Peonies

This is a peony from my yard. I take pictures of them every year, sometimes daily while they are in bloom. Then I usually send them to my mom or one of the girls.  Every year--the same flowers.  I never tire of them.

Yesterday after I took the pictures I even wrote a bit in a journal about it. They are just peonies, but they take my breath away! It gives me a connection with God, our awesome Creator, that's hard for me to put into words. 

All I know is that something resonates deep in my soul and usually comes to the surface in a squeal of delight!


(This post was written by guest blogger, Julia Burbridge.)

Making memories

Colby, Me, Carly and Max (who doesn't drink coffee yet)

I'm all about making a memory. You can ask my nieces, who will confirm. 

On this very special day, Carly, Colby and I visited a local store and purchased three coffee cups. We promised that whenever we drank from our cups, we would think of each other. So, even though they live far away, I feel close to my special girls when I have a cup of coffee.

How do you make memories with your loved ones?

Worth waiting for

We celebrated the first cherry limeade of the season last Saturday!

Our lime tree lives indoors during the winter; this year, it produced two limes while residing inside. Several weeks ago, we made guacamole with the first lime. 

But on Saturday,the second lime was used for something really special. Our friends, Joby and Bill, came over to grill burgers and watch the Final Four. Joby was given the honor of picking the ripe lime for our cherry limeades. She did it with great care. We are so thankful that the cherry-limeade season is officially here. 

Recipe for the perfect Cherry Limeade:
Sonic crushed ice 
Tervis Tumbler cup
Diet 7-Up
Cherry syrup
Splash of fresh lime juice 

Stir & enjoy. Yum!

Philippians 3: In my own words

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.


For I am God's true circumcision,
I worship with my heart.
Nothing is as good as Jesus, so I will
follow and follow and follow.
If I were to gain any understanding,
it would be to know Jesus
more and more -- better and better,
until that day I see Him face-to-face.
I'll keep my feet on the ground as long as the Lord keeps me here,
but my gaze will always be heavenward...
for that is where my Savior awaits my glory. 

Bucket list

I don't really have a bucket list. If I did, one item would have been checked off last night. 

What was it? I attended the organ dedication concert at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts with my aunt Betty, cousin Carol and my husband Steve. (An by organ, I mean the instrument, not a body part!) The new Casavant organ has  5548 pipes. It's beautiful. Though I never thought one way or another about attending an organ concert, I'm glad I did.  

Bucket List Item #1: Attend an organ dedication. Check. 

A wild & wonderful life in NYC

I ♥ NYC. So when my husband, who had meetings in the area, asked me if I wanted to meet him there for the weekend, I said, "Heck yes!" 

There is nothing better than spending time with my man in one of the "funnest" cities in the country.

We ate (at a restaurant famous for celebrity sighting) the best banana cream pie. The waiter told us that it was Joan Rivers' favorite. I can't speak for Joan--we did not visit with her--but the pie was fab!

We saw two great Broadway shows. One at Lincoln Center - beautiful.

We stopped by to say hello to a friend at Olde Good Things, an amazing store that uses proceeds to support an orphanage in Haiti.  

We spotted two celebrities.

We laughed, talked, slept in, walked, taxied, and read.

I hope New York never goes away. 

A wild and wonderful day

Kathy & Becky

It's hard to know where to begin this post because it's a journey that began almost forty years ago. 

My wild and wonderful life with Jesus began when I was nine. Something amazing happened. Jesus's Spirit (whom we call the Holy Spirit) entered into my heart and life and I became forever changed. 

So it was pretty cool last week when Becky and I had the opportunity to talk about the Holy Spirit via six short videos we were producing for our newest Bible study, Jumpstart Your Life. These videos represent our walk with the Lord and the difference He makes through His Presence called the Holy Spirit.

Michelle L.

We asked God to show up in a big way--and He did. The day of shooting was long, grueling, fun, but mostly Spirit-filled. There were six of us involved in the production, and all the team members performed equally important roles. Amy and Kathy proved to be perfect directors; finding and creating excellent locations for the vignettes, approving wardrobe and offering suggestions without hurting anyone's feelings. Michelle F. is simply the most calm and reassuring producer who somehow makes things happen. And Michelle L. is a patient, talented videographer.

More to come about the actual shoot, but suffice it to say that last Wednesday was truly a wild and wonderful day with Jesus--and friends.