Clendenin Scholars Dinner

I am so proud of Kyle!  It was such a lovely evening and I truly enjoyed meeting the other previous and current Clendenin Scholars.  It took place in the art gallery on campus which is very beautiful and had some very impressive pieces on display.  My heart swelled with pride when they announced Kyle’s name and presented him his lamp of learning.  He continues to inspire me with his academic pursuits and I’m excited to see his journey continue to unfold.  

Rainbow Pilates

Moving and settling into a new place is also hard even if you have lived there in the past.  One of the things that made the transition easier was finding Rainbow Pilates.  Working out has always been a big part of my life, I sit so much at my job that I have to stay active outside of work.  It helps tremendously with my stress level and re-energizes me.  I searched on google and asked for recommendations and my mom mentioned Rainbow Pilates.  I looked at the website and was thrilled to see that they offered Barre, Yoga, and Pilates.  I tried several different classes my first week and I was hooked.  Everyone was so friendly and it really helped me feel more at home in the suburbs.  Plus I feel myself getting stronger after every class.  The owner of the gym Sonya has really created a special place and I’m so glad I found it!

High School Camp

I was so excited that I able to chaperon the youth group trip again this year.  It felt so odd last year not being able to go down to Florida with them.  God always shows up in big ways at camp and strengthens relationships in ways that would take months to achieve on Sunday nights back at home.  We had always gone to BigStuf in the past but decided to make a change and go to High School Camp.  It is run by the same group but is for high schoolers only instead of combined with middle school students.  I had a wonderful group of senior girls in my room and truly enjoyed seeing them wrestle with the topics and the things going on in their lives.  It is so valuable to have that time in the room and in between sessions on the beach to bond and develop meaningful relationships.  I always enjoy seeing their commitment to pursue their faith and I always feel re-energized in my own faith after spending a week away from distractions and being fully focused on my faith and serving the students.    

Housewarming

I was a bit nervous before our housewarming party that our friends wouldn’t be willing to make the longer drive out to our new house.  Thankfully my anxiousness was frivolous (as it often is) and we had really nice turnout for our combined housewarming/birthday party for Kyle.  I have always felt that it is not the space itself that makes a home but filling it with memories and the people you love that makes a place feel like your own.  This was certainly the case for me.  Seeing our friends and family in our new home made it really begin to feel like it was ours on a deeper and more meaningful level.  Everyone had such nice things to say about the house which was really nice since it’s my first decorating a more traditional home.  My dad was a wonderful help and manned the grill for the afternoon which is a pretty grueling task in June in Georgia.  We played outdoor games (the perks of a yard) and ended the night with bonfire to break in our new fire pit.  The food was good but the company was exceptional.  This was the first of many events to come!

ABG Lights Exhibit – Bruce Munro/7th Anniversary

We celebrated our 7^th wedding anniversary this summer!  Gosh time flies, in some ways it is hard to remember back to before we were married but it also doesn’t seem possible that it has already been 7 years.  We have a tradition of eating dinner at TWO Urban Licks which was incredible again this year as always.  It continues to be one of my all-time favorite spots to eat in Atlanta. 

After dinner we headed to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to check out the Bruce Munro lights exhibit.  At first we walked around the sculpture installations and while beautiful left us a little disappointed.  Then we went down the canopy walk and saw the newly expanded section of the garden and understood immediately what all the fuss was about.  It was like a magical forest of lights that was living, breathing, and changing colors before our very eyes.  Think about the magic and joy in watching a firefly light up in the evening sky and multiple the effect times a couple hundred thousand.  The fiber optic lights were weaved along the ground in mesmerizing, chaotic, and organic patterns.  The fibers joined together in clusters in places and it reminded me of blood vessels or flying over cities as night with the lights flowing out from the center and into these standing bulbs.  It felt like a dream or a movie.  I was completely swept away by it.  It was made even more magical but walking hand in hand next to my favorite person.  At the end of the path we sat on a bench and talked and enjoyed being surrounded by the dancing lights.  I took some photos on my phone but these that were taken by my friend Matt Haynor are light years better so hopefully this helps capture some of the magic for you to see.  

Road/Sky Warrior - Crazy Travel Schedule

In a 6 week period from July 1st through mid-August I had traveled for 4 of 6 weeks.  It started with vacation beginning in 12 Mile and then went straight into chaperoning high school camp in Florida.   After that it was an intense travel schedule for work: Seattle for 4 days, home for just over a week, back to Seattle 4 days, home for a week, and then to Texas for a leadership summit.  This summer was me living out of a suitcase for the most part and gave me a new found appreciation for regular weeks at home with Kyle and Divot.  The drastic change in my travel schedule is definitely one of the areas I have been struggling to try and control.  Even my suitcase was asking for a break when the handle snapped in half on my way home from one of my Seattle trips.  Here are a few pictures from my summer work trips:

Lost My Voice

I have missed writing these posts, I got lost in the inertia of work and all the other things going on in our lives.  It’s been almost 3 months since I posted and that makes me sad and also reflects how out of sync I’ve felt.  I think amidst the stress and all the change I lost my way and lost my voice a bit.  I’m excited to recommit the time to maintaining this blog because it means a lot to me and I don’t want to forget all the things that are happening now.