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Funny Video to come soon.. if I can ever get it to upload. :)

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Nashville, Tennessee... here we come!

Traditional expo picture, just missing Sarah Lou!! 

I'm so thankful that this weekend I was able to spend a few days in Nashville, Tennessee. A group of us ran the Music City Half, and then we stayed in Nashville and enjoyed the city. This is the FIRST time I've gone to a race and been able to enjoy the city after the race. Typically we cross the finish line, run to our hotel to shower, check out, get in the car and drive home. :) But this time dad forced me to stay with the group and enjoy the life of Nashville! I have a great dad!!

We had a GREAT weekend... complete with lots of laughter, bananas, G2, exhaustion, and Biofreeze! :)

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Congratulations, Luke and Sydney!

So, I have to share a sweet little story with you that just might make you cry. Ok, it probably won't move you to tears, but it is sweet.

On October 17, 1987 a very, VERY important event took place. At around 1:00pm this little guy named Luke was born at Anderson Memorial Hospital, and just about 20 minutes later this cute little girl was born. (she was much cuter than Luke... naturally. :)) Now what makes this story even more special is that this little boy and this little girl were cousins... and not only were they born near each other in time, they were born rooms across from each other! (and just in case you haven't picked up by now, Luke's the little boy and I'm the little girl.... :))

Growing up I always thought Luke was my real twin. I didn't fully understand the fact that twins typically come from the same mother ;)... I just thought since we were born on the same day and we were related, we MUST be twins. I'm so thankful for Luke. I was taller than him for most of my life and would pride myself in that, but one day he grew up and now he's got me beat by a foot. I'm so proud of him and all the exciting things that are happening in his life.

One of these exciting things is a WEDDING that will be coming up this August. Tonight I had the privilege of taking a few shots of Luke and Sydney... I'm not sure how he did it, but Luke got a good one. :) I'm so excited for them and what God has in store for their lives!

So, Congratulations Luke and Sydney! Love you both!

We took these pictures out at the farm my dad grew up on...
My uncle currently lives there, and Luke lives in the little blue
house at the bottom of the hill. Lots of our family started out in that house,
including Dad and Mom and Carrie and Dan!

BEAUTIFUL couple! This was taken down at the pond on the farm.
Lots of memories fishing, catching frogs, building bridges, etc... 

Luke did a GREAT job!! :) Beautiful ring for a beautiful bride!

Sara Margaret and Will came along for the evening... Will was so excited
about getting his picture taken! :)

Will and Sara Margaret... cute as ever!

New sisters... beautiful ladies! So thankful we're family....
God has been so sweet to me!

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Thankful for the Heney girls...

On Saturday Sarah and I went to a shower for Alli Heney-- hosted by her sweet sister and the Nicholsons. It was such a fun party and it was alot of fun to see friends I haven't seen in a while! 

I am so excited for God's leading in Alli and Ben's lives, and am looking forward to their

wedding in a FEW short months!! SO thankful today for 

the girls in the picture below.

Alli's pretty excited about this brunch- :) beautiful table, delicious
food prepared by lots of different people

Victoria Whitwell, Ashley Nicholson, and Abby Heney
True family right here!

We were SO SO SO excited to see Keshia and her little
boy Xavier- he is PRECIOUS!

He's such a cool dude :)

Congrats to Alli and Ben!!!!

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147/365

Sarah and Jon... :) and the Pendleton Oil Mill

Had alot of fun yesterday on the way back from Anderson with Jon and Sarah. We decided to stop and take pictures at an old oil mill downtown Pendleton that is actually going to be torn down pretty soon. I'm sad about that- it isn't exactly a safe place at ALL, but it sure is neat! I took quite a few of Jon and Sarah, but this is all you get today. :) The rest Jon took... he's a natural.

Just in case you thought he was nice... this is the truth.

Woohooo!! Thankful for cool photo spots and my little camera... and for time to hang out with Sarah and Jon!

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Christ is RISEN!!!!

So thankful for an incredible time in the Word and celebrating the resurrection of Christ. Church was a real blessing Sunday morning (and night). Dan taught from 1 Corinthians 15 on the resurrection of Christ and what that means for believers, and ended with verse 58 which is our response as BELIEVERS... to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. AMEN. (I just added the amen... so awesome)

My call as a believer, because of the resurrection of my LIVING Savior, is to be about His work. Sometimes I feel like that work is just pointless or is getting nowhere. Some days I just don't feel like walking with Him (honesty here). BUT, I can't give up, because God has a purpose for my life far greater than my purpose for my life would ever be, and what He has for me to do is not in vain or pointless.

I am so thankful for the victory Christ had over death, and that because of this He gives us purpose to life. And in life or death, we can praise Him.

AFTER church on Sunday our family all gathered at Grammie Campbell's for our Easter celebration. It was so much fun to be with the family- all of my siblings were there except Monroe and Katie, and we missed Kelly and Clough Steven also!

MOST of the original cousins... missing Monroe, Kelly and Clough Stevens

Now with all of the additions... SO thankful for this family! I'm
not sure when we all grew up!

Kathryn was in her seersucker dress to match little D and Benton :)

Benton and Daniel were fascinated with the sticks all around- they weren't
really up for a photo shoot!

TOOOOO much personality! Daniel had a nut in his mouth... I think
he had that same nut in his mouth an hour later.
He wasn't too concerned about eating it, just thought it was
a cool look, I guess!

Thankful Grandma Kline could be with us, too! LOVE having her around!

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Thankful.... sitting here watching a movie with Sarah Lou. Love her and am so thankful for my best friend!

144/365

Good Friday

TODAY is a great day. Growing up I never really thought much about "Good Friday"... just brushed it aside in anticipation of pretty dresses and hats, easter egg hunts and family traditions. 

I think this year I've come to more of a realization of my need for the blood of Jesus. Because of my sin, I needed a Savior. And that's why God sent His only (amazing) Son into the earth to DIE... which is what we spend today remembering. But the awesome thing about the death of Christ is that death couldn't hold Him captive. 

Tonight we celebrated the Lord's supper at church and I was just drawn to tears thinking about the implications of Christ's death (and resurrection!) on my life. I was thinking about what my life would look like if I didn't have a relationship with Jesus. How hopeless life would be. To even imagine that death is IT and that there's nothing more is just so hopeless. I am so thankful to because of Jesus Christ WE can partake in the victory over death. We are able to have a genuine relationship with the Creator of the universe... and we can enjoy a life of COMPLETE satisfaction worshiping Jesus Christ! (and the coolest thing is that this life will never end... and it truly is complete satisfaction because we are MOST satisfied when God is glorified in us- that's how we as humans were created! We were created to worship God... that's our purpose!)

So, that leads me to the song that I'm claiming for this GREAT Good Friday. I am so thankful that God has reached down and rescued me and that He has claimed me as His child. I hope this is an encouragement to you as you listen through and meditate on your walk with Jesus or your need for a walk with Him. I really have no clue who all reads this blog, but if you have never reached out to Jesus... DO IT! He's reaching out to you- you'll never regret beginning a relationship with Jesus Christ- I promise you from first hand experience!

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My heart was just deeply, deeply moved...

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/exclusive-young-mother-with-cancer-sacrifices-life-for-unborn-child

Today I am thankful for life. I'm thankful that for this lady life did not end at death, but rather life began. What a true testimony of faith in Christ.

"It is not death to die
To leave this weary road
And join the saints who dwell on high
Who’ve found their home with God
It is not death to close
The eyes long dimmed by tears
And wake in joy before Your throne
Delivered from our fears

Chorus O Jesus, conquering the grave
Your precious blood has power to save
Those who trust in You
Will in Your mercy find
That it is not death to die

It is not death to fling
Aside this earthly dust
And rise with strong and noble wing
To live among the just
It is not death to hear
The key unlock the door
That sets us free from mortal years
To praise You evermore"


-Sovereign Grace Praise

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Cross Impact + Cookout...

Wednesday night's are one of my favorite... Cross Impact+GREAT friends+Cookout. It was such an encouragement to be in the Word and in prayer at Bible study tonight- refreshment in Christ is such a gift. We've been studying the life of Peter and it's just been an incredible adventure to watch the life of a man who was soooo human and had so many faults, yet the Lord used him in such incredible ways. We studied Acts 3 tonight which is the account where Peter and John are headed into the temple and a lame man stops them to ask for money. Rather than blowing this guy off, they stop and Peter offers him healing in the name of Christ and ultimately a relationship with Christ. Of course after this guy is healed he's walking (I feel as if he was probably jumping and running around like a kid in a candy shop!) and praising Jesus- and nobody around could miss his excitement! It's really neat to know that though the lame man thought what he needed from Peter and John was money, Peter knew this man needed something far greater... a relationship with the Great Physician.
How often am I too busy or inconvenienced that I neglect to share with others what they truly need. Peter and John could have brushed off this lame man and gone on with their daily tasks, yet they stopped and shared Christ with him. The Lord really convicted my heart to have a willing spirit to be inconvenienced to truly help people and to share with them the satisfaction of their greatest need... a relationship with Jesus Christ. How often when I'm going on with my busy life do I neglect to see the lame man on the side of the road, or do I just not care because I'm so focused on my own life? Convicting!

AFTER Cross Impact we've started a little "tradition" of treating ourselves to milkshakes at Cookout (it's a really healthy tradition. This is why I run :)). They have about a zillion different types of milkshakes to select from, and tonight I had the Mr. Gruendling specialty- a peanut butter banana milkshake. (Mr. Gruendling comes every week with Caleb to Bible study... and of course, to Cookout... makes life so much more fun!) We then just sat around and listened to Mr. Gruendling tell us stories of the days that he was an airplane mechanic... crazy stories!

I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to hear life experiences from people who have lived such interesting lives... such a fun night with GREAT people. The Lord has really blessed me with great friends.

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Check out this incredible jewelry- my sister-in-law is a consultant in Dallas and she just loves this stuff!

                                           
https://www.bamboopink.net/katiecampbell

I'm so thankful for Katie Campbell :)

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Window Treatments= Hung

Pictures to come tomorrow when I can take them and upload. Julia Clement finished the most BEAUTIFUL treatments that we began in college... well, sort of. But we kinda accidentally measured 12 inches too short :), so Carrie will be receiving those treatments, and Jules made new ones for the dining room. They are just gorgeous- great job, Jules!

Gorgeous, rich fabric... had fun picking this out for our college projects :)

Loved these buttons from Hancock Fabrics- and she did
a great job with the pinch pleats. These were actually going to be goblet pleats
but we like 'em just like this. Might just leave them :)

The lilac bush in the backyard... smells AMAZING!

Finished product! Looks GREAT, Jules! (now to choose the paint color and find
the PERFECT oriental rug...never ends :) SO much fun!

Also, wanted to show those of you who read my blog in the early days (Journey of Thanks: 10/365)  the "finished" product of the kitchen. I have been holding off because we're planning on painting soon a shade of green that has not yet been determined... (Benjamin Moore color wheels are currently lying around the kitchen being analyzed and over-analyzed), and I wanted to put up the "final" pictures, but this will do for now!

(pictures coming tomorrow)

Thankful to see a few little projects around the house coming to completion!

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Happy Birthday Dan celebration!!!

SO, Dan's birthday is Monday, but we decided to celebrate TODAY!

SO thankful for my dad... I kinda like him alot! (Great boss, too!)

Dan's pretty excited about his birthday dinner... PIZZA and Ice Cream cake!!

Best parents of all time... ALL time! 

Benton was praying for our meal (I had to sneak a picture!)

Only 24 candles... so I suppose he turned 24 for the 4th time! (and notice
one of the candles wasn't lit. Carrie was having struggles getting this one to light!

I think Daniel thought this party was for him, only there were a LOT more candles
on this cake than 'his' normal birthday cakes!
(Daniel and Benton celebrated their birthdays about 10 times this year :))

Benton was eagerly waiting for his piece of  cake...

Best part of every cake= licking the candles!!!

Happy Birthday Dan! Thanks for being born so that on your 24+4th birthday we could eat pizza and buy an oreo cookie cake! You da MAN!

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Surprise, Gatlinburg... here I come!!!

I have the best boss in the world! At 10am on Friday I get a call from dad and he says, "would you like to come to the mountains with us?! We have extra room! Just come quickly because there's a storm coming!"

SO, my response, "OK, I'm on my way!!!"

Downtown Gatlinburg after a big breakfast at the Pancake Pantry.
Bopa bought the boys some candy... they were so excited!

Benton was gripping his gummy bears for all he was worth!

Daniel was pretty excited about his candy, too! Bopa handed both the boys money,
walked them into the candy store, let them pick out what they wanted, pay,... they are all grown up!

Sooo... there's this wedding chapel in Gatlinburg and OF COURSE
we had to get pictures!

Shameless.

I got two kisses- I'm one lucky girl!

I suppose this is the get-away ride?
Here we're all trying to blow kisses... 

Only in the south. (this was on the limo...)

:) FUN times in the mountains... did I mention that traffic was CRAZY because there was an old car show this weekend? Thousands and thousands (I am not kidding when I say that) of old cars and trucks lined the Parkway. It took us 2 HOURS to drive 1.3 miles back to the cabin after shopping. 1.3 MILES!!! But all in all, a FUN Friday! :)