smitten

we are smitten with God's love. 

God is smitten with our love. 

God is love. love never fails. 

love, love. love. love. love... i love love. you can love love, right? 

i do. love love, that is. 

smitten: a heavy blow, affect sharply with great feeling. 

i was struck by His love so powerfully that it knocked me right off my feet. i have been swept off my feet.

He's a God like that... a sweep you off your feet kind of loving God. 

sacrificial love 

the Roman empire ruled the world that Jesus was born into. a world without love... 

-infanticides (newborn killings) were a norm (because of poverty, human sacrifice, burdensome) 

-children abandonment (wild packs of children would roam the streets... not uncommon. These were the children most likely that Jesus said... let the little children come to me. they were outcasts, unwanted and unloved. that was normal) 

-sick & elderly were left in the elements to die (normal and very common) 

- none of the Roman gods or goddess were portrayed as having compassion or sympathy. 

-entertainment was watching people kill each other in the coliseums

this was the world that Jesus lived in. this was the world the early church had to live in. 

the love that the early church displayed completely revolutionized the world (literally) 

love isn't always convenient and some times it's not even comfortable. 

Jesus said to His disciples.... "by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (john 13:35)  

it's our heritage. it's who we are. the birth of christianity.

if we want to change the world... it starts with us. one sacrificial act of love at a time!!! 

Acquire the Fire was amazing. I took Madison & we had a great time. It's a youth conference. Madison loved it & I got a lot from it too. It got snowed out half way through. bad news. the good news is that we get free admission into 2 other upcoming conferences. we're excited. 

my parents had to come in Big Red (my dad's big ol' truck) to get us. It was quite the adventure. i forgot to get gas on the way down so we couldn't keep the car on for very long. we ended up sitting in the cold for about an hour. when my parents got there I had them follow me to my schools parking deck (right around the corner) because the deck I was in was pay per hour.... just to get around the corner & realize my school deck was closed. no way I was making it onto the interstate or off that particular road for that matter. Hercules (my dad) some how parallel parked my car in a cozy little spot downtown. He was slipping and sliding all over the placed. He finally had enough, got out & physically pushed the rear end into place... hence the nickname Hercules. 

SO my car is currently in the city, with no gas. poor little thing... & no doubt completely piled with snow from all of the street plowers. 

Thankfully school is closed tomorrow (for me & the girls). I will head down there some time this week with my shovel & gas can.... good times.

Acquire the Fire... fantastic times. 

This was a shot I took on the way home in big red. this was the interstate. i lost count of how many vehicles were in the ditch. we don't get much snow so when we do... this is what happens. 

2010 Photo Journal- Week 4

Week 4

day 22

me in va

busy night at the movies

more fun with shutter speed

drea in fl

A snuggly morning

Taken because it was a wet and foggy morning. So we were hanging in our jammies watching the Disney channel.

day 24

me in va

tiny baby bottles

taken at my cousin's baby shower

drea in fl

Oh my chocolate

Taken because Ethan was tearing into a chocolate doughnut like he was expecting to find money in the middle. LOL.

day 24

me in va

toofers

I had my nose in the books ALL day except for church. I submitted my 1st ethics exam this day. This sweet little thing kept crawling up on the kitchen chair to say hello.

drea in fl

Mi amore

Taken on our trip to Manatee Park. Enjoying our family day together before he had to go back to Sarasota.

day 25

me in va

split peas

made split pea soup for dinner

mmm

drea in fl

Moseying along

Taken because this old man was adorable and he is obviously wise enough to take his time and enjoy his stroll.

day 26

me in va

buttons and thread 

one of my goals this year is to learn how to sew (the right way)

drea in fl

The chime of time

Taken at Edison State College because this clock tower chimes the coolest songs, including Jimmy Buffet. This always puts a smile on my face, amidst a stressful school day.

day 27

me in va

Liv and the clothespin girl 

olivia made this for her missionettes teacher at church

drea in fl

Gumption

Taken because this man is 100 years old, yet he has the gumption to row that boat around the lake every single day.

day 28

me in va

we took a stroll to the playground

drea in fl

Rugged athlete

Taken while Ethan was kicking around a giant soccer ball like a little pro, and so serious too.


see all 2010 Photo journal posts here 

no boys for this little girl

Olivia: mommy, guess what two boys in my class told me today!

Me: What babe? 

Olivia: They both said they L-I-K-E-D me. 

Me: Really? What do you think about that? 

Olivia: I think I don't like it. 

Me: Why not? 

Olivia: Because I am not allowed to have a boyfriend. That's what I told them. I think you should have a chat with their mommies. 

That's my girl. 

2010 Photo Journal- Weeks 1-3

back to blogging :) YAY. The past 3 weeks have been great. We have some exciting stuff coming up this year... but I'm sure I'll be blogging about that soon. For now I have LOTS of pictures to share.

Inspired by this I decided to join the Project 365 challenge. 1 photo a day everyday for 365 days. Fun huh? One of my goals this year is to become a better photographer. Practice makes perfect, right?

Inspired by this I decided to do the challenge with my friend in Florida. I miss her so much. We thought this would be a great way to stay connected. We've been sharing our photos through email & I do feel closer to her. It's nice pretending we don't have about 1,000 miles between us.

I'll share my photos daily (or as daily as possible) on my Flickr stream & she is sharing hers daily on her Facebook page. I'll post ours together here weekly.

Meet Drea:

"I'm a pretty busy person. I'm married and have two great kids, both are boys. So I've got my hands full there. I live about 10 minutes from the beach in south Florida and LOVE IT!! The flip side to that is I'm so busy with work and school that I rarely get to go. But that will change soon when I graduate. I was a real estate appraiser for 6 years and one day realized that I belonged in nursing. God put some great opportunities together for me and I haven't hesitated for a second.

I love my life, my family and my friends. I also love Jesus. He saved my life. I've been through a lot of horrible stuff that could have ended things for me, but instead of letting go I called on Jesus. He is my rock, my strength, my Lord and my very best friend. I can't even describe how He has changed my life."

Here's what we've been up to the last 3 weeks....

week 1

day 1

me in va

wii boxing

I didn't actually decide to start until the 2nd, but thankfully I did get this on Maddy's new point & shoot. One of her teachers had us over for dinner on New Years Day. Stephen packed up the Wii. Mr. Green kept saying... "this is stupid, completely pointless. why do people even waste their time paying this." We could tell he was loving it though.

drea in fl

Exploring new oceans

taken to remind myself that in order to explore new oceans I can't look back at the shore."

day 2

me in va

yoda, reece/ reece, yoda

nice to meet you

we were at Target

drea in fl

There once was a crab

Taken because I'm learning about manual aperture and shutter speed settings.

day 3

me in va

cheapest diffuser ever

1st thing on my "things to buy for camera" list... an external flash. This thing is a beast.

drea in fl

Holding on to innocence

Taken because he rarely sits still long enough to get precious shots like this.

day 4

me in va

prepping

for my new wall collage. pic of the wall on day 12.

drea in fl

Laundry, oh Laundry!

Taken because it was a laundry day....a major laundry day.

day 5

me in va

sending a surprise

I popped a "just because I love & miss you bunches" present in the mail to Drea

drea in fl

Heavy load of anticipation

Taken because it's the beginning of a new year and I was thinking about everything I needed to accomplish.

day 6

me in va

YAM planning

drea in fl

Cold cold condensation

Taken because it was very cold outside and Ethan and I spent the day cooped up in the house.

day 7

me in va

vintage lovelies

out thrifting with mom

drea in fl

Epic battle

Taken because Mitchell and I are constantly battling over rights to my desk chair (a.k.a. my throne).

week 2

day 8

me in va

El Salvador Interest

YAM Interest Meeting for 2010 El Salvador missions trip

drea in fl

Matters of the heart

Taken because I have started the cardiac segment of Adult II nursing. I love the cardiac system. It is my favorite, and this is the continuation of a passion.

day 9

me in va

free blanket rides

drea in fl

The home stretch

Taken after my first clinical day of Adult II, my last semester of nursing school.

day 10

me in va

milk goggles

drea in fl

Young warrior

Taken because Owen's name means "young warrior" and that's exactly what he is.

day 11

me in va

back to it

back to the snooze button, rush hour traffic, flash-card making, all the time studying, pre-requ fun.....

leaving the parking deck

drea in fl

Special delivery

Taken because Ethan looked so cute in that little box and I'm loving how to edit with photoshop elements.

day 12

me in va

the eclectic wall

my latest home project... finito

drea in fl

Constructing adventure

Taken because Owen absolutely loves his legos. Especially building "Star Wars" space ships. This is my first experiment with shooting a close shot with a wide angle setting.

day 13

me in va

dissatisfied

she was not diggin' dinner

drea in fl

Good morning Lord

Taken because He blessed me with this beautiful sunrise this morning and because He is so good.

day 14

me in va

you don't scare me mr. lion

I saw him when I was out & about on this day. actually he was at the end of a driveway. there were cars in the driveway too... i bet they are still wondering who the weird girl was taking pictures of their stone lion out in front of their house.

drea in fl

Dat's my hat

Taken because Ethan refuses to get rid of this crumpled up party hat from New Year's eve and it's just too cute.

week 3

day 15

me in va

peekaboo sunshine

on the way to class... I pulled over on the interstate to get it.

drea in fl

Little iron chef

Taken because Ethan always wants to "help" cook dinner, and this was how he chose to help tonight. LOL

day 16

me in va

fun with shutter speed

maddy was such a good sport. I dare to say she even enjoyed this shoot. I just love my little lady!

drea in fl

Best brothers

Taken at Lakes Park while these two had a ball on the giant inflatable slide.

day 17

me in va

untitled

Olivia's little bud spent the night. this was taken before church.

drea in fl

Deep in thought

Taken because Ethan looked like he was trying to solve a college calculus problem.

day 18

me in va

big, just like mama

drea in fl

The escape route

Taken to fulfill a deal..."I'll buy tickets for you to play on the slide, if you promise to cooperate for some picture taking". LOL

day 19

me in va

bubbly babe

drea in fl

Alphabetology

Taken because I was using this puzzle to teach Ethan the alphabet. Hence, the title. Meaning, the study of alphabet.

day 20

me in va

a puppy & a pigtail

my girlfriend's daughter.

drea in fl

The shadow of your wings

Taken because this reminded me that no matter the circumstance, I am safe under the shadow of God's wings.

day 21

me in va

bath-time reflections

drea in fl

Come rest here

Taken because Americans need to be seeking after God, not just expecting to receive from Him.

blog break

It's time to take a break!

I am participating in a fasting & prayer time with the rest of my church's congregation. I'm choosing to limit internet time during this 3 week period, as well as other things.

I am also going to take this time to set goals & do some of this years planning.

I'll take this time to seek the Lord and get some direction, as well as pray about some other stuff too.

toodles for now. and only for a bit.

happy 2010!

year in review- 2009

I never send out the "year in review" letters at Christmas time... heck, who am I kidding, I haven't even sent Christmas cards since... well, I can't remember. I do LOVE getting those letters in the mail though & catching up on what's going on in the lives of family & friends. My goal is to get cards AND a letter out next year. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

If I had sent one out this year...

it would have gone a little something like this....

Dear family & friends,

What a year it has been! (so cliche & so cheesy, huh?) As usual, the Sanders home has been a busy one this year.

Stephen is still working at our church as a video editor. He edits the broadcast that our church produces as well as other creative short videos that our church uses for various things. He loves what he does and sees it as a privilege to have a part in spreading the gospel across the world though media.

I have decided to stop working and become a full time student. I enrolled at a local community college and am now pursuing a nursing degree. I am absolutely loving school and I am also thoroughly enjoying the extra time I now have at home with the girls.

Stephen & I also work together to head up the young adults ministry at our church. Our responsibilities include planning fellowship & outreach events for the young adults in our church. We love it & would definitely say our most memorable experience with the "yammers" this year was a New York City mission trip we went on in August. Many lives were changed... especially ours. We are looking forward to taking a trip to El Salvador in 2010!

Madison is now a middle schooler. She is maturing into a sweet young lady. Her new favorite things to do are send text messages, take pictures, and cheer. Yes, can you believe it?!? Our self-proclaimed tom boy is now a cheer leader.

Olivia started kindergarten this year. She is such a smart little cookie. She is reading very well these days. One of her favorite things to do is read books. She also loves math. She takes it upon herself to study Madison's multiplication flash-cards, as well as her own addition & subtraction ones.

Reece is a very busy bee these days. She turned one in October. She is walking, climbing, and even jumping around the house. She is most definitely the busiest babe I've had. She is also starting to say small words. She is a chatterbox. We may not understand what she is saying, but it sure seems like she knows.

Life is good these days. We are looking forward to an awesome 2010. We hope you are too.

Lots of love!

Stephen, Kasie, Madison, Olivia and Reece

i ♥ faces- “Hilarious Outtakes”

Earlier in December I went on a bff photo-shoot. This is my sweet friend Robin & her family. She truly is a super mom. Not only does she have 5 kiddos, but she is also a determined homeschooling mama. Her dedication & commitment to her family inspires me to be a better mom.

As you can see in these pictures her family is lots of fun to be around.

I got to pick 5 this week!

See all of the other entries here.

holiday headlines 2009

Christmas time is absolutely the most wonderful time of the year. I love love love it. My Christmas time butterflies start around early November every year when I see the first signs of Christmas ads around town.

People... believing and non... coming together to celebrate the birth of our Lord... some simply going through the motions. It's a time of giving and no matter who you are, you can't deny the fact that Christmas is a precious time of year. A time to celebrate the ultimate gift.

This year has truly been one of the best Christmas seasons yet. Too much to go into a whole heck of a lot of detail, but I did want to capture a few moments that have meant the most.

I'll continue in the same theme I started last year.

Holiday Headlines:

happy couple attend leadership banquet. she wears red and feels really sassy.

girls bake cookies. mommy gains 5 pounds.

(photo inspired by this. Her's was way cooler though!)

cookie monster attacks.

bff birthday bashes are a blast

baby really confused by all of the white stuff falling from sky.

snowman loses sense of smell.

mom makes it into at least one snowy shot.

couple goes to YAM Christmas party and gets warm fuzzies.

daddy plays santa.

round of cameras for everyone Christmas morning.

baby way more excited about orange in her stocking then any toys that may be wrapped under tree.

matching Christmas PJs never cease to get mom a little giddy.

mom gets matching dishes from santa and makes yummy breakfast for the fam Christmas morning.

2 sisters, 1 brother and the rest of the gang have fun at Christmas.

proud mimi (my mom) shows off new snuggie.

poppaw fake smiles to get camera to go away.

big family has big fun celebrating Christmas

(my family)

world celebrates God's best gift ever.

giving is good.

the end.

from me to you

a little something to bless you this Christmas & all of 2010:

-go to www.mygodsightings.com

-create a free account

-do a search for the group "Svenderson" (my husband has created & purchased an unlimited group account to share with all... including YOU!)

-join the group

- enjoy!

This is a manageable year Bible reading plan that will take you through the entire Bible in 1 year. You'll read the New Testament, Old testament, Psalms & Proverbs each day. There will be a place to post your own personal journal & thoughts as well as group forums.

Join us as we draw closer to God in 2010!!!

I hope this Christmas is awesome for you guys. We'll actually be celebrating tomorrow when Madison gets home. (Her dad & I share holidays)

So happy OUR Christmas Eve & YOUR Christmas Day!

wordless wednesday