Bible study on the Quad

As I grow up, I realize that there is nothing better than having good Christian friends. They are the ones who pray for you & call just to see how you are doing. This past Spring I have had the opportunity to be in a Bible Study with Church of the Highlands here in Tuscaloosa. I didn't know a single person except Hannah but over the weeks, I've gotten to know some of the most amazing girls! Jaimie, Megan, & Brittny, & Hannah! I can't even begin to express how much I have looked foward to Thursday nights. It's just a relief to get together and talk about anything & everything. Tonight was our last Bible study so we met on the Quad & ate pizza & cookies. Such a beautiful evening it was! I want to share something that I read in a magazine today. I thought it could apply to everyone, whatever situation or circumstance you may be in.

1. PRAY. Too often we respond too quickly. "Let me pray about that & get back with you," is a great response.

2. KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS. Taking on a task for whick you're poorly suited just adds stress. Working from your strengths & giftedness offers fulfillment & contributes to the health of the body of Christ.

3. ASK THE LORD TO EXAMINE YOUR MOTIVES. Do you say "yes" to seek approval or impress others? Do you feel like you're the only one who can do it right? Or do you say "no" because you feel inferior? Let Him help you accept or decline for the right reasons.

4. BE CONTENT WITH WHERE THE LORD WANTS YOU RIGHT NOW. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord." Col. 3:23

So overall, just take a moment & just be still. I find myself complaining about the smallest things when I know things could be a lot worse. I'm just being selfish when I should be thanking God for the blessings in my life. I truly believe that God sends us people our way for a reason. Whatever it may be, or for how long, there is a reason. I am so thankful for these girls & I'm glad I had the opportunity to take part of something like this.

Life is good :)

-Cat

Dress up like a Cow

By just reading the title, people may think I am crazy. My reason is good for doing this though. Ever since I can remember, every time I would make a trip to Trussville I would stop by Chick-fil-a because small little Oneonta never had one. Number 1 with Lemonade was usually my choice. When I moved to Troy my freshmen year, I actually got excited about there being a Chick-fil-a in the food court & now that I am at Alabama, there are 3 within five minutes of me! This past Friday was Cow Appreciation Day and boy, you better believe I was on top of getting a free meal. Since I was already at work, I had all black on. So, I needed some white spots to make me look somewhat like a cow. I had to get creative because my resources at Bath & Body Works were limited. I ended up cutting out white pieces of computer paper into different kinds of shapes that resembled "spots." My co-manager Kirk even made me a tail! Since I wear an apron, the string was perfect. When I went to get my free meal I even had a cute little girl say, "Hey Mommy, look she has a tail!" It made my night for sure & the free meal was perfect for a stressful night at work. But overall, for a quick moment it brought me back to being a kid again & it reminded me of dressing up for Halloween (yes, me & my friends went trick-or-treating our senior year of highschool) I'll do almost anything for a free meal & it's something I can add to my list of things I have never done!
-Cat

Try on my Mom's Wedding Dress

This December, my parents have been married 25 years and only in pictures have I seen my Mom's wedding dress. Since she got married at 19 (I can't imagine) & since I am one year older than that, I asked her if I could try it on. After she got married, she took it to the cleaners & they packaged it up so for 25 years, it has not been touched. What a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon? I asked my Dad to go get me some ice cream at McDonalds & while he was gone, I asked Mom. When my Dad opened the door & saw me in the dress, he stopped dead in is tracks. I was wondering if he even recognized it. Of course he did. My mom is about four inches taller than me, but when she got married she was teenie tiny. She was a bean pole & about a size zero. I was worried that I could not even get into it. But sure enough, it was a perfect fit!!! It's funny how style changes over the years but this dress is still very modern(besides the poofy sleeves) It would be gorgeous if those were chopped off & made into a strapless dress. The train is very long too. I don't know, I may end up wearing her dress while making it my own by adding more beads or sequeins. Who knows? It was very exciting for me, to say the least. Because many people these days don't even have their dresses anymore. I don't know when my wedding day will be but I do know that I have a beautiful white dress that I may end up wearing one day :)

-Cat

Family Reunion-Spartanburg/Greenville, South Carolina

I attended my first family renunion this weekend in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The group consisted of my Dad, my brother Zach, my grandfather Papa, Aunt Boo & Uncle Tim, and cousins Anna Page & Kelly Anne. We set out for S.C. Friday morning and little did I know that the car ride would be one of the most interesting parts of the short trip. The GPS- if I would have had a hammer I would have busted that thing up in a million pieces. I consider myself to be a patient person for the most part but obviously not with navagational devices. How hard is it? Stay on intersate 20-59, then get clearly follow the signs. For all of those who have a GPS, the women will drive you crazy. "Left turn ahead." "In 2 miles, you will exit." And in my thoughts, (which were not very nice), I just sat in the back seat & kept my mouth shut. What happened to road maps? Nevertheless, we arrived safe & sound at our hotel. We headed to dinner at my Papa's brothers house. It was great seeing everyone & we had a blast playing with the kids Ellis & Anna. I always enjoy well-behaved kids!

We went back to the hotel & for the rest of the night just chilled. I got a good laugh when my brother was trying on the robe in the closet. I am almost certain it was for a women. We got up on Saturday & headed for downtown Greenville. It did not take long for me to fall in love with this beautiful city. The trees were towering over the downtown area & the shade was perfect for the hot day. The people were having some sort of what I would call a farmers market-fruit, vegetables, bread..etc. It was pretty neat. Then, we went to the park down the street that was really neat. We walked out onto a bridge that reminded me of a pirate ship. Surrounding us on one side- a waterfall with huge rocks in the middle. Breathtaking. On the other side, there was a park with some very pretty flowers. Perfect place to visit for a weekend vacation. I would recommend it to anyone.

After visiting downtown, we headed to the house where my grandfather grew up in. So much history. My dad & his sisters would visit almost every summer when they were growing up. My dad had not been back in almost 25 years! We were now off to the family reunion....(with the GPS on of course) ahhh :) Lots of people & lots of food. Everyone was so friendly but the 2 people that stick out in my mind are an older man named Don Blake & an older woman named Tootsie.

Don Blake was 85 & married into the family so I'm not really sure how I was related to him, if at all. He sure didn't look 85 years old. He was from Wilmington, NC and had such a sweet spirit about him. He reminded me of my great grandfather so that's probably why I liked him. Some advice he gave me was "to never stop moving." Get out there and do something, whether it's taking a walk or traveling half way across the world. I truly respect older people and this man had even fought 3 wars. He said he didn't enlist after that because he did not want his luck to run out!

Tootsie was my grandfathers- mothers-sister. Whew! She was older, either her late 80's or early 90's. What a blessing she was! She came up to my dad- who had not been to a family reunion since he was nearly my age, and she knew exactly who he was! The whole entire conversation she put her hand and placed it on my dad's arm. Tears seriously came to my eyes because just knowing how much this meant to her. I can't fail to mention how amazing her skin was. She barely had a wrinkle on her face! Talking to her was probably the highlight of my day.

Overall, I had a great time even though it was a short trip. As we were driving through Atlanta, the Braves were playing the Red Sox! We were going to stop but tickets had to have been sold out! Another great weekend with my great family. Now, it's time to get back to working out because I sure did stuff my face this weekend.

have a good one,
-Cat

Florida's Forgotten Coast

What a fun weekend while staying in such a beautiful place! This past weekend, my cousin Tyler got married on St. George Island. It was my first beach wedding and I figured I would not be a fan of the wind, the sand, and the heat. However, it was by far the best wedding I have ever been to. We stayed in Apalachicola at The Consulate. It overlooked the bay with huge ships docked out in front. The Consulate use to be the former location of the French Consulate in the early 1800's. It was truly a take-your-breath away kind of place. The downtown area was cute and friendly with people walking or riding their bikes. Even though I was in Florida, Apalachicola had the feel of some place up North. Without the heat of course! Boy, was it muggy!

On Saturday, the wedding took place on St. George Island. It's about a 15 minute drive from Apalach. St. George Island is a 22 mile barrier island with some of the most beautiful beaches on the Gulf Coast. There is a lighthouse that stands tall right in the middle of the island.

Overall, the wedding was awesome! The set up was perfect and Lindsey looked beautiful. I can't fail to mention how good the cake was or how cool Tyler's cake was. It was a silver fish. If you can remember that commercial a couple of years back about that dancing and singing fish you could buy....that's what it looked like! I definitely stuffed my face with all of the food. When the sunset was setting, it reminded of how lucky I am to be surrounded by such a great family. I had so much fun hanging out with my cousins and making fun of my Granny! She's one of a kind for sure. The night ended with a WONDERFUL band that consisted of a bunch of old men playing & singing all genres of music. I had a blast dancing :) and it felt great to let loose. I haven't had that much fun in a while. It's summer right? But for all of those out there.....it's definitely worth your time to visit Apalachicola & St. George Island! I'm ready to go back. Such a perfect place to have a wedding! The night ended with a firework show as they were leaving. We all had sparklers. Weddings are such a special occassion & I loved every minute of this weekend.

*Next adventure.........my first family reunion in Spartanburg, South Carolina(in 2 weeks). This should be interesting!

Kayaking

Another great weekend! I did something that I have never done before. My dad took me kayaking down Terrapin Creek in Piedmont, Alabama. We got to the outdoor center around 8:30 a.m. There was a shuttle that took us 8 miles up the road and dropped us off. We had our kayaks and life jackets. In no time, we were in the water...ready to paddle. It was such a beautiful day and the 8 mile trip down the river gave me plenty of time to pray and think. Not that I have too much to worry about but it still was very pleasant. The man at the outdoor center told us that should take us about 4 hours to finish the river. However, we were obviously booking it and we finished in 2 hours and 40 minutes. It was a smooth ride with the exception of a couple of class 1 rapids. That made it fun though! I didn't even wear my life jacket, so it's nothing to worry about. The scenery was beautiful along with all of the turtles I saw. No snakes....thank goodness! It was just a very relaxing trip and it's something I will never forget :)

http://www.canoeshop.net/

I've learned that Alabama has some awesome outdoor adventures. It's just a matter of getting out there and exploring! I think our next adventure may be white water rafting/car camping!

Bucket List

Last night I spent the night with my grandmother and it took me back to when I was a little kid again. There is something about staying with my grandparents.....the most comfortable beds in the world, the best home cooked food ever, and the list goes on and on. I sat there talking to my grandmother about things I wanted to accomplish in my lifetime or even just this year. The things I want to do aren't the most challenging things but they are edgy in the fact that most people don't think about doing them. So, it's like that movie the Bucket List. Here is my list:

1. Run a half-marathon- did that in April in Nashville
2. Skydive
3. Ride in a hot air balloon
4. Run a trail run--I am doing one in November for the Marine Corps-13.1 miles of running trails.
5. Thru hike the Pinhoti Trail (140 miles)
6. Scuba dive somewhere tropical- Costa Rica, Cozumel..etc. Not Gulf Shores haha.
7. Go to Savannah, Georgia
8. Take a canoeing trip
9. Go to the U.S. Open for tennis
10. Thru hike or section hike the Appalachian Trail (2,175 miles)
11. Go on a cruise
12. Swim with dolphins
13. Go white water rafting again
14. Run a full marathon

I know it will take a lot of money and a lot of time to finish some of these things but maybe I will win the lottery or something! This summer I am planning on doing #2,4,6,7, & 8. Maybe the years to come I will finish the rest. So, what's your bucket list?

*Happy Memorial Day!! We're going to pick up Jason at Camp Lejune, NC on Sunday! He should be on his way back into the United States now.