Ashleigh & the Weasel

Here are a few pictures from our trip... many more to come :)

This is Ashleigh.  She is Drew's cousin... and now MINE :)  I really enjoyed hanging out with her.  She was pretty much our personal hiking guide in Colorado Springs.  We climbed the Manitou Incline and hiked up some huge boulders in the Garden of the Gods.  Everything was so beautiful.  She is beautiful!  (See below)

Ashleigh also has a little yorkie-poo named Weasley.  I feel like the name is perfect... although she told me a couple weeks ago that she re-named him Kevin.  I still don't believe her.  ;) 

Isn't he the weirdest,  yet cutest little pup you ever did see?  I think so.

She's pretty great!  And so were the mountains!

painting.pictures.posting.

Right now our apartment is a disaster. We are prepping to paint! I'm excited!! But it really is a mess!

ANYWAY the point of this blog....Drew and I bought a Rebel T1i two days before we left for Colorado.  We thought it would be awesome to use some money from my grandpa to get a nice camera we will have for a long time.  It is something I had been wanting but didn't want to spend the money.  So, the week before we left Drew and I did some research and found a pretty good packaged deal at best buy.  It was so much fun to practice in Colorado and I can't wait to post some pictures.

However, I haven't sat down to organize or edit them yet... there's really so much to the editing aspect that I have been reading about.  However, this afternoon on my lunch break, I download the Lightroom Photoshop  FREE trial  :) Drew is out of town today and will be getting back tomorrow afternoon sometime... so I guess you know what I will be doing all night with our Colorado pictures from last week! I can't wait! Thanks to Kelly  for the suggestion. Most of the pictures we took were on the autofocus functions and I'm still VERY much learning the vocabulary in this SLR world! It's so fun and makes me wish I took a class here as an undergrad... maybe I still will. I think I get undergrad classes free since Drew works full time at the University. I wonder if they'll do an intro class next summer. That would be fun!

I'm also looking forward to going for a walk with Ash tonight and having dinner with her and her hubby.  She is such a good friend to me and I am so thankful for her.

I will be posting pictures soon!  I promise!

Worship

If You were hungry
Would we give You food?
If You were thirsty
Would we give You drink?
If You were a stranger
Would we let You in?

What would be the song we'd sing to You
When they're in need?
Would it be an empty hallelujah
To the King?

Turn down the music
Turn down the noise
Turn up Your voice, oh God
And let us hear the sound

Of people broken
Willing to love
Give us Your heart, oh God
A new song rising up

And if You were naked
Would we give You clothes?
If You were an orphan
Would we give our home?
And if You were in prison
Would we visit You

What would be the song we'd sing to You
When they're in need?
Would it be an empty hallelujah
To the King?

Turn down the music
Turn down the noise
Turn up Your voice, oh God
Let us hear the sound

Of people broken
Willing to love
Give us Your heart, oh God
A new song rising up

Let it be our worship
Let it be our true religion
In this world but not of it
Holding on to our confession

Turn down the music
Turn down the noise
Turn up Your voice, oh God
Let us hear the sound

Of people broken
Willing to love
Give us Your heart, oh God
A new song rising
A new song rising
New song rising up

Turn Down the Music by Shane & Shane

Hillsong & A Walk in the Park

What great spring whether we've had this weekend in the bourb.  Yesterday Drew, Joey, and Michael and I went to the Hillsong United Concert in Chicago.  We had such a great time!  The concert was amazing!!  I think my favorite song was "All I Need is You."  You should check it out :)  Here is a picture of us waiting for the doors to open.  Let's just say we got there a tad bit early because we had some excited fans with us!  It was a fun day... although I did leave with quite the headache, but it was worth it!

We got home pretty late last night and with my headache, I ended up sleeping in and missing church this morning.  We met up with Drew's family for lunch at El Camp and found out that the beloved family that owned the restaurant had to sell it.  Our friend who always welcomes us with "Ah Amigos Amigos" seemed sad and felt bad that their food is changing.  He said the new cooks are taking out and changing some staples and he is sorry.  His family is trying to open a new restaurant in St. Luis, Missouri.  Even the chips are different, they have a light airy kind of texture.  Not bad, just different.  But I mostly feel bad for our Mexican friend and I am sad that they will be leaving.  I have grown to expect to see them and talk with them, oh about every other week.  They are hard workers, and it must be hard to continue to wait on customers as the food changes and the people have questions.

Anyway, after El Camp with the fam, Drew and I decided to take a walk :)  It was about 60 degrees and perfect for a long walk in the park.  I just love my husband so much.  Walking with him today amidst God's beautiful creation by the Kankakee river made me remember again just how blessed I am.  He is a wonderful man of God and I enjoy having time out of Chapman hall to talk and walk and enjoy each other.  We got icecream on the way home too.  :)  And tonight, we're watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.  Drew's pick, and I can't wait.  Did I mention that I love him.  He is the best husband and friend I could have ever asked for.

Spring!

Spring is here in Bourbonnais!  The flowers are blooming and leaves are sprouting once again.  Olivet is a beautiful campus and I am so blessed to be able to walk to work every morning and experience the newness Spring brings.  This morning, after (free) breakfast in the cafeteria, the song "This is the Day" Echo: This is the Day "That the Lord has made" Echo: That the Lord has made (Yes, I did sing both parts, in my head on my way to work...) popped into my head on my short walk from Ludwig to the Admissions building.  So, I was struggling with the fact that this song doesn't pop into my head every morning walk.  God is good, all the time and I am saddened to say that there are times I miss out on His blessings because of the distractions of this world.  I am trying to focus on his word and learning to sing praises every day, not just during the sunny ones.

This is a verse I read this morning that really touched me and challenged me about my every day worries and plans for the future.  God is always so faithful in responding to our need because well, he knows what we need.

"See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the garss of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat? or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?"  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them."  Matt. 6:28-32