One Year Anniversary

I honestly can not believe that we have been married for a year... It still seems so new! I wonder when it really hits you? Because, often when I am in the kitchen making dinner or straightening the house I think about how fun it is to "play house". Then I remember, "I'm not playing house, I'm actually married!" It sounds silly, but it still feels too good to be true. Honestly, marriage has been a delight!

This pictures is us... in a nutshell.

As I have been thinking about our anniversary, I keep coming back to the story in 1 Samuel 7:12: "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far the Lord has helped us." Samuel was basically putting up a memorial of the Lord's faithfulness through his life and various trials. He wanted to always remember how God had helped and provided and taken care of him, so that if/when life gets really hard he would have something to look back to and remember the Lord's goodness and faithfulness. That's how I feel about our first year of marriage. I know that life will inevitably get harder, either financially, physically, emotionally, spiritually, relationally. BUT one thing I also know is that God has promised to be with me. Once it does it get harder, I want to remember the way He has provided for us this year. Because I want to continue to trust Him... So, our first year of marriage will always be for me an "Ebenezer"- a memorial of the Lord's faithfulness to us.

Well, our anniversary is today, BUT we celebrated it on April 29th because we knew that it would be hectic at SLP and we might not get to enjoy our anniversary the way we would want to. So, we went to see Shrek the Musical at the Fox Theatre. Sooo fun! We also stayed in a hotel across the street and walked to Baronda for dinner. It was the perfect night!

Romantic dinner at Baronda

Outside the Fox- waiting to see Shrek:The Musical

But we haven't forgotten about tradition… we brought our cake topper down to Panama City. We had cake in bed this morning!  :) 

 I'm so unbelievably thankful for this year, can't wait to see what God has in store for us!

Summer Leadership Project

Today we are leaving for the Summer Leadership Project.  As most of you know, Wyatt and I met on our first "beach project" 3 years ago while working together at McDonald's.  I can't begin to explain how influential that summer was on us... and not only because we met each other! :)  We both grew so much in our understand of God's character, how to study His word, pray and share our faith.  I wouldn't have traded that training for anything in the world, because it gave me a great foundation for the rest of my life.  That's why I am so excited about all the students from UGA, Georgia Tech and North Georgia that are going with us.  I can't only hope and pray that it will be as beneficial for them as it has been for me.  

To get a better idea of what the Summer Leadership Project is all about, check out the video below. 

Summer Leadership Project 2010 from Campus Outreach ATL on Vimeo.

I'm excited for the opportunity to return to Panama City Beach as staff on the SLP.  Even though we won't be working minimum-wage jobs with the students, we will definitely still be busy.  For example, Wyatt is the Jobs Coordinator... more affectionately known as "The Job Father".  He is responsible for lining up jobs for all 100 students and staying connected with all of the employers.  Also, he will be giving training talks every Sunday night about "Stewardship".  He is mainly talking about how to be good managers of the time and money that God has given us.  We have both already learned so much just from his preparation.  I'm excited to see how this training influences the students to be responsible and God-honoring with their time and money during college and into their careers.  

The SLP is definitely one of my favorite parts about our job!  We are so blessed.  We get to spend a month at the beach loving on college students and growing in our relationships with God..  I don't think it could get much better than that.  

Living vicariously...

So, all of the blogs that I read are about families with kids. Funny stories and pictures of what their children have done.  But we don't have kids yet, so I have decided to live vicariously through my siblings and post funny pictures and stories of my niece and nephews. This week we are in Peachtree City visiting with my family before we leave for the summer.  Yesterday my whole family came over to celebrate my nephew Sam's birthday, Wyatt's birthday and Mother's Day.  Needless to say, it was eventful.  I guess it always is eventful/chaotic when you have a 7 year-old, 4 year-old, 3 year-old and twin one-year-olds running around. 

My dad aka "Grandpa Pip" holding Hunter (left) and Ryan (right). In this picture you can really tell how different they look.  Sometimes it's hard to believe they are even twins. 

Sitting out on the porch Avery says out of nowhere- "Oh, what a beautiful day".           Not something you expect to hear from a 3 year-old.

Happy Easter!

I should just say "Happy Spring" because it has been almost a month sense Easter, but oh well! This was probably my favorite Easter yet. Friday night, we went to the Good Friday service at Christ Community.. And wow! We are so blessed, our band is amazing! Then, we went down to my parents house on Saturday to celebrate with family… and it was so much fun. We went to 2 Easter egg hunts with all the kids and they loved it. And my brother practically did a photo shoot in the backyard.

Clockwise: Me, Sam (my nephew), Wyatt, Daniel (my nephew), My Dad,

Courtney (my sister), Anna (my sister in law), Avery (my niece)

When he heard the "say cheese", Daniel (left) spit his gum at the photographer...

which of course made us laugh for a while

My brother was calling this the sorority pose... she is too cute!

Last but not least, the best picture of the day....

Ryan (left) & Hunter (right) fighting over the car.

I don't know that I have ever laughed so hard! Look at the panic on Ryan's face, priceless.

Then, Sunday we spent the day in the hammock resting and spending time with Jesus. I was pretty blown away with the fact that He is risen.. He beat sin and death.. He is victorious forever! And because of that one event in history my life will never be the same... Thanks Jesus.

In all the excitement of the weekend I realized on Sunday morning that we completely forgot to do Easter baskets for each other… maybe adults aren't supposed to get Easter baskets?! But this was certainly my first Easter without one. Everyone says I'm still just a little kid… I guess they are right! I'm still craving those delicious Reese's Easter Eggs... guess I will have to wait for the pumpkins at Halloween.

Welcome to our blog!

Hello everyone!

I decided to start a blog because it seems like the trendy thing to do AND it could be a really great way to keep up with the people we love. Not really sure how all of this works yet, so give me some grace while I figure it all out..