speechless.

[preface: we wrote this together about 2 hrs ago. together is the only way we're going to survive this.]

we honestly don’t even know where to begin with this post, except that our hearts are in a million pieces. the past few days have seemed like years and we have no idea how to begin processing it all.

we just wanted to give a quick update on our lives because we know we haven’t been responding to text messages & have been pretty out of it. we have been unsure how to handle this situation. it’s been finals week and we know everyone has their own lives to tend to. we wanted to tell people, but we couldn’t bare explaining it 32947397 times.

so here goes, a poorly written, scattered post about the past few days of our lives that will forever be imprinted on our hearts. we feel like we’ve been hit by a truck -- blindsided and every emotion possible has been sucked out of us.

Most who know us, know that we are OBSESSED with Stephanie Bush. She has been our hero since the day we met her. She is always at the forefront of our thoughts, always might even be an understatement. we stalk her & kevin’s (her husband) facebook and are consistently talking to someone from our 3DAY team.

On December 1, 2010, Stephanie went in for a PET scan and they found that her breast cancer had spread to her liver, it was 4cm.

On December 10, 2010 she was admitted to the hospital for retaining fluid and excruciating pain. she remained in the hospital from Friday – Tuesday. Throughout her stay at the hospital, we were receiving constant text message updates and desperate pleas for prayer. we believe, we have faith that Jesus performs miracles, we have seen steph fight through so much, we were HOPEFUL that she’d be okay.

On December 14, 2010, she was supposed to receive chemo at her oncologist. we weren’t sure if the hospital doctor was going to release her to go see the oncologist, but he did. the oncologist (who is an amazing godly man) said that steph’s body couldn’t physically handle chemo anymore. the oncologist released Stephanie & Kevin to go home with hospice and said she probably wouldn’t make it through the end of the year.

Chris, who works for the army and has to make frequent trips to Norman, was planning on dinner with us Tuesday night. After a 10:30 final on Tuesday, Callyn listened to a voicemail from chris saying it was “important”. Instantly, she knew something was seriously wrong and couldn’t help but cry. she talked to chris and he said he was leaving Norman immediately because Steph had been released with hospice. Chris was our bearer of bad news and we wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to tell us this traumatic information.

the remainder of Tuesday was full of endless tears, crying out to God, begging him to heal her, & constant text messages from friends who were with Steph. We immediately made plans to move our finals as early as possible to get home to see her on Thursday. we endured a sleepless night just trying to fathom this situation. our broken hearts were wishing that tomorrow we would wake up and it’d all just be a horrific dream.

As Toni was leaving work on Wednesday, she received some text messages saying that things weren’t going so well with Stephanie and if it was important for us to say good-bye, we should come now. she immediately called Callyn and without hesitation, we made the executive decision. we both knew seeing Stephanie, having closure, and getting to tell her how much she meant to us was way more important than our finals that we hadn't even studied for.

We were on the road to texas by 6:30 and with Stephanie by 9 pm (speed much?). the remainder of our stay was full of love, hugs, tears, stories of Steph’s goodness, and God’s faithfulness. we were able to see Stephanie twice, spend time with our 3DAY team and her family who all mean the world to us. the pain is overwhelming, borderline debilitating. we are desperately trying to be strong – just like Steph has been for so many years.

one of my favorite quotes of our fleeting time at Stephanie's was when Chris said, "you know how I know God loved you? he put Stephanie in your life"

we are currently in the car on our way back to Norman, toni has a final in 3 hours & callyn has two tomorrow. we honestly haven’t been able to focus or think clearly since we found out she was in the hospital. please pray for our finals.

we have countless prayer requests concerning this situation, but for now, we are begging you to just please pray. God knows exactly who you are praying for and why, even if you don’t.

we apologize if we’ve been short with you. we honestly can’t believe this is happening. this can’t be our lives, it just can’t -- but it is and we're trying to soak it in with grace.

as Chris told us:

“it’s like the 3Day right now, we have to take it one step at a time and walk together and lift each other up!”

thank you all for caring, loving us, & sending your sweet spirit filled words.

love&hugs.

With hope for the cure,

Toni & Callyn

Make A Wish: Brianna

there's something about finals week that makes Katie and I just deeply desire a new Make-A-Wish kid! It always makes me laugh that in the height of our studying and crazy Christmas plans -- we seem to pack our schedules a little tighter by meeting a new MAW family.

&& i wouldn't want it any other way.

most people who know me, have learned that sometimes i worry a little too much & let the stress of daily life get the best of me. Make A Wish is my reality check. it nourishes my soul & replenishes my spirit.

the Make A Wish Foundation truly holds the key to my heart. i've been mesmerized by the joy found in granting children with life threatening illnesses wishes for a little over four years now. it has transformed my life in ways i never thought possible. for me, it's one of those 'once in a lifetime experiences' that i'm lucky enough to experience multiple times a year. the words 'life threatening illness' immediately stop me in my tracks. i take a deep breath & then praise the God of the universe for my health. i pray fervently for those children all across the world who are suffering & relentlessly beg & plead with God for my future children to be healthy.

there is no greater honor than to serve the One who made me by granting wishes to beautiful children that He deeply loves.

our most recent wish child, Brianna, is an angel. i pray the background information of her little life changes yours.

Brianna was diagnosed with ALL (a type of leukemia) on August 13, 2010. she was having pains in her knees for over a week, her parents took her to the emergency room on a thursday night, and on friday morning they realized their 6 year old baby girl with flawless medical history had leukemia. on the 13th, they ran multiple tests and all of her results came back 100% positive for ALL. her diagnosis was to start chemotherapy immediately & i'm sure she went through other treatment i'm not aware of. she was administered a strong dose of chemo for a month, and her blood levels / bone marrow were checked every week.

1st week: 100%

2nd week: 92%

3rd week: 74%

moment of truth. they had one more week of treatment until the doctors would determine her next steps. the nurses & doctors were pretty skeptical about her levels decreasing much more than this. they said kids with 74% on the 3rd week always continue on with more aggressive cancer treatment. the fourth week rolled around and Brianna was feeling exceedingly optimistic about her doctor's appointment. the night before her appointment, she had talked with Jesus. she asked him to make her healthy "today, tomorrow, and everyday for the rest of her life" and she recalls Jesus answering her and saying "He did" -- she tells her parents of this story and while they are amazed by her faith, they're still anxious about the test. her test results came in...

4th week: 0%

the nurses were in shock and truly said she was a miracle. kids never go from 74% to 0% in one week. her child-like faith is a testament of her Daddy's faithfulness [matthew 18].

she was declared cancer free on September 10, 2010. Brianna was not even sick for a full month. [she is still continuing some type of treatment & taking the proper steps to remain healthy]

Katie & I had the joy, privilege, and honor or spending time with Brianna and her parents yesterday. I honestly can't even put in to words how much i love that the Lord has entrusted me with these little one's lives. i never leave a wish interview without my heart being refined.

preface: we met her family at McDonald's, so if you feel like these photos are taken in a bizarre location- then you're right, they are.

is she not the cutest? i just want to hug her & never let go!

family photo. her parents are nothing short of wonderful &

absolutely captivated by their baby girl.

Brianna is their hero & mine too.

Brianna & her daddy have the sweetest relationship.

they were too cute together.

depending the child, we do different things to 'grant their wish'

she released the silver balloon into the sky.

the balloon floated all the way to Taylor Swift.

B's wish is to meet Taylor Swift with her best friend, Malorie.

recap 3DAY 2010.

here I am, exactly one week after I embarked on one of the most life changing weekends of my life & I desperately want to go back. I would give anything to be in miserably cold Dallas temperatures, surrounded by thousands of strangers I instantly feel connected with, walking for the cure, trying to make the sting of cancer a little less.

My team started the weekend off right, with a little pre party! :) We had a bra decorating party at Stephanie & Kevin's house on Thursday night. We had 2-3 friends of Stephanie's that drove a van around all weekend covered in our decorated bras and basically catered to our every need. They transported us to and from the hotel, brought us sonic drinks at lunch, provided us with Starbucks half way through the morning, & were at every pit stop waiting to collect our layers of clothes that we slowly shed throughout the day. Most teams don't have this luxury and it honestly was an enormous blessing to have somewhere to stash our belongings during the day.

Day 1: On Friday morning everyone that is participating in the walk meets for opening ceremonies. This morning was exceptionally chilly and I ended up calling my daddy later in the day to bring up some of our ski gear for Saturday & Sunday morning! Anyway, opening and closing ceremonies are one of the most powerful parts of the event. It's when the national spokeswoman touches our hearts, reminds us of why we are walking, and the devastating reality of breast cancer. She also speaks of the strides & advancements that have occurred in breast cancer research and instills this burning hope in the crowd that makes me believe there will be a cure any day now. Aside from the wonderful spokeswoman and music to perfectly match the mood.... there are these really freakin' awesome flags. The flags have always been one of my most favorite aspects of the 3DAY. I love how my heart feels when I look at the words inscribed on those flags - it is beyond powerful. There are multiple sets of flags that are displayed throughout the 3DAY. One group of flags honors people we walk for: mom, grandmother, aunt, sister, best friend, wife, husband, daughter, etc. Another group honors important milestones everyone deserves to experience: weddings, graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. The final set of flags represents what survivors endured while battling breast cancer: strength, hope, courage, love, patience, optimism. Toward the end of opening ceremonies, eight survivors walk out into the middle of the crowd, up the stairs, and find their spot in the survivor circle. These 8 survivors are carrying flags and you can tell they are darn proud to be carrying them. Stephanie was chosen to be 1 of the 8 survivors that was able to carry a flag and participate in opening & closing ceremonies. She carried the word 'LOVE' and it truly could not have been a better fit for that woman. I can't even put into words how I felt when I saw her walk on the stage proudly carrying the flag. I was beaming with pride & overjoyed that the Lord has placed her as a role model in my life. She truly is the epitome of a Proverbs 31 woman. She's someone everyone is automatically drawn to, she radiates God's love, and takes life one day at a time. she lives life to the fullest because she fully knows her days are numbered by the King, not by medical statistics. She grasps the severity of her breast cancer, has faced the terrifying thoughts of not seeing her little boy grow up, has poisoned her body three times with chemotherapy while never ceasing to give God the glory. If that's not the epitome of a pink warrior then I'm not sure what is...

After opening ceremonies, we were fully inspired, energized, and ready to hit the pavement. The day consisted of: stretching at multiple pit stops, eating snacks, drinking water & gatorade, using port-a-potties, being cheered on by hundreds of joyful people in Dallas, finding strength & joy in our conversations with strangers, laughing a lot, telling funny stories, all while trying to savor every second of the 20 mile journey.

another fabulous thing about those flags is that they line the path that welcomes us into camp (day 1&2 finish at camp). After we cheered, hugged, & praised the Lord for our successful day, we scanned into camp & I was immediately filled with thankfulness. As beautiful as that sea of pink tents was, my tired little legs were extremely grateful I'd be sleeping in nice warm bed that night - not a sleeping bag :) We enjoyed a semi-delicious meal under the big tents, snapped some photos, and checked out the tents provided by the major sponsors: AT&T, New Balance, Bank of America, and Energizer. At about 9:00 pm my body was borderline frozen and ready to head to our hotel & prepare for the hardest day of the walk, day 2!

day two started off quite perfectly. we woke up in our toasty hotel room ready & waiting to battle the freezing dallas temperatures with the oh so practical scarves, neck, & leg warmers my dad brought us. These articles of clothing were the key to success & i'm not exaggerating. The morning was much more enjoyable, which inevitably created an awesome atmosphere for a morning stroll around town! the agenda for day two was the exact same as day one. we were going to conquer walking Dallas because we hope for the cure.

the cheering stations on saturday were out of control - we received endless amounts support from the community. Mandy & Amanda, who walked last year and were not able to walk this year, visited us at lunch and filled us with encouragement. It was good, so very good to see them and their precious little girls.

the end of day two deserved an even bigger celebration than day one. we walked, listened to music , asked questions, talked about school / families / jobs / church, & we did it all as a team. 40 miles down - 20 to go.

as soon as we entered camp we took photos, stretched on the mats with an instructor, ate dinner, and headed back to the hotel. the exhaustion was starting to set in.

day 3. woo hoo. we woke up a bit earlier this morning (around 4:15) in order to check out of the hotel and grab breakfast before we started walking. since stephanie was in closing ceremonies - she had to be at holding, which was located at Fair Park, by 3:00 to get ready! This meant that we had to be really serious about staying on schedule today and not get too distracted at pit stops and/or cheering stations.

we blazed through dallas and i honestly was in awe of stephanie's strength. She walked all but like 4-5 miles the entire weekend due to blisters & needing a quick nap. It was apparent that every step she took was due to the Lord's strength inside of her. The last day is full of excitement because closing ceremonies are so close -- you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. festivities that made the last day special were: Starbucks, pink firetruck to sign, cheering station at the West End, Chris being super popular in his Army uniform, & our desperate attempts at trying to capture stephanie & chris interacting together with our cameras.

once in the gates of Fair Park, we walked into 'holding' anxious to obtain our victory t-shirts && lovely rose. unforatunely, we waited about 48927439273 years in line to take a photo in front of the Day 3 sign. As soon as we finished taking our photos, it was time to line up & prepare to walk the last mile together. all of the walkers link arms & walk into closing ceremonies together, as one enormous team. as we entered closing ceremonies - the path way was lined with hundreds of fan cheering us on. there's nothing like it. it always seems to backwards to me that we have survivors in the crowd cheering us on when they are truly our heroes.

then it was time. closing ceremonies were about to commence!!! i literally had been waiting since the 3day in 2009 for this weekend and it was coming to a close. the spokeswoman told us DFW had raised $7.5 million toward breast cancer research. they praised us for our hard work & dedication to finding a cure - but most importantly we honored the ones we've lost and celebrated the lives that have been saved. we hugged, cried, & pleaded to God for the cure. I was full of tears the entire rest of the night because I just desperately want a world without breast cancer. I find comfort in His love & perfect plan for our lives. I love knowing that on the eternal side of life - we will have healthy bodies in Heaven with Him. His mercy, grace, and love are surreal. He is enough.

[the survivor circle full of women celebrating their victories over cancer & dancing to Candy Coburn singing "pink warrior"]

can't wait for 3DAY 2011.

blessed beyond measure for this experience.

couldn't be more proud to know Steph & be a member of 'The Hopefuls'

so lucky to have a BFF that hopes for the cure!

grateful to serve a Mighty God.

0 to 60- in 3 days.

tomorrow marks the beginning of another unforgettable weekend....

here's to new friendships -- the depth of new friendships founded on a common goal.

[i want these women at my wedding & i'm serious.]

here's to making memories we will tell our children about.

here's to fulfilling our heart's desire.

here's to doing our part to create a world without breast cancer.

here's to being completely vulnerable & ready for God's handiwork to be revealed in our lives.

here's to 60 miles of dreaming big & conquering the world in our conversations.

here's to being loved unconditionally.

here's to God mercifully saving Stephanie's body from the aggressiveness of breast cancer.

here's to Levi and the years he will have with his beautiful mom.

here's to our team -- united by faith, hope, & love.

here's to Stephanie - walking across the finish line like a warrior... a pink warrior!

i can't wait to embrace her, cry with her, & praise the Lord with her.

about 7ish months ago, I wasn't sure if she would be able to walk this year.

but she is, as a 3x survivor, she is walking again.

here's to thousands of people, exhausted yet refreshed, to know they've done it. they've raised the money, trained, purchased the perfect shoes, spent endless dollars on pink clothes, & they've walked.. and all their effort matters. it's changing the world.

"I walk so that my kids can

grow up in a world

where pink ribbons are only for

pony tails & prom dresses."

simple as that.

here's to one day closer to a cure.

hopeforthecure,

Callyn.

my heart's desire is that the Lord moves in miraculous ways this weekend. I pray that every heart finds HOPE, hope ultimately that can only be found in Christ alone. I pray that I am stretched, pushed, & pulled in directions I didn't even know existed. I want to be transformed - from the inside out. My desire is to write my next blog post with a new perspective on life, perspective on the quality of life. I am already anxious to write it.

GO RANGERS!!!!!

american league champions

soon to be world series champions :)

a lifetime of love is worth walking for

[this blog was actually written on Thursday, sorry for posting it a day late! not enough hours in the day]

One week until toni&I drive southbound toward Dallas.

One week until our bags are packed full of clothes decorated with pink ribbons.

One week until we're like little girls at christmas who can't sleep the night before something fantastic happens.

One week until the word ‘hope’ will be the only word that consumes my mind.

One week until every emotion on the spectrum will be racing through my body.

My 5’7 body will be filled to the brim with excitement to see my 3day team, The Hopefuls. As comforting as it is to be welcomed and deeply loved by my 3day team, I will be bursting at the seams to see the thousands of unfamiliar faces. Faces of men bravely & boldly making a statement in honor of their wife, mother, or loved one. Faces of women, around my mother’s age, that have battled breast cancer and won. They are victorious & they will be glowing. Older faces full of wrinkles that have a lifetime of stories that have created those perfectly beautiful wrinkle lines. Faces of children, lining the streets & filling our cheer stations, with stickers & candy. They don’t really understand the depth of breast cancer, they just know that they look good in pink and will bring joy to my life.

With all the excitement aside, my heart will be burdened. It will be heavy knowing that there are thousands of us walking to raise awareness for a disease that has taken so many lives, too many lives. My heart will absolutely plummet to the floor when I see a 65-70 year old man walking, by himself, dressed in a t-shirt that has a lovely photo of his wife, who is no longer with him. I will be struck to the core when I see a group of 20-year-old girls, girls my own age, wearing a shirt in honor of their 20-year-old friend who was ripped away from them because of breast cancer.

For a little bit, I might be angry. I will probably be mad that a disease has this much power over our lives and affects 1 in 8 women. With all the research, technology, and brilliant people in the world – why can’t anyone find a cure? Please, just find a cure!

I will be inspired, beyond inspired. These women, much older than myself, will be trekking 60 miles all around Dallas to make a statement. We will be making a huge statement; this is the boldest breast cancer event in history. I will be inspired when I see women lining the streets with signs saying “I am a survivor. Thank you for walking.” That alone ignites a flame inside of me that inspires me to walk for anyone and everyone, we need a cure. My prayer is that my children will know a world without breast cancer. I want to be inspired every day of my life by women bolder and stronger than myself to never give up hope.

Hopefulness will be my heart’s cry throughout the entire weekend. This event isn’t about me, Toni, or sweet memories we will make together. It’s about us joining forces, knowing the only way we will make it through the 60 miles is our hope for the cure and our hope in Christ. Through Christ we’ve found a deeper love for people & life. We want to live life to the fullest. The 3DAY enables us experience life to the fullest.

The very best part of the walk is that, every step of the 60 miles - I will be humbled and in awe of our mighty Savior. I honestly can say there is no way I would raise $2,300, walk 60 miles, and stand boldly in front of people for breast cancer if I didn’t know that the Lord had a greater, much greater purpose than what our eyes can see. He is good & does good. Our prayers and cries for a world without breast cancer are heard. I give all glory to Christ for allowing me to walk and I pray His light shines through me every step.

Last year I entered the walk after four years of dreaming of participating. I knew that this weekend was going to rock my world, in the best way possible. Little did I know, it was going to be the most life-changing weekend of my life. Every aspect of the 3DAY was simply perfect. I was deeply moved by how many people passionately hope for the cure. My ears heard story after story of breast cancer altering lives forever, my eyes witnessed the most genuine relationships and unconditional love displayed, my arms were hugging strangers, my legs felt the most immense amount of pain, my heart was full – full of hope, love, faith, support and my body was wrapped closely in the arms of Christ.

I cannot wait to see how the Lord moves in my heart this year. 3DAY 2010. I can’t wait to do something out of the ordinary because everyone deserves a lifetime.

“Be strong and take heart, all you who HOPE in the Lord.” – Psalm 31:24

[ war eagle ]

I would not be lying if I said I left a piece of my heart in Auburn, Alabama. Who knew I could fall so deeply in love with that place so quickly?!

The whole preparation of our trip to Auburn was nothing short of exciting. Ali and I had been planning on going to visit Jake for months & were ecstatic that the weekend was FINALLY here!!! Once Ali and I found out that our flight conveniently landed at the same time as Jake's test - we knew the weekend was going to be full of adventures!

Our flight landed at 12:30 in Montgomery & we were greeted by two of Jake's dear friends - Grant & Jase! Ali was slightly nervous about getting in the car with strangers, but we both knew Jake would never send guys to get us that he didn't trust. We spent the hour drive to Auburn playing 21 questions and getting to know one another. The boys were incredibly sweet & welcoming. They accepted us with open arms from the very beginning and I've never felt more loved by a group of strangers.

Jake was waiting for us at his apartment and we were instantly surrounded with lots of Southern boys! :) We met all his friends & went to get some lunch at Mama G's with Jase, Robert, and Jake! After lunch, we dropped Jake back off at class and the boys gave us a tour of the picture perfect campus of Auburn University. Don't get me wrong, I'm a die-hard Sooner, but my heart was immediately captivated by the beauty of Auburn! Dinner for the night was sushi, then we were off to the bowling alley for college night! I spent most of the night embarrassing myself with my poor bowling skills && trying to memorize everyone's names! Unfortunately, while at the bowling alley, I asked Robert to take a photo for me and while he was handing my camera back, his finger got caught on the string and the camera dropped. It broke :( but Robert & Jake were super sweet about it, so I wasn't too concerned.

Jake, Me, Jase, Ali

The next day we woke up, got ready, had lunch with Ali's sweet friend, Christin, from Kanakuk & saw their version of sorority houses! It is this crazy dorm like situation where each floor is a different sorority. Then, we stopped by a camera store & diagnosed my camera's issue - it's staying in Alabama & will be fixed in 2-3 weeks. Jake sure does know how to take care of me, he selflessly gave me his camera to bring back to Oklahoma. He wasn't going to let this be an issue & I love that about him. He is a very, very good friend.

Next, Jake had class from 2-3 so we dropped him off and Jase took us shopping so we could purchase some Auburn attire! :) I had been craving ice cream all day so after we rescued Jake from Friday class, we sat outside for an hour or so eating ice cream & exchanging stories about our lives.

Next on our agenda was: BEN RECTOR // DREW HOLCOMB & THE NEIGHBORS' concert! The concert made my heart so happy. I can't wait for their shown in Norman in a few weeks. Before the show, Ben & Drew were welcoming every car and shaking hands with the drivers as they all pulled in. How humble & thankful are they? Not to mention, they are oh so talented. Once we were all frozen little popsicles, we went back to Jake's and hung out with lots of his friends!

GAME DAY! oh my goodness, there's nothing better than gameday on college campuses across America. Auburn was a sea of orange&navy and campus was full of people tailgating. I was desperately trying to soak it all in. After eating lunch at Lambda Chi, we headed to the stadium. Jake's family was gracious enough to let us use their season tickets for the week so we could avoid the mass chaos of the student section! Jake, his girl: Sarah, Ali, and I all sat together -- free food & drink accompanied these awesome tickets! :) Auburn vs. Arkansas was probably the best football game I've been to all year - WAR EAGLE! There's something indescribable & special about SEC football and I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to have been at that game. After the victory, we went to Jase's sister's to meet her and her baby, Charlotte. Jase is absolutely in love with his beautiful baby niece and it was so sweet to see them together. The best part was that Jake hadn't held a baby in years and was so nervous to hold her - of course he did fantastic though! :)

Next, all of Jake's friends that we had ever met were all attending this birthday party, so naturally we had to join! It was full of people Ali and I obviously didn't know, but everyone was very sweet & the night was filled with laughter!

At about 12:30, we were all freezing and ready to go back home. There were constantly people coming in and out of their apartment for hours, which meant we didn't get to bed until pretty darn late, but couldn't have asked for a more perfect last night in Auburn.

Sunday snuck up on me and I woke up in the morning wanting to pretend that if I slept in for a few more minutes, the weekend would never have to end. Ali went to lunch with Christin, Jase & I got coffee and walked around campus, and Jake ate lunch with Grant. I never wanted to step foot off that campus because I knew that meant back to Jake's to pack, say goodbye to our new friends, and head to Montgomery. Then that was it, we got gas and headed to the airport. See ya Auburn, pretty autumn leaves, gorgeous weather, && carefree weekend -- we must get back to reality.

we both love & adore Jake, a lot.

I had no idea I'd fall so hard and so fast in love with a town. Auburn is charming, lovely, full of school spirit, Southern, unique, & inviting. This weekend was exactly what I needed - Ali and I both needed to escape the business of life in Norman and just relish in the richness of college life. it. was. good... very, very good.

I went into this weekend kind of blind - knowing I could trust Jake with my entire life, but also realizing I'd have to trust his roommates & best friends pretty quickly. Each of his friends surpassed all of my expectations. Their friendly smiles, constant concern for our well-being, and selflessness to make our weekend the best possible spoke volumes to my heart. The last thing I expected was to become as close to some of them as I did in just a mere 4 days. Everything in Auburn is on a different level: a mix of more laid back yet more intense. Doesn't make much sense unless you experience it for yourself. Everyone go visit - promise you won't regret it !

As I'm typing this on the plane ride home, the sky is practically glowing. It's a mixture of the prettiest shades of bright orange & pink. Jesus rocks my world; I think He also loves Auburn! Thank you Jesus for protecting us, surrounding us with sweet new friends, providing lots of funny situations, allowing us to have once in a lifetime experiences. I pray these memories are engrained in my mind forever. You are good & through You life is good.

blessed beyond measure,
cal