Happy 25th Birthday GABE!!

Here's to you Gabriel James Mick,

Today you reach the Quarter Century Mark of your life...


You're looking good...



And very loved...


But you aren't old yet so go out out and celebrate!!

Happy Birthday to one terrific friend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Little Ears"

One of the benefits of playing mom for a few days is hearing all the funny things kids say.

I don't always hear so well and find myself saying "pardon me" an AWFUL lot. SO yesterday I had to say "pardon me" a few times to the boys and after a while the oldest one looked at me funny and said: "do you have little ears?" To which I responded: "yes, I must."

Who knew it is my "little ears" that caused me to not hear half the things people say to me.

Playing Make Believe

I have a great imagination so playing make believe has never been too hard for me.

For the next week I will be in Virginia playing mom to three adorable little children while their parents travel to Cali. I am super excited! It will be a new adventure for me...

Three little lives to take care of for five days. Holy Mommy!

I imagine I'll have some great stories to share, cute little things they'll say, precious memories. Only, it won't be make believe. I'll really be there and they'll really be depending on me to meet their needs while their real mom is away.

I am praying for grace and patience, fun and laughter, and a renewed spirit [little kids have a way of putting everything into perspective for me].

It is funny because I've been asking the Lord to put these fruits in me and it is just like Him to afford me a real life opportunity to put them into practice. I don't even have to imagine!

L-O-V-E-- do you know what that mean?

"We love because He first loved us." 1John 4:19

This Valentine's day I am thinking about God's great love for me... I want to drown in His love!

If it were not for Jesus and His amazing gift on the cross I would be lost in finding love. I would be hopeless. But I am not hopeless and I am not lost. I have hope and am found in Christ Jesus!!

I am LOVED... and so are YOU!

So, if you're feeling all alone and hopeless this Valentine's day know that Jesus Christ loves you. He not only wants you to be His Valentine but is down on one knee asking you to spend the rest of your days (and all of eternity) with Him.

[I'll say yes to that proposal!]

Today I felt like I was back in COLLEGE

... it was great!



I had the day off so I decided to drive to Athens [so not my aluma mater] to visit my dear, sweet friend. His birthday is next Friday, the big 2-5, and I won't be in town to celebrate with him so I thought why not celebrate a little bit early.

We went to lunch downtown Athens at this little Indian place, ate the lunch buffet [that is how much I love this guy] and then he headed back to class and I headed over to his house. I was just going to drop off some cookies and head back to Atlanta but my friend just happens to live with five of the most amazing guys in Athens, so I stayed to visit.

This is something I truly miss about being in college--hanging out. We just don't do this in the "real world" [sure you may hang out after work or on the weekends, but is it really the same?] I mean who is home at 3 o'clock in the afternoon to just sit around and visit? Or, if you are lucky enough to be home in the afternoon everyone else is still at work. And if you are home you are probably trying to get stuff done like laundry or paying the bills or walking the dog...

But in college someone is always home... and usually up for hanging out...

So, today I sat and visited for a while. It was nice and I'm really glad I got to do it!

Is THIS what Love Looks Like Now?

"Text Me" I can't say this would be my ideal message, but I guess it is better than "Facebook me"-- right?

But I have to admit I still love conversation hearts. I don't really love the way they taste, but there is something so whimsical about them I just can't resist buying a pack at Valentine's!

Ever Feel Like...

You keep missing "it"?

I do. 

I feel like I finally begin to get it and then something happens and I totally lose it.  And I wonder what just happened?  I thought I was getting this, this thing I know I need to get, I want to get and yet I can't seem to hang onto it.

I wonder, while I live in this earthly flesh, if I'll ever get "it?" I am guessing: Probably not.  Which makes me sad, but then I am reminded of Paul's words to the Philippians:

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 

Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-- though I myself have reason for such confidence. 

If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eight day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. 

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like death, and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead. 

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

(Phillippians 3:1-14)

Even Paul, who could have had "it", didn't want "it".  He knew if he got "it" he would be throwing away his need for the grace and goodness of ALL Christ Jesus did.  All he wanted was Christ! 

Praise the Lord!!  I'm going to forget about getting my "it" and figure out how to hold onto Christ and let Him take care of it.

I guess I really am Southern

I am sure some of you are wondering how my trip to NYC was, or more importantly, my blind date... I understand, I would be wondering myself.

So I want to put your minds to rest...

NYC Blind Date was not the one for me. It was a totally fun experience. I don't regret going one tiny bit! It was fun to get dressed up and go out on the town and meet someone new. But I am pretty sure I am southern through and through and I'm not sure that meshes so well with a northerner through and through (unless of course this is something the Lord has ordained and then it could probably be done).

I now understand why my mother is always saying this to me: "I am so happy [thankful, etc.] that we were able to raise you in the south." I would always hear her say this to me, but I never took it much to heart. I didn't really think there was that much different between the north and the south, honestly.

My mother's family is from Ohio and they are great people! Although, they have lived in Georgia for over 25 years now and for my mom and her siblings that is longer than they lived in Ohio. So, maybe, just maybe, the south has managed to get in their blood.

We still keep many of our family's northern traditions. On New Year's when all my friend's families are eating black eyed peas and collard greens we're eating hot dogs and sauerkraut. At Easter we eat pickled beats and eggs-- I know no one down here who has that tradition. But I'm glad we are able to integrate our northern roots into our southern lives.

I am the first person in my family to be born and raised in the South. And to be honest, I'll be happy to always call the south, particularly Georgia, my home!