Beautiful day for a wedding...

Today, one of my cousins got married... get prepared for a bunch of pictures... but who doesnt love a wedding? 

You can see the skies were blue & we've been having some hot weather, but it broke just in time for today.  Warm, but not humid & just a nice day - with a gorgeous church....

This was the coolest wedding I've EVER been too... before the bride & groom came out, they had the Gospel preached... it was pretty powerful... I've never seen that done at a wedding... but what an opportunity to get God's word out!

Then the bride came out to her groom... this picture is at the beginning when a bridesmaid was singing... too early for a kiss, but they were so happy to see each other, they just put their heads together.  #2 crying moment for me.  The first was when the bride's father "gave her away" - he lifted her veil & then just hugged her for a few minutes... pulling out the Kleenex from that moment on.

This was crying moment #3... the groomsman that was 2nd in line prayed for his friends... & he got choked up which about did me in.  It was the most beautiful prayer that could have been said for a friend getting married.  What a wonderful friendship they must have...

And finally - the moment they'd been waiting for... the KISS...Crying moment #4 - after they kissed, they just stared at each other & then just grabbed each other to hug & they just held each other for a litle bit.  Oh my goodness - how precious are these two?

Smiles of a newly married couple....

And then off to the reception.  Isnt that cake beautiful?  I love fresh flowers on a cake.  Smelled so lovely..

I got to catch up with some family.  This is Jasmine.... I was there the day she was born!  And now, she's working for the FBI in Indianapolis... I told her it blows my mind that she's even old enough to have her own apartment, much less a JOB... for the FBI!!!! 

And this is my cousin Craig.... I just love this man!  We grew up together spending so many weekends at the lake with our grandparents - went to the same high school - just have always adored everything about him.  He lives in New York so I dont get to see much of him now so when I heard he was there, I literally ran across the room to hug him!  I will most DEFINITELY be planning a NYC trip soon... I've got my own personal tour guide.. how do I pass that up?

We wanted to get a picture of all the cousins that were there... but first, my cousin Jasmine stood up just in time to stand on the bride's dress... Her reaction was so funny, I just about peed from laughing.  All was well though - no dresses torn, no tripping... just laughing...

And we pulled it together for a picture.  These are all cousins - 1st, 2nd, 3rd cousins.  We dont get to see much of each other, so I was thrilled to get hugs in.... & we got to add the bride in the picture... who doesnt love a bride?  Especially one as stunning as Kristen!

Byron & Kristen - I pray you have a wonderfully Blessed marriage - I know God is the center of it, so I know there is nothing you will face that you wont get through with Him leading you.  Now, its just time to live Happily Ever After....

Friday Fragments

I tried to not Frag today... but its in my blood.  I'm sitting here thinking of tons of stuff on my mind so I have two posts in one day... sue me.

*Who knew Steve Urkel was so violent?  Did you hear he got arrested for hitting his baby-momma in the breast implant?  That's what they said - not the chest, but the breast implant!  I had to chuckle at that comment.  Not laughing at the hitting thing though.  Note to parents - its not a good thing to put your kids in the limelight early on.  It draws them to violence, drugs, alcohol & ending up on a VH1 show...

*Speaking of child stars... I hate to say it, but I hope Lindsay Lohan DOES spend some time in jail.  Girlfriend needs some time to reflect on her life.  I'm waiting anyday for the news of her demise... & that's a sad thing to expect for someone...

*I seriously cried last night at So You Think You Can Dance... & not because of a beautiful dance ... but because Alex is gone due to injury!  Especially after that amazing hip-hop dance with Twitch?  At least he went out on a great note.  They said he can come directly to Vegas next year, but you know those judges - they'll find something nit-picky & not put him back next year... mark my words... When Alex said it hurt mostly in his heart, I think my dancing section of my heart broke a little too...

*I saw in the previews of Step Up 3D - Twitch is in it!  YIPEE!

*And is EVERY movie in 3D now?  Seriously?  "Step up" needs to be in 3D?

*Since we're on a 3D kick - I heard they are re-releasing AVATAR in the theaters in August.  I'm excited.  I just watched the DVD last month & loved the movie.  Didnt get to see it in the theaters & everyone said you have to see it with those crazy glasses on... so I get a second chance.  Thank you James Cameron for being greedy & wanting more money.

*I finally got to see "The Karate Kid" (which wasnt in 3D) & loved it... but I have to say - I was bothered by the fact that they were beating the HECK out of this kid - who is about as big as a twig I found in my front yard - & he never bled, he never broke any bones????  Come on!  The original Karate Kid had Ralph Machio with at least a pretty messed up face... & in the tournment - these guys are fighting with no mouth pieces or no gear?  And no one gets messed up?  Maybe that's just me because I've been in tournaments & know how bad it hurts WITH the gear... my only negative... loved it otherwise.... knew what was going to happen, but still cheered at the end... even in all its corniness...

*How can I not say anything about the craziness of Jake & Vienna?  I know people are all over Jake for "yelling" at Vienna... but seriously?  If someone kept interrupting me & talking to me the way she did, I'd have to say, my voice would be raised too.  I'm sorry - I dont believe Vienna.  Maybe its the way her eyes shift whenever she's talking - notice that?  They always look up & to the side... I'm no expert, but isnt that a sign of shifty-ness in itself?  She sat there & cried that she wanted to go home to Florida, but now, she thinks she'll stay in California?  And believe me, I think Jake isnt Mr. Clean in this either... just hope they drop them now.  We have more serious things in the world to be upset about... like Jillian & Ed breaking up!!!

*I did go see ECLIPSE... & I did swoon... & I did scream for Jacob... & I did tear up at the proposal that Edward gave to Bella... & I did comment on how ugly that ring was he gave her!  Egads!  Come on Edward.  You buy Porshe's for fun & you give Bella the biggest, gaudiest ring - for the girl who is simple & plain?  I know it was his mother's so dont go all crazy on me Twilight fans... I'm just saying - it was ugly.  But the tent scene was fantastic - just what I imagined.  And I loved the background scenes on the other Cullens!  Now more then a year for the next movie... sigh...

*Am I the only one in the world who didnt know who LeBron James is?  I kept hearing his name on the radio & on the news & had NO IDEA who he was.  I asked my husband, when Ricky just stopped, looked at me & shook his head & walked away.... If I asked him anything about yarn & he gave me a blank look, I wouldnt have made him feel stupid.... oh, ok, you know I would have... but I still know nothing about LeBron except learning he's a basketball player... right?

*See my run count on the side of my blog?  I've almost ran 200 miles THIS YEAR!  WHOO HOOO!  I know some big time runners are like, "I do that in a week" - but for someone like me who always said I would never run, its something close to a miracle!  I may have to do a good long run this weekend just to get that over to 200 mark! 

*If you run or walk, you should really check out http://www.dailymile.com/ - its very cool to keep track of your miles & all the info it gives you.  Plus, you meet all kinds of people who motivate you & keep pushing you!  And I like it because at the bottom of your page, it tells you all kinds of cool stuff.  Like it tells me I've burned 297.03 donuts!  Oh yeah baby!  And I've powered 787.22 TV's with my distance!  I've also been around the world 0.01 times... so that's like to my work... Maybe in my lifetime, I'll put enough miles to where it says I've ran around the world ONCE ... now there's a goal!

Hope you all have a Fantastic Friday!!!

I can still feel the pain....

I've seen some of my bloggy buddies doing this on Friday & while I love my "Fragging", I'm gonna go out of my box & have fun with this one today.  So you just have to answer the question below ....Injuries... FUN...

Were you prone to accidents and injuries when you were growing up? Did you ever break a bone? Knock out any teeth? Get stitches? Have you ever ridden in the back of an ambulance? Did you ever have surgery or spend any time in a hospital? How did your folks treat injuries and illnesses? With lots of TLC or by telling you to get a stiff upper lip? Was there a particular home remedy that your mom (or dad or whoever!) used or any "traditions" involving injuries or illnesses? What's the worst injury (or illness) you had when you were growing up?

I wasnt too much of a "accident prone" child but when I did some injuries, I did them good!  Like having knee problems early on due to martial arts.  It took me months to learn to walk again - I couldnt bend my knee.. OUCH... but the one that stands out the most to me...I'm getting dizzy thinking about it... ready?

It was winter time & we were getting ready to go Christmas shopping.  Our front porch has a nice little layer of ice that I wasnt paying any attention to & I think I did a move that gynmasts of today would be in awe of.  But I landed down on the side walk... with my foot going the opposite direction.... oh, the memory of pain is making me nauseated...

Mom & dad got me in the van & headed to the ER & yep, my ankle was broke right across the bone....

And what was even worse - it was late & they said they had to set it in the morning!!! DO WHAT?  I'm not sure what the reason was for that, but they actually sent me home & told me to keep it in one position & come back in the morning for my cast.  So I go home, mom & dad put pillows galore around my leg & I'm expected to go to sleep like that...

I'm not sure how I fell asleep (must have been some pain pills involved) but I do & when I wake up, my foot is GOING THE OPPOSITE WAY again!  Oh my goodness.... I've never experienced pain like that in my life.

But I did end up going back to the ER again & finally getting my cast on.  A beautiful cast on my leg for most of the rest of the school year... yeah, I was the cool one in school that got out of classes early to get to my next class... broken legs in school has its advantages.

OK - so this flashback has me cringing & remembering why now, when cold air comes, or when a storm comes in, I can still feel the pain in my ankle... & people wonder why I hate winter & ice... ugh...

How about you?  Any broken bones growing up?  What's childhood without injuries, right?

I have legs, therefore I kick runners...

If you are a runner - you have to watch this.... I had tears coming out of my eyes from laughing...

If you ARENT a runner - you have to watch this... you'll have a good ole chuckle yourself...

I love it especially because my when I talked about going to Virginia for the Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon, I got an email from my dad that said:

"...exercise is good but you always got to remember the guy that wrote the book & actually started the jogging concept DIED AT AN EARLY AGE... of a HEART ATTACK!!!..."

Dont say you dont have a reason to laugh today....check it out...

Never Runners « Videos « The Skit Guys

Holding it all together...

I've been on a puzzle kick lately, as you've seen in my Project 365 pictures.  And as any REAL puzzler knows the first thing to do is get that frame built - right?  I have no idea what real puzzlers do actually...that's the way I do it though.  But I love to get the edge pieces out & work in.  What I look for when I get these edge pieces out is the four corners..... so many pieces, but only a small count of pieces that connect the whole thing together...

Or did you ever play with those little straw like things that had a piece of wood & you'd stick the straws in the holes & build little things from your imagination?  What is the name of that toy?  My mind is blank... I guess because that toy was out WAY before my childhood.. cough...cough... but you HAD to have one of those wooden pieces to join together for an edging, right?

Then Sunday, we were in Acts & reading on what they were saying about Jesus:

He is "the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone" -Acts 4:11

I noticed some references & the exact same lines are in Psalms 118:22, 1 Peter 2:7 and Jesus even says the exact same thing in Matthew 21:42...

I've always heard of Jesus being a CORNERSTONE, but this refers to a capstone... what is a capstone exactly?  Its the center stone in the top of an arch, holding the whole arch together!  How cool is that?  Ever see the St. Louis Arch?  That's what instantly came to mind... It wouldnt stand without that center piece holding it together, would it?

And I guess even a cornerstone does the same thing.... yeah, a building can stand without it - but its not as stable without that piece that locks it in, supports it, gives it strength....I love that visual of Christ doing that for me...

Clay Crosse was my "other" Steven Curtis Chapman... I love this man... I have seen him in concert countless times, have all his songs on my iPod - miss him not being on the radio as he used to be.... but there is one song of his that always was my favorite.  Its called "The Rock (that was rolled away)"... the words in it say

'Til I stand upon that mountain

'Til I sit beside the throne

'Til the waters of love's fountain carry me home

'Til I rise up from this mortal clay

Of blood and bone

Let the rock that was rolled away

Be my cornerstone

So...what is it in your life that is holding you together?  What is your cornerstone?

(If you want to hear the song completely, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gew3t_UmBPU )

I wanna dance with Matt...

If this doesnt make you smile....something is wrong with you...



So who are your favorite dancers? The guy in blue in Australia cracks me up... I like the one chick doing the Sprinkler in Chicago....& lovin' those kids in South Africa!

Come to Greenville Matt!!!

Reminder in the weeds....

I went out back & cleared out some weeds early in the morning, while the ground was still a little moist.  Or I should say, before the sun felt like it was sitting on the ground & burning the air up... what it'll feel like in about an hour actually....

I was throwing the weeds over to the side & something caught my eye...

Can you see the root of this weed?  It actually grew THREW the black rock we have for the ground cover....

I was just amazed at it... gave it a little tug & that thing is in there tight!  I can imagine how it must have kept pushing through the hard road that laid ahead... but it made it through the other side....

I know I feel like giving up when I hit something hard on a road I'm on sometimes... Thank you God for showing me small examples of not giving up & pushing through to the other side is possible!

Project 365-21

Getting into summer time... lets see what's been through the lens of my world...

Sunday - Is that a look of guilt? ..... I bought these little footies for a friend & when I woke up Sunday, I see them laying in the floor, nibbled on, still wet on the ends.  SOMEONE even ate through the cardboard.  These dogs are so smart, when you just hold it up to them, the guilty one usually gives themselves away by putting the ears back or hanging the head... or turning the head, in Buffy's case.  Yep, my money is the yellow dog did this little crime.

Monday - Colossians?  Check! .... yep, girls youth group finished this book... only took forever.... but 'forever' is always fun with those girls...

Tuesday - now that's what I call a delivery!.... I got home & found 2 boxes on the front porch.  Thomas Nelson Publishers was so kind & generous to send these to me to review & then to give out 5 copies of each.  You've may have seen I'm already giving away the books by Lisa Whelchel (if you see this by the 4th of July, you still have a chance to win)... but keep an eye out for the Sheila Walsh giveaway to come too!

Wednesday - Tired?  I'll take care of you.... it was a hot, humid, miserable day.  Ricky just came home & fell on the ground & its so funny because the dogs instantly run to him & Sydney just plops right next to him like its the perfect napping spot.  Zoe goes to give him "welcome home" kisses & Bruno is biding his time to get some love too... these dogs love their daddy...

Thursday - Stupid Devil!.... My buddy Dawn leads the Ruth study we are doing via blog.  During the comments, I made reference to the 'Stupid Devil' & how I will be referring to him by that term many times in the future, I'm sure.  So she said she saw this & thought of me... is that the sweetest thing EVER?  What an awesome reminder... the devil IS stupid... and he's BEATEN - by Jesus...

and check out the back of the shirt... awesome, right?  Thank you Dawn.... you yourself are pretty darn awesome too!  I love ya friend!

Friday - Ahh - the perfect spot! .... We had a bush last year that was swarmed with bees.  (It was scary when we found it - or when the bees found us, I should say)... but the killer to get rid of them killed our bush.  So it was a gorgeous day & Ricky ended up digging up the bush.  As soon as he got it out, it was so funny because Sydney went straight to the spot & laid down.  The whole time we were outside, she wouldnt move from there...its like she's been waiting for that place her whole life... Maybe she's wanting the bees to know they may have stung her, but she's now the victor!

Saturday - Strolling for Babies... It was a perfect morning for a run & a church close by was doing a 5k for an organization called "Strolling for Babies"... It was great being outside for a run instead of on the treadmill... hating the hot weather for that... so sorry for the frizzy hair look... but this is me after a run...not pretty, I know..

Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July - stay safe... & may the world be full of wonders through the lens of your life!

Friday Fragments

Twilight Frag.... Oh yes baby... tonight is the night.  I'm on countdown.  In a few hours, I will be in a theater staring at the story come to life of my favorite book, ECLIPSE!!!!  It was always my favorite book before the movies even were made... but now, to see it in actual motion... I'm beyond excited.  Yes, I'm sure I'll be swooming & screaming along with the 11 & 12 yr old girls during the tent scene...

Hate Bella Frag... I re-read Eclipse last weekend to get geared up for the movie.  When I originally read the book, there was no movie, so it was all about imagination on what these characters looked like & acted like to me.  And now, when I read it again, all I could think about was Kristen, Robert & Taylor... For 2 out of the 3, its a good thing.  But I cant STAND Kristen Stewart in interviews.  The girl gets paid MILLIONS of dollars to act.  Cant she just ACT like someone who knows how to speak normally & without weird facial movements like every question is stupid?  ... I'm telling you ... I cringe for the girl when I see she's going to be interviewed...

Little Break Frag .... the past 2 days have been Heaven around here.  Like you could actually breath outside - your hair doesnt frizz - you dont immediately have sweat coming down your back.  It was wonderful... the heat is back though... Thank God for even little breaks...

GIVEAWAY FRAG - Be sure to go to my Book Blog for the chance to win a book by Lisa Whelchel - yes, Blair from Facts of Life!  She's an amazing speaker if you've never seen her & her writing is just as good.  I seriously zoomed through this book - its just an easy read, but full of punch.  I've got 5 books - so good chances of snagging one up yourself!

Reunion Frag - my (cough)... um... 20 (cough) year reunion is coming up.  It was actually 20 years with this past graduation season - Class of 1990 baby!  We got notice today of our reunion & its going to be in October.  We were told the cost too - $75.00 per person... me & Ricky were talking about it & I said, I bet there's a lot of peole who cant afford $150.00 for a reunion.  But they are setting up a fund for those who cant afford it.... but who really wants to go to a reunion & say, "I need help with the funding" - isnt the whole point of a reunion to try & show everyone how well you're doing since graduation?  mmmm.....

SYTYCD Frag ... Did you all get the chance to see Alex, the BALLET dancer so a HIP HOP Routine?  That instantly ranked up in my top dances for the show.  I even had Ricky watch it & he was impressed & watched it a few times.     

Hope you all have a fantastic Friday - ready to gear up for a long weekend!

Blog Moment of Silence for Cohen

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