Photographs by Sabrina: Blessing After Blessing After Blessing

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I've been waiting. And it hasn't been easy. I don't know how long I'll be waiting either, especially considering we're all always waiting on something. So, while I'm waiting, I'm going to keep living... instead of curling up in a ball under the covers in my oh-so-comfy bed. And since I've decided to keep living, the blessings I've seen have been coming, one after another. I don't say this to brag, I say it only point out how faithful God is. He wants to love us, He wants to bless us, He wants to give us the desires of our hearts!

So while I'm waiting on some things, He's giving me so much of Himself through His Word, through friends, and through community. Just this morning a close friend who lives out of town gave me a gift that will help with some home improvements. Just, out of no where! And that's after receiving an unexpected gift card yesterday that will go towards the same thing!

The not-so tangible gifts came in the form of friends last weekend. One of the girls in my Clemsongang is expecting her first baby at the beginning of June so all of us (husbands too!) got together for a cookout and a baby shower. I was a little late because I was attending the Extraordinary Women's Conference at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville. Lucky for me though, I got to the shower just in time for cake (Score!) and presents. And as we were sitting there after all of that, just talking, watching the NFL draft, and hanging out, it hit me... I love these girls. No, it's not a new revelation because I've loved them since our freshman Bible study in the basement of Lever at Clemson. But the past 12 years have deepened that love because of the life we've lived together. There's just no way to describe it. And now that husbands have joined the mix and kids are coming, it just makes me smile and realize how BLESSED I am to have each of them (kids and husbands too!) in my life. It genuinely does my soul good to be with them.

One of the added blessings was that Allison had asked me the week before her shower if I would mind doing some maternity pictures for her and Wes. Um... I would love to! It was raining by the time we could steal away for pictures so we made do with the screened in porch and fun play room at the Patterson's. None of us can wait to meet Baby Hoft come June... until then, enjoy the pictures from their (and my!) first maternity session.