blessings...lots of them!

I just got back from SUMMER CAMP with the youth from our church. We sang songs, talked about God, made s'mores, hiked around the mountains, slept in bunk beds in cabins with screened windows, and did all the other summer camp things you do.

BUT the best part for me was that I was the visual arts director.... so I got to combine my love of crafting with spirituality. Most of the week we made Tibetan Prayer Flags and hung them above the worship space. Here's a little peak of what our projects looked like...



the best part is that these flags are believed to be more than just something beautiful to look at... they are printed with blessings and as the wind blows, and the flags deteriorate, the blessings are spread throughout the community and space where they are hung.

awersome, right? i thought so too... and so did the folks in my art group. it was really hard to come back to ATL and the HOT HOT HOT weather from a mountains of NC...

any other camp need an arts and crafts leader?

I want a pair...

lovelies, my friend craig sent me this link today to sseko designs that got me all kinds of excited!



turns out that these fab sandals are handmade by women in Uganda between secondary school and college. they money that they earn from making and selling sandals goes directly to their college funds! apparently it's difficult for many women in some areas to find a job paying a fair wage, so Sseko Designs offers them one. here's what their website says about it:

"Sseko Designs hires recent female secondary school graduates for this nine month period to live and work together, while earning money that will go directly towards their university education. These women will not make sandals forever. They will go on to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers and teachers that will bring change and unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22 year-long war."

hello? education, fashion, and making a difference? i want a pair of these like whoa.

attendant gifts, a la me.

did I tell you about the gifts i gave my maids and other female members of the wedding party? probably not, since i wanted it to be a secret...but i was just bursting to show them to somebody since i was REALLY pleased with how they turned out.

in most weddings i've been in i've gotten jewelry to wear on the day of... but since i wanted my friends to dress like themselves for the ceremony, this wouldn't work. and i wanted to make sure that i gave them something that said, 'you are important to me, i made this just for you.'

so i made them each a silhouette.


the best part was that i got to think about each of my girlfriends and our friendship as i made them and remember why i'd asked them to be a part of the day and how they were special to me.


let me know if you want to know how i did it... but basically it's a piece of cake with a good photo, a sharp exacto-knife and a steady hand.

here's to hoping the girls liked them as much as i did and will know how much they mean to me!

i have nieces!! and they're coming to visit!!

i can hardly bring myself to play on the internet these days... work is much busier than i thought, and when i'm home, I'm with boone! i have been doing some online research to see where and what kind of new things for nesting that we need. it's so fun to mix all our things together and see which ones work.

this afternoon boone's sister and our two nieces (see the above photo with them as our flowergirls) are coming to ATL to play with us before going back to their home overseas. boone works until 5, so that means that i get to have them all to myself and we get to do girly things until then! whooo hoo!!!

i'm thinking we'll go to Olympic Park and play in the fountains, and then make homemade ice cream. we may go to the aquarium, the zoo, or fernbank if the girls feel up to it by the time their car trip is over.

either way, our apt. is clean and ready for them, and i am SUPER excited to have our first visitors.

it was wonderful!

we're married! and we're back in the US.... things are sort of busy at my summer job, but i just wanted to share a sneak peak of the fun from our reception that the photographer sent over. i'm salivating to see the rest!


the ceremony was so special for us, and the reception was BEYOND fun, but let's be honest... married life is even better. can you imagine?!? the claim that i'm making here is that marriage is more fun than dancing to brick house while being surrounded by all of your favorite friends. :) whooo hoo! more updates and a play by play to come.

and we're off...

We're on our way to Nova Scotia for our honeymoon, friends! see you in about a week!

photo here

friday!!!

it's friday! only hours to go!!
i can't believe our friends and family have already started trickling into town! who cares if it rains?

i won't be posting tomorrow, and maybe not until after our honeymoon but please keep us in your prayers!