Happy belated Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from us to you! We spent our week (my most favorite holiday) in Pinehurst, NC with all my family. Great times were had by all & great food was consumed by all! We all have so much & an amazing Creator, Savior & friend to thank for it!

New Moon

The count down seemed like it would never come to an end but November 19th final arrived! We loved the books, we loved the first movie & we were eagerly awaiting New Moon! I purchased my ticket at the beginning of October (I know, a little much) & on that faithful day, went to stand (or rather, sit) in line at the theater for the midnight showing. Yes, I stood in line for a movie like on of those fans with all my fanatic friends in our matching t-shirts & then...we rushed the theater like teenagers. Ahhh, the memories. The movie lived up to our expectations but the best part was all the laughs we shared on the sidewalk while we waited! Nothing left to say but Eclipse...June 30!

On the fur bus. Long story.

All my girls doing our best Edward. No red-eye reduction necessary; it fits in with the vampire theme.

The most amazing sweet 16

Jessica Smith. There are no words to describe the greatness that is this young woman. Last summer she traveled with us as our "intern" for FTF. She claims that we've made such an impact on her life but the opposite is true. Jessica challenges me to be a more dedicated, humble, joyful, passionate, loving, kind, generous, FULLY devoted follower of the Savior. I learn daily from her. She is fabulous! When she told us her desire to "trade-in" her sweet 16 birthday bash for a student conference to reach her generation, we were totally blown away & on board! I begged to make her cake &, most amazingly, she trusted me to deliver. My cake making partner, MOM, & I had the best time baking! We joked that our reality TV show would be called "CAKE BOSSY"!

Jessica, I love you. You are sincerely the best! I'm still in shock by your gift. Happy Sweet 16 Birthday Conference!

Punkins

As many of you know, Cody has been on the road pretty consistently since Sept. 1st. So, the week of Halloween he was off & totally bored out of his mind. That being said, one night about 10, Mr. Deese made a stop to buy us pumpkins to carve! Here's to being a little creative.

Fall time at the beach

Fall at the beach = pure perfection! Every year, my moms brothers, sisters & spouses spend one week together in October. This year, all the cousins decided to get together for the weekend to join in on the craziness! The weather was absolutely stunning which allowed for nice morning runs, chilling on the deck in the rocking chair with a great book, walks on the beach & time with family & friends. I had a blast but missed Cody while he was at work! SOMEBODY has to work, I guess. ;)

All the girls showing them how it's done.

Uncles

Aunts

Just girls

I just thought this picture was so cute. I love our little booth nook. Happy Birthday to Heidi & Jenn!

Halloween

Let me begin by saying that we had no idea Sesame Street was celebrating their 40th anniversary! For weeks, I racked my brain over what Cody & I should be for Halloween. Trust me, the list was lenghty. We considered: Jasper & Alice from Twilight (the baseball scene, of course), Barney & Wilma, Cowboy & India girl, Shrek & Fiona, Dorothy & The Tin Man, etc. We just never could settle so, when we walked into the probably 15th costume shop, we finally made our decision. When I saw the Kermit costume I knew it was official...we were going as Miss Piggy & Mr. It's not easy being green!! We loved getting in the spirit so we sported our costumes 2 nights in a row. Let me just say, there is nothing like wearing a pig nose & ears to Stoney River restaurant for a suprise party where only 2 other people are dressed up! Fun times! :)

The GREAT Pumpkin

I packed "my" kiddos up & we headed to the pumpkin patch. They loved it! Well, the little ones loved it. The older ones picked their pumpkins & were immediately ready to go. The 11 year old picked a 25 pound pumpkin which, for him, is so typical. I told him if that was his choice he had to carry it to the car & he did! I love taking the kids to do things they've never done & everyone should go to the pumpkin patch!

GNOth

Nothing compares to a girls night. It's in it's own category of wonderful! So grateful for girls to have a laugh with. Love all these women! Our next gathering is the midnight showing of "NEW MOON" & we CAN'T wait!! We all have our tickets (since the 1st week in Oct) & we will be standing in line for hours. Who knows, we may bring lawn chairs if necessary! :)

Fall

This fall has been absolutely busy! I have so much to update & hope to do so before the weekend is over! Hope you all are wonderful!

Obsession

Every year as the weather starts to change with the temps slowly creeping to cool my obsession with candles always grows. I've written about this problem a few times. I just love the scent & warmth it brings to my home when a candle is burning. The soft light just makes me feel cozy. That being said, my friend January has been staying with us for almost 2 weeks while her baby boy, Jonas, is going to a specialist in ATL. She has picked up on my "issue" & has purchased quite a few candles as "thank you" gifts for us. I can't wait to burn every one of them! My house is gonna rock in the scent department!

Rain, rain go away!

"Rain, rain on my face. It hasn't stopped raining for days. My world is a flood. Slowly I become one with the mud."-Jars of Clay

This is seriously insane. I've never seen it rain so much in my life! School is cancelled, 150+ roads are closed in our county & I'm sitting in my house with a warm cup of homemade veggie soup & the DVR going! I love a rainy day but this rainy month is a little out of control. The up-side: so much for the drought! Lord, I'm looking for the rainbow. ;)

Still celebrating

My Dad always jokes that I can make a birthday last longer than anyone he knows & this year was no different. I'm still celebrating! After spending the weekend with Cody in FL, Mom & Dad took me to one of my favorite spots for dinner with a few of my pals & then my BFF took me to Panama City Beach (otherwise known as the redneck riviera)! We got up in the middle of the night (6 am ;)) for our journey to ensure we would get as much sunshine time as possible! That we did. We found the most yummy restaurant (which was so good it was worth eating at both nights), shopped, ate at the best breakfast place & we even exercised in the rain. It goes without saying that I did something I've never done. I try to do that on every trip I ever take.

I couldn't ask for a better "sister"! Love her bunches!

Thanks, HHH for an awesome b-day trip!

We couldn't resist the "cheesy"

Of course we had to get a photo with "Santa"?

Great girls & great friends!

ID

Between my work & the ministry, our lives have been totally consumed & it's wonderful! I'm so blessed to have a job & we LOVE getting to minister to all types of people from all over the place. Cody, Jason & the band have worked really hard to put together ID Tour. We have a great passion to help students understand that their identity is not a mystery but is found in their Creator, Jesus Christ. ID's kick-off went great & the guys are having a blast on the road. Can't wait to see all God will do in & through all of us during the process!

The team: Seth, My Man (Cody), John, Jason, Matt & Josh

Late 20's?

I never thought I would be the type of person to "freak" out over a birthday. Well, this year, I became that person. Flat out, here's the deal...I'm inching ever closer to 30. I know it's really not a big deal & it's not as if I'm filing for social security, ordering the senior special or anything but time is just going by so quickly. All that being said, I had a wonderful day! I drove to FL (where Cody was on tour) to celebrate. We spent the entire day together & he made me feel super special. We enjoyed the outdoor mall, went to dinner, watched "500 Days of Summer" (which was great) & topped the evening off with a scoop of birthday ColdStone icecream. Overall, I'm determined that my late 20's are going to better than my early 20's! So far, I'm off to a good start! ;)

Mormons, Mountains & Ministry

Last weekend, after a ridiculous flight, we spent a few days in Utah. Cody was invited to speak at a youth event for groups from Utah & Idaho. We were so blessed to see many students begin a relationship with Christ in an area that is not our usual "bible belt" event. We spent the days riding all around Salt Lake City & taking in all the sights. The weather was beautiful!!

The Capital Building

We went to Kennecott Canyon Copper Mine which is 2-3/4 miles across & 3/4 of a mile deep & can be seen by space shuttle astronauts when the pass over the US. The trucks look tiny but, obviously, the tires are huge.

The actual copper canyon

We couldn't go to Salt Lake & not visit the Mormon Temple. It was very interesting & impressive. We saw I don't know like 15 weddings at 1:30 on a Friday afternoon. Below is one of the beautiful gardens at the temple.

We never seem to choose the right shoes. It always seems that we go for a ride & then end up taking some crazy walk or hike. This trip was no exception. Rainbows & Havaianas come to the rescue!!

The view was worth it!

Antelope Island State Park was beautiful. We drove around for hours taking in the amazing scenery. I love the sunflower...

One of the many bison we saw at Antelope Island...

Yep, never seen that before...

A day off...

I'm taking the day off. Cody has been so busy putting his fall schedule together & I've been busy raising 4 children (that aren't mine) & running a household (also not mine) so we both decided to take today off. What to do, what to do? Looks like we are going to Ikea, for the first time, & then hanging by the pool, oh yeah! I can't wait to download all our beautiful pics from our last trip. We had a great time ministering to students from Idaho & Utah & saw many begin a relationship with the Savior! They were hungry for truth & it was such an honor to be the ones to share it. Have a happy day! :)

Well, I've never done THAT before...

If you don't know by now, I love a little adventure! Well, today was most definitely an adventure with my bud, HHH to pick up her girls & the one & only PJHunt in a private jet! I just love being able to say "I had never done THAT before"! Delta, I must say, you USED to be my BF but, as of today, you've been booted!!

Yes, the weather wasn't ideal but we didn't feel the slightest bump!

Much more lovely at the beach! Too bad we couldn't stay!

Crusin' with my fav girls!

I've made a decision...I don't ever want to go through security, take off my shoes on a icky floor, check a bag, pay extra for a bag, measure out my liquids, make a feeble attempt to stuff my bag in the overhead bin, hear that items may shift during flight, sit in row 27B next to a disgruntled person, worry about my seat being in the upright position & my tray table being stowed ever again! Well, that is until my flight next Thursday. Reality, Katie. Reality.

Day at the Lake

We spent the last 2 weekends in NC for family events; first with Mom's huge family for a Birthday party & second with Dad's huge family just to hang out. After 6 years of marriage, I thought it was finally time for Cody to meet the rest of the family!! We spent the day at the lake riding the jet-ski & the boat & doing what we do best...eating, eating & eating some more. So great to see everyone. Hopefully our next visit will be sooner than 6 years!

Cody eating our like 100th bowl of homemade peach icecream!! My favorite!

HBC & Cody on the jet-ski. I rode too but prefer to drive. I guess you could say I have a control issue ;)

I tried to warn Cody that it may not be the brightest idea to ride a tube that was tied to the back of a jet-ski driven by HBC but he did it anyway. Let's just say this...the man is still talking about how sore he is & showing off his battle wounds! :)

Cutie K. I love how her little feet are popping up!