Oh Sweet Summer Time!

I love the summers... I love the LONG evenings, bright sunshine, family time, celebrations, cook outs, spending time on the lake (or any body of water for that matter) and some what relaxing and slower pace. This summer I have not been up to anything in particular... but I have LOVED every minute of it! Here are some pictures of the fun....

Tubing....

Having fun!.....
Spending time with friends and family on the boat...

Friends having fun tubing...

Intense sunsets... and boats waiting for 4th of July fireworks...

Perfect sunsets at the lake....

Cadie stealing the ball and never giving back....

More beautiful sunsets...

Spending time with family, including the greatest niece in the world...

Seeing TONS of rainbows.... like this one when I went to my parent's house at the very beginning of the summer....

Next up is vacation up at the mountain house! Excited about getting to MUCH cooler weather for a week, spending time with some friends while there, and seeing Baba and Jack who are flying out for a few weeks from Seattle.

I am so blessed....

Answered Prayers

Several weeks ago at church, the sermon was on prayer from Acts 12:1-18. It was an incredible sermon and left me feeling empowered yet with questions and a bit of personal confusion (that I think I have figured out!)

The preacher started by saying that Christians are more superstitious than believers in the supernatural. He suggested that when a prayer is answered exactly the way we want it, we begin to pray that way over and over again for years because we believe that it was the way we prayed the prayer that got it answered the way we want it. It is 100%, definitely safe to say, that is not the case at all. That is our issue with superstition and not our total belief in the supernatural power of God.

He went on to preach about how God always answers our prayers in three major ways- No, Obey, and Yes. Garth Brooks' song saying "Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers" is wrong. It is not that our prayers are unanswered. Our prayers are ALWAYS answered. As it says in Hebrews, our lives are held together by the words coming for Jesus' mouth... He ALWAYS answers our prayers.

Sometimes God answers our prayers by saying "No." He says "No" and we have to accept that that is the way it is. No one likes hearing no. Sometimes "no" is the last thing we want. However, as a parent says no to their child, THE Father says no to us as His children. We serve the Sovereign King of the Universe... not Santa clause. He sometimes says "no" because by saying no he leads us to something greater than we could EVER imagine, dream or hope for.

Sometimes God answers our prayers by simply saying Obey. Often we pray for things that we know the answer to-- we pray about things that we should never have to pray about if we would simply obey His word and what He has taught us. In the sermon, the pastor used an example of a man praying about a situation at work where he wondering if he should tell the truth about something going on within the office. In that case, the answer to the prayer is Obey by telling the truth. Obey what God has already told us do through His word, the Bible. The pastor went on to say we also often try to pray ourselves out of a situation we behaved ourselves into. If we obey him and/or when we pray in situations where God's answer is Obey, we must follow what He has said. When we say we are praying about something we already know the answer to, all we are doing is delaying obedience.

Sometimes God say yes when He answers our prayers. That's the answer we like to hear the most. That's the one we love. We all like hearing YES! When He says yes, we get so amazed yet we forget that we serve a Sovereign God who gives His children good gifts. (and He ONLY gives good gifts! (Matt 7:11))

During the service they played THIS VERY incredible video about a young staff member, Zac Smith, who has terminal cancer. Zac's video is an incredible testimony of his faith. He points out in the video that sometimes God answers our prayers by saying Yes and that God is God and God is good. When God says "no", Zac reminds us that God is still God and God is still good. To HIM be the glory. Our circumstances do not change His character. He is still the sovereign king of the universe who created every last thing in this world and still knows my name and every last detail about me.

Since that service I have thought about prayers I have prayed, for things that I have wanted and the answers that God gave me. I think about the answered prayer that my dad is winning his battle against cancer. I think about a friend of mine who lost his mom to cancer. I wonder why it has to be that way that my dad is alive but his mom is not. Then I remember it is HIS answer and His glory will be revealed through it all even when it all seems wrong in our earthly minds, His character has not changed and His gift is still good and perfect. I think about Kate McRae, a 6 year old with cancer who is winning her battle but then my thoughts turn to 2 year old Layla Grace who recently lost her battle cancer. I think about my friend Joanna, one of the most faithful and wonderful people I have ever met and why she has cancer. I will never know this side of eternity, and maybe ever, why sometimes God answers our prayers with a Yes and why other times His answer is no or even why bad things happen to good people and innocent children. However, I know that every answer is used for HIS glory and will result in something far greater than I could ever hope or imagine and it will ALL be for HIS glory!

To HIM be the Glory!

Gala honoring Dr. Stephen Hefner

On Friday March 12, 2010, The Richland School District 2 Education Foundation hosted a gala honoring Dr. Stephen W. Hefner for his 36 years of service to Richland School District 2, 16 years of it as superintendent. During his years in the district, the school system has grown exponentially, he has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, and has truly helped Richland Two become a "World Class" school district.

It was a fun evening to see faces I had not seen for years and catch up with former teachers, community members, and to celebrate the extraordinary career of a wonderful public educator.

Dr. and Mrs. Hefner with Lisa Sisk and Dr. Julia Boyd, co-chairs of the event!

My Parents!

I LOVE mother!! She and the others worked so hard to plan such a wonderful gala!

Me and Ms. Linda... she took care of the Hamm and Hefner girls when Channing and I were babies and is still a WONDERFUL part of our lives!

Channing (Hefner) Rice, Joe Harris (a wonderful Richland 2 Graduate working in DC)

and Megan Hefner

The Hamm and Hefner Families

(minus Sissy and Chad who had to go to another event when this one was over)

Me, Ms. McKeown, and Willie. Ms. McKeown is one of the greatest public

educators you will ever meet!!

Me and my parents. Mom and the other memebers of the planning committee

worked tirelessly to put this once-in-a-lifetime event on. They did a great job!

Me and one of the greatest friends a girl could ask for and one of the most wonderful men in my life, my dear friend Willie Lyles! Willie is also a product of Richland 2

Schools and is doing great things in DC! :-)

Sarah Boyd

I have been SO lucky the past few days... I kept Sarah Boyd on Friday when she got out of "school", spent all day with her and my sister on Saturday, and then she came to my parents house for the day yesterday while my sister went into the office since Chad is out of town. It was SO nice to get to see her so much!!!

Here are a few pictures of her from yesterday playing in the front yard at my parents! I cant believe how big she is getting and how grown up she is acting!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEARS FRIEND!!!

Happy New Years, Friends!!!!

I hope everyone rang in 2010 with family and friends!!! Hoping and praying for a year full of God's many blessings to each of you!!!

Merry 2010, Happy 2010... Happy New Year!!

oh... and I will get a post up at somepoint about the happenings of the holidays....just not tonight!

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is possibly my favorite holiday of the year... if not my favorite, it is tied with Christmas. Its a wonderful holiday to tell the people in your life just how thankful you are for them and to remind yourself all the many blessings in life. It is a holiday that really makes me think and reflect on my own life and how many wonderful, great, and amazing things and people that are in my life. I have so much to be thankful for. In the days and week leading up to thanksgiving, I find my mind turning to the holiday and really focusing on everything in my life that makes it great and special, especially the people I am so blessed to call my family and friends. As I did last year on Thanksgiving, I am continuing the tradition below with a list of things I am most thankful for. As usual, they are not in any particular order, except the first one. The first is the most important thing/aspect of my life, because with out Him, I would be nothing!



1. Jesus Christ- My faith is truly the core of who I am. I am not perfect by any means (very far from it...), but when I waver, wander, or stumble, and fall far short of His glory (on a daily basis), He remains steadfast and faithful. As one song says "Amazing grace, its more than just a song"-- I can say without a doubt that is the truth. His grace and mercy are unending, His love is unfailing, and for that I am forever thankful!



2. My family- They are always there for me. They rejoice and celebrate with me in the good times and they are always there to pick me up when I fall. Incredible people who love me for who I am, even when I am being hard to love.



3. My Friends- My friends are the ones who know everything about me and love me just the same. They are there for me when times are great (like my birthday just last week) to the bad times when I feel like my world is falling apart and crumbling around me. There is some quote that says something along the lines of friends are the family that we get to choose. I do consider my friends to be as close as family and I love them like family, but I did not choose them. God has put each and every last one of them into my life for a reason. Each one has had an impact on my life and forever changed me. I can not say thank you enough to my friends for always being there and remind them that I love them dearly! Y'all make my life so much brighter!!

4. The amazing guy I am dating.... Six months ago I would have never guessed that I would be in a relationship, but I am! The more and more I get to know him, the more and more incredible I think he is! He is so sweet to me and very supportive of me and my dreams, and even seems to tolerate the fact that my life has been taken over with school work these past few weeks! It is an unexpected blessing that I am very thankful for!



5. My dream is becoming my reality- It hit me this summer just before starting my last year of school that finishing school would mean my life long dream of being an architect is truly becoming my reality! Finishing this semester, my comprehensive studio, is a HUGE hurdle that will soon be done! (2 weeks!!!!) Its hard to believe in one more semester and one more summer, I will be done with school. Forever. I have loved my time at Clemson, but I am looking forward to having something that sort of resembles a life. Yet, I would not trade all the struggles, late nights, crazy reviews, stress, and shear emotion because this dream is so worth all of that!

6. Freedom. Here I am spending time with my family for Thanksgiving while around the world, our United States service men and women are protecting our freedom this holiday. Thank you to all of you who protect our country!

Time is flying by....

This year (and this semester for that matter) is flying by..... where is the time going!?!?!

Seems like just yesterday I was celebrating new years by banging pots and pans on the front porch by myself because my family was already asleep....

It seems like just yesterday I was spending my valentines day with two of my closest friends.... having what turned out to be the greatest valentines to date!

Spring was my best friend's wedding... fast forward to the summer... starting off with Sarah Boyd's baptism, lazy days at the lake, family vacation to the mountains, my big trip across the big pond....starting my last year of school...Fall. I met an incredible guy who keeps totally rocking my socks off and has me excited to see where our relationship goes..... Sarah Boyd's First Birthday (and Chad's 30th Birthday).

Now here we are. A little more than two weeks from Thanksgiving (one of my favorite holidays because I have SO much to be thankful for!), 3 weeks from my final review, 4 weeks from exam week... and then Christmas break! Where has this semester gone? It is flying by!

They say time flies when you are having fun... I am clearly having a LOTS of fun! I am so blessed to have incredible friends and family who I totally dont deserve but love more than I can ever let them know, I have this great opportunity to pursue my dream of being an architect, and I totally love living each day full on and all out!!! Life is great!

Here are a few recent pictures....Sarah Boyd's birthday party!! In the next few weeks I will be doing different things and get more pictures! :-)

... I am good at copying and pasting....

Saw this over on another blog and thought it might be kind of fun.... so here it goes....



1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while your blogging?

I am typically blogging in the studio during my lunch... so I am usually eating a bag of steam fresh veggies and have my nalgene of water.



2. What is one thing you wouldn't want to live without?

Hum... hard one... I would say my friends and family, but they are not things. They are incredible people who I love more than I could ever let them know! A thing I could not live without... my cellphone... I use it a lot. (email, keeping in touch with my family and friends, surfing the internet.... It is not my crackberry as I can live with out for a day or two at a time... but it is usually close at hand)


3. Beach, Mountains, or Farm? Where would you live if you had a choice?

Mountains.... Since we built our family mountain house, I have fallen completely in love with the mountains. I do enjoy the beach and farms, but I always get to the mountains and feel like all is well again!



4. What's your least favorite chore/household duty?

Cleaning my bathtub and shower. My bathtub is really kind of too big.... it requires either climbing into the tub to get the back corner or using the swiffer with a towel on the end to get to the back. And my water at the house is pretty hard, so it is sometimes very hard to really get the hard warter scum off..... :-(


5. Who do people say you remind them of?
My mother... I love her dearly and we are a lot alike. People tell me our mannerisms are very similar and well, when we are on the phone we sound just alike. I cannot believe I am about to admit this on my blog... but I did not realize until a few years ago just how much we sound alike on the phone. I had just gotten to my parents house from Clemson and no one was home. So I pick up my cell phone and called what I think is my mom's cell phone and in turn call their landline at the house. When I pick up the landline, I say hello into the landline phone, and of course hear it coming out my cellphone at which point I start talking to who I think is my mom. When I cant hear her reply, I start saying "Mom... I cant hear you... you are breakin up...." at which point I realized I was talking to myself! So yes. One the phone, we do sound very much alike......



6. Prefer parties and socializing or staying home with the fam?

I like a good mix of both. I like to go out with my friends and have a good time, but I dont want to do that every night. Some nights I like to just chill at home. So a few times a week with friends is great because then I get a few nights a week at home too! Its the best of both worlds!



7. What's your all time favorite movie?

I dont have one... I have 3..... and all three are chick flicks. I like the movies where the guy gets the girl in the end! My 3 favorits are The American President, The Wedding Date, and Love Affair! All soo good!



8. Do you sleep in your make-up or remove it like a good little girl every night?

Nope. I wash my face every night.... my skin is WAY too oily not to! Its bad enough already... It would be totally horrible if I tried to sleep in make up!



9. Do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you've never had a chance to learn? What is it?

I really want to pick up playing the cello again and I really want to learn to play the piano.

10. What's one strange thing you're really good at?

I cant think of anything strange I am really good at.... I guess my friends from college would say that I am pretty good at the Clooodles and maybe the Cameos from Cranium....

11. What first attracted you to your spouse?

Come on now... we all know I am not married... but the first thing I notice about guys are their eyes and their smiles!

12. What is something you love to smell?

The smell of the fall air...cool and crisp with a slight smell of someone burning a campfire or something... Ahhh... heaven!

13. Tell something about you that you know irritates people.

I tend to speak my mind..... and sometimes too much.....

14. When you have extra money, what's the first thing you think to do with it?

I am a broke graduate student... I dont ever have extra money.... but if I did, I would probably splurge on something... shopping or possibly a pedicure or something for myself. Just depends on the mood I am in at that time.

15. Are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? What makes you laugh the hardest?

I l ove to laugh out loud! I dont know what makes me laugh the hardest though.... probably being around my good friend Joanna's brothers.... those boys are very funny and will make you laugh until your sides hurt!

16. Where is your favorite place to shop?

Probably TJ Maxx... I love to find good deals! But after that, probably Belks.... nothing too exciting.....

17. What's one thing you'd do more often if you had more time?

Spend more time with family and friends... sometimes being in school is hard because it can be very hard to get away, even for the weekend!

18. Are you a big spender or frugal?

I like to find good deals!!! But periodically I will splurge on something special (my Digital SLR for example was a huge splurge, but I love it and it has been well worth the investment!)

19. Who is your favorite character of all time?

I dont have an all time favorite character....

20. Would you want to be famous?

Not really. I love the life I have been blessed with!

It is well...

Life is an endless roller coaster. The scary drops, the exhilarating ups, and the times when it seems we are just creeping along not going up or down... just a plateau in life. I am definitely in an exhilarating up right now. I don't know how life could get much better! I know I have said that before.... but I am way to blessed not to say that! I have an incredible family who support me constantly, greater friends than I could ever deserve or ask for, I serve an awesome God who loves me despite my faults... I could not be more blessed or be happier!

I am crazy in love with life... now why it is great, this summer when I was struggling, all the time. If I did not have the hard times, I would not know how great the good times are. If I did not have the lows, I would not realize how out of control and powerless I am and, thus would not see how in control and totally powerful (and awesome) God is.

Life is Good. In fact, Life is great!

The Lake! (and at sunset it is even better!)

The unexpected... a rainbow during a break in the rain.

The Mountains...

My life long dream of being an architect slowly becoming my reality!

(This is my arch + Health people during our tour of the ORs at MUSC last week)

Sweet Sarah Boyd

I have not done a blog post about Sweet Sarah Boyd in a while... So here ya go!!! She is just shy of a year old... hard to believe in 3 weeks she will be 1!!!! What a year!!! I cant believe how much I love her and how wonderful she is!!!


Enjoy these pictures... they are from Friday night (Oct 2)!

(I LOVE LOVE LOVE it when she cuddles in like that!!!)

SB loves her Maddie! and my Mom LOVES SB!

Music to my ears...

As one of my friends had on their facebook status... "Im over September.... This has been a really rough month.." Ditto. Yes. But in these times of trouble, turmoil, suffering, etc I have always found that God uses the stormy seasons of life to pull me closer to Him. I always find comfort reading different passages in scripture about suffering, rejoicing in our suffering, and perseverance.... God's perfect will and plan. They all bring comfort.
For me though, since I listen to music all the time, I also find that certain song lyrics get stuck in my head and help remind me of my focus... especially since I tend to listen to more Christian/praise music when I am faced with adversity. So. Here are a few songs that have hit home with me in the past few weeks, and especially in the last few days. (If these are duplicates of previous music to my ears posts... sorry.) (oh and this time I decided to put links you tube so you can listen if you have never heard them before....I could not find all of them, but I found some)

Stand Amazed (by 33 Miles)
You will be my strength when I am weak
When I wanna give in and not turn the other cheek
Let this be the prayer that I speak...That I speak...
When all the lights go down and the world is quiet
No one is aroundI wanna be the same man that'll serve you then
Like I serve you now
That my convictions never change
O let my need for you remain
As real as the moment I was saved
So I will always stand amazed

From the Inside Out (Hillsong United)
A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame my heart and my soul,
Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord, Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out


Shine (Salvador)
As simple as a passing smile
Or listening a little while
To someone that's convinced that they are in this all alone
Here's my chance to share the news
To introduce the good that's You
Here You go again, You never cease to blow my mind

Lord let me shine, shine like the moon
A reflection of You in all that I do
Lord let me be a light for Your truth
Light of the world, I wanna be used to shine for You

You're the love that we all need
You lift us up to our feet
You hold the key to eternity
The King of Kings alive in me.

You Rescue Me (Salvador)
Aching in a place that only I can see
Tears have a way of catching up to me
All it ever takes is a glimpse of something free
Like birds in flight
So I'm giving up on clarity
Cause I want to trust where I cannot see and

You rescue me, You hear my cry
You shelter me through the night
And You are my strength when I am in need
You are my God, You rescue me

Caught between the ocean and eternity
Broken by the weight of my attempts to be
Everything that everyone expects of me
This time, and every time

So I'm giving up on my righteousness
Cause grace, alone, will give me rest cause

You rescue me, You hear my cry
You shelter me through the night
And You are my strength when I am in need
You are my God, You rescue me

Amazing Grace (Newton)
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,Was blind, but now I see.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snaresI have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Bit of an update....

In the beginning of the summer I had so many plans and things to do with all the "free time" I was going to have away from school. Needless to say, much of those things have not gotten done but I have had one of the best summers of my life, if not the best summer of my life.

I spent most of June working on research stuff for work and studying for the LEED exam when I was not at work. June was also when we went to Blowing Rock for our annual family vacation. It was a great week of relaxing!!! The weather was spectacular. My dad had to be out of town for the first few days, so it was great for my mom and I to get some great mother/daughter time in. She and I did lots of things together, but one night for dinner, we went to my favorite restaurant of all time so that made it extra special! That night I also had one of the best meals I have ever had!!! At the end of the week, one of my great friends from grad school came up for the weekend. She is from Texas, so she had never been up to the mountains of the east coast. It was fun to go up on the Blue Ridge Parkway, see the Cone Manor, and of course eat at some of the great restaurants around town! One night we went all out and had dinner downtown at Bistro Roca and then went to Gamekeeper (my favorite restaurant mentioned above) for dessert and drinks. It was great to have her up there and a fun way to end my vacation!

After that week, I really had to buckle down and really cram for the LEED exam. Leading up to the exam I was really nervous as I had been taking practice exams and not doing very well. The night before the exam, I had studied all I knew to study and could recall the information, but still did not do well on the exam. When I crawled into bed, I prayed and told God it was up to him because I had done all I could do. The next day, I had a weird peace about the exam. I went, took it, and not only did I pass, but I got 100% on one of the sections!!! I am glad I studied for and took the exam, but it is one thing I am VERY happy to have behind me!

The next weekend was the weekend of the 4th of July. We celebrated the 4th with family and friends. We also celebrated my dad's 60th Birthday! It was a special day since it was not too long ago, his doctors said he probably would not make it that far!

After the 4th it was back to reality and back to work. I have thoroughly enjoyed working this summer. I only worked about 30-35 hours a week and with great people. It was a fun environment to work in and there was a real camaraderie amongst the group! While I was happy to be finishing work last week, it was also somewhat sad that this great group of people that I spent my days with was moving on. Luckily most will still be in Clemson for the school year with a few of the recent grads opening the next chapter of their lives!!

This week I am enjoying a few days at home in Columbia/at the lake house with my family as well as seeing Debbie and the kids. Thursday morning I will head back to Clemson to celebrate Lindsay's graduation. She has been such a great roommate, I hate to see her leave and move, but I am so happy and proud of all that she has accomplished!

Then, the big, unexpected trip of the summer, starts Monday. Monday I leave for EUROPE!!! I will only be gone about 10 days, but it will be a great trip and a great opportunity. I am going with Lindsay T, the friend of mine who came to the mountain house for part of our vacation. She was awarded a HUGE honor of an AIA/AAH Fellowship. So, some of the award covers travel for her to go study and do research. So, I am tagging along with her for the ride! We will spend half the trip in the UK and half the trip in the Netherlands. We will visit London and Oxford in the UK and then Deventer and Gronigen in the Netherlands. It should be a great, once-in-a-lifetime trip and I am super excited about it! I will be sure to do a post with pictures from our trip!

I get back the night before school starts, so I will have to hit the ground running and ready for the crazy semester that lays ahead. I have faith that it will be a good semester and that I will be prepared and ready for whatever comes my way! I am excited of all that is happening right now in my life. I can honestly say that I am happier than ever before and just excited about life!

Here are several pictures from all the adventures!!!

Last night at the lake... gotta love the sunsets off the dock!

Sarah Boyd on Saturday night! She is almost walking and is now9 months old!

Sarah Boyd's Baptism

A few weeks ago we celebrated Sarah Boyd's baptism. It was a wonderful day full of family and friends. She was baptized by one of the pastors at the church my mom, dad, sister, and I are members at. The pastor who baptized her grew up at our church and is only a year older than my sister, so it was special that someone we have known for so long... probably 20+ years. After the service, everyone was invited back to my sister's house for brunch. My sister cooked shrimp and Grits (and kielbasa for those who did not eat shrimp), asparagus, a salad, and then cake and french silk pies for dessert. I would guess that close to 40 or 50 people where there. It was great to see how many people were there to support Sarah Boyd and to be there as she grows and gets older. Here are a few pictures from the day! (Thanks to family friend Linday Heyward who took pictures of the day!)