Happy 30th, CHRISTIN!!!!!

Sometimes God puts people in our lives....and at 1st they seem like good "fits"--that there will probably room for growth, but at an arm's distance....

And then there are other times when God, who is infinite in grace and mercy decides He really wants to love on me...and that's when He puts people like Christin in my life...I really love my dear friend, Christin....and all the benefits of being her friend and sister in Christ...she, along with her husband, Adam (and 2 yr old Luke), as well as her parents, and brother, Jeff & sister Cynthia (who I also REALLY love) have opened up their hearts and their homes and have adopted us into their family....just this past Sunday, they so sweetly had us over for Easter--they treated us as their own and were our family/Jesus to us since we couldn't be with family....

Well, a few weeks ago, Christin was welcomed into her 30's by family and friends and we were thrilled to get to be there...it was SUCH a BLAST and really, my pictures don't do the party justice....sooooo...hold onto your hats, my friends, and enjoy the friendly banter.......


All these pics (unless otherwise noted) will be from left (aka "L") to right ("R")....we all together???

Annie--Christin's SIL, Adam's sister-- is either picking the fajitas out of her teeth or is still hungry and eating her nails--you decide...; Adam--Christin's hubby--well, that's a pretty scary look on his face--not sure what's up with that; then there's Cynthia--C's (Christin's too long to type--she'll now be known as "C") SIL, her brother's wife is getting a good balloon rub by Sam; and I believe Ginger is trying to pretend NOT to be the "room mother"--no one but me and Ginger may get that, but that's ok...




This is C, the old lady, um, i mean, birthday girl....




this is the same group as in the 1st pic...except now everyone has gotten the joke...




this is Brian, C's "favorite cousin in abilene"...., then C, then her brother Jeff




ok, the main attraction and person to focus on is Debbie--she's the one in the middle wearing yellow that looks like she's going to peck someone's head off...notice her husband, Donnie (in the purple next to her) is trying to be inconspicuous and our friend, Kelly (to Debbie's left) looks very scared...





we're actively playing a game now that i don't get...it has something do to with not being who you are or maybe you're supposed to be yourself and just not tell yourself...anywho, the thing to notice is Debbie (far right) is once again about to attack...ha, ha!




this picture, too, is really all about debbie...she's trying to listen to what jeff has to say while still forming something witty in her brain....go, debbie, go!! love you, girl!





this is adam and c....aren't they a handsome couple??




i just LOVE this picture...it's very rare that i catch my husband laughing in a picture....he just doesn't like to have his picture taken and so he's always on alert when my camera's out...but doesn't he look happy and like he's having fun???....of course, it could have something to do with the fact that he's sitting in btwn 3 other women & NOT me?!@>?! ha, ha!




have you figured out who this picture is all about???? now wait a minute....was this christin's bday party or was this party about DEBBIE???




here's the patriarch of the family, pops...i can't begin to tell you how smart i felt sitting next to him...really...he is something like an electrical mechanical physicso-nuclear engineer or something, but when it came to this game, he was definitely in the blond genepool!!!




adam being brilliant...which was why he & the dudes won the game...




happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear
cccchhhhhrrrrriiiiiissss---ttttiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnn
happy birthday to you!!!! (and many more!!)




adam serenaded christin with one of their favorite songs from elton john....i can't think of the name, but it goes "it's a little bit funny, this feeling inside........i hope you don't mind that i put down in words how wonderful life is while you're in the world"....anywho, it was really one of the most beautiful things i believe i've ever seen or heard...so the next few pics are of him singing to c on a family heirloom that, like him (his words, not mine) need tuning....i thought it was magnificent....






i can't even imagine what must've been going through her head...you see, adam had just revealed to c the reason he'd been staying late after work was not to get his schoolwork finished, but when he decided he wanted to do this for christin, he wanted to have it memorized...so she was probably thinking something like "man, i feel like such a jerk for yelling at him every day for staying after school...why didn't he just tell me he was staying late for a surprise for me???...then i wouldn't have gotten so mad!!! now i really feel bad...ok, stop thinking that way, christin and just enjoy the song..."--or at least that's what most of us women would think...

look at adam...this was either the bad tuning on the piano or maybe him...