Laughter

Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 says-"For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven: [...] a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance"

Yes, there will be times of weeping and mourning, but there will also be times of laughing and dancing. How often we get caught up in moping over the negative things in life rather than celebrate the small, fun things. Laughing with friends and family is actually one of my favorite things to do because it can completely turn your day around.

A few of you may know that I keep a "quotes list" simply for the fact of reminiscing through the past and remembering the good times. It was funny because in college, it became a "thing" to make the quotes list (and I'm glad my friends got so on board with it!) :]

Some of these may be funny to you because you were there, and some may or may not be funny because you have absolutely NO context of what the heck is going on. Either way, enjoy! 

[These are all from summer of 2013-winter of 2014]:

Mama, Daddy wants to take you on a date to the gas station. -Nathan

This was definitely the trippiest 4/20 I've ever experienced. -me
   I don't even remember what I did...oh wait! That sounds bad! -Holly

Me llamo grande. -Killa

What better way to minister than to be in shape? -JT

I have an idea, Shay. Wait no, it was selfish. It was a bad idea after I thought about it. -Killa

   Let's hear it. -Holly

Ok, I wanted to take a picture of me in the water acting like a model. -Killa

THAT'S where I want to go! -Holly

   Where? France? -me

No, TJMAXX. -Holly

I think he thought I was flirting, but that was my I-need-more-water look. -me

I just have to say, I absolutely love Luke Bryan. I'm so glad he's from Georgia. Makes me Georgia proud. -Mama

It takes 25 days to get something to California?! -Sarah Cavazos

   Gosh, they're not riding the pony express anymore! -Lauren Paxton

It's ok, I'm embracing it because the BET awards are today. -Killa

(about the possibility of it raining during the Peachtree Road Race) It's gunna be fun. It'll be an uphill Slip-n-Slide the whole time. -Branny

You know, if you notice when there's a full moon, there's twice as many squirrels dead in the road. -Nana

(after our paint party for Nikki) I really have to pee. -me

   You're gunna urinate rainbows. -Barge

Do y'all ever agree on anything? -Aunt Laura

   Yeah, if we're all right. -Daddy

In any language, a spanking works. -Mama

I could fart anytime I wanted, especially around these geysers. No one would be the wiser. -Nathan

Georgia is your home, don't ever forget that. Texas is ok...at least they're Republican and believe in guns. -Branny

You're so funny it ain't even right! -Ansley

   You can just call me lefty! -me

I don't think I'm strong enough to serve ice cream. -Allie K.

I can see you marrying an Indian. Ramesh and Courtney forever. -LK

I'm gunna do a twit. Wait, let me rephrase that. -Ansley

You didn't even go to Georgia Bulldog University! -LK

My day was made because I didn't have needle nose pliers, and I found some on the street! -Mr. Greg

I thought my dad was just getting old, but his older siblings are just fine! -Jilly

Is guacamole an open invitation, Courtney? -LK

Preschool is my birth control. -Jilly

   PumpItUp was our birth control. -LK

Not having sex is mine. -Sara Beth

These tweezers are made in China....what the heck?? We couldn't even make a pair of tweezers? -Jonathan G

(About makeup) It's fun! It's like color correction for your face! -Rosalee

Maulk and frookies

Oh nice, Daniel. I didn't know you knew that trick (squeezing icing out of a Ziploc bag). -LK

   Well, I WAS homeschooled. -Daniel

So they're just headphones for $200?? They don't come with music already in them? -Stephanie B.

(About Tommy Boy) Oh, $3.99?? It's worth twice that! -Mr. Greg

You've probably got the best radio system out here. -Drew

   Well, this guy might can compete. What does he have in the back there? Oh...groceries. 

-Daniel

They don't hire anybody but cute people for this show (PLL). -me

   The word is hot. -Daniel

Cute just doesn't cut it. Cute gets killed. -Drew

"And then I got skinny." That's a thing you'll hear few Burkes say. -Gage

My church is nondeminsional. -Aldo 

Fit people problems..."Oh, my awesome muscles are sore." And THAT'S why I don't work out. -Jordan Parker

So does the Bible study fast include only having 7 boyfriends? -Jordan P

Isn't the spleen in your leg? Oh wait...that's the shin. -Ashley

I think I pulled a muscle in my shoulder yesterday sealing envelopes. -Brandon G

What was that rich movie that he made? -Erin

   Richie Rich. -me, LK, and Christian 

My snapchats are just me in the shower drinking beer. -Cameron Ray

I need more vinegar. I want to become a pickle myself. -Ryan H

Oh, people still smoke cigarettes at Apple. -me

   Like real cigarettes? They don't have iSmokes? -Jonathan

Mother Nature...she's a woman. That's why she keeps changing her mind. -Jonathan

Men decorating the Table Podcast leads to two women at Lowe's looking for Velcro...shoulda let us help in the first place. -Ashley

But I don't think he actually likes me. I just have to talk him into it. -LK

So she planted a garden, recycled, drove only one car...-Jilly

   I cut down a tree! -Ana

That's kind of the opposite...-Jilly

You've never struck me as a tomboy. -Ryan H

   I LOVE tennis shoes. -Ashley

Oh, Spirit is an airline? I thought it was some Christian joke. -Bethany

You can't have such high expectations! It's a PC!! -Daniel (yes, he really said this)

(About Mark Cuban) He's still in a fraternity. -Daniel

   Yeah, it's called a country club. -David

Do y'all have enough air back there? -Nancy

   Yeah, we're good. It's like a tornado. -Jonathan

What, are they just bored and type in "country girl?" That's like me searching #mexican. 

-Ansley

If Justin is dating a girl who doesn't like tattoos, just send her my way. -Branny

Oh Craig and his list. -Steph
   Angie has a list too. -Jessica
Yeah but you have to payyyyy to see Angie's list. -Steph
   Just like a woman...-Erin

Hashtags don't make sense to me. I could use a hashtag, and nobody would ever know it. 
-Mr. Greg


I think I accidentally painted marijuana. -Jilly


I'm taking swimming classes in the fall cause I don't know how to swim. That's false-I was a lifeguard for two summers. -David


I need to STOP getting emails from Bloomingdale's. -Daniel


Crap, I didn't realize raspberry tea was sweet! -Daniel
   You should get some! -SB
No, I'm trying to...-Daniel
   ...watch your figure with a calzone?? -David


I have impeccable, spacial estimation. -SB


Muhammad O'Lady -Daniel


Ahhh! -David
   What? -me
Nothing. You'll find out soon enough. And it'll be funny. -David
   It's a fart. -SB


Wipe in, wipe out. See these cat-like reflections? -Greg


I've gotta stop buying peanut butter that requires you to stir it. This is so freaking annoying. 
-Jonathan Galloway


I'm actually missing Taco Joint...it's a strange sensation. -Caroline


Mmm Chick-Fil-A...good, home-cooking. -Caroline
   ....you know you're from Georgia when...-me


Most of my quotes will probably be about food. -Caroline


If you were a murderer, what would be your method of choice? -Ashley
   My good looks. -JGally

Thanks to everybody who joined in on the memories and helped make me laugh! Obviously some of them had to be edited down in order to share on the Internet, so don't be offended if you weren't included in this list. Love y'all! :]

Patience

Ok, let me give you a little backstory. In college, our activities board hosted random things for the students to do on campus. One of those activities was making stuffed animals (kind of like Build-a-Bear) as a remembrance of our childhood as well as a stress reliever. 

[Yes, we were college students, but sometimes you just need the comfort of a stuffed animal...]

So I picked a white rabbit as my stuffed animal. When I was trying to decide what to name it, I was apparently struggling with patience (who knew), so I creatively named her Patience. 

Fast forward to when Holly Curry was spending the night with me in my dorm room junior year. We would drag my futon mattress into my room, so one of us could sleep on the bed and one on the futon mattress. While I can't recall the story exactly, I'm pretty sure as we were up late talking, and at one point I asked Holly to toss Patience to me. 

I'm sitting on the futon mattress in the dark, just waiting for Holly to hand it to me. Next thing I know, I'm being smacked in the face with a stuffed bunny. 

Needless to say, I didn't really think that one through :]

Anyways, after we had a good laugh about it, Holly responds with, "Then Patience hit ya like a bunny in the dark."

I say all of that to lay out how I'm feeling-sometimes patience just hits me like a bunny in the dark....

Even if patience is something I know I need or want, the delivery of it doesn't always feel good. Patience isn't something we just acquire; it's more like an on-the-job-training situation. 

[Photo credit: www.deathtothestockphoto.com]

This past year has been so awesome, and I can't believe it's already been a year since I've graduated college (but at the same time that it's only been a year....my how time flies). Thinking back to my life this time a year ago, I was soooooo stressed about what I would do for a job. Fortunately, the Lord has blessed me with TWO great jobs, and I am almost done paying off my student loans (can I get an AMEN??). 

Even with those two jobs and things going seemingly well, I am still at a loss for where I want to go next. The planning side of me has been freaking out the past few months, but it has been growing me in all kinds of new ways when it comes to trusting the Lord. 

So my future is still about as clear as mud, but I'm learning to take it one step at a time because that's all I can do right now. I know that the Lord has placed dreams on my heart for a reason, and in due time, He will make it clear as to how those dreams will come to fruition. 

Patience has indeed hit me like a bunny in the dark, but I am learning to embrace it because one the lights are turned on the the whole plan is eventually revealed, I know it will have been worth the wait.