souper supper

thursday night supper at

souper jenny's with friends.

yes, it was as good as it sounds!

brie, arugula, and chutney grilled cheese

with goat cheese tomato bisque.

plus table side s'mores!

yes, please!

ode to oats

so lately i have been really into oatmeal.

oatmeal, you say?

yes, oatmeal.

i used to hate it,

but now i love it.

lately, i have been trying a lot of new foods

that i thought i didn't like

only to find out that i love them now!

for example, peaches. hello!

why have i deprived myself from peaches my entire life???

the texture of them used to make me cringe,

but now i really like them.

other new faves: lemon in my water, pimento cheese {!!!}, and scallops.

i know, i know

i'm growing up.

okay, back to the purpose of this post:

i figured i'd tell you about my favorite brand and flavor of oatmeal.

i have only tried a few, and i am hooked

on publix's organic maple brown sugar.

even though i have two months of school under my belt,

5:45 am never is fun...

thankful for sweet, hot oatmeal to wake me up!

tuesday

tuesday fun with my katie.

our date included free cold stone ice cream

and then a trip to H&M.

we were hopeful to find some fall inspiration,

but all we found were these amazing outfits.

totally 80s and grungy 90s.

part of me wishes i could sport that

sweet denim vest

with fo-lamb's fur

every day this fall.

too bad it's ridiculous.

i did find these fabulous pants,

at anthro

that perfectly encompass fall.

now all i need is for them to go on sale!

hope you had a great tuesday!

oh how lovely

my sweet husband bought these for me last week.

hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers,

and i just love the shades of these blooms.

i am so impressed and thankful

that they are still standing strong!

wedding weekend

this weekend, my dear friend meghan got married!

it was such a fun weekend

overflowing with love, laughter, tears,

and sweet sweet friends.

the weekend began at the swan coach house

for the bridesmaids' luncheon

it was so delightful and sweet.

after rehearsing, we dined at the city club,

enjoying views of buckhead while toasting

to the great couple.

saturday began with a prayer breakfast

at highland bakery (yum)

and then it was time

to get ready for the big day!

stunning bride

{bride's hair and make up done by

the wonderful claudia mejerle}

such a wonderful wedding!

congratulations to the daniels!!!

infinity pool, check.

i spent friday and saturday with friends

at the ritz carlton on reynold's plantation

to kick off meghan and al's wedding week.

and it was delightful.

first time there

can't wait to go back :)

it was so lovely

and a wonderful way

to celebrate our meghan

now, bring on the party!

never forget

{photo from national geographic here}

i can't believe it has been 10 years.

i can remember the first time i learned about the twin towers.

i was ten, and on my way to new york city with my family.

my grammy leaned over to look out the window of the plane

and said to me, "look, there are the twin towers."

i can remember being in awe of the matching giants.

the next time i heard about the twin towers was

from ms. shaughnessy, my drama teacher,

as the world froze in horror on 9/11.

we have been watching all of the specials this weekend

and really taking in all of the perspectives

from that day.

if you watched the memorial service,

you may have noticed

mayor rudy giuliani's speech.

he quotes ecclesiastes 3,

for which our blog is themed.

i hope you've been able to take in some of the media today

and really reflect on that day.

andy stanley at northpoint church spoke today about

our leaders remembering our country's motto:

in God we trust.

a great reminder on this day.

listen here and be sure to check out the entire series.

it is really good!

tgif

happy friday, friends!

the 4 day week is over

and today about made me say a 4 letter word

why is it that short weeks seem longer??

and i am certain that an elementary classroom

on a friday afternoon

rivals the craziness of wall street

right before the closing bell.

at least that's how i feel.

well, i'm happy that the weekend is back.

just me and my pretzel m&ms hanging out.

are they not the best candy in the world?

i hope they give me a jolt of energy,

because it's time to party!

dinner and the weepies tonight.

and then scott's tomorrow.

hoping to complete our living room ;)

be back soon.

{km}

is it fall yet?

now, i know the first day of fall

isn't until the 23rd,

BUT

starbucks' pumpkin spiced latte

(PSL, for fans)

is in stores starting today {!!!}

hip hip hooray

candy corn, come to me.

ty, how are we going to top last year?

is it too early to pick pumpkins???

dearly loved

recently, one of my best friends from tampa asked me to join her prayer committee for her youth ministry at her church. she is amazing at her job and has such a heart for middle school and high school kids. it has been so exciting to pray for the ministry and see what God is doing in the community and the lives of these youth. my biggest prayer has been for the "veil to be lifted", meaning that these teens would see and experience God's love fully. i can remember being so confused when it came to my faith during middle school and high school. i grew up knowing about Jesus, but never really understanding why He was so important. i can still remember hearing the Gospel for the first time and not knowing that what i was experiencing was actually the Gospel.

even after i had realized i was broken and accepted Jesus as my Savior, my faith was so hazy and like a veil. i am thankful that the Lord has revealed Himself to me throughout my life thus far (and i don't even want to think about what i would be like without Him!) and i can only hope and pray that for those who are searching continue.

i recently finished the sequel to The Swan House, The Dwelling Place by Elizabeth Musser. both books capture the beauty and raw emotions and questions of people searching for God. i highly recommend both books. they are so well written and such great stories about an Atlanta family during the 1960s and then present. reading these stories recently has only fueled my desire and excitement for these youth that i am praying for.

i can still remember memorizing my first Bible verse (and not knowing what the numbers and the colon meant) : "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 hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11

when i was first learning this verse, i never went further to see what the next few verses said, AND THEY ARE SO GOOD! they really speak to this idea of searching and wanting to know God: "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" Jeremiah 29:12-13 ah, so great! what a wonderful promise from God. He wants us to know Him just like He knows us.

so, do you know that you are dearly loved? on my way home for work today, i was listening to one of my favorite worship songs, "Dearly Loved" by Jimmy Needham (which led me to blog about this). that song always takes me back to the days that i didn't know Jesus and it is always a good reminder of how blessed i am just to be loved by Jesus.

"no greater joy

no greater peace

no greater love than this.."

click here to read more of the lyrics :)