostly in the shade :) I was babysitting the same kids we were with Tuesday. It's been a lot of fun having them around...

Then in the afternoon I had my violin lesson and then went shopping at target. This evening was Hannah Testerman's bridal shower! It was a lot of fun, but its still weird to think about her getting married!

Goodnight!

Sweet little boys

Today we got to spend time up at the farm with my mom's friend from college and her two adopted boys from Korea. They are adorable kids and super fun to play with! I was snapping shots of them running around all day. I can't wait to edit them all, but it's too much to do tonight. This one just jumped out at me from the bunch, his face was so innocent this picture captured him perfectly!

I downloaded Lightroom so it will be all ready for me when i finally get more than 5 minutes to spend on the computer at once! :) I'm excited to learn the new program!

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!

I wrote a page of thoughts on this verse yesterday, and the funny thing was God tested me on it this morning when things were hectic and i didn't feel like rejoicing in the moment! He is such a faithful guide, and His peace and joy never fail!

Round robin!

Tonight we had a family ping pong tournament! We played the game round robin where you take turns hitting the ball back and forth while rotating around the table in a circle! When you miss the ball 4 times you are out! Its fast paced and fun because you can include everyone! My dad was the champion of most of the games but i beat him once! This afternoon was FULL of errands and then getting home to make dinner so it was nice to have a relaxing evening with the family.

A visit to the barn

We had a quiet Father's day Sunday, partly because our home church didn't meet because everyone had plans with family. So we all slept in late and relaxed this morning and just enjoyed being together, and then after lunch we drove up to the farm to visit my grandparents. We walked out to feed the horses and i started snapping away with my camera! It's such a fun place to take pictures! This was one i took of the horses waiting to be let in the their stalls to eat! I got some other fun shots but i always have to pick just one! :)

I've been slacking a little on this every day thing but i feel like i need to make sure i keep it in perspective and not make it too important. i want it to stay enjoyable and not something i do just cuz i have to get it done!

A warm welcome!

God's plans are always bigger than ours and He has a purpose in everything! This time when Rachel tried to cross the border back into Israel after a trip out of the country, she was denied access and sent home. I know exactly how she feels, so i was sad for her discomfort, but it was such a happy reunion to see her sweet face! Im really looking forward to however much time God has for us to spend together before she goes back and i plan to make the most of it! Welcome home Rachel!!!! :D

Getting Rolling!

My aunt took my brothers and me skating tonight in Orlando and we had a blast!! Her church rented the rink out so it was all christian music and a fun family atmosphere. We all got some good exercise and enjoyed just hanging out.

blessed rain

Today was so oppressively hot i welcomed the first drop of rain that fell! What followed was a glorious thunderstorm! We sat on the front porch just enjoying the sights and sounds of God's power unleashed in nature.

I had a pretty busy schedule starting with an early morning biblestudy at Panera and then a cleaning job that lasted into the afternoon. When i got home I turned around and went back out to meet Amber at the gym. It was nice to spend some time with her. When i got home i finally got my much needed nap then woke up just in time to go pick Jayson up from work and bring him home then start dinner. I have spent the evening reading a book my grandma gave me that is about 2 inches thick. It's 3 books in one.....:) I'm wondering how long it's going to take me to get thru it, but so far it's interesting, apart from the fact that it is a little bit to descriptive and wordy.

I'm waiting to see how the rest of the week unfolds, there is so many things i want to do and only God knows what should be the priority. I just pray that He makes it clear enough for me to follow it!

Reliving a fun day!

Well i was way too worn out to post anything by the time i got home last night. So i had to wait until today to edit all my pictures and get on the blog. We had SUCH a fun time yesterday! All the rides were a blast and we didn't have to wait in line too long for anything. Cheetah Hunt was my favorite, and we got to ride Sheikra twice IN THE FRONT!!! We got wet multiple times so we never felt too hot. To save time and energy we rode the skyride back and forth across the park. I love being up that high and the chance to sit back and relax for a few minutes! All in all we made some good memories and I hope we go back soon! I'm glad we have the rest of the summer to plan trips. I just wish it was closer....

P.S. getting Jayson to take this picture made me look really stupid because i had to stand on a ledge pretty far away from the actual giraffe sculpture! But i just love these animals so i had to pose with one, and I think these shots are amusing. :)

A happy couple

I love my parents!!! I think this is such a nice picture of them enjoying themselves just being together! We walked down to the park this evening with all the kids. The weather is still so nice once the sun goes down! I took some other fun pictures and i posted them on my facebook. Don't have time for a long post tonight so goodnight!!

Farm living

Ahh, another day enjoying some great farm time! It included time relaxing on the front porch, riding the motor vehicles, shooting a few guns on the homemade shooting range, and a few paintball wars! This picture is my brother Justin and my cousin Abby all geared up to shoot some paint at each other! I was a spectator on most of these things, but no one missed out on the hot dog roast at the end of the day! Lots of yummy food involved...corn on the cob and baked beans! I feel like quite a southern farm girl right now...and quite in need of a shower!

A crop of vegetables

We spent the day up at my grandparents farm with my cousin Abby. Everyone had a great time just hanging out!! A neighbor brought over a large bucket of produce from their garden....and we didn't know what to do with it all! My grandma and I cooked a bunch of the squash up for dinner in a casserole and that was yummy, but we still have to figure out what we are going to do with all those cucumbers...not to mention that nice pumpkin! Anyways, i thought it was a fun picture with all the nice colors :)

Random interests

We passed this car on a trailer today while we were driving. I love old blue cars! This one was so covered in junk but i have a feeling it is an adorable rig when it's cleaned up! Random things likes that make life more fun to observe. Cheers to whoever gets to drive that baby around! I hope it gets a few more years of appreciation...:)

Good old fashioned fun!

A tin bucket, a water hose and bathing suits summed up the entertainment for the kids this afternoon! It's summertime and water is a fine friend to spend the hot days with! Keenan was happy to oblige posing for this shot! :D

P.S. I finally figured out the editing that was giving me trouble on the shell pictures so i changed my blog post to the finished picture...

Sea shell souvenirs

My mom spent some of the day sorting thru the shells she brought back from her beach vacation last week. Once she had them all arranged i enjoyed looking at them! I like how she put all the little delicate ones in the big bulky one. I started playing with my editing but it got too late, so I didn't get the picture for the blog that i wanted but maybe i'll try again tomorrow. :)

Kids and their fun!

I took my brothers and the neighbor girls to the park this evening. The weather is still nice and breezy after the sun sinks from it's high place in the sky so we take every opportunity that we can to enjoy it! One of our favorite things to do is walk on the boardwalk out to the lake! I always get the coolest pictures of the queen anne's lace flowers and the sun between the trees....but those can get to all look the same, so i decided to post one of the all the smiling faces that made the evening what it was! :) What a joy. I pray that God will raise up these young hearts to serve him with the same passion that they display as they run thru life!

Sleeping kitty

As much as cats annoy me i can't help but find them adorable and sweet when they sleep! I had been noticing them napping in the windows all day and thought it looked so picture perfect but when i got out my camera i couldn't find one in the window, on this one lounging in her favorite desk chair. Not much of a backround but a darling pose just the same. It's the little things like this that make me smile.....

By Still Waters

Today started off a pretty normal day with not a lot on the schedule. I ran some errands for my mom this morning and did some thrift store shopping with Keenan. We all drove in to Wintergarden in the late afternoon. I played raquetball for a little while at the gym with Kyle and Mom while the younger kids played at the lake in front of a friend's house. When I came to pick them up I ended up sitting down and relaxing in the sand while they continued to play. The sun was going down and the breeze was picking up so it was a lovely time of day. These shells must have been ones the boys collected and threw up on the shore but i thought they looked so perfectly placed!

I have been blessed by God with a continued stillness of spirit. He is more than enough for me each and every day! :)

A weekend to remember!!

Wow, the Next 2011 conference by Sovereign Grace Ministries was soooo amazing!!! I'm still trying to process and comprehend everything that i experienced! I felt like a sponge soaking it all up! It was such a blessing to be able to be equipped by such godly teachers and to be able to worship God with other young people on fire for God in a transparent and obvious way! His spirit was truly there among us.

Unfortunately i didn't take many pictures during the time because it was hard to carry stuff around and keep track of it, so my camera stayed in the car most of the time. But one of the evening when i was walking out to the parking lot i noticed how pretty the lights were on the outside of the building and i had to take a picture! It will represent and remind me of how beautiful the entire Shingle Creek conference building really was!! It was so elegant and comfortable. I would love to have a big party or wedding there someday! :)

Needless to say i'm running on a high from all this excitement!!! God is good and i'm praying He will carry me thru the everyday mundane that can threaten to take away the joy that i am experiencing right now....His faithfulness is everlasting!

Looking forward to getting back into Project365. We will see what tomorrow brings my way and what creativeness i come up with. :)

Hitting the roller coasters!

Today we went to Busch Gardens with the White family! I had never been before so it was a blast trying out all the new rides!! We stood in line more than i would have liked to....but it was worth it and at least we were with friends :)

Sheikra had the best thrill with the highest drop anywhere in florida! But with all the fun we've had i much say i'm exhausted!

I didn't even want to get on the computer but i figured i wouldn't get around to posting later if i didn't. Also i'm going to a conference in Orlando all weekend so i will be without internet for that time therefore my blog will be down...:-/ I'll be sure to post pictures of all the fun i had when i get home tho! Goodnight!

babysitting evening

Well tonight i had all my brothers so we decided to go bowling at the place right by our house!! Even tho i'm really bad at it i still enjoy the game. The first game everyone beat me, but the second round i did a lot better :) It was nice to get out and do something as a family! I wanted to take a picture while we were playing but it's bad lighting in there and i ended up forgetting to even try. So i snapped this one just for representation! Not very creative but i'm not in the mood anyways....

buttons!

I bought a collection of blue buttons at a garage sale a while back and have kept them in this jar on my shelf hoping that one day i will get around to doing something creative with them! Well so far the closest i've gotten is taking a few pictures of them! they do make interesting still life subjects...and i love how every one is different! Let me know if you have any cool button project ideas!

Blazing sunset

I snapped this picture thru my car window stopped at a stop sign driving around town tonight! I helped out at a NTC 5k run event taking pictures, then went to dinner with a friend, and ended up at the Claerbouts and hung out the rest of the evening. The sun was so big and colorful in the sky i was amazed! Photography is about taking the time to appreciate the kind of beauty we take for granted every single day!!! Thank you God for another amazing day to enjoy Your creation!

Riding horses on a summer evening

My, is it getting warm! Our cold snap is gone and the mugginess has returned. We were out in the heat all afternoon down on the dock while Keenan fished for a big bass! I definitely got some rays and now i'm applying lots of lotion!

We waited until the sun was less intense before we got out the horses. Keenan is becoming quite the horseman! :) He had a lot of fun riding across the fields back and forth, looking like a real cowboy! It was getting dark so i wasn't pleased with the quality and clarity of the pictures i took, and they really didn't represent the glow of the fading sun, but this picture is still cute because it shows how much fun he was having!

Blue Eyes

This little girl has the most amazing eyes ever!!! We spent the evening up at the White's house and i had so much fun playing with the kids and watching them try to make me laugh... I was loving their facial expressions so much i started snapping pictures of them. Amber was quite the photogenic thing, and her eyes couldn't help but stand out......

Rays of moonlight

Well it got dark before i could take my picture so i decided to play with night shots...

This one is up thru the trees with the moonlight coming thru, and i got the streaking effect by zooming in and opening the shutter and then zooming out before the shutter closed. A little blurry still but i thought it was kinda cool :)

Geography is fun!

Today was our geography co-op, and everyone got to show off the boards we had been working on for the past few weeks. I really like how Justin and Keenan's turned out! It was a fun day learning about South America.

Just to smile

My funny friend Aubrie gave me this little guy and he is perched on my shelf just to make you smile....i mean, how can you resist those big eyes???? hehe I didn't have a creative picture today...but at least i captured something interesting huh? ok goodnight!!! :D

Love is....

I was inspired by Shelby to attempt to take this picture, and since i have been meditating on 1 Corinthians 13 for a past few days i thought it was the perfect page to do it on. Without love we are nothing, and true love is from God. May he teach us more about it's perfecting nature in our hearts! This is a time in my life of desperation for God and i don't want to miss the opportunity to be blessed by His presence and bask in His grace and provision.

P.S. for the record this was one of the most difficult photos i have captured in a while!

Lovely scones!!!

This morning our kitchen was filled with bakers as we whipped up these scones with the fresh blueberries we picked last week! We made a few batches of these, and a large batch of blueberry bread too. I can't wait to eat some for breakfast!

a cheerful bouquet!

My dear sister Rachel sent me flowers for my birthday and they have been gracing my desk for the last few days making me smile and think of her!! I sure miss that girl!!!

The wind in the trees

I have been thoroughly enjoying the breeze lately and this weekend it was more like strong winds! I love the sound blowing through the trees and I like to think about how the Holy Spirit is like that, able to be heard and felt but not seen. Anyways i was trying to find a good way to display in a picture how awesome it was but this is all i got. I kept thinking about how a flowing skirt and long hair blowing would have made a nice picture but i didn't have a model....:-/ lol

Off to the blueberry patch

Blueberry picking with my family was so much fun!! This was an amazing organization to help migrant workers and the picking, as you can see, was plentiful! We picked a total of almost 90 pounds!!! Our bellies were full of berries and now we have stocked fridges and freezers! Time to make some delicious recipes!!!!

Beach day!

For my birthday we went to Cocoa beach! This was a fun group of kids to go with, as you can see they were enjoying the ride! :)

We had a great time together, the weather was great and the water was perfect!!! Good memories....