doesn’t it seem that the further along we roll into may, the more your body seems to be saying….”please bring on summer”?!
as much as i’d love to tell you i rise before the dawn & get my day going, it’s a painful shock to my body when dan wakes me each morning at 6am before he heads off to work. obviously i just gave away the secret that i don’t make him a hot breakfast. like ever. but atleast i’m out of bed (most days) before all the girls & that my friends, is a true labor of love. mama needs her 10 8 hours of sleep.
as evidenced by the plethora of colorful sorority comfort- colors tshirts added to my laundry inventory, savannah is back home! she’ll be here only about 3 weeks before she heads out for her summer intensive discipleship program. each of you who purchased glittered monogram canvases & painted states helped make that dream a possibility for her. & i thank you!!
she lived in her sorority house this year & loved it. i know it surely was a tender few days as all those girls packed up & pulled away.
in other news….ya’ll were so cute about yesterday’s basic wordless post. the teal blouse several of you emailed about was from free people. the funky cross necklace was made by browneyedfox a few years ago. look her up on instagram. you’ll love her. the two piece dress emi was modeling is a sherri hill prom gown. ( who knew a two piece “gown” was all the rage…supposedly a HUGE seller this year) madison had produced a fashion show at their school and emi was one of the models.
speaking of fashion. don’t laugh…but over the next few weeks i’ll be creating videos for jeanne oliver’s summer ecourse series. she asked if i’d talk about summer fashion. i’ll share riveting things like how to stack your arm accessories and the joys of hip shoes. so stay tuned for more information on that!
meanwhile. i’ve been in such a fun season of photoshoots. weddings, engagement sessions & senior photos. so fun! thankful for clients who have become repeat clients & friends. thank you rebecca for always encouraging me! rebecca here…she’s just worked her a%@ off and lost 50 pounds. old school. eating less & exercising more! way to go girl!!!
in other exciting news. i’m beyond fired up & excited to tell ya’ll i’ll be traveling with jessica & a few other noonday ambassadors to guatemala!!! hopefully dan can teach me some basic spanish between now & august.
i mentioned a few weeks ago i headed to birmingham to help photograph a wedding. one of my favorite friends lives there so i was able to crash at her gorgeous home. two nights in a row! ashley is a super busy entrepreneur yet she always finds time to encourage and always finds time to make sure we stay connected. what a blessing that is. i want to be better about that. she lives in another state and yet we get together on a regular basis….i fail at that with friends that live here in atlanta.
she even sent home shwings for caroline! chuck taylor fans, rise up & adorn your converse…how cute are they?
we’ve had a big change in afterschool logistics…especially for caroline. she left dance back in january & has worked her tail off to prepare for & try out for a competitive cheer squad. she just made allstar level 3 & began practice last night. the gym is a little bit of a hike for us but i’m very excited about the year ahead for her. way to go little bit!!
pictured below are the first times she was ever put up in a stunt.
we are not a jetset traveling family. we’re not. it just so happens that there are a few trips in the works. madi just got home from california where she competed in DECA nationals!
and to wrap up my random post i have 3 words for you.
crowder itunes session
go download now sister. david crowder singing Old Rugged Cross will blow you away.
you can thank me later
the end
one last word. i’m sharing today about the highlights in our lives. i’m not ( in this post) sharing about the trials. and please don’t think that a post about the highlights is real life-everyday-all the time. i’ve chosen to not share about the argument with one of my girls which lasted for a few days. i’ve chosen to not discuss an ongoing medical situation for one of the girls. i’ve chosen to not share about a few other moving-parts of ongoing issues/concerns. this is just the highlights.
i am overwhelmed by the friends in my life who are currently going through crisis. a dissolved engagement, a newly diagnosed ovarian cancer/surgery & upcoming chemo, an friend from ‘long ago’ who reached out to ask if i’d like to see her–she’s currently undergoing chemo for breast cancer. i have a friend dealing with anxiety. the list goes on & on. i do not take the gift of any day that we’re given lightly.
again, hear me say, please don’t ever mistake a highlights post for the illusion that life is perfect. all the time.
none of us knows what’s right around the corner. i want to engage in where i am each day , whether it’s celebrating with a friend or loving on one my girls as they have a day of success. our teens, especially, are constantly beat down. i want to cheer them on whether its a sophmore year at UGA well lived or a trip to cali or whatever. i want them to see me celebrating them. they get enough of the other crap. ( sorry) so yes, i share about the good in them.
anyways. just wanted to make sure ahead of time that we’re all good…thank ya’ll for spending any moments at all to read here on simple thoughts…
i love ya’ll!!
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Amy Avery - Oh Miss Paige! Love your heart! I do! I had typed a long comment to you the other day when you posted about the “highlights” and then my computer keyboard froze, (really it did!) and I lost my comment. What I said to you in a nutshell is this, Celebrating life’s highlights is a wonderful expression of thanksgiving to our Father who gave us so many blessings. When you look back in history at our remembrance of the first Thanksgiving, we recall that they were thankful for the highlights and that’s what they showcased. They didn’t sit there on that day (because I was there
)and talk about the blight on the crops and how many people had died and how they lived in shacks compared to the homes they left in England. Those hardships were commonly known and accepted. What they chose to focus on were the highlights in spite of the hardships. That’s what you do too. It’s a given that everyone has hardships. It just is. No one’s life is full of sunshine and roses all day long every day of the year. You choose to share your thanksgiving for the bounty of blessings that you are given in spite of hardships. That is AWESOME! If ever you feel that others perceive your life as perfect, see it as an opportunity to pray for them to celebrate their highlight’s too. It’s in the celebration in spite of the hardships that make us stronger, that grow our faith, that allow God’s true light to shine. Even if one’s life feels like a dark cavernous hole, there is still at least one highlight to celebrate. That one and only highlight is actually the most important highlight and that is that even in the midst of horrible turmoil, we are God’s children and he loves us. So keep on sharing your highlights and any difficult times too. I am always inspired by what goes on in the Knudson household and I celebrate with you. Hope that your water pipe has been repaired. I can’t believe Mr. UPS was so reluctant to turn a knob! And finally, your Madison is absolutely stunning! She’s an amazing girl!
Kristin - Chuck and I were discussing looking at the good no matter how you have to dust off the hard in life and the challenges we face as we trust God to walk us through. I said, “This is what Paige does, she counts her blessings one by one. I want to be like that, so mo matter what we are facing we are going to be grateful and shout out our blessings! You always inspire me more than you will ever know my precious friend. I just want you to know that I admire you so, as a mamma, as a woman that loves the sox off of God, as a person who runs after the good in life, as a risk taker, and as a person that shows your girls how to do all of these things and so more. So to admire Madi, is to admire you her mamma who shows each of your girls how to live out this life strong and beautiful, no matter what! You have an amazing bunch of beautiful, intelligent and strong girls. I hope Madi has a great time at her first prom. Im certain she will be breathtaking. So exciting! Love you girle! Hugs!
simone - Stunning photos of the most beautiful girl Paige, there has always been something about Madison that really warms my heart when you talk about her & when I see her in photos. She is clearly a very special girl, you must be incredibly proud of her. I am sure she is destined for great things.
I absolutely love what you say above….and it reminded me of a Pinterest quote that I saw in the week “don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle”….we are all on a journey & are all at different stages. More importantly though, no one knows what anyone else’s journey is about & what the story is behind it all. And no one’s life is perfect.
Great post Paige XX
Karen - Absolutely love how you celebrate your daughters on this space. What a beautiful tribute to you as well….as their mother:) Happy Mother’s Day Paige, I hope you have a wondrous and amazing weekend!
Tammie - Paige, I have to agree with all the other comments, I could not have said it better myself.
Jill - Oh, Paige, I hope you have the greatest Mother’s Day imaginable! Your heart is so beautiful that I can’t imagine it being anything less than that for you. The pictures of Madi are truly gorgeous. Hope she had a wonderful time at her prom to treasure in her memory for all the years to come. God really is so good, isn’t He! Through the highlights, the “low lights” and all the in between, His faithfulness is so amazing. I hope that His faithfulness shines on you in an extra special way for Mother’s Day to make it beyond beautiful for you!
tara - she’s so beautiful…oh to have skin like hers again, right?
Happy Mother’s Day, friend….I admire you….for so many reasons.
You’re mentoring me from afar.
Lemonade Makin' Mama - This is sweetness all over it. I love your heart. So much! (And those sweet blue eyes in these photos.. my goodness!)
Janet Lawson - Such a beautiful daughter and from the posts I have read she is as beautiful on the inside as the outside..