A Constant State of Bewilderment

         So for 14 days in January I had the great blessing to go to Italy. Here are some of my favorite memories and pictures from the trip. This won't even scratch the surface of how many photos I took, 1,066 to be exact but hopefully it will give you all a taste. Enjoy!

On our first day in Rome, I spotted a super cute old couple walking on a street below the plaza we were on.

Christmas 2011

Christmas is a fantastic time of year. By far my favorite holiday because it is filled with so much more that just every other holiday.

Christmas is the celebration of the King of the universe taking on human form, living on earth just to die for us, lowly sinners. How incredible is that? Better than independence, costumes, columbus, or MLK.

Not to say that I don't enjoy being with my family, repeating traditions, and opening presents too.

Here are a few of my favorite images from Christmas, shot with my new Canon 7D.

Obviously didn't take this one with my Canon. But my iPhone and Instagram did a nice job. 

My grandma snuggling up with her new fuzzy sweater. 

Inside that roaster was a delicious turkey we ate for dinner. 

I think I could have eaten every one of those rolls. 

My pups resting on the couch. 

Praise Emmanuel, for He is here!

He will swallow up death forever

"He will swallow up death forever,

 and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces

 and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, 

for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day,

"Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. 

This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation." 

                                                           

                                                                                          - Isaiah 25:8-10 

        He will swallow up death forever. I can't seem to get past that first line. The astounding part is the 11 chapters before this is essentially about the destruction of certain cities. Chapter 24 is labeled "Destruction of the whole earth" and starts out by saying,
       "Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make is desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants."
         How amazing is that? So much destruction is described and even as I was reading, I thought when will this end? Then I found myself upon chapter 25. Where Gods mercy is disabled in epic proportions. God's power and just nature was shown through the oracles of chapters 15-23 and now God's grace for a broken and sinful people is displayed in chapter 25.

What beautiful words to hear on a snowy december morning.

"He will swallow up death forever."

My God is astounding.

Clouds, Clubs, Church, and Conversations... Just an Average Day.

To steal a pretty good idea from a dear friend I'm going to chronicle my day.

So today I woke up, later than I wanted to, and got dressed. ( in my bathing suit) Ate some toast with nutella and studied James 5:1-6. Then I laid outside tanning and texting for at least an hour and a half. Enjoying the intense clouds and good conversations, while evening out my tan lines.


 Then I got ready for real. Moments from calling my mother to inquire about food, she walks in the door. We decided to order chinese. Then my friend invites me to sushi and church so I of course said yes. I picked up the chinese, ate some, and went to dinner. Yes, I ate then went to dinner. On my way to Sushi Station to meet Jaclyn, I turned on B96, a local radio station. Well, whoever was mixing the songs, they were doing a great job. It sounded like I had a dance club in my car. I then enjoyed some sushi and friendship. We went to her college group called Axis. It was a good service, focusing on knowing God's will and doing something about it. We went to Steak and Shake afterward and split some chicken fingers and a shake. A mutual friend joined us, talking about the Bachelorette and boys. Just some typical girl talk but on the way home Jaclyn and I had a great conversation about life. Today was fantastic and I thought you guys should get a glimpse into one of my good days.