Max looking through the cookbooks at Momsey's

This clock and set of candles is in my dining room.

Harrison. He is my default fallback when I've forgotten to grab a picture all day.

I got my hair cut today! I'm going to let it grow out... but sometimes growing it out means cutting it shorter and altering the style so that it will grow out nicely.

Saturday: We celebrated Stephen's 16th birthday after my mom and sister Kelly and I saw Les Miserables. He's not a baby anymore!

Sunday: After church I took a nice two hour nap (and probably won't be able to sleep tonight as a result) before watching football. So here's a lovely picture of the 49ers on our TV.

I really need to get more creative for these daily pictures, I’m already finding myself challenged.  Any ideas for themes or something like that?

Definitely not the best picture, but this is the band that was playing at Thursday night service at church.

I've been practicing yoga a lot more lately, so I wanted to capture one of the poses that I've been working on. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to get in a good half-moon when you only have 10 seconds before the timer goes off.

Also, I just saw a commercial in which Newt Gingrich endorsed Liberty University.  I thought it was odd.  But I must remember, I am not God, and therefore, am not his judge.

I was driving down Conway and was practically stopped in the middle of the road {thank the Lord there was zero traffic} and all of these cars were stopped on the side of the road taking pictures as is flew overhead.  Even the landscaping guys stopped what they were doing to see.

That definitely added some excitement to my morning!

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

I haven’t played the piano much in recent years, but I really have missed it.  I sat down to play yesterday and immediately started going through our hymnal; I always love to play the songs that I grew up singing.  What a Friend We Have in Jesus is one that my Mom used to sing as she rubbed my back to help me fall asleep and is one of my favorites for that very reason.  But as I played, I heard the words anew.

I’ve been struggling a bit lately in the peace and trust departments, and singing these words turned a lightbulb on in my head.  How much peace I have forfeited!  What needless pain I have borne, just because I wanted to cling to what I wanted instead of trusting in my faithful Friend.

I am so thankful for the many ways that the Lord chooses to speak to me.  I am so thankful that He continues to speak softly to my soul, even after months of trying to shut out His voice.  I am so thankful for my faithful, Wonderful Friend.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?  Is there trouble anywhere?  We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.  Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?  Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

I am a total nerd.  My husband is embarrassed.

Also, happy birthday to my baby brother—who’s not quite a baby anymore.  I love you, Stephen!  Enjoy your driver’s license!

I ended up missing one day of exercise last week because I worked four days in a row (M-Th), so by Friday I just needed rest.  I think Saturday made up for it though; I walked all over SeaWorld and did 40 minutes of yoga.

Thursday: My new Bible arrived, but the quality of the cover was poor so I tried to return it, but Amazon said that I could keep it and still get a refund! How cool!

Friday: Andrew's bean sprouts!

Saturday: We spent the day at SeaWorld with Andrew's family. Isabella and Olivia got to pet a sloth!

Sunday: My sweet husband making dinner after I got home from work. It's super out of focus... but Andrew never stays still for more than one second, so it's difficult to play with the camera settings.

Monday: My hands look and feel awful after working so many days in such a short time period, so I will practically take a bath in this lotion tomorrow!

TOMS, a good book, and Pandora made this gorgeous day even better!

So far so good in this whole “new year” thing! I’m keeping up with both my fitness and photography goals!