pictures and songs

I was looking through my recent pictures thinking about how they all remind me of song titles, so here they are with their respective songs...



song: 'Gotta Gettcha Some' by: Alan Jackson



song: 'Danger, watch yo'self' by: Some Rapper



song: 'I'm Not Afraid' by: Bebo Norman



song: 'You Picked Me' by:A Fine Frenzy
this one's not as obvious... see, Jeff loves his truck - but he also loves me and knows that I love the world and want to drive fuel efficient vehicles and be environmentally responsible. He's hoping Dodge will come out with a hybrid by the time we come back from being overseas. He still picked me, and will sell the truck even though he knows he could keep it. Isn't he wonderful?



song: Against My Better Judgment by: Futher Seems Forever



song: Always Better When We're Together by: Jack Johnson

learning curve

I know I haven't talked much about my life recently and I think it's because I'm not sure where to start. Being engaged has been fun - and not fun, but I didn't quite anticipate the feelings that I've had and the issues that have surfaced. It's funny, I thought that by the time I got married I would be someone different than I am now. Not that I wouldn't be me, but that I would have figured out more by now about service and selflessness. If I've learned anything in the last couple months it is that I have so much room to grow and that God chooses to use your spouse to refine you more than anyone else. Somewhere in my brain I knew that cognitively, but experiencing it has been really significant for me.
There is something healing about just knowing that Jeff is committed to me forever, no matter what....he chose me. I feel so honored by him and am so excited to have the opportunity grow beside him. He is an excellent sharpening iron. I'm sure that he has been all along, but for lots of years I just kept trying to shape and mold him without allowing who he is naturally to sharpen ME. I can be SO arrogant, it should be illegal. I don't think I've fully understood what unconditional acceptance, grace, and love is available to me in Jesus until I received that from Jeff. That in itself has transformed me - hopefully forever.
It is such a unique blessing to have the opportunity to become more like Jesus by getting married. I like to think that I have loved people for a long time, and loved them well. But, somehow marriage brings a completeness to it that I didn't have before. I loved to spend time with people (occasionally), to go out of my way for them (sometimes), to meet their needs (when possible)... but what I didn't understand was the complete otherness of the marriage relationship. I don't get to quit when it isn't convienient for me, when I'm tired or busy. Marriage in a way that honors God is completely selfless and beautiful. Marriage isn't about making me happy, someone probably told me that before - but I didn't believe them... however, marriage is wholly about making me holy and I'm SO excited about that. I fully expect a lot of 'failure' as Jeff & I enter into marriage and becoming more holy, but I'm really excited about growing together. There is NO ONE I'd rather fight with and for than you, Jeff - I love you.

my favorite engagement pictures

Abby did such a great job with these pictures, it was hard to decide!!! But, these are a few of my absolute favorites.




Jeff can do a pretty good cartwheel ey?


This picture is so cool!


I feel so 1955 in this picture


this would be a good soap opera ad


more evidence that Jeff does in fact have some super powers

engagement pictures

Abigail Criner is pretty amazing - we had so much fun taking these pictures with her! check her out at www.abigailcrinerphotography.com

Get em while they're hotttt

Not that saving lives ever goes out of style... but these shirts are hot off the... place that shirts come from. If you haven't heard about buy shoes save lives, allow me to inform you (and inform yourself at www.buyshoessavelives.com)
There are these awesome handmade shoes called 'Klashi Kurdi' that are made in Northern Iraq by the Kurds. They are beautiful, not to mention stinkin' cool looking. I hear Justin Timberlake wishes he had some Klash...
So, the saving lives part...Medical care in Northern Iraq is not up to par and there are TONS of kids that have heart problems and without a heart surgery they will either die or suffer from an otherwise curable heart condition.
In collaboration with Brothers Together (www.shevet.org) Buy Shoes Save Lives is using the proceeds from the shoes and T-Shirts to fund heart surgeries for these Iraqi children.
What is even cooler... The doctors doing the surgeries are Jewish and the children receiving the surgery are Muslim. It is a really incredible way to bridge the cultural and religious gaps that have historically existed. So buy some gear - the T-shirts are brand new and even cooler in person and the shoes are custom made to fit. What are you waiting for? go to www.buyshoessavelives.com NOW

NEW YORK NEW YORK!

This is us in Times Square - it is CRAZY here... maybe I would have felt like this about Taksim if I could have understood what everyone was saying???


This is all of us at Battery Park where you can see the statue of Liberty


We're in love... it would have been cuter if we climbed in the love so that we could actually be IN 'love' - but, laziness prevailed.


We got the hook up at the Allentown fair and got to meet Taylor Swift - let me just say that she is actually just as hot in person as she appears to be in the media - she sounds just as good live too.

Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander

I love this title of a book by Thomas Merton. I've been needing to remind myself this a lot. The new Caedmon's Call album is really good - there is a song on it I've been listening to a lot lately called 'Share in the Blame.' It has been good for me. Without realizing it, I was becoming more and more judgemental towards people, issues, problems etc. I have all kinds of theories and ideas about solving the world's problems and who should do what and who is contributing to them. While it might help me to grapple with some of these issues, it doesn't help my soul to place the blame on others. I've been reading the gospels a lot lately and there is a clear message that Jesus sent to the world - Mercy triumphs over judgment. Always, it always wins to be merciful.
I don't think that this means I shouldn't think long and hard and be hurt or angry about injustice and things that are happeneing in the world... but ultimately, blame placing, or judgement making aren't hurting anyone except for me. I've just been struggling with what it means to be ultimately merciful and loving while still holding others responsible for their actions and standing for justice? The more I think about it the more I think that I don't understand justice and I don't understand mercy. Praise God who is greater than our hearts right?

Just musings...