I am Blessed

Reminded today how blessed I am and how much I love him.

What Happened to Priorities?

i just read this quote on my friend lee's blog.

"it's extraordinary to me that the united states can find $700 billion to save wall street, and the entire G8 summit can't find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases."

- bono

photo courtesy of mandy busby photography

first of all, i'm not even one of those people who thinks bono is the second coming. i'm not even a u2 fan. but this is out of control. that's 8 of the most powerful countries in the world who can't muster up 3.5% of that for something that they are created to do. 

as i get ready to watch the first of the presidential debates, i am convinced that despite the catch phrases being thrown around right now neither one of these men offers real change. but in the meantime, we as humans...as children of a loving, personal God...we at least have to get our priorities straight. 

Do You Lay Out Your Clothes?

every now and then i am reminded just how "particular" i am about a lot of things. i am borderline o.c.d. very organized to say the least. this makes me very good at some things. and very annoying in a lot of others (God bless david for putting up with me).

the other day,  i was having a conversation with my favorite girls from the baby room and we were talking about all our little weird things that we do and i was telling them how i'm even really weird about the way i lay my clothes out. i have to lay them out before i start getting ready and i lay them out as if my body were in them. (and let me just say that i am glad that david goes to work before me because when i used to get up before him, he would kick them off the bed and it would drive me crazy!) but a few weeks ago, before an auburn game, i was laying out my clothes - per us - and i laughed at myself because i actually wrapped the scarf as if it were around my neck. for some reason i decided to take a picture because i realized how ridiculous i am. but i still can't change it. it makes me me. and i like it. and i'm really embarrassed the bed wasn't made in this picture...

IC Will

there is no better word/name i could think of to describe will boyd. he is one of the few people i have met in my life that truly desires to see what it would be like if we all just loved each other...really loved. a lot of people say that these days, but few people live like they really mean it. will says it, acts it, writes it, lives it.

and i'll be honest. i don't know will as well as i wish i did. i met him a few years ago when this group from invisible children came to auburn to show the video and spread the word about child soldiers in uganda. in just a few days, our little group had adopted them. it was nice just to have people our age in town (try living in auburn and not being in college...your old). there departure was followed by a few awesome videos biscuet and i made for them in our spare time at the office. i wish i could find these but i think he took them down from youtube.

then my friend courtney moved to san diego to become a part of the invisible children team. she and will immediately picked up their friendship. and will has been a part of our little "family" even though for me, i would probably get classified as "extended family."

a while back, though, will was diagnosed with some serious health issues - an autoimmune disease among them. he has always taken it like a champ. you will usually hear him talking about other people: things that need to change in the world, how to love people better, wondering what he can do to help others...never complaining. a few months ago he was diagnosed with heart failure and has been suffering from a consistent string of mini heart attacks. he has been told he probably won't survive a major one. and then on saturday i got a text from courtney saying to pray because his health had deteriorated beyond medical treatment. basically, the doctors are saying there is nothing they can do. any treatment will kill him because of his underlying conditions. they even suggested admitting him and beginning hospice care. aside from a trip to the e.r. he is choosing to pray and not hang it up yet.

my point is this: he's one of the most genuinely awesome people i've ever met. and i have been genuinely sad these past few days even thinking about it. so please pray for will. if you don't know him, you should. he is an example of what it looks like when we choose to step out of our own way and just love people the way Jesus intended for us to. so let's show him some of that same love...and pray.

First Night in Our New Home

It is our first night in our new home. well, second actually. but in an amazing effort by me and david, we managed to unpack our entire apartment in one night. (also, thanks to brant, trey, liz and charlie for the amazing assembly-line-style move in). so, to top off the night of unpacking, we had mcdonald's and watched "swingers" on my computer. that was the movie david chose to consecrate the new place. also, he put our mcdonald's on real plates so we would feel at home. he's awesome.

("like ******* house of pain was gonna do anything.")

Pre-School Quotes

this morning, elijah (almost 3 yrs. old) walks in wearing an awesome shirt...

me: "elijah, who's on your shirt?"

elijah: "mistuh t" (that's mr. t)

me: "do you know what mr. t says?"

elijah: "no...what does he say?"

me: "i pity da fool!"

elijah: "i pity da fool!" 

kelsey: "oooh! winnie the pooh!"

Beach Getaway

so, we just got back from the beach. it was amazing. who doesn't love vacation? the only sad part: david and jd couldn't be there. but it was still an amazing time. my dad passed down his old nikon to me. this is the camera that captured my childhood. we have the most amazing pictures of the wonderful times we had as children. i am trying to learn a little. not to be a great photographer but just to have great pictures of my family...anyway, the highlight of the weekend was my niece, caroline. she just turned one and is hilarious! she has so much personality and she is the only grandchild so far so, of course, she gets all the attention. at 13 months, she is already capable of giving a great "war eagle!" the point is, you should know her.

David is a Drummer

so, this weekend we went to auburn for a myriad of reasons. one of those was david was playing with his old band, martha's trouble. let me just say this...after a couple of months in atlanta of playing sporadically, if at all, this was a huge chance to just explode. it was one of the greatest shows of theirs yet.

this whole living in atlanta thing has been hard. he hasn't been able to play a whole lot. working 10-12 hour days. not knowing a lot of people in the circle here. its hard. especially when that's where he kicks it. he's amazing. really. its what he should be doing always. 

i'm very excited because very soon an album is coming out. an album he is very proud of. and there will be a show. a show we can't wait for. and maybe a future. one that we pray for with every fiber of our beings. 

Another Weekend Away

it's that time again: time to go out of town. we can't seem to sit still. and it looks like it will be that way for a little bit longer. you see, for the next few weekends we are quite busy.

this weekend: auburn. game/david playing at eighth and rail
next weekend: beach with my fam. really sad david won't be there.
the next weekend: back to auburn for lsu weekend.
the weekend after that: finally to birmingham for the first time in a while. get my hair did by morgan and a family reunion.
the next weekend: nashville for vandy game. my brothers choice for his birthday weekend.

that puts us into october where we have one weekend free before going back to auburn for another weekend of musical committment. woop woop!

also, apparently, i have a new symptom to my stress. consistent twitching of my lower eyelid. i looked it up for fear that i was going to have a stroke or something. nope, just stress induced. why did i even wonder?