{pretty, happy, funny, real} in a season of abundant celebrations, part 3

| a weekly capturing of contentment in everyday life | 

We've had a couple of quieter weeks since the last update - only an 18th birthday and a college graduation to celebrate! (I jest.  There was nothing *only* about either event!) After the graduation ceremony last weekend, Brian said "OK, that's all the celebrations until the wedding, right?"  I said "Right!" Pause. "Oh, wait. What about Christmas?" 

(Here's part 1 and part 2 recapping this season of milestone celebrations for our family.)

A few photos to practice contentment the past 2 weeks

| Natalie's 18th Birthday |

Natalie Turns 18

I've never met anyone who counts down the days to their birthday like our youngest child.  If we could bottle the commitment and focus she employs in the weeks leading up to December 8th, we would (maybe) be able to pay her upcoming college tuition.  It helps that a few of her good friends celebrate birthdays during the same week - turning it into a seven or ten day extravaganza.  Brian and I try to do our part and then get out of the way!  

And there was a tatoo event.  Parents of small children, listen up.  You get through another day telling your kid "You have to wait until you're such-and-such an age to do this or that."  Well the days tick by, and behold, they turn such-and-such an age.  Natalie was the first to take us up on the "Not until you're 18".  As the youngest of four,  being the first at anything is a well-accomplished goal.  We celebrated the tattoo with her.  I humbly share with you her explanation for the design in this post at her brave blog: Where I've been lately

| Rebekah's Graduation from UNT |

Bekah and her perfectly-fitting tribute to her marvelous parents, Bernie & Jodi Cummins

Rebekah's graduation from the University of North Texas

This girl finished her bachelor's degree a semester early (while planning a wedding) and graduated Summa Cum Laude with Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

We are proud of her - for the degree, of course - but also for the way she chose to be fully present to relationships and community while dating our son who lived 5 hours away in Houston for their entire college career (which means almost all of their dating years).  Over the celebration brunch, I told Bekah that when we first met her we liked her right away.  But it wasn't until their first semester of college -- she in Denton, TX and he in Houston -- that we realized she was THE ONE for Alex.  We watched them choose the suffering of distance from each other, while embracing the abundance of learning, community, and experience at their respective schools.  This was a hard decision, and we trust created a fortitude "muscle" that will serve them for the rest of their lives.  

And now we all celebrate the fact that the long-distance years are over!  

  

| Funny |

Graduation day outtakes 

Office Holiday Hijinks

This is the Team Gingerbread House Competition.  The above photo shows the winning team's entry.  The photo below is my team's entry. If you knew the reputation my team has in our office, this would not surprise you in the least.  My contribution was the magnetic poetry, of which I'm a teensy bit proud.

A few of the artistic types on our team, created a giant holiday mural which also reflects perfectly the general consensus on the place religion has in this month's holidays. Of course, I'd heard of Festivus, but never the 'FSM'.  The symbol and acronym represent the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and is a real-ish sort of thing (as real as satire, anyway.)  The adherents of FSM (also known as Pastafarianism) are gathered together by "a light-hearted view of religion and opposes the teaching of intelligent design and creationism in public schools." 

Well, happy holidays to us all, I suppose.

| Real |

Making the annual friends and neighbors gifts: Holiday Potpurri

ADVENT Daybook 2015

Not having the opportunity to discover FSM, our family quietly marks the days of Advent with candles, Scripture, hymns and prayer. I've curated another series of Daybook posts, and am ever grateful to discover several others who have been encouraged by the series as well.  This means more to me than I can describe.  

May our humble searching for the One who has come and will certainly come again lead us past symbols, acronyms, and religious protest to the very present, ever-near Emmanuel.  Blessed Advent and Merry Christmas to you all, good friends.

Have YOU captured any contentment this week? 

 I'd love to hear about it!

| Join in at P,H,F,R to see other wonderful people practicing contentment. |

{pretty, happy, funny, real}: a couple weeks late but contentment all the same!

| a weekly capturing the contentment in everyday life |

For some reason I forgot to post this a couple Thursdays back.  It's semi-old news, but still full of contentment!

| pretty |

CSA

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I can't stop talking about our CSA veggies.  I mean, have you seen anything prettier than this? 

| happy |

we're having a wedding!

It's getting real. This just showed up in our mailbox, and I'm pretty sure we'll be available January 2nd (just kidding). It's been pretty fun to be a fly on the wall this summer while Alex and Rebekah dream and scheme all sorts of wedding plans.   

| fun(ny) |

this girl's camp skills

We miss her, but we're so happy that she's living in her element all summer.  Each morning I scour the daily photos posted by Mapleridge Ranch.  Every once in awhile I get a delightful glimpse of our girl doing what she does best.  

| real |

weekly worship at Christ Church

"Might flames of fire actually fall from the sky and transport us into a new dimension of intimacy with Father, Son and Spirit -- and please, God -- with each other in the room -- and Lord, have mercy -- with hurting, desperate neighbors so in need of miraculous healing, let diseases and demons and death be gone.  And the silence is a sort of time outside of time in which we anticipate and imagine and listen for our orders.  And, hearing no new instructions, we take up again the mantle of praise and we sing -- what our Church mothers and fathers taught us -- the truth that we did not make, but instead makes us:   

1. Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

1. Praise Him, all creatures here below;

1. Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;

1. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."

A reflection I wrote a few  weeks back on real (vs. idealized) worship services:  Monday morning thoughts: dancing bear act, crash helmets and a Doxology

Have you captured any contentment this week? 

 I'd love to hear about it!

| Join in at P,H,F,R to see other wonderful people practicing contentment. |

{pretty, happy, funny, real} NY trip, part 1

a weekly capturing the contentment in everyday life 

We had a lovely trip home to upstate New York and managed to balance some down time alongside some delightful family get-togethers.  

| pretty |

Our trip to New York to visit home and celebrate our niece's wedding!

Megan is not only a cousin to my daughters, but one of their very best friends.  We were delighted to be part of the special day.  We teared up watching my brother-in-law give his daughter away, but also seeing how grown up these sweet girls have become.  There are 4 Murphy girls between my husband and his 4 siblings and they are the some of the smartest, wittiest, tenderest and fiercest young women I know.  We took advantage of being together to capture a few group shots.  

| happy |

Grandpa's 89th Birthday Party/Hymnsing 

When we realized we'd be in town for my grandfather's birthday, my sister put together a lovely hymnsing.  Providentially, my father's sister and brother-in-law were in from Florida along with a few of their kids' families the same weekend.  We reserved the chapel in my grandparents' retirement home.  We sang some of the favorite old hymns and choruses we'd grown up singing together and enjoyed some performances from the kids.  We even got my Grandpa to play a few tunes himself.  (Did any of your families grow up singing this at every reunion and family wedding?

| funny |

My Daughters Keeping It Classy

| real |

  

Marriage

Three photos showing my grandparents at 69.5 years, my niece and new nephew for about 69.5 minutes. We were also home to toast my parents' 45th wedding anniversary.  We'd been in the house for about 20 minutes when my mother mentioned just in passing that her fresh flowers had died.  Next thing I knew my Dad was gone.  He came back about 45 minutes later carrying armfuls of wildflowers from the river bank.  Take notes, newlyweds.  That was a genius move right there.

| Join in at P,H,F,R to see other wonderful people practicing contentment. |

{pretty, funny, happy, real} - update on last week's 7 quick family takes

| a weekly capturing the contentment in everyday life |

| pretty |

A few photo updates on the 7 quick family takes I posted last week.  

Kendra and Rebekah at the Phil Lamb Spring Formal.  Alex got there from D.C. just in time to look super handsome next to these stunning women.

| happy |

BRIAN FINISHED SEMINARY!!  His final final was Monday.  His ceremony is next Wednesday.  I saved this bottle of champagne that we didn't open on Easter Sunday for the first evening he didn't have to do any studying.  We also listened to the Yankees on the radio and Brian watched an NBA final on mute.  It was raining in Austin, the yard is still green.  A tiny little version of Heaven for the two of us.

| funny |

Andrew had an amazing set in the Funniest Person In Austin semi-finals.  Unfortunately, so did most of line up for that night so he didn't make it through to finals.  We consoled ourselves with a quick and sort-of-ridiculous photo booth session.

| real |

May 2014

May 5th marked one year since Natalie was hit by a car in the school parking lot.  She remembered some of the anxious and faith-building moments during her recovery in this post at her blog:  Flowers and Birds .

| Join in at P,H,F,R to see what others have to say. |