Baby Easton

Please pray for a very close family friend, Emily, and her new baby boy, Easton. Baby Easton was born today at 28 weeks. He weighed 1lb 15oz and is stable in the NICU. Doctors told Emily and Justin that he probably wouldn't cry or breath once he was born but praise God he did both! He is only on oxygen through a nasal tube right now and seems to be doing ok, he's just really, really little. I'll keep ya'll updated as I know more.

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A Friend

Today in DOK (Daughters of the King for those that do not know what that stands for) we talked about what makes a friend. Kendra asked us to think of the good friends we have in our lives and the bad friends we have in our lives and the characteristics that make them the way we perceive them. I had many thoughts on the people in my life and those that were a part of my life in the past. This morning as I sat surrounded by a room full of dear friends and amazing women I realized that I am such a lucky girl. I have been through so much this past year and I've had some amazing people to lean on and hold me up. As we talked about what makes a good friend Kendra pointed out some great verses that I feel led to share with you all.

"A friend loveth at all times..."
-Proverbs 17:17 {KJV}
"A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother"
-Proverbs 18:24 {KJV}
"Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses on an enemy are deceitful"
-Proverbs 27:6

I can apply these verses in my life and to the people I consider my true good friends. It wasn't until recently that I truly realized how blessed I am to have the friends that I have. And they all have an important place and role in my life. Each of them do little things here and there to show they care, many of them pray for me on a daily basis and many go out of their way to do something for me just to let me know they care. Being a friend is more than just having dinner every now and then. It's about respecting each other, not judging each other, and loving each other no matter what.

This week an old friend got in touch with me through Facebook. It's been almost 2 years since we last spoke. The last time we talked we had quite the falling out. We were super close for a long time and it truly broke my heart when we stopped talking. I was excited when I noticed an email from him the other day. We caught up and then talked on the phone for almost an hour a few nights later. He shared his apology with me and I quickly forgave him. Life has taken us in several directions since we last talked and it was great to catch up. I'm glad to have him back in my life because he was so special to me, in many different ways.

Tonight I was equally reminded of how great my friends are. Michelle came over to hang out and jumped right in and helped me finish cleaning and picking up my house. I was going to clean the carpets once I got finished picking things up and she grabbed the carpet cleaner and a towel and started scrubbing away at the spots on the floor. I'm humbled that she would come over and clean my floors for me so that I could finish cleaning sooner and we could hang out. How amazing is she?

I have two more verses to share that Kendra closed our time together with.

"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
-Romans 5:8
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
-John 15:13

How amazing is it that there is a friend who died for you and I? Jesus loved us so much that He died for us so that we may have life everlasting. If you aren't a presonal friend of Jesus, please, don't wait another minute to become friends with the friend of all friends. Jesus is the friend that is ALWAYS there. He never fails. And He loves you far more than any of us deserve.

How would your friends describe you? Would they describe you as a good friend or a good "bad" friend? Do you love your friends? Do you treat them with the respect they treat you with?

Updates...In bullet form

Because I like bullet form and they make my life a little bit easier when I'm tired, yet not tired enough to skip out on a post because I feel guilty for not updating lately. So, without further delay, I give you....bullets:

• School is great. I'm scheduled to be finished by October 16. However, I must mention that is if I don't miss ANY days between today and then. So, my realistic date will be more along the lines of November 16, I'm sure!
• Samantha and I had some great sister time last night. A whole post dedicated to last night to come at a later time, like when I get the pictures uploaded.
• Work is going well. I'm still broke all the time but I'm learning to deal with that.
• Sam and I are moving in April. We're excited. And now, I have no motivation to really clean my house. I want to pack it all up and move right now. Our new apartment will kick butt.
• Paisley is still as sweet as ever. She's actually laying on my leg as I post this. So sweet :)
• I miss my family. I miss Greenbrier and I miss my babies. I struggle with the fact that some days I want to move back, but other days I want to stay right here. I love Knoxville and all my friends here, but I long to be close to my family again.
• I've recently noticed that my life isn't what I had it all planned out to be 3 years ago. It is still outstandingly wonderful in every way. It just doesn't reflect at all what I thought I was going to be doing. Nor does it reflect the many, many MASH games Courteney and I played in the 8th grade.
  
• Also, recently, I have felt the burden of something big on my heart. I don't really feel compelled to share right now, however, I would like to request prayer on it. God knows what it is.
• A friend of mine recently had surgery. It has bothered me that I haven't been able to help her in the ways that I want. She's remained on my heart and in my prayers though. And I know she can feel it.
• I was super blessed to be able to have dinner with Michelle and the kids on Wed. before church. I love her so much and I'm so thankful for her friendship.
• Wed. night again reminded me of what special kids we have at Northstar. I love them all so much and I feel so honored to be a part of their lives, even if it is only for a couple of hours a week.
  
• At the moment I'm reading Karen Kingsbury's Between Sundays. And it's amazing. I love her books. I've almost read them all.
  

And those my blogging and real life friends, are my updates for now. I hope you enjoyed. What are you doing these days?

Fun Photo Friday

Yes, Friday is almost over. Almost. I'm going to get this post in before it hits midnight here. Yes, this photo is from our girls weekend in Atlanta. Yes, I have the best girlfriends in the absolute world. Yes, this picture was one of many attempts at using the 10sec. timer on my camera. And yes, for some reason we all thought we needed to kneel down to get in the picture. When in reality, we didn't really need to. Have a good Friday night....or what's left of it!

Southern Weddings Magazine

If you follow my Twitter you probably already know that I spent Sunday and Monday in Atlanta. And you also know that I spent Sunday night at the Southern Weddings magazine launch party at the Dogwood Restaurant. It was a blast! Kristyn, Sam and I woke up early on Sunday morning and drove down to spend the afternoon and get ready for the party. It was so good to get away and spend some quality girl time with great friends. We really did have a blast. If you haven't checked out Southern Wedding you should! Their magazine is awesome and their blog is amazing as well! SW is by far our favorite!

My best friend and her babies

I was so glad that I got to spend time with my childhood best friend and her 3 babies when I was in Greenbrier for Christmas. We had such a good time catching up and playing with the kids and shopping. Alison and I have been friends since I was 5. We cheered together, lived next door to each other until her senior year of high school, and have remained close since then. I was one of the first ones to know she was pregnant with Noelle, the first one to know with Noah, and close to the first one to know about Christian. I was there in the hospital with her with Noelle and Noah, and I was so sad that I missed Christian's birth. Nonetheless, we've remained close and I love being Aunt Emmy to those sweet babies!

Fun Photo Friday

This is my monkey man, JT. I love him so much!

Sweets for St. Jude's

This was featured on Panache Productions blog today and since it's for a good cause, I figured I would help spread the word.

Melissa Margarita-DiStefano is hosting a wedding cake competition titled Let's Eat Cake. The competition features bakers from all over, professional and amateurs. Also, if you blog about the contest, she has agreed to donate $1.00 to St. Jude's Childrens Research Hospital.

Seriously, it's Friday already?

This week has gone by in such a blur. I have been so busy doing all sorts of crazy things. Sunday and Monday I spent some time with my cousin Matt and his wife and their two girls in Gatlinburg. It was so fun and I'm so glad I got to hang out with them. We had a blast shopping, eating candy, and swimming at the indoor water park.
Tuesday it was back to the real world with school and work. Lacey was in town so I got to spend some time with her as well. Wednesday we were back in action at S.T.O.R.A.G.E. and I was so glad! I've really missed the kids in the class and the ones in my Grapple group. They are such a great group of kids that really love Jesus.
Last night and tonight have been/will be filled with helping Kristyn get ready for the Knoxville Bride Show. She will have a vendor booth set up for Panache Productions, so if you are a bride in the Knoxville area, come to the show and check her out! She's got some great show specials going on that you don't want to miss!
Hope you all have had a great week! I'm still trying to get caught up on all the things I did when I was back home so be watching for some extra posts this weekend!

Fun Photo Friday

I was going through some old pictures last night and found this one of Joe Dan and I when we were in high school. Joe Dan was probably one of my very best friends during middle and high school and we still keep in touch today. I'm so thankful for such wonderful and fun memories with wonderful friends!

Peace

‘Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.It means to be in the midst of these things and still be calm in your heart. {unknown}'

I saw this quote on another blog today and loved it. It is so true. As I read it a few times I realized that it describes my life right now and how I am so happy and content with my life, even if some days are filled with hustle and bustle. It also made me think back to 2 weeks ago when I was at home with my family. It was loud, there were silly little arguments here and there, yet i was at peace with where I was and who I was with. My heart was content. I was happy. And I'm still happy. My life is a whirlwind right now, filled with school, work, and taking care of Paisley and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Fun Photo Friday

Goals for 2009

• Keep a clean house the majority of the time. Lately I've been a little on the lazy side and have let things (laundry) pile up. I know everyone is guilty of this at times and that's why I don't always feel bad for having a messy lived in house. This year I aim at doing a better job of keeping house! And, I'll be honest here, because that's what I'm all about-being honest, I haven't gotten off to a great start so far. That's only because I haven't been home long enough to get the house in a decent order yet. But as soon as I do, my house will remain clean and spotless!
  
• Do not use my credit cards unless absolutely necessary. And necessary does not mean because it's on sale, because I would look cute in it, or because it would look amazing in my house. I've had my credit cards paid off for a few months now and would like to keep them that way. I've even been tempted to close my Victoria Secret account but I love the coupons I get in the mail for just having the account so I'll probably keep it for now.
• Finish cosmetology school. Right now I'm projected to be finished mid-October. I'm super excited and can't wait!
• Save more. Last year I splurged on things I didn't really need. This year I hope to cut out that extra spending and have some money built up in my savings account by the end of the year. I'm not going to set a specific goal amount because I'll just be disappointed if I don't meet it. I'll be happy with anything I'm able to save!
• Make new friends. I have some wonderful friends already, but a few more wouldn't hurt!
• Memorize more Bible verses and read more of the Bible. I want to know God's word more and the only way I'll ever know it, is by reading it!

I have a few more goals, but right now I don't want to share them. I'm praying about them and praying about ways that I'll be able to meet them. What are your goals for 2009?

Sleepovers, Makeovers, and Magic Potions

When I was in Greenbrier for Christmas my little cousin, Raylon, wanted to spend the night with me. So of course I said yes! I would much rather spend time with her than old friends from high school anyways! I've missed her a lot lately and was so happy that she wanted to come over and have a sleepover. We had so much fun! We piled up on the bed with a box of cookies and milk and watched home videos, she made some new home videos of her own dancing and singing, and we did makeovers on each other before bed time. She was hilarious. The next morning we woke up and had breakfast and played on her Webkinz. Raylon has such an imagination and decided she wanted to make a magic potion. She found some Pixie Stix in the candy basket and mixed them with water, to which she said "Now, I don't know if this will kill you or not. Let's hope it don't!" and ran off to find her potential "victim." She chose Caiti to drink her potion. As she was drinking it, Raylon said "I don't know if that will kill you or not. I hope not!" after Caiti was finished drinking it Raylon asked her if she "felt dead." Caiti told her no and Raylon ever so satisfied said, "Well good I was hoping it didn't." She's too funny! I love that we were able to spend so much time together and make those memories. Hopefully she'll always know how much I love her and will remember the times like those that we get to spend together!

New Years Eve 2008

I was so blessed to spend this New Year's Eve with a wonderful group of friends. Last year, my New Year's Eve was awful, and it proved to be an even more awful year as it progressed with certain people. This year though, I truly believe I started it out right, and can't wait to see what blessings this year has in store for me. I mentioned in a previous post here, all the desires I have for this year. I want my life to be a blessing to the Lord.
Last night I spent the evening at Kendra's house and had an amazing time. We ate a lot of delicious food, laughed a lot, and played the Wii A LOT! We turned the Wii off just long enough to watch the ball drop and then it was back on for more Wii time. I think it's safe to say that the Wii is going to get a lot of use this year!

Christmas 2008

Christmas this year was so much fun. I was able to spend a lot of time with family and friends and just relax. Christmas Eve is always spent at Nan's house and we had a ton of fun! I missed Lance though. He was unable to fly in from Idaho, so we spent our first Christmas without our "brother." It definitely was not the same without him! After opening gifts we spent the rest of the night playing Mad Gab. If you haven't ever played this game, let me recommend it! We had a blast and played forever! Christmas morning at Mommy and Daddy's house was filled with lots of presents and a yummy breakfast. It was so nice to be home :-) Later that day we went to Granny and Pawpaw's house for more presents and good food and a lot of family time. Davy had so much fun opening presents and helping the rest of us open presents as well. Even though he has been a part of our family for two years now, he is still my most favorite present of all! Here are a few of my favorite pictures from Christmas

A New Year and 100th post

Welcome 2009! I guess it's fitting that my 100th post be on January 1. That's just cool to me :) Anyways, it's been a few days since I've posted and I have lots to tell! My Christmas was amazing and it was so good to sit back and reflect on the year and all of God's many blessings and lessons He gave me this year. I had a great visit with family and friends while in Greenbrier and now I'm back in the swing of things in Knoxville. I have some great pictures to share, so be looking for them in the next couple of days!

How was your Christmas and New Year's?

My prayer today is that the New Year be filled with God's goodness and grace in my life. My desire is to serve Him better this year, better than I ever have before. God has held me close in the bad times and I haven't always clung to Him during the good times like I know I should. I want to do better at my Bible study and be more consistent with the time I spend with God.

What are your goals for 2009?