Perky Goes Foxy-Style

Ya'll. SOOO Proud of my friend Patrick Ryan Clark. He was featured on Good Day Fox this morning playing his new single, "What Was I Fighting For." Check it out below and way to go Perky!!! Jeremy and Phil, mad props to you too - you both rocked it.

Patrick Ryan Clark Plays Good Day: MyFoxDFW.com

1. Buy this homie's CD. It's truly awesome.
2. Come to the CD Release Party Tuesday nigh, 7pm, watermark. Git on iiyut.

Like Heaven.

Oh. My. Gosh.

A friend at work showed me this the other day. I it's from like a kid talent show on a hispanic channel. It gave me goosebumps. What presence and apparent love for Jesus this kid has! Watch and get goosey.

Unbroken

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is quite possibly the most astounding and fantastically convicting book I have ever read. I beautiful portrayal of a war that infected not just a few years of soldiers' lives, but entire lifetimes. Laura Hilldebrand's ability to plant the reader in the middle of the action, I believe, is unparalleled. Amidst the pages I was brought to tears, disgusted, despondent, convicted and surprised with joy. I have been changed by this book.



View all my reviews

Bella Cita.

In May we got to go to Italy. With our child. And I died for a minute and visited heaven. The only word I can use to describe how I felt that trip was: Full. Just, full. Throw in an "Are you kidding me?" and "Is this really happening?" and you get the trip. Oh plus over 24 hours in a plane with a 9 mo and 15 mo old. Want to know what jet lag does to an infant? Call me. But that part was WORTH IT.

Anyhoo, I just want to share a few pictures from the trip.


The view over Rome from our hotel. It was the final stop on our trip.

Lunch w/the Fam at San Gimingnano. Home of bella ceramica. :)



Smiley pants.
Views from our 5 yr. Anniversary Dinner in San Gimingnano.
Pretty much just unforgettable.

Below: The Colleseum in Rome

Love the ruins and how they just keep digging deeper to find more cities.

We took a day trip to Florence. This experience might have been the most surreal. You know when you just get really overwhelmed at all the roads the Lord has taken you down, and where you end up? Like for me, I got to study here as a college student, and figure out what kind of woman I was becoming. Then I returned while Ryan and I were dating, to determine what kind of man I might marry. After we were married, we came for our 1 year anniversary, and I showed him the places I prayed for him and the places I found myself. Now, 4 years later, we bring our daughter - walking around the museums and seeing tapestries of God's handiwork, I'm anxious and prayerful about the journey He has planned for her. How quickly does everything seem to come full cirlce!

We stayed at Castello di Casole, a place that is equal to perfection.

The view from Mom and Dad's porch.

I love my brother and his wife. This is where she told us she was pregnant with Mac Baby #2!

Above - Ryan and Dad having 'man time.' :)

Prende un cafe on Piazza della Uffizi Nacionale

Mac's thinking spot.



Mac's other thinking spot. :)

Daddy - Davey time in Piazza della Republica

Lunch at Hotel Savoy. Cool Italian High chairs!

The fam.

Daddy needed some new italian shoes-DC was happy to assist. :)

on the ponte vecchio

An amazing trip that will never be forgotten.

Bad Momma. And a recap.

OOoooooh heavy sigh.

I look around blog-land for the first time in MONTHS and I just....feel....whatevs. So behind. A horses' patoot. As my giggly little NINE MONTH OLD crawls around on the floor beneath me, I realize it's been a solid 4 months since I have had time to dedicate to this blog.

Culprit #1 - WORK. It's picked up, and as much as I would love to only fill my days with Arboretum and Acquarium visits, work just kinda took over.

Culprit #2 - Performance anxiety. Even tho' the purpose of this blog is to keep family and friends updated as well as make up for what is best described as a horrid lack of scrapbooking skills, I still felt like I was letting 'someone' down. The further I got away, the harder it got. Who is the someone you ask? The proverbial 'world wide web'? Who the stink even knows. However, beauteous pics are loaded, my heart is ready and 'update' I shall.

Some cute pics from Davey at 2 months old. Love her chub face. These actually ARE from the arboretum, but hey, I was still on maternity leave. :)
Some Thanksgiving 4 month pics. Had a little photo shoot at the Nixons.

Fuzzy 5 mo. Christmas pic. I love having kiddies in late summer because their monthly milestones are on and around fun holidays.

5 months. Maybe one of my most delightfully favorite baby Davey pics.

6 month non-profesh pic.
6 month profesh pic. Amazing sweet and talented Matt Norine. Check out his photo blog.
8 month pic. How could this little pumpkin ever get in trouble? Woo meee? :)
9 Month pic. This one just so happens to be standing in front of a vineyard on the Tuscan countryside. Like the real one. We're not talking Olive Garden here, folks. :) You might think I'm crazy to put an 8 1/2 month old on an airplane for over 10 hours. I would actually tend to agree with you. Hee. But you tell me. If given the opportunity to go to God's chosen country, would you move mountains to make that happen? Uh huh. Thought so. Me too. So we did, and it was so worth it! Me thinks that is going to be the next post. Who knows, I could totally get on a role with this again. That is my hopeyest hope.

Thanks for the 'couragement. More to come. 9 months will not be caught up on, but little tidbits would just be wrong to not be recounted.

I will wait for you.

If you have ever worked in youth ministry, which I have for many moons now, you encounter the phenomenon known as the high school female. If you encounter high school girls, you just....really don't ever know what you are going to get. One day you are BESTIES forevs, the next she wishes she never laid eyes on you and you are either a) extremely uncool or b) ruining her life. (Insert plea to the Lord to freeze Davey Cate all together or just simply skip over pre-teen years.)


Anyhoo, one thing that is inherent not just to females in exponentially hormonal years (aka teens) but all ages is: the desire to be loved. To find the one. To be known, and pursued, cared for and treasured. At times the struggle of the female, be it highschool or otherwise, is to settle. To gratify the desires of the flesh for fear that God isn't really the best author of their lovestory.


I found something amazing. Better believe DCN and I will be sitting down to watch this during those years of, "God - are you out there? Is HE out there?" He is, and he is. My prayer today is if you are in a similar situation, that you trust the first, and wait patiently for the second.

Great Grandmas.

They are just the absolute best. Different in every way, but delightful both the same.

Mia bella Nonna - Grandma.
My dad's mom. She is spunky, full of more zest in life then you can shake a stick at, still does water aerobics religiously, and is full of PASSION - for food, family, friends, and great-grans. :) She is my Italian side through and through.
Mamaw - Momo.
My mom's mom. I just absolutely decree you are not going to find a more beautiful gentlewoman on the planet. She is well-loved and respected by any person she comes across. She and Papaw have the longest list of friends I know, and I'm convinced you won't find a more regal woman on the planet.

Love you ladies.