iphoneography.

i remember when i was a senior in high school and flip phones were all the rage.

then they had flip phones with cameras. 

almost a decade later, we have cell phones that can produce images like these:

all photos taken with my iphone 4s.

a testament to His grace and perfect will.

 
my hometown's high school graduation was last friday night. 

if you do the math, it has been 8 years since i graduated. 8 years.

i picked up my senior book and took a little trip down memory lane. i came across my "future plans and goals" page. 
the words my seventeen year old self wrote hit me like a ton of bricks:  

"graduate from college with honors. 

get married and have 2.5 kids and a dog. 

live in a house with a wrap around porch on a farm."

here's how those plans worked out:

i didn't go to college. 

i don't have a boyfriend. or a dog. 

i still live at home with my parents. 

the plans i made for my future came crashing down less than three months after i graduated.

but my seventeen year old self didn't know just how wonderful failed plans could be.

in those years where i thought i'd be living with friends and experiencing life, i actually found life. 

his name is Jesus. 

maybe i would've saw my need for salvation while attending college. i would've realized that void and emptiness i felt was Jesus knocking on the door of my heart, asking to be Lord of my life. maybe i would've been able to be 100% sure that when i died, i would spend eternity in heaven. 

but it didn't happen that way. 

why? 

because it was God's plan for my life. He is writing my story. it just took me awhile to see it.

He relentlessly pursued me. after years of running, it happened. on a sunday afternoon (6/24/07), my doubts and worries came to a halt.  i was in my bedroom and called my parents in to tell them that i had no idea where i would spend eternity. 

that evening, i gave my life to Christ. 

in today's society, i am considered a loser. 

no degree, no husband, no kids.  

but society is dead wrong. 

-i have Jesus Christ in my heart and in my life. He is my Husband, my Redeemer, my Future.

-i have my parents and my brother. those 3 mean the world to me. 

-i have a great job that i like. most people cannot say that. (and they went to school and got a degree for it).

i may not have a new last name or any letters behind my name, but my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

a college degree or relationship cannot hold a candle to that. 

at one point, i decided not to write this post. it's too personal. too vulnerable. 

but this story is glorifying to the Lord and a testament to His grace and perfect will.

psalm 116:1-14.

I love the Lord because he hears my voice

and my prayer for mercy.

Because he bends down to listen,

I will pray as long as I have breath!

Death wrapped its ropes around me;

the terrors of the grave overtook me.

I saw only trouble and sorrow.

Then I called on the name of the Lord:

“Please, Lord, save me!”

How kind the Lord is! How good he is!

so merciful, this God of ours!

The Lord protects those of childlike faith;

I was facing death, and he saved me.

Let my soul be at rest again,

for the Lord has been good to me.

He has saved me from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling.

And so I walk in the Lord’s presence

as I live here on earth!

I believed in you, so I said,

“I am deeply troubled, Lord.”

In my anxiety I cried out to you,

“These people are all liars!”

What can I offer the Lord

for all he has done for me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation

and praise the Lord’s name for saving me.

I will keep my promises to the Lord

in the presence of all his people.

over the weekend.

 sitting on the deck, drinking strawberry lemonade, reading the Word. 

magnolia and mimosa trees at the office. 

 friday night at throwdown in t-town!

 vroom, vroom!

good times with bubba! 

chips and salsa!

enchilada & rice. s'more quesadilla. oh. my. so. good.

 progress on the addition to the church.

3 things i'm looking forward to this week:
- spring cleaning
- kelly needham's bible studies
- attempting to finish a book

2 lessons i learned this weekend:
- i need a straightjacket when kevin durant decides to make a game-winning shot.
- it's okay to be honest with God. if i'm upset or mad, i can tell Him. that's what a relationship is about.


1 scripture i read:

{psalm 139:9-10}

listening to: the proof of Your love by for king & country. they have australian accents. ohmylanta.

seven questions.

i'm always up for trying new things, so i'm linking up with gentrilee today!

 

these are from the many years that i went to falls creek. my mama was a sponsor, so i got to tag along.
i went from looking like a boy to long and lanky overnight. 

i blame every hair style and fashion don't from 14 and younger on my mama.

1. Are you a thrift shopper? 

i'm learning to be. and it's fun.

2. You just had a very bad dream, what do you do?

turn on my phone and shine it in my room to make sure there's not a murderer standing over me. (hey... you asked.) 

3. What is your favorite flavor of Ice Cream? 

bunny tracks! 

4. What do you do with your money? (spend it, save it, invest it, bury it, etc)  

save it so i can spend it later. hehe :)

5. What was the last quote or statement you heard that really hit you?  

"self-righteousness makes you blind to yourself, but critical of others.
grace causes you to be honest with yourself and forgiving of others." paul tripp.

6. What do you do when you're driving alone? (ex: dance, sing, listen to talk radio, etc) 

sing like i'm trying out for american idol. picture the white girl version of william hung.

7. Did you watch the premier of Bachelorette? If so, who was your favorite bachelor?

i'd rather pluck out my eyeballs. (sorry)  

over the weekend.

you know it was a good weekend when grilling, shopping, and sunshine were involved.

friday: this wasn't our normal mama/amber shopping day. this was a rare shopping day. why? my brother came with us. he is a typical dude when it comes to shopping: get in, get out, go home. mama and i are the opposite. since my brother rarely shops, i decided to take one for the team. to my surprise, it was a successful day. dustin entered the 21st century and now has an iphone. i had a passion tea lemonade and bought the coolest magnetic nail polish.

saturday: not a bit of makeup was worn. my hair stayed in a messy bun. basically i did nothing all day and it was awesome.

sunday: my favorite day. church, afternoon nap, and mother's day!

my best friend. my confidant. my mama. 

  

we grilled hamburgers, steaks, chicken, and hotdogs for mama.

little brother and i. even boomer got to partake in the outdoor grilling festivities.

sunshine + strawberry lemonade 

3 things i'm looking forward to this week:
- going to the races friday night with my brother
- the beginning preparations for VBS
- starting beth moore's james bible study

2 things i learned this weekend:
- i want to be remembered not as a good person. not as a nice person. not as beautiful. but as a Jesus girl. one who loved Jesus with every fiber. one whose walk matched her talk.
- academy sports plays the best 90's music. i had a dance party in the men's shoe department.

1 thing i read:
- "Jesus, i need to give myself up. i am not strong enough to love You and walk with You on my own. i can't do it, and i need You. i need You deeply and desperately. i believe You are worth it, that You are better than anything else i could have in this life or the next. i want You. and when i don't, i want to want You. be all in me. take all of me. have Your way with me."
-francis chan, crazy love.

an attitude of gratitude.

i'm thankful for:

• random acts of kindness
• a warm bed, food in the fridge, and a roof over my head
• the way God lets me see His beauty in this broken world
• women who strive to bring attention to the Lord and not their body
• coupons (pronounced coopuns)  
• sunless tanning lotion 
• the undeserving grace the Lord gives me
• the numerous uses for a mason jar

the best things in life are free.

it's true. and in this broken and hurting world, it's nice to remember those things.
these are just a few things that make me happy.
and they don't cost a thang. yeah, i just referenced a j-lo song. so what?

wildflowers

sunshine

God's grace

smiles & hugs

answered prayer

sweet kitty kisses

the smell of rain

crawling into freshly washed sheets

sweet words from a friend

old photographs

reminiscing when a good song comes on

watching a sunset

spending time in God's word

finishing a good book

family time

getting handwritten letters

shooting stars

chivalry

courteous drivers

romans 6:23

divine intervention




tuesday tunes:

beautiful soul by jesse mccartney
Jesus freak by dc talk
summer girls by lfo
i choose Jesus by moriah peters
heart skips a beat by lenka
that's cool by blue county
what a Savior by laura story


currently diggin':

this video with chris paul and his son's impression of blake griffin. adorable.

text-only instagram.

chatting at the sky and the beauty department

beth moore's daniel bible study

Jesus. He's pretty awesome, ya know.

over the weekend.

i spent the majority of the weekend outside.
it was beautiful and hot and i loved it.

lots of strawberry lemonade was drank from a mason jar.
many episodes of the fresh prince of bel air were watched.
i cleaned my room from top to bottom. out with the old.
superdisappointed by the supermoon.
reading, napping, and family time were enjoyed.

all in all, it was another great weekend.
but aren't the weekends always great? :)

she bangs, she bangs.

oh, snap. i got bangs yesterday.

tidbits of wisdom.

• i attract more mosquitoes than i do men.

• i must accept that some people will never change. 

• coffee cups make great decorative pieces.

• God cares about the little things, too. 

• strawberry lemonade is the best thing since... lemonade. 

• psalm 103:10-12 brings my soul much comfort.

over the weekend.

this weekend was one of the best weekends i've had in a long time.

mama and i went shopping friday morning.

i scored this awesome elephant necklace and purse.

necklace: jcpenney | purse: belk

we stopped by lowe's to get some flowers. i went crazy with my phone.
i'm pretty sure the cashier thought i was cuh-razy.

after revival friday evening, we came home to find a ridiculous amount of people parked on our property.
the carnival came to town and it just happened to be right next door. great.

after realizing there was nothing we could do, we decided to walk over and get a funnel cake. 

i baked all day saturday and went to the last night of revival.
i was sad it ended, but thankful for the way God worked in my life through the week.


sunday. oh, sunday. my favorite day of the week.
7 people were baptized sunday morning. praise the Lord!

and then i went home and took a two-hour nap and couldn't fall asleep last night.

'twas a wonderful weekend, indeed.

chocolate chip muffin pops.

fun fact about me: i lovelovelove to bake.
cakes, cookies, pies... oh my! baking is so fun.

i bought a donut hole/cake pop maker yesterday.
i was a little skeptical since that whole cake pop ordeal i had two years ago. don't ask. 

i decided to try out this little machine, not expecting much at all. (the cake pop incident of 2010 scarred me for life.) 

i'm pretty sure it's the best purchase i've made in a long time.
i spent all morning "baking" these little yummy treats. 

 i used a chocolate chip muffin recipe courtesy of betty crocker.

 i think it's safe to say i will be making a lot of donut holes and cake pops.
stay tuned for new and yummy recipes.

blog love.

i'm trying to not fall asleep at work right now, so i'm blogging. about blogs. oh, the irony.
there are a handful of blogs that i stalk read on a regular basis. here are a few:


the daybook. sydney is part of the inspiration for me to start this little blog of mine. she is funny and fashionable. her style is the best i've ever (yes, ever) seen.

wildflowers photography. i just recently started reading joy's blog. her work is breathtaking. she also makes donuts. how awesome is that?

living on cloud nine. my sweet friend, cassie, is one of a kind. her heart for the Lord has challenged me in my walk with the Lord. although i've never met her face to face, she has made me a better person.

grilled cheese social. can you guess what this blog is about? a blog about grilled cheese sandwiches? um, yes! grilled cheese sandwiches are thebomb.com. mackenzie takes an ordinary grilled cheese and makes it better, yummier, and cooler. regular grilled cheeses wish they could be as awesome as the one that mackenzie creates.

classy closet confessions. the beautiful kyleigh is the oh-so-stylish fashionista behind this must-read blog. from her fashion diaries to her diy tips to her sweet personality, she keeps it classy.


i also love stuff christians like, the beauty department, busy bee lauren, and casey leigh.


what are your favorite blogs?

instagram.

instagram: joyfulamber

praise God so much.

i posted here about beginning my journey as a sponsor for a child through the compassion ministry.

last week, i received my first letter from my sponsor child!

excitement, tears, and laughter followed opening that sweet letter.

she drew me a picture. excitement. 

the first line of her letter stated "praise God so much." tears.

she was praising Him because she lost her first sponsor and shortly after, God provided her with me. more tears.
she closed the letter with a simple question: "are you a man or a woman?" laughter.

this little girl has changed my life, and i've never even met her.
she is always in my prayers and thoughts.

i was recently researching the meaning of her name (kwagala) and i came across this blog.
in luganda, "kwagala" means "love". 1 corinthains 13 was referenced for more on the context.

i immediately purchased a necklace and received it in the mail yesterday.

now i carry her with my everywhere i go.

over the [four day] weekend.

she's aliiiiiiive! i've been MIA since last wednesday. sorry 'bout that.
i had a four-day vacation and the internet was the last thing on my mind.
i caught up on some much-needed sleep, had lunch with a friend, and shopped til i dropped with my mama.
it was supercalafragalisticexpealadocious.

• -thursday was just what the doctor ordered.
  -mama and i got up early and headed to okc for a day of shopping.
  -we ate at smashburger and had starbucks (twice).
  -i bought a fedora. it was a spur-of-the-moment purchase and a major score.

• -i spent friday afternoon in stillwater with alisia.
  -we ate at buffalo wild wings and talked. and talked and talked.
  -i stopped by old navy on my way home and scored these super cute and comfy pants on sale. 
  -as i'm pulling into the driveway, i notice there was a ferris wheel next to our house. totally random.

• -i spent saturday in my pj's and watched friends and the golden girls.
  -i'm not a morning person, so i get a little jealous of people who do their bible study in the am. since i woke up before noon, i decided to join all you morning people. (who cares if it was 10:30?) i must say, it was glorious. i'm considering trying to wake up earlier. (if that happens, congratulations -- you will witness a miracle!)

• -oh, sunday. my favorite day of the week. there's something about church and afternoon naps that does a soul good.
  -we started revival sunday morning. the pastor is my kind of pastor. he tells you like it is. no sugar-coating. no feel-good message. no tip-toeing. he talked about how, in dating, we tend to treat ourselves like a used car. we let others test drive us, giving them the option of keeping us or looking for something better. but that's not how God intended it to be. he also draws pictures with chalk and incorporates it into his message. i'm excited for this week!

 i added a title to my resume this weekend. you can call me chef amber. here is the recipe for my new (quick and easy) creation.

cheesy ranch potato bites:


slice a bake potato. (already cooked)
add sour cream and shredded cheese.
sprinkle ranch powder on top. (i used the hidden valley powder used to make dip)


heat and enjoy!

instagram.

instagram: joyfulamber