dear grace.

i know i said i was going to write you a letter way back in june when i met you but better late than never right? sorry it has taken so long, so here we go.

in june before i met you i prayed that the lord would put a specific person in my path that i could learn something from & i am so happy that you were that person for me.

i remember when i first met you, (yes, i was in a bad mood) BUT you stuck out to me. i had this feeling that there was something more to you that i would even figure out on that trip alone. after long van rides, getting stranded at a farm, conversations at night that lasted 2 hours i realized more that you were that person. you know how much love i have for cad & those kids & seeing you love so freely encouraged my spirit so much. i look through photos & see you clinging to your sweet boy & my heart is overwhelmed. how blessed i am to have someone like you in my life that reminds me so much of the love that our father has for us. you are such a role model, such an example of unconditional love. do not ever lose that.

life is crappy sometimes, & sometimes circumstances can shape us into someone we do not want to be & sometimes even though life can suck we can make the choice to look past that & still love. that is such a gift. your love is open & free to those kids & that is so very special.

when the lord brings you to mind (which is a lot) i pray so much for you. i pray for your future. i pray that even though you might not have a clue of what you want to do with your life that you continue to seek the lords plan for your life. if i could give you any advice it would be this: if the lord puts something in your heart to do, do it. don't waste time. please do not waste your life wondering. i did that & now i am making up for so much lost time. time is irreplaceable. don't let unforgiveness & bitterness fester in your heart. that stuff is so painful. let it go. seek the lord to heal those places in your heart. people will let you down but GOD is always faithful. he is dependable. he is good & he loves you so much.

i pray that the broken parts of your heart are healed so you can love better. i pray that you become more confident in who you are in christ so you can share that confidence with others. i pray that you have a closer relationship with the lord so when he speaks to you, you hear what he is saying. i pray that fear is replaced with peace. anger is replaced with happiness. loneliness is replaced with closeness. i pray that when you look in the mirror you see yourself the way that the lord sees you. i pray you see what i see in you & those that are close to you see. i pray that when you hide behind others you have the courage to step out & become the leader i know that you are. grace, you are not a follower & you have so much you can speak into others lives. don't let fear hold you back from changing peoples lives. you could be the one thing someone is so desperately needing. you are such an amazing, talented, beautiful, sweet, hilarious, compassionate woman & i am truly so thankful for you.

i see so much of my younger self in you & i can see so clear why the lord put us on the same path. you are going to change peoples lives. the lord has such a plan for your life & i am so blessed to be apart of your journey. i am so excited to be with you on this upcoming trip to haiti. i am happy for this new season of your life & all that it is going to bring to you.

your parents are blessed to have you & YOU are blessed to have them. even though it might not seem like it sometimes they truly have your best interest at heart. it might not be what you want or what you want to hear but know that they love you & only want good things for your life. i am always here for you no matter what. i love you so much & feel like i have known you for such a long time. you are always in my prayers. you are always welcome in my home. you have a little piece of my heart & will forever be my sweet little grace.



- EARL

coffee, hold the sugar.

well today is the national day of coffee.

i got to enjoy mine with one of my favorite people in the world- tracey. she's a peach.

today is also my 2nd day of not eating sugar (minus my one cup of coffee of course) or bread.

everyone that knows me knows i have a sweet tooth & if i get a headache its more than likely from being deprived of coffee. this is something i have been wanting to do for a while, just making an effort to put less bad things in my body.

we shall see how this goes. tonight is grilled chicken & sautéed broccoli & mushrooms. gotta start somewhere right?

say a prayer for me- i leave friday night for haiti & i think i might explode from being so excited. i cannot wait to see all my kids & all my friends. 

did i mention that they sent me happy birthday pictures for my birthday?

well they did & my heart was full. 

hope you guys got to enjoy a cup of coffee with one of your favorite friends. 

cheers, 

e

a day with jillian.

i am trying to get caught up on my blogging, the holidays have been so busy. a few weeks back i was able to snap some photos of one of my dearest friends, jillian. she was so kind to donate to my trip to haiti so i took her out on the town & she played model.

product model? i would say yes. look at those eyes!

our relationship started at a coffee shop, so of course we had to stop by one of my local places to grab a cup. 

this is jillian. i feel like it captures her personality in the best way. she is true to herself, she is fun, she is such a free spirit & most of all she is HILARIOUS.

see? laughing. i love this one, i feel like this is such a good laugh picture. i have so many good memories with this lady & i am excited about the future & what memories we will make. 

us. 

pretty lady! so excited to see what the new year brings you & our friendship. can't wait until your an auntie to one of my little ones. can't wait until you find your soulmate, can't wait for more dinners & more laughs & of course more photos. 

cheers,

mrs. estes

coffee, blue jean & a cuban.

last night after packing some boxes (we have 1 month until we move eeekkk), bethany came over & we walked to cafe intermezzo for coffee and cake. i love this girl. she is a true gem & one little lady i will miss when i move. she is one of those people that i feel like i can share with. share things i wouldn't normally with others. i just really want to take her with me & i am sure cory would love her boo h.b. to come too.

we talked about everything you can imagine. husbands going on tours. marriage. babies. vegetables. gardening. dreams. a little bit of everything. she is genuine and i appreciate that in her so much. sometimes i feel like i am not a good listener when i am with her because i just want to tell her everything hahaha. i got home last night & said to myself, geez evanda, you talk a lot. haha. oh goodness. 

you will be hearing a lot about her on an upcoming feature i will be doing on the blog. a little interview and some pictures of her amazing business she has started right in the heart of atlanta. i am seriously so excited about her interview!

o yea & i guess i should mention that is going to be a new thing i will be introducing on the blog. interviews. not lame interviews with just a bunch of questions, but interviews with heart & soul & a touch of photography in there as well. so exciting!!!

wore some blue jean & print today & for lunch had a cuban sammich.

what are your plans for the weekend?

tell me.

i really want to know.

cheers,

mrs. estes