July 30th, 1983...

Two people promised to be faithful in a covenant relationship before God. 

I've seen the rough times, the joy-filled times. The hurt and the forgiveness. I marvel, through it all, at what God can do through two lives, united as one, and surrendered to Himself.

My dad serenades my mother with love songs in the evenings, my mom writes special notes to tuck inside his lunch. Biking together, praying together, it's a by-your-side kind of relationship. Seriously, this is the kind of love you don't see everyday.

30 years later I hear this...


Dad *walking in the door from work*: "Queen! The highlight of your day has arrived!"Mom: "You better believe it!"

I love them. So much.

"Two are better than one,

Because they have a good reward for their labor.

¹⁰ 

For if they fall, one will lift up his companion...

¹¹ 

if two lie down together, they will keep warm;

But how can one be warm alone?

¹² 

Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.

And a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Sisters

Beasley girls.

We started out with two... And we're gaining quickly. 

But that's to be expected with seven brothers. 

Yes. I love each one of them.

They add a unique dimension to our ever-growing family. Not only providing me with adorable nieces and nephews, but also with the cherished gift of friendship. 

{Abby, on the left, is no longer adorably pregnant. The world, and our family, was gifted with yet another little Beasley boy. Pictures to follow.}

Sometimes life finds you...

...as a nurse in WWII.

...marveling in the little things in life, like pink shoes on the wrong feet.

...teaching piano lessons to three amazing little kids, for the last time.

...with sweat rolling down your face, in the middle of a Crossfit workout.

...witnessing in downtown Wichita, KS.

...roadtripping, getting lost, drinking Jamocha shakes and laughing all the while.

And then life keeps going. You stop to smile and look back at the pictures that make up oodles of memories. And pretty soon life finds you running again. quite literally...

my very first 5k. cold turkey. loved it.

...holding an itty bitty baby nephew for the first time. 

and time gave me a favor and stood still. for .098 seconds

...out thrift shopping with friends. 

{birthdays for the win!}

...sitting at the table, surround by the people you love the most. and who love you the most.

Life. My strange, crazy, unpredictable, fabulous, beautiful, messy life. 

once I stop to catch my breath maybe I'll post something worth reading. but pictures are better anyways.

Have a lovely Saturday {or whatever day it is.}

View From My Window

Barefoot. Blonde. Boy.

In celebration of this gorgeous weather we decided to clean! Windows, closets, bookshelf dust... the whole works. This little darling was standing under my window. Cuteness personified. But I'm biased. Judge for yourself!

Just breath, and look at pictures.

Sometimes right in the middle of life. Right when you think your mind is going to explode with everything that needs to be done. Right when you think that you've gotten yourself into a knot so tight... stop. Just breath. And look at pictures. And remember all the fabuous things that make you smile.

Be grateful. There is waaaayyyy more to be thankful about than you think. Try it.

When I do it, like I am right now...  I wind up pinching myself to make sure it's real. And it is.
It's not a dream. It's my life.

-Just few 'smilers'-

brothers chatting outside my window

yummy suppers cooked by sisters

rainy days that make the inside so cozy

red mango with the friend

those random happy texts from friends

curly hair that drives me crazy

little niece's giggles

green grass -- the result of the rain

I spent a whole weekend with these fabulous people. Yep. For reals.

We jam-packed so much into 72 hours, it's amazing any of us came out alive. Look at pictures. Cuz they're cool. and I like them. Check out our page on FaceBook too. 

I spent 10 days in Honduras. And I miss my "cooker ladies"! I would visit them. And they would make me snacks. and laugh at me. and love me.

These kids took a part of my heart and ripped right out of me. The way they smiled. The way they were enamored with blues eyes... they way they loved without reserve.

I miss them.

And I'm grateful to be sandwiched in the middle of a bunch of boys with this girl. Yes, it was karaoke at our house that night. Too much fun. Honest.

  

And every day after work I come home to this place. 

A wonderful house. 

But more than that... a wonderful family.

I love my life. And I love the ones in it. 

What random things are you grateful for this lovely rainy evening?

A Little Over a Year Ago...

...I was out of breath, my quads were on the brink of giving out, my lungs were exploding and I honestly felt like I was going to die.

I looked up at the rocky mountain I was climbing. I looked down at the snow and rocks, the narrow path that had just cost me everything I had. My brothers gave me some advice "It's optional going up, but going down is mandatory." Then I heard these words "Anna, you didn't come all this way to turn around without reaching the top..."

I gathered every ounce of strength I could muster, and shouted "I'm not giving up! Let's GO!"

Every.step.hurt. I felt like crawling into a crevasse and sleeping. forever. But no. My brothers were waiting, ready to press upward. I couldn't let them down. I didn't sit in a jam-packed car, drive all across the flat Nebraska to Colorado and spend countless dollars on gear and supplies to just turn around.

I willed my body forward.

Every thought concentrated on the next step.

And then it happened. I reached the top. of the WORLD. {or so it felt to me}

All my weariness fled. An unexpressable sense of joy welled within me and escaped my mouth in a shrill scream! And I wasn't the only one. My brother did his victory dance on the top of the mountain. The air resounded with shouts of triumph.

That moment on top of the mountain - it's a moment I will never forget.

Write-Up Wednesday {Love Does}

Love Does by Bob Goff
Living a secretly incredible life in an ordinary world

Love.

What even is love? We talk aobut it. Watch movies about it. Sing and dance about it. Sometimes we tend to carelessly throw the word around like it's just a small feeling that comes when you see something cute that you really, really, want!

Love Does will take your view of love, flip it upside down, shake it all around and return to you one of the most exciting and do-able things in life. It doesn't matter your age, race, tall, short, smart, dumb... you can start to do the gift of love.

But here's another word to think about;

Whimsey.

Whimsey, you say. What is whimsey? An oldfashioned word that is rarely used. Almost extinct from our vocabulary. But it's one that is artfully woven through this dynamic book. Story after story is told. Stories that will leave you teary-eyed, or rolling on the floor with your gut cramping from laughing so hard.

Join Bob Goff, an ordinary man with an insane gift for writing in a way that keeps you smiling, flipping pages and thinking "surely this guys life is just a piece of fiction..." But it's not. I called him and talked with him on the phone. No joke.

Bob will challenge you stop writing and thinking but start doing.

Love Does. Love is action. It's the little things in life. Love can reach anybody, anywhere. Anyone can feel it and anyone can do it. This book even takes things a step further. You have dreams? Do them. Stop planning and starting acting.

Instead of writing long paragraphs and delving into complicated greek words, Bob speaks everyday english and tells stories of everyday, ordinary people. But jam-packed through the words and hilirious tales is truth. Truth about love. Truth about how Jesus Himself demonstrated the mysterious and wonderful word.

So stop thinking about it. Buy it. Read it. And leave a comment on how it changed your view of love.




And 100% of the proceeds from his book go to his ministry in Uganda. Read more about it!