not too late to be

Wait, what-is it really October already? This year has just flown by for me...man, I really haven't been present on this blog much/at all. Blogging is kind of tough like that, you know? For me, at least. Putting my real self, my real thoughts into words and then hitting 'publish' is so...hard. So easy it is for me for me to close my eyes to sharing and being open. You know, balancing on that fine line so as to be authentic...not superficial and not overwhelmingly personal. I don't know. I want to be uplifting and only be an arrow pointing to Christ.
Anyways, life is busy, and beautiful and uncertain and weird and sad and happy and it is LIFE. My Savior knows just what He's doing. I pray I constantly am conscious of that fact.
Just a little ramble today, folks.
-smiles and love-

"the sweetness of honey"

O LORD, our Lord,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8:9

This was so good for me today. How beautiful is the living God!

papa's day

my daddy and me, 1995

Happy Father's Day, Papa! I love you so much, and I thank God for you!!!

My Mama

Happy Mama's Day to the best mama--MINE!

There is so much I could say, but the simple words from my heart sum it all up--Mommy, thank you so much for everything--you are such a blessing and I am so grateful the Lord allowed me to be your daughter. I am so thankful to God for YOU and I love you so much!

My mama, the most beautiful mother I've ever known, and lil' old me, circa 1995

Love you forever,

Emmy

P.S. You's mommin' it like a BOSS!

rejoice and be glad

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7

How wonderful are those truths.

Happy friday, my friends!

P.S.I'll be eighteen day after tomorrow...

California wild poppies and lupines circa 1995 by my mama

ah, sweet spring

THOU GOD OF ALL GRACE
          Thou hast given me a savior,
          produce in me a faith to live by Him
          to make Him all my desire
                                all my hope
                                 all my glory.
                   From The Saviour, The Valley of Vision


Today is warm and the breeze carries the glorious scents of spring...jasmine, orange blossom, dewy grass, freesias and roses in bloom. What a gift is this life. On this day, amidst the daily ups and downs, I want to fully wonder and marvel at all the beauty surrounding me. Our Savior is so unbelievably good.

xoxo

A Prayer

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

--St Patrick's Breastplate

 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

 

Happy Birthday, Beautiful!

She really is this cute.

Happy THIRD Birthday to my beautiful, funny, delightful flower princess!

May our Father in Heaven continue to guide you and bless you! HE is so good!

I love you so much, baby sister!

Hanky-Boy

My brother/best friend turned twelve years old on saturday.

He is so original, creative, super smart, amazing, fun, brave, good-hearted, Christ-loving... all around great kid.

He is five years younger than me, so I get the best of both worlds--I get to be the 'big' sister and we're also really close. He's my pal.

Meet Henry.

A few weeks ago, he and I went to the park to shoot some photos...we had so much fun. He was very obliging and even wore this snappy vintage outfit, because  he's just cool like that. ( =
Notice the hat? He effortlessly wears hats and has a growing collection. This boy is the man.

Henry boy, just know that I love you so much and you are the best brother we three girls could hope for...you are a gem!
I pray the Lord would continue to grow you into a young man after His Heart!

Love always,
Em

the pleasing rhythm of everyday

c. Emily/song of the sea

Life has just started to slow down into the pleasing rhythm of  ( almost, not quite) ordinary days.
My sister Hannah's graduation was beautiful and so much fun! I am so proud of my big sis and the beautiful,godly woman the Lord is fashioning in her! ( Pictures of the ceremony are coming!!!)

My life this week has been full of taking pictures, going for walks with my two favorite littles in the world ( brother and baby sister), cooking, chores, tea, lots and lots of drawing ( want to see some?), family Bible time, singing, studying,history with my brother, music, talking, leftover graduation cake ( =, flowers, coffee, pondering, dish-washing, smiles, sniffles, light, wonder...more comes to mind as I write.

You know, life is simple and wondrous every day.

We just need to recognize it all comes out of our Father's loving hand.

Much love,
Emily

Stepping towards the light.

                                                                   This is me. photo by my dear Hannah

From my journal:

  April 28, 2012

 ''Seventeen. That's what I am today.It is just incredible to me how the future becomes the present so     

quickly, that growing up is a reality. For the first time in many birthdays, this concept of leaving behind    an age, a part of myself, and moving on isn't bothering me.

 We all move forward--this time I'm excited. I'm excited to grow and learn and live and to walk along the   stepping stones of life, simply in awe that the LORD of the universe is the One directing my path, guiding my steps. Growing older is not a dark threat, it's moving towards the light.''

Thank you,  dearest Kelsey, for taking this beautiful photo!

On Saturday, we had a fun little exploring day with my family--who, may I point out, are my favorite people in the world. I love them to the moon and back.
Then...

We had a little family get-together on Sunday at my grandparents house. It was perfect. Just to be surrounded by people I LOVE  was such a blessing from God!

My heart is so full.

Well. Can't sing I am sixteen-going-on-seventeen anymore. I smile as I write that. Because, you want to know why, seventeen? You're already promising to be wonderful.

of adventure and lovely, simple things

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while...

We've been on an adventure!

Because of our family business, my parents went up to Portland, Oregon, (beloved city!) for the SCAA convention last weekend. They had not flown together, just the two of them, in almost ten years! So, we were thrilled for them to have this opportunity! My sister Hannah was the captain for our first time running the ship on our own! Although we missed our dear parents so much, we had a lovely, exciting,wonderful, adventurous time!
The high points:

• starting each morning gathered round the piano, praising our Creator by singing hymns along with my sister's piano accompaniment. 
• early morning snuggles with the baby girl. Nothing like cuddling a cozy, sleepy two year old. 
• scrumptious food! We're talkin' raw saurkraut and organic uncured hotdogs, quesadillas with homemade guacamole, mangoes and kiwis, root beer floats, smoothies, and my sister's aaaahhhmazing lemon pudding cake...yumsters. Hungry?
• watching Tintin for the fourth time. ( =
• Long talks with my sister and brother.
• cleaning the house while listening to music (have you heard this?), laughing and talking.
• stories! Elizabeth favored those of the Curious George variety.
• Hannah reading puritan devotions aloud from Voices from the Past. Praise God for the Word!
• laughing! My siblings and I can laugh! Cue inside joke: Minkey!
• neighborhood walks.
• breakfast out with dear grandparents.
• swimming!
• our home beach.
• picking flowers from the garden and arranging the blooms in vintage glass milk bottle.
• painting! Baby Elizabeth is a talented little artist. We all contributed to a Welcome Home! sign for our parents, and that was a lovely time.
• playing at the park.
• thanking God for each precious second I have with my siblings.

We had a marvelous time, but it is beyond wonderful to have mama and papa with us again.

Life is either a great adventure or nothing.

Helen Keller 

c.Emily/the song of the sea

so much love

c. Emily/the song of the sea

She snuggles into me. I kiss her little head and breathe deeply. She munches on her apple, and I listen. She offers me a bite.You're so kind, I tell her. I give her another kiss. She rests her curly head on my shoulder. I love you. My heart is overflowing. And I thank God for my baby sister.

infinitely wonderful

c. Emily/the song of the sea

The goodness of God is infinitely more wonderful than we will ever be able to comprehend.
A.W. Tozer

Amen! That quote is so true of my life right now...no matter what happens, God's goodness is always there. I just want to praise Him for His love and mercy!

my baby sister and our dear camera

                                      

My darling baby sister. 

I'm finally posting a photo taken with our new, beloved camera. For those of you who don't know, we've been wanting a D-SLR for ages...and for Christmas, my dad surprised us with a Canon Rebel T2i! This camera is amazing! We love it so much! Can you tell?

xo,

Em

O CHRIST,

All, thy ways of mercy tend to and end in my delight.

Thou didst weep, sorrow, suffer that I may rejoice.

For my joy thou hast sent me the Comforter,

multiplied thy promises,

shown me my future happiness,

given me a living fountain.

 --The Valley of Vision, Joy

Our God is so good.

"Ah! what a mercy it is that it is not your hold of Christ that saves you, but his hold of you! What a sweet fact that it is not how you grasp his hand, but his grasp of yours, that saves you.''

~Charles Spurgeon

Contentment in the New Year

 Say not, ''why were the former days better than these?''
 For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
 Ecclesiastes 7:10

2011 is gone. Gone, and can't be brought back, ever.
Funny thing about it, I don't mind. Funny because it seems I've spent much of my life trying to hold onto things that are completely out of my control--like time,childhood, not wanting anyone to grow up, not wanting to forget sweet memories,being afraid I'm not cherishing each moment as I should, and the like.

This year, however, I've begun to realize that each day little things change, and oftentimes for good.
New chapters begin ever so slowly and the story doesn't end all at once. I'm learning to look at things in a new light. Taking delight in my LORD and the life He has given me...not trying to live in the past or looking anxiously towards the future. I praise God He has brought me to this realization, because it's freeing. My Father in heaven knows me and he has every moment of my life in His hands. So I don't have to hold onto things because HE already is. 

And that is wonderful.

''...Be content with what you have for He has said, ''I will never leave you nor forsake you''.
Hebrews 13:5

Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
1 Timothy 6:6-7

''For everything there is a  season...''
 Ecclesiastes 3






Happy New Year, and may God bless you all.


P.S. Excitement: my papa bought us an amazing Christmas gift--a Canon Rebel. Yes, a DSLR!
That is a fulfillment of a dream. Can't wait to start posting pictures!

Overruled

It is frightening to imagine the world with the U.N in control of our families! Watch this short movie to find out how this is happening and what you can do to help. Let's all commit to pray for Parental Rights, and that we, as a nation, would return to the LORD and His ways.


Much love,
Emily

A Christmas Treasure//Christmas music at our house.

For as long as I can remember, this beautiful record has been the first Christmas music listened to in our home. Julie's warm, clear, lovely voice, coupled with the excellent arrangements by Andre Previn and the reverent and joyous selection of Christmas songs makes for an incomparable Christmas record. Especially if you play a real vinyl on a record player, like we do. Doesn't get much better than that!

I could honestly listen to it all day long. The music is so, so beautiful. To me, it represents everything glorious about this holiday...the birth of our Savior, the love of our God, the joys and warmth of the season, the festivities, the traditions.  I can't say enough good things about it.

Here are a few songs for your enjoyment. I'm pretty sure you'll love them.

The graphics on the videos are a little cheesy, but they're the best ones I could find!

Aaaaaaahhh. I love Christmas music.

I hope you are all having a cozy December!

P.S. Stay tuned for the next Christmas music at our house. What will it be? Here's a hint...think jazz.

simple moments

A few weeks ago, after a day of stormy skies and monotone rainfall, the sky was illuminated by the setting sun. The rain stopped for a moment, and the clouds turned peachy golden in color, the world around me cast with a rosy glow. I was breathless for a moment, my heart full of wonder at this life God has given us. I love those moments. Those moments where everything is still and you say to yourself,
Life is so, so beautiful. Lord Jesus, you are so, so good. Your works are marvelous. Thank you. I love you. Thank you for moments like this.
These are the simple moments I hope never to forget.