Our Staycation With Ryan

This week I think Benji could feel I was near my breaking point. We have be super busy. Gone every weekend, Benji gone almost every night of the week. Like come home scarf down dinner and head back out the door kinda week. 

Also Valentines is a hard holiday for me. while I love the sentiment and celebration in and of it's self it brings back tragic memories of the day I got the phone call that my Dad had a stroke....anyway, I already posted about that. I'm here now to post about two YUMMY things! Movie stars and Shoes!!!! HOLLER!!! 

This weekend, Benji sent the kids to his mom's house. (I know y'all think I ship them off all the time, BUT she loves it, they love it, we love it. WIN WIN!) And usually when we send them to grandparents it's because we have a youth function, hardly ever is it for a weekend together. 

So this weekend we had no plans. Benji had his usual Saturday basketball game, last one of the season (thank GOD)....We slept in late every morning, slept through the night every night. 

And of course I got in a little shopping. I picked up most of what I need for Jesse's birthday party on Saturday....(that's another post on how he is one already! What?) 

We also got caught up on the Red Box. We hardly ever rent movies and NEVER ever go see them. We are just too tired to rent them and hello! It is way expensive to go to the theater when you can pay one dollar to get it from the red box a month later. 

Now I wasn't a huge Notebook fan. I mean I liked it, I read the book and saw the movie. Nicholas Spark's books just don't do it for me. They are all the same! I know I shouldn't be dissing him because he is a S.C native, but anyway..... 

I am however a fairly new Ryan Gosling fan. Y'all he is in like so many movies that are great and no one ever talks about them!!!! 

Which actually are the kind of movies I like. 

So this weekend I subjected Benji to a Ryan Gosling marathon. 

Ides Of March- with George Clooney AND Ryan AND Philip Seymour Hoffman. GREAT MOVIE. 

Drive- Good movie, great soundtrack. I think it won best director at Cannes. But I will warn you it's very gory, like the goriest movie I've seen in awhile, probably since Pulp Fiction. 

 Our last and final Ryan movie was Crazy, Stupid, Love- with Steve Carell, Emma Stone and Julianne Moore. It was awesome. Definitely our favorite of the weekend.


I have to leave you with this. My newest love. My first pair of Tory Burch flats. Fortunately, or unfortunately, however you see it, we have a store in Greenville that carries just my kinda style.

They've also got these Hunter Wellington Boots that I've wanted for years. I may just have to pick those up the next time I have a free moment to myself.

Thank you Benji for a nice relaxing, Ryan filled weekend and thank you for letting me spend a little more on shoes than I should.

I'm really not a shopper, seriously. I only buy my kids stuff they need IF it's on sale. I'd never dream of paying for those boutique outfits for my kids. Although I love the smock dresses, Cici and Grammy do a pretty good job of keeping my kids clothed. :) Kathi also has an enormous amount of hand me downs for Jesse. Most expensive thing I have bought him so far is the Aden & Anias blankets and even they were the ones made for Target. (like 4 for 30 bucks).... I never buy myself clothes, because let's be honest i'm still fat from baby carrying.

(I'm gonna get on that diet/exercise thing real soon I swear)

 So anyway, when I DO shop I REALLY shop and usually buy one big ticket item at a time, like every six months or so..... Ya know, go big or go home!

Hello lover! Orange! and I'm not even a Clemson fan. Yet....

February 14, 2005

February 14, 2005 was NOT a good day. 

It's taken me awhile to get back into even thinking about wanting to celebrate the day. 

2005, on Valentines Day my Dad had a stroke and died 5 days later. I remember that day like it was yesterday. 

I can't help but think of that day every time this holiday rolls around.  Time has eased the sting of the actual day and I can enjoy it again, mainly through the eyes of Emery and the innocent joy she has over any holiday where you get candy. :) 

February 19 he passed, 21st was his funeral. 

Jesse was born on the 23rd. I was so SO nervous he was going to come early and end up being born on the 19th or the 21st...

Thankfully he wasn't and now the 23rd is another day in February that is redeeming the month for me. 

Today was a great day. I went to bible study this a.m..., then came home to a clean kitchen (that Benji cleaned before heading to work), 2 dozen roses, chocolates and an adorable OWL card. 

LOVELY. 

Emery had dance this afternoon. After dance I was planning on cooking dinner but Benji came home from work and said he was taking the kids to the grocery to get steaks to cook for dinner. 

I said OKAY! 

We had a great night, kids crying, dogs barking, Emery and Jesse laughing and playing, bath time and finally bed time. 

I love my family and am so thankful that the LORD has blessed me with such a full home. I never take a second for granted. I may not LOVE every second but I definitely appreciate them all. Good and bad. 

The Blogs I Read....

I realize that my list is getting long.

Some of the bloggers I know, like friends of mine.

Some I only WISH I knew.

I want to organize them but I'm not sure how to without deleting all the links and starting over with categories.....

So maybe one day I'll get up enough nerve to separate them all. For now they just be jumbled all up. Sorry.

Mercy Triumphs: James

This week my church FINALLY started our Tuesday a.m. Bible study back. This time we are doing a study on James.

I swear, this 2 hours is my sanity. It is a time where I can fellowship with other mom's like me, SIT for an extended period of time, drink hot coffee- even 2 cups if I want....AND I get to learn from The Word.

I love the Bible study, but honestly I love the ladies in it more. I need this time more than anyone will know. (unless you are in my season of life, which a lot of you are!).

I can't wait to see what all we learn and experience through our study this session. I love the book of James so I am super excited!

Date NIght 2012

Benji and I don't get out alone often. We may eat "out" a few times a month with the kids, but Chick-fil-A and our local Mexican restaurant do NOT count as a date.

So usually when we go out we like to go somewhere we've never been and somewhere a little nicer than your average chain. There are so many great, local restaurants in our city and we would love to experience them all.

The last time we went out on a date in Greenville was August. That should tell you how much we get a few hours to ourselves.

So last week we went to The Green Room. It was great! Benji made reservations, so sweet, so we had a window seat. We sat and talked and ate great food. I honestly never want these nights to end, but they do.

I'll let you know where we go the next date night in about 3 months!

Took A Little Trip

This weekend was my nephew, Asher's 3rd birthday party.

So we headed out Saturday to Georgia to celebrate. AND eat lots and lots of cupcakes.

The party was adorable. She ordered all the decorations, cupcake wrappers, banner, hats, etc from this Esty site for a GREAT price.

Emery was so worn out after that fun filled day with her cousin. they ran around and played and played.

It is so fun to see them laugh with each other. They are only 6 months apart so they are going to be very close!

Jesse had fun as well. He got to crawl around un hindered (she had the party in our home church's fellowship hall. Great idea!) Any way, Jesse got to play with trucks and meet other youngins his age.

It was a whirlwind trip, like we are used too! We headed back to S.C. late that night and woke up early to begin our full day at church.

I feel like today, Wednesday, I am finally caught up mentally with organizing the rest of the week. Which is good since it is almost over! haha.

Now I've got to get busy on some one else's birthday. Jesse turns ONE on the 23rd! I can not even begin to believe that is true.

Two Roads Divided

I can not even begin to explain what this picture means to me and the direction that my life took after this week.

THANK YOU Kevin Kilgore for posting this. I have no idea where you got it....

This week is the week that I quit running from God's call on my life. I surrendered my life to serve him in whatever capacity that he saw fit for me.

This was my first mission trip experience, in San Miguel Del Monte, Argentina.

Out of this week I started working with the church full time, with this cute boy I knew from the singles group (who felt God's call on his life for full time ministry).....

Of course, his name was Benji.

We worked side by side for an entire summer doing everything interns do for a church. At the end of that summer I was headed back to Argentina for a semester of studying Spanish and Biblical studies.

The week before I was scheduled to leave we went on our first "official" date.

Got engaged that week.

And then off to Argentina I went.

He followed me there.

That fall I was scheduled to study abroad in Italy to finish up my final year as a Studio Art major at Brenau.

God changed my plans. Instead of going to Italy to paint, he sent me to Argentina, with a fiancé.

We came home, worked hard, got married and moved off to South Carolina without a penny, a job or a clue!

We enrolled in North Greenville College, who was taking transfer credits from the school in Argentina, and finished up our degrees. Mine this time in English and Christian Studies.

After graduation we headed off again sight un seen, penniless, clueless and full of hope to Louisville, Kentucky to start our journey thru seminary.

I can say without a doubt our time in Louisville were some of the greatest times of our lives. We studied hard, worked SUPER hard and grew as a couple and as partners in ministry.

I graduated from Seminary 7 months pregnant with our first child. Benji graduated a few weeks after she was born. We were once again jobless, homeless, yet full of hope that God would again direct our paths.

He did.

He miraculously, graciously and unexpectedly brought us BACK to Greenville. BACK to the church we loved and attended while finishing college at NGC.

You know the rest......

I am thankful for our story. The story of God's faithfulness in seemingly chaotic situations he was always in control and directing our steps, just as he planned.

Disclaimer: I'd be lying if I didn't think about that semester in Italy I missed every once in awhile... :) but it was worth it!