Dad

This Sunday will mark the one-year anniversary of Dad's passing. Along those lines, the fund set up in his memory will be closed tomorrow, September 1st.

It all still seems so strange.

A Bible tip

I rarely do this--mix work with the blog--BUT, I came across an interesting tool for Bible study through my Evangelical Examiner writings. It's a really in-depth software for study. It's like the iPhone of study software--top-notch tech, easy to use, and uber cool.

Read here for more info.

Corey Loves Candice

On July 3rd, we made a whirlwind trip to celebrate with Corey and Candice as they entered wedded bliss! We are so happy for and proud of them! Enjoy the pics!

New Glasses

After 7 years, I just bought new glasses. Like 'em?

Born a Beach Bum

July was also the month, the Youree family packed up and headed south to the land of white sand, real sweet tea, and boiled peanuts--a.k.a., my homeland. We "beach bummed" only a few miles from the hospital where I made my earthly debut. But I digress.

Fourteen of us happily lodged at the Beachcomber three-story home located right on Seacrest Beach. Oh. So. Wonderful. We swam, saw stingrays, gathered shells, built sand creations, flew kites, played games, and ate and ate and ate and ate. We took a boat ride to Shell Island one afternoon, and another day visited St. Andrews State Park with its gorgeous emerald water.

Once Colton entered the ocean, it took the entire family to coax him out. Sun up, sun down, Colton was riding his boogie board, i.e. wading two feet into the water.

Gracyn played in the water the first day, but the waves were a bit intense for her. And then there was the whole crab situation. One of my favorite memories is her walking next to my chair as I lounged half in the water and half out . . . she whispered: "Have you seen any crabs?"

Gunnar is the king of penny-in-the pot. Although, the first place prize went to Gracyn, Gunnar's math skills alone win him a spot at the top. Gunnar, I'll be on your team ANYTIME.

Garison donned the goggles to find treasures on the ocean floor and the opportunity to spy many creatures--which I care nothing to know about or I'll never get in the ocean again. :-)

Allie braved her fears and went parasailing--so proud! We also had fun crashing a few stores, of course.

Allie's partner in parasailing crime was Dakota, who took to the air with his step-sis. I also heard that he gave Uncle Bryan a run for his money in Sequence.

It seems that everyone had such a fun, fun time . . . and would be game to do it again in the future. I hope so!

Of course, no Bryan and Emily expedition is complete without a little mishap. Thankfully, that happened early in the trip (you know, get it out of the way). Our flight was twoish hours late, getting us to Florida at midnight or a little after. Then, the rental car line was longer than even imaginable. Speaking of the rental car, we discovered six drink bottles, one hamburger wrapped, and stale bread under my seat. And then there were zero parking spots at the hotel when we arrived at 2:00 a.m. Really, not one. But alas, these are all funny memories now, right?

Kristen

I was in 8th grade, when my dad came walking out to the "playground" at my school where I was hanging with my friends during our afternoon break. Before he got halfway to me, he shouted, "Tina had the baby. It's a girl!" Up to that point, my sister and her husband had kept the baby's gender a secret. Ah, a girl. Kristen--love it.

Years followed and I got to see her grow , even having the privilege of living in the same city with her for nearly 6 years. She's now soon to be 16 (which I cannot believe!), and I am beaming with pride for the young lady she is and who she is becoming.

While we share more than our bed-making preference (if anyone knows me, I've only recently come over to the bed-making side), I couldn't be prouder of Kristen's recent participation in Truth & Peace--a student leadership conference I attended when in high school too. It was a treat for me to pick up Kristen from Oklahoma City after the conference and drive her to my home for a couple days. We watched the BEST Pride & Prejudice movie e-v-e-r, among other special moments. It was just so great being with her, even if we were both so sleepy we couldn't stand it--ha! (She also shares my knack for sleeping.) I can see, even from a distance, how God is impacting her life. And what more could an aunt ask for?

So, Kristen, I'm crazy about you, and cheering for you all the way from Texas. Proud of you. Love you. Miss you.

The Bed

Please pardon the silly post, but I laughed so much when I was stripping the sheets after our guests left, specifically when I removed the comforter off the bed where my niece had slept. Her mom told her to make the bed, and this is what I find. It was so funny, I took pictures for posterity. Ah, to be 15 again . . . .