School and Friends

The time has come for my precious little "Red" to start preschool.  We registered Adi for the fall PELE program at Amarillo High School.  We will know for sure by April if she is definitely accepted into the class. Apparently they take applications and then choose a certain number of children to attend out of all the applicants.  However, they told Bradey that she was most likely in because of early registration.

I can't believe she will be 3 in March and starting preschool!  Time goes by way too fast and I just want to freeze her where she is, so that she can stay my little baby forever.  She is so excited though.  She went to Mother's Day Out for a while and had a blast.  She is a social butterfly and loves to play with other kids.  Even though I will probably cry, I am excited about having 3 afternoons every week to spend some one on one time with Chloe and get some things done.

Adi is also pumped that two of her best friends, Noah and Kayt, will be joining her at preschool.  The three of them play so well together and have so much fun.  

The three amigos

play music together - LOUDLY,

hangout at Starbucks together,

carpool together,

watch football games together,

and play at the park and feed ducks together!

Now they will get the opportunity to create more memories at preschool together!  One day, when they get older, we will look back at these pictures, laugh, cry, and cherish the memories as friends and parents.  How neat it will be!

Girlfriends

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a women's retreat that my amazing church prepared, as they do every year! This year our special guest were Lisa Jernigan & Patty Wyatt. Theses two ladies are Co-founders of "Girlfriends Unlimited," an international organization and ministry for women and churches. The information they presented to us during the retreat was very encouraging, eye-opening, and powerful! In the opening session, they had us complete a Preview Profile - Girlfriend Style. The profile was titled, "Which Coffee Type are You?" It looked a little something like this:

Select the words in each category that describe your behaviors

(Choose what truly describes you, not how you would like to be described)

Latte

• evasive
• practical
• diplomatic
• factual
• controlled
• analytical
• inquisitive
• cautious
• persistent
• accurate
• deliberate
• detailed
• reserved
• precise

Chai

• relaxed
• patient
• good listener
• consistent
• thoughtful
• enjoys routine
• deep relationships
• amiable
• loyal
• team player
• adaptable
• avoids conflict
• dislikes change
• nurturing

Espresso

• demanding
• ambitious
• determined
• decisive
• bold
• firm
• goal driven
• decision maker
• competitive
• assertive
• takes charge
• purposeful
• leader
• enjoys challenge

Mocha

• inspiring
• likes recognition
• takes risks
• very verbal
• avoids details
• likes variety
• energetic
• people oriented
• optimistic
• expressive/emotional
• approachable
• visionary
• motivator
• creative

Now double the number of words selected in each category.

You can find this actual Profile on their website www.GirlfriendIT.com

This activity was neat because we could identify which personality we are and it made so much sense. The girls around me that night are some of my closest friends and we had such a good time doing this together. We laughed because we probably could have filled one of these out for each other. But more than that, it helped each one of us understand more of who we are, how we deal with people, circumstances, conflict, conversation, etc. We also received a better grasp on how to influence and communicate with each other!

Sometimes as women we don't understand our differences, we just expect everyone to be like ourselves. However, that can cause some frustration and create relationships that aren't solid! The entire experience over the course of the weekend made me really thankful for the girlfriends I have and also made me realize how important it is to make sure that we have girlfriends we can count on at all times. We need friends in our lives that we can be real with, call on at anytime, laugh and cry with, and be transparent with in full confidence that they have our best interest at heart!

I love getting together with my girlfriends because I can count on them to leave me refreshed with a fresh perspective, to encourage me as a Christ follower, and to walk forward with a greater purpose! I encourage you to evaluate your friendships. Do you have girlfriends that you can trust and be real with?

Finally, I will leave you with another great piece of information I gained at this awesome retreat: You have to put yourself out there, be vulnerable and transparent, in order for you to find and create friendships that are forever! They definitely don't just appear and fall in your lap! INVEST yourself in others lives and you will be blessed with that in return!

For A Good Friend - Byron Kennedy

Byron is Bradey's lifelong best friend, accountability partner, and pretty much a brother.  Their life together started when they were born three months apart.   Their moms were good friends and still depend on each other today.  They grew up together doing all the things little boys do in a small town, plus some.  They went fishing at Mama's tank, played all kinds of ball together, attended Kid's College (I'm sure caused all kinds of trouble for Donna), and sometimes even peed on each other according to Bradey.  Don't ask, who knows?  As they got older, they attended youth group together, went camping occasionally, and played more sports.  Soon they graduated and went to Tech.  Bradey ended up transferring to Hardin-Simmons to play football but the friendship did not change even miles apart.    They made many memories at the lake, spent some nights in the lovely trailer that Bradey lived in, drank Big Swigs , and smoked Black-N-Milds.  Soon, I came along and Byron approved.  He was the best man at our wedding and holds a dear place in our hearts.  He is now a lawyer and currently works at Texas Tech University.  The boys are closer now than they have ever been.  

Throughout Byron's life he has had to face many obstacles in the area of health.  From the time he was a young boy to now, it seems like he has experienced everything that life can throw at you.  Recently he was diagnosed with cancer.  His case was accepted in Houston at M.D. Anderson. He was placed in the best hands possible.  He had to have surgery to remove numerous lymph nodes from his neck.  He is now going through a series of radiation treatments.  He has to have scans performed every three months to make sure the cancer has not come back, but to make matters worse he is allergic to the iodine used during the scans.  Honestly, the list of complications he has to deal with goes on and on.  

Through all of this, every obstacle he has overcome, he has an amazingly strong faith.  Byron has always been that guy who is everyone's best friend, someone that you can always count on to lead you in the right direction, and the guy who knows the Lord.  He is someone very dear to many people in his life.  

Sometimes we don't understand why God places us in the midst of obstacles, where we ask ourselves, "Why God? Why me?"  I'm sure Byron has asked that question more than once.  At least I would if I were in his shoes. 

I have no doubt that God knew this young man would continue to be obedient and faithful through his life no matter what and that in itself has been such a strong testimony to others who know him.  So, whether you know him or not, please pray that the Lord would heal him completely and that Byron will continue to rely on his strong faith and trust that everything is in God's hands.  I do believe that our God is a God of healing.  I believe that He can and He will heal Byron.  So I ask you to do the same.  Please believe this and speak in the name of Jesus that healing will take place.  This journey ahead of him will be a test of faith, no doubt, but also a journey of many blessings!