If you want to make God laugh...

...tell Him and everyone that reads your blog your plans.

Of course, when I have a whole post dedicated to my big plans for the weekend, none of them turn out the way I had quite envisioned them!

I left work early on Friday after receiving phone calls from my dad, Susan Liner, and then George Liner to try to bet the snow. Try being the key word--didn't happen quite like that. I picked up Jon Williams and braved 27 to try to reach camp before Lee Pike got too bad for the retreat. By the time I made it to the Harrison Lane exit, Jerry calls to let us know the retreat was canceled. Alright...let's turn around. After skidding a couple of times and being hit by a couple snow balls from UTC students, I made it back to Jon's dorm to drop him off. And then it took me nearly TWO HOURS to make it to the foot of Signal Mountain (a trip that should take maybe ten minutes). Most of the time was spent sitting in traffic, looking out at the snow coming down...But the ramps onto and off of 27 were quite a feat. Oh geez, me ability to work well under pressure was tested for sure!I made it to Erin Storment's dorm all in one piece and decided to camp out there for the night. We made some pizza and talked for hours over hot chocolate and under warm blankets. :) Mmmm....We slept in and took our time getting ready the next morning/afternoon and it was wonderful.

I came back to Liners just in time for some delicious pot roast, potatoes, and cheesey bread and finished it all off with a big cup of some hot apple cider. I decided it was early enough in the evening that I decided to drive down to Birmingham rather than risk the roads icing over the next morning and the other girls I was planning on going with her snowed in, so I figured, Why not?

I made it to Birmingham as Katy Fisher, her parents and several of her good friends from high school and Samford were ordering from Brio--a delicious "Tuscan" restaurant. The Fishers insisted that I ordered something so I ate my second dinner of the night (oink, oink--right?) but it was delicious just the same. To top off my "day of eating", we went to Yogurt Mountain for some frozen yogurt with toppings-galore as yet another treat from the Fishers. All of the girls headed back to Katy's house to play Quelf-- a HILARIOUS game that I, (just as Julia said I would...) just might buy now. I don't think I could begin to explain the game...it's like Charades combined with Truth or Dare, with a little bit of any of game you have played. Never a dull moment.

Julia, Katy, and I met up with a pack of people that were there to see Katy get baptized at her church. I wanted to get pictures of the actual baptism, but all of her friends and family were called up to the front and I couldn't get at a good angle without being a distraction to take the picture of her getting dunked. I got a little choked up because I know how much this meant to Katy, especially to be able to witness to her parents the way that she had hoped for. What a blessing to have so many friends there to support her and I know several others were praying from afar.

Katy, her sweet friend Brianna, and myself went to Newk's (McAllister's-type place-yum!) for lunch before going back to Katy's house to veg and spend time together.

We also:
Finally hung up her birthday/Christmas present that I got for her that I bought from Blue Skies (and wanted to keep for myself but decided not to be selfish)

Took a silly picture or two:

And watched First Wives Club (no pictures necessary for that one!) :)

Before I headed back to Chattanooga, she gave me my birthday presented that she painted for ME!!! oh. my. goodness. I absolutely adore this gift and can't wait to have an apartment of my own to hang it in. It means so so much to me because it's of one of my most favorite places in the world, painted by one of my most favorite people in the world.

Isn't she an incredible artist?!?
Can you find the secret message in the painting? :)

Oh yeah, and she brought me back a super cute headband from London! (You can't see it too well in the picture, but it's purple-ish, with 2 elastic straps and a little flower...if you were curious)

All in all, a wonderful, tiring, stressful, relaxing, and everything in between kind of weekend. Just a little reminder that God's plans are greater than my own and He's got everything under control...and He chuckles a little bit when I tell Him I have everything figured out.