Thanksgiving

This past weekend the whole Nelson clan descended on the motherland of Corpus Christi (I was the 7th generation of my grandmother's family born in Corpus!) to eat turkey, watch football and celebrate my grandparents 60th anniversary.  We ate "traditional Thanksgiving food" on Thursday and for the first time ever I made a "Big as Texas Brandy Apple Pie" from scratch!  It's from Peace Meals by the Houston Junior League--it's a great cookbook with really beautiful pictures!  The picture of this pie is what sold me on the idea of making it!

The pie was huge & took a long time to make but it was SO SO good!!  

Of course we all watched "The" football game that night (Gig'em Aggies!) and then victory partied all night long!!  :)  On Friday we toured the USS Lexington and learned all about fighter pilots, airplanes and life on a WW2 aircraft carrier.  My mom's dad was an oral surgeon on a ship very similar to the Lex during WW2 so our favorite part of the tour was getting to see the dental area where he would have been!  

Here's Bonnie and I on the flight deck--

Bonnie also shot down some enemy aircraft with some of our cousins in tow--

The next day we toured the Texas State Aquarium and learned all about the fish in the Gulf Coast.  Here's all the Nelson girl cousins-- 

After a delicious lunch at the Surf Club we went to the Red Fish Hatchery (part of the Gulf Coast Conservation Association) where we learned even more about fish!  It was actually pretty cool to see where and how they raise the fish before releasing them into the Gulf.  

That night was our big anniversary dinner--yummy steaks & a yummy yummy cake for dessert!  

I'm so thankful for my wonderful family and the incredible example of faithfulness my grandparents have set.  They are two of the most generous, loving and kind people I know.  Their three sons have grown up the same way and as their granddaughter I am so blessed to be part of this family legacy!  It was a wonderful weekend to be thankful for all the Lord has blessed us with!  

Coffee Scoop Clips

Here's a sneak peak at the crafts my mom & I worked on last weekend when I went to Corpus...

We ordered the scoop/clips from Amazon, beads courtesy of Hobby Lobby & wire from Lowes.  It was an easy & fun project & will make for fun Christmas gifties.  (Sorry if this is a spoiler!)  :)  

11 days till Thanksgiving & 41 till Christmas!  

Here's What I Love: Dressing Up!

Two weekends was the Grace Country Fair (the churchy "alternative" Halloween option)--it was such a fun time to hangout with youth kids, serve the community & dress up!  An estimated 2000 people came &  I rocked the fair like it was 1989 (one of our kids asked if I was 80s Barbie & I just went with it since they have NO IDEA who Kelly Kapowski was--so sad right?!).  Yes, I did puffy paint my sweatshirt and even though you can't see I was rocking some sweet sparkly leg warmers too.  The pic above is with two of my 8th grade girls--one of the biggest joys of my week is hanging out with them!

I went to visit my parents in Corpus this past weekend.  My mom's birthday is this week & it was a fun weekend full of yummy food, football (GIG 'EM AGGIES!) and crafts.  What more could you ask for, right?!  We had the best fish tacos I've ever had in my life at this place right down the street from my parents house!  A newly discovered favorite!!

The current countdown is 17 days till Thanksgiving & 47 days till Christmas!  Can you tell I'm excited!  Woohoo!  :)  My favorite time of year is just a few weeks away!!

It's the most pumpkiny time of the year!

I love fall!  I love that the weather is getting cooler (in Texas this means mid-80s & I love it!), I love that the leaves change (except for having to rake them...but the weather is getting cooler so it's bearable), I love that the spices in food also change...apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin...love 'em!  Christmas decorations & movies start sneaking their way into stores & on tv and it just makes me so happy!

Another thing I'm loving about this time of year is the relationships that are growing in my 7th grade girls small group--I'm loving getting to know these girls & spending time with them!  These girls are a joy & I'm loving watching them grow in their relationships with each other & the Lord.

Here's some pictures from this past month.  A couple are from a tailgate cookout we held before a high school football game & some are from carving pumpkins with my junior high girls.  We also had a junior high lock in this weekend which was purposefully undocumented (who wants to remember what people look like at all hours of the night).  The lock in was a huge success though!  We had 67 kids signed up but had close to 90 by the time everyone got there!  Lots of pizza, coffee and dodge ball equals recipe for a good night!  :)

Happy fall ya'll!

Fall-ish Foods

One of my favorite fall foods to make are these pumpkin spice chocolate chip muffins!  They're super easy & super delicious!

• 1 box Betty Crocker spice cake mix
• 1 15oz can of canned pumpkin
• 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Prepare cake according to the back of the box.  Stir in canned pumpkin & chocolate chips & bake according to muffin/cupcake directions.  Usually have to bake 1-2 minutes longer than the longest time listed--you'll be able to stick a fork in them & have it come out dry.  

Aren't those silicone muffin cups cute!?  My sweet friend Renee got them for me--the muffins don't stick to them at all, they're awesome!  

What are your favorite fall foods?  Please share your recipes!

The Wedding of 2010

Last weekend my cousin Lee got married!  She & Rex had dated in college, parted ways and then reconnected a few years later living in DC.  The whole wedding weekend was on the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio & was beautiful!  

Our whole family came to San Antonio for the weekend & had so much fun together!  My cousin Adam came in from Korea & brought his fiance Oak.  It was the first time I'd gotten to meet Oak--she is lovely!  This was the first American wedding she'd seen--everything from the hen party, rehearsal dinner, ceremony & reception were new to her & it was so fun to get to see it through her eyes!  

The first generation cousins (new & future): Oak, Adam, Bonnie, Rex, me, Betsy & Walter

The Nelsons & Grobes & my favorite pic of my cousin Bear--he planted himself on a step & blew bubbles to his heart's content while Lee & Rex made their grand exit--nothing could distract him!  

Adam & Oak's wedding is in April in South Korea & while the whole extended fam won't be there it's sure to be a fun time!  Can't wait!   

Dominican Republic

It's taken me a while to blog about this trip because honestly it took this long to process it.  Last month we took a group of thirteen (8 highschoolers, 2 college students & 3 adults) to Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic.  Grace partners with the missionaries who started the Doulos Discovery School and sends groups every summer to work on the school and in the community.  It was Kevin's (youth pastor) and my first time to go to the DR & it was quite an experience!

We flew from Houston to Miami to Santiago, DR where we were met by people from the school who accompanied us on a bus ride to Jarabacoa.  Jarabacoa is in the central, mountainous area of the DR and was beautiful!

The school was awesome!  Missionaries, Chad & Krista Wallace, started it about 7 years ago with the mission of educating and raising up leaders in the DR.  I loved hearing their story and the journey the Lord has led them on during their 15 years there.  We did a lot of painting in the school's library and classrooms.  Our work projects throughout the week we were there included: stripping existing paint, sanding, paining, mixing concrete, and cleaning the pond.  We also painted and cleaned up a police station in the town.  

Our team did fantastic!  There was very little complaining and a LOT of hard working!  I was very impressed with them!  To be honest though, the trip was hard.  We worked all day, every day.  It was hot & humid, there was no a/c, there were bugs & rodents in our "villas" where we stayed and the power went out nearly every day.  There were multiple points throughout the trip at which I thought "I am never coming back here again."   

It wasn't until I got back & was talking with a woman I meet with periodically, who had served over seas as a missionary for a few years did I realize we did exactly what we'd set out to accomplish.  Serve.  She listened to me tell about what was hard about the trip and she asked, "But did you get to serve the missionaries?"  And I had to admit, "yes."  We weren't there to get glory, we weren't there to go on vacation, we were there to represent Christ, who didn't come to be served, but to serve.  The hardest thing about the trip was getting over my own selfishness and attitude.  

I'm not volunteering to go back tomorrow, but I would go back.  I loved seeing what the Lord was doing there and I would like to see how He continues to grow the school and use it to reach the DR for Christ.

Here's a few pictures from the trip: the girls on our way to the school one day, one of the school families we had dinner with, the police station we painted and our whole group at the school.    

HELK 2010

Last weekend I got to spend the weekend with the girls I lived with my last year of college--The HELK girls--Holly, Erin, Lynn & Katy.  We went to Houston to stay at Lynn's super cute house.  We got to eat lots of yummy food, played putt-putt, did some shopping, drank lots of coffee, talked & laughed a lot.   It was a super fun time!

The HELK golf classic.  I think Katy won.

Fun pics at a park near Lynn's house.  We are masters of the self-timer!  

Since we all graduated in 2006 we've all gotten together at least once every year--which is pretty awesome considering we all live in different part of Texas & Erin lives overseas!  I'm so thankful for these girls & how much fun we have together each year!  

Merigold

A few weeks ago the Nelsons & Matthews flew to Mississippi to visit our family there.  The Matthews hadn't been in a few years & we hadn't been in over 20 years!  We had more fun than I think any of us thought we would!  We ate, we laughed, we swatted mosquitos, we ate & laughed some more!  In the midst of all those we spent time with the Westerfields & Wynns (my grandfather's sisters & nephew's family).  Here's some of my favorite parts of the trip--

Lee & I at our first eating stop--The Airport Grocery!  We were a bit skeptical about this restaurant--Yelp & the gal at the front desk recommended it but it wasn't until a 2 hour waiting list tuned into a 90 second wait and then it turned out that our waiter knew our family, it became one of our favorite Cleveland hangouts.   

Bonnie, Lee & I with our Great Aunt Nell.  She taught music at Cleveland State College for 42 years and traveled all over the world on her summer vacations.  She tells the best stories!

Probably my favorite picture--My Great Aunt Shirley with my mom & Libby.  Shirley, like Nell, tells great stories & remembers so much about my grandparents.  It was so fun to talk to them & listen to all their stories!  

Possibly the funniest pic--when I was 4 (the last time I was in Merigold), Nell cut a branch off her holly tree in her yard & gave it to me.  I thought it was SO cool--a plant with my same name!  My mom wouldn't let me bring it back on the airplane with me & it made me so sad!  I told Andrew (my mom's cousin) that that was one of the few things I remembered about that trip & later that day he gave me a branch from the SAME tree!  I did bring it home & am trying to get it to grow roots to plant it in my yard, but no luck so far.  But it did make me super happy!  

One of my other favorites--Wynne St was named after my Great Grandfather.  It's the shortest street in Merigold & I think it's where the first integrated school in Merigold was.  

Even though I came home with 19 mosquito bites, it was a great trip!  I can't believe how this summer is flying by!  I'm heading to the Dominican Republic on Friday.  And when I come back...it's my BIRTHDAY!  :)  

Adventures at Home & Abroad

And by "abroad" I mean Washington, DC, where I am right now, visiting my cousin Lee!  Lee's getting married in September & so I flew in to help plan & party it up capital style!  :)  We went to J.Crew in Georgetown (where Georgetown University is--a cool trendy shopping & eating area of "The District") where they have wedding dresses in the store!  Lee had called earlier in the week & asked if they had an appointments & they had ONE at 9:15am!  The store doesn't open till 10 so it was super fun to get in & get special treatment before the store even opened!  After J.Crew we went to Anthropologie to look for bridesmaids dresses & just had a ball!  After Anthro we went to lunch, walked around Georgetown, then went to Dupont Circle to Lee's favorite museum & had a coffee & pie break before heading back to her house to rest & look at pictures of the dresses she tried on.  Very fun day!

So that's what's been going on this weekend...but LAST WEEKEND was also very fun!  My friend Venessa & I built a raised garden box in my back yard.  I've had a lot of fun planting things & taking care of my yard this spring.  I got inspired a few weeks ago to plant vegetables but didn't really want to plant in the yard (the dog likes to dig).  I started looking up raised beds online & debated making verses buying a pre-built.  My friend Venessa wanted to make one too so we agreed to help each other.  We found this website, called around & found the best lumber in town, where to get the cheapest garden soil (the Brazos Valley also has bad soil, so a raised bed is good because you can fill it with your own dirt) & went to work!  We decided to build a 4x8x12" box from cedar wood.  And we found a website that gave us a formula for how much dirt we needed.  The whole process (wood buying, dirt getting & unloading, building & filling) took about 8 hours & we were exhausted but were very pleased with the results!

The dirt--there was SO much of it!

Building the box.

The finished product!

My first tomato!

I planted zucchini, green bell peppers, cantalope, tomatoes (big & cherry), and watermelon!  The cherry tomatoes are in the small box off to the right.  I had extra dirt, so decided why not?  And two days ago I saw a very teeny tomato!!  Hopefully when I get home it'll have grown!  I'm super pleased with how the box turned out & I can't wait to see how everything turns out!  

mother MAY i....please catch up?!

Well the month of May is nearly over & apparently when it comes to blogging I have the attention span of a gnat.  Here's the highlights of May (and some of April)--

Bethany's Wedding Day

Senior Girl Brunch

I gave a brunch for the senior girls in our youth group to encourage them in finishing high school & starting college well.  It was a sweet & girly time to spend with these precious girls.  The a/c was broken at the church that day so we're all a bit shiny in the pic.  I have to show off the food because I was so pleased with how it all turned out--

Blueberry scones & mini-quiches.  Scones are from Peace Meals & the scones are a combo of two recipes--super yummy & fun to serve since they stand up on their own.  I'd be happy to share the recipes if you want!  

Youth Leader End of the Year Dinner

Most of the girls.

Weekend in Hunt, TX with my Midland friends, Dawn & Sarah.

Lunch in San Antonio with my friend Bekah & cousin Lee.

Bekah had gotten engaged the night before & Lee got engaged two days later!  

Tune in soon for adventures in gardening!  

Bethany's Wedding, Part 1

April & May have been so jam packed full of events!  I have a lot to blog about!  The first of which is my dear friend Bethany's wedding.  On April 17 (a month ago!  Happy one month anniversary, Bethany & Rob!), Miss Walsh became Mrs Jerkins!  Like I said in my last post (I just had to look to see what I actually did say, it's been so long!) I drove to the Memphis wedding with Ashley.  Ashley, Bethany & I met freshman year of college.  We were so young & awkward.  Somehow this made for some wonderful & lasting friendships!  

Ashley & I started from Houston on Wednesday morning and drove east across Louisiana.  We listened to a variety of music...current songs as well as some old school stuff from college.  I'd found a CD titled something like "End of the Year Mix-2003".  We were so excited to find out what we were listening to in 2003 (our sophomore year of college).  What we found out was that we were not cool in 2003.  But aside from that one musical let down, we did have a fun trip!  Our favorite part of Louisiana was the 17 mile bridge!  It just kept going & going & going!  Also our favorite part of Louisiana was when I got hit on by some old men at an Arby's in a truck stop.   This man asked me if anyone had bought me flowers lately.  I said "no."  And he said, "well they should."  And then we still had to sit there & eat our meal while he & his buddy were like 10 feet away from us.  It was awful.  But did provide for a LOT of laughs throughout the weekend.   

We got to Tennessee late that night & spent Thursday hanging out by the pool before going to Bethany's bachelorette party!  It was a super fun party!  Good food, fun gifts & some funny games.  

The best were a purse scavenger hunt--Bethany & I teamed up & won (of course--I carry everything with me!).  The other fun one was wedding vow mad libs--we all supplied random nouns, verbs & descriptive words to "re-write" BK's vows.  So funny!  We also had a toilet paper wedding dress making competition.  My group made a Beyonce inspired dress, but Bethany's fierce couture dress took the cake!  I guess girls never cease to like to play dress up, do we?  

The next day was the bridesmaids' luncheon & the rehearsal dinner.  Annika & Danae had come in super late Thursday night (actually it was super early Friday morning!).  They were freshmen & lived with us our senior year of college.  

This was the first time we'd all been together since May 2005!  The luncheon was a sweet girly time!  Bethany had picked out some awesome gifts for us--monogrammed beach towels, flip flops, earrings & a monogrammed tea cup!  Seeing as how my primary love language is gifts I felt super loved!  :)  

Whew, I am tired.  I've been watching Pride & Prejudice with a friend & typing a few sentences here & there.  We're half way through (yes, we're watching the BBC one--the real one) & now it's time for bed.  So this is only part one I guess.  I'll finish the rest tomorrow...I know...happy thought indeed.  :)  

Spring has sprung!

The weather has gotten warm, the grass is getting green again, my roses are blooming...it's spring! In efforts to build my arsenal of "things I know how to do for myself" I bought a lawn mower a few weeks ago. I was a little bit daunted by this task. I'd never mowed in my entire life. I did some research online & decided on a "reel" mower--it doesn't have a motor or use gas. I found a "green lawn care" website that recommended 2 brands--one they sold at Home Depot & the other was only sold online--it's called a Prison Mower--it's for inmates to use to mow at a prison! Crazy. As much fun as it would have been to own one of those, I went with the one I could get a Home Depot. I had to convince two men who worked there that I was indeed serious I wanted a reel mower & that I was capable of using it! And as soon as I got home, I put it together (by myself!) and mowed! Take that Home Depot dudes! It takes a little more effort than an electric or gas powered one & it doesn't go through tall weeds (I do them by hand) but it mows & I am happy with it.

After mowing last weekend I sat out & read in my back yard--I decided I needed to add to my arsenal & learn how to plant plants. So this weekend I went to a co-op/nursery & bought Salvia (aka "Hot Lips") and Knockout Roses. Both were highly recommended as drought resistant, sun resistant & low maintenance--my kind of plants! I planted them this weekend--I should have taken some pictures--it's dark outside now, I'll do it later.

I do have some other pictures to share! Two youth leaders & I took some of our junior high girls on a picnic this weekend. There was a huge field of bluebonnets & we stopped to take some pictures. Here's the 8th grade girl leaders, Jenna, Venessa & I.

I'm going to Memphis this week for Bethany's (one of my college roommates) wedding! Ashley (another roommie) & I are driving up Wednesday to be there for festivities starting Thursday! Can't wait! :) Happy spring!

You're a funny man, Eric Schmidt.

Google, I mean Topeka, strikes again! Somebody had a lot of fun coming up with this.

Happy April Fool's!

LASIK: I can SEE!!

I've been wearing corrective lenses of some sort for the last 15ish years (since 5th grade I think). I wore glasses from 5th-8th grade & was happy with them. I had big red-metal framed glasses. I loved them. Had no idea how silly I looked. In 8th grade I decided to try contacts. This was a big deal. To this point I couldn't touch my eyes if my life depended on it. I had to go to the contact/glasses place everyday after school for a week before I was able to get them in my eyes! And I had to wear gas permeable because they were smaller than soft contacts. Finally I got them in. It was a big life adjustment. It took a long time to get them in each day. And they hurt! There's nothing pleasant about hard contacts! After a year I was used to the ordeal & I made the easy switch to soft contacts. Easy schmeasy. Wore those for several years & have been generally happy with them. But for the last couple of years my eye doctor would say, "Let me know whenever you want to talk about LASIK." And I would say, "Oh no, it was a HUGE deal for me to even put contacts in my eyes & I would never choose to have surgery, so no, LASIK is not for me."

In the last few weeks though, it suddenly occurred to me...a 5 minute procedure could mean I never have to put in contacts again! So I started talking to people & realized a lot more people had had it done than I thought! And the vast majority said it was the best thing they'd ever done. So I decided I could do it. It would be a growing experience. And....I'd be able to see!!

So I went for my annual eye doctor appointment & said I was ready to talk. They told me I was a great candidate for LASIK. I'm in my 20's, my eyes were in a good range (-3.25 & -3.50) & I don't have astigmatism. I took out my contacts for 3 days so my eyes could be measured (funny side story--the machine that takes a map to read any mis-shapeness in your eyes couldn't read my eyes because they were perfectly smooth). And my surgery was scheduled for later that week (this past Thursday)!

My surgery was scheduled for 11:40am on Thursday. My mom came in from Houston to be my driver/take care of me for the day. I got there & they gave me some valium to calm me down. I got to sit in a recliner for about a half hour to let it take effect. In my mind, I figured I could tell when the meds kicked in because I wouldn't be anxious anymore. I was still nervous when I went into the OR. They numbed my eyes it was great because I couldn't feel a thing! There was a nurse whose whole job was to hold my hand & I was SO thankful for her because being awake & knowing what they were doing to me was a bit freaky. The laser part was just like looking at a dull flashing light for about a minute. But the eye flap thing was mentally painful. But it was over so quick it was ok! I went home, took 1 of the 2 sleeping pills they gave me, slept for a couple hours, woke up, had some minor discomfort (like the feeling of wearing hard contacts or having an eyelash or piece of dirt in your eye). But I went back to sleep, woke up & ate dinner, took the 2nd sleeping pill, slept from 7pm-8am & woke up a new person! I went for my day-after eye appointment & could see 20/30 in my right eye & 20/35 in my left. They said my eyes looked great! I drove to Houston that afternoon!

I go back this Thursday to get my eyes checked again. I think my right eye is 20/20 now & my left probably 20/30. It's been more dry than my right & they say as the eye heals & the dryness goes away my vision will get better. I couldn't be more happy with the was the surgery went! I've had no other discomfort and no itchy eyes (which people said was a side-effect). I LOVE not having to put contacts in or take them out. I LOVE not wearing glasses! I LOVE being able to see as soon as I wake up! And I'm actually loving not being able to wear eye makeup (I can't for a week after surgery). It's a great excuse for why I look tired! :)

Holy cow, this was one long post. That's what happens when I type while watching The Amazing Race & Ugly Betty! So anyway, I HIGHLY recommend LASIK! I can give you more details if you are interested in it. I'm praying for 20/20 vision in both eyes by Thursday so they don't want to "tweak" my eyes again. It's been a much easier process than I thought it would be but I don't want to start the healing process again! Pray with me, will you?

So that's that. Happy Resurrection Week!

Ski Trip 2k10 (brought to you by the Snuggie).

This past week we took 40 high school students & 10 adults to Colorado for the Grace youth annual ski trip. The bus ride there was about 21 hours & yes it was brutal BUT let me tell you the savior of the trip was my Aggie Snuggie I received for Christmas! I don't know if I've blogged about it before but I LOVE my Snuggie. I know--they're weird & look like something Yoda would wear, but oh my goodness they are awesome! People complained the whole way there that the bus was cold & that they weren't comfortable but I was never cold & was snug as a bug on a bus! :) Snuggies...don't get on a long bus ride without one!

The group skied for 3 days at Copper Mountain. I didn't ski (the last time I went skiiing I became very aware of my own mortality & decided I never again needed to participate in the activity) but instead was the mom of the trip. I sat & read in the ski lodge, took care of kids with altitude sickness, helped take care of broken ski equipment & held on to extra layers when people got too warm. It was really a great trip--one cracked rib, one sprained ankle, one bruised arm but no other major injuries or problems! God is good!

It was a great time to get to know the high school students (since I mostly spend time with the 7th & 8th graders) as well as getting to hangout some of our college leaders for a few days. It took me a few days to recover (I slept 12 hours when I got home!) and I'm glad we don't do it again for a year but I'll definitely go again if needed!

Here's our whole group on the last day--

In other news....I'm scheduled to have LASIK surgery on Thursday afternoon! I'm super excited and also a bit nervous. I'm glad I could schedule it this week (I had my consultation/evaluation appointment today). I think the less time I have to think about it & freak out over the fact that a laser is changing the shape of my eye (!!) the better.

In spite of the crazy weather this past weekend (Dallas got snow!) I think Spring is finally here! Huzzah! ttfn.

My friend Katie tagged me & well, these are fun, so here we go! Her very creative friend Sarah at her blog Our Nesting Ground shared the Beautiful Blogger Award with her & so she shared it with me. The rules are simple I am suppose to list seven things about myself and then pass the award on.

1. One of my all time favorite movies is That Thing You Do!, though I've probably seen it hundreds of times I still get tears in my eyes during the scene where they hear their song on the radio for the first time. Which leads me to #2...

2. I'm not really a "crier" but I do cry when I'm really happy or when other people are really happy.

3. I've been to all of the continental United States except for Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska & Rhode Island.

4. I've only driven a stick shift once--everyone kept saying how fun it was--I don't get it...I couldn't get it, so I gave up.

5. I love playing games...I'm awesome at Taboo & I could play Scrabble all day long!

6. I've only been outside the US to Mexico, England & France....but this summer I'm going to the DR & I'm super PUMPED about it!

7. The first time I went skiiing I fell coming down the end of the mountain & I took out the fence that separated the ski area from the eating/picture taking area. No one was injured.

I'm passing this on to...

Amber

Cara

Sarah

Jana

Lynn

More February Fun

For being such a short little month it sure held a lot of activity! Kardia (in-town youth retreat, like Disciple Now), a snow day, a wedding shower & a baby shower (neither for me, nor for the same person, thank goodness!).

Kardia was great--about 135 students (7th-12th grade) and about 40 college leaders spent the weekend looking at what media & culture tell us about who we are & what's important compared to what God & His Word say. My group of 7th grade girls doubled it's weekly size--14 girls came & I was so thankful to be able to open my home for them to stay at. Let me tell you, it was a par-tay! :)

Making cookies.

Ready for bed!

The week after Kardia it snowed! Everything was pretty white for most of the day, many a snowball fight was had & there were snowmen everywhere! There's a big park next to the church & the day after the snow it looked like it had been the sight for a snowman war. There were remains & casualties melting everywhere, it was pretty funny.

Some of the girls who work at the church--

this is pre-snowball fight in the church parking lot.

My house. Snow pretty! :)

And the back yard was a snowy, slushy winter wonderland!

This past weekend the 8th grade girl leaders & I did a pizza/movie night with our girls. One of the leaders got pizza mixes so the girls got to make the dough, put the sauce & all the toppings on it themselves--it was so much fun! And then we watched Ever After--the Cinderella story with Drew Barrymore. Half the girls had never seen it (made us feel so old!). Then we played Twister--how long has it been since you played Twister? It was easier than I remembered. I utilized some yoga moves & did pretty well if I do say so myself!

Making pizza.

Playing Twister.

Silly Girls.

And now it's March isn't it?! Let the March Madness begin! :)

February Friends

Can you believe we're half way through the shortest month of the year?! 2010 is officially flying by! I went to Houston this weekend to help give a wedding shower for my good friend Bethany! It was a whirlwind weekend but so fun to get to spend with these girls who I lived with for most of college!

I'm so blessed to have these good friends! I'm sure I've blogged about them before...we met freshmen year of college & quickly became BFFs, AE, AE (best friends forever and ever and ever). :) Ashley tracked me down in a hallway to introduce herself & boy am I glad she did! That was a few days before our freshmen year started, we ended up already being neighbors! We loved to dance, paint our toenails, watch music videos, watch the Bachelor, make waffles & eat pretty much everything! Bethany was also our neighbor...we both took classes as Blinn & so we started riding together & would go eat at Subway on the way home. She was definitely my shopping buddy--we could do some serious damage. We were the only two girls in the group we went to the A&M-OU game of 2003 (?). Bethany definitely yelled "hold'em Ags!" when they were going for a touch down. Great moment.

Here we are in 2004 at Lake Tahoe for Spring Break--

Ashley is in Houston now, counseling at a church. Bethany is serving in college women's ministry in Memphis & I'm at a church in College Station...funny...we're all in churches now. Anyway, Bethany is getting married in April & I'm so honored to get to be her bridesmaid!

Here's us this weekend--