A Good Evening.

Last night was just good.

In case anyone wonders what kind of stuff we do, here is an example...

-We both got home from work around 5:30/5:45

-Sat around for a little bit. i.e. facebooked, twittered, emailed, read blogs, etc...

-Got up and went on a walk (thanks BJ for my new fancy work out clothes...funny I know!)

-Walked around the neighborhood, admired the pretty houses and cute dogs.

-Sprinted the last 30 yards of our walk (that was a site to see)

-Got home and began to cook dinner (BJ did a lot of it)

-Ate chicken, mac&cheese, and green beans

-Opened a bottle of wine, sat on the couch with the coffee table pulled up close and ate dinner :)

-Austin got home from Peru (amazing trip...check out awesome blog HERE) and BJ spoke to him for a little while.

-Then BJ's friends called him on the gchat video thingy. They got to talk to Clark (lucky ducks) and got to see some of BJ's new gifts and purchases.

-THEN we watched an episode of our new favorite, Friday Night Lights! We have almost finished the first season and are really liking it.

All this to say, not every day is perfect, and of course life has its trials, but God has blessed us so much. I am so thankful for nights like those that we just get to chill, walk, eat, and be together. It is really nice, and is honestly what we always dreamed about!

I hope everyone is having a great day! We are getting soooooo excited about the lake this weekend! Then the beach in 2 weeks! SUMMER ROCKS. EVEN IF WE HAVE WORK. WHATEVER.

The Lake

In honor of the 4th of July coming up, I wanted to share some text messages to and from Camilla and me. We randomly began throwing out some key terms about the lake and it just kept rolling!! Here is what we got...

Watermelon, beer, flags, love, laughter, skirts, pizza, BBQ, sore muscles, people, sweat, June, coffee, pancakes, cake, brownies, fire works, boats, hot dogs, bikes, plaid, popsicles, mountains, bald eagle, burgers, auburn, orange, bikinis, one pieces, patagonia shorts, nike shorts, trees, wake, chacos, wayfarers, tank tops, louie's, horseshoes, lake dogs, cover-ups, sun tan lotion, sun burns, 111 steps, no cell phone service, citronella candles, wildlife, bears, DAD, kegs, parking the boat, wimbledon, Bibles, books, red wine, apple products, bud light lime, old magazines, cold showers, damp towels, splinters, big mable (RIP), world cup, reused towels, cheerwine, usual 20% discount, sandwiches, pickles, ping pong, chips and salsa, BB guns, jumping off the dock, fishing, snakes, noodles, red and white windmill, hiking, minihaha, crushes, showing off, button downs, loafers, 4 to a room, June in the bed, afternoon naps, blue moon, bowls of M&Ms, putting out the flags, half read books, Jesus Calling, mosquito bites, no A/C, lake baths...

You may notice some reoccurring themes. Can you tell we are excited??

WOOHOO for 4th of July at Lake Rabun!!!!!

Here are just a few Rabun classics...

Happy Birthday to BJ!!!

This was BJ's first birthday we celebrated together! 21!

This is the first picture we ever took together! Chi O formal, Fall 2006.

Look how far we have come....

I feel like I should tell a recent story to explain just how great BJ is.

I am trying to figure out how to make this story not too long...

OK, it all started last Friday (June 18) when my VW Jetta broke down in the middle of an intersection right in front of AUM. My boss pushed it off the road and BJ came to the rescue. We decided to wait and get it towed the next morning because we were going to be late for dinner with some friends. So, Saturday we got it towed and got some pretty awful news about the car. All that to say, Saturday was a long, hot day. BJ stayed in the BEST spirits about all of it. I feel guilty of course because this was "my" car but is now "our" car, so BJ gets to deal with it! Yikes!
Ok I am getting off track.
We went to the gun show Saturday afternoon with Mr. Jim and Mrs. Barb, then ended the day by going to every single car dealership in Montgomery. Yes, we are going to have to get a new car. We are 98.7% sure.
BJ made the whole thing FUN! Instead of panicking about stuff like this, he just takes it and runs with it. He knows that if he panics, I panic :)
The story is just getting good...
SO I had to go down to Orange Beach for a conference for work. Mom was gracious enough to let me borrow her car for the week, so it went to Orange Beach with me. Mom was also down there with her AU friends so that was FAB. Anyway, on the way down there, I got a speeding ticket. I tried to blame it on the fact that Mom's car is so nice and smooth that I just didn't know how fast I was going....but there is not excuse. BUT that is life. Of course, I call BJ bawling, he is SOOOOO nice about it. He says, "em, this is life. This is one of thousands of tickets we will get in our life time. No big deal." Hopefully we do not really get thousands of tickets, but he was just being sweet :)
So I keep trucking along....except this time I was going the speed limit.
Right after I got the ticket, the car guy called and said they couldn't figure out what the problem was with my car so it would need to be towed to the dealership....grrrreeaatttttt.
Fast forward a few hours. I visited Mom and crew on the beach for a couple hours. When pulling out of a parking deck, I forgot that I had parked next to one of those huge cement poles that holds up the deck. It was on my back left side. Like I said, I forgot it was there...so there is not car parked on my left. I put it in reverse, start backing out with my wheel cranked to the right. I was quickly stopped by the big cement block. It hit the drivers side above the front wheel. It was not good. It was not worst case scenario, but it was NOT good.

yep....this happened.

Mom was sweet about it of course. I called BJ in hysterics. Literally. Our car was in the shop, I had gotten a speeding ticket, then damaged my Mom's Mercedes. Yeah. BJ was so gracious. He knows how to calm me down! He just kept saying telling me why it was all ok and that this is all just STUFF. It is so true. It was all a pain, but it was all just STUFF. I wish I could have treated Mom's car better, but I know it will be ok.
BJ emailed me with this verse that day, "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will he not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:31-32
I love you, B. Happy Birthday. You are my hero.

Daddy

My sweet Daddio had a birthday on June 13th! BJ and I were so thrilled to get to go to Atlanta and see my parents that weekend. They had just gotten back from their big trip to Israel (which was amazing), and Dad's birthday was Sunday! It was so fun. We got there Friday night and just hung out. Saturday morning, Dad and BJ walked 9 holes of golf in the Atlanta summer heat, while Mom and I lounged around in our PJ's. Meanwhile, Katie and her fam were at the lake with their friends and Camilla was at Bonarro. Yeah, we have a pretty adventurous/rad family. Anyway, BJ and Dad came home, got cleaned up, and we all went to Scott's (fabulous antique market in Atlanta). Mrs. Barbara and Mr. Jim were coming to Scott's to look around at some things and get inspired for the house the are planning on building! Very exciting!

After Scott's, Mom and Dad took us to a fabulous restaurant called Miller Union. They had been there the night before with the Knights and loved it so much that they took us back! It was realllyyy good. I highly suggest it for all you Atlanta folks!

It was really fun to get to spend some quality time with Mom and Dad.

A little about my birthday boy Dad...He is kind, hard-working, gentle, loving, very generous, FUN, funny, goofy, COOL, and just awesome. I could never ever have asked for a more supporting and loving Dad. He and Mom have showered us with love from the day we were born. Dad has worked so hard to provide and is a fabulous leader for our family. He loves his wife, kids, AND grandkids! You should hear Harper say "papa, papa, papa!" She and Emma Kate just love him. We sure love him too!
To learn a little about how wonderful my Dad really is...check out Katie's blog HERE.
Happy late Birthday and Father's Day DAD! I LOVE YOU!

Favorite

Hebrews 4:14-16 (New International Version)

Jesus the Great High Priest

^"14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. ¹⁶Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

This is how my brain always interprets this verse..."He has been tempted in every way! He is/was/always will be without sin. Whoa! SO...we should come to Him in complete CONFIDENCE because His Grace is beyond sufficient. He covers us in His mercy and wow, He is always there to help us in our time of need. . . . He understands us, He created us, He relates to us deeply..."

I just wanted to put that out there! His word is powerful.

6 Months?

This coming Friday, BJ and I will have been married for 6 months! Some times it feels like we just got married yesterday and sometimes it feels like we have been married forever. These have been the best months of our lives, hands down. We are blessed way beyond what we deserve.

A little walk down memory lane...

Birthdays and 6 Years!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (YESTERDAY) MOMMMM!!!!!

I have the best Mom in the world and yesterday she turned 35. She is growing up...slowly but surely.
Seriously though, she is awesome. She is fun, funny, gorgeous, real, cute, hard-working, God-fearing, friendly, and HOT.
Thank you Mom for changing our diapers, cleaning up throw up, living sleep-deprived, taking us to the mall, dealing with us in the dressing room, driving us everywhere, loving on us, laughing with us and at us, letting us laugh at you, taking us to the pool, reading us books over and over, encouraging us, listening to us, and just straight-up LOVING all of us!!!
There are so many things you do that all of your family and friends could go on and on about. We are just thankful for you.
My Mom is also a breast cancer survivor. If you were around her during that time, you have seen her at her best when she should have been at her worst. She was so brave (even if she just acted that way so that we wouldn't be scared). She comforted us when we should have been comforting her. It was an amazing time and the Lord protected and provided! We are so thankful for His provision.
My Mom and Dad are just so fun. Dad's birthday is June 13th!!!!
I LOVE MY FAM!!!

(Oh, and I cannot even get started on how Mom planned the whole wedding and kept me in once piece....maybe I will save that for another post...)

and next we have.....

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO KATIE AND ARTIE, DUH!

These two have blessed my life beyond words. I really cannot sit here and explain it. Katie has always been such a sweet sister and friend, and has set such an amazing example. Her marriage to Art has been such a neat thing for Milla, BJ, and I to watch! I know we all feel so blessed to walk behind them in life and see what they do!
Their Godly marriage started this day 6 years ago and May 1, 2004 will always go down as one of my most favorite days of all time. Artie took Milla and I under his wing from the moment he and Katie started dating, and we could not have been more excited to see them become ONE!
Katie and Art have really gotten out their machetes and forged the way through the forest for the rest of us. They have allowed us to watch what they do and follow in their path!
They have also provided our family with the sweetest joy- Emma Kate and Harper!!! Thank you guys for these sweet babies :) Thank you for doing all the hard work and letting us enjoy them.
Ok, if you enjoy blogs, you have to follow their BLOG HERE! Katie is a really good blogger and posts a lot of good photos and videos. I hope to be as good as her one day...

Until next time, War Eagle and Happy Anniversary K and A!!!