Meet my new friend.

How does that say going? Oh yes, make new friends but keep the old. In this case, I could care less about making new friends, ha! Friends are not supposed to cause you pain.

Y'all. I can't help but laugh. This is going to be a love/hate relationship.

Love because it's going to help me get better. Hate because it's going to be pure torture. But this contraption is what the doctor has ordered.

You can get caught up here.

I've been going to physical therapy for my arm to get my range of motion and extension back and hopefully this will speed the process along.

Hurts just looking at it, doesn't it? Needs a name, don't you think? Ha!

Good times. Good times.

Just pray I don't kill it before this friendship is over :-)

So I guess we'll spend our weekend getting to know each other. Sigh.....

It is real.

God brings people into our lives in different ways.

Take the blogging community for example. 

I don’t care what others say, but real and genuine friendships are formed through blogging and you will never convince me otherwise. Some I've met, some I've emailed consistently with, talked on the phone, texted, skyped, sent cards, mailed gifts, prayed for, and rejoiced with friends I’ve made on here. And my Christmas card list, yeah half of it is made up of blog/twitter friends, ha.

It.Is.Real.

Nothing can replace the face-to-face, day-to-day, contact with those friends we have in our lives but this blogging thing…

It.Is.Real.

Heck, people meet over the internet and get married all the time and so forming friendships via blogging, ummmm not so crazy.

I don’t know if it’s just me but trying to explain to others this blogging thing, so so hard. 

Next month I’m going to hop on a plane to Arkansas and go visit some blog/twitter friends. My first thought was how do I tell people without sounding crazy. Little fun fact, I got on a plane back in 2005 to go meet a pen pal that I had ever since elementary school all the way out in CALIFORNIA. I’m sooooo not new at this meeting “strangers” thing. But the thing is, some of y’all, my friends, not strangers to me at all. Sometimes I feel as if you get to know people this way better, if not more, than if there was a face-to-face/day-to-day contact. 

It.Is.Real.

I spill my guts out to y’all more than I do sometimes with the people in my life. I don’t know why that is, but that’s just how it rolls. We all share in the highs and lows of life in our own little corner of the blogosphere. I love the people I’ve been able to meet and the relationships I’ve developed that wouldn’t have happened any other way without this blog and via twitter. 

Yes, all this comes with some downfalls, but the good far outweighs the bad.

This community is so special and unique and so glad to be a part of it. 

It.Is.Real

So so real.

I feel like this should be put on a shirt.

Full heart.

Do you ever have those times on Sunday evenings when you are genuinely sad to see the weekend go and you wake up on a Monday morning thinking to yourself, "What a great weekend".......?!?!?!?!

Unfortunately, I don't have my cord for my camera with me, but pictures to come.

This weekend left me so full.

We had the nieces all weekend, so I got some good Aunt time while Mom and Dad were gone.

But the exciting news of the weekend is we now have a walker people!!!

 

Someone please tell me how that is when it feels like my niece Mackenzie was just born!!! Makes me all kinds of sad, but I got my first ever "walk to me" hug.... Gahhhhh, I felt like my heart could burst. This girl has me wrapped around her finger, and so does her sister. I truly believe those two are the greatest gifts my brother and sister-in-law will/can ever give me.

We got some pool time in, snuggle time, just hanging out and enjoying some wonderful family time.

I am so blessed.

And I was able to sneak away Sunday to see the movie Contagion with Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow. Have any of y'all seen it??? Crazy good. And I'll be stocking up on anti-bac and washing my hands every second. If you've seen the movie you'll know what I mean, ha!

Weekend can best be summed up: Clear eyes (absolutely is nothing more important than family), full hearts....

And with that, you just can't lose! (you know I love me some Friday Night Lights).... haha!! 

Hey, that analogy can go way beyond just football :-)

Oh baby.

Friendships back in high school seemed so much easier. 

Once you get out in the “real world” and get older friendships require a little more work and effort. As you step out of the four walls of high school eventually down the road comes marriage and a baby carriage. We just have different seasons of life that keep us busy and going in different directions.

Neither which I have experienced yet.

Back in high school I had a handful of friends that I could count on my finger. Too me, friendships are about quality, not quantity.

My friend Monica was one of those friends.

I stood beside her as she said I do.

And now….

A blessing on the way and nursery to get ready!

I stole these pictures from her, but don’t think she’ll mind, ha.

When friends are in different seasons of life it doesn’t have to be the make it or break it in a friendship. I have to gain a new understanding of why certain friends may not be able to call me as often as I might like, a better understanding of why the stretches might become longer in between seeing each other.

I’m realizing that I have to learn to extend a little more grace and not take it so personal. 

Monica and I had a chance to get together last night for dinner and catch up. It had been a very long time. It was so nice. She’s 22 weeks along and I still had not seen her cute baby bump. 

I’m learning the value of the friendships don’t change whatever the season might be but yes, the dynamics might change nonetheless.  And I’m learning that's okay and that it's normal.

And now there’s a baby shower to look forward to. Can’t wait to meet baby Matthews! :)

Toothless Wednesday.

My sweet niece is so happy and wanted to share some exciting news with you.

She lost her very first tooth. Like seriously.... Could she possibly be any cuter????? Gah I love this girl to the moon and back!!!!!!

A couple of weekend highlights.

I had plans to go out of town to visit a friend this past weekend but at last minute they got cancelled. So this weekend was very low key. Just the way I like it. 

Just a couple of highlights:

The Gators kicked some Tennessee behind. It was a good game though and the Volunteers put up a good fight.

Here’s my sister and I dressed up for Game Day.

 

It’s great to be a Florida Gator. I had a nice Florida State Seminole fan tell me I need to change my colors to Garnet and Gold because blue tends to wash me out. And well, I said look at the tan we have going on.... haha!! Yeah, blew his theory out the window :) Gotta love football smack talk. Ha!

Okay, so here’s the deal. I’m a firm believer that there are just some movies you are never too old for. So when Lion King came back to theaters, you better believe I was all up on that.

And in 3D, hello? Yeah, I'm soooo there. Ha!! I went Sunday and saw it. Some conclusions:

• Circle of Life makes me bawl. You know it does you, too.
• I totally forgot Jonathan Taylor Thomas (affectionately known as JTT) was the voice of young Simba.
• I will forever love Disney. 
• I can never ever ever ever ever sit through a movie without popcorn. I just can't.
• This is by far my favorite scene.

And with that…. HAKUNA MATATA!!

My story.

I think I’ve shared on the blog before but don’t talk about it a lot.

At birth I was diagnosed with Turner Syndrome. It occurs in very few women. It results in a missing or incomplete sex chromosome. In most cases (in my case) it causes ovarian failure and infertility. So the doctors say I will never be able to have children. 

I’m so drawn to infertility and adoption/foster stories because I know this will be in my future. I would love to be a mother someday. And so love hearing about God bringing children to people that have prayed and longed for it, for so long and pray for those who are still in waiting.

I know whose report I’ll believe and I know God has the final say as to how I start my family someday. Have to find that husband first, ha! Of course it’s easy to think, will I ever find a husband someday when I can’t give him kids? But I have to take that thought captive and know that’s a lie from the enemy.

So as you can imagine, I was extremely blessed by Amy’s story. Please click on the link. No doubt you’ll be blessed too. Please pray for her and her husband on this journey.

These are two other stories I’ve loved following . You’ll find them here and here. Just click the links. Amazing stories of God’s faithfulness. His plans are always perfect. 

Back long ago when the doctors told me I’d never be able to have children of my own, the impact of that didn’t quite hit me because that time seemed so far off. But as I get older, I can’t help but wonder and question what God’s plan is. Everything looks uncertain and don’t know how all his plans will unfold in my life.

One thing I do know from reading these stories. God knows EXACTLY what he’s doing. And the same rings true for my life as well.

We all have a story, or maybe multiple stories that make us who we are and exactly who God created us to be for reasons we may not always understand.

So check these stories out and hope you’re blessed by them.