Practicing

I did some practicing this weekend. First, I practiced my baking skills, that hadn't been busted out in a while, to make a cake for the 7th anniversary of Natalie's 21st birthday. It was a lot of fun to make something from scratch again. And then, this afternoon, I decided to take my camera out and try to use something other than the automatic setting. It was really fun. I think I will do it more often. And maybe next time I'll get some people in the pictures!

Counting Down

I'll be here a week from tomorrow.

Deborah won a free week at the Hilton, I had enough airline miles to get myself there, so viola. Free vacation. I was hoping it would be a celebration of being done with the CPA exam forever, but no such luck. I missed it by one point this time. So...I'll be hitting the books again when I get back from Cabo. As frustrated as I have felt today, I've also felt some odd kind of peace. Peace that God is in control. And peace that someday, He only knows when, this test will be a part of my past. I'm excited to spend some time on the beach and at the pool totally relaxing before I hit study mode again. I'm also excited to just enjoy being off work without an agenda...I don't remember the last time that happened. I feel as if some rest and relaxation is exactly what I need after the craziness that has been this year. Cabo here I come!

GAFIA - A PIcture Story

Last weekend was annual college girl's weekend. We ventured to Waco in honor of our 5 year reunion and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. The weekend was every bit as refreshing as I anticipated it would be...time with these girls always is. I've talked before on here about how thankful I am for the community that God has placed in my life right now at Watermark, but these girls were the first glimpse for me of what community really looks like. These girls taught me what it was to be real and open about who I really am. And no matter how much time we actually get to spend together during the year, I know there's always one weekend a year where I get to live as a part of this wonderful community again. I could go on and on, but really, I think you get the point. I love these girls, I love our time together, and here's what we did together last weekend.

The weekend started Thursday night at Natalie's with a very excited reunion of all the girls! There was late night catching up, a little bit of sleep, and a great breakfast before we hit the road.


One of our first stops in Waco was to get our Baylor rings cleaned at the jewelry store where we bought them. Natalie found some additional things she thought she might like.



And then, of course, our first stop on campus was Common Grounds for some Cowboy Coffee!



Then a walk down the halls in our freshman dorm. Breaking the rules (security is REAL tight now), meeting some girls who lived in some of our rooms, and documenting the whole experience.


Took a nice long walk around campus...got some strangers to take our picture...and waited out a thunderstorm in a covered walkway with the company of a Lariat crossword puzzle.

Me, Sarah, Emily, Natalie, Michelle & Elisa

Dinner at Ninfa's and a late night dance party on top of the business school parking garage.


Saturday involved running, shopping, eating (Schmaltz's, one of our faves), and then a night in catching up on the journal that we each answer the same ten questions in every year. That is actually my favorite part. It's fun to see how things like where we work, what God is doing in our lives, and what the best/hardest parts of the last year were change every year.


If this wasn't enough pictures for you, you can see them all here.

The Challenge to Sacrifice

Let me tell you a story. I promise it will be short. I have a friend named Kristin. Kristin went to Africa this summer. Among some other things, she spent a few days with a girl named Katie. Whenever Kristin was telling us about her time in Africa, she sent us the link to Katie's blog. I started reading and couldn't stop. I was so compelled by what this 20 year old girl was doing that I went back to the beginning of her blog and read it all. I couldn't get out of my head this girl - barely out of high school - who had moved to Africa. Left everything - family, boyfriend, college, comfort. Went where God called her. And is doing amazing things. She is essentially a mom to 13 little girls. She started a sponsorship program. She takes in sick children and cares for them when no one else will. I am challenged by her. I couldn't get her story out of my head...for a while. Then I let it slip. I did nothing with the challenge I felt God had issued.

Then I sit down to read another blog I read frequently. And there I find that Jenny is talking about Katie. And is raising money so that Katie can buy the land for a medical clinic. Jenny is selling things on eBay so that she can send money to Katie. Certainly I can give up something. Eating out. Shopping. Sonic diet cokes. So, challenge reissued, and this time I think I'll actually do something about it. I have never sacrificed the way Katie has, but there some very small things I can sacrifice to help her out. It's a start. I challenge you to read Jenny's blog about Katie...I read it with tears in my eyes.

Has it really been 5 years?

Tomorrow morning I'll be headed to Waco for my yearly get together with my dear college friends. I could not be more excited. Time with these girls is one of my favorite things. It is always relaxing because these girls have known me for so long and know me so well that I can completely be myself. We are going to Waco because this is our five year anniversary of graduating from Baylor. We are going to eat at all of our favorite places, hang out at the places we hung out in college, and just relax and enjoy getting to spend the whole weekend with the girls. Here are some pictures from the last couple of years of what we like to call GAFIA:

Labor Day Weekend

I had a wonderfully full labor day weekend. Full of family, and friends, and crafting, and loads of fun! My parents & Deborah came down for the first part of the weekend to help Rebekah move the remainder of her stuff to Dallas and get all settled in her new place...in Dallas!! It's very exciting to me that she lives here now. Even though I know it will take work for me to see her, I think we'll make it happen! As always, it was wonderful to have my family here. After my family left on Sunday, I made a tutu for Miss Harper Joy Sherman's first birthday party that was on Monday and went to dinner with some wonderfully fun girls. Monday, I went to Original Pancake House and enjoyed some delightful pecan pancakes for Stephanie's birthday, helped Kristie finish up her crafty project of journals for her small group girls, and then headed out to celebrate Harper's birthday in McKinney at the Sherman's new house. I rounded out Labor Day catching up with Shawn on her back porch and then enjoying some Picasso's with my roommates. It was a jam packed weekend, but it was so wonderful. The only pictures I have of the whole weekend are from Harper's party, where I pretended to be a professional and take pictures non-stop. If you want to see them all, you can go here.

Michelle, Sarah, me - are we really so old that one of us has a 1 year old?!

Gotta love the first birthday cake!!

Me & Michelle

And the tutu with matching wand - Harper's craft project present from me. I think Jeff would have preferred a baseball bat, but oh well!