Halloween

Happy Halloween, friends!

I forgot tomorrow was Halloween. I did find it rather strange to see EVERY talk show host dressed up for this silly holiday including, but not limited to, Hoda & Kathy Lee, Racheal Ray (and guest Rosie O'Donnell), Ellen, and Jimmy Kimmel. So funny.

Check out these cuties ;)

Love her.

I LOVE this child.  Sometimes I wonder how much I will love my own children if I love her this much. The only time this child stops smiling is if you pull out a camera.  She is just so darn sweet and is growing up so fast. I can't believe she is already 18 months old. (btw she belongs to my friend Brianne, who I grew up with in Neptune City) I got to see her this weekend!

Sweet Aubrey Grace

Olivia Newton John protege'

Uncle Patty

with her Favorite Aunt and Mama

Quick trip to Rahway.

During my 48 hours home this weekend, I got to spend a few of those hours with Cait!

We had a fun (rainy) afternoon in good old Rahway, her new place of residence.

I loved reminiscing and catching up on life. Did I mention that she is getting married! SO exciting.

We laughed.

And drank Pumpkin Mocha Lattes in a yuppy little town.

She even took me for a ride in her new wheels.  There it is in the background. ;)

Jae, wish you coulda been there!

Thanks for a fun afternoon Cait.

The James River

Sarah & Amory took me to this beautiful surprise

last week in Newport News :)

Share a Sunset!

Ravi

Last week, a few of us got the chance to listen to Ravi Zacharias speak in Williamsburg.  Ravi is a Christian Apologist. Christian apologetics is a field of Christian Theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Chrstian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world view. (according to Wikipedia) :) The title of his discussion was Deliver Us from Evil: Restoring the Soul in a Disintegrating Culture. 

He spoke for about an hour the did a Q&A, taking questions from the audience.  For most of the evening I was trying to process all that he brought to the table.  By the end of the night though, Ravi helped me to fall more in love with my God. Paul's prayer to the Ephesians reflects how I felt after that evening:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19

What a night.  Thanks Ravi, for helping me stand in awe of God.

Dr. Ravi Zacharias

Christian Apologist

We had the privilege to listen to him speak at the Williamsburg Community Chapel

Wendy, Amy and Me (and Ravi in the background)

yeah, Matt was there too!

In fact... Matt sat on the stage in the choir section and got a great rear view of Ravi :)

Building an Ark

Worlds Collide.

Last night I got to spend a few hours with some old friends from West Virginia.  Brent and Abby were on staff with Crusade at WVU and really meant a lot to me the first couple years of college. Before I graduated, Brent and Abby moved to Virginia Beach.  Who knew that a couple years later I would be sitting at their dining room table in this new place.

We had a great time catching up, reminiscing about our time in West Virginia, and talking about the new ministry in the Tidewater Area.  It was so fun to reconnect.  It was also so fun to play with their little boys!  Colin and I met three years ago when he was born... on OUR birthday! Yes, we share the great Cinco de Mayo as the day of our birth... just 20 years apart. ;)  This was, however, my first meeting of little Joel.  What a cute, patient little man.

Here are a few pictures of our time.  Colin kept trying to "trick" the camera and run away before he was captured...but we got a few.

Thanks Brent and Abby for having me! Can't wait to do it again soon.

Pumpkin Mania.

It is officially Pumpkin time!  Check out these pumpkins that we carved tonight at our Tab Small Group.  

a very creative group, eh?

me and Amy

a new [great] friend, Wendy.

Our whole group!

Yay for Sunday nights :)

aubey, aubey, aubey

this is my little friend Aubrey, or "Aubey" as she calls herself.

she is the daughter of my longtime friend, Brianne

she lives in New Jersey, which is currently 7 hours from me.

I miss her. :(

Isn't she so darn cute? Her sassy personality makes her even cuter.

plates!

Here are some pics of the plates we hung last weekend!

Our trusty friend, Spencer, did a little rearranging of them. We decided that his expertise was right on, and we kept them that way!

here you can kinda see the placemats too.

which one is your favorite?

[really] thankful.

I just feel so blessed after this weekend that I felt the need to post another "thankful" post.

First off. It was a BEAUTIFUL weekend.

Today, I am thankful for my roommate Amy. We spent the whole day together, which is not really that unusual. But, we had a pretty intense hour at Pier 1 picking out plates together. After grueling over colors, shapes, and price tags (on an empty stomach, nonetheless) we finally decided on the plates that would soon decorate our wall in our dining area. We also got some pretty awesome placemats for the kitchen table, 25% off! Then we proceeded to Walmart to buy plate hangers. After a long day of shopping we headed home to decorate. We are pretty pleased with our decorating skills. You'll have to be the judge of that.

Later on in the evening Amy and I went to our first "Care Group" at Tabernacle Church of Norfolk, known as Tab by the locals. We were invited to attend this Care Group this morning while at Sunday school. What a fun group of friends! It was really fun to hang out with these 20-somethings, felt so natural! I am thankful for friends in Norfolk! So the night was filled with laughing, a few jokes here and there, getting to know each other, cheese and chocolate FONDUE! and a sweet discussion from Colossians. So I am thankful for these great people who are all seeking Jesus and wanting to live for Him. Also that they welcomed Amy and me into their group.

i am blessed.

happy monday tomorrow. ;)

thankful.

So today I woke up to sunshine and 80 degrees. Let's not forget that it is also October 3rd! LOVING this weather. Today's dress code: tank, capris and cute old navy sandals :)

Thank you Jesus for sunshine, Borjo's Coffee Shop, hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick (hey even though it is 80 degrees... i am ready for fall drinks!), 4 hours of old testament, and even for my friend Matt. Though we said about five words to each other while at Borjo's, I did appreciate having him there... just in case I wanted to converse.

Also, thank you Jesus for your provision, for reminding me of Your faithfulness and the purpose You have given me, and for directing my path.

nice little Saturday.