GNO and cousin love

We missed church Sunday morning because we went to Tulsa this weekend to spend some time with my cousin Amanda for her birthday. I was sad we missed but so happy I got to spend some time with Amanda! We did make it back Sunday so that I could go to a "Girls Night Out" hosted by our church. I went with 2 of my great friends, Meredith and Christin, along with Meredith's momma....we love her! We met up for dinner at Abuelo's before the concert for some girl talk. I love LOVE that God has blessed me with friends that I can get together with one a week, or once a month, and we just pick up right where we left off. I have been ABUNDANTLY blessed with some wonderful girlfriends. After dinner, we headed off to church to watch comedian Anita Refroe and American Idol runner up, Mandisa perform. I had honestly never heard of either of them before last night but I had a blast!

Anita is a preacher's wife and about 10 years ago became a comedian full time. She is lucky enough to have her husband on the road with her full time while she travels to churches around the U.S., sharing her talent and her testimony with women everywhere!

Mandisa was on a season of American Idol (not sure which one since I have never watched it)! She didn't win, but she did get to pursue her dream of music and I will say she has an INCREDIBLE voice....it gave me the chills! What an amazing woman who is totally sold out to the Lord! She had an amazing testimony as well regarding her recent weight loss of 100+ lbs! You can find either of these ladies on YouTube so I recommend looking them up. I know I had so much fun and love that I got to be a part of this night!

All of us girls enjoying a fun girls night!
The stage (I didn't get any good pics of the ladies performing!)

I took off last Friday and we decided to head over to Tulsa to hang out with my cousin Amanda for her birthday weekend! I love this girl SO much and am so thankful for her and her precious spirit! I love that even though she lives a couple of hours away, she comes to see me often and she keeps in touch with me! I just love her to pieces!

Amanda and her little bro Alex....love them!

Nate and I...(I spent the whole weekend without make-up on and no fixed hair!)
Manda's cake

SWEET birthday girl with her cake!

Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Jeff and Uncle Denny making dinner....I LOVE my family

Me and the Tater once again....he doesn't like his picture taken! He married the WRONG girl! HA!

Me and my Uncle Denny!

So I'll be honest, I wasn't going to put ANY of the pictures up with me in them while we were in Tulsa because I don't have my hair or make-up done....but then I reflect back on our GNO last night and one of the verses shared was this:

"Your adornment must not be merely external - braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelery, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God." 1 Peter 3:3-4

I realized that sometimes (more often then not) I worry about how my outfit looks or if I have on enough jewelry, or (as many of you that know me might know) is my hair poofy enough....but honestly, that stuff doesn't matter. I'm not saying it's bad to like dressing up and wearing gawdy jewelry and have poofy hair! It's fun! What I am saying though is that in the eyes of God, what is on the inside matters most. When we let Jesus live in our hearts and live our lives for him and him alone, that is when our true beauty shows.

The Avey's

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be prasied. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." Proverbs 31:20-31

50 Things

I have noticed several of the blogs I follow posting a"50 things you didn't know about me" post....so I figured I would join! Most recently, my friend Meredith posted her's so go check it out!

50 things you might not know about me:
1) I love the color hot pink....this probably doesn't come as a surprise to ANYONE
2) Love, LOVE going to church. We are very involved in our Sunday School class....i wouldn't change those relationships for anything.
3) I am obsessed with decorating. I went to the U of A in pursuit of an Interior Design degree...somedays, I really regret changing majors!
4) My favorite holiday is the 4th of July. I love the meaning, colors, family, friends, etc.
5) I collect crosses. I have an entire wall in my house dedicated to them.
6) Sweet tea is my greatest addiction.
7) Nathan and I got engaged at the Grape Fest. We met there and he thought that it was fitting we got engaged there....some think its corny, I think its romantic :)
8) I like to hunt and fish. So far I have caught a fish bigger than Nathan, now its time to kill a bigger deer!
9) Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. I could do it every day, all the time.
10) I can't wait to one day build my own house.
11) I cherish my friendships with my friends from high school, church, etc. They are sacred and precious to me. Ipray that I am a good friend to all of my friends and they feel they can trust me with anything.
12) I always move the shower curtain back when I go in the bathroom to get ready in the mornings....call me crazy but you just never know when someone could be hiding back there!
13) Pintrest is my current addiction....I can't quit "pinning"!
14) I worry too much about what people think of me....this is a weakness that I need to work on
15) My brother is one of my favorite people EVER! We have always gotten along and I love hanging out with him. My mom has always referred to me as "Momma #2"
16) I have a closet full of dishes....I love them. If you ever need to borrow any, I LOVE loaning them out
17) My cousin's son Michael thinks we are boyfriend and girlfriend...he is 7 and "loves me cause I gots white hair". I will be sad when he learns we can't be boyfriend and girlfriend because 1) I'm married and 2) we are cousins.
18) Gawdy jewelery is the best
19) I love a good excuse to throw a shower or a party
20) Football is my favorite sport...love the Razorbacks and Cowboys!
21) I have 2 dogs, Biscuit and Case. Case is fixing to have beagle puppies so if you want one, let me know!
22) My wedding anniversary is September 19, 2009. We are quickly approching Anniversary #2
23) I used to be shy when I was little. My mom put me in pagents thinking it would get me out of my shell....now, you wouldn't know I was ever shy!
24) Dave Ramsey is one of my favorite people ever.
25) Jason Aldean is my favorite singer. Ever. I heart him.
26) My favorite stores are Target and Hobby Lobby
27) I do dispise shopping though....I only enjoy it when I get to shop for things to decorate with.
28) I don't know what my natural hair color is....Im assuming "blah brown"
29) A new camera is what I will be asking for, for Christmas this year
30) I love music....country in particular
31) My dream is to go to the CMA awards or CMA Music Fest one day....not only because those are my initials but, I think it would be amazing to see all of my favorite singers at once
32) Staying in a tiki hut on the water in Fiji is also one of my dreams
33) I'm a daddy's girl
34) I grew up on a farm with my mom's entire side of the family. We moved when I was 15 and I miss it everyday. I hope to have that for my kiddo's one day.
35) Mexican food = Wonderful
36) I want to go on an international mission trip
37) I was engaged for 2 years before getting married
38) I love wearing dresses
39) Apple desserts are my FAVORITE
40) I don't like sitting still and would prefer to be doin something. It's seems like we are ALWAYS on the go but I wouldn't change that at all!
41) We got married at my grandparents old farm in Oklahoma in front of their waterfall
42) I have lived in the Lowell / Springdale area all of my life
43) Shoes are my favorite thing to shop fo
44) I want to own my own store one day. I don't really care what kind of store, I just want to be a small business owner.
45) Our parents are SO ready to be grandparents. Someday, we will make them grandparents but that day isn't today :)
46) My favorite movie is "How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days"
47) I have a bad memory....so please, if I forget something, it isn't intentional!
48) My mom and I eat at McAlisters for lunch together at least 1 day a week, if not more. We had "Free Tea Day" marked on our calendars for months.
49) I don't like wearing tennis shoes unless I'm working out
50) Wallflowers from Bath and Body works are amazing.

These were really hard and now that I'm done, I could think of 100 more things to post but I'll just have to do this again in a month or so! Now its your turn! Tell me 50 things about you!

Mrs. Avey
"I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me" - Phillipians 4:13 NKJV

"Pinning"

This past weekend flew on by, just like they normally do! Friday night, we had our girls night over at Nathan's mom's house. Glinda (Nate's mom), Sarah (SIL), Lis (cousin), Tiff (cousin), Thanh Thanh (Lis' friend) and Phyllis (aunt) got together to watch girl movies and eat junk food all night. Lis brought her friend Thanh Thanh and she did our nails....she did a GREAT job! We were so thankful she could come make our girls night that much more fun!

Phyl's nails

Tiff's nails

Sarah's nails

I couldn't get the picture of my nails to load so you will just have to check out my facebook page! We had great time just hanging out together. I am SO thankful I get along with Nate's family so well!

Saturday we literally did nothing. It was so nice! I can't remember the last time we didn't have any plans.

Sunday was church and then Nate took me on a date to Market Place....delicious! After lunch, we decided to go hang out with my Mom for the afternoon. 2 years ago on Sunday was the day we lost my precious Papa Porter so I knew she would love having all of us together as a family. We miss him so much so I can only imagine how much she misses him. As a special rememberance of my Papa, Mom bought a new charm for her Brighton Charm Bracelet we got her for Mother's Day. It is a "Cancer Awareness" ribbon and for every charm bought, they will donate $20.00 to that charity. What a great cause! I think I will be getting one for my bracelet soon too!

I have a new found obsession.....Pinning. If you haven't already, you need to go out and join www.pintrest.com. Out here you can find TONS of decorating, party, recipe, outfit ideas. If you find something you like, you can create a board to pin it to. The great thing is, for all of us organize freaks, you can create multiple boards, all titled something different so you can keep your ideas in order! How great is that! I love that there is somewhere like this to 1) get great ideas, 2) share great ideas and 3) store great ideas! Now get out there and start 'pinning'!

Mrs. Avey

"But when you pray, go to your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:6

Thursday Randoms

First off, I cut my hair finally! This picture has terrible quality because it was taken with my phone but it is the only picture I have with my new hair.

I have been a bad picture taker lately. I need to get better at taking pictures. My camera is dead right now so I have just been using my phone to take pictures....honestly, I think my phone almost takes better pictures than my camera! For Christmas this year, the only (yes, the ONLY) thing I want is nice camera. (If you talk to Nate, feel free to drop the hint :)

We have been busy with school lately. Nathan is taking a summer class and will start fall classes in August. I am SO ready for him to be done.....but that won't be for a while, so we will just grin and bear it :) Some prayers would be great to keep him encouraged!

Our church does this great event every year called the "Great Give Away". Two young couples got together and decided to start collecting items that were gently used that others didn't need anymore. These items are in return set up in a garage sale type setting, and people are given the opportunity to come and get whatever it is they need (coats, gloves, furniture, clothes, etc). I think it is a wonderful cause and I'm so glad to be helping with it this year.
- "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." Hebrews 13:16

Tomorrow night we are having a girls night with some of the girls on Nathan's side of the family. Junk food, girl movies and pedicures....can't get much better than that!

I am going to take pictures tomorrow night so I have more to post next time....I feel a little boring today with no pictures!

We have been house hunting for a while now. I am not very patient so this has not been an easy task for me. I wish that something would just fall in our laps and I wouldn't have to look anymore....its exhausting! Oh well, its a HUGE investment and we need to be happy with our choice. We have been praying that God will provide us with a house in his time....he must be trying to teach me a little patience right now though! HA!

Have a Happy Friday tomorrow!

Mrs. Avey

"Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Cor. 9:7

4th of July!

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday for many reasons...family, friends, fellowship, fireworks, food, but most of all, my freedom! How amazing is it that we live in a country where we can have an opinion, dress how we want, eat what we want, believe wha we want? I think its amazing and I know I often take that for granted. So, thank you Papa Royce, Papa Porter, Uncle Jeff, and all of the other men and women who have or are fighting for this beautiful country we call home! We would not have anything if it were not for your sacrifices for us.

We started our 4th of July on Wednesday night at the Rodeo of the Ozarks. We went with our friends Nick, Maranda and my brother Dalton. It was a lot of fun but we were up a little too late for my likings! (I was really bad this weekend and didn't get many pictures!)

Thursday night we went back out to the rodeo to watch my cousins MiKael and Shelley's kiddo's in the mutton bustin' and goat dressing! It was too funny! I love those kiddo's to pieces!

Me and my handsome cowboy

Me and Ash

Lily Grace and Michael - sweet cousins!

LG and her beautiful momma

Reese - Don't you want to kiss those chubby cheeks??

Michael with his trophy...he was SO proud!

Me and my boyfriend - he loves me "cause I gots white hair"

Friday night we didn't do much. Nathan woke up early on Saturday morning to go to a gun show so I went over to my Mom and Dad's to help Mom get ready for our family cookout! We of course had to sneak in a pedicure!

Our cute toes! (pink, me - purple, Mom)

After our pedicures, we headed over to my Grandma Mae and Papa Royce's house for our family cookout! They had brisket and all the fixin's...it was delicious! Even my Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Jeff and cousins Amanda and Alex from Owasso, OK made it over! I love my family more than anything and was so glad to spend the day with them. Saturday night, my Uncle Denny had reserved the Tyson box seat for us at the Natural's game so we went and watched the game and fireworks! It was a great day with some great family!

Sunday was church and then Nathan and I headed out to his parents house to swim in the pool for a bit. After we swam, we headed home to get the jeep and head back up to church to watch fireworks...they were incredible! We have been for the past few years to watch them at the church and they keep getting better and better! Not to mention the great time we had visiting with family and friends!

We were off Monday for the 4th so Nathan woke up at 4:00a (yes, 4 in the morning) to go coyote hunting with his friend Nick. I slept in and then headed out to Nick and Maranda's and we spent the day with them and their SWEET little girl Cabella! We crashed their family cookout then went out and watched fireworks with them that night. After that we headed home (where I proceeded I locked my keys in my car for the 2nd time this week! I have never locked my keys in my car and then all of the sudden, I have done i twice in one week!)

I'd say we had the best 4th of July yet! I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that it is July already...where does time go? Hope you all have a great rest of the week!

The Avey's

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

How GREAT is our God

Today would have been my Papa Porter's 79th birthday. It has almost been 2 years since he passed away and I still miss him so SO much. I know he is in Heaven though and his birthday celebration up there is a million times better than it would be on earth. He was the BEST Papa a girl could ask for.

I love you Papa Porter and miss your eye sugars more than anything. Love you, Chris-a-ma-tino

(Papa and his girls - Christmas 2008)

It seems like these last 2 weeks have been jam packed. We have had a lot going on. I like it that way though. Last weekend, we had the opportunity to go serve in Joplin with our Sunday School class. I prayed all week for the strength I would need to see in person what I had seen in the pictures all over the news and internet. I was fine until we entered Joplin and we went from seeing buildings, homes, businesses to seeing trees with no bark, a car that was unrecognizable, someone's home that had been demolished. It was overwhelming. I lost it. I couldn't imagine losing my home where all of our memories have been made or losing a loved one in such a terrible way. God is good though and quickly gave me the strength I would need to get through the day. We met at the church we were working with and headed out for the day to the Nelson's house. The Nelson's, like many others lost everything in the storm. We helped them cut down trees and clear the debris off of their property so they can rebuild. We by no means were finished when we left but we felt good about the work we had put in that day. We called it quits around 3p because it was around 92 degrees and we were all exhausted! The Nelson's were so grateful. I also made a new friend, Anitha. She is from India and heard about our group going to Joplin. She didn't know any of us but met at our church and tagged along with us for the day. She is going to visit our Sunday School class with us soon too! And I just want to brag on my Sunday School class...what an amazing group of people we have in our class. Nathan and I have been BLESSED to be a part of this group and I can't tell you enough how much we love each and every person in there. They are so willing to serve people and we admire that so much. If you are ever looking for a Sunday School class, please message me. We would LOVE to have you join us!

Tomorrow, I am working half a day then am off until next Tuesday. Nathan's family reunion is this weekend so we are going to take a few days off to just relax with his family. I am really looking foward to hanging out with Nate for a few days!

I won't post again until we get back so I hope everyone has a great rest of the week and a safe, fun weekend! I'll post pictures when we get back!

-Chrissy-

"Be still and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10

Prayers

As everyone knows, the cities of Joplin, MO and Denning, AR were hit by devestating tornados this past week. Both cities have been damaged beyond belief. We don't ever imagine or prepare for something like that to ever occur in our area but the truth is, it can happen anywhere. In this time after these terrible storms, we need to be praying for these towns and others that the storm has not affected yet. We need to be doing all we can to help out these people who have lost everything. May are without food, water, homes, jobs, etc. Please donate, go help out, pray. I know JB Hunt has a trailer in the Mercy Medical parking lot just waiting to be filled up. As soon as its full, they will be taking it to Joplin immediately and bringing another truck in to start loading. One truck has already been filled (maybe another by now) so I encourage you to take part. Any donation, big or small, is helpful. There are also many teams that are being organized to go to the Joplin and Denning areas to help with Disaster Relief. You can call local churches or the Red Cross and they can tell you how you can get involved. The one thing that you don't have to go anywhere for or spend any money on though is prayer....I know that everyone in these areas can use a lot of that right now.

I pray that everyone around here never take for granted everything we have been blessed with. The storms they were predicting to come through our area last night were not nearly as bad as they were guessing which is such a blessing in itself. This is when I am so thankful though for the home I was raised in. I know that if something were to happen to me, I would be going to Heaven for ever. Do you know where you will be going? If not, I pray you will seek Jesus. He will always be with you in the storm.

-Chrissy-

"For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance." Romans 8:24-25