beautiful. summer.

some favorites from the mediterranean...

Abby-Girl's 1st Birthday

the princess...





...and her cakes
{my talented sister-in-law, Caila, made the beautiful fondant cake, and i made the cupcakes}

Beautiful...

Though I have read this passage several times over the last 11 years of being a Christian, for some reason it stuck out to me more today...maybe because of the people God has put into my life; maybe due to the different circumstances I have found myself in lately; maybe because I am reading at noon and not at midnight and can comprehend it more; maybe because I am at a place of maturity in my faith to be able to see it as such? Regardless of the reason, I am glad that I see it today.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”

God is so gracious and merciful beyond my ability to understand! God so loves His children that regardless of when one gives their life to Him, regardless of what he/she has done in their life, He accepts them with His arms and heart wide open. To know that our God is so good, not reserving His love for only the fullest of faith or the smallest of sinners, but for everyone who gives their life to him, whether early in life or late, is something that is beyond me.

I hate to admit, but must, that I have at times felt at times like those workers that grumbled, not necessarily in this way, but others. I have felt that I deserved more, or better; what a wonderful, simple reminder that I do not. I am humbled by these words today, and I pray I continue to be until the day I see my God.

One word comes to mind: Beautiful.

thankful 2010

There are a few catalysts that have led me to write this poem. (1) It's timely in the sense that yesterday was Thanksgiving. (2) My dear friend, Simone, holds a "Thankful Brunch" the Saturday after Thanksgiving, in which we all evaluate what we're thankful for. (3) Lastly, I have been reading Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" with my seniors, so I have rhyming on my brain.

Enjoy.


Thankful 2010

As I’m thinking of the things I’m thankful for,
I realize that I am thankful for much more
Than I will be able to capture with these words.
I will do my best, though each line may not rhyme.
The things I write are from the heart; things I am thankful for at this time.

It is only right to begin with my family.
If I could have chosen a dad, mom, and brother,
I am positive that I would have chosen no other
Than what I have been blessed with,
And now with a sister-in-law that I am a perfect fit with.
My nephew and niece are the joy of my heart,
Looking at their smiles, and hearing “Auntie Mel” melt me apart.
Not only that my family is so loving, but selfless.
An example that I hope I one day, too, will bless others with.
Through their unconditional love and encouragement, I find strength.
I hope that they feel the same amount of love from me that I feel from them each and every moment, each and every day.

I am thankful for Laela, and the technology
That has allowed me to remain close, though half a country
Apart. No matter what has happened in our day,
We can update each other; laugh, cry, only a phone call away.
I am thankful for planes and other modes of travel
Which have brought me another close friend from a Cape, though not Canaveral.
Simone has been a great friend through tough times, and good.
She has never ceased to invite me over to eat her delicious food.
Beee. You complete meee.
I have so many other friends I am thankful for, though I fear,
I will not be able to come up with enough rhymes to mention each by name here.

I am thankful for my church, the family I have there;
The different ministries that God has bestowed upon my care.
I am thankful for the youth group, and the senior girls.
I am thankful for singing on the worship team, even when my voice unfurls.
I know that God has placed me there to do His will in my life.
I pray that one day I will hear from Him, “Well done, good and faithful one.”

I am thankful for the job that God has given me again,
For teaching Seniors, Juniors, and the Freshmen.
I love my staff, teachers and administrators,
But most of all I love that God has blessed me with the position of Cheer Co-Advisor.

I am thankful for my health, and for my doctors who have found
The different ailments that have, at times, held me down.
I am thankful that God has my life in His hands,
I am thankful that I don’t have to worry, though I am changing my healthcare plan.

I am thankful for the beautiful apartment God has blessed me with,
But, especially for the fireplace, I don’t know how I ever lived without it.
I am thankful for the armoire that I wanted and thought I lost
From Ikea in March of this year, but Laela found in June at a better cost.
I am thankful for my hummingbird feeder and the two birds that come near
And fight over the nectar, silly birds, I will always have plenty here.
I am thankful for my incredible mattress, I really couldn’t ask for better.
I am thankful for the little trinkets God has allowed me to collect through my travels.

Here are some random things I am thankful for, but still just as vital.
I am thankful for cupcakes, sewing machines, aprons, oven mitts, and my bookcase from Crate and Barrel.
Peppermint Mochas and Iced Soy Chai Tea Lattes from Starbucks are my favorites.
I am thankful for my camera to capture the perfect moments.
I am thankful for frames and pictures, and memories that are fleeting,
Yet can be caught on film and thus be remembered so sweetly.

Though I am thankful for the good, that is not all;
I am thankful for the times of pain and suffering, as they have fulfilled my call
That God has given me, and the person He has called me to be,
Who am I to wish that such things hadn’t happened, shaping who is the very me?

I am thankful for the gifts that God has given me, not just those of material worth.
I am thankful for the love He has given me, especially because it is a love I don’t deserve.

I am thankful for the hope that one-day
Though it may be far away
That I will get to be a wife
Looking at my husband, kids, and life
Knowing that God blessed me with
The most precious and rewarding gift I could have hoped for.
Though that day has yet to come, and it is not promised me,
I will still be thankful, even if it is not in His will for me.

Looking back over this I’m sure I forgot
Several things I should have included but that doesn’t mean I’m not
Thankful for all I have and all I’ve been given
In these eleven months of two thousand and ten.

blessed

Well, I have been thinking a lot about how blessed I am. I'm not speaking financially, though I have been blessed with a job in this Recession, but with my family. And, even more specifically: my parents.

I am not a daughter who lets her parents know enough of how blessed I am to have them in my life; a fault on my part.

Lately, as I continue to teach the youth of our nation, I have been poked and pushed with the number of children who have not been as fortunate as me in this area of life. This was something that (1) was not as prevalent when I was in high school, or (2) something that I was blind to due to my fortunate circumstances. Daily, my heart hurts for my students, yet at the same time it swells because I am reminded of how lucky I am.

I was thinking about my brother's and my upbringing...my parents were always there supporting us no matter what time they had to wake up, no matter what financial cut they had to take so I could try out for Cheer or so our family could fly across the country for one of my brother's baseball tournaments. This support is not something that has ended; just last month when my bills exceeded my income, they were there in less than a heartbeat to buy me groceries, gas, and pay one last bill I wasn't able to - no questions asked; no hesitation.

I have always known, but it is revealing itself more as I get older, of how selfless my parents are and have always been. From buying me clothes last year when I started teaching high school so I didn't feel frumpy, to doting on their grandchildren, to taking in my g'ma to live with us, putting them on the couch and her in their bedroom for a year, to buying Granola bars for the kids in my 4th grade class who couldn't afford to buy snacks. This is a short list that doesn't come close to capturing the love that they have.

Something I hope that I will always carry with me in life is my parents selfless example. They truly have shown what it means to love others above themselves, and to sacrifice so another could have; an incredible example.

What a beautiful legacy they have left for me and others that know them.

Ma and Papa - if you're reading this, know that I love you more than you know :)

happy 3rd anniversary to my dear friends

three years ago tomorrow i went to the montage hotel in laguna beach for the first time...a wedding! what a beautiful day it was. now, three years later, i was privileged to take their 3rd anniversary pictures. i wish you many more happy years of marriage, maggie and jeff!