Random Facts...

I don't really have anything to write about, but I'm on a streak of posting once a week and I feel the need to keep it up. So I decided that I would post some random facts that you may not know about me...

*I am the youngest of four. My sister and oldest brother were both adopted because my mom was told that she could not have children...then she became pregnant with my brother Josh and 3 years later with me. So, I am a miracle child:)

*My great-great-great-grandfather, Pleasant Wimberley, founded the town of Wimberley, Texas located in the Texas Hill Country...check it out, it is beautiful! Oh, and Blair and I are considering naming a son Pleasant...or not.

*I always eat peanut butter and syrup on my pancakes.

*Every time I enter a library, a Hallmark store, or a Tuesday morning I almost immediately have to go to the bathroom...is that weird or what?!

*I'm kind of a nerd. I was in all these Advance Placement classes in High School (sometime ask me about my Calculus Club T-shirt) and I graduated from Baylor with a 3.7 GPA and a BBA in Marketing.

*My favorite household item is my label maker. I'm a tad bit obsessive compulsive and I LOVE to label things. I label the light switches, Keely's toys, file folders...if it will sit still long enough, I will label it.

*My biggest fear is expired food. For real...I'm really afraid of eating something that has been sitting in the refrigerator too long and it making me sick. So what this really means is that I waste a lot of food. I clean out my fridge about every 5 days.

So there you go, I hope you all feel you know me a little better.

A Confession...

Being a part of a relevant church makes you tend to shy away from many of the traditional "churchy" things that many of us grew up with. Deep down I think that I still cling on tight to some of my traditional church values, but I rarely let it seep out because I don't want to come across as lame or uncool. All that said, I grew up going to vacation bible schools every summer and was involved in pioneer girls (the non-denominational version of GA's). Although I loved singing "He's got the whole world in His Hands" and doing all the motions I figured we wouldn't go that route with Keely because these days that might be considered cheesy.

Then I was introduced to Miss Pattycake...and I write this post to confess to all (and especially my UBC community) that I am a Pattycake fan. My mom actually bought the first Miss Pattycake dvd. My entire family immediately made fun of it. I mean, this lady wears a green pinafore with felt cut outs glued on the front "two hands to praise with and one heart to love God." She also has this ridiculous hat and bright red lipstick. If her looks weren't enough, the shrill of her voice might drive you crazy. She sings all these Pattycake Praise songs and pats, and taps, and claps, claps, claps.

After about 3 seconds of watching it I had made up my mind that Miss Pattycake would never enter my household...until I saw Keely's reaction to her. As soon as Miss Pattycake appeared on the screen Keely's eyes locked in. She watches her so intently and you can honestly tell that she is hanging on every Pattycake word. And then when the music starts, Keely laughs and claps and even though she can't stand yet, she still tries to tap her foot along.

This past week when I picked Keely up from mother's day out, they told me that they had music time that day. Her teacher said that all the other kids smiled and listened, but that Keely clapped and danced and literally had the time of her life. They said that she was so excited after music time that she wouldn't take a nap, so they took her out into the hallway and had music time all over again with just her.

I fully attribute Keely's love and zest for music at this young age to Miss Pattycake. In the video that we have at our house (that we watch everyday) there is a song called the Praise Parade and before it Miss Pattycake says that "Even the Bible tells us to Praise God with all sorts of instruments and if you don't have any instruments at home you can praise him with singing and clapping."..and that's exactly what Keely does.

Not that Keely fully understands what Miss Pattycake is saying yet, but I love that she almost always gives out a little squeel each time Miss Pattycake says "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord"...mostly because it is a good reminder to me. So to that I say, Thank you, Miss Pattycake. Thank you for teaching a 28 year old a valuable lesson on Psalm 150 and thank you for giving a one year old a glimpse of what it means to live life to the fullest.

Blog, Blog, Blah, Blah

Okay...so it's been exactly 91 days since my last blog post. What might you ask has been so important in my life that I have not found even 2 minutes to sit down and let you, my blogging fans, know that I am still in existence. Well, they might not seem like much, but here are a few things that have been occupying my time:


#1 We had family in town at the end of April for Keely's baby dedication. It was a lot of fun...I love baby dedications at UBC because since they are so few and far between I think they mean a lot more to everyone.

#2 Right after all the fam left, we headed to Dallas for my 10 year high school reunion. It was a blast...well, for me. I don't think that Blair necessarily had that much fun. Just a side note, here is a photo of me when I was about to be a senior in high school. It's sad how little I have changed. As I recently told a friend, it's okay that I've had the same hairstyle since 1992 because it is what some might call "classic" or "timeless."

#3 Wedding Season. As some of you may recall, I am a wedding coordinator so the summer months can get a little hectic and this has been the busiest summer of all. I don't want to complain about being busy because that means I'm actually making money, but it just takes away from having time to do other things. Beginning the weekend of May 20th, I coordinated 4 weddings in 5 weeks. I have plenty of stories/mishaps I could share about them, but I'll save that. I think I might just compile all my wedding stories and write a book about it someday...it's some good material!

#4 Family Reunion. Every summer, my mom's side of the family has a big family reunion. Usually we can get out of it, but this summer my mom was hosting it so we had (I mean got) to go. It actually ended up being pretty fun...who knew you could have fun with extended family members?

#5 Roommate Reunion. Every so often my college roommates and I try to get together for a little get away. Now that most all of us have kids, it's getting harder and harder, but we all managed to get away for one evening and spent the night at the Westin in Stonebriar. It was a blast. I love my college friends...they never change.


#6 Keely's Birthday Party. On July 8th we had a little birthday party for Keely. It was a lot of fun, but required a lot of preparation as well as clean up. My parents came down and brought the bounce house and the bubble machine (yes...they own both)

#7 Keely's Actual Birthday. Believe it or not, Keely turned 1 year old on July 13th. To celebrate, Keely's Pop & Nana (Blair's parents) came in town for an extended weekend. I was much more sad than I was expecting for my little one to reach this milestone. It just means that she's not really a baby anymore....tear, tear.

#8 Back at UBC. During the entire time that everything above was taking place, we have been trying to get the ol' UBC building ready for services and this past sunday, July 16th marked our return. Some of my fellow UBCers have written about the day and done a better job than I could hope to so I will just direct you to their pages (Craig, Adam, Matt) There was a big article in the Waco Trib about the church on Sunday and check out the cover photo....


So for all of you who have simply thought that I've been avoiding you or just been absent from everyday life, as you can see I really have been busy...it's not something I just say. What, you might ask, has changed so that here I sit in the middle of the afternoon able to blog and blah all at the same time? It is something that in the past week has truly revolutionized my life. As of last Monday, Keely has officially become a one nap a day child. It is the best thing that has happened to me since she started sleeping through the night. So now, instead of taking two short naps during the day, she takes one long nap (typically 3 hours in length) during which I can do important things like sit at the computer and blog. Hopefully this means that there is more to come....

Catch up...

I kind of suck as a member of the blogging community. It has been a month since I've posted anything, but please know it's not because I don't want to...it's simply that I don't take the time to sit at the computer and do it (notice that I said I don't take the time...not that I don't have the time).

You all have probably been wondering what I have been up to, so here is a brief update:
*I coordinated a wedding reception at which the cake table collapsed with both of the cakes on it. Amazingly, the cake parts were all in tact...it was just icing damage. The baker came up and fixed them before the bride & groom arrived.
*Blair and I helped out with Countdown Retreat with Legacy Family Ministries. Countdown is a class designed for engaged couples that was started by our friends Byron and Carla Weathersbee. Blair and I go on the retreat every year and lead the "weekender" class. It honestly is always one of the highlights of my year....I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is getting married.
*My brother's wife had a baby...Luke Andrew Wimberley. Unfortunately, the poor little guy has had a rough first few weeks of life. He had to have surgery at 3 weeks old to correct Pyloric stenosis (a malfunction with the valve between the stomach and small intestine). The surgery was almost 2 weeks ago, but he is still having some difficulties...they will see a specialist tomorrow.
*We took Keely to Diadeloso...I LOVE diadeloso and I especially love that I can email or call all of my college roommates and tell them that at 28, I am still going out to celebrate the day of the bear.
*Keely almost choked on a cellaphane straw wrapper...it was quite scary. Two days later, the entire 2 inches of cellaphane came out in her diaper. I saved it.
*We spent Easter weekend with my parents and went to eat at their country club after church on Sunday. There was an Easter bunny and she came back to Keely probably 8 or 9 times because Keely loved her so much. It was hysterical. Keely would start flailing her arms and giggling and then she would reach up and grab the bunny's ears...we have it all on video if you are interested.

I know...it is quite an exciting life that I lead. Here are a few things that are upcoming:
*I'm very excited for UBC skate night this Thursday
*I'm pumped to hear Rob Bell in person on Sunday
*Keely's baby dedication is going to be on April 30th and both of our families are going to be in town.
*My 10 year high school reunion is on May 7th...it'll be great fun. I'm gonna have to write a post about what I was like in high school.

So, that's about it....more to come....I promise.

Brotherly Love...

Yesterday as I was driving up to Dallas to spend the weekend at my parent's I was daydreaming about possible blogging material. I kept thinking about my brother Josh and wishing that I had a particular story to tell about him just so I could introduce him to all of you.

I am the youngest of 4 and Josh is the closest to my age (he is 3 years older). I wish you all could meet Josh because I have this feeling that if you all did, you would like me a little bit more. He's smart, he's goofy, he's really funny...and in a weird way, he looks a lot like Blair. I laugh so hard at Josh's jokes...and he at mine...which is why we love to be around each other so much.

When I was a freshman in high school, Josh was a senior. He would come pick me up from cheerleading practice every afternoon and he would pull up in our orange volkswagen pop up camper (yes....we had one) wearing a long, nasty black wig and big hat. He would honk the horn like crazy and flail his arms. Outwardly I acted mortified, but inwardly I thought it was hysterical.

I've often told Josh that he needs to start a blog, because he would quickly gain quite the online following. He has all these theories that he is passionate about that are perfect for the blogging community. Here are just a handful:

1. The Jumbo-tron: Josh has put together a 5 step process that he promises if followed will get any spectator on any large screen in any venue...I can attest that his face has been on the giant screen at every sporting event I have ever been to with him.
2. Shaving in the shower: This is obviously geared toward men, but he swears that shaving in the shower has changed his life and he is on a mission to convince all men to do the same.
3. Change is negative money: This is one that I do not ascribe to, but Josh hates change. He thinks that pennies and nickels should be abolished and he is also skeptical about the dime.

So I was just hoping that something would happen to segway into talking about Josh in my blog so that I could share the above thoughts...then today I receive this email:

Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 19:12:58 -0800 (PST)
From: "Josh Wimberley"
Subject: 23 seconds from peeing next to rudy...

Many of you have read or been a part of my legendary brushes with fame over the years. I'm sure a day doesn't go by that you don't recall the time I made Bill Clinton raise the roof, or hugged Gervous from Survivor at the Hawks game, or when I bumped into Alan Greenspan in the white house....I know, I know, wonderful memories that make you smile on a weekly basis.

Well, I'm sorry to inform you that I may be losing my touch. I was in Houston at a conference a couple of weeks ago where Rudy Giuliani was the featured speaker. It was a big conference so no one-on-one time with Rudy allowed, at least not for me, although I figured with my track record I would find a way to meet him.

You may have already read the title to this email so I'll get to the point....yes, if I would have waited 23 seconds to pee I would have peed next to Rudy at the urinal. The way it played out I was washing my hands when he came in with his body guard to take a leak. There was no one else in the bathroom and I actually thought about heading back to the urinal next to him disguised as one of those wash hands before peeing types (man, those people are weird by the way), but figured the body guard might make a move to stop me.

I finished thoroughly cleaning my hands with soap using the intertwined fingers method I learned from Jimbo Wimbo and walked out of the bathroom. I waited a couple of seconds then walked back in but the body guard gave me a nasty look so I yelled out "Diareaa!" and ran in a stall as a cover up. OK, I didn't do that but in reality walked right back out and acted like I was drinking from the water fountain. Rudy and Bodyguard blew by me at the water fountain on their way to a secret hiding place before giving his speech at lunch. Under normal circumstances, I would be peeing next to Rudy and adding this to my list of brushes with fame.

Oh well, I am either truly losing my touch or the fact that I pee at a much faster pace than the 99% of human beings has finally brought on some consequences. The moral to this story....slow down your pace, enjoy life, take your time, and possibly wash hands before peeing because you never know who might be next to you at the urinal.

later,
Josh

You can't read that and not wish that you could spend an afternoon with my brother...thanks for the great material, Josh...since you don't have your own blog, I'll share your stories on mine!

Remember me???

Okay, it's been way too long since I've posted anything on here, so I need to get back into the routine. I wish I could tell you that I've been really busy the past month working on some big project but it's really that life in general has just gotten in the way. Being a mom consumes more of my life than I ever imagined and I find it harder and harder to sit and do the little things anymore...I'm not complaining though...I love this detour that my life has taken.

Speaking of being a mom...I officially get the "bad mom" award of the week. Keely has had a cough since last weekend. She wasn't really acting sick or running a fever, but her cough got progressively deeper and sounded worse. I finally took her to the doctor yesterday. I actually thought I was being an overprotective mom by even taking her in. When I got there, they took her oxygen reading and their initial reaction was "we're going to have to admit her to the hospital."

Pause here for me to let you know the thoughts that ran through my head:
1. You've got to be kidding me
2. I haven't even showered today and now I'm going to have to spend the night in the hospital.
3. What kind of mom am I that I can't even tell when my child is struggling to breathe??

Well, after a lung xray and a breathing treatment, her oxygen level went way up so they did let us go home. For the next 2 days, though, we have to give her breathing treatments every 4 hours....which is especially fun in the middle of the night.

After 2 hours at the doctors office and running to the pharmacy and medical supply store, I came home and put Keely down for a nap and got a few minutes to myself. I felt really weird....I couldn't figure out if I was going to be sick or if I was tired or what. I just had this hollow, pit of my stomach feeling that felt strangely familiar. Then I remembered....this is how I felt on the day Kyle died. It's a weird mix of adrenaline and fear...that day it was from feeling blindsided by the loss of a good friend, yesterday it was the harsh reality that I can't protect my little girl from everything. I found myself wanting to watch her sleep, count her breaths...make everything better for her.

It also made me sad when I came home because this would have been a "Pastor Kyle" moment. Kyle was our good friend, but in moments of fear/sadness/insecurity he always knew the "pastorly" thing to say to make us feel better. Not the Christian cliches that you might here from other pastors, but the genuine, heartfelt sentiments that showed he honestly was experiencing life with you.

As of now, I think Keely is doing better (hard to say, though, considering I never really thought she was sick in the first place). I guess I just wanted to share because it is yet another day that left me wondering, "When will this get easier??..."

I'm it...

Craig tagged me....even though outwardly I am acting annoyed, inwardly I too enjoy answering these things so here goes:

FOUR JOBS I'VE HAD:
-- Pharmacy Technician at Trinity Mills Pharmacy
-- Intern with the Junior High Youth Group at Northwest Bible Church
-- Director of Business Development at Allen Samuels Auto Group (it sounds much more exciting than it was)
-- Youth Programs Assistant at Baylor University

FOUR MOVIES I'D WATCH ON REPEAT:
-- You've Got Mail
-- Father of the Bride
-- Moulin Rouge
-- My Big Fat Greek Wedding

FOUR TV SHOWS I LOVE:
-- Friends
-- Gilmore Girls
-- Scrubs
-- Felicity

FOUR VACATION LOCALES I'D LIKE TO HIT:
-- The Greek Isles
-- A Cruise to anywhere warm
-- Maui
-- Atlantis in the Bahamas

FOUR WEBSITES I VISIT DAILY:
-- carlsoncraft.com (it's who i order wedding invitations through)
-- ubcwaco.org
-- drudgereport.com
-- babycenter.com

FOUR FOODS I LUST AFTER:
-- Ninfa's cheese chile relleno
-- PF Chang's Honey Chicken
-- My mom's flank steak with pilaf
-- My mom's homemade beef tamales
(My mom is an AMAZING cook...unfortunately, that gene is not hereditary)

FOUR CHANGES I'D MAKE TO THE HOUSE: (I can only choose 4!)
-- A new front door that has a window in it
-- New landscaping in the front
--A built in entertainment center in the living room
--A larger back porch

FOUR BEERS I LIKE:
I'm a nursing mom...plus I don't like beer. I'll take a diet coke, though.

FOUR TAGS:
-- Blair (maybe this will bring you back to the blogging world)
-- Heidi (come on heede...i know you love these things too)
-- Ben
-- Janalee