Graphic from Yellow Rose’s Garden

1. Good times are even better when they’re shared. Oh, so true…bad times are better too when we can share them together.
2. A long talk can cure almost anything. Amen! And we sisters can talk, ya know. A friend of mine believes a hot Krispy Kreme and some chocolate milk can cure all the worlds problems. Anyone want to take that bet?
3. Everyone needs someone with whom to share their secrets. It might take a long while to find that person/those people whom know all about you and love you just the same, but it can happen. I am so thankful everyday for the girls that the Lord gave me.
4. Listening is just as important as talking. That’s a key point in marriage too!!
5. An understanding friend is better than a therapist and cheaper too! HAHA! Now, that’s just funny!
6. Laughter makes the world a happier place. It sure does…a smile can change the person’s apperance and feelings in a moment.
7. Sometimes you just need a shoulder to cry on. Enough said.
8. Great minds think alike…
9. You are never too old for a slumber party! I wish we had them more often, but our children will start having them soon.
10. It’s important to make time to do “girl things”. My husband is so good about giving me that time to do “girl things”. I am so grateful for that!!
11. Calories don’t count when you are having lunch (or any other food) with your girlfriends. No one really believes that, because our waistlines show it.
12. Gems may be precious, but friendship is priceless!
13. I thank my God in all my rememberance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you…(Philippians 1:3-4)

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

I know you all are just dying to know what I did since Thursday, right?? HA! I did enjoy some good Mexican food on my birthday, so need I say more…you know I love Mexican, so it’s no big surprise we ended up there. hee hee. I did get to sleep in a little on Friday, okay, not really, but it felt like I did. Jeremy was working on Friday, and Boo was trying out his “potential” new school, and so I was off for some girl time. I enjoyed a massage at the best spa place in Atl, and followed that up with some shopping. Now, I must preface to say the shopping was not for me, although I did try on some stuff, but only because my mom made me. :0 Oh, yes, she joined me after the spa treatment and we did lunch together at J.Alexanders. Fabulous place, and my mom says it’s her new favorite place. Rock on! The waitress even gave us the recipe for the Orzo and Wild Rice (served cold), although she can’t share the amounts, she still told us the ingredients. After that, we endured more shopping, mainly not for me, and walked away with everything we needed from Target. I was satisfied.
I went home, did a few extra things and then picked Boo up from the new “potential” school. He told me how much fun he had and he went potty in the potty TWICE! WOO HOO! He didn’t nap though…guess too much excitement! When Jeremy got home, we all went and ate some chicago-style pizza, had ice cream, and then came home. It was great!!!
The next day proved to be packed with three parties, and I managed to hit them all…come on, aren’t you impressed???? Two parties is like my maximum!!! We had the twins birthday party, which was absolutely fun and nice to catch up with Michelle and John and see my friend Jae’s kids…her hubby brought them since she was out of town. The ultimate catch-up party was my second event, a wedding shower for my friend Debbie. I haven’t seen that girl and most of my single friends, and most of my friends from FBA in sooooo long!!! It was so enjoyable! I had a great time catching up and honoring Debbie. The last party was with my Sunday School care group and it was fun too! We got to chat while the kids played and I think Boo and I were exhausted!! He hadn’t really had a nap in two days and the effects were starting to take place. Jeremy was working on my mom’s house all day, and I was sad not to spend the day with him, but when he helps my mom, it ultimately helps us. When he got home, we got caught up on our day and then Sunday, well, it’s Sunday…so off to church we go! It’s been awesome the last two weeks, since we changed to one Sunday School and the blended worship service. My face is warm when I leave there from visiting the Lord and the people we call family.
It was a great birthday weekend. Thank you Lord!

In Christ-
Karen

Tags: Birthday, Family

Graphic courtesy of Emily
Thirteen things about Karen on August 24th!

1. It’s my Birthday! It’s my Birthday! It’s my Birthday! Hey, y’all, did you hear, it’s my BIRTHDAY??!!
2. I love this graphic of the purse! It’s so totally a purse that I would own! Maybe. For. My BIRTHDAY!
3. I love birthdays! Not just my own, although, you already know that. But I love other’s birthdays too. They are the BEST reason for a party! Speaking of parties…
4. I LOVE Parties!!! I have in my mind of what I want my big birthday next year to look like. It probably won’t be anything like it, but I have already warned Jeremy that I want a huge party. Got it girls?
5. I was born 8 days after Elvis died. Sad, huh? My mom said she was laying on the couch waiting for me to come when she heard the news. She kept the newspaper from that day which had a tribute to him.
6. I was named Karen since that was the only name my dad liked during the nine months. My middle name is a combination of my grandparents.
7. I am going to work today, even though I think it should be a rule that you don’t have to work on your birthday. However, I am taking Friday off.
8. I remember my 8th birthday party like it was yesterday. I had a spend the night party and some of the girls from my neighborhood came, as well as some of the girls from school.
9. I also remember my 16th birthday party! It was completely an all about me party and just about everyone I knew showed up for that party! It was incredible.
10. I celebrated my 24th birthday at Turner Field. My grandfather got inducted to the Braves Hall of Fame on that day! Awesome, huh?
11. Jeremy and I celebrated our birthdays a few years ago at the rotating restaurant in Atlanta, known as the Sundial.
12. So, in honor of my birthday, are you going to sign and leave a comment for me? Isn’t that selfish? Yep, but who cares, because…
13. IT’s MY BIRTHDAY! IT’s MY BIRTHDAY! IT’s MY BIRTHDAY! IT’s MY BIRTHDAY!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

“I’m so excited! I’m so excited” said the boo bear this morning…why? He had a fruit bar and a pancake! Each on a different plate and all at the table they sat. The boo bear is too funny. The fact that he got excited over breakfast makes Jeremy and I laugh till we cry. I think he gets that from his Papaw. hee hee. My dad always loved breakfast when I was growing up. He still makes killer pork tenderloin and biscuits and, on Christmas, eggs benedict. Dad, are you coming up this year for Christmas???
I hope everyone has a great day. It’s muggy and very cloudy today, and I have no gel for my hair, which means frizz central. Although, my hair is long enough now to pin up, so I have a cute little do today.

–Karen

It’s my birthday week! It’s my birthday week! (Picture dancing and raising hands in the air. Got the image? Okay! )
We celebrated Jeremy’s birthday this past weekend…pretty much all weekend. I mean, you only turn 30 once ya know! hee hee. Friday night we went to a Japanese Steak House with his parents. David enjoyed the guy cooking in front of us and even scarfed his tempura chicken! I was in amazement. We headed to the mall after that and shopped a little, and a good time was had by all, I must say. David was all about Nana and Papa and insisted on holding both their hands while walking in the mall. It was adorable.
Saturday we headed to a local favorite in Cumming, called the Biscuit Barn. It’s a fabulous place for breakfast and I hear their lunch isnt’ bad either. My female boss…her niece owns the place, and I gotta say, the biscuits are the best! Jeremy then enjoyed a little fun at the PGA Superstore with his friend Anthony and then we had dinner with some friends at Up the Creek, where you get a free meal on your birthday! WOO HOO! He said he had a great weekend and I believe it. Sunday was a busy one, with the church moving to one Sunday School hour and adding a service at 8:30, plus Discipleship classes started and that means work work work for Jeremy. He still enjoyed the day with some friends and our class was great that night. So, the birthday weekend is over for Jeremy…and NOW, it’s All About Me! Wha? It’s not all about me? No, seriously, it really isn’t all about me…it’s about the Lord. You know what? My dad called to wish Jeremy a happy birthday and didn’t even want to chat with me. What is that all about?? Just teasing (dad, really, I am teasing!)…he can call me on my my actual day.
Hey, does anyone know what I am going to write about for my Thursday Thirteen this week? Um, I’ll give you 3 guesses and the first two don’t count. HA!
August is slowly coming to an end, and I gotta say, I am kind of glad. This month was packed with things, a great deal of them happening this week and next, and I will be glad when September hits. Although, at my staff meeting this morning, my boss proceeded to tell us about 14 jobs we are going to bid between now and October 10th. huh? My eyes glazed over. I don’t do the bidding, but none the less, it’s the paperwork. That’s all good though. Bidding jobs mean we normally get a percentage of those jobs, which equals money in the bank and hopefully money in my bank account/pocket.
So, what’s new with all y’all???

In Him-
Karen

Tags: Birthday, Thursday Thirteen, Work

Graphic Courtesy of Novelist in Training
Thirteen Things about my husband…

1. He is SMART! He graduated from Georgia Tech in Engineering and also from seminary with a Masters of Divinity with Biblical Languages. I predict he will get his Ph.D years from now. Uh, that means the wedding invitations for all our kids will be Dr. and Mrs. hee hee
2. He is a man who serves the Lord. I am grateful for that and feel the Lord blessed me beyond measure regarding that part.
3. He challenges me! He pushes my buttons sometimes, but it’s only because he loves me. (I tend to forget the love part sometimes when he is pushing and challenging me, but the Lord always reminds me.)
4. He loves baseball. That was like a requirement to date me…you have to love the game!!
5. He loves our boo bear…now, how could anyone not love the boo?? Seriously, Jeremy loves having that boy and his life was rocked when boo entered our lives. It was incredible watching him take care of him and even more incredible watching him now help him grow into a godly man.
6. He is a lover of books. I love books too, but he has at least twice as much as I do…so, together we have our own library. We have more boxes of books than we do for the rest of the whole house. I pray every day for a house with a den/library, with built in book cases.
7. He is a cautious driver. Way more than me!! He drives in the right lane and only uses the left to pass…I am serious…he is a great driver.
8. He is good at the details. He keeps good logs and memories and is very good at the details for his job. In the ministry, the details are important.
9. He dresses well. He is a clean dresser. Always smells good. Always has his shirt tucked in…although he has been known to wear it un-tucked, which by the way, I find cute.
10. Jeans! He has only 1 pair of jeans, and I must say…HE LOOKS HOT in them. Oh, his dad would cringe that I just said that.
11. He does the dishes!!! Again, very grateful for that. I normally do the cooking and he always does the cleaning. I love that about him.
12. He has an opinion. I don’t mean that sarcastically, but seriously. He did care what china we had and what glasses and silverware we chose. I like that about him…because honestly, I wasn’t all that decisive on things. When he did engineering work, one of his clients was Wedgewood China. So, he knew his stuff.
13. He is my husband. The Lord gave him to me and for that, I am forever grateful. I was changed by the Lord’s love, but the love Jeremy shows me through Christ, in our marriage, will touch my life deeply. I wouldn’t walk this road with anyone else.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Ahhh, yes. I am back from my trip, but I put up a fight kicking and screaming to NOT come home. It’s my co-workers…and we all had to go to work…but honestly, no one really wanted to admit not wanting to come back to work. Alright, except me. I wasn’t afraid to say…nope, I don’t really want to go…can’t you just come back and get me next week? Oh, and send the hubby and boo bear…I do kind of miss them. HA!
I did miss them, but not as in the overly obsessive missing. I actually took the time to really enjoy myself and the time away from work and home. I ate well, shopped well, and rested well. I let my hair go…which means I really didn’t do anything with it…although one night I dried it out straight. I hadn’t done that in a few months and it felt good…looked not so good, so it must be time for a cut, but none the less felt good. I know Boo and Jeremy had a great weekend, living the life at the Braves Hall of Fame game with my grandfather and enjoying each other’s company on Saturday and Sunday.
This week is (drum roll please) BIRTHDAY WEEK for JEREMY! I predict a great week ahead and look forward to honoring him on his big day.
I can’t believe it’s the middle of August already! Time sure is flying this year. Is anyone Christmas shopping yet??

In Love-
Karen

Tags: Birthday, Summer, Vacation

To my TT’ers…I am sorry, but I have elected not to post a Thursday Thirteen today. I really wanted to, but I knew I wouldn’t have enough time to visit you all before I left on my trip, and I wouldn’t be able to get comments back to you until Monday…I didn’t think that was fair to you. I must admit, I am a little disappointed in the TT lately…I seem to visit many more people that don’t return the visit. Although, that’s a very selfish thought, it is starting to bother me. So, because I feel that I cannot be the timely one in return visits, I am not doing one this week…fear not, though, I will return. Just a heads up…two weeks from today is my birthday, so you can expect a BIG HUGE TT for that special day!!! Mark your calendars NOW! hee hee
Jeremy drove me to work this morning, since we are leaving from the office around lunch time. We dropped Boo off at school, whom, by the way, seems to be in a little mood. My gut tells me it’s because momma is leaving for a few days. He saw me packing some stuff last night and had a breakdown, since he wanted to go to the beach too. He got his towel out and put his sandals on…all while being in his pj’s! I assured him I would take him on a vacation next month, but boy was it tough this morning too. First, he got up at 5:30! And when we dropped him off at school, he had a slight meltdown. sigh. I am okay, I know he will be okay and that’s the important thing. I warned his teacher that he will be exhausted by lunch.
My boys are headed to the Braves game tomorrow night! My grandfather will be in town and they will go down and see him. I hope Pepa enjoys it too…seeing the little man and all. I know Boo will love being there! He loves Jeff Francouer and Andrew Jones!
Happy Birthday to my father-in-law, and Boo’s Papa and Happy Birthday to my sweet niece Maegan. Love you both!

In Him-
Karen

Tags: Atlanta Braves, Birthdays, Family, Thursday Thirteen

“Remember, we all stumble, every one of us.

That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.”

~ Emily Kimbrough ~

How true. We do all stumble, but I must admit, my realization upon reading this quote was that if you are hand in hand, wouldn’t it be possible to make the person walking with you stumble? I would never want to do that, so how do I grasp this and make it a comfort instead of being a stumbling block? I am so glad you asked! I viewed the people walking hand in hand as me and Jeremy first. As a husband and wife it’s important to be honest, walking side by side, accomplishing the same goal in the Lord…but there are times when one of us might be stronger than the other. When one of us needs a boost… When one of us is on our knees in a struggling time… That’s when the positive outlook came regarding the stumbling. I think at first I was viewing the stumbling as a negative, because sometimes it is, but if I flip it and view it as a positive (a time to grow closer to the Lord, a time to trust Him even more than ever before) then I have renewed faith and strength by having someone there to physically comfort me and be there for me. That’s the point I truly thank the Lord for putting Jeremy and I together. There is no one else I would rather walk this road of faith with.

The next image I got was of true friends. I have a friend who lost a set of twins just over three years ago. I have thought about those children and what their life would be like had God not sent her body into active labor. When my friend went through that, another friend and I got on board and walked that road with her. She didn’t know it, but we weeped over hearing the news and days afterwards we contemplated how to approach and love her. We didn’t have to contemplate long, because the Lord brought us together. During her healing, we tried to be there for as much as she needed us, and we rejoiced when the Lord allowed her and her husband to deliver a set of fraternal twins in August two years ago! It was an incredible sight. When the Lord allowed a deep and heavy time in her life when she stumbled and struggled, He allowed good friends with open arms to help pick her and up and walk with her during that time. That is the beautiful picture of having comfort in walking hand in hand.

The last image the Lord gave me was of Him and I! He would walk for days and miles with me all the while I stumbled. How could I not want to walk that road with others? Jesus doesn’t care how much I stumble, He said He would never leave me nor forsake me (Dt. 31:6)! It was hard putting on the shoes of either of those people. When you stumble, you immediatly show that you are not immortal and you have faults and you aren’t perfect. When you are there walking with someone who does stumble, it’s not always easy to help pick them up…but with the Lord….He promised, “With God, all things are possible!” (Matthew 19:26)

In Christ-

Karen

Tags: Christian Women

Today was David’s first day in his new class! It wasn’t a typical first day of school, so to speak, but he was really excited to see his new class and his old friends. Two of his friends moved up to the 2 year old class a few months back, so he was excited to move up to be with them all the time. I think he really likes his school!
So, is the summer over? Not really, but I thought it would be nice to post some summer pics. We had a lot happen since the beginning of June…
David got a BIG BOY Haircut! I will state on the record that I was not pleased, however, it’s growing out, so it’s growing on me.

He honestly looks like he’s 3 to me!
Next, he got a BIG BOY Bed!

Since he loves Bob the Builder, he had to help put it together! We got the bed from IKEA and he has some special sheets on it from his favorite Train.

Next, we took Swim Lessons! Two weeks, Monday through Thursday in the evening. It was a blast and he was so excited! He did a great job! Jeremy went a few times and I went the rest. The last day we got to go outside to the big wave pool and slide! He LOVED IT!

His teacher was Miss Denise and at first he wasn’t too sure about swimming with her, but by the end, he would go to her and show her all his moves. She gave out his certificate at the end and he gave her the biggest smoochie I have ever seen! He knocked her over on her bottom! It was hilarious.

David’s Papaw bought him a doo-rag! A Harley doo-rag at that. He was unsure of it at first, but then put it on for a few pictures. With less hair, he looks so cuteness!

And last, but not least, David found that taking the Lego bucket and putting it on his head was sometimes more fun than playing with the Legos. Jeremy and I have probably built more Bob cities than we ever thought we would this summer…

That’s our summer in a nut shell.
David had a great one and we celebrated our 5 year Anniversary and will celebrate Birthdays in a few weeks!
Hope the Lord has blessed you this summer and given you an opportunity to know Him more.

In Love-
Karen

Tags: Summer