twenty-two.

so, i turned 22 yesterday. considering the week (really, the month) that i had, it's pretty needless to say that my birthday snuck up on me. i think that 22 is a very weird age. i think 23 will be weirder, though, because at least 22 is the same number twice, which is kind of cool...i know, i'm weird, but nothing cool happens when you turn 22...23...or 24...or any age after 25. the only thing that happens when you turn 25 is that you can rent a car...and apparently a beach house. i'm thinking that 23 is probably going to be like 19. or 12. both are very uneventful ages. i'm sure that my analysis of ages is probably lame, but it's all i really have to say, so... :)

oh, we did eat at maggiano's for dinner last night and it was like WHOA! good. tracy was going to try and surprise me, but she had a super long meeting...it's the thought that counts...and i really mean that :)

currently watching: regis & kelly...our tv is back!!

psalm 73:25-26

whom have i in heaven but You?
and there is nothing on earth that i
desire besides You.
my flesh and my heart my fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

currently listening to: the mamma mia! soundtrack

the joy of the LORD is my strength.

that statement has never been more true than it is for me right now. i couldn't even stand if it weren't for His strength. i couldn't be more grateful for the amazing people that God has placed in my life. i am surrounded by people who love Him and who will lift me up in prayer, and i am so so so thankful for those prayers. God constantly amazes me and sustains me.

currently watching: good eats.

i love to laugh :)

last night, lauren, trace and i went out to eat at bella roma, and the food was good, but the company was better. i couldn't have been more thankful for those two and the laughter that they brought me yesterday and last night. i really needed that, and it was so good just to be with them.

this morning was the first day for oak leaf to be back at the theater, and i was beyond excited to be back. that's where it all began, and where i first started going to oak leaf, and it was just so great to be back there again. we got up at 4:30 this morning (not kidding), and drove down to the theater, where there were already tons of people running around setting up different stuff...i ended up going to walmart for some picture frames, duct tape and sharpies...and then again for some allen/hex wrenches. it was so great to see so many servants there this morning making sure that everything was perfect for our first day back. i am so blessed to be involved in such a great church that loves the Lord and truly desires to do everything possible (short of sin) to bring lost people in and move people from where they are to where God wants them to be.

for all of you who have been praying for my papa, my family and me, thank you. it truly means so so so much to me. also, please keep praying. we need it. i'm more than thankful to have people in my life who will lift me up in prayer. God has truly blessed me.

currently listening to: silence.

AmericasMartAtlanta

the fact that that's all one word kind of bothers me, but that's the real name. friday through monday, i spent my days waking up between 4:30 and 5:00, leaving canton, standing up all day, then leaving atlanta at 6:00-ish, getting back to the britts' house, going to bed and doing it all over again. tuesday, however was break down. that means that we had to leave even earlier (i woke up at 4:15), drive the GIANT truck in to downtown atlanta, stop showing at 3:00 instead of 6:00 and then completely pack up all of the pillows, tea towels, lights, shelves, carpet and a number of other things that we used in booth 3-1-240. for those of you who watch gilmore girls (and everyone should), in the dance marathon episode, break down would be equivalent to the run-around. i block it out every year for a really good reason...it's horrible.

taylor & coultas is the company that i work for selling pillows and tea towels. it was started 20 years ago by debbie bartz, and until last year, everything we sold was handmade by about 30 seamstresses in central illinois. we've recently changed that, so we had to move from booth 3-2-201 to 3-1-240...it was sad because we had to leave behind some of our favorite neighbors. james sells this AMAZING pottery that his sister makes, and i finally bought a piece. it's awesome. michael was another one of our neighbors, and he makes this really incredible stuff out of iron...book shelves, wine racks...it's really cool. our new neighbors are pretty cool too - jimmy & chris sell nativities and ornaments that are carved out of olive wood (they're from bethlehem!!) and dave sells rafia :) they are all cool people, and i really enjoyed getting to know them...luckily, we still saw james and michael a lot too :)

now that it's over, it seems like the longest week ever, but also extremely short. it's weird, and although i'm hoping that a job will keep me from working the entire january show, i want to at least go in and see everyone :) working everyday = complete exhaustion. my entire body is sore, and i want nothing more than to sit and do nothing all day. too bad i have stuff to do :)

currently watching: days of our lives (on SOAPnet) and listening to roofers that are re-roofing our house. they have been here since 7:47, and it really sounds like someone is beating on my skull with a hammer...not fun.

...

i can't even think of a good title for this post. i'm beyond exhaustion, and i can't wait to sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep after market last week...more to come later.

currently watching: the All-Star game...i love baseball :)

oh, market.

yesterday marked the beginning of the atlanta gift show at the mart downtown. mike (bekah's dad) picked me and my brother up at 7:00 a.m., and we drove in to atlanta to meet debbie (the owner of the company that we work for - she sells pillows and tea towels). so yesterday was "set up" which meant we turned a rectangular plot of carpet into a booth. while it is kind of cool to see the end result, the day was exhausting. we didn't leave the booth until 6:25-ish, so needless to say, i was pretty tired by the time i got home last night (just in time for jeopardy! thank goodness). today is an off day...well, i'm going to clean the house and then pack all my stuff because i'll be staying at the britts' house until tuesday. i would just like to restate how weird it will be to be at their house without bekah.

tomorrow is when the real fun begins...i'm being a little sarcastic, but just a little - i really do like it, but by the end of market, i will be the closest to death that i've ever been...well, second closest. we will leave canton at around 6:00 in the morning, and we probably won't get back until between 6:00 & 7:00...by the time we eat dinner and make our lunches for the next day, it's all we can do to stay awake long enough to actually get ready for bed. standing all day is not good. while i am super excited to see tracy tonight and leanna tomorrow night, i can't wait for tuesday night to get here...

currently watching: regis & kelly :)

glory, glory, hallelujah

so, last night, tracy and i met haley, bridgette, phillip (bridgette's boyfriend), allison and clint (two of bridgette's friends) at stone mountain. we played some uno and watched the laser show, and i have to admit that i really love the laser show. i feel like my family used to go all the time, because i feel like i've seen it a thousand times, but i hadn't seen it in several years, so it was fun to see how it changed...and how it stayed the same :) this is ridiculous, but when elvis is singing, i sometimes get a little emotional...i cry a lot. at one point, we were a little afraid that we were going to get a storm, but it only sprinkled for a few minutes, and then it quit, so that was nice :)

after we got home last night, tracy and i watched the bachelorette, and i have to say that we were totally shocked that she chose jesse instead of jason. i know that it's completely unimportant and it's just a reality tv show, but we were still shocked...then we went to bed too late, and tracy had to get up too early...i felt bad for her this morning.

this post is seeming completely pointless, but oh well.

currently watching: jeopardy! on gsn :)

july 4th :)

every 4th of july, my family and i go to blue ridge, where we have a house on the toccoa river. it's one of my favorite traditions, because it is one of the two times that i get to see some of my favorite family members :) i know you're not supposed to pick favorites, and i really love them all the same, and blah, blah, blah, but let's get real. my cousin christopher is one year older than me, so we've always been pretty close, especially as we've gotten older. he is my grandfather's brother's grandson...if that makes sense. anyway, that whole side of my family lives in florida, so we only see them on the 4th and thanksgiving...when we do this day-after-thanksgiving-eat-as-much-as-you-can thanksgiving celebration. it's really awesome, actually. this year was a blast, and probably the first year in my entire life that i haven't seen fireworks on the 4th of july, but i didn't mind :) i love being with my family that i rarely get to see.

i really love oak leaf church. i've said it before, but this morning as i was driving to cartersville, i just couldn't wait to get there. i love seeing everyone, and i love smiling at people and greeting them when they come in. michael's message was awesome this morning (actually, i thinks it's pretty awesome every sunday...), and everyone should check it out online...last week's was also really good, so i would watch/listen to that one too :) on a side note: i am so psyched about going back to the theater on july 20!!

mart begins this week, so from wednesday...well, friday until next tuesday, i will be in a constant state of exhaustion. seriously. long days. i'll be missing bekah even more than normal this week...it will be so weird to be doing mart without her...and to be spending the night at her house without her...haha. i'm really bummed about not being at church on sunday. like i said, i can hardly wait for sundays to roll around so that i can go to church, so i'm pretty sad about this coming sunday...i'll probably watch it online :)

currently listening to: the taxi (i'm kind of obsessed right now)...plus some thunder outside :) :) :)

caitlin and jer.

i just want to start by saying that their wedding was the most beautiful, classy wedding that i've ever been to. caitlin was absolutely gorgeous - words can't even describe her beauty. jer was so happy - he couldn't stop smiling :) it was just wonderful. the ceremony was perfect and the reception was beyond nice. it was so great to see them finally get married, and it was also great to see everyone from berry :)

i stayed with the kases again this weekend, and it was just as great as last weekend :) i truly love those two. they finished the guest room, and it looks awesome!

i'm in blue ridge for the week with my family and without internet access...i actually drove home today to check my email and get some clothes and other things that my mom needs for the rest of the week...i'm not sure when i'll be able to check my email again, but we'll see :)

currently watching: days of our lives