Callaway Gardens, GA

This weekend the girls in my family took a weekend trip to Callaway Gardens in Georgia. It is basically a huge resort with tons of gardens, lakes, and biking trails. The butterfly garden was fantastic and really fun to photograph.

To see each photo enlarged just click on the image and it will open in another window.


My sister with the HUGE sunflowers

Abby {senior session}

I was really excited about this session. I've known Abby throughout high school and she is such a beautiful girl. Now she's all graduated and I can't believe it! I wanted to find the perfect field with lots of soft light and it suited her so well. Thankfully she always goes along with my crazy antics :)

Abby, I am so happy for you and I know you will love Covenant College. It was great to hear about what you've been up to and where you'll be in the fall. I had trouble figuring out which ones to blog because they were all so beautiful.

Backstage at the Ryman

I have a love affair with hymns. Growing up in a baptist church I was never very far from a hymnal, but it wasn't until college that it became a part of the fabric of my being. I became involved with a college ministry called RUF (Reformed University Fellowship). It was here I met the Belmont RUF pastor, Kevin Twit, who quickly invited me and the other students into a world of dusty hymn texts that filled his entire house and his life. The words were richer than anything I had ever heard and as they told a glorious story of the Gospel I understood God's "Love That Will Not Let Me Go".

Indelible Grace is the hymn project born out one of the first Belmont RUF groups 10 years ago. The main idea was to take these old texts (some forgotten) and put them to new music. Since then 6 albums have been produced and and recorded by the same people who started it and are now successful musicians. Last night at the Ryman they performed many of these hymns who have become beloved to RUF students, churches, and a new generation of children who are now growing up with these hymns. Kevin Twit and his wife, Wendy were so passionate about putting last night together. I was more than thrilled to help with merchandise mostly because I love telling people about the CD's and the beautiful songs on them. Praise God for amazing mentors and an amazing night!

You can go to the Indelible Grace site >here< to hear the music!



Oh, and did I mention that we are crazy? Exibit A - Melissa Hill.


I love this girl.



Matthew Smith


Kevin explaining one of the songs



Derek Webb

Birthdays

This weekend we celebrated Gregory and Logan's Birthdays down at Percy Priest lake. It was also the day that it decided to pour buckets but luckily for us it happened right before and right after we were outside. Happy Birthday guys!
















By the time we got to Kristy's house Zachary was wiped out.

Jimmy's Eagle Scout Ceremony

So there was another milestone at the Mansfield house this weekend - my brother officially became an Eagle Scout. It was so great to be there for him after watching him work on it for so long. I think they said he had hiked a total of a couple hundred miles or something??? For his project he built an outdoor amphitheater at a local elementary school. Needless to say I was extremely proud of him. Love you Brother!











As I took this picture I was tearing up myself...


My mom pinning on his official pin.



Letter from Obama!


Afterwards my dad had a huuuge crawfish boil. Go Dad.


My and my roommate with our pet crawfish...