I've stolen this from my cousin Sarah's blog who stole it from Oprah. I loved it and it made me start thinking of my friends & what category they fall into. Friends are definately a gift from God and I thank my God for each & every one of them. Cheers to all of you that I'm proud to call my friend...I love you.

I consider the "family" I've gathered -- with five kinds of pals I count on for completely different things -- among the wisest choices I've made. If you can find even one who embodies any of the characteristics that follow, you can consider yourself fortunate.
The Uplifter: This woman's favorite word: yes. You could tell her you're trading your six-figure income for a career in offtrack betting, and she'd barely pause before yelping "Go for it!" Don't you need someone who looks past the love handles to notice the extraordinarily gorgeous you?
The Travel Buddy: When the hotel in St. Lucia is a bust, one characteristic becomes all-important: flexibility. This agreeable companion need not be the girl you traded pinkie swears with on the playground; it's enough that she's comfortable with quiet (between gabfests) and is a teensy bit mischievous (as in tequila after midnight).
The Truth Teller: Intent is what separates the constructive from the abusive. Once you've established that the hard news is spoken in love (not in jealousy or malice), you'd be smart to seek out this woman's perspective.
The Girl Who Just Wants to Have Fun: One Saturday a pal and I -- and yes, we're both over age 12 -- pored over every glitter lip gloss in a drugstore aisle for an entire 45 minutes. Forget the crisis download (for that, see the Uplifter); this partnership is about spontaneous good times.
The Unlikely Friend: "Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive," Anaïs Nin wrote. My friends -- some twice my age, others half, some rich, others homeless, some black like me, others Korean, Mexican, Caucasian -- have added richness to my life that only variety can

Wes' 5th Birthday

Clarification on Flooding

I wanted to clarify the pics below due to a couple of worried phone calls. Austin, itself, has barely seen any rain. Those of us in the Leander/Georgetown area have received around 6" the past couple of days, but haven't seen direct flooding around home, etc. Just flooding on certain streets in our area and the area around the San Gabriel River. The other pic is from the Liberty Hill/Marble Falls area who has seen the most damage. They are calling for rain for the next week or so...the good news is we won't have to worry about water ration this summer and people will be able to do fireworks on the 4th since there won't be any burn bans! If you want to see more crazy flood photos, you can go to kxan.com

Flood Pictures from our Area

The first 2 pictures are from the San Gabriel River and park in Georgetown. The third, which just blows me away, is a picture of what used to be a road/bridge in Liberty Hill. For those of you not in my local area, some surrounding areas of Austin received up to 19 INCHES IN RAIN SINCE TUESDAY NIGHT.

A Hunter in the Making...

Wes is officially a big boy now...he turns 5 in a few days and Todd thought it was time he learn how to shoot the gun he's had since before he was born! I see a hunter in the making...

Ian Update

Ian is now a bit over 4 lbs & has been moved out of the incubator and is enjoying his new home in the hospital crib. He is a strong little man and can't wait to come home. It will be awhile longer, but he is doing great. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for Ian and his family.

Scripture for the Day

I wanted to share this verse with you that really struck home with me this morning. I'm sure most will recognize it.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you & not to harm you, plans to give you hope & a future." Jeremiah 29:11

I find a huge amount of peace in this verse because it reminds me that God will take care of me and that I should give everything to Him because He can give me a better life then I could ever imagine for myself. Hope you have a blessed day.