the itsy bitsy spider turned out to be too big

I guess this is what happens when you garden... you get giant spiders the size of a post-it note ... yaaaay :)

so sweet

in the shop now :)

a little r&r

Sometimes we have to get away... reset our priorities and just learn how to enjoy everyday...

gardening

relaxing

Take a little time out for yourself this weekend... relax... breathe... play... I am :)

Little reminders

God sends us little reminders every now and again of what we should be thankful for... Recently I have been reminded quite a lot. My mom says it is because my wardrobe is now changing since I don't have to keep my scar covered anymore, and that could be entirely true but I believe that it is God reminding me to be thankful for my health... I take it for granted too often and after all that I have been through I really shouldn't. I was blessed to learn at such an early age how sovereign he is. Now all I need to do is remember that and live the way HE wants me to live... and Walk the way He taught me to walk... Daily

Beach Day!

Today after church my sis and "my brothers" and I went to the beach. We body boarded and played Frisbee and had a bonfire. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. As I took an evening walk to the pier I encountered leftover daytime fun. It was Sandcastles that were being softly washed away by the waves that caught my eye... And next to them... trash... Styrofoam cups and bowls and red Dixie cups. My smile from the sweet sandcastles faded as I watched the Styrofoam being taken into the sea. Quickly I ran after the litter and started collecting more and more as I went along my walk making trips up to the trash cans whenever my hands became too full. The saddest part about the bowls and cups was that these were what these Sandcastles had been created out of and they were just left there...
My parents always taught me to leave wherever I visited better than what I found it. My hope is that I will be able to pass that on to my children. So I encourage you my dear blog readers... to go to your local park, beach, or trail and pick up ten pieces of trash... Have your kiddos help and it will be even more fun!
After we went camping my parents would always have a competition of who could pick up the most trash. To this day whenever we go camping the last day I spend an hour or two picking up trash making it just a little prettier for the next person.
The best part about today though was the dolphins! I know I am making you Midwesterners jealous but... WE SWAM WITH THE DOLPHINS!!! They came about 6 feet away from my friend Nathan! It was pretty awesome. They were so beautiful and majestic. The dolphins made circles around the beach for about 2 hours.... Incredible!

I'm BACK!!!

Pictures from Romania Beating the boys at monopoly... Yes I always win :) ALWAYS! Love that little toe! Horses My favorite picture of the whole trip...

The sweet kiddos I got the pleasure of playing with!

The morning after we arrived it SNOWED!

I had been awake for about 36 hours in this picture!

Getting on the super scary puddle jumper...

So sorry for the long wait! After I got home from wonderful Romania I hit the ground running! Life has been crazy since I got back, I have been working a ton, but it has been so good. Romania was a wonderful experience and I loved it.

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks at home :)

I'm in Romania!

Hello dear blog friends!
So sorry for the lack of updates! I am in Timisuara Romania. Yeah... I probably didnt spell the city name correctly but o well. We spent our first week in Petrosani Romania with a missionary from our church. We did a womens confrence at the church and it went really well. We spent our time with Kelly talking with her and hopefully encouraging her. I promise I will post tons of pictures later. We had to leave Petrosani a little earlier than we had planned because I ended up being super allergic to the mold in the city. We are now staying at a church in Timisuara and it is beautiful. We will be touring around the city for a few days and then we will be going to Budapest! I am having a great time and I am feeling better now :) Thanks for your prayers!

Shots for Romania

I am going to Romania in 13 days! The main reason for my visit is to go spend time with one of the missionaries that my church supports over there. I am so excited and it has come up so fast... Literally SO FAST! My heart is so excited and my head is so nervous...
Today I got the shot for hepatitis A... Not too pleasant... My arm feels like it was hit with a baseball bat. But hey, one little shot isn't so bad :)
Anyways, I would love your prayers in the upcoming weeks. Please pray for safety, for open hearts of the young women we will be having a conference for, for me to have an encouraging spirit, and for health. I so look forward to this trip :)