New Arrival

Hudson Warrick Beasly

This little bundle entered the world on Wednesday, in the wee hours of the morning.

I am currently visiting Bethany and so I have not gotten to see him yet.

But I'm eagerly waiting to kiss those cheeks, hold the little bundle...

and take lots and lots of pictures to show you all!

Caleb and Abby are the proud parents of all four of these precious children!

{Warrick means; leader who defends}

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

Your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Psalm 139:14

Love

my brother made this out of snow.

stay tuned for more 'snow art' that was created this winter.

I read this in my devotions this morning;

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, 

that we should be called children of God."

1 John 3:1

Just soak that in. Dwell on God's love.

then I read this;

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue 

but with actions and in truth."

vs. 18

and this;

"And this is His command: 

to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ,

 and to love one another as He commanded us."

vs. 23

I read all that. It was now in my head. I thought "I need to be loving with my actions." It almost stayed as a thought, never moving to an action. We need to get specific. When God commands us to do something it's easy to be challenged and inspired. But if we don't plan specifically how we're going to accomplish that it's easy for it to get lost in life.

My love needs to be actions. How can I demonstrate love? To whom? Guess who popped into my mind--my family. I clicked my pen open and started writing. I wrote specific ways that I could love each individual family member. today. Within 24 hours. 

They weren't fancy or "super-special". For example, I have a particular brother who loves a good hearty lunch (we've been in the trend of having some delicious salad bars lately...and he isn't too keen on that) and so a way that I can show love to him is to make a good lunch, complete with lots of protein. 

Stop thinking. Start doing.

How is your love going to be put in action today?

"...We should love one another."

Looking Back in Pictures [part 2]

Summer. Isn't it wonderful?

 Iloveit.

Every year I must go to at least one College World Series game.

funnel cakes. that super good, 

completely unhealthy bit of suger/flour/oil 

ahhh...yum. 

 There are some friends in life that you seriously couldn't live without.

100˚ (literally). And I loved every.single.minute.of.it.

yeah, aren't these boys beastly?

the picture just doesn't do them justice.

part of me wanted to get attacked in a dark alley with one of them

just so I could watch them fight off the bad guy.

crazy, I know!

Spontaneous trip to MN to visit grandparents

and to get our every-five-years of fishing in. 

Grandpa is amazing like that.

 Our trip to MN also included the Bluegrass festival.

Esther and I got to help out with the kids Storybook hour

along with these awesome people

Go-carts!

my little Nina doesn't look super please;)

 Kristina came to visit!

and these are pictures from our party.

outdoor garden party--to be exact.

loved it.

Zoo trip with siblings

 Amigos(one of the best places to eat). Friends. Ice Cream.

 My brother dominated the Seward race

(that's just my un-biased opinion)

LOVE this picture

Alatheia and I have been friends for over 13 years.

I can't even remember life without that girl.

she is currently living out her super-cool dreams...

but that means that I miss her like craziness.

 *happiness in a picture*

Family.

God is so good.

I'm looking forward to what He is going to do in this year, 2012.

Blessings!

Looking Back in Pictures [part 1]

These are just some of my favorite pictures taken in 2011. Not really in any order...

Enjoy.

::Snowboarding::

who wouldn't want to start a year this way? 

I'm just waiting to go this season...soon.

::Edmund::

this li'l guy was born in 2010, but it was almost 2011...

and he's too cute not to post

-stylin'-

and yeah, in case you haven't heard...

this pretty blond found herself a Boy.

a pretty cool Boy.

Oh yeah! Oooper happy for both of them!

::First trip to VA::

LOVE spending time with this guy!

 FLORIDA--oh yeah!

what about this picture isn't appealing?!?

seriously, my time in FL was about the best.ever.

ilovetheocean.

{and this ^ is the definition of y.u.m.}

Pretty Bride

oh, and this ^stunning lady...

I am currently missing her. a lot.

My first set of bridesmaid dresses...made from scratch.

and these stellars are gone too...

missing people is just starting to be a norm in life

NCHEA!!

Last year was amazing. This year--just you wait!

Back to VA *happy* for 2 months

Virginia was such a huge highlight. 

I got to have gobs of time with Bethany...

had friends come visit.

learned heaps of new things.

worked an 8-5 job everyday.

yes people, Nebraska is pretty much the bomb.

no it doesn't have oceans, mountains or anything super spectacular

but it is H.O.M.E. and that's enough for me.

{especially when you have awesome friends that live in super cool places}

I pretty much adore these people.

And this is one of those shots that I just like.

 No reason except that it tickles my fancy.

This girl...words just don't do justice.

{hugs. laughs. smiles.}

Next week I'm headed out to Virginia to spend some time with Bethany...and catch up with all my friends out there {i.e. play volleyball}

More on post [part 2]

Journal

Yesterday was a happy day.

I filled up another journal.

This one dates from May 16th 2011-February 5th 2012.

Do you journal? Some? Not at all?

I would encourage you with all my heart to;

 start--if you've never done it

do it more often--if you forget

keep going--if it's a part of your life.

Lots of years ago my pastor spoke about the importance of journalling. My Dad also had given each of us kids a journal and encouraged us to write down a verse that we read that morning, or something that God had taught us. It started out simple. Like really simple. I was just browsing through some of them from over 6 years ago...they make me smile. Here, I'll give you an example;

October 15th, 2004
Isaiah 28:29 "All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, wonderful counselor and magnificent in wisdom."
Prayer: that God would give me wisdom and understanding. That I would become what God wants me to be and do. That I would get one hundred percent on my math.

{note: I corrected some spellings and grammar, but otherwise this is it.}

What about God and living for Him isn't worth writing about? I mean seriously, there is not a lot better then reading back through books of God's faithfulness. Not in someone else's life. But in My life.

No, it's not all roses, answered prayers, and triumphant stories of how I succeeded in my happy life.

There is hurt. Lots of it. There is pain, struggle, heartache and sometimes misery. There are the boat-loads of times that I let God down, I disobeyed, strayed from the path. There are the heart-wrenching times when I didn't understand and bared my heart before the Lord.

But through those journeys God showed Himself. And I'm so, so glad that I didn't limit my writing to just the happy times. Because the happy times are all the more joyful when you see the path that got you there. 

So with all that said...

(I hope I haven't been too verbose)

go write.

everything.

you won't regret it.

at least I haven't

{note: yes, this post is longer then I originally planned. so if you want the take-home message in a nutshell it's this--write what God is doing in your life. He is wonderful. His workings are worth recording.}

Memories

A box. A plain brown box. Simple in form and easy to assemble. Yet those four simple walls can hold a lifetime of memories. 

Memories. Ordinary to most, but extraordinary to the maker. Priceless treasures of days gone by. The only key to unlock the past and all it’s joy, pleasure, gladness, hurt and pain. 

A sight, a smell, a touch can send the past rushing back with alarming speed. Suddenly your life is transformed and once again you're living in that moment. And then with the same swiftness it’s gone. It leaves you wanting more, hoping, wishing, that somehow, someway you can relive those days. The days when life seemed to be perfect. No it wasn’t, but for a brief moment the sadness is forgotten and only the good is remembered. 

Then reality returns and with it comes the realization that life will never to be the same. The deep ache threatens to send the tear ducts overflowing. Then it happens...the box flaps are open with the contents, those wonderful yet terrible, contents staring me in the face. I finger the soft fabric and swipe the dust particles from the wooden frame. And as I look at the brilliant red hair, the life-filled smile trapped behind that single piece of glass, I again remember. My brother looks over my shoulder, he remembers too. He loved more deeply therefore he hurts more intensely. His eyes light up and he begins to tell me a story. Our workshop becomes her garage, and instead of being surrounded by brown boxes, a bike, paint and sweatshirt crowd the small workspace. As he tells me the tale I imagined her smile, the look in her eyes as she looked at him. The pink and white paint splattered on the bike tire, the tire-tracked sweatshirt that showed her love for his sport. I look back at the picture and sadness washes over me. My brother turns his back and the moment is gone. All that’s left is a brown box, a sweatshirt, a picture, and a memory. 

I close the box. Shut the flap on the former days. Once again I choke back the sadness that wants to run down my face. How can a single brown box contain such rich substance? My mind failed to grasp it; The power of a moment. The ability to remember. The shortness of life. The deepness of regret. 

Yet there, in the midst of the sorrow there was joy. Joy in the things that were. Joy that everything was not forgotten. For I am convinced in every heartache there is some bit of happiness. And in this instance the happiness was found in a past that was lived. 

Life is short. Our days are filled with memories. 

God gives us moments. Let us make the most of them.

Live your life. Don't watch it pass. Use every opportunity to invest in the lives of those God has placed in your life. Sacrifice and pour yourself out. Don't hold anything back. :)

Make memories worth remembering. 

This is what my Sister did. And I remember her with love and joy.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.

Always be prepared to give an answer

 to everyone who asks you

 to give the reason for the hope that you have."

1 Peter 3:15