Pace Wedding

This past weekend, I went home for a childhood friend’s wedding. Brant has been like a brother to me for nearly half of our lives. His family has become family to my family. And even their friends and extended family have become our friends and extended family. Over the years, we have spent holidays and vacationed with the Pace family. They’ve always had the philosophy of there is always room for one more to love. I don’t know of any other family that is so welcoming and loving. The entire Pace crew (family and friends) have brought so much love and joy to my family’s life. I’ve said this several times but there really is no greater gift in life than friendship.

I had the privilege of playing photographer at Brant and Megan’s wedding reception. It kind of rekindled my love for photography again. I hope to get out my camera more often. Here are a few of the shots I am happy to show off.

This free digital collage generated with Smilebox

Great Day

Ever have one of those days where you go to bed that night and think, “wow, this was a truly great day”? I know I thank God for everyday even the bad ones because I know my blessings are still countless. But a couple of weeks ago, I had one of those days for me when it was just an incredible day and packed full of blessings.

I had to go to drug court …. for Leadership Rutherford credit (a leadership program I am going through). I just like the shock factor of saying that. You should have heard my phone conversation with my dad when I told him. I know he held his breath for a moment and thought if he was hearing me right. Especially, considering that I was his child on my senior trip who called him to come get me because one of the guys had pot in his room. Anyways,I expected court to be just a bunch of people getting some measly little sentences for their offenses. I did get to see a few minutes of this which was very interesting for me because I have never been inside a courtroom. Then I had the unique opportunity of watching over 15 people who are going through a recovery support program in lieu of jail time report to the judge about their progress with the program. Almost every single person had a job, tested drug free and was going through AA. A huge part of the program is attending multiple weekly meetings to talk about their addiction and ways to cope. They also all have to report to the judge weekly to discuss their progress. Since several of us where there from Leadership Rutherford the judge had the people going through the program address us. They had the opportunity to share with what the program had done for them. Over and over we heard “for the first time in my life: I am responsible for my own actions, I am trusted by loved ones, I am going to give birth to a baby without drugs in their system, I am able to pay my own bills, I have confidence, and I have a full time job. Each one of them had their head held high and was so proud to share their progress. When they finished the judge gave us the opportunity to ask questions about the program and address the participants. I was choking back tears so I didn’t say anything but I am so glad two of the men in our class addressed them. They both echoed my thoughts. They both told them how inspiring they are and if they can overcome addiction they can do anything. At the end of the year, I know I will not remember everything that I was taught during the program but I know I will not forget this experience. This experience made a lasting impression on me and one I hope remains with me.

A MUST Read

If you are looking or in are need of a great daily devotional book, I must recommend to you, “Jesus Calling: Seeking Peace in His Presence” by Sarah Young. This is hands down the best devotional book I’ve ever read. There is topic of focus each day which is my favorite devotional format. The new truths that have been revealed to me in this book are life changing. So don’t wait. Get your copy today.

Psalm 91

It is a stormy day in the South today. I am claiming one of my favorite Bible verses for everyone in the storm’s path. I am very thankful to my 6th grade teacher at SCS who had me memorize this chapter of Psalms. I have claimed it so many times in my life and for others. God is faithful!

Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge— 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Hard on the Heart

This week has been an absolute struggle for me. It seems like stress hit me in all directions this week. However, my main struggle has been living so far away from some of my friends. Three out of my six bridesmaids now live out of state. Two of those dear friends had major life “experiences” this week. One had a very happy experience and the other one had a not so happy experience. One got engaged and the other has been preparing to say goodbye to a precious loved one. It has literally broken my heart to not physically be there for both of them. They have both been there for me during the good and the bad and it has hurt deeply not to be there for them. I know this is just part of life but it has honestly surprised me how consuming my heartbreak has been. I’ve always known I have some of the best friends in the world but this week has proven once again how much they mean to me. I don’t know if it comes from being an only child and knowing that these girls are the closest I will ever have to sisters. And they too know that as well because they are also only children. (Side note: not really sure what that says about us. Maybe we don’t play well with others still? Ha ha!) But I honestly don’t know if sisters love each other as much as I love my sweet friends. I hope that this heartache passes soon and that I will be able to physically be there for them in the future.

Please pray for my friend who is preparing to say goodbye to a family member.

Settling In

We've been in our new home two weeks now and have loved each minute of it. I am very proud to say that last Saturday we officially unpacked our last box and everything is in its place. We even have both cars in the garage. We could not have got so much done though if it wasn't for our awesome moving crew. Big thanks to Bill, Nancy, Keith, Terri and my dad. I don't know how we would have done it without you all. As far as decorating goes, I am almost finished. I am on the search for some new window treatments for some of the rooms. I am having a hard time finding ones that I just love. I did find some awesome roman shades for the kitchen from JcPenny.com. And of course my coupon cutting husband saved me some money on them as well. I can't wait to get them in. I will eventually like to paint some of the rooms but for the time being everything works and works well.


Now on my to-do list is plan for our housewarming party. I can't wait. If you have any ideas please shoot them my way.

Moving Week

I am so excited. It is officially moving week for the Painter family. We close on Wednesday afternoon and move in on Saturday. I cannot wait to get into our first home. We are very fortunate that this house is turnkey ready. I do want to paint the living room and two of the bedrooms sometime but thankfully all the colors in the house are neutral. I just want to make it my own. For all of you who follow me on pineterest I am sorry I am filling up your feed with all my for the home pins.

G and I have used this weekend to pack as much as we can possibly stand and go through things. I don’t normally think of myself or G as a pack rat (except for G and his clothes but that is another story) but I am afraid some people would consider us hoarders after some of the things we found. For example this is just a small portion of some of things we found that either went to the dumpster or goodwill: floppy disk, a syllabus from a political science course from sophomore year, a laptop that hasn’t worked in 4 years, every owner’s manual from everything we’ve ever owned, old textbooks, one million pony tail holders stashed away in almost every drawer of our townhouse, at least 10 coolers, old license plates, old drivers licenses, and about a million mugs. And sadly this is our second round of purging things. My parents came up last weekend and house sat and went through a lot of our items then. I am determined to make our house as clutter free as possible. If we haven’t used it yet more than likely we will never use it.

Can’t wait to share pictures of our first home.