By God's Grace

By Gods Grace - 30" x 30", acrylic on canvas © Kristye Addison Dudley

We are on the road doing what I am calling the "East Coast Tour". Much of my family hasn't seen KJ since we moved away. Now she is 17 months old and full of personality (some of which are characteristic of all little toddlers).

We are driving from Louisiana to Georgia to North Carolina to South Carolina and then a 14 plus hour drive back to Louisiana. We are so thankful for this time with our family and friends. We can't see everyone, but we are seeing as many people as we can.

Today is my mother's birthday. I feel so blessed to be able to spend the next couple of days with her. Just a few weeks ago I was afraid for her life, but by God's Grace we are celebrating instead of morning.

My husband and I are also having some uninterrupted time to think. To really listen to the wind in the trees, hear the birds sing and just have our minds eye opened to life around us. We have been daydreaming about our careers and our family. And of course our next vacation.

The painting above was created using a West African Adrinka symbol."The adinkra symbols represent popular proverbs and maxims, record historical events, express particular attitudes or behaviour related to depicted figures, or concepts uniquely related to abstract shapes." More to come from this series. Email me if you are interested in the original.

Take care,
Kristye

kristye.com
dorilam.com
kdudley@dorilam.com
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The Dance

The Dancer - 8" x 10" acrylic on canvas board © Kristye Addison Dudley
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This couple of weeks is a blur. We had a great anniversary. Mark took me out for a wonderful dinner and we reminisced and thought back over our lives so far and about our future.

For Labor Day weekend we started a "remodel" of our apartment. We are trying to be present and not constantly feel in transition. When we married we knew we would only be in our first home for three years. We didn't take full advantage of that time. We didn't really put down roots until it was time to leave. Although we are only slotted to be here for 3 more years, we don't want to make the same mistake.

We are making new friends, getting out and simply trying to enjoy the world around us. We aren't focused on what's next like we did before. What's next will come soon enough.

“Do not make a noise about tomorrow, for you are not certain what a day's outcome may be.”
Proverbs 27:1

It's so true. The Dancer in this painting expresses that feeling that I have when I am dancing with my husband, my cheer girls, or praise dancing at church. I feel most present and simply blessed. Sometimes distractions sneak in, but for the most part, if I truly focus on the joy of the moment and let the spirit guide me, there is nothing like it.

Dance like no one is watching and have a great week!
Kristye

kristye.com
dorilam.com
kdudley@dorilam.com
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One Accord

My 4 year wedding anniversary was Friday September 2. We had a great date night celebrating and thinking about our lives and our little family. I met my husband at a wedding and two years and a day later we married each other.

He brings a harmony to my life that I can't explain. He is a true gift from God. I prayed for a man like my brother and my father, who was kind, liked to dance, loved the Lord and a few other things. I put my short list in a prayer jar and left it alone. About two weeks later, I met Mark.

We laughed and danced the entire wedding reception, and I thought "he was such a breath of fresh air". We exchanged numbers and talked everyday from that point on. He met everyone in my family, including my father whose passed away two weeks later. My life was changing in so many ways so fast.

Mark prayed with me and was able to help me work through the loss of my Daddy, since he had just lost his. We had such a deep connection, it was like we were in perfect sync, in one accord.

When I painted the painting above, I only hoped that a relationship like this was possible. That I would have someone to lean on who would lean on me too. Marriage is work, but it's the best kind. The kind of job that you jump out of bed for everyday knowing that the time invested will enrich your life. I can't remember life without him. I actually have started to put him in all my best memories, as if he had been there all along.

Love and blessings,
Kristye

kristye.com
dorilam.com
kdudley@dorilam.com