Friday, December 21, 2012

Lawson

SO much I can say about this family! I have know Hunter all my life, I met and fell in love with Jessie in college and might have pushed them to date a little bit. :)
They are a couple that make me want a marriage and life like them. An understanding relationship that works with a lot of love in the mix. 
I got to take some preggo shots RIGHT before Lawson was born so since I am behind I am going to roll the before and after pictures together in one post.  
Meet Lawson Mack Bevill, a precious boy that doesn't know just how good he has it yet. 
What a blessed family.  I am lucky to have them!















adkins family

Had the opportunity to go out on a ranch to take some family pictures! Horses and all... It was such a fun time and something new and different.  New places are always fun to tackle.  Driving up, looking around and going with whatever God gives me. Here are just a few of my favorites, took a while for me to pick just this many! This is the Adkins family, taken outside of Stinnett Texas. 
















My 28th Birthday


This is an article my mom wrote about my 28th birthday... it was so much fun and I strongly advise anyone to do the same! 
Three beautiful women walk in to the old man’s hospital room and the young lady with the piercing blue eyes hands him a balloon. He takes her hand and says, “Do I know you?”
"No, I am just a random person,” she answers with her winning smile. “Giving stuff out for my birthday!"
"It's your birthday and I get a balloon,” says the old man who is hooked up to oxygen yet still sarcastic. “That makes sense."
This stop is at an Amarillo hospital, one of 28 such random acts of kindness, is how Lisa Johnson of Gruver, Texas, chose to spend her 28th birthday.
“I thought it looked fun,” explains Johnson. “We’re taught to be selfish on our birthdays and this was different.”
Starting the morning off at 8 am, the three ladies, Johnson and her friends Debby Odom, also of Gruver, and Sally Long of Guymon, worked hard all day spreading kindness and cheer from Gruver to Amarillo and back. Johnson had also done a few planned acts prior to the day, including giving a TV for the Dementia Unit in Elkhart, Kan., because someone she cares for deeply can enjoy the TV.
“Dorothy needs to be able to see her football scores when she is there visiting Doc,” explains Johnson. Dr. Jim and Dorothy Countryman’s have been dear to Johnson’s heart her entire life.
The birthday day included taking breakfast casseroles to the local bank employees, leaving quarters on “Random Acts of Kindness” cards at a Laundromat, nurses stations at several area hospitals and nursing homes, homemade cookies at four fire stations, paying for the next car's breakfast at the McDonald’s drive through, balloons to the hospital, anonymously paying for someone's meal at the restaurant twice, and other acts.
The visit to the hospital was not part of the plan, but where they had planned to go didn’t pan out, so the plan changed. They found themselves in hospital rooms with elderly patients that appeared low on visitors, many were there alone. Long said it seemed like an “act of God” and that it was cool how it worked out. It was the part of the day that left the greatest impression on Long.
“Lisa left a gift certificate on the window of a kind of worn down car,” explains Long. “And she made several spontaneous stops to give things to friends. Her friend Andy said we really made his day.”
Long, who heard Lisa talking about her plan said she really wanted to be a part of it. As did their friend Odom. And they were a part from 8 am to 9 pm that day. “We were exhausted when we got back,” says Long with a smile. It is easy to see she thought it was well worth the time and energy.
Johnson, who read about something similar, had planned for quite awhile to do this to celebrate her birthday, talking with friends to get ideas on acts. She asked those who normally gave her gifts to give money or gift cards that went towards the random acts. and others that wanted to be part of the project also gave. She baked. And she planned.
          Johnson says the day made her happy. “It was fun to watch people reactions when we did something. All of it was different. It was sweet.”
          “Lisa recognizes people’s needs,” says Long slowly, like she is giving a lot of thought in the comment. “So many people are guilty of walking through life unaware of other people’s circumstances and struggles. Lisa recognizes them and then does what she can to make a difference.
          So I guess this project is two-fold: 1. You have to be aware of other people, and 2. You have to be willing to do something about it.
          Long speaks highly of Johnson and her giving ways with others.
          “If there was anything I really learned,” says Long, “from spending Lisa’s birthday with her, was that kindness is contagious. You watch someone else do something nice or you are the recipient of something nice, you can’t help but want to go do it for somebody else.”
          As they were going through the day, Johnson’s facebook page recorded some of their progress.
          “Reading it was an inspiration,” said one facebook friend, Brandon Romero.
          Already another friend of Johnson’s, Kat Barnes of Amarillo, has done similar on her birthday.  Johnson said, "Watching Kat's posts on facebook brought almost as much joy as my day!" Another college friend, Kandis Lloyd, will be practicing this with her family over Christmas, giving back to their community through acts of kindness. 
          Johnson plans to take Long and Odom for a massage and a facial on her next birthday. “Everybody will want to be in on that one,” she says with a laugh. “But only Sally and Debby are allowed.”
          If you’re thinking about doing random acts of kindness to celebrate your birthday, there are many ways of doing it. You can do one a day for as many days as you choose before your birthday, you can do one per each decade, or you can have a friend for each year promise to do one act to celebrate your birthday. The ways are endless.
"You can read this and think about doing it but I promise the fulfillment you receive through random acts of kindness will over fill your heart; 28 are not necessary, nor is a special occasion, just practice the random part in your life and spread love." -Lisa Johnson











Thunder Game

Since the Thunder came to OKC, my family have become quite the fans! We love the trip to go watch a game; even driving home all night afterwards sometimes.
Two of my nephews got to go to their first game last month, they were so excited! Although after the entire experience, the stated their favorite part was, "the all you can eat snacks."






My mom (Melyn), her cousin (Rick), Nephews (Will & Nick), Keith (my boyfran) & I. Pretty great group, we had a blast! GO THUNDER!

Friday, September 14, 2012