A 4 Year Old's In The House!

I've always hated when my birthday is. Because of the holidays I have always felt it was forgotten or a last minute afterthought. I swore I would never have a child this time of year and put them through the same misery I had growing up. If people remembered to bring a gift, it would probably be wrapped in Christmas paper, reminding me that I was just something else to get done during the holiday season. But more often than not, relatives would just give me my Christmas gift and say "it's for your birthday too." Which meant that on my actual birthday I would have nothing to open.

Unfortunately, I tortured my sweet Brynna with a holiday birthday. She was born on the 27th of December, four years ago yesterday. I always felt when I was pregnant with her that she carried a special spirit about her. I still feel that. Her laugh is contagious. She is funny and beautiful. She is headstrong and determined. She likes things a certain way and will not rest until they are perfectly her way. Her socks have to be straight, the line on the toe has to be just so or she will cry until we fix them. Her pants can't be too tight or too lose. Her clothes can't be scratchy. Her napkin has to rest just so at the table. She will become so distracted by the little details that life can't move on until they are fixed. She reminds me so much of myself. She is my mini me. And though parenting her is a joy, it can at times be very frustrating. Yet, I get her. I understand where she is coming from and it allows me to help her through her frustrations and find peace in her surroundings. It's amazing how in four short years I have come to know every little secret about this little person. I am grateful for these last four years.

Though she is my daughter, my child, she is still her own person. She will not always live with me, be my little girl. She will grow up, become a woman, make choices of her own, live her own life. So I feel blessed for the short time that she will be entrusted in my care. This time with hers will be gone before I know it. I pray I don't let life get in the way too much that I forget to breathe in her scent, or remember what it feels like to hold her tiny body in my arms. Brynna has been through a lot in her short time on this earth. She is my joy though and I am so blessed to have her as my daughter. She is more than beautiful on the outside. She is lovely on the inside as well. People are drawn to her, they want to be around her. I love her hugs and kisses. I love the time that she and we get to spend together.

For her fourth birthday we had a ballerina pink party. She invited 3 of her friends over and they had a little tea party. I made her a special tutu to wear at her party. I had fun decorating in pink, making "girly" food and celebrating my daughter's birth, celebrating that I've had her in my life for four years. What a gift! I love her so much and I hope she felt very special on her birthday. She was surprised with Princess dress-up dresses, dress up shoes, littlest pet shop toys, and the Mulan, Pocahontas, Prince Eric, Prince Phillip, Prince Charming and Captain John barbies to complete her collection. Now she has all 9 of the princesses and most of the princes! She was super excited!I love hearing people sing happy birthday. I loved watching her blow out her candles. I love how much a birthday makes someone feel special and loved. Everyone deserves a day where they are the center of attention. I love that it reminds us all just how special that person is and how grateful we are to know them.I hope she doesn't feel like her birthday was an afterthought, something shoved in along with the holidays. I hope she feels celebrated, because to me, she has been the best Christmas gift I have ever received!

Christmas 2009

This Christmas holiday seemed to sneak up on me pretty quickly. As I have more children and they get older, time seems to move so much faster. On Christmas eve we went to dinner at the Chubbs' home and then we all came back to our house to put on the nativity pageant that we do every year. Brynna is ALWAYS Mary; Jacob is always Joseph and Lauren is always the angel. JP takes on the task of being the donkey and I narrate and act as the inn keeper. With having the Chubbs' over, there were more roles to hand out! I love reading the the story of the first Christmas. I know that on Christmas morning there will be wide eyed children wondering what Santa brought, there will be mounds of presents to unwrap, a Christmas meal to prepare and lots of toys to assemble. But for one moment, on the night before the chaos starts I love to pause and remember with my children why we truly celebrate Christmas. After the pageant, we always take turns naming what gift (act of service) we will be giving to Christ for his birthday.

Though I have read the account of Christ's birth many countless times in my life, every time I read it I am brought to tears. As I watch my children acting out the scene, draped in robes and sheets to look the part, I feel peace amidst the chaos of the season. I always feel peace as I read the story but tears always come to my eyes when I read about the babe being wrapped in swaddling clothes and being laid in a manger. My favorite line is "and Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." Oh to have been there on that first Christmas night.

Christmas eve had been a pretty rough day for my kids and so when JP and I had put them to bed we had warned them Santa might not be coming because they had been so naughty. We told them that since they had refused to clean up all of their toys in the basement to make room for their new toys, they would have to do that in the morning before they could open presents. Though I had no intention of actually following through with this, they must have believed me because before they woke us up on Christmas morning, they rallied the troops and went downstairs to clean up before waking JP and I up. Unfortunately, this meant that they walked by the Christmas tree to see the unwrapped gifts that Santa left for the. This meant that JP and I missed seeing the surprise and joy on their faces. Serves us right for making empty threats to our children!

This Christmas was a special one for us. Brynna, at almost four, finally understood Santa Clause and was excited to see him at the mall. She realized he could bring her what she asked for and she grasped all the magic of the season. It is so exciting to watch a child enjoy the magic this time of year. It was also special because Lauren still believes in Santa Clause. I realize this may be her last year. Next year she will turn 10 and may have figured out the game we play. For now though, we bask in the joy of her innocence and we're grateful that we have had one more year to celebrate her childhood with her.
The kids had a great Christmas and everyone got what they wanted. We had taken the kids to see Santa and Lauren had asked for high heeled boots, Jacob asked for Rancor from Star Wars, Brynna asked for a Littlest Pet Shop toy that you put stickers all over, and Ethan wouldn't let Santa even touch him. They were all super excited to see that Santa brought them exactly what they had asked for!

Ethan woke up a little later than the rest of the kids. He saw the CAT truck that Santa left, opened one present and then he was done and thought the rest of us should be too.

Dinner was amazing. It tasted really good (not to toot my own horn or anything!) It was the first meal any of us had eaten all day long. The kids had candy from their stocking for breakfast and lunch! Good parenting... I know. But hey, it's Christmas after all. It's the day I can spoil my children and it's more than okay!

It was a very good Christmas. Sometimes it gets lonely being away from family during the holidays and we have to find ways to make it not seem like just any other ordinary day. But without the distraction of company we are able to truly focus on our family...which is the greatest Christmas gift of all.

A Genius I tell you!

He's got to be a genius. Really smart and talented for a 16 month old. At least, Brynna would like us to believe he is.Though he can't actually scoop up a spoonful of corn and make it to his mouth without spilling most of the corn all over his lap, he can paint like an artist. Look at what a great job he did decorating this play structure. You might even notice how he smeared it around toward the bottom so precisely, all without getting any on his hands. And notice how high he got? He is really tall for such a small child.And on the railing on our deck I was quite surprised that he could even reach so high up. What really impressed me though was the control and time he took to completely empty a bottle of pink paint. I would have thought with how busy he always is and how he can't sit still for two seconds that he would never be able to stand still long enough to make such a nice river of paint. He was very determined to make such precise drops all over the floor of the deck too. What really impressed me though was his coordination in getting the pink paint all over the back of his heads. Most babies I know have a hard time lifting their hands over their heads. But not Ethan, he did a nice paint job on his hair!

Though, When Brynna is quick to blame such things on Ethan, she should make sure her mom isn't standing at the back door catching her in the act.

Besides, she should have known Ethan couldn't do such things. I'm serious! Could you paint like this? with a shovel in both hands and the paint in your mouth?

Check Out 101 - A Guide To Using Manners In The Check Out Lane

I recently picked up a job working in the evenings at a retail store. I realize that I am being paid to cashier and that the customers that come into the store are paying for my service. Yet, I think there are things that people forget, common courtesies. Yes, even though you are the customer and I am there to check out your items, a service you are paying for, I don't believe that this gives people the right to leave their manners at the door. I am just asking for a little common courtesy, from one human being to another. Because yes, even though I am the cashier, I am still a human being. So, I wonder if maybe people don't realize the rude things they do sometimes? Maybe manners are a long lost art? So, I thought I would share some tips. We'll call it

Checkout 101 - A guide to using manners in the check out lane.

1. You may be hungry, even standing in line while you are waiting to buy groceries. But please, do not pick your nose, roll your booger between your fingers and eat it while standing in my line. I'd be happy to direct you to the bakery or the cafe if you are in need of something quick.
2. If you are going to let a fart sneak out, please make sure it isn't going to be loud. I am an adult, but if someone farts in the check out line at the store it will be really hard for me not to laugh. I am immature sometimes.
3. I will kindly bag your merchandise in reusable bags (though they are my least favorite thing to do). However, would you please give them to me at the beginning of your order? If I have bagged all of your groceries in plastic bags and then you say, "Oh! I forgot, I have reusable bags!" I may not happily take your merchandise out of the plastic bags and replace them in your reusable bags. And I may be saying nasty things in my head even though I have a smile on my face. You deserve it.
4. If, after I have rebagged all of your stuff in your reusable bags, do not lecture when I throw the bags that you didn't want in the trash. The person standing in line behind you doesn't want your used bags. I don't really care that it takes 80 years for a plastic bag to decompose. If you tell me this, I may respond that I don't really care because I will be dead in 80 years. To which you may respond that I should care because my children will have to pay the price. To which I may then respond that this will be their price to pay, just like my generation has to deal with your generation taking all of the social security that I've paid in to. Just the facts, buddy. You should have thought about that before you forgot to give me your reusable bags.
5. If you come in an buy a box of condoms and only a box of condoms I may have to stifle a grin. I have sex. I know you are hoping to have sex soon. But if you are only buying condoms I can't pretend I don't see them. I can't pretend whether I noticed if they were "ribbed for her pleasure" or if they are "magnum". And then when I look at you to tell you your total, I won't help but imagine whether I feel sorry for the person you are buying the condoms to use with or not. I'm immature. I know. Deal with it.
6. If you are a lady, and you come in with dirty clothes and uncombed hair and you are buying a douche and tampons and only those two things...well. Can't blame myself for what I am thinking. Your fault.
7. If you are a man and you think I'm attractive and want to flirt with me I'll do my best to ignore you. If you are creepy and think that staring for long amounts of time without breaking eye contact is sexy and appealing, you are completely wrong. It's creepy. I may just have to walk away from you. It's okay. My work says if you make me uncomfortable then I am allowed to. It's called sexual harassment buddy.
8. If you are a man, and you fail to notice the wedding ring...your fault. And please, asking if you are my "first" for the day in a sexually charged way isn't funny. I've heard it before...several times. And then when you respond, "too bad, that would have been fun", You'll have to excuse my while I throw up in my mouth a little. You will never be my first, don't flatter yourself.
9. Please refrain from biting your fingers while waiting for me to scan all your items. Our hands may brush while exchanging money and receipts and I really don't like the idea of having your spit on my hands too.
10. Please start writing your check out before I give you a total and all of your groceries are loaded in your cart. There is plenty of downtime while I am scanning all of your merchandise and bagging it for you to get your check started. Waiting until I am standing there and my line is growing with other customers to ask me to borrow a pen or to even dig your checkbook out of your purse is rude. Maybe you don't realize that my managers grade me on how quickly I finish your order. This may cause me to get in trouble.
11. I'd appreciate it if you would give me the check you took so long to write out before you start recording it in your checkbook ledger. I realize getting it recorded is important, but you will have the receipt with the exact amount on it. I AM PATIENTLY WAITING. But on the inside I feel like ripping the check out of your hands.
12. Please do not bring your 12 year old child in to the store to purchase $59.72 cents worth of toys and then tell your child that the cashier doesn't mind how you pay. Please then, don't help your child count out $59.72 cents in change. It takes a long time and I will have to deal with the impatience of the customers standing in line behind you. Counting out change is what the coin star machine is for. Visit it.
13. I'm sorry if you had a bad experience with a previous cashier. It wasn't me. Give me the common courtesy of not having to pay for their mistakes.
14. GET OFF THE PHONE! It is so rude to have a conversation on the phone while I am trying to talk to you. I don't know whether to interrupt you to tell you the total on your order or if you will think I'm being rude by interrupting. Just give me a little common courtesy and get off the phone. I promise I'll be as quick as I can and you can go back to talking to your bff about who did what.
15. If one of the items you are buying rings up at the wrong price, please kindly bring it to my attention. I will be happy to get the price fixed for you. Understand that I am not the person who inputs all of the prices into the computer. I merely scan each item and the price comes up on my screen. Be kind. It's not my fault.
16. Do not yell at me because there is not an express lane open. Again. Not my fault. I'd be happy to bring it to my managers attention.
17. Do not make a smart mouth comment to me when I ask if you'd like to open a store credit card. It's my job. I have to ask. I may disagree with having credit card debt as well. But I need my job and so I ask. Deal with it.
18. If the person in front of you is still unloading their items to purchase, it is rude for you to quickly throw up a purchase divider and start putting your items on the conveyor belt. This may cause the person to have to hand me each item, one at a time, because you have taken all of the space on the conveyor belt. I'm pretty sure that in Kindergarten we all learned to take turns. When the person in front of you is done unloading their stuff, and if there is still room on the conveyor belt, then you may unload your stuff too. Patience my child.
19. By chance, if you decide you don't want to buy something I'd be grateful if you gave it to me. Throwing grapes on top of the soda coolers at the checkout lanes will cause the grapes to cook, it's hot up there. It will destroy the grapes leaving a sticky mess. You don't need to hide the items in the candy bars or with the magazines. I'd be happy to take it from you and place it in the go back bin at my feet. Just a little common courtesy. I have to pick up after my children at home. Your mother doesn't work here.
20. If your card is declined, you don't need to make up some funny excuse about why it won't go through. You spent all your money, it happens.
21. If your second card doesn't go through either, just be quiet. No explanation needed.
22. If after you have had two credit cards declined and you want to write me a check, I'll take it, but I may be questioning whether it will bounce. You can't blame me.
23. After my machine declines to accept your check don't act surprised. You had to know this was coming. Do you ever check your bank statements?
24. If after you have had two credit cards declined, a check declined, you'd better bring along a friend who will be willing to pay for your $478 order. That's what friends are for right? She's a better friend than me.
25. I'd be happy to take your coupons. I use them too. Though, I'd appreciate it if you would not wait until I've given you your total and am waiting for you to pay to say, "Oh, I think I may have a coupon for something I bought", and then spend the next five minutes while I am waiting and others are waiting in line behind you for you to go through your 5000 coupons looking for the one you think might be there. Plan ahead.
26. I do not lick my fingers to get your bags open. It is common courtesy. You don't want my spit on your bags. Please do not lick your fingers to sort through your coupons or to separate your checks or count your money. I don't want your spit either. If you do this, I may think about hocking a loogie in your bag, for good measure.
27. Please do not wipe your runny nose with your fingers. The same fingers you are holding the five dollar bill that you are about to pay me with. Have you heard of H1N1? A little good hygiene would go a long way.
28. If you have a coupon stuck to an item you are buying, either bring it to my attention or rip it off and hand it to me. I am busy trying to check you out with lightening speed. I may not notice that there is a tiny coupon stuck to the side of a box of crackers. If you realize I missed the coupon, do not berate me. It was an accident. We all make them. Please bring this mistake to my attention before I total your order, you've paid, and I've handed you your receipt. Then, when you notice, please don't say to me, "Did you get my coupon? You missed my coupon." I didn't realize you had a coupon, you didn't tell me. I'd be happy to fix the mistake for you, it will only take a minute. I'll even apologize for it. Just be nice for heavens sake.
29. PLEASE, PLEASE do not throw things at me. I am a human being. I deserve at least that much respect. If you don't feel like getting closer to the conveyor belt to place your things on it, please don't toss it at me. Don't bounce it off my hand scanner or my computer. I find it really annoying and I will have a hard time not throwing it back at you. I'd spank you if you were my child.
30. If I ask you to have your child sit down in the cart don't give me dirty looks. I'd really appreciate it if you would have your child sit down. To be honest, I could care less about you or your child or whether or not your child falls. What I do care about is my job and I've been told I could be fired if I see a child standing in the cart and I don't say anything and the child falls. Lawsuit happy people will look for any excuse to sue, even at the expense of their child. So sit!
31. I am required to check inside all boxes, back packs, purses and bags that you buy. I realize that most people don't steal, but some do. Someone before you who handled the bag you are buying may have even stashed something inside causing you to steal. I am protecting you, and helping keep prices low by preventing fraud. So please don't give me a dirty look if I have to check inside of a bag you are buying. Again, it's my job.
32. If the person in front of you is trying to pay for their order, please don't push your cart into them or push your cart in the way of the credit card machine so they have to ask you to move your cart so they can pay. Again, patience. They were there first.
33. Don't make a stupid comment to me if I ask you if you'd like your milk bagged. Some people do, and if I don't ask, that will be the time you wanted it bagged and you will have another excuse to be rude to me.
34. Just because you can't smell the cigarette smoke that is seeping out of your pours, doesn't mean the rest of us can't. Can I direct you to where we sell Nicorette? The world is worried about pollution from cars and refineries. I'm worried about the pollution damage you are doing to my nose. Can I have one day where my nose isn't assaulted by people that have chosen to kill themselves slowly in the name of pleasure? You stink.

There. I feel better now!

*All are real experiences I have had

Time Changes Things, and So Do Children

Advice I have given to my sister before: Just wait, one day she'll stop __________. You won't even realize she has stopped. But one day you'll think, "wow, she hasn't _________for a while. When did that stop?"

It's actually pretty good advice. Time changes so much.

Ethan had an almost unstoppable magnet to climbing on the kitchen table. Maybe 20 or 30 times a day I would have to take him off of it. It was frustrating, but I kept telling myself the same advice I'd given Shillawna, "one day you'll realize he hasn't climbed on the table in a while and you won't be able to remember when the last time was that he did."

And that is what happened. He has hardly climbed on the table at all lately. My friend Shelly gave me some flowers last week. JP was nervous to put them on the table, so I did. They've been there all week and Ethan hasn't bothered them at all. He's hardly climbed on the table. And just like a switch, the urge for him to climb on the table has all but stopped. I can't remember when the last day was that I spent the whole day removing him from it.

In place of climbing on the table though, he has found new things to climb....like the kitchen counters. He started with pushing the kitchen chairs around to reach where he wanted to climb or get in to. One morning, in the matter of an hour and a half Ethan had emptied my silverware drawer completely...twice! He had emptied the drawer with my aprons, the drawer with my pot holders. He had pulled a plant off the end table spilling the soil everywhere. He had taken a picture frame and thrown it on the tile, shattering the glass and slicing his finger open.

He likes to climb on the counters. At first he used a chair. Now, he has learned that if he pulls out the bottom drawer, climbs in to it, then pulls out the next drawer, he can make it to the counter top.

He likes to flush the toilet, over and over and over....I am waiting for the day when he learns to put things in the toilet before he flushes it. Have you ever had someone flush the toilet while you are still peeing? It's cold as the water splashes your bum.

He likes to steal the checkbook out of the bill drawer and hide it.

He likes to find a mop bucket and dump things in it.

He likes to get in the food storage and rip open boxes of food.

He likes to open doors now that he has figured out how to work door knobs.

I have to admit, the climbing on table phase was really annoying and lasted a really LONG time. I am glad it's over. It's not that this new phase is any easier. It's just different, and sometimes, change is good!

I'm counting down the months until Ethan is willing to watch a cartoon...just to have 30 minutes of stillness.

What's the Harm in a Little Lie?

Ethan is our Tasmanian devil. Today, as is the case every other day, he makes a mess faster than I can clean the previous mess he made. I go from one disaster to another.

FINALLY, Ethan and Brynna disappeared playing hide and seek. It gave me the much needed five minutes to finish cleaning up Ethan's lunch mess.

Ethan toddles back into the room minus his pants and smelling rather foul. I picked him up to find his sagging diaper full of poop. He had brown stuff all over his hands and face. I was worried that he had been sticking his hands in his diaper.

Brynna then rounds the corner and I see brown smeared on her face as well. Now, I can't be sure because I wasn't willing to do the investigating it would take to figure out what Ethan had smeared on his hands and face but I was pretty sure he had been digging in his own waste. However, I was willing to bet my life that Brynna wouldn't be smiling so demurely if she had the contents of Ethan's diaper spread so haphazardly on her face.I asked Brynna what she'd gotten in to.She answered with such conviction, almost as if she had thought of this answer ahead of time....or my daughter has become quite the skilled liar at such a young age. "I ate brown bird poop," she answered very matter of fact, like we eat bird poop every day and it was no big deal.I had to contain my laughter because even though I am sick of the lying, I had to give her credit for the most creative lie I've ever been told. I asked again and again and she reassured me again and again that she'd eaten brown bird poop.Finally, after threats to take her to the doctors if she really did in fact eat bird poop and still she wouldn't fess up I grabbed her hand and told her we had to go now before she got sick. She asked what the doctor was going to do to her and I said they would put a tube down her throat and make her throw up. I grabbed her hand and started dragging her to the garage. She finally said every so quietly, "I like to eat M&M's". Me too Brynna. They taste much better than brown bird poop.

Happy Birthday JP

JP turned 33 on Monday, November 23rd. Since I met JP just after his 19th birthday, we have basically grown up together. I have been part of all of his twenties and now share his 30's with him. I have watched him change from a teenager to this beautiful man. He is helpful, caring, selfless and forgiving. He is my better half. He completes me. I know I truly don't appreciate him half as much as I should. When you marry someone you gain a partner. JP truly embodies this term. He is my partner. There isn't a chore, job or task in our home that JP isn't willing to do. He is so smart and I know that if something is broken and needs to be fixed that JP will be able to figure it out. I can rely on him. He makes me feel safe in his arms. Every year this man is more and more handsome to me. He just gets better with age. And this man can make me feel beautiful and sexy and I've always known he thinks I'm the only girl in the world. Happy birthday JP. I love you so much.

I Have a Gift

I have a gift. It's wonderful. It saved my life.

When I moved to Colorado I left good friends in California. I was so lonely here. I climbed my walls with loneliness. I sometimes even cried on JP's shoulder. I love my husband, he is my best friend, but he can't replace the part of me that needs a girl friend to confide in. He is gone at work all day and I need someone to remind me who I am.
We have a wonderful neighborhood, great neighbors. We have a park right across from our house and most afternoons when the weather is nice the moms in the neighborhood with their little gaggles of children would gather at the park for a little mommy talk while children played happily.

We visited and got to know each other as mothers but the topics of conversation weren't very deep. That was, until a year ago last November when after spreading the word about the Twilight Series of books, the movie premiered. The 5 of us made plans to attend the Twilight movie together. I remember anticipating this night so much, a night out with just the girls. No hubbies. No children.
The night was wonderful. I think we may have all been a little shocked at how well we all clicked, and how easily the conversation flowed. When we drove home we decided that this night needed to happen again. And the once a month "mom's night out" was born.
I couldn't have anticipated how much I would grow to absolutely adore these women. Each of us is so different. We have different backgrounds, different upbringings. Different religions and schooling. Different family dynamics and different parenting styles. Our ages are different and the ages and number of children we have differ as well. But WE are all women. WE are all wives. WE are all mothers and most important of all WE are all FRIENDS.
I look forward to our mom's night out every month. It is my saving grace. When I go out with them I don't have to be some one's mom. I don't have to be some one's wife, I just have to be ME! Our conversations are deep. They are fun. They are what rejuvenate me and inspire me to go home and make it through another month.

I have learned so much from each one of them. My heart has expanded with the room I have given to them to take residence in. I love each one of them. I love their children. I love what they have taught me. I am taller and stronger because of my friendships with them.

There are days as I am sitting in my house with my children and I am bored. But I am never lonely because I know each one of them is only a phone call away. This November marks the one year anniversary of mom's night out. I really think we ought to change the name though. It is a mom's night out, but it has become so much more than that for me. In the last year we have grown to know each other so deeply and intimately. In our group we have each grown a year older, our families have too. We have had two babies born. Sarah's family moved. Shelly, Cara and I have shed ginormous amounts of weight. We have celebrated birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries together. We have learned so many deep secrets. Cried together and laughed together.

This year as it happened, not only was it our one year anniversary, but it was also the New Moon premier. How fitting! We went to dinner (Christa had to join us late) and then watched New Moon. I loved the movie more than I could say. It was so great.November is also Shelly's birthday. We showered her with New Moon themed gifts, which I think she thoroughly enjoyed since she is mildy obsessed! I love you Shelly! As you can see, Sarah even made sure that Shelly had a picture of herself with Edward and Jacob!Have you ever had a theatre of, oh, I don't know, 4 or 500 people sing happy birthday to you? Shelly has! Before the movie started I took the opportunity to gather the girls and go down in front of the theatre full of people and yell for every one's attention. They all quickly gave it because it's quite shocking to hear someone yell for it. Then I announced to everyone that my friend (who I had stand up) was turning 40 and asked if they would all sing with me to help her celebrate! They all did and it was awesome!

Following the movie we went back to Shelly's house and talked until 3am! A mom's night out record of 11 hours! It was amazing. I love these women. I can tell them anything. I have shared my heart with them and they have given theirs to me as well.

Shelly, Sarah, Christa and Cara have saved my life. Where I once was lonely I am now full. I know these friendships are not an accident. I spent many hours on my knees, over many months expressing in prayer how lonely I was, how desperately I needed friends. God sent them to me. They are an answer to my prayer. No, it was not an accident for sure.

Happy Anniversary Peeps!