friends

the dynamic duo

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Two of my dearest friends, Dorothy and Tammy, are turning 29 next week. One year from 30. (I’m good with math) This means that I am right behind them. Dirty.

Our twenties were … busy. Graduating from college. Boyfriends, relationships, marriages. Moving (me, mostly). Jobs and job changes (planned and otherwise). New friends.

And in the midst of that, lots of figuring out who we were after college. Out of the confines of the educational system, who were our friends? What were we going to do with our lives?

Oh, and I guess it didn’t help that Frank and I left the state for four years.

But here we are, almost 16 years after I met Tammy and 10 years after meeting Dorothy, and we are all still close friends.

Tammy is one of the cutest girls you’ll meet. A sweet demeanor, I’ve only heard her yell once (well, maybe twice). And everyone stopped and looked – shocked that she raised her voice. And she gives great shoulder rubs! Tammy loves to dance and sing – and you can catch her doing both while eating something delicious (when something is yummy, Tammy lets you know!). Tammy takes her time with things, thinks before she speaks and is often a little late for… everything. But! I learned a trick last weekend – if you call her last minute for something, she totally shows up on time. Ah ha! Peace and harmony is important to her.

Dorothy is passionate. She loves everyone she meets (and knows someone EVERYWHERE – trust me – true story) and everyone loves her. She is a fantastic teacher, a natural leader and a sensitive soul. Another vocalist (I know so many just to make up for my ineptitude in that arena), she rocks the mic at karaoke and at many wedding ceremonies. Dor shows up on time and prepared for just about everything. Justice and mercy are important to her.

I love both of these ladies and I cannot wait to see out this decade of our lives together. Our twenties have been exciting. I hope our thirties are just as sweet.

welcome caleb duane!

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Our friends Tim & Vicky welcomed their first baby boy yesterday morning at 6:50 am. Caleb Duane weighed in at 9lbs 5 oz and is 21 inches long. We saw pictures last night and he is a handsome little boy with tons of gorgeous hair and the most perfect little face you could ever imagine! (and I am not biased!)

Yay for T&V!

Notable Notables

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Hello! Just a few updates…

Happy Birthday to Julia V (niece – Jan 26th)
Happy Birthday to Sandy (Mother-in-Law – Feb 6th)
Happy Birthday to Jamie! (Feb 14)
Happy Birthday to Nicole S (Feb 23)

Congrats to FK for passing his Proficiency Check!

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone!
xoxo.

Welcome!

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My friend Kristin and her husband Tim just had their first baby – a son named Matthew Richard. He is 6 lbs 5 oz and 18 inches long. Mom is doing ok – just a few complications. Baby is also doing ok – he is being monitored, also for some complications. I understand that Matthew is a beautiful baby – and I believe it!!

Welcome to planet Earth, little guy!!

hypo-who?

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So after a fantastic afternoon with my dear friend Tammy, I am thinking a lot about what we discussed. Mostly, we caught up on family and friends and happenings, but we had some time to really discuss God’s vision for our lives, what God designed us to do, and the frustration of often not knowing what the next step was.

Something else we discussed was judgement, sin and heaven. A lot of things have been on my mind, but this is one thing I feel compelled to write about. We, as humans cannot determine or judge who is going to heaven or to hell. Only God knows our hearts. But I do know that the one sure way to heaven is through faith in Jesus as our Savior that died for our sins. God is all that is pure and good and holy and He cannot stand the presence of sin.

That discussion of judgement lead me down the thought path to one of my least favorite words: hypocrites. Per the dictionary, the definition is as follows:

hypocrite (n) : a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he does not hold

No one wants to be a hypocrite, but I have yet to meet a single person who is not. Who does not profess to love God and adhere to specific religious beliefs – and then fall short? If I love God, but am a sinner, I am a hypocrite. If I call myself a Christian, but do not act in love in all things, I am a hypocrite. Since in so many ways I have not lived up to what I believe, I am a hypocrite.

But I think as a Christian, I should confess my sins, turn it over to God and move on. The only thing worse than one sin, is dwelling on the one sin, believing I am beyond hope and continuing to sin. Then, the devil has truly won. But since I know that Jesus triumphed over death and sin, there is hope and reason to reform.

Anyway, all of this reminds me of the Mea Culpa from Catholic mass:

I confess to almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned through my own fault,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done,
and in what I have failed to do;
and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin,
all the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord, our God

But I think that Paul says it best in Romans 3:23-24
“23For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins.”

Unfortunately, Paul is right – I do fall short of God’s glorious standard. But the point is not that I fall short, but that God is merciful to those who believe. And that is a great message of hope.

here's to Tongboy

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This is an anniversary shout out for a long forgotten anniversary. It was one of those blustery winter days back in the 90s. Before the dot.com bubble burst. Before the Y2K Scare. Before Bush was elected. Yes, I refer to the joyfully oblvious late 90s. Signing bonuses for journalism majors. Talk about years of excess.

Before the end of Seinfeld, the War and the Emergence of the Axis of Evil – there was The Break Up (TBU).

Alas, it was high school companionship that was not meant to last. ::Sigh:: So, this one is for you Craig.

Thank you, Craiger, for being my obliging date to all the major dances. And for riding with Tony and Lauren and Brian and Kelly in the scary limo on the way home from prom. And for taking the girls out to lunch because we didn’t have a car. Oh, and for the hood ornament from the 1982 Plymouth Reliant. And for being TongBoy, the other half of the ambiguously gay duo with my dad, Wells LeMont. And for still liking my family, even when my sister humped you-On the bed-With your clothes on – and it was still uncomfortable. Thank you also for STP and AC/DC and Aerosmith. It helps round out my musical interests and makes up for my tendency to listen to country music. “She thinks my tractor’s sexy….”

Even though you had to endure dating me, you still managed to be my friend afterward. And for being happy for me when Frank and I started dating, even though some people weren’t as happy. Ahem. And then you and Jamie were awesome helping us with our wedding, with the most important part being that you were both EXCITED for us – you don’t know how much that meant to us!! And even now, you guys are soooo supportive of the house that we are building – we love telling you guys what is going on in our life and we love hearing what you are up to!

So, what began as TBU turned out to be TBOAGF (The Beginning of a Great Friendship). Happy 8 year anniversary to all of us! I think this will be a good story to tell all of our kids. When we are ready. And maybe a little drunk.

Cheers!