Sunday, July 31, 2011

Blessings

Hope you enjoy this song. It's one of my favorites right now.

This is the story behind the song.

Believe me, the words of this song speak volumes.

Thank you God for giving us what we need instead of what we want.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Everything's Better Deep Fried

I thought our house was the state fair on Tuesday night.

Our dear friends, James and Elizabeth, and their sweet little boy, Andrew, came to visit. We spent the day hanging out, catching up, and playing with Andrew. It was a great day. However, the boys will tell you the fun did not begin until later that evening. After dinner, James and Craig decided to deep fry everything in the house. Snickers, Oreos, Reeses, Zingers, Almond Joys...I think you get the picture. The boys had a blast, while Elizabeth and I were a little disgusted by all of their creations. Don't worry, Memphis family, they have decided this will be done again at our next reunion. I will leave you with pictures from the deep frying fun...

James & Craig preparing the batter
The frying begins
A closer lookAll the fried goodiesThis picture is priceless

On a side note: I made a new dessert while James and Elizabeth were in town. It was amazing!! I found it on pinterest, which is my new addiction. Buy a brownie mix and add the eggs and oil, like the directions say. However, do not add the water. Instead, add 1/2 cup of cookies n cream ice cream as well as 1/4 cup of hot fudge topping. Layer half of the batter on the bottom of a 8x8 pan. Then place oreos on top. Last, layer the rest of the brownie batter. The result was amazing!!

Hard to resist

Monday, July 25, 2011

Mary Brook gets Married

Last week, I spent the entire week in Florence celebrating with my very special friend, Mary Brook. Mary Brook and I have been friends since 7th grade. We have shared lots of fun times together, and I'm so thankful for her friendship. For the past three years, she has been living in Seattle, so we have not seen each other too often. I was so excited to spend the week with her!

Well, the week was very busy with wedding activities...
  • Tuesday: Bridal Shower at Melissa's
  • Thursday: BBQ dinner at Brad & Myra's
  • Friday: Bridesmaid Lunch, Rehearsal & Rehearsal Dinner, Lingerie Shower
  • Saturday: Wedding!!
Here are some pictures from the week...

Bridal ShowerMelissa, Me, Mary Brook, Codi, & Jackson
(We were missing Elizabeth)Me, Mary Brook, & Melissa
at Brad & Myra'sBridesmaids Lunch
Finally, together again!
Melissa, Codi, Mary Brook, Elizabeth, and Me
Melissa, Me, Mary Brook, & ElizabethThe wonderful coupleGlad the Hubby was able to make itYou probably want to ask someone else to cut the cake.

The wedding was beautiful! Congrats Mary Brook and Graig!! I am so happy for the two of you.

Gatlinburg Pictures

As promised, here are some pictures from our Copeland Family Vacation...

the shady pit stop
our cabin for the weekendgirls win game 1bowling at the community centerbreakfast at the apple barnmy amazing siblingsthe out-lawsthe whole family on the porch

Monday, July 18, 2011

Gatlinburg Part II

Well, I can't get my pictures to upload, so visit my sister-in-law's blog for pictures from the trip. Although she is an outlaw (ha! ha!), I think she did a better job of recapping the trip. So forget my previous post and read Laura's. When my camera decides to work with my computer, I will have another post from our wonderful weekend trip. Until then...

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Gatlinburg

We just returned from a long weekend trip to Gatlinburg with my family, and we had a blast! It all started on Thursday when we dropped Tucker Bear off at his boarding home. Then, Craig and I drove to Nashville to pick up two of our favorites (Luke and Laura) for the remainder of the trip.

On a side note...
Outside of Knoxville, we decided to make a stop for the restroom. Well, let's just say, that I don't think we will ever forget the hole in the wall where we stopped. It looked like a little shack. There was no air conditioner inside, which we noticed mainly because we had to wait in line for the potty. Laura was lucky enough to go first. When she came out with a terrified look, I knew I was in trouble. The toilet was full and would not flush. Once inside, I noticed several things. The bathroom was not clean. The toilet had several papers taped to the lid, and the top was hanging off the side. However, I really had to pee, so I held my nose and prayed the contents would not overflow. I survived. As I was washing my hands (thoroughly), I heard the toilet flush. How was that possible? Remember, I was at the sink. I walked back to the toilet to find EVERYTHING gone. I mean, there was hardly even any water in the toilet. A mystery. A funny story. A laugh shared by many for numerous days. A story we will never forget.

Back to the real story...
Anyways, we arrived in Gatlinburg in time for dinner. Dad grilled burgers and hot dogs. After dinner, we played Five Crowns until Adam and Cathy arrived. Then, we hung out and played more games. Friday morning we (Dad, Adam, Luke, and I) drove to Knoxville to pick up Bethany from the airport. We spent the rest of the day hanging out at the cabin, bowling at the community center, playing games, eating Adam and Cathy's yummy dinner, and playing putt-putt.

Saturday morning we went to The Apple Bard for breakfast, which was so yummy! Luke, Laura, Adam, Cathy, and Bethany went for an afternoon hike while Mom, Dad, Grandma, Craig, and I relaxed at the cabin. For dinner, we all contributed to an Italian feast. I organized a special trivia game for us to play, which was a lot of fun. The rest of the night was spent, yes you guessed it, playing games and hanging out.

Today we had a devotional before leaving. It was a great time to reflect on the love we have through Jesus and the love we share as a family. Adam and Cathy headed back to Harrisonburg, and the rest of us went to Nashville to watch the USA play Japan in the Women's World Cup finals. Although we were heartbroken with the final outcome, we enjoyed watching the sport we all love so much.

It was a great trip spent with 9 of my favorite people!! I am blessed with a wonderful family, and I am so thankful for the time we have to be together. Thanks to Mom and Dad for a long weekend vacation!!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Holiday Weekend

Craig and I went to Nashville for the long weekend. We were excited to see lots of friends and take it easy. Friday night we went to dinner and played several games of Ticket to Ride on the iPad, which is our latest obsession.

I met Betsy, Emily, and Jenny in downtown Franklin on Saturday for lunch and a little shopping. It was so good to catch up with these awesome friends. I don't get to see them as often as I would like, but time doesn't seem to hurt our friendship. I always look forward to any time we can get together! Saturday night Craig and I went to J.Alexander's. YUM! We watched Black Swan after dinner. Natalie Portman deserved to win the Oscar, because she did a wonderful job. However, it was a little disturbing, and I was pretty tense the majority of the movie.

On Sunday, we met Luke and Laura and went to church with them. It was a wonderful service, and everyone was so nice. (If you want a funny story, let Craig tell you about how friendly one lady was to me.) After church, we went to a great pizza place and then back to their apartment to hang out. I love spending time with my family, so it was a fabulous morning! Sunday night we met the Parnells and the Clendenins at Chili's for dinner. (I know it sounds like all we do is eat!) Well, you know how special those couples are, so of course, we were thrilled to hang out! After dinner, we got an ice cream pizza from Maggie Moo's and then went to the Clendenins new house. Craig and I watched 127 Hours once we got to his parents' house. Another good movie, but I did cover my eyes during some of the scenes.

Last night we celebrated the Fourth with some of the residents and enjoyed Medina's fireworks. We had a wonderful weekend and were so thankful to spend time with so many friends. What a blessing to live in America with all our freedoms!!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Beauty and the Beast


This is one of my favorite Disney movies, so of course I was excited to see the Broadway production at the Orpheum. We invited my parents and Grandma to join us, but Grandma had been sick and was not able to come. Unfortunately for my Dad, we went on Father's Day. I don't think this would have been his top pick for his special day, but I do think he had fun. They met us in Jackson for church. Then, we drove to Memphis, had lunch at Central (yum!), enjoyed the show, ate yogurt, and finally back home. The show was wonderful, and I loved the performance of "Be Our Guest."