Simply Toe

...my thoughts...

2010-03-16T15:06:00.001-04:00

Life is so busy! I'm taking a break right now from writing a book review, (Boy Meets Girl, Say Hello to Courtship), for someone. I've been filling my journal with my thoughts and prayers and scripture. It's always good to re-focus on what God has been trying to teach me and how much He is growing me to be more like Him. It is a long and tedious process, one with good days and bad, ones of tears and ones of great joy. He is using those trials and failures in my life to refine me and draw me closer to Him. I am so thankful that I have a Savior who loves me even when I mess up and gives so much grace & forgiveness!

“Only the power of the Holy Spirit working in us can change us. Only by His grace can we learn to say no to ungodliness.” Titus 2:12

“Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us (leading us to faith and worship), we have to see it as something done by us (leading us to repentance)….As we face the cross, then, we can say to ourselves both ‘I did it; my sins sent Him there,’ and ‘He did it; His love took Him there.’” John Scott

...quotes...

2010-03-01T19:40:00.002-05:00

"Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ." -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"If Christ does not reign over the mundane events in our lives, He does not reign at all." -- Paul Tripp

"The decision to grow always involves a choice between risk and comfort. This means that to be a follower of Jesus you must renounce comfort as the ultimate value of your life." --John Ortberg

"Until you have given up your self to Him you will not have a real self..." -- C.S. Lewis

"Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace." -- Jerry Bridges

Comments

2010-02-25T23:16:00.001-05:00

Oh, I forgot to add...thank you to all you who leave me comments! I'm sorry it takes me a while to get back to you!
I always enjoy hearing from you!!
~Tori

Sharing My Thoughts

2010-02-25T22:32:00.003-05:00

So now I've caught ya'll up a bit on what's been going on the pass two months.
Today was a quiet & restful day for me. I wanted to share a few quotes and verses that I've read over the past few days during my quiet time.

"Give me the fullness of godly grief that trembles and fears, yet ever trusts and loves, which is ever powerful, and ever confident; Grant that through the tears of repentance I may see more clearly the brightness and glories of the saving cross." ~Valley of Vision~

.....my desire is to walk in godliness and to be a woman who trusts, fears and obeys her Savior!....

"No poor creature stands in need of divine grace more than I do, and yet none abuses it more than I have done, and still do. How heartless and dull I am! Humble me in the dust for not loving thee more.....I cannot boast when I think how dependent I am upon thee for the being and every act of grace." ~Valley of Vision~

.....how can I be more humble? What steps will I take to live a life lived in humility and servant hood to my God?.....

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?.....We know that our old self was crucified with him in order
that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin." ~Romans 6:1-2 & 6-7~

.....may I put my sin to death daily. I have been set free by the one who was the bearer of all sins!.....

Live Life With Purpose!

I'm Alive!...and posting

2010-02-25T22:29:00.000-05:00

I’m Alive!!! I promise!!!! I’ve had so many things going on since Christmas, (I’m sure ya’ll have as well). Where do I begin…

January
-Had some close friends come down and visit us for almost a week! It was a pleasant trip and we had so much fun catching up with them.
-My brother Sam, celebrated his 12th birthday on January 13th!!! I love him so much! Sam is now my height-he’s almost passing me up!!!
-My dad went on a trip to China for 10 days. First time he’s been there.
-We had snow!!!! Took advantage of it and went sledding as much as we could! I collided with a friend of mine while sledding and hurt my arm. I finally went to the doctors this week because my arm wasn’t getting better. Found out I tore some muscles in my right arm! (But it was all worth it in the end because we had fun!!!!!)

February
-Been working a lot. That has kept me busy!
-Went to dinner and a dance with some friends….it was so much fun getting all dressed up! What a fun evening that was!! J
-Celebrated Valentine’s Day on February 15th…..Mom made a yummy dinner and afterwards we danced. (This has been a tradition every year. We have a fancy dinner and then put Jazz music on and we all swing dance together! We do some silly dancing too-but most people don’t know that ;)
-My grandmother came for a visit last week. It was great to see her!! J
-Celebrated my dad’s birthday on February 19th! He is now 53 years old! Yup, that’s old!!
-Went to the doctors on Monday for my arm….I can’t lift anything more than 5lbs. (Do you know how hard it is not to pick things up!?)
……and now I’m caught up to today! (I’ll post more above!)

Fun with Friends

2010-02-25T22:25:00.002-05:00

Me & the beautiful Hannah!

(I'm not sure why we were posing like this)

We look like those crazy barbie dolls!

Me, Maxwell Smart(aka: Daniel) & Hannah

Secret Agents

Me, Erica & Brett (My two very dear cousins! We have a picture that we framed of me and them when Erica & Brett were out on their prom 14 years ago. I was 4 years old and I thought that Brett & Erica were all dressed up because they were getting married. So in this old picture there is Erica and Brett all dressed up and then there’s me-in a mismatching outfit squeezing my fists with the biggest smile on my face! So I reenacted that photo here! Except now it's my turn to be all dressed up for a special occasion! .....What fun memories!! I love you both sooooo much!)

Mothers & their Daughters

Daniel, Mrs. Harriet, Hannah & Dr. Liederbach (ahh we're missing Kathrine in this picture!)

I am so thankful for all you Liederbachs!! Ya'll have been such a HUGE blessing to me! Love you guys so much!!

Yep.....15!!!!

2009-12-01T20:59:00.002-05:00

HAPPY 15th BIRTHDAY
Today my sweet brother turned 15 years old!!! He went to the
DMV and got his permit...can't believe he's old enough to get it!!......Time sure does fly!

My dear brother, I'm so proud of the wonderful young man that you have become in Christ!
May you always..."set your heart on the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4)
I am so thankful for you!!
Love you always,
Tori

Thanksgiving Psalm

2009-11-26T09:11:00.002-05:00

"Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness;Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God;It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgivingAnd His courts with praise.Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good;His lovingkindness is everlastingAnd His faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 100:1-5

2009-11-16T09:21:00.002-05:00

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

~John Piper~

20th Anniversary

2009-09-27T15:50:00.005-04:00

Today our church, (North Wake Baptist), had our 20th Anniversary Celebration at Joyner Park!!! We worshiped, prayed, and heard testimonies of how amazing God’s grace and mercy is towards His people. Pastor Larry recapped on God’s faithfulness to us through the years. And then we ate and fellowshipped.

As I listened to 2 testimonies, I was reminded again of what an amazing God we serve. He is holy, loving, compassionate, gracious and most of all, forgiving.
He wanted to save a sinner like me, imperfect, selfish, prideful. I was just so overwhelmed by the fact that He wanted to save me! “…that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed his own blood for my soul. My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”-(It Is Well by: Horatio Gates Spafford). It brought me to tears as we sang, It Is Well, today.

As you spend your Sunday afternoon with your family or friends or maybe by yourself….I want to challenge you to reflect on what God has done for you. Pray, journal, tell someone of what the Lord has done in your life. He is worthy of our praise!!!

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalm 100:4

“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.” 1 Timothy 4:4-5

In Him,
Tori

Pursing my Savior

2009-09-15T19:46:00.004-04:00

..........

"O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long."

~A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God~

..........

Q-U-O-T-E-S

2009-09-05T09:08:00.003-04:00

“Grace is but glory begun, and glory is but grace perfected.”

~Jonathan Edwards~

“Obedience leads to knowledge. Obedience is the expression of love to God. Obedience means that we live in God. And if we live in Him, our lives bear the stamp of Christ.”

~Elizabeth Elliot~

"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

~Booker T. Washington~

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

~Jim Elliot~

"And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weakness, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weakness, with insults, with distresses, with persecution, with difficulties, for Christ sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

~2 Corinthians 12:9-10~

Christ is All

2009-09-03T20:41:00.000-04:00

Thou hast loved me everlastingly, unchangeably,

may I love thee as I am loved;

Thou hast given thyself for me, Thou hast given thyself for me,

may I give myself to thee;

Thou hast died for me,

may I live to thee,

in every moment of my time,

in every moment of my mind,

in every pulse of my heart.

May I never dally with the world

and its allurements,

but walk by thy side,

listen to thy voice,

be clothed with thy graces,

and adorned with thy righteousness.

~Valley of Vision~

B-L-A-C-K & W-H-I-T-E

2009-09-03T20:30:00.008-04:00

I saw these photos online and thought they were pretty! Thought I'd post them.

I LOVE BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY!!!

No I didn't take these photos...I wish I were that good! :)

Birthday at the Beach!

2009-08-08T09:48:00.002-04:00

I'm taking a day trip to the beach tomorrow, (Sunday) with 3 friends!!!! I can't wait to go.....what a fun way to spend my 18th birthday!!!!

I'll take my camera so I can share the pictures with you all later.

~Tori

A YUMMY DINNER

2009-07-29T13:28:00.009-04:00

I wanted to share two very yummy recipes that I got from a friend off of allrecipes.com. It was very easy and oh so yummy!!!! I will say that the Black Bean & Couscous Salad is probably not what kids would call yummy..it's more of an adult meal....but I really love it and I'm going to be sharing it with my family tonight for dinner!

Enjoy!!

Black Bean & Couscous Salad

1 cup uncooked couscous

1 1/4 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

8 green onions, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, drained

salt and pepper to taste

~Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.

~In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat.

~Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Note: When I had it with my friend, we substituted white wine vinegar for red vine vinegar and left out the red pepper and the onions. We didn't have any onions so we used onion powder.*

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

~Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

~In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

~Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Hope you enjoy this meal.....if you decide to make it, let me know how yours turned out!

~Tori

I've Been Tagged

2009-07-29T12:00:00.001-04:00

I've been tagged! Thank you Hannah!

What time is it?

1:55pm

What was the last out door activity you did?

Went on a long walk by myself.

Do you have an email address?

Yes

How many followers do you have?

How long have you been on the computer today?

1 hour

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone with?
A girl from work.

Are you happy right now?

Yes

Do you want a horse someday?

Already have one!

How many pets do you have?

Here we go.... 1 dog, 8 cats, 1 horse & over 30 fish! So that would make it..40 pets!!!

Do you have a playlist?

Are you having a fun summer?

Yes!

What book are you reading now?

The Scarlet Pimpernel

What is the most advanced book you read?

well....pretty much all of my reading is advanced.

Do you like your blog?

Do I have to even answer this question....yes, I love my blog!

How many tags have you gotten?

1..this one.

What is the most recent award you've gotten?

I'm not sure this is an award but...I just got my diploma from High School!!!!

What is the first award you've gotten?

???

Who gave you your first tag?

Hannah

Who gave you this tag?

Hannah

Do you have a three column template?

What are you doing tomorrow?

Working and then packing for a trip to the mountains!!!!

How long have you been on blogger for?

9 months!

How many times have you changed your profile picture?

Twice..I think

What did you do for your last post?

A post about a Yummy Dinner.

What is the most comments you've ever gotten on your blog?

27 in total. But up to 5 on one subject.

Are you having fun with this tag?

Yep

What is one thing you want right now?

A made up bed and an iced coffee!

Is your profile name your real name?

Kind of...:)..the first half isn't.

What is your favorite animal?

That's a tuff one..I think I'll go with cats!

What is your favorite movie?
Favorite movie....I don't have "A" favorite movie. One I really like right now is: The Magic of Ordinary Days.

Have you seen the new Star Trek?

Who is your favorite fictional character?

Don't even know where to start..there are too many favorites.

Are you hungry?

A Little

Should you probably get off the computer right now?

YEP!

Who are you tagging now?

Bethany and Ellie

For Him,
Tori

Background Exploring!

2009-07-28T09:09:00.006-04:00

Bear with me everyone..I'm looking around for a new background....so if you come to my blog and it is a different style, don't be suprized!

Hope you all are doing well? Leave me a comment of what you're up to these days!!

~Tori

The Gift of Gifts

2009-07-08T07:59:00.004-04:00

“What shall I render to thee for the gift of gifts, thine own dear Son, begotten, not created,

my Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute,

his self-emptying incomprehensible,

his infinity of love beyond the heart’s grasp.

Herein is wonder of wonders:

he came below to raise me above,

was born like me that I might become like him.

Herein is love;

when I cannot rise to him he draws near on

wings of grace,

to raise me to himself.”

~The Valley of Vision~
Page: 28

Happy Fourth of July!!

2009-07-04T09:22:00.004-04:00

Can you believe it has been 233 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence! Wow…that is amazing!!
Please continue to pray for our nation…that our leaders will have wisdom to lead our country well…..And for the safety of our troops that are fighting overseas and for their families back home.

I hope you all have a wonderful day celebrating with your friends or family members! What do you have planned for the day…I’d love to hear from you so drop by and leave me a comment!
***************
The Battle Hymn of the Republic

***
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on."

Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,
Our God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our God is marching on.

(Written by Julia Ward Howe in November 1861 and first published in The Atlantic Monthly on 1 February 1862, that became popular during the American Civil War).
**************

And MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Sugar and Coffee =........

2009-06-09T14:08:00.004-04:00

So I haven't kept you all updated like I promised....FYI: Dottie is sitting next to me and saying "Oh brother it's only been three days." Love, Tori

JUST KIDDING!!!
That was Dottie's idea of kindly saying goodbye! :)

Yes, we baked our heads off and other parts of the body off on Friday! Had our Small group at 7:00 and ate 12 bowls of Popcorn!!! :) YUMMY

Saturday- We......um....oh yes, we went to the Farmer's Market and bought some fresh flowers. Then Dottie and I came back to the house and made the cheese cake that we failed to make on Friday.....because the Chocolate Spiders took FOREVER to make...since we made at least 200ish. After dinner Dot, Isaac, Sam and I played a couple of rounds of Phase 10....and then...here's the fun part...at 11:00 at night Dot and I made flower arrangements...or at least tried.......Quote from Dottie, "Tori should go into the business .. hers were GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!....and mine...I..I..was going for the WILD look and IT WORKED!!!! WhooHoo."
Dottie's still looked beautiful...with a little boost....Dottie says, "Oh, Brother!!... “Even though I don't have any!"

FYI to ALL: Dot and I are runnning on High SUGAR right now....we just had cheesecake and A WHOLE CUP OF COFFEE.....and every one knows what that does to us two!

So back to our story......."no interrupting Dot!"........Sunday....went to church like good little girls do.....just kidding! Came home VERY quickly and finished our preparations for MY graduation party! The Party was sooooooooo much fun! I was so thankful to have all my wonderful friends and family here to support me!
We relaxed after that...did we Dot??....we can't remember because we are so tired.

Yesterday we...we...we..um.. oh, yah, I went and had my pictures taken by Blair Brown! They are sooooo pretty and I am soooo cute! Dot says, "enough with this vanity....vanity, vanity."
So as I was saying...We took pictures with Claudia and Knox and then Dot and I got changed into our matching outfits and took pictures! Which I must say I was the cutest (J/K)...Dot says, "Did you know the definition of cute is, "Bowl-legged" and I was sweating!"

Whatever..who knows what that meant:)

So today we went and got grain for my horse and then ate lunch and we are typing and Dottie won't stop saying.., "SIGNING OFF RIGHT NOW." You know she is starting to sound like a parrot! Dot says, "and you smell like one too!"

Well you can see that we are having sooooo much fun....right!

I'll try to keep ya'll updated...."Don't make any promises," Dot says.

My Friend is Here!!!

2009-06-05T08:26:00.002-04:00

DOTTIE IS HERE!
Oh, I am so glad to have my dear friend here for 18 days!

Dottie arrived at 12:30am on Wednesday morning. And of course Dottie and I stayed up till 2:00am talking.
We've not done much since she has been here. I'll try to recap what has been going on.

Wednesday- We all slept in!! :)....I can't believe I'm saying this but...I can't really remember what we did that day. I think we drove around in the golf cart and made a "brain storm list" of possible things we could do while she was here.....ok now it is coming back to me....our friends the Yagers were in town so they came out with our other friends the Foulkrods and we all went swimming. I think we swam for 4 hours! :) We had a lot of fun and we slept real well that night!

Thursday- We all went shopping for Graduation Party supplies! All that’s left to get are Napkins!!!!!:) I had to work from 2:30 to 5:00 so Dottie went over to the Browns until I finished work. Spent a lot of time talking after dinner that night with the whole family, which was fun!!
Friday- And today is BAKING DAY!!! Dottie and I are baking 2 cheese cakes, chocolate spiders (which are...in case you were wondering...Chinese noodles that are covered in chocolate and frozen......they are soooooo good) and possibly some Baked Oatmeal for breakfast!
We also have small group tonight.

I want to post pictures of what has been going on here but, I STILL CAN'T GET MY COMPUTOR TO DOWNLOAD ANY PICTURES.
I will keep trying…I might have to ask some Computer Expert about why my pictures won’t download onto the computer anymore!
I’ll keep you updated!

Verses for the Day:

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:13-16

WAIT

2009-06-02T21:32:00.005-04:00

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the end of the earth does not become weary or tired His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly,
"Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary."

Isaiah 40: 28-31

"But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me."

Micah 7:7

I was reading these passages in my quiet time this morning. I've always heard and read some of these, but I've never taken a moment to ponder it. I sometimes struggle with waiting patiently before God. I want to plunge forward...relying on myself to get through things..... But it doesn’t work like that…Oh; if I would just WAIT…He tells me that over and over again… (You’d think I would have it branded into my brain but alas it's still in the making).

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”
Psalm 37:7

And I need to humble myself…….
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
James 4:10
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
1 Peter 5:6

Do any of you struggle with this? I know some of you probably have in the past or are dealing with it right know? I pray that these verses will encourage you to WAIT….to WAIT, Patiently & Humbly before God!!!!

This is my desire……

GRADUATING SOON !!

2009-05-21T21:47:00.003-04:00

Yep! I'm graduating from High School on June 7th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't tell you all how excited I am about that!! I'M FREE FROM LEARNING THE REST OF MY LIFE......Just Kidding! I'll always be learning something till the day I die! :)

(I'll post some graduation photos soon)!

Lifting up Shepherd

2009-04-23T20:33:00.001-04:00

Please lift Shepherd up in your prayers!!! Visit www.nothing2bring.blogspot.com for new updates.

Radio

2009-04-15T20:50:00.003-04:00

Have any of you seen this movie??? I just recently went to Walmart and bought this movie for $5!!! I saw it once a very long time ago but forgot how much I really love this movie.....Yes I cried!!!! I think if most of you see this you WILL cry!

I recommend watching Radio...(I will say that it does have some language).

And what makes this an even better story is that, IT IS A TRUE STORY ABOUT A REAL PERSON!!!!!

Just thought I'd share a great movie with you all!

~Tori

PRAY HARD!!

2009-04-14T09:50:00.009-04:00

Stephanie J. just posted this quote on her blog from George Mueller, (and a new update on Shepherd). It really encouraged me and I thought I'd share it with you all! Keep praying for Shepherd's surgery!!!

"The strength of our faith is in direct proportion to our level of belief that God will do exactly what He has promised. Faith has nothing to do with feelings, impressions, outward appearances, nor the probability or improbability of an event. If we try to couple these things with faith, we are no longer resting on the Word of God, because faith is not dependent on them. Faith rests on the pure word of God alone. And when we take him at His Word, our hearts are at peace.
God delights in causing us to exercise our faith. He does so to bless us individually, to bless the church at large, and as a witness to believers. Yet we tend to retreat from the exercising of our faith instead of welcoming it. When trials come, our response should be, "My Heavenly Father has placed this cup into my hands so I may later have something pleasant."
Trials are the food of faith. Oh! may we leave ourselves in the hands of our Heavenly Father. It is the joy of His heart to do good to all His children. Yet trials and difficulties are not the only way faith is exercised and thereby increased. Reading the scriptures also acquaints us with God as He has revealed Himself in them.
Are you able to genuinely say, from your knowledge of God and your relationship with Him, that He is indeed a beautiful being? If not, let me graciously encourage you to ask God to take you to that point, so you will fully appreciate His gentleness and kindness, so you will be able to say just how Good He is, and so you will know what a delight it is to God's heart to do good for His children.
The closer we come to this point in our inner being, the more willing we are to leave ourselves in His hands and the more satisfied we are with all of His dealings with us. Then when trials come, we will say, "I will patiently wait to see the good God will do in my life, with the calm assurance he will do it."
In this way, we will bear a worthy testimony to the world and thereby strengthen the lives of others."
-George Mueller

Updates on Shepherd visit: http://nothing2bring.blogspot.com/

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Earlier this morning....
New Update: Shepherd is going into surgery at 3pm today for a tracheostomy.

Stephanie said on her blog yesterday, "We asked the ENT surgeon, as he was leaving, what needed to happen for them to cancel Shep's tracheostomy. He said that his CPAP would have to come out by some freak accident, then for no apparent reason the alarms that would normally go off would break, and oddly no nurses would notice for hours, until they came in to find Sheperd breathing perfectly fine on his own. ok, so, now you all know exactly how to pray. Get to it."

Please pray exactly for what she said to happen....A MIRACLE!!!!!

"Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. " Psalm 102:1-2

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Psalm 3:5-6

Read Stephanie's blog http://nothing2bring.blogspot.com/ for new posts about Shepherd.

Thank you all for praying!

Tori

Pray For Shepherd

2009-04-11T10:40:00.007-04:00

Please pray for our sweet friends the Joyners! Shepherd was born last week and has already had open heart surgery & he's struggling to breathe on his own. For more updates from Stephanie, click on the link provided. http://nothing2bring.blogspot.com/

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." ~Psalm 62:5-8~

What A Week This Has Been...

2009-03-30T20:06:00.004-04:00

What other words could you use!

I decided to make a list of all the things that I need to work on this week!
-Finish My School (Every-Day Until I'm done :)
-Do My Household Chores (Try Not To Put The Laundry Off Any Longer)

-Work ( I Won't Even Go Into Detail :)

-Working On My Support Letters For The Walk For Life & Hopefully Sending Them Out By Tomorrow

- Work On Piano-(Been Really Bad About Doing That This Past Week :(
-Finish Helping My Family Get The House Ready To Sell (Get All The Junk Out Of My Room :P

-Need To Write Some Thank You Notes

-Get Together With Some Friends Before Their Spring Break Is Over (That Won't Be Too Hard To Do ;)

-Work On Putting Together A School Project

-Finish A Birthday Gift For A Friend

And-Last-But-Not-Least:

CLEAN MY ROOM!!!!!!

(Ok for those who know me...I like to keep my room clean..makes it easier to do school when the room isn't a total disaster! And yes I don't mean I have a few books on the floor..it means...THERE ARE PAPERS, BOOKS, SCRAPBOOKING THINGS, STAMPS, LAUNDRY, AN UNMADE BED, AN OPEN DOOR TO THE CLOSET THAT IS FILLED WITH LAUNDRY ALL OVER THE FLOOR AND IN NEED OF A VERY GOOD WASHING!!!!!! )

I really shouldn't be blogging..I have sooooo much to do as it is...but what's the harm in having a little time to blog to my friends! :)

So...where do I even begin..the picture above describes my week last week and what I'll be like at the end of this Saturday evening!

Maybe I should play "The Happy Working Song" from Enchanted while I get these things done? :)

Have a great week!

Tori

SPRING IS HERE

2009-03-27T23:05:00.010-04:00

Spring is Here!....and with all the rain!!! :( I must admit I love, love, love Spring , (it's my favorite season)...I just don't like all this rain. But you can't have a beautiful Sping without rain!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am very excited because one of my Very Dear Friends is flying out to see me in June for 17 days!!!! I can't wait to see her again...I really, really miss her! I flew out last August to see her and now it's her turn to come see me!!! I am also very happy that she will be here for my graduation party!
You probably have seen a post of Dottie and I earlier but below is a picture of me and Dottie last Summer! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU DOTTIE!!!!!

Me and My Friend!

This picture was taken when we were out celebrating our birthdays together! And yes, we are wearing matching skirts...we made them while I was out there! A very fun prodject I might add!!

Piano Lover!

2009-03-05T21:40:00.002-05:00

Hope you all are doing well? I haven't had a ton of things going on besides work and school. Still can't get my computer to upload my personal images, so you all will have to wait a little longer until I can figure out how to fix it!!

Lately I've been working on four pieces of music for two different competitions, (you basically compete against yourself and see how well you can play. Here is how it goes:
-You work on, (however many pieces you want to play) and then when the competition comes you play them before a "piano judge."
-The judge will then critique your playing and you will be awarded on how well your performance was.

It seems all so simple but in fact it takes a lot of time and effort to play each piece dramatically and accurately!
I find these competitions a very fun thing to do and I look forward to them every year! It is always fun to face a challenge and I've found that I'm not nervous when playing in front of "ONE" judge....it's when there are more then one, I don't enjoy playing! :)

Last Saturday I finished my first competition and this Saturday will be my last one!!

Playing the piano is always, (or at least most of the time it is) a very relaxing thing to play...I find myself playing it a lot when I'm stressed or have lots of energy because I can let it all out (my emotions) on the piano...no matter how bad it sounds! :) (If you are a pianist you will know exactly what I mean.....and to those who don't have a clue as to what i'm saying.....well I 'm just sorry you don't play the piano!)
Just thought I'd share how much I love the piano!!
A special thanks to my wonderful teacher Rebekah!

~Tori

Valentine's Greeting

2009-02-14T20:00:00.003-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope you all are having a wonderful Valentines'!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"I'm Swamped?"

2009-02-01T13:37:00.004-05:00

Have you ever felt this way???.........I'm sure you have! Sometimes I don't think I can fit one more thing into my schedule! I've been trying to balance out school, work, chores and helping around the house. It always seems like there is something to do. So this picture shows how I feel sometimes!
I wanted to show you all my photos that I've taken these past few weeks...but my computer (well it's my dad's computer, not mine even though I want it to be mine!!!!)....anyways as I was saying, "The Computer" is not letting me upload my photos for some very odd reason. So that's why I can't share them with you right now. I'll add that to my to-do list......like I need one more thing on my plate!!!! :)

Hope you all are doing well?
Tori

I've Not Forgotten

2009-01-26T21:27:00.005-05:00

Yes, it has been a long time since I've blogged...I think I'm done doing all the touch up on the blog.....the place where I get all my backgrounds, their system was down.
I've been really busy with school and work so hopefully this week I will post some pictures of the beautiful snow that we had!!!

Talk to All Ya'll Later,
Tori

Fixing

2009-01-13T18:58:00.002-05:00

Hey All!
If you see my blog colors changing it's because I'm fiddling around with different backgrounds!
So hopefully I will be done with all of the adjustments soon!

Tori

It's Someone's Birthday!

2009-01-13T09:38:00.004-05:00

HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY SAM!!!!
I love you so much Sam!! You are so sweet, thoughtful, a hardworker and your love for the Lord is so very evident in your life!
I'm so glad you are apart of our family!!
Love Always,
Your Sis

(This picture was taken at Jamestown this past fall).

Sense and Sensibility Fan!

2009-01-08T22:40:00.006-05:00

My family and I watched this movie tonight! This is one of my favorites that Jane Austen wrote. I highly recommend this movie, (even though I'm sure you all have seen it!), over the newer version of Sense and Sensibility, (done by Masterpiece Theatre)!
Hadn't blogged in a while but wanted to say something about something! :)
Hope you all are doing well?
Tori
P.S. Oh and the soundtrack is beautiful!!!! I don't actually own it but I borrow it from a friend!!!
I guess I should invest in one!

Don't Mess With Us

2009-01-01T22:57:00.001-05:00

Cowgirl Bethany and Cowgirl Tori messing around.......stick em up!!!

Don't Mess With Us Part:2

2009-01-01T22:55:00.004-05:00

Don't Mess With Us Part:3

2009-01-01T22:53:00.003-05:00

Christmas Evening Fun!!!

2009-01-01T21:22:00.003-05:00

We had a great time on Christmas night with the Peases and both my Grandmas'. We laughed and ate and played games and ate and danced!!(and ate some more!).
I'll post some video later but just wanted to share a few photos!
Hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Tori
P.S. And for a treat I spent the night with the Peases!!! Had a blast....we watched Dan in Real Life...which is a funny "grown up" movie. ( I'm not a grown up yet...:) but it is a movie that is great except for some of the adult content...which isn't too bad, since I'm not a grown up but I can still watch it....never mind.....the whole point is that I had a lot of fun with the girls.). Thanks for having me over!!!

Our yummy buffet line of food!!! we had a roasted pork with cranberry sauce on it, (it was to die for), salad,(yummy), Potatoes......which were my favorite because we baked them with herbs and olive oil!!! Rolls and the Peases brought some apple sauce!
And of course we had lots of yummy desserts!!!!

Caitlyn, Sam and Bethany.....so silly.....and here is another picture with Bethany doing her "freaky" eyes, (very attractive)!

I took this picture right as they all started tickling each other! Sam got out of the pile just in time.....notice he is the one with only his hand in the picture. :)

I love this picture of Nathan, Sam, Isaac, Papa and Bethany! I caught them at the right moment!

Candace you look so cute!

Christmas Morning!

2008-12-27T16:20:00.003-05:00

Our Christmas Tree!

Our yummy breakfast!!!! Monkey bread, sausage cassaroll and a pastry that the Browns brought over for us to eat!

Papa and Mama......Papa got Mama a swing for Christmas! (It even has a drink holder that folds down in the middle!! :)

Me, Isaac and Sam.

Us kids with our dogs, Titus and Blue. We were taking a picture with them because we were about to give them their christmas present....DOG TREATS!!! You can't see it but Blue was really happy in this picture...his tail was slapping real hard on the porch floor because he could smell the treats that I had in my hand! :)

The Reason of the Season

2008-12-25T13:38:00.004-05:00

THE CHRISTMAS STORY!
"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:1-20

I hope you all are having a wonderful day of celebrating our wonderful Savior's Birth!
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Tori

Christmas at the Blevins

2008-12-24T13:55:00.006-05:00

Last night, (Tuesday) we went to the Blevins for Dinner and our regular Christmas get-together!
We had a blast playing lots of games and being silly! Last year we ended up staying at the Blevins till 11:30 at night!! This year we stayed till 12:30am!!!!!!!! Next year we will stay another hour later...JUST KIDDING!
Thanks for having us Blevins!!!...We are so blessed to have you as our friends!
Merry Christmas,
Tori

Cole took this picture!!! I think he did a pretty good job for a 6yr. old!
(Left to Right: Spencer, Isaac, Mr. Stoney, Me, Hannah, Lydia, Aunt Candace, Mom, Papa and Sam. Cole is the only one not in the pic!)

Lydia had the best time acting out things!

I could just eat her up!!!!

Spencer and Hannah. (Isaac and Spencer played with rubber-bands the whole night....thankfully I was never hit by them! :)

The Boys!!

Lydia and her Uncle Stuart!

Ya'll are so cute!

Lydia and "Aunt Ann" (Lydia loves her Aunt Ann!!).

And these ladies.......lets just say "I'm not related to them in any way! ":)

Mom and Aunt Candace

Um..all I've got to say is "wow baby you look HOT!!" (this is Hannah) :)

Yep that's my....DAD!

(Mr. Stoney went and got this sign from OUR double wide lot that we are selling. He took the sign down and wrapped it up and gave it to my dad as a Christmas gift!! Mr. Stoney is so funny).

2008-12-24T11:16:00.006-05:00

Here is a little video that I took when we were at the Blevins.....we are playing Apples to Apples....we had a blast!!!!!

A Christmas Kidnapping!!!

2008-12-22T20:04:00.006-05:00

Well today at 3:00 I droped by the Furr house to pick up Kels and Maddy. Kels and I had planned a while back to "kidnapp" Maddy and take her to the Old English Tea Room for a fun Christmas treat!...so back to my story.....I parked in front of their house and Kelsey came out with presents and Mrs. Furr came out, leading Maddy (who had a blindfold on). Maddy was placed in the back seat of my car and Kelsey sat beside her.....I drove them around town (just to confuse Maddy)...by the way I didn't say a thing the whole time (which ws really hard because Kels and Maddy were cracking jokes)......Maddy only knew that someone was driving and had no idea that I was in the car. Well we finally arrived at the Tea Room and got Maddy out of the car. We started walking to the Tea Room and I realized I had parked in a yellow zone...so of course I had to move the car! :) So once we were seated at our table, we let Maddy open her eyes. She was suprized and we had a great time visiting and drinking tea and eating yummy food!!!!! We exchanged gifts and then headed back home!
We had such a great time and I am so thankful for my two very dear friends!
I love you guys!!!!!
Toe

Maddy has no idea where she was or who she was with.

Brown paper packages, tied up with string.......I love to decorate my friends presents!

Me and Kels!

Yes......Kelsey is a bit strange at times..but we still love you for it!

Kelsey and Maddy

The Three Friends!

The Bulman Clan

2008-12-21T09:03:00.009-05:00

Ok...here is a picture for all my friends who have always wondered who the "Bulman Family" is and what they all look like! And yes that's all of us..Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and All! (This photo was taken at my Grandma's 80th Birthday Party this past October).

And this is my sweet cousin and best friend! Erica is.....I can't even describe how amazing she is!
She's thoughtful, kind, humble, she pours out to those around her, she is a wonderful wife and mother and most of all she is a strong believer and godly role model for me! I love my cousin so much and her love for the Lord is so very evident in her life. I have had the privilege of watching her wonderful kids and being able to watch her and her husband Brett in their godly-exemplary marriage!

Erica...Thank you for being such a wonderful friend! I love you so much!!!!!!
Love always...Your Cuz, Sister, Friend and "Niece?"

My sweet Cousins, Brett and Erica! I love you guys!!!! (sorry Erica...but I really love this photo...had to share it everyone!:)

Wendy's Adventure

2008-12-13T17:01:00.003-05:00

As tradition goes, we always stop at Wendy's before we head home. We were freezing, so some of us got coffee and fries and others weren't as smart (those being the ones who got cold frosties)!
As you can see below we were really silly. But hey.....we are the Bulmans!!! And when you add the Peases and Aunt Debbie to the mix = total craziness! He He He He!:)

Caitlyn darling! Beautiful lips!!

Aunt Debbie

Yep...this crazy chick is Bethany...you would never guess she was 23!
Love you girl!

The "Boy Table." What lovely manners. :)

Freaks!!!!! (AKA: Candace and Mom).

Williamsburg Fun!!!

2008-12-13T16:45:00.004-05:00

Some of the houses were decorated for with Christmas wreaths. They were so pretty.

Isaac, Candace and Sam being silly! We took the jogger stroller so that it could carry all our food.

Caitlyn, Isaac(who snuck into the picture), Candace, me and Bethany.

Aunt Debbie and Mom!!! Yes it was freezing!!!!!!!

Candace

Bethany and Aunt Nancy!

Williamsburg, VA

2008-12-11T19:30:00.005-05:00

I have lots of video but it takes forever to download them so here are three videos from our fun trip to Williamsburg! We went with the Pease Family and my Aunt Debbie. On the way up the girls rode in the van and we had a great time visiting and laughing!!!
Thanks for joining us Peases and Aunt Debbie! We are so blessed to have you all in our lives!
Merry Christmas,
Tori

Williamsburg Fireworks Part:2

2008-12-11T19:07:00.007-05:00

Williamsburg Fireworks Part:3

2008-12-11T18:20:00.003-05:00

Been Busy!

2008-12-09T08:46:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. I've been real busy ever since the first day of December and I can't believe it's already December 9th!!! I have several pictures from our day trip that we took to Williamsburg on Sunday!! (Can't wait to share them with you all!!!).
I was going to ask all of you to pray for the staff at Pregnancy Support Services,(where I work). All the staff are out sick,(except me!!!). Please pray for a speedy recovery for all of them and their families. Thanks!!!!

Well I need to get to school and chores and animals and more schoool! Hope you all are enjoying this wonderful Christmas season and the celebration of our Savior's birth!

Merry Christmas,
Tori

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

2008-12-01T18:54:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday dear brother!! I am so thankful to have you in my life! Thank you for being so thoughtful, kind and hardworking.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise." Psalm 111:10

I love you! xoxoxox
Your Sis

Family and Friends Get Your Gun Part: 2

2008-11-30T17:27:00.005-05:00

The Bulman family doesn't just celebrate on Thanksgiving day..oh no...we continue celebrating for the next few days with shooting, eating, laughing, eating, riding, eating and more eating!! I will start running this week....anyone want to join me???:)

Full of Food,
Tori
P.S. Sorry I couldn't get every member of my family shooting on my blog! I will send you a copy of my pictures from Thanksgiving soon!
P.S.S. These are photos from Friday.

Our horse field where we shot skeet!!!

Watching everyone shoot! (left to right: Zack, Mama, Kim with Jude and Cameron and Erica with Sydney).

Cameron had a little help from my dad but did a good job firing such a big gun!!

My Sammy!! Did an excellent job!

You go Cuz!!!! (Erica)

Kim!!!

Zack (Kim's husband).

Cowboys and Cowgirls in Training

2008-11-30T17:11:00.004-05:00

I had such a fun time hanging out with my cousins at the barn! You all did such a wonderful job riding!
Huges and Kisses!!

Love,
Tori

The crew who watched or rode.

Jude and Cameron!

Alex, did an excellent job riding!

Sydney! You're sooooo cute!

Thanksgiving Feast

2008-11-30T16:52:00.004-05:00

I can't tell you how much I love Thanksgiving! I want to thank all of you who came and celebrated with us! It was a joy and a pleasure to have you.
Below are just a few pictures of what we did on Thursday. Enjoy!

~Tori

Here is our cooked Mr. Turkey!!

Aunt Debbie is keeping Papa in line.

Our feast!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of our delicious food.

Audra and Grandma Barbara keeping their hands warm with mittens. (They really did that in front of the fire for a while! Got several laughs out of this one).

Family and Friends Get Your Gun!!!

2008-11-30T16:28:00.006-05:00

Sam and Brooklyn with unloaded bullets. They were racing to see who could collect the most!

Isaac shot and hit every one but 2!!! (he's really good at this sort of thing).

Don't mess with Chelly!!!!

Me!!!!! Yes, I did shoot with my pretty scarf on. :)

What a handsome Papa! Papa showed everyone how to operate the gun and skeet slinger.

Issue on Christmas Music

2008-11-26T15:18:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to let one of my followers know....my Papa's rule is:
"You can't play Christmas Music until the day after Thanksgiving!"
So I must obey....I can't tell you how badly I want to play it!!
And I hate that stores put Christmas things out before Thanksgiving.
Oh well..such is life!

Time Flies

2008-11-25T20:32:00.002-05:00

Can't believe that on Friday I will be turning on my Christmas music.

Where does the time go??

2008-11-23T13:39:00.001-05:00

"But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us, see that you also excel in this grace of giving."
2 Corinthians 8:7

Williamsburg, VA / Sept. 2008 Vacation

2008-11-22T21:42:00.018-05:00

This is the backside of The Governor's Palace

These were some of the poor criminals that we
saw as we passed by the stocks!

Yes, I was placed in the stocks along with my brother. But I was later found not-guilty of the crime that I was so unfairly accused of!!!!

The Governor's Palace

We went for a picnic in some National Park (??) that has lots of fields and woods. Isaac, Sam and Myself decided to have a picture in the tree. (Let me just say that it took us a LONG time to arrange this picture and this is the best one out of the whole lot!).

These soilders helped keep the indians out of our fort! (This picture was taken in Jamestown)

Us kids helped with a project that was going on in Jamestown. They are having all the visitors help carve out a canoe.

They burn fires in the canoe's top and then have us carve out the burnt wood. It's a little bit more detailed than that but I can't explain the whole procedure.

2008-11-21T07:50:00.000-05:00

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-13

2008-11-20T20:09:00.000-05:00

This is my family. (left to right) Papa, Isaac, Me, Mama and Sam!
I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family!

California Trip 2008

2008-11-20T19:37:00.001-05:00

My favorite picture that was taken on this trip!

We walked down from their house and had breakfast at a lodge! Breakfast was yummy but I loved the gardens that they had there.

Dottie and I went and had tea to celebrate our birthdays. This picture was taken in the gardens of where we had lunch (before we had tea).

Walking on the beach. (Left to right) Katie, Dottie, Aunt Ruth, Me, Hilary, Molly and Emily.

Claire, Emily, Dottie, Hilary and Me!

This is a complete picture of the family (excluding myself), who I went to see.

These are some of the beautiful flowers that were in the gardens at the lodge. I'll show more pictures later but wanted to share with you a little bit of the fun that I had out there!!!!