pomp & circumstance

I CAN NOT believe our Ali

has reached this milestone in her life.

Time has flown by, and Brian & I 

are in awe of how Father has guided Alison

and captured her heart for His Kingdom.

working on her speech w/ uncle stephen

ready to shine!!

more bling than mr. T

well, gotta brag a little here...

our baby was the valedictorian.

her speech was amazing, and summed up her heart.

she is confident in who she is in Christ,

and she can spring board off of that truth

to make a difference in this world.

she will be a world changer for the

  Kingdom of God.

woot woot!

free at last!

the most uh-mazing

youth pastor in the world.

we love you Ollie!

3 amigos

me w/ my lifelong best bud Alison -

our Ali's namesake,

& my treasured sista-friend Diane

can you tell they're brothers?!

the fam

these cousins are sweet trouble

if ya know what I mean!

the par-tay

Charo herself 

kicking things off with the rumba

we love the Harris family-

Ali treasures the Truth they 

speak into her life.

w/ Grammie

the wold's best youth pastor with

the world's best (& most beautiful)

youth pastor's wife!

 the Strattons - Ali calls Kate "Mama Kate"

& my self esteem can take it - 

she has been Ali's small group leader & has 

loved on & prayed & with Ali through a lot.

the gift time,

she comes.

today was senior recognition at church.

Oliver spoke words of blessing & confirmation

over every senior, and prayed over them as well.

a very special morning, for sure.

Ali & her dear friends

she's grown up with @ church.

where does the time go?!

Psalm 115:1

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us

but to Your Name be the glory,

because of Your love and faithfulness."

Psalm 126:3

"The LORD has done great things for us,

and we are filled with joy!"

so proud

yay Alison!!!!!!!

we made it through the big day.

photos & details to come...

the sigh of relief

after over a year of 

planning

and countless hours of work

yesterday was the day when miss Ali

presented her senior project.

over a year ago, when her topic needed to be chosen,

God gave her clear direction.

"do something that will count for eternity".

after contacting a blog friend

HERE,

Ali began the process of sewing quilts 

to be shared w/ an orphanage in Uganda.

EVERY minute detail had to be documented 

and approved.

a mentor had to be involved,

and God placed an incredible woman in Ali's

path from Colorado who was AMAZING!

one company even donated all the filler material

after hearing of the project.

and as each little quilt was stitched,

the little life that would be wrapped

up in it one day was prayed for.

so in March, 15 little labors of love

travelled to Uganda.

they were given to a home for moms and

their little ones, where the mothers had been spared

from a life of prostitution.

Those babies were sleeping on newspapers.

too much, huh?

my brain can't even begin to process that.

how the Father's heart must weep over injustice.

another cool thing?
after viewing the project display,
2 others want to now be involved in
THIS  ministry.

that's how it's done...
everyone who claims to love the Father,
and wanting to see change on this planet,
bringing God's kingdom to the dark,
and untouched places.
last night after Ali's final presentation,
we attended our church's prayer night together.
she said that as she was resting in
the presence of the Lord,
she heard her heavenly Daddy tell her
"good job - I'm proud of you baby."

yes, yes, and yes.


watching Ali grow through this process has been
priceless.
worth more than any award, high grade,
or achievement recognized over the past 4 years.

and so the countdown to graduation begins.
bittersweet, I tell ya.
every time I look in her closet & see
that black cap & gown, I'm a puddly mess.

time. flies.