cara.

Today is our sweet Cara's birthday, and most of the Phillips clan gathered to celebrate her turning three on Sunday! There are a lot of traditions that I love, and our family birthday parties rank high up on the list. Cara was cute as can be, which was no surprise to any of us, and her princess-themed party made for a royal afternoon of fun!

Happy birthday, Cara!

You are loved by so many, and that love gets bigger + stronger every day!

p.s. Have I mentioned how thankful I am for my family? Too many times to count, you say? Well, here's another one to add to the list: I am SO thankful for my family!

family fun day | 2k14.

This past Saturday, TJ's whole family got together for our first annual #familyfunday, and its title describes it perfectly: fun! We played wiffle ball + volleyball + badminton + had a corn hole tournament + grilled out hot dogs with all the works + ended the night around the fire with marshmallows in-hand. We had the best time all afternoon, and most of us were sore the next day when we tried to get out of bed because of all the running + jumping + laughing we did. I think all of us are ready for our next gathering, and we'll be talking about this first round until the second round is upon us.

"Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life!"

-Albert Einstein

baseball.

Spring means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but to my family, it holds one special meaning in particular: baseball is back! Trent moved up to coaches pitch this year, leaving us all filled with wonder about how he got so big so fast + pride in watching him hit the ball and run the bases so wholeheartedly. Aunt Anna could take pictures of this handsome fella all day long, especially when he's playing his favorite game.

Oh, spring, I'm so thankful you're here!

besties.

I've been singing along with her for years, but singing along with her in person was unlike anything else. Meeting her only added to my excitement, causing those butterflies to come out of hiding and cut flips inside my belly + the biggest smile to be permanently frozen on my face. To you, this may appear no different than an ordinary day, but to me, it was an item I checked off my bucket list with a heart that was beaming with enthusiasm + consumed with inspiration.

Become momentary best friends with Kari Jobe? Check.

Yep, you guessed it. I'm still giddy!

with one voice.

'Twas a beautiful night being overwhelmed by the Spirit of the Most High God, and experiencing His presence alongside two of His most beautiful works of art was simply another reason to bless His name. I love making memories with my best friends, and the ones where the whole purpose of our time together is to lift our hands together in praise are my favorites.

Before.

After.

I am confident that I speak for all three of us when I say this: Tuesday night was a glimpse of heaven, and there is nothing more exhilarating than confessing our adoration of He who created us in His image. 

"Let us become more aware of Your presence.

Let us experience the glory of Your goodness."

-Holy Spirit, Kari Jobe

breath of heaven, breathe on us.

In honor of my twenty-fifth birthday, Melanie and I (thanks to my incredible + out-of-this-world + tremendously brag-worthy husband) road-tripped to Charlotte and met Caitlin there for one of the best nights of my life. Warren Barfield + Rend Collective Experiment + Kari Jobe took turns leading us in worship for several hours, and it was absolutely, positively unbelievable. Hundreds of us stood before God with our hands held high + our voices raised praising He who enabled us to do so. What a blessing it was to be in the midst of so many eager hearts that had been set on fire with a burning desire to sing to He who reigns from the throne of heaven, our Father + Creator + King.

The Lamb who was slain is worthy, indeed. As long as I live, it is my prayer that I would never cease to profess Jesus Christ as my Hope + my Lord + my Savior. It is, also, my prayer that every nation would join together as one voice to worship He who is risen, every tongue would confess Jesus as Lord, and every heart would believe that God has raised Christ from the dead. Just as Christ lives, so do those who place their faith in His life + death + resurrection + ascension. The power of sin and death has been defeated, and I don't plan to ever stop singing about the victory that is mine through Jesus!

"I believe you're my Healer,

I believe You are all I need.

I believe You're my Portion,

I believe You're more than enough for me.

Jesus, You're all I need."

-Kari Jobe

main street.

On Saturday night, seven of us dined at Smoke on the Water in honor of my twenty-fifth year being upon us, and it was another night I have been thanking Jesus tremendously for since. After dinner, we took the long way back to the car, and explored more of the beautiful city we get to call home while making as many pit stops as desired as we walked. Being surrounded by so many gorgeous sights as I adventured alongside so many lovely people was nearly perfect, and it was just one more night that I was able to add to my list of favorites.

"I live in my own little world. But it's okay, they know me here."

-Lauren Myracle