Fourth of July

It has been a few weeks since July 4, but my life seems to continue to be busier and busier. My friend Rachel and I decided to drive to Longview to spend the holiday with my sister, Leah. It was fun getting to just have some girl time. We went to see Rebekah and Ryne and the kids and just had a blast! Sadly, the trip ended with us taking Leah to the ER for kidney stones! Before it got bad, though, we were able to get some pictures! Hope everyone is enjoying the summer!

Weddings!

A few weeks ago, two of my very best friends got married! Sadly, I was not able to go to Jessica's wedding in California but from all of the pictures and talking with her, I know it was beautiful!

Kelli got married the next day, June 2. It was a private family ceremony, but friends were invited out to their house afterwards for food and dancing to celebrate with the newlyweds! I got there after she had changed from her dress but it was great to see her and catch up with friends! What a wonderful, wedding filled weekend! It makes me really excited for our wedding in less than FIVE months! eek!

Summer has begun!

This past weekend was so wonderful! It was a long weekend for me and I got to spend the weekend seeing my family as well as Ty's. On Friday, we drove to Clifton to play with Riley and Sam so that mom and dad could go help Ryne and Rebekah move. The day was filled with visits to the flower shop, eating lunch at Subway, playing in the water and watching Pocahontas. We really enjoyed the day!

On Saturday, we went to a friend's birthday party and got to visit with some people we haven't seen in a while. After that, we headed to see some other great friends of ours, Josh and Kodie. When we got to Kodie's parents house, we had watermelon and sweet tea outside and caught up with both them and Josh's parents and Kodie's dad. It was wonderful!

We met up with Wade and Renee after that to see Men In Black 3. I haven't seen the other two, but I really enjoyed the movie and spending time with Ty's parents!

Sunday was filled with Memorial Day celebrations with Ty's extended family and seeing them was wonderful. The weekend ended with me in Clifton celebrating my parents 24th anniversary! All in all a busy but wonderful weekend! Below are the only pictures I got of the weekend, and shocking, they are of Riley and Sam =)

                              Showing off their flowers! Both picked out carnations in different colors!

                                    Sam posing for a picture! Of course he would make this face =)

                                         Riley and Sam together. Aren't they just precious??

 Riley really wanted a hugging picture. Made my hear smile at how much they love each other!

 Playing in the water! I love these next few of the kids playing in the two new sprinklers we bought!

 Miss Riley Anne. Isn't she a doll? I love how the sun is just shining on her in this picture!

We are all completely worn out after playing outside! Look at how they each are holding their flowers though....will not let them go! Precious.

Learning through Loss

The last three years have been some of the hardest years of my life. I have learned lessons that I frankly was not prepared to even think about. I have had to learn to move on from the heartache of loss and how to love in the midst of pain.

With every situation comes opportunity to see Christ. I really believe that God works in and through every situation. Most of the time, we just have to be willing to open our eyes and see His glory.

After experiences three years ago tomorrow, I have had to begin the process of understanding heartache in the fullest capacity and have had to really enter into a time of growth (although unwillingly at first.) It says in Deuteronomy 31:8 "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you" and lately I am seeing God's glory before me in everything I do. 


Loss is hard. Whether someone was taken from you or have chosen to distance themselves, heartache and pain follow with the absence of someone you love. However, I have learned through loss and have grown from it: 


1. I have learned to love in all situations 
2. You can always be upset, but also understand forgiveness and what it means to truly forgive 
3. Compassion is easier said than done-however, to be compassionate is possible. 
4. Joy inexpressible is worth pain and loss....if you need proof of this, look into the eyes of my sweet niece and nephew and all the pain you feel will disappear. 
5. Love is a choice. I have heard this my whole life, but I have learned the truth of this more and more each day. 
6. God will be glorified. 
7. Never underestimate the impact your smile or hug can have on someone. Those are truly some of the greatest gifts to receive. 
8. God has opened my heart up to the unloved because I have seen how it feels to be that person. Through my pain, I have been given the chance to understand beauty and mercy. 
9. Sometimes crying is a sign of strength. 
10. Prayer is powerful, and although all your prayers might not be answered in your time, they are heard. 



I encourage you, wherever you are in life, to understand that pain does come with losing someone. However, you can still find joy, hope, grace and love if you open your eyes and heart to the grace of God. 

Lately in my life

So much has changed in my life over the last few months, which has caused me to be busy and has caused an even larger delay in my blogging! I truly am working on being more proactive about blogging, and with all the changes in my life, I will truly work harder at that.

In March, Ty proposed to me! We have both been so busy with wedding planning and getting prepared for the wedding in November. You can check out our website for updates (click here!) as well as I will try to post more on here =)

Anyways, on to the Proposal story!

Ty and I had planned on going on a date during spring break. Since I would be home, he planned to just pick me up in Clifton and us just take a simple date into Meridian. He picked me up and we began driving to Meridian. He told me that there had been a slight change of plans-for one, him and his dad had been talking and had suggested us go to a restaurant in Glen Rose. Also, he had been speaking with Jake Wallace and wanted to get some chords from him since we would be in the area. I agreed to both and we went on our way. 

We pulled up to the Wallace house and I asked if I could stay in the car since Jake only wanted to see Ty. Ty said he probably wanted to see me too so I came inside. We made our way upstairs  and headed out onto the balcony. When we got to the balcony I saw that there were papers with stuff written all over them. As I got closer, I saw that it was a timeline of our relationship from before we dated through important events to us. He had his guitar and sat down and played "I will not take my love away" for me and sang. He had sitting on the table a bouquet of roses and daisies, my two favorite flowers. After playing the song, he told me several very special and sweet things and then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes!

After we left, we did drive to Glen Rose to eat. I had to go to the bathroom as soon as we got there, and when I came back to Ty, my parents and sisters were there to celebrate.  It truly was the most perfect of evenings! 

We truly are so blessed and look forward to this new life adventure together! We cannot wait to share more with you! 

Thoughts in my rambling mind...

Before I begin, let me just say that I am the worst blogger and picture taker that ever existed. So many times I have ideas and thoughts over what to blog and I just end up not doing it. I really really really promise to try to be better =)

Try being the key word.


So, moving on.


Lately, the verse Proverbs 3:6 has been stuck in my head. Not 3:5, but 3:6. This is what it says:

"In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path."

I don't know about you, but I am finding more and more often that there are times that I do not acknowledge Christ. I should, in all that I do, but there are times that I find myself relying on myself and my own abilities.

How would my life change if in EVERYTHING I did, I relied more on Christ and His calling for my life? How would my perspective of others change? Would I be happier more often?

I think too often we focus on ourselves and our own abilities. The funny thing is, it never says in the bible to rely on yourself. Instead it says In all your ways acknowledge Him and HE will direct your path. How wonderful a thought.

By simply relying on Christ, I am allowing the plan he desires for my life to be real and to fully come alive. By acknowledging Christ I am saying yes to a real chance at a life full of happiness and joy.

I don't know about you, but that's the life that I truly desire.

A Lesson from Ruth

I have always loved Ruth. I feel that she is a woman who is truly the picture of a faithful follower and the woman that I truly desire to emulate in my daily life.

Over the past few weeks, my spirit has been completely broken. I have had my heart broken all over again for people. My heart has been broken, though, for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I know that it isn't typical to have your heart broken for those who serve the Lord, but lately my heart has been.

I have heard negativity over and over the last few weeks towards some very close friends, and it has completely broken my heart. Sadly, the comments are always coming from Christians. I feel as though we have completely lost focus of our call to love others unconditionally-the lost and those who serve beside us.

In Ruth 1 it says "But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

Shouldn't that be our call? Shouldn't that be what we say to our brothers and sisters? Where you go, I will go. I will serve with you. Don't urge me to stay. I am beside you.

Instead so often we are yelling our critiques and criticisms to what they aren't doing right. How does that demonstrate God's love? If we don't love our own brothers and sisters, then who will? Who is Christ to them?


Galations 6 says "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ". Carry. We should be helping each other, but so often we hear another message. Later in Galatians 6 it says, " Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers"

I think that says it all. My heart is broken. Always, my heart is broken for the lost. But my prayer is that now my heart is continually broken for my brothers and sisters. And in that brokenness, I pray that I am receptive to opportunities of encouragement and love.