The Weekend That Was - Part 3

The final installment of "The Weekend That Was" features fantastic music, football players and fun friends.

At Kelly and Raymond's wedding, a friend from my church small group mentioned that she had a couple of free tickets to see Needtobreathe at Sloss Furnace on Sunday night. I had wanted to go to this concert all along when the concert was scheduled for Saturday but my friend Nicole and I had decided not to because it would almost be pushing it to get back from the wedding and then to the concert.

But the monsoon rains on Saturday forced the Sloss folks to postpone the

concert until Sunday night so Emily offered up some free tickets and Nicole and I gladly accepted. This made the third time that Nicole and I had seen Needtobreathe together. Tradition, anyone?

(L to R: Emily, Dana, Heather, Me and Nicole)

Needtobreathe has quickly become one of my favorite bands and they really do put on a great show. Matthew Mayfield (Birmingham native) opened for them (for the second show in a row that I've seen) and the kid is mega talented. So that was a plus.

The guy standing in front of me looked kind of familiar but I was with all of the people that I knew that liked Needtobreathe so I didn't think that it would be anyone I actually knew. Then, he turned to ask a question and it was none other than my assistant volleyball coach, Reggie. So it was fun to add another two people to our group and to introduce someone else to some great music. Reggie had never heard of Needtobreathe.

After Matthew Mayfield finished, there was a small break. I turned around to see how the crowd looked and I saw another familiar face. It took me a little longer to figure out who this guy was but once I figured it out, I was giddy like a school girl. Who was it?

This guy. Tyson Lee. And people, he is just a precious as he looks. I didn't get a picture with him because I thought that might be pushing it a little but I did talk to him for about 10 minutes and he was so very nice and interesting. He was more interested in learning about me than talking about himself and soaking up compliments, and that really impressed me.

So all in all, it was a good night. It was good times with good friends and good music with a little extra fun. And it was a great ending to a great weekend. I couldn't even remember when I had a weekend that I really enjoyed as much as I did that one.

Stay tuned for a pictures and recap of my trip to Charleston, S.C., for the SoCon Baseball Tournament. I may have it up by Christmas...if you're lucky.

The Weekend That Was - Part 2

Alternate title for this post: Four Warnings and A Wedding

I know it's been about three weeks since I talked about The Weekend That Was, but now it's time to get back to the story-telling.

Saturday (April 24) was Kelly and Raymond's wedding. Every kind of severe weather warning you could think of what covering the state of Alabama. And did I mention it was an outside wedding? Yeah.

Nicole and I packed up and headed south to the 4H Center where the wedding was being held. The sky seemed to get better and better the further south we went, and an hour later, we ended up in the middle of nowhere at the site of the wedding.

At one point, driving through Small Town USA and passing deserted pastures, we kept our eyes on the sky for stray flying bovine.

All was well as we got to the wedding. The rain had subsided, if only for a few minutes, and we made our way under the chapel pavillion to take our seats. Meanwhile, we passed Kelly who was fully prepared with her yellow galoshes.

It was a small ceremony of her closest family and friends. Everything was so personal. All of her friends pitched in. Every decoration, invitation, snack, finishing touch, etc., was done by a family member of friend.

Here's what I contributed:

Instead of printing programs, she had me just do one big program and had it framed. Kelly's is a lover of all things rustic wood so this was perfect for her. Her colors were baby blue and chocolate and her flowers were daisies so I added that into the design.

Besides the funfetti wedding cake and the groom's cake made of Betty Crocker brownies made by small group members, the ceremony really was my favorite part of the day. Although it starting pouring halfway through the ceremony, it really was a testament to God's faithfulness to us and his persistence in his pursuit of an intimate relationship with him.

The moms walked to the great praise and worship song, "In Christ Alone" and when they were in place, the congregation stood and we sang the remainder of the song. Then the bridesmaids processed in to Third Day's "Offering" followed by Kelly who was escorted by her sweet daddy. The song is one that Kelly has always said that she wanted to walk down the aisle to and it was such a sweet moment to see that finally happen for her.

Kelly and Raymond's love story is such an earthly representation of God's pursuit of his people. The couple met at Lakeshore Foundation where Kelly works and were Raymond became a member after his motorcycle accident. They became great friends and have remained friend for a number of years.

Probably since he's known her, Raymond has pursue a romantic relationship with Kelly, but Kelly, being a Christian, stuck to her guns and wouldn't date a nonbeliever. Kelly had always been very open about her faith with Raymond, as she is with everyone she meets. She invited him to church and small group and about two years ago, he finally caved and started coming to small group with her.

For the first little while, he was just going to spend time with her. But after a while, Raymond really started to respond to what he was learning and going even when Kelly couldn't go.

Through a series of events last spring, Raymond decided that he was tired of running from the God that was actively pursuing him. He stopped and turned and allowed God to take control of his life.

Shortly after, Raymond confessed his feelings for Kelly again and Kelly finally knew that God's timing had finally worked itself out. About three months later, in January, he Kelly's dad for her hand in marriage on a trip home to Miami to visit her family. A week later, he proposed and four months later, they are husband and wife.

It's really been amazing to see God's plan for both Raymond and Kelly unfold. It's a true testament to his faithfulness in two respects. One - his faithfulness to Kelly (over 30) to provide a mate after wondering if she would ever meet him. And two - his faithful pursuit of Raymond's heart, year after year after year.

God's awesome, isn't he?!

Small Group Photo Op

So, that's the story of Saturday.

Maybe in a month, I'll be back with the story of Part 3.

The Weekend That Was - Part 1

So, now that it's been a week, I think that I've waited the appropriate amount of time to tell you guys about my last weekend. Don't you?

It really was one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. It was jam-packed full of fun stuff and I spent a lot of time with some great friends.

We'll start with Friday when my friend Lauren and I went to Workplay Theatre to see Ben Rector and Dave Barnes.

Enter monsoon rains.

Seriously, it had been predicted that the storm coming through would be one of the worst storms Birmingham had seen in years. I think someone missed the memo from God about the weather because although it did rain a whole lot here, and thunder and lightning, I think the worst missed up by about 50 miles.

However, come hell or highwater, Lauren and I were going to make it to that show. Because Lauren had never seen Dave in concert. And really? That's just a sin for someone her age.

We ran into a dilemma as we arrived to the venue. What do you d

o when it's pouring down rain outside and you don't want to take your umbrella inside, but your hair will instantly curl/frizz the minute a drop of rain hits your head?

You improvise. Paten pending, folks.

We did make it inside slightly dry and it was a great show. We ran into some people we knew, and made new friends.

And we documented the cuteness before we started sweating like beasts.

Ben performed.

(My apologies for the blurriness.)

Then Dave came on.

This is the third picture I've gotten with Dave in the past four years. I think I'm good on the picture front now.

They ended the show with an unplugged version of "Greyhound" which was pretty awesome, although someone yelled from the back, "You're copying NEEDTOBREATHE!" I tried to record the whole thing but my camera cut out. Here's what I have.

So the evening ended and Lauren and I headed home. I had a big day ahead of me for Saturday. It was Raymond and Kelly's wedding. And it was going to be outside. And there was a 90 percent chance of severe thunderstorms.

Stay tuned...

A Good Sunday

I would like to list for you the components that made up one of the best Sundays I've had in a long while.

1. My church. Amazing praise and worship. And even better it was "choir day". (We don't have one of those "every Sunday choirs". We don't even have a choir loft.) And then my pastor continues to challenge us to live out what the bible teaches us about the new testament church living life together and bringing glory to God through making disciples and multiplying the global church and taking care of his people.

2. Lunch at Panera. Chicken salad on a croissant and sweet tea with three lemons. And great friends. Doesn't get better.

3. An afternoon on the couch catching up on my DVR.

4. An evening with Francesca Battistelli, Leeland and Brandon Heath. The Follow You Tour was at Samford's Wright Center tonight so I headed out catch some good music and praise the Lord a little bit. Or a lot bit.

Here's some photographic evidence of the night.

Leeland, Brandon Heath and Francesca Battistelli opening the show.

Francesca doin' her thing. This girl can wail!

And precious Brandon Heath. His lyrics are somethin' fierce.

So how was your Sunday?

I'll Take The Birthday With A Side Of Broken Glass

I realize that it's been a little over a week since my birthday and I've already posted once about my birthday but it was a premature labor on my part considering that I posted about it before the birthday celebration was even halfway over.

I told you guys about celebrating with the family and the goodness that is cookie cake.

So, there, I received Cookie Cake Numero Uno. And brought about a third of it back to Birmingham with me.

I also told you about coming to work on Monday and having a cookie cake sitting in my chair waiting on me. I present to you, Cookie Cake Numero Dos.

We took it to lunch, yet still, I ended up going home with half of "the goodness". Can you see the sarcastic tears filling my eyes? (Also translated as: I was elated and couldn't wait to get in a room alone with the rest of that cookie cake.)

So Monday night, I went to dinner with people from my small group to...Red Robin (yummmmm...as the commercial states).

Enter Cookie Cake Numero Tres.

And now I must confess something. Red Robin has great burgers. (Not the confession.) But I think I have an obsession with sides. (Confession.) I believe I could make a whole meal out of sides. French fries (especially with ranch dressing), fried dill pickles, onion rings, rolls, chips and queso, caesar side sald. I will take all of the above over a main course. Or as my main course.

I'm going to confess something else. I order a burger. And it came with fries. And Raymond ordered an appetizer of onion rings for the table. Oh. my. word. I could only eat half my burger. You know why? Because I filled up on onion rings. And fries with ranch dressing. (And let's not mention lunch where I cleaned my plate of burger, fries with ranch dressing and cookie cake. And the fact that my fingers want to type "friends" everytime I go to type "fries". Why? Because fries? They are my friends.)

Oh, and I was like the fifth birthday in the whole joint and while I don't mind being sung to (I'm a Leo, and the youngest. I like-a the attention), the songs they were sing were LAME-O! And I know beggars can't be choosers, but seriously, I could've made up a song on the spot and it would've totally been better. Some just aren't as talents as others I guess. (Insert sheepish grin here.)

So, I told the table, jokingly mind you, that I didn't want to be sung to if it was going to be lame. That what I really wanted was for the lights to dim, a disco ball to drop and for 50 Cent to burst out of the kitchen singing, "Go Shawty, it's ya birfday."

Turns out, Fitty called in sick that day, so I had to settle for the standard restaurant song. Yet, someone must've gotten to the waitress because my song was the best in the place. No lameness to be found.

After I was presented with my complimentary ice cream sundae, I wolfed it down (because desserts count as sides) and we were off to the house to partake in the weekly Monday Night Movie and Cookie Cake Numero Tres. (Of which, I was left two-thirds. So basically, with all the pieces of three cookies cakes I had left, I had one and a half cakes. Needless to say, I had cookie cake for breakfast and dessert for the rest of the week.)

As we made our move to get out of the seating area, I was the last one out and as I placed my hand on the table to assist in my getting up, the table was obviously not as stable as it appeared. The table tipped and a glass fell off and broke to which I, always wanting to leave my mark on a place, yelled "Mazel Tav!" And proceeded with my departure.

We got to the house, opened the Katie movie vault and decided to watch The Perfect Storm, a movie which I had forgotten how long it was and how intense it was. I'm pretty sure had I been hooked up to a heart monitor, there would have been definite concern for my health.

Nicole (Smith), Me and Lisa

Tweedle Dee (Josh), Tweedle Dum (Raymond), (Nicole) Starkey and me

And Dan felt left out of the picture-taking because he was getting his water while we were taking the pictures. So he thought he deserve his own picture.

All in all, the night was a blast. Good food, good times, good friends. I wrapped up the birthday celebration Tuesday night with my b-fry Kyle and dinner at Red Lobster in Tuscaloosa.

There are only two things that can get me to Tuscaloosa. Seafood and buddies.

The end.

It's Not The Fourth Until Ray Charles And Lee Greenwood Show Up

Hey people!

I had a great weekend and I hope you all did too.

I had Friday off, so I slept in (until about 11, which is early) and went shopping (jeans at GAP for $20? don't have to tell me twice). Then I met Hollie for a matinee at the Rave. We saw The Proposal. And it was H-I-Larry-O-U-S. I will be buying it when it comes out on DVD. Ryan Reynolds is so precious and so hilarious. And well, there are no words for Sandra Bullock. Hope Floats changed my life. The end.

Saturday, I went down to Prattville/Billingsly with Hollie to celebrate the Fourth with her charming little family. These people are country to the bone and I love them for it. We went down to her sister's house and laid in/by the pool and ate until we couldn't stand up. Seriously. Just looking at the amount of food gave me chest pains. But it was good. And there was homemade ice cream and watermelon. Hallelujah, praise the King. Amen.

We also decided to go a little ways down I-65 to Montgomery to the Biscuits game because a) they were having fireworks after, b) it was only $5 and c) they were playing our Barons! So Hollie's mom, Hollie and I headed down and enjoyed some baseball and fireworks. The Barons won 10-2 and the fireworks were spectacular. It was also so neat to see the players just laying around on the field like kids watching the fireworks. If it hadn't have been so dark, I would've take a picture because, well, it was a picture perfect moment.

I couldn't help but smile when the fireworks started and the music started playing. The Fourth of July is one of my most favorite holidays and fireworks are my favorite part. It never feels real until you hear those seven little words sung --- "...And I'm proud to be an American!" Ha. It's so cliche but with all the stuff that is going on in the world -- from Iraq to Honduras to North Korea -- I really couldn't help thinking how true those words were for me right now. I've found myself thanking God that I'm an American citizen more recently than I have ever before.

And then I heard Ray Charles singing "America the Beautiful" and I got all misty-eyed. It just seals the deal, doesn't it?

Of course, we didn't get in until almost 1 a.m., so I decided to just sleep in and go to church tonight to the 6 p.m. service. (Our church does the same service at night that they do in the morning.)

Let me tell you, my church is amazing. I'm continually in awe of the people that I am surrounded by and the leadership that God has placed in that church. God has richly blessed each and every one of them and they are so obedient in using their gifts to bring glory to his name.

I've been reminded so much lately of the real freedom that I have in Christ. Of course, the Fourth of July is a time when we celebrate our nation's anniversary of gaining our own freedom. But with that, I'm also reminded of the freedom that we have in Jesus Christ. Most people see salvation as freedom from sin. And it is. But recently I've been reminded that salvation gives me freedom to live the way I want to -- the way God wants me to. Because I'm reminded that I have a Savior who endured every trial that I could ever even imagine being faced with, and came out on top every time. That's so encouraging!

Anyhoo, I hope everyone had a fantastic Fourth! In less than four days, I'll be on my way to the beach for vacation with the family! Woohoo!

Weekend Wrap-Up

It's late but I feel the need to wrap up the weekend on this here blog. So I'll do so quickly and efficiently with a numbered list.

1. Friday night I went to Easely Amused with Casey and her friend Nicole joined us. It was fun and great to get back to painting. I haven't painted anything in probably two years since I painted a Noah's Ark for William's nursery. It was a two canvas class called "Romeo and Juliet" we were her ginuea pigs on this project. Here's the finished product. 

2. Saturday, we had a good time with Taco Night with the fam. And homemade strawberry ice cream. Here's the latest documentation of the cuteness that is William Charles Johnson.

3. Sunday, we went to church of course and it was great as usual. We lunched at P.F. Chang's which was amazing then after Dad and I napped, we headed back to church for "Let Freedom Ring" and to watch Mom do her best impression of Kate Smith singing "God Bless America". And it was awesome, per usual. Her mother and father, I'm sure, were up in heaven going, "Yep, that's our Libby." There was also an awesome tribute to WWII where seven veterans from our church were interviewed about their time in the war. It was humbling, to say the least.

4. Tonight, I saw My Sister's Keeper and it was so good. And so sad. I held it together until about the middle and I lost it. I definitely had the ugly cry going on in the Vestavia Rave. Good thing it was dark.

5. And last but not least, I must comment on tonight's episode of The Bachelorette because there was much too much goodness to just leave things be. I'll take from a wall post I post on my Bachelorette buddy Bethany's wall tonight. 

1) Wes = D-bag. He makes me want to go buy steel-toed cowboy boots and learn Karate just so I roundhouse kick him in the face. 

2) Jake is killing me. He's totally THAT guy.

3) One word: Ed. And I add a few more words: did I tell you he was coming back or what?

4) P.S. He's precious. And if Jillian doesn't marry him, I will. No matter how old he is. But I won't move to ChicAHHHgo.

5) Jillian's yellow dress is clutch. And was it just me or does the necklace she has one look like it's lighting up?)

6). Ed is back! Woo! And see #1 for my thoughts on the last rose.

That is all.

Weekend Wrap-Up

I had a pretty busy weekend, folks.

Friday was spent doing business as usual -- babysitting. I don't know if that's business as usual, but it sounded clever. And I walk away with a sizable amount of "foliage", so it was a successful Friday night.

I bonded with a four-year old over blueberries, told three fairy tales in less than five minutes, had one of the most successful attempts of putting a 10-month old to sleep that I've ever had, and played a really weird game of beauty shop. Y'all, I never really realized how none girly I am. Give me a little boy and a football all day, but ask me to play beauty shop for half an hour and you're probably going to get some resistance from this gal. I won't do just anything for $60, but I'll play beauty shop with a four-year old if you ask nicely.

I also watched Hotel Rwanda for the first time. It was the kids' parents' last Netflix pick and they offered it to me even though it was already sealed up and ready to go into the mail. I'm glad they offered because I've been dying to see it. I actually think I've seen it in the $5 bin at Walmart before and have been tempted to get it without previously viewing it but have resisted. (And I went back today to the Walmarts and it was nowhere to be found.)

Y'all, that movie broke my heart. Much like Blood Diamond, it struck the depths of my soul. I was just sitting there on their ever-so-comfortable couch, crying out to God in my heart, asking why this happened to people and what could I do. I felt so helpless. 

Awkward segue way to Saturday's fun...

I joined my friend Nicole Saturday evening out into the blistering heat for some good tunes and fried food at City Stages. She had been given free tickets and VIP passes for the weekend so we decided to take advantage and head on over. 

Our main goal was to see Matt Kearney. So we got there early enough to go to VIP and get some free food and a shot (seriously) of Coca-Cola. Good thing we were allowed two drinks because you bet I went back and got a jumbo-sized Vitamin Water after the three sips of Coca-Cola I was just afforded. 

Dinner was hotdogs, beans and cole slaw. Nicole and I realized how perfect we were for each other when she realized that I didn't eat beans and cole slaw and I remembered she was a vegetarian. So I had two hot dogs and she had two helpings of beans and coleslaw. And there was no judging.

After downing our food and Vitamin Waters, we headed over to see Matt Kearney. Let me just say, he precious. Sounds amazing and can play the piano for real.

After Matt (obviously, we are on a first name basis) finished, we walked over to see a favorite of mine, Jonny Lang. I loved him the first time I ever saw him on the Disney Channel playing his guitar (he was the first Joe Jonas, if you will), and I fell in love with his raspy soulful voice. Seriously, look him up on iTunes. Or MySpace. Or YouTube. He's amazing. He may look like he's ugly crying when he sings, but like John Mayer, that's where all the goodness comes from. 

That's Mr. Lang rockin' out. And see the dude in the dredlocks and the yellow shirt behind him? You don't? How can you miss him? He's like a defensive tackle. He sings some mean BGV's. Look up the song "Thankful". That non-raspy voice? That's him.

After a little of Jonny Lang, we went back over to check out Corey Smith. After asking everyone on the way there, who the heck Corey Smith was (the only Corey Smith I knew of was a Samford football player and knew that this Corey Smith couldn't possibly be the same person. Besides, the football player has no "e" in his name), Nicole finally figured out that he's from UGA and was actually a good friend of her brother and sister's. Or something like that. So we were game. Until we found out he was country. He sat for a while and tried to enjoy but we just weren't feeling it.

We decided to walk back over and check out the Neville Brothers. Yeah, Neville. As in, Aaron Neville. The guy with the crazy-interesting girly sounding voice. 

Before he hit the stage though, there it was, like an oasis in a dry land. The Penn's stand.  (Yes, they have a website). I think you can only be from Mississippi, and really, only Jackson, to appreciate what a sight for soar eyes this was. I leapt out of my skin and into line and grabbed me up some fried dill pickles and ranch sauce. Because you can't just walk by a Penn's stand. God might strike you dead. Because Penn's is THAT good. God knows. 

After I had secured the precious loot and Nicole had her sweet tea, we went and staked out a spot on the steps just outside the area of the Neville Brothers' stage. We could hear them, but couldn't see them. When he had finished, we decided we weren't feelin' the vibe and decided that maybe if we got closer, it would be better. We made it closer to the stage just in time to hear them sing "A Change Is Gonna Come", which was great. However, we couldn't handle the stickiness of the humidity anymore and decided to call it a night.

After church and a lazy afternoon, we headed back out on Sunday to catch two more acts. Guster (whom I had never heard of but are amazing) and Needtobreathe (my new favorite band).

Nicole and I decided to bypass the VIP hot dogs (well the security guy made the decision for us since I didn't have my ID) and we opted for bloomin' onions instead. We grabbed our delicacies and found a spot in the grass to set up our chairs and we enjoyed a little Guster.

Self-potrait, note the bloomin' onion. Yum.

After Guster, we headed over to see Needtobreathe, and made a stop by the snow cone stand. I got blueberry and Nicole got blueberry and watermelon. You can only imagine the result.

Mmm. Yeah.

But really, this is all you need to see. This is Needtobreathe. Again, iTunes them. Myspace them. Youtube them. Google them. You won't be sorry. 

We decided to skip out on En Vogue, the Doobie Brothers (who we would have stayed for had they not been at the same time as Needtobreathe) and, wait for it...hold your applause...Lynard Skynard. I know, I know. Shame on me. But the sheer volume of redneck-ness was making me twitch. 

And that was my weekend, everyone. I hope you had one of equal or greater fun value.

Highland Manor

Some people have heard me talk about when I go to Highland Manor every other Tuesday night. 

Some people wonder what it is. 

I'm here to explain.

Highland Manor is a somewhat assisted living facility in downtown Birmingham that houses a lot of Lakeshore Foundation members. 

(Sidenote: It's an old hotel or apartment building, we think, and the top floor used to be a club/bar back in the day called "Top 21". We gather this from the fact that it is in fact the 16th floor but the elevator button is labeled "Top 21" and the layout of the space is quasi-old timey clubish.)

But I digress...

This bi-monthly meeting was born out of our desire to bring a good meal every other Tuesday to a few of our favorite Lakeshore members. Since most of the people we meet with aren't very mobile (i.e. cerebral palsy and other phyisal handicaps), they aren't really able to fix a very good meal for themselves every day. Usually, they just fix one meal and have leftovers or order out or whatever. 

So in my old bible study that I used to do with a group of girls from church, we decided (with the guidance and suggestion of my roommate Kelly, who actually works with these people every day) to start doing this every other week about two years ago. It has quickly spread to our other small group that meets on Thursday at our house and has become more of a fun night with friends now than a service opportunity.

I wasn't able to go for a couple of months because of spring sports and I had forgotten how much I love going. For two reasons...well three...okay, four.

1 and 2. These two precious people:

This is a picture of Randall and Kisha. I guess you could call them my favorites. They both have CP (cerebral palsy) and are two precious souls. I met Kisha first when I voluteered at the Lakeshore Triathlon. As I stood out in the parking lot waiting to help people who were hand-cycling up the daunting hill if they needed help, Kish came and kept me company. She talked to Emily and I the whole time we were out there and when our time was up, Emily and I just craved more time with her. 

After we planned to start doing dinner, we met Randall and he became my second favorite. He's so funny. I can't stand it. I leave with half of my makeup off because I've been crying from laughing so hard. 

3. This...

This view. Highland Manor sits right above Five Points in downtown Birmingham and it "Top 21" (heehee) has a sweet little patio that covers a whole two sides of the building. And the above picture is the view of Birmingham from it. I'm telling you, if there is one great thing about Birmingham, it's the views. There are some amazing mountain top/building aerial views here.

Anyway, it's just so calming to look out onto the city and see what's out there. And then to pray over that city and seek God's work in it. Amazing.

3. The fellowship. There might be days that I don't feel like going to Highland Manor but there is never a day when I leave that place wishing I hadn't gone. I'm always filled with joy and thankfulness for each person in that place. It's just such an amazing experience to share life with some many different people. To love on each other. Share our triumphs and our low points and know that everyone is rejoicing or fighting or grieving with you.

We used to just go and have dinner and talk and then leave. One day, one of the guys that goes with us felt lead to start doing a devotion. And y'all, it's been amazing to see the response to that devotion. Just a little 5-10 minute devotion has changed that bi-weekly meeting from a time to just come a get a free meal, to a time to come and share life with 12 or 15 or 20 other people. 

God, thank you so much for placing me here in Birmingham for such a time as this. Everywhere I go and in every person I met, I see you. I see your love and I feel just a tiny bit more of your compassion for the people that you have created in your own image. I am constantly in awesome wonder of the ways that you show yourself real to through so many people and situations. And by your faithfulness to take care of every need and every situation that I or anyone else may have. 

I praise you for the sight that I have in my eyes so that I can see your glorious creation and the smiles on each person's face that I gather with. I praise you for the legs that carry me to my car that carries me to the place where I am able to fellowship with your children. 

Please continue to bless our time with the people at Highland Manor so that you receive the glory in everything that we do. 

And that's Highland Manor. Now you know.

A "Beef" On I-20/59 South

So, Katie...what did you do on Friday? Well, folks, I'm glad you asked. I sat on Interstate 20/59 South in Tuscaloosa for four hours due to an overturned cattle truck about five miles ahead of me. Yes, five miles. That's not even half of the miles that traffic was backed up. I guess you could say that the Alabama Highway Patrol and Department of Transportation had quite the "beef" to deal with Friday afternoon. (Yes, I've been working on that sentence for three days now. Thank you. I'll be here all week. Tip your waitresses.)

Anyhoo, I sat going southbound for about an hour and half, fighting the urge to be a sheep and follow the herd (pun intended) of cars that were turning around and going northbound on the southbound shoulder. About another 30 minutes, I gave into the temptation (the Lord forgives), turned the happy Saturn around and started going the other way. As luck would have it, that traffic was halted and we soon found out that cops were giving tickets a-ways down to people who had done just what we had done.

So after 20 minutes of sitting there, facing the wrong direction, the Lord rained down mercy, parted the clouds and the cars and I found some gracious people who let me finagle my way into a gap between them that just happened to be the perfect size for my car. After displaying my phat drive-reverse-drive-reverse skillz, I was facing the right way again and all was well with the world (whew, dodged that bullet). Except, we were still stuck on the interstate with no signs of relief anytime soon.

I made friends with the lady behind me who happened to be an attorney in Birmingham, lives in Homewood and whose daughter graduated from MSU about the same time as me and was an RA in Sessums (small world). We also befriended a trucker who was stuck in the lane beside us and he was getting the 411 from his trucker buds who were driving by in the northbound lanes.

Meanwhile, I turned the car off and started taking pictures. What else was there to do, right? 

A look at the backup. Look closely and you can see the family who had gotten their kids' bikes out and started riding them up and down the shoulder. Remember, four hours, people. FOUR HOURS!

Another look going the other way. See the cars who are facing the other way. They hadn't found any gaps in the traffic yet to turn around. However, all cars behind me were able to get turned around and dodged the ticket bullet as well. I guess you could say I started a good trend.

A look at the view from the middle of the road. Craziness is what this is called.

This is the way that my speedometer looked for two full hours. Notice the almost full tank of gas and I was only a little less than 50 miles from Birmingham (I had driven about 10 miles on Thursday after filling up). 

And this is what I thought of the whole ordeal.

And this kid started his own dance party.

The news crew came out to point and laugh at us and taunt us with other forms of transportation. I really need to learn how to fly.

I left Birmingham at 12:45 p.m., came to stand still traffic at 1:30 p.m., finally began moving at 5:00 p.m., and arrive in Jackson around 8:00 p.m., just in time to enjoy a good old-fashioned sleepover at my bud Stuff's (that's Stephanie, for you normal people out there) new crib in Byram. It has an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Not really, but it's pretty huge. And it has a waterfall. Word.

Saturday was spent celebrating the Sister's birthday in grand Walden fashion, complete with pork tenderloin, potato salad, Daddy-style green beans, fruit parfaits and cookie cake. Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like good eats, right?

And what would complete a post-home visit blog post better than pictures of this little guy. We were like two peas in a pod this weekend.

 

Dude, I totally wasn't ready!

Guys, this place is a pig sty. No worries. I'll take care of it. 

Anna and Ross better hope he can either deliver a mean tackle, shoot free throws blind-folded and with one hand tied behind his back or hit bombs over the left field wall because this picture has future janitor written all over it.

Baby Baluga In The Deep Blue Sea..

Does anybody remember that episode of Full House where Michelle walks around singing "Baby Beluga" during the whole episode? I love that show but I hate that episode because I end up singing the song for the rest of the day.

And now I'll be singing it for the rest of the night. And so will you.

Anyhoo...

The whole point is that I actually saw a baby beluga whale this weekend. 

I went to visit Bethany in Athens, Ga., this weekend and we made a little trip to Atlanta Saturday to go to the Georgia Aquarium. 

And y'all, that place was well worth the 35 bones I spent on a premium plus pass.

It was amazing to spend an afternoon with so much of God's creation. There really aren't words so I'll just show you...

Very cool wall o' fish. Yeah, that's a whale shark at the top.

Cool porthole in the bottom of the big tank where all the sharks and rays and fish are.

This is the tunnel under the fish tank.

This is right when you walk in. There are cownose rays and bonnethead sharks in there that you can touch. Really neat.

And here's Niko, the baby beluga.

It really was a fun day, even if I never saw any of the Real Housewives of Atlanta.

I can't wait to go back and visit so I can see more of Athens (such a cute town) and do more tourist stuff in the ATL. Like Six Flags. Because you really can't go to ATL and not go to Six Flags. Or at least I can't.

Anyway, it's always good to see my bfry Bethany. We get each other and we fight like sisters. It's kinda funny. It's a weird kinda love we got for each other. Plus, we can whine to each other about still being single.

And we tell each other that we are hot. You know, just to boost the ego a little bit.

Bethany also gave me the grand tour of the UGA campus, including driving past the phat KD house and showing me the football weight room on the way up to her office.

It's weekends like that one and the ones that I get to spend with my family that make me so grateful for the blessings that God has given me in my family and friends. It's no mistake that God hand-picks people for your life and places them there in certain times for certain reasons.

I can't imagine my life without the greatest friends and family a girl could ask for. To those reading, when I'm with you, I never feel alone. I never feel inferior or uncool or unpopular or not wanted. Thank you for being the best part of my life. I mean, besides God, of course.

Never Say (Think) Never

My name is Katie, and I am not a country music fan. 

There are artists that I like (i.e. Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum) and songs I like (recently, Jason Aldean's "She's Country"), but I am not, by any means, a full-blown country music fan.

I respect the art. I mean, how can you not? Country music has just about the most widespread, eclectic and most loyal fan base in all of music.

Seriously.

However, I love love love concerts. Live music. Big or small venue. Rap, rock, jazz, blues, pop, inspirational...even country. I love live music. It's the best way to take it all in.

So, needless to say, it's hard to ruin a concert for me (I sat in the 100-degree weather, sweat-drenched to see Dave Matthews, remember?). I don't think that I've ever been to a bad concert. I just love live music that much.

So I say all that to say this: I think that I've said at least once in my life (and I know I've thought it about a million times), I will never ever go to a country music concert.

Friends, never say never.

Tonight, I wrote history. I went to my first country music concert, after much arm-twisting from Hollie earlier today. It was one of those spontaneous decisions. Last minute. And I wore my best hippie outfit in an effort not to "fit in". It's the rebel in me.

I don't have a history of being spontaneous. I like to know what, where and when things are going to happen. But God's been working on me a little bit in that area. Okay, a lot bit. And if it takes a country concert to test that out, I'm okay with it. And well, if nothing else, I'll get a good blog post out of it.

Tonight (Thursday night), Kenny Chesney and his Sun City Summer Tour was at probably one of my most favorite outdoor venues -- the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Oak Mountain. 

Why did I go? Two words - Lady Antebellum. 

They opened. I heart them. Their harmonies are like water for a thirsty soul. I can't get enough.

Miranda Lambert was there too. She was in between Lady Antebellum and Kenny (as Hollie would say. They are on a first name basis). And I was surprised at how much I liked her. I mean, I watched her on Nashville Star the first season it was on. (Yes, I watched that show. It's a talent show, isn't it? I watch all talent shows.) I rooted for her. Loved her. She's precious. And man, can she sing. I just can't listen to her talk. COUUUUUUntry. But y'all, she inspired me to the my pretty blue guitar out and actually learn how to play it. 

Kenny Chesney wasn't that bad either. I can see why he has been Entertainer of the Year for however many years in a row. (But, we can't forget that Carrie Underwood broke that streak this year. And PTL! She's precious. And great. And talented. And the most successful American Idol.). 

Anyway, he's a great entertainer. The guy sings effortlessly. I'm serious. No effort whatsoever. He sweats like a beast (so did Miranda but who can blame them, it was blazin' up there), but he works that stage and the crowd like a professional. And I guess that's fitting since he is, in fact, a professional. It's probably why he's loaded. 

I had deja vu, though. Deja vu at a Kenny Chesney concert. It was a little disturbing. 

What other things did I find disturbing/annoying about this night?

Glad you asked.

I'll list for easy reading.

1. I found myself singing along to these songs. It was a wicked serious outer-body experience. I don't listen to the country music stations in Birmingham so I'm astounded by the fact that I knew so many of the lyrics to so many of these songs. I guess I've been to one too many baseball games. Because you know we've talked about the link between baseball/softball and country music.

2. The confederate soldier (I'm sure) sitting behind us that thought it was great to "rebel yell" in our ears every 15 minutes. Yes, I timed it. He had that rebel yell down to an art. And I almost had my fist in his face down to an art too. But I refrained considering his blood alcohol level was probably higher than his I.Q. 

3. The couple in front of us. Probably no older than 22. There is only one thing more gross to me that an intoxicated couple turning to each other and singing every song to each other while looking longingly into their beloved's eyes. And that one thing is when that same couple breaks into full on make-out mode. I can't handle it. I don't do PDA. It makes me uncomfortable. The couple in front of us started at the opposite end of the row. (Hollie and I were in seats 1 and 2.) The couple made their way, somehow, all the way down the row until they were in front of us towards the end, blocking our view with their, um, expression of their undying love. Good thing my leg seizures weren't acting up tonight, or one swift kick would have sent them both (considering they were attached to each other so solidly) flying down the stairs. And out of my line of sight.

4. I can tell that college definitely culturized me. And according to Bethany, my new superhero name should be "Super Nose". I can smell Malibu Rum from a mile away and can pick out the stench of marijuana from anything. (This comes from high school. They didn't bring the "dogs" to our school once a month for nothing.)

5. I almost killed a cowboy on the way out. Hollie and I were in the car and I'm trying to get in line to get out of the parking lot. (By the way, I am the master of finding good parking spaces. I sweet-talked the parking attendant to let us in a full lot because we "swore we saw at least three parking spaces open" in that lot. Needless to say, I found a really close, and legal, spot and I have officially surpassed the legal limit on parentheses.) We were rockin' out to the iPod, I'm sure to T-Pain or Pit Bull, when all of a sudden there is a cowboy humping my car. Yes, folks, pelvic thrusts on the car. Poor Sally. She's still scarred. However, I gave Mr. Cowboy the death stare from hell and he backed away slowly, with fear and trembling. 

However, all in all, I'd say it was good night. I will never say never again but I can without a doubt say that I am not a whole-hearted country fan either. 

I just can't embrace the redneck inside of me yet. 

I don't know if I want to.

(Pics to come. Hollie has them on her camera. So yes, this night was documented.)

Whirlwind Tour Down 20/59

People. I think I spent more time in my car in the past 48 hours than I did on land. It was all for great things though. Promise.

Sunday, I woke up 45 minutes later than I had planned and booked it to Jackson for my sweet Julie's wedding. And yes, I still got there with 22 minutes to spare, in one piece and without a speeding ticket. Folks, I've learned my lesson about the speeding. Seven tickets later. At least, I think that's the count.
Anyhoo.

Yes. You heard me right. Julie got married on a Sunday. And it was fantastic. It was at the Fairview Inn in Jackson and it was the most glorious outside wedding I've ever been to or had the privilege to be a part of. It was out on the patio where the gazebo was and the area was shaded just enough and the wind blew every so lightly that it was not hellaciously (I think I just made that word up) hot like we thought we would all be in our own little black dresses. Yes, you heard me again. No expensive bridesmaid dress to buy. Just told up all to go buy a black dress, gave us a few parameters, and sent us on our way.
I love low-maintenance friends!

Julie's dress was perfectly classic and fit her style and personality so well. Tall and slender with the classic birdcage veil to match.

It was a great ceremony and the Lord was definitely glorified through it. There's no doubt about that.

The best thing about it though, was that I got to see my friends! 

From left to right: Casey, Me, Jules and Hollye

Great food, great friends, great fun.

Although I somewhat got the day off, I still had to work on Sunday as well. My softball team was back in Birmingham playing their final conference game and my track team was at the conference championships so I had some major writing looming in the distance for me for the night.

FBC Jackson's choir, of which my mom is in, was recording a CD and DVD Sunday night so I decided to head on over and enjoy some great music all the while praising the Lord. And let me tell you, I did not regret that decision one bit. It was AMAZING! 

However, after I left the Julie and Marshall's reception, I stopped by the Walgreen's to change clothes because I didn't think about changing clothes at the reception. It just didn't cross my mind.

After I changed, I headed down the street to church and with computer in tow, I snuck up to the rafters and set up my own little personal work station. I wrote my softball story as it couldn't be put off any longer. Those folks needed to know about the big win. So I'd write a paragraph, stand and sing, and then write another paragraph and the stand and sing. 

And y'all, that was the most PERFECT place to watch that service. Because our sanctuary is so enormously massive, it's kind of fun to go sit at the very top and watch instead of sitting in our front section eighth row seats like usual. 

I saw people praising the Lord in ways I didn't know FBCJ knew how to praise the Lord. It was so neat. Plus, up there, you really do feel closer than the Lord. And you know what, I had no inhibitions about standing up and raising my hands and clapping like I do in my church here in Birmingham. It's a such a great worship experience. 

And I got finished with my work just in time to fully enjoy Derek singing "I'm Amazed." Y'all, that man just makes my want to cry every time he opens his mouth. 

So after leaving church, I went home and got back to business as usual, only saddened to find out that my track team didn't do as well as I had hoped. 

I got up Monday morning and headed back to Birmingham to get to work by noon only to turn around and leave at 2 p.m., just in time to start getting ready for the SAMSPY's. It's Samford's version of the ESPY's and it was the first edition. And it was fabulous. We handed out 23 awards and I couldn't have been more proud of all of our award winners. They were completely deserving. 

I wish there had been more though.

If I could've handed out my own awards, I would've. But nevertheless, there is next year. 

It was so exciting to see how much the student-athletes enjoyed it and how excited they are about next year even now. 

Here are few pics from the night.

Here are my precious, beautiful volleyball captains on the red carpet (or the step and repeat, as the professionals call it) after accepting their award for Most Outstanding Team (and y'all? They for real deserved it. 28-5. Regular-season division champs!)

This is what the awards looked like. They are really cool.

And then me and my girls - Jessica, Lauren and Hollie (Yay! Hollie is feeling better! She doesn't have the Swine Flu, only Walking Pneumonia!)

To see more photos from the inaugural SAMSPY's go here and here.

So, needless to say, I did not want to go back to work today for a WHOLE day. I have serious Spring Fever. And it's not just because the weather is rockin' my socks off right now and all I want to do is be outside. I'm am totally just...over...work right now. I really just don't care.

I know that sounds bad. But ya know what? It totally gets me through the day. Instead of stressing, I just say, "The heck with it," and do what I can do at the moment. 

I am so ready for May 12th. That is when softball is over with. For good. Hopefully. 

Now that my marathon post is done, I think I will go sleep now.