Audience Of One

Exciting announcement to make!! We are pleased to announce the official debut of our website IvoryDreams! For those of you who don't know, last year we produced my first ever solo piano cd. Over time we've discussed the idea, but it really wasn't until a couple of years ago that my eldest brother approached me about REALLY doing it. During the early months of 2011 we visited a recording studio, and thus began the process of booking, planning, (and practicing!), for this new project. The cd officially became available for purchase in the fall of 2011.

We would love for you to visit the website and browse! Thanks so much!

Sweet as sugar

The lil' man. Yep, meet Luke!

Big Sister & Little Brother

Princess Chloe

Happy boy

Just a thought

The difficult part about being an introspective, psuedo-analytical introvert is that we tend to isolate people from us, and create a lot of internal anxiety because of trying to think things over too much in our minds. It's probably even harder for women seeing as how EVERYTHING is connected to everything, and multiple wires are crossing each other during the process.

When certain situations arise and require a decision to be made, (at that time or on down the road),or just situations make their arrival in my life, I tend to think, and think, and think about EVERYTHING, and then think about it some more. It can be very helpful, but it can also throw me into an emotional and disillusioned tailspin because I view it through my eyes. This can also cause me to be vulnerable to the enemy's lies and ungodly wisdom. Sometimes, before we introverts even begin to pray about it, we've already come up with the sollution and plan for our problems/predicament so much so that it's difficult to discern what God is actually saying.

After a period that caused a lot of turmoil internally, this thought hit me: I need to analyze everything through God's lense. Do I believe that just because I can think through something so much, and ask for God's help later on, that I can figure it all out? When situations arise that require some discernment, the first place I need to go is my knees. I need to ask God for His wisdom so that I can view the problem with His eyes instead of relying upon my own mental processes. If I don't do this, then I am in danger of viewing a distorted image, and I open myself up to ungodly wisdom. It's very easy to think that even though you've analyzed something over and over again, (and actually thinking about it more than you've prayed), you KNOW the right answer. Do not be so quick to assert the solution - you must learn to wait on God's voice and wisdom instead of trying to analyze it all on your own. I'm definitely not saying you shouldn't think about things, rather you should seek God's help as you try to view it with His eyes. Too many times we try to dicipher what it is God is saying, instead of first allowing Him to speak and point our focus in the right direction. And if you're like me, you've thought about something so much so that you become frazzled emotionally, worn out mentally, and stressed out physically.

So before you do anything else, ask God to help you see whatever it is you're going to look at through His lense. I believe this ties along with the verse in Proverbs that says not to lean on your own understanding. If you first seek God's help in revealing the right direction you will be leaning on His own understanding. This will aid you in not completely distorting a picture once you try your hand at disecting it.

Just something that I've been learning recently.

Bow the Knee- Paige Brumley/Stonebriar Community Church Choir/Orchestra

This is a beautiful rendition of this song! It was performed by the orchestra at Chuck Swindoll's church. (Please make sure to mute the music on the playlist below!)

We're excited!!

Can you guess why we're excited around here? Yep, we're celebrating the birth of a new little one! My nephew, Luke, made his debut last night. Momma and baby are both doing great, daddy's doing great, and the family? Well, I think the picture is a pretty good depiction of how the family is doing. :-) Pictures forthcoming.

Breaking radio silence

I am finally breaking radio silence, or in this case, blog silence! I was on here the other day and hadn't realized that the last time I posted something was in March. Figures!

For this post, I decided to write some more about my trip to Hawaii as well. I will be placing a number to each line that corresponds with each picture so that you can visibly understand what I've talked about. (However, once again, Blogger is not allowing me to upload anything Hawaiian. Hopefully soon, ya'll!) Also, one more note. These won't necessarily be in order.

Enough said.....enjoy!

1. For Thanksgiving we decided to add a little Hawaiian flair to our meal. Grilled turkey (thanks to Rod!), Hawaiian dinner rolls, Tropical Ambrosia Salad, and....Purple Sweet Potato Pie! YES, there are such things as purple sweet potatoes.

2. Thanksgiving day also included my first try at snorkeling. Rod helped coach Steph & I to the proper ways of breathing. We swam in the tide pools which very in depth. You would never guess that those fish were lurking down there just by observing from the top!

3. We visited Kona where the water was the most aqua blue I had ever seen in person in my life! LOVED it! We snorkeled more and got to be about 8 feet away from a Sea Turtle. Also, I finally got to experience a sun setting on the Pacific Ocean. (LOVE those, too!)

4. Used flippers for the first time, too.

5. Swam in a lava-heated pool. Lots of algae floating in there -- but it felt great! It was almost like being in a "Jurassic Park" movie.

6. Drove through dense tropical forests (a.k.a. jungle). Saw so many unusual plants, trees, and exotic flowers!

7. Tasted Maui Gold pineapple, Star Fruit, Liliquoi (sp? Passion Fruit -- fresh, I might add!), fresh coconut & coconut water, Liliquoi-Tangerine lemonade, Rambutan (wild looking stuff, but surprisingly good), Nonni fruit, papaya boats with banana and freshly squeezed passion fruit juice, and sugar cane. Oh, and I was also "introduced" to peanut butter and honey sandwiches. ;-)

8. The morning after we arrived, Tanner caught a gecko in the corner of the window -- INSIDE the house.

9. A banana tree growing right outside the house.

10. Having the windows open at night, listening to the croqies (frogs that sound very similar to crickets).

11. Gentle rains coming and going several times a day.

12. Walking through Sherwood Forrest. This was due to the boys' machete work in the rainforest growing in their backyard.

13. Driving past an avocado farm, mango, banana and macademia trees, as well as coconut palm trees.

14. Biking down to the lava cliffs with Steph one day, seeing exotic looking chickens crossing the path, and putting flowers in our hair.

15. One morning, Steph and I watched the sun rise while sitting on the lava cliffs. There were some spectacular shots from that morning!

16. We really wanted to hitch-hike our way back to the R's home, but it just didn't work out. Shortly after we arrived, we were told that hitch-hiking is actually a very normal thing to do over there.

17. Going to the Farmer's Market in Hilo. We bought papaya, Kona coffee, (even chomping down on one of the coffee beans), looking at Poi face-to-face, (no, I did not try it!). Rochelle even bought us an exotic flower arrangement for our room, which was wrapped in banana leaves.

18. Went to an "outdoor church". They met in a building that had garage-like doors opened up and the Hawaii air wafting through.

19. Saw an ad for the "Hawaiian Nutcracker Ballet". Overheard "Baby It's Cold Outside" playing in one of the grocery stores, and driving past houses with Christmas lights & decorations. (It's wierd seeing that in someplace tropical.)

20. Visiting a total of three waterfalls, Kahuna Falls, Akaka Falls and Rainbow Falls. While sitting in the parking lot at Rainbow Falls -- a rainbow appeared overhead! No joke.

So, those are the first 20 things on my list -- and there's much more!

Stubborn Love

No Limits.m4v

It's time to vote! My friend, Liz, is trying to win an essay/video contest for CollegePlus. So, help her out by viewing/liking the video. The more likes/hits she gets, the more chances she has of winning. I know she'll really appreciate your help! Make sure you click on the button "YouTube" so that the views will count!

(By the way, my brother makes a cameo apperance!!)

Can you guess?

So, if you were to see pears....

Aqua colored damask...

and white Chinese lanterns...could you guess what I'm up to?

Don your birthday hat!

Usually at the end of the year I will celebrate the birthday of my blog. Last year? Failure! SO, I thought it was high time I did something about it. Lacey's Corner turned 3 years old in December. (Yes, you don't have to mention the obvious...it's way over due.)

In the coming days I will also be highlighting a couple of other birthday girls, as well.

But, until then I would love to hear from all those who read/follow my blog! How did you find Lacey's Corner? What would you like to see from it in the future?

Short or long, just make sure you stop by and say howdy! :-)

Down Under...

Since I began writing my post a few days ago you'll find the Hawaii post down under this....mahalo! :-)

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

Okay, so after I spent time on writing my first installment about my trip, Blogger is acting up and won't let me post those pictures. SO, "just keep swimming" (or, rather, just keep waiting), and hopefully something will be up soon!

Aloha!

So, I am now getting over here to give you a small glimpse of my trip to Hawaii! It would take me forever to write about my trip with all the details, but I will highlight things we experienced, trying to do it in stages (so that I won't be overwhelmed!). And, seeing as how I took more pictures than I've ever taken in my LIFE...I'm going to be a little picky; it would just take too much time to post even half (yes, there are over 1000 pictures!!) of the shots I took. So, hopefully this will open up a tourist's view of the exotic Big Island of Hawaii.

But first, I would like to give you a little background as to how all this happened. I never, ever guessed that I would be flying over the Pacific Ocean, tasting fresh coconut, or walking on lava rock one year ago from today! Believe it or not, the planning of this trip occurred 4 days before our plane took off!! (Slightly crazy, yes.) While my friend Stephanie and I were talking at a friend's bonfire she mentioned the idea of going on a trip...and going to Hawaii. (Lacey's thoughts, "Wow, of course, but could this be possible? I hope so!") So, after I got home I disussed it with my parents......and it seemed like a possibility. The next morning we were online looking at ticket prices and dates. The result? A flight booked for the Big Island of Hawaii! (Wild!) An interesting sidenote here. Earlier this year I really wanted to see the ocean -- more than usual. I talked to my family about going, but we just never got around to it. After the summer & fall months passed I didn't really consider it as an option. However, in a little over 24 hours of broaching the subject my wish was starting to become a reality! And Hawaii of all places for it to come true!!

Really, the only reason Hawaii was a thought for us was because some of Steph's relatives are living over there for a short time due to her uncle's work. It was an unsual opportunity. The R's lovingly opened up their home and welcomed us to stay with them while we were there.

As the day rolled around for our the beginning of our trip, we found ourselves anticipating our big adventure. Personally, I've never traveled overseas in my life. (Thankfully, it really didn't bother me when were flying.) We had a couple layovers, one in Denver and one in Honolulu before we made our final destination. We flew in a huge airplane, met some new people, and remained in the air for 7 hours over the ocean.

Excitedly, the next place where our feet touched solid ground was in the Honolulu airport!! It was awesome! The weather was great, the birds were singing and we were welcomed with palm trees, flowers and mountains when we walked outside. We waited a little bit for our shuttle to take us to the other part of the airport where we would seperately catch our island hoppers. We both killed a little time in our different terminals and waited for the last leg of the journey. Soon, we boarded the plane that offered us Macademia nuts. (I'm not necessarily a big fan of Macademia's, but since it's kinda a big part of Hawaii, I thought I would throw it in there!) By this time, it was past 8:00 in Hawaii, and as I flew over Hilo, I got to watch night clouds that were illuminated by the moonlight float by while listening to some beaufitul music playing on my MP3. (Yes, I can be a romantic.)

Finally, after over 10 hours of traveling we were greeted with lei's from the R family!! After they picked us up from the airport (and gave us some supper), we headed over to Coconut Island where Steph & I had our first encounter with the Pacific Ocean!!!!!!! It was a beautiful night! The temperature, the mist hanging in the air over Mauna Kea with little sparkles of light here and there from the locals' homes was a pretty sight.
Soon after we arrived at the R's home, Rochelle (Steph's aunt), gave us a little warning: black centipedes. I guess since everything grows at least 5 times bigger over there it would make sense for the wild life to grow that big too, huh? Rochelle told us about these aggressive 'little' bugs that can cause serious damage if they bite you; so, as a precaution, she told us not to keep our clothes on the floor and to always check under our covers when we went to bed. (EEEK!!) Fortunately we never encountered one of these little guys, and the only other roomy we had join us one morning was a lizard. ;-)

So, I guess that's part 1 of my trip! I didn't really plan on writing that much, but once I started I guess I didn't stop! Hope you enjoyed this installment about our first encounters during our trip.

Two excited travelers on the plane to Honolulu

Aerial view of Hawaiian clouds ;-)
HONOLULU!!!!

Yep, pretty quiet

Our leis

Rochelle - our hostess!

2011: A New Year

New Year

Streams in the Desert

"The land whither ye go to possess it is a land of hills and valleys and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: a land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year" (Deut. 11:11-12).

Today dear friends, we stand upon the verge of the unknown. There lies before us the new year and we are going forth to possess it. Who can tell what we shall find? What new experiences, what changes shall come, what new needs shall arise? But here is the cheering, comforting, gladdening message from our Heavenly Father, "The Lord thy God careth for it." "His eyes are upon it away to the ending of the year."

All our supply is to come from the Lord. Here are springs that shall never dry; here are fountains and streams that shall never be cut off. Here, anxious one, is the gracious pledge of the Heavenly Father. If He be the Source of our mercies they can never fail us. No heat, no drought can parch that river, "the streams whereof make glad the city of God."

The land is a land of hills and valleys. It is not all smooth nor all down hill. If life were all one dead level the dull sameness would oppress us; we want the hills and the valleys. The hills collect the rain for a hundred fruitful valleys. Ah, so it is with us! It is the hill difficulty that drives us to the throne of grace and brings down the shower of blessing; the hills, the bleak hills of life that we wonder at and perhaps grumble at, bring down the showers. How many have perished in the wilderness, buried under its golden sands, who would have lived and thriven in the hill-country; how many would have been killed by the frost, blighted with winds, swept desolate of tree and fruit but for the hill-stern, hard, rugged, so steep to climb. God's hills are a gracious protection for His people against their foes!

We cannot tell what loss and sorrow and trial are doing. Trust only. The Father comes near to take our hand and lead us on our way today. It shall be a good, a blessed new year!

He leads us on by paths we did not know;

Upward He leads us, though our steps be slow,

Though oft we faint and falter on the way,

Though storms and darkness oft obscure the day;

Yet when the clouds are gone,

We know He leads us on.

He leads us on through all the unquiet years;

Past all our dreamland hopes, and doubts and fears,

He guides our steps, through all the tangled maze

Of losses, sorrows, and o'erclouded days;

We know His will is done;

And still He leads us on.

--N.L. Zinzendorf

Guess

Can you guess where I went? You have two days to guess. For those who get it right, I'll highlight your name in big, bold letters on my blog! (I know, not the gift you were wanting...) Also, I have to say that this honor excludes those who already know! (Sorry guys, but we have to be fair!) ;-)

We Need A Little Christmas Right This Very Minute!

Yes, yes, yes...WAAAAYY over due on a post!! But, trust me, I have much to post about. First, my unexpected trip to someplace you'd never expect, and then about my new job!! But, you'll just have to wait until I can compile everything in the proper way. So, hopefully by the weekend my first post in the series will be up.

In case you haven't noticed, Christmas time is here. Amazingly enough, I haven't changed my background in a couple of months. So, not only will this place get new posts, it's also going to get a major makeover now that the Christmas season is upon us. As Linus would say, "all it needs is a little love". ;-)

Stay tuned!

Highlights From My Trip

I started thinking about all of the experiences I've had during this trip to Indiana and decided that I would share some of them with you in this post. (Wow, long sentence!)

First, Dad & I began our journey on the 28th of September. At one of our stops Dad got a bag of pork rinds, (I've still refused to try those things!), while I ate some of my sugar-free chocolates. When we pulled over for some petro Dad got out his laptop for me so that I could watch a movie on. SO, while the two of us traveled down the Interstate we enjoyed "Our Mutual Friend". (Yes, we LOVE long movies!) Kinda interesting doing it that way, but hey -- it works! (And it was fun...although, I'm sure many of the truckers could see the screen quite nicely, too.)

The next evening, Dad & I spent some time with my great aunt, Mabel. She lives in a retirement community and invited us to have dinner with her down in the restaurant. Afterwards, she took us up to her apartment and gave us a tour. It was there that I learned a few interesting things, (as well as being reminded, again!). First, at one corner of her bedroom a bookcase stood with an American flag folded up and encased in a wooden box. My great uncle Maurice was a World War 2 vet, and was stationed in Italy for three years. He would have fit in well over there since he had lots of black hair. :-) Also, above their wedding picture (which I captured on my phone), was a certificate acknowledging their marriage of over 60 years! Unfortunately, Maurice passed away before they were able to celebrate 64 years of marriage.

The day came for my grandma's surgery which was being performed in Indianapolis. The three of us made our way up there, followed by my uncle, grandma's pastor & some friends.

Over the weekend my Dad & I went to see an IU football game. For those of you who follow them...they were playing Michigan. (I hear it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of a Hoosier!) ;-) The game was a sell-out! I guess they haven't beat Michigan in like 27 years -- so it would have been history made if they would've won! :-)

Sunday night Grandma got to come home but, unfortunately, didn't feel good that entire week. Her body was just slow to wake up from the surgery. So, Dad & I decided to stay for a bit longer. On Thursday of last week, Dad went ahead and drove home, and I stayed there; we had discussed the possibility of this at the beginning so it wasn't a surprise to me. Anyways, I won't go into all of the details, but we did end up re-admitting Grandma back into the hospital to help with some of her issues. She was in there for a couple days but got to go back home on Wednesday.

I found a $1 dollar bill in the garage elevator at the hospital! I never find that much money anywhere! Reminds me of the time when my oldest brother found a $100 bill while attending a seminar...yeah, lucky. ;-)

A week ago this past Friday, I only got about an hour and half's worth of sleep before I had to get up and get ready for my journey home. For some reason, I just couldn't fall asleep that night! I was planning on getting up at 4 o' clock that morning, but actually awoke around 3:30...meaning I fell asleep about 2....sad, sad, sad. ;-)

I think those are some of the most interesting highlights of my trip! Like I said, no pictures (sadly), but definitely moments worth writing about. Hope you enjoyed my trip! :-)

Letter to Home

Hey Everyone!

I've been a little neglectful lately with my blog over the last month or so. Sometimes it's hard to figure out something to post, but I thought I would take a stab at it today, although it may just be a small one.

Over the last week & a half I've been making Indiana my 'home'. My grandma was undergoing surgery so my dad & I decided to make a trip out here to be with her during that time. Her surgery did go well and everything, however her recovery has been a slow process. Grandma's body is just not "waking up" very fast. Today it seems as though she's feeling better, so that's good. So, I'm still here and helping out when I can. My time has been productive, though! I took a few books with me, plus my music theory and have been able to knock out the rest of my book and even spend some time studying. Plus, she has a keyboard that I'm able to play. Yay! The weather is beautiful here, today, and the fall foliage has been quite pretty. (Fall time in Indiana is beautiful!) Grandma & I had to go to the hospital yesterday morning, and the drive through the trees was quite enjoyable!

I don't know what else to write at this point, so I'll just leave it at that!

(And no, I won't have any pictures to post of this trip...didn't bring a camera!) :-(

Family Time

Here are some recent snapshots that Abby from AbbyNoellePhotography took of my brother, Griff, sister-in-law, Bek, and niece, Chloe. It's interesting to look at pictures of Chloe last year and compare her pictures to more recent shots -- she's growing up! But, we're all lovin' it! It's fun to hear her "words", and she's toddling around everywhere.

Awwww!