John!

Happy 13th Birthday, John!

I love the randomness you bring to my life:)

May your creativity always be honoring to God!

Your silliness, sparkle and joy for life bring a smile to my face.

May you rise up, and become a great man of honor, for the sake of Jesus Christ!

"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on the power of God." 1 Cor. 2:1-5

How Great is Our God!

"O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

You have set Your glory among the heavens..."

Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing

power and majesty, praise to the King;

Mountains bow down and the seas will roar, at the sound of Your name.

I sing for joy at the work of Your hands,

Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand,

Nothing compares to the promise I have in You!

"I will praise You, O LORD, with all my heart;

I will tell of all Your wonders.

I will be glad and rejoice in You;

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High."

Psalm 9:1-2

"Great are the works of the LORD;

they are pondered by all who delight in them.

Glorious and majestic are His deeds,

and His righteousness endures forever.

He has caused His wonders to be remembered;

The LORD is gracious and compassionate."

Psalm 111:2-4

"Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people both now and forevermore." Psalm 125:1-2

Photos compliments of'; Anna Rehm and Aaron Grady

Victory in Jesus!

"Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world."

1 John 4:4

Do you believe what that verse is saying? Are you just saying it, or are you living it?

Are you living in Victory, running with confidence to meet your struggles and battles?

Or are you sitting in a corner, weak and tired, holding a little bent shield, attempting to block the enemies blows that are seeming to over take you?

Read the verse again..."greater is He that is in You..." You have the power and the Victory in Christ.

Use it!

Caleb!

Happy 26th Birthday Caleb!!

Caleb, I appreciate your sincere love for God, and putting Him first.

Thanks for giving me the two cutest nieces in the world!

I love coming over to your house...for no real reason...except to spend time with your family:)

I love you, Caleb!

"Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;

guide me in Your truth and teach me,

for You are God my Savior,

and my hope is in You all day long."

Psalm 25:4-5

2 weeks of new experiences

My recent(sorta) trip with the Wissmann's was a fun one for many reasons, one of which is that I got to do/experience a lot of new things. I finally told Nathanael that he might want to stop asking me if "I'd seen this, or done that" because (in view of my past record) chances were that I hadn't:)

I seriously think that Grandpa Hager was convinced that I led a sheltered and deprived life, and that I lived in the middle of nowhere and have never done anything(worth mentioning)...I am not exactly sheltered and deprived...I just haven't traveled around in a bus for weeks on end, nor had I had the privilege of visiting Grandpa&Grandma's farm--but all that changed:).

So instead of telling you everything that went on during those 2 weeks, I thought I would make a list my "firsts", and that should give you a pretty good idea of what happened

So...here goes it...

• Staying at Grandma&Grandpa Hager's house for an entire week!
• Eating Grandma's food for that entire week (and I could not describe to you how good her cooking is...you just have to experience it.
• Driving a tractor

• Having the option of ice cream after ever single meal--Grandma probably would have let me eat some after breakfast...I never did...but I won't tell you I never thought about it:)
• Weaving on a real loom

• Riding an old double bike!
• Learning to flip off a swing
• Spending 4 days with Elizabeth and Nathanael at Grandpa and Grandma's farm
• Two hour walk on the railroad tracks

• Doing Hannah's hair--everyday that we were together:)
• Getting to wake up to a moving bus--no, that wasn't a first, but it is so wonderful I just had to mention it *smile*

• Getting stuck in the mud
• Being pulled out by the massive tractor pictured below

• Getting to work in Grandma & Grandpa's garden
• Digging potatoes
• Trying not to spear the poor potatoes, I wasn't too successful at that (but at least I was better then someone else...who shall remain nameless)

Feeling the soft dirt squish through my toes--this is another one of the "to-good-to-not-mention-even-though-it-wasn't-a-first"

• Digging potatoes
• Pulling onions

• Having a dirt clod land directly in my face...(I won't tell you if it was on purpose or not)

• Truly experiencing the quote "Dirt is more fun when you add water"

• Eating potato pancakes
• Canning peaches
• Eating cheese curds--I still don't think Grandpa can believe that one:)
• Eating a yellow raspberry

• Having warm raspberries on my ice cream
• Eating Grandma's cookies all day long:) Have you noticed that the word "eating" is mentioned a lot--oh the joys of visiting Grandma's house(even if she isn't your 'real' Grandma)
• Visting the fish hatchery
• Hiking around Dunning Springs

• Lake Itasca Family Bluegrass Festival
• Instrument workshops
• Kayaking
• Hearing Rachel's workshop on songwriting--it was excellent!

• Learning about Ira Sankey
• Narrating with 24 hr. notice--I loved it!

• Working in the snack shak making milkshakes and ice cream cones!
• Listening to the Wissmann's sing over a dozen times:)

• Listening to live Bluegrass music all day long

That is just a taste of what went on during those 2 weeks! Not to mention all the hours of talking, laughter, and traveling:)

A very big thank you to each member of the Wissmann family who made my trip so very special...and memorable! And I'm sure I forgot something...but there was just so many...lol

Tools in His hands

An Iranian believer spoke passionately to a secret group of christians. He had been arrested several times and was under the watch of the police. The bruises on his body proved how he had been treated. This didn't stop him from sharing with others about his God. He urged them to grow closer to Jesus, no matter what the risk.

A foreigner believer had attended the secret meeting and was amazed at this man.

"How can you," he asked, "keep such a spirit of hope and cheerfulness in the midst of these troubles?"

"These trials are just 'tools' in God's hands," said the Iranian believer. "Who am I to criticize the tools that God uses to make me more holy?"

"Consider it pure joy my brothers when you face trials of many kinds..."

James 1:2

-Excerpt from Extreme Devotion

Hair!

I have always loved hair! Curly, straight, up or down...it's wonderful:) As a little girl I would spend hours styling my dolls hair. I would beg my sister to hers as well, which she rarely consented to (and I don't blame her at all...my styles were a bit "wild"). Lately, through the musical, I have had the opportunity to try my hand at it again! And my love for it was reborn:)

Hannah was so sweet to be my 'guinea pig' as I tried out some fun new ideas!

Who doesn't love a "messy bun" with a random braid or two...or three, or six?

Oh, and have I ever mentioned hair sticks? I love them! They seem to add that little extra touch. You can get them in so many varieties; wooden, plastic, (they even have some stainless steel ones), with beads, flowers, etchings, etc. I even discovered how to make my own! Pretty cool!

This was perfect for Susanna! A more casual up-do with a little curl:)

This was my all time favorite on Hannah!

The hair was swept off to the side and hung over her shoulder!

A front view!

(pretty girl *smile*)

I just recently did this style with naturally curly hair. It turned out completely different, but it was gorgeous! That is one of the fun elements in doing hair, it may be the same style but depending on the hair type it could look completely different!

A fun 'retro' look:)

A front view of Susanna

There was a time when I did not exactly appreciate having long(er) hair. I either had to brush/fix it everyday, or subject myself to my mother's combing...not to mention that it was constantly getting tangled and frizzy. But now I view it differently. It is one of God's gifts to a girl, it is our covering; a beautiful thing that God has given us! Plus creativity knows no bounds where hair is concerned:)

Now, I am not a professional in any way, shape or form!!! I haven't even been doing it for that long, and I have learned mostly by trial and error. So I would love for you to add to my "helpful hints"!! Now is you time to share those special secrets that make your hairstyles amazing:)

A couple helpful hints;

• Be creative- you know that amazing hairstyle that you have pictured in your head? Don't be afraid to give it a try!

• Experiment- you won't know if something works unless you try it. Little sisters/friends are perfect for this. Don't be afraid to try something new, it may totally flop, or it might be your next favorite style.

• Cross your bobby pins- they will actually stay in your hair if you do this (something I learned way too late:)

• Make sure your "model" is happy with the front before moving on- the front is what they will see, and what they look at. If they are satisfied with that your chances of them liking the 'do' go up 100%:)

• Start with small sections- bobby pins aren't meant to hold all of your hair:) So start pinning small bits or use clips for more hair.

• Always be optimistic- if you make a weird faces chances are they will start to get worried:)

• Don't give up- if a style isn't working don't throw in the towel, some of my cutest styles have been recreations of a original idea.

What are some of your favorite styles? Do you have any tips that you have found helpful?

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment...instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

1 Peter 3:3-4

Coming soon...

...a post on my trip to Colorado! Which was Incredible!!!!

And...

...my trip with the Wissmann family! Rachel just e-mailed me a bunch of pictures, so hopefully my blog will no longer be silent:)