Zip Lining

Today I can mark off one of my 30 before 30! Trey and I went zip lining in the north Georgia mountains at Blue Ridge and had so much fun! It went by so much faster than we were expecting but it was great! We can't wait to do it again.

We both had two runs on the line and Trey was able to snap some shots of me going down the first time. I was going to get some of him the second time but he wanted to try to take a video. Unfortunately it didn't come out :( But we still got some good ones of him.

How Great Thou Art!

I am often inspired by music. When I hear a beautiful song, it can give me chills and just put me in the mental state. I first heard this rendition of "How Great Thou Art" a few months ago and looked it up online to see the video. It gave me chills then to hear Carrie Underwood's angelic voice blare this beautiful church hymn and it still does.

How appropriate that it aired on CMT's Girl's Night Out on Good Friday. If you haven't heard it you should really take a minute and check this out.

(if you don't have the patience to listen to the whole song fast forward to 3:06 where it gets really good)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLMzr3PFgk

30 before 30

Inspired by my friend Lindy's recent post I thought I'd make my own 30 before 30 list.

Here it goes... (in no particular order)

1. Run a half marathon
2. Take a boot camp class
3. Listen to a performance by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
4. Do another Marist Woman’s Habitat House Build
5. Join a Bible Study
6. Start riding bikes with Trey
7. See the Grand Canyon
8. Visit my brother David, Asli and Alex in Houston
9. Visit my brother Ryan in Albany, NY
10. Learn to play tennis
11. Have a baby (would love a boy first but a healthy baby will be just great for me)
12. Find a job I love or love the job I have
13. Go Zip Lining
14. Learn to sew fancy things with a machine like curtains
15. Take a piano lesson (or two or three)
16. Plant hydrangea in the yard
17. Plant an herb garden
18. Go back to Spain or Italy
19. Make a peach cobbler pie from scratch
20. Learn how to change a tire
21. Serve food at a homeless shelter
22. See the Broadway Production of Wicked (in NY or traveling at the Fox)
23. Finish reading the Autobiography of George W. Bush
24. Watch all of the Harry Potter movies (to figure out what the fuss is all about)
25. Take a Spanish class to brush up on my grammar
26. Go to Disneyworld, Las Vegas, or NYC for New Years (or anytime)
27. Go Salsa dancing at Loca Luna
28. Go Ice Skating at Centennial Olympic Park at Christmas time
29. Watch the Stone Mountain Laser Show
30. See Miranda Lambert in concert

Mommy Daughter Night and AXO Reunion

Friday night was a special treat for me because I got to have a date night with my mom. It's not very often it's just the two of us so it's always fun when I get the chance. My cousin was in the traveling Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof at the Fox theater and gave us comp tickets. The seats were great. We were so close up we could actually see the actors facial expressions. I loved the music too and have been singing the tune "If I were a Rich Man... " since Friday. Hopefully he'll be in more musicals at the Fox because I could definitely get used the free tickets. :)

Saturday it was back to Athens for a reunion with 3 of my closest friends from my sorority (Alpha Chi Omega)- Christy, Amy and Mackenzie. There aren't many college memories I have that didn't include them in it and it's crazy to think of how much time had passed since we were all together. But- also equally crazy to think how much time had flown by but it felt like not a single minute had lapsed.

We all scattered the winds after college but my friend Amy just moved back from L.A. and bought a house at the Georgia Club in Athens. It was so much fun seeing all them and it's hard to believe 3 of us are married, one almost married and 1 already has a beautiful little baby. My how time flies!

Me, Christy, Amy (and little Madison), and Mackenzie

Serenity

I listen to Pandora radio at work every day. I plug my headphones into the computer, enjoy the random mix of tunes that come out usually on my Miranda Lambert channel and then get in the zone and bill away. That’s typically my routine at work. Listening to the music is so calming but sometimes I get so in the zone I forget I’m even listening.

Yesterday, however I found myself zoning in and out of thinking about Brittney and Brian and all of her family and friends. It’s been a recurring thought in my mind since the tragic events of last Friday unfolded. I still can’t believe it and I just keep praying for peace and comfort for all those closest to her who will now have to move on without her.

It was in a moment of reflection on Brittney and Brian that I heard the following song come on my playlist. It’s Leann Rimes “Probably Wouldn’t Be this Way.” The song is a reflection by a young grieving wife who lost her husband and is trying to move on in the world without him. To give a short feel for the lyrics the chorus sings, “It probably wouldn’t be this way, probably wouldn’t hurt so bad. I never pictured every minute without you in it. Oh you left so fast. Sometimes I see you standing there. Sometimes it's like I’m losing touch. Sometimes I feel that I’m so lucky to have had the chance to love this much.”

In hearing those lyrics I near lost it thinking of the pain and struggle Brian is facing. It all just seems so unfair. Why do bad things happen to good people? I will never understand that.

Then the following lines followed, “God gave me a moment’s grace. Cause if I’d never seen your face, it probably wouldn’t be this way.”

I thought about those lyrics and then had to smile because that phrase, “It is better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all,” never rang more true. Some people search their entire lives and never share an ounce of what was apparently shared between Brian and Brittney during their time together. I pray Brian can find solace in knowing he at least felt that kind of love.

It also made me think again of my post earlier this week where I realized how grateful I am for the gifts I have and the love of those dearest to me. And it made me realize that each of us has God given talents and gifts that we shouldn’t waste in hopes of a tomorrow. Because we all have been reminded that tomorrow may never come.

I have been known to be a complainer from time to time- yes, we’re not all perfect ;) But I have always been a person of faith and I strongly believe it’s that faith that has always carried me through the best and worst times of my life thus far. I continue to pray for all who have been affected by Brittney’s death. I pray that I can take from this tragedy a new found sense of complete contentment with all that I have and hopefully share some of my faith with others who might be struggling.

So for starters I thought I’d share a prayer with anyone who cares to read it. I went to a religious book store a few years ago looking for a baptism gift for my nephew and saw this prayer on a little plaque. It had always been one of my favorites so I bought it and it sits on the counter of our master bathroom as a constant reminder to me when times get tough. I’m sure you’ve all heard it before but just in case you’ve forgotten:

“Lord grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

the Courage to change the things I can;

and the Wisdom to know the difference.”

LITB Brittney

Last Friday went something like this for me…

Alarm clock rang at 7:15 am…Hit Snooze…Snoozed again…and again…and again.
Finally got up 7:40 am…Brushed my teeth, got dressed and the rest of the ritual…
Out the door at 8 am.
Dermatologist appointment in Dunwoody at 8:30 am
“Face looks fine,” he said, “The fading cream is working on your face. The sun spots have faded.” Yay!
Left Doctor’s office 9:01 am.
Planned to take 400 South…Signs on 285 read MAJOR TRAFFIC DELAYS (30 minutes plus) on 400
Crap!
Already running late! Annoyed and stressed because of work deadline.
Kept driving out of my way back to 75 to head downtown…Made it door to door 15 minutes. Not too bad.
Logged onto my computer 9:20 am…Talked to my office mate Lula about our weekend plans.
She was going to Gainesville, FL…I was excited to welcome another nephew to the family and had plans to go to the Braves game Friday night and the Coca Cola film series at the Fox to see Bridesmaids Saturday night.
9:30 am heated up my oatmeal and ate my Greek yogurt for breakfast…MMMmmm.
Started working…A.D.D. kicked in.
Checked the news, Casey Anthony to be released on Sunday…Got away with murder- ugh!
Plugged my headphones into the computer…Started listening to Pandora while I was working.
10:30 am- talked to Lula again…11 am- took a phone call to answer questions about our review.
Then somewhere between 11:50 and 12:05 IT happened.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG
Pulled my Left headphone out, turned around and asked Lula, “Did you hear that?”
She said, “maybe, what was that?”
“I don’t know, sounded like gunshots.”
“Hmm, who knows.”
“Yea, maybe it was construction.”
12:06 pm I looked around outside my window…Didn’t see anything.
Kept working.
12:07 pm- hear noise in the conference room next door…Blinds going up. People talking loudly in the hall.
Lady comes in from picking up sandwich across the street and says, “some girl just got shot!”
OH MY GOSH!
Chills
I feel sick.
I just heard that.
I look straight below my window.
Chaos.
Sirens.
So many people.
Cops.
Ambulances.
Fire trucks.
Flashing lights.
Stretchers.
I look at Lula and say, “Who could do such a thing. I feel so terrible.”
That could have been me. That could have been her.
I hope everyone is alright.
It’s broad daylight.
Just when you feel safe you’re reminded you’re not.
That poor girl.
Maybe it was his girlfriend and he was mad at her?
Maybe she got robbed by a stranger?
What is the world coming to!!!?
Emotions flood… Shaken up…Angry…Sad…Confused…Unable to concentrate
Gunman still out on the loose.
I call Trey, nerves still rattled and sick to my stomach…Can’t eat lunch.
Ask him if he heard the news…Nope… I tell him what happened…He’s glad I’m ok.
Me too. We had gotten in a stupid argument the night before and I couldn’t imagine that being the last thing he remembered of me.
Grateful to be alive. Grateful for him.
Praying for the victims…Tried to keep working…Mission impossible…Hours pass.
4 pm email comes from Trey. “Babe, I know who died. I can’t say now because other people at work don’t know yet.”
OH MY GOSH- it’s someone we know…Terrified…Called Trey…No answer…Called Trey again…No answer…Texted Trey…No answer…FREAKING OUT...
Where is he? What happened? Who died? So scared for the answer.
30 minutes pass
Trey calls me.
It was Brittney Watts.
SILENCE
Tears well in my eyes.
What?!
I thought they were in still in Tampa.
No, “they moved back a few weeks ago.”
“Just bought a home in Decatur.”
Poor Brian.
I can’t imagine the pain.
Feeling sick again.
Somber moment then we hang up and say we’ll see each other soon.
Tears start flooding.
How could he kill Brittney?
She was so sweet.
Never spoke ill of anyone and was so young and full of life.
Couldn’t work anymore.
Went home grateful for my life and those I love and felt sorrow for losing Brittney and the destruction the loss would cause her family and friends.
Hugged Trey when he got home and realized I have so much to be grateful for.

Perhaps an odd way to recount the horrors of that day, but there are no good words to describe the feelings and emotions that hit when I learned the news that the gunshots I heard had taken the life of one of my sorority sisters and the wife of one of Trey’s friends at work. She had so much to live for and reading her blog only left more feelings of pain to know how excited she had been to come home to Atlanta.
I was not a close friend of Brittney. She was a year below me in school but I knew her and I knew she was a great person. We had shared time together at many events in school through our sorority functions. She could light up a room with her infectious smile and the world was a better place with her in it. I have never had a tragedy bother me as much as Brittney’s death. Perhaps it is because I heard the shots and it all just hit too close to home for comfort. But I believe it’s because I knew her to be a good person who deserved a long and happy life with her loving husband who I can only imagine is lost without her.
I know Brittney is in heaven now at peace but it’s devastating to think of how one senseless act by an evil person could cause pain to so many lives.
I pray for her mother who has to do what no parent should in burying her daughter. I pray for her husband, Brian who lost his best friend and will need love and support to get through this. I pray for all who loved and knew her the best. She had a special bond with her closest friends and I always thought so highly of all of those girls. I feel for them and the pain I know they are feeling. I know that their facebook posts can only give a sliver of their true emotions in this dark time.
There really are no words to describe pain in this loss but I know she is in heaven, and that nothing can touch her anymore. I am comforted by that thought and I pray that those who loved her the most can find comfort, strength and peace in that thought as well.
I don’t write this post today to invoke sympathy from anyone but rather to share the story and let this be lesson to all of us to be grateful for what we have and to never let a day pass when you don’t share with those you love how you feel about them. No matter how annoying things are in your day, whether it’s running late because of a doctor’s appointment and traffic jams, or getting to work and finding out you’ve got a rushed deadline and overtime waiting for you on the weekend, or simply feeling bad because your day or perhaps your life for that matter, isn’t going as planned- NOTHING is wrong because you are alive and likely surrounded by people who love you no matter what..

Brittney, I feel honored and thankful to have known you and I know you’re in heaven looking down on all of us today. May we always remember you as the beautiful person you were and May we all use your life as an example to live ours to the fullest, as you did, grateful for the gifts we have and the love we share with others, because we never know when God might call us as He called you. May you rest in peace and May those who mourn you be surrounded by God's grace and love. LITB.

Welcome Baby Hudson!

Yesterday morning around 11 am my brother and sister in law Robby and Carrie Beth welcomed their third child into the world. Hudson Zachary is the cutest little baby boy and Trey and I were so excited to meet him! So happy for the Posener family and glad to welcome another nephew to the family :)

Me and Hudson with one proud Big Sister Handley

Proud Uncle Trey