Pretty for her Prince...

My sister came into town for a few days. A few days being monday morning to wednesday around 2pm. In and out. We laughed a lot. We tend to do that...

Anyways, we were getting all of her stuff ready to go. Packing her suitcase, she's fixing her hair, just kind of hopping around. Fatty, what's going on?! Well, she says, I'm going to see Munch in Houston because we are flying home together and I want to look nice when I see him. How sweet is that? They've been together for years but it was still kind of cute for her to want to be pretty for her husband...

Surprise! It's a Pinata!!!!

Saturday night we found out it was one of our cg girls' birthday. She turned 20. Carla finds out about it while she's at my house. Court comes over and we all three decide we are going to throw this girl a surprise party. We head over to a store and buy little trinkets, party hats, ice cream, and "the most obnoxious pinata ever." We swing by Taco Bell because we are about eat off our hands before going over to her house and decorating it. Then its game time. I'm in charge of hanging stuff. (I'm the shortest girl of the group...) I'm doing great until its time to hang the pinata. Hmm. No random tree branch in the living room. What can I hang this on? And what am I going to hang this with? We had ribbon, tissue paper, scotch tape, and streamers. Well, my dad didn't raise no fool. I got a really long piece of ribbon. Then I doubled it. Tied it. Doubled it and tied it to the pinata. Then I hung it, ever so delicately, on the ceiling fan. Which thankfully, did not fall out of the ceiling when I hung that marvelous paper-covered, the-good-kind-of-chocolate-filled monstrosity.

It was marvelous. We were wearing the party hats, turned off all the lights, and waited with a candle lit half gallon of Starbucks ice cream. She came in, we all started singing, giggling, and proceeded to gorge ourselves on chocolate and cake. Did I say it was marvelous? Well, it was marvelous. I love party planning AND loving on people and that night I got to do both!

Something in the Water...

When I was little we lived in Oklahoma. On ten acres of land, 5 of which was a vineyard. We had horses, a goose, ducks, dogs, as well as two little girls running around. We moved there when I was three, and my sister was two. We moved back to Texas when I was eleven. Time will play a part in this story as I tell it. Come to think of it, time seems to play a part in a lot of life...

We lived outside a small town called Tuttle. It had a bank, dairy farm, school and not much else. My sister and I had loads of adventures playing all over the place at our house. Two little girls with vivid imaginations... Building snowmen, learning what living in Tornado Alley meant. One of my favorite/most terrifying memories was watching a twister slowly form and begin to touch the ground a few miles down the way. Oklahoma is flat so you could see for miles and miles...

We'd run around and every time we got hot or needed something to drink, to the water hose we went. Mom was big on us drinking our water. She tried to train us to appreciate good ol' water, but I didn't like the taste of it. So I rebelled and didn't drink as much. My sister however, drank it all the time...

One day my sister got sick. Time went by. She stayed sick. I remember lots of nights waking up to hearing her throw up. My dad telling me to go back to my room as he held her up because she didn't have the strength to sit up and vomit in the toilet. I'd go back, but I'd lay there with my hand on the bedroom wall that was also the back wall of the bathroom. She slept on the bottom bunk of our bunk bed so she could hopefully make it to the bathroom if she got sick. I started sleeping on the floor just so she knew I was close and she could touch me if she needed me.

It got bad. We didn't have insurance but my mom took my sister to the doctors anyway. They could not figure out what was going on. She had these bumps all over her. She couldn't keep much down and was getting more and more sick. Then I started getting bumpy and sick. I wasn't as bad as she was, but it was miserable. Where you are exhausted and weak and throwing up stomach acid that burns your throat.

My parents were getting frantic. We were both getting more sick as time went by. My mom thought something was in the water. No, the doctors said; that couldn't be it. She kept saying she wanted to have them test it. Nope, no need, they said. So my mom talked to a private lab in Tulsa and sent a sample of our well water to them. In the meantime, she started giving us bottled water...

The results came back a few weeks later. The water was almost pure manure and rust. Apparently the dairy plant up the river wasn't disposing of their waste properly. My mom immediately had a reverse osmosis water system put in and from then on out all we drank was filtered water.

My sister and I got better, but it took a toll on our bodies. There's not really a way to tell exactly how much heavy metal poisoning we absorbed. Five years of that stuff. If God leads me to fall in love one day, I will let him know of possible faulty plumbing. That way he can make an educated decision about sharing his heart with me.

This is not a doom and gloom story. On the contrary, I believe God had, and still has, plans for those two little girls. We're not quite as little anymore. And He didn't go anywhere no matter how sick we got. There's something amazing about faithfulness and loyalty from the Healer of a broken world. Even when you're a little girl.

So...If we go out to eat and I ask if they have filtered or bottled water to drink, now you know why. I'm not a water snob. Just learned from my experiences...

Random Acts of Wow...

Today has been quite a day. I didn't win the lotto. I didn't get a promotion. BUT. I got so much more...

A friend loved her birthday present...
A friend told me I was important to him and had meaning in his life...
A friend keeps telling me what she sees Him doing in me...
Wendy's gave me two extra bacon hamburgers with my order...
A friend told me he's praying for me...
A straight shot makes me feel safe...
A friend called to check on me...
I had the opportunity to talk about my church...
A card from my sis today said she knew I was having a tough go of it lately, but was with me...
A friend of mine said I'd be a good mom...
A text had nothing but well wishes and love...

And the icing on a cake? Dumb and Dumber was on tv tonight. Seriously though, while I can not wait to get this month over with, I wouldn't change any of it. Yeah, there have been dangerously dark times where I've fallen. But in the midst of it, there are little pinpoints of light coming from Him and those He's put around me. Other times He shines through to where I'm almost blinded by the amazing turn of events in my life. Thank you for being a part of that. I'd hope that I've come through it gracefully, but I know I've got a lot to learn. I kind of hope I never "make it" spiritually. I want to always have a bit of a surprise factor in the ways He moves in my life and in the lives of those around I love...

Enemy at the Gate...

A few days ago my roomie met our guardian. She came upstairs to my room a little frazzled. Let me describe him. He's not the most handsome, or the tallest, and he certainly doesn't say much. I say hello when I see him. He just kind of looks at me and goes on his way. Which is fine. I seriously could talk to a rock. Oh? Did I mention he just happens to be an opossum? He hangs out on our fence. Mostly the red gate.

I kind of like him. I guess I've always got a soft spot in my heart for "mutts." You know, the animals that look like they've been beaten with an ugly stick. Last night we named him Gabriël. I don't know, maybe he is something He sent to protect us. He almost scared my roomie away from her own house so clearly he's an effective deterrent.

Beginnings and Endings...

Today I did a bit of spring cleaning. I need to get my tax stuff ready and there is no time like the present. I organized all the bills and paperwork associated with a year of rat packing. It was great. I love having all my ducks in a row. There were piles all over my bed but they were organized and ready to be filed. I LOVED it.

I found a bunch of history among all the envelopes and papers. Notes from family and friends. Well wishes as I walked through the highs and lows of life. Birthday cards, cards for no reason, postcards from my sister. Words that pick me up and brush me off with their thoughtfulness, and words that pricked my heart with conviction over long ago actions.

One page I came across was where I emailed a stranger saying that I was trying the ring for the first time. Little did I know she would become one of my first friends in Baton Rouge and among the ring. I seem so young in it. I would have been actually a little over 22 years old. The part that jumps out at me is where I'd written "I guess it just boils down to the fact that I had forgotten how hard it was to go to a new church alone."

In community group monday night, we all encouraged each other. The running theme is that I was open about what was going on in my life. I wasn't an open book, but I also don't keep stuff bottled in with them. Its funny to see that I've clearly not changed that much... I was a scared little girl walking through circumstances she didn't understand. I'm not as little nor as scared. I know with full confidence to Whom I belong. The One I was created for walks with me. And He's always good for a laugh, a hug, or an ear.

Although I kind of think He was chuckling at how excited I was about filing all my bills away...

Little Girls and Little Doors..

Tonight I played with a six year old girl. We colored, played with play-doh, had a tea party, crawled through a front door, and of course had snacks. It was fun. The following should give you some idea of how I spend my tuesday nights...

First, it was coloring time. We colored pictures. Mine was a circle that was supposed to be a sun, but thanks to her imagination turned into a sun princess. I thought it was a very respectable bow I'd drawn in her hair, but apparently it resembled more of a crown than a bow. And hey, a bow is a total downgrade from a crown anyway...

Then it was on to play-doh. We made pizzas. Then I got bored with pizza and proceeded to show how big of a nerd I am and made a sheepdog...

After play-doh, it was tea time. I was the daughter, and I was drinking imaginary milk, then imaginary coke. A deadly combination in case you were wondering. We were sitting there at the table and she said, You say the pledge. It took me a second and then it hit me. Oh! You mean we are going to say grace? She looks at me like I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box and says, No, we're talking to God so we're going to say the pledge. So instead of trying to explain the difference, I said ok, bow your head and close your eyes. (I've never prayed with a little girl before. Over imaginary tea or otherwise. I've been a little girl who has prayed, but this was a first for me tonight. It was nice and that's all I'm going to say about that.)

So I say the "pledge", then we have tea. Then its on to cleaning up because her mom was about to get there. After cleaning up, she started playing with this doorpost thing. Its kind of hard to explain. When I was little, I played outside with a tractor tire swing right outside the vineyard. Apparently toys have gotten more complex. This was a little plastic door frame that looked like the outside of a house on one side and the inside of the house on the other. It made noises and had switches to switch, buttons to push and unfortunately, a door to crawl through. After about 3.2 minutes of her playing with this, she says, Come knock on the door. (Ok, what happens when you knock on a door? Someone says, Come in. And you proceed to come in. Its the coming in I was worried about. Of the two of us babysitting, I'm the closest in age and size to her...) Back to the six year old command of, Come knock on the door! Sigh... Ok. I ring the doorbell. I'm met with the girly lilt of Come in! Crap. I'm going to get my derrière stuck in this door. So I hunker down and start crawling through this door. Thinking at any minute, something will catch. Whether its my shoulder, my knee, etc. Low and behold, I made it through. Which means next week, I'll probably be once again crawling through tiny doors.

I forgot how fun it was to be a little girl...

Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth...

Sigh, I have to go to the dentist. This past weekend, especially saturday, I couldn't eat much cuz my back left pearly whites were killing me. The whole chew on the right side idea didn't help much either. Out of habit I'll switch sides then try not to spit out my food because lightening bolts of pain shoot through my head. Not cool...

Add to that the headaches I wake up with in the morning. I'll wake up, especially lately, and the first thing I notice is my jaw is clenched tight. I have to lay there for a second and tell myself to relax my jaw. Which is odd. I'm not used to my body doing things I'm not telling it do. Like clench all night long while I'm trying to sleep! I'll be there right on the edge of sleep and I can feel my teeth start to come together. I don't care cuz I need the sleep, but definitely regret it when I wake up in the morning.

So my word for the day is bruxism. Its the habitual, involuntary grinding, or clenching of the teeth, usually during sleep, as from anger, tension, fear, or frustration...

Giggles and Weddings...

I had my first bridal appointment today. I'm fairly new to this so I naively expected "bridal appointment" to mean me, the coordinator I'd randomly emailed, and the bride. Um, nope. It was the bride, the groom, and her mom. Her mom showed up a little bit later, so the four of us (minus mom) were going through the details, picking out the invitations, thank you cards, napkins, etc.

It was fantastic! After the appointment was over, the coordinator and I sat and chatted about wedding coordinating. Extremely long story short, fridays and saturdays, especially in May and June, will be very busy. I'm excited and I'm still quite giggly about it all...

This Breaks Me...

I was reading some of the news this morning. Newspapers are a luxury I can't afford so current events info come from websites, the news if I'm home to see it, etc.

There was a tag line that caught my eye on one of the sites. It said, Muslim cleric urges children to be martyrs. The article can be read here. It goes on to say that there is a man who wants to teach children to "put in their soft, tender hearts... a love of martyrdom.”

Babies and children! I am angry. And shocked speechless.

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way...

Tonight I was in a church parking lot, its raining, cold and I'm loaded down with snacks. I step out of my car, and a man behind me says, Excuse me, Miss?

Backstory: If we've met, you know I'm not exactly a force to be reckoned with physically. I'm short, "delicate" aka I could definitely use a bit more meat on my bones. So when random men call out for me in a parking lot, church or not, I think, alright, how is this going to play out?

Back to reality. The gentleman, in a suit and tie, says, is that an S40? Yes, sir. Is that your car? (I kind of smile at this because I've just gotten out of the driver seat, but reply, Yes, sir, it's mine. ) Do you like it? Um, yes sir. Good. I'm thinking about buying my daughter one. Then I go a little bit into detail about why I like my car. Well, as much detail as I wanted to go into considering its still cold, rainy and I'm still loaded down with stuff.

On my way home I was giggling with God about how random it is that He makes my life so, well, random. Random to me, but not random to Him at all and there's something just so amazing about that.

Look at that Bride!

Yesterday I was talking with a friend of mine about the Bride. You know the one I'm talking about. HER. The Bride of Christ. I'm a part of it, so are you if you have a relationship with Jesus...

I found a link to something called Beer Church Baton Rouge. Basically it was just a group of people who wanted to hang out and enjoy beer. While you think this is going to be my stance on alcohol, fooled you, it's not. I showed her the link and we began talking about how the Bride of Christ, the church, sometimes forgets who she is. She looks just like everybody else. I play my part in that as well. Sometimes I shine, sometimes I look no different than the world. It's infuriating to me when I recognize that I've been duped into thinking I'm no different. Hello?! Jesus Christ dwells in me and made me new! My actions as well as words should be shouting that!

At community group we were talking about the church across the world. It made me think of places like the 10/40 window where the church has to be on fire for God or they wouldn't survive. Living in the states I should be just as passionate for Him whether I'm in darkest Africa or at Wal-Mart. Location should never be the measuring stick for my passion.

We as His children are all created for something beautiful and amazing. Each and every one of us. Everybody is blessed with a uniqueness that comes from Him. There are some things I just can't do, but you can. That's the beauty and grace of it. We all have a role, an identity, and a purpose. We get to love a world that is broken and hurting. What an honor, what a privilege!

Awaken Me...

I went to cg last night. It was my first ring activity this month. It was great and helped me confirm that yep, I definitely miss this. I kind of think I go into withdrawal. Don't get me wrong, I'm still spiritually dotting my i's and crossing my ts. Quiet time with Him has been great, quiet, but great. But I miss people. For all my anti-social behavior, I miss you!

I miss my own kind. Christians. Sunday nights make me ache knowing I'm not going to be able to smile at you, get a great hug, or fan that flame that burns in me to love people. Conviction, affirmation, basically any -tion word you can get at church, I miss! On the plus side, feeling that way pushes me straight into Him. Whether its His word, something I'm reading, a song. Which is by no means bad. Its WONDERful. But boy oh boy, I'm chomping at the bit to come back home!

Love is in the Air...

I had my first wedding I helped with this weekend. And I might have ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!! Ok, let me start at the beginning. I arrived about an hour and a half before. I was given directions, a name tag, and a radio. Then begins the 47 boutonnieres and corsages that needing pinning. Beforehand I was chatting with the sound guy saying the guys looked so dapper in their tuxedos. And they did! They all had black tuxes, but the groom was wearing a white tie and vest, while the groomsmen had an interesting autumn looking camo vest and corresponding tie...

Anyways, its time for the men to go into the hallway, and its my responsibility to get them there. It was a little like herding cats. There were quite a few of them, including the minister and groom, there were 11 in all. When I thought I had all of them in there, we were still missing four. So two left to go get them and bring them to the back. In the meantime I'm keeping the 7 year old ring bearer from trying to inch out into the auditorium that is filling with people, pinning the junior groomsman's boutonniere, and telling the videographer that his camera stand is exactly where the line of groomsmen and groom will be standing in about ten minutes...

Meanwhile, the minister, who was from out of town, comes up to me and tells me he doesn't know where he is to stand. I stand there and think, holy moly. He wasn't there for the rehearsal. And now he's asking me what he's supposed to do. I have no idea! He's the minister, I'm pretty sure he should know what he's supposed to do a lot better than me. My pastor has done like a million of them, so I try and think of where he's at at the start of all this. Unfortunately, I don't really pay attention to where the minister is during weddings. (Yeah, definitely regretting that in this moment.) When I'm at a wedding, I'm too busy grinning at how lovely the bridesmaids are, how handsome the men look and how breathtaking the bride is. So I totally winged it and told him where he should stand and what was going to happen to get everybody onstage...

They are starting to seat the grandmothers, so it's time for the guys to line up. So I say, Excuse me gentlemen? The minister is the only guy who turns to me. Mostly because he was the closest man to me I think. I tug on the grooms' jacket and say, I need to say something. So he booms a "Hey! Listen to this lady!" And every head turns my way. I smile and say, Howdy. Don't forget that when you get your bridesmaid, stop at the end of the pews for the photographer to take your picture. And now would you please line up, it's about that time...

They line up and start ribbing the groom about him getting married, maybe she left, etc. etc. The minister and I are just laughing at all the comments and jokes but then really start laughing because one of them starts up with a Nah-nah, nah-nah-nah-nah, hey hey hey, goodbye!! Well, by the third nah, every guy in there is serenading the groom and its just plain hilarious!

And then its game time. I let them out. You would've have thought I just said lock and load, we are going to war. That was the expression on these guys' faces. Kind of like, I want to panic, but if I show fear others' around me will know and they'll eat me alive. (Definitely had to swallow my giggles there...) Give it a bit of minute so I don't look like I'm in the male processional then I creep up the back to the foyer to help get the bride ready...

The bridesmaids are already making their way down. I walk up to the bride and her father. She looks absolutely beautiful. And I say so. She says, Can you fix my dress? Of course I can! I probably would've whacked someone if she'd asked me to at that moment. Her dad is a smidge antsy. He looks at me and says, Are you nervous? I'm nervous. I bet you're not nervous. You've done this a million times. My response? I'm not nervous! And I've done this plenty of times. It was very gracious of God to not strike me dead right then and there for telling a bold-face lie, in a church foyer no less!

I fix her train, and try to give them a minute to themselves as much as I could being in the same room with a bride, her father, and about 15 seconds before his daughter becomes another man's beloved. Then I shut the doors, moved them right in front, opened them up, avoided as many cameras as possible, then shut them. And that's pretty much all she wrote. We clean up, lock up, and my first wedding was in the bag...

I loved doing this for a lot of reasons. One, seriously, who doesn't love a happy ending?! Two, I got to see what its like with the boys before one of them gets married, what a dad murmurs to his daughter before she walks down the aisle, and that if I can help a bride make her day special, I'm honored and privileged to do so...

The Eighth One...

I stole something today. Well, actually, it wasn't today, I just found out I'd stolen it today. You see, I'm a bookworm. I was much more of a bookworm when I was younger and I've got the eyesight to prove it. Anyways, I'm trying to be financially responsible so instead of buying books, I check them out at the library. We have one that is a few minutes from where I live and I think its great. Sometimes I'll go in with a mission and purpose, and other times I'll just go in and meander through the stacks that smell of old knowledge and new experiences.

A little before Christmas, I knew I'd be spending a few hours in Texas airports, so I wanted a few books. I looked to make sure they were not checked out through the online catalogue, had them held, then popped in, checked them out, and was on my way.

There are three of them, all by Dr. Henry Cloud. And they are due tomorrow. So I went online today to recheck them out and it only had two of the three books listed. I called the library to tell them one of them wasn't showing up on my account. Sure enough, one of them was never checked out in the first place. There's no record of me taking it so there's no way to recheck it out. I'm a thief!

The coup de gras of all this? It's the title of the book. Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality.

The Wedding March...

Tonight was my first wedding rehearsal! I was the first one there and all the lights were off and the doors to the church were locked. I found a back way into the sanctuary and was on my way to try and find some lights. I knew where some of the switches were, but I didn't have a key to turn them all on, nor a key to unlock the doors for the wedding party...

Meanwhile, the best man and one of the groomsmen come into the sanctuary. We're standing in the halflight, I'm introducing myself, asking them which side they were on. The best man was more of a talker than the other groomsman, so he was asking me where I was from, how long I'd been here. I was chattering about the Ring, and telling him this was my first time to help coordinate a wedding. He tells me I'll be great. It was fun of him to encourage me when he didn't know me from Adam. Then everybody starts arriving and its gametime...

My responsibilities for this wedding are wranglin' the groomsmen and minister, signaling the ushers for the runner, letting the readers know what and when, running to the back to help present the bride, fix the back of her dress, and then shut the doors. I think that's it.

In the midst of figuring all this out, I was also the halfway point down the aisle for the groomsmen to meet their corresponding bridesmaid. During the run through, when the girl starts heading towards where I'm at, the guy comes up and meets her right in front of me. The best man didn't have anyone to walk with. So he comes up, gallantly offers me his arm and asks if I'd walk down with him. I swing around to his left side, he looks down at me and says, act short. I'm five-four. This guy is a blond haired giant who is built like a wall. He's six-six. And he's telling me to act short! Even with my 2 inch heels, I was still a small girl alongside a very large man. But we made it down the aisle, he went up to his place and I swung back around to help the junior bridesmaid and her escort. She wasn't sure how to hold his arm. He had it down pat, but she was having a little bit of trouble. That was my favorite part about the whole thing, helping her learn how to take his arm.

I'm a complete girl. The mere idea of weddings get me giggling. I love other peoples' love stories! I think its so cool when God brings two people together and they want to share with the world that from here on out, you mess with one, you're totally messing with the other. I'm sure it will wear off the more weddings I help with, but right now, its all a magical wonderland. Throughout tonight I subconsciously found myself thinking, yep, like that, nope, not too fond of that. I'm going to get plenty of learnin' doing this....

The Silent Treatment...

I'm a big fan of music. I don't know the first thing about it, but boy it can just grab my attention and sweep me away. I think that's really cool...Lately I've unconsciously played songs that give me a little bit of a breather from the wear you out, straight up muck and mire you sometimes find yourself in. I guess the correct sunday school terminology is that I'm in a "valley" and the only way to get out of it is keep walking. Blegh. This valley I've been to often. I should have like a million frequent flier miles from visiting...

Don't get me wrong, my life is not doom and gloom. I'm loved. I laugh. I still thoroughly enjoy loving you. I'll stand at your side and cheer you on if given the opportunity. I'm just battle-weary at the moment. It will pass. In the meantime I try to walk, usually stumbling, until I'm out of it. I'm a little beat up but no worse for wear.

As usual, I want escape. A plan. A neon sign. A railroad tie. A smack upside the head. A hug. Something to let me know I'm headed in the right direction. Right now I'm winging it. I hate winging anything. Oddly enough, I'll encourage you in a heartbeat and not think twice about it. But when it comes to living my life, I will over analyze it till I'm so confused I'm not doing any moving at all. Its a very clever trick I am learning to recognize as a way to keep me chasing my tail.

So far I'm at...nothing. I think I'm supposed to rest? I'm truly horrendous at rest. It bugs me. Give me something to do. Someone to love, something to take care of, something to keep me busy. Unfortunately, He's not saying a word. Which means I should be trusting Him in His silence, not fighting with myself trying to figure out why He's not talking to me. Growing up, the only way I knew someone was upset was by silence. Silence meant I'd done something wrong and therefore needed to take steps to mend the relationship I'd broken. So when silence is the reaction I get from anyone, including God, my mind immediately goes into figuring out what I've done wrong. It's how I've been trained...

If you take a look at my ipod, here's what you would find:

Always Love You (Nicole C. Mullen)
Stand in the Rain (Superchick)
Made to Worship (Chris Tomlin)
Never Alone (BarlowGirl)
Falling (Pocket Full of Rocks)
Sleep (Plumb)
Hungry (Wow Worship)
You're Everything (David Crowder Band)
For the Sake of the Call (Steven Curtis Chapman)
Made to Love (Toby Mac)

And a few others I can't think of at the moment. I think He uses lots of things to gently hold you and take care of you. I think He adds His magic to the random everyday things of life. I love that He does that. Even when He's not talking to me...

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Jai Guru Deva Om

It's been a busy week. I've spent a lot of time with Him out at an archery field in town. I'm a new wedding coordinator in training. I went out with a good man who makes me laugh. I slept in a castle and woke up to the cries of a blond haired little sprite. And as of 6:30pm, my heart will start cracking a little bit because I know I'm not where I belong...

Deuteronomy 5:16
Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Matthew 19:29
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

The Year in Pictures 2006...

Visiting the folks in West Texas... Yep, those are my mom's shoes I'm wearing...

I compiled a little fanfare for Meg's birthday this year...
I bugged every person I could think of to throw a picture or a story into that book...

My 2nd annual fundraiser for work in April of 2006...

Some of my guests of honor who came to play at the plantation that day...

Ah, Eli, the little spitfire. I met him in Eben-Ezer this year...

Some of my team members...

Looking at this picture makes me smile...

So does this one...

This picture I just stuck in here randomly...

Threw a party for Misty, here are a few of her ridiculously good-looking, photogenic guests...

I had a caricature artist do portraits as the guests' party favors to take home...

Another random picture I just threw in here...

My sister got married in June...

I was the maid of honor...

Another pic that makes me smile...

Jake teaching my Dad washers at mine and Carla's birthday this summer...

Our cakes I made up in my head and found a bakery to do it...

A party I put together for Courtney's Golden Birthday...
(I didn't have a picture of the acrobats...)

I was very honored, and mildly terrified,
to read in Lauren and Jeff's wedding...

A few ladies from my community group I love, having fun at the fair...

Christmas Tree 2006...