this is awesome!

Psalm 86 says, Hear me, LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God; have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to you all day long.
Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you. You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, LORD; listen to my cry for mercy.
When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me. Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.
All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.

big sis

my sister, Lily Stratton, started a business called Lily Pottery, and i couldn't be more proud of her. she has a studio here in Greenville, SC in the Historic West End art district.

Lily is two years older than i am, and i have been in awe of her for as long as i can remember. we've always been best friends, and we've stuck together through the crazy times life has brought us. from spending hours upon hours exploring the woods and corn fields at the farm house in Ohio we grew up in, to walking into a brand new high school in a small town in Indiana, to making a statement during college, to the day she walked down the aisle and married the man of her dreams, we've been there for each other.

i admire lily not only for her vision to design and produce art, but also for making it happen. her talent, hard work, creativity, and determination do not go unnoticed. God has blessed her with the ability to walk into a room and immediately warm it up. i couldn't have asked for a more amazing big sister and best friend.

p.s. lily gave me the opportunity to model for her product catalog, (what an honor) and it was so fun! Aaron Greene did an amazing job with the photography. be sure to check out her new website, http://www.lilypottery.com/, and her blog, http://www.lilypottery.blogspot.com/.

my favorite, fun-lovin' punk brother

this is a quick shout out to j because, A) i've been missing him alot lately, and B) he finally got his driver's license. yep, big day in his life this week.
i consider myself lucky. i get to have my siblings be my best friends. jordan, 17 years old, is just cool. he's creative, hilarious, and God has blessedwith the ability to make people of any age feel completely comfortable in his presence.
his jim carey faces, amazing drum skills, passion for music, slightly emo slash retro sense of fashion, and independent thinking and ability to speak his mind are just a few of the qualities that make up all 6'3" of my fun-lovin brother.
our favorite summer together was my junior year of college when i came home to cincinnati. i knew it would be my last summer at home so we made the most of it. i taught him how to drive stick, drove him and his friends everywhere, we stayed up late listening to music and discussing life, we broke a few rules, we played frisbee golf, we were best buds. it was a sweet summer.
i'm excited to see where God leads him next in life. hopefully, *fingers crossed,* we'll get to live in the same city again some day.

the beginning

dictionary.com defines a blog as: (noun) an online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page. that definition in mind, i plan to provide you with my thoughts on current events, family, relationships, style, my job, my passions, my ministries, my God and any other everyday occurrences that come across my path. enjoy!