over the weekend.

if you see me today: no, i'm not an extra for the walking dead.
i am back to work after a four and a half day weekend.
maybe i shouldn't have slept past 7:30 every morning. yaaaaaawn.

instead of boring you with the details, i'll show you in pictures:

memorial day isn't about going to the lake.

it isn't about cookouts or an extra day off.

it's about remembering those who fought for our country and paid with their lives.

 "greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." john 15:13.

we are the land of the free because of the brave.

my grandpa dale's grave. he served in the army.

 olive garden salad & black olives.
(or "jellies" according to my 5-year-old self)

 bellini tea & the best pizza evah.

 iced coffee & the Word & awesome magnetic page markers.

 pretty flowers & pretty boomer.

 gorgeous oklahoma sunsets.

 grilling & jamba juice & pretty flowers at sam's & awesome nintendo shirt & amazing sammich.

parmesan, tomato & turkey sammich.
it's monday tuesday. i made a collage with this sammich already. pretend i didn't.

thunderheads.

5 tidbits of wisdom:

- pick up bowls with 2 hands. using one hand will result in a shower of ranch dressing.

- drive to arrive alive. my pastor said this sunday night. i find it awesome.

- while everyone is nursing sunburns and bathing in aloe vera today, i'm rocking a nice, sun-kissed tan (from a bottle). being fair-skinned has its advantages. ok...ONE advantage. 

- 90's fashion needs to make a comeback. (read HERE about my undying love for all things 90's) case in point: neon everything, high-waisted floral shorts, one-piece bathing suits. basically awesomely modest fashion without seeing tagged pictures of girls on facebook that should be titled, "half-naked pictures of me during memorial weekend." modest is hottest.

- my brother is a grill master. 

 

4 things I'm looking forward to this week:

- having a HUGE garage sale. 

- pictures with meagan!

- 3-day work week. 

- enjoying the little things.

3 things i discovered about myself this weekend:

- my dance moves are basically the white girl version of carlton banks.

- reason #873 why i will never be able to live alone: when a wasp gets in the house, i turn into a screaming, terrified grown woman. 

- no matter where i am, when i see a flower, i must stop/pull over, take a picture, and post it to instagram.

2 blogs i'm currently diggin':

- emily @ chatting at the sky
- kacia + robot

1 quote from something i read:

"the human soul was not made for fame."

 

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.

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 from amber.

• 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.