Happy Wedding Day. Matt and Sarah.

Can I just say that I LOVE weddings? If I wasn't a teacher, I think wedding planning would be my choice career. The cake, the flowers, the details... I love it all. What is even more fun is seeing some of your closest friends tie the knot... this weekend, we celebrated Matt and Sarah. The look on Matt's face when Sarah walked down the aisle was absolutely priceless. The giddiness and joy that radiated from Sarah was contagious. From their photo booth and crazy props, to their yummy cake, amazing band and fraternity traditions, it was a fabulous night. Wishing you lots of love... Happy wedding sweet friends!

Twinnies.

While the boys took care of wedding suits and tried to improve their golf game, I got to play photographer and take pictures of my favorite twinnies and their sweet mommy. I can't believe how BIG these little ones are getting... their personalities are really starting to shine through which makes taking their picture even more fun. I got to capture Oliver and Olivia's first experience on a swing and then a trip down to Park Tavern and Piedmont Park for Kevin's surprise birthday... they were rockstars.

My God's Not Dead.

This year, Easter took on a whole new meaning. Saturday morning, Travis and I headed to downtown Atlanta with my mom and one of her students from Cornerstone. We spent the day 7 Bridges to Recovery - an organization that works to rescue the last, the lost and the least from the streets of Atlanta. Every day of the week, a group from 7 Bridges can be found in some of the darkest and most avoided corners of downtown Atlanta, and even up under the bridges reaching the people that call those ledges "home." On Saturday, our "plan" was to head out with 7 Bridges and about 100 other volunteers, pass out some lunches, and then head home for church and dinner. But I should have known that God had a much better plan in mind. Before we headed out, we were reminded of God's great love and how it was so perfectly illustrated in the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The powerful words were a great kick-start to what we were about to walk in to... our first stop was in a parking lot where a few people stopped by to receive a free meal. 7 Bridges gives more than just nutritional food, but "spiritual food" as well. After handing out a lunch to someone, we ask to pray with them or for them. In that parking lot,
I got to watch my                                                      

mom pour out love over a total stranger, who probably hadn't bathed in weeks, or hadn't changed clothes in days, weeks or even months, or maybe was a victim of drug or alcohol abuse. The story didn't matter... what mattered is that this person walked away knowing that for that moment, someone had their best interests in mind and that they were reminded there is a God that loves them, no matter what they have been through.  Our next stop was on a street corner, in front of a church that burned to the ground... across the street was a hot-spot for drug deals. I wish I could have had an outsider's view to the scene that we were creating... praising and worshiping our God despite our surroundings. In the 20 minutes we spent on this street corner, we drew a fairly large crowd. As Travis and I made our way down the sidewalk, he quickly approached a lady who had not yet received a lunch. In an instant, he asked this woman if he could pray for her. As I listened to him pray over this total stranger, my heart overflowed with joy... it is such an amazing feeling to see the person you love take such a stand of faith. After we said our goodbyes and got back to our car, Travis and I both knew we were going to leave this day completely changed.  Our time was quickly coming to an end, we were supposed to be at church by 6:00 pm... but with at least two more stops, our hearts were torn. 
After our third stop, where we met a little boy with a love for baseball and cowboys vs. aliens and listened to a woman rap her faith and challenge us to always live ours out, our priorities quickly shifted... our "Easter" service was going to be spent in the streets of Atlanta.
The fourth and final stop, brought to Travis the realization of why I loved my time in Jamaica and I got to sing, dance love on and pray over a precious little one. If you ever have a free Saturday, think about taking a trip down to the K-Mart off Cleveland Avenue (where 7 Bridges meets) and spend the day with the people of 7 Bridges... I promise you will come home with a heart on fire.

Once home, we finally made our way to dinner - but most of our conversations revolved around what we saw that morning and the people we met. It definitely was an amazing start to our Easter weekend. 

 Easter Sunday was spent up in The Attic at NorthStar... where we had some special guests. I love Sundays in The Attic - mostly because hearing the Bible in kid friendly terms and seeing their faces light up when connections are made is such a renewing experience. This past Sunday has been by far my most favorite... sharing the Easter story with a room full of K-2nd graders and hearing their enthusiasm for God's great love made my heart more than happy. That afternoon, The Meyers and Sickels got together for dinner where conversations covered all things football, wedding, and Garrett's dinner selection.  Overall, it was a fabulous weekend with even better reminders of God's love.

 "Let love explode and bring the dead to life... A love so bold to see a revolution somehow... My God's not dead... He's surely alive."

Babies do cookouts too.

Our weekend kicked off on Friday night and Mike and Liz's for a cookout, some yummy sangria, and my favorite two little ones - they definitely stole the show and my camera... It was also the perfect opportunity to test out two new recipes from Pinterest - Oreo Truffles and Cake Batter cookies. Recipes coming soon!!