Glad for friends

I’m so glad for good friends. Friends that help and not hurt. Friends that love and you can lean on for encouragement. Friends you feel safe with.

I have some amazing friends. And while my husband was away on a missions trip to Uganda some of those wonderful friends opened their loving arms to me, kept me busy and refreshed my soul.

My buddy Heather and I took our kids to the library one morning for storytime. I don’t know that Will had much fun. I’m pretty sure he just wanted to destroy everything in his path. But I had a blast. Thanks Heather for an awesome time spent watching the goober at the library read books to our littles and *trying to make crafts with them even though I believe Will was more interested in stealing everyone’s crayons…  And La Madeline’s rotisserie chicken and chocolate croissant :))) Ya. Thanks for that too. My hips are thanking me still. Love you Heather!

Then there’s Andrea. She’s my goofy friend. The whole time you’re with her you laugh. You just can’t help it. And it’s not that she’s necessarily making you laugh on purpose. She’s just Andrea. And that’s enough.

Our kids ran through the sprinklers (Will mostly cried about them) and swang,(swung?) on the swings and drank out of the hose until water squirted out of their eyeballs. We talked about birth and laughed about toddlers and pregnancy and pee on the floor (and I have to clarify that pee on the floor had to do with the toddlers not our pregnancies).

Thanks Andrea for your patience, love and kindness. Your friendship to me has meant so much and came at a time when I really needed it. You’ll never know.

Thanks for the memories, Heather, Andrea, Brooke, Julia, Evie and Jasmine

Love, Tori (&Will)

Blueberry Picking

The phone rang and I answered.  My friend asked if we wanted to go berry picking and I said yes.

Tyler had left for Africa and Will and I were all alone. I truly have some of the best friends in the whole World, keeping me busy so that my mind would be off of being alone.

A few days later we were in a bus headed about 2 ½ hours away to a sweet little jewel of a farm, complete with blueberries, blackberries and catfish. Yes. I said Catfish. I’ll explain later.

We picked and picked until our hands were sore.

Until our children were sweating bullets.

Until our sunscreen wore just about off.

Until I thought I might pass out. From listening to Will cry. Because he was so hot.

Anyway. We had the best time ever picking the berry bushes clean then broke for lunch and headed down to a small pond filled with the ugliest catfish you've ever seen. Will sat and watched them for a good long time. Some of them came so close to the shore to get our fish food that they got stuck and had to use their bellies to scooch back off into the water.

We had a wonderful time and I got a half gallon of blueberries, (that my sweet friend Heather helped me pick :)Thanks, Heather!)

{Lexi} | thirteen

I had to blog this session...why? Maybe because it was one of my favorites everrr...maybe because I'm obsessed with redheads...maybe it's because this girl reminds me of myself at her age. Not the gorgeousness, mind you (I wish) but more her personality.


I had the privilege of attending {Lexi's} 13th birthday party what seems like eon's ago in August? Her mother asked if I would get a few fun photos of the girls being, well, Jr. Higher's. Anyway, being short on time and daylight, we didn't get very many good ones. Feeling terrible about the fuzziness, noise and lack of light, I offered to come back at a later time and get some more of {Lexi} on her own. Her mom readily agreed and I was ecstatic. Have you seen how gorgeous she is? Tyler, Will and I headed over to Duncanville the other night and got to spend some wonderful time with their sweet family and I got to get me some serious portfolio images :)


So without any further ado, let me post some extras of my fave pics from {Lexi's} shoot!

She was having a hard time being serious at first.

She was just way too fun.

By the end she was getting really good at the 'model' look...I mean reeeeeaaally good.

I got her to laugh for a few though :)

 Check out those uber cool green nails!



Here are a few from our fun night together with the entire fam...

There are 4 girls in this family! And boy were they lovin' on the Wilburstein and he was lovin' it :)

Will got up close and personal with a hockey game, some books and one of the girls. Ashlyn just kept saying over and over, "I can't wait to be a momma!" How sweet is that?

There are 2 boys in this family and somehow I only got a picture of one of them! Sorry Grant, please know that you are loved, over there on your Playstation. This is Garret. He loves his "church clothes" so much so that he gets his Sunday outfit ready...on Monday night. And when he finally gets to church on Sunday, he inspects the men. If he finds they've not met his expectations he asks, "Hey! Where's your tie!?"

I'm so blessed to be part of the Worth Baptist Church and to be able to worship and fellowship with some of the most amazing people. I'm so thankful for the friendship of this family. May the Lord bless them richly for all of their kindness and hospitality!

saturated in eternity

I had a conversation with a teenage girl the other day that really opened my eyes up. We were discussing the matter of "cliques" and I ventured to say that maybe this group needed to reach out a bit more to others instead of always hanging out with the same people. The response came as follows:

"Well, other people have said things about us being a clique, but we [the clique] talked about that and we decided that if we like hanging out with each other then why should we hang out with anyone else? We don't want to hang out with others because we love each other so much." (this was said in a very sweet manner, not rudely or with even an ounce of attitude)

I sat there, hoping to interject a peice of wisdom that would be heeded by the young girl, and not stuffed under the seat to rot and decay where other "jewels" I have given end up.

I started out, "Well, at least you're honest...but what happens if we only 'hang out' with those that we like? We stop being a Youth Ministry and become a Youth Group. Instead of reaching out, we become so exclusive that we don't minister to anyone but ourselves. That's not really the purpose of the Youth Ministry."

I went on to reference a message Tyler had JUST PREACHED on Wednesday night about "Saturated In Eternity." He told the funny story of one of his high school teachers that took a bottle of Eternity cologne on a trip with him. When he opened his luggage at his destination, he discovered that his bottle of cologne had been crushed and the contents of the entire bottle were distributed somewhat overwhelmingly onto each and every single garment he owned! He washed and washed his clothes but nothing could rid the smell of "Eternity" from his clothing. When he came back to school the following week the kids were almost knocked over with the stench. "What is UP!?" they asked their teacher. He told them the story and ended with the line, "I can't help it guys, it seems that wherever I go, I'm just saturated in Eternity."

The main point of this story being that our lives are lived simply from point A to point B. Lasting about as long as a vapor of steam (James 4:14). But eternity lasts, well, forever and ever and ever and ever and well, you get the point. What we do in this life is but for a moment, but living for Christ is a life spent living for others and laying up treasure that lasts for an eternity.

Was I saying that it's wrong to have close friends? Special friendships with people that are encouraging and fellowship with those of a like mind? No, of course not. But I was saying that if those friends were true and real and worth having, those friends would understand if you chose to sit with a visitor on Wednesday night instead of with them. Would understand you inviting someone to your house that isn't normally on your "Saturday Night Sleep-over" list. Would understand giving a hand to a struggling fellow believer or newcomer to our church family. These are the friends that would help you to be "Saturated In Eternity" and these are the friends worth having. And if you don't have these friends, why not reach out and find some friends like that?

Encouraging this young girl to live out the sermon she had just heard on Wednesday was an exciting and yet, humbling experience. Why? Because I know that in my own life there are days and I might add, weeks where I lived 'in the moment' instead of 'in Eternity'. 

We are such selfish creatures.

From the beginning of man, to the end of time, we will either continue to live for self or decide to live "Saturated In Eternity". When I drive through Chic-Fil-A next week will I selfishly take my No.1 with extra pickle and pull off or will I take the time to hand the cashier at the window a tract with the life-saving gospel of Christ? Will I lounge on the couch and spend countless hours on Facebook and Lightroom or will I sit with my child on the floor, sing Bible songs and teach him about His sweet Creator?

What will you change? Will you pray and ask the Father to help you become "Saturated In Eternity" today?

I prayed for a friend

They joined the congregation when I needed her most. I had been lonely, longing for a friend after the move away from my home away from home for five years.

After graduating from Bible college in TN, my husband and I were married. We continued living in TN while Tyler worked on his Master's Degree. I worked at a Medical Billing office. Life was pretty good. Alot of our college friends still lived in town, (either married or still in dorms) so we were never short on fun times. Then we moved late August of 2007 to Texas where Tyler took the position of the Youth Minister at Worth Baptist Church. For a year, we made friendships with the teenagers and strengthened the hands of our Pastor and congregation.

But something was missing. I had left behind some very dear friends in TN, and needed someone to talk to. To laugh with. To cry with. No one fit that bill. A year passed and we heard that our Pastor would be interviewing a young man for the position of Music Director. He had a wife. I decided right away that I would do anything to make sure that we got along and prayed the Lord would help us to be friends and not have personality conflicts that I couldn't resolve. I prayed for a friend.

Turns out a month later, Pastor Weaver let us know that Andrew and Rachel would be joining the Worth Baptist Staff and that she was actually expecting a baby!

Excitement turned to the smallest bit of jealousy, I have to admit. I had been begging Tyler for the past year to let us try for a baby. He kept saying no, "we don't have the money," to which I'd reply (and everyone else at our Church) "you'll never have the money." He just wasn't ready. I was.

Rachel's baby bump grew bigger and bigger and so did my heart. We grew to be such good friends during this time. At times I would put my hand on her tummy and talk to the little girl inside, "We're going to be good friends, little one!" I meant it, because I knew it would be awhile before I had my own.

The baby came in March of '09 and as I held her in my arms at 3 days old, I fought back the tears of hope deep down inside. How sweet she was, how perfect. I wanted this.

Little did I know that while I was holding her, that God had already answered that prayer, a little boy was growing inside of me!

Since then Alayna has grown into a beautiful little 1.5 year old. And  my little Will is 9.5 months! Since he came I have gotten into photography bigtime. Rachel is now pregnant with her second little girl, Hannah! I asked her about two or three months ago if I could take some maternity photos, to which she readily answered "yes!" and I will also be photographing her birth around the first week of November!

Here are a few of my pictures of our maternity shoot this week :)

Just Him

I stand there leaning against the wall, and cry. And in here, I'm safe because no one can hear, and no one can see and I can heave and moan and let the salty brine cascade down my cheeks because there's water all around.

My troubles float past my ankles, and trickle down the drain. "When is it going to change? I can't...I just can't keep on like this." All the friends I love and cherish, who I would ask to help me with this load, cannot help. And there is no one that I can talk to, not a listening ear or a shoulder to lean against. None to hand me a tissue soft and white to dry my tears. Or any friend to tell me of the mascara that's a smudgy mess under my puffy eyes. Not a crutch in sight to help me hobble on down this treacherous road of snares, past the 'Slough of Despond' and up this 'Hill of Difficulty'. And when I think no one cares and there's not one who would understand, He whispers, "I'm all you need."

And God is so good to give us friends. They are flecks of pure gold as we trudge through the murky waters of life. But sometimes, He likes to leave us lonely of friendship, and bereaved of a shoulder so that we'll long for His sweet listening ear.

I realize that I have been crippled and clinging to the side of the cliff, crying for help for so long. I finally look up instead of looking down. I finally hear instead of scream. I finally trust instead of weep. And He takes me into His loving arms, that were there all along ready to help and longing to deliver.

He alone is able to save! He is the only One, Who can not just listen to my problems, but solve every one. And He knows everything I'm feeling, and He feels every pain I've suffered. My sweet Heavenly Father loves me with an unrivalled love.

And now I sit in disgust, thinking of how I sob for an earthly burden bearer.

So, like a child, I crawl up into His lap for just a little while and He wipes every tear away. And He reminds me that He is always near, and that He 'will never leave me'. I wrap my arms around Him and tell Him that I'm sorry for not asking Him for His help first. And just before I go He says "I'm a 'friend that sticketh closer than a brother' and only I am 'able to do exceeding abundantly above all' that ye ask or think."

And right now, in this sacred moment, I need nothing, no one, just Him and His friendship.

I dry my hair and pillow my head, with all my troubles left in the tub. Clear mind, clean heart.

Singing I go, along life's road, praising the Lord, praising the Lord.
Singing I go, along life's road, for Jesus has lifted my load.