birthday girl

One of my favorite people on planet earth had a birthday this week:

She loves me.

She makes me laugh.

She listens to me.

She lets me cry.

She speaks wisdom.

She is encouraging.

She loves Jesus.

She is the best mom ever, in my humble opinion.

mama cece campbell

We got to celebrate by going to Ye Old Steak House. It felt like Christmas in there. (I got us a little lost by putting the wrong address into the gps on Dad’s phone oops.) I learned that prime rib is huge and sweet potato casserole tastes good even when it isn’t Thanksgiving. It was so fun to eat and laugh and talk and just be together. There were points where Mom was crying/laughing–I love that.

After dinner, we went back home to have cake (and eat it too) and let Mom open her birthday presents. Mom was a little cutie (like always) with her cake, so I snapped some pictures. Nights like this make me super thankful for my family. I love them dearly.

conGRADulations

Today I graduated from college.

I flipped my tassel to the left.

Meg and I forgot to carry our diploma tubes to the stage.

I giggled whilst shaking Chancellor Chimmy the Cheek’s hand.

I got yelled at by the camera man.

A failed attempt at throwing my cap in the air dominated a girl’s head. Oops.

I ate lunch with my family.

I ate leftover dessert-yumminess from my lil-fam-party last night.

I ran errands with my mama.

I loved the pun–conGRADulations.

I tried on lots of dresses at Target and didn’t buy a single one.

I was reminded by a friend that Jesus wants me to come before him like a little child–ready to trust and fully expectant.

I was hugged really tight by friends.

I realized graduating college is very much a real thing, even though it doesn’t seem real. And it’s a really big thing. But it’s not the thing. And I will still eat left-overs and I will still keep learning and I will still attempt to bring in more than six items into the Target dressing room.

 

 

 

december

merry christmas, happy holidays.

love, n’sync.

I got a brand spankin’ new camera for my birthday/christmas and I can already tell I’m going to love it. Now I just have to figure out how to use it. “Auto” mode is my best friend right now…

Jules asked for a nerf-gun from Santa this year…so naturally he brought us two so we could battle. Duh. It was fun to get a “toy” this year that we could play with on Christmas day. I have already been shot in the face twice, so I’m not sure about my career in the Nerf Army.

Jules and I have almost twinky birthdays. Back-to-back: December 27 and 28. I love celebrating with her two days in a row. It kinda feels like we both have two birthdays

My birthday consisted of Dunkin Donuts coffee, a cheeseburger from Sullivans, crafting/laughing/singing with Cass and Bec, chowing down on my favorite cake with my family, ice-skating and eating at Tom-Head with Ryan, and surprise fun with my friends. Loved every minute of it!

Thankful for people who love me well. Thankful that Emanuel has come and God is with us. Praying that this truth really sinks into my heart…

We spend most of our lives trying to make things happen for ourselves and for the people we love. But life is not reduced to what you give or know or achieve. Nor is it reduced to your mistakes, your failures, or your sin. life isn’t even defined by whome you love. Rather, it is defined by the God who loves you. In other words, you are not the central character–not even of your own life’s story. This is not meant to demean you; it is meant to set you free.

–M. Craig Barnes

day in the mountains

It seems to be a growing trend that I just blog about what the previous weekend consisted of…maybe I’ll blog about a day beginning with something other than Fri or Sat one of these days.

But today…I am going to rehash my Saturday because it was super noteworthy. Jules and I drove over the river and through the woods to meet up with our parents who were camping with two other couples.

On the way, we made a pit stop at a little gem of a thrift store called “Frugals” where we rummaged through lots-o-stuff and found some treasures…including several t-shirts, a throw-back Nike windbreaker, a couple flannel shirts, a skirt that will soon be hemmed, and drum roll please….The Notebook on DVD. Hey, it was 3 buckaroos. Why the heck not!?

The leaves were absolutely stunning. I was the goober leaning out the window attempting to capture their beauty…

It was a restful day full of sitting by the camp fire, playing cards, skipping rocks in the creek, and watching the boys fish. The day was topped off with eating cobbler, making smores, and listening to the UT v. Bama game on the radio. I loved getting to hang out with my family in the mountains. They’re in my backyard…I definitely don’t venture up there enough! Everywhere I looked, I saw the hand of my Creator. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure…

Moral of the story: go to the mountains if you haven’t yet this fall!

ready. break.

I’m lounging on the couch in my living room wishing I could apparate to the coast of South Carolina and frolic with the seagulls.

Here are some snap shots of Fall Break…The Cam Fam, plus Rebecca Cox, went to Litchfield Beach, SC. It was a much needed getaway…lots of reading, eating, laughing, time with Jesus, glutton free bread, Friday Night Lights, and ladder ball on the beach. I had this idea in my head that I was going to get ahead on school work…yeah didn’t happen.

Dear Jennifer,

Thanks for the breather. 

Love,

Your Brain

sixty years = a long time

 My grandparents, Bill and Katherine, deserve a standing ovation. They went to the chapel and got married. SIXTY years ago.

It’s purely by the grace of God that two people can love each other and live with each other for that long. I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around that amount of time. That’s a bucket-load-o-years. I think what’s really blowing my mind is knowing that they’ve been married longer than they haven’t been married. As a 21 year old, that is absolutely NUTS-O to me. Minus 20-something years, they’ve walked through life together and known each other more than any other human. There is the potential that you will live life with and grow with and experience joy and pain with someone for 60 plus years like Bill and Katherine. With Jesus as the foundation, pretty sure it would be a beyond pleasant experience. PTL for Christ-centered marriages.

Bill’s a stud.

Katherine’s a beauty.

I’m so amazed at how long they’ve loved each other.

I tried to snag a pic of them cutting their cake. Three  Sixty cheers for my sweet grandparents.