For unto us a child is born...

Merry Christmas!!

May you and your loved ones experience the grace and love that God shared with us so long ago in the birth of His Son, Jesus.

Enjoy this season and may you have a wonderful 2008!!

What's Important?

The two greatest commandments are

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matt 22:37)

and

Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt 22:39b)

Knowing that God is a relational God (read Genesis 1:26 and let me know if you see "me" or "us" in the verse) it would stand to reason that since we are created in His image that we are also relational people. All you have to do is look at the two greatest commandments above to be reaffirmed of this. Rick's brother Paul left a comment on one of his blog posts and said, "... what God wants from me is fellowship, not my 'good works'."

One of my favorite things is being with other people, laughing, goofing off and loving on them. I always said that if I could get a degree in socializing in college then I'd be golden! I CAN NOT wait for Christmas to get here. I know that some of you are panicking right now because I said that, but it's true! Christmas means that I get to see my mom and my brother, I get to spend time with them doing things we love, I get to see extended family - related by blood or by Christ - we get to eat together, exchange gifts, go to movies and just goof off! And I'm going to love every minute of it. The best part about all of it is that we'll be doing what God has called us to do... to love our neighbor as ourself.

Not every Christmas has been great, nor will every Christmas in the years to come be wonderful. The Christmas after my dad died was the worst so far. Although, even from that, I have fond memories. On Christmas eve each of us would get to open one gift. Well, in 1994 mom opened one, I opened one and Matt opened one. We all looked at each other and said, "Let's open one more!" Sure, why not? Then we looked at each other again and said, "Why not one more?" OK, great! Before we knew it, we had opened all the gifts!! It cracks me up to think of us sitting in our den floor with our gifts and wrapping paper everywhere and it not even being Christmas morning yet.

The point I'm getting at is that I need to learn to enjoy just BEING. God is the great I AM, not the great I WILL BE or the great I WAS. While He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, He is always in the present and pursuing a relationship with us RIGHT NOW. So, I need to put aside all that I'm doing and let Him catch me and love on me. It's my fault that I've been running away instead of towards Him, but I'm changing that. Right now. If I'm going to be running, it might as well be into His arms instead of away from Him. Without Him I get no where. With Him, I go where He wants me, which is right where I want to be anyway. I just pray that you'll do the same!

It's been a while...

I know, I know... It's been way too long since I've posted and I hate that. And I could give you plenty of (good) excuses but I'm going to spare you. Instead, I'm going to give you an update of the last month or so in pictures. Besides, that's what everyone wants anyway, right?

Nov 3 - Robert and Lindsay got married!!!

Mid-November - did pictures for some families at work

Nov 19-23 - spent Thanksgiving in DC

Nov 24 - watched Clemson beat USC with some Gamecock fans :)

And now it's December... we've had the cabin weekend and our Upward Christmas party but you will have to wait on those pictures. I'll get caught up soon!!

for the love...

Luckily I've been on here enough so that I at least know where to click to add a post and stuff. Otherwise you would not be reading this right now. Why? Because when I logged in while in Ukraine, the website came up in Russian - or Ukrainian - and I couldn't read any of it.

For example, where you see the title of this post, the title of the box should just read "Title." However, while I'm typing this, I see "Название:" Do you think I have any idea what that says?? Clearly I do since I just told you... but I couldn't pronounce that right now without my little phrase book if my life counted on it. Ahh!!

It's ok though... my very witty and talented friend in Ukraine is looking into it for me. I've given him my username and password so he can get in and look at it to see if he can switch it back to English. I'm trusting you, Sasha!!!! :)

Short Trip to Europe

It's Sunday and I'll be home tomorrow night but I wanted to post a quick recap of the past few days.

Wednesday - arrived in Paris at 6am and went to the hotel. Myrna and I took a 2hr nap since we got almost zero sleep on the plane! From there we went and bought metro tickets and headed into the city! Stopped in Montmartre, had lunch at "my" café and then went on a hunt for Moulin Rouge. I have zero sense of direction but we followed my instincts anyway and after asking a couple of people we actually found it! From there we went to the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and ended at the Arc de Triomphe followed by dinner at a café on the Champs-Elysées.

Thursday - flew to Kiev, had a meeting with a guy about Upward and then flew to Odessa. Oh, on our way to Kiev, I sat next to a Ukrainian guy who is fluent in Russian, French and Polish. I had a French newspaper so he knew I spoke French and halfway through the 3hr flight, he began to talk to me. Now, I didn't understand everything he said b/c my brain started hurting after a bit. Plus, we were close to the engines so I couldn't hear him really well anyway. The gist of it is that he is 60yrs old, has a wife, 3 children and a granddaughter. He's been flying back and forth to Africa for the past 10yrs for work, which is how he knows French. At some point he started talking about the Iraq war and the fires in California and all kinds of stuff. Sadly I didn't ever fully know what he was talking about so I mainly just listened! I felt so bad but he was so nice!!

Friday - MY BIRTHDAY! :) We slept in a bit, headed downtown and met a friend for lunch. We wandered in and out of a few stores and then headed to a football match. This was my first pro soccer game to go to and it was exciting! It was two Ukrainian cities playing and so of course we were pulling for Odessa. Sasha and Regina even bought me an Odessa scarf so that I could be a real fan. Odessa won 4-0. There were 2 red cards given to the other team and at least 2 yellow cards to a couple of different players too! After we scored at one point, the cheering section got really crazy and lit a couple of red flares and while we were watching them we started seeing yellow and blue chairs flying in the air! We think a fight started in the midst of it all... it was nuts!

Saturday - a guy came to Odessa from Lubni (?) to see Sasha and Regina's Upward soccer games so we spent the morning with him and Sasha told him about Upward and his experience. That afternoon we headed to the gym for their last games of the season. It's been raining like crazy so they haven't been able to play on the fields for a few weeks. The games were a blast and the kids have had so much fun.

Sunday - we went to church this morning and after the typical 3 sermons came home for homemade pizza. A missionary that used to live here was in town so he and his daughter joined us for the afternoon. Now we're about to leave to fly to Kiev and we'll fly back to the states tomorrow.

Pictures will come when I get home! In the meantime, thanks for your prayers... for the churches and Upward leagues in Ukraine and our travelling safety!

Doombah Chickensquirt

Sometimes when you have a stressful day or week, you need some silliness to break up the day. If we are honest, we have a lot more stressful days than not. Here is your dose of humor...

A. Follow the instructions to find your new name.

B. Once you have your new name, leave me a comment with it and your “old” name. If you want to email this to people, put your new name in the subject box and forward it to friends and family and co-workers.

And don't go all adult - a senior manager is now known far and wide as Dorky Gizzardsniffer!

The following is excerpted from a children's book, Captain Underpants And the Perilous Plot Professor Poopypants, by Dave Pilkey, in which the evil Professor forces everyone to assume new names.

So…

1. Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:
a = snickle
b = doombah
c = goober
d = cheesey
e = crusty
f = greasy
g = dumbo
h = farcus
i = dorky
j = doofus
k = funky
l = boobie
m = sleezy
n = sloopy
o = fluffy
p = stinky
q = slimy
r = dorfus
s = snooty
t = tootsie
u = dipsy
v = sneezy
w = liver
x = skippy
y = dinky
z = zippy

2. Use the second letter of your last name t o determine the first half of your new last name:
a = dippin
b = feather
c = batty
d = burger
e = chicken
f = barffy
g = lizard
h = waffle
i = farkle
j = monkey
k = flippin
l = fricken
m = bubble
n = rhino
o = potty
p = hamster
q = buckle
r = gizzard
s = lickin
t = snickle
u = chuckle
v = pickle
w = hubble
x = dingle
y = gorilla
z = girdle

3. Use the third letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:
a = butt
b = boob
c = face
d = nose
e = hump
f = breath
g = pants
h = shorts
i = lips
j = honker
k = head
l = tush
m = chunks
n = dunkin
o = brains
p = biscuits
q = toes
r = doodle
s = fanny
t = sniffer
u = sprinkles
v = frack
w = squirt
x = humperdinck
y = hiney
z = juice

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOUR NEW NAME IS... and leave your real name too :) !!

Remember that children laugh an average of 146 times a day; adults laugh an average of 4 times a day. Put more laughter in your day.

It has been the longest week ever...

You know when you're waiting on something and each day you think that will be the day you receive it? But then the end of the day comes and you realize it didn't come that day either? Yeah, that's been this week. ugh. It's ok though... some things are just out of my control and I'm trying to exercize some Daring Dependence on God. Luckily He knows that I'm a work in progress!

One thing I DID get this week was a replacement for my phone! YAY! I had a scare though as I left the store... I had sat in the parking lot for a few minutes resetting as much as I could so that it was "my" phone again. I pulled out and onto the road and opened my phone to see a text I had just received. But the screen was blank. Ok, maybe I'm imagining things. So I close the phone, the outside display shows me the time and everything as usual and I open the phone again. Nothing. Are you kidding me?? I pull into a parking lot to see if I can figure it out before running back to the store. The only option I had was to pop out the battery and put it in again. Praise the Lord it worked! Good night, did I really need that minutes after I had picked it up and days after I had broken the first one?? Negative, ghost rider! But, all has been good since. Whew!

sad...

Now, I'm a responsible person. I don't lose things, I don't break things, I always return things that I've borrowed (even if I've had them for months on end... you WILL eventually get it back!). However, it seems that with age these traits that I've prided myself on are slowly deteriorating. Yeah, yeah, I'm not really that old but I'm getting close to 30, people!

Anyway, Sunday night, this responsible young lady that you all know and love dropped her cell phone. I never said I didn't drop things... Well, I dropped it on the carpet in my apartment and it broke. It wasn't a huge deal because it was just a little crack. One of the sides where the phone flips up cracked, which caused the top part of the phone to sit a little crooked when it was open. I was laughing so hard at my "new" ghetto phone!

Well, I really shouldn't have laughed too hard because yesterday, that piece that cracked fully came off. The ONLY thing holding both pieces of my phone together is the wiring that makes it work! LOL! Luckily, I was able to take it to the shop on Monday and they are ordering me a new one and said I should have it in 3 to 5 days. So, hopefully by the end of the week I won't be toting around my sad little phone!

oh la la...!

The past month has been a whirlwind! Mid-August I got back from Canada and thought I was going to be able to take a breath, but no sir-eee bob! I may not be travelling again until the end of October but I've been all over the place doing way too much lately! I moved and had friends over and small group started back and football season started and i started coaching a 5yr old soccer team (that's where the "oh la la" comes in) and Arica was in town last week and I have a meeting tonight to start helping with the Women's Ministry at church which starts next week. Oh and my former roommate is getting married in 44 days so there are a few things going on with those festivities! WHEW! It's so much fun though :)

When Arica was here we went to see the Greens and then we went down to Atlanta because she's never been. Woohoo! I love the ATL so I was more than happy to take her down to one of my former "hometowns." We hung out with my friend Erica from high school for dinner and ice cream, we went to the GA Aquarium (more pics), visited the gift shop at World of Coke, played in Centennial Park and toured CNN.

Statue in front of Coke Museum.

NOTE: Thanks to Arica and her mad photography skills, there are actually pictures of me from a trip. Yay! I have proof that I really went somewhere ;)

Murder in the Kitchen

Last night I got in from a friend's house and was making my lunch for today. It was a typical evening and I had the bread, mayo, turkey and cheese out on the counter. I'm in my shorts and t-shirt (we had said we were going to try and work out. ha!) and had taken my shoes off. All of a sudden I feel something on my foot and look down to see a ROACH crawling over my FOOT! AHHHH!!!!!

Yep, I screamed. Like a girl. Sadly I quickly realized that no one was there to come to my rescue! A couple of weeks ago Kelly was over and while we were sitting on the coach, minding our own business, she screams because there is a roach on the wall. Being the good hostess that I am, I sat on the coach freaking out while she attacked it. Oh yeah, I also called my friend Myrna to freak about it too. Kelly loved me for that!

Well, last night she was not there. My roommate wasn't there and my husband wasn't there. Oh wait... that's right, I live alone now and I'm not married. DANG IT!! So, I had to suck it up and kill the roach. LUCKILY, I had a handy can of Raid under my sink because there was no way I wasn't going to be prepared after last time. Now, I've used Raid before, but it was mainly on ants. This is some powerful stuff!! One spray and the roach tried to run but didn't make it more than a centimeter before I sprayed him again. It was a quick death so he didn't suffer long. It took me a little while longer to get up the courage to actually dispose of him. So, I called Myrna to tell her of my bravery. She laughed. Um, hello!! I just killed a ROACH! This coming from the same girl who slept in the guest room a couple of years ago b/c a cricket was hiding under my bed! Yes, I'm a wimp. And I'm ok with that.

Ugh. So gross! Hopefully the little roachie is communicating with his little friends from the sewage pipes and telling them to STAY AWAY!! I know it's unlikely, but I can hope :)

Isn't she lovely...?

Andrea with "Aunt" Sabrina

I got to have dinner with Brooke, Jill and Andrea last night and it was a blast watching Jill's daughter WALK and laugh and play with whatever she could find in my apartment. What made me laugh most, besides the fact that she is a curious 17 month old, was when she figured out there were chocolate chip cookies sitting on top of the stove, she did everything she could to get me out of my chair to let her have some! It wasn't your usual pulling of my hand to get me up or even crying... the girl slid her hand between my back and the back of the chair and would proceed to pry me up and out of the chair! I was laughing so hard. But, you gotta give the girl credit... she was doing all she could to get some of those chocolate chip cookies! She's a girl after my own heart :)

Jill and Andrea ready for football season!!!

Andrea playing with Brooke's Treo :)

He Gives and He Takes Away

Two weeks ago yesterday, I got word that the dad of some friends had tragically passed away that morning, August 13, 2007, while working in Rock Hill, SC. His twin sons, David and Andrew, were (and still are) good friends of mine from high school. After tragically losing my dad 13 years prior - almost to the day - to a heart attack, my heart broke into pieces when I heard the news. Losing a parent, no matter what your age but even more so when you are younger, is something I would not wish on my worst enemy.

The thing that I have learned in the past 13 years is that God always uses what He does for His glory. I had a friend in college who suddenly lost her dad just before finals of her freshman year and to be honest, when I heard what had happened, it felt like I was going through it myself all over again. But, God took me to her side and I was able to pray specifically for her that summer because I just knew. She told me later that of all the cards and letters she received from people, mine was the only one she remembered most. To be honest, I don't think I sent her more than just a verse.

When I went to see David and Andrew the day after their dad passed away, we walked into their house and I hugged both of them and their mom. All I said was what God gave me... "I'm sorry" and "I know" and "I'm praying for you." And they just hugged me tighter. While I don't fully know the pain they are going through, God has at least given me understanding so that I can pray more specifically for each of them, their mom, their wives, Andrew's "baby Scharff", their sister, her husband and their two children.

While it took me many years to see that God had to take my dad in order to glorify Himself (and I've only seen small pieces), it took me less than a week to see a part of why He called Wade Scharff home to Heaven. While I don't know that Wade Scharff could have picked me out of a crowd, I felt that I knew him by the end of that week. He was a godly man who loved his family and each person that he came into contact with. I realized that by the end of his memorial service that Friday that it turns out I did know him... because I know his sons. They love the Lord and live their lives for Him and the Son. They love their wives as Christ loves the church and as Wade loved Connie. They are great friends, amazing brothers and they are going to make wonderful fathers. I laughed as people told stories at the memorial service and I cried as we sang praises to the King. He truly does give AND take away. What blows me away is that I have NEVER been so encouraged and/or challenged in my Christian walk than I was by listening about the life of Wade Scharff a week and a half ago. I came out of that church a new person. Words on this screen will never be able to explain that.

David and Andrew were much closer to their dad than I was to mine and they had 13 more years with Wade than I had with my dad. But, each person is different and God's plans are different for each of us. I know that the Scharffs will make it through this because they are leaning on the only One who can give them the strength to go on. It took me years to get to that point - to realize that it's the one true God that deserves all the glory. Even though He takes away, He GIVES so much. And for that, I am thankful.

I'm on my way to catch up!!

There has been a lot going on the past couple of weeks and many many many thoughts going through my head. But for now, I will leave you with this quote and will be back to update in more detail later.

“The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here.”
~Jonathan Edwards

Alberta, Canada

Lake Louise

So I have now made it to 3 Canadian Provinces and I must say, that I'm growing quite fond of the country. Not that I was ever NOT fond of it... I just hadn't been there and didn't know anyone up there. But, since Upward is finding a way into the churches and hearts up there, I've been able to go and see a bit and meet a ton of people. Hopefully I'll continue to be able to go and explore!

This past weekend we had a training conference in Calgary, Alberta, but went up a day earlier than usual (Thursday instead of Friday) and took the extra day to go up towards Banff, which is in the mountains. The only sad thing (other than temps being in the 50s during the day!) was that it was also overcast so we were only able to see pieces of the mountains. However, it was still amazing.

The words that kept coming to mind were "God's majesty" and these pictures don't do it enough justice!

A little bit of God's Country in God's creation :)

Ukraine Sports Camp

Thanks for everyone who prayed for the trip! We had a great time despite all of the opposition we faced. In all my travels, I have NEVER had as much trouble as we had on this trip. We had delayed flights, 17 pieces of lost luggage (yes, 17!), a missed flight b/c of the lost luggage, no a/c at camp for 2 days, 4 sick team members throughout the week and while we got back to the states in one piece, EVERYONE had trouble getting out of JFK. Clearly God was doing a lot if the Enemy was fighting back so strongly! Praise God!

I've put pictures on Facebook but even if you don't have Facebook, you can see the pictures by clicking on these links. Enjoy!

Ukraine 1

Ukraine 2

Ukraine 3

Harry Potter and the Ukraine

If you don't know what the word "muggle" means, then you will not understand this post. But, read on if you like... :)

Some of you know that I'm an avid Harry Potter fan (check this if you don't believe me: B93.7's website).

Sadly, I will be leaving the country exactly 5hrs and 45minutes before the final book of the series is released. Since my Russian is not quite as good as I would like just yet, I will not be able to purchase the book and read it while in the Ukraine.

Therefore, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not spoil it for me!! Once I get back to the states a week from Saturday, I have an overnight layover in NYC and will probably head to the nearest bookstore to find a comfy chair to begin reading. When I get back to Greenville, the book will be waiting on me at home to finish it.

Alright, that's enough pleading. If you are able to get the book on Friday night or Saturday, enjoy it. I will be re-reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (for the 3rd time) so that I am fully prepared when I get home.

His hand closed automatically around the fake Horcrux, but in spite of everything, in spite of the dark and twisting path he saw stretching ahead for himself, in spite of the final meeting with Voldemort he knew must come, whether in a month, in a year, or in ten, he felt his heart lift at the thought that there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione.

-HP and the Half Blood Prince (p652)

Here's to "one last golden day..."

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

There is a lot to be said for keeping God's Word in your heart and actually praying Scripture. It's amazing how when you are seeking Him and striving to be in His will He will give you just what you need. I've been asking for insight into His plan for me as I'm getting ready to move to an apartment instead of a house like I had been hoping. But in the midst of that, He reminded me that His plans are to prosper me and not to harm me. He loves me so much that He really has plans to give me hope and a future!

God isn't up there trying to see how He can mess up my life. I can walk you through my past 27 years and prove that right now. Everything He has done for me, with me and through me have been for HIS glory. So, while sometimes He asks me to fight and sometimes He asks me to persevere, this time He's asking me to just "be still" so that I can see that He truly is the Lord of my life. All I have to do is sit back and let Him do His job.

...sometimes that's a lot harder than it may sound!

LOL!

Rick's blog is making me laugh... he's moved to Australia to help with a church plant. You need to check it out.

It's been a while...

I know. The last post doesn't really count as a "real post." So, here's what I've been up to this month...

June 8: Amy and I went to MS to help Myrna with her daughter's wedding. I took pictures at the rehersal, the dinner and the bridesmaid's lunch and then helped get the reception ready most of Saturday. I don't know that I've ever sliced so much bread, cut so much fruit, mixed so much tea, or washed so many dishes. But it was all worth it!

aren't they cute? and I washed a window too :)

The DELICIOUS cake. Chase and Holly!!

June 16: Marsha and Tyler's wedding!! It was so fun.

Butterflies were landing everywhere after the release!

Small group girls and the after-party downtown!

June 22: Headed up to Toronto to train Canadian churches on how to do Upward. Again, it's amazing that I get paid to help people reach kids and their families for Christ.

It was a really old (and cool) gym...

Marriage

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?
(Written by kids)

You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
-Alan, age 10

No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.
-Kristen, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?!
Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER By then.
-Camille, age 10

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
Both don't want any more kids.
Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
-Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)

On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
-Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?
I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the Newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.
-Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
When they're rich.
-Pam, age 7

The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.
-Curt, age 7

The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
-Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
-Anita, age 9 (bless you child)

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
-Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favorite is........
HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck hit her.
-Ricky, age 10

to buy or not to buy...??

Many of you know that my roommate is getting married in November (woohoo for the "soon to be" Neelys!!), which means I have to find somewhere else to live because a boy will be moving into 205! Crazy, I tell ya... :)

Anyway, I kept going back and forth trying to figure out if I should buy something or not. I was 98% resigned to the idea of renting for a while while I continued to save money and in six months or so, start looking again. Well, a week ago Monday I went and looked at a couple of condos and really liked one of them. Everything about it was fabulous. So, Wednesday I went to look again and just kept praying that if I wasn't supposed to do it, that God would just slam the door in my face (sometimes I have a really tough time following Him when he says, "No" so if the door is slammed in my face then I have no wiggle room).

So, Wednesday night I was sitting down with my realtor signing the papers to make an offer when we did a quick check on the interest rates. Oh my... they were at 6.75% which was half a percentage up from the last time I had been out looking. So, we decided to hang tight until morning when I could talk to my would-be lender. Although when I called him, rates had jumped to 7.125%. I think my heart stopped for a second.

He tried his best to look at other options for me and different programs but nothing was going to fit. So, I took this as God slamming the door in my face. And am, afterall, going to rent an apartment for a while. You know what though? I'm 100% fine with it. I don't know the reasons behind God stopping me from purchasing something right now, even though I have been through every scenerio possible in my head (trust me!). Therefore, I'm going to remain mobile in my living situation and see what He has in store.

Now all I have to do is find enough furniture to furnish a one bedroom apartment!! That's what happens when you've always lived with people who have enough of their own furniture. Although I am pretty excited about having a NEED to go shopping for household items. haha :)

Holy Babies, Batman!

Just had to get this out...

I tend to laugh at myself a lot because while I'm not the drama queen, I can work myself up to sound like one just to make myself laugh in order to keep myself from really freaking out. It's actually pretty fun... you should try it! Anyway, I had lunch on Friday with Natalie and Adri and love that they live so close to the office that I've been able to go and see them during Natalie's maternity leave. But, tomorrow, Natalie comes back to work... which means it's been 14.5 weeks since Adri was born. Oh my gosh!

I was actually fine about Adri being 14 weeks old until I went to Jill's blog and saw how big Andrea is getting. In the most recent pics Jill has put up, Andrea looks so much more like a little girl than a baby!! Granted she just turned one in mid-March, but still. Can these kids stop growing up, please?? That would be great, thanks.

Obviously, regardless of how many times I ask, the kids keep growing. The thing that worries me is that if I'm this "emotional" about my friends' kids growing up, I'm going to be a wreck when I have my own kids one of these days!! Good grief... maybe I should go ahead and buy some stock in Kleenex... ;)

My Memorial Day Weekend

It's been a crazy busy weekend but as I laid by the pool this afternoon thinking about it all, I realized how amazing the whole thing was.

Thursday: trip to Rock Hill to see Brandon Green graduate from high school. Brandon is the son of the missionaries I worked with in Belgium and they have become like family to me. I laugh so much when I'm with them and Thursday was no exception!

Before:

After:

Friday: I drove up to Tennessee to take pictures for my friend, Melody, as she married the love of her life, Logan. It was so much fun and the only regret of the weekend was that our friend Melissa couldn't be there too :( Other than that, it was a blast to see where Melody grew up and to meet her friends that I've been hearing about for the past three years that I've known her! CONGRATS MELODY AND LOGAN!!

Sunday: On my way back to SC I drove through ATL to meet a friend for lunch. Well, about 20 minutes outside of Marietta, my check engine light comes on. Awesome! I just prayed that I would make it to ATL so that I wouldn't be stranded on the side of I-75. As I'm getting off the interstate my check oil light came on. Cool, huh? After lunch we checked my oil and turns out I had almost none. So, we went to Wal-Mart to get some oil, which obviously helped. But, the check engine light was still on. Long story short, we took my car to Pep Boys and after about 45 minutes or so, they changed the oil and the engine light went off. Turns out I had gotten the wrong kind of oil. Oops! So, I finally made it home around 8pm, all in one piece and my car doing well.

Monday: RELAXATION! Got up around 10:30am when Lindsay woke me up to go wedding dress shopping. So fun! Then, Kelly and I went to lay out by the pool for a couple hours and I then washed my car before coming in for dinner.

I just wish this "weekend" could last for another few days!!!