Turkey Time...

Love this Martha Stewart Turkey Platter! I got it this weekend ON SALE at MACY'S for only $15 buckaroos! You should definately check out to see if there are any left! I love Thanksgiving...Turkey Day is one of my favorite holidays!

Kisses everywhere...

Ok...the title of this blog may seem a bit indecient, but I'm not talking about real kisses...the candy ones. The MAN (aka my husband) set up this whole scavenger hunt with candy hugs & kisses from Hersey's! He hid 50 of them around our house, car, and at my work two weeks before Halloween (which was great to candy around this time!). He knows I don't love chocolate, but it was more the point of the game. According to the amount of kisses and hugs I found determined what type of date we were going to have that weekend. Now, I would have been happy with any kind of date, but let's just say I'm a little COMPETITIVE... okay, a lot competitive! Anyways, I got the highest amount at the end of the week and I also got to trade in all those candy kisses/hugs for the real ones! It was a fun game and great date!

Even though I love sharing the creative wonderful ways my husband is learning to show love to me, that isn't the point of this blog. During the week of hunting for the candies, I started feeling very aware of his affection for me. I told him that everytime I would see a kiss lying next to the lamp at work or in my hair stuff basket in the hall closet...IT MADE ME SMILE. It was like this visible I LOVE YOU notes everywhere!!!

Still getting to my point...

After that week was up and after I won an amazing date...I still kept finding those candies EVERYWHERE! I got the highest amount, but he didn't make me find ALL he hid to get the best date. I've been amazed that I've over looked these kisses & hugs in the most obvious of places. Today was such a place...the bathroom at work. There is a picture hanging in our work bathroom that I see often (obviously), and right on top was a SHINY silver kiss! How in the world did I miss that one! Staring at me, inviting me to find it...just in my reach. I laughed thinking, " Huh, Scott's love was right here, and I didn't even notice it."

Well, then that really got me thinking about how I overlook his love for me in other ways. Things he does and says everyday that I simply miss. What a sad loss for me not to be able to enjoy those tokens of affection.

How greater a loss to miss out on God's kisses & hugs hidden EVERYWHERE. It made me wonder what I miss out on because I'm so used to my surroundings or so comfortable with that love. Where do we not turn and see some measure of God's love. This tiny insight has made a HUGE difference in being sure to look around for the Lord's mighty love in the everyday landscape of my life.

Thank you Scott for sharing your kisses and hugs & for helping me see the bigger picture! I hope none of us miss out on all of Christ's affections for us simply because we are distracted or are too comfortable where we are!

Redeeming...

Have you ever been blown away by God redeeming an area of your life. That's how I feel lately with work. From my last post, you could probably tell my discouragement. Well, we (co-worker and I) just got back from a wonderful conference by the Christian Association of Youth Mentoring. It was seriously like the Lord took His breath and blew away every doubt of fear. He gave us encouraging devotions, wise session leaders, and a bunch of ideas to bring back to our ministry.

And the beach...I love the beach. We didn't have tons of time...but twice I got to walk across the sand to the vast ocean! The ocean always leaves me in awe of God's power and might. It makes me feel small and helpless compared to His presence... that is where I like to be! It's good for me, and I feel comfortable knowing He's that big. I feel protected, secure, and in perfect peace when I submit to His authority over life.

Abide. such a small word with a HUGE meaning. Something I'm trying to really be better about these days. Anyways, I'm so thankful for this past week and all God did!

p.s. Soon...I'll be posting some pics of crafts for our church's fall bazaar and fall decor I've been busy with. Have a great weekend!

Busy as little bees....

Lately, I've found my self some what out of sorts. I'm constantly tired and overwhelmed by work. Things have changed in the last three months and it's added such a burden to my shoulders. There are days where I wish that I worked in a coffee shop, a salesperson for a little store, or even a receptionist at a doctors office. Somewhere that I know will still be faced with challenges and even responsibilites, but not the responsiblity of someone's life. Where I work, I feel the dramatic pull that our decisions make. Whether you should trust this volunteer, accept this kid to the program, and when to give up on something you wanted so badly to work. Seriously, lately the burden has out weighed the good stories. I'm feeling my passion and hope for good things crumbling. I know that I'm whining right now. I know that I'm being pestamistic and having a huge pity party for myself. But really...if you can't whine on your blog...where can you?

I have to step back sometimes and look at the grand scheme. Sure there are kids and families we'll fail...we are after all humans...our volunteers are humans. But I have to keep looking at how God is using us. There are certain kids that know more about the Lord because of our program. There are kids that aren't following in the steps of those around them with alcohol and drugs because of the example their mentor has showed them. There are kids who have learned to be proud of who they are because there has been someone along side them cheering them on.

I know this organization and we are doing good... I'm just tired. Please pray for a refreshment of God's compassion for this ministry and a passion for it. We need more MENTORS. Please pray that God would provide and that churches will start calling me back. That really irks me....seriously, pastors don't return phone calls. What is up with that? Ok...sorry, I'm pouting again. I'm thankful that God gives us His Word for times like these.

"Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." John 11:22

If Martha can take hold of the belief of the power of God to do anything Jesus asks for us....then so can I.

Please Lord, Give us strong, Godly mentors to come along side these families for Your glory. Help us to not loose heart when it's not always easy. Help our current mentors and strengthen them to be messengers for Your gospel. And may your peace and joy rule over this entire agency. Thank you for Your word. Amen.

A little of this...a little of that...

This is Blog O' Random Day! Well, I'm making it that way because I have lots of random stuff that I wanted to talk about. A few plugs for a fav. photo site and for a cool blog I just found. Then just some of my rambling!

Simple Mom...a blog or site I just found. That I really enjoyed!

http://simplemom.net/

I found this link about an article or post she wrote about aiming for EXCELLENCE instead of PERFECTION! What a wonderful thought! I always struggle with not feeling like I can do things perfectly or match up to some very (what I think as) perfect women. You know the types...whose house is spotless, lead a very successful career or organization, step out of their ever so clean SUV's, tuck their adorable hair behind their ear, and ofcourse look perfectly put together as if they have nothing better to do than look cute. I'm not bitter...really, I'M NOT!!! Hahaha...so besides that being an incredibly long run on sentence, it is FALSE.. You know the women that do make it look easy, but they cannot be Perfect. None of us can. And we all know that we fall flat on our faces when we try! So this article was all about giving ourselves grace, and doing something. Just because we can't do it perfectly doesn't mean we shouldn't try!

So, please, take a look at this lady trying to follow Jesus as she lives her life!

http://simplemom.net/how-to-be-disorganized-unproductive-aim-for-perfection/

So following that plug for her, I wanted to talk about our sermon at church this past week. It was AMAZING for me. We are talking about listening to the voices of the Prophets from God's Word. We talked about Isaiah, Jeremiah, and now are on Jonah. Sometimes it's hard to feel you can gain more application from a Bible story you heard all through childhood. But let me tell you it's possible!!! I've always learned about obeying God and following His calling from sermons and Bible Studies on Jonah. But I've never left studying this book of the Bible thinking about grace for others. Jonah wanted God's grace, but was so hesitant to give it to the Ninevites. We are just like that aren't we. We want God's grace we do wrong or in our families lives. But when it comes to others who aren't like us or who do really bad things....we want God's wrath on them. Where is there grace? Isn't all sin disobeying God? It really convicted me from thinking judgemental thoughts or wanting negative outcomes for those who've wronged me. What a punch in the gut, but a good one!

The last thought is a plug for picnik.com. I Love Love Love this sight. It's been fun learning how to use the photo editing tools. I think I like it mostly because it's soo easy to use. Here are a few pictures I've altered. Of course, they are wedding pictures. Sorry, for those who are sick of seeing them!

Have a great weekend everyone!

A little bit of Ike goes a long way.

A long way, that's right...all the way to Kentucky! We got just a touch of Ike, and I'm glad that is all we got. Just a little bit of him made Daviess Co and several surrounding counties be without power up to five or so days. There was also wind damage to roofs and TONS of trees everywhere.

As Scott and I (we were probably really stupid) sat on our couch to see out the window and our storm door in the front....we couldn't imagine what it would be like to see Ike up close and stronger. Right in front of our eyes we watched what was most likely a 75 year old tree snap in half to cover the street across from us. It was all so insane. I'm soo glad that most everyone around here is physically safe and sound.

In other news from that weekend... we went on a little day trip. My man was playing percussion for a worship band at a church camp in indiana. So I got to ride up with him and some of our friends. While the men set up and practiced, us wives went to do what we do best.....SHOPPING! There was a great outlet mall just fifteen minutes from the show. We were ecstatic and really made three to four hours pass by pretty quickly.

Plain and Simple Passion

You know you are passionate about something when you don't feel alive unless you are doing that very thing. It is hard for me to remember when exactly I fell in love with photography.

It was sometime growing up and then developed more in college. I love how pictures tell a story about something you find interesting or just show something you love. Pictures we have in our scrapbooks and albums (or blog/facebook photo albums : P ) I think say a lot about who we are. It shows what we like to do, who we are close to, and what is important in our lives. Above are just a few I found on my computer so I could make my point.

1. My nephew...kids in general, but I'm a little biased towards ones in my family!

2. Weddings/Friends...I love both of these subjects...especially when they are combined. I do like taking pics at weddings....but enjoy most being there as a friend due to the pressure of capturing those perfect moments.

3. Again kids....But this one I put in here because of the light. I love light and how it can change the entirety of the way the picture looks. It makes me feel artsy! (This was one photoshoot I did for a local fam)

4. Families...I love to watch them interact and capture their joy! Relationships in families is one of the most mysterious things to me...the love, the complications, and everything about them!

5. My honey and playing with the focus.... Scott is actually who got me started on playing with how to articulate what you are wanting to show by changing what you focus on and adding effects to the actual picture. This one reminds of an amazing day outdoors in New Harmony before one of our favorite concerts. Memories... that's another reason I love photography.

6. Capturing a time/place/feeling... these are sometimes my favorite things about pictures. When looking at these types....i usually can go back to that place and feel the breeze coming off the river, smell the good eats at Thanksgiving's past, remember the sounds of ocean, and feel the warmth of the moment.

Photography is good for the soul and the brain. It helps us remember who we are, where we came from, and what we dream of! I hope I encouraged you a little to experiment and pick up your camera a little more.

What is your favorite picture of? Do you enjoy photography or is it frustrating/burden to you? How do you hope to grow artistically in the future with your pictures?

I love my husband...

Because...

~ he knows just what to say and how to say it to make me laugh

~ he is smart and takes care of all our finances

~ he cuddles with me while i watch king of queens late at night

~ he works hard for the money

~ he holds my hand in the car

~ he opens my door...STILL

~ he writes me love notes

~ he loves the Lord and tries to help me be more like Him

~ he is honest and real about who he is

~ he is always quick to say he's sorry

~ he watches old 24 seasons rented from the library with me for hours

~ he helps me make baby shower invitations

~ he loves my friends

~ he laughs at my jokes (sometimes)

~ he listens to me and cares what I have to say

~ he forgives me

~ he does our weekly laundry every friday after he gets off before I get home from work

~ he always eats my cooking...and with a smile on his face

~ he loves his and my family

~ he plays with all our nieces/nephews

~ he is always helpful and there for me

~ he is MR. WONDERFUL

I love my husband for about 1, 698, 327 more reasons than these...but i don't want to bore you all to tears. But just wanted to publicly thank the Lord for this gift and ask that He'll help me to never take it forgranted!

love ya honey!

Overflowing

I feel my heart overflowing with thankfulness and joy at soo many things! And they were all brought to my mind thanks to the Lord and His Word...

"You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of you every living thing." Ps. 145:16

It's funny...I look soo often for other things to satisfy me.... to fufill my life. And it is always right there waiting in the OPEN HAND of our Savior. What a blessing we have to seek Him and find peaceful contentment. Now don't get me wrong, usually for me the feeling of needing nothing but him is clouded but a few hours after I find it by distractions, new trials, and just life. But it doesn't matter because it's still there, waiting for me in His hand. I hope you guys find purpose and fullness in Him today.

P.S....some wedding pics...but just a few.

Feeling the Drive....

Do you feel it? Or is it just me? The Olympics have made me feel full of energy (ok...not as much energy as some of them), and determined to really live. Haha...so I guess, I feel inspired. Seriously, whenever I get done watching a section of the swimming awards ceremony, the girls gymnastics floor exercies, or the exciting suprise of the Women's 100 M....I get this incredible surge of energy.

Last night that surge came a little too late! I got done watching the Olympics around eleven, and then had all sorts of things running through my mind. I tucked my hubby in and said that I wasn't ready to go to bed yet....I had things to ACCOMPLISH! I organized and worked on my craft/scrapbooking/art space! It's a great area with lots of room, but right now it has been the dumping pile. There is lots of stuff to scrap, projects to be finished, and tons of gift wrapping materials from all our wonderful wedding gifts. So after that I finished a painting project for my friend at work. It was a cold beverage tin for barb-b-ques and such! It turned out pretty cute if I say so myself. After that I was pretty tired, but still had tons of ideas and things to put on a to-do list! THANK YOU Lord for using something like the Olympics to boost my determination!

This weekend seemed to be full of getting things accomplished...lots of yard work, putting away wedding gifts, still unpacking Scott's stuff, and laundry. And I'm really enjoying cooking meals for Scott, and I think he enjoys them too! I made cheesy, Mexican rice and Taquitos one night. Last night I simply made creamy tomatoe soup and Hawaiian roll sandwiches with mustard/poppyseed sauce! Soo Yummy! Other fav. moments of the weekend were the pool party, putting together our huge hammock, and riding our bikes to church Sunday morning!

Thankful for an amazing weekend and can't wait to see what else the Olympics motivates me to do. What about you guys? Do you find a drive of energy from our Olympian champions? Does their massive bodies, strong determination, and hard work motivate you?

Here is a pic from the pool party of me and my hubby!!!

Pie Dough -INGREDIENTS:
4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 3/4 cups cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 egg (extra large)
DIRECTIONS
Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk the vinegar, egg, and 1/2 cup of ice water together and mix into the flour mixture with your hands until just combined. Transfer to a clean work surface, and gently press to form a dough. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Shape each into a ball, flatten slightly to form a disk, and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour.

We're Back!!!

Mexico was good...soo good! It was soo nice and relaxing to lay on the beach with my honey! And just do well...nothing! After months of planning a wedding, getting stuff ready with the house, and all the other fun shower stuff....we were TIRED!!! So doing nothing for a whole week was just what the doctor ordered! I think everyone should get a honeymoon/vacation every year. A time to regroup and be thankful for all God has done for us.

I can't wait to get pictures from the wedding and the honeymoon on here! So for now... here is a picture of the happy couple (one of our engagement pics)! I loved them all! The talented Gloria Huff (http://www.photographybygloria.com/) did our engagement and couldn't do the wedding because well, she was in the wedding. So Gloria was a bridesmaid and we were blessed by two other great photographers for the actual BIG DAY!

What a blessing the wedding was to us to start out our marriage. It felt like a big celebration as Scott and I promised ourselves to each other before God and loved ones! So other pics to come later!

Glad to be home with my baby finally at our house where he belongs,

Mrs. Sarah Thompson

Take me away...

Our HONEYMOON is soo close I can feel the tropical breeze and sand between my toes. I need this soo badly...especially on days like these. Days when Kentucky is still the greatest state to live in, but a getaway is exactly what you need! I'm ready for the warm beaches, nice rooms, and relaxation! Here are some pics from where we are going!
Riveria Maya, Mexico

Starting June 1st

I will be a resident at 2300 Bluff Ave....our new home! It's getting soo close to being liveable!

And

I will be starting a new creative photo journaling tool I've seen on some other blogs. It's a Picutre for 30 days! I will take and post a new picture of my life everyday in June. This will be to help me find beauty around me everyday and sharpen my creative photography skills. But it will also hopefully help me slow down. All this wedding, house, and just normal life stuff is feeling a little overwhelming as of lately. I want to slow down and enjoy this stage of life! I will only be 27 once...only be engaged once....only moving into my first bought home once....and only be in this season of life once. So why not enjoy it!

So if you get really bored in June...feel free to stop by and see what a REALLY EXCITING life I live! That was obviously sarcastic. But hey, you never know where my journey will take me!

I hope everyone has a great evening...mine will be spent finishing the cabinets and hutch! And then staying up until the wee late hours packing up the rest of my stuff. Last night I filled three...yes, THREE big garbage bags of clothes to take to the Clothes Closet at church. I was a little embarrased about how long I've owned some of that clothing...atleast ten years. And there was just soo much of it. My pack rat tendancies have to be stopped before I move into our quaint (Yes, I mean small) home! Or else my soon-to-be husband will have to build us another room onto the house just for my closet.

hmm...now that's an idea!

: )

Wedding..Wedding...Wedding...

Soo many things to do... no time to do them. I really just can't wait for this:
















(I love this photo...it's by one of my favorite photographer's Jasmine Star. If I was rich and she didn't live in CA...I would totally have my wedding photographed by her. It would seriously be such a blessing...she is amazing! And from what her blog says...she loves the Lord too. You can tell He has blessed her.)

I can't wait for that moment when we are actually husband and wife! But I have to wait...almost 2 more months. It would be nice for the house to be finished, all my stuff moved in, wedding plans to be all checked off, and the day I become MRS. THOMPSON to be here.

We finally got all the bridesmaid dresses figured out and ordered! YEAH! Now I need to focus on reception stuff and ceremony decorations. Anybody have any neat detail ideas you've seen. I'm all into the details of events and important moments!

Well, I best get off here to do some work..just thought I'd update. This next couple of pics is from our save the date cards...don't forget

SAVE THE DATE

Sarah Beth and Scott

August 2nd, 2008

This
one shows
how excited we are about August 2nd!

Senior Pictures...

Well, ever since I started doing photography for fun...I was scared of doing anything professional ( like for money). It started me doing some pics for fun, and then after seeing them someone asking me how much I charge. It's funny how something you love can become a way to pay the house payment.

Here is a recent senior shoot I did.

I loved it...he was a lot of fun to work with!

Traveling, visiting friends, and enjoying life

us in louisville visiting Scott's dad. I think this is one of my favorite pictures of us!















kim, me, and abigail enjoying lunch after church together. It feels so good to experience a normal weekday event with long distance friends!
we both LOVE Nashvegas. Scott and I had a great time visiting friends. Eating with Andrew at a cute little cafe near downtown. Then we also got to be apart of Christin's birthday celebration.
















what a great couple of weekends!

Don't you wish every weekend could be packed with soo many good things?

Here, There, Everywhere....

So, I always feel that I'm doing too much, but never doing enough! HAHA! It's truly the story of my life. I get so incredibly busy that I decide I need to take a breather. Then after freeing up my time..I get frustrated with nothing to do.

But my title means much more than that...I have started numerous blogs...but my main one (the one that actually is used) is www.xanga.com/sarahbethc

Many of my friends and those of whom hold some of my very favorite blogs use this site. I love what they can do creatively to their pages. Xanga just doesn't have all that unless you pay. If you don't...it's mainly very plain jane features. So I may...BIG MAYBE...just move my blog here. So I thought I'd play around with it for awhile to see how it goes.

Only time will tell if I'll be here, there, or EVERYWHERE!

Until then my friends!