I have nothing to say and my camera is recharging, so I thought I would advertise today.
How cute is this?
And this?
I'm thinking...teacher gifts, thank-you gifts, hostess gifts, etceterah, etceterah, etceterah, and so forth. I mean, at that price, you could buy a lot, you know?
And maybe, just maybe, if you tell her you heard about her from me, she'll take me to coffee at some cute, little, girly coffee shop somewhere.
I thought I would write you a public thank-you note because you totally made my day. I had no idea how much I needed a visit like that.
Thank you for the grilled cheese sandwich and the cold coffee drink and the chocolate chips and pecans. I thought I was the only one who ate plain chocolate chips and pecans. Oh, and if I have marshmallows, I put those in there, too.
Thank you for listening to me talk about homeschooling and church and kids and all that stuff. You always have good things to say. I consider you one of my wisest friends.
I enjoyed hearing about your church. I know that planting a church is hard work and can be discouraging at times. I hope that you and Mike begin to reap an even bigger harvest than you already have very soon. I think you guys are brave and amazing. You do things I am afraid to do.
Your children are beautiful and lovely to be around. Isaiah was such a gentlemen to fix my water for me. I'm so glad your kids whine and ask for food every five minutes and fuss with each other. I felt right at home. Thank you for not having perfect children. It would be really annoying. I hope you guys come play at our house very soon.
Lastly, I can't wait to do a bible study together. I have found another Old Testament fanatic. Yeah! I am so looking forward to learning together.
Have a wonderful rest of the week.
"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." --Numbers 6:24-26
--Jennifer : >
I just had to share this story with you. My little brother's friend Nick and his wife, Kami, just had quadruplets! Isn't that amazing? They had IVF and were overjoyed when both fertilized eggs "took". I think joy turned to shock when they were told shortly thereafter that one of the eggs split twice! They now have identical triplet boys and one sweet girl. You think your tired, Liz?
Listen to these cool names: Sloan Olivia, Rocco Dean, Madden Jax and Jagger Cole. They will be rockstars for sure.
It's so strange to see Nick with four kids. He was Eric's little punk friend. He was Eddie Haskell. (Nick's on the left. I don't know who that other guy is.)
And now here he is - a proud Papa - times four! (This is a picture of Nick and Kami.)
This morning they were on the Today show live! Is that cool or what? Here's the link:
Here's their blog:
OK, sorry I've been distracted by Facebook. I have been part of the biggest family/class/work reunion ever the last two days. Guess what? I have 18 friends. Woo hoo! That seems really great until you visit another friend's profile and realize they have over 300 friends. Am I a total loser then? I think not! Quality over quantity, my friends.
Anyway, in all the Facebook hub bub, I forgot to blog about my weekend. Jade and I had a fun time. We got to go out two nights in a row! Yes! Here are a couple of pics from our Sunday School party.
My pastor's wife, Sonya, is in the middle:
We played Outburst and Mad Gab. Turns out I am a Mad Gab champion. Who knew? Also, here is the half-eaten Chocolate Coconut Almond Cheesecake I made for the party.
It was da' bomb. There was also a chocolate peanut butter cheesecake that was da' bomb as well.
Here's the wedding we went to. Meet Chris and Mary Cockerham.
I have never seen a groom look so sweetly at a bride in all my days. He was the sweetest thing, ya'll. He loves that girl, let me tell you. Here's my adorable husband and my pastor, Bill. He officiated the wedding.
Mrs. June, Mary's mama and my friend, is the one who tore me up. You should have seen this woman looking at her daughters. First, Brittany walked down the aisle (she was the maid of honor). Mrs. June saw her and just welled up. So I welled up. Then Mary walked down the staircase like an angel. Mrs. June was just heaving with tears. Ya'll, I just couldn't take it. I must be hormonal (sorry I said, "hormonal", guys) because I cried like I was the Mama!
Now take a look at this.
Yes, the picture is awful. But this is Mr. Terry and Mrs. June dancing to Sunshine On My Shoulder by John Denver. That's the song they danced to at their wedding years ago. It sounds silly, probably, but that is the sweetest thing I have ever seen. They were precious. They made me look forward to getting older and dancing at my kids' weddings.
I am a total sap, I guess. What can I say? Love rocks.
For the last few days, I've been feeling so yuck. It seems like everything is hard, you know? I'm sure God is building my character and that I will appreciate this training exercise later.
I woke up this morning not really wanting to wake up. I wandered aimlessly around my house in my robe for quite some time. Distributed cereal, did some laundry, watched Bewitched - all in my robe. I'm sure that wearing one's robe until 11:00 a.m. is a sign of depression. Note: I did actually manage to teach Math, go to Speech Therapy with Owen, make a roast and take Blythe to dancing, so I'm not completely gone, but God must have known I needed a little pick-me-up. So...
My friend Cathy from Houston called me. Cathy is awesome. She's been my friend forever and she's the best Children's Minister ever. She also has the most awesome children's building ever at her church. It is way cool. Cathy is so busy. When she calls me, it is a real treat. I feel special.
My friend Cindy called. Cindy is one of my friends from church. She has a neat life. She rides horses and team pens competitively. Cindy is also studying to be a Nurse Practitioner, which is really hard. She took time out from studying to call me and see how I am doing. I feel special.
My friend Sharon called. Sharon is the church secretary and has become one of my best friends. She loves to scrapbook. She missed me at church Sunday so she called to catch up on her way to work and make me laugh. I feel special.
My friend Brigitt came over for coffee. Brigitt is from Columbia (the country). She is young and beautiful and fun. Brigitt always brings me coffee from Columbia when she goes home. She and Michael desperately want to have children, but so far have been unsuccessful. Pray for them to be blessed with beautiful children of their own.
While we were having coffee, Laura called. Laura is Carson's wife. Carson plays bass at church. She was finished at school (she's a Speech Therapist) and was picking up her baby. She decided to come have a cup of coffee and a slice of Derby Pie with us. We had such a lovely afternoon talking together. I feel special. Here's a picture of Brigitt and me (and half of Evelyn's head) this afternoon.
Thanks, Lord, for loving me through my friends today. You're real good to me even when I'm sorta pouty. I feel special.
So, I'm checking all my blogging buddies' sites today for updates, and...Shriek! Liz gave me an award! She likes me. She really, really likes me. This is so cool; it's like getting a present. With this award, I must write five things I love, pass the award on to the blogs I love, and link back to the awarder, Liz. I love Liz's blog. It's kind of spooky, though, because we have way too many similarities.
1. Five things I love (besides the obvious Jesus, husband, family thing): comfort, great food, dry/witty conversations, the color red, jazz.
2. I would like to pass this award on to:
Better Than I Deserve To Be -Sharon is the most to-the-point woman I know. I just love that about her. I know she'll tell me the truth, no matter how it might sting.
Delights and Dilemmas - Tamra lives in a beautiful place. She is working, going to school and raising a family. How ever does she blog?
Goodness, Gracie - My sweet sister-in-law, Gracie, is obssessed with Broadway. I really hope she "makes it" one day, so I can get some good tickets!
Living For Him - This is my sweet babysitter, Hannah. I love seeing what goes through the minds of young people. It fascinates me and brings back bittersweet memories.
Last, but certainly not least, Really, Rosemary. This is my daughter Claire's blog (her first name is Rosemary). She is just starting to blog, but is doing a great job!
For those of you I am giving the award to here are the totally optional "rules":
1. Name 5 things that you love.
2. Pass along the award to the blogs you love. (copy and paste the image)
3. Please link back to my blog.
Here's a picture of my friend Cathy and me in Houston.
We dropped by for lunch on our way back from our conference in Austin. It struck me as we left the parking lot that she is my oldest friend (not age, but had the longest), and I began to cry. I wondered about that because I'm not a crier (unless I'm pregnant - and I'm not). Could it be that I'm getting soft in my old age? I sure hope so.
Anyway, I love Cathy with all my heart. I met her at an interesting time in my life. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. I was a Sophomore in college and the world was just opening up to me. My mother was also dying of cancer. My family had just moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and that came with its own trauma. We joined Istrouma Baptist Church and they became our family. I joined the choir and met Cathy and Suzie (another dear friend). They were a few years older than me and fun as all get out. We had a good time, ya'll.
When my mama died, Cathy was right by my side. We stayed friends through her move to Florida, my marriage, my divorce, my baby, her marriage to Doug, her adoption of Emma, my second marriage, her move to Texas, my next four kids. To most people, this may not seem like a big deal. For me it's monumental. I moved my whole life. I learned not to get attached because people leave and it hurts too badly. But she just kept on being nice to me and calling me and I kept calling her, and now we've been friends for over 20 years!
Here's to a truly amazing woman who astonishes me with her love of children, her ability to teach, her resilience and her God-given ability to make people feel so loved. I love ya', girl!
