Sweet Oregon Coast

It wouldn't feel right to come to Oregon, and not make a trip up to the coast. It's one of my favorite places in the world!

It was a beautiful day...which is somewhat unusual for the coast. It can get pretty rainy (though that has its charm too I guess), so we were all happy for a little TLC from the sun!

Florence

Adorable little coffee shop in Florence. That's my Grandma right there!

Coffee with Bapa.

Uncle Mike wanted to make sure I remembered this sign. :)

Nye Beach up at Newport

This is true Oregon!

Grandma and Bapa. Love you two!

Question of the day:

What one place is a must visit for you in the Summer?

I love you Dad!

Happy Father's Day! Just a few ways my dad has changed my life...

Dad's taught me not to be afraid of adventure.

He's taught me how to work hard.

He's taken me to see new things, and visit new places.

He is an amazing teacher. I've learned so much from him.

He's always encouraged me to be fully girl... and he's not afraid to take me shopping, or be my dance partner at a ball either!

Dad, you're amazing! Thank you for the love you've shown me for 17 years. Thank you for all the adventures we've been on together, and for the memories we've made. I love you so much!

He's married!

My brother is married!!!!!!!

Introducing...

Mr. Tyler and Lara Patty!! 

It was just such a beautiful wedding. From start to finish. I loved every minute of it. I don't have many pictures yet, but when I do I'll be sure to post them. I only got these few from my mom, so the rest will have to come later. The pictures will be amazing though! Lara was a gorgeous bride, and Tyler, a beaming groom! What a joyous day. 

I think this Instagram photo is from Mel E.- thank you for it! :)

And of course, I got some good time with my brothers too! I'm so thankful for them. What a blessing it is to have strong men of God to walk in front of me, and to set the path. And I'm so happy that now I can share at least one of my brothers with another girl- his wife!! Ahhh...so weird, and awesome to say that. :)

Caleb will be working all summer, but I'll still seeing him in a couple of weeks at the camp he's working at in Michigan. I'm thankful for that too, because I wouldn't have wanted to say goodbye to him at the wedding! 

So... now I have a sister-in-law! I love it. My first "official" sister... though I've said I have a lot of "adopted" sisters in Christ already. It's still been fun to tell people I have a real sister-in-law. :) Pretty exciting. What happy times!

Pre-wedding!

We're here in Chattanooga!

Planning, rehearsing, last-minute shopping, manicures, and dress fittings. It's all so new to me! But really fun. A little overwhelming at times (can't imagine what it's like for Lara and Tyler!), but delightful. The wedding really is going to be beautiful on Friday.

This is the first time we've met Lara's family, but we love them already! It's been great getting to know her side of the family, and see what her life is like here. I definitely like this whole thing of gaining a new family member! :)

Blown Away

By what? No, by whom. Yep, by Him.

This week was tough. I had a final (or other important test) every day this week, sometimes two, and on top of that said good-bye to Caleb. I felt like God really had His hand over me though. I was sad, and sometimes stressed, but at the same time, I felt God's peace like a waterfall over me. I knew I wasn't alone.

Little things are incredible to me. God doesn't have to bless me at all, but he chooses to. It is so humbling. Even today in as little of a thing as grades in the two tests I wrote, He gave me a huge gift. I was so not expecting to do well on the tests, but He took care of them. And I knew it was Him, because 1. I had prayed for His covering over it, and 2. There was no way I could have done that in my own strength...I was at the end of my own strength.

God always surprises me. He really cares. He cares about us even at school, even when traveling, even through sweet notes from friends. He even cared about having a night out with my parents last night to celebrate the last day of school (we leave today to Prague, and on Sunday to the States). It was weird not having Caleb there, but it really marked the start of our new family "setting"-- me being the only kid at home. But it was special, in it's own way. I think this year will be good.

I had a little extra time this morning, because two of our classes were cancelled (also a blessing, because I got extra studying in), and this song came to my mind as I prepared for school. It captures God's love and closeness.

Audrey Assad: Sparrow (an old hymn that she made new)

Well, this is it. I'm done with my third year of high-school. One more left! Thank you God for being there for me this whole year. You're amazing.