A couple more pictures

~Sisters~

Shaking the hand of J. Michael Smith

(co-founder and president of HSLDA)

I owe so much to these two wonderful people!

Graduation invitation!

Just thought I would share with you my graduation invitation!!

Rachel Wissmann designed it for me, and I absolutely LOVE how it turned out! I highly recommend her work:)

Random happenings...and excuses for my lack of posting:)

Whew...time to catch my breath a bit and do a post:) Life has really been flying right now, so this will be just a quick update. A couple highlights of this month;

-NCHEA was a big one! I was the props/costume coordinator this year, and was it ever fun! I would love to post pictures of some of the costumes...so maybe I will:)

-NCHEA graduate recognition ceremony. I am SO looking forward to graduating...but with that comes a lot of school to be finished!

-Spending time with family--Dan and Bethany flew in for the NCHEA conference and so it was such a blessing to be able to see them!

I LOVE my brother/s!!!

-Getting invitations sent and finalized for my open house! Rachel Wissmann designed them for me, and I absolutely LOVED how they turned out! I hope to post them here to show you!

-Practicing piano! My piano teacher does this amazing competition called NML (National Music League) and we are in the playoffs right now...there are only 3 students remaining...so it makes for a lot of time on the piano bench!

-Continuing my sewing business. Orders have been coming in quite regularly now...as soon as I get done with one order I get another phone call:) I love it!

That is just a little taste of what I have been doing...as well as all the mundane, "unfun" things that life is full of:) So I will leave you with this quote;

"I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances" - Martha Washington

The start of my journey to trust...

I am going to start my journal posts with Feb. of last year. That was when God really began to get personal and real in my life in a big way. But February of last year was also the start of the most difficult time in my life...and my family's life. So as you read these it is my desire that you might be encouraged in your own personal walk with God!

Nov. 18th '08

"I learned today about not worrying! I am bad at that...sometimes I trust and sometimes I don't! Do anything to get me to trust you totally...I want to be cheerful and not worry all the time."

Throughout 2008 I was asking God to teach me how to trust Him totally...never did I dream of the way in which He would bring that about, nor how hard of a lesson it would be...nor how great the reward was.

Feb 19th '09

This was one of those mornings that just didn't start out very well...and so I was starting to become discouraged and desolate...when my eye just "randomly" fell on this verse in Psalm 18:28-30

"You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him." That is my prayer!"

It caused me to reflect on the fact that it says with God or my God, it is not my strength that will carry me through, it is not my light that will turn away darkness, it is God's strength and God's light...its all about HIM!! So it is when I place myself under His control and completely surrender my will to His, then that I can claim this promise as my own. And what sweet assurance it gives!