Sunday, November 25, 2012

the tree story



My family bought a cabin on the Virginia Creeper Trail and for Black Friday we headed up there to ride the trail.  Afterwards we found a place that was selling trees for ten bucks and since this Christmas will definitely not be normal we decided to do something different.  

 we searched the hillside for the perfect tree and the kids ran up and down the hillside.

Even Jett got involved!



 when we found the perfect tree, Travis cut it down and Maggie and I held it in place and totally screamed as it fell down.
 And then the comedy act of dragging it down the mountain ensued.
 And that's the story of how we got ourselves some Christmas trees.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Remember Autumn




Autumn comes, ushering in an array of colors, all falling from the sky.  A warmth lingers in the air as a chill tries to drive it away but it is not yet its time.  The crunch of leaves and laughter fills the urban silence as two girls moves swiftly though the yard, pausing for the older to shoot with her camera.   The younger moves and poses as inclined, smiling and laughing with her friend.
 Their laughter erupts as they attempt to synchronize their jumps and leaves fall all around them.
 No one lingers long enough to smile at the two, who were oblivious to all but the timer on the camera and each other.
 Sunshine smiled down on them, caressing their cheeks. 
 They lifted their face to the sun and laughed away their worries they tended to dwell on too often.
 For a time they did not care how ridiculous they looked or even who might see them.  They didn't worry about whether people liked them, but focused fully on the camera in the older's hand and the kinship they felt.
 Yes, it was a good day they knew.  It was full of confidence, laughter, and music.  Their voices blended with each other, creating a melody the family gathered around to hear.
 This is what they will remember Autumn by.
 The sun smiled as they turned their backs and went back to their homes, knowing they would be back again.

This is one of my best friends, Hope.  She's a beautiful girl and God has great plans for her.  I count it a great joy to be her friend.  And let me say, she makes a great model!

Saturday, November 3, 2012

spilling thoughts

There's something scary and exciting about returning to something.  That feeling of wondering if you can do it or if you will just leave.  It's been months since I even looked at this page.  Since I've thought of words and pictures that would go together.  I ask myself if I am ready to return.  I think I am.  



 It is as if I am opening the door on all the thoughts, memories, and pictures I have stored up inside, letting them all spill out through my fingers.  It is something natural, something I never even realized I missed.  It is beautiful.
 I am sixteen now and I still don't know what to think of it.  It doesn't feel very different yet I can feel adult-hood closing in while childhood tries to take a stronger hold on me.  One day I will need to find a balance between them but for now I can stay as I am.  I feel excitement for the future but I do not wish to be there so soon.  I want to relish my time because I've learned how truly precious and fleeting life and time is.  I found a quote that perfectly illustrated what I have discovered.
Today I am older than I have ever been and younger than I will ever be again.
 Life does not know what the word pause means.  There is no such thing as a standstill, only short times of peacefulness between the chaos we all call our lives.  Those are the times when we stop and look around.  See the joy and the pain in other's eyes and forget about our own for a while.  When we gather together and laugh away the problems.  Peace is found in the smile of a friend, the laughter of a child, the silent watch of the stars, and the whisper of leaves as they make their slow descent to the earth below.  These are my times of peace and remembrance.
 These are the times when I thank God for what I have, had, and will have.  Those are the times when I feel inspiration and I feel comfortable with who I am.  Those are times I treasure.

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