After the service and lunch with some Brook Hills friends, we met up with Melissa and Karlie who grew up in our student ministry and are now attending the best school ever…Samford, of course.  Birmingham has gained so many new spots since I was last there, including the little place we met them. Yogurt Mountain is just as phenomenal as it sounds.  You’re given a bowl with a choice of sixteen different flavors of yogurt and thirty-five different choices of toppings.  You serve yourself and then pay per ounce.  Heaven.

Karlie, me, Melissa, and Jess after our tummies were full from eating a mountain of yogurt.

Besides delicious yogurt, it was a treat to visit with Melissa and Karlie. I am so proud of them! I also have to admit that hearing about their first semester at Samford brought back so many nostalgic memories!

Josh and I had a wonderful time with his family celebrating Thanksgiving and miss them already!  We were excited, however, to hurry home and decorate our house for Christmas.  Picking and decorating a Christmas tree was one of my favorite traditions growing up, and Josh and I have continued that tradition since we got married!  We pick a real tree every year, and despite our efforts to try a different type of tree, we still ended up with the fraser fir. It just smells so good and looks so perfect!

Here I am at Home Depot happy to have found the perfect tree! They had also lowered their prices this year - a plus!

Josh always works so hard to get the tree in the stand and the lights just right! I'm so thankful for him.

Can't decorate the tree without some spiced cider in fun Christmas mugs. I thought this year's was extra good (probably because of the added brown sugar and butter)!

My mom always popped popcorn and had M&Ms for us while we decorated the tree. I'm keeping the tradition alive!

The finished product! Isn't it cozy? We love it!

Now it’s time to finish Christmas shopping which I love! I have a blast picking out gifts for family and friends — I can hardly stand waiting for them to receive what I’ve picked out just for them!  That must be a small picture of how God the Father felt when he sent his Son Jesus to earth as a baby.  He was thinking of us and saying: “I can’t wait for them to experience this amazing gift I’ve packaged just for them!”  What a thought!  It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

This is a picture of my friend Helen and me at the fresh age of eighteen, not long after we became inseparable our second semester at Samford. We quickly realized that we had met years before Samford.  In sixth grade we were at a birthday of a mutual friend who tells us that we stayed up all night giggling and talking.  Funny, huh?

Unfortunately, Helen had to leave Samford before our sophomore year began, and our hopes of being roommates ended.  The good news is that after moving to Ohio for nursing school she met her wonderful husband.  Guess what his name is? Yes…Josh.  The other good news is that we have kept in touch over the years.

Last week Helen was in the area visiting family, and we were able to get together!  As always, we picked up right where we left off and had nowhere near enough time to get all our words out!  This picture was taking around 10:45 after over four hours of talking.

Not only is Helen a dear friend, she is an exceptional mommy!  One of the highlights of the night was cuddling with her adorable three year old twin boys Titus and Timothy.  I hadn’t seen them since they were one, but they attached themselves to me right away.  They are so pleasant and fun–Helen and Josh are such great parents!  Before they went to bed they let me read them one of their favorite books.

Before mommy tucked them in, Titus decided to give me a big kiss. When I turned to let him kiss my cheek, he was not satisfied with that at all!  He grabbed my face with his little hands and planted a sweet smooch right on my lips!  What a doll!

I’m looking forward to our next visit…and I’m trying to get the courage to visit snowy Ohio again sometime! I feel extremely blessed by friends like her!  So thankful for you, Helen!

I cannot wait to buy this in just three more days!  From the singles I’ve heard already, I know she won’t disappoint.  Check out the details here!

These came in the mail for me yesterday and made my day!

One of the funniest moments that day was when Sam put one of his fake bugs in my drink to scare me!  He was so excited about it!

It’s fun being an aunt.

There is no way to adequately express the loss I feel since Grandpa died.  Life goes on, yet I feel like I’m in a fog.  I go about my normal routine and yet think of him a million times a day.  I laugh when I think of my favorite memories of him, and then I cry at any given moment.

I’m going to miss driving up to Granny and Grandpa’s house, him sitting on the carport drinking his coffee with a silly grin plastered across his face.  I’m going to miss him running us out of “his chair” so he can watch the Alabama football game.  I’m going to miss long talks at the kitchen table.  I’m going to miss his kid-like excitement about Christmas presents.  I’m going miss watching him pick at Josh. I’m going to miss hearing him sing his favorite gospel tunes early in the morning when we spend the night. I’m going to miss his laugh and the way he still flirted with Granny.  I’m going to miss his random bits of wisdom.  I’m going to miss his hugs and the way he’d squeeze my hand to say “I love you.”

I’m really missing him already.

Oh, but I am so thankful for the peace and relief that go along with my grief.  The last time I really talked with Grandpa he told me he had already asked the Lord to take him on to heaven twice.  He was so ready to see Jesus and couldn’t understand why his prayers had not been answered yet.  He was not afraid because he had decided to follow Jesus over fifty years ago.  And so part of my hurting heart rejoices that he is well. He is whole. He is praising our Almighty God with his booming bass voice.  I know the choir is sounding and looking good now that B-hersh has joined them!

He had his entire funeral planned out before he left us.  We sang a beautiful old hymn – his favorite – that Granny said caused big tears to well up in his eyes whenever he heard it.  I love this particular verse and from now on I will always think of Grandpa when it is sung.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.

God’s grace gave Grandpa the peace to be ready for death with no fear.  I know that same grace will give our family the strength to live life without him here.

Oh, but it is still hard…I love him and miss him so.  Thank you, Lord, for giving me so many wonderful years with Grandpa!

So after an emotional week it was good for me to get out with the girls last night.  CJ, Leslie and I decided to ditch the boys and the baby and go to our high school’s homecoming together.  Five Dogwood girls were on homecoming court as well, so it was another excuse to make an appearance.  They all looked beautiful, by the way, and I cannot believe they are already seniors.  This group of girls was in eighth grade when I came on staff, and I used to babysit some of them when I was in high school and they were still little cuties!  Needless to say, they are very special to me! Here are a few pictures from the night out.

Still friends after all these years! We were cathcing up with old friends at the pre-game alumni dinner.

Great surprise to see Brandie, one of the girls that was in our group of friends in middle school and high school. Leslie and Brandie were two of many honored as state champions. They were on the varsity cheerleading squad when they won state our freshman year! From left to right: Leslie, Brandie, CJ, Leigh Anne.

Our high school makes homecoming a special event for all the senior girls. They are all honored by being part of the homecoming court, and they crown one queen and four princesses. Two of my Dogwood girls, Betty and Becca, were crowned princess! Betty is far left and Becca is next to her in the green dress! Congrats girls!

Making a stop at Chick-fil-a on our way home!

My friends always know what will cheer me up: ice cream! This was my rebellious face after Leslie had said at least 25 times, "Leigh Anne, you better not get ice cream on my car." She's still bitter about the time I got some on her shirt in high school. Oops!

After a crazy night on the town, we ended it by chatting at Leslie's while the boys played video games. Thanks, girls, for a great night!

Our cozy flat. Can you tell Josh has a thing for lighting?

My happy, full and handsome husband after dinner on the square.

This was my "time-alone-with-God-chair" all week. I got up each morning, pulled all the shades up, and drank my smoothie while I read my Bible and journaled.

We spent most mornings by the pool and the afternoons on the beach. One day Josh decided to take a bike ride specifically for photo ops while I read by the pool. Well, almost 18 miles later he showed up at our flat drenched in sweat, but happy as he could be!

The temperature was at a record high while we were there, so we spent a lot of time in the water. I love the color of the water in the Gulf, and it was especially clear while we were there!

Josh and I have a few restaurants that we frequent while in Rosemary.  I took a couple pictures of my favorite meals during the week.  Actually, one meal was so delicious that I completely forgot to pull out the camera.  We went to a little Greek place called Bouzouki in Grayton Beach.  Josh and his family met this Greek man years ago and have been going back ever since.  I had a pita with Greek salad (i.e. lettuce, feta cheese, tomato and onions), humus, and cucumber sauce–it was mouthwatering!  Our appetizer of choice was spanakopita (a.k.a. spinach pie) and it was to die for!  If you are ever in that area, go to Bouzouki!

Thin crust pizza with red sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, feta, garlic, and spinach at Cowgirl Kitchen in Rosemary Beach. I will definitely be getting that again!

I'm a hushpuppy connoisseur. Pompano Joe's in Destin had the best hushpuppies I had all week!

Grilled Grouper Tacos with beans, brown rice, and fruit salsa. I would split this next time! We rode our bikes to Alys Beach to have lunch at George's our last day.

While we were gone, I read a great novel by a Christian author named Charles Martin.  I have never been so moved by fiction like I am by his writing.  The book is called Wrapped In Rain and is a beautiful story of healing and forgiveness. I didn’t want it to end…I didn’t want our vacation to end either!  If you want to see more pictures of Rosemary Beach, Josh has a full album on his blog.

Walking down to the beach on our last night. My man makes me smile!

There are so many things I love about this picture (thanks, Josh)! I love the freshness of the foam on the tips of the waves and the way the light hits the wet sand. I love those little sandpipers. I giggled watching them run away from the incoming tide!

Glory to God! What a gorgeous sunset!

I had a great time with you last week, Josh! Already looking forward to next year.