The Good List 9-29-12

10. Eggs. I know that seems random, but for real. They're so versatile and awesome for so many reasons.
9. OK Go. These guys win creative music video over and over again. 



8. York peppermint coffee creamer. YUM!
7. Honest Toddler on twitter. (@HonestToddler) Literally makes me LOL sometimes.
6. Party planning. It's just so much fun!
5. This dude. I cannot get enough of him.



4. Cooling, nourishing rain. Just the soothing my restless soul needed earlier this week.
3. Another new gorgeous baby born to my friend Shelly last weekend. Never gets old.
2. A fun and successful block party last weekend.

"Free Indeed" store. (Kinda like a garage sale with no cash.)

Snow cones!

Face Painting!

Cotton Candy!

Bouncy Houses!

Free Food!

Awesome People!

Really all you could hope for on a Sunday afternoon. :-D (Especially before football season. . .)

And the best "coach" we could ask for got the ol' cooler dump at the end of our "successful" event. Good times. Good times.

1. Five little cousins with varying degrees of excitement over the first day of school but all in full agreement that they're happy to be doing it together. Love these little people so much!

He Upholds the Universe

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. --Hebrews 1:3a

This is what's happening right now (and at every moment in the past and future). Jesus *IS* the radiance of the glory of God. He's not merely surrounded by it or in control of it or even filled with it. He IS it. The RADIANCE of the GLORY of God! This makes my brain want to explode. I don't even know how to define the picture this puts in my head. Like millions and millions of fireworks simultaneously and yet somehow repeatedly bursting forth with all things brilliant and dazzling and magnificent and wondrous. And if that isn't enough, He is the exact imprint of God's nature, meaning he shares all of the qualities of God himself, including his omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence. Complete and perfect in knowledge, present in every moment of every situation, and powerfully sovereign. 

And what is he doing? Upholding the universe. UPHOLDING. THE UNIVERSE. Fully in control.

Doesn't mean nothing troublesome is going on around us. (Even as I type, I'm praying for those in the path of Hurricane Isaac, which includes MANY of my family members and friends.) But it does mean that no storm, whether it be Isaac or the one that lives quietly (to the rest of the world) in your own heart, is beyond the scope of his power. He is not surprised or panicked. He is commanding all things to work together for his glory.

Don't know about you, but I need to be reminded of this daily several times a day.

The Good List 8-22-12

Today's Good List is brought to you by our vacation in Maine last week, which could have been more perfect only if it had been longer. That place is exquisite. A delight and joy for the heart and a feast for all 5 senses.

10. Just one rainy day the whole time we were there, and it was perfect timing for snuggling, reading, playing games and doing puzzles all day long. A cozy, restful day. 

9. Gorgeous, vibrant, healthy flowers everywhere!

8. Buying our dinner right off of this dock on Wednesday night. It doesn't get any fresher than that!

7. Lighthouses.

6. Boats. Every kind you can imagine.

And my favorite part is when they're all tucked in for the evening. :-D

5. The colors of the Maine coast.

4. The amazingly fun boat ride our friends Ted and Meryl Freeman treated us to on Tuesday. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and we got to see seals, dolphins (which I wasn't quite quick enough to photograph), and all kinds of feathered friends. So FUN!

3. Watching the girls enjoy their vacations in completely different ways.

Sweet, pensive, dreamy Macy:

Wild, carefree, exuberant Grace:

But knowing when it was all said and done, they both enjoyed every minute:

2. Acadia National Park. This was our first visit, and we quickly realized we should have allowed much more time here. Absolutely breathtaking. Already planning our next trip. ;-)

1. Quality family time for 6 days in a row. We've only done that one other time (in 2010), but we sure hope to do it every year from now on!