HOPE

Recently, some circumstances in the lives of a few girls I have invested in for many years have caused my heart to ache. During the painful times of my parents divorce, I never thought there could be good to come from it. 10+ years later I am thankful to come alongside these girls and cry with them, love them, and understand exactly what they are feeling.
Thank you for being a God of hope, a loving God, and a God who extends grace. Oh how I long for Heaven and I can't wait to have every tear wiped away!

Psalm 33:20-22
We wait in hope for the LORD;

he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us,

O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.

Last Weekend

I have been so bad about updating my blog! I have been feeling a little off/down and not wanting to journal or share my feelings online. So I am going to post some fun pictures from last weekend.

We celebrated our dear friend Chelsea's Birthday last Friday night! We had a great dinner out, enjoyed strawberry shortcake, and a night filled with games and laughter. We are very thankful for Chelsea's friendship!

Lara, Chelsea, Asher, Curt, and Kurtis

Sweet Asher praying!

Kurtis' parents invited us to the UofA football game! The ARIZONA Wildcats beat TOLEDO

41-16, what a game. It was quite hot and humid, but we had fun cheering on the Wildcats!

Getting ready for kick-off!

Warming-up

Papa Keith and Kurtis

Marilyn and Lara

Defense, Wildcats! Defense

Kurtis' 10 Year High School Reunion

Over the Labor day weekend Kurtis had his 10 year high school reunion! I am so thankful that we are very close friends with a couple of Kurtis' friends from high school, Curt and Chelsea, so it was fun going with them. We met up at P.F. Changs and had a nice dinner with our friends Dan and Laura, and Kristine and Kevin. We had good conversations and glad we went. It was fun! I am looking forward to my high school reunion next year!

Kurtis and Lara with Chelsea and Curt

Curt & Chelsea, Kurtis & Lara, Dan & Laura, and Kristine & Kevin

Long Weekend in the Cool Pines

Champagne celebration, Cheers!

Kelly exploring in the forest.



Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona in the distance





Horned lizard

A little baby horned lizard!

The Snow Bowl chairlift

Riding the chairlift to the top!

Almost to the top of the San Francisco Peaks.



Standing at one of the highest places in Arizona...11,500 ft.

Humphrey's Peak (The tallest place in Arizona)

Almost to the bottom!

Weekend Getaway

Kurtis and I went to a local resort for some R&R! We had a lot of quality time and fun!

Kurtis floatin' down the Lazy River!

Wee! This was a lot of fun!

The Resort

I love my Starbucks! Check out the cute coffee sleeve!

After we had a massage and laid by the pool...do we look relaxed?

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Yesterday was my sweet Mom's Birthday! I celebrate her life and I am grateful for the Mother she is to me. I love you with all of my heart!

Merciful

Odd
Trustworthy
Heartfelt
Exuberant
Redeemed

pictures from my trip to the midwest

Downtown Chicago

My sweet Mom

My good friend Avril

Meeting the Twins...Carson & Caden

My dear friend Carolyn

Dad & Christy

4th of July in St. Louis

Seeing Kurtis' sister, Heather, in the Phoenix airport

Closet Treasures

It was time for me to clean out my closet and go through all of my clothes. I was able to get rid of some old stuff. I had shirts that were too short. I don't know why I kept those for so long. I found skirts and dresses that were out of style and shoes galore.

The best Treasures I found were my favorite JEANS! They had been sitting in my closet for about a year because they had gotten a little snug. When I put them on and zipped them up, my body was in heaven. I know this sounds weird, but they are so comfortable and they are the most perfect fitting pairs of jeans I have owned. I challenge you to go through your closet and let me know if you find any great Treasures!

Cardboard Testimony

Thanks you Jesus for extending grace and mercy. I feel like such a mess, but you see my mess as beautiful and take it on as Yours. I am restored and loved so much! He is always good!

My Sister

Last Friday I got a call from my mom that my sister had been in a bad car accident in Chicago! She was in a cab on her way home from the airport. We didn't know all the details, but the doctor's were concerned because there was bleeding in her brain. My mom immediately left for Chicago and I took the first flight out on Saturday morning.

My sweet sister had a concussion, a deep cut in her head that they stapled, and her body was bruised. This is very traumatic and hard on her and all of us.

She is doing better, but the recovery will take awhile. They have a lot of things to sort out with insurance, the police, court dates, work, and missing their summer vacation.

It was so good for me to be by her side. I love my sister with all of my heart!

Thanks for your prayers and support! The Lord has been so gracious and it amazes me how He uses people to come alongside us. He is good!

My friend Emily, who I went to Jr. High with, tagged me with this fun little questionnaire! Here are some things you may not know about me. Enjoy!

What were you doing 10 years ago?
1. I was in the process of applying to and visiting colleges (including Samford, William Jewell, and Covenant).
2. Hanging out with my good friends Carolyn, Sharon, JQ, and Kristina
3. I was on my way with my youth group (KREW) to Destin, FL for a Summer Conference!

What is on your to-do list today?
1. Deep Water Aerobics Class
2. Running errands to Target, Marshalls, Costco and the Grocery Store
3. Making Dinner
4. Writing some notes to friends

What are some snacks you enjoy?
1. Baked Doritos (I think they are better than the real thing!)
2. Cliff Kid ZBar (I love the chocolate chip!)
3. Fruit…cantaloupe, kiwi, strawberries, and blueberries

What would you do if you were a billionaire?
It would be great not to have a house payment, so I would pay that off! I would give to the Church and other charities. I did mission work with a church in Kenya and loved the people, so it would be awesome to go back and help them again. I would like to travel more and be able to take family and friends with us.

Your bad habits:
1. I am a back-seat driver and this drives my husband crazy. Sorry Honey!
2. I am a neat freak!
3. I love to shop and sometimes it is impulsive! I love clothes and decorating my house!

5 Jobs You’ve Had:
1. Worked at Lix, now Silky Freeze in High School
2. Worked at a cute Boutique in college and spent every paycheck at the shop!
3. Nanny for 2 adorable girls
4. Administrative Assistant
5. Patient Advocate at an In-Patient Treatment Center

What is currently playing on your iPod?
Rosie Thomas, OneRepublic, ONCE, and Matthew West

What are the last 5 books you’ve read or have been reading?
1. Strong Women, Soft Hearts by Paula Rinehart
2. The Mark of the Lion: A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers
3. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
4. First Light by Sue Monk Kidd
5. To Live Is Christ (Acts) by Beth Moore

Now it’s my turn to tag some other bloggers. This is hard to know who will do this… Okay, I’m tagging Erin, Chelsea, Kurtis, Amanda, and Rachael