[oh my soul]

We sang this at my church this past Sunday. Enjoy a glimpse into the heart of our church.

(note: the fellow singing is just a youTube video I found. He's quite talented, yes?)

Bless the Lord, oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I worship your holy name

The sun comes up

It's a new day dawning

It's time to sing your song again

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

Bless the Lord, oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I worship your holy name

You're rich in love and you're slow to anger
Your name is great and your heart is kind
For all your goodness I will keep on singing
10,000 reasons for my heart to find

Bless you Lord!

Bless the Lord, oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I worship your holy name

And on that day when my strength is failing

The end draws near and my time has come

Soon my soul will sing your praise unending

10,000 years and then forever more

Bless the Lord, oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I worship your holy name

Words by Matt Redman
Youtube Video: Brian Wahl Band

28

me circa 1985

It's after midnight.

I turn 28 today.
28 on the 28th.
28 on the actual holiday I was born on.

According to my dad the only thing missing this week is a solar eclipse.

I feel older.

Not wiser.

Not better.

But closer to the me that I am supposed to be.
One step closer to becoming Jade.

Happy Birthday to me.

Me: From a wedding on Saturday. Looking the most grown up that I've ever looked.

where the wildflowers are

There is a park that I pass by often as I run errands here and there. I've often noticed the strange arrangement of newly planted oak trees, and wondered who thought to plant 6+ trees in a circle like that. The trees are adorable, barely 5 or so feet high. Some smaller than others. The park itself is nothing special. I never would think to take the little dears there when we have a perfectly adequate fort in our own backyard and a creek down the street to explore when we wish.

But the other day something about the park caught my eye. Someone had recently mowed the entire park and field, but left the interior of the trees alone. Inside the circle of trees, to my extreme delight, were wildflowers!!

Wildflower season is my favorite season. I know that I blather on and on about mountains and the snow, but truly, the small window of Spring that South Texas holds is truly a remarkable sight to see. It is often overlooked, mostly because it swiftly passes. Texas, well South Texas, is hot and humid and sticky nearly 9 months out of the year. The month of November becomes mild and cool. December and January and MAYBE February brings us lower 60's temperatures. MAYBE. And then March hits and the wildflowers begin blooming life into our generally mundane landscape. It is fleeting though. The high temperatures begin to slowly creep in. The rains damage the flowers. And our ghastly wind rips through, destroying any sort of beauty they once held.  And every Spring, as the coldness seeps away, my heart leaps at the sight of the raucous color that begins to line our roads and blanket our fields. My soul becomes alive and I feel as if ANYTHING is possible. Of course I would feel that way when so much depth can be found in those budding blooms. Rebirth. Resurrection. Renewal. NEW life! What a pleasure. What joy.

Of course, by April, many of the blooms are browning. Seeding for the next year. Then they turn to dust. Or get mowed. Wildflowers in May is a rarity. Mainly because we have such hot seasons. Even winter is on the milder side. What winter?

So you can understand my insane delirium when I spotted the small garden of wildflowers encircled by those darling little trees. Wesley thought I'd gone mad when I pulled over and lept out of the car with my iphone to snap a shot. I went nuts. And he, too, became excited. He's a lover of flowers like his parents.

The next day, I dragged my family out in the rain (Nate had a half hour window for us--he had a paper to write) and we took some impromptu family pictures. I knew we were in for some crazy storms this week, so I was terrified that the flowers would be destroyed in the high winds and hail. (Note: I have yet to drive by to see if last night's storm ruined my little pixie hollow)

We had so much fun. It was quick. Ridiculous. Hilarious. Ah, but it was fun. And a special shout out to Jamie + Lei for meeting us in the rain to snag a shot of the four of us.

I'm just so overwhelmed with gratitude right now. Life is full of storms. But having a family to weather the rain and lightning and thunder with is such a magnificent gift. Nathan and I have always said, "I love you, through the sunshine and the shade". We are with the other. Heart. And soul. It reminds me that there are people, young and old, who are without the nurturing necessity of family. I need to give more. I need to share more. I need to open up those corridors in my heart that have been long locked up by selfishness and vanity. 

Love is like wildflowers; It's often found in the most unlikely places.  

 --R.W. Emerson

No matter how chaotic it is, wildflowers will still spring up 

in the middle of nowhere.  -Sheryl Crow

drinking in the beauty,

....jade

Week one

My brand new copy of Veronica Roth's newest book!

The first week of May was a long, exhausting road for us. I'm thankful that it's behind us, but still grieve the swiftness of time's passing. Days are not things to wish away, and I never want to be that kind of person. So even though it was a rough one for the darling love and myself, I'm grateful.

In the first week of one of my favorite months:

• My adorable husband fell ill. With severe flu-like symptoms. Fever. Chills. The works.
• My kids and myself (praise God) were spared from it. Whew.
• I shot pictures at a Golf Tournament for the camp that I love. (SO fun!)
• I shot pictures at a wedding (that was so very impressive) on Cinco de Mayo!
• I shot bridals of a stunning young woman. Someone I respect and love.
• We had small group at our home. Without childcare = chaos! Love <3
• We had a nice little visit from my brother. (Who came to town for the BFF's bday)
• We celebrated the best friend's birthday. With her favorites: cookie cake and burgers.
• I read the second book of the Divergent trilogy :) Excited about Book Club next week.
• I edited, edited, edited. 
• Nate worked till 2:30am on Friday night at the King's Ball, only to get up for the golf tourney at 6:45am on Saturday.

 Those are just the MAIN things that happened. Needless to say, it was a wacky week. The worst of it being Nate getting sick. Whenever my man is not 100%, life in our house goes berserk. Mainly ME.

I can't stand him being in bed, unable to live life fully and joyfully. It makes me so thankful for the other 360 days a year that he is healthy. I kept him quarantined to our bedroom and kept the little men away from him. They were sad, and missed him, but boy! was it sweet the morning Nate woke up feeling better and made us all pancakes! Love that man.

Oh. And since we are being slowly introduced to the world of Star Wars (we ARE going to have a movie marathon at the OC soon) we celebrated Star Wars Day on Friday. :)




So now it's time to gear up to all the crazy that is ahead for us. :) And to anticipate it with joy!
xo, jade...

Coffee

The cute husband and I don't like coffee. There was a brief time in college that I forced myself to drink it, because I thought that's what you're supposed to do. And even now, I can drink a white chocolate mocha with tons of whip and extra chocolate, but it loses the "coffee". We DO own a coffee maker, though. For my mom and my bff Jamie who are coffee connoisseurs. The smell of coffee is so good and familiar to me (probably because of mom) but I always burn it when I try to make it. At Zephyr, in the days when I worked in the kitchen, I used to get hollared at by my boss because I would ALWAYS forget to make the coffee, then I would forget to CLEAN the coffee pots.

One of my spectacular skies during a coffee date

 This past week has been full of coffee dates for me. I always try to spend quality time with people when they ask for it (AKA no kids running about, my attention solely on them) Quality time is definitely one of my love languages, so why not put it on the top of my list of To Do's for others?

Two of the people I spent time with were high school mates who love me in spite of my flaws. That's the beautiful thing about kinship; near or far, when we get together, it's good conversation. Healthy for the soul, and it pleases the heart of God. We marvel at where the past 10 or 15 years have brought us. We celebrate the future promises that God has placed on our hearts, and we delight in friendship.

Another friend of mine that I had coffee with is a lightning bolt. She lights up the night sky with her passionate faith and humility. She is brave and selfless. Spending time with her is good for my heart. Good for ME.

The cute husband and I are so blessed to have people on this planet to live life with. They sharpen us individually, and they sharpen us as one. We celebrate the community, the kinsmen, that we run, stumble, and dance through life with. My friend Amanda calls those people her "tribe" and I just love it.

So celebrate the people in your life today that you cling to as you walk through the sunshine and the shade. Celebrate them. Love them. Cherish them. Spur them on.


Loved and loving,
.....xo, jade

 
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” --Hebrews 10:24-25

April Showers

iphone capture: when the first storm came

These past weeks have been building up to some big things that are happening around here. I don't deal with stress well, nor do I handle the overly busy days gracefully. Often, I become so overwhelmed that I just shut down and accomplish nothing for a whole day, because I feel like the walls are caving in on me. (Did you know that I am severely claustrophobic too? I don't know when that began for me in life, but as an almost 28 year old woman, I am terrified of small spaces.) I hate when I shut down. It just happens when I see no free time looming on the horizon. When I know a month of chaos is just around the corner, the tired, overwhelmed feeling takes over.

I was lying in bed last night, tossing and turning, fretting and frustrated, when I realized that I can't shut down. I have too much at stake. The well-being of my family. The well-being of my spirit. It's all on my head. My children need their mom. And my husband needs his wife. And I need God's mercy.

And so, I'm thankful for the refreshing rain that has fallen on our little blue house these past few weeks. (we've had quite some storms!) For the moments of quiet, I am truly grateful. But I'm ready to tackle whatever crazy is on my calendar (starting this weekend). I won't allow myself to be overwhelmed. (or even just plain whelmed..haha jk) I will be brave.

"From the ends of the earth I call to you,
   I call as my heart grows faint;
   lead me to the rock that is higher than I" --Psalm 61:2

Fighting the busy blues,
xo...jade

Wesley Tales

Yesterday I bought a brand new pair of scissors for sewing. So I marked all over them writing things like "JADE ONLY" "FOR SEWING" and then I wrote "MAGIC SCISSORS" across the side.

Wesley overheard Nate teasing me and said "Magic Scissors?? You're being crazy".

And I replied "Crazy? No. I'm being smart. Because I'm using my imagination."

A little while later Wesley says "Where's the Magic Remote? See. I'm using my imagination. I must be smart."

This kid cracks me up.

Off to imagine,
...jade

{Queen of the Paper Crown Princess Society}

This is Amanda. She's whimsical. She's fun. She's inventive. She's brave.

And she is the Queen of the Paper Crown Princess Society.

You see, Amanda, author of Keep It Complicated, has done something many of us only dream of: she's written a book. A children's book to be exact. I've had the delightful privilege of reading a rough draft that Amanda sent me, and let me tell you, I'm excited. BEYOND excited. Ecstatic. Over the moon.

The book, Sadie-The Paper Crown Princess, is absolutely spectacular. I intend to get several copies for the special little girls in my life. You can actually join the Paper Crown Princess Society and have yours or your special someone's little signature in the first edition. You can read more about the Paper Crown Princess Society here, and I encourage you to participate!

I felt so honored that Amanda asked me to shoot some head shots of her. She's a great photographer herself, so I was excited to be the one to take HER picture. I admire her spunk, her tenacity, her beautiful heart. To be around her is to be comfortable, and I love it.

So here are a few glimpses into the fun sunlit evening we had together.

Amanda, cheers to you, dearest. Your book is smashing, which is what I knew it would be from the moment I heard you were writing it.

And you, my friends, who keep up with my blog, feel free to read up more on Sadie, and Amanda, and everything along the way on the Sadie Blog and Keep it Complicated! You'll love it!


A fellow Paper Crown Princess,
jade.... :)

Good Friday

HOSANNA (words by andrew peterson)
I am tangled up in contradiction.
I am strangled by my own two hands.
I am hunted by the hounds of addiction.
Hosanna! I have lied to everyone who trusts me.
I have tried to fall when I could stand.
I have only loved the ones who loves me.
Hosanna!

O Hosanna!
See the long awaited king come to set his people free.
We cry O Hosanna!
Come and tear the temple down.
Raise it up on holy ground. Hosanna!

I have struggled to remove this raiment, tried to hide every shimmering strand.
I contend with these ghosts and these hosts of bright angels.
Hosanna!
I have cursed the man that you have made me, as I have nursed the beast that bays for my blood.
Oh, I have run from the one who would save me.
Save me, Hosanna!

O Hosanna!
See the long awaited king, come to set his people free.
We cry O Hosanna!
Come and tear the temple down.
Raise it up on holy ground.
Hosanna!

We cry for blood, and we take your life.
Hosanna!
We cry for blood, and we take your life.
It is blood, it is life that you have given.

You have crushed beneath your heel the vile serpent. 
You have carried to the grave the black stain. 
You have torn apart the temple’s holy curtain. 
You have beaten Death at Death’s own game. 
Hosanna!

O Hosanna!
Hail the long awaited king, come to set his people free.
We cry O Hosanna!
Won’t you tear this temple down, raise it up on holy ground.
O Hosanna!
I will lift my voice and sing: you have come and washed me clean.
Hosanna.

{The Lost Ring}

Our wedding rings

When the boy asked me to marry him

I loved my engagement ring. The first reason I loved it so deeply was because Nathan gave it to me. The second reason I loved it was because it was gorgeous. Preee-taaaay!

When I lost my ring the summer before Spencer was born, I was horrified. I couldn't imagine a replacement. I was convinced that I had taken the ring off in my sleep (which I was in the habit of doing as I was becoming so very pregnant with Spence and my hands were swelling--along with the rest of me) I knew that it was somewhere in my house. I just knew it.

 Nate and I had DESTROYED the house looking for it. I would become agitated and frustrated and just give up looking. Nearly 2 years later....I am delighted to announce that it has been found! 

It's weird, really. I was thinking about my ring as I took a shower, put on pjs, got my glass of water....was about to tuck in for the night, maybe read a bit while Nate was doing a bit of computer work. Then a thought crossed my mind "I haven't organized my jewelry boxes in a while". Weird thought for 10 at night. But what the heck. The ring was still sort of hovering in the back of my mind.

So I got my largest jewelry box, set it on my bed and started digging through it. I started grinning over some pieces that I have kept over the years. A dolphin necklace a boy gave me in junior high. A dolphin bracelet another boy gave me. A necklace my friend Theresa gave me, and yet another charm that my friend Erin gave me that says "edaj" (jade backwards. likewise, she had one that said "nire" that I gave her)

When I discovered the ring tonight

And as I was going through the contents of my box, grinning foolishly over the beautiful memories of the people I have loved through the years, I picked up a brooch that my mother gave me....and gasped.

Lying beneath the brooch, tucked into the corner of that particular drawer was my ring! MY MISSING RING!

 I picked it up. Felt the familiar setting, the familiar weight of it. I turned it over and over in my hand and then shrieked for Nathan. I said I had found my ring, and he came into the room with a skeptical look on his face. He was so surprised by the discovery. I didn't realize I was crying until he touched my face and teased me. He got down on one knee and put it back on my hand and said "yep, this feels right".

I'm so giddy, it's unbelievable. A few times over the last 20 months since it went missing, we've looked at other rings to replace it, and I've been sad each time. Nothing is what I wanted. I just kept longing for MY ring. The ring Nathan placed on my finger.

Back on my hand, where it belongs

Honestly, we BOTH had searched that box before when we were hunting for the missing ring. We were shocked that it was right there, this whole time. Just waiting to be discovered.


I'm so thankful we found it.
But truly, I'm thankful for the boy who gave it to me in the first place.
The boy, who is now a man, and the father of my children.


Ah. Happiness.
..jade

pictures

You know how in the last post I suggested that I would take more pictures with my "big girl camera" of my family and friends and life events?

Yea. I failed miserably this week. hahahaha.
Ok. To try again this week.

Stay tuned for a full, fluffy, crazy blog bursting with what's been happenin' round here including some thoughts on the Resurrection. <3

Determined,

jade...

[jadeinmypocket 2.0]

jadeinmypocket 2.0

That's what my friend Christina said about me. Hahahaha. Cracked me up to pieces. I could not stop cackling about it.

She was referring to my insane overuse of Instagram.

It's true. I'm obsessive about it and I whine if I happen to miss really good posts from my friends. I love to glimpse into everyday lives of my peeps. (Yes I am including Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift in this mix)

Instagram is really a sort of creative exercise for me. I try to use it as a way for me to be as creative as possible with my iphone. I try to use it to keep my brain from getting rusty. I know that it's easy to forget some very basic principles in art, so I try to incorporate those things I learned so many years ago into my snapshots.


(Rumor alert: IG is going to Android very soon! My Droid nerd of a husband is pumped) When I am shooting for Journey Tree Studio, I always whip out my phone and snag a pic of the bride or venue or something about where I'm at. If I am visiting with friends, going out, just living life with my little family, I capture it with my phone.


Confession: I've become lazy shooting my everyday life with just my iphone.

So I've decided to stop doing that so much and work on carrying my big girl camera around :)

But just for kicks, here's a few recent IG pics that I just adore.

And here's to a new season of shooting with my big camera more. :) Hopefully. <3

Refocusing (ha ha, get it?),
 jade

Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter.  ~Ansel Adams

I think a photography class should be a requirement in all educational programs because it makes you see the world rather than just look at it.  ~Author Unknown

If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera.  ~Lewis Hine

There will be times when you will be in the field without a camera.  And, you will see the most glorious sunset or the most beautiful scene that you have ever witnessed.  Don't be bitter because you can't record it.  Sit down, drink it in, and enjoy it for what it is!  ~DeGriff 

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs.  When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.  ~Ansel Adams

When you photograph people in colour you photograph their clothes.  But when you photograph people in B&W, you photograph their souls!  ~Ted Grant

{i love the boy with the bread}

I love him for going to midnight shows with me

So I have a book club that meets at my house once a month. It's comprised of an eclectic group of ladies all ranging from close bffs to women I just met and I just can't get enough of them! They are my soul mates and I grin whenever one of them come to mind.

Back in the fall, one of the books we read was The Hunger Games. Well, of course we read all three and just gobbled them up in one tasty sitting. Our group is hilariously divided between the leading men and hilarity always shows it's silly face whenever we sit and debate Gale and Peeta's qualities (Yes, I love the boy with the bread, baby! And yes, my husband is okay with this.)

Three great gals

When we read the books, they were just starting to show previews for the movie and we were all GIDDY. Pretty much like the teenage girls waiting in line for Twilight. It's embarrassing how excited we were.

As soon as movie tickets became available, I bought straight up 20 tickets for the midnight showing. 10 other friends bought their tickets separate. We had a massive group at the midnight showing last night. And it was perfect.

Two sisters who are always followed around by random guys

A few of us (my cute husband included) got in line so early. (I won't mention that time here. Ask me privately. Haha) And we laughed and made friends and painted our nails (not the hubby) and we snuck some people into line and helped other people sneak their friends into line. (we are shameful.) And it was a blast. I laughed so much and was so delirious with the excitement of the night.

Cristi loves Peeta

And to top everything off, I LOVED the movie. It was excellent. Followed the book wonderfully. I wasn't angry or bitter or yelling at the screen like I normally did with the Harry Potter books or some other book to film flick. I was ecstatic! Obviously there were some minor changes and a few of my favorite scenes from the book were cut down to nothing, but I was pleasantly surprised by the film overall.

I only found myself disappointed in one area, and that's the intimacy and closeness that Katniss and Peeta share during the second half of the Games. In the book, they share a few moments of "foolish happiness" that you didn't really get in the film. Although they really nailed the few scenes that did.

 Overall, I loved it. I had so much fun with the friends that were there and missed the rest of the friends in book club that couldn't make it. 


So, in honor of the Hunger Games, I will leave you with some of my favorite quotes:

“Remember, we're madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it.”--Peeta

“You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope.”--Katniss

Girls on fire

“Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when it's morning again, they'll wash away
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.”
--Rue's Lullaby

“You’ve got about as much charm as a dead slug.”  --Haymitch

Some friends we made

“It crosses my mind that Cinna's calm and normal demeanor masks a complete madman.”--Katniss

“Yes, and I’m sure the arena will be full of bags of flour for me to chuck at people.”--Peeta

“Here's some advice. Stay alive.” --Haymitch

“Peeta, you were supposed to wake me after a couple of hours," I say.
"For what? Nothing's going on here," he says. "Besides, I like watching you sleep. You don't scowl. Improves your looks a lot." This, of course, brings on a scowl that makes him grin.”  --A conversation between Peeta and Katniss


Happy Hunger Games!
jade...

Uno and Dos

Thing 1

My kids teach me new things everyday.
They teach me how to laugh at the small, silly things in life.
They remind me to be crazy and zany and hilarious.
They remind me to always say I love you. Even when I feel grumpy.
They remind me that running fast is ALWAYS fun.
They teach me to sit and color and not worry about lines.
They show me that the clouds in the sky can be anything that we want them to be.
They teach me that The Leaning Tower of Pisa can really be just a pile of folded bath towels.
They teach me to be excited. About dirt. And flowers. And trees.
They remind me to sit and cuddle when I want to go and be busy.

I know my job is to train them, to teach them, to encourage them, to nurture them, to love them, to discipline them, to teach them the ways of the Lord, and to support them.

But they encourage me, they love me, they teach and support me. And they remind me to love Jesus with abandon with faith as secure and gentle as theirs.

Thing 2

I'm not the perfect mama. I lose my temper, my patience. I struggle with the same sins and insecurities that plague the rest of the world.

But the best thing that ever happened to me was my reconciliation with the God of the universe as a teenager, so therefore I fight the darkness of the world with the light inside my heart. My prayer is that these young ones that the Lord has asked me to shepherd will know and love and pursue the Maker even more passionately and be light-bearers to this dark world.

Grateful, and so much more,
jade

{blue}

The Legend of the Bluebonnet

The Texas fields are covered
With a blanket of deep blue.
But for a little Indian girl,
This would not be true.

Texas land was buried and dry
Rains just would not come
Indians danced and prayed for rain
And beat upon their drums.

The Chief made a proclamation
He appealed to one and all
A prized possession must be sacrificed
Before the rains would fall.

The Indian camp was silent
while each person searched his heart.
But when it came to sacrifice,
With possessions they would not part.

Suddenly a little girl stepped forth,
Holding her blue-clad doll.
She placed it in the roaring fire
and raindrops began to fall.

The rain brought forth the grass,
Among it's blades, flowers of blue.
To be a sign for all the time
Of a love so pure and true.

-Author Unknown