Good, it's Tuesday and I am going to bring you an excellent post!

This top ten is going to honor my most dedicated Top Ten Tuesday reader who at times is freakishly prompt at letting me know how many more minutes are ticking a way in my Tuesday before I have become a failure at NOT posting and top ten. But where would we all be without her? Well... let me just say that there would be a lot less top tens.



Why is she so superb?

Gab...

1. Fulfills my purpose of having nails. She lets me scratch her back every time I see her.
2. Is always up for pretty much anything. Spontaneous.
3. Appreciates Dairy Queen. I mean- anyone who orders a banana-strawberry-blueberry-raspberry blizzard is committed.
4. Gives great spiritual advice. She is a fountain of wisdom.
5. Listens. She lets you talk, and talk, and talk, but doesn't try to interrupt.
6. Lets out a big, appreciative laugh when she finds something funny. She does not hold back- she lets you know just how hilarious the situation is by the size of her laughter.
7. Always has something nice to say about someone.
8. Has successfully saved the Top Ten Tuesday endeavor.
9. Is crazy with me.
10. Is a lot of fun!

Comment if you appreciate Gab. Love you all! T

Here are some pictures of my newest nephew, Beau Richard. He was born last Friday night, 3 weeks early. He has had a few complications with oxygen levels because of how early he was, so if you could keep him in your prayers that would be great! Otherwise, he is a healthy baby boy who is what his name says- BEAUTIFUL!!







Love you all, T

One of the main reasons I am writing this Top Ten is because otherwise, I will get a furious e-mail from my most avid top-ten-tuesday reader demanding that I post something. So I better beat her to the chase before she sends me a log of how many times she has pushed "refresh" on my blog (which last time was close to 100). Reader- you know who you are.

Today's Top Ten is about Thanksgiving dinner (because I'm really hungry right now). You have to pick the one food item that you wouldn't mind EXCLUDING from the meal on Thanksgiving day if you had to pick one. Remember that you can always come back for seconds or thirds, so choose wisely. I mean, this IS Thanksgiving dinner and all, it's the one time that it's socially acceptable to eat as much as you want!

When you're done with that, then pick the one item that if it was the ONLY thing you could eat on Thanksgiving Day, you would choose.

1. Turkey
2. Mashed potatoes and gravy
3. Big, warm, cinnamon rolls with icing
4. Fruit salad (made with YOUR favorite fruit and topped with whipped cream)
5. Vegetables (broccoli with melted cheese, buttery corn, and salad)
6. A cold pasta salad (your favorite recipe)
7. Homemade pumpkin pie with whipped topping and Grandma's warm Apple Crisp with an ice cream scoop drizzled with caramel
9. Your favorite coffee blend
10. Silverware to eat the food with (I know that obviously this isn't a food item, but I needed another obvious "keeper" because I'm running out of ideas. If any of you choose this option, I'm coming to your house and stealing all of your silverware on Thanksgiving Day because I want to see how you think you could pull this off.)

Love you all, and we have much to be thankful for! God Bless, T

Per GR's request, I am going to conduct a Top Ten Tuesday. Seeing as it is Halloween, let's stick with that topic...

You must pick the costume that you most likely would, at your current age, pick to dress up as and go trick-or-treating in if a big group of your friends decided to go.

Top Ten Halloween Costumes
1. The color white
2. A giant bowl of popcorn
3. Beast from "Beauty and the Beast"
4. Big Bird
5. A rainbow
6. An elephant
7. Lloyd
8. a blue M&M
9. Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon
10. A Christmas tree

Pick one... just one, now. I know the choies are good, so try to narrow it down. :) I had the help of some of my friends in coming up with the choices. Vote away, and have a great day!

Love you all. T

I rolled over in bed this morning and glanced out the window, only to let an overwhleming sense of bright sunny blue envelope me and tempt me to get up. If I was a crowd of people watching fireworks, I would have "Ooed" and "Ahhed" about the amazing contrast of the vivid orange and yellow leaves against the Fall day sky. My joy was not yet over...


After a bowl of Golden Grahams, I took my camera outside to finish a photo lighting assignment, but I couldn't resist. I grabbed my Canon and begtan snapping away, capturing close-ups of the Fall flowers prospering in my mom's garden. The aroma of pumpkin was evident in the air, and the crisp day cooled me and allowed for a very refreshing feeling as I made my rounds in the backyard.

I felt in my element as I shot photographs of flowers. There is something about zooming in so deeply on a tiny little colorful flower and bringing vibrance and life to its presence that would have never been captured with a scanning, un-assuming eye. I thrive off of bringing something spectacular out of ordinary objects. It is my passion, not only with flowers but with any picture. I often look out the window of my car and see scenery and objects in terms of pictures rather in terms of what is really there.

Photography brings for me an outlet, and it's an important one, because it lets me capture memories and visuals. The other day, someone said to me, "I noticed you take A LOT of pictures. I think that's great-- but, what are you going to do with all these pictures when you're older?"


I love questions like these! I told her that first and foremost, it is essential for me to take pictures in order to liven memories. Often, if I don't take a picture of the event, I don't remember it very well. Pictures allow me to "re-live" the exciting times again and again, and this reinforcement in my mind helps my memory. Also, I don't just print my pictures and then let them sit and collect dust in shoe boxes. I hang them up, share them, give them away, print them in bigger sizes to be framed, archive them in albums, use them in movies, and sometime in the hopeful near future, sell them.


I am not going to school to be a photographer. I feel like it comes as more of a hobby to me, and it is there to enhance and add to what I AM learning about- media, design, and communication.

I thank God for His beautiful creation, from everything to the tiniest flower to the most vivacious and friendly person. It is all picture-worthy, and the beauty of it is owed to Him!

I love you all, T

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

A good perspective to keep...

Day by day, we are being RENEWED on the inside. When we die, what will we take with us? What will count? Where do we spend most of our time... nurturing the materials that will burn and rot away, and that will not accompany us to Heaven, or practicing and bearing fruit that will produce for us treasure in Heaven?

Love you all, T

My blog is stale.

I have let it sit in the cupboard too long, and now it is dull, flavorless, and ignored.

It has been awhile since I last posted because my time is precious these days, and unforunately, or perhaps fortunately, blogging has fallen to the bottom of the to-do list.

Today started off cloudy and cold, and has now developed into a blue sky beauty. My spirits are high because my afternoon class has been cancelled, which frees up a whole afternoon for me to enjoy. I just finished peanutbutter and honey with banana slices on toast, all while talking to room mates and friends and listening to jazz.

Since it just so happens to be a Tuesday, I am going to throw in a Top Ten for everyone...

On Monday night, we had game night at the Willow House (new name for the previous T House + Steph and Abby). We started off with a couple of board games and ended up bringing the whole group together at the end for a game of "I Have Never." Most of you know that this game is played by starting someone off in the center who says, "I have never..." and then fills in the blank with something they have never done. Everyone who is seated who HAS done this must get up and find a new seat, all while the person in middle frantically tries to find a free space to sit down. One person will always end up in the middle, and then has to make a new "I have never" statement. This is one of those games that is fun to play, sometimes even aggressive, but really has no end goal or final winner other than someone brave enough to say, "I have never been so sick of this game" and ends it.

Anyway, my theme for Top Ten will be 10 "I have never..." statements by myself, and you can all pick one that you HAVE done and tell a story about it. Essentially, we are playing the blog version of the game. Except that you don't have to worry about finding a seat.

I have never...

1. Been to Hawaii

2. Received a speeding ticket

3. Enjoyed mushrooms, olives, or seafood

4. Had younger siblings

5. Gone sky diving or rocky mountain climbing

6. Had permanantly straight hair

7. Missed a trip to DQ in the summer

8. Lived without a pet cat

9. Seen Forrest Gump all the way through

10. Been to Heaven, but someday I will go there...

Love you all. T