Memories

Andy and I are in the process of turning our front bedroom into Aubrey's playroom and while doing so we realized we had to much stuff, so we are planning for a yard sale next weekend. This weekend we almost got the whole playroom cleaned out and andy started working on getting down yard sale stuff from the attic. He told me I had two boxes to go through that were labeled "Jenifer's Stuff" :) I opened the first and it was just a bunch of disney VHS tapes.... since we do not even have a VCR most likely they will be sold (unless they are worth anything on ebay).
The second box took me straight back to highschool..... it was like a time machine as I sat on my bed and went through old letters and pictures and journals. WoW is all I can say, as I read through the first notebook of letters I had kept from friends and boyfriends it was like I was there all over again. The fun WONDERFUL times with my 3 best friends Stacy, Courtney, and Cindy. The memories I have with the three of them will last forever. I laughed as I read through letters about how one of us would have decided we didn't want to be best friends with the other ones anymore, how petty it was, but at the time how hurt we would feel. Looking back at pictures of us the week after new years that we all four spent together.... the things we thought of to do that week were so much fun I could not even begin to tell what all we got into that week :) I found my trading cards that Courtney and I collected for a year or two.... I don't even know what I am going to do with them all, I have folders FULL of animation trading cards. Does anyone even know what I am talking about?!?! I found my whistles from when Stacy and I worked at the YMCA together, we had sooo much fun getting a tan AND getting paid for it. I also found pictures of Cindy and I in her white car.... I don't remember what kindof car it was but all I can say is Roller Coaster Road, that should speak for itself :) I am blessed to know that although we have all gone seperate ways and have grown up I can still call all three of them my friend. I am so proud of all three..... Courtney I see how successful she has become with her Real Estate and how happy she is married to the man of her dreams Jamie. Stacy graduated college and is now working at UAB in the liver center ... helping the sick, she was always GREAT at being compassionate and loving. Cindy, took in her niece and nephews and gave them a Godly home to grow up in, I can not say I know many people who would take on a such a big life changing thing.... but I know Cindy probably has never even thought twice about it.

I then moved onto my journal that I kept when I was 17 and 18.... I met andy when I was 17 and I went to Summer Beach Project and lived in Panama City Beach for 10 weeks with a bunch of college kids. I am not going to knock beach project because I know of alot of people who have LOVED it.... and I was ministered to while I was there but I did not have a very good summer and I wrote about it ALL in my journal :) I did alot of spiritual growth when I was 17 and I am so thankful I have written it all down to go back to and remember. I have alot of memories with Andy written in the journal, we struggled alot in our relationship starting off.... if you read my journal you would NEVER have guessed that I would wind up married to this guy.... but about mid-way through God intervened and changed his life & his heart! Thank you God! Alittle over a year after he was saved we were married and God has blessed our marriage and given us the most precious gift of all which is Aubrey! It was so wonderful to look back at my prayer request and my concerns that I had lifted up to God..... and he answered so many of my prayers, he changed my heart in so many ways and it is just a reminder that I serve a loving God who cares about me! Even when I was a selfish spoiled little brat 17 year old that did ALOT of complaining He listened and comforted me when I was hurting because I lost my Papaw, He changed Andy's heart, and gave me a wonderful Husband who I love so much! It all reminded me of

Jeremiah 29:11-13

For I know the plans I have for you,"

declares the LORD,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me,

and I will listen to you.

You will seek me and find me

when you seek me with all your heart.

I am so thankful that He has a plan for me.... when I was 17 I didn't know I would be where I am today.... now I am 24 and I have NO idea where I will be when I am 30, but I know that God has a plan for me. He will not leave me, He will always be with me guiding me every step of the way and I am SOOO thankful for that!

I then finished up my journals and closed everything back up walked out to the garage put it all back in the same box and closed the box up, the next morning andy said "does all this go back up into the attic" and I said "Yes, I am not ready to get rif of ANY of that!" One day I will get to through it all again.....