Praising in the storm...

I was talking to one of my best friends this morning on the phone, and as we re-hashed the situation in Tuscaloosa, AL, as well as what came through our portion of MS yesterday, I couldn't help but be more humbled than I was prior to the phone call. 

There is no other way around saying that God had his hand of protection on us during yesterday's storms. I don't know why we have been spared, but I do believe there is a reason. The town of Tuscaloosa has been devastated - people lost their lives, other people missing. Clearly there is no cell service or electricty - and yet so many of us think the world is ending due to not having any power in some portions of our area. 

How could we be so selfish? 

How could I be so selfish? 

I asked myself this a dozen times once we got off the phone. 

All of my friends are safe, and although I have family members close to Tuscaloosa, they are all safe as well. 

I had to take a moment to stop and be thankful, grateful, and although sometimes I fail at practicing both of those things - I had to give praise where praise was due. 

I should remind myself to do that more. 

This was our radar & predictions for Wednesday. Apparently "spotty" red is worse than red all together because all of those winds are working against each other or something? I'm no meteorologist, and I sometimes forget what I hear. Anyway... :

The following photos are a photo-journey that my Daddy & I set out on just minutes after our area was cleared from the "warnings", probably right around the time that Alabama's lives were changing dramatically. At the end, there is a video of the tornado going through Tuscaloosa. 

I was sure by now, 

God, You would have reached down

And wiped our tears away

Stepped in and saved the day

but once again, I say "Amen" & it's still raining.

As the thunder rolls, 

I barely hear Your whisper through the rain

"I'm with you". 

& as Your mercy falls, 

I raise my hands and praise the God who gives

And takes away. 

And I'll praise You in this storm,

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am

And every tear I've cried

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

And though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm 

I remember when

I stumbled in the wind

You heard my cry to you 

& you raised me up again

My strength is almost gone

How can I carry on

If I can't find You 

But as the thunder rolls

I barely hear You whisper through the rain

"I'm with you" 

And I'll praise You in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am 

And every tear I've cried

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

And though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

I lift my eyes unto the hills.

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord;

The Maker of Heaven and Earth.

 And I'll praise You in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am 

& every tear I've cried

You hold in Your hand.

You never left my side, 

and though my heart is torn...

I will praise You in this storm.

"Give thanks in all circumstances."

 - 1 Thes. 5:18

phonetoblog

OK!! I'm calling this my "phonetoblog" because all of these images came from my camera on my phone! If any editing was done, it was through my app "LittlePhoto" and I love it. OK! Also, I am using "Blogger-droid" to type this post, so this is a trial run at how it will turn out. Oh, sweet technology.
Here's the story behind each photo!

1. The broken teacup:
While shaving the lumps out of my pinch-potted teacup, I squeezed too hard on the Earthenware (unfired clay mold) and it shattered. I had to start the process all over again, and I was nearly done before I took this photo.

2.) Ferris & I:
This was on Ferris' birthday at his "tailgating party" after the game...complete with his cake that I had to taste after putting my gum on his plate. Ha! That's true sibling bonding. Love you, Ferris!!

3. Fivefingers:
well, you can clearly tell why I had to take a photo. How interesting are they?? So. Comfortable. So. Unique. So. Cute!!!

4. TOMS:
I couldn't not get these. They are black, grey & white with "journey is the destination" all over them.

5. Teapot Malfunction:
my friend, Shannon, got a tad carried away while talking to me one day in class, and ended up with this. Typically the spout holes and the handle are supposed to be directly across from each other.

6. Baby Turtle:
I found him on the white line of the road at the Refuge, picked him up, drove him to a "safe zone" (tooksomerealphotos), and set him free! :-)

7.) Sunset:
I don't even have to tell the story for this either. All I can say is That I'm lucky to have been given the opportunity yo witness it.

8.) Feathers:
I got "feathered" yesterday by Claire, and I am loving them so much! I see myself keeping them throughout the summer. They're fun! And extremely temporary!

There. Now if this is completely unorganized, forgive me. I am testing this form of blogging. I will probably only use it for blogs like this - to keep you up to date with my phone's memory card. Hope you enjoyed! :) Happy Wednesday!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Easter Sunday..and Saturday.

Happy Easter to you & your family!

we had a wonderful lunch at Mimi's yesterday.

great time with family.

it was good to see Uncle Jay & Aunt Dale.

& today we celebrated Easter by going to church,

having an Easter cantata,

and eating leftovers!

Now, time to relax, work on some schoolwork, and anticipate Summer for another week.

I always enjoy spending time with my family, and I am so thankful to have such a close knit one to call mine. We missed some, but they were here in spirit. 

I know i've said it before - but with each gathering I realize more & more how important these people in my life really are, and how thankful I am that they have been such a Godly influence on me. Each one of them encourages me in a different way, and I am blessed to have that so evidently in my life. 

shuttered smiles stories.

I decided to start a photography blog to keep up with my sessions & events that I don't want to forget. I hope you'll drop by and check it out. Leave a comment or follow! :)

*This doesn't mean any changes are happening on this blog. All of my personal life "photography" will still be displayed here. As I said, only sessions & events.

Happy Monday!


CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY PHOTOG BLOG!

SUYL - Reading list!

My daddy loves to read! My mom? She doesn't hate it, but it's not a favorite past time for her. I got my daddy's gene on this one. I love to read, I just don't read as often as I'd like to.

Kelly's Korner is hosting "Show Us Your Life - Reading List" this week, and I decided to let ya'll in on my "currently reading", my "favorite reads", and my "to be read" pile as well.! Enjoy!


Currently Reading...

I love the Pioneer Woman. If you like whitty blogs, check her out. If you like phenomenal photos, check her out. If you're interested in photo contest, check her out. If you love to eat, check her out.

If you love cowboy romances, check this out.

(typically I do not, but she is an exception!)

You may call me crazy, but Columbine stories have always peaked my interest, and so have any other stories involving school shootings. I don't mean this in a morbid way at all, but this book is about a girl who was killed the day of the Columbine shooting because she said "yes" when the shooters asked her if she believed in God as she sat under a table in the library. 

To Be Read...

I don't know what either of these two are about, but Daddy wants me to read them.

Have you read them?

If so, what did you think?

Favorite Reads...

Along with being intrigued by school shooting stories, I love the WWII era, especially learning more about the Holoucaust and what was happening in Germany during this time. I loved this book because it was about ones personal experience with his dealings with the concentration camps, and how his entire family suffered. It has a goof ending, but I won't ruin it for those of you who may be wanting to read it.

*Also, if it means anything to you - it was part of Oprah's Book Club. (fun fact)

I wouldn't be a girl if I didn't include a Nicholas Sparks book.

This is one of the few that ends on a good note, thankfully. 

This was my childhood favorite. It's one of the first Accelerated Reader books I finished, and I enjoyed this book so much. I wanted to go try & live on my own in the woods after finishing it. ;-)

Link up here to show your book favorites!

everything we see is beautiful.. like you.

Beautiful Like You - Lee Dewyze

Everybody wants to
look into the mirror
feel little better now
And everybody wants to
know there's someone out there
waiting for you to come around

And I wish that
You could feel it
But you don't choose
To believe it
Cause I know that
You can't see it that way
That way

If you could only just stop stop stop running
If you could only take a second to breath it in
Everything that you know would be beautiful
Like you
You know they're never gonna stop stop stop your love
Let's pretend that the world is waking up
Everything that we see is beautiful
Like you

Everybody wants to
Tell someone their secrets
Why don't you tell me now

new tunes!

SO! 

I got tired of listening to the same ole' songs every time I got on my blog site, so I did us all a favor & changed it up. 

Some are old, some are new. 

Some you've probably heard, some you may not have heard. 

Glorious Day - Casting Crowns

Sing for Me - Yellowcard

Two Sparrows in a Hurricane - Tanya Tucker

Vicious Circles - Aaron Lewis

a little variety? Yes. Sure. Why not?!

...and this concludes my pointless yet informative blog entry for today! 

I'm off to shower numero two for the weekend, and after that - a Honduras meeting. 

Have a pleasant Sunday!

ps - 12daysofclassleftandicannotwait.

my brown eyed girl.

today we took Marlee to the barn for a little outing. I love taking her out, but I always do it during the time of the year whenever snakes are making their way out of hiding, and it scares me a tad.

she looks worried about it too. 

this photo is so out of focus, and there's a million things wrong with it - but check out her tongue swaying in the wind. 

bless her heart.

it's been awhile since she's been in the water.

sweetheart.

i love days like today. 

we grilled hamburgers, and stayed outside past time for the sun to go down. 

i love days like today because i can feel summer creeping in, and that makes me happy.