Calm in the midst of uncertainty

It's Friday. Finally the end to a week that has turned my world upside down with uncertainty, confusion and fear. 
Right now, I'm sitting at my desk drinking my coffee and a thousand thoughts are running though my head.
Though there is only one that has resonated above all the others and it has kept me calm when I was so uncertain. 


"God has always kept me safe, there is no need to live life in fear but only to live life that I may glorify Him."


So the first steo I take in living my life in order to glorify HIM is that I simply keep moving. I keep pressing on knowing that the Lord is watching over me with every step I take.  


Yes, I will admit right now I am feeling uncertain about what is going to happen next. 
I'm confused. 
I'm catching myself asking....why? And I know those feelings are normal; I am a human being with emotions just like everyone else. God made us emotion filled people. 
On the other hand, I'm not going to let those negative emotions run my life, not going to let them stop me because God is the center of my life. Even through the trials, the uncertain times He is there guiding me; giving me the hope of all the good that will come out of this. HE leads my life and HE is where my hope lies. HE is my strength that keeps me going everyday.   

Summer Heat

A typical North Carolina summer would best be described as Hot, Humid, sticky Heat. If it is a good day there might be a breeze.
Stepping outside feels like stepping into a giant sauna.
Some days it is simply unbearable and the only thing that you want to do is sit in a cool place and read a book while eating cold fruit with ice cream.

It has been like that especially this past week, WARNING: Heat index over 105 degrees,
and it is not stopping until maybe next week.
Waking up with motivation to get ready and walk to work has been lacking this week but I push on anyways.

So as I walk to and from work multiple times a day, I am reminded about what my army husband tells me everyday...
                  "Hydrate or die Lori, Hydrate or die!"
Thus I proceed to fill up my Camelback when I get to work and rehydrate myself for the next walk home.

Wonderful Wedding Weekend

Wonderful Wedding Weekend is a perfect way to describe this past weekend for Jonathan, I and Beth.
Yes, I included the puppy.
Anyways, we went down east to Pink Hill, NC for Stephen and Nichole's wedding, Jonathan's uncle. If you are unfamiliar with this area of NC, like I was, it is essentially out in the middle of no-where with the only thing around you is farm land.
I actually loved the scenery, it was a nice change from the busy Greensboro.

The wedding was beautiful, simple and the bride was gorgeous! The ceremony had a personal touch to it with the music and the vows spoken to each other which made it special and unique. I will be honest, there were some tears streaming down my face.
Although the best part that made it personal was that the arrived at the reception in a John Deere tractor!
"That is how you do an entrance in the country."
Need I say more? I think not.

The reception was a ton of fun!
First, a full dinner of classic eastern North Carolina barbecue was served with plenty of sweet tea.
As for the dessert, Linda and I enjoyed the display of cakes that we could chose from! Nichole had a unique idea of having a separate cake for each herself, Stephen and Ean that they use for the cake cutting. As for the rest of the guests, there were many homemade cakes of varying flavors made my the ladies in their church. It was a great idea and super tasty! :)

The rest of the night was filled with dancing! There was music that suited everyone's taste and the duo performing was pretty good! I must tell you, the pastor who performed the ceremony was also the keyboard player at the reception!
Jonathan and I got a kick out of that.
Just simply couldn't believe it.
Dancing was fun, especially because Jonathan agreed to dance with me. It was special moment for me and I was so happy. :)

Congratulations Stephen and Nichole! May God be the center of your marriage and may you always cherish each other.

It's been awhile....

Last night, my brother and sister reminded me that I haven't blogged in a long time.
It disappointed them.
I know, I am truly sorry for being gone too long.
I will work on getting better at keeping it up.
For the record, I have missed having the time to blog.

Lately, it has been crazy busy for me and Jonathan especially since Beth came along. Research has kicked up and is seriously in full swing for me, which means long days at work and not much time in the evening. Jonathan is working long hours and recently just started an online summer class.
Though through the craziness of the busy days, we have been able to take some time for ourselves.

For the Fourth of July, we went on vacation to the beach in Norfolk, VA with some friends of ours. It was a blast being able to just relax on the beach, eat fresh seafood outside with a beautiful ocean view, have some play time at the water park and simply enjoy one another's company. It was what we both really needed :)

Also this weekend, we are headed out of town again. Not for a vacation but to celebrate Jonathan's uncle getting married! It will be a beautiful wedding for sure and it will be nice to spend some time with family.

Don't worry pictures will be taken! (I have to make up with this weekend because I forgot to bring my camera charger to the beach.....oops!)

Dreaming

Jonathan is watching NBA basketball Finals and I'm dreaming about what it would be like to be a photographer?

Dreaming of being the one who is able to capture the beauty around us that is God's creation.
One who is able to capture the breathtaking moment that is history but also the details of the simple moments that make up everyday life.
One who is able to capture the personal emotion of someone in a single moment and in that, be able to ensue the same emotion on all who see it.

Original photo courtesy of: Dina Spencer Photography

Though for me it is only a dream.
For right now I simply enjoy giving the photos a unique, distinct flavor such as the wedding photo above taken at our wedding.
I simply enjoy giving the photos a unique, personal story that I can retell later on in life.

Thai Fried "Rice"

Back to the kitchen I go! It has been nice cooking my own food again since the trip. I seriously get TIRED of eating out all the time. It gets boring fast.
Anyways, some nights consisted of just the normal go-to recipes because of what we got from the grocery but Monday night was a different story.
I did my own concoction of Thai fried "rice" and I must say it turned out good!
Very Proud of myself.
Yes, indeed.
Why is rice in quotes? Because I didn't actually use brown rice or even white rice, I used quinoa.

Quinoa is a psuedograin crop, not in the same family as grains or cereals. It has a high protein content, good source of essential amino acids and dietary fiber. From the look of it, it resembles brown rice and the taste is a nutty flavor when cooked. Similar to rice so that it works well as a good substitute. The plus side is that one cup of uncooked quinoa feeds 8 servings and cooks in only 15 minutes!
I love that it is fast, very healthy for you and it tastes good!

Well, Monday night I had leftover quinoa and thus I wanted to use it somehow. I already had planned to grill thai chicken along with roasted bell peppers and carrots.....my favorite!.....but I needed more flavor to the meal. My taste buds were craving it.
I looked up some simple fried rice recipes on All Recipes and found a base I could work from and went from there. (Note: Fried rice is best cooked with leftover rice, not fresh cooked rice.)

It didn't take long. It smelled great while cooking. Jonathanand I both liked it and I think the puppy wanted some as well! She kept watching us as we were eating. Her eyes were saying: "Feed me some please, I want something different than dry puppy food!" 
Sorry Beth, no table scraps for you. 
Though, for humans, I highly recommend buying some quinoa and trying out your favorite rice recipe. You won't be disappointed, I promise. :)

I'm a proud sister

It's been a busy week and weekend since Jonathan and I returned from Charleston! It started with having to restock the apartment with food, get Beth back from our friend who was watching her, she has grown so much in that one week time frame. Then it was trying to establish a routine of getting to work early with the addition of a puppy. Still working on that one. At the end of all that, there were parties to attend which included lots of good food, friends and family.

We were partying because.....
First, my youngest brother Mark graduated from high school on Thursday! He is now heading off to NC State to pursue a degree in Graphic Design from the College of Design.  Mark has grown up into a great man who has a love for Christ, a love for ALL people, a love for his family, but most importantly he has a servants heart. Mark has been blessed with an artistic gift that simply amazes me every time he puts his paintbrush to the canvas. The result is simply beautiful, simple, yet complex. He sees every detail in the picture he is recreating- may it be from a photograph, a landscape or just what he sees through his eyes which is equality, joy, love, hope, hurt, struggle, and the beauty of God's creation.
I know he will be great and do great things in the future wherever God may lead his life. I am so proud of him!

Then, my oldest brother John, who just got recently ordained, is now a head pastor of a church in Lexington, NC. This is a great accomplishment for him and a huge stepping point in his life. I am so proud of him!

Also, my brother-in-law, Daniel turned thirteen on May 21st! We celebrated his birthday like last year where lots of his friends come over and play air-soft war against Jonathan and I cook the fabulous cookies for the boys and the family. [Air-soft war is not the same without the real-life Soldier, Jonathan! :)]
 I have been blessed with in-laws who love and support me just like my family does. It has been fun watching Daniel grow up since I have known him and I look forward to watching him grow up into the man that God wants him to be. I am proud to be Daniel's sister-in-law!