southern sunset

Last night, Hunter and I went out to dinner and then planned on driving into Columbia to buy my mom a birthday present (May 24!) While we were eating, it was storming and the weather was so gross. Leaving the restaurant, we were surprised to see a rainbow glowing over Target! The further south we drove, the more the sky lit up. It was by far, one of the most beautiful skies I've seen in my lifetime. Scientists could explain away why the sky turns different shades of pinks and blues and purples and technically why a rainbow forms, but really, all that matters to me is I know these things happen because my Creator is Beauty and His work is stunning.

Luckily, we had to stop to get gas so I was able to whip out my dinky camera and attempt to capture this performance. HOWEVER, like I always say, you should have seen it with your own eyes because these pictures only provide a glimpse of what we saw.

Also..... there's a ton. They all may look the same to you, but I just couldn't justify not posting every single one of them.....

These next few were taken as we were driving. They're all really blurry, but I thought they were cool because the color of the sky is still represented in them.

Poor folk's frappuccino

But listen, really, if you just save some of your brewed coffee from the day before, they're really easy to make. And good.

My tomato plant! So many are growing! I can't wait 'til they're ripe :)

So proud of my family and friends for pitching in with my donation to Lambscroft for the homeless! Donated a car full of stuff last saturday.

I'm pretty sure I'm married to the only guy who would wake up one day and say "Hey! Can I buy some galoshes so we can go play in the creek?"

And I said "Ummmm OF COURSE! How did you know that playing in the creek is the most amazing thing to do??"

I went where the water was too high. Boots full of water.

I pick these flowers all the time.

This was tonight's sunset. I was eating dinner with the boys and Aiden said "Oooooo look outside! It's so pretty!"

I always thought Francesca Battistelli's song Free to be Me was pretty cheesy. But good grief, I didn't know she was capable of this!

When I laid my head down last night, a sense of guilt came over me. How was it that I had the privilege of sleeping in a nice cool home in a comfortable bed while there are hundreds of people outside of my home who lost everything they had and are now sleeping on the cold floor of a school gym or church? I laid there and prayed that God will pour His strength and hope and peace into these hundreds upon hundreds (thousands?) of poeple who now no longer have a house to go home to. I prayed for peace like a river to those who have lost one of the 30(ish) people who did not survive the storms and floods. But there was still such an overwhelmed feeling of desperation that is, in all honesty, hard to be hopeful about.

This morning, I read the following verse:

"So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." -2 Corinthians 4:18

(We fix our gaze on God, who gives us hope. For the 'disaster' we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever)

"Do not fear what this day, or any day, may bring your way. Concentrate on trusting Me and on doing what needs to be done. Relax in My sovereignty, remembering that I go before you, as well as with you, into each day. Fear no evil, for I can bring good out of every situation you will ever encounter."

-today's Jesus Calling devo

That is my prayer for the the victims. I pray that this exact hope is restored in them.

Happy Day

(earth to Kasen?)

(beautiful ending)

Hands On Nashville is doing an amazing job of organizing volunteer opportunities!

Here is a link to their calender in which you can find a schedule that works with yours and sign up to help out!

Volunteer calender here

As always, continue to PRAY. Spread the word to pray. Let people know you are praying. Encouragement means the world right now. I heard on the news that we ARE the Volunteer State. We are the definition of a community coming together to better our state. Thank God for that!

Hoorah! wait...... sorry. Got carried away.