It's Halloween?

Greetings! Today is October 28th. The high today in sunny Orlando? 91. Sorry for all of you who are already in the cold and gray weather. But it's hot here! I went to a pumpkin carving party on Saturday night. I purposely kept my pumpkin inside so that it wouldn't rot and put it outside only last night. This is what has happened to my poor sad pumpkin in one day in the Florida heat...

Isn't it so sad? I had created a cute little pirate pumpkin, complete with an eye patch. But alas, now he is rotting and full of mold and generally disgusting so he is going to be thrown in the trash before Halloween even gets here. I suppose that is the trade off for the warmth I am continuing to experience, although from what I'm told, this is abnormally warm right now.

Gotta run for now - Singing Christmas Tree practice calls. Hope your weeks are going well, and Ellie says hello! :)

Happy Weekend!

Greetings from the warm and sunny south and happy weekend to you all! I am so thankful for the weekend to be here. It was a long and crazy - though good - week, and having a chance to rest is rather glorious. I am sitting here writing this blog still in my pj's, even though it's past noon. Ahh, gotta love it!

Anyway, I do apologize for the length of time between blog posts. I had such a great time in the Great White North and just didn't have time to post a blog from there or earlier this week, but we'll get caught up now....if anyone still reads my blog.... :)

I spent last weekend in the Great White North, getting to hang out with my brother and his fiance, catching up with old friends. And let me tell you, it was COLD!!!! From the time I got on the plane in Orlando to getting off the plane in Boston, there was a temperature drop of 50 degrees. Thankfully I took my puffy, so that helped keep me warm, but it was freezing. Most of the weekend was cloudy, gray and rainy, which helped me remember some of why I love living down here so much more. I think I am addicted to sunshine!!

On to the weekend....I was able to spend some time with my old co-workers, and that was really fun. It was great to see everybody and get caught up a bit. I was also able to spend time hanging out with some of my favorite people up there from the church, and it was awesome to just hang out and relax with friends. Most of all, I really enjoyed getting to spend time with Michael and Bekah. I have known Bekah for awhile, but I haven't spent time with her in the context of her being my soon-to-be sister-in-law. I also hadn't been around the two of them since they first started dating, and I enjoyed watching their interactions. I never thought I'd see my baby brother be smitten and lovey dovey with a girl, and it was so cute! :) They were kind enough to allow me to take some engagement pictures for them, so we all braved the freezing cold for a couple of hours to see what we could do. The following images are some of my favorite.





Michael and Bekah were kind enough to ask me to be a bridesmaid in the wedding, which I was very honored by. Brother Matthew will be a participant as well, as the best man, so it will be a fun family affair. I am truly excited to be a part of their lives and have a front row seat to the story God is writing for them.

Although it was super cold in the Great White North, one really cool thing happened. For those of you who have followed my blog for awhile, you know how God used snow in so many different ways to show me how much He loved me while I lived there. It has always been something that made my heart smile, as I think it to be one of God's most beautiful creations. While I am thankful for where God has me now and truly love living back in the south, there are certainly elements of living up north that I will miss. I mostly miss the people, but while I am thankful I won't have 5 months of winter, I confess I will miss seeing snow fall. And in a most gracious gift to me, early and somewhat out of season, on my last night in Boston, this happened...


It snowed for about 4 hours, and it was beautiful! I went out and stood in the street while it fell around me and even drove around for a bit. I considered it to be such a gift from God, and it was really cool.

I will try to update my blog again soon, as there are some awesome things going on that I'd like to share. For now though, I am going to go enjoy this day of relaxation before heading to a pumpkin carving party later tonight. Have a great weekend!

Redemption In Many Forms

Greetings on this lovely Sunday! I am sitting here on this day of rest, enjoying the sunshine and the peacefulness that comes from not having to go anywhere or do anything. It's been a crazy few days of life and I wanted to fill you in a bit. First of all, I spent 3 hours Friday night and about 5 hours yesterday at rehearsal for the Singing Christmas Trees. We were actually recording all 12 songs that we are singing in the show so that they can have a CD ready to sell at the performances. I must say that it was a lot of fun! It's really nice to just be a participant in a big production instead of being one of the people in charge of making it happen. And I'm having a lot of fun singing Christmas songs! :)

But the most important news that I have to announce is that my youngest brother asked his girlfriend to marry him on Thursday night!! Yep, Michael and Bekah are engaged!!! I am thrilled for them and so excited to welcome Bekah into our family. We all went to the same church in the Great White North, and I must confess that I thought she was perfect for my brother long before they started dating! I plan on taking some engagement pictures for them when I visit next weekend, so of course I'll post those when I have them, but for now, here is one I took on an earlier visit.

I must say that if I needed any sort of proof of the miracle that God has worked in my heart and the healing He has done, it came in the form of my reaction to this news. To be totally honest, I have wondered at times how I would react to people I love getting engaged and married. I wasn't sure I would really be able to be excited and that I would have a really hard time with it, for a variety of reasons. But I can truthfully say that when my brother called me with the news, I was nothing but thrilled and excited and filled with joy. I am thankful that I am going to be able to share in this journey with them and be a part of the story God is writing for their lives. And folks, that is a miracle.

I genuinely desire that someday I will be able to post a blog that announces my own engagement and that God has that as part of His redemption for my story. Whether or not that specifically happens for me, I am learning that redemption comes in many forms. It shows up in unexpected places, perhaps when we least expect it. But it's there, and it's as real as the God who makes it possible. And for now, redemption showed up in the form of a big sister being proud of and excited for her little brother, and deeply grateful for the God who made that moment possible.

Workin' Girl

Greetings from the HOT sunshine state! Yes, it's October 8th, and our highs this week are in the mid 90's! It's hard to believe that it is actually October because of that, but I must admit that I am still enjoying the sunny warmth. It's glorious! And when all of you who live in the north get tired of the cold, you can come visit me this winter. :)

So thankfully tomorrow is Friday! I am soooo tired. I had forgotten what it was like to work full-time for a whole week, but I am now remembering how tiring it is. My temp job is going very well, and I am really enjoying working at this company. I am working in the HR department of IBC/Merita bakeries. They make things such as bread and twinkies. The HR office is next to one of their bakeries, and it smells so fantastic whenever you're outside. And my car has a permanent coating of flour dust on it!! I'm not sure how long this job will last - right now they are hoping to keep me through the month of November, but I don't know if that will be the case or not - but I am thankful for the provision while I have it and will think about what to do next when the time comes!

In random updates on my life.... I got a haircut. Here is a picture my talented roommate took...

Nikki and I are singing in the First Baptist Orlando Singing Christmas Tree this year. We've been in rehearsals for about 6 weeks now, and I LOVE it!! I am having so much fun being part of a great choir. There are about 400 singers, so it's really cool and I think the shows are going to be awesome. And I can't wait to be in a Christmas tree! I'll be sure and get some pictures and tell you more about it when it gets closer. For now, here are a couple of pictures from a previous year. Because there are so many people, they have 2 trees. Here is a picture of them so you can see how the choir fits in and then a pictures with the trees lit up, when you can't see the singers at all.


Next weekend, I am going to the Great White North to visit brother and friends, and I can't wait! I decided to go for a long weekend so I can get a taste of fall. There promises to be many picture opportunities, and I will have much to share with you, so keep checking the blog for cool posts to come!

I am missing my family tonight and hating that we are in 4 separate states. So here is a picture of us so that I can smile. :) Hope you all have a great weekend!

Fried Okra

I'm a southern girl through and through, and I LOVE fried okra. It is one of my very favorite southern foods. I missed eating it so much during my two years in the Great White North. Now that I am back in the south, I have had it a couple of times at Cracker Barrel or other such places, but I decided that I couldn't call myself a true southerner if I had never made it myself. They had some at the grocery store the other day, so I got some, hoping to have a successful attempt at cooking this fabulous food. I was so proud of myself that my first try came out so well. Here is picture proof!!

I will definitely be making this again! And I am excited that I have added this southern delicacy to my cooking repertoire.

In other news, I have a temp job! It should last for a few weeks, and while it might not be permanent, it's still a step in the right direction. I am working in an HR office, helping them with their recruitment, and I think I am going to enjoy it a lot. I worked half a day on Friday, but starting Monday, I'll be doing the 8 hour a day thing again for the first time in awhile. It'll be good to get in a bit of a routine. I'll keep you posted on all of the happenings. For now, have a great weekend!