whew!

so last week was crazy! monday, i did 5, yes 5, loads of laundry. tuesday, i went to a movie with some friends. after the movie i went to the tcb's jingle bell jam. wednesday, i met denise and we finished painting the christmas card that is sitting outside the palace. after painting i went with randy and denise to dinner. thursday, i rushed around after work to find a shirt to go with red pants for the chamber's gala fundraiser. then went to the fundraiser. friday, our second gift guide went to the printer. after work was the children's museum's fundraiser, deck the halls! tons of fun! saturday, i woke up and met some friends to go to some garage sales. after the garage sales, i had a massage, then met some friends downtown at the downtown christmas market. we all of course had to go eat. patricia melanie and i went to muffin tin and target after eating. then we rushed home and melanie and i met some folks at tcb's gala ballet performance. who's exhausted?!? ME!!!!!!!!!
p.s. pics from all events to come!
love!

thankful!

hello, i am sarah. i have the greatest family in the whole wide world, for them i am thankful. i also have the best friends a girl could ask for, for them i am thankful. i have the best, i mean best, church community in the world, for the community, the people and ministry, i am thankful. i have the best job and co-workers in the world, for them i am thankful. i have a roof over my head, a full belly, a car that works and so many more basic needs met, for that i am thankful. and best of all, i have a savior who died for me and has given me the ultimate gift of grace, mercy and forgiveness, for that i am so very thankful!
hope yall have had a wonderful day!
giving thanks and praise, love!

exhausted.

i think this is the second time i have posted on being exhausted, but it is the truth. physically and mentally exhausted. i know this is whiney, but i am in a whiney mode. everything from my hair to my job to my lunch to my dinner to everything has gone wrong for me. i am ready for some to go right, even if it is the pickle actually being left off my plate at lunch. folks, no pickle really means i do not want a pickle! also, i finally have an appointment with a neurosurgeon for a consult for my neck. hopefully he will find a solution for the pain and numbness and get me back to normal! i am looking forward to running again and training for the st. jude's half marathon in december 2010! determined. just wanted to whine a bit. thanks for lending me your ear!
love!

little catch up time!

So have you ever been a part of something and you know without a doubt that God has placed you there to further His kingdom? Well that is how I feel about my church, The Portico Church. I have been attending Portico since oh around 2004. Yep a whole 5 years. Now a very short time during that 5years i questioned on whether it was right for me to be there and to be a part. After stepping back out of volunteering and even going, I paid attention and have missed very few events or Sunday nights. That is my community. We have recently made some major steps in our church history. We have bought a building in the Downtown Monroe area, established ourselves as an organization, organized community groups, and done so much more. I keep thinking back to a Sunday night many years ago when we met at our former pastor's house to discuss what we envisioned for the future of our church. We discussed that Portico would become its own entity. On October 25th, 2009, we met for the first time in our new, very own building, a new community, a new start... I am so thrilled to be a part of this wonderful part of history. in the midst of my tears of joy, i managed to snap a few pictures. i wanted to share those with you. enjoy!


Set up time!


Working hard!


Seeing the vision.


Sharing a meal in celebration.








what a special evening! Can't wait to see the next steps.







History in the making, The Portico Church at the Palace.

whoa that was a long time!

So a lot has happened since I last posted. I went with my church family to Northwest Arkansas for a little weekend away from the world. It was about 50degrees during the day and upper 30s and low 40s at night! The leaves were changing to magnificent shades of fall colors. Randy, our pastor, made sure from the moment we walked in the door, we were never without a fire in the fireplace! The lodge and campgrounds where we stayed, were in the midst of bluffs, an overflowing stream full of freezing rapids and so much more! The people who run the campgrounds take groups on tours to the Goat Cave. I went 2 years ago when we were there and was determined to climb that feat again. The view from the Goat Cave is just gorgeous! These are some pictures from the weekend.

The Goat Cave Crew!


Looking out of the Cave


Adam and me in the cave


Wet Booty: the result of not knowing how to climb down and scooting on your booty.


Looking down from the cave


next stop, petting zoo!


fabulous piggy back rides!


next stop, waterfall! we thought it was going to be huge. turns out the trickle of water was the fall... A fun adventure nonetheless.


Sitting on a fallen tree is a necessity in a hike.


The waterfall crew!


Next stop, chill on the bluffs and enjoy the majesty of our creator!


Boys will be boys...


Looking out from the porch of the lodge


Sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of the lodge is a fabulous afternoon!


The Portico Church SOTO 2009

hey blog followers!

hello to my blog followers!
I figured out how to set up my blog for you to comment even if you are not a blogger! woot woot! So, let the comments flow!
Happy Monday!!!
Love!

Happy Birthday to the Roses!

September is a popular month for birthdays in our family. Emma, Dave, the spazztard dogs and I drove up to Tennessee to celebrate. John drove up from Baton Rouge. Katy, Evan and Jennifer also made the journey. We had a great visit! Saturday started with a trip to the farmer's market for veggies for the supper spread. It continued with 7-layer dip and hanging out! We baked a chocolate birthday cake and a monster feast for dinner. It was a great visit, but like always, much too short. Here are some pics from the weekend.

The Birthday Girls!


hanging out on the couch!


Grandma Rose!


Evan!


me and my daddy! he's the best!


the fam on the porch..


the fam on the porch...


the whole crew on the porch... yeah we like to pose on the porch.


grandma with the grandkids!


me and evan, the airplane!

DA BEACH!

I went with several friends to the beach over a long Labor Day Weekend! It was lovely, just not long enough... Here is a preview.


To be continued...
Love!

DA Beach continued...

The Crew went to the beach for the most relaxing few days I've had in a long time. Relaxing, you ask? Yes, I didn't do much of anything other than sit on the beach and look at this lovely view....

We did exciting things, like build sand castles....

and sit and watch waves in the sun...

we also watched the waves under the moonlight...

we also collected hundreds of shells. these are the Shell Collectors!!

we had a great time hanging out, catching rays, enjoying the beautiful scenery, and just chilling!

Evan had a blast eating, crawling, digging and playing in the sand.

Randy hates the beach. I believe this pic of him about to throw a giant handful of sand on me describes him very well and his feelings toward the beach!

One night, we rounded everyone up and went out to dinner. The place we chose was definitely beachy and touristy. We fit right in. It would have been an even better night if they hadn't been showing that dumb Alabama football game on tv.

Fly Me to the Moon....

And let me play among the stars... Ah Frank sang those words so magically! I mean how cool would it have been to have lived in the era of the Rat Pack! The best music ever! The latest event the DS Crew attended was called Fly Me to the Moon. This event benefitted the American Cancer Society. We all happily jumped on board for that one! Anything to support Cancer research or cancer prevention or awareness. A few of us attended the Patron Party, then went over to the main event. Toni and I made a potty break before heading in. In Heatherly-Style, I squirted soap from the dispenser and shot my dress in an awkward place. I mean come on-- Stained the rest of the night! We had a blast the rest of the event and topped the night off at one of Monroe's classy joints- The Airport Lounge! Here are the pics of the night!

Toni and I made a beautiful recovery from the soap incident!

since you weren't there, i thought you may enjoy seeing some of the fine decor!!

cuttin a rug... (go ahead and throw your cheeseballs at me)

this is what the DS Crew fellas did while we danced!

Aren't we Stylin'?!?!?

Livin' it up at the Airport Lounge! Nice...


I'm at the BEACH!!! WOOT WOOT!!! Will be updating you on that soon!
Love!