As a kid I remember making cookies at Christmas time. I remember making them at my aunt's house and having the power go out. I remember making them with Ross and Nate in the kitchen and making a gigantic mess. Christmas is one of the only times we make cookies, or anything sweet for that matter, besides for birthdays. Because we only make them at Christmas, it's something we remember. It's something I remember. We'll decorate them tomorrow and we'll eat them for the next week, and then there will be few cookies in our house until Christmas comes around again.
staying up late and making Christmas presents at the last minute
figuring out Christmas songs on the piano
hanging lights everywhere for no reason other than the fact that they make me happy
sweaters, pretty magazines, and letters from friends
And most of all, Christmas is giving. It's giving like Christ gave to us. It's giving love, time, and attention to those you love and to those who you may not even know. Christmas is a reminder to not forget others. Christmas is now, tomorrow, and always.
It's amazing how the allure of unknown places can lay hold on you, almost consuming you at times. The idea of being anonymous in a place unknown to me is intriguing. I want to wander and explore. I want to take pictures of all the people I meet and freeze all the memories I make with a press of my finger. I want to stand in awe as I look over mountains my feet have never explored. I want to go on a journey. I want to rediscover myself and understand why God put me here. I want to give into my suitcase heart and it's wanderlust.
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.
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!
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.
There are times in everyone's lives when they have to cling to the promise that God will work all things out for good. This month has been that time in my family's and my life. Our nightmare started on July fourth when two precious boys were ripped from our lives in a lake accident. My nephew, Nate and his best friend, Noah joined Jesus and we were left behind to feel the pain. The boys are in heaven now, Noah is probably pushing the "rain button" and Nate's probably trying to keep Noah out of trouble and drawing portraits of Abraham, Noah, and Peter.
The last month has been a time of trial and of learning to truly trust God. And though the boys are no longer with us, I know that we will see them one day because of the hope we have within us of a Savior who rescued us from our sin.
Noah was the hilarious kid who was always in trouble and was honestly a little "playah." He made us all laugh with his jokes, songs, and genuine curiousness. I will never forget him standing up on a table while we were camping and singing, "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?!?" at the top of his lungs. That was just the kind of boy he was; loud, spontaneous, and full of life.
Nate was my buddy. He was a talented artist and an aspiring runner and swimmer. He ran a triathlon a few months before and I could never get over how much he loved it.
Noah always found himself in the midst of trouble. He just seemed to run into it without meaning too. I remember one summer's camping trip we all were on "the island" and he stepped on some glass and cut his foot open. He screamed bloody murder and that he wanted his mommy while I carried him to the boat and screamed for someone to come get us. I was his "rescuer" that day and I'll never forget it.
He was the class clown and trouble maker combined, making his absolutely hilarious to be around. But at the same time no one had a heart like him. He always wanted to help others.
Nate was like my little brother. I teased him, I laughed with him, I played with him, I grew up with him. It will be so hard to continue growing up without my fellow pirate and Spiderman lover, as well friend, but I trust that God will help me and anyone else who was and is touched by their lives. They lived such short lives but already Nate and Noah have touched more people than I ever thought possible. My dad used their stories to touch people in Brazil and people are being touched here in my town too. They were so young but they loved the Lord so much and He granted them a legacy far above what anyone could imagine.
Moving forward will be hard and there will never be a day that I won't think about those two boys but I know that my God is bigger than this tragedy and that He will bring us all out stronger on the other side. I look forward to having Noah and Nate give me the grand tour of heaven when I meet them there.
They truly lived in a way that honored Christ and I know that I want to live like they did; to live like that. Whenever you hear that song, Live Like That, remember these two boys and the legacy they left and be inspired again and again to live a life worthy of Christ's call; to leave a legacy that will touch people with Christ's love.
camping; the simple, constant joy of summer. no summer is complete without at least one camping trip...or three! camping brings out the simple joys i miss in my everyday life. the baseball games, the tubing-induced screams, and the silhouettes as the sun slowly sinks below the mountains.
this little boy is growing up so fast. it seems like it was only yesterday that Jett Alexander came into my life, but in truth it has almost been two years. that astounds me. i can't believe the months have slipped by in unison. a constant blur until one takes time to focus on the time passed.
and this kid; our artist, comedian, swimmer, and now runner. Nate did a triathlon a couple weeks ago, and even though he finished last (come on, how many ten year olds really do these things?) we were so proud of him. God has great plans for him.
yes, Jett really likes brushing his teeth. and he doesn't always do it with his toothbrush either!
and combing hair. our future barber?
And all that teeth-brushing and hair-combing naturally wore the fella out. Awwwww....
Noah Dean
some of my church friends came over for the day.
and i let Jillian use my camera so there are actually pictures of me...remarkable!
and my "brother" seth. this kid cracks me up!
more baseball. :)
Yeah, we get into it...
and that's my crazy "family." you gotta love summer.
