Pictures!

Inspired by the previous post I want to post some pictures of friends and family that I love more than anything! More to come!

Engagement Wave #2

I cant help but think that love is in the air. When the flowers are blooming and the trees are budding and friends around me are all talking about love and marriage and babies. I went through a similar experience in college however, I feel as if this time around I am prepared.

In college my entire 6 person Spiritual Formation Group all got engaged within a year or two span of time along with the 100's of other engagements around LCC and I was left alone in the world. Depressed, eating lots of ice cream, and wondering if I'd be alone forever there I was in my dorm room, a mess. Since then I have moved away, gotten a job that I love, friends that I wouldnt ever want to live without and a renewed sense of independence. I love my life and who I am and I'm sure some day God will bless me with a special man and someday a family. What a change! I wonder what it is about Bible College that makes everyone feel like they have to be married to have a fulfilled life and ministry?

I am so excited about the upcoming weddings that I get to be a part of, especially one for Ms. Abbie Cole. I have always dreamed about the day when Abbie and I would get married and no longer would I be called her "best friend." I guess that in reality I still will be, I might have to share the title with Adam : ( but its just going to be so different. I am so excited for my sister and Adam and their upcoming commitment to eachother. I cant wait to be there by her side as she becomes Mrs. Abbie Johnson!

Now all I have to do is plan out my speech for the reception.....yikes!

Christmas Returns before Christmas?

My name is Amanda and I am an overachiever. I realize this and have come to embrace it. I can't help it that I like to be organized and have all of my Christmas receipts kept together in a file, color coded, along with my color coded list and a paper clip. However, this year shopping early has come back to bite me.

So I finished my Christmas shopping by like the first week of December and all of my wrapping the week after that. I was set. Ready to go.....I'd been thinking about presents and found the perfect one for each member of my family, close friends, boyfriend, etc. Life is good and no stress this Christmas. Then it hit. As I was with one of my co-workers at a store in the mall the other day I noticed that the item I had bought my mom was now $20 cheaper than when I had purchased it. This intrigued me so I began to check out some of the other gifts I had purchased. Come to find out the early bird does not get the worm....the early bird gets the shaft! Almost half of my gifts had gone down in price significantly. We're not talking like a few bucks, we're talking like $15-$20. Ridiculous!

Is it worth it to shop ealry? I dont know....but I do know that I had to unwrap, return, and re-buy at least 3 items because it saved me a significant amount of money. I'm such a loser.

This one's for the girls...

I have been realizing lately that if it wasnt for some key girls in my life I might just go crazy and this post is for them. Throughout my life I have had some really awesome friendships and continue to meet more and more amazing women who I am just inspired by.

Starting with my sister -- Abbie

She is a talented, beautiful, self assured woman who puts Christ first and her family and boyfriend at a close second. She is honest and genuine and my life would not be the same without her. I can tell abbie anything and we can laugh and cry and yell all in the same conversation and know that no matter what is said we love eachother just the same the next day.

My long time best friend -- Mandy

This girl has been there by me through it all. We became super close and had the most fun I think two teenage girls can have. I have seen Mandy grow into an amazing woman of God and I am thankful that our friendship has endured. Although I dont see her much I often find myself sad that we are not closer in proximity because we always somehow pick up where we left off.

My Lifemate -- Katie

Katie truly is a one of a kind. She is not only the funniest person I think I have ever met but she also has a way of knowing me more than most people do. She can pull information I have hidden in my heart and make me talk about it. Katie is absolutely beautiful and she carries me when I am really struggling.

My Girls -- Alaina and Erin

These girls are what I would consider my "posse." We get into trouble, share about our lives, and just live life together. When these girls left school i was a floundering loser with no friends but they have stayed in touch and I am thankful for their fresh spirits and loving hearts. I love to laugh with them!

My FFR -- Christen and Bethany

I dont see Beefer and Christen often but I think of them regularly. We had such a unique friendship and I love these girls as my sisters. I pray for them and their marriages and their ministries regularly and look forward to the day we can all get together again.

My roomate -- Cala

Cala is her own girl. She isnt scared to watch Monday Night Football, bail hay, and play sports. She is a true Kentucky country girl and her friendship took me off guard. It just happened. We met and instantly we were close. We can talk late at night or early in the morning and just be ourselves around each other. From relationships to homemade oreo blizzards our relationship is one that I cherish.

I'll have to be honest...

I miss my family so so so soooooo much right now. Living in Louisville is awesome and I love what I do and all of my friends but I miss my home and my family tons! Next weekend is my brothers homecoming and it almost makes me cry to think that I won't get to see him all dressed up all snazzy with his date taking pictures in the front yard. I dont get to look that girl in the eyes and say "you hurt my brother I kill you." Alex is in 8th grade which means next year he will be in HIGH SCHOOL and Austin is driving! Teenagers aren't much for talking on the phone so I feel like I barely know my boys anymore. Although I love what i do and I feel like I am where God is calling me....I long for my home and my family.

September 11, 2006

Life is precious.
Life is short.
Life is annoying.
Life is hard.
Life is beautiful.
Life is interruptions.
Life is monotonous.
Life is inspiring.
Life is a journey.
Life is a dream.
Life flies.
Life is difficult.
Life is a rollercoaster.
Life is tragic.
Life is hilarious.
Life is drawn out.
Life is fun.
Life is boring.
Life is whats lived in the dash (1983-?)
Life is relationships.
Life is too short.

After examining all the things that life is and having a million more thoughts in my head I am now trying my best to compile a list of things that i want to do with my life. Where I want to go, who i want to be, how I want to treat others, how I want to be remembered, who I want to love, and most importantly how God wants all of this to turn out? Does it really matter what i want or how I feel about life? Am I honoring my creator every day with all of my actions?

I am excited for what life has in store for me and eager to jump in and continue to live for him as best I can. Wish me luck...

Could they be any cuter?

My sister and I and my adorable twin baby cousins, Megan and Cole

My not so little anymore bro's and I

My sweet little cousins Jozie and Riley and their mommy

So this past weekend I was lucky enough to travel home to Illinois for the fiasco we like to call our family reunion. If you didnt already know, my dad comes from a family of 18 kids so our reunions are quite the extravaganza! 3 days long and fun filled! We have a canoe trip, karoake, blow up games for the kids, egg toss, bean bags (or as you Kentuckians like to call it--cornhole), cook outs, fireworks, old photo albums, euchre tournaments, and of course time to just sit around and catch up.

The sitting around and catching up is one of my favorite parts and this year I was able to see a lot of my cousins and see how their families have grown. In such a large family some of my cousins were so much older than me.....they babysatt for me and watched me grow and always said how big I was getting. Now here I am commenting on how big their kids are getting. Time flies! And crazy enough, someday they will be commenting on how big my kids are getting. It's kinda scary how time flies but it also inspires to take every moment captive and live it out as best as I can!

Call me crazy but...

To begin this blog I want all who are reading this to first of all keep an open mind and second of all remember the saying "don't knock it until you try it." My entire family are regular consumers of the Cole classic "Cottage cheese and Olives." Lately I have had the worst cravings for this dish and call me crazy but I went through an entire container of cottage cheese in like 3 days. Mmm....it's so good! I would encourage all reading this to at least try this crazy combination and tell me what you think. Either way, the Cole Family would agree....it's AWESOME!