Are you Reedy?

Sunnie misses him!!

Happy almost SPRING!!!

How about an update??  Jeff made his way to Texas by Wednesday(3/6) night.  He's located just a bike ride away from a lake and about 5 miles from his clinic.  His two housemates have turned out to be delightfully AWESOME!  The other night when Jeff and I facetimed, he and one of the housemates played "You Are My Sunshine" on their guitars and sang to me.  garsh!  Jeff always amazes me.  The amount of people he's met and made friends within the last week would equal the amount of friends I could make in 4 years!
Jeff has begun his 8 weeks in his clinic.  I have begun my countdown for his return.
What have I been up to these days?  I traded being a professional photographer for being a babysitter for a few days :)  I love that I am available to help out these families.  I've also done a few sessions and album design work.

The scenery on a recent run :)

Lately I've written about running.  Here's the crew that ran the Reedy River Run on March 2.  It's a 5k, which means 3.1 miles.  We all had a blast running in Downtown Greenville.  A few of us even got a PR, personal record.  James finished 18 overall with a time of 19 minutes and 36 seconds!  Go brother!!  I ran the 3.1 miles in 27 minutes and 55 seconds, a new PR :)

Headed to the Finish Line!!!

Jeff heads to Texas!

The Mr. has left the building!  Earlier today, Jeff took off on his 3ish day road trip to Dallas, TX.  Jeff will be doing his FINAL 8 week clinical in the downtown area.
We've approached this time period with excitement and eagerness...and tears.  I even shed a few ;)
Anyways, lets focus on the fun stuff.  On his way there, Jeff gets to stop in Nashville, Little Rock and some other cool spots.  Online banking shows he stopped at McDonalds in Knoxville, livin large!
I've sent him with my trusty Canon Rebel XT to capture some memories and insight for us. He may even blog once or twice during this 8 weeks. Fingers crossed!
I get to visit him at the end of March, just 4 short weeks away. Then my wedding season starts full blown in Greenville.
Our parting challenge was...
"That we'd be more in love at the end if these 9 weeks than we were at the beginning."
That's a whole lot of love y'all!
I know Jeff will glorify God with his time in the Lone Star State. I'm so excited to hear about his adventures. If you know Jeff personally YOU KNOW there will plenty of crazy stories!

I tell my clients all the time, sit up straighter...I'm so hunched over!

As a send off, the Williams traveled to Greer to visit and have dinner this past weekend!  We had a great time together :)

DIY Dog Pillow

Lately, I've been craving another DIY project.  I decided to make Sunnie a large dog pillow.  I needed a pillow that I could machine wash the case and the pillows inside when Sunnie gets them dirty.  The least expensive dog pillows I've been able to find start at $18.  My goal was to make one cuter and cheaper than that price.  I came out a total of $10.
Victory.

Here's my list of materials:

2 yards of 1 or 2 fabrics

At least 12 inches of velcro

Thread

**Sewing Machine

2 old pillows

One super sweet dog

Mom had these pillows stashed in the attic = money saver!  If you buy pillows, walmart has them for $2.50 each.  I already had white thread.  I sewed the pillows together, with a simple stitch, in the middle so they would not separate.  Prep your fabric by ironing to get all wrinkles and creases out.

After measuring the pillows' combined length and width, I added two inches to the measurements to make up for the thickness of the pillows and room for my seam.  ((My combined pillow measurements were 35x25))  After cutting, face the colorful sides of the fabric together and pin the edges so you can begin to sew.  After winding your bobbin and thread, sew two long sides and one short side.  Leave the other short side for the velcro step.
TIP:  If you are not confident with your sewing skills, pick a patterned fabric that doesn't show mistake.  My floral pattern doesn't show crookedness at all.  Stripes are something to avoid.

With the fabric still inside out, take your 4, 3 inch strips of velcro.  I ironed the velcro and the edges of the fabric.  Pick two spots of one side of your fabric and pin the velcro.  Match up the other two strips on the opposite side of fabric.  SEW each side.  DO NOT sew the sides together.  The velcro keeps that edge closed. 

Turn your pillow case, poke out the corners, slide your pillows in!  Sunnie was so excited while I was doing this, she was laying on the case and pillows as I was putting them together.

**I loved my fabric combination so much that I brought the chevron around on the floral side.  This wasn't much extra work.  I used scrap fabric of the chevron and sewed it to the floral.  As long as the final length is the same as the other side, you are good.

She's in lurve!

Little Things

Things that I've delighted in lately.  I've been working on being grateful.
filled with gratitude.
aware.

"Little things seem nothing, but they give peace, like those meadow flowers which individually seem odorless, but all together perfume the air."
-Georges Bernanos

Not only do I love this cozy outfit, I also loved mom's face when she was trying to use my iPhone camera.

An icy evening spent exactly how it should be.

Suitcase: one side for camera equipment, the other for everything else.

 Not your regular clear polish.  This gives a purple tint, just left the salon look.

Preparing Sweet Tea for our Sunday lunch crew.  We go through it by the gallons.

They walk through the doors and the walls swell with joy...and noise.

My Response: "My Train Wreck Conversion"

Normally I don't read anything political or worldview-ish on facebook, but this title drew me in.

I read, "My Train Wreck Conversion" by Rosaria Butterfield

After reading, I was overwhelmed with ideas I'd like to share...

1.  In the article Rosaria said, "Oh, I had seen my share of Bible verses on placards at Gay Pride marches. That Christians who mocked me on Gay Pride Day were happy that I and everyone I loved were going to hell was clear as blue sky."
We as Christians should act out of love, not the harshness that Rosaria and her friends experienced.  "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." 1 Corinthians 13:1.  Christians, please be careful what you say verbally and through social media.  I mean, goodness, be careful how you tip a waitress!  Our words make a difference, they leave an impression.  This impression could mean the difference in some one's eternity.

2.  The way Rosaria felt God's love was for someone to come into her life, accept her, and love her.  She said, "They entered my world.  Met my friends..."
If I learned anything through my time as a SummerShiner or in my small groups, it is that God's love is meant to be shared through relationships.  After all, it is a relationship that God hungers for.  People actually respond to someone who has invested time with them and who has established a trusting, loving bond.  Conversations about topics like sexuality, politics, and normal daily chatter must be done in a loving, humble manner.  Hearing Rosaria's point of view pre-conversion has confirmed this for me.

3.  "I started reading the Bible. I read the way a glutton devours. I read it many times that first year in multiple translations."
"But the Bible got to be bigger inside me than I. It overflowed into my world." - Rosaria
I admire this so much, it makes me want to dig in and cherish the words God inspired for me to read.  God displays his power and knowledge by putting these words into motion many years ago, and still, they are meaningful and life changing.  They show God's supreme value over anything else.

4.  What do we have to lose?  Rosaria had her whole life, her worldview, her status. "I did not want to lose everything that I loved. But the voice of God sang a sanguine love song in the rubble of my world."
What do I have to lose by growing my relationship with God?  My impression of stability, my selfish desires, my own goals and dreams.  When we choose to love God and be loved by Him, do not linger on the loss of things left behind.  Let me remind you of the things to be expected. 
Peace
Love
GRACE
Eternity
Holy Spirit
Trust
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Let's discuss...What are some things you've gained from being in a relationship with God?