A look inside: On a Lighter Note...

Monday, May 5, 2008

On a Lighter Note...

I'm quite embarrassed about my frizzy hair in this picture. Jon snapped this with his cell phone right when I was heading out the door to go get it cut. Who fixes their hair before they go to the salon anyway? Obviously not me!

Ta-da... The new do!

(Ladies, Niki Quarles is terrific. If you need a new stylist, go see her!)

And where have we been spending most of our free time? Three words:

It's Softball Season!

My Little Lefty

The Sideline Kid

It's been hard to keep my eyes off the 3rd base coach

As you may have guessed, life in the Garland house has been quite busy lately. Which would explain my one lonesome blog post for the whole month of April...ouch! That's an all-time low!

We are all doing well, and enjoying this busy time of year. I am counting down the days until summer, when life seems to move at a more relaxed pace. I will definitely try to do a better job of keeping in touch with all of you dear family and friends. Until next time, enjoy the season God has placed you in, and be blessed as you remember His faithfulness...regardless of our shortcomings, He is faithful!

"We tend to be shortsighted about life, so caught up in the present that we lose sight of how brief our time on earth actually is. It is easy to attach too much value to the wrong things and assign significance to the wrong accomplishments and, in the process, dilute those things that carry eternal significance." ~Mayo Mathers, from the book "Finding Adventure in the Ordinary"

13 comments:

Michelle said...: You are hair is sooooo soooo soo cute! Wow! I love it.

It is good to hear from you... and I agree, I can't wait for summer. Hang in there... just a few more weeks.; May 5, 2008 at 6:12 AM
Rachel said...: It's so nice to read a post from you! Your hair looks so cute. I hope you enjoy the lighter style this summer. Baseball season is a busy time. Good luck to all your players.; May 5, 2008 at 6:31 AM
Anonymous said...: You look adorable!!!
She just trimmed me up yesterday!!!; May 5, 2008 at 8:53 AM
Jen said...: LOVE THE HAIR!! I'm so glad you went for it! We're in baseball season too...it is crazy!

Take Care Liz! Love, Jen Green; May 5, 2008 at 9:22 AM
momaof4 said...: WOW!! I bet your head feels lighter!!! ;) So cute.

Enjoy the baseball season! I have been a bit behind in my post to. Just a busy time of year!; May 5, 2008 at 10:52 AM
Sharon said...: Love the hair! You are just stunning!

And we're doing the softball thing, too... it's crazy!

We missed you last Wednesday! Hope to see you soon, friend! : ); May 5, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Unknown said...: Your hair is SO cute! Mine is about the same length, but it looks MUCH cuter on you!! Glad you went for it, sorry it didn't work out for us to go together!!; May 5, 2008 at 5:12 PM
Anonymous said...: Liz, I love your hair! It looks so good on you. We will be in Salem the first week of June. We'll have to get together. Miss you guys. Janell; May 5, 2008 at 6:51 PM
Ona said...: LOVE IT!!! I went back to dark brunette again. I was at Nikkis last week.; May 5, 2008 at 8:14 PM
Anonymous said...: Wow - what a knock out! It looks "FAB-U-LOUS!" (High School Musical 2 anyone?!!) You are a true beauty ~ really.
~ and after 15 years of my boys being in baseball and still going strong - I can say a hearty "Amen!" to the busy-ness! but don't ya just LOVE it?! Play Ball! :-0) Lori E.; May 6, 2008 at 11:01 AM
Lindsay said...: Great hair!! :) You're darling!; May 6, 2008 at 8:32 PM
Tiffany said...: Love the new do! Very sporty!; May 6, 2008 at 9:52 PM
The Journey to Home said...: LOVE your hair Liz! :) You have a beautiful family :).; May 15, 2008 at 9:07 AM

Words to Remember

"Christ's followers cannot expect better treatment in the world than their Master had. Let them not promise themselves more honor or pleasure in the world than Christ had. Let each live a life of labor and self-denial as his Master, and make himself a servant of all; let him stoop, and let him toil, and do all the good he can, and then he will be a complete disciple."
~Matthew Henry,
English Pastor 1662-1714

"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess."
~Martin Luther King

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
~Jim Elliot

"I am a missionary, heart and soul. God Himself had an only Son, and He was a missionary and a physician. A poor, poor imitation I am, or wish to be, but in this service I hope to live. In it I wish to die. I still prefer poverty and missions service to riches and ease. This is my choice."
~David Livingstone

"I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others do the same. "
~C.S. Lewis

"I want Thy plan, O God, for my life. May I be happy and contented whether in the homeland or on the foreign field; whether married or alone, in happiness or sorrow, health or sickness, prosperity or adversity - I want Thy plan, O God, for my life."
~Oswald J. Smith

songs with meaning

If you hear one of these songs playing while visiting my blog, here is why it is so special to me:

I Will Be Here by Steven Curtis Chapman: I would listen to this song as a young teenager and dream about finding a love like this song describes. Guess what? God gave more then I ever dreamed.

Any Song by Keith Green!!! I first heard Keith Green as a young child and knew all his songs by heart. As a teenager, I loved his music because he is so honest and authentic. I also read his autobiography when I was in my teens. He is one of my all-time heroes! I remember my friends laughing at me when they were in my car, wondering why I would be listening to songs from the 70's. Yes, the music is cheesy, but the lyrics are simply amazing!

How Could I Ask For More by Cindy Morgan: My senior year of high school I was on homecoming court with four other girls, who were all good friends of mine. We all picked this song to be played during our ceremony. I still love this song!

Have I Told You Lately by Rod Stewart: The song Jon and I danced to at our wedding. I smile every time I hear it.

I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me: This song was played at Brian Ditchen's memorial service. Brian was Jon's cousin who he grew up with, and who I went to school with, and he was a dear friend. He passed away in March of 2004 in a tragic plane accident, he was only 28. It shook the core of our faith. The only comfort came from knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, who Brian lived his life for: Jesus Christ. He was a dedicated believer, and we can't wait to see him again. Every time we would hear this song, it touched us deeply, it still does. Heaven has become very real to us.

The Scientist by Coldplay: My younger brother, Ben, sang and played this song on the piano at my brother Jeremy's memorial service. Jeremy passed away suddenly in September of 2004, he was only 31. Once again our faith was shaken (see next song)....

Cry Out To Jesus by Third Day: Whenever I hear this song I am reminded of my brother Jeremy...."To everyone who's lost someone they loved, long before it was their time, you feel like the days you had were not enough, when you said goodbye....cry out to Jesus" I am reminded to turn to God in the midst of my pain and loss, and it's OK to go to Him with my questions

We Will Dance by Steven Curtis Chapman: My current love song. It so beautifully describes mine and Jon's relationship.

I'm Not Cool by Scott Krippane: This is Daniel's song.Not in a mean way. He absolutely loves this song and sings along with it every time. The funny thing is, it describes him perfectly.

She's a Dancer by Phil Keaggy: This is Sarah's song! It so sweetly reminds me of Sarah...."she's a dancer, she loves to dance, she's a singer, she loves to sing, she's a lady, walkin' round in mama's shoes, standin' tall in mama's shoes" Sarah has also been caught singing into the bathroom mirror. And when she was younger she put on many "dance performances" for us in our living room.

Olivia by Phil Keaggy: Obviously Olivia's song! I've sang this song to her since she was a tiny newborn. She knows the words and sings along now. Whenever I put this song on, she stops what she's doing and gets a big smile on her face, and says "my song!"

Beautiful by Bethany Dillon: OK I'm 32 now. And sometimes when I look in the mirror, the depression creeps in. I don't look like I did ten years ago, I don't see a beautiful young woman looking back at me. And that can get you down sometimes. This song reminds me that true beauty is who I am in God's eyes. I could be perfect in every way on the outside and yet not be beautiful in the eyes of God, and when it's all said and done, my life would have been lived only for myself. I want to be beautiful in God's eyes, I want Him to look inside my heart and smile, and most importantly, be pleased.

Who Am I?, The Voice of Truth, and Praise You In The Storm by Casting Crowns: All three of these songs are very special to Jon. These are three of his all-time favorites. These songs brought him close to God when he was going through a hard time in his life.

I Am by Nicole Nordeman: The first time I heard this song was at a Women of Faith conference. She played it live on the piano. It was so beautiful and moved me so deeply. God is truly my "I Am", He has been my one firm anchor through every season of my life.