60 Years Together

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary!  They are such a wonderful example of a Christian couple and I'm so glad that we all have them to follow.  My grandfather has dementia and my grandmother takes care of him full time.  They live with my aunt and uncle and have a helper that comes during the day while my aunt (a nurse practitioner) is at work.  I love to go over there when things exciting aren't happening and visit with them.  My granddaddy is just so sweet and even though he might say some things in his old age we all know he loves us!

My aunt and uncle came up with the idea to have the surprise party for them and invite all the kids, grandkids, and great grandkids!  I was in charge of the cake and a couple of days before the party I asked my cousin to ask my grandmother what her favorite cake is.  She told him and then asked, "Why?"  The little clever thing that he is said, "Oh it's a facebook 'know your family' quiz."  I thought that was genius!!! The two cakes she said were her favorite were coconut (BLAH!!) and mandarine orange cake.  So, I made the mandarine orange cake...

My sister got the toppers.  Yes, it's a little crooked.  The G = Gordon & H = Hazel.  60 is the diamond anniversary, so we have some bling on there.

What do you get a couple that has been married for 60 years and has everything they could ever want or need?  Well...

flowers of course!!

The cute couple!!

I had a hard time trying to get granddaddy to look at the camera.

Here's Granddaddy (aka Pops) and Grandmother with their youngest great grand-daughter Zoy (pronounced - Zoe)!  Pops just smiled and squeezed her and she did so good with him!

You can click on it to make it larger.

She really is sooo stinkin' funny!  If she has a question for you, even if you aren't currently focused on anything or anyone but her she will say, "excuse me, excuse me."  It's the cutest thing ever!!

Now let me introduce you to my mom's side of the family...

Grandmother and Pops with their oldest son, Brad.

and his family starting from the left...His wife, Gail, son, Brian, Grandmother, Pops, Brad, his daughter Jenna with her daughter Zoy and Riley and Jenna's husband Pat.  We took so many pictures and this was the best one of the Evans.

My mom, Jan, is their second child

Then there's me and Gary, Shelley (her husband, Jared wasn't able to make it) and mom (dad wasn't able to make it either.

Pops and grandmother with their youngest, Kecia.  She was out of town and I thought she deserved to be in the pictures :).  Her shirt and skirt don't really match and she's heavenly bright, but you know.

Then this is her family starting from the left.  Her oldest, Paul Jr., her husband, Paul, her middle child, Evan, and the youngest sitting by grandmother is Elizabeth.

Then here's all the grandkids, great grandkids and spouse's of grandkids (that were able to make it).

We had a great time and we are all so thankful that we were able to celebrate our grandparents 60th anniversary!!!  We love you Grandmother and Pops!!!!

Happy celebrating,

Kimberly

My new car

Better late than never to show you all pictures of my new car!!  It's not really new, but it's new to me and I LOVE IT!!!!!

Sorry I didn't get any of the inside, but I'll describe it to you.  It has grey leather interior with a third row (yes, I know to haul more kids) and a sun roof.  Oh and the air vents go all back to the third row!!!

I also have my first TN license plate!!!  I've been driving an AL car for years now because my dad just kept buying my tags (not complaining, thanking).  It was nice to have 'foreign' tags just in case I ever had to slam on my breaks due to passing a road or cutting someone off because I was about to miss my exit...it gave me a good excuse, 'oh she's from out of town.'  Well, I don't get to use that one anymore.  I guess I'll need to make sure I drive like a Tennessean now, which equals slamming on my breaks and cutting people off, so I don't have to change much :).

I don't have a name for her yet.  I decided that she needs to be a her since I drove Ranger Joe for so long and had The Green Machine before that.  Ideas are welcome!!!  I already have two options to add to the voting poll that I'm going to put on my blog, but I need two more options.  Leave a comment and I'll pick my favorite two!!!  Good luck!

Happy Driving/Naming,

Kimberly

I love living in Nashville (Part 2)

Remember this?  Well, it's happened again!  As we were walking from the office to the parking garage a guy stops us before we cross the street because they were shooting a music video right in front of our garage.  I didn't see any celebritites (once again), but the video was for Joe Nichols

I didn't think about taking a picture until I was already past it, but I did flip around and get this.

You can't really tell what's going on, but there is an above ground pool with people laying out around it. 

Closer shot.

Anyway, just thought it was cool!!

Happy almost celebrity siting to you,

Kimberly

To My Social Media-Using Christian Friends:

I read this on a blog I follow and I thought it was very thought provoking and needed to be shared further.  I don't have a twitter account, but I can relate to the facebook status updates.

To My Social Media-Using Christian Friends:

Sometimes we are whiny, superficial, proud, judgmental jerks on Twitter.
Lately, I’ve been feeling very convicted by what I think is not only a lost opportunity but probably an abuse of power by those of us Christians representing Christ on the Internet.
According to Galatians 5, God’s people bear visible fruit. They’re loving. Joyful. Patient. Kind. Peaceful.
I do follow people on Twitter who are all of those things. Reading their words uplifts, encourages, challenges, and delights me. Among the often dismal offerings in my feed, they are a ray of light.
They don’t ball out the phone company or bash the president out of hand. They don’t mock other people’s work, other people’s clothes, other people’s taste, other people’s less than wise choices. They steward well the attention of friends and associates, many of whom do not know Christ.
I don't imagine that kind of persistent joy, gentleness, and kindness comes easily.
Personally, I’m regularly tempted to Tweet out of anger, to Tweet out of pride, to Tweet out of envy. I update my Facebook status as much to feed my own ego and glorify myself as for any other reason. I’m struggling to define for myself what is and is not appropriate to “share” in a status.
Whatever words I type into that little white rectangle represent more than a whispered concern to a friend over coffee. I must be fully aware that 100, 500, 1,000 or more people are listening and weighing the truth and power of God almighty based on the fruit or fruitlessness of my post.
I want to believe that we Tweet or update unwisely because we type in haste, hurrying to capture what seemed funny or important in the moment. I’ve done this (I do this), speaking before thinking, offending people I respect, losing credibility, and making an idiot of myself.
I’m reminded of Proverbs 29:20:
“Do you see someone who speaks in haste?

There is more hope for a fool than for them.”
A wise woman thinks before she types, sending her words through a filter before she shares them with every person she met at that cool party last night, every woman in her grandmother’s ladies Bible class, and every potential employer visiting her profile page. Not to mention her hairdresser who she just invited to Bible study.

I worry, though, that it’s about more than typing in haste. I know people who plan their Tweets or Facebook notes days in advance and still they’re bitingly sarcastic, mean, or petty. I’m afraid that many of us are jerks on the Internet because we’re jerks in our hearts.
As Jesus said:
“Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
I do not want to criticize the judgmental by being judgmental. I just want to encourage all of us to live with discretion and integrity, doing all we can to look like Christ—at church, at work, at the homeless shelter, and on the Internet.
I want, more than anything, for my light—God’s light in me—to lead others into a powerful, life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ, Savior and Redeemer of mankind. I don’t want anything to get in the way of that.
Definitely not a hastily composed, ill-spirited Tweet.

Post via,
Kimberly

I forgot something

So, when I wrote this I was in a little bit of a hurry and I left out some of the funny parts.  Only when I read my friend's blog here this morning did I realize that I too had a similar story when trying to cook for Gary.  You may think that I'm a good cook, but honestly I'm not great at it and that's why Gary does most of the cooking.  We actually try to cook together so that each of can focus on something.  He usually takes care of the meat and I do the veggies.  It works perfect for us!!! 

So, me cooking and baking the entire meal is not something I'm used to.  Remember I made a new recipe of Chicken Madeira and I had never made Chess Pie before either.  Needless to say there were a few hic-ups throughout the preparation.  I most definitly use every pot, pan, dish, spoon, and all of the counter space when I'm cooking.  There's never any down time for me to wash the item I just used (and by the way our dish washer is broken) so the dishes just get PILED HIGH!!!  When I got home the chicken was still frozen, so the suggested time of 4-6 minutes on each side turned into a little longer for mine.  I got the potatoes boiling and then remembered that the sauce takes 20 minutes...oh well too late to stop them now.  The actual food wasn't the problem, it was the dessert.  I put all of the ingredients the recipe called for and when I went to pour it in my pie crust it definitly overflowed!!!!!!  All over the countertop.  I tried to pick the pie up and dump some back in the bowl and when I did it toppled over and spilled practically the entire filling on the counter.  Of course it started dripping off of the counter onto the floor...and the sauce is done...and the potatoes are boiling over...whew it's making me tired just trying to remember what all happened.  I just told myself to stay calm and not get upset because my friends could stall him as long as I needed.  There was a little pie filling still in the bowl so I put that in there and just prayed everytime I had pick it up that it wouldn't spill again.  I got the counter cleaned off before Gary got home, but the remnants were still on the floor...OOPS!  So, just a bit of advice...you might want to make two pies if you use this recipe or cut it in half for one!!

The food did get cold before Gary got home, but I zapped it for a few minutes and I have to say I was pretty proud of myself.  I kept patting myself on the back throughout the night...HEHE!!

Not that I'm going to be cooking alone all the time, but I know that I can do it.  However, don't expect my kitchen to be clean afterwards, the food to be hot or for me to look less than being run over by a train!

Happy Cooking (alone),
Kimberly