I celebrate...

my sister

linking up here

Dear Brooke,

I want to wish you a happy 21st birthday.  I am proud of the young lady you have become and I am so blessed to be called your sister.  I love you with all of my heart and I thank God every day for the extra time He has given me at home with my family.  Times like the above where we can grab my camera and act silly, laughing at ourselves...  And then there are other times when we have heart-to-hearts and I realize what a godly young woman you truly are and I know that someday a young man will see just that and sweep you off your feet.  You are giving and devoted to the work of God, and there have been many times that I wonder if I am a good enough example for you.  I love listening to you sing off key and hearing you practice your speeches.  I love how excited you get about eating and how stressed you get about upcoming papers and tests.  Words cannot even begin to express what you mean to me, and I know I have told you this before, but I want you to know that not only do I count myself blessed to call you my sister, but also my best friend.

Happy 21st!

Yellowstone National Park

I have not participated in Mosaic Monday in SUCH a long time, but

seeing as I came back from vacation with around 1,000 pics I think I will have

enough pictures to do mosaics for the next year!

So, I give you::

Yellowstone National Park

A tad bit frigid...

not what we were expecting,

but beautiful nonetheless.

We saw wildlife, geysers, and waterfalls.

God's creation on display:

this was one of my favorite shots from the day:

something about it seemed so mysteriously and tragically romantic. 

(excuse the poet that is trapped inside me...;)

We spent a good 8 hours enjoying this scenic drive!

View more mosaics here!

fog

It is better to walk in the dark with God

than to walk alone in the light.

View more mosaics here

another year older

 {linking up my mosaic with Mary}

Last week I celebrated turning another year older...

One of the best things about having a birthday in my family is getting to 

choose the menu for the day!  I had a very hard time decided on just ONE thing...

 But, I finally set my heart on a Rachael Ray recipe for almond crusted chicken!

One word:::aMAzInG!

Dessert was easier for me to choose as I am not much of sweets person.

 Tiramisu is a bit of Italian heaven that I believe everyone should partake

of in their lifetime...

 

Besides the birthday food, I had a great day.

{some pictures that highlighted my day::}

Feeling older already...

 reading my littlest sister's homemade card...

I always look forward to seeing what she will design for me!

 getting chocked up over a necklace Brooke

got me...

(I think they were tears of joy, or maybe getting

older makes me more sappy???)

And 

then

the 

gifts 

of

all

gifts!!!

 

A NOOK!!

[insert squeals here...]

 

 And my "techno-electro" Dad looking on...:)

Looking forward to another great year!!

 

{fun}.with.{family}

[I am late in entering my mosaic over at Mary's, 

but this is probably one of my favorites;

so I had to share it...:)]

One dreary, drizzly Saturday (1 1/2 weeks ago), my dad decided on a whim 

to take the family out for lunch in Chicago. 

 Of course, we all jumped at the offer,

 seeing as we absolutely love the city!

We had a delicious lunch at Lawry's complete with some amazing prime rib 

and out-of-this-world dessert!

 {strawberry trifle}

{chocolate bag}

& a first for me...Creme Brulee!! {heaven in a dish!!}

{fun}

.with.

{family}

It was rainy and blustery, and we did not want to window shop, 

so we opted to drive the scenic route home.  

So hence all the above pictures in my mosaic were taken

 from inside a car window! 

{which I think adds so much character to them} :)

View more mosaics here!

Feeling the love

First off I wanted to say, HaPPy VAleNtINeS!!

And now to explain today's mosaic...

I originally was not planning on participating in this week's Mosaic Monday, because I have been sick all weekend long and rather tired of posting the multitudes of pictures I have taken of the snow...  

I was sitting in bed, feeling sick and sorry for myself,

 when... 

what should I receive???

A beautiful arrangement of my absolute favorite flowers (tulips are so cheerful, don't ya think?)
 from...

my thoughtful married friend in CA.
Even more special than the Valentine bouquet, was the sweet card
 (accompanied with a Starbuck's gift card-she knows the way to my heart...;). 

 Being the pathological photographer that I am, I immediately had a miraculous recovery, 

jumped out of bed, and got a few shots of my lovely flowers.

Who needs a man, when you have such great friends!

 (and family...I did receive a Valentine from my Daddy as well)

{disclaimer::being sick and heavily medicated, I may recant that last statement...someday...}

How Great Thou Art

[sharing my mosaic with Mary; view more here...]

On the first day off that my family and I had due to the blizzard, we ventured out.  The town was quiet and few cars were braving the roads.  We headed out to Lake Michigan to get a look at the waves.

The shelf ice covered the shores making it impossible to see the Lake so we got out of our vehicle to do some exploring.  We looked towards the lake but could see nothing for a moment and then there was a crash of the waves and a shooting up of water.

 It was unlike anything I had ever seen.  The way the waves were crashing against the steep shelf ice made it appear as geysers shooting off.  I numbly tried to snap some pictures, but they did not do near justice.  As I stood there clicking away and waiting for those moments of shooting water I was filled with a sudden sense of wonder and amazement and the words to this church hymn came to my mind::

O Lord my God,

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all

The works Thy Hand hath made,

I see the stars,

I hear the mighty thunder,

Thy pow'r throughout

The universe displayed; 

Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art! 

When Christ shall come,

With shouts of acclamation,

And take me home,

What joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow

In humble adoration

And there proclaim,

"My God, how great Thou art!" 

Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

In the Bleak Mid Winter

{Join in the fun or view more mosaics over at Mary's}

January is here, with eyes that keenly glow,

A frost-mailed warrior,

striding a shadowy steed of snow.

Edgar Fawcett

December in Review

There was the baking::

And the annual Christmas Banquet::

The reunion of college friends who
were home for the holidays::

And the traditional Christmas morn spent at home with the family::

{Sharing my mosaics with Mary for Mosaic Monday!}