My Best Friend

Tonight I was driving across Stillwater and was passing Apple Creek Apartments (the new side) and unexpectedly missed Michelle. She lived in these apartments when we met and we spent a lot of time there before she moved in with me. It wasn't a, "Oh I miss her." It was a heart dropping, longing, tears to my eyes MISS her!!!!

Now, let me say this...I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE where she and I are at in life. It just brought back all the days of us hanging out at her apartment, cooking dinner for each other, keeping up with tv shows, watching lifetime movies all day on Saturdays, running in the mornings before work, crying together, laughing together, waiting for "Mr. Right" together, dating, making bad decisions, making good decisions, praying for each other, learning and growing, working at the same place, and then living together, having a personal shopper, my live-in stylist, someone to keep me trendy, playing in makeup, Michelle putting on ALL my swimsuits (yes, I have about 5 or 6...its an addiction) at the same time, watching her weigh herself on our scale every morning FULLY clothed with her coat AND purse on...hahahaha!!!!, accidentally watching trashy movies with my parents, eating at Mazzio's every Tuesday night before CBI, planning Women's Retreats, running a 10K and only doing it REALLY to eat at Fogo de Chao...and calling it "Fogo" b/c I got corrected everytime for saying the rest wrong ;), bible studies, prayer groups, arbonne, losing Dexter...who made you love cats, adding Ruger to our lives...and waiting a few days for him to get used to us, finally finding MR. RIGHT (thats obviously Devin...and now she would say me finding Ken, but she wasn't actually living here when I met him. She did live in Stillwater when her and Devin met). Like I said, I wouldn't change a thing about our lives and where God has brought us...but I do SO miss where we were when we were single and she was the "love of my life."

So, here's to you "Cat's Pajama's"!!! I love you so much and I love everything we've been through....but for just a moment, I remembered tonight how much fun we had and how I would briefly like to return to that! ~Love, "Cracker Jack"

A Prayer Request

I don't really know where to begin and its hard to tell the story since its not my own. I am going to try to be as sensitive as possible and not give out too much detail b/c I don't want to be disrespectful to the family....however, the family needs as much prayer as they can get!

Aimee's (my sister-in-law) brother and wife, Bryan and Stephanie, were pregnant and lost their little baby over the weekend. Stephanie was full-term and was to go in for her c-section tomorrow (Febraury 24th). They named her Tatum Olivia Johnson and she weighed 6lbs 1oz.

PLEASE be praying for them! They were three days away from meeting their little girl and now they are a planning a funeral for two days after her scheduled birth. Please pray that they will find the peace that passes understanding. Pray that they will seek the Lord of all things and not turn from Him in anger. Please pray for them as they grieve the loss and move into this "new-normal" life ahead of them. Please pray that in EVERYTHING they will get to a place where they will praise Him in this storm!

Praise You In This Storm
by Casting Crowns

I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain, "I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away.


And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands
You are who You are no matter where I am
And every tear I've cried You hold in your hand
You never left my side and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm I remember


When I stumbled in the wind You heard my cry to You
And raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on if I can't find You
And as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain "I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away


And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands
You are who You are no matter where I am
And every tear I've cried You hold in your hand
You never left my side and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm


I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth


And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands
You are who You are no matter where I am
And every tear I've cried You hold in your hand
You never left my side and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

Weekend ReCap

So here is my weekend recap! :) Well, I should say SATURDAY b/c I was pretty lazy on Sunday, finally catching up on all my TV shows I had saved on my TiVo...and Friday night, I made dinner for Kenny and I, and then let him study.

Saturday, however, was VERY eventful. I woke up earlier than usual, thanks to Ruger being ready bright and early to play. I hadn't been to Panera in FOREVER and thought that sounded nice. I used to go almost every weekend when I was single and have my bible study or read or do homework. I loved it. I was there for about an hour having breakfast and just spending time in the Word. It was really great. I have been going through Beth Moore's "Esther" and learning CRAZY things about myself....new lies that I have allowed myself to believe and just learning about conforming to the world and what it says is "ok." Its been pretty eye-opening.

Around 11:30am, my dad and nephew, Mason, got to town for the OSU vs. Baylor game. The three of us got to Gallagher and walked around, showing Mason the new football stadium. He is a HUGE OSU fan. He used to come with us all the time, but now that he is older and plays sports, its harder for him to get up here. He is a great little athlete and I can't wait to see how God uses him. He is always taking a stand for Christ and its just AMAZING to see that kind of faith in our future generations!

My dad and Mason left Stillwater around 3:45, after a trip to Chris' University and a little play time with Ruger. At 5pm, I met some of my girlfriends at Texas Roadhouse. These girls are so great! I started a bible study in the summer of 2003 at my church (it wasn't my church at the time) and this group grew so close that after the study was over, we kept meeting once a month. Its been an amazing group! We have seen it all....break-ups, marriage, children, each others kids graduate from high school and college, and unfortunately we have even lost a member to cancer. Our group started out with 9...and has dwindled to 5. Three have moved away and one has gone to be with our Father. The rest of us try to meet once a month...most of the time its only 3 of us though. Its still so fun...and we catch up with each other and just girl-talk! I love it!!!

After dinner, I went home for about an hour and then headed to Joe's. Now those of you who know Stillwater know that Eskimo Joe's turns into a bar after 10pm....I haven't been in YEARS and was feeling quite old as I was fighting my sleepiness to head out that way. However, a friend of mine was playing a concert and I was excited to see the band "August Rose." I am so glad I went b/c it was amazing. Yet, another person who I can't wait to see where God takes them. Here are a few pictures form the concert! It was a blast!!! And I have to say that Joe's isn't so bad now that its smoke-free!!!! :) YAY!!!

The Weekend

This last weekend was fun and pretty relaxing. Now that Ken is working on weekends, I pretty much have Saturday and Sunday to get caught up on things....you know, things like laundry, cleaning, scrapbooking, TiVo. ;)

Friday night was not really special. I usually save my Walmart trip for Sunday after church b/c its so quiet, but I went Friday night instead. Going to the store the day before Valentine's Day is one of my favorite things to do. I love seeing people scramble to find that perfect card and dig through all the left over flowers. Its pretty funny. And this year....I even saw women!!! It wasn't just men!! When I got home and got settled in, I sat down and knitted my niece a blanket for her birthday. I made her one when she was born and its become more of a keepsake in her hope chest...so I thought it would be fun to make her one that she could play with.

For Valentine's Day, Ken and I decided that neither of us like to make a big deal out of the holiday. We didn't buy each other gifts or anything....I did get him a card, but oddly enough I still haven't given it to him. I did however make a nice dinner. As long as I got to just spend time with him, I was happy. I made a cajun pasta with chicken and shrimp (thanks Michelle!!! It was YUMMY!) and a homemade cheesecake. It was really my first one I've made from scratch SO I was pretty excited about it.....well that's a lie....I was REALLY nervous that it wasn't going to turn out well. A friend of mine at work kept telling me that cheesecakes are really easy, but people don't make them b/c they sound intimidating....so I was trusting her with that. Saturday I was up and running errands and getting little gifts for Lexis, Ruger, Flip, and Frasier (and yes, those are all animals and YES they all got new toys)!!! The rest of the day I was cooking. The cheesecake turned out just fine. I think when I do it again, I will make it the day before. It seemed to set up much better by Sunday. Ken and I enjoyed a nice evening just hanging out and we watched a little tv. Nothing exciting, but for me it was perfect just getting to be with him.

Raspberry and Vanilly Cheesecake

Sunday, I met a girlfriend for lunch and we went to see "He's Just Not That In To You." It was a really cute movie. I think we laughed through the whole thing. When Ken got off work, we headed to Tulsa. My mom has a family lunch the third Sunday of every month. Since Ken's birthday was this month, my mom changed it from lunch to dinner so he could be there. We had so much fun! It was fun just sitting around talking and laughing with my family. We had BBQ and my mom got this AMAZING cake from Nibble's in Tulsa. Its a German Chocolate cake with a layer of vanilla cheesecake in the middle. Its AMAZING!!!! They have THE best cakes and cupcakes in Tulsa!!!! My favorite story of the night was when I was telling my nephew that if he would come to Stillwater, Ken would take him for a ride in the police car. Caleb got so excited and looked at me and asked, "Will he dress up like one too?" HAHAHA!!! He didn't quite understand that Ken is a REAL police officer....Caleb thought he was just dressing up for fun. He then told Ken that he would dress up like "Lightening" (from "Cars") and bring his "Lightening" car too. Then they could drive together. It was too cute!

Celebrating Mark, Kim and Ken's Birthday's!Kenny and Me This was taken after MANY pictures....and Ken was done! :)

All in all the weekend was really great!

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby!!!!

HAPPY BIRHTDAY KENNY!!!!

I love you so much and I am so thankful and blessed to have you in my life. You are so amazing and wonderful and there are not enough words to express what you mean to me! God has answered all of my many prayers by putting you in my life. I remember my youth director's wife telling me to hold out for the "fairy tale" and I am so glad that I did! God not only met every single one of my desires, but completely surpassed them.

I couldn't have asked for anything more!

I hope you have a wonderful, blessed day....seeing everything that God has done in your life and the excitement of how He will use you in the next year!

I Love You!

"TAKEN" brings thankfulness....

Last night Kenny and I went to see the movie, "Taken." It was really good and suspenseful. It shows you a whole new side of travelling (at least for girls by themselves). As I was watching this movie, I was so overwhelmed with thankfulness that God has brought me Kenny. I won't give any details away from the movie, but as we were watching I was so thankful that Kenny will protect his family. I was so thankful that we want to parent the same way and have the same views. I am sure there will be things that we won't see eye to eye on when it comes to parenting, but I do know that in certain situations of protecting our children, I know that we will stand beside one another. And, I know that he will always put their best interest first over wanting to be their "friend." Kids have enough friends and while I think there is a time and a place for a parent to be a friend, they still need a parent (even when the parent decision isn't the popular decision)....and I know we will support each other in that.

happy february!!!

Its February 2009! Only 11 months to go until 2010. :) My resolutions for '09 were to be healthy in all areas. I have been making better eating choices, working out 5 times a week, and having my quiet time every morning before work. My second one was to love my family...no strings attached. Love is an action and I am just trying to find things to do to love my family. In my quest to keep my second resolution, I am going to pray for specific people in my family each month. This month Kenny, Cannady, Mark and Kim are having birthdays. Kenny is turning 34 on February 3rd; Cannie turns 2 on February 6th; Mark turns 38 on the 13th; and Kim has a birthday on the 17th (I'm not posting her age without asking if its ok). While I try to pray for all my family everyday, it gets hard with so many of us....so besides the typical prayer for health and spiritual growth, I will be praying specifically for these four daily.

February is already full of activities and excitement. My close friend, Cindy is having her second child TOMORROW!!!! YAY!!!! I can't wait. Her and her husband, Mike, already have a little boy and now they are going to be blessed with daughter. I am so excited for them.

Celebrations of four birthdays will happen this month. Cannady is my youngest niece and she turns 2. Mark is my brother and Kim is his wife. Iwill also start working 80% this month, instead of full time, so that I can spend more time with Kenny. Our schedules are a little off with him working weekends, so this will give us a day to hang out together. I'll be singing at church on the 8th (anyone is welcome to come...church starts at 8:30am and 10:45am). Kenny (and I) are hosting a bonfire for the college ministry at his place. And the last weekend, Michelle and I are going to a women's retreat at a church in OKC. All of that topped with church, Cowboy Basketball and keeping up with my favorite TV shows ;) this month could possible fly by....but there will be many blessings along the way!

Here are the February Birthdays:

The Ice Storm

We had a nice little ice storm, with a little snow on the side, last week. I was wonderful b/c I got off work on Monday at 2pm and didn't go back until Thursday. Kenny and I had a good time getting to spend some quality time together since those were his days off work. Here are some pictures I took at his house one day.