You Guessed It...More Pictures Of Breck :)

A little love perspective

So, being a single gal, Valentines day can tend to be a little depressing. I woke up today and decided that I wasn't going to mope around. I was reading  a book recently on using this "season of singleness" to be productive and fall more and more in love with my heavenly Father, and I fully intend on doing just that. I am enjoying today. I got up, had lunch with a friend, went for a walk at the arboretum and am just treasuring not having any commitments. Whenever I get discouraged I try to remember who the author of romance is and how HE desires for me to find true perfect love. I read Beth Moore's blog every day and this morning she had blogged about exactly what I needed to hear, so I thought I would share it with you. I have always said that if I could pick 2 people to go to lunch with it would be Beth Moore and Paula Deen. Im sure Paula's Valentines day blog would have something to do with butter, but Beth's offered a little more inspiration ;) So what about you? If you are single, how do you plan to enjoy this day of love? If you are happily in love, how do you plan to cherish your mate? 

"...I also have an eternity-long Valentine who reigns in the Heavens. He is breathtakingly handsome and will spend more on a date than any man alive. Daddy's riches. I pray this day that you will thoroughly savor your Valentine, whether he is flesh and blood in all his wonderful imperfections in front of your eyes, or veiled from sight in such gleaming perfections that you couldn't live through a glance of Him if He showed up at your table. You are your Beloved's and His desire is toward you. Song of Songs 7:10. If you don't have a romantic interest in your life this year, let Jesus woo you today. Read what He's like in Psalm 45. Take a long walk with him. Or go get yourself some flowers from Him. I dare you to. That's His money in your pocket. Journal a long time to Him and tell Him your hopes and dreams. He's more vividly real than anything you can touch with your fingertips or see with your eyes, Beloved One.

Jesus, woo her this day. Make her feel so tended to that she wonders how anyone else on earth could sense you today."

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day!

Sleeping Beauty

My Engagement Story

In the spirit of Valentines day Ami was posting a perfect engagement story for some of the people she knows best. After reading the stories that she drummed up for her mom and her sisters, I requested that she write one for me :) Here it is! I cried when I read it, so sweet. She said she would be sure to pass it along to mr. right whenever he comes along ;) 

 

"I think he should take you to NYC at the begining of October when the air is cool and the sun is still warm. You would trot around the city all day grabbing yummy street food and visiting the cutest shops. He would buy you the “perfect little dress” that you had found and tell you to put in on now so he could take you to dinner. He’d also buy you a cheap little pashmina knockoff in Chinatown to keep your shoulders warm. (He’d act like this was all on a whim, even though he’d curiously been wearing a blazer all day) Then he’d take you to the gates of Central Park and flag down a horse carriage. You’d take it “once around the park” so you could enjoy the end to a perfect fall day with all the trees turning crimson and gold. Then you’d stop The Central Park Boat House for dinner, you’d sit on the dock. After the most yummy desert when the sun is setting over the lake he’d get on one knew (insert speech) he’d give you his grandmothers 1920’s Tiffany engagement ring. Afterwards he’d explain that he’d already asked your Dad permission and your parents, families, and closest friends were waiting in a private room inside for your engagement party."

Open House

Sunday February 15 

2:00-4:00

3116 Timberneck Cove 

Lexington, KY 40509

February BLC

This month the BLC headed to Winchester and had dinner at Bartons. As always, we had such a great time. I think we ended up sitting and gabbing for over 2 hours. I always look forward to our monthly meetings! 

"Joe Cool" Goes Sledding

How Old Are You?

Thirsty?

Breck's First Steps...Sort Of ;)

December BLC Meeting

We met at a Japanese restaurant in Georgetown for our December meeting. As always, we had a great time! Here is a picture that I stole from Ami :) Happy Holidays from the BLC!

Happy New Year!

I am leaving for WaterColor tomorrow night so I thought I would go ahead and wish everyone a Happy New Year! Sorry I have been slacking in the blog department, the holidays have been crazy this year. I will be in Florida for over a week and am so looking forward to a little break before next semester starts. See you in a week!

7 Reasons Why I'm Crazy

My friend Cameron tagged me on her blog for this "7 Things" post where you post 7 things about yourself that people may not know. Here is my list. I am not a very private person, so I'm sure several of these wont be a surprise for anyone :)

1) I would never get a tattoo. I do not dislike them on other people, but I am way to OCD and it would drive me NUTS that there was something on my body that I could not get off. Several of my friends have beautiful tattoos, so I think I will just enjoy from a distance.

2) Breck Tatem is easily the best thing that has ever happened to me.

3) I am so excited about becoming a nurse, however, I believe I was put on this earth to be a wife and mother. My greatest fear is that I will not be able to have children.

4) My new years resolution is to "go green." I am sadly very apathetic about my impact on the environment and hope to change my mindset in the coming year. (Cameron- you are the reason for this!)

5) I take a bubble bath every night, and sometimes during the day too...no matter what

6) I have never had a new years kiss...ever.

7) Out of all my friends, Emily and I have been friends the longest. Over 20 years!...and I wouldn't change anything about that ;)


I am tagging:

Emily
Maria
Brittney Bates
Brooke
Ami

He may drool a lot but...

He sure is cute!

Howdy!

Friends Thanksgiving Pictures

Warning- if you read Maria's blog, this post will not at all interest you. I am stealing her photos that she already put up :)I have some family that read this blog and I wanted to be sure they saw the pictures too!

We had such a great time! Everyone brought their favorite Thanksgiving dish and I took care of the turkey. After dinner we all played Apples to Apples and Scattergories (2 group favorites)...I love my friends! Here are a few of the pictures...

The Spread:
Turkey
Gravy
Corn Pudding
Broccoli Casserole
Green Bean Casserole
Hash Brown Casserole
Carrot Souffle
Yeast Rolls
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potato Casserole

The girls waiting to eat

The whole gang!
Back row L to R: Paul, Tim, Mark, Colin, Seth
Front row L to R: Maria, Jen, Emily, Brittany

"I do not wish to treat friendships daintily, but with the roughest courage. When they are real, they are not glass threads or frost-work, but the solidest things we know."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Merry Christmas from Dave Barnes!

Here is his 3rd annual Christmas Extravaganza! I have also included the past 2 years installments in case you missed them.

My Wordle

Is Perfect...

Go here to make your own!

Need a good laugh?

Thankful Thursday!

First off, Happy Thanksgiving! I have a few friends that blog every Thursday about things they are thankful for. In the spirit of the holiday, I thought I would also do the same. So, here is my list of 10 things I am thankful for. Some may seem small, and this is in no way a comprehensive list. I encourage you to also post this, I am curious to know what you are thankful for as well!

1) My family- from my parents to my extended family (that I dont get to see nearly as often as I would like!), I am thankful for them all. If I had to think of one word to describe my parents it would be grace. As children often do, I have really had some major screw ups in my 23 years. While I know there have been times of dissapointment, they have never failed to love me unconditionally and show me the grace and love of Jesus. I am so thankful for them!

2) Breck Tatem- I know I probably blog about that little guy more than in necessary, but he is a huge part of my life. Its a funny thing because I have always loved children, but I had no idea how much I would love my nephew. There is no question in my mind that I would do anything for him. He has already brought so much joy to my life. I am so so so so so blessed by that baby!

3) Friends- I have the best friends a girl could ask for. Friends that I could call anytime night or day to get advice from. Friends that love me unconditionally. Friends that have stuck with me through thick or thin. Friends that have accepted who I am without any pretenses. Friends that I am not sure I could do life without. I love them more than they will ever know!

4) Tallulah- for those of you who do not know, Tallulah is my dog. I know it seems silly, but I couldnt imagine my little life without this little 4 legged animal. When you are single and live alone, there isnt much better than walking into the door to an eager dog with a wagging tail! She is my bed buddy and is always excited to see me...what more could a girl ask for?

5) My Kitchen Aid mixer- Here is one that will really seem trivial to some. I got my red mixer a few years back for Christmas and it has gone down in my book as my most favorite Christmas gift of all time. I LOVE to cook/entertain and use that thing at least twice a week, sometimes even more. It is so pretty on my counter top and comes in handy when I need to whip up something. I sure do love that piece of machinery!

6) Twilight- Being in school full time and pretty much only reading books about the human body, I welcome any relief. This semester, that relief has come in the form of the Twilight series of books. It has been a blessing in many ways to come home after a long day of school and curl up next to my fireplace and dive into this book. I am now on the 3rd book in the series, Eclipse, and hope to finish them all up by the start of next semester. Any suggestions on what my next book selection should be??

7) The bathtub- I have taken a bubble bath nearly every night for the last 10 or so years. My friends even know about my love for a nice hot bath, and it is not uncommon to receive bubble bath as a present :) I so enjoy my nightly routine of taking a good bath and then curling into bed. It helps me fall asleep every night and seeing as I have class at 8 in Midway every day, sleep is a good thing!

8) My church- I have gone to Crossroads my entire life and wouldn't change that for anything. Some of my most meaningful friendships have come out that Church. I would have never even met Emily and possibly not be such good friends with Maria had we not all been in small group together! I love the staff and so appreciate their hearts for the Lord. Their wisdom and guidance has helped me become who I am today, I will forever be thankful!

9) The BLC- I have blogged about this group of ladies before but I'm at it again! They are so special to me. I look forward to our monthly dinner meetings an the meaninful friendships that we are forming. It has already been wonderful and we are only 5 months in! I can only imagine the things that the Lord has in store for our relationships.

10) Facebook- such a blessing and a curse at the same time. Although it takes up way too much of my time, it has also been such a great way to keep in touch with old friends. I don't think I would still be in contact with nearly as many people from high school without this brilliant website.

Save the Date...

3rd Annual After Christmas Party
December 26, 2008

Worried...

about the digital conversion next year? I have some advice for you. Pay close attention.

Sneak Peak

Maria took all of the pictures from Friday night. I did however snap a picture of my table using my cell phone camera and thought I would share. I will blog in more detail about it when Maria uploads them all. I will say that I sure do love my friends and am already ready for next years friends Thanksgiving :)

Friends Thanksgiving

This Friday night we are having the second annual "Friends Thanksgiving." My sister and her friends have done this for years and we decided to follow suit last year. I really love it. I roast the turkey and everyone brings a dish. There is just something about having a group of people you love in one room, eating around one big table together. I was just thinking the other day about how I have had the same core group of friends for so many years, that seems so rare. I am beyond blessed by my friends! We will also be celebrating that Colin is home from Iraq! Colin is a good friend from high school that has been serving in Iraq for over a year. Last year it was strange without him here with us, what a blessing that he will be here this year! Also, Mark and Maria are celebrating their 4 year anniversary this week! I love watching the two of them interact. Talk about two people that were made for each other. They are so perfect for one another its not even funny.

Hopefully I will get some good pictures to share :)

Twilight

I'm hooked...just like every other person on the planet. Going to see the movie Friday during the day with Maria! I am almost finished with New Moon. So far, I actually enjoy it more than I did Twilight. I think it is because everyone had been talking about Twilight and how great it is, so I had a lot of expectations going into it. With New Moon, I hadn't really heard too much about it, so I am forming my own opinion without any bias :)
Is it wrong to be in love with a completely fictional character? I sure hope not.

Baby Blue Eyes

I met Mom, Kristin and Breck for lunch last week and snapped this picture of my buddy. How can you resist those blue eyes? I am so in love.

Happy Birthday Tim!

Today is Tim's 25th birthday! We are celebrating as a group on Friday night! I will try and post some pictures of the festivities. For now, check out this picture. He is quite the little fisherman.

Halloween Recap

The Halloween Party this year was so much fun! We had a fire pit (complete with smores), a projector playing scary movies in the backyard, and plenty of food and drinks! Everyone came dressed to impress!

The hostesses with the mostest. Em (Salt), yours truly (a witch) and Ria (Pepper). Aren't their costumes just the cutest?

I'm not sure she (Brittany Fink-White) could have looked any more like Sarah Palin, it was perfect!

I was trying to fly away...but someone grabbed my broom!

The BLC incognito! From left to right- Mary, Jineane, Maria, Ami, Emily, Jen

BLC November

As always, the BLC had a great meeting. We ended up sitting and gabbing for 3 hours! It was back to Lexington this month, so Emily and myself decided to take the crew to DeSha's downtown. We had a great little table upstairs and lots of privacy, which led to some interesting conversation ;) I sure do love these ladies and always leave thinking about how blessed I am to be a part of it. Here is our November picture...

Upcoming BLC events...

January Jamma Party- yes, we are grown women having a sleepover!

Jon and Kate plus 8 roadtrip- we all love the show and are traveling to Elizabethtown to see them speak in March! Em, Ria and myself saw them earlier this year, you can read about that trip on Rias blog here.

Of course we will also be having our monthly dinner meetings. January's meeting will mark 6 months of friendship!