//spring cleaning//

Spring Flowers by Norman Rockwell 

it happens to be that time of year where everyone is doing their spring cleaning. indoors and outdoors. 

this year i am even doing a little "spring cleaning" here on my blog. 

there are already new pages up. lots of new posts. new buttons. and new pictures.

still to come is a new header. new posts. and so on.

keep checking back regularly to see how the cleaning is going around here.

{for those of you viewing on a mobile device, I'd encourage you to view the web version... there's lots more to see this way!} 

// s u r p r i s e //

The thursday before my graduation my family had a little surprise planned for me...

I am not an easy person to surprise because I normally find out about them somehow. Apparently my brain was too graduation focused this time though...

Let's take a minute and rewind here. I had been talking to my sister in Texas for a couple months about how much I wanted her to be at my graduation.

again and again I reminded her. 

and again and again she reminded me that she couldn't. 

to say I was disappointed is an understatement. I got to the point where I just stopped talking to her altogether about graduation.

Ok, no fast forward back to that Thursday. 

It's early afternoon and I'm texting my friend out west telling her how she needs to just hop on a plane and come for my graduation. We joke around about it and I mention how someone's probably going to surprise me...

I was kidding.

Later on that day I'm seated on the couch in our living room. I've just had a very interesting photo shoot with myself, a globe, and other random objects, leaving my room a wreck. Now here I sit working on photography stuff on the computer...talking with my mom who's in the kitchen. 

I hear my dad come home and talk to my mom like he normally does.

Then I hear something strange. Another woman.

She asks what's for supper.

Ok before my brain had time to register who the other woman was, it had time to register: 

"why in the world is there another woman with dad?!?!" 

{don't ask why I thought this, because I have no clue why I did}

It's then I realize who it is...

AND...

I'll just let you watch the video :) 

 Apparently my sisters had been planning this one out together and Anna pitched in to help cover the cost of the ticket. It was definitely the best graduation present I could have asked for! 

**disclaimer= don't mind the work clothes both my mom and I are wearing, the weird wallpaper on the walls, the messy desk, or my crazy hair. Sometimes life just happens :) 

//hiking//

Last Tuesday Abbie and I got together to clean the fellowship hall at church and then go hiking. 

Abbie is such an amazing friend. She is my memory verse partner, an Anne of Green Gables lover, a fellow adventurer (believe me...we have a lot of trips planned to do together), a nationally registered EMT (I'm so proud of her!), and fellow classmate. The list could go on, but I'll stop. I think you've by now gathered that her friendship means so much to me. 

It was so much fun having her as a classmate and being able to make graduation plans with her and then countdown the months and days til graduation. Speaking of graduation...I promise I am going to post about this. I had good intentions, but don't have all the pictures with me. 

She is such an encouragement and inspiration to me! 

We had so much fun hiking and enjoying the beautiful weather...oh and the picnic we had by the lake- that was just a bonus :)  

I am definitely looking forward to more adventuring with her this year! 

//My Father's World//

This is my Father's world,

and to my listening ears

all nature sings, and round me rings

the music of the spheres.

This is my Father's world:

I rest me in the thought 

of rocks and trees, of skies and seas

His hand the wonders wrought. 

{Babock}

View more {here}.

//happennings//

This week I am watching this quaint little house situated out in the country of my home town. Nestled out in the country I am surrounded by simple outdoor beauty, farming neighbors, and cows...

my companion this week is this loveable dog...

I am hoping to get lots of posting done this week, but I'm not promising anything.

Let me see if I can briefly get you up to date with what's been going on around here...

-my church just finished up a wonderful week of missions conference- which was also the first missions conference my family and I presented our ministry in.

-as of last Wednesday I can say that I am burn victim...whether or not that something I can be proud of or not, I'm not sure, but it has been consuming a lot of my time. I could share a picture of this lovely second degree burn on my leg, but for the sake of everyone's stomachs, I will resist. You can thank me later :)

-I have been taking lots of pictures, mainly of flowers...oh by the way {Happy Spring!} I think it has finally sprung around here...which makes me take lots and lots of pictures...I will be sharing in coming posts.

- 16 years ago on Friday my family and I got something we never had. A boy. A brother.  Seeing as how he is now 16 it seems as though all he can talk about is DRIVING. I'm not sure where the time has gone because it seems as though just yesterday he was outside pushing his cars around in the dirt and making the noise to go with them...and I may or may not have been out there right along side him doing the same thing...ok maybe minus the sounds...

-mom and I have done a good bit of shopping at yard sales and thrift stores and I've been able to pick up a good bit of things to put in the hope chest...mainly kitchen stuff which makes me super happy :)

-I've been spending a good portion of time working on photography stuff lately...which hopefully you will be seeing the results of my time spent on that very soon. Now that spring is here I am greatly anticipating doing some photo shoots...

Well I believe that is enough of a brief update for now. For those of you who haven't noticed my new tab at the top titled   "I Believe" you should check it out. Hopefully that will suit your fancy for now while I work on other posts to come.

Have a lovely day!

Erin Rae

Psalm 86:12