One more flame added to the fire...

I've been meaning to post some birthday pictures...

With the holidays full speed ahead my time with blogging has been limited, but I'm pretty OCD about not posting pictures/events out of order, so I figured I need to get these ones up before I start posting marriage retreat & Thanksgiving/Michigan pictures. 

I never imagined turning 2 6 would be such a blessing; but it was.  

• My awesome coworkers treated me to dinner at Depot Grill. I love those girls. I'm grateful for the people I work with. They make the 8-5 worth it. 
• Vanessa Cote and I share the same birthday, so some of our friends teamed up and surprised us with a very fun filled day.  We first  headed out to Blenhein Vineyard in Charlottesville. It was a lot of fun, we had a delicious picnic spread and some delightful wine tasting ;P After that they took us out to Short Pump mall---LOVE Short Pump! Kevin gave me a generous amount to spend while I was there; I'm a big fan of getting to shop for my b-day! 

THANK YOU dear friends for making turning 26 so incredibly worth it! 

• Honey-dearest (Kevin aka Dunkets/Dunks)'s birthday is two days after mine. He turned 27 this year. This year has been a very challenging one for him (& I), with him finishing school he has been technically working two jobs for a year now, but good news, his birthday was extra special this year! His degree conferred (was made official) on his birthday. :) I'm very thankful for a husband who doesn't take education lightly, he is a nerd (& quite the good lookin' one I might add)...& I'm 100% thankful for it. Kevin now has his MA in Counseling, and is now accepted into Liberty's Counseling PhD program. Go-get-em babe!!  Word around town is that he's an awesome counselor and I believe these rumors to be true. I see how much he takes this professor/calling very serious. I'm extremely excited for what his future holds. He's changing lives and I admire him for it.  I wish to be more like him. OK I'll jump off my husband/Kevin soap-box. 

Happy Birthday Babe!! 

Pictures to follow, in order of events...

{ Out to dinner with some of the lovely ladies I work with }

{ It was Karen's b-day celebration too!  Interesting fact: V, Karen & I all share the same b-day, and we all used to work together in the same department at LU }

 { Day at the vineyards with friends }

{ preparing the awesome picnic spread; it was seriously so good }

{ V and some of her fam, that are great ladies; enjoyed getting to know them better }

[ Kevin's lil' celebration ]

[ making his wish ]

[ and then it came true ;P ]

C o n g r a t s Boo!

[[BOLD]]ness like a Treasure.

L - O
          L - O
                    L - O

"L - O - V - E

with

Boundaries

&
 B O L Dness"

{famous Matt Cote words at church tonight; taken from the life of Christ}

Praying for the BOLDness:

to love those who may never love me back.
to take a holy stand.
to give with o p e n hearts, and hold with warming hands.
to forgive the "crazies" when they get louder.
to set the boundaries that make us stronger.
to dance in the darkness; knowing we are free.


Loving with BOLDness;
Christ-like: through --> you & --> me.

I thought this might be fitting:

Here's a piece to something I wrote (in my journal) on 1.26.09 when I was going through some pretty tough stuff. I like this because it's real but yet hopeful...

Though the pain remains

retrieves me and holds me back,

God takes my right hand & says, 

"I'm stronger then that."

He steps beneath my shadows

begins to clear a spot, 

Says he'll stay forever

planted like a ROCK.

Anchored through the darkness

swaying through the rain,

This must be LOVE...

He who stays through the pain. 

. action verse .

Did you know?

Today is the day....

I turn 26. ---> Wow. 

26 seems old[er] when you think about how close it's getting to 30, BUT counting back it's only 10 years away from 16! so come on now, it ain't old! I hate when people say the 20's are old. YOU FEED LIES. 

Anyways, just wanted to share some facts that might interest you. 

|Me| |mē| |mi| |miː||ˈˈɛm ˈi| 

.Born.

NOVEMBER 2 1984 

{a beautiful month} [a crazy day] {a hopeful year}

&

.Mother / Father.

Chantel Pandora (19) - Terry Royce (21)

{i have her eyes} [i have his dark features]

&

.Birthed in / Raised in.

Texas - Michigan

[hot] {cold}

&

.Maiden / Married.

 Finch - Van Wynsberg

{easy} [hard]

Melanie Ann

pronounced MEL-a-nee / pronounced an

&

.Meaning in a name.

Black - Yes my name translates as Black.

{it's in my nature; literally} [i hate brown on me; it all makes sense now]

& 

.Ironically / I was born on.

The Day of the Dead - & [some] Election Days

[interesting; glad I'm a Christian] {even !scarier!} 

&

.Born on.

My G-pa & G-ma Finch's wedding anniversary

{= favorite grandchild} [loved]

.What HE |hē| |hi| |(h)i| |hiː|says about |mē|.

.You are mine.

{I am nothing / without him}

nothing |ˈnəθi ng |

not anything; no single thing 

• something of no importance or concern

• (in calculations) no amount; zero.

.BUT.

I am everything |ˈevrēˌθi ng | in Him 

• all things of importance; a great deal 

• the most important thing or aspect

.Proof. |for you too|

  ⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
   Where can I flee from your presence?  ⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
   if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. ⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
   if I settle on the far side of the sea, ¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
   your right hand will hold me fast. ¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
   and the light become night around me,” ¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
   the night will shine like the day,
   for darkness is as light to you.

Not even the blackness of my name, the darkness of my youth, the pain in my existence, the sin I have committed, can keep me from you. [my added version]

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well. ¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be. ¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
   How vast is the sum of them! ¹⁸ Were I to count them,
   they would outnumber the grains of sand—
   when I awake, I am still with you.

Thank you for the 9,490 days [and more] 

that you have never forsaken.

The 26 years. The endless moments of your presence in my life.

.I am {Melanie}. [everything] I am, because of you; 

the author and perfecter of my faith. 

Thank you...

for taking this Black, Day of the Dead, Election-feared-freak of a girl

& making her,

your own. 

Ps. I did Vote today.