I'm an Aunt...Again!

Yes, that's right, ladies and gents!  My brother-in-law and sister, Paul & Sara, are proud parents of a beautiful baby girl born today.  Her name is Lauren Priya, and she arrived at 4:03 this morning weighing 6 lbs 15 oz and 19 1/2 inches long.  She's a beauty :)  I want to hold her all the time.  Below are some pictures of the proud aunt, uncle, grandma and father!

Princess Cut - THIS YOU GOTTA SEE!

Let's start this post out with an upcoming event that I CANNOT wait to go to - my cousins, Paul & Sheilah Munger, wrote, produced & directed a film called "Princess Cut."  They screened the movie for my family and I at our most recent family reunion in Tennessee, and I have to say, I thought the movie was INCREDIBLY well-done and had a great Christian message in it.  Watch the trailer here or simply watch the trailer below.

Anyway, so there's going to be a local showing of the movie on Tuesday, October 20th at Eagle Ridge mall at 6:30 PM.  Find out more about the event on Facebook.  There's 16 days left to pre-order tickets, and we need 65 more tickets pre-ordered in order for the movie to be shown.  Pre-order tickets here.

Please buy tickets and support this endeavor to bring more positive, Christian messages into our media!  I hope to see you there!

Fourth of July with the Fam

This past weekend was great, you guys :) Saturday, the whole family (minus Matt) for together at my mom's condo to grill out, play games, and go swimming. It was lovely. Can I just say I love days spent with all these guys?

In Matters of the Heart

It was a Thursday afternoon at 5:33 PM.  I was rushing to get all of my work done before I had to leave for the day.  I was standing in front of the drawers containing the investment files, struggling to pull all of the investment files for the tax clients who were scheduled to see Lynn the following week.  Just as I was contemplating how to move a towering stack of emerald green folders, the phone rang.




"Lynco Financial & Tax Services, this is Christina; how can I help you?"  Breathless, because I had barely reached the phone before the fourth ring. 




"Have you checked your cell phone lately?"  My sister, Sara, in a weirdly intense and accusatory tone.




Then, getting defensive, I replied, "No, I'm at work."




"Mom just had a heart attack.  We're at the hospital now.  She's in surgery getting a stent put in."




The words "mom" and "heart attack" kept reverberating in my mind.  They couldn't be in the same sentence.  The two nouns couldn't be related.  My mom?  Had a heart attack?  For a second, I forgot how to breathe; then I realized it was because the tears were already trying to choke me.




MY MOM.  HAD A HEART ATTACK.  It finally clicked in my brain.  Sara had given the phone to my other sister, Jessica, who was calmly relaying more details.




"I'll be there as soon as I can."

Bored Before Christmas

I think the reason I usually procrastinate so long before anything is that it builds the anticipation.  Also, if I'm super productive and get everything done ahead of time, all I have left to do is wait.  And wait.  And wait.  Which is no fun, because then I just get bored.  Like today.  I'm done with all my Christmas shopping, and I'm done with all my homework for my Master's degree.  So now what?  I'm bored, broke, and in debt.

Yeah, this is great.

I could exercise, but that's no fun to do alone, and I don't feel like getting all sore and sweaty.

I could write more in either of my two stories, but it's been so long since I've updated them, I've forgotten where I was going.

I could...well, that's about it.

So what am I doing instead?  Shopping on Amazon and Etsy, of course!  And spending more money I don't have.  Pfft.

I want to decorate a gingerbread house.  I want to write a song.  I want to have a guitar lesson.  Where are my artistic and musical peeps at?

Sorry if this was more like a drawn-out Facebook status than an actual blog post.  Here's some fun pictures to make it more interesting:

*Sigh* I need to go caroling.

SICK

Yes, I am sick.  As in, stuffy/runny nose, sore throat, entire body aching, wishing-I-was-in-bed sick.  Ugh.  But I came to work, because I'm a faithful employee (and part-time means if I don't come to work, I don't get paid).  Yet, all I want to do is go back to bed.

So, to take my mind off the fact that I'm not feeling too good, I want to praise God for the things He has done/is doing in my life.  Ready?  I thought so :)

First of all, I want to thank Him for my family!

Me with my nephew, Liam, and my niece, Bella, at Disney for my 25th birthday :)

Me, Mom, my brother-in-law (Matt), my nephew (Liam), my niece (Bella), my grandma, and my sister (Jessica) in New Mexico this past March.

Me, my two sisters (Jessica and Sara), my Mom, and my niece and nephew in church last year :)

My cousin, Jennifer, her daughter, Bailey, and I at our family reunion in Marietta, SC at the beginning of July 2013.

Next, I want to thank Him for my closest friends :)

Me, Hannah, and Amy :)

Me, Stephanie, and Amy :)

Dakota, Amy, and Me...I hang out with Amy a lot :P

And finally, I want to thank Him for Tyler :)

We take silly photos together :)

We hug a lot.  This is us, hugging.  Without hair.  Or clothes.  Or noses.

I am thankful for so many other things, but these are the people God has put in my life to bless me beyond measure.  Thank you, Lord! :)

The Amendment =)

Ho-kay. So. Here's the thing.

APPARENTLY in my last few posts, I left some VERY important people (and by people, I mean a person) out.

So let me amend that.
Matthew McCard, my brother-in-law...you.are.awesome.

Thank you for being my movie buddy. Thank you for helping me cheat on my diet sometimes (SHHH! Don't tell Jessica!). And thank you for being the brother I never had. I really am so thankful for you in my life. I'm so glad God was able to bring you and I close as family just as God was able to bring Jessica and I close as friends. What a great God we serve!

...And thanks for being a firefighter. That's really cool in my book ;)

Embarrassing camo photo - check.

Matt is also a great family-type man!

And he really loves his wife!

And his mom!

I just stumbled on this photo whilst trying to find photos that Matt and I are actually in together - aka NOT A LOT.


In conclusion, Matt McCard is a great guy. Just ask my sister :)

THE END!

PS: Matt, we need more pictures together.

THE FOR-REAL END!!

Pictures!

My last post was getting kinda long, so this post will just be pictures! Yay!

^Me and Lo at Alli and Trav's wedding in January =)

^Me and Alli!!!! "How beautiful the radiant bride...!"

^Me and Malia at my old roommate's, Mary's, wedding - also in January!

^Me and Mary =)))))

^A fun excursion Amy, Dakota, Hannah, and I took while in Clearwater. This is our band cover photo.

^This photo (as well as the next four) feature my trio, which includes me, Amy, and Dakota. In addition to taking great pictures together, we make great music together. You should check us out =)

^Me, Jessica, Sara, and my Mom - all at Faith Baptist Church. I love it when my church family and my biological family can merge like this!!!

^Me and Bella after her dance recital!

^All the family that was able to come to Bella's baptism! Included are Matt, Jessica, Matt's mom, Matt's stepdad, Aunt Judy, Sara, Paul, Mom, Bella, Liam, and me!

^This was the proudest I've been of Bella so far in her life. One day we will both be together in Heaven!! =)

^Beach day after Hannah's wedding. SO FUN!

^Me and Bella at her Kindergarten graduation program =)

As this next progression shows, crazy things happen when Amy and I get together...

First, the cake comes out...

Then, it somehow gets shoved in faces... ;)

And, you know, we like to keep our silly face-making fresh...

And so clean =)

As you can see, Dakota and I like to make faces as well.

...

...

...

But, let me assure you, we still know how to smile =)

But where would I be without my friend Hannah?....

"What made us friends in the long ago, when we first met? Well, I think I know..."

"...the best in me and the best in you hailed each other because they knew..."

"...that always and always since life began, our being friends was part of God's plan."

So once again I ask, where would I be? Thank God I will never have to find out =)

......................So thus my picture-sharing comes to an end. Thank you for visiting! Come back again soon now, ya hear?!