This small patch of land...

No land seems to be as precious as a piece of land you can call your own. The dreams that have been bouncing around in my head for years are coming closer to being a reality - I had so much to celebrate this 4th of July!!

To think that we are free - free to choose where we live, free to worship our God, free to state our opinons - still amazes me. I take it for granted all the time, but this 4th of July I was reminded just how blessed I am and how exciting the future looks because I am FREE! So this past weekend I've been dreaming of house plans, grass that needs mowing, a backyard so huge Max would never run out of room to run, a kitchen to bake in, horseback riding, fishing, rhino riding, a porch to decorate, splashing in a creek...things I haven't let myself dream about for over a year now.

When you lose everything and find yourself in more debt than you can ever imagine (left to you from someone else) you don't allow yourself to look ahead. You fight thru each day as if it were your last and just hope you can feed the little mouth that relies on you . You pray that you can pay the next bill that comes in the mail, crying when you balance your checkbook. You can't depend on anyone except God - you have to be independent and strong for yourself and your child. This has been my life for the past year - I'm not saying this in search of pity, only to explain how my dreams were put on hold...

But now I feel as if I'm getting back on my feet, things are getting easier, dreams are being realized again...and it feels amazing:) I hope everyone else had a great 4th of July!!

Flashback FRIDAY!!

I've seen this idea on several blogs, and loved the idea of doing a "Flashback Friday!" First off, I LOVE looking at old pictures, making fun of all my old fashion and hair choices, and seeing how much people change! I have album after album of old pictures, boxes and boxes of random shots...but it's not my fault:) I know where I get it - my mom has more pictures then I could ever look at, she keeps pictures like it's no one's business! Ha ha, love ya, Mom:) And I'm glad you instilled the importance of picture taking/documenting/organizing in me!

Here is an old shot I found from Halloween 1988:

This is me, both of my brothers, and my cousin Chasity. I am just gonna be honest and say I have no clue what me and Chas were trying to dress up as...some sort of punk/rock stars or something. Let's just chalk this up as scary!! Ha ha - and to think I thought I looked "so rad" on this night! Goes to show just how fast time flies, and style changes:)

So....I'm dying to know: what was your most random, crazy, silly, or weird Halloween costume when you were a kid??? I can't wait to hear all your stories - but I'm not sure they can top my rock star look:)!! (ya don't get much weirder than that!!)

Leap of faith...

I took this picture of my brother, Clay, at the boat club recently - it seems like he is always the subject of my creative pictures:) I added a quote and here is what I came up with:

But then I played with the image a little more and this is how it turned out:

Which one do you like better? I can't decide!!

Top Ten Lists

Top 10 things I LOVE about SUMMER...

#1 waking up each morning with absolutely no plans, and endless possibilities!

#2 venturing out from underneath the covers around 9 a.m.

#3 the smile that creeps up on me each time I slip my painted toenails into flip flops (especially with the cute little flower painted on my big toe)!

#4 getting squirted with water from a cute little boy with a water gun

#5 golden tans

#6 my biggest weakness - SCOOPS ice cream on a hot summer night

#7 spending the entire day snapping pictures of my little man running his legs off!

#8 NAPS

#9 carrying my book around and reading every chance I get

#10 mini-vacations where you can sit by the pool and drink frozen strawberry daquiris (my favorite:)!!!

Max's top 10 things HE LOVES about SUMMER...

#1 Breakfast at the Essen Haus with Papa Delbert

#2 Cartoons, cartoons, and more cartoons...

#3 Learning to swim

#4 following his Uncle Clay's every move:)

#5 Water gun figthts with pretty girls

#6 vanilla milk shakes on a hot, steamy day

#7 Hanging out with his buddy Nick and having water balloon fights

#8 rhino rides over to Mamaw and Papa GG's

#9 sipping Mt. Dew from Mommy's cup when she isn't looking

#10 Riding all the rides at the county fair

Things change so quickly...

How can things change so quickly from the beautiful night we had last night on the water...

to the wicked storm we had this morning (me, max, and my dad sat and watched it blow around us). When the wind finally died down and we got brave enough to venture outside, here is what we found:

Max's poor crab sandbox smashed by trees:(
There were 4 trees down in our driveway (we were stuck):(

With the help of some amazing family members and wonderful friends, we had things realitively picked up by late afternoon. Max worked hard helping me pick up sticks (the yard was covered) - the manly men had chain saws cutting the huge trees into pieces so we could all move them, and I don't think I've ever sweat so much in my life! Not a pretty sight! I'm just so thankful that our home is still intacted and everyone is safe - God is so good!!!!!!!!!!!

Lead and I will follow...

Last night at 10 p.m. when most of us were snuggling up in bed with our loved ones, a small group of people were meeting at a local church to begin an exciting adventure together. Last night some sweet girls that I know left for Haiti on a mission trip! As Max and I were just pulling the covers around us, I glanced at the clock and told Max we needed to pray for these girls, because I knew they were leaving RIGHT THEN for their trip! They will travel several hours by car, hurry thru several airports, and venture into the unknown.

I can't tell you enough how proud I am of these girls. Last night as I laid in bed I thought about being their age again...I knew I would have never even thought about doing something so courageous! I STILL wouldn't take a trip like that - I truely struggle with letting go and following God wherever He leads me. I have so much fear inside - I want to be at home where I know I have a warm, comfy bed to sleep in every night. I'm super anxious about flying, I want to always know where I'm going and what it will be like. I am not as brave as these sweet girls. Or maybe I just need to push my fears aside and go where He leads me. It would take so much courage to get on a plane and go to a place you have never seen before - not knowing what to expect, what you will encounter, where you will sleep that night. I know that these girls will be a part of so many miracles this week - the Lord is going to use them to touch so many lives. Children will embrace them, woman will admire them, men will see their strength and courage...and lives will be changed forever.

Please keep this group in your prayers - just pray that God's plan is accomplished, that these sweet girls are safe, and everything unfolds smoothly during their trip. I admire this group of people so much, and they have inspired me to let go and let God:) Thanks girls!!

I also wanted to share a few pictures I took of a friend's little boy...I thought they turned out super sweet and I swear he could be a model:)!! Take a look at this incredible little boy:

Wedding

It is Friday night and here I sit...not sure where the week went (it's flown by) and just hanging out - me and my little man. There are toys strung everywhere...and he's out on the porch yelling like a mad man (just to hear himself yell)!

Last weekend my sweet little cousin Jessica married her one-and-only, Nick. They are such a sweet couple, and I love them both very much. I spent the day snapping pictures, and the first part of my week photoshopping all those pictures:) The wedding went very smooth (I was the personal attendant), the deocrations were gorgeous, and the night ended with my little man dancing his heart out in the middle of the dance floor - with a huge crowd gathered around to watch!!

(He is so different from his mother:) I would rather get shot in the leg than dance in front of a big crowd!!)

Here are some of the cute pictures I got at the wedding:

So anyway - I've been busy with all these photos, then Thursday I babysat for Chas's kids (we had a great day!!) and today I enjoyed breakfast out with my family and then cleaned my grandma's house...so all of the sudden it's Sat. again! Wow! No big plans for the weekend - and I LOVE it:)!!

Hope everyone has an AMAZING weekend!!