Non-Birthday Weekend

Me with my friend and co-leader, Angela!

This past weekend was buuusy!  -But good.  Cody and I helped out with Revolution Weekend (like Disciple Now) at Parkhills.  I co-lead the 9th grade girls with a good friend from our weekly small group and Cody was a co-host for the 11th and 12th grade boys.  It was a jam-packed weekend but definitely worth it!  We went through 4 study sessions on the topic of Christ-like Community, the students built/decorated Derby cars for the major race Saturday afternoon, and we had a rally (guest speaker and worship band) Saturday evening.  Everything went great and I think the students enjoyed it --and hopefully left having learned something and being motivated to move forward in their relationships with Christ.

Our girls decorating their journals for the weekend.

My loves giving me my birthday card before the Derby race started.

Cody's 11th and 12th grade guys in the race.

Our girls all in costume and with accessories --aka home-made spears, swords, and I believe we also had an ax-- (It was a Spartan theme) for the race.

Our girls in the race.

Set up for the Rally Saturday night in the Parkhills sanctuary.

It was also my birthday on Saturday.  Cody has made it clear -as I did to him when he turned this age- that I am now officially in my mid-twenties (I turned 24).  Weird!  Lol.  Not really, but a little.  Anyways.  Cody did manage to give me his sweet card during the business Saturday with Revolution Weekend but otherwise we have postponed birthday-ness until this coming weekend.  Which was just fine with me.  By the time we got home from RW Sunday afternoon we were both exhausted!  My friend who was my co-leader, our additional leader, and our 9th grade girls did surprise me late Saturday night with a delicious German Chocolate Cake and 24 glowing candles!  It was super sweet -and I honestly was not in the least expecting it... at least not until they called me downstairs and I walked into a dimly lit room filled with people... then I sorta guessed what was going on lol.  Thank y'all for that sweet gesture!  I really appreciated it : )

Hair before...

Also... this is on a more random note, I had been wanting to cut my hair for a while now and decided to wait until after my sister-in-law's wedding.  Then I decided I wanted to do it around my birthday.  (Note:  I had been saving a Groupon for a hair cut and massage for moooonths to wait and use for just this occasion.)  So I made an appointment and went in Friday morning before RW stuff started.  I cut off about 11 inches!  Big hair cut.  I have never had it THIS short.  I have cut it fairly short twice before... but this is the shortest, and at least so far I really love it!  I have told Cody that I hope he means it that he likes it... cause I may be keeping this hair style for a while.  The one thing I'm still nervous about is that I haven't tried it curly yet!!!  -Which could still be disastrous; we'll have to wait and see. My hair is naturally curly... but probably at least half the time I straighten it.  This short it could possibly be awful curly... hopefully it's at least okay so I don't always have to straighten it now.  I haven't mailed it in yet, but I'm planning on sending in my hair to Locks of Love.  And if I'm being honest... I did not cut my hair for that purpose.  BUT when I realized it was reallly long and I wanted to go short, I looked into it and found out my hair would be long enough to donate, and so I decided that's what I would do.  Anyways.  Enough rambling about my hair.

Adjusting to missing a lot of hair!

11 inches off... a little more when you pull it all the way out.

... And after.

Also a little off of everything from above -Cody's grandma turned 85 last week and we all enjoyed dinner out to Olive Garden for the occasion.  It was a nice dinner out and of course a birthday dinner wouldn't be complete without singing and cake.

Happy 85th birthday, Grandma!

On our way to Grandma's birthday dinner.

So that's our latest update!  Hope everyone is having a great week!