January Sillyness

Jan 2013 Sillyness - make slideshow

Birthday Celebrations

So how did we celebrate? Lots of ways! Many of you know Jeff and I celebrate birthdays together in January. I'm on the 16th and he's on the 17th. So since it was 4-0 for me, he asked my wishes on how to celebrate...I quickly obliged with a plea for no party but get a babysitter and let's do a nice dinner and show together. So we got to go out to a great italian place that we'd not tried before called GianMarcos. Then went to see "Screwtape Letters" at the BJCC. We'd both read the book years ago by CS Lewis but heard about the show that is essentially a one man show. Very convicting story of how one of Satan's minions (Screwtape) tries to coach is Nephew (Wormwood) on how to make people stumble in their search for meaning in life through Christ. It was not in the big things but smaller distractions that he focused...like keeping people from not being committed to their church, getting stagnant in prayers, putting off doing the little things God calls us to do like reaching out to others with the Good News of Christ! Makes you think for sure...we asked ourselves and ask you to ponder, what little things are causing you to not grow in your faith and be cruising through this life...possibly missing out on the amazing things God has for you? Other ways we celebrated: I have 2 other coworkers to share my birthday with, Russ and Patty and it's always a fun day to go to work. After work, I wanted to have yogurt with my daughter on my birthday, so that's what we did and she chose chocolate with MMs on top! Loved it! I asked for Chinese take-out from our favorite place in Hoover, Mr. Chens! YUMMY! Jeff didn't give me much guidance on ways he wanted to celebrate so I was on my own...I arranged for our friends the Hintons and Stephens to meet us at New York Pizza in Homewood to surprise him and have dinner. We all love good pizza and good friends-so there you have it! Thanks friends for being real friends!!! Ice cream after was a hit too! Claire and I were treated to lunch by YaYa at Bluff Park Diner which also included a swing in the park and my sweet friends Erin and Jenny had me over for dinner. Last but not least, the "birthday club" convened at Olive Garden for some quality catch up and laughs. The Bday club has 2 more to enter the 40 club this year, so good times await! Many thanks to all who remembered us and encouraged us on our birthdays! Made us feel special! What a wonderful way to start a new decade! Just right!

Cutest Birthday gift from Brodie

Cathy Turns 40!

So it's true...I turned 40!. Feels a lot like 39 and even 30. I've enjoyed pondering the last 40 years and decided I'd do this post more for my kids so they will see some of their momma's history and memories. So thanks for humoring me as I go down memory lane. Nixon was president in 1973. I had my folks all to myself until I got the greatest Christmas present ever in 1978 when my brother Robert came along. I had fun growing up in a small town, playing ball etc with neighborhood kids in Greenwood, MS. We had a great church in St. John's UMC. Softball was truly my sport but I tried them all it seems like. My first jobs were at Baskin Robbins and at Twin Rivers as a lifeguard. I made $3/hour. I went to elementary school at Bankston Elementary through the 6th grade and after some issues with bigger kids, I started Jr. High and went through High School at Pillow Academy. I was off to MSU for a variety of experiences from sorority life to football, dating etc! That's the season of life when I truly understood what Christ had done for me and did lots of growing and growing up! I left after 3 years to attend Physical Therapy School at U. Miss Medical Center and finished in 1996. My internship experiences pointed me in the direction of wanting to specialize in working with adults with neurological problems. I had worked at UAB about 1 year when I knew I needed more training. So while working, I went to UT Memphis on weekends off and on for 3 years for a MS in PT. After PT school and moving to Birmingham, I had lots of amazing experiences from travel to more than 5 countries, enjoying a great church and having roommates that all taught me lots. I moved back to Mississippi in 2003 to work at MRC until 2005. While there I made great friends, had precious time with my Mammaw, gained good work experience that pointed me toward what I have now specialized in which is doing custom wheelchair evaluations for people with all types of disabilities. I came back to UAB in 2005 and was very hopeful and prayerful I would soon meet my husband. I tried the online dating thing for a little while off and on during that time. Then, Jeff and I met online in March 2006, dated 4 months got engaged and were married 06/07/08. It's truly a miracle we got to stay in Birmingham with a position that opened up at U. of Alabama for him. We moved into our current home in the fall of 2008, had Claire on 8/4/10 and now expect baby brother to arrive in a few weeks (March). Lots of ups and downs sprinkled in that resume of loss of 3 grandparents and special Aunt, enjoying triathlons for about 10 years and meeting incredible people, learning a lot about people including myself!, my parents divorce in 1995, 9/11/01, seeing first African American president elected, having a baby, having 2 miscarriages, and now awaiting my son, not having email until I was 24 or a cell phone until 25 or so and that for "emergencies only!" :) I have truly seen and experienced the faithfulness of God to me in small and big things and have no reason to not trust Him for anything else that may come my way in the next 140 years! I'm thankful for understanding what Christ did for me on the cross and setting me free from my sin. I am now free to live wholeheartedly to love Him and Love people and that is my intent until these days are done. I believe all would agree you never stop learning and growing no matter your age and I feel like I'm just getting started! Enjoy a few photos from my first 40 years...I can already hear the snickers and comments of "look at that hair!" I hear at 40 not much ruffles you any more...I'm good with that! Two minor goals I had were to enter the 40 club with no reading glasses and not having to color my hair yet due to grey hair...Success so far! My other goal was to be right where God wanted me to be and I feel that is true...I am living my dream for sure!

Promotion Day at School

Claire started the new year off in a new class. The 2 1/2 year old class is taught by Ms Terri and Ms Malkeshia and they are incredible! Claire and 5 of her buddies from the Toddler II class moved up together making the transition a cinch! This is the potty training class. They also go to a separate "cafeteria" to eat lunch, move out to the big kid playground, and go to a different room for a "creative movement" class. They are working more on socialization skills, learning to say grace before meals, the Lord's Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. We noticed a change in her talking almost immediately after moving up - now talking in 2-3 sentences or small paragraphs now! So we stop to give a huge thanks to Ms Connie for teaching Claire for over 6 months in Toddler II and guiding her in the early stages of potty training. These teachers are definitely called by God to love and teach these kids at these special and often difficult stages of development. Claire and Abby going to potty together:

Mrs. Connie

Mrs. Malkeshia

Ms. Terri