Jambo Africa

Africa is breathtaking! God's beautiful landscapes and wildlife are truly wondrous to see in person and my family trip to Kenya a couple of years was simply amazing. As the Bachelor and his three remaining prospects travel to South Africa tonight on ABC, I thought pictures from my own trip would be appropriate. Our safari experience was something we will never forget, and I'm sure Brad and company will feel the same.

Oscars

A sweet family friend, Jennifer Lawrence, is a 2011 Academy Award nominee for Best Actress for her stunning portrayal of Ree Dolly in last year's film, Winter's Bone. She is both riveting and tender as the 17-year-old daughter of an Ozarks meth-cooker who’s fighting to take care of her little brother and sister. I'm so proud of Jen because she managed to make Ree determined, but not impervious to the pain of her situation. She made Ree's moments of sadness and fear never seem weak. Jen offered up the most subtle emotions and mannerisms to turn a stoically determined young woman into one of the most dynamic female characters I've ever seen. If you haven't seen WB yet, you definitely should, purely for the talent Jen showcases throughout. Although Natalie Portman is the Oscar favorite, Jen received glowing reviews for her portrayal of this character and it culminates tonight on the big stage. I can't wait to see the designer dress she chooses, her beautiful family, and watch the little girl I used to babysit become a house-hold name. Good luck, Jen! We are rooting for you :) 

Fitness Classic

This morning Andrew and I ran in the first leg of the Louisville Triple Crown~ the Anthem 5K. We weren't too excited about running in the cold, but it ended up being pretty decent running weather. There were over 10,000 participants and the race was lots of fun as we ran through the streets of downtown. We finished the race with our best time to date. Although waking up early on a Saturday is always rough, it's nice having your workout complete so you can enjoy the rest of the day. After the race we ate a hearty breakfast with some friends at the Marriott. Now it's off to watch college basketball. Hope you have a great weekend!

Baby Girl

We are in love with this precious little girl. Isn't Hurley the cutest?

Lessons from Jonah

My Bible Study is studying the book of Jonah and we are discovering God's truths along the way. These are the lessons that stand out to me thus far:

• God calls us to service as is necessary to fulfill his purposes~ When we choose to serve God, we are committing our lives to Him to guide and direct us according to His purpose. We can't just opt out whenever we don't like the assignment.

• It is not our business to determine the suitability of those that God sends us to witness to~ It is all too easy for us to decide who is worthy of the message of salvation and who is beyond hope. We need to leave those issues to God, and just witness as we have opportunity.

• God's plans cannot be thwarted by us~ God is the master planner; He knows what is going to happen before it does. We can't fool Him. If we don't cooperate with His leading, He'll just work with other people who will cooperate with Him, and we will just reap the consequences of disobedience. God is not going to force us to serve Him if that's not what we really want to do. It is quite interesting that when Jonah finally went to Nineveh and preached to those people who were supposed to be so ignorant of God, they responded more fully than the chosen Israelites. From smallest to greatest, they repented of their sins and asked God for forgiveness. All 120,000 people.

Friends, God doesn't require us to be perfect before He can use us, but the closer we stay to Him, and the more we surrender our will to His, the less we'll ignore or rebel against His leading, and the more effective we will be as a witness. Our ultimate purpose on earth is to be like Christ and to tell others about God's love for us. Let's continue to bear fruit for His kingdom...

"This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." John 15:8

Architectural Design

Digital photography is exciting! I love playing with f-stops, shutter speeds, and the infamous ISO. It's really fun experimenting with various techniques, trying to achieve the image I envisioned. Capturing images and watching the moment come to life brings me joy. I am currently taking a photography class and am so anxious to learn from my professor as well as other amateur photographers. Our first assignment was to photograph architectural design.


Architecture serves as a voice to express the artistic stance of the architect at that time. Photography takes a step further to interpret architecture in several ways. What used to be an accurate portrayal of the structure has now gradually evolved into a manipulation of different perspectives to bring out the interesting elements of a single structure. The art of photographing architecture takes on many forms. Whether it is photographing the exterior or interior, many awesome images can be resulted with the correct techniques and more importantly, the observant eye to spot the different points of view.

Weekend Goodness

Eating out is one of my favorite things. The whole idea of someone else preparing a delicious meal for me and cleaning up the mess~ yes, please. We usually cook at home during the week and then save the weekends to enjoy dining out. This weekend, with friends in town, we ate some pretty sweet meals and everything was so yummy!

Basketball in the Bluegrass

This weekend we enjoyed not one, but two exciting home wins of our favorite teams: UK and UofL. Yes, we are a house-divided. We knew pretty early into our relationship that basketball had a huge influence on both our lives and that red and blue weren't necessarily complimentary colors in our state. However, our love for the sport definitely brought us closer, although our loyalty to our own teams did not waver. We both love basketball so much that we enjoy going to games purely for the talent and entertainment factor.

Our good friends, Katie and Scott, came into town and enjoyed the UK game with us at Rupp. It seems like ages ago that Katie and I went to school there~ has it really been 6 years already? Crazy. Well, we are true blue and have enjoyed many a game watching young, athletic boys compete on the court. Coach Cal is hilarious to watch, too. My boy Miller played his best game to date, and we loved watching the Cats dominate! Let's hope they can shoot this well in the post-season...

Both teams have had ups and downs this season, but we remain true. It was fun rooting for our two top 25 teams, especially since they both played so well this weekend. There are a few more home games for each team this season and we can't wait to continue to cheer them on! 

Parks and Recreation

Isn't sunshine the best?! It seriously helps wash away any funk I'm in when I walk outside to warm weather and sunshine. This week has been exactly what I needed. With another trimester coming to an end and the uncertainty of everything else going on at FHS, God knew a little taste of spring would be the cure.

I wanted to take full advantage of the 70 degree weather, so after school I headed to Tom Sawyer Park. Running in the brisk air, reading a good book on the lawn, and people watching were the perfect way to spend a Friday afternoon. Something about the outdoors is so therapeutic.

This winter feels like it's gone on forever. I am, however, grateful for the small taste of spring we enjoyed this week. I hear it's supposed to be cold again next week, and maybe even snow. Let's enjoy the sunshine while we can. Happy weekend, y'all!

Yellow Fever

The color yellow makes me happy! I love yellow right now because it suggests happiness and joy, and the weather this week has definitely been bright! It's such a spring-y color and I'm so over this winter dreariness. Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness. Shades of golden yellow carry the promise of a positive future (spring anyone?) Yellow will instill optimism and energy, as well as spark a smile to your face. The pictures below are a tribute to the sunshine and 70 degree weather. I only hope it stays around for awhile...