What I Love about February 2012

With the full realization that we are seven days into February, I thought a monthly post might still be appropriate.  So let's see what's happening around here this month.


1.  On the 1st, we were honored to be invited to see the son of some long-time friends participate in the National Signing Day Celebration here in Gainesville.  It has been a privilege for us to watch this young man grow up and now see him make a life decision to sign with a major college to play football.  Not only is he a talented athelete, he's a great student.  We wish him much success in this next chapter of his life.


2.  On the 3rd, I spent the day in Athens with one of our brides visiting her church, reception site, and various rehearsal dinner venue options.  Love this girl and the whole feel of her wedding. She and her mother are just a joy and we could not have had more fun.  Her wedding is coming up at warp speed (March 31st) and we needed to confirm lots of details.  Much was accomplished and we were so pleased with our progress. 


3.  Well, yes, we watched the Super Bowl yesterday.  I didn't give a hoot as to who won this game but I sure did enjoy the commercials and Madonna.  Yes, I actually said I enjoyed Madonna. 
First the commericals.   My favorites in this order were:
a.  The Honda CRV commerical starring Matthew Broderick.  As a fan of the "Ferris Bueller" movie for years (it's one of those that we watch every time it comes on tv) I loved the whole reference to Matthew and Ferris.  Thought it was genius.
b.  The Doritos commerical.  Dogs and babies - works every time. 
c.  The Acura commerical with Jerry Seinfield.  Yep, I get caught up in nostalgia I guess since this one was reminiscent of the old "Seinfield" episodes.  It even featured an appearance by the soup nazi. And dear goodness, what a great looking car.  Sign me up for an Acura NSX.   
d.  VW's Bark Wars.  What is not to love about a bunch of adorable dogs barking?  I thought it was great. 
So about Madonna.  I may not hold the popular view on this one and frankly I'm a little surprised at myself for even liking the halftime show just a little bit.   Madonna rocked the house in my opinion. Even if you aren't a fan, you have to give the girl credit.   She's a 53-year old who can still wear thigh-high boots, a short skirt, look amazing in it and dance like a 25 year old.  Personally, I thought she was impressive and they could have done a lot worse for halftime entertainment.  Oh wait, they have.   
 

4.  E and I are just having the most fun with our current brides.  Our two March brides are both long time family friends and it is just a joy and an honor to be a part of their planning.  We are blessed to be very busy with lots of clients and so thankful for the trust they put in us.  So this month is full of details for these two March weddings as well as those coming up in 2012.

5.  Next weekend I’ll be packing up my suitcase and heading to the mountains with some of my best girlfriends.  I just cannot wait to go.   The past few weeks have been very stressful for a variety of reasons so to say that I need a weekend away is a little understatement.  I am looking so forward to this weekend that I can hardly stand it.

6.  Valentine’s Day comes once a year this month on the 14^th!  I love Valentine’s Day and making my loved ones feel special.  Cook a great meal; make a fun card; do something special you don’t normally do to show the ones you love how you feel about them.

7.  I’ve been asked to speak to a Ladies’ group this month and while this kind of thing makes me extremely on the nervous side, I am looking forward to it.  I do love to talk which is why I enjoy the radio so much I guess.  But like I’ve said before, when the listeners have real faces, it becomes just a little more difficult.  I’ll be speaking about a subject I love and the time frame is short, so this is definitely something I can do.  However, I don’t have a clue at this point what specifics I’m going to talk about so when you don’t know that, 30 minutes is a very long time.  Whew.  Praying for clear direction and clarity.

8.  On the 25^th the Party Girls will be heading back up to New Beginnings Ministry to love on the precious ladies there.  Now before you get the wrong idea, the Party Girls is the name we have given our group of ladies from Gainesville who give of their time and talents to serve these women.  This is our quarterly trip to celebrate birthdays and pamper them with spa and beauty treatments.  The ladies of New Beginnings have touched my heart in a way I cannot explain.   Coming from a background of less-than-ideal decisions and choices, they are committed to turning their lives around by loving and serving Jesus.  If you don’t believe in miracles, you haven’t seen the life transformation that has happened to these women.  What a blessing just be in their midst for a day. 

9.  The Gainesville Care Center Gala Fundraiser will be held on Tuesday evening, February 28^th.  I am super excited about this year’s guest speaker, Bruce Wilkinson.  Mr. Wilkinson is a powerful speaker and writer; author of the best-selling “Prayer of Jabez.”  The Banquet will be begin at 6:45 p.m. at the First Baptist Church Banquet Hall.  Tickets are $30. This very worthy organization is celebrating 25 years of service to our community this year. 

10.  You know this February 2012 has an extra day.  Yes, it’s leap year.  I think of this like a bonus day – one we don’t get just every year.  This is pretty special if you stop and think about it. So I’ve been thinking what I might do with this extra day that God has placed on our calendar this year.  I want to make it different but I’m just not sure yet what to do with this day.   What are you going to do on this extra day?  Will it be just like any other day?  Will you do something special or different?