we're off to see the Victory!

Brick paths mark the way to the place we call home.
A surge, a feeling, a phrase beckons our hearts.
Our families are there; it's about a side of pride.
Palmer's doors are opened to the tried and the true.
The young and the old line the walls on both sides.
We clap and wave our hands in perfect syncopation;
we raise our voices to sing our heartfelt lullabies.
Two sides with two colors gather for one sole purpose.
We call them Gold and Black. We call them Purple and White.
Circle up! Let's boom sha la la! Let's poof our magic!
What's it gonna be? That's what we've come to see!

newness.

late Tuesday night. a glass of tea sits. it sweats. it waters. sips taken every now and again. the Bible opened to a Psalm with pen marks underlining what speaks inspiration and hope. Psalm 138 to be specific. "i bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name," verse 2 reads. the beauty of God's Word brings so much tenderness to the soul. so much simple joy bound up in the heart. precious reminders of Who holds tomorrow and the fragility of life. let the small simplicities and precious joys of Christ fill in the space. when all else has faded and slipped through the cracks, the unchanged and unwavering Lord remains.





I wish that I would stop and actually smell the roses more. I don't just ignored the fragrance, I nearly pass by these fragile buds on the other side without batting an eye. I am so busy of looking to the needs and longings of my own life that I fall short of taking the moment to appreciate what the Lord has given me and all the people who are around me everywhere I go. I'm constantly looking for something so simple and no-so-simple like a sunrise, and all the time the sun rises and lowers without me stopping to notice that it was there in the first place. The pace we carry around in our lives is unstoppable until...we must stop. We're all guilty of these hurried foot-steps. Where is this generation going? We're always going, going. Technology has over-run us, and we let it in without even thinking twice. (This blog being an example). We don't even notice the familiar or the simple joys of life. We overlook things that should be considered precious reminders of Who we serve and Who withholds no good thing. I often look at God wishing I had joy and peace, failing to realize I had it all along. I'm constantly on the lookout for the meaning of my life, blindly forgetting that the meaning for my life is for the glory of God. I need the Lord to take these thoughts and make them truly precious again, gaining a newness in Him and in His Kingdom. When the dust has settled covering all that I deem important, I realize Who and What is all-lasting, never wavering, and unalterable. "How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand." - Psalm 139:17-18



Since graduating from college, I have not only applied for several jobs, but I have also applied my mind to many possibilities. I find myself compiling a lengthy list of lofty hopes in my head of what I'd love to do with my life. My life has entered a new realm; a realm dwelling in possibility and freshness. The Lord has been working inside my heart, bringing a newness and clean slate. My life is currently about new beginnings, literally and spiritually. I'm training my ears, eyes, and heart to look and listen to Him. One thing I'm certain is that the Lord never withholds any good thing from me. His sovereignty and faithfulness never fails.



"The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands." -Psalm 138:8

when that Babe came to earth, my soul felt its worth.

i graduated from the University of Montevallo last friday (dec. 16). i did it; it has been proven that it can be done! even though i am finished with college none of it has really sunk into my head, and at the same time, i feel as though i am being propelled into an empty space with no idea of where i have been predestined to land. i am constantly asked about where i am going and what i am doing in january, but the truth is, i cannot answer these questions truthfully. i am still searching my future out and i am still trying to understand why i have been placed here on earth, other than for the glory of God. i suppose i am a wee bit afraid of the unknown, yet let the rose buds fall where they may. i know my Savior has me in His hand.



i have written before that i don't place myself entirely within the sphere of my generation; i feel like a conformist from about three or four decades before my time. in the end, i find myself chasing something that seems so unattainable. "it's hard to feel disqualified for living in a different time, as if the train will only stop for the current paradigm. and i know i shouldn't care if i'm out or if i'm in, cause if i am dismissed, oh You will always take me in." - sara groves





it's Christmas morning. the birth of my Lord is being celebrated through the hearts and voices of the very real Kingdom of God; it is a miracle that God came down and became a man and laid down every fragment of His human soul for the life of an undeserving sinner like me. imagine a new born baby placed in a rugged stable destined to grow up and be scornfully nailed to a splintered cross with piercing thorns in His brow. wisemen brought the Baby gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh; this Child was called the King Who would save the fallen world, but as a man was treated like a thief and a robber. as a sinner saved by grace the only thing i can offer is empty hands and a scarred and bruised heart longing for His fulfillment of Life. i offer Him glory and praise for His unending love, tender mercies, and infinite graces. God's gift to me is the most costly, yet, the very priceless gift i've ever been given. He gave His own Son to die; how can some call eternal life a "free gift?" there is nothing free in this life, and my salvation in Christ was bought with a price; a price i can never repay. "oh, Lord, when You came to the earth my soul felt its worth."



"for he will save his people from their sins." - matt 1:21

the door of higher education is about to be shut. & changes all around i see.

One month from today I will graduate from the University of Montevallo, and I couldn't be prouder or more excited about this! On December 16, 2011 I will be the holder of a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in art. I am still figuring out and searching out what I will be doing in the new year, but I am sure the Lord will show me and give me a job that is exactly what I need.



Today my best friend is moving to Wyoming, and it is one of the hardest things for me to grasp. It is very difficult to see my bosom buddy move miles away and know that all the things I love doing will be without her presence. We have been together through so many seasons of life--school, ballet, college, and now, transition.



I know that I will see her again soon and that I will be visiting her in the new year, but still the same, it is hard to know that she won't be by my side when I run 5Ks, plie at the barre, sip dark roast at "Tibet," make lists of lofty hopes, hike our favorite places, get lost in the Magic City when we know actually where we are, and need a shoulder to cry on. Who will understand our Laverne and Shirley moments, when I don't have Shirley here to share them with? I am excited that she has this opportunity to explore new surroundings and try new things, but this separation will be tough. I am crushed to see her leave, but in the meantime I plan my adventure to see her!!



"memories for miles and miles
summers falls winters and springs
Ruby you take it in
see He's withheld no good thing." - sara groves

different little happies

today, i choose jOy.



1) pumpkin in all things: coffee, pancakes, pies, breads, cookies, etc.
2) chilly nights. makes me want to camp and sit by the fire.
3) dark roast coffee.
4) friends to talk with about life & faith.
5) autumn afternoon sun rays
6) where all the other English majors see the things of the world in a passage, I see God.
7) scarves of all kinds. the end.
8) listening to Sara Groves, knowing that i will be encouraged, inspired, spiritually edified, and brought to tears.
9) watching photosynthesis come to a stop and seeing the results of that equaling hues that are indescribable.
10) taking walks in the autumn sunshine, and crunching the leaves underfoot.
11) looking at the stars and knowing that they're even less infinite than God.
12) spending time with my mom.
13) honey & cinnamon.
14) playing the piano for myself and God.
15) knowing that i'm graduating in two and half months.



no good thing does He withhold.

film photography portfolio (2011 spring semester)

these are some of the images i photographed in my photography class in the spring semester. all were taken on film, processed, and then scanned.

almost autumn. closing out college.

My beloved season is quickly approaching. As it creeps its way into view, I feel it in the air and I see it at the end of the day when the sun goes down. This makes me happy, and is the one thing I love about going back to school in autumn. I delight over the crunch underfoot the leaves make, and the crisp chill in the air. I know, I'm kind of ridiculous about this season, but it can't be helped.



My last semester of college will start in two weeks. It's an exciting thing to know that I will be finished with school before the year is out, and that graduation is only 4 months away. In just two weeks, I will be tackling the last 12 hours of my education, and will shortly receive my bachelors with pride and joy on December 16!



In January, I will be embarking on a different kind of life. A life that I haven't always seen myself a part of, and don't know if I ever fully will. People have asked me time and again about what I want to do after graduation, and the truth is, I am still trying to understand that. I'm still finding my way in the world. I would give a gold star to every person that doesn't ask if I want to teach. I understand that it's the assumed occupation when I tell them I'm an English major, but two years ago I was told by my professor that there are many things an English major can do, and teaching is just one of them.



This fall, my favorite recording artist will release her tenth album titled Invisible Empires on October 18. Sara Groves is a remarkable artist who brings her individuality to the table and creates a unique and creative style that is "genreless." Her faith in God is an inspiration to me and her music takes a refreshing approach on the subjects of Christ in our daily lives and how we can be used by Him to spread seeds of hope and love abroad. She is one of the most inspirational and influential women I've ever met, and it is an honor to listen to her music as well as her words of wisdom. Sometimes it's her stories behind her music that make it the best part about her song lyrics. If you have not listened to her, you're missing a beautiful thing.



This summer I have been practicing the piano more, and merely playing for my own enjoyment. My piano teacher would have been proud that I still tickle the ivories after all those years of lessons. I see the piano as my little place of comfort, joy, and inspiration. When I sit down at my musical haven and place my fingers on the black and white keys, I discover new things.



"Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!" - Psalm 103:22