Build an ark, He said!

God asks each of us to 'build an ark'; it's hard to understand and may seem crazy, but it can happen...what's your ark?

Thirds

Note to self...

When you are full, don't go back for seconds and thirds! Unless it's for turkey:)
Don't eat pie right before bed!
Always play "He said, She said" at every party from now on.
Never assume anything!
Balloons make for a fun game when they are tied around your ankles.

Hammocks of friends

How many people can you fit in one hammock?



This was such a fun moment:)

I ate too much!

I ate way too much today!

We had a HUGE feast prepared at Brock and Auny's today! Let's see if I can remember everything I had on my plate:

Hummm, well there was turkey(awesome turkey), stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, peas, gravy, macaroni & cheese, sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top, delicious bread and, what we like to call cranberry crap(apples, orange jello, cranberries, celery and I'm sure something else...it's yum).

OK so that was round one! Then there was round two...DESSERT!

There was pumpkin pie, pumpkin crisp, Texas pie(my absolute favorite), banana nut bread with cream cheese icing, some kind of smore chocolate bar thing and white chocolate covered popcorn. So much goodness all on one table!

It was a great Thanksgiving feast. And after we indulged, we enjoyed some great Thanksgiving zip line rides:)

Oh, did I mention Brock and Auny brought me two sweet tea truffles from the Cocoa Tree? Well it happened and now that I'm thinking about it, I left them at their house.

BUMMER!

Well, that just means I'll have chocolate to eat after gumbo tomorrow night, ha!

Seriously Perfect.

Driving through downtown Franklin tonight made me realize how much I miss this place! Everything looks just how I remember it...perfect!!

The streets are all decorated with gleaming white lights and garland and are still acented with some familiar faces at the local Starbucks on the corner.

The round-about is still fun to drive around more than once just to get the full effect of it being round.

The house on 92 still decorates with huge blow up figures and still has never left me disappointed with their festive selection...right now it's a huge turkey standing beside a massive football player...I mean that about sums up Thanksgiving don't you think?

It's seriously perfect. I love it:)

There's just this comforting feeling when I drive into the little town. Feelings of friendship, love, feelings of laughter and joy and a definite feeling of never wanting to leave!

Wired and Fried

I just totally giggled out loud, in my house, by myself thinking how awesome last night's group adventure was! I'm sure that some of you have read my blogs about Monday's Menu and some may have even visited the Monday's Menu site(which is no longer existent)! If you have, then you know that I have a great group of ladies in my life and we love to travel into the city looking for fun.

Well Monday's Menu has turned into Monthly Menu and it's no really about finding good restaurants anymore. It's about finding an adventure to take where we can put work behind us and enjoy the laughter, the atmosphere and the best part, the company!

Last night the five of us, Allie, Katie, Megan, Jen and myself...with Mal in spirit... ventured down to Virginia Highlands with one mission in mind...POTTERY! Painting pottery that is. We went to this little place called Wired and Fired which is absolutely adorable inside and out. They have shelves of clay pottery to choose from. They have bowls and plates, mugs and goblets, ornaments and cookie jars, etc! It's a little overwhelming but in a good way.

After you pick your pottery, you pick your paint colors then your stencils and then your overall design...Whew it's a lot to take in and explain, haha! Let me show you our night with a little help from my classic photo skills:)

These pictures will tell you all about Allie and Katie...Stencil masters, Megan...color perfectionist, and Jen & I...painting extraordinaires!




Oh and did I mention there was awesome pizza?

Jen's gonna kill me for that, ha:)

I need Africa more than Africa needs me!

A few days ago, while I was browsing through some of my friend's blog sites, I came across something very intriguing and something that I knew from the start I wanted to help with. It's something called Mocha Club.

Ever heard of it? Well if not, then you need to look it up.

Mocha Club [www.mochaclub.org] is a community-based website where members can start a team and invite friends to join them in giving $7 a month – the cost of 2 mochas at our friendly Starbucks or local coffee shop – to support a project in Africa. Mocha Club's vision is to provide a way for people who don't have hundreds or thousands of dollars to make a difference in Africa.

I was asked by Mocha Club to write about the concept of why ‘I need Africa more than Africa needs me.' I have pondered this statement for a few days and I must say hundreds of things have popped in my mind! So here we go...I'm going to tell why I believe I need Africa more than Africa needs me!

Day after day I go through life never realizing how extremely lucky I am. I have a roof over me head, warm water to shower in daily, hot meals and cold drinks, transportation, access to medicines and doctors, education, entertainment beyond belief and a closet full of clothes that I look everyday thinking "I have nothing to wear." I could keep listing on and on about how blessed I am and we are as a nation that doesn't generally have to live in poverty but my point in all this is, even though we/I am so wealthy, I still complain and want more. Isn't that sad?

Now, I want you to stop for a second and think about this... Children in Africa, who have close to nothing compared to us, become overwhelmed with joy from a plate of food that is considered(in our scale) one meal. I've seen videos where their little faces light up from getting to go to school, receiving pencils and crayons to being feed a bowl of grits with a glass of clean water. Would your face light up if someone gave up a glass of water?

Somehow we've got to this point where we give money out of pity instead of out of compassion and love. Africa doesn't need our pity. It doesn't need us looking down on them for what they may not have. The truth is they have more then we ever will because they know what it means to truly appreciate what they have instead of being resentful for what they don't have!

My point is this...

I need Africa to teach me that life is about love and about cherishing what I have. Life is more than having it all or buying the best. It's about the little things. It's about appreciating what is given and trusting that tomorrow will provide. I need Africa to remind me that joy comes from something bigger than a new pair of jeans or a Starbucks coffee every morning. It's about seeing the blessing in everything. I need Africa to teach me how to be selfless instead of selfish...how to give instead of how to receive. To show me what true love and appreciation is, along with showing me some of biggest and greatest smiles ever:)

What do you think?

Share your thoughts in my comments, and even blog about it yourself. Join in! Help out! Because it's more then just talking about it...it's about doing something about it!

Come back Dec 1st to see what Mocha Club is doing about reforming that image. See you then...

Would you?

Would you live your life any differently if you didn't care what people thought?

Today's a Chocolate Day!!!

THE COCOA TREE is re-opening, TODAY...downtown Nashville in Germantown near Monells!!!

This is huge news! Bigger than huge...this is Ginormous news!

You better believe I will be taking more trips to Nashville just to indulge in Bethany's fabulous chocolate truffles! Actually I plan on driving my little self over there next week!

Jealous?

Well you should be!

But for all you ATL chocolate lovers, I will take orders...and I will deliver them to you when I return. Go to the site, pick you out some truffles and leave me a comment with your requests:) www.bethanychocolatier.com

Oh my goodness...Chocolate Marsh mellows and Champagne Rose truffles I have missed you!

As Promised...

Here are some pictures from our retreat at Amicalola Falls.

The Lodge was full of amazing views

I had to take a picture with the bears!

The Falls were so beautiful

To prove to Lebron that we got our exercise in:)

And we even climbed some stairs to get a full workout!

Besides being a little under the weather, I had a great time getting to know my team better, tossing around ideas for 2009, hiking in 21 degree weather and just enjoying a day out of the office!

Amicalola Falls

Retreat in Amicalola Falls, Georgia so far:
Very very COLD
Amazing fireplace in the lodge
My nose won't stop running
Sunset was absolutely beautiful over the mountains
Lots of laughs over dinner
Meeting about PR, new stories for '09, and NAMB notes
Homemade cookies from Mike's wife (yum)

What is to come:
Getting up early to see the sunrise and take snap shots
Early morning meeting about On Mission magazine
Brisk hike through the mountains to see the waterfall
Hanging out with the stuffed bears in the lobby
Enjoying the time I have to get to know my team more

Fun times all around...Hopefully I'll have some pictures to show you tomorrow!

Treasured silver

Let me tell you a little story...

There once was a young lady, will call her Neese, who had a very special silver ring that she wore everyday. She never took the ring off and there was even a tan line from where she had worn it in the sun for several summers (classy I know). This young lady loved her ring and loved the story behind the ring even more.

One day, while at a magical land called The Fortl she took the ring off...for a very special occasion of course...because gold was more appropriate. She hesitated but knew that it would be safe in the little bag she placed it in. After having a grand ole time with friends and family at the unforgettable occasion, she headed home to her big beautiful city in a far off land.

When she arrived home, she pulled out the little bag and she was shocked to find that the ring was not where she placed it. It was missing! Frantic, the young lady immediately called her friends back at The Fort and started a emergency search for the treasured piece of silver. Her friends searched for weeks but came up with nothing.

Shel was upset at her loss!

After weeks of searching and praying, the young lady called off the search. She knew that she would never see her favorite ring again.

One Friday out of blue...8:15 AM... the young lady received a phone call from one of her favorite friends in the magical land. He said the words she had been hoping for, for weeks..." I FOUND IT!"

Apparently the ring had been dropped outside as the young lady was leaving the The Fort to head home. The treasured silver laid there for weeks until a glitter glare caught her friend's eye. She was so thrilled that she decided to write a story about it:)

Aaron thanks so much for finding my favorite ring!

You're right...it was definitely a God thing and I'm so glad. Can't wait to have it back on my finger!!!

Time to Plant

For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

Equals Awesome

The equation goes something like this....

Started with getting to sleep in on Saturday followed by some homemade cookies from Auny + Pappasitos' fajitas and table side Guacamole multiplied by watching Lindsey eat some fire + a comfy Hampton Inn bed mixed with two 'Please Don't Freak Out on Me' shows performed by who else but Brock Gill and summed up with a trip to Eddie's Attic to visit with Clay Kasey and his friends Derek Webb, Sandra McCracken and Waterdeep = One awesome weekend!!!

I love when equations equal something Awesome!

Being an ATL tourist

I've lived here for almost a year and I have yet to do any of the "tourist attractions" in the big city of Atlanta...well except visiting the top of the Westin, the Varsity and the Fox Theatre...but other than that I am a newbie to what is here!

Apparently there are so many things that draw people to this beautiful city. There is the World of Coke which looks so cool. It's the World’s largest collection of Coke memorabilia and you can taste over 60 different products. And you can finish your tour off with a trip to the Thrilling 4-D Theater (3D movie with moving seats). Sounds to good to be true, right!

Atlanta is also known for it's Botanical Gardens, Underground, and Children's Museum. All very intriguing but places I haven't been yet. But one of the newest and most popular attractions in Atlanta is the Georgia Aquarium, which I can check of my list because I got to go, YAY!

That's right...last weekend Jen and I took her mom and brother to see the all the greatness of the World's largest aquarium. We saw the Beluga Whales, Sea Otters and some awesome looking jellyfish. Sadly the penguins were on vacation but we plan on going back to visit with them when they return!

Here are some photos from our adventure...

Have you ever seen a leopard stingray?

Looking at the horseshoe crabs...yes we stuck our hands in!

Beautiful colors

The jellyfish were so awesome looking!

Just walking under some sea life.

We were like children all day:)

Who knew you could have so much fun being a tourist...haha! One tourist attraction down, too many to count to go!

In The Curve

Pictures!

They capture the moment and bookmark all the greatest times of our life. They help when you need a reference to the time when you couldn't stop laughing or the moment when tears of joy fell in multitudes. There are countless reasons why we take pictures, but one of the main reasons is to remember... because who wants to forget?

I love pictures and there are some weeks where can I take over a hundred of them because I want to remember every single moment in several different angles, ha. I am that girl that has her camera out and ready for something to spark an interest. While I am clearly an amateur at photography, I have a few friends who are naturally talented in the art of capturing moments perfectly. Let me tell you about one of those people...

His name is Will Fryar and he has been a good friend of mine for a few years now. Will and I worked at camp together back in the day and we share several memories as well as inside jokes:)

Will was blessed with the talent of taking amazing pictures. He has such a creative mind and it shows in his work. He recently launched a new site called IN THE CURVE which I think all of you should go check out! It is a site built to show Will's thoughts, his art and his perspective on a world created by an awesome God!


www.inthecurve.com

Please stop by and leave Will some love!

Gentleness

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making
allowance for each other's faults because of your love.

Ephesians 4:2

So precious...

I can't get enough of this perfect little man!

More pictures of baby Aiden...


Counting down days till I get to see him!!

It's 11:11 on 11/11

I have this little quirky thing about me that some of you already know but I will share anyway!

I always make a wish on 11:11(when I catch it)

Why you ask? Well dear friends I will tell...because I was told growing up that whatever wish you make on 11:11 will come true!

Today has been full of double wishing since 11:11 happens twice and it's 11/11/2008...Let's just say I got a lot of answered wishes coming my way, haha!

Yes I am a dork:)

Completely

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

~ Romans 15:13

He's here

It's funny...just when you think life couldn't get any better, God introduces you to something so perfect that you immediately know from that point on, you can't do without it. That's definitely what happened today.

You see, I've been waiting 8 months for the arrival of baby Aiden. I've been picturing his little nose, what the color of his hair would be, if he would have freckles like his dad or if he would smile like his mom. I've been thinking about getting to hold this perfect little person and all the stories I would tell him about his parents and our journey as friends (only the good stuff of course, ha).

Well today ended my wait!

It wasn't the day where I got to hold him or to give him little kisses on his baby soft head but, today was the day that baby Aiden arrived. At 5:58 PM, Aiden Joseph Skoczylas made his way into the world weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces and stretching 18 inches long. He was a month early but perfect in every way. Janis told me all about his cute little cheeks and his curly red hair and I must say, I was very tempted to get on plane tonight just so I could be there! But since I couldn't, Janis, Joey and Don kept me in the loop with phone calls and adorable first photos...

Isn't he precious?

Even though I haven't gotten to cuddle with him in my arms or actually see him in person, I know that I already love him!

Baby Aiden welcome to the world, I love you and I will see you soon!

Burning plastic

So I'm sure by now all you know that I LOVE Pappasito's fajitas(it's all Brock and Auny's fault). There's just something about that butter sauce and the way they cook their chicken that makes my mouth water, haha!

Lately Jen and I have been going once a week to get our fix and it's been such a fabulous tradition. Last night we decided to take Jen's mom and her brother, Jeff to Pappasito's so that they could experience Atlanta's best...well in my opinion. Dinner was amazing as usually but it's what happened after dinner that made the experience.

Dinner was over, the fajitas were devoured and we were waiting for the waitress to hand our cards back from running payment. She asked which one of us was Shannon and after I told her me, she got real serious. You see, what happened was this...


Yep that's my debit card which the waitress dropped on a sizzling skillet and it caught fire. Hilarious!!! She was so concerned and I don't blame her. I mean I won't be able to use my card for 10 days while I wait for a new one but, I think that is blessing from God, haha. Me, not being able to spend money is definitely a good thing!

Now I know that my debit catching on fire at dinner isn't exactly everyone's ideal experience but my waitress definitely made up for burning my card. My meal was free and the manager gave me this...

That's a $25 gift card! Totally worth getting my card burned, haha!!! YAY for free fabulous fajitas next time:)

No Stops Please!!

I am trying to book a flight home for Christmas so I can make the most of time with my family. I have been on the Internet all day searching flights and I have yet to find anything at a reasonable price or at a reasonable schedule. I have been on Travelocity, Priceline, Orbitz, Kayak, and of course all the airline sites...and all I've found is a headache.

All these sites want to charge me some crazy amount to fly into Charlotte, sit for two hours and then fly into Raleigh. Why can't a plane just go from Atlanta to Raleigh with no stops. It's not that far. I mean I should just drive if I'm gonna have to sit in an airport for two hours bored out of my mind...I can do that in my car...for less money!

All I want is a cheap flight that will put me in Raleigh on December 23 at a decent time, with no stops, so I can go Christmas Eve Eve caroling with my boys, Peej, David and Darrell before I head home to see my lovely parents who I miss dearly. Is that too much to ask?

Say it again

No need to translate,
'cause my eyes give me away,
Even though my lips don't say..

This should be so easy,
But my head gets in the way,
All the things that I want to tell you.

You're the most perfect yet,
Most definitely that I've met,
And I wonder if you know that's how I feel about you.
I hope you know..

'cause I have so much love for you.
Do with it what you will..
And I have nothing more to prove,
Say to me what you will..
Say, say it again.

Not enough lovers in life to go around
But there's you and me,
If we don't start it out.. mmmm..
It's not hard to let go
Enough to let me in.
If it's meant to be,
It can only be good.

You're the most perfect fit,
Most definitely that I've met,
And I hope that you feel the same way too
About me.. just let me know..

'cause I have so much love for you,
Do with it what you will..
And I have nothing more to prove.
Say to me what you will..
Say, say it again..

Can you take it from me?
If I give, can you receive?
I'm reaching out,
Giving everything.
I give you my heart, I give you my soul,
I give you it all..

'cause I have so much love for you,
Do with it what you will..
And I have nothing more to prove.
Say to me what you will..
Say, say it again..

NKTOB

Did I mention I went to see New Kids on the Block?

I know I did but, in case you didn't believe me or you thought that there was no way NKTOB was back together let me show you a little something...




Yep...There they are!

They sang everything from Hangin Tough to Grown Man to Cover Girl...and I fell in love with Donnie all over again, haha!

Fifteen years later and they are still as good as I remember! Oh and you better believe I still screamed like a little 11-year-old girl when they took the stage!

Hands down best concert I been to...and yes I am totally serious!!

I wish it could be this way all the time!

I personally want to thank Ryan and Jeni for getting all my friends in the same place at the same time! I wish weekends were always like this past one...just being silly, being carefree but more than anything, being together!

To all of you~ Ryan, Jeni, Downey, Kristen, Abby, Peej, David Helms, Yam, Chris Wilson, Darell, Travis, Aaron, Josh Powers, Jesse, Carrie, BD, Kendall, Stuart, Sara, Heather, Tiffany, Kristin B, Scotty, Megan Lloyd, Pa, David Sherrill, Josh Sullins, Rachel, Emily, Dave Pace, Adam, Joey, Carsie, Dawn, Mr Clay & Mrs Susan~ Thanks for being some of the best friends a girl could ask for!

Here are some carefree, fun moments from the weekend:

The boys went a little bananas

Singing Don't Stop Believing

NTCA...our awesome new group

Me with two of my favorite people, Clay and Susan Johnson

Me and Peej

Me, Downey and her little baby bump!

Ahhh...how I long for another Caswell weekend:)

Mr & Mrs Ryan Salley

Oh my goodness I have come to the realization that weddings are a big part of my life! I'm not quite sure how it all happened but apparently I am totally that girl in 27 dresses. I tried to count up how many weddings I have actually been in over the past few years and I lost count, twice. So I quite trying, haha!

Anyway, this past wedding I watched as my best friend Ryan gazed at his beautiful bride, Jeni, as she walked down the aisle. He had tears in his eyes as Jeni walked down to the song 'How Beautiful.' You see, for as long as I've known Ryan, he has always talked about his wedding day and he always hoped that his bride would walk down to the verse that says " How Beautiful the radiate bride, who waits for her groom with his light in her eyes." Jeni, with a little help from Abby, Phillip and me, made it happen and it was perfect. They looked so happy and I had to regain my composure several times after making eye contact with Ryan and his tear filled, happy eyes. I kept getting emotional as I watched these two wonderful people so happy and so in love.

I was honored when Ryan and Jeni asked me to sing on their big day and with Phillip and Abby with me, with created some beautiful melodies for the joyous occasion. We sang a few praise and worship songs at the beginning of the service, totally unplanned but pulled off well(all while the ring was being retrieved). We followed with 'How Beautiful' and a song by Dave Barnes called 'I Have and Always Will'...definitely my new favorite song to sing in weddings(but cannot be pulled off without Peej playing the guitar).

Everything was gorgeous...the church, the flowers, the dresses and of course the bride! It's how I've always pictured Ryan's big day:)

Here are a few more shots of Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Salley! Love you both!!

Vote

Tomorrow is Election Day...Don't forget to vote!!!

"Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world."
The Lord of Heaven's Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.

Psalm 46:10-11 (New Living Translation)

All over the place!

Right this second I am sitting on my bed with a box of Wheat Thins by my side and I am thinking about how awesome it would be if I were still at Caswell!

Today I left the beautiful coast of NC and trucked it 7 hours back to the ATL. You know, being in a car for 7 hours by yourself gives you a lot of time to think...too much time! My mind was all over the place. I thought about the past four days and how amazing it was to get to see so many smiling faces at the same time. I thought about my goal to find a carbon copy of Chris Wilson and how stinking impossible that is going to be. I thought about my duty as a new NTCA member and how I need to prepare myself for what is to come. I thought about how I would really like to see Janis and her little preggo belly(I can't wait for little Aiden to get here). Oh and I thought about Josh's comment on being the last one(not funny). See I told you my mind was all over the place.

Although my mind was all over the place, all my thoughts had one common denominator... Can you guess what it is?

Yep...you are correct. All my thoughts dealt with home! Friends from home, events from home and even goals from home. It was 7 hours of thinking about home...and it was amazing:)

Miss each of you all ready and I can't wait till I make that drive again!! It will be soon...real soon!

Practice makes perfect!

I can sum up the past two days in one word...Practice!

Peej and I have been working hard on the music for Ryan's wedding! Or is it hardly working, haha!