i’m not lost; not lost, just undiscovered

“if you dig a little deeper you will find me.”

JAMES MORRISON

listen and love

Always,

Mg

MONDAY.

via audreyhepburncomplex

do i have to get up?

Always,

Mg

amen.

I recently attended a wedding where the bride came down the aisle to the hymn, “Be Thou My Vision.” The congregation sang the first 4 stanzas seated, and on the 5th stanza, we all stood as the bride walked down the aisle with her father, singing along, eyes locked on the man waiting for her at the end of the aisle.

i was inspired.

and dancing through my mind all week has been nothing but these sweet words..

Be Thou my vision, O LORD of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.

Thou my best thought, by day or by night. Waking or sleeping, Thy PRESENCE my light.

Be Thou my WISDOM, Thou my true word; I ever with Thee, Thou with me LORD. Thou my great Father, I thy true son; Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight.

Be Thou my DIGNITY, Thou my delight.

Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high tower.

Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise. Thou mine inheritance, now and always; Thou and Thou only, first in my heart. High KING of Heaven, my treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won. May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright heav’ns Son! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall; still be my vision, O RULER of all.

Always,

Mg

i think rachel mcadams might be the most beautiful person alive.

don’t you?

Always,

Mg

BE INSPIRED

Be bright, really bright. Read too many books. Always have a vase of fresh flowers on your coffee table, along with old magazines filled with countless inspirations. Take the chance--and put the matching yellow chairs in your living room.

Be quirky, so quirky that people talk about you. And as Donald Miller says, be whimsical.

Laugh. Jump for JOY. Don’t take life too seriously, but don’t take it with a grain of salt, either. Find your passion, and run with it. Don’t look back. Just look inside yourself for the gift God gave you, and make it His.

((AND do it with style, with class, with a peace of mind that knows that anything good coming from you is only by the GRACE of a God much bigger than you will ever be))

Pray.

Understand how small you are. Relish in how big He is.

Because... “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows,"

says Matthew 10:29-31.

Can life get any sweeter?

Always,

Mg

u.s.a.

My apologies for being MIA the past few days. I believe it’s safe to say I’ve been a little preoccupied..

for a whole 11 hours and 5 minutes.

until FINALLY

I could breathe again ((and unglue my eyes from my computer screen))

JOHN ISNER 70-68. in the 5th.

thereyagoamerica

If only I could play tennis as well as I watch it

Always,

Mg

i think i’m gonna stay, gonna stay in the gray..

i’m gonna steer clear..

‘cause i’d burn up in your atmosphere.

-John Mayer

new favorite.

Always,

Mg

THE HELP

I hadn’t read a REALLY good book in quite some time, until I happened to pick up The Help one day while at the beach. After reading the first chapter....

......it literally consumed my life.

Set in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s, Kathryn Stockett’s The Help captures the reality of what it was like to be an African American in the deep south during the Civil Rights Movement. The book is fiction; however, the substance of the book--the hatred and the love and the racism and the overwhelming courage it took for one to take a stand--is heartbreaking and, I’m ashamed to say, quite true.

You’ll laugh. You’ll burn with anger. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably shed a few tears.

readitandweep. i did.

Always,

Mg

And the Weddings Begin.

REUNION.

...to celebrate Miss Elizabeth May becoming Mrs. Read Meadows.

How sweet are these two?

My weekend was nothing short of a success, consisting of a night out in Jackson, Mississippi on Friday, followed by the most incredible wedding celebrating the two most incredible people. I think a few tears started to fall before Elizabeth even walked down the aisle. As I sat in the church choking back tears, with three of my very dear, dry-eyed friends sitting beside me, I began to question myself as to why I always seem to lose it at weddings. I have attended funerals, watched sad movies, gotten my heart broken--all without shedding a tear. Yet here I am, celebrating the fact that my sweet friend, Elizabeth, is marrying the man of her dreams, and you would think I was attending her funeral. As we all bowed our heads to pray at the end of the service, my heart began to melt as I listened to the sweetest, most sincere, most precious, most spiritual prayer I have ever heard, and suddenly, it dawned on me.

I realized that my tears weren’t the result of some kind of hyper-sensitivity, nor were they born out of my longing to be the one wearing white. A wedding is a worship service; a marriage is a covenant, one that is made before God, and nurtured by his sweet, eternal love.

And they’re hard. A marriage is far from easy. So isn’t it beautiful? Isn’t is precious when, by Christ’s redemption, two sinners can vow to love each other, for better or worse, as long as they both shall live?

I cry at weddings because, once again, I am reminded of how big, how sovereign, my God is. And once again, I am overwhelmed. I stand in awe. My heart sings, and I’m moved to tears.

But after the wedding is over, my tears dry up quickly, and I partake in unlimited amounts of finger foods, champagne, and wedding cake. And naturally, I’m usually one of the first to the dance floor.

one down, 5 more to go.

Always,

Mg

slouch.

alice + olivia.

Free People.

Vince.

came across these while internet shopping today.

iloveslouchy.

Always,

Mg

Home Sweet Oxford.

It’s finally done! Katty, Anna, Marilyn, and I were able to move into our condo in Oxford. Isn’t it great? I spent the weekend there with Anna and Marilyn moving furniture, washing dishes, and DECORATING--my favorite. It was the perfect preview of the year to come. It will be different, but it will be good.

...and of course, we expect LOTS of visitors, get-togethers, reunions, porch sitting, and the like.

Here are a few pictures of the downstairs. Due to the fact that our rooms are still small disasters, I’ll have to save those pictures for later!

I’m loving the big kitchen. Marilyn is a great cook--I’m hoping she’ll teach me a few things!

((for the record, I don’t cook. my goal for the year is to change that))

I love the big couch in our living room. It’s deep and comfortable-PERFECT for football game guests (hint hint). And our breakfast room table is perfectly placed, sitting right in between the kitchen and the living room.

ie) watch the today show while eating breakfast.

The windows in the dining room are actually beautiful french doors that lead to our front porch. I just love the sunshine coming in. We have used these doors more than the front door!

This room is one of my favorites. The picture just doesn’t do it justice. It’s bright, cheery, and a perfect room for movies. Marilyn and I watched 3 yesterday. Yes, three movies. Nothing like a day for lazy.

And my most favorite part?

the back porch.

This morning, I sat out here and drank my coffee and did my devotional. And as I looked around and took in the moment--the chirping birds, the cool breeze, and the smell of summertime, I knew that this would be the part of the house I would end up loving the most. You know why?

Because...

this is where the boys will grill out and the girls will drink red wine. It’s where we will laugh and entertain and munch on chips and salsa.

this is where my roommates and I will sit and talk for hours

.........it’s where we’ll take our visiting friends to sit and catch up and talk about jobs, marriage, and of course, the good times we had in college.

I’ll laugh, cry, and try to solve the world’s problems over coffee on my back porch. I’ll blog, write in my journal, read a good book, and talk to God..

This is where I will spend my FINAL year in Oxford.

this will be my place.

..our place.

Always,

Mg

a little joplin inspiration.

"If I hold back, I'm no good. I'm no good.

I'd rather be good sometimes than holding back all the time."

Always,

Mg

EVERYTHING AUDREY.

" Pick the day. Enjoy it - to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come... The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present - and I don't want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future. "

hello sassy.

big hats, big sunglasses, big jewelry, big STAR

" I never think of myself as an icon. What is in other people's minds is not in my mind. I just do my thing."

i.want.to.be.audrey.hepburn.

Always,

Mg

Recap.

Like I said earlier, I spent 16 days at the beach in May. It was probably the most relaxed I've been in my entire life, but after my internship with PwC in Birmingham, followed by all the emotions and heartache that came with graduating college, a little relaxation was exactly what I needed!
So here's a little recap..

On May 12th, I hopped in my car and drove six hours (with a quick shopping stop at the Summit, of course) to spend time with my best friends from high school. Elizabeth and Allison graduated from Alabama the same day I graduated from Ole Miss! Here we are our first night in town--celebrating graduation with the Merrill's in Pensacola!

On Saturday, our sweet friend Lisa joined us after having graduated from Auburn the night before. Thanks to Collier, we landed artist passes to the Hangout, a music festival on the beach in Gulf Shores. To name a few, we saw John Legend, Trey Anastasio, Ray Lamontagne, and Ben Harper--all from backstage! SO much fun. Check it out.

BEN HARPER

Trey Anasasio=amazing.

We love Collier and Cate!

These girls are the reason I can be excited about what's to come. We have been best friends our entire lives, and splitting up after high school didn't change that. We went to school where we felt led, and it's been such a sweet blessing to be able to visit each of them in their college towns and experience life with them in a different setting. We have befriended each other's friends, and our networks just continue to grow. I can't wait to see where these girls end up. Each of them have big dreams and incredible talents, and for the rest of our lives, no matter where we are, we'll always have each other. I can't imagine it any other way with all of you in Oxford! How sweet.

And after 10 days with the girls, the family came--the whole family. My aunt, uncle, cousins, sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and parents all spent a week in Perdido Key. I forget how much fun it is to have babies at the beach. My nephew, Jack, loved the water--he was fearless. He would squeal each time a wave washed over his little feet. He loved his cousin, Sam. Sam is 5 and was a big help taking care of Jack. Baby Andy was with us, too, but we'll have to wait until next year to hear his squeals. I love a good family vacation--makes you realize just how blessed you are, and how big and good and loving our God really is.

Sweet Babies

Me & Jack.

Love Baby Andy.

Cousins.

Lots of memories, but now I'm back to reality.

Lots to do before all the weddings begin and I'm reunited with everyone.

First on the list, get a new memory card for my camera.

No better time than now!

Always,

Mg