{eight}

 Today we celebrate God blessing our family with Carys Elizabeth.

 

 To know Carys is to know innocence,

 

beauty,

 

love,

spunk,

silliness,

 

fun,

joy,

 

a true girl in every sense of the word,

and a true servant.

 

Our family has been so blessed by this tender-hearted, thoughtful, loving little girl.  Each day with her is a joy.  She brings laughter to all of us with her silly sense of humor.  It is hard to believe that today she is 8.  I look back at these pictures and can not believe how fast the time has gone.  I pray for her future and know that God is going to use her in might ways for His glory.  I don't know if I have ever met a child that loves the way she does and I know that the love she has comes straight form the Lord.

 

 

Happy Birthday to my Hubby

 

Tomorrow my amazing husband turns

40!

I am so excited to celebrate this special day with him!

(We have all kinds of things planned.)

In honor of him I am going to give you 40 random facts about him.

 

1. He was born in Pennsylvania

2. He has a brother.

3. He has a sister.

4. He was raised in a christian home.

5. His family actually started a church in a chicken coop.

6.  They were known in the town as the Chicken Coop Church.

7. He grew up on a farm.

8.  He once had a bat attack his face.

9.  He used to chase tires down a hill for fun.

10. He worked on a strawberry farm...or was it a tomato farm?

11.  He built houses.

12.  He has blue prints for a house that he wanted to build someday.

13.  When he was in high school he was girl crazy.

(He's going to love me for that!)

14.  His youth leader was very instrumental in his walk with the Lord.

15.  He has been to Spain.

16.  He followed a girl (shocker) to the college he went to.

(Good thing or I would have never met him.)

17.  He paid for college himself.

18.  When he was in college he made some great friends.

19.  Him and those friends did crazy things.

20.  After college he was a youth leader.

(halfway there.)

21.  He was also a worship leader.

22.  He played the guitar.

23. He stole my heart with that guitar.

24.  His first job after college was with Lipton.

25.  His second job was with Store Door Merchandising.

26.  He is still with the same company.  (They have a new name)

27.  He is now a Vice President there.

28.  He asked me to marry him Valentines Day weekend.

29.  He wrote me a song.

30.  He is a very organized person.

31.  He does a lot of our Christmas shopping.

32.  He has taken a mud bath at a spa!

33.  He is a good cook.

34.  One year he spent a whole day with me baking cookies.

35. He used to collect Coke things.

36.  He also collected a TON of GI Joe things for Broderick.

37. He hates playing board games.

38.  His favorite drink is Sweet Tea.

39. He is the funnest person. (that is what Carys said!)

40.  He is great at decorating.

 

Wowza!  I can't believe I did that!

 

Babe, have a great birthday!

Am I spoiled or what!?

As many of you are aware I turn 30 on Sunday! I have had so many fun surprises for my birthday! Last week Rob surprised me with a concert. And not just any concert...my favorite band! Needtobreathe! If you haven't heard them, download them. You will not be disappointed. Right now they are touring with Taylor Swift so I never expected to see them. Somehow, my amazing husband found a small venue close to our house where they were doing a "little" show. There were only 400 tickets sold and it was in an old theater set up like a club. (kinda) It was so cool. I would love to see them here, or anywhere, again. SOON!
Can you tell I am excited!?

Towards the end of the concert the lead singer came down through the crowd singing.
It was great!
(Isn't he so cute!)
(I sound 12, don't I!?)

The last couple of songs they did "unplugged" without mics even. It was so cool and intimate! At one point he stopped in the middle of the song and basically told everyone to let him sing...it was hilarious! (It was my favorite song...the first one I ever heard by them. Washed by the Water) Then after he sang a verse or 2 he had everyone join in.

I had such a great time! I really can not wait to see them again!
Thanks love for a GREAT time!

WeekEND News {All about ME}

Friday night the "plan" was to take the kids to a children's museum. Rob texted me at 4:00 and said my meeting is over pick me up at the office at 4:30. So I told the kids to get ready we were leaving in 5 minutes. (I was finishing a blog post, that never got done or posted. Maybe later.) Next thing I know I hear the garage door open and a horn honking.
I am thinking, "what is that?"
Then Broderick says, "Mom, who is here? Happy 30th birthday Amy."

What!?

So I look out the window and see this car...

I open the door and find 3 ladies hiding. I seriously had no idea what was going on. See, my birthday is not until June 19th. I really thought we were going to the museum. I never expected a birthday surprise like this. They came rushing in my house, followed by Rob (who obviously knew all about this and helped plan it) and tell me I have 10 minutes to pack.
We are leaving!

What!?

So they help me throw some things in a bag and off we go. It was a whirlwind! I get in the van and Carrie tells me we will be staying Downtown and throughout the next 24 hours we will be doing 10 different things all involving the number 30. (You see...that is how old I will be!)
#1 Go to Goodwill and find an outfit from 30 years ago and try it on. (Also do some shopping since you love to shop there.) Here you have it!

After much laughing and strange ladies asking us if we were hairdressers ("she's 30 and...")
we headed to our hotel to check in and then to a very yummy BBQ place downtown. We of course ordered dessert. When the guy brought it I said, "are you going to sing to me, it is my birthday ya know?"
Of course he didn't know so he said, "hold on" and came back with this yummy goodness. Him and some of the surrounding tables sang to me. It was great!

Next brought a carriage ride through some scary alleys but it was still super fun! (Insert Carrie's deep crazy voice where italics are.)

When we got back to the hotel I had to write down 3 things I want to do in the next 30 years.

They were...
go to Hawaii...
go on a mission trip to Africa...
and pay our house off.

Then the girls gave me 30 gifts. The last one was a necklace from Tiffany & Co with my initial. So thoughtful and my first piece of jewelry form Tiffany.

The ladies had to make a list of 30 words to describe me: loyal, funny, compassionate, caring, stylish, mature, selfless, great listener, wise, good mom, submissive wife, kind, organized, servant, empathizer, good cook, good friend, nice butt, thrifty, appreciative, beautiful, daughter of Christ, leader, efficient, laid back, spontaneous (except clubs), & excellent scrapbooker. (I don't know who they know, but I thought they were very kind things to say about me and I never want to forget it!)

Next on the crazy list of 30 things was putting 30 hair accessories in my hair.

Then they asked me 30 questions and if I didn't answer them I had to do a dare. I think I only didn't answer 3. So I had to chew 5 pieces of gum and then call the front desk and ask for more towels, go on the elevator and sing the national anthem, & dance to a song all by myself. Not to bad. I was a little worried, especially with these crazy girls! Day 2 brought shopping and a lot of laughter. Of course the list of craziness continued with dancing in a store for 30 seconds, taking 30 glamor shots of me and more.

The conspirators!
Aren't they beautiful?
I am truly blessed to have some wonderful friends!
I could not have thought of a better way to spend my birthday. I know it took a lot of planning on every one's part.

I am forever grateful!