THOSE people

They are some of those people. You know them.
The people that waltz into your life and leave you unable to wrap words around your gratitude to God for their arrival. The people who somehow make that shift from friend to family. The people who you couldn't imagine your life without, nor would you ever want to. The people that illicit squeals upon sight, just because your heart leaps so loudly when you see them that your voice couldn't help but echo the feeling. They find their way into your favorite memories and always seem to make them better - whether it's the half-marathon from hell, (this may strike you as strong language, and it is, but this race deserved it) Starbucks dates where you just can't get over the fact that you get to live life with this amazing person, birthday parties for your little ones, late night talks complete with Chai and polka dot mugs or anything else quite honestly. Your heart gets all wrapped up in their lives and it's just the way you like it.
Yesterday these precious ladies went to a dance and I went all "obsessed picture-taking mother" on them. Why? Because I love them. Because if I could, I'd follow them around all the time preserving through pictures just how beautiful they are so that I wouldn't forget a moment and I could share it with the world and the world could be reminded of how beautiful life is - just by seeing them live life. (Yes, that does sound slightly creeper-ish...) And because I adore their friends. And their Elf parties...

So, here's a glimpse. Here's beauty. And hilarity. Mixed with pure awesomeness.


And yes, I do hair. Boo-yah. I learned a few things while soaking up the awesomeness of my friends at the spa... And Hilary, made props for catching me making this face. I cannot wait to see more of your work...



And these next few are courtesy of the AMAZING Hilary... And yes, she picked up my camera for the FIRST time and did this... Oh my word, girl, you've got made skills



My heart just melted. Two of my favorite people. EVER






Some seriously beautiful, AMAZING ladies. You girls rock...





These guys get at least 1,000 cool points






This is me...loving them





And this just made my day...

Forgetfulness

I forget. It’s what I do.
My heart had been beating a little faster all morning. Somehow I had to cram in dressing the children, showering, drying and hot-rolling my hair (which is quite the long and involved process – just ask my incredible stylist), making heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes to say “I love you” to my family, decorating the red velvet cupcakes we had made for some friends and preparing my little lady’s Valentine cards for her friends at church all before 10 am. (Yep, should have done some of this the night before…)
As we rushed out the door, I grabbed the cupcakes, the Valentines and shut myself in the car hoping to stuff 20 tattoos into the itty bitty slits (the Valentine card people must hate me) and trying to remember to take the hot-rollers out of my hair BEFORE we walked into church. (Yep, remembered those in the parking lot…) As we walked in, it hit me.
I forgot. But she can’t.
When she wakes up every morning, she can’t forget that this past year she was diagnosed with a disease that now dictates what she can and cannot eat. She can’t forget to take the pills that keep her body from fighting itself. And yet, I do.
And I hate it.
Because she wakes up every morning with this in her face.
She wakes up wondering if her body will cooperate and let her out of bed.
He lives with the fact that his parents are gone.
She negotiates life a continent away from her family.
And her? She keeps waking up to realize she wasn't dreaming, her dad is dead.
But me? I can forget.
It breaks my heart. Because I know what it’s like to be going through that and it feels like that has decided to sit on you and watch you squirm as you try to breathe. And you just long for someone to ache with you, sit with you, hurt with you and hold you. And it feels like no one remembers. They aren’t living with that. They can walk away. You can’t.
And it stings. It hurts. And you feel this lonely ache for someone to be with you. And sometimes you want someone to sit with you and forget that for a moment and enjoy a light-hearted exchange of laughter that declares your faith that God will not leave you even when you can’t utter those words.

So friends, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I so easily forget. I’m sorry that I forget all that you face. I’m glad that I know many of you know Jesus and you know He sits with you and aches with You and laughs with You and will never leave you nor forget your circumstances for a moment. And for those of you reading who don’t – oh how I pray that He’d help me or others in your life show you what that looks like. And that He’d give you the grace to forgive us when we epically fail.
I wish I had a good conclusion. I don’t. That’s it. I’m sorry. And I’m praying God will help me to slow down and remember. You’re worth it.


I'll close with a picture. If you've read my blog, you've already seen it. But it still makes me smile. Every time. So I'll share it with you again. And I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

One picture

Today I hold a picture. And some memories. And that is all I have left of her.
I don't talk about it often. Partially because time has helped ease some of the pain. And because I know where she is. But as we closely approach her birthday in this wintery month, with everything laid bare, I sometimes open up the box that holds her picture there and I take time to let my heart miss her.
I think back to memories of "equal time", biscuits, hamburgers made in the skillet that truthfully, I did not love, but because of who she was, I wanted to love them, chocolate milkshakes that defined the epitome of awesomeness, hugs that were warm and a heart that was ready to serve.
And sometimes, my heart aches over the memories that are not there. She never knew Ted. She was not there when I walked across the stage at Louisville Gardens to be handed my high school diploma. She was not there to bake and craft and dream and watch as Ted and I started our life as one. And she does not know two of my favorite little people in the entire world, one of them bearing her beautiful name.
And on a day like today, I miss her. I wish I had her here. And yet, my heart is happy for all the times I had. For all the moments she graciously watch me clumsily, not really pull off a backward somersault and yet acted as if it was the greatest things she'd ever seen...for the 22nd time, for the times where she let my delicate little fingers join hers in making something that would have been far easier to bake on her own.
Oh that my kids would have known the joy that was my Grandma... But I will tell them stories. And I will hug them tightly and I will joyously recount a life that was beautiful, a life that mattered and a life that inspired many. I will tell them of a beautiful lady who convinced her husband to by a large van at the ripe old age of 60-something simply so she could take shut-ins out to church who would otherwise have felt abandoned. I will tell them of a lady who took people into her home and made them family, when because of the color of their skin at that time, she was doing what was socially unacceptable.
And I will hold them tightly and breathe in the fact that I have this moment with them. I have no guarantees of how long these moments will last, but I will drink them in, no matter how tiring, difficult or beautiful they may be, because I have this moment.
And today my heart grieves that I hold one picture. I wish there were more. I wish there were pictures of her that could capture the perfectly imperfect wonderful-ness that was her. But I hold one. And I hold it tightly. And I vow to take more of my family. And others' families. And special days. And details so that we can hold them tightly and breathe in the beauty, celebrate and sometimes even mourn if necessary. And we can go back out into the world and see more vividly, live more largely and embrace this life to the full as much as we possibly can.
Today I bear the tear-stained eyes of one who does not forget and yet puts one foot in front of the other and soaks up today.

So today, here is a picture of one who bears her memory and one who bears her name (Alyce...and oh how I love that she spelled it with a "y")

Birthdays and Chipmunks

In life, there are THOSE people. You know them. The kind you meet and you can't begin to figure out how you lived a whole life before they joined you. The kind who you an think of mid-day and no matter how many times your kids have sung "the Hula Hoop" line in that Christmas song from Alvin and the Chipmunks, (which I'm convinced should be banned) you can think of them, and your heart still smiles - a big, toothy grin, too. The person who gets you and has seen the real you and doesn't want to turn around and sprint like it's their chance to join the Olympic team.
Somehow, God has given me five of these friends. I still can't believe it. And one of them had a birthday a month ago. And in classic Amy style, we celebrated this past weekend. Yep, that's right...one month late. Because nothing says "surprise" like celebrating someone's birthday one month later.
Here's some pics of some of my favorite people. They make my life a whole lot brighter and I hope these pics will make yours brighter, too.


The Cake. This cake holds my mom's cream cheese frosting upon it's luscious layers. Try not to lick the screen. Because her frosting is that good, friends...

Either she's really excited about the cake or she's about to blow out the candles...I'll let you decide

Serving up some yumminess

LOVE LOVE LOVE. The picture and the awesome Jamie in it...

Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil...awesome style

In hindsight, it looks more like I'm trying to flex my muscles.


I love this girl. So much. Oh my goodness...

One of my favorite ladies, who also made the party happen and happens to be gorgeous - just see her pictures here