Showing posts with label Forever Friendships. Show all posts

And the award goes to.... me and 5 of you lucky blog readers/girlfriends out there, if I still have 5 left-- blog readers that is! (I know I have 5 friends left, but I am not sure they still read my blog!) :) I know, I know, I have not posted in over 3 weeks, so there is NOTHING to read... that is CRAZY!! I think I hear the 'blog police' sirens NOW!! :) October has been crazy busy and I have been sick a couple of times too, including RIGHT NOW!!! (I digress....)

But, nonetheless, a childhood friend of mine, Trina, blessed me with this award, so I am going to answer the questions on the questionnaire and then tag 5 of my girlfriends who blog so that they can be blessed as well. The questionnaire questions are below:

1. Do you have the same friends since childhood?

Yes & No is my answer. I have a few close girlfriends that I still keep in touch with from childhood. We moved around a lot, which was hard for me. I made new friends wherever I went, which is part of the reason I don't meet a stranger today and I am not the least bit shy! But, I am reconnecting with many of my childhood friends on FaceBook. It is GREAT to see where they all ended up and to see that many of them still love the Lord! That is awesome.

But, I DO have 1 childhood girlfriend who has stayed close and who has endured all of the moves with me, as well as all of the boyfriends, squabbles, church retreats, summer camps (@ Ridgecrest, NC), high school, sappy movies, sappy songs, college, getting married, and finally becoming a mom! Her name is Karen Shaw and she is one of the most wonderful women you will ever meet! I have such AWESOME memories of growing up and MANY of them, if not almost all of them, include Karen! I can't imagine growing up without her. She is such an awesome blessing from the Lord and she was given to me at such a young age!! I didn't even know how much she would bless me over my lifetime, and she still is blessing me to this very day!! And, through FB, I am able to be blessed by several other awesome ladies who I grew up with in church, like Trina T., Tonya L., Sharon L., Cindy B., & Meg G.

2. What do you value most about your friends?

I value their uniqueness and quirkiness. I value their love for the Lord! I REALLY value their ability to make me laugh, even on the worst day. I value that I can be silly with them, laugh out loud with them, or be crazy and let loose with them! I value that I can cry in front them or say something totally absurd in front of them and they still love me and they don't pass judgement. I value that they are real and transparent with me, even when it hurts sometimes. I value that they are such beautiful women, both inside and out!! I value that they would be at my home at 3 AM if tragedy struck, no questions asked!! I value that they pray with me and for me. I value that they all bring different viewpoints and opinions into my world and they make me think. I value that they each love their family and their friends passionately! I value that our precious children are growing up together!! I value that they are my true "HIDERS"!! I value them so very much and I don't tell them often enough how truly special they are to me!!

3. Are your friends your sounding boards?

YES!! They are!! Are you kidding me??!! You can ask Shana, I usually will ask them their opinion and input on almost any topic. Yes, I take it to my Heavenly Father and I pray, but sometimes, a victory, or a big decision, or just something that happened in the middle of an ordinary day needs to be shared with them or talked through with my girlfriends! They are awesome sounding boards and many times, it takes a long time to listen to me and a lot of patience! They are awesome at doing both-- listening and having patience.

4. What is your favorite activity to share with your friends?

A girls' night out, a girls' weekend away, or a great bible study evening where we worship, get in His word, study, praise, and then pray!

Now, I am passing this on to 5 friends...

1. Jennifer J.
2. Shana F.
3. Tammy H.
4. Terri R.
5. Meleia B.

-- NOTE: There are several more ladies who I would like to tag, but I was asked to only tag 5. So, that's where I stopped. I know these girls will get you 'tagged' as well!! :)

(I will go to your blogs girls and post comments so that you will know you have been awarded!!)

Have a blessed day my sweet sisters in Christ who are some of the best friends a girl could ask for!!

Let's see, in between going to work, taking children to Camp Joy, taking them to swim practice, picking them up from piano lessons, and doing VBS and all kinds of other stuff, mom squeezed in a women's bible study with the gals from Dalton EMC. The bible study is on the book 'No Other Gods: Confronting Our Modern Day Idols' by Kelly Minter. It is fabulous and eye-opening! This particular study is coordinated through Beth Moore's blog- Living Proof Ministries Blog. It has been a great study so far and we are learning a lot about the true 'idols' in our lives AND we are taking time out of our CRAZY schedules to spend time with our Father and our sisters-- what could be better??!!!

Part of the study was a scripture memory video contest and we submitted a video. We had so much FUN putting the video together- thanks to the great ideas from Jenny, Shana, & the other girls in the study (I wasn't even there the night they came up with this great idea)- and for help from Brad and Scott- for recording it and editing it. Scott did a FANTASTIC job!!

Guess what...

Today the video was posted on Beth Moore's blog!! Wait, did you just read that last line??? The video of us looking crazy, and 'dancing' (loosely termed here) and having fun memorizing His word is on Beth Moore's blog!! How COOL is that!!??? The link to our video is here--- Jude 1:24-25 from the Dalton EMC Siestas!!! Take a look at the video. I hope you enjoy it!! We sure had fun making it. I have some wonderful sisters in Christ who I love dearly!!! And, we were posted on Beth Moore's blog!!! How truly cool and fun!! Who says that kids are the only ones who can have fun in the summer time!?? :) Siestas, I had SO MUCH fun putting this video together and worshiping our God with our crazy 'rapping'! I love you gals more than I can say! Thanks for helping me 'keep it real' this summer.

Well, I must say that I have been truly blessed! If I wondered at all about my blessings, or lack thereof, BEFORE this past weekend, I need not wonder any longer! You see, I have just arrived home from a FABULOUS weekend away with 18 of my girlfriends from church. They are an incredible group of ladies, as I learned more and more over the course of the past weekend. They are truly undeserved gifts from God in my life!!

In the coming months or year, a few of us may have to move away and call another place 'home', but they will still be a part of this bond and this special group of women!! God has grown our group over the past year and I am SO GRATEFUL for that!! I truly enjoyed getting to know several ladies over the past weekend and I enjoyed strengthening the bond I already shared with many of you! THANK YOU Lord for girlfriends!! They are simply GRAND- through the good and the bad!!!

I have posted some pictures from the trip below. Our view from the beautiful cabin was GRAND also, but I was enjoying my weekend so much that I forgot to take a picture of that. I simply took pictures of the beautiful ladies that I was blessed to spend time with. You are my 'hiders' and I love you dearly!!! Enjoy these pictures and have a blessed week- refreshed and rejuvenated!!


This is all 22 of us (including 3 precious babies)

This is several of us in front of our cabin just before we left on Sunday.


This is precious Ella playing with Nancy on Saturday evening. Praise the Lord for her health!!!

Tammy and Tamara enjoying a good game of Cranium! (I won't remind them who won, but let's just say it wasn't them!)


Here is Jennifer getting pampered with a pedicure and a back rub-- Marilyn is the one standing on the chair!

Kristy and Terri enjoying some good 'talking' time on Saturday evening!

Mary Beth, Tamara, and Tammy having a great evening!