The Perfect Place for a Picnic

The gentle evening breeze was a tangible reminder of the many reasons I love Tennessee. My suitemate (and former roommate), Emily, and I were making our first trek of the school year down our precious Greenway. “Oh, I love this spot!” I exclaimed upon seeing one of my favorite scenic points along the path. “I wanted to have a picnic here last year and never got around to it. We’ll have to do it sometime this year,” I added. Emily nodded in agreement and said we’d have to make it a priority. Our conversation immediately moved on, and our picnic plans were forgotten… by me, at least.

The next morning, I was busy at work in Talge Hall, the men’s dormitory. Just as I was beginning to wonder if any of my friends would be at the café for lunch, my phone vibrated. A text from Emily; always a treat! But what I saw was a complete surprise. “Want to meet me at the pretty spot on the greenway at 1215? Come hungry :)” the text read. Once again, I was amazed at my dear friend’s thoughtfulness.

Now, one would assume that the story ends with a delightful picnic in the grass surrounded by majestic trees covered in vivid, green cudzoo… but this is where our tale takes an unexpected twist. My favorite spot is about a 10-15 minute walk from the parking lots. With only one hour for lunch break, I was walking as fast as my flip-flops would allow. I was running a few minutes late and was sure Emily would be waiting. About five minutes into my walk, however, my phone rang. You guessed it: it was Emily. “Wait up, silly! I’m trying to catch up with you,” she said. I turned around to see Emily heading towards me with a picnic blanket and bag full of food. Right as she caught up with me, it began to sprinkle. We looked at each other and laughed as Emily opened her bright blue umbrella and we continued our walk. The rain began to fall harder and we realized our picnic in the grass wouldn’t be a possibility. Standing under an umbrella that barely covered both of our heads, picnic gear in hand, we contemplated our options. Just before our desired picnic location was a covered bridge under the train tracks. So, with only about 40 minutes of our break left (and a 15 minute walk back to the parking lot) we spread the blanket out on the sidewalk under the bridge and consumed our yummy lunch.

As we cleaned up the remnants of our lunch and sped back to our cars, we decided that we’d had much more fun than we would have if our perfect picnic spot had worked out. A noisy train overhead, amused joggers carefully avoiding our blanket, and the sight of pouring rain all around us had us in stitches all throughout our meal. We laughed almost the entire time we were together and will cherish the memory of our rainy-day picnic forever. Thanks for your thoughtfulness, Em! We’ll have to try for the special spot again sometime. Who knows what might happen then? 

Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound...

Today, I was listening to my iTunes music and Judy Collins rendition of “Amazing Grace” came on. As I was enjoying her unique voice and the beautiful arrangement, I was struck by these oh-so-famous words:

“‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved”

What a profound thought! I have sung those words hundreds of times without so much as attempting to understand the message buried within that simple phrase. But today, sitting still listening to those words, I was overwhelmed at how accurately they describe such an important, inexplicable Christian truth. God’s grace is so abundant and generous that, when experienced to the fullest, it strikes fear into the heart of the recipient. His grace is so awe-inspiring that it reveals the magnitude of my sin. I am stunned that all of my sins, in their mass of ugliness, can be wiped clean. This causes me to tremble at the thought of falling again. I dread the next time I will hurt His heart and wonder if it is even possible to live up to the standard He desires. It is at this point however, that I realize that I am not capable. I cannot live up to His standard… without his help. “And grace my fears relieved.” At the very moment I am engulfed in my fear of failing again, realizing how holy God is and how defiled I am, God speaks to my heart. “Olivia, I will be your strength. I will help you to stand. Because of My sacrifice, because my blood covers you, you are worthy to receive my grace. It is enough for you. I am enough for you.


Amazing grace. It teaches me to fear God because of His awesome power, all the while reassuring me of His faithfulness and redemptive love. Praise the Lord for His amazing grace!

Vacation in Vermont

My family seems to live in one speed… fast. Only five days after moving into our Georgia house, we loaded our suitcases back into the car and headed for the Atlanta Airport. Every summer, the company Dad works for takes the company executives and their families to some nice vacation spot. This year, we have been privileged to travel to beautiful Stowe, Vermont. It’s been seven years since we’ve been to this part of the country and it is sure a pleasure being back! To top things off, a visit from a dear friend helped make the beginning of this trip extra special. Temple lives only 2 ½ hours away in New Hampshire and made time to drive over here and meet us at our hotel Friday evening. Everything is more fun when Temple is around. Sabbath, we enjoyed a Sabbath school service presented by Don Jernigan, President of Adventist Health Systems. For the past three years, my family, along with a couple of other families, has come 3-4 days earlier than everyone else to practice choral music for the following weekend’s meetings. 30-40 hours over 8 days are spent learning and practicing music. Sabbath after worship service was their second practice, so Temps and I went for a hike. We couldn’t find the trail we were looking for, so our hike was shorter than we had hoped for, but still great fun. After lunch, our family loaded into the car and drove around, stopping in Smuggler’s Notch for some sight seeing and photo ops. Dinner that night was hosted by the Jernigans at the delicious Fox Fire Restaurant. The setting was picturesque, the company fantastic, and the food delectable. Sunday, Temple and I went swimming while Mom, Dad, and Dave went to music practice. By the time we had showered, they were finished with practice and ready to go. We started out with a ride up the ski lift and down the alpine slide. Next, we loaded into the car and headed over to Shelburne Museum. We’d visited there seven years earlier and enjoyed it, so it was fun to check out the fun exhibits again. Also, another favorite for me were the Peonies. Peonies are my all time favorite flowers, and the Peony gardens at Shelburne Museum were luscious and to die for! Temple had to leave as soon as we got back to the hotel. And Sunday night, it was back to practice for the other three members of my family. Monday morning was spent mostly in music practice. Following lunch, however, the Bechards, the Cook Family, the Madisons, and our family embarked on a river journey. Most everyone rented canoes, but Dave, Jake, and I decided on kayaks, David and I going tandem. We had a blast! The scenery was spectacular and the river’s speed perfect. By the time we finished, our stomachs were empty. The Cook and Weber families chose Pie in the Sky pizza parlor, recommended by Temple, for our dining location. The Cooks are such neat people! We always have a blast together. Practice started again at 7:00 PM, so we went straight back to the hotel following dinner. Tuesday after practice and lunch, Mom, Dave, Ms. Linda Knutson, and I headed into Burlington to look through little shops while Dad spent the afternoon in meetings. That evening was the Service Award Banquet for all of the AHS executives and their families. I made the tough decision to skip the banquet, even though I wanted to see everyone, so that I could babysit the four adorable Ottati children. Those kids get cuter and more fun every year, and we had a ball together. We swam, sang songs, and marched through the hotel so they could take a peek at my family’s hotel room. I left their room exhausted, but surprisingly recharged by their energy and childlike joy. Wednesday morning, David and I were chaperones for the Ben and Jerry’s tour. While the Dads were in meetings and the Moms were enjoying the spouses brunch, most of the kiddos loaded onto buses and made our way to the Ben and Jerry’s factory for a tour and some free ice cream. The Ottati kids were assigned to me, so I was privileged to spend my morning with them. When we got back, Mom and Dave were full, but Dad and I were starved. Pie-Casso had been a recommended to us by friends as a great place to eat, so Dad and I chose to eat there. We spent the afternoon hanging out as a family before Mom, Dad, and Dave headed off to practice music again for the evening. I spent the evening on the phone with Vivian Seiler, the YFJ girls’ dean, planning worships and the like for Youth for Jesus. Thursday morning was laid back due to practice being directly after lunch. Once Mom and Dad were done with practice, Dave went mountain biking while Mom, Dad, and I went for a ride around the countryside. Deryl and Linda Knutson took us out to dinner at the fabulous Fox Fire. The food was delicious, as usual, and the company was marvelous. Following dinner, there was a party in the Cook room. We played several hilarious rounds of Mafia and spent most of the evening laughing hysterically. And now today, Friday, the other three member of my family have already spent two hours practicing music. Dave is now working on his sermon preparation while Mom and I play Farkle. This afternoon, we plan to rent bicycles and enjoy the wonderful walking/biking trails around Vermont. Tonight is the special music performance.

It is now Friday evening and I am about to make my way down for the vespers program. Our bike ride was exhilarating! I only wish we had more time to ride around this beautiful town. Happy Sabbath one and all!

Here is a boatload of pictures for those of you who have been waiting:

Temps and I before our hike

Smugglers Notch

Those of you who truly know me know how much I like being tickled...











Temps and I on the ski lift, headed for the Alpine Slide



At Shelburne Museum


Our River Adventure


A Chaco picture for Shannon



An Afternoon on Bicycles

A Texas Farewell

Tears streamed down my face as Mom maneuvered the Mazda down our beautiful driveway for the last time. Six and a half beautiful years had been lived in that home. Since our move from Burleson when I was 12, we had been a part of Pathfinders, performed with the Captains gymnastics team, Dave and I had both graduated from 8th grade, I graduated high school, mission trips had been experienced, and life lessons had been learned. Most importantly, friends, no... family, had been made. God filled the 6 1/2 years my family lived in that house with more blessings than many people experience in a lifetime. Dave and I had our first jobs, got our first cars, and preached our first evangelistic meetings while living in that home. "Drive slowly, please," I asked Mom as we began to pull away for our final time. To some people, it may seem silly to be so attached to a house. In fact, we questioned whether or not it was wrong to "cling" to an earthly possession in such a way. But I don't think so. You see, my family believes without a shadow of a doubt that God has called us to serve in Calhoun, Georgia and it is with great joy that we follow His call. My feelings are difficult to explain. The tears that I shed at leaving Texas are indeed tears of sorrow. I will deeply miss that house, community, and those friends. But at the same time, they are tears of gratitude. It was during the time my family dwelt in that home that we truly grew to know Jesus. As Mom and I were discussing the pain we felt at pulling away from a mere earthly dwelling, we realized what a sanctuary it had been. “It was a haven,” Mom said. And that it was. The sparkling green pastures that surrounded our home provided the perfect environment for spiritual growth and family bonding. Due to the provision of this haven, I was able to make many difficult choices I believe would never have been possible had I been constantly surrounded by others with different priorities. So you see, although I am sad for selfish reasons, it is with great gratitude and fondness that I depart from the home of my youth. I praise God for the location he provided for David’s and my most critical growth years and for the memories he gave us during that time. In closing, I want to share a slideshow from our last day in Texas. Our final Sabbath in Texas was spent with some of our nearest, dearest friends, who we will greatly miss. In the following slideshow you will see pictures of Kim and Denny Sexson, their three girls (my “sisters”): Mickynzie, Brenna, and Shaylee; Wayne and Shannon Mitchell and their kids Zac and Ashley (David’s girlfriend), and our cousin John. These people are more than friends. They are truly family. We will miss them all terribly and are so thankful to have these photos to cherish. To view the slideshow CLICK HERE. (There first few pictures are of the van pulling away on Friday).

Utter Nonsense

While in the car on our trip home, David, Ashley, Mom, and I got bored and tired. It was due to these circumstances that we decided to create a random, confusing story similar to the one our friends (Bonds, Webers, Cortes, etc.) made up. By rotating in a circle, each person only adding one word a round, we came up with this story:

BEWARE: It is only for people who enjoy laughing at randomness

Once there stood thousands of puppies on huge mountains of rock. These little termites grappled angrily to find cheese. Alas, the Scottish mothers winced at the terrible smell. So, Crisco plantations suddenly sprang forward into humongo piles of marshmellow. Next, however, wolverines frolicked in the powerful, pink poutlinouches. In December 1843, all the raging meatloaf played songs of horrific joy. However, not fourteen but seventeen doilies and washaroos were primly kissing. “Oh, how fantastic,” they said. When sleighbells chuckle, their voices squeak. Tulips smell rotten to ungrateful men, except standing monochrome, laughing ducks teeth. Japanese monkeys still lambast trillions of toothbrushes until landlords destroy the heart during their autumn reign. Ashley knew her window couldn’t be helped. Limping, miniscule Olivia tried to compete with her neglected, robust toy pet snowman. Grass that withers shreds my evil twin, Celtic Karen. David tried donuts 200 times a month and discovered how gypsies snorkel across America. Freezing coals that shimmered frenetically under the moonlight started weeping tears of Saturn. Merrily caroling up magenta mounds of waterfalls mixed with yummy rodents, mosquitos, snakes, and lakeloons, toddlers and adults deceived clowns that tried flipping eggnog on their foreheads. Sadly, discovering the pinnacle of marmalade, they predominately witnessed the arrival of 77 babies. Teenagers shrewdly gasped in nitrogen as Pinoccio grabbed his nailgun while also running pleasantly. Petunia decided “Hello, Jasper” was frolicking together. Juxtaposed courtyards were very sanguine until suddenly his fruit buried in honey was kidnapped. Aggresively, John, Lily, and Brad Pitt hit the skit bit. Gorillas swearing prettily, undressed themselves of civilian lipstick. Unfortunately, they catapulted tarantulas through their hoops. Death grasped at life until it vanquished fervor and destroyed meaning readily forever. The total and wholehearted tragic, deceptive skipping beginning and end of the lavishly, exalted, ultimate crazy end.

My Georgia Journal

This entry was written June 4, 2009 in the car on the drive to Texas. Warning: It is extremely long! This is my "journal" of events from our week in Georgia. Read it if you dare!

Well, it’s several days into June already and Mom, Dave, Ashley, and I are in the car again headed back to Texas. I cannot believe how quickly summer is flying by. I mean, I realize that time flies by, but didn’t we just finish finals? Wow. This past week has been a fantastic one. Last Friday, bright and early, Mom, Dave, and I loaded into our Mazda and drove to Burleson where we picked up David’s girlfriend, Ashley. The five us spent the next 13 hours in the car. Destination: Calhoun, Georgia. For the next 8-12 months, my family will be renting a home in Calhoun while we build our own. My Dad is the new CEO at Gordon Hospital in Calhoun and has been living in Georgia since the beginning of May. We sure have missed our Daddy, and it was wonderful to spend a week with him. The house we are staying in is such a blessing. While it feels a little funny to be living in someone else’s house, it is a very nice home and will be a wonderful place to live for the next several months. And the coolest part is that the piece of land we are purchasing is only 5 acres away! It is a beautiful plot of land. We are all very excited.

Upon arriving at the house, we squeezed Dad before collapsing into bed. Sabbath morning we slept in a little and then got ready for church. Camp meeting was in Collegedale so we drove an hour to Southern’s campus to attend the church service. It felt so strange to be there without classes to attend and friends to see! The sermon that day was phenomenal! We were blessed to enjoy lunch with my Uncle David (Mom’s brother who is a pastor in Tennessee) in the cafeteria before heading back to Georgia. When we got back, Sveta, Michael, and Elise Taylor came over to our house for a hike. That is probably the most exciting aspect of our move for me. Our new house will be approximately 2 miles from the Taylor residence! The house we are renting is located on a mountain, which is where we hiked that afternoon. Near the middle of our hike, we came upon a bench swing. I raced over to it and plopped down, and David quickly joined me. No sooner had he sat down than I let out a yelp. Thinking he had poked me with something, I looked up but lo and behold, a hateful wasp had stung my arm! We decided to head back down the mountain and were nearing the house when we saw something that made me ready to pack my bags and leave for Texas post haste. Or somethings, I should say. A big, black rat snake sat coiled near the end of the trail, and another non-poisonous snake was slithering up a nearby tree. Several people tried to comfort me with the fact that they were not poisonous, but they are all poisonous to me. After our hike, we loaded into the cars and headed to the Taylor home to swim. Hannah, Heidi, and Isaac were so excited to spend time with us. We had a blast! By the time we got out, the sun was almost setting and we settled into their living room for sundown worship. Once the little girlies had gone to bed, the rest of us played farkle and rummikub. Fun times! But all fun must come to an end. Before long our first full day in Georgia was over and we headed off to bed.

Sunday we spent the majority of our time driving around looking for land (we hadn’t found our land yet). After sleeping in, enjoying devotions, and eating breakfast, we loaded into the car with one of our kind new neighbors, Darrell, to look at land. He was so helpful and insightful. What a blessing to have such wonderful neighbors! Gondoliers was our restaurant of choice for lunch, then we headed back to the house. It was on this second day in Georgia that we had our first visitors. The Jackie and Justin Bowyer, Chelsea Foster, and Ashlie Stephenson were on their way to hike part of the Appalachian Trail and stopped at our house for the night. It was great fun to spend time with them. They are on quite a journey, spending approximately one month on the trail. It was neat looking at all their gear and hearing them share their plan with excitement.

The hikers were off early Monday morning, and we were up with them to say goodbye. After they left, we got ready for our day. Lunch was a blast! Mom, Dave, Ashley, Michael, and I left Georgia and drove to Chattanooga to have lunch with Southern friends. Emily, Shama, Phoebe, Karie, and Steve-O met us at Panera, where we ate delicious food and had a great time catching up. Dad even drove up after his meeting and joined us. After lunch, Mom, David, Michael, Ashley, and I made our way to the Chattanooga Aquarium. Ashley had never been and it was fun to show her around. The jellyfish exhibit is my unparalleled favorite. When we made it back to the house, we spent the rest of the evening relaxing. It was definitely and amazing day.
All of our mornings were fairly laid back and slow paced. It was very refreshing to take our time in the mornings—kind of a foreign concept for me. Tuesday was no exception. When we were finally finished with our morning routine, Mom, Dave, Ash, and I visited Dad at the hospital so I could meet some of his co-workers. He works with some wonderful Southerners. From there we headed back to Collegedale to give Ashley a tour of Southern. Boy, did it feel strange to be in those buildings and not be heading to class. And the dorm felt so strange and empty. Mom had been running errands the entire time, and picked us up after a walk through of the Wellness Center. I took a nap after our hour drive back to Calhoun. When I woke up, I gathered my camera gear and headed out the door for my very first Calhoun photo shoot. Dad’s co-worker, Amy, has a son who will be a high school senior this coming fall. She saw my website and immediately asked Dad to find a time for me to photograph her son. Tuesday night worked best for our schedule and worked great for theirs, as well. Caleb was super laidback and fun to shoot. His Mom, Dad, and sister went with us for the evening. They are such a nice family! To see some of Caleb’s pictures, visit www.olivialeighphotography.com/blog. Dad, Dave, and Ash drove around in Dad’s old 55 Chevy and ate out for dinner. By the time we all made it back to the house it was time for worship and bed.

Wednesday was probably my favorite day in Calhoun. I spent the morning working on Caleb’s pictures, while Dave and Ashley chilled. Mom had plans to eat lunch with Dad and then spend the afternoon taking pictures of houses she liked. David, Ashley, and I weren’t too thrilled by the thought of spending another day looking at land and house, so I gave the Taylors a call. Within one hour, David, Ashley, Michael, Elise, Hannah, Heidi, Isaac, and I were loaded into the Taylor’s 15-passenger van and on our way to the Chattanooga Creative Discovery Museum. We had a blast! We splashed in the water exhibit, painted our faces, experimented with musical instruments, acted goofy in the theater area, worked in the “doctor’s office,” and climbed around on the big playground. We all acted like little kids and spent much of the time laughing. On our way back home, we stopped at Taco Bell. I felt so sorry for the poor girl that took our confusing order! When we got back to our house, Mrs. Taylor was inside visiting with Mom and Dad. After filling them in on the days adventure, we pulled out Apples to Apples for some more fun. Evan and Joni Owen drove down from Collegedale to join us in our fun evening of games. Mrs. Taylor took the kiddos home after a while, but Michael and Elise stayed for a few rounds of A to Z. What an incredible day we had!

Today, Thursday, we packed our things up and loaded them into the car for our trip back to Texas. We’ll spend the night in Monroe, Louisiana and finish our journey tomorrow. The next nine days will be spent packing, and then Sunday, June 14, is the day of our big move. We are going to miss Texas greatly, but this wonderful week in Georgia reaffirmed for all of us the great years in store for us in Georgia. Kudos to any of you who made it to the end of this post! I can’t say that I would have made it through if it was not my own. Blessings to you all!
I was terrible at taking pictures while in Georgia, but finally remembered to pull my camera out for our museum day. So, here are the pictures from our wild and crazy day at the Children's Museum:


David and Isaac, excited about our trip to the museum







Michael, Hannah, and I preparing for our sea voyage
Dave and Ashley realized how smart we were and suited up, also
I find this sign hysterical, considering the activities we participated under here: clanging toy dishes, banging each other with cushions, and laughing loudly
I love this picture
Michael spent some quality time learning how to read

And then, it was on to the face paint


Can you believe I am related to this clown?



The whole motley crew (Heidi and Isaac opted not to paint their faces)

Dave at his doctor visit

Hooray for cheesy smiles!

A Night as a Southern Belle

Texans are crazy, fun people! The weekend following my return from Ecuador, several families near and dear to our hearts threw a goodbye party for us. Many tears were shed, but I think the majority of those tears were accompanied by hilarious laughter rather than sorrow. Hilarious songs, skits, and poetry were displayed by many. Sweet words and songs were spoken, as well. With each performance, our family was touched by the reminder of the amazing people that have surrounded us for so many years. Although we look forward to meeting many new friends in Georgia, we will dearly miss our precious Texans. I only have a few pictures to share. Before I do, however, an explanation is required. In the invitation the attendees were told to dress Texan. We, on the other hand, were told to dress Georgian. We opted to go Southern Belle and Southern Gentlemen, renting costumes from a local shop. Here are a few pictures from the night of the party. Thanks again to all our dear, Texan friends! We will miss you dearly.

A Southern Family



Dave, Mickynzie, Brenna, Shaylee, and I