"...just another reminder, that God's been good to me!"

The more I live my life, the more I realize how much I can't do it alone. I would love to think that I am oh so independent and I can handle anything that comes my way all by myself. Truth is, that's not how we were made. As hard as I try, I can't live by myself any more than a fish can walk on land. And I am so very thankful for that. God's grace is an amazing thing, and it greatly abounds in my life. Not to mention the wonderful family and awesome friends that constantly surround me, love me, help me, and are always there for me. God is just so incredibly good!


The past few weeks have simply been crazy ones. My head has been (and still is) swimming, not always quite sure which way to go. Now don't get me wrong; they've been good weeks. Just insane.

One of my uncles died from heart disease that sent us all down to GA rather quickly. It was a good time, but very emotional, as that part of the family was always very close. But it was great to see our church family pull together to take care of things and minister to us while we were away.

So I turned 21!! Yeah, I still can't really believe it either. We were able to meet up with good friends for lunch, and I ordered the hottest wings that Buffalo Wild Wings had to offer. They were hot, but not unbearably so, and definitely not as hot as they were hyped up to be. But then again, I like really spicy foods, so I may not be a very good judge of that.

My birthday was also the day that Mom and Dad had to leave to go to MO for a conference that Dad was asked to speak at. That meant all of us kids were home for the weekend by ourselves. Always fun. :) We played charades and made hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows (inside over the stove) and watched movies and spent a night with Grandma and got our fill of "Afro's circus"! (polka dot, polka dot...lol)

Along with my parents being gone, our dear neighbors who never go anywhere have been gone for what feels like forever. In reality it's only been about two weeks, but still.

Tonight was the big chili dinner/auction fundraiser that I volunteered to cook for. Yep, I along with a couple of awesome friends cooked enough chili and cornbread for at least 200 people. That's a lot of chili! And it got a little hectic at times, too. But it was definitely a unique experience, and we have some good stories to tell. :) It was a lot of fun, and I believe the evening was a success. So yay!!

Weekly activities such as piano lessons and EMR classes are still plugging on. My piano students are still tons of fun, and I love watching them all progress! The EMR classes should be finishing up this next week, and then it's hard study to pass the test! Woo! I have really enjoyed that class, and I think I'm going to be sorry that it's over with. But it has been a very good experience, and I've learned a lot. I will miss all the Starbucks stops though...

But probably the biggest news that we are all thrilled about is the engagement of some very dear people this past week! Laura has been one of my very close friends for a long time now (met her in 2005...you can do the math), and I am so, so happy that she is getting married! And her fiancé we've known since we moved here (2007), and he kinda rocks. So incredibly excited for them both!

So there's a blog post and a little of what we've been up to. For all those of you who have been asking/begging me to write. :)

We continue to enjoy life very much, and I am always excited to see what God is going to do next. His grace and mercy abound; He truly is great and greatly to be praised!