A Couple More

70 Degrees and Lovin' It!

Oh, what a lovely day we had today!!! It was so warm, even with the strong winds... it didn't feel like March in Virginia! Declan was quite cooperative this afternoon, so I was able to get lots of good photos. Here are a few that I've had time to work on... I'll add more after we get back into town on Sunday. We'll be heading to our state BCM conference tomorrow... so you know what that means... RAIN! It ALWAYS rains at Eagle Eyrie! So, I don't expect too many great pics from the weekend... but hey, maybe low expectations will lead to some pleasant surprises! Please pray that we'll enjoy our last trip to the state conference as the directors at Radford. Thanks... more on Monday...

A Few More From Easter

As I said in my earlier post, we had a wonderful Easter. Here are a few more photos from the day. We had a great time playing with Declan and his friend Abigail. She is so beautiful... but my stubborn camera just would not do her any justice. Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to photograph her again under better lighting conditions... or with a new camera! (wink, wink)

52 weeks- Part 7

This weeks submission doesn't actually have mine or Declan's faces in it... but I just loved this photo so much I had to use it for this week! The only problem is that I couldn't decide between two different versions of the same photo... so here's both! Which do you like best?

Easter Blessings!

We had a wonderful Easter. We celebrated Christ's triumph over death, we enjoyed a delicious lunch with friends... and a great dinner with more friends/students. Below is one photo I managed to get of Declan. I hope to upload some more photos from Sunday later.... however, Sunday was pretty dark and cold... and we all know my camera doesn't do well in low light. I'll go through my photos when I get some more time and try to salvage a few more from our wonderful Easter!

52 weeks- Part 6

Jimmy, Declan and I had the rare opportunity to enjoy some lazy afternoon cuddle time before dinner tonight! I love this picture and am excited that its my submission for this week!
PS- we tried to get Yurtle the Turtle in the picture, since he is the fourth member of our family... but sadly Declan pushed him out of the way just as the timer went off. I guess D. didn't want anyone stealing his spotlight! As you can see by the brush and the interesting hairdo, D. was prepping intensely for said spotlight! haha!

52 Weeks- Part 5

Another fun photo... from another beautiful day outside!

Yay! I won!

I just found out this weekend that I won Rachel Absher's photo contest! Thanks so VERY much to all of you who voted for my photo! I have the best friends and family around!

Here's an encore post of the winning photo!

On a side note, we spent the weekend out of town and I didn't have much time to take any photos. Our students are gone this week for spring break, so maybe I'll find some time to take some more photos! I'll at least get one photo for this week's "52 Weeks" entry. Hopefully the weather will stay nice, so I can take more photos outside!

Thanks again everyone!

More from our outside playtime yesterday!

Wow, I wish it was this nice out today... but oh well, a little rain is o.k.

These first two photos were taken by our student and friend, Robin. I shot the rest.
Feel free to look, enjoy, and dream of sunnier days!

Photoshop fun... and a goofy treat!

So, yet another GORGEOUS day here in Radford, Va. We played outside and I took some more photos. One of our students/friend, Robin, visited with us as well. Below is a photo I took of Robin... isn't she beautiful! I played around in photoshop... couldn't decide between four different ones... she's so cool and funky that I knew she'd be the perfect subject to try out some new cool ideas. Which one do you like best? Plus here are two fun photos Robin took of Declan and I! Not my proudest moment... but still lots of fun! I'll try to upload more photos from our fun day soon.

I look like a total loser here... but it was fun!

... and I LOVE Declan's face in this one!!!

Another Beautiful Day... (followed by rainstorms and cold)/ 52 weeks (part 4)

We had another beautiful day yesterday. 70 degrees in early March! We managed to get outside for a little while yesterday afternoon before dinner and sundown. Below are a few photos I took while Declan and Jimmy played. The top photo is my "52 weeks" submission for this week. Its the best I could do... I had to put the camera on the deck, set the timer, then run down the hill, set up and smile in 10 seconds... quite a challenge! So, forgive my saggy pants and Declan's dazed look! By the way, don't you love his windblown mohawk? He really needs a hair cut!

Weird Photo, Neat Story (How Marvelous)

Yes, that is my thumb... and I know it is a strange photo. But the photos goes along with what I think is a neat story. Today I decided to paint my nails... something I've been saying I need to do everyday for about 10 days now. As I was preparing to finally put on the paint, I noticed that the cuticle of my right thumb was still stained a pretty deep red. So, what caused the stain? Yesterday, we decided to pay a second visit to a new church in our area. We really enjoyed the service and felt that God spoke to us in several ways. It was refreshing to be able to SING again in worship and it was nice to be challenged and moved by a sermon! Jimmy and I have been struggling lately with many things going on in our lives, but yesterday we felt that many things were put into perspective... especially our view of who Jesus is and how much he loves us. All throughout the service yesterday there was a lady on the side of the room painting a picture. Her artwork was a mix of colors fading into a white center... and it was her artistic representation of who Jesus is to her. At the end of the service, the pastor turned our attention to the artwork. He said that the art represented Christ and we were to think of it as Christ. He then invited each of us to participate in a symbolic representation of Christ taking our sin upon himself. So we each walked to the front, dipped our thumb in deep blood red paint and pressed it into the beautiful painting. In the end, the colorful representation of Jesus was marred with our blood red finger prints. WOW! The true depth of this actually sunk in later as I was putting Declan down for his nap. I usually sing him one song... Jesus loves me... twinkle, twinkle... but for some reason... out of my mouth came this song...that has come to mean so much to me:

He took my sins and my sorrow and made them His very own,
He bore my burdens to Calvary and suffered and died alone.

When with the ransomed in Glory, His face I at last shall see,
It will be my joy through the ages to sing of His love for me.

And we're singing,
How marvelous, how wonderful,
and my song shall ever be,
How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior's love for me.

I'm choking up now just thinking about it. Not because it is so beautiful and emotional, but because I am ashamed that I've come to take this truth for granted. In the midst of our personal struggles I've found myself lacking such reverence. Christ took our sin, took our punishment, he took it all upon himself, and suffered alone for two reasons. ONE... to save Me.... to save You... to save everyone! We are no different... we are all fallen. TWO... to bring Glory to GOD! Oh, I pray for forgiveness for forgetting the importance of that last one. Even I have lost my passion to "sing of HIS love for me"... and if you know me well that may surprise you... but its true. So, I don't know if the pastor planned for everyone's fingers to stay stained for a day or two... maybe, even despite my constant hand-washing (OCD) I'm the only one who's finger is still a little red... but it doesn't matter, because I'm glad its still there. May I never forget who Jesus truly is, may I never forget His loving sacrifice, and may I never forget to "sing of His love for me."

That's my prayer... and I hope that you will stop and think today about who Christ is to you.

Sorry for the long post, but if you read it, thanks for your patience!

Birthday Fun!

Last weekend we went to Martinsville to celebrate Jimmy's Grandpa's and his cousin Cole's birthdays. We had lots of fun and ate lots of good food. Thanks Cole and Pa for sharing your special day with us!

52 Weeks Contest

Hey everyone! Rachel Absher is holding a contest this week with the "52 weeks" photos. Check out her blog to see all the entries from this week.... then vote for your favorite! ... and NO, your favorite doesn't have to be mine... just have a little fun and vote for the one you like best!