San Francisco

LIFE is taking over my life. I literally can't keep up with the blog because I've been doing way too much lately. We hit the road tomorrow morning for a one-week road trip to our new home in St. Louis, but I promise to update you as soon as I can. Before I go crazy I have to at least start to catch you up, so hang on....let me start at the beginning....our San Fran trip. Then, I will post pics of graduation, furniture we've been repainting and more in the next couple of weeks. I'm going to stick with less text and more pics because let's face it...pics are better.





China Town. Got some cheap jewelry and had an amazing lunch!








Alcatraz was great. Take the audio tour if you are ever in San Fran. Loved the history and the view was gorgeous.














Napa Valley=Awesomeness. Gourmet lunch on the train and tasty wines all morning! Ever seen "Bottle Shock"? Yes, that was the winery we visited. A-mazing.








Fisherman's Wharf, a huge crab pot and a Ghiradelli brownie sundae....what else could you need?







A drive around the city....








What better way to end a trip than a drive down the PCH and stop at Pebble Beach (aka Home of the U.S. Open)???!!!

Dress Update

Things are b.u.s.y this week with a ton of family in for Patrick's graduation (more on that later), but I wanted to say a quick and huge thanks to those who shared their opinions on the bridesmaid dresses. Weren't they cute??? Turns out we got an email the next morning from the bride with two last choices, and everyone loved one in particular, so she is going with a completely different dress. The dress is beautiful and long, which is perfect for the upscale, night wedding she is planning. We will be in this dress, but the color will be a silvery/gray color and as of right now, we will be wearing pink shoes. So.....if you see any cute, pink shoes pass the info my way (no too a high a heel....I'm already the tallest). Thanks again!

Your Exptertise Please

I LOVE weddings for so many reasons: the food (most importantly), dancing, getting dressed up, seeing people you haven't seen in a while and the love in the air (of course)! In October, I will have the opportunity to be a bridesmaid in my friend, Jessica's wedding. She and I have been friends since high school and were room mates in college. I can not wait for her wedding. You know how there are nice weddings, but then there are those weddings that you can't wait to see because you know the bride has such awesome taste???? Yeah....that is Jess' wedding. So, she sent me our bridesmaid dress options today. We get to choose one of the three and I am calling for your votes. Here are the facts you should keep in mind when voting:

1. I am tall (5'9), thin, with an extra small top and large bottom.

2. The color of the dress will be slate, not the color shown below.

3. The wedding will be in the Fall.

So come on folks.....bring on the votes!!!

The Marni

The Bacall

The Dylan

This is the Way....

When it comes to following God there are times when God speaks clearly and times when things seem foggier. One of the clearest examples of this is when Jesus began his public ministry. Jesus walks by two guys, Simon Peter and Andrew, and says a very simple but life altering command: "Follow me...." When Jesus says, "Follow me," any disciple of his must listen. Not only is "Follow me" what brings people into life with Christ, that same phrase IS what it means to live with Christ. Patrick and I have recently experienced a "Follow me" moment.

After much prayer, tears, and listening, we feel called by God to take on a new ministry and new challenge in the St. Louis area. The lead pastor of the church is the husband of Marie, who has been my mentor for over 10 years. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to join them again in ministry. Throughout the process we committed to sitting still and allowing God to move in whatever way He chose. We watched Him orchestrate every detail and keep doors opened that should have closed. We did not make this decision in haste or make it lightly. The call to "Follow me" is so strong and clear that to not go, we feel, would be disobedient.

We have been truly touched by the response of all of our dear friends here in California. The student leaders, students and all of our friends have been supportive and loving. Thank you all for that. Although the decision has been difficult, we can rest in the knowledge that God has clearly said to us, "This is the way. Walk in it." As we tie up loose ends over the next few weeks, please pray. Pray for the hearts of everyone here and for the transition of the college ministry. Pray for the details that God is still working out, one being a teaching job for me. Pray for the hearts of those at our new church home in St. Louis. We are thrilled to join them and humbled by the opportunity.

Home Sweet Home

Before I do a recap of my trip home a couple weeks ago, I have to congratulate one of my best friends, Kathryn, for winning her first blog award. She has an amazing ability to make any story worth reading. You can actually see her version of this recap on her award-winning blog.

I went back to Savannah for a wedding of a childhood friend. Since plane tickets cost an arm these days, we opted to leave Patrick behind and call Kathryn to see if she wanted a good reason to go home too. She did! So, she flew in from D.C. and I flew in from L.A. and we spent a short weekend doing all things southern.

I got in on Friday morning (P.S.: I loathe red-eye flights) and started going non-stop. Quick adjustment at the chiropractor, coffee with my mom, lunch with Natalie, spray tan for the wedding (I couldn't show up from California without a tan), and dinner with the fam. The next morning Kathryn and I planned on running a 5k on the beach and spending the rest of the day in the sun, but we ended up


running the race in the drizzle,


eating at the Breakfast Club (grits....mmmmm),




and stopping at Davis Produce for the best boiled peanuts in town. Add a little shopping, more eating, and a little napping and you get the picture.

The wedding was....Southern. Full of bow ties, seafood and manners. Kathryn was such a trooper hanging out in a room full of people she didn't know. I can't imagine having gone alone!


Kathryn got this dress for $8 when she visited us a couple of months ago. We spent a day in San Diego and found this cute place that was going out of business. Too cute!


Me and the two guys I grew up with, Charlie and Stephen. We all grew up on the same street and I don't have many childhood memories that don't include them. We are still waiting on Charlie to get married....ahem....


This beautiful girl to the left is Charlie's girlfriend.....ahem.

The rest of the trip was full of family time, more shopping and a hair cut before heading back to L.A. Loving the adventures in California, but there's no place like home....

Zach Williams

I've been keeping him on "Repeat" on the ipod lately. Check this Georgia boy out. You Athens folks have probably seen him a time or two. He just led worship at the Catalyst West conference and is about to help start a church plant in Brooklyn. He has a crazy story that includes his wife overcoming paralysis after falling off of a horse. Just look at it for yourself....

http://www.zachwilliams.com/

Worth the Weight

So, I got the title from the back of a Lady and Sons t-shirt, but it still makes my point. The last two months I have been in one of those seasons in life where there seems to be one recurring theme…..WAIT. Isn’t learning to wait such a hard lesson? I can remember learning this lesson before and here I am, many years later, learning it again. Over the past two months there have been many lessons, both small and large, that involved what Elisabeth Elliot calls a “holding pattern”-a required stillness. If you think about it, it isn’t actually waiting that we are learning to do, it is learning how to wait. We don’t have a choice in the waiting. All we can do is learn how to wait well. So, instead of boring you with all of the opportunities we have had to learn this lately, I thought I would share the words, (most from Elisabeth Elliot and scripture) that have brought so much encouragement to our home as we learn how to wait well all over again.

"So long as our idea of surrender is limited to the renouncing of unlawful things, we have never grasped its true meaning."

"If my life is broken when given to Jesus, it is because pieces will feed a multitude, while a loaf will satisfy only a little lad."

"How can God work His will in me if I am clogged with wishes of my own? Thy will be done."

"The heart set to do the Father's will need never fear defeat."

"Lead me in thy truth...on thee do I wait all the day." Psalms 25:5

"To wait on the Lord is to stand perfectly still...Can we two trust His words, 'Is not the Lord your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side?'"
1 Chronicles 22:18

"Even here He can refresh us, even here He can renew us."

"Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one's thoughts."

"Waiting silently is the hardest thing of all...things we feel most deeply we ought to learn to be silent about, at least until we have talked them over thoroughly with God."

"Never pass up an opportunity to keep your mouth shut."

"Tomorrow was not our business; it was His. Letting it rest with Him was the discipline of the day, and it was enough."

"How long, Lord, must I wait?
Never mind, child. Trust me."