Blogilicious

We had several bloggable events this past week and of course I annoyingly took pictures all along the way. Friday was a fantabulous 4th of July holiday. Any day off of work is a treat for me as I enjoy the extra hours of sleep and the lack of a mountain commute. We spent Friday afternoon on the lake with new friends and their cutie pie kids.


Then we enjoyed a scrumptious cookout with a visiting pastor from Peru and some other new friends. I neglected to take pics as I was busy stuffing my face. :o) Then we all headed back over to the lake-friends' house to watch the fireworks. I couldn't edit my photo, but I was trying to capture the reflection of the fireworks on the lake, it was beautiful!

Here is Josh with his new lil' buddy enjoying some ice cream.

After the fireworks there was some pickin' in the basement. Of course Josh absolutely loved this and was even pressured into singing some Allman Brothers during the jam session. These men are super talented and it was a great concert! I took a close up of the little girl playing her "fiddle". She is the daughter of one of the guitar players and she always finds her fiddle or guitar and plays along. It's TOO CUTE!


Saturday was a big day for us. I was a finalist in a drawing for a new car at J&J Foods in Dahlonega. I was one of 11 finalists. We had to be at the store Saturday afternoon and I naively expected a drawing to be held and the winner announced. Um no. I had to play a pricing game on a stage in the parking lot. Here I am in all my grocery-pricing glory...

It was down to 3 contestants. Yes, I had a 1 in 3 chance of winning. I had guessed prices with the best of 'em...me being the youngest contestant and all. It was a package of individual snack apple sauces that was my downfall. I over-estimated the price and was sadly eliminated. But I comfort myself with the fact that the winner had to pay approximately $8,000 in taxes for the new Honda Element. So it wasn't really free. (Max and I rode to work in silence today in honor of the loss....or because he insanely controlled the volume again.) Thankfully we had fun friends who came out to support us and I cheered myself with a fatty Zaxby's lunch and a friendly gathering at the Tritt's.


The lack of a brand new shiny car in our driveway may seem to be a bummer and I admit to being bummed for a while; but the Lord has used this experience to remind me how easily material possessions can become an illusion of happiness. I caught myself thinking that all would be right in my world if I had a new and mechanically sound vehicle. The visiting pastor from Peru delivered a powerful message on Sunday that helped whip me into spiritual shape in regards to this situation. He encouraged us to "stop weeping for yourselves and begin weeping for others." Again I was reminded of how very blessed I am and how selfish and narrow my focus can become when I spend my moments pondering my level of personal comfort and happiness. God is really working on my heart, continually challenging me to put others above myself and to trust HIM completely! I seem to struggle with this daily--moment by moment it seems at times. I appreciate the encouraging and empathizing comments y'all leave as you remind me I'm not the only one learning these lessons. If any of you need to borrow Max for some "quiet time" with the Lord, just let me know and we'll work something out...