biebs.

We dined at Chicora Alley on Friday night, where we gathered with some old friends from high school to celebrate Justin turning twenty-five years young! It was such a blessing to watch the look on his face when he noticed all his best friends sitting at a big table yelling out "SURPRISE!" An enchilada for dinner, funfetti cake for dessert, and lots of laughter and reminiscing were just a few of the things that made this particular evening more special than most. I hope Justin felt all the love we were pouring over him, and it's my sincerest prayer that the Lord would reveal to him just how precious he is to so many people.

Happy birthday, Biebs!

let's here it for POP!

On Saturday morning, most of the Henderson kiddos surprised daddy-o at the Sportsclub to watch him beast a tennis tournament. It was a successful sneak attack, and his I'm-trying-not-to-look-as-excited-as-I-really-am face was too precious to put into words. My pop is a stud, simple as that. And we love him a whole heck of a lot, unashamedly so. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect way to spend this beautiful, sun-shiney day, and it just added to the list of memories I hope I never, ever forget.

"Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!"

-Lydia M. Child

muscle car here, muscle car there.

We finished up our overnight stay in Charlotte with a trip to the Auto Fair at the speedway. Teesh and his dad go every year, but this was my first go at it. Verdict: it was awesome! In the center of the track, there were rows upon rows upon even more rows of car parts and antiques and all sorts of hard-to-find goodies. Along the track, itself, were cars lining the whole thing. It was legitimately classic car heaven, and I loved every bit of it. This may have been my first visit, but I'm certain it won't be my last. I even made my first appearance on the jumbotron, which was both thrilling and embarrassing. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day, and I already can't wait for our next trip!

panthers.

We may not have gotten the outcome we wanted, but one thing we weren't short on was fun! Lots of it!It was such a great Thursday night at Bank of America Stadium with our sweet friends, Marvin and Cat. Any time we get to wear blue and black is always the best, especially when we get to be there in person. Our entertainment came mostly from the stands, and I learned a new fact: Giants fans are cray-zee. I laughed and laughed at the pranks being pulled, all the while trying to keep my spirits high for our boys out on the field.

You win some, you lose some. And even though the scoreboard said we lost, this night was definitely a win in my book. 

GO PANTHERS!

los bravos.

What a glorious day it was to hang out with some of our favorite people as we cheered on our favorite baseball team. It was the perfect Saturday with perfect weather, perfect company, a perfect score to the game, and a perfect end of our night with a concert and Waffle House. The Braves beat the Nationals, we got to see Chipper play, and OAR performed right after the end of the ninth inning. See? Perfect.

Baseball will always be one of my most beloved sports, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't get butterflies every time I walk into a stadium. I think that tradition may have started when I had a crush on the cutest pitcher I'd ever seen, way back in the seventh grade. Some habits just stick with ya, huh? This is one habit I'm more than happy to keep for a lifetime.

Ladies and gentlemen, here is our afternoon hanging out with America's favorite past time.

"A baseball park is the one place where a man's wife doesn't mind his getting excited over someone else's curves."

-Brendan Francis

three.

Three years ago on this day, the twelfth of September, I got to have a front row seat at witnessing Savannah and A-Dub become one. Today breaks my heart into a million pieces as she celebrates her anniversary without Andy, but it also forces me to smile through my tears as I think back on the light he had in his eyes when he looked at her, especially on that beautiful September evening. If A-Dub was anything, it was loving, and Savannah got to experience that like never before throughout their time on this earth together.

My hope is that we are all able to be thankful and blessed on such a terribly sorrowful day. It is my sincerest prayer that Savannah will be filled with the Spirit like never before as she recalls all the memories they made together, and that she will be granted mercy as she misses him more today than usual. Heartache is the worst kind of ache there is, but I am claiming the faithfulness of Christ over her on this day, believing that she will be comforted and her heart will be put back together by the One who created it.

Lord Jesus, if Matthew 5:4 were ever true, I am begging for it to be so today. Wrap your arms around her aching heart, and give her your righteous comfort as she does her best to make it through today. Show her how much you love her, Father, and may she respond to Your presence that surrounds her. Turn her mourning into gladness and sorrow into rejoicing.

"Oh heart, if one should say to you the soul perishes like the body, answer that the flower withers, but the seed remains."

-Kahlil Gibran

our ninth.

Nine. That's how many years together Teesh and I celebrate today. It's hard for me to describe in words just how out-of-this-world-blessed they have been, and it pumps me up to know that the best is still yet to come. These years haven't been without heartache, but the joys have been so much greater. We've made mistakes, but the Lord has been faithful in granting us endless amounts of grace and mercy in the midst of all of them. The simple fact that I married this man, someone that I couldn't have dreamed up any more perfectly, is a testament to just how good and great He is.

I can still remember the first time I ever saw him in Mrs. Patterson's seventh grade pre-algebra class, and I can assure you that's something I'll never, ever forget. Not to mention how those butterflies from that beautiful ninth day of September still exist today; there aren't many memories that I love more than that one. I always said I'd marry that boy, and I still get giddy every time I think about spending the rest of my life with him. Yes, these past nine years have been, without a doubt, the most incredible of my life, but they pale in comparison to all the things that we will face together in the days, months, and years to come. I can't wait to look back on our life together, someday when I'm old and gray, and praise Jesus for all that He has given us.

Nine years down, a lifetime to go.

Somebody pinch me!

"A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love."

-Mother Teresa