grace is here.

the further i go into this little life of mine, the more i realize this: it's all about grace.

situations are going to disappoint us. people are going to disappoint us. people are going to disappoint us a LOT. we can't put our complete confidence in someone here on earth, because we will always be left feeling empty and unsatisfied. our confidence comes from the One who created us and knows just who we are. we are perfect in His eyes because we are reflections of Him.

or we should be.

we need to give the grace we've been given.

 we need to forgive because we've been forgiven. 

i've been in unhealthy relationships. i've made too many mistakes to count. i've held grudges for way too long. i've spoken when i needed to be silent. i've been silent when i needed to make a stand. i sometimes let my insecurities dictate how i act and react.

....the list goes on.

tonight, i needed to remind myself that it's okay.

it's okay that my past relationship sometimes causes me to react in certain ways in my current one. it's okay that i've made mistakes. it's okay that i'm sometimes insecure. i'm human.

all i can do is strive to be more like Him tomorrow than i am today.

and remember, everyone else has stories too. they have been bruised and beaten and scarred, and they don't act like they do for no reason. there's a reason, and 9 times out of 10, we wouldn't trade our stories with theirs even if we could.

so be gracious... and kind.

He gives grace freely.

Meet Kevin.

Kevin: Handicapped people should NOT drive in the fast lane!

Me: *hysterically laughing* ...Uhh, Kev? I'm handicapped.

And this is why I love him.

And...well... him being an Alabama fan doesn't hurt either. ;)

home.

there are days my past sneaks in and reminds me of

dreams stolen, heart broken

and you're here to show me past is past and this is now

you came to me and i breathed you in suddenly, deeply

dreams survive, heart alive

and every day with you is even better than the first one

...i'm at home when i'm with you.

'cause all i know is we said hello, and your eyes look like coming home.'
taylor swift

you're a peein' vacation.

i went overseas with the Joneses a few weeks ago and did not take one picture with my camera; however, i DID take a few (and by few, I mean 50 or so) with my iPhone... Instagram style. here's a little European prettiness for you.

 Eiffel Tower view

about to partake in the eating of our American burgers in Tour

Tour

 unprepared

 ...and the American burger was delish.

Chateau de Chenonceau

sisters

so, i really loved taking pics of horses and cows while i was there.

market in Beaune

i love train rides!

a couple getting hitched

another one of the sisters :)

can you say fog?

Swiss cows and mountains

let the light in.

“Maybe it's like you said before, all of us being cracked open. Like each of us starts out as a watertight vessel. And then things happen - these people leave us, or don’t love us, or don’t get us, or we don’t get them, and we lose and fail and hurt one another. And the vessel starts to crack in places. And I mean, yeah once the vessel cracks open, the end becomes inevitable. Once it starts to rain inside the Osprey, it will never be remodeled. But there is all this time between when the cracks start to open up and when we finally fall apart. And it's only that time that we see one another, because we see out of ourselves through our cracks and into others through theirs. When did we see each other face to face? Not until you saw into my cracks and I saw into yours. Before that we were just looking at ideas of each other, like looking at your window shade, but never seeing inside. But once the vessel cracks, the light can get in. The light can get out.”

John Green

Happy 5th!

I should already be asleep, but for some reason I felt the urge to write a blog instead. I'm so tired I can hardly stand it and I basically can't move without a not-so-pleasant look on my face and lots of grimacing. Either I'm getting too old or I just forgot how sore tubing on the lake (with Bennett driving) makes me.

So I woke up this morning and my bottom lip was swollen. I had fun at the lake yesterday and all, but it wasn't that wild of a time... no fist fighting or anything. But I just figured it out.

Ants. All up in my bed. My mom said I left a wrapper of some sort (cough cough oatmeal creme pie cough cough) and apparently the ants loved what remained. Oopsie. I don't think I'll ever grow up. Crap... and I just saw another one. I had to squish him on my computer. His friends better not be looking for him tonight.

Oh well... the 4th was a good time. I spent the day with my family (Bethany and Kevin included) on Lake Martin. I'm pretty sure I could stay in that little cabin for at least half a year without ever leaving (except to go in the water) and be just fine. And like always, I didn't take any pictures. Don't get me wrong... I love pictures... it's just that half the time I forget to take them and the other half I don't want to. A lot of times we're too caught up in looking like we're having fun that we forget to actually have fun. So lately I've just been enjoying life. No pictures. Just life.

I do wish I had gotten a picture of the fireworks though. They were pretty! Especially my favorites... those white, sparkly ones that shimmer and fall down and look kind of like palm trees. I guess I'll just have to get a few of the ones Kev took on his phone to post. Oh, and Bethany took pictures yesterday too! I'll get her to send me some. See... I'm covered. I love the people in my life. :)

Here IS one picture I took at Mamaw's tonight. This was after I laughed so hard at Mamaw I nearly peed myself. Someone dialed the wrong number and called her cell phone, and at one point, I thought they might talk all night. Then the lady called back. By the time the conversations were over, they knew more about each other than I thought possible from two 3-4 minute conversations.

I can only hope my smile brings as much joy to someone as this one does to me.

no time for pictures

i remember the time
so used to being disappointed
up until now

i pinch myself at times
seeing if it's really this real
it's finally real

i long for this time
fast, slow, and sometimes standing still
catching me by surprise

there's no time
no time for pictures
just time for moments with you