reunited...and it feels so good!

Can I just tell y'all...I LOVED high school? ate.it.with.a.spoon.loved.it.

I have so many fond memories of great times with even greater people.

I count it a blessing that I am still proud to call these "greater people" dear friends after all these years.

As cheesy as it sounds, it is an honor to not only have dreamed life's dreams with these girls, but also have the privilege of watching so many of these dreams come true. What joy as life hands us answer after answer to the questions we wondered together as we set out on the little adventure we call life.

Over hot boxes of krispy kreme doughnuts we wondered where we would go, what we would do, what "the one" would look like and when on earth would he come to sweep us off our feet. Would have ruined all the fun if I could tell those 16 year old girls the answers, but sure would have been nice to let 16 year old me know that even your "fat" size 6 jeans will be a WAY distant memory when the hot sign goes off!

We dreamed big. We laughed a lot! We lived life full out! ...and we still do!

10 years later our high school reunion gave us another fun excuse to get together.

To kick of our reunion weekend Ashley (and her hubby James) had us over to cook out and get together. ALWAYS so much fun. In this crazy world, I'm thankful some things in life just don't change.

Catherine, me, Brett, Caroline, Ashley (we missed you Leslie!)

Caroline, Mark (Brett's hub), me, Catherine and Rocky (Caroline's hub)

The "official" reunion started with a cook out Saturday at Homewood Park. Our reunion was the same day as "We love Homewood day", so all the days' events added to our fun. So much fun to get together and see so many faces I hadn't gotten to seen in years...ten years.

Caroline, Kay, me, Leslie

Saturday night we got together again for dinner, dancing and cocktails. If you couldn't tell from this post we had a BLAST.

Mark, me, Catherine and Leslie and all the Johns

Catherine, me, Brett (and baby Parker)

me and Ashley

me, Katie, Leslie and Jemia

Cheers to the Class of 2000! Looking forward to all the blessings in the next 10 years!

Woodlawn United Methodist Church

As Christians we know that a church is not just a building. As children we learn, "the church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is a people."

Never the less Birmingham experienced a great loss yesterday.

Woodlawn United Methodist Church burned down yesterday. It is so sad even to say. Fortunately no one was seriously injured, but a building that is so much a part of my own history is forever gone.

My heart hurts for my family knowing the memories that building held. Four generations of Jeffs called this church home. In 1927 my dad's grandmother started going to Woodlawn. My grandfather was raised there. My dad christened there. My paternal grandparents were married there like my parents, as well as three of my aunts to my uncles. Both my dad's family, as well as my mom's family were very active in that church for a lifetime of years. Mom always shared memories about that church. She always pointed to where dad's family sat growing up. She talked about passing the church on her way to her grandmother's house even before they attended. She talked about youth activities and special people.

My mom started going to Woodlawn United Methodist Church in the third grade. I can not imagine how many services she attended. Wednesday night suppers, UMYFs, choir, handbells, countless activities as a child and in to high school. My parents starting dating during a Woodlawn Methodist a church retreat.

When I think of Woodlawn my memories are very different than any of my other family members I am sure. I think of sitting in the center of the balcony as a little girl taking in all around me. What a gorgeous church. This was obvious even to a child. The giant wooden doors. Incredible stained glass windows. Larger than life organ. Beautifully stained pews. Even the cushions in the front almost seemed to special to kneel on. I can remember looking over my left shoulder anxiously waiting to see Honey come in with his offering plate. What an example. Grandmother would quietly unroll a pack of mints and pass them down to each of us. What a treat. My Aunt Gail directing the choir or coming back to see our younger cousins in the Children's Christmas programs.

Though none of my family still attends Woodlawn United Methodist now, I know that church in many ways will always be considered as home.

I think about my own life. I think about the memories I have of growing up at Trinity. Being able to go home and see the place that holds so many special times. I also think about the fond memories John and I have of our own church home in Montgomery only with in the first very short three years. I think about the dear friends we have made. I think about the babies born, youth activities and special events. I can only imagine the magnitude these memories will have in 60 plus years. So many people who made Woodlawn Methodist are no longer with us, but that building could have told thousands of stories of dear dear friends, babies, weddings, and all of life's celebrations...it truly was a family. "The church is the people"

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/05/woodlawn_united_methodist_chur.html

Is this the house of Mistress Mouse?

I have random thoughts...this is not news to most of you. Yesterday I had a random thought that lead me down a really fun trip down memory lane.

I was getting ready for work. I was in the bathroom, but the Today Show was on in the bedroom as usual. A commercial came on talking about all the new shows that would be on tonight...Grey's, Ugly Betty etc. etc. This particular commercial said something about this episode of Ugly Betty it is Betty's Birthday yada yada.. My brain was already on to something else. Hearing "Betty's Birthday" reminded me of one of my all time very favorite books...Betty Bear's Birthday.

Later that day I was thinking about joy. Topics that both Carrie and Laura wrote about. I thought about choosing joy, what it means to be joyful and then WHAT brings you joy. I know that there is a difference in happiness and true joy, so in some ways I am using "joy" loosely. But hopefully you will understand. Most of you know that I am not an avid reader. But after thinking about Betty Bear for the first time in at least a decade it brought me a different kind of "joy" or happiness that was fun to think about.

Last night I was at John and Nick's softball game. I did not want to go, but once I got there I was happy I did not insist on staying at home. It was a beautiful night with beautiful company and Laura and Nick brought us comfortable chairs. Laura and I got on the topic of memories and first memories (you can read her blog about this too)I too consider myself someone who can recall vivid early memories. As I thought about some of my favorite early memories I started thinking about things that I LOVED to do...at the top of the list was reading the books with my mom.

It took me a while to get to the point of this post, but as I think about my VERY favorite books I can not help but wonder if I came in to this world who I am loving some of the things I love, or did the exposure to these topics and ideas help make "teach" me to love some of them? Hmm...psychologically it is fun to think about but on a much lighter level I just think it is funny to think about what books were/are my FAVORITE. It is also neat to think about what interests a child, not just me as a child, but any child. Stuart, Rachael and I had very different favorites growing up, so I can not help wonder if part of the person you are today comes here just the way you are!


1. Betty Bear's Birthday- I have already mentioned this one, but to my best memory Betty Bear's Birthday is about a cute bear who lives in the Forest. It is her birthday. She visits with all of her friends and goes about her day and no one tells her "Happy Birthday!" At the end of the book she is sad and she goes home(i think home?) and all her friends are there to surprise her! They had not forgotten...just were building up for the big party!! I can remember reading this with mom. I remember feeling so sad for Betty, but more importantly I remember the "Joy" I felt when it was time for the surprise party! I am pretty sure this was my first exposure to the idea of "surprise party" different idea as an adult, but to a child it was a brand NEW concept that was one of the most exciting ideas to me! I love friends, I love birthdays and I love a party... Fun fact, Mom also read this to me on my 16th birthday and the end was the "cue" for my friends to come out from every direction for my very own surprise party!


2. Nice New Blue Shoes- (SADLY no picture of this one!)This book is about a little girl who goes shopping with her mother. I can not remember the whole story I just remember the "Joy" of sitting with mom and saying out loud "Nice New, Nice Blue, Nice New Blue Shoes!!" It thrilled me! Funny, I still love shopping especially with my mom and I still love NEW SHOES!!


3. Is this the House of Mistress Mouse?- Quite possibly my favorite of my favorites. If I remember correctly this book was about a Mister Mouse who is invited to go visit with Mistress Mouse, but for some reason she does not tell him or he does not know where she lives. He goes lots of places looking for the "House of Mistress Mouse". The best part about this book is that is has a whole in the center of it that you stick your finger through on each page. You see the different animals he meets and as I recall you get to "try on" a beautiful ring and feel the baby fur of the baby mouse at the end. I remember the "Joy" and anticipation of the pages turning. How much fun it was to see the animals and try on that ring and loving on that baby...


4. Pig Pig Grows Up- This book was a funny book. It is even funnier to me to think about how funny I really thought this book was. It is also very funny to think maybe my mom was trying to teach me a little something...hmmm..Pig Pig is about a Pig who does not want to grow up. He is a "Big Pig" now but insists on "wearing" his baby clothes, eating baby food and sleeping in his baby crib. Pig Pig does grow up, but I was so connected to Pig Pig and I totally understood how he felt!


5. The terrible thing that happened at our house- This book is another one that makes me wonder if mom was trying to "teach" me something. It also is just another reminder of what a great mother I have, and what a great mother she has always been. In this book a little girl's mom goes back to work, it is crazy at home, dad helps with some stuff but everyone is so rushed it is not the same. Being someone who recalls early memories I have lots of memories with Mom staying at home with me (us) I remember conversations in the car taking Stuart and Rachael places even before I was old enough to school. I remember Mom and I having walks and picnics in the front yard, but I don't really remember when she had to go back to work. Maybe this one is due to mom and this book. Perfect for a child who has always been borderline obsessed with her mom!

This little trip also led me to Amazon and Ebay. I am hoping to find all of these books so that I can read each of them again over and over, and hopefully one day to my children as well. I am sure there are "favorite" parts and pictures that I have forgotten, but I am also sure the topics will not seem nearly as "life changing" as they once did. It brought back fun and fond memories just seeing the cover pictures on line. Do any of you have favorites!? Not just books you recall reading as a child, but books that you can still remember the way you felt while reading them?