A Huge Surprise

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I know I haven’t written much on here lately. I’m still unwinding from my beach birthday and I’m still in shock about a HUGE surprise that was waiting for me in my garage when I got home from my beach birthday. {see the video below}

I have been catching up with my family and our daily schedule and homework and exercising and grocery shopping and bill paying and letter writing and house cleaning…It just takes a while for me to get back into a groove.

Until I get back into my blog writing groove, here’s the video of my HUGE surprise for your viewing pleasure, guaranteed to make you smile.

{If you’re reading this via RSS or email, click over to see the video}

My Beach Birthday

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A dream that started a year ago.

To gather my closest friends to celebrate my 40th birthday. {22 came!}

A dream to rent a house, on a beach and invite my sisters – friends who have inspired, challenged, laughed, cried, endured, loved & supported me through the years.

A time to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

A time to dig our toes into the sand. A time to let the salt water soak into our hair. A time to ride the waves. A time to search for seashells.

{Greta’s photo}

A time to let the sun kiss our skin. A time to eat plenty of dark chocolate.

A time to rest like an adult and play like a child.

{Kara’s photo}
A time for some of you to reconnect with each other.

A time for some of you to meet for the first time.

It was a dream come true.

Actually it was better than a dream come true. The friendships that started as a result of our time together and the spiritual connection of spending time together and the conversations and the laughter and the tears – above and beyond anything I could have dreamed.

This dream could not have happened without Greg and all of the spouses and families and co-workers who covered our responsibilities for our time away. THANK YOU!

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For more images of our week together, go here & here.

Here are a few posts written by friends that were there: Courtney: 1 & 2, Maria, Reeve & Nester.

I Blame Eve :: Book Review

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I am honored to be a part of a group of bloggers that have been given the opportunity to write a book review for Susanna Foth Aughtmon’s latest book titled I Blame Eve: Freedom from Perfection, Control Issues and the Tendency to Listen to Talking Snakes.

In I Blame Eve, Susanna shares personal stories full of wit & steaming with grace. Her stories made me laugh out loud and nod my head in silent agreement. She digs deeper into our soul by uncovering the “Eden gene”. The gene in all of us that causes feelings of hopelessness, perfectionism, discouragement, control issues, impatience, bitterness, selfishness, etc…But she doesn’t leave us dwelling in that pit. With each chapter she encourages and challenges us to let go of that gene, to stop listening to the talking snake and grasp the freedom only Jesus can give us.

As someone who has had a strong faith base for many years, I Blame Eve was refreshing. She honestly and willingly shares the good, bad & ugly with me. Any book that does that, along with allowing me to laugh at things like cellulite, arm flab & childbirth, is a book that I would recommend to my friends.

Pick up your copy of I Blame Eve: Freedom from Perfection, Control Issues and the Tendency to Listen to Talking Snakes which is currently available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and CBD.

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{I started following Susanna’s blog, Confessions of a Tired Super Girl years ago. I was in a wedding with her sister Jenny in 2003 and out of that friendship I was “introduced” to Susanna & her witty stories of doing life as a pastor’s wife & mom of three. Her blog is one of the first blogs I started to read way back in the beginning of blog-dom. This is Susanna’s third book, friends! Her first two: All I Need is Jesus & a Good Pair of Jeans: The Tired Supergirl’s Search for Grace and My Bangs Look Good & Other Lies I Tell Myself: The Tired Supergirl’s Search for Truth are both great reads!}

Bake One Freeze One

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Whenever I am away for a few days, I try to make sure there are a few easy meals that Greg can pop in the oven or microwave for a quick meal. This time I stocked our freezer & pantry with meals for the family since I will be gone for 7 days. Greg is completely capable of preparing meals and cooking. It’s just one less thing he will have to do. Here’s a list of what I made & froze:

~ Sausage Breakfast Strata {pictured above}
~ Chicken & Broccoli Noodle Casserole Recipe {everyone in our family LOVED it!}
~ Taco Meat
~ Chili
~ Hamburger patties (bought 2lbs of ground beef, shaped them into patties & put them in individual sandwich ziploc bags)
~ Meatballs (so, I didn’t make these – just bought a bag at the store)

I stocked the pantry and fridge with side dish options like pasta, tortillas, taco fixings, chili fixings, vegetables, bread, etc. He will only need to make a grocery run for fresh fruit, produce & milk.

Forty

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Today is my 40th birthday. I thought it would be fun to share with you, in a completely random order, 40 things about me:

1. I love to take out a piece of pasta & eat it a few minutes after you dump it into the boiling water, it’s soft & crunchy.
2. I cannot fall asleep with my feet uncovered.
3. I’m a side-sleeper.
4. When I was a kid my dream was to be a helicopter pilot when I grew up.
5. I got my first job when I was 14 with the White House Historical Association.
6. I love Tar Heel basketball.
7. I have been coloring my hair since college to hide the grays.
8. I changed my major in college 3 times {Pre-Pharmacy to Elementary Education to Criminal Justice}.
9. Sometimes I miss eating cheese. A lot of times, really.
10. I do not like talking on the phone.
11. I twirl my hair when I’m thinking.
12. I pluck my eyebrows daily.
13. I have not had any body hair waxed.
14. Passion Tea Lemonade is my Starbucks beverage of choice.
15. DoubleMint gum is a necessity after a meal.
16. I love Bath & Body Works mentha lip tint gloss.
17. I read Pride & Prejudice once a year.
18. A day without coffee is a day with a headache.
19. I love Jesus.
20. I’m very particular about pens & pencils.
21. I have pencil lead stuck in my left wrist by accident from a kid named Jay Brian Brewer in the 2nd grade.
22. I have pencil lead stuck in my left leg from another kid who was walking up the stairs with their pencil sticking out & jammed it into my leg, thru my jeans as I was walking down the stairs in the 5th grade.
23. I remember random moments like pencil stabbings.
24. I ran away from home when I was 16.
25. My parents are the most loving & patient people I know.
26. My brother taught me how to play softball.
26. I am mesmerized by winter trees.
27. I love the taste of the ocean.
28. Certain shades of yellow give me a headache.
29. Red Delicious apples give me a headache.
30. My comfort food is roast beef, mashed potatoes & green beans.
31. Two years ago I limited my intake of dairy products. My tummy is grateful. My taste buds are sad. See #9.
32. I stole a car from my parents when I didn’t have a driver’s license. See #24.
33. Because of #3, I cannot fall asleep unless my ear is covered with my hair or a blanket.
34. Movies I can watch any time: Princess Bride, Pride & Prejudice and Forrest Gump.
35. Greg is my hero.
36. My favorite books growing up: Watership Down and Where the Sidewalk Ends.
37. I have always been a cat person.
38. Pom-poms on pillows remind me of my grandmother.
39. In August, I’m taking a motorcycle training class.
40. A Dove dark chocolate a day keeps my blues away.

Your turn – share a random fun fact about you in the comments below.