Priceless

How do you like my two new favorite pictures? This is my friend, Kim, with her son, Frankie. Kim and her husband, Dave, are in the process of adopting Frankie from Haiti, and Kim is in Haiti right now spending time with her son. This is her first visit to see him, and the look on Kim's face is priceless. It is such a special story of how God has brought Frankie into their family. For more information, click here... I love ya, Kim!

The Winner - David Baldacci

I liked this book. A lot. I haven't read a book by David Baldacci in years, and this one didn't disappoint. It is very suspensful, and I flew through it. I admit there are parts of the storyline that are a little farfetched, but I still enjoyed it.

Miracle on the Hudson

Have you been following this story about US Airways flight 1549? It's a MIRACLE!!! Just watching the news coverage about this plane crash brought tears to my eyes. I don't necessarily enjoy flying, and I am especially anxious flying over water. Thank you, Lord, for helping this pilot land this plane safely so that all 155 people aboard survived!

Second Row, Piano Side - Chonda Pierce

This book is a short biography of Chonda's life. Man, has she been through some suffering in her life! Here's the Cliff Notes version: Her father (a pastor), walked out on their family; her oldest sister died in a car wreck; and her younger sister died of leukemia. Only God could help someone not to walk through these circumstances and be bitter...

Lady Killer - Lisa Scottoline

Oh my goodness, I LOVED this book! I know you're surprised since I have loved MOST of Lisa's books, but this one was GREAT! Okay, so the language was a little heavy, but the characters in this book are Italian, so what do you expect? You have to learn to skip it, like me! Funny, smart, suspenseful, 5 STARS!!!!

For the Love!

I have no words in response to this digusting story...

Southern Living

After living in South Carolina for 9 years, I have grown accustomed to "Southern" ways. Well, almost all of them. I always thought that since I was from Texas that meant I was southern, but not necessarily. Here are a few examples of the differences between what I grew up with in Texas and South Carolina's ways...

1. Purses vs. Pocketbooks. I will never get used to this. In Texas, we call our handbags "purses". It took me a year to figure out that a "pocketbook" is not a South Carolina name for a wallet.

2. Sweet Tea. I had never even heard of a restaurant serving sweet tea until I moved here. I thought it was something that people made at home.

3. Chicken Biscuit. What?!? I still shake my head when I see a sign for a chicken biscuit because it sounds so disgusting. Who eats this stuff? Oh, yeah. Like EVERYONE I know in South Carolina.

4. Pork Chop Biscuit. This is even grosser than the chicken biscuit. Come on. Really?!? This is one of the main reasons I don't eat at Hardees (besides the fact that Paris Hilton did a really inappropriate commercial for them a few years ago where she was practically naked. The ban is on!)

5. Duke mayonaise. I don't get this either. I tried to stick to my guns on this one, but Brian insists we buy Duke. It confuses me when I go to the grocery store and almost all of the Duke mayo is gone. I guess it is a southern tradition, but whatever. My mother-in-law would purchase jars of it and bring it with her to Pennsylvania when she lived there because they didn't sell it up North. Personally, I don't think it's all that great, so there.

6. Y'all. I don't have an accent, but I do say "y'all" as much as I say "the". Why don't more people say this in SC? I guess it is a Texas word.

7. Sweet Potato Souffle. Never heard of it before 1999, but now I'm a big fan. I didn't even know I liked sweet potatoes before I had this. In Texas, we have yams, which means sweet potatoes covered with burnt marshmallows. YUCK! Obviously, Texans were missing some pecans and a whole lot of brown sugar.

8. Football. The majority of the women I know in South Carolina LOVE football. What the heck is that all about? Maybe it's because I didn't go to college so I don't have a team to support, but for the love. Wouldn't it be more fun to go to the mall?

9. Vera Bradley. I have to admit I've gotten on this band wagon. Never heard of it before I moved here, but now I am the proud owner of four Vera Bradley quilted bags. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Last but not least...

10. Frito Chili Pie. I remember talking about this particular craving one day at work and I got the doe in the headlight look from my friends. Um, it's a yummy mixture of Fritos, cheese, chili, and onions. In other words, an ooey, gooey sensation! Don't know why you guys have been deprived for so long, but I'm glad that I could enlighten you.

Later.

First Monday Morning of the New Year...

Can I get a shout out for school starting back today... HOLLER, Y'ALL! Sophie woke up in a great mood, and was very excited about going to school today. It felt G-R-E-A-T to come home and clean out the refrigerator, wash clothes, and load the dishwasher ALONE!

Tonight I'm hoping to talk Brian into taking down the Christmas tree. Holy moly, we have stuff everywhere!

On a side note, I just looked out my window and saw the elderly lady that regularly walks our street. I say elderly because she must be at least in her 60's or early 70's, but she walks FAST and FAR! She is probably a size 2, walks everyday rain or shine, and boy, can she move! I wish I could say it inspires me to walk, but it just makes me shake my head. I mean, why does she want to walk when she could be home watching Dr. Phil?

The Vendetta Defense - Lisa Scottoline

Welcome to the first book review of 2009. And the winner is... The Vendetta Defense by Lisa Scottoline. For those of you who pay attention to what books I am reading, yes, I have read this before. It was my first book review of 2008! I was in the mood for a Lisa Scottoline fix, and just as expected, she didn't disappoint. I just started Lisa's new book that came out in paperback over the weekend, Lady Killer. I LOVE GREAT BOOKS!!!

Reflection

I am always excited about a new year because it means we get a do-over! In many ways, 2008 was a good year, but there are several things I would never like to experience again!

The Good:
- Sophie and I visiting my parents for 18 days in Tucson.

- Getting a Nintendo DS for my Valentine's Day/Anniversary present. I love this thing. I'm not even joking.

- Celebrating 9 years of marriage to my sweet husband in March. We had a lovely day together in the mountains.

- Taking Sophie to see Disney on Ice in April. She loved it and we loved watching her enjoy the show. What a special memory.

- Special time with Brian to celebrate my birthday in May. How am I 37 years old?!?

- Ms. Morgan, Sophie's K-3 teacher. Love her, love her, love her!

- Going to Nashville in June with Brian's parents. Sophie was so happy to have them along, and it was fun going to the Grand Ole Opry to see Trace Adkins. Sophie had a stomach bug that weekend, but it still turned out good. I think my in-laws will ask more questions next time regarding how much walking will be involved in our little excursions!

- Ashley and Ryan's wedding. It was beautiful and I know that Sophie will always have special memories of being their flower girl!

- DISNEY, DISNEY, DISNEY! Need I say more?

- Seeing Alan Jackson & Trace Adkins in concert for Brian's birthday. It was fun, but I've never seen so many mullets in one place in my entire life.

- Seeing Steven Curtis Chapman in concert with Michael W. Smith. Special...

- Couples Retreat with our Sunday School class in Pigeon Forge. It was so much F-U-N and a nice break to be grown-ups. We had a blast!

- Sophie's incredible performace for her Preschool Praise musical.

- Girl's Nights Out. I don't know what I would do without this time that I have with my friends every month. I am now going out two times a month - once with my friends from Upward and once with my friends from church. Thank you, God...

- Sophie understanding the concept of "family" and showing us so much love and affection.

- McDonald's lunches with Julie & Natalie and our girls. It's great to catch up with old friends and encourage each other as Mommies.


The Ugly:
- Being away from Brian/Daddy for 18 days while Sophie and I were in Tucson.

- Vacation Bible School. Hated it. I just can't work with children during VBS. I'm going to have to volunteer to work with snacks or something else. It sounds bad, but this was an eye opener to me. No more.

- Steven Curtis Chapman losing his daughter in a tragic car accident involving his son. So sad...

- 3 months of church drama. Enough said.

- The passing of our beloved dog, Sydney, at 18 years of age. I'm still not over it, and neither is Sophie. She is STILL talking about it everyday.

- The crazy month of December. It FLEW by and was insanely busy. By the time Christmas arrived, I was frazzled and worn out. Will it ever get better?

- Our friend, Dr. Bill, getting robbed, kidnapped, stabbed and rescued on December 22. We are still trying to process this incident.

- Sophie testing her boundaries at age 4. Here's hoping that year 5 will be easier!

Come on 2009!