We Have a Sisterness About Us

When I entered the world 23 years ago I was given one of this lifetime's best gifts, sisters. I know some children beg their parents for siblings and wait patiently for them to arrive but I didn't have to. As the baby of the family the moment my life began I had built-in best friends for the rest of my life. Although Lesley isn't my sister, she might as well be. This beloved cousin experienced life right along side my sisters and I. I can't remember a time when she wasn't a part of our lives. In fact, when I think back on some of my fondest memories as a child, she is in them. As a child, the four year gap between me and the oldest seemed like an eternity. Now, with all of us in our mid twenties, the gap keeps getting smaller and smaller. Now-a-days, the four of us live in FOUR different states.
Brooke- Evansville, IN
Lesley- St. Charles, MO
Morgan- Nashville, TN
Me- Champaign, IL
It doesn't seem to matter the distance, they are some of my favorite people in the world and I turn to them for spiritual guidance and advice about life in general.
SO, this weekend the former Dudley girls + one former Cosner girl, got together in Nashville to laugh, dance, eat, and enjoy each others company.

The First Casualty

It's true,
My red leather sling-back is officially the first to go.

AHHHHH the joys of having a puppy.

Another Wedding, More Photos... Big Surprise:)

Matt and I attended yet another wedding this weekend in Springfield. A good family friend, Heather, tied the knot with long time beaux Troy. The pink & brown sports themed wedding was very fun and energetic. If you knew the two, you would expect nothing less.

I just couldn't miss out on the fab lighting outside the tent reception Saturday night. It turned into a great photo opp. for the Slaters, seeing as they were all dressed up.

My buddy Kellen in his A-Dorable surfboard pjs. He loves his Aunt Nanon and Nena's counter top:) I will get to see him 3 weekends in a row. What a lucky girl I am.

Wonderful Family

Matt and I headed home last weekend and attended my cousin Logan's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and we had a wonderful time catching up with family, as always. Another highlight was seeing my fabulous nephew Kellen, along with Brooke and Karsten, who are visiting from Evansville. That ALWAYS makes for a fun weekend. We also got to lounge by the pool Sunday which was quite refreshing (makes me miss my life guarding/swimming lesson days, where I spent my life outdoors....sigh).
Enough talk... more pictures

My handsome date and I (I'd marry this fella 1,000 times!)
Me with Grandma and Grandad, two of my favorite people!

Karsten, Kellen, and Brooke B and K know how to get down.

Kellen pushing his maw mow (that is lawnmower in K-Slater Language)

Pa and Kellen are apparently tuckered out from the long weekend... YAWN!

Running on Empty

I jump in my car and reach for my cell as I always do at the start of my lunch break. I notice at once the battery indicator is on the very last bar, you know the one right before it starts beeping annoyingly at you? I risk it and call my husband anyway. I get his voicemail. I don’t leave a message (no sense in wasting more of my battery life). I glance at my gas gage and see that I am millimeters away from my gaslight coming on, which obviously means I have waited far too long to fuel up. Everyone knows that your car runs better on a full tank of gas. I think about getting gas. This leads me to my dwindling checking account. (Both of us get paid tomorrow so for the next 24 hours funds are low). Who ever heard of getting paid once a month anyway? Don’t worry things are fine for us, we aren’t going broke… I just feel like I am running on empty, stretching everything to get the optimum use, sometimes causing utter destruction.

All of us are familiar with the phrase "running on empty." It is a way to describe a situation that has exhausted all required resources and has essentially left nothing to draw energy from. This can also be known as running on fumes, which is the act of producing energy with the wavering remains of a powerful agent that once supplied power.

How many times do we as Christians “run on empty/fumes” in our spiritual lives? How many times do we come home from a conference, mission trip, or even a great Bible study all gassed up? How long is it until we re-fuel or charge the battery? Since Matt and I have been helping out with the youth this summer, this has really been on my mind since many of them are leaving on mission trips soon. I know that I tend to ride the high for as long as possible and sometimes I am left with nothing and I am guessing it happens to others as well.

Just like keeping gas in your car or a charge in your phone, it is ESSENTIAL to fuel your Spiritual life with consistent quiet time and study. I know this seems elementary and it probably is but it’s something that needs to be taught all the time. More importantly, we need to learn the warning signs when we are not properly feeding our spiritual life. When your phone starts beeping at you, you know you need to charge your battery. It’s the same when the gas light comes on in the car. Do we ignore the warnings that God is giving us when we are straying? Are we reverting to old habits, finding ourselves anxious, lonely, angry? I am beginning to understand the signs now and I am so grateful that God, with His perfect grace, allows me to come back and be cleansed by his blood.

Sorry for the randomness.... I think I am going to fuel up my car.

Landscaping??

Now that Matt and I are getting our lawn under control, it is time to start landscaping.We are getting pretty stoked to try out our green thumbs. Lets hope we can keep the plants alive!!!No Landscaping

Cheezy hand drawn landscaping.

This is how we do.

This weekend was FULL of events, just the way we like it.
One of my best buds, Bonnie, came to visit along with her boyfriend Clint (the infamous weather man of Southern Illinois). We had such a wonderful time just chatting and catching up. It is so nice to have enough room for over night guests now. Their visit also gave me an excuse to make a Baked Alaska Cake... I will post the recipe soon but here are some photos...
On Sunday Matt and I went to celebrate Grandpa Eugene's (Matt's maternal grandfather) 85th birthday. The whole family went to Church with him and then we had lunch in the fellowship hall. It's always wonderful to get together with family. Even he liked Izzy.I'll end with some Izzy Pictures... She is getting sooo big!