Happy Birthday, Krystle Pie

Happy Birthday to my Krystle Pie! It seems very hard for me to comprehend that you are 27 today! **Warning ... this post is full of pictures!!





I know the quality of these pictures is not good, but I always wanted to just bite her cheeks!

This is her hospital picture. I was in labor 28 1/2 hours. Yes, you read that right. No...I never let her forget it! lol I was so naive...when the doctor handed her to me, I asked this question..."where did she get all of that black hair?" He looked over at her father and then back at me and they both busted out laughing. Her father still tells that joke. He has the most thick black hair on the face of the planet. I thought all babies were born bald! And they actually let me take her home! lol She weighed in at 7 pounds 14 ounces. And she was so beautiful and perfect.

Krystle is blessed to have a great relationship with Jason, as well. She calls him "Daddy" too and he has always treated her as his own.

My daughter was gifted with athleticism. She was the first girl to play on the varsity softball team as a freshman and actually started. She had such great determination and each time she stepped up to the plate to bat my Mama's heart went into my stomach. When I was pulling out these pictures, I got all emotional remembering all the times my sister, Candy and I, traveled all over the State of Florida and cheered this child on and thrilled in her victories and agonized in her defeats. I so miss the time with her.

This is Krystle and her father, Gary. Yea, I don't know where she got the black hair! lol Oh my gosh, it was funny, but let's remember the 28 1/2 hours of labor ok. They were two peas in a pod and it is my most fervent prayer that they find their way back to a great relationship. This picture was taken at her graduation and is one of my favorites of the two of them.

I don't know why this picture tugs at my heart so. Maybe because it is so honest. I don't know who took it, but she is obviously thinking hard on something or something has made her sad and she doesn't know her picture is being taken. It is also one of the few times when she let me braid her hair! She has beautiful hair and I always loved to have my hands in it but she is a 'no frills' girl and certainly just wanted it left alone.

She would be so mad at me posting this picture because she obviously missed the ball .... but, this child was playing sports at such a young age. And she was gifted athletically. She was a junior olympiad in girls softball at the age of 10 and we traveled all over the State with her. However, she was notorious for two things...dropping that shoulder on her swing (which she hated and so did her coaches) and true grit determination (which her coaches loved)...She is the only person on record as having broken a metal bat against a Stuart pitcher in the playoffs in her junior year. The bat company did not believe them and the school had to send it in for proof. Krystle held onto the bat and did not let go and the shockwaves from the bat splittling fractures her arm all the way up in splinters. True story! True grit determination not to be fouled by that pitcher! lol

This is a shot of Krystle playing volleyball. She was also the first freshman to make the volleyball team. She had a great serve!

These are my great grandparents that are no longer with us and Krystle. They loved her and she gave them great joy!

This is Krystle's first Easter with her father and I. We could not keep our eyes off of her and we could not quit smiling. She was our joy! She is still our joy.

My Krystle Pie, I love you. May your day be filled with all things good. Remember that all things good come from the Lord and He loves you so very much. And Daddy and I love you so very much and Jay and Josh love you so very much. Are you getting the theme of being loved very much? I hope so!

Thank you to my friends for getting through this with me and getting to know more about my daughter. Thank you for your prayers for her.

Blessings to you today!

Then Sings My Soul Saturdays

Happy Saturday! I'm joinging with Amy today and posting Hillsong's 'Hosanna'. May it bless you and refresh your spirit today.

Blessings to you today!

You've Been Popped!!!

My precious friend, Mikki, over @ The View From My Beach Chair showed me some wuv with this cute little Popz! Thank you, my sweet friend!! So, I'd like to share it with you this beautiful Friday...go on...take it...and take a hug with you too!

I'm lovin ya!

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday! Today is Thankful Thursday when we gather together and give thanks to the Lord. Thank you, Lynn, for hosting us. I am so very thankful that my son arrived in Minnesota safely last night even though they were in the midst of a blizzard. He was delayed a bit on the tarmac in Chicago and that had my Mama's heart troubled for awhile but God brought some sisters alongside of me to pray and keep me uplifted (thank you Kelly, Lisa and Beth). Psalm 91:1-2 "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust"

I am thankful for the Lord's Word. I am grateful for how it sustains us in every situation in life. When there is nothing else...there is His Word. 1 John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"

I am grateful for my husband. This man makes me smile. I love his love of the Lord and his family. I am thankful of how the Lord is writing our story and I'm thankful that I'm remembering to enjoy it. Song of Solomon 2:16 "My beloved is mine, and I am his"

May the Lord bless you this day! Big hugs to you!

Word for Wednesday

Matthew 4:19 "Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men".



Look closely at the water....neat, huh? Blessings to you today!

Thank You, Lori

I received this award from my sweet friend, Lori, over at Basketball, Gymnastics & Me. It is the Best Blog Daily Thinker Award. My first response was "are you sure?" lol I think it is so nice when these girls take the time to make these awards and golly I wish I knew how they did it ... but I'm so thankful that Lori thought of me.

The rules of the award are to pick ten other bloggers to distribute it to, but you gals know I love you all and if you are here ... you must be a great thinker, (yes, that's humility lol) so grab that Award and go spread some sunshine!

Blessings to you all ... and again, Lori, thank you!

Blue Monday

Happy Blue Monday my friends! Have I got some blue for you! This weekend was jam packed with a visit from my precious friend Kimmy and her family on Saturday. We went out in the boat and had a great time. The Lord provided a beautiful blue sky and some great fellowship. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we did the day!

Remember, if you would like to join in on Blue Monday, our hostess is Smiling Sally.


If a picture can tell the story...would you just look at those smiles!! This is Joshua and Kelsey on the tube. I'm pretty sure they had fun!

The Kelster sporting Josh's Oakley's while he was in the water. She is just too cute! Love her!! And look look look at that fabulous blue sky, my friends!

This is Brad skurfing it up dudes! lol He popped right up on that lake like he was just on it yesterday! (Brad is Kimmy's hubby)

This is Joshua showing us some mad skills on the wakeboard.

Fabulous blue here...and no, I'm not talking about the sky, although that is fabulous too, Lord. Thank you, for this son of mine and his blue eyes.

My friends, this is Kimmy. I'm sure most of you know her. If not...go meet her and show her some bloggy love. She is one fun lovin gal who loves the Lord. She was being rather serious in this pic...lol

Captain Stubing giving Brad directions ... lol I'm not quite sure what he was telling him, but Jay can not talk without his hands and they are just so cute, so here's our guys...we loved being with them on Saturday.

Jason and Brad ... our hubbies.

Kimmy and her precious family as we are about to launch the boat.

Well, my friends, that does it for another edition of Blue Monday. Thanks for hanging in there with me and all the pics. I pray the Lord blessed you this weekend.

Big hugs to you!!