Walking our way around

If you know Sam and myself, you know we are not the most prompt, directionally inclined people.  In fact, I would describe us as fashionably tardy and directionally challenged, in a good way of course!  We would frequently get turned around in Charlotte after having both lived there for 5 years.  Upon our arrival in Nashville, getting turned around in circles was to be expected.  So far we've only had one directional turn around which was of course "at the fault of the GPS."  Still, we decide to explore and walk around until we discover the hidden finds in our neighborhood. 

A few of my favorite finds so far:

Star Bagel- walking distance, great breakfast and coffee, yes please!

Local Taco- small specialty tacos, again walking distance away

Starbucks at Vandy- spacious, lots of plugs and tables!

The greenway/ public golf course 3 blocks from our house

CrossPoint Church- we visited this church that is also very close and loved the environment and teaching! great way to start our weekend.

I love how pedestrian friendly this city is!  Despite the rain and frequent thunder showers, we have spent a lot of time outside in an attempt to become "locals."

For all our Charlotte friends, we are slowly unpacking and adapting well to our new city. 

Thank you again for helping us load up and supporting us through this process.  More to come friends!!

a city inside of a city

I had the privilege of visiting a community housed by a large population of refugee families.  Many of the younger kids that live here attend the school where I taught for years now.  It took me far too long to make my visit with my friend Scarlet and her ministry family, Serving Strangers.  The people of this ministry are incredibly generous and are impacing lives daily in order to bring glory to God. 

Walking into this community, you feel like you are walking into another country.  Yet, I felt very human, very American, wondering how they live without what I consider basic necessities.  Scarlet and her ministry offer supplies, support, and love to these families.  Today, I saw a glimpse of God's love that stretches over language and cultural barriers. 

I'm glad I don't have teenagers...

but when we do have teenagers, I hope they're like Jill's!

These boys were such great sports, they let me put them in awkward situations and take their picture.  Not too many 15 year olds will let that happen!  We got a few awesome shots just before the rain started.

Thank you Jill for sharing your boys for a quick 30 minutes!  I hope they didn't hate their lives too much. :)

 Landon posed himself for the Lifetouch photographer on his own.

 railroad tracks make for a great shot

 Cole, you had this coming!

this one has Cute written all over it. 

gap jeans ad

Being a Bridesmaid

No I have not had 27 dresses, only 2, but what fun dresses they were!

This past weekend was my second bridesmaid experience.  We spent the weekend in Asheville, NC among beautiful sunsets and great company.

 Leslie's tulips

 my beautiful college girlfriends

 beautiful Asheville sunset

 the beautiful bride before the wedding

the wedding party in front of a lovely local chapel



I've always been a sappy fan of weddings, but now they tend to be more nostalgic now that I am married.  I recall the morning of our wedding and the heightened emotions of walking down the aisle myself.  I am honored and blessed to be married to my groom.  I love the details and how a great wedding represents the bride and groom perfectly. 

 A few of my favorites from my bridesmaid days and some of our own special day. :)

 Lindsay's beautiful West Palm wedding

Lindsay's wedding party

it sure is fun to play princess for the day!



 Mr. & Mrs.

The happiest day of my life when I married my best friend!

New Addition

In love with our niece, Madi...

During our last trip to Florida, I got to meet Madison for the first time.  The baby fever is easy to catch when you're around this precious one!  Congratulations again to Lis and Aaron, who are wonderful parents.  After a few trial pictures, Madi turned on her inner model! 

Her gorgeous dark hair and large dark eyes made some beautiful shots. 

a moment with grandpa

 a diva already!

 family shot

 tiny toes!

 she's smilin!

 i love this moses basket

2011 Hopes

I believe I forgot I had a blog at one time, considering it's been months since my last post! What better time to revisit the site than now, in the start of the new year. It always takes me weeks to decide what aspects of my life I want to tweak, what relationships I want to build, and what areas I want to give more attention. You may call them resolutions, I like to see it more as a hope for the upcoming year. This post is more for myself, an accountability piece more than anything else. Read on to see
the things I ponder for 2011 ...



Personal growth... opening the box of my Canon Rebel opened a new world for me. This is the hobby/ talent I've always wanted to explore, but never had the chance. Taking advice from a friend, I'm not diving into formal training just yet, just experimenting! I learn best by seeing and doing, so this is the route I'm taking. I've been lucky with a few shots...
Some of my favorites so far:

Spiritual growth... is never "achieved", it's a constant realization of my humanity, and God's perfection. My only goal is to spend intentional time reading the word, asking the Lord to be a part of my day, my work, my relationships. Usually for me, this takes a thought-provoking book that challenges my self-centered world view and brings me back to who God is.

Relational growth... creating intentional time with people for the purpose of learning more about others and becoming more compassionate. Compassion stems from who God is and loving people. I consider myself a pretty compassionate person by nature. Sometimes in life, I notice my thoughts turn to judgment and cynicism. By spending time with current friends and creating others, I am more compassionate by default. If only we all could see through a lense that considers another first.



Professional growth... I am in the step in my career where I want to change the world, not just one child at a time, but many at once. This may be a desire placed on many teachers' hearts, or just the burderned few. I have explored, applied, and come to road blocks in my attempt to reach this next step. I don't know where this unsettled feeling will lead, but I do know I am constantly aware of what works and what does not work in public education. I'm learning how to trust God in this next step, either in movement, or in staying put. (Thanks Dad.)



Marital growth... In our second year of marriage, Sam and I don't have it all perfect, but we do some things very well. Daily, I am overwhelmed with my husband's heart and his eagerness to serve the Lord and others. I take him for granted more often than not. I'm realizing marriage is much more than cooking dinner, doing laundry, and date nights. Those we've got down pat. What takes our marriage from the superficial level to the intimate "oneness" is the intentional time sharing our hearts. My last "hope" is to create more opportunities for this time.

2011, come on in.

Amazing women in my life

My mom's birthday was this past weekend and it got me thinking how incredibly blessed I am to have such a wonderful Mom. Not only that, I have also been influenced and mentored by many amazing, talented women. This post is for them.

My momma- the reason I am who I am.

- My mom lead me into teaching. My mom has been a substitute, teacher assistant, and is now the school secretary. I grew up going to school on workdays, punching die cuts and cutting laminated things. I saw the hard work and dedication it took to be a teacher. Today, as a teacher, I hear myself say the things my mom said growing up. That's a good thing. I hope her compassion comes out of my words as I teach, inspire, and mentor my students.

- She always believed in me. There has never been a single thing my mom (and dad of course) didn't believe I could do. In fact, sometimes they think I can do more than I think possible to begin with! That's pretty incredible. I have 2 cheerleaders who are always on my side, encouraging me to be my absolute best in whatever I do. I guess that is why I am so driven.

- My mom loved me unconditionally. As a mother should... even in my terribly awkward years... or my mean, impossible to be around me years.... in the I'm too busy and cool for mom years.... and the emotional break down my life is falling apart years... and the "Mom, I'm getting married" years. She was there to add some quiet words of wisdom that spoke louder than anything else. She loved me, despite who I was at the moment. (Reminds me of God's love for me as well, I guess that's why he gave us parents to begin with.) Thank you Momma.

Pam Moyers- the reason I teach where I teach.

- Phenomenal teaching... because ALL kids can learn. I walked into Mrs. Moyers' classroom and saw this diverse group of little people. I was intimidated at first because this was so different than any school setting I grew up in, but after 2.5 seconds, I felt like part of her family of learners. I saw this amazing thing happen in that classroom that I will never forget- it didn't matter what color these children were or if they could read or not. What mattered was that they were important, they were learning, and they Loved it. For those 7 hours a day, their world was fun, intriguing, and wonderful with Mrs. Moyers. I wanted to be THAT teacher. I still do.

- She invested in ME. Mrs. Moyers took the time to help me with my college assignments. I would go to her house and she would review things with me, help me with job applications, reflection and preparation for student teaching. She is every student teacher's dream. Without her, I might still be in my Junior year of college, not sure where to go next!

- Last, Mrs. Moyers saw in me what no one else had taken the time to see before. As an educator, she saw in me what I saw in her. She saw the drive, the motivation, my love of kids and she pushed me. She would not let me slack or settle. She made me think and act like the educator I am today. Even now, when I am less than motivated, I think about how hard that small, petite woman works and how I have to keep up with her. She inspires me, still today. Thank you, Mrs. Moyers.

Susan Durham- she gave me my voice.

- When I was 10, I started taking voice lessons in Wake Forest with Susan. I had a natural talent, but didn't know what to do with it. I liked singing, I liked performing, but knew nothing beyond that. Susan started working with me and heard the Broadway voice come out. She helped me get my audition piece, head shot, and resume' ready for North Carolina Theatre auditions. Forget small local theatre, Susan made me start with the big dogs at the age of 11! My second audition with NCT was for Annie, & I made it. I had no idea what I was doing, but Susan was there every step. She would help me prepare my show pieces, my delivery, my presence, everything. For that show, and many more to follow.

- Tough love. I will never forget one vocal competition, I wasn't feeling well. It didn't matter. "Lindsey, you sing above your sickness. You have the ability, focus on your placement, and you can do it." She was right. Singing, performing, teaching, for the most part I can perform "above my sickness." Singers get sick a lot, so this is still a norm for me. But I listen to my body and know when to push it and when to stop. The lesson I learned was to fight for what I want. Don't just sit back and watch things happen around you. If you want it, go for it.

- With Susan's guidance, I began my college journey as a vocal major, (which later turned into a music minor and Elem. Ed major.) Susan would travel with me to my auditions, she was my coach, my cheerleader, my mentor. She sang "The Lord's Prayer" at our wedding last year, which was a dream come true. That day, her voice brought me chills and her heart brought tears to my eyes. Thank you Susan.

I am thankful, blessed, honored to have great people in my life throughout the years. Especially these three women. They have helped shape me into the woman I am today.