In Christ Alone...

"In Christ alone, my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song,

This cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My comforter, my All in All

Here in the Love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

Till on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His Body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious Blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of Hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His Hand

Till He returns or calls me Home

Here in the Power of Christ I'll stand"

Words by Stuart Townend

One of my all time favorite songs, these words are true and so encouraging to me. I look forward to Easter Sunday when we will remember what Christ has done for us. How wonderful and undeserved is His Love for us! Thank You Lord!

Dreaming about a trip to...

The Dillard House

Hey Soul Sista...

Recently, I've been thinking over and over about how much I love my sisters! We are absolutely crazy together. We give each other advice. We put food in each others' hair and pantz each other. We talk, text, and email. We've played basketball together, gone to school together, shared awkward moments, and helped each other brainstorm. They are my best friends, my partners in crime, my role models, my heros, my student : ), my email pals, my facebook stalkers, my competition, my roommates, and my dear sweet sisters! Together we've created countless memories. Some of my favs would have to be Dive on Dive, House- anywhere and anytime, Becky/Casey, Princess Diaries, Using mud & leaves to create a candy factory, our secret under the stairs hide out, getting food from Huddle House to feed the Dillard cats, CRaZy CaR RidES, Shopping trips, Tricking the babysitters, Youth camp, and so many more. The Lord was too kind to me when he gave me Chels, Mar, and Belle. I love every minute I get to spend with ya'll! It has always been my prayer for us to remain close. I now know no argument, distance, job, or boy could ever ruin our friendship. Those things will come, but we will always remain best buds. I wouldn't trade them for anything! I love you Chelsea Madison, Mary Noel, and Isabel Ivy. Alright so flowers because it feels like spring out but also because I thought of my sisters when I saw these pix!

Mary

Me

Isabel

Chelsea

Merry Christmas!

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord" Luke 2:11

And a huge thanks to Reaghan for taking these pictures for us. We love Fred!

  

This is what Laura has been up to recently. 

Alyssa

So Alyssa is one of the best people on the planet. She is always cheerful and rarely complains. She is smart, diligent, and loves her family. She goes regularly to serve with her Mom helping clean her grandparents' house. She loves parents and seeks to honor them with her actions. She excels in school, violin, and also plays a nasty game of basketball. She also is the highly sought after babysitter of many adorable children. And yet above all of these admirable things the most laudable of all is the way she seeks to honor God in all areas of her life. What a friend she has been to me and to so many girls. She is such a commendable example to those younger and older than herself. Her family is blessed to have a sister and daughter like her. Alyssa, what a true friend you have been to me. I thank the Lord often for you and wanted to wish you a wonderful fifteenth year! Love you and happy happy happy birthday! ---Laura

      ps...  a picture is coming as soon as i locate one

Alyssa,
Happy Birthday friend! Love you and hope you have a wonderful day.

Doing good

Thanks for all the prayers. I'm almost back to normal, except I still can't eat too much and thus I'm a little tired. God has once again revealed His faithfulness to me, and I'm amazed at how good and kind He is. I know He was so involved in every little detail and caused the surgeon to be able to say it went perfectly! Also a huge thanks to my Mom. She has served me day and night, making sure I was as comfortable as could be. And now she still is helping make my food and getting me special drinks and smoothies. I love her so much. I'm grateful to God for giving me the best Mom ever. 

Summer Favorites

Just a few of my favorite things...
---Our Gorgeous Enormous Sycamore in the front yard in the pouring rain
---Flip Flops
---Beach days: friends + the beach= fun fun fun
---Busch Gardens: It never ever gets old or boring to me
---Swimming at Reaghan's Pool
---Popsicles: basically there's no limit to how many you can have in our house
---Summer Basketball: Playing no matter what time of year is always fun and the same goes for cheering on the boys' team
---Having free time to spend with friends and family
---Shopping days with the sisters at Lynnhaven from 2-8: Lengthy and Wonderful
---Weddings: So much fun to dress up and celebrate with good friends
---Sunday Morning Worship: Something's a bit different in the summer
---Mickey D'S $1 Hot fudge Sundaes
---Parties and Cookouts
---And best of all... Absolutely NO SCHOOL!
And now once again fall is almost here and there are so many great things I'm looking forward to about it also. Totally different from summer, yet so much the same. Spending time with family and friends is always great, no matter what time of year it happens to be. Life is good.

Dillard... One of the best places on earth

Every summer our fam heads down to Dillard, Georgia. It's a small city in the north Georgia mountains. This year proved to be one of the best ever.

The original Dillard House was just a small bed and breakfast. This was the first building which is now home to a cute gift shop and some of the best food on the planet. The actual rooms we stay in, the Meadows, are long single story stone buildings with back porches, furnished with rocking chairs and an incredible display of God's handiwork. The pool has to be the best in the world for a number of reasons. First the view, second it's ten feet deep, third there's a sweet hot tub, and finally and probably best no lifeguards. Basically every bit of Dillard is gorgeous and our favorite part. What can we say? we love it! So maybe it's not all that great, but to us,  nothing could ever come close. Hope you enjoy the pics!

VICTORY!!!!!!!  

Summer Basketball

June 16th is our first game and we cannot wait!!!!!! We are playing at Portsmouth Christian at 6:00pm.