A summer experiment

So I was browsing Pinterest the other day, and I came across the neatest picture of a child's hands, and it sparked an idea :)  I have always been fascinated with hands...they get scraped, bruised, and dirtied, yet they remain such a vital part of our bodies.  A simple dictionary definition defines 'hand' as "The end part of a person's arm beyond the wrist, including the palm, fingers, and thumb."  But hands are so much more than that, aren't they?  As the adage says, 'you never know what you have until you lose it', and I think that so many of us take our hands for granted until we are made aware of what our lives would be like without them.  I've also found it interesting how many times the Bible references the 'hand of God' and its role in our lives, one of my favorites being Job 12:10: "In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind."  God holds every living thing in the palm of his hand!!

Anyway, I decided to embark on a summer experiment :)  My challenge?  Take pictures of as many hands as possible.  On some, the skin will be dry and chapped from hours of serving others.  On some, the skin will be faded and wrinkled from year after year of living  a long and full life.  So I invite you to join me in my explorations as we continue to discover that each and every individual truly is 'fearfully and wonderfully made' :)

Bex <3

Good medicine :)

I was just going through some pictures from the weekend, and wanted to share some 'medicine' with you :)

There is nothing quite like a joy-filled, gap-toothed smile to brighten your day!!  I think the Bible says it best...

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." 

                    ~ Proverbs 17:22

So, who will you give good medicine to today? :)

Bex <3

Heart's desire...

"My quest: know Him.  Show Him."

                           ~ John Piper

Bex <3

A very {Tangled} day :)

Wow....how do you encapsulate so much awesomeness into words?? :)  I have known Elsa for pretty much as long as I can remember, yet no matter how often we get together, I always walk away with a smile on my face :)  To make a long story short, if you know us at all, we share a mutual love of Tangled, which usually represents itself in both of us spouting out random quotes and songs at opportune moments.  

Since Elsa is an amazing seamstress, she made her own Rapunzel dress, which in my humble opinion is even prettier than the real thing :D  All winter long, we've talked and dreamed about doing a photoshoot, and yesterday we finally got around to it (frying pan and all!!).  Needless to say, I haven't had so much fun for a long time, and we definitely agreed to do this more often!!  And we made the corporate decision to (hopefully) return with return someday with a significant 'someone' who just might happen to look like....

Anyway.....enjoy :)

"Frying pans!!  Who knew, right?"

This next one wasn't even a 'planned' pose, but it turned out to be one of my favorites!! (not to mention that it's very 'Rapunzel-y' :D)

There was a whole bed of gorgeous yellow foxglove right next to the Hartwood mansion, and I LOVE how it looked with her purple dress!!

Movie version:

Elsa version (minus Flynn):

Quick side note: we were up around the mansion doing some different poses, when these little girls walked by.  They glanced over and their jaws hit the ground :D  You could tell they thought they'd died and went to heaven - I mean, it's Rapunzel incarnated!! :P  One of them said, "Where's your Pascal?"  Anyway, I couldn't help but think they looked like these little girls:

But back to the photoshoot :)

This frying pan weighs about 10 pounds, so we eventually resorted to propping it against something :)  I definitely give Rapunzel much more credit for wielding one for the whole movie!!

Elsa, my almost-sister, it sounds cliche, but I truly couldn't ask for a better friend!!  You are genuinely beautiful,  both inside and out, and I know that the Lord is going to use you in so many amazing ways!!  Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your 'Tangled day'!  (and btw - you should totally use the above stance/expression in CX ;D  just sayin'....)

Bex <3

{Sneak Peek}

Oh. my.  Just wait until you see the gorgeousness that I got to work with today!!  This was my first ever 'real' photoshoot, and I must say that my model was pretty easy to work with :D  Elsa, I had so much fun quoting Tangled lines and traipsing around Hartwood!!  Thanks so much for an awesome afternoon :)

More to come very soon :)

Bex <3

Derek's Commissioning

Over the years, it's been really neat to see the different paths that the 'kids' of our extended family have taken.  The time goes by so quickly...it seems like just yesterday that all of us cousins were ripping open presents on Christmas Eve.  Now most of them are adults, and I've enjoyed seeing each of their personalities as they choose colleges and careers.  One of my cousins, Derek, has always wanted to be in the army, and on Friday, he reached a huge milestone when he was commissioned as an officer. 

Near the end of the ceremony, each officer's parents/family came up and pinned on their bars:

The ceremony was wonderful, and after everything was all over, we headed outside for some family pictures.  The day could not have been more perfect and the campus is beautiful, so it was the perfect recipe for a good picture :)  (side note: this was my first attempt at doing group pictures, and just sayin' - it's a lot harder than it looks :D  I now give professional photographers much more credit)

All in all, it was a great time of celebration!  Derek, a big huge CONGRATULATIONS on your amazing achievement - you've worked so hard for this, and I know that the Army will never be the same ;)  May the Lord's richest blessings be upon you as you begin this new season of your life!!

Bex <3

Baseball thoughts

I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a baseball fan.  Like, at all.  This is much more to my tastes:

But I digress :)  (and I can't believe I just shared that picture - I look so sinister :P)  Anyway....back to baseball.  My dad got last-minute tickets to last night's game, so we made a night out of it :)

As previously stated, I am not a baseball fan, and as it turns out, I'm not the only one in my family....

But we still had a great time :)  

Today, Rachel was organizing lunch for a Homewood baseball clinic, and I decided to go with her.  We thought we were just going to drop off the food and leave right away, but we ended up staying for several hours and serving lunch.  The irony of the situation made me laugh for a minute.

On one hand, we find a perfectly-manicured field:

On the other, a dusty, scrubby, dandelion-infested, park:

On one hand, the players have jerseys that are attended with meticulous care:

On the other, the players are thrilled to receive a 'Fruit-Of-The-Loom' cotton T-shirt:

On one hand, hundreds of fans fill the seats, eager to see their home team win the game (although one might argue that they're often disappointed when the watch the good ol' Bucs ;D)

On the other, cracked cement bleachers seat a few parents who come to cheer on their children:

 But what I saw today opened my eyes even further to what is truly important in this life.    Last night, I saw grown men have what my mom would categorize as a 'meltdown'.  Why?  The umpire struck them out and a play was ended.  Today, I saw a little boy's eyes light up.  Why?  Because he realized that his lunch was free, and that we were doing it just because we loved him.  It wasn't a five-course meal - it was a hot dog, chips, and a cookie.  But when all the 'stuff' of life is stripped away, we are left with nothing but love, and if we can share that love with those around us, we can experience blessings in  a new and very special way.

I loved watching these kids - their shirts were too big, their hats fell down over their eyes, and they couldn't catch the ball even if it rolled right between their legs, but they were having a blast and enjoying an all-American tradition :)

As it turns out, the whole day did not go according to plan.  Rachel and I were supposed to just drop off the food, say 'Hi' to a few people, and then go do some real missions work.  But there had been some confusion and our plans got changed (as plans usually do).  Before I know it, I'm up to my elbows in relish, with kids surrounding me pleading for a hot dog.  

I was hot, my hair was a wreck, and if I had to ask one more person if they wanted a handful of chips I felt sure I'd scream.  'What on earth am I doing here?' was all I could think.  'I'm supposed to be doing something else that would really help people who need the Lord.'  Just then, a little girl looked up at me and said shyly, 'You are so nice!'  What?  Doesn't she know I'm not even supposed to be here?  Doesn't she know that I'm supposed to be helping someone else?  All at once, I saw things through completely different lenses.  To think that I am the one who showed Jesus to that little girl takes my breath away!  It might have been through a Ketchup bottle, but it all adds up to the same amount.  And I think, what better way to spend the day?  Sure, my feet ached, I stained my shirt, and hamburger meat got caked underneath my fingernails, but I 'did it to the least of these'. (Matthew 25:45)  In the end, that's all that really matters.

I could go on and on, but it's really late and my bed is calling me :)  Sometime I'll share the rest of my thoughts and pictures....for now, I'll leave you with a verse:

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." (Matthew 6:19-20)

I don't know if this means I have a load of hamburgers and hot dogs waiting for me, but I do know that we only have a short time here on earth.  Live your life to the fullest - be 'intrepid' :D  That might mean being flexible enough to change your plans, or it might mean something completely different, but I urge you to let God work through you.  I was so blessed by my 'baseball weekend', and I look forward to many more :)

Bex <3

(I just have to share one more picture - this little girl was adorable :D)

(and thanks to Mr. Gaertner and Rachel - they contributed several of the above pictures)