a f r i c a

i remember being in college + the joke in our apartment was "you aren't a real Christian until you go to Africa." at the time, 5 out of 7 roomies had been to africa. me + whit were missing out!

 

whit + her husband went last year + they L O V E D it! so i was the only "non - christian" left out of the college roomies.

 

this summer, my friends, i'm becoming a Christian (joking) + heading to Africa with my sweet travy!

 

i could not be MORE stoked!

 

we will be going with a foundation called : the charis foundation.

 

travy went with them almost 4 years ago when we first started "talking/flirting/dating/flying to see each other". lol it's a place where his heart is + i cannot wait to share in this adventure with him!

 

 

{i mean please, what a BABE!}

 

the Lord is opening doors + we are walking through them! just wanted to ask you to partner with us in prayer! we will be in Kenya + Ethiopia from August 5th-17th. cover our team in areas of travel, ministry, strength, building relationships with churches, kids camps, church plants, etc!

 

i cannot wait to be used as a vessel during this trip. we are honored + humbled to serve such a good God!

 

thanks for your encouragement, love + support!

 

xoxo

happy 2 year anniversary!

i cannot believe 2 years of marriage have happened! it felt like yesterday when we were @ APU together, just being buds! then i emailed you, we fell in love + here we are!

 

in 2 years,

 

we have:

 

experienced more of Jesus

moved from AZ to CA

moved from a 2 bedroom to a tiny {but adorable} 1 bedroom apartment

celebrated weddings 

joined in celebrating our friends having babies

birthdays with each other + tons of special life moments

golfed

experienced some traumatic moments that have shaped us as individuals + as a couple

gone to a lot of sporting events

flea marketed

welcomed a neice + nephew into the garcia/thompson family {who we LOVE dearly}

started new jobs

camped out on the street for a parade

5K'd it

mentored + loved on youth

killed turkeys + birds {cooked them too}
traveled around the country

stayed up way too late

 played games

done puzzles

gone through TV series

joined an incredible, life giving church community

paddle boarded

seen each other on our best + worst days

met our "hometeam"

 

daily we:

cry

mostly laugh

pray

dream

heart to heart talk

text

giggle

bless

wash dishes

hug

kiss

snuggle

date

eat

encourage

sing

dance

cook

support

 

i could not have asked for a better person to do life with. travy, you make my heart explode! i love being your wife, best friend, girlfriend + mostly, chicken {lol}. life would be SO dull without you in it i could not imagine writing chapters to our book with anyone but you. i am so thankful for the husband you are, the man that righteously pursues the Lord + me daily. thank you for being an example of a hard-working, selfless, extravagantly sexy + loving husband.

 

 

happy anniversary! i LOVE you. xoxo

 

ps- thanks to family + friends who were there when we were in diapers, braces, wedding dress + suit, and continue to love + support us. we could not do this without your support + prayers.

a little late...

i sure am thankful for this stud.



hope ya'll had a happy thanksgiving!

xo

thankful tuesday

at church on sunday, pastor mark shared a word that moved me. it was about thankfulness.

he said in the next couple days, think about people, experiences, and gifts to be thankful for.

the first person that popped into my head was my grandmama. a year ago, at this time, we (only about 35 family members) were gathered around her bed, listening to worship with her, lathering her in prayer, and saying our goodbyes.

to go back to this event, in my head + heart, hurts and pains me much.

you see, my grandmama was an incredible woman. a woman who raised 8 beautiful children. who in return have/are raising 21 children who are now raising 22 children. grandmama lived a good, full life. a life for the story books.

one thing i always admired about grandmama was the way she loved God + my grandpapa. my whole life, she was Jesus with skin on. she would fill the house with worship and thank Jesus for everything.

when we were about 8, 9, and 10, she would make us wake up around 8, and watch benny hinn for 30 minutes before we started our day. i didn't get the significance at the time. i thought it was absurd to watch a man in all white pray over people and see them fall out all over stage. she would sit in her chair and cry and pray. i thought she was crazy but realized she truly loved the Lord. had a real relationship with him. it was inspiring to see.

she wasn't able to make our wedding last year. it was very sad. i remember calling her, with my parents in the car, on our way to the venue. i had to get off the phone because she started crying saying how bad she wish she could have been there to see me. i said, grandmama my make up is perfect, but it's about to get smeared everywhere! LOL thank God for modern technology because we were able to Skype her in!

one thing she did without fault was love my grandpapa. i would catch them often, flirting with each other in the kitchen. holding each other's hands on the couch. any chance they had to be next to each other, they would take it.

it's crazy how much has happened in a year without her here to see/experience the changes, the growth, and yet the sadness of missing her. i know she has the biggest heavenly home, waiting for all her family to make it there. she has probably already started doing puzzles in preparation! i know she is in heaven, smiling often, thinking about the legacy she has.

be thankful today. do something about it. write a card, tell someone, share a story.

have a happy tuesday. xoxo

best day in the world!

john travis harper was born on october 3, 1985.

 

27 years ago, trina gave birth to a studly son and i am thankful everyday that she did.

 

travy, you make my world go round. your life; the joy, wisdom, and love you bring to me daily astounds me. you move me in ways that are only of the Lord.

 

you are a man who: fears the Lord, adores your wife, loves your family, has the best, hardest work ethic, enjoys the great outdoors and all things manly, gives me insight on any and all sports, always is fun to be with, has kind eyes, a beautiful heart, and a generous spirit. you are unlike any other.

 

and so today, i celebrate you. so thankful that you have made this world a better place the last 27 years.

 

happy birthday best friend + lover.

 

 

let's party like it's your birthday... cause it is.

xo

best job!

during the olympics, they played this commercial....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyDXdHVw-yM

did y'all cry?! i did!

i get to be an important part in this process and call them once they are admitted to our univeristy (so i get to hear that excitement over the phone!)!

what some don't realize is this could be a dream come true to many! they might be the first one's in their family to go to college, or "APU has been my dream school since 7th grade" (a student from last week told me that!).

so i LOVE my job.

here's another reason why:

sweet jay brought me by a thank you card and chocolate. he wanted to get me flowers but was advised not to since i'm married. LOL

thankful for my job today + everyday!