Went on a BEAUTIFUL hiking trip on Saturday. God's Creation is SO AMAZING! On the way back down the mountain I was lagging behind Dad and Ben a bit, just soaking in everything around me. The smells, the sights, the sounds - all of these three together create the fantastic beauty of the mountains. A beauty so wonderful it has become the subject of many a song or poem. I can't imagine drawing all of those details, let alone CREATE them from nothing. God is awesome. :)

Several hours later, I opened my Bible to Psalm 121. The words jumped from the pages as the truth of the Word was made real from the events of the day.

I received the newsletter for Far Above Rubies today and was got encouraged simply by reading the very first paragraph:

"May God pour out His blessings of love, joy and peace upon your family and your home. Marriage and the home were the first institution that God instigated and they are the most important in the nation. Never forget their importance in the sight of God. Don't let the pressures of life pull you away from your home and family. Make them your first priority. Strengthen your marriage. Strengthen your family. As you do, you will be part of strengthening your nation and making it great."

Strengthen your family and that will be part of strengthening your NATION and making it great. What a wonderful view of the family. When standing together, families make up the world! Kinda makes you think twice before you put down motherhood or spend more time at work than nurturing your children, doesn't it? That's why it's SO important that we defend God's plan for the family. You're not simply a small family unit, insignificant and not effecting the world around you. You are a FAMILY a significant piece of a NATION.

Good Times...



It was a WONDERFUL visit!
Having the family all around me was sooo amazing.

I have been blessed. :)

The Story of a most Beautiful Wedding



Erin and Dylan.
They are a beautiful couple! Absolutely smitten with one another. In love with their whole hearts.

It was a perfect day.



My Beautiful Sister! Overjoyed - it was the day of her dreams.

"[She] looked very like a rose herself, for all that was best and
sweetest in heart and soul seemed to bloom into her face that day..." (Little Women)





Dancing to "Johnny B. Goode" crazy times!

"Go Go Johnny! Johnny B. Goode..."



he's got a bit o' crazy coming out :)



My new niece, Aubrey



Hugs for Mimi!



Decorating!







Oh, Henry :)



Croquet on the lawn - oh so refined.

Annabelle

Its almost time!

The wedding was beautiful. God truly put these two together. Check out my blog for their story (from MY view, Erin's view is, of course, 100 times better. I'll have to ask her to write it down for me to post)



"To have and to hold..."



Dylan...you may now kiss your bride. And he SURE DID!



"...the minute she was
fairly married, Meg cried, "The first kiss for Marmee!" and turning,
gave it with her heart on her lips. During the next fifteen minutes
she looked more like a rose than ever..." (Little Women)



       

The Abele/Belchak side of the family. From Left: Dad holding Henry, Mom, Ethan, Erin, Dylan, Aubrey, Ben, Zackariah, Kimberly, Benjamin and Elisa.



Sisters. <3



The Tuggle/Wood side of the family. From left: Liz holding Annabelle, Rachel, Lance holding Emma, Hayley, Erin, Dylan, Aubrey, Mrs. Tuggle, and Mr. Tuggle (i.e. Grandma and Grandpop).



The men! They are so wonderful! I don't know what I'd do without my galant and loving protectors. :)

     

Erin + Aubrey

My super-duper-crazy-handsome-wonderful nephews, Zack (4) and Ethan (4 1/2).



Crazy boys! haha, don't you just love Ethan's suave wink here?

           

"The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him'

...and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh.

Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man.'

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."

P.T.L.

Catherine commented on my last post and asked me what exciting things were coming my way. And the answer to your question, Catherine, is I have no idea! That's what is so exciting. :) I'm not sure whats coming next.

This past year I've spend a LOT of time in prayer regarding my life after graduation. The normal societal (is that a word?) pattern is for a person to graduate high school, then go right to college.  Ever since I was 12 I wanted to go to Liberty (or Bob Jones) and major in the Family and Consumer Sciences major (that's the technical title for Home Economics). I used to pour over the Liberty web site. Dreaming of the dorms I would stay in. The classes I would take. And the new friends I would make.
But, as I prayed about my future, I got the same answer. "Just get yourself graduated. Then I'll show you."
So that's what I'm doing. Graduation is coming up. Then after that...who knows? I'll admit, this waiting thing is getting a little embarrassing. I can't count the number of times people have asked me what I'll do after high school and and then give me incredulous looks once they find out that I have no idea! But God's certainly in control, even when I don't think He knows what he's doing, He does. He is the Creator of the entire universe, after all...

If you could pray for me, that would be great. I could use it. :) Please pray that God will reveal to me His plan, in His time.

Until then, I think this song pretty much sums up my life at this point (it sounds a LOT better with the music):

Unwritten
by Natasha Bedingfield

I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned.

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find.

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten...