The Rehearsal

Do you remember when I told you that Style Me Pretty, THE greatest wedding blog in the history of blogs, was going to feature Jessica's wedding? I was beside myself with excitement, and quickly began teasing that this wedding was officially a "celebrity wedding". The details were perfectly suited to the bride and groom, and the rehearsal dinner was just a foretaste of what was to come.

The bride on the eve of her wedding...

Friends that rarely get the chance to sit, eat, drink, and laugh together...

And here is more evidence as to why Jessica is a girl after my own heart. These were her bridesmaid gifts that she made for all of her girls. Oh for the love of a clutch! EmersonMade would be so proud.

And just when you thought she could not out-do herself any further...

There is still no word yet on when Style Me Pretty will feature the wedding, but you know I will notify you immediatley so that you can go check out why a real photographer is better than a pretend one. I cannot wait to see how Rachel captured the night.

See you next time for the night of the wedding.

And now she is a married girl

I am having a hard time knowing where to begin. My college roommate was married this past weekend in an island wedding. I am back home now, but my mind is still swirling with thoughts and emotions about the weekend. I think I have no other choice but to begin with the photographer. I'm not sure if I have ever seen someone captured as beautifully as Rachel from Millie Holloman Photography has captured my friend Jessica. Jessica is a natural beauty; and somehow God managed to weave into her soul: loveliness, style, passion and a whole lot of spunk...and then Rachael captured every detail of this sweet friend of mine in her engagement photos. I was swooning while looking through each photograph posted on her blog.

I snapped 400 of my own pictures over the weekend. I cannot wait to start sorting through them. It was an amazingly perfect beach wedding, and I think you will enjoy seeing some of my favorite shots and moments. I will post on her wedding and our weekend together the rest of this week. Until next time...

Bringing Paris home

Paris. Our trip has become like a dream in my memory. It resembles a story that you only remember parts of, only the good parts (not that there were any bad parts in our fairytale). Maybe it is more like a movie, but it plays in slow motion in my mind. I have been missing Paris lately and wondering how I could bring something of it home to help me hold onto it a little longer.

I cannot recreate the chateau where we stayed, though I wish I could.

I could put on this outfit again, though I haven't been able to bring myself to do it. It really is only Paris worthy.

I miss the country-side, which is impossible to recreate as we live in the city.

I miss the art... definitely cannot recreate that.

I miss the wine that every street cafe brought out to us in jugs.
I miss the pizza cafes and the late night talking with my husband, sister, and her husband.

And oh the colors. I suppose I could try and recreate the colors, but my cute carpenter is hesitant to be bold enough to truly recreate the Paris look and color.

I miss picturesque moments that just kept appearing at ever corner as if they were waiting for us to walk up with our camera.

I cannot recreate the skyline.

Or the quaintness.
But what about the flowers? Flower boxes hung from practically every window. They billowed with vine geraniums and ivy that certainly only grows in Paris.

And so I tried...

I know it's not the same, in fact it is almost a little sad by comparison, but for now it will have to do.

My cute carpenter made these flower boxes for me. You can read about it here. Have a beautiful, flower box filled weekend.

An unexpected friendship

I realized yesterday that this space called "Playing Sublimely" turned one year old this week. I'm not sure that this information means anything really. I'm not sure that a blog can have a birthday, but for some reason it feels fitting to acknowledge it. It must be you that I really desire to acknowledge and recognize, because if you were not here than I would just be journaling. And if I were just journaling, I do not think I would feel a need to acknowledge the fact that I had been at it for a year...does that make any sense?

I would like to thank you for visiting me here. This online friendship we have has been unexpected, undeserved, and immensely appreciated and cherished. You have become a "girlfriend" I can talk to and visit with, and I love that. My desire is that this place will continue to be a blessing to you and to me, and if that ever ceases to be true, that I will close up shop here and move on. Thank you for reading, thank you for visiting, thank you for being you. If I had only one person read my blog each day, I would count that an overflowing blessing. So for each of you out there that is "more than one", know that my heart is grateful.

Great Expectations

I was on plane several months ago, and I sat in front of a woman who was sitting and talking with a friend. She was preparing for her son's high school graduation, and she was explaining what a great kid he was and how blessed she had been. My sentimental heart got the best of me, and my ears perked up to listen to what would surely be a long resume of impressive actions that had this proud momma bragging. She said "he never got into drugs and he never got any girl pregnant". For me, it was as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the plane, and I began frantically looking up for the emergency air bags to drop from the overhead compartment. My cynical side wanted so desperately to turn around and look this woman right in the face and say "seriously?!?!?". But my overriding personality of avoiding an uncomfortable situation at all cost took over and I just sat there. I was sad. I was sad for her and her son. But I think I was generally just heartbroken for our generation.

This world tends to oppress. It oppresses the tired and weak, and it preys on the ones that love, and on the ones that are loved. It preys on the ones that need love, and the ones that think they are not loved. It is the arch nemesis of love and it desires to defeat all that is love. And since God is love, this world we walk through each day certainly is an enemy of God and his people. But what sort of people have we become that we are proud of those that have done nothing more than "not gotten into drugs and have not gotten anyone pregnant". I realize that I know nothing more than a quick polaroid shot of this woman and her son. Maybe she comes from a long line of drug users and to her, this was a major victory. I can understand that. It would be a major victory, certainly in this day and age where drug use is so prevalent. But what I would dare to argue is that my God is bigger than overcoming and breaking family histories. Oh he is capable of it, and willing to show his power through such an accomplishment, but he is so much more than that. And for some reason, I just don't think those were the circumstances of this woman's story. I think this woman had so lowered her expectations of "good", that to her, the landmines that her son had avoided had become his defining attributes of greatness.

I think I am guilty of this too...are you? I often find myself expecting much less of a situation, than I know in my heart God is capable of delivering. Are you in a current situation where you are counting on God to deliver something mediocre at best. Are you asking him for the bare minimum of what you can handle. Are you asking him to get you through something only by the skin of your teeth? I pray you will hear me when I say this to you, God is not in the business of delivering mediocre. He couldn't do it even if he wanted to, for he cannot be less than he is. In fact, he tells us he is "able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine" Ephesians 3:20. So what are you asking for? Is it something great, or minimal? Are you praying that your children would grow up safe and healthy, or that they would grow up to be strong, bold, and confident witnesses of Christ? Do you see the difference? And this is only the part I can imagine and think to ask for...he is capable of even greater things than these for his blessing overflows for those who love and fear him.

I am very aware that there are days where we are too weak to pray for greater things. In fact, there are some days that it is a miracle that we are praying at all. I don't mean to appear self righteous over that. I have been there. Believe me when I tell you that I have known a deep low, a low where even low expectations would have been better than where I was. But I feel like that credits me the right to speak boldly about the power of Christ and expecting great things. The next time your eyes look towards heaven in prayer, think big. Boldly approach the throne of grace, and in the name of Christ make a bold request. He didn't bring back to life the dead, and roll away the stone of defeat, so that we would meekly approach him in request to accomplish the ordinary. He isn't ordinary. He desires you to have great expectations of his capabilities and power, it is proof that we are believing him to be who he says he is. Start expecting great things, expect the extraordinary.

25 years and counting

We celebrated 25 years of marriage with my mom and step dad over the weekend. I still remember their wedding day. They were young and in love and blending two families together, two families with small children...few things in life are as daunting. But here they are 25 years later still very much in love with one another, and here all of us are 25 years later having been very blessed by their marriage. These two have loved one another (and all of their children) well over the years. The world could use a few more parents like them. Happy anniversary you two! We adore you more than words!

Love,

Fourth Day Redemption

The fourth and final day of art camp came with redemption. The mosaics are most certainly my favorite pieces that the children created. They were worth the work, and the boredom. We learned of God's watchful eye over everything, and if he watches over the sparrow, then how much more closely does he watch over us. This last day of camp was spent creating birds on top of the mosaic backdrop that we had completed the day before. They really did turn out beautifully.

Our last project was an attempt at alla prima painting. Our art inspiration came from Jesus' parable of the four soils. We painted a vase of flowers, using brushes and palette knives. This was the kind of instant gratification the kids needed after the endurance required for the mosaics.

On the first day of camp, they picked out fabric for a flower. On the last day of camp, my high school assistants finally assembled the flowers. Everyone was able to leave with one...Even the boy...And all the beauties...Here are my high school assistants that I have so come to rely on over the past three years. They help my life run smoother (most of the time), and they saved me this week in art camp!

What a week. What a privilege.