10 Years...

I never dreamed the last 10 years would have gone by so quickly. 10 years ago, I was in the middle of my last semester of high school. I was about to leave for Europe on Spring Break with my friends, Lexie and Megan, and all of our moms. I was head over heels in-love with a guy I was convinced I would one day marry. I was beyond excited about graduating high school and going to college and escaping the "same old, same old" routine. How times have changed...

Plans have begun for our 10 year high school reunion and I am ecstatic! Since I live out of state, I can't attend the monthly planning meetings. Fortunately, I'm close to several of the girls who have taken the lead (thanks, guys!) in getting everything lined up and they fill me in. I want to help in any way that I can, but for the most part my "job" has to be done remotely. So, I was asked to work with two other girls from our class to develop a contact list. All I can say is, thank God for Facebook. Over 100 of my friends on Facebook are from my graduating class, so that worked out perfectly. I've gotten a great response so far and have developed a spreadsheet with everyone's name, address, email, and phone number. Unfortunately, our graduating class was roughly 240-something people so there are still a lot of "blanks" to be completed, but we're getting closer.

It's hard to believe that some of the people I saw day-in and day-out for 12 years, I haven't seen in 10. It will be so good to have everyone back together again and catch up! I just hope I can find a date between now and August. :)

My World...In His Hands

When I got up this morning and saw 3 loads of laundry in need of my attention, I thought about skipping church to attend to them. I reminded myself they'd still be here when I got back so I jumped in the shower and got ready. Andy Stanley started a new series today entitled, "He's Still Got the Whole World in His Hands". Sometimes that's easy to forget when our nation is facing one of the worst economic times in its history; when people are losing their jobs everyday. Andy talked about how quickly we give God credit when everything in our world is good but that we don't always remember He's still with us when they're not. One of the scripture references he used was Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him..." and he added that sometimes it just takes a while.

I never thought I'd be 27 (and a half) and still single. I assumed that I'd go to college, graduate, and get married because that was just the next step. Little did I know. Those closest to me know how bad I want a husband - and eventually, a family. If ever I felt like I had a "calling", it was to be a wife and mother. Not a doctor or a lawyer or property manager, for that matter - but a wife and a mom. I've had a fantastic example of what both of those should be. My mom is one of the most amazing people I've ever had the privilege of knowing. She's not just my mom, but she's one of my best friends. She's the first person I call when something great or something terrible happens. She prays for me daily. She and my dad have been married for 36 years and although their marriage isn't without flaw, they are happy and they've overcome many hurdles along the way. For years, my mom played the part of Mom and Dad because my Dad worked nights and we didn't see much of him during the week. After working all day, she still had enough energy to shuttle me back and forth to soccer and softball practice/games; Bart to art lessons; fix supper (even if it was fast food); and read the Bible with us before we went to bed. I can't remember how old I was when we started reading the Bible together but we would read a chapter a night and take turns reading out loud. If the chapters were short, we'd read two. I remember at the time thinking, "ugh, can't we just take one night off" but Mom was faithful to lead by example. We read through the entire Bible twice. She's an incredible woman and I'm so thankful for our relationship and the example she's been to me. Even though I'm not certain of when I'll get married - or who the lucky guy will be (HA!) - I know that "in all things God works...".

Bart (my little brother) is 24 today! I really wish he'd stop getting older so I could too! :) Happy Birthday, Bart!! I'm sorry I can't be there to celebrate your day, but I love you and I hope this next year will be the best yet!

Good News and Bad News

I'll start with the good news: five years ago when I finished grad school, I moved back home to Brandon, MS to start my first job in the "real world". It was then that I also started attending Pinelake Church with the encouragement of my best friend, Amy. We joined a small group together and I had the opportunity to meet some great girls and get plugged in quickly. I almost felt guilty for enjoying my experience at Pinelake so much because my parents were in the middle of making the difficult decision to leave the church where we had been members for 20+ years prior. They began to search for a new church home but didn't have much luck. I invited them to Pinelake but initially they thought it was too big for them. They visited several churches in our area but never felt at home. For the past three years, they've attended Pinelake faithfully each week and I'm so excited that this past weekend they joined! They - as well as my brother - are excited about getting involved and making some new friends. This is a picture of Bart and my parents (Carla and Bruce) at Christmas.









The bad news is that I found out a couple of weeks ago that a sweet friend of mine, Cheryl, has a brain tumor. Cheryl and I work for the same company - she in Orlando and I in Atlanta. I actually met her several years ago when we worked together at a different company (sorry if that's confusing). She had surgery to remove the tumor and the pathology report confirmed that it was cancer. She will start combined chemo and radiation treatments next Tuesday, February 24th. I spoke to Cheryl Friday evening (2/13), and she was such an encouragement to me. She talked about how she was so thankful that God allowed her to have this tumor because for the first time in her life, she was living. I thought about how strong she must be to be thankful for cancer. Would I be thankful for it if I was in her position? Cheryl has a daughter my age and I just kept thinking about how often I take my parents for granted. Please keep Cheryl Gray and her family in your prayers.

My sweet Mom had surgery this morning, but my Dad called a little while ago to tell me she was in recovery and that she did great! I know she'll be glad to go home and get settled later today.

I guess that's all of my news for now. Hope you have a great day!

Growing Up

I heard a quote once that says something along the lines of, "your friends are the family you get to choose". I would agree with this statement although I feel like I should follow that up with the fact that I love my family - and wouldn't choose any other even if I had the chance. I am so blessed to have the best of both. You've already met some of my favorite people; others you'll get to meet soon.

My best friend, Julie, and I grew up in church together. Our moms are best friends, so it's only natural that we would be. She's seen me at my best and at my worst. Looking back, I can't remember a time when she wasn't a part of my life. She is one of the most loyal people I know and we've shared every emotion under the sun with each other. She met her match when she married David - they are truly a couple I admire and love to hang out with. In November of 2007, their family expanded when they welcomed my beautiful "niece", Ashley Ryan. I will never forget the night Julie called to tell me she was pregnant - I was SO excited for them and couldn't wait to meet this baby. Over night it seems, Ashley Ryan has gone from a newborn to a 14-month old "little girl" whose laugh will just melt your heart. Julie called me a couple of weeks ago to tell me that AR was carrying my picture around the house - as if her "Auntie" didn't LOVE to hear that! So, without further ado, meet the Smiths - David, Julie, and Ashley Ryan.

(I stole this picture from Julie's blog)










I look rough in this picture! I drove from ATL straight to Julie's driveway soon after they came home from the hospital. I couldn't wait to get my hands on that baby...seems like yesterday.

And here she is at 14 months - I could just eat her and her lollipop hat!

He's Just Not That Into You...

Kate and I met our friend, Kelsey, yesterday afternoon to go see the hottest new movie that was released on Friday - "He's Just Not That Into You". I read the book when it first came out and could totally identify with most of it. The movie, to me, was just as good as the book. It's a hard pill to swallow to think that a guy you like really isn't into you - a pill that I've swallowed on more than one occasion. I tend to over-analyze everything like Gennifer Goodwin did in the movie - she might just be my new BFF!

I don't understand why the work week can go by so slowly and the weekends (especially warm, sunny ones) can be over in the blink of an eye. Saturday morning I was up at 5:45 trying to mentally prepare myself to run 6.2 miles. I started the race with my friends Calvin and Austin - I didn't finish with them because they were (much) faster than me. I finished in 1:02 but was pleased with that time. When we got out of the car Saturday morning it was 31 degrees...and the race was on the Chattahoochee River which made it feel even colder. I should have worn gloves because my hands were numb when we started running. The course was not laid out well. We had to turn around twice and at mile 5 there were two hills that almost killed me. Oh well, at least it's good practice for the half marathon.

I'll close here since I'm work and probably shouldn't be blogging anyway. Have a wonderful week!

Finally Friday!

How great would it be if every day were Friday? There is nothing like the feeling of knowing that in less than 8 hours, you're done with work for 2 full days.

It's been somewhat of a busy week which is the reason why I haven't posted in a few days. My sweet roommate has been fighting the flu since Monday night and that poor girl has been SICK! I prayed all week that I wouldn't catch it and so far, so good. I hate feeling helpless and knowing there's nothing you can do to make the situation (any situation, for that matter) different. I wanted so bad to do something to help her get well but short of force feeding her soup and Sprite, I was at a loss.

Wednesday night I had my first small group meeting. To be honest, it didn't go as well as I was hoping it would. I think I'm just going to take the next few days to try and figure out a Plan B. I want to get involved and meet new people, but it's hard not to compare the old with the new. I had a fantastic small group in Jackson and we all came from different walks of life with different stories and each person added a new flavor. This just seemed very different so I'm not sure it's for me.

Tomorrow morning I'm running a 10K (6.2 miles) called the Chattahoochee Challenge. The course is supposed to be FLAT so hopefully it won't be too bad. According to my training schedule, I'm supposed to run 6 miles tomorrow anyway so it will be a perfect run to stay on schedule.

Sunday afternoon, I think a few friends and I are going to see "He's Just Not That Into You". They called and asked me to star in the movie, but I kindly declined - ha! I think it will be super cute and I'm sure I'll be able to relate to it in more ways than one. Some days it's very easy for me to think that I'll be the last person on Earth to get married, but I know Mr. Wonderful is out there...somewhere.

The great news that I've been dying to tell for the past 6 weeks is that another one of my best friends, Amy, is pregnant!! While I was home over Christmas, I decided to drive an hour south and spend the night with her because her husband (Morgan) was out of town for the night (he's a pilot). I, being the bad friend that I am, had not been to Amy and Morgan's house since they moved to McComb in November of 2006 (yes, you read that correctly) so I decided that while I was home over Christmas would be the perfect time. When I got there Amy said (first thing), "Come here and let me show you my favorite Christmas present". I knew that she had racked up on clothes at her in-laws, so I'm totally expecting her to pull out a great sweater or a new pair of jeans. Instead of going towards her closet though she goes to the bathroom - dumb me is STILL not getting it - and pulls out a pregnancy stick with two lines on it!!! I grabbed the stick from her to make sure it was positive (since I'm sure she would have shown me a negative test) and started screaming! She had her second doctor's appointment yesterday and the baby's heartrate was 174...yay! She is 10 weeks today. With all of my best friends who have gotten pregnant - and those to come - it feels like their child is part mine because I love their Mommas so much. This is Amy and Morgan...how cute is that baby going to be???

This is a little late (sorry Lex), but another one of my best friends, Lexie, ran her first half marathon last Sunday in New Orleans and finished in 2:24!! I am so proud of her and knew she could do it. Her husband, Josh, is a runner and Lexie is always at the finish line waiting for him. This time they got to run together and I know he was very proud of her. Lexie and I email almost daily and she has been such an encouragement to me to keep going to the gym, even on the days when it's the last thing I want to do. We talked earlier this week and tentatively decided to do our first half marathon together in June...in Mississippi...can you say "hot"??? Lexie beat my first half marathon time by 2 minutes, so being the competitive person that I am - I'm going to have to step it up in the half marathon next month! Congratulations Lexie on your huge accomplishment!! Here's a picture of Josh and Lexie from last summer...love them!

See, I told you it's been a busy week! I'm looking forward to a warm, relaxing weekend! TGIF!!!

Uptown Girl

My daddy loves oldies music. When I was little he had a green Chevrolet pickup and I would stand next to him as he drove (probably not very safe) and we would listen to his oldies. To this day, I know more oldies songs than any other 27 year old that I know. One of the songs that I will always remember us singing (and dancing to) is "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel. My favorite part was the "Whoa-oa-oa-oa-oa-oa-oa...". When I decided to start this blog, I knew it would have to come up with a name for it. I chose Uptown Girl because it's a sentimental reminder of my daddy and because living in Hotlanta is a little more "uptown" than MS (although MS is home and always will be).

Yesterday was a great day. The sermon at church was about balancing your life. With the economy being in a state of shambles, it is important to save more and spend less if possible. Andy Stanley is a great speaker and I always enjoy hearing him. He talked about how dissatisfied we (as Americans) have become with what we already have. His visual aide was an older model television (not a flat screen). He talked about how we are constantly buying new products that come out just because it's the latest and "best" thing - not because what we already have is broken and needs to be replaced. He even mentioned shopping in general, which is one of my absolute favorite past times but not necessary.

After church, my best friend, Kate, and I cooked several appetizers to take to her boyfriend's house to watch the Superbowl. I won't lie and pretend I'm an NFL fan because I'm not. I love to watch SEC football (specifically MS State when they're winning - which, let's face it, isn't all that often) but I know nothing about any of the teams in the NFL. I knew that the Pittsburgh Steelers were playing - thanks to several Steeler fans that are my friends on Facebook, but I didn't even know who they were playing against (Arizona Cardinals) until yesterday....and I sure didn't know who to cheer for! Oh well! It was a good game and we had fun stuffing our faces all night.