A visit long overdue!

It seems like I've seen this picture before...same terra-cotta silk, familiar Bernina sewing machine, same color thread...my shirt just keeps changing color *smile*  

But this time I wasn't in the same place!! (I was far away from my little sewing room at home.) This picture was taken in Virginia in the warm, cozy home of my brother and sister!  Bethany was a bridesmaid and let me say that it is practically impossible to make a dress for your sister without having her in the same room. (well, maybe not, but it worked as a pretty good excuse this time)

 I was going to be there for the whole weekend but we decided to get out 'work' done first. So Friday morning we used every bit of 2 hours for our 'work' and then...DONE! What relief, God was so good and everything went perfectly...I should do a whole post on these dresses! God proved Himself over and over again!!! He is SO faithful!
Note: When designing dresses it helps to have gorgeous (or snazzy *wink*) models to work with. They make your work look good!

Our reward; it was so worth it!

So with our work behind us we set out for some fun and adventure! 

First stop was RiteAid where Bethany worked some of her magic and we walked out of the store with 2 bags of Oreo's -- FREE! YUM! I am convinced that all she has to do is walk up, set her stuff on the counter, smile at the cashier, and then take her stuff away (oh, and she hands them a bunch of coupons; minor detail)

Our next stop was the thrift store in which we found all sorts of fun books and she got the. cutest. pair of shoes. ever.

I can't remember the name of this little shop...but it was so fun! We spent quite a while going through and admiring all the fun things. These scarves just had me captivated! I came around the corner and there was a hallway with two bars just full of bright scarves, no two alike, it was so pretty (Betsy, I totally thought of you)

The day passed by way to fast!  But it was so much fun to just talk, shop, laugh, smile, giggle, share stories and just be together! 

Bethany, thank you! Love you way too much! :)

And this post is proof again how wonderful it is when your brother marries an amazing girl! *smile*

Never a dull moment!

When I flew out to Dan and Bethany's I got a one-way airline ticket out, and a bus ticket back! My visit to D&B's overlapped with the Wissmanns, and they very graciously let me ride back with them! As much as I love plane rides, riding on the bus was WAY more exciting, and the company was better too:)

One of the highlights was being able to see some new sights, including a trip to the Amish Store.

A couple things I learned that week;

1. Ruth makes incredible breakfasts! (I got so addicted to yogurt and fruit)

2. Flexibility is a daily attribute that one must have...you never know what might happen in a morning.

Life on the bus is never dull!

3. Doing hair is so much fun, especially when you have such agreeable models:)

4. God is glorified when ordinary people surrender their lives to Him and obey His calling. He then uses them to do extraordinary things!

Believe it or not, I did get some school done...

...but it was way more fun to play cards!

Eating at one of the We Care banquets!

When browsing through a chocolate factory we came upon a wonderful sight! Jelly Bellys! All the pretty colors, new flavors that had never been tried, bags just waiting to be filled...who could resist? Certainly not me! *smile*

So many fun, exciting and interesting memories were made that week!

Thank you Wissmanns for letting me 'tag-along' with you! May the Lord bless you as you continue to serve Him.

A day at the lake...

..was on of my favorite things that we did! Justin took Alicia, Anna, the other Anna and myself out on the lake for an afternoon of boating and swimming (and a little sun bathing)!

It was so good to see Alicia again!!

What could be better then finishing a day at the lake, with a trip to Applebee's in our swimsuits: )

Thank you Justin & Alicia!

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Alicia's Birthday!

One of the main reasons we went to VA, was to help celabrate Alicia's birthday!!

She got to pick the meal and two cheesecakes, and then sit back and watch us make it! It was so much fun: ) The family came over for dinner and presents!

The next day we celebrated her birthday again with a girls party with chinese food and a fun "chick flick".

Hope you had a very happy birthday!! I so enjoyed being there with you for it! Also, thank you Alicia for all the special memories that we shared that week! You are such a blessing in my life!

Anna Days: )

We started off our 2 week trip by staying a few days with Anna (Enquist) Nelson!  With 3 three Anna's staying in the same house for 3 days we thought we would have a crazy time keeping each other straight, but it actually wasn't to bad!  We normally knew who the other was trying to talk to: ) 

  

Going to the beach was SO relaxing!  We laid out our towels and soaked in the suns warmth.  It was kind of a chillier day and it "didn't seem like we were getting much hot sun."  But a couple hours later Anna N. and I definitely felt the effects of the suns wonderful warmth!! 

Our couple days together were filled with lots of fun "girly" things!  One of which included makeup. (We probably should have gone to the beach after we did makeup...but "bisque" does marvelous things covering up sunburn!)

Anna N. tried something she had never done before...straightening curly hair like hers is much harder then you might think...but it was done and it gave a very different look then we were used too!  

Thank you so much Anna, for the wonderful conversation, shopping, snacks and movies that we shared together!  I had a wonderful time!!