Tribute

Monday morning I lost my dear friend Amy. She had been battling cancer since April 2011 and the Lord called her home this week. She was above all other explanations an exceptional woman. Her first love was the Lord and from the moment I met her she was a woman who walked by faith and not by sight. She always had a way of encouraging me even when she was smacking me with the truth. Her faith was only intensified as her battle against cancer began. She fought a courageous fight and chose life all the way to the end. I was amazed by her relentless pursuit of God, her righteousness, and her servant heart. Her faith was unwavering from the beginning, and a true testimony to so many. So many of us find it hard to trust the Lord with the things of our lives, big or small, but Amy trusted him with everything - she trusted him with her life. I have watched her over these last 11 months stand for truth and make some very difficult decisions as she faced her own mortality. When doctors said something wasn't possible, she said "with God all things are possible." When people didn't understand her faith, she clung to Him all the more. She was faithful because she knew God is faithful. I know she touched so many lives in her time with us and I am extremely grateful my life was one of them.

After I wrote this post this afternoon I heard this song and it reminded me of my friend. For all eternity she is giving all the glory to His name!

Being Artistic

Tuesday night my friend Amy invited us over to her house for a little art lesson. She is an amazing artist and an amazing friend, so of course I took the opportunity to learn from her. She was so patient with our millions of questions and made us feel capable of painting like she does. Honestly I was surprised at how well everyone's paintings turned out. I invite you all to check out her blog and see her amazing artwork and ideas. Ok, on to my masterpieces. Here is where it all began...the first layer of both my paintings.

After the third layer and my pencil work. The drawings were Amy's ideas from her sketchbook that she let me use. I think they are adorable.

The final products after painting on the top layer (all the accents and real colors). I was thrilled with how they turned out, and pretty amazed that I did it all by myself. Made me believe a little more in myself. I'm thinking of using them in the new baby's room.

Here are a few snapshots I took between layers while the paint was drying. We had a great time of fellowship. Thanks Amy for opening your home, your supplies, and ideas to us. We had a great time!

Keeping Cool

We have no AC. That's right. 90+ degree weather and we have no air conditioning. To make it worse it has been this was since Wednesday and the part needed to fix the unit won't be available til Monday. Needless to say it is miserable. I have been spending days at my parents house, and then just have to sleep at the house. However, our fabulous friends are going out of town this weekend and offered their home to us. We are just completely blessed by their outpouring of love and generoisty. It is nice to know that we will be sleeping in comfortable beds with AC tonight! Thanks PJ & Mindy for being the great friends you are!!

July 4th Weekend

We had an awesome July 4th weekend. On Saturday we went to the Sunflower Festival. We've never been before, but we had a wonderful time. Levi loved the tractor parade, animals, and the music. That evening we went to our friends' house for a July 3rd party. Chad & Whitney were gracious hosts and we had an awesome time of fellowship with everyone. The ice cream bar and sparklers were big hits as well. On the 4th we just relaxed around the house after church and then met Aaron's family to watch fireworks in Jackson. Levi loved the fireworks, but was not a fan of the noise they made. He watched from Aaron's lap as Aaron covered his ears. However, you'd never know if you talked to him. He raves about how they go "Pop! And then fall to the ground." On the 5th we enjoyed Aaron being home. We spent the morning playing with Levi in "his" pool. That evening we hung out with my sisters and some of their friends for a cookout. We had so much fun this weekend. I hated to see it end. We are very grateful to all the men and women who haved served and are currently serving our country to protect our freedom. I hope you know how much you are appreciated.

Finally...

Eclipse!!! Tonight!!! Can't wait!!! So excited!!!

Oh What a Night! - 80's Night!!

As posted earlier, Aaron turned 30 a few weeks ago. We finally celebrated his birthday with all of our friends this past weekend. Since Aaron was born in 1980 we had an 80's themed party. Yep, you guessed it everyone was expected to dress up in 80's garb. We had a great time. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the night.

Priviledged

The other night we went out to dinner with some wonderful friends. Our friends are fantastic, in fact this post is about our friends - all of them, but through our discussions at dinner my mind wondered. It is apparent that some of our friends are a little better off than we are. Don't get me wrong, I know there are lots of people in the world and probably even down the street that are worse off than us, but I just started thinking. What defines a life as privileged? Is it what we do or have? I've never been skiing, ridden a jet ski, owned a new couch, bought expensive clothes, we don't have cable or new cars or even grass growing in our front yard. When Levi was born I didn't buy him new nursery furniture - not because I didn't want to, but I simply couldn't afford it. I guess you could say I was having a little pity party about all the things I didn't have and wasn't able to do. Don't we all go through moments like those? Then it dawned on me...I am privileged. My privileged life may be different than others, but it's a privileged and blessed life nonetheless. I had the best childhood of anyone I know. I lived near my grandparents and cousins and was able to make lasting friendships with them because of it. We spent many summers playing outside, digging in the dirt, going to Jenny's "school", jumping on trampolines, watching Disney movies, swinging in the tire swing, kicking our jellies off and onto the roof of our trailer, watching my dad build our house, singing The Little Mermaid a million times (come on girls join with me...Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?...), celebrating holidays together, and going through difficult times together such as job losses, miscarriages, and deaths. Being able to count on these people makes my life amazing and completely blessed. The moments I've shared with family and friends has made me who I am today. I don't think I would trade these moments for any amount of money or opportunity. I've been able to travel (a little), go to college, start a family, pay my bills, worship freely, stay at home with my growing boy, and put dinner on the table every night. What is more privileged than that? So in honor of all those people who helped me make these memories and supported me along the way - I say thank you! I'm glad you're part of my life. I hope you all feel as blessed as I do.

Sweaters, Turtlenecks, and Stirrup Pants - OH MY!

We hosted a Tacky Christmas Sweater Party this year, and I must say it was one of the best ideas we've ever had. We had way too much fun dressing up in the tackiest Christmas outfits you could imagine. We ate good food, played some games, and had a good time in fellowship with everyone. I believe not many of us will be forgetting the charades any time soon! Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate the season in a tacky way, and if you couldn't make it this year then get ready for next year!

And the winners are....

Greek Life

Last Saturday we went to the North Georgia Fair and the Greek Festival with our friends Todd, Missy, & Samuel. We had lots of fun. We started out on the fair where we rode a few rides, saw a few of the little variety shows, and of course took Levi to the petting zoos. Levi loved all the animals. After a few hours of the fair and a ride on the Sizzler we headed to the Greek Festival. We all enjoyed the music and the food was delicious. We had such a good time catching up with our friends for the day.

An Ironpig Victory

Last night we went with our friends Todd and Missy to the Gwinnett Braves game in Buford. The Braves played the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs. It was a close game, but unfortunately it was an Ironpig victory. We were tied 5 to 5 going into the 10th inning, and the Ironpigs scored 3 runs in the top of the inning. The Braves were unable to score and so the Ironpigs won. We had a great time at the game, especially since it was 80s night! We had a great time and can't wait to go to our next game! Go Braves!!

Let Freedom Ring

We had a great time celebrating the 4th this weekend. Since everyone was off work on Friday we had a pool party. Pizza, music, sunshine, and friends. It doesn't get much better than that. On Saturday Daniel & Jeanie were kind enough to host us all at their home for the 4th and celebrate on the lake with the boat parade and fireworks. We had such a great time hanging out with everyone, cooking out, celebrating Jeanie's birthday, and eating homemade ice cream. It was a 4th to remember!

I Want to Rock and Bowl All Night...

Saturday night we had dinner with our friends, Todd & Missy. They live in Atlanta, so we aren't able to get together with them too often, so it was so good seeing them. We are really excited because they are moving to McDonough so now we'll get to see them more often!! After dinner we met up with Amy, Beth & David for a little bowling. We had such a great time hanging out and catching up. Take a look at the video to see a little of our entertainment for the night!

A 'Super' Weekend

This weekend was awesome. Friday night we had another Girls Night. We had the best time playing Bunco and charades. May I just say that Richard Simmons cleaning a bathroom never looked so good. Can I get an amen? Anyways, we had a blast eating and playing. I'll refrain from putting up the videos to avoid complete embarassment for some of my dear friends.

For our Girls Night I made a recipe I'd been dying to try. It will completely take away any New Year's revolution you may have, so proceed at your own risk. I saw it on Bakerella, and thought Girls Night was the perfect time to some Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies!!! They were delicious! (It's a Betty Crocker recipe, so if you are interested you can check out their website).

And now for the Super Bowl...

Sunday we had a little Super Bowl Party at Mom & Dad's. It was just us, but we had a blast watching the Steeler and Cardinals duke it out for a win. We were all rooting for the underdog and thought they were going to pull it out until the last few seconds of the game. The video below is the half time show we had. I don't think Bruce Springstein has anything on us.

Old Friends

At the holidays I was able to see lots of friends and family that I haven't seen in a while. My childhood friend, Jennifer, was in town for the holidays visiting family and we were able to make time for a quick visit. Jennifer & Ben live in Texas and just had their first child. It was my first time meeting Graham. Levi was excited to meet his new little friend and only hopes Graham can come back soon to play. It was so good seeing her and chatting about our boys.

Catching Up & Eating Up

Tuesday Levi & I met Beth & Krissi for lunch at Zaxby's. We haven't seen Krissi in a while, so it was wonderful getting to catch up with her. Of course the food was delicious also! This afternoon Levi & I headed out to lunch again with mom, Beth & my Aunt Debra. We had a really good time chatting the lunch hour away and visiting with one another, and my fajita nachos were to die for!!

A big thank you goes out to mom for treated us today! Thanks! It was delicious!!

The Madness that is BUNCO!

Saturday night I had my friends over for a crazy night of Bunco. We had the best time! Thanks for all the fun and laughs girls!

Fabulous!

My cousin Rachel, nominated me for a fabulous award! Thanks Rachel!

Here are the rules for receiving the fabulous award:

1. You have to pass it on to 5 other fabulous blogs in a post.

2. You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.

3. You must copy and paste the rules and the instructions below in the post.

Instructions: On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them. When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well. To add the award to your post, simply right-click, save image, then "add image" it in your post as a picture so your winners can save it as well. To add it to your sidebar, add the "picture" gadget. Also, don't forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by emailing them or leaving a comment on their blog.

Five Fabulous Addictions:

1. Jesus - my favorite addiction.

2. Facebook & Blogging

3. Levi - everything about him! I'll add my hubby here too!

4. General Hospital

5. Music

And the winners are...

1. Amy Danger - fabulous sister

2. Elizabeth - fabulous sister 3. Jennifer - fabulously friend 4. Jessica - fabulous cousin & friend 5. Lisa - fabulous friend

Being fabulous is so much fun!

I have a minute...

Here are the rules: I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to seven others. Here are the questions: 1. Where is your cell phone? Nightstand 2. Where is your significant other? work 3. Your hair color? natural 4. Your mother? Lifesaver 5. Your father? Dawg 6. Your favorite thing? Friends 7. Your dream last night? fulfilled 8. Your dream/goal? righteousness 9. The room you're in? red 10. Your hobby? games 11. Your fear? fire 12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? closer 13. Where were you last night? home 14. What you're not? normal 15. One of your wish-list items? shoes 16. Where you grew up?C-Town 17. The last thing you did? strolled 18. What are you wearing? flip-flops 19. Your TV? on 20. Your pet? resting .21. Your computer? old 22. Your mood? hopeful 23. Missing someone? Always 24. Your car? small 25. Something you're not wearing? make-up 26. Favorite store? Target 27. Your summer? birth 28. Love someone? Jesus 29. Your favorite color? green 30. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday 31. Last time you cried? Levi I tag: Jennifer, Khrystle, Gincy, Beth (you need an update), Amy,Shannon, Kimberly, and all others that want to play along.

Ekklesia Pool Party

Yesterday we went to the Ekklesia Pool Party. A big thanks goes out the Jerry & Pat Culverhouse who hosted us at their home all day. We had a great time swimming and hanging out with one another. The guys entertained us with their jumps and dives off the diving board, and all of us played a little bocce ball at some point during the day. The Culverhouse's provided lunch, and the food was amazingly yummy, especially the birthday cake Beth and Amy brought to celebrate Jason's birthday. We ended the day chilling out and watching the USA men's volleyball team win the gold medal followed by the closing ceremonies of the Olympics.

Todd & Missy's Wedding

Saturday we attended Todd and Missy's wedding in Social Circle. The ceremony and reception were beautiful, and Missy was stunning. From the pictures I'm sure you can tell we had a great time dancing and celebrating with them. Congratulations you guys!