...real quickly...check this!

i dont have time to enter much...just really excited about these new pics! Gav and I modeled again for a Mike Colón workshop. these are the first pics ive had the chance to see...and i LOVE them!!

Taken by Kansas photographer Jeff Wendling of T&J Studios

Here's their blog...BLOG

but...click here to see a SLIDESHOW of the pics. there are some of all 3 couples taken over the course of a couple days. what do you think?

...good to remember...

so i totally stole this from DJ's blog but I thought it was pretty powerful...

Thanks DJ!!!

Watch your thoughts because your thoughts become your words.
Watch your words because your words become your actions.
Watch your actions because your actions become your habits.
Watch your habits because your habits become your character.
Watch your character because your character becomes your destiny.

...the details...the chicago trip!

sooo...after graduation we met Gav's mom and grandma & grandpa B, and a couple others for dinner at a Tapas (no no...not TOPLESS) Bar in Wheaton. It was really good! We bolted early from dinner to say goodbye to Paul, who headed back to St Louis. Then met back up with the gang for dessert at this adorable little ice cream shoppe in Wheaton!

it was sooo small town cute! of course I had to grab a shot. (unfortunately, I elected to leave my real camera at home due to limited space on the drive back, so all i had the WHOLE trip was my Powershot...which takes great pics! but not quite perfect quality.)

Monday, we went Downtown Chicago with Jay and Cath to just hang out. We had a great laugh on the way there out of the "POSTAL POLICE" lol...anyone heard of THAT before? And the poor "postal policeman" he looked so serious! I wonder how many people laugh out loud in amazement as he drives by...

It was nice to relax a little bit after the craziness of the weekend! A few days earlier they had found this amazing little chocolate lounge in one of the malls...(Cath and I are very much the dark chocolate connoisseurs, and found the little truffles to die for!) ethel's chocolate is perfect for anyone that loves fun chocolate and appreciates unique, charming presentation....they can't be beat! We headed into the Bentley Dealership (being the car nuts that we all are, we were in the mood to drool over some serious metal but, of course they were in the processes of renovating, and only had a few lambos to show) and Gav decided this was the car he wants...lol...
We even made it to the place where we had our first "real" date a little over a year earlier! We had lunch, and again, it was wonderful!

teehee...this picture makes me smile..."a true likeness..." wouldn't you agree? :P

As we were strolling around I remembered to grab a shot of the John Hancock building...we were alllll the way at the top a few nights earlier..and, as you can imagine, the view was AMAZING!

One of the many things I absolutely LOVE about Chicago is how well kept the grounds are! As far as big cities go it seems fairly clean, and the tulips in spring are breathtaking!


The white ones by the old water tower look like snow! I loved it! why can't LA be this nice!?

Ok, so I have to preface this pic by saying..."Gavin James...i love you with all my heart...please dont kill me!"
This was just tooo great to pass up.
those are MY jeans!!! lol. by FAR this is my favorite pic of the WHOLE trip!!! hehehehehhe... O:)

On our way out of town, Handsome Rob (Gav's MINI is a he) loaded to the brim with everything coming home, I made Gav stop in front of school, don his very loud royal blue cap and gown (over his shorts and tshirt...hehe) and pose in front of the sign! Not too much to ask...right? lol.. :P



ok, more to come about the drive home and the events since then...im catching up! slowly but surely! but its bed time for now. night night all! sweet dreams!

...the details...the graduation...

This is going to come in several posts, but I'm going to attempt to do it all in the next hour or so...we'll see how successful I am! :P

At the end of last session I was SWAMPED with work. All of a sudden I had 2 papers to write, and like 3 finals all in a matter of a couple days. Now of course I could have started at least one of the papers a couple weeks earlier, but alas, i have this nasty little habit called PROCRASTINATION. That being said, my last couple weeks of the session, consisting of flailing to keep my head above water....was all my fault. lol.

Anyway, the middle of the break I flew out to Chicago to be with Gav, my prince charming, for his graduation from Wheaton College.



Blanchard Hall...the oldest building on campus!! isn't it beautiful!?

13 of his family members arrived over the next couple days, and by friday night everyone was in town (totaled 13 people from the two different sides). Then we began the juggling of spending enough time with people so neither side would get upset. (let me tell you...this is definitely an art form!) Gav officially became a Wheaton Grad Sunday May 6!! I'm so proud of him! While I was out there, we went to some wonderful dinners! We had dinner at the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Tower (unfortunately my camera battery died, and I dont have any pics from that one), we had Maggiano's (which is always yummy!), we went to Wildfire, an AWESOME bbq place....it was sooo wonderful! We also went to Gino's for pizza, a great Tapas place in downtown Wheaton. I had the salmon at the Signature Room, and a Parmesean Crusted Filet at Wildfire.






Grandma & Grandpa B...pretending they are us...the "velcro couple" :P


The Graduate and me.


Grandpa & Theo ordered the sundae for dessert...and wouldn't let anyone else touch it! haha.


At brunch @ Saga (the caf) before grad....so proud!


555 grads...can you find mine? :)


all about the details! O:)


Proud Daddy!


Jay (Dad) and Cath


Pam (Mom)


Chelsea and Cam (sister and bro)


G&G B (moms parents)


haha...now he's well aware of what we women have to deal with with long hair! :P


...the guys...


...a couple of great roomies...and lifelong friends


...i am so grateful for Paul's friendship with gav!! such an awesome friend!

...shes back...

ok ok ok ....so go ahead, get the scolding over with now...

i havent blogged in FOREVER...I know...no one has any idea whats been going on in my life...i KNOW! lol. I'm sorry!!

it has been so insanely crazy this last month around me that I have barely had time to breathe, much less sleep! so, this week, I plan to catch up on all my blogging!

A brief summary of what will be appearing on here over the next few days...

-gav's graduation in chicago
-the road trip back from chicago
-dan and amys wedding
-started interning for Mike
-eileen and jeff's wedding
-an update on interning for Mike Colón
-grad review
-moving out of my sb apt
-moving back home
-an entire house in my parents living room (my old apt)
-adjusting to moving back home....etc etc etc


ok, i gotta get to work, but I'll write this week!!! i promise!!!

...its coming...

ok...so i have been TERRIBLE about posting!! im so sorry! these last couple weeks have been a nightmare! I have 2 papers to write, then i'll have free time! (im out of school) so keep checking back, in the ext couple days ill have a good long post up to fill you all in on my life!!


love!!!

...trying to sleep...but to no avail

...it's 4:30 am and I am sitting in bed dog-tired, but still wide awake at the same time. I've been trying to sleep for the last 4 hours. At first, when that wasn't working, I tried working on homework - couldn't concentrate. So I succumbed to re-reading a novel that is written with mediocrity (as far as well-written novels go), but a story that is singed in my memory. Reedeming Love by Francine Rivers is the incredible story of the faith of the Biblical character, Hosea. The fictitious characters of Micheal Hosea and Angel are direct allusions to the love story of Hosea and the prostitute, Gomer. It is incredible to me how a man can have that much passion and true desire for a woman whose past is anything but desirable. Francine Rivers' interpretation, and delivery of this story is truly breath-taking, scratch that...life-changing. (Not to mention addicting! I'm about 200 pages into it, after starting tonight!) God is so very much like His character, Hosea. No matter how broken, or dirty our pasts are...He loves us with the depth of the oceans. No matter how many times we anger Him, or frustrate Him, or even leave Him...He is there to welcome us back into His arms of redemption and peace, and unconditional love.
It can be truly maddening to know that our Father is willing to take us back after all the crap we've created, or been through, without any sort of debt to Him. Everything has price...right?
WRONG!
As long as we are honest and repentive and seeking, He will guide our every step without so much as an expectance of payment. Well, besides the constant abiding by His rules, and trusting Him. (Both of those can be difficult at times, but thankfully He's the forgiving type...as in unlimited amounts of forgiving!!! How cool is that?!)

Anyway, my book...I was writing about my book. :) Ah, yes...Katie reminded me of this book last week, and although I had read it before, I suddenly had a longing to re-read this story of faith, and unconditional love. It is impossible for me to fathom a man that could trust God, and be as obedient and observant of His still small voice, as this man does. The character in the novel is far from perfect, as we all are, but he has what I have seemed to lack these last few years...an insatiable hunger to hear God's voice. I envy him for that!!! Can you imagine envying a fictitious character in a novel?!? How very strange!

But in all honesty, that is something that I have lacked as of late. It seems that I have forgotten how to simply listen. If I am not besieging Him with my "wants" and "needs," I am generally asking Him to help others, or asking Him to speak to me. But I have come to the realization tonight (it started @ Reality during worship) that I am so busy asking for His input...I never seem to find the stillness in which I can merely just listen for it! Remember those quiet times after chapel at church camps (usually in the mountains) when we were younger? "okay kids...go have quiet time....meet back up with your group when the bell rings...don't go into cabins, don't sleep, don't socialize...etc etc etc." We would all scatter off to our various nooks and corners within the camp boundaries with our Bibles and notepads as if we truly understood what it meant to "BE STILL AND LISTEN," wishing we could just have more free time, and wondering how long til our half hour was up. I usually wound up hiking around up the hill a ways, no sounds but the sticks and pine needles crunching under my feet, and the birds squawking at each other, slicing through the otherwise silent cool air. Thinking back on it now, though, those were probably some of the times that I have been closest to my Father. No, I may not have known what I was listening for, but I can recall emotions rising inside me that I have rarely felt since. I wish I were more like that on a daily basis. More like Hosea. His ability to hear God's voice, even despite the physical temptations raging within him, combined with Britt's message, is the most substantial encouragement I've heard in a long time.

So thank you Katie...for reminding me of this incredible love story that I long to live out in my own life. And, more importantly, thank you Jesus, for being the center of that story.

Heavenly Father, your words to Michael Hosea stand out even to me God. I pray that You daily remind me to take time out to listen to what You have to say. I pray that I am quiet enough, long enough to hear Your desires, and hopes for my life. God, may You be all I desire to please. Thank you for Your unconditional forgiveness, Your deep passion for my life, and most importantly, Your Redeeming Love. I love you Lord. It is as simple as that. And I pray that I can honor You with everything in me.
~insatiably Yours....your daughter