color me IMPRESSED!

a group of ladies in b-town put together the neatest event this past friday night. it was called "pure joy" and it lived up to it's name! here are some things i liked about it (because we all know i love a LIST!)

• the eclectic group of women who put it together.
• no one church or group was on display.
• it was a wide variety of people representing a wide variety of ideas and values.
• the "myface spacebook" skit.
• such a great reminder that we really can NOT judge a "book by it's cover."
• people are hurting...we must remember that and try to find ways to care for one another.
• the cardboard testimonies!!!
• women being real and vulnerable but doing it in a nonthreatening way that draws people in instead of pushing them away.
• seeing lots of people i knew, gathering together.
• seeing lots of people i had never seen before...there for the same purpose!
• my favorite part...the spirit of the night...the whole evening radiated kindness, and had a sweet, sweet spirit to it!

i'm not sure i'm doing the evening justice, but it truly was such a wonderful event. thanks again to all the ladies who worked so hard to make it happen. b-town is better for it! i'm looking forward to next year already!!

happy birthday alana!

i got to help my friend alana celebrate her birthday saturday night! janelle put the evening together and we gathered at my house. it was so much fun!there was a chocolate fountain...yummmm!and cheese fondue...yummmm! and great friends...
all in all...a delicious and delightful evening...celebrating a DEAR friend!

my tablecloth may never recover, but it was worth it!

my own little book review....

my grace group finished this book last night:

i should say, before i give my opinion of it, that i am very very very picky about faith-based books. and can even tend toward (i hate to put it in writing, but it is true) a bit of a critical spirit when it comes to them! so, keep that in mind as i tell you that i liked this book, but did not love it. the author had some good insights for performance driven people. but he also made some over generalizations that were hard for me. (specifically in the last chapter.) but, overall, i thought it was a good book. here was one of my favorite paragraphs, from the 2nd to last chapter, which i found insightful. he was talking about a letter he had recently received and said this about what his friend wrote:

Then he offered these insights: "I am learning that for life's troubles there are often no magic answers, no silver bullet. All I can do is live each moment as it comes and be aware of God in it. This is my life right now...the daily challenge of being awake. I want to let struggle, grief, and hurt exist side by side with joy, peace, and hope." Perhaps the portion of his letter I appreciated most was his conclusion. He signed it: "Wounded but still walking." I couldn't help but think, Aren't we all?

well said if you ask me.

i could write for days about how frustrated i get by "the church" being so fixated on the destination and not the process. we aren't getting "fixed," people. but, we are in the process of being "healed" - slowly but surely. and i can tell you this...no healing is going to take place if we don't give people room to live in and work through their pain. so often, i think that "space" is hard to find in christian circles. we push people to change their perspective before we allow them to walk around in the truth of their heart - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

well, anyway, i won't go on and on about it now, but i might later. consider that fair warning. i'm just sayin'.

catching up...

thought i'd post a few pictures from the last week or so. i have not been terribly good about getting pics lately, but, i did manage a couple.

first, the grace group last week. i love them! we celebrated roberta's birthday. and tonight roberta is making us dinner. i can hardly wait!my friend brett got ordained as a deacon at his church last weekend. we all went to help him mark the milestone. brett and jenn are SOOOOOO wonderful. their church is so lucky to have them!i got to have lunch with my boyfriend haydon and his mommy on monday. so great to catch up with julie and so fun to tickle with haydon!and then, i got to have dinner with molly. we finally went on our much anticipated "applebee's date!" and it was so much! molly is in the 2nd grade but we talked just like we were old friends! she even beat me (fair and square) at 2 games and i didn't even mind. that is how much i like her! and last but not least...some sad news...my "roach" (fake coach purse) bit the dust yesterday. i almost cried. but, now i get to carry my real coach purse that my sweet mom gave me for christmas. so, i guess that is the good news. i will miss my roach though. it was good to me for a long time and i sure loved carrying it. goodbye sweet friend...
there you have it. a few pictures for your wednesday.

my weekend, in review...

that about sums it up.

we interrupt our normally scheduled programming...

...to bring you this quick giggle.

a friend showed me this yesterday and it made me laugh. it only takes 32 seconds. and it's not gonna change your life, i'll tell you that right up front. but, you will laugh. and that's worth something, right?

click here.

oh, and you're welcome.

thursday 13...

13 "definitions" for your thursday...

• my definition of a sleezebag...john*edwards
• my definition of an oldie but a goodie - music style...southern*nights
• my definition of a new blog i like...click here
• my definition of bad news...the b-town weather forecast
• my definition of comfort...an electric blanket
• my definition of lyrics that hit home with me this week..."you know the depths of my heart, and you love me the same"
• my definition of a great place to shop...click here
• my definition of true beauty...genuine humility & an open, honest heart
• my definition of a miracle...beating tlnw at scrabble
• my definition of anticipation...click here....i'm SO excited, i admit it!
• my definition of a person who got a raw deal...conan*o'brien
• my definition of people my heart hurts for this week...the browns and the sweeneys
• my definition of baffling...coming to terms with the love of God in the midst of heartache