Sunday & my daddy

You might 'member me tellin' ya about my sweet daddy deciding to stop the pastoring full-time scene and go into full-time evangelism. Maybe you don't. It's okay. I know you have a lot to keep up with. For a memory refresher - the leaving story :-(

Well, this week he's been preaching a revival close by (FINALLY) and we were able to slip away from our church to go hear him. We went Sunday morning and surprised him. Cuz I'm sneaky pete like that. I think he was glad too because after service he hugged me and cried. He's a crier sometimes. It's sweet. 

The guy who pastors this church came to our church before he started pastoring and we've known him and his fam only for like ever. They're good people.


Well actually Anthony's kinda kin to the pastor, but where we come from aireebody's kin to aireebody.


Anyhoo, the pastor asked us to do the music for one night of revival. It was so fun (yes it is fun to serve God) and the atmosphere in the service was just wonderful. We went every night except one and really enjoyed hearing Dad preach and being with him and Mom in service together. We haven't been together in church since September. 

 yeah this is a fake posed pic - I try not to disrupt service with flash photog ... I have a smidge of common sensoroni

SPOTLIGHT ON BW (boom boom) Can't leave him out - he was kinda hidden in the group pic. 
Wouldn't want him gettin' an inferiority complex 

James 5:14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.


If the weather hadn't gone all JANUARY SNOWY on us, we'd a been there tonight again. Oh well. It was real good while it lasted. Real good.


I'm so very blessed to have parents that have always lived a great example in front of me and took us kiddos to church and taught us about God. Cuz I'm tellin'  ya, there are days that God carries me. I can't imagine Him not being a part of my life. And it all started with the two folks I call Mom and Dad. 

This was our Saturday

Saturdays are supposed to be lazy, do anything ya want days, right? 

We had things to do and places to be on Saturday. 

It went something like this.

8:30ish - hope outta  bed, eat oatmeal & drink a little water before heading out to run 2 miles

9:30ish - shower & get presentable for the day's events 

11:15 - Camden's basketball game

This was only mine & Anthony's second visit with Kerby & Kerlandy since they became a part of the fam on Christmas Day. 


1:00 - Christmas dinner with my mom's side (they do it in recent years on the 1st Saturday in January because everybody's soooo bizzy)

 My cousin's 7 week old presh baby girl

She was as tiny as a baby doll.

 Pretty sure I'm his favorite niece

 No tellin what Anthony and Jonathan were talkin about but I love this candid

 The kiddos played pretty well together - Kerlandy precisely set out 
the dishes like they did in the orphanage in Haiti

 Mom and daughter

 Papa and son

Kerby was soooo proud of his personalized hoodie

like every pic I took of him on Saturday he's showing off the name :-P

 Kerby informed us that when he plays basketball (here) 

he will be THE BEST

 Mom with her sisters and brother. Mom's the baby. 

We couldn't get the kids to be anything close to still or posed for a pic with us, but I love this shot anyway. It shows their personalities.

3:00 - birthday cake for McKenzie (she turned 14 last week)

4:30 - Dawson's basketball game (Anthony helps coach his team)

No pics because they were running behind schedule like an hour (due to 2 kids puking on the court and one kid passing out...zoinks!) so we went over there and stayed a while, but didn't get to see much of his game. Cuz we had...

6:00 - business meeting at church

After that we went to grab some grub with chums. We had a good time, but all said, I was a pooped pup by the time I hit the hay that night.

I'll tell ya about Sunday's events tomorrow...stay tuned

2012 - my 1st GOAL

If you know me, you know I'm pretty goal oriented. Funny too cuz I married somebody wonderful who's pretty much the opposite.


In 2011 I complained of boredom...a whole lot.... and I also should mention that my 2011 goal of writing people who have been special to me those nice thank you letters... I think I only made it about half the year doin' that, but hey, somethin's better than nuthin, right? 


But anyway, as we embark on this journey called 2012, I've decided my 1st goal is to train for a half marathon.


Scary stuff, I know.


I've never done it. Not even a race actually, unless the 50 yard dash on field day counts. The farthest distance I've ever run without stopping is 5 miles. 
F-i-v-e. Yeah, that comes right after 4. Haven't ever run 7 or 8 miles non-stop. Not even 10 or 11. Just 5. And in case you aren't in the know on halfies, they're 13.1 miles...


I've made statements like "that's just dumb to run that far, who would wanna do that?" "oh, she thinks she's all that cuz she did a marathon" and "whoopty doo" etc.  


Listen while I chew.
Those words.
Eatin em.


Maybe goal #2 for 2012 should be talk less and listen more 
(with a footnote: don't say dumb things that you might later regret)


So call me crazy, tell me I won't do it.
For now I'm focused, excited and driven to achieve this goal. 


Today we were off work so I went to Fleet Feet and got fitted for some Saucony running shoes. They're like heaven for feet. Seriously. 


I'll try to post once a week about my progress. Talkin to you guys about it will help me stay accountable. Plus I have a couple cheerleaders encouraging me on this journey. I love friends like that :-) 

weekend recap, just for you

I haven't got my "look back at 2011" post ready yet. Patience my child.


This is what we were up to over the weekend though.
Zac Brown Band concert

just for me - they lit up the stage purple cuz Zac & the boys know that's my favorite color... they like to please their favorite, most loyal, coolest fans

I think Jimmy spotted me and told Zac, which of course made Zac grin. He's my pal. Remember, last year he begged me to come watch his show. click here for the story from my blog post So this year I obliged.

 Me and my honey had a great time!

A day off

Took a day off Friday and we spent half the morning sleepin in, then we un-decorated the house. Buh bye Christmas trees and cutesy decor. We'll miss ya.

Tinsley will especially miss her "playground under the tree"

 So sorry little bow

Just one example of how Tinsley liked redesigning the gift wrap 

to have a more distressed, rugged look

Like many young uns at Christmas, she thought the tree boxes were fun

That night we went to Texas Roadhouse cuz I had a free appetizer coupon they emailed me for my birthday. Gotta get in some extra good (bad) meals before the New Year. he he he I was feelin brave so I asked Anth if he'd let me go in Ross. He did. And I found a dress for $14.99 and a pair of NY&Co slacks for $9.99. After that, we went to Bridgett & Brandon's grandparents' house for a while. 

Out with 2011 (thank God) 

and in with 2012

We went to a New Year's Eve gospel singing to hear Bridgett & Brandon and their fam sing. It wrapped up at 10 so after they tore down all the stage & equipment, we headed off to eat... 

Anthony and Bridgett have been wantin to go to Applebee's for a while, so we were glad they were still open late. Beats Ihop, which is where we were headed. When it struck midnight, we were eatin good in the neighborhood, stuffin our faces and grubbin like we had been on a 10 day fast. Lol 

Good times with good friends.

Birthday girl
Sunday was Bridgett's birthday so we went to Outback last night with this same crew plus a couple of her gal pals. I think Outback is overpriced and my hubby can grill a steak better than they can. Just sayin.


A shoppin we will go
Today we didn't have to work so Mom & I headed out to the mall. I snatched up some jeans on sale I was really needing wanting. And I returned a couple of things. Good intentions. People have good intentions. But sometimes they just miss the mark. It's all good though. 


It's freeeeezing cold and has been spittin snow today. North Face jacket Santa brought me sure came in handy! 
Supposed to be 60 by the end of the week. Really? What the crap?! I'm gonna need the weather to make up its mind. 

Christmas recap - part 2

My fam . . . 
prepare for lotsa pics
We normally do my immediate fam on Christmas Eve night. But Jonathan and Michelle were in Haiti picking up new family members :-) They flew in Christmas morning safe and sound. So that night we did our thang.
Santa stopped by . . . 

Kerby and Kerlandy had never met Santa. Awww 

The grandkids, er my nieces & nephews 

new additions: Kerby (14) and Kerlandy (8) 

 Miles of smiles

 Trevor may have to go as the Fonz for Halloween if he keeps this up

One of the highlights of Christmas at my mom & dad's every year is the photo calendar for Mom. This year it was Leslie's turn and she turned it up a notch by doing one that's like a scrapbook.   

The fellas gathered round to see all the pics in the calendar and add their commentary. *sigh* Silly boys.

 Our fam loves GAMES!

Anthony, Caleb and Phil had a mini concert in the sunroom.

SOMEBODY sure is growin this year... whew

So skinny it's like huggin a skeleton.

The boys were excited to get the Kinect for their Xbox.

Kerby and Kerlandy like to "take photo" so I'm personally very happy to welcome this sweet addition to the fam. They're the only ones who don't fuss every time I try to take a pic LOL

Mom gave Kerlandy the Santa hat, which looked adorable on her She was all about Mom's singing and dancing Santas. Played with em a bunch, pushing every button over and over. She also showed us how she writes her name in cursive and draws flowers. She may be creative and artistic like Michelle. 

Kerby is a gamer. Video games that is. And I hear he loves to play on the computer, too. Cullen and Camden were so sweet with him, sharing the Nintendo 3DS and watching Kerby play it. Dad showed him how to play the Wii, too. He got comfortable with us and made himself at home on the couch. :-) Sweet guy tripped over my feet once and told me "excuse me." Good manners. Hope big bro Caleb doesn't teach him bad habits. ha 
My family is blessed, always. But this Christmas was extra special. It was a one of a kind experience and I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful, beautiful family!  

Christmas recap - part I

The hub's fam . . . 

knows how to do breakfast, ya hear me?

Phase 1 - Christmas breakfast December 17th with the uncles and cousins, etc.


That's right. We southerners know how to eat in the mornin. Country ham, sausage, bacon, sausage balls, homemade gravy and biscuits (none of the canned prepackaged junk), scrambled eggs and some other stuff I just can't 'member. I do 'member bein real full though. (groan)

Little uns are so fun at Christmas. Anthony's cousins have some cuties, too! 

 Significant event alert: Dawson lost a tooth at breakfast. 

Phase 2 - Christmas with the immediate fam December 23rd

• Kendall got a Kindle tee hee 
• Kyle screamed like a banshee when he opened his PSP (somethin he's wanted forever)
• McKenzie unwrapped an empty paint bucket - Christy's gonna paint her room cuz Kenz has a baby brother on the way who's about to kick her outta her room
• Bryson piled up the Christmas wrap like you do fall leaves and jumped into the pile a few times
• Christy brought the boyfriend... we really thought he was make believe for a while cuz she ain't been bringin' him around the fam. You know, like an imaginary friend. 
• Dawson acted kinda weird most of the night - maybe because the boyfriend was there  ??? Idk, I can't call it, but I did ask Christy if he had taken goofy pills before he got there
• Terry got a fast money changer (think Sonic car hop)
• Janice referred to wine as being used for municipal purposes... upon further discussion and much laughter, I straightened her out, she retracted her statement and said it was sometimes used for medicinal purposes, but not before sayin "Aw crrrap, this is gonna go on Lyndy's blog." Yep, true dat mom-in-law, true dat.
• Anthony, Bryson and Dawson had a Nerf gun fight. Perhaps war would be more appropriate... the battlefield was the entire house... 

Good times. Good good times.

We make the kiddos huddle up for a pic for Janice before opening gifts. Yeah, it's kinda like bribery. This year Janice wanted em in front of the tree.

You gotta do the silly pic. It's a must. 

Loyal readers - check back for the recap of MY SIDE OF THE FAM. 

Video is missing

Friends, I didn't upload the vidjo on the previous post cuz it was takin too stinkin long to do... I'll do it sometime another.


Til then
peace and a bottle of hair grease

My gift to you

Some bloggers may be gettin' all serious and what not today, and that's fine. It is the day we set aside to celebrate the birth of the Christ child. We attended church this morning, sung some Christmas tunes and heard a Christmas sermon.
But I'm shifting to my silly side and if ya know me, that's just how I roll.


Consider this my gift to you my loyal blog followers. I said I wouldn't share, but I'm the first to make fun of ME so .... remember the ugly sweater party? I had to dance an Irish jig while singing The Wheels on the Bus. This is just a snipit of my performance. 


Hope it doesn't go viral....

Enjoy 

and have a 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This made me feel DUMB

My day started out with a bang.


I was of course excited that this was our last day of work until after Christmas. Can I get a woo hoo?


We were having a breakfast "staff meeting" at Cracker Barrel. Already had my mind on cinnamon streusel french toast.


And then there was the other 15 things on my mental to do list runnin through my head.


I went out to the garage and opened the garage door for my bay, as usual.


As I opened my car door, I realized Anthony and I were swapping cars for the day. So I shut the door and went over to his car and plopped right on in.


Smartly I had put my friends' gifts in the car the night before so all I had to do was put my purse and myself in the car and then I'd be ret to go.


Eyeglasses on, switch the radio to 92.9 and off the CD Anthony had apparently been enjoying. Gotta hear my Christmas tunes yall. 


Reverse.


Bang!!!


Loud scream, followed by panic, chased by the thought "did that just happen or am I dreaming, what do I do, oh crap etc."


Yep, it's what you're thinkin Lincoln. I skipped a step. A very important step. Opening the garage door.


Now don't you feel better about yourself? Bet you've never done that before, have ya?

Our first time at the local parade

We built our house in '07 so we've been residents of this little community a while. But we've never been to their parade. It may be smaller than the one "in town" but we hear it's better.


Back when Anthony's grandmother was alive, she always went with Anthony's mom. Her sister is still alive and she went with us...she's a spry 85

We went to the parade in part because of this little race car driver. . . 

Even though he was concentrating on driving, he took the time to wish me a happy birthday. Sweet boy.

The grand marshall of the parade was the man who sold us our land that we built our house on. His name is Brownie (not sure if that's a nickname).

Y'all know I ain't a dog person, but these little guys were too cute.

Mini horses with mini cowgirls

 Mini diesels (these were sooo cute)

 Thank goodness for firemen !

Joey & Bryson rode their four wheelers. This was Bry's debut on McKenzie's four wheeler. He seemed to do fine, but I could tell 
he was concentrating hard! 

 McKenzie was all smiles with her Pa tossing out candy

I'm sure Jen couldn't be in the parade because SHE'S WITH CHILD...lol 
It limits her.

There were lots of old cars and trucks in the parade. Even some tractors. A few Gators and the usual horses. Some with wagons and carriages, and 

some ..... 

with ......

 Overalls and sunglasses... 

funniest thing I saw 

Probably  be even funnier to see em 
puttin the doggone overalls on the poor horse

Santa was lookin niiiice ! 

Do it Santa.

We loved the parade and we love you!