Graduating

Life has been crazzzyyyyy these past few months. First, I graduated in December. Yesterday, Austin graduated from high school and next Friday, Caleb will be graduating from 8th grade. I've discovered a new hobby in the midst of these graduations: I like making invitations/announcements! I've always been enthralled with photography and paper products, so I suppose that it shouldn't come as a surprise that I enjoy making invites. Here are the things that I've created for the graduates (The big blank spaces are where the party details were; however, I'd rather not have you randomly showing up any my house so I covered the info.):

(Photography by Scott Boss, Card Design by Bri)
(Photography & Card Design by Bri)

(Photography by Tricia & Scott Boss, Card Design by Bri)

It's been fun. Both making these cards and journeying through life with these boys. I've enjoyed watching our relationships strengthen as we all get older. I've enjoyed watching my brothers becoming who God has intended them to be. Turns out, they're pretty funny. I love them a ton and couldn't imagine life without them. I thank God every time I think of them and I'm so excited to see what God has in store for their lives. Congratulations to all classes of 2011!

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" -Jeremiah 29:11

Funny The Way It Is

Any DMB fans out there? Well, there's a popular DMB song called "Funny the Way It Is." It kind of just talks about the irony of life and it makes you ponder some pretty intense concepts. For example, the song talks about how in one place a child might walk miles and miles just to get to school, while someplace else a child might be taking education for granted and dropping out. If you haven't heard it, listen to it when you get a chance.

Anyway, one of my best friends and co-workers, Mary-Anne and her husband welcomed sweet baby Malia into their family on Sunday night (congratulations you guys!!). I got to go and visit them at the hospital and as I was walking out of the hospital, I witnessed the reality of one of the lines from "Funny The Way It Is."

I had just gone into Mary-Anne's room and witnessed the most precious baby girl ever. She's a miracle and a beautiful blessing. The labor and delivery unit is on the same floor of the surgery unit and as I walked out of the labor and delivery unit, I saw the doctor in his scrubs talking to a group of family and/or friends of a patient. His face was grim and the people he was talking to began to sob. Some had fallen to the floor, while others grieved in one another's arms.

Immediately, my heart sunk. And in popped the lyrics from "Funny The Way It Is:"

Funny the way it is, if you think about it
One kid walks 10 miles to school, another's dropping out
Funny the way it is, not right or wrong
On a soldier's last breath his baby's being born

And that's kind of how life goes. One person's beautiful moment or day might be another person's horror story. All of this to say, don't take anything in life for granted. Life is so short and so unexpected. It's not our own and we need to make the most of what we have been given.

"There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God."

-Ecclesiastes 2:24

In The Light

I'm not sure if this post will make a ton of sense. It's currently 3 minutes until 1 am and I'm going off of very little sleep from the past 3 days. My roommates and I moved this weekend...and moving is a lot more work than I remember!

Here I am though, laying in bed...wide awake. Why? Well, if you know me well, then you know that I have a fear of the dark. I've been scared of the dark since I was about 4 years old. I think I watched a show with Frankenstein when was 4 and thus began the sleepless nights. I'm 21 and I can't say that a ton has changed. I hate it when I my roommates are all gone and I'm stuck at home alone. I just flat out, hate the dark.

In this new house, my room is not quite as close to all of the other bedrooms as I would like it to be, so I'm having a tough time sleeping. As I was laying here, I started to think about how I just wish it was light. All I want at this moment is to be living in the light. In the light, I feel safe and secure. And then my bumbling mind switched gears and put the "light" concept into perspective for me.

What if I treated the metaphoric "light," also known as God, the same way that I treat daylight or room lights? What if I craved to be in God as much as I crave being in literal light? I feel like my life would look a little bit different. I try my best to let my light shine for God, but if I went after God with as much gusto as I do toward lit places, then I'd be on fire for Him. Just some thoughts.

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." -Matthew 5:16