crabtree falls...

Check out this set-up-- I'm a hiking gal! (thank you, Jay & Jackie, for lending us the toddler backpack!)


Our family hiked to Crabtree Falls today & I had the best seat in the house. We talked & sang our way up the trail as it wound along a beautiful set of waterfalls. I got lots of smiles from folks who were also hiking their way up or down.


(Here's just one of the many viewpoints of the falls along the trail. Wow! And THIS is one hour from our house!?! We still can't believe it...)


When we reached the top of the waterfalls, there were gorgeous overlooks (pictured up top) and I got to dip my toes in the cold running streams of water.


Remember Alyssa from last year? She was a student in our RUF group in Texas, and she's practically family to us now. :) This is the 2nd summer she has flown out to Virginia to see us! We are having so much fun with her here. It's so fun to have a little "piece of home" come & visit!


What an amazing place. And we're so blessed to be able to enjoy it TOGETHER.

these boots were made for walkin'...

Howdy, y'all! Check out my cowgirl boots that Auntie Jill sent to me with a huge box full of clothes! (thanks, Auntie!)


And no true cowgirl ever leaves home without her lipstick, right? (except usually they put it on their LIPS instead of their nose...)


After I went to bed, the RUF staff had a poster party last night! They put together a presentation board to put up on the table at church as well as freshmen orientation next week.


Here's the final product!


Good job, guys! I can tip my hat to that!

pop!...

Hey guys! Papa & Nanny have come to see me this weekend.


Happy birthday, Nanny!


Ahhh, this is the life.. with my family, in a pool, popping BUBBLES!!


That tickles!


"Pop!"

summer ruf...

We've finished our summer RUF Thursday night get-togethers! This summer we had about 10-15 students from several colleges (Virginia Tech, Duke, UVA, Liberty, & CVCC), and each Thursday they all brought food to share for dinner (pictured above was our "breakfast for dinner" theme), and then we enjoyed a great group discussion through this book...


"The Enduring Community: Embracing the Priority of the Church"

We'd recommend the book to any of you, especially any of you who find yourself frustrated, burned out, or disappointed by the church OR feel confused as to what the church's role is, what you can do to serve her, or why the church matters in the first place.

I (Amy) can't begin to tell you what GREAT and necessary discussions we had each week, so I thought I'd share what the students said! (those of you who receive our newsletters will probably see some of these again!)

• "In walking through "The Enduring Community," I have obtained a redeemed view of the goal of the church. After seeing and experiencing the pettiness and pain that can accompany the real world church, it was reviving to get a glimpse of how the church was made to be, and what we can do to get it closer to its ideal. It was a very challenging and healing walk through a biblical perspective of the church."

• "I loved the topic of church community, the discussion was honest and thought-provoking. The most profound thing that I'm taking away from RUF is that my attitude about church should be "what did God get out of me today" not "what did I get from church." The study will change my attitude about the church forever.

• "RUF has been an awesome way to still feel connected. I have learned so much and have been humbled to learn just how much there is left for me to do in church to build community."

• "RUF has been a great place for me to come every week to be challenged both intellectually and spiritually. While I truly enjoy the stimulating lessons and discussions, that's not the reason I keep coming. The reason is that the leaders really care about me, and will always listen to my overly-dramatic sob stories, even though I'm sure they have better things to do. They are knowledgeable about what they teach, and they also practice what they preach. It's a great community that I hope to continue to attend in the future."

• "This summer was my first time joining an RUF group. I have loved every moment that I have spent with my RUF Lynchburg group. RUF is the type of group that I have been looking for since I have been in college. I have enjoyed the summer study that we did on the enduring community. It was a very thought-provoking study and I loved how it was full of group discussions. The church is built upon the people, and how we all need to be involved in the church. I enjoyed hearing everyone's views on the summer study. I am looking forward to continue building relationships with my Lynchburg RUF group throughout this year!"

• "RUF has been a true blessing to me this summer. I am still growing into my faith & figuring out what I need & want in a church and in myself. It has made me take a hard look at myself & realize that I have not been taking an active role in my own faith. I always thought that as I got older, I would figure it out & it would come to me. However, I now realize that I need to actively pursue faith & love. RUF has brought God back to a forefront in my life & made me see that I need to make some changes within myself."

• "Getting involved in Summer RUF has really made an impact on my understanding of the church and community. After reading and discussing The Enduring Community, I feel like I have a much more Biblical understanding about the church, its function in my life, and my role in it. The people I met also made a huge impact as I learned what true community means and how to love and care for others. After becoming involved in Summer RUF, I feel much more equipped to serve in the church and feel as if I have a much clearer direction in which to continue."

Praise God! May His bride, the church, be strengthened & transformed through this study!

potential future career paths #8...

YES!! A whole new batch of exciting potential careers is awaiting me!


Bus Driver.


Fashion designer.


Ventriloquist puppet.


Horse whisperer.


Timid farmer's assistant in training.


Homeless. :)


Throat doctor for camels.


??? It's your turn now! You know the drill-- let's hear your guesses & we'll pick a winner!

in the waa-waa...

Today our family got a chance to go to the private pool of Jerry Falwell's cousin.


And I LOVED it! I've definitely got no fear of the water.


So much so that I wanted to "jump" off the diving board. :)


I love going to the "poo" (pool) and being in the "waa-waa" (water)!

p.s. Oh, and a few days ago I said the first sentence of my life EVER! And do you know what it was? As I stood in front of the potty, looking down into it & waving, I said "Bye-bye, tee tee!" Now isn't that a noteworthy choice of words?! ;-)

miss you...

Dear Daddy,


It's just not the same here when you're gone. Every day I will hear something creak in the house and excitedly say, "Dada! Dada!" But then Mommy reminds me you went bye-bye on the airplane (& then I say, "bbbb....." like a plane) and you're coming back on Friday. We can't wait for you to come back into town tomorrow! And we know you'll come back a better father, husband, and campus minister after your week of RUF staff training, just like you always do.


And you know how Mommy was kind of dreading this week without you? Well, it's turned out to be a good bonding time for us! We've had several fun playtimes on the floor acting like animals, crawling through "tunnels," laying down and reading Babybugs, and I learned how to lay down & roll! And of course I've been obsessed with "Mo" (Sesame Street-- Elmo), coloring, & stamping ("DEEB-ah, DEEB-ah...") :)


Daddy, your girls love you & miss you! Here's some kisses! See you tomorrow!

if i had been born in...

1954


1956


1964


1968


1984


1988


2000

playground pics...