Baby Kate!

God’s grace and strength is ALWAYS sufficient! This was proven once again in the birth of little Madeline “Kate” Fuller! She is the daughter of a significantly important woman in my life. I would easily say Mindy is the single most influential person in my Christian walk. Poor lady has had to put up with me since I was a Junior in High School. She has prayed me through and helped to guide me through many of life’s biggest decisions. And she is an amazing woman of God whom I adore if you could not tell.

Well a few months ago February 21 to be exact she was admitted into a special care hospital in Galveston, Texas a good 2 hours from her home, where she was told she would have to stay until Kate was born. (She was due in June) Mindy’s fluid level was too low and Kate had barely enough to survive. So regular bed rest was not sufficient and she had to be monitored in case the levels dropped too low they would deliver Kate right away. The doctors never gave her any real hope but Mindy stayed positive even while away from her husband and two other children! In typical Mindy style she began witnessing to other ladies in the hospital and sharing her peace of the Lord!

There were good days, bad days, and some great days while she was there for almost 3 months, but in the end her fluid levels rose (which the doctors never told her could happen) and she was actually released to go home and have Baby Kate at home! The doctors warned she had a high chance of having some mental problems or other birth defects so our praying continued…


Madeline "Kate" Fuller
May 23, 2007
6lbs. 5oz.
19 1/2 in.

I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart. I will tell of all the great things You have done. I will be glad and full of joy because of You. I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. Psalm 9: 1-2

She was born a healthy and beautiful little girl! A true gift from the Lord! Now after all the tests and such have been run, Kate has been pronounced in perfect health! God is faithful and hears the prayers of His children! So we now have a new little person in the world who is just adorable I might add… And I am again blessed and privileged to know Mindy and call her my friend!

Mindy and I when she came and visited last Summer

Strong Holds!

Well it’s a proven fact the Lord will take any strong hold out of your life when He sees it… Case and Point…

When I was younger I used to LOVE yellow cake and white icing, it was all I wanted for my birthday cakes! As I have grown older in the last few years I have grown to love CHOCOLATE cake. Now I mean chocolate cake with chocolate icing. I blame my roommates as several years ago we instituted “Break-Up Cake” this was the cake to be eaten when someone broke up with someone else, or a boy wronged us in some way or another. (Side Note: If you want your own break-up cake, go to your local Chicken-Out and ask for a piece of their Towering Chocolate Cake. Its as big as you head! With four of us we barely finish it. Funny story – man this side note is long – but a couple of years ago Sara and I were at the Rehearsal Dinner for one of our best friends from college, we were seated at different tables and as soon as I saw the cake coming out I was so over come with chocolate joy that I said in a classic Michelle voice “Sara its break-up cake” realizing what I had just done at a dinner to mark the happy times of my best friend I was mortified… but still excited about the cake!) I digress....

So there is a wonderful bakery here in DC called Reeves, it is close to my former place of business and was the site of ALL of our bakery needs. Now if you have ever had DC’s Cake Love cup cakes or NYC’c Magnolia Bakery cupcake, I mean they are good but they are like $4 a cup cake! Reeves just as good if not better and only $1.35! WHAT! They also have a restaurant down stairs that is Southern-Comfort Food. So you see why I love this place so… But since changing jobs I don’t go or enjoy their treats as often as I would like, and last night I had to drop some things at my former place of employment and thought oh it’s a Reeves night! So I swang by to get me a cup cake. You guessed it a Chocolate-chocolate cupcake… when I walked in I was over-joyed with Gods blessing on saving one just for me! I asked that it be wrapped up and then thought I would bring some to my bible study girls as an evening treat. (Of course I would eat the chocolate-chocolate before study as not to have to share… I know)

As they were taping down my box-o-cupcakes and ringing me up a young lady came in looking very distraught, she looked all through the case and then asked sadly is there no more chocolate-chocolate left? I started to look away not to make eye contact with the young woman, and the Reeves workers ever the professionals did not mention that inside my box was the last one. I happen to look over at there after she received the news there were no more, and she looked she might cry, I assumed this had to be a boy problem and my heart was saying give her your cupcake, while my head was saying stay quiet you're almost in the clear! You may not get one for a while! Alas the Lords tugging at my heart won and I said I had the last one in my box and she could have it. She put up the one polite "no its okay" and I reluctantly told her no she could have it, she jumped and said "great thanks!" The ladies behind the counter looked at me in shock and awe of what I had done because one minute earlier we were dancing with delight on how ecstatic I was to get the last one of my favorite cupcakes. So the women placed a vanilla cake chocolate icing one in my box and rang me up. It took everything for me not to tackle her and take it back on the way out. I would love to say I feel so good about what I have done, but lets be honest, I really wanted that cupcake! Hopefully she feels better and maybe I will make the cross-town trek to get one tonight…

Taste of the South!

Taste of the South is one of my favorite events in DC, and I look forward to every year. And every year it never fails to rise to my expectations. What is Taste of the South you ask, it is a wonderful Black Tie event put on by all the Southern State Societies to raise money for charity. It also features all the good food of our beloved home states. Yes I actually prep all day with eating just the bare minimum I need to, to survive so that I might eat all that I can that night. Ah catfish, hush puppies, tamales, queso, salsa!, any fried southern goodness... you get the point, the key here is it is all done right. And that's just dinner, then you have dessert, Pralines, Bluebell, Apple Pie you see what I am saying. Ah its a good time for my belly. Then after you have eaten everything you can while still fitting in your dress, you head out onto the dance floor to burn off as many of those calories as possible. And as y'all know, I may not have rhythm or can "dance" to people standards but heck I love to have a good time. So we danced the night away and then limped back to our car in our heels. (Side note: Why has no one come up with heels that look good and are comfortable for a night such as this! My feet were KILLIN me by the end!) So Shari, Jodi and I headed down town for a fun night at Taste of the South and ran into a lot more friends there. All in all a good time was had and a lot of good food was eaten... I had to fast on Sunday just to recover from all the fried food I inhaled the night before. Ah but it was worth it let me tell you!

Here are the pics below... sorry no slide show was having some issues with them this morn and decided I did not want to fight... so here they are individually, you can click on them to make them bigger.

Jodi, Shari and I at TOTS

Me and the Guys

Stoney, Tara, Ricky and I

Bible Study Gals, Amanda and Candice!

Rebecca, Me and Mary-Scarlett

Josh and I!

Ladies in Black

Ricky Rockin the Aviators

Ricky and I breakin it Down on the Dance Floor
The Gals and Ricky
Walking back to the Car after a long night Dancin!

Fightin Texas Aggie Class of 2011! WHOOP!

Last night at about 12:12 am... I recieved a phone call. I heard the phone ring I looked at the phone and then rolled back over (I was a tad tired) It took me about 30 seconds to think wait what if something is wrong... I flipped over and called the caller back... I was greeted by the sound of my sweet friend Jamie Lee's voice informing me she was the newest member of the Fightin Texas Aggie Class of 2011!!! WHAT WHAT! I was very excited and still a little out of it... hopefully I was excited enough for Jamie Lee, but to be honest I don't really remember what she said. When I got up this morning for the gym it was not until I was in a full run on the treadmill that I thought... wait didn't someone call me last night... I think it was Jamie Lee... OH SHE GOT INTO A&M! (that was my train fo thought if you could not tell) And then I literally said, out loud mind you... WHOOP! Bill looked at me but kept running... great now he thinks I am one of the gym weirdos... Oh well it was great news! So congrats Jamie Lee! I am so pumped for the years ahead of you of growth and just plain ol Aggie Fun! You're a rock star my friend! Rock Star!

Wait I live here? Weird?

So after a very long day yesterday I had one of the most perfect nights... I wish I could tell you there was a boy directly involved but alas it was just a night spent with some girlfriends catching up. My good friend Wendy who had recently moved back to her home state of Missouri was back in town for a business meeting. We thought it would be fun if we met up and took part in our old ritual that was dinner at Austin Grill. The funny part came when Wendy was turned around and asked me for direction on how to get there. And I knew what to tell her! But I jump ahead... Wendy was held up in a meeting so I called my friend Kelli (we had both been literally trying to clear our schedule for the past month so we could catch up but nothing was happening) to see if she could meet me before hand for some appetizers. Low and behold Kelli said she was already out the door on the way. So Kelli and I spent a good hour catching up and goofin off before Wendy arrived. Then Wendy and I spent a couple hours over dinner and our old routine of Austin Grill Accountability.

It was a wonderful spring DC night so instead of just jumping right on the subway we thought lets walk it. I directed her in the way we should head off to her office building and I would catch the train from there. As we were walking Wendy looked confused and I kept directing her in the way to go. It was weird because we were crossing the street at one point and I saw a girl I knew and we exchanged quick hellos and how are yous... We turned another corner and Wendy realized we were walking by the White House, I told her I thought that was the best way to go, because the White House is pretty awesome at night all lit up. She asked if I was still glad to be in DC and I stated I knew it was where I was supposed to be right now. As we were getting closer to the subway station I ran into a friend I had not seen in years (um I'm sorry how have I been here long enough to not see someone for years?) in the park walking his dog. We stopped and said hello and he happen to be on the phone with another guy friend of mine I had not seen in months so I chatted with him some on the phone and then headed to the metro. It was then that it hit me... wait I live here?! When did that happen? I know people and how to get around... This was to be a temporary adventure for two years. That's what I told everyone, two years in DC and then I am heading back home. Now I am working on my fifth year, and that my friends is the big mile-stone in DC. Many say if you stay here five years, then you're stuck... you are a Beltway Insider! Well I am not sure about all that but it was kinda neat not to feel like a temporarily displaced person, and like this is my town... weird I know... who would have thought I would live in DC?

Amanda may have Baby Bangs but I got Baby Purse!

I have never been that girl who carries a purse… I either carry a back pack, or satchel of some sort or everything I need in my pockets. It’s a main reason I find the smallest cell phone, and I have a tiny “wallet”, tiny camera, you get the point. I have arranged my life so that everything can fit into pockets if I need them. Being a compulsive hair brusher (My name is Michelle and I am a brush addict, I have been clean for about 20 minutes!!!) I even have a small brush that fits in most of my jacket pockets. its not that I hate purses, I actually do have a couple, but I just think they are restrictive, you have to lug them around and they can really slow a gal down in this city and life in general.

Now the wonder of not caring a purse is that sometimes you don’t want to stick EVERYTHING in your pockets, so you have to arrange something else… this usually comes in the form of one of my friends purses. Many of you reading this blog have endured my “renting” out space in your purse over the years, but lets be honest ladies, a lot of y’alls purses can hold a small village so what is a few extra items! Poor Sara has been tortured the longest with this ritual and a few weeks ago she came home from a bridal shower with some extra favors, little bags for note cards and the like. We soon both thought the one that looked like a purse was the one for me. …So it was not meant to so much BE an actual purse but I thought it would be funny if I used it as one. Everyone thought I was joking, but no no, I was serious. So I packed up my little purse with my wallet, camera, pen, checkbook, lip gloss and keys and headed to church.

Needless to say everyone laughed at me, but I don’t see why… it fit perfectly on my arm to my elbow, matched my outfit… weird
Below are some pics of Baby Purse…

Me and Baby Purse!

Baby Purse next to Jodi's Purse

What in the World?!

The Banana Boat Incident of 1999

Many of you reading this blog know this story… some of you were there. But last night after our last “unofficial” hang out time with our college students, they brought items to make banana boats after I had shared the story with them they thought it would be funny. First if you do not know what a banana boat is, it is a delightful campfire treat that rivals the smore. You take a banana slice the rind open and then mush the banana up inside the rind. The you add mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips! Wrap it in foil and place it in the fire. It melts together then you eat the yummy goodness out of the rind and smile!

Well I was introduced to this treat my first summer as a camp counselor at a Christian sports camp in Texas called Camp Balcones Springs. During the summer banana boats were made each camp out night so total of 4 each summer. Since I had the oldest girls during the middle of the summer my girls did not participate in camp out because of their trips and thus this cut my banana boat intake down to 2 a summer! I know! Sadly as well I also injured my knee pretty bad and had a large brace on my leg and gimped around for the last session of camp. My best friend Sara would drive me around in a truck to help me get around camp property.

The last camp out of the summer my girls were placed in the most RANDOM spot ever… it totally was a make-shift camping site as the grass literally came up to our knees and it was not cleared at all. At one point my co-counselor Kristen was walking by the camp fire when all of the sudden she fell… of the side of the cliff people! The edge was disgused by al the grass and she did not realize she had reached it! Luckily there was a ledge about 6 feet down that caught her, had it not she would have gone down 30! But I digress so a great Texas thunder storm starts to roll in. There begins to be a lot of ruckus around the camp sites and it is getting dark. Soon from the shadows Sara appears telling me she is driving me back to the cabin as the storm is coming in and we have to go. She looked very frustrated I guess from things that transpired before she reached me and began to pick up my camping gear. I had just taken my beloved banana boat off the fire when she arrived so I secured it in my left hand putting my right arm around her for balance as we tried to walk back her holding me and my stuff through the dark woods. I hit a tree stump in the ground and fall pretty hard. But as I go down I ensure my left hand stays in the air securing the safety of my banana boat. Sara then picks up my camping gear and is trying to help me up (keep in mind I can not use one leg to get myself up) and I am refusing to give her my left hand obviously because it is holding the banana boat. After many frustrating minutes for Sara to help me up and not drop any of my camping gear Sara grabs my banana boat out of my left hand and CHUNKS it into the lake! WHAT! Shocked and appalled at my “so-called Best friend's” actions I lay on the ground with a stunned look on my face. She in turns tells me “Let’s Go!” in her best mother voice and she picks me up and practically has to drag me back to the truck. Needless to say and by the fact I am posting this… this little incident in 1999 has been a light hindrance in our friendship. We are seeing a counselor and after my students so graciously retrieved the items needed for me to make a banana boat last night I am getting closer to forgiving her.

Jodi and I re-enacting the Banana Boat Incident at Retreat