A long time coming......

Today I realized there have been several weeks that I haven't posted... so, in what I'm sure is going to be a ridiculously long post, I'm gonna try to catch you up on my hectic, crazy, blessed, incredibly fun life!! :)

my sweet retreat

First I'll start with the most recent, my New Years Eve weekend. It's going to be hard to put into words how God worked in my heart that weekend. You know the kind of times where you set out to do something thinking you are serving others and God turns it around to bless you more than you can even imagine....yeah this was one of those kind of weekends. Back in May I started planning a retreat for my Sunday School class, One2One. We called it Winter Retreat 20-10. Twenty-eight of us "retreated" to a comfy cabin in Pigeon Forge and spent the New Year growing, laughing, singing, praising, eating, talking, and relaxing. I couldn't have asked for a better time. Robyn and Allison G. (two of the sweetest girls I know!!) went up a day early with me to buy groceries for the trip...what an adventure. I will never walk into a Sam's and not laugh out loud remembering that day!! We brought in 2010 with a Karaoke Dessert Party where there was dancing and great vocals ;) plus lots of sweets, sparkling apple cider, and hot chocolate. Right before the clock struck 12 we gathered around held hands and prayed into the New Year. What an experience!! Josh and Alli Hunter were our praise/worship leaders and speakers. God used them in a BIG way to deliver an important message and provoke great discussions. Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from the trip:


Me and Chris at the New Year's Eve party


Me, Leah, and Allison G.



This was our beautiful cabin "Memory Maker" and yes that is a little bit of snow on the roof...one morning we woke up to beautiful snow flurries falling, it didn't last long but was just enough to excite us!! :)


Josh and Alli leading us in praise and worship. If you've never heard Carl Cartee's song "Just One Name" you really should check it out...that was one of the main songs we sang this weekend and it is great!


Just being silly in downtown Gatlinburg...it was freezing!!!


This is Robyn, one of the many blessings God brought into my life in 2009, she's pretty incredible! :) This picture was taken in a little shop in Gatlinburg that sold 31 different flavors of hot chocolate. It was so cute and and we were needing some warmth on this cold, cold day!!


Chris, Jonathan, and Me
This was the best caramel apple I've ever put in my mouth...really! The caramel was thick and then they had rolled it in chopped up peanuts-YUM!!

ok moving on....

the birth of our King

I haven't blogged about Christmas either!! It was great...busy but very blessed!! Christmas fell on my "work week" this year so that was a bummer but I did get put "on call" for Christmas night which was nice so it all worked out and I was able to spend lots of time with my family and friends. Take a look:


Me and Robyn before our Bible study Christmas party at the Colley's


Amy and Me posing for our Christmas Card Pictures...these were so much fun! :)
Check out Sarah Marie Photography


Chris and I spent the weekend before Christmas in Tennessee celebrating with some of his family. It was a quick trip but so fun!!


Chris and I exchanged gifts Christmas Eve since he flew out Christmas morning to be with his family at his sister's house in Illinois. I gave him new boots and he gave me my first piece of Pampered Chef Executive Cookware!! (The dart board he is holding was from KC)


Amy and I also exchanged gifts Christmas Eve. She showered me with great gifts but the best was a sweet hand written card.... I have the most awesome roommate in the world! :)


Me and KC, on Christmas morning


I got a karaoke machine!!! YAY


Bennett got a Mr. Potato Head...


and some new boots, but he was too busy to look at the camera all morning! ha


This little man doesn't have a clue what he got for Christmas but he will smile for the camera anytime!! LOVE IT :)


Shelley and me, with our gifts from each other

Wow it is fun to look back over the last several weeks...over the next several weeks I promise to try to stay caught up a little bit better!