A Surprise 40th Birthday Party ~ For Me!

On February 6th, my small group girls were scheduled to go out to dinner for both mine and Erin's birthdays! We both have February birthdays and just like normal, we always go out and celebrate.  I got ready like NORMAL and planned to eat at the Outback, like NORMAL. Can you tell the word NORMAL has been stated a ton? I am NOT sure why because this night was ANYTHING BUT NORMAL.

As the evening got later and later, and the dinner time got closer and closer, things started to slowly CHANGE.  Hmmm, I was CLUELESS. Erin texted and said, "I am so sorry.  I won't be able to ride to dinner with you all.  Nathan is running really late.  I'll have to take my own car." Lisa said, "Ugh, I forgot to tell Aaron about dinner tonight, until about one hour ago, so I think I will be delayed too!  We can drive together Erin." I didn't think anything of it, but I was bummed that we couldn't all drive together like NORMAL. Jody was moving to Tennessee in a few days and I had hoped that we could have one last NORMAL girls night out, even the drive there, just for old times sake.  "Oh well" I thought! We will just see them at dinner.

On the way to dinner, Shannon just very innocently said, "Oh hey! We moved dinner to 419 West. We figured we would go somewhere a little different and special in honor of your big milestone birthday!" I replied,"Oh okay! How sweet!" AND.THAT.WAS.THAT.  Nothing more was discussed. I definitely went with the flow with ANY doubt about something else taking place.

When we arrived into the restaurant, we were walking to "our" table and I heard loud singing coming from another section of the restaurant.  The tune was the ,"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" song. I vividly recall myself thinking, "Awe. It's someone else birthday tonight too." I turned around to see who was being celebrated AND it was ME! It was all of the beautiful ladies (below) singing to ME! My mouth LITERALLY dropped to the floor.  Just asked ANY of my friends if you don't believe me. They were all laughing and smiling big at my reaction.  I was DUMBFOUNDED. I have NEVER had a surprise party before and I cannot tell you HOW SPECIAL it makes you feel.  I couldn't have hand picked a better crowd to attend a party in honor of me.  The only person missing was my dear friend Dawn Smith, who was invited, but she had to work that night.

Somehow, it was coordinated for my meal to be covered, so I didn't have to pay for ANYTHING. I ordered the most delicious chicken and shrimp dish!

And then, I was greeted with the most beautiful cake!  It was a two-tiered cake and contained all of my favorite colors: black and white (for my old age) and pink.  The flowers on the cake were EDIBLE! The cake was to die for. It was BOTH beautiful and delicious.  A perfect combination of presentation and taste.

Lisa presented the cake to me. 

Everyone sang to me!!! Can you tell by the deep dimple on my face how happy this evening made me?

Erin, thank you for giving up your special birthday dinner to make this night ALL about me.  I feel so honored and selfish. LOL!

I was also given many generous gifts including sweet cards, hand written notes, cash, gift cards, a handmade/monogrammed shirt, and a few personalized trinkets.  

This night was definitely edifying to my soul.  It was a blessing to see so many wonderful friends take time out of their busy lives to celebrate this milestone birthday with me.  All of these women are busy moms/wives and they sacrificed their precious family time to spend it with me, which I know is no easy task. 

I am thankful for all of the details that went into this evening as well.  AND I am still not entirely sure who to thank for what. Shannon was probably the coordinator of the party. Ashely may have volunteered to pick up those huge balloons AND I gather that Erin did the framed 40s and the floral arrangements and Lisa did the invitations and cake.  If I am wrong, I apologize and PLEASE correct me. I am sure EVERY ONE of my small group girls had an integral part in the planning process. I am a big party planner, so I personally know much time it took to create all of the special, finite details such as the invitation, floral arrangements, cake, framed 40's in gold/black, and the big 40 balloons.  

Friendship is definitely a gift. Friendship isn't about who you've known the longest.  It's about who walked into your life, said "I'm here for you!" and proved it.  ALL of these ladies entered my life as long as 10 years ago and as little as 4 months ago. They each hold a special place in my heart for so many different reasons. The BEST part is that every single one of these women LOVE JESUS.  There's no greater friendship than a friendship built on the solid rock of CHRIST.  I LOVE YOU ALL!  I will NEVER EVER forget this evening as long as my memory will serve me.  AND NOW that I am 40, who knows how long that will last.  LOL!!!1

All of the photos were taken with iPhones, hence the poor quality.  BOO! OF ALL TIMES to leave my camera at home.  Sigh...

Final Goodbyes!

About two weeks ago, our small group gathered together for a "goodbye" party for our dear friends Brett and Jody (and their two daughters), who were due to move to Tennessee. Brett has served as the Youth Pastor of our church, but he was also our small group leader and dear friend.  We had planned to go out to eat at a fancy, local restaurant, called the Metro, but we knew this evening would be slightly sappy, so we moved the "party" to the Fernandez's new home.  We ordered Firehouse Subs and I made three homemade desserts in honor of this bitter-sweet celebration.  

Jody's favorite dessert is cheesecake, so I made a strawberry cheesecake and an oreo cheesecake, along with my favorite dessert, Tiramisu.  They could NOT have turned out more beautiful. They were also so delicious.  I am drooling over them as I stare at these photographs.   

 

YUM!

We all brought gifts and letters to give to Brett and Jody!  We prayed over them. The night was really emotional. We poured out our hearts to this sweet couple, but we laughed just as much as we cried.  And then... we captured a few photos of our group's last time as a party of 6 guys and 6 gals.  We have been in this small group for well over 5 years now.  Having Brett and Jody absent, every other Friday at small group, AND at Church AND around town, will be hard to accept as a reality.

I love all of these people.  Above from left to right: Nathan, Zach, Brett, Aaron, Darren, and Dennis.  Below from left to right: Erin, Ashely, ME, Jody, Shannon, and Lisa.  This group is a BEAUTIFUL picture of the Lord's grace.  We all fight faithfully and hard to love each other, hold each other accountable, and encourage each other.  Don't look too closely... we all cried every bit of our make-up off.

I purchased this beautiful necklace for Ansley, their daughter.  From Virginia to Tennessee she goes.  Ansley will definitely be missed. Be sure to check out Ivy By Design's ETSY shop!

It's called a state bar necklace.

I also purchased a photo album for Ansley of the mountains.  I felt like this represented Roanoke well.  I filled it will all kinds of photos taken over the years as well as the photos from the "Childhood Friends" photo shoot.

Believe it or not, I found it at Michaels Craft Store.

I fell in love with this saying, "How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard!" So, I contacted Cultural Bindings on ETSY and had a notebook made for BOTH Ansley and Jody. I LOVED the image below and asked her to use it in place of the one she features on her ETSY shop.

I had a wood panel made for Ansley. I also had a wooden panel made for the first group photo pictured in this post. These were purchased at Walgreens and I LOVE THEM!

We have LOVED having Brett and Jody do life with us.  They have truly left their mark in ROANOKE, VA.  I purchased this gorgeous Roanoke ornament from Steger Creek. The ornament was designed by the owner himself.  

I purchased a glass dome for the ornament to be displayed in.  

I am hoping they will display it in their home, along with the group photo, reminding them of their wonderful memories in Roanoke and the FIRST place they called home as a married couple.

Life is certainly going to look different for a while both HERE, in Roanoke, and in Tennessee.  It's not easy saying goodbye to someone.  Empty seats will exist, new friendships will need to be discovered, intentional LOVE and staying in touch will be necessary, and some of the most amazing memories will be reminisced on often. 

I read a quote from a pastor that went something similar to this, "The kingdom doesn't grow by holding on, but rather by letting go!" SO... I am staying focused on letting go simply because I know Brett and Jody will do MIGHTY things at their new church, Lyon's Creek Baptist Church.  BUT, it doesn't mean I can't hold on to my love for them and memories made with them.  

We will be praying for all of their adjustments, for their faith to increase, and for the Lord's will to be evident to them as they walk in obedience. This is not goodbye, but so long.  Shoot, we plan to go visit them and hang out in DOLLYWOOD soon!!! LOL!  We love you WILLIAMS' family.  

New Year's Day 2016!

For Christmas, I purchased Darren a Ruger Icp and a Glock 21. Well, let me rephrase that...I was supposed to purchase him a Glock, but he decided to get it for himself before Christmas.  So...I purchased Darren a Ruger instead.  Our friend Aaron and I planned a grown-up playdate, at his house, with 10 guys from church. Aaron supplied the "shooting range" and I supplied the food.  I made (2) pots of Italian Chili and (1) pot a unique chili with Ditali pasta, cornbread, and most any chili topping you can think of. I had quite the task.  Originally, I thought I was cooking for 5-10 men.  It turned out being that 10+ men, their wives, and children. Ahhhh!!! I have no evidence of the final outcome.  Just a quick photo of some of my store bought items.

I cannot wait to share how I presented this gift/event to Darren, but until then, PLEASE KNOW, my man was so excited.  He loaded up his "gun bag", the night before, weapons, amo, and a few targets. His bag weighed about 80 pounds

I didn't want to be the annoying photographer, so I left my camera bag in the car. BUT...here is ONE video clip and ONE photo of their fun. While the men practiced shooting, the women stayed warm inside and chatted.  The girls played with their American Girl Dolls.

The bear that they were trying to "KILL" was a bear that was given to me, by my father.  Sadly, after 15+ years of having it, my one year old puppy decided to use it's nose as a chew toy.  Ugh. We were going to throw it out, but instead, Darren brought it to Aaron's to use as Target practice.  A special thanks to Thomas Chaffin for recording this intense moment of "Kill The Bear". I have to say, I feel pretty darn safe having all of these men in our church.  

After some shooting fun and a hot meal, accompanied with some delicious dessert brought by Allison and possibly Lisa, the guys completed their push up contest that they had been planning on for several months.  Everyone gathered around and watched 4 or 5 of the guys compete against each other.

It was very fun/funny to watch, but as you can see from the guy's face, this was no joke to them.  PRIDE was at stake here. LOL! It was taken very seriously and it was a pretty fierce few minutes.  The room was getting hot. Hehe.

I am proud to announce my man did the most push-ups.  I believe he did 73 or 78.  

Then the little boys wanted to give it a try.  This was so cute. First up, little Hank.

Then, Watson!

The bigger-little boys and girls went too.  Gabe, Ty, Lilah, Kate, Vivian, and Ansley!

We are always so thankful to get to spend the day with Church family.  You never leave a church function thinking, "I should have never went!"  Darren and I really admire both Aaron and Lisa's willingness to show hospitality.  We are continuing to be a witness to it.  I am hoping that it will rub off on us more and more.  I have a feeling, although this was the FIRST time shooting at Aaron's it will NOT be the last.  Happy New Year!

The Light Has Come!

Our days can be filled with so much darkness and difficulty.  That's why our church does an incredible job inviting the congregation, as well as, the public to enjoy what really matters at Christmas time...Jesus.  It was a beautiful night of worship through music.  We also learned about the hope and LIGHT that Jesus brings, into this world, through the preaching of God's word.

I had three forms of media to capture this event, but sadly my iPhone was screaming at me "storage full", my camera was fully charged, but it was screaming "card full", and the video camera was NOT fully charged.  I was having to deleted apps, pictures, and decipher what was most important to video record ALL while watching it and worshiping.  I will never make that mistake again! I apologize for the poor footage, but I think you will enjoy what I was able to capture.

This was the first year all of our children were able to be a part of the performance.  You have to be a mature kindergartener to participate   They were all soldiers. Our youth Pastor, Brett, designed the t-shirts!

I thought they did great!!! They have been practicing since August.  

Lilah was barely recognizable in the army hat.  For the first 5 minutes, I couldn't spot her out of all the kids on stage. Do you see her?  ALL along, she was right in front of my face. I was in the front row too!!!!

Even my oldest, Ty, was not ashamed or too good to be a part of singing about our Savior! And even my most bashful child made me so proud.

My girlfriend Lisa, at the last minute, used her newborn baby in one of the songs, to represent baby Jesus.  It was so beautiful!

Ty's teacher, Mrs. Clifford, came out to support him and worship with us. It's those teachers that value you and cheer you on, outside of the school building, that really make a difference in a student's life.  She loves her job and it shows.

Despite the hiccups with my machinery and the awful messages of "card full" and "storage full",  and very limited battery space on my video camera, I was able to capture A LITTLE bit of everyone's handwork and worship to God/Jeus. Enjoy the video footage below.