Margo.

Margo Breanna-
Happy Birthday!
23 years old and more beautiful than ever. 

Can I just take a moment and tell you how much I love this girl? 

I love her SO much. 

Even more than "to infinity and beyond". 

She's my big sister and best friend. 

The other pea to my pod.
The partner in my crime.
(that's usually how it turns out)

She's my confidant who makes life sweeter, richer, and a lot more fun. 

She makes me a better person and we laugh a lot together.
A whole lot. 

Her smile lights up a room and brightens my humdrum days.   

She's one of those people in my life who when I know is around, 

everything will be ok. 

I love journeying through life with her--

thick or thin, rain or shine, tears and laughter.

We help each other up and push each other forward.

We're not perfect sisters, but we're perfect together.

 The Lord gave me something wonderfully irreplaceable in Margo.

            He has graciously given us a beautiful sisterhood.

It is a gift I am thankful for;

it is a rarity I don't take for granted.  

I wouldn't trade her for anything. 
I'm thankful we get to brave life's ocean together.

Maybe not always hand in hand, but certainly always heart in heart. 

Margo loves Jesus.

It's not hard to see that. 

She is inseparable from her Great Lover. 

Like a soaked sponge, her love for Christ seeps out to those around her.  

And she challenges me to love Jesus deeper and pursue Him harder.

She's a beautiful vessel in the hands a masterful Craftsmen. 

People love her and she loves people. 

She's going to make a great teacher one day. 

Dream on and dream big, baby! 

      

I love you, Margo Breanna. 

To the best big sister one could ask for. 

"Touch the stars, oh Beautiful

Look for more, search higher still

There's a light in you

You're gonna shine, doll

You're gonna touch the stars." 

A Little Reflection.

      If you had asked me a year ago if I was excited about going to college, I probably would've told you that "excited" is not the first word that comes to mind. 

Words more like 

nervous,

unsure,

scared,

discontent and unprepared 

for a new and strange change would've described how I was feeling about it all. College was going to be different and foreign from what I had always known and had come to love so dearly. A change like this intimidated me. From road life to college life; from an established community and best friends to unfamiliar faces; from knowing what to expect to having no idea how to even get to my classrooms; from life in a trailer and host homes to life in a dormitory. Living out of a dresser and not a suitcase? What?!

Change; it was indeed nerve racking.

BUT...

if you were to ask me now if I am excited about school, I would say yes. I would say more than yes. Words like 

 excited, 

thankful, 

blessed, 

thriving and moving 

 forward in a new and thrilling world would describe how I feel about it all. Only by God's surpassing grace can I say these things. College has been different but I have grown to love it. It's a lot of work and really hard, but it's definitely been worth it. And all those unfamiliar faces have since become dear friends of mine.

I'm learning that my fear of change is ultimately a lack of faith and a failure to trust my Heavenly Father. This doesn't mean I never miss what once was, because trust me, I still do. But it does mean that in His faithfulness, the Lord does not let me remain there but graciously teaches and corrects me in the difficult transitions of life. He knows and calls me to Himself. As I press into Him, I find joy. As I rest in Him, I find contentment. I've learned that sometimes God calls us to do things that require brokenness and bravery. But those kinds of callings are the best. 

And it's in obedience to those callings that we will come to know more of Him...
...so I have found.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with ALL your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile." 

-Jeremiah 29:11-14

And so I remember and recount the goodness of the Lord to me. 

He is indeed good, isn't He.

A Wednesday.

Here's just a little bit of Wednesday.

It's really not much but just a snippet of the day.

The morning was grey, cold, and soggy.

I liked it though. 

Sometimes it's these very mornings that really make it feel like fall.

 And I really, really like fall. And pumpkins.

Childhood winter nostalgia; the classic Ramen noodle.

A much needed note of reminder. We all need those. 

My office. 

It was finally cold enough to layer the long sleeves. 

This tree lit up with beauty as the sun set. 

Let's be honest, I think Margo and I have the best view on campus.
And it's quite convenient too because we can just open up our
 window and talk with friends as they come and go from Mullins. 

  My view everyday.
I'm more than blessed to live here.
#seenatsouthern

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for His is good, for His steadfast love endures forever."

Psalm 107:1

"Lasts" of Home.

Home. 

Such a small word that encompasses one of the largest parts of my heart. 

Being there this past week was like stepping into the middle of a whirlpool; a place still and peaceful from the rush of a busy life here in Louisville. 

At home I breathed. 

Not the kind of breathing you do merely to survive. That breathing is often done thoughtlessly and routinely. No.

This kind of breathing was deep and slow. Inhaling all home had to offer. 

Like when you inhale the beautiful scent of a rose, fresh chocolate chip cookies or a fresh pot of coffee brewing. Or how about the first hint of fall. You can smell all of it now, can't you?

Home was that sweet aroma. 

I rested at home. 

The type of rest where your heart beat literally slows down. The rest your heart, soul, mind, and body are thankful for. A rest where you abide in all of God Himself. 

So many good things happened over fall break--

long walks through the woods, fields, and dirt roads,

exploring barns and cornfields, 

making caramel apples and coffee,

feeding ducks at Notre Dame,

reading in the sunshine and eating pomegranates,

catching the gold of a sunset,

cherishing memories of an empty house, 

and taking in a final deep breath of a wonderful week. 

This is a long post, I know, but it's the "lasts" of home. Well, the "lasts" for now.

This will let you see a few more glories we experienced. 

A pipeline all the way from Alaska to Texas...via Michigan...how convenient.

The infamous Notre Dame

Yes, I did want to jump into that pile of leaves. 

 

This week I took time to marvel at our Creator through His creation.

When a sky is so blue and earth's hues so green, I just want to stop and stare at it all.  

And then there are the little wonders that take intentional observation.

Getting down low and looking very closely at every little detail.  

Marveling at small blossoms catching the sun's rays and the ruby red gems of a pomegranate. 

 It's in these things that hold a rare beauty I so often miss. 

  

   

 

That time of day where the sunlight gently kisses the tops of trees as the twilight pulls up the dark covers of night. It is a time of day you should not want to miss. 

I didn't want to miss it. 

So I captured it with a lens.

 

It looked a little different this time. 

Not the house itself, but the actually home. 

There weren't eight voices echoing through the walls like there usually are. 

There were no abrupt outbursts of laughter or song to dismiss the silence.

(Of course Margo and I still laughed and sang.)

The kitchen seemed empty. 

The family room wasn't bustling about. 

The bedrooms were bare and strangely quiet. 

No one was attempting to play Chop Sticks on the piano. 

(funny how we begin to miss the things we consider annoying at the time.)

Eating at the dining room table felt incomplete. 

The wood floors were silent from the pitter-patter of feet and paws.  

I wanted the vacant spaces of home to be filled with my family. 

Filled with Loveings. 

But not this time.

Prayerfully though, next time.  

 

To end it all, we took a walk. Coffee in hand, barefoot, and bundled up from the bite of the evening chill. Together, we watched the sun go down and caught its fire in our eyes. This was needed time for us both. To press pause and regain composure from a whirlwind. 

Everything was sweet and it's crazy what some good rest and food can do for ya. 

Above all, nothing fills my heart more than to know that all of this is from my Heavenly Father. How He provides for me! 

"Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" -Matt. 6:26

The Lord has provided everything I have needed in all circumstances and at all times. 

It takes a faith that I do not have on my own to believe that. 

"All I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me."

I have no reason to withhold such praise from an awe-inspiring, awesome, and awe-striking God.

He Who promises is indeed faithful. 

And I thank Him. 

I thank Him! 

And in faith, praise Him for His unchanging faithfulness to me.  

Home. 

It's beautiful, isn't it?