What do you get when you combine a pretty awesome family, a glowing amphitheatre placed on the outskirts of a perfect city, and one of your favorite bands performing better than you could have ever imagined? One of the best nights of your life probably.
It was our first night in Denver and definitely one of my favorites. The venue was just as beautiful as everyone told me it would be, and the band was better than I could have ever imagined.
Between the power that came behind each word sang, every strum of a guitar, and each minute the sun was setting, it was by far the best concert I have ever been to and a night I plan on remembering forever.
"Plant your hope with good seeds
Don't cover yourself in Thistle and Weeds"
-Mumford & Sons
-KatieRose
Monday, September 3, 2012
Guest Post
Overwhelmed with Love.
I love the
feeling of being overwhelmed with love – especially for Sam.
[I'm sure you guessed he's the guy in these pictures with me]
I can't
think for a second what my life would be like without him. I love that I fit so
perfectly in his hugs and that he knows the person I am so well. As I go through
these emotions, sometimes, well most times, to tears, I realize that this passion, this feeling
of overwhelming love is how Jesus feels for us…times
infinity. And it’s what He deserves in return. My cousin and his wife are
amazing followers of Christ and one day last summer over coffee, I showed them
the picture of the painting of Jesus that that eight-year-old girl did
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49wut32Cguw…check this out if you haven’t.) His
wife, nearly in tears, looked at the photo and kissed it and said, I love you!
I love you! I love you! Thank you!!! Our conversation continued and I have not
put a lot of that into that moment until today. I realized that her outburst of
love towards Jesus is something someone who is overwhelmed with love for her Savior would do.
I
am reminded of Christ’s overwhelming love for us, so much that we have done
nothing to deserve it, yet, He willingly supplies an endless amount, saved our
souls, and promised to never give up or leave us.
Maybe
it is the girl in her twenties thing to be obsessed with love…but you know what
I think? I think God is obsessed with love. The words love or
loved are in the bible 408 times. (I counted…not. I googled it) Then, in
Matthew 22: 36-40, Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to LOVE your
God with all your heart and soul and mind, and to secondly, LOVE your neighbor.
The
Lord is coocoo for love and I am so thankful He is! I consider myself someone
who loves to love…but who wouldn’t? My issue falls to this: with all the
amazing things that God does for me, for the immensely blessed life I live, why
do I find it so hard to love the Lord with my whole heart, soul and mind? With
His track record, it would seem to be the easiet thing in the world…yet, I seem
to always fall short…thankfully, God loved us SO much that he even warned us of
that too…{Romans 3:23} So all we can do is love and love and love and eventually, it will be easier and easier to hold true to Matthew 22:36-40.
God’s
love is so large, magnificent, brilliant, outstanding, that we can’t even
imagine it, so I believe the Lord gave us partners, family, friends and most of
all, those we consider "not-friends", to demonstrate our God-given ability to love and love as
closely as Jesus did.
How
lucky are we to have the ability to be filled with such an amazing emotion
while still on earth!! Our God is one loving Dad of the universe.
- Laurel Welborn
P.S. Thank you so much Katie for letting me guest post on your adorable blog! One day, a blog of mine will show up. Thank you for being such an amazing friend to me these last few years!
After 14 hours and finally crossing the border we decided it was time to find refuge at a parking lotl off the interstate alongside a river.
After a good nights rest we took what I would say is the prettiest drive I have ever been on and arived into the vibrant city of Denver, It's going to be one of my favorites I can tell already.
I can't wait for the next couple of days to be filled with good music, sight seeing (in what I hope will someday be my home), and a beautiful wedding with my favorite people in the whole world, my family. It sounds like a pretty awesome time to me.
Thank you Colorado for being just as beautiful as I have always dreamed you would be.
Our first stop on our family RV expedition was Utah, and boy was it beautiful.
After 20 hours of driving, one nights rest, a delightfully refreshing swim, 2 finished books, and a lot of entertainment from baby Nolan's many faces, we finally made it through this beautiful state.
Next stop is Colorado and I would say it's only getting better from here!
With good food, friends, 'story' telling, and a warm fire, we sent Andrew off to Linfield and wished him the best of luck on the beginning of the best four years of his life.
I think I speak for all of his friends and family when I say that this is one amazing man. It is going to be quite an ajustment not seeing him everyday, but I know he is going to make the most out of the opportunites placed before him and will come home a little smarter, a little more buff, and every bit as excited for life as he always has been.
Drew, you know I love you and will miss you like crazy.
After 17 years of living in Central Oregon I FINALLY went to the Sister's Coffee Company, and boy was it yummy. Between the welcoming and comforting feeling of a big log cabin, my perfectly made Americano, the Gooey Banana Bread, the words of 'Wisdom' we studied, and the faithful company, it was a great morning.
These two women have been an incredible source of comfort, encouragement, and love in my life these past few years, and I wouldn't be where I was in my walk of faith if it wasn't for them. They are both living examples of God's word and two people that I really look up to.
Thank you, Hailey and Cynthia for the many coffee filled mornings we have shared and the sence of peace that has come with knowing you two will always be there for me. I love you both.
"The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure;
then peace-loving, considerate, submissive,
full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."
It was one of those days that makes you sit back and ask God why you got so lucky. One of those days where everything seemed to go right and nothing could go wrong. One of those days filled with so much laughter your stomach hurt, so much sunshine a shower becomes a little painful, so much dancing that Maroon 5 must have been the most played artist, and so many memories that I am so lucky to have.
I love my family more than anything in this world and I am so thankful for days like these that remind me of just that.
