A Friend of the Heart

This past weekend had the potential to be a very sad and lonely time for me. You see, Trey, Lee, and the kids all flew to Odessa from Friday to Tuesday (today) for a family reunion. I did have the option of going, but Trey and I decided it would be best to save the money on my ticket and for me to work - he is a slave driver. Just kidding! I made that decision :)

I was actually contemplating going vs. staying when an idea came to mind. I texted Bessie Ann to see if she could come hang this weekend. When she said "YES," my mind was made up. So this past Friday, after the others left for the airport, I made dinner at home and waited for Bessie Ann to get here. She arrived around 7:15, and from there the rest is history. I just love those friends whose heart's cry echos your own. I think our jaws should be tired from all the talking and catching up we did. We spent Friday night eating and talking late into the night. Saturday was spent around the house. We slept in, spent time with the Lord, watched movies, read books, ate good food. One of my highlights from this weekend was the time we spent in prayer on Saturday. We entered into some kind of time warp as we got on our faces before the Lord and brought our requests to Him. Those are the times that change you. Powerful and worshipful.

Sunday morning we went hiking around Lee's house. Watch out if you see Bess and I out on the frontier - we are armed and dangerous! As a matter of fact, we almost thought we'd have to use the guns when about 40 cattle started running toward us at full speed. Thankfully, they turned around when they got about 20 yards away. Sunday afternoon was a time for naps and part of a terrible movie (*I do not recommed "I Now Pronouce You Church and Larry"). Sunday evening was pizza, fishing, and laughter. Well, the whole weekend was filled with laughter. But it was so great! Below are some pics of our time fishing...

The 2.3 pound bass we caught!

I love Bessie Ann. She is one of those special friends that will be a friend for life. Actually, I'm really blessed overall with great friends - Natalie, Kat, Rachel, Jenny. And then I have such wonderful family - Gretchen, Lee, my mom, my mom-in-love. Thank You, Lord, for great friends! 

Once Upon a Thursday

I know I've already written a post about my days off, but I just truly love Thursdays so, so much. On Thursday of this week, I got to watch the Dubs all day. Marilee went with her mom to work. Trey was home, but he kept himself busy with his many little projects. I snapped some pics of the day, so here ya go:

 The first couple pics are of the boys hanging our hammock. Burke enjoyed toting around those chains.

The snotty-nosed Burke Warren pulling a very heavy chain.

"Aunt Kara, I don't have time to stop and smile for a picture!"

And finally, after playing so hard, the boy stops to rest!

 

Trey loves working on "man stuff" on his days off. He changes the oil in our vehicles, explores the land around us, fishes, and builds things for me or Lee. One project he recently had was building some shelving for our utility closet. I wish I had a before and after picture so you could see the absolute chaos that was our utility closet. But I don't, so at least you can see the after. He worked all day building these shelves from scratch, and I must say, I am very impressed and very pleased!

Fishing, Greek Yogurt, 24-hour Wal-Mart

This Memorial Day weekend has been a blast so far. Friday night Trey and I ate dinner with our pastor and his wife at their lake house. It was a nice getaway for the evening, and they are such a wise and incredible couple. We sat around in their screened in porch, sipped lemonade, grilled hamburgers, talked, and laughed. After dinner, Paula and I sat on the dock for a couple hours while Trey and Gary trolled around the lake and fished. Saturday, we fished again, this time at Lee's place. We took the mule out to a pond located in the potato fields, and we rowed around for a couple hours and fished. Other than a lovely sunburn on my legs, Trey caught two very large bass. I had a couple bites, but didn't bring anything in. One time, I was reeling in my bait and had it a few feet from the boat when something jumped out of the water, grabbed my bait, and apparently bit it off the line. We're not sure what that thing was, but it freaked us out just a little. Shortly after that display of the great outdoors, our boat hit something hard and stopped in the middle of the pond. In that pond in the middle of nowhere, your imagination can wander a little, and I was sure some monster mixed between a crocodile, snake, and fish was going to attack us any moment. But lo and behold, it turns out there was a tree stump below the water that stopped us, and the thing that stole my bait never reemerged.

In other news, I bought Trey some Greek honey yogurt at our local Farmer's Marktet. Then I tried it, and it was...both delicious and disgusting at the same time. I don't really know how to describe it in any other way than that. It gave me a slight gag reflex, but I also continued to take small bites of it. In some weird way, I liked the taste but hated it, too. Hm...weird.

For the last two Sundays, I've taken my 4-year old niece to Wal-Mart with me to grocery shop. Yesterday, we camped out at the greeting cards and listened to the Disney cards that play songs when you open them. She is my favorite shopping buddy. She sits in that cart and chats with me while we walk the aisles. She is always hungry when we arrive at Wal-Mart. I'm going to fight the urge to always buy her a little snack, but yesterday I did buy her some popcorn chicken since I had to buy her Uncle Trey some chicken tenders. She busied herself yesterday by stacking all the canned goods and other items in the cart. Anytime I would turn the cart and they'd fall over, she'd say "Aunt Kara! You knocked it over!!" and start all over again. I love it. Marilee is fascinated with the fact that Wal-Mart is opened 24 hours a day. Here is what she told her mom Lee yesterday (taken from Lee's facebook status): "Marilee told me this morning she thinks heaven is a big rainbow. When I asked her what else she thought was there she asked if heaven had a fair. I told her it might and she said it would probably be open 24 hours like Wal-Mart." Hilarious! When we got home, Marilee helped me make buttermilk brownies and homemade ice cream. She mainly helped lick the bowls clean, as you can see below...

Days Off

I love my days off. I'm supposed to work three days a week, but lately I've only had enough clients to fill my Monday and Tuesdays. So that leaves me with Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays off. Wednesdays are spent preparing for Wednesday evening youth service. My Friday mornings are spent in supervision for my license. In between these weekly events, I am able to clean our house, cook dinner, do laundry, hang out with Lee and the kids, eat lunch with Trey, relax and watch some TV :), and catch up on all little errands that pile up on me. I am so thankful for this job that will provide extra income but also allows me to spend the majority of my week at home.

Trey is doing better this week. He was out a couple of days because he caught the sickness I had, but he's back in his game now. This past Saturday we took one of our youth with us to see Robin Hood in Athens, a city about 30 minutes away from Canton. I really liked that movie, but I especially liked having one of the youth tag along so we could spend quality time with her. We have gotten to do something one-on-one with another youth, and that is probably my favorite part of Trey's job. I love getting to show students on a personal level that Trey and I care for them and want to invest in their lives.

I leave you with this funny story. One of the days I was sick, I had laid still on the couch all day long. My fever was coming and going, I was stopped up beyond belief, I hadn't showered all day...you know the drill, we've all been there. Well Trey comes home from church that night and gives me a hug on the couch. He then says, "Babe, you smell sick." "Oh," I said, "Well my fever broke so I probably stink." JHe replies, "No, you don't smell bad...you smell like snot." Haha, there you have it folks. We learn two things here. 1) Snot has a smell. 2) This smell is aparently not a bad one. Thank you for that, Trey Holmes!!!

Recovering...

I feel as if I'm emerging from the land of the dead. Well, the land of the sick, at least. Last Wednesday night I began to feel sick, with a sore throat and stuffy head. By Thursday night, I had a fever of 101 and all the no funness that comes with that. I did go to the doctor Saturday, and found out I had a sinus infection that led to an ear infection in the right ear and the beginnings of an ear infection in the left ear. Saturday night everything moved into my chest. I was homebound all weekend and made it to work Monday, but it wasn't a fun day. Today is the first day I'm feeling a whole lot better. That's the simple version of my fun joust with this latest round of sickness. I need to give a shout out to two very important people who have been patient and helpful with me during my sickness: Trey and Lee. Trey has watched movies with me, run to the store for me, brought me medicine, fixed me food, and overall taken very good care of me. Lee went above and beyond the call of duty as sister-in-law, bringing me medicince at different times and even going grocery shopping for Trey and I. Thank you to both of you - I love you!

Just as my body is recovering from sickness, we find ourselves in a youth group that is recovering from brokenness and loss. Trey is doing such a great job with the youth. He has so many good ideas, and the Lord is using him to reach those students. We had a night of worship last Wednesday, where we just sang worship songs and read scripture. It was a powerful night, and it was so great watching those students sense the Spirit and respond to His promptings. We had two rededications come out of that night, and our youth volunteers were busy ministering individually to many broken students. Please remember our youth in prayer when the Lord prompts you. There is so much work to be done here, and we know that nothing will be accomplished without God going before us and working in hearts.

Honoring Our Moms

*Warning: long post to follow...

Mother's Day once again reminds me of how blessed I am with the mom God gave me. God has blessed me with a heritage of strong Christian women, my mom being the one who has touched my life the most. I think of Nana, my dad's mom, and Mamaw, my mom's mom. I remember a story my dad told me long ago about Nana. Nana was a woman of strong work ethic her. By the time she met and married Gramps (my grandpa), she had a nice nest egg to help buy their first home. That story has always inspired me as I think of how I can contribute to meeting my family's needs. I also think of Mamaw, a godly woman I had the privilege of knowing into my college years. As many of you know, Mamaw was a woman afflicted by many physical challenges her entire life. She had severe rheumatoid arthritis, and in 1980 she lost her leg due to a life-threatening infection. These are just a couple of the physical handicaps she experienced in this life. But when I think of Mamaw, the first thing I remember is her singing hymns. She loved to sing hymns. And when she sang, you knew she wasn't just singing because she loved to sing. She sang hymns because the words rang true in the deepest parts of her spirit. She sang with conviction and with faith. She was a godly woman who modeled faithfulness to God and joy in living in spite of what challenges and pain we may face in this life.

And then I think of my mom. Oh the words I could write about my mom. Let me tell just one story that exemplifies my mom for you. For those of you who knew me as a child (or have seen pictures), you remember quite the tomboy. I loved to play sports, get dirty, and beat anyone at any game. I hated dresses and frilly things. But still at heart, I was a woman, and I longed to beautiful and to be loved. I remember one particularly painful playground experience (6th or 7th grade) when the girls were having a yelling fight with the boys. Brett, one of the boys, yelled the most hurtful words to me, making my feel like the ugliest girl on the planet. When mom picked me up from school that day, I sobbed as I told her what happened and the words that wounded the core of my being. I don't remember the exact words mom said that day. I only know she did comfort me with words. What I do remember is what mom did after that. Mom took me straight to the mall and bought me three new outfits from Limited Too. You may not think this is a big deal, but we were not financially able to shop at this store too often. I'm not sure where mom got the money, but I have a good guess - the grocery money she's always managed to stretch into buying clothes, school supplies, renting movies, and providing extra cash for her children. I remember this day because of the incredibly strong sense of love and sacrifice I felt from my mom. Mom's heart broke for me, her baby girl, and drove her to sacrifice so that I could feel beautiful. I know new outfits don't make a person beautiful, and that's not what I took away from that experience. It was mom's showering of love and praise on me. It was knowing she thought I was beautiful and worth every penny spent for those new outfits. Mom believed in me and showed me her love. She sacrificed for me because she thought I was worth it. It still moves me to remember that day.

Now I am blessed with a mother-in-law who cherishes her son, my husband, and cherishes me along with him. Many people have struggles with their in-laws, but mine have never made me feel an outsider. Marilee has always accepted me and loved me. She is a giving woman, and if you cross paths with her, be ready - you might eventually be blessed with a gift from her. She is thoughtful, and her gifts prove that. She desires to meet needs when she is able. I think of when Trey and I were newly-newly weds, just a few weeks into this journey, and she called him up and said "Go on a date, on me." What a blessing! Marilee is always thinking of us and loving on us in these ways. I am thankful for her. I also have a sister-in-law who is such a great mom. I watch her raise her two children and am constantly in awe of the patience with which she raises Marilee and Burke Warren. Now a single mom, she still raises those kids with such enduring patience and kindness, it moves you. She is gentle beyond the point most women might lose their temper. She encourages her children and breathes grace into their lives.

This Mother's Day has been a little different for me than the 26 other Mother's Days I've celebrated so far. As you may know, Trey and I had a miscarriage back in December. Anticipating this day, I didn't know what emotions to expect or how I would feel. My heart hurts today as I grieve our loss of Bennett. I guess that's normal and to be expected. But I am also joyful as I remember the image I had a few days following our loss: that even though I never got to hold our first baby, I know Jesus held him for me. I am also excited as I think of all the women in my life who I have been able to watch and learn from so far, so that when I am a mom someday, I might have just a bit of their grace, wisdom, kindness, and patience. I love you all, and Happy Mother's Day!!!

To My Brother, With Love

Meet Jason. Jason is my brother, and he is 3 years older than me. Now, Jason and I have had a developing and interesting relationship from day one. I'm not sure what it was live my first few years of life, but I'm sure he was nice to me for a while. See the pic below - he looks nice:

But then, somewhere along the way, something changed. Maybe it was that I finally began to talk, or just developed a little personality. Whatever it was, we eventually became enemies. Sibling enemies. In the early years it looked like this: I loved and admired my big brother, so I would follow him and his friends around everywhere. Everywhere. Sometimes he would put up with it, for which I am thankful, but other times, I would get sent home. I did not go willingly most of the time. Also, I can admit it now, but I was a bit of an instigator. I would even premeditate my attacks on Jason by pre-locking a door (either my bedroom or the bathroom), staying a good distance back to make up for leg span, and pegging him hard with some hard, small object. Like a remote control. Then, I would run. I would run like my life depended on it...because it did :). I would run to that room and slam the door, pre-locked because I wouldn't have time to lock it otherwise, Jason was such a fast runner.

Below is a reenactment of our typical strangling holds on each other.

The funny thing is, though, that even as we fought like cats and dogs, we also laughed like crazy together. Jason and I were born with the same sense of humor. When we moved to Atlanta in '98, he was also all I had, him and my family. So we hung out more. Don't get me wrong, we fought, but also continued to laugh and hang out together.

We look like we belong to the Addams family in this pic :)

Somewhere along the way, we became the best of friends. I have made two cross-country trips, one from Atlanta to LA, and one from LA to Seattle. We have traveled up the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) together. We stayed a weekend in San Francisco. We visited San Diego once and ate at the restaurant that was made famous because of Top Gun. I love my brother.

I also love my brother because I greatly respect him. He is a successful businessman. He is a true and loyal friend. He embraces life and enjoys the beauty of creation. He travels. He is hilarious. He loves with all his heart. He is incredibly smart - brilliant, even. He is a man of many passions, and he chases them with fervor. He goes on adventures as often as possible. I love my brother.

At Carrabbas with my two awesome siblings.

Hiking a trail in Laguna Beach

I love my siblings!

Traveling on our 2nd cross-country trip, moving Jason to Seattle!

Eating our first meal in Seattle at some Mexican restaurant.

My awesome bro and his sweet dog, Grey.

Hanging out at the first Starbucks ever...

Hiking with J and Grey in the beauty of Seattle.