the running mob
growing up i had some of the best friends any girl could want. i am so thankful for the years i shared with the sweet friends i will "introduce" in this post. i know i will forget names, stories, etc. but it would take a month to write about all my memories.
when i was really little my best friends were: Ashley Jones, Karen Friend, Julie Longstreet and Barkley Bear. other than julie i don't know much about these girls. julie is still in columbus and has a GORGEOUS family. i remember spending almost all of my time with these girls.
the next two friends i remember being close to are Jory Kelley and Hillary Wilson. oh gosh, we spent all kinds of time together. i can remember the first time i met hillary. she came to sunday school one sunday and there was a welcome banner across our door. we were welcoming her and her super cute family to St Mark.
jory and i spent so much time together my parents finally said "you cant spend more than two nights away from home." ha. i think i would've moved in with jory if i could've. i ADORE my family but there was nothing like hanging out at the Kelleys. there house was always full of fun people, good food!, laughter, swimming, playing hard and of course Big Daddy! :) love that man! my first thought when i hear his name...is his wheelchair hitting a wall/corner and backing up, ha! and how it annoyed Mr Terry when he would call upstairs (like literally on the phone) to ask for something. oh good times!
the kelleys also took me to disney world with the st mark youth group. i was in like 3rd grade?? anyway, i thought i was so cool getting to hang out with Tracey Kelley, Kee Evans, John Stephens, etc. who am i forgetting?? oh how i wanted to be as cool as they were!!! i also had an ear infection on that trip. i remember standing in line at epcot with my ear killing me (wearing a ta-bogon.)
we will get back to the Kelleys in a minute...
the next girls i remember filling my life with joy would be: Katie Dowis, Erin Smith, Tricia Darrah and Lisa Jaindl. we (along with hillary and julie (right?) were on the St Mark puppet team together. yes. and we were GOOD. i wont lie. our puppet team was legit! ha we traveled all over doing our puppet shows. this would also introduce the Holloway family and Kevin Brown. Kevin was our French Fry on the puppet team. that job was super important haha.
not only did we all do puppet team together but we were also in childrens choir. that was SUPER FUN. i can still remember the songs we sang in our plays. i remember the costumes, some of my lines! and the constant laughter. i drove Carol and Gary Holloway INSANE. :)
oh wait....oh the camp stories i could tell. Kerry Jo...we were wrong. we shouldnt have been allowed to be counselors. umm, vomit? flipped mattresses? ring worms? gross.
my friends and i were the camp counselors for our church camp. SO.MUCH.FUN. talent shows, raiding the kitchen, the "white haired lady" - hilarious. anybody with me on the white haired lady scaring Mike Terry so bad the threw a bowl of candy in the air??
random memories with these folks:
- kjb, kathryn and i laughing through a tree ceremony at st mark b/c we dropped ornaments while telling what they meant.
- afterglows with the youth group at mazzios pizza.
- being a scrooge in the church play with hillary and katie. it was dec 9 and the day i entered "womanhood" if you know what i mean...kotex.
- trying to learn "i heard it threw the grapevine dance"
- julie putting a fork in her chicken and saying "i surreneder all."
- eating ramen at julies!
- getting in trouble at camp for doing a dance to "stand by your man!" hahahaha.
- those really yummy Toms lolipops we ate nonstop!
let's jump ahead to when i joined to youth group. this is when i started hanging out (NONSTOP) with: danielle, amy and brad snow, rob and matt gresham, tim maulsby, jory, rachel kennedy, joel kennedy, natalie rudder, etc.
we really spent endless days together. i hardly see these precious people anymore BUT they will forever be a part of who i am and a precious part of my life. (well i see tim every week, yay!)
these friends kept me focused on Christ. they loved me no matter what. we went on EVERY youth trip, spent holidays together (especially new years eve! every year we went to the snows...celebrated the new year and watched brad put on a fabulous fireworks show!) we spent summers at the river, went to every
"fumbling moses" concert, pushed through the years of the ska (?) band and even made up a ridiculous name for ourselves on a ski trip...
we were the running mob. i wish you could hear how we said it...hahaha. i think we really probably annoyed everyone. (not just on that trip...i mean in general!)
there were love connections throughout the group. those always made things extra interesting!
memories with this group:
- burning down an exit with fireworks
- chasing chickens? is that what brad called it? i just remember flying over county line rd.
- oh gosh what was the name of that burger place the guys went to all the time? ahhhh....
- oh rob...remember seeing clay (a singer...what was his name?) at the braves game that time?? haha and we ran around from section to section trying to get the wave going.
- ski trip - someone held the door open to the guys bathroom and i saw clintons junk??
- jory and tim...singing mariah carey "always be my baby" LOUDLY when driving in my trooper!?
matt gresham and i went to TCBY together when i was like 6...haha. but rob was probably my closest friend in the group. what a fun guy. who apparently has turned into a body builder?? anybody seen that joker lately? lawd. he married a super cute girl named Hope and has 2 kids.
matt married a Kacey :) and has the cutest kids. i haven't seen Ms Beth in years but she is one of my all-time favorite people!
brad is still in the car business and has a beautiful family. same with his sisters...no car sales but gorgeous, fun families.
tim and his pregnant wife our in our small group. they are beyond precious.
last i saw rachel was in colorado? joel is doing YL with his cute family. and natalie...is in cols?
now i'll finish with Jory. this girl. seriously she was my BFF for so long. i have so many fun memories with her, her family, and St Mark. here's a couple:
- dianne falling over suitcases at the airport and getting up faster than she went down.
- a certain person falling down the steps at your house on standing boy.
- riding to rockridge with mr terry. i pushed my seat all the way to the dashboard and acted like i was slightly "off" to the cars going by
- umm...everything rockridge related.
- i used to borrow jorys clothes ALL.THE.TIME.
- i picked her up from calvary when she was in middle school...or freshmen year.
oh i could go on.
Mr Terry will always be one of my greatest influences. his heart for God was unwavering. it didn't matter who you were...he'd tell you about or ask you about Jesus. he lead bible studies that did NOT play, he challenged us, asked tough questions, and loves us no matter what.
i remember:
- running over his flowerbeds soon after i got my license. didnt make that mistake again!
- his love of popcorn and ice cream
- eating a buffalos every sunday night (sunday right jory?)
- him coming to my house the night of my senior prom bc my dad was out of town. he filled in for him. so special.
- his "fat pants" he would wear after work.
- his precious and unmistakable smile
- his worn and tattered Bible
- him praying for "matlock" instead of matt murdock one night and all of us losing it right during prayer.
- the way he pronounced "youf" and "lushually" (usually) oh and "queso-ca-dillas" :)
he changed my life. he helped me know Jesus.
he died thanksgiving day my freshman year in college. i will never forget my parents telling me. they sat me down at my grandmothers house in brunswick ga and told me. we had to drive all the way home with that in mind. it was the longest trip of my life.
to this day i cant listen to the CD i listened to on the car ride home.
i cried myself to sleep and/or slept with my parents for 3 months after he died.
it was one of the hardest things i've ever been through.
i'll never forget his funeral. i knew i was dating someone that didn't love Jesus and i broke up with him just after Mr Terry died. every guy i have dated since i have wondered what Mr Terry would've thought.
i KNOW he'd love my precious Jay and Gabe.
i also KNOW he is watching over me...and Jory, Dianne, Tracey and their families from the Fried Chicken Tree in Heaven. am i right Kelleys??
along with my dad...one Gods best ideas and greatest (godly man) gifts to me...EVER was Terry.
when i was really little my best friends were: Ashley Jones, Karen Friend, Julie Longstreet and Barkley Bear. other than julie i don't know much about these girls. julie is still in columbus and has a GORGEOUS family. i remember spending almost all of my time with these girls.
the next two friends i remember being close to are Jory Kelley and Hillary Wilson. oh gosh, we spent all kinds of time together. i can remember the first time i met hillary. she came to sunday school one sunday and there was a welcome banner across our door. we were welcoming her and her super cute family to St Mark.
jory and i spent so much time together my parents finally said "you cant spend more than two nights away from home." ha. i think i would've moved in with jory if i could've. i ADORE my family but there was nothing like hanging out at the Kelleys. there house was always full of fun people, good food!, laughter, swimming, playing hard and of course Big Daddy! :) love that man! my first thought when i hear his name...is his wheelchair hitting a wall/corner and backing up, ha! and how it annoyed Mr Terry when he would call upstairs (like literally on the phone) to ask for something. oh good times!
the kelleys also took me to disney world with the st mark youth group. i was in like 3rd grade?? anyway, i thought i was so cool getting to hang out with Tracey Kelley, Kee Evans, John Stephens, etc. who am i forgetting?? oh how i wanted to be as cool as they were!!! i also had an ear infection on that trip. i remember standing in line at epcot with my ear killing me (wearing a ta-bogon.)
we will get back to the Kelleys in a minute...
the next girls i remember filling my life with joy would be: Katie Dowis, Erin Smith, Tricia Darrah and Lisa Jaindl. we (along with hillary and julie (right?) were on the St Mark puppet team together. yes. and we were GOOD. i wont lie. our puppet team was legit! ha we traveled all over doing our puppet shows. this would also introduce the Holloway family and Kevin Brown. Kevin was our French Fry on the puppet team. that job was super important haha.
not only did we all do puppet team together but we were also in childrens choir. that was SUPER FUN. i can still remember the songs we sang in our plays. i remember the costumes, some of my lines! and the constant laughter. i drove Carol and Gary Holloway INSANE. :)
oh wait....oh the camp stories i could tell. Kerry Jo...we were wrong. we shouldnt have been allowed to be counselors. umm, vomit? flipped mattresses? ring worms? gross.
my friends and i were the camp counselors for our church camp. SO.MUCH.FUN. talent shows, raiding the kitchen, the "white haired lady" - hilarious. anybody with me on the white haired lady scaring Mike Terry so bad the threw a bowl of candy in the air??
random memories with these folks:
- kjb, kathryn and i laughing through a tree ceremony at st mark b/c we dropped ornaments while telling what they meant.
- afterglows with the youth group at mazzios pizza.
- being a scrooge in the church play with hillary and katie. it was dec 9 and the day i entered "womanhood" if you know what i mean...kotex.
- trying to learn "i heard it threw the grapevine dance"
- julie putting a fork in her chicken and saying "i surreneder all."
- eating ramen at julies!
- getting in trouble at camp for doing a dance to "stand by your man!" hahahaha.
- those really yummy Toms lolipops we ate nonstop!
let's jump ahead to when i joined to youth group. this is when i started hanging out (NONSTOP) with: danielle, amy and brad snow, rob and matt gresham, tim maulsby, jory, rachel kennedy, joel kennedy, natalie rudder, etc.
we really spent endless days together. i hardly see these precious people anymore BUT they will forever be a part of who i am and a precious part of my life. (well i see tim every week, yay!)
these friends kept me focused on Christ. they loved me no matter what. we went on EVERY youth trip, spent holidays together (especially new years eve! every year we went to the snows...celebrated the new year and watched brad put on a fabulous fireworks show!) we spent summers at the river, went to every
"fumbling moses" concert, pushed through the years of the ska (?) band and even made up a ridiculous name for ourselves on a ski trip...
we were the running mob. i wish you could hear how we said it...hahaha. i think we really probably annoyed everyone. (not just on that trip...i mean in general!)
there were love connections throughout the group. those always made things extra interesting!
memories with this group:
- burning down an exit with fireworks
- chasing chickens? is that what brad called it? i just remember flying over county line rd.
- oh gosh what was the name of that burger place the guys went to all the time? ahhhh....
- oh rob...remember seeing clay (a singer...what was his name?) at the braves game that time?? haha and we ran around from section to section trying to get the wave going.
- ski trip - someone held the door open to the guys bathroom and i saw clintons junk??
- jory and tim...singing mariah carey "always be my baby" LOUDLY when driving in my trooper!?
matt gresham and i went to TCBY together when i was like 6...haha. but rob was probably my closest friend in the group. what a fun guy. who apparently has turned into a body builder?? anybody seen that joker lately? lawd. he married a super cute girl named Hope and has 2 kids.
matt married a Kacey :) and has the cutest kids. i haven't seen Ms Beth in years but she is one of my all-time favorite people!
brad is still in the car business and has a beautiful family. same with his sisters...no car sales but gorgeous, fun families.
tim and his pregnant wife our in our small group. they are beyond precious.
last i saw rachel was in colorado? joel is doing YL with his cute family. and natalie...is in cols?
now i'll finish with Jory. this girl. seriously she was my BFF for so long. i have so many fun memories with her, her family, and St Mark. here's a couple:
- dianne falling over suitcases at the airport and getting up faster than she went down.
- a certain person falling down the steps at your house on standing boy.
- riding to rockridge with mr terry. i pushed my seat all the way to the dashboard and acted like i was slightly "off" to the cars going by
- umm...everything rockridge related.
- i used to borrow jorys clothes ALL.THE.TIME.
- i picked her up from calvary when she was in middle school...or freshmen year.
oh i could go on.
Mr Terry will always be one of my greatest influences. his heart for God was unwavering. it didn't matter who you were...he'd tell you about or ask you about Jesus. he lead bible studies that did NOT play, he challenged us, asked tough questions, and loves us no matter what.
i remember:
- running over his flowerbeds soon after i got my license. didnt make that mistake again!
- his love of popcorn and ice cream
- eating a buffalos every sunday night (sunday right jory?)
- him coming to my house the night of my senior prom bc my dad was out of town. he filled in for him. so special.
- his "fat pants" he would wear after work.
- his precious and unmistakable smile
- his worn and tattered Bible
- him praying for "matlock" instead of matt murdock one night and all of us losing it right during prayer.
- the way he pronounced "youf" and "lushually" (usually) oh and "queso-ca-dillas" :)
he changed my life. he helped me know Jesus.
he died thanksgiving day my freshman year in college. i will never forget my parents telling me. they sat me down at my grandmothers house in brunswick ga and told me. we had to drive all the way home with that in mind. it was the longest trip of my life.
to this day i cant listen to the CD i listened to on the car ride home.
i cried myself to sleep and/or slept with my parents for 3 months after he died.
it was one of the hardest things i've ever been through.
i'll never forget his funeral. i knew i was dating someone that didn't love Jesus and i broke up with him just after Mr Terry died. every guy i have dated since i have wondered what Mr Terry would've thought.
i KNOW he'd love my precious Jay and Gabe.
i also KNOW he is watching over me...and Jory, Dianne, Tracey and their families from the Fried Chicken Tree in Heaven. am i right Kelleys??
along with my dad...one Gods best ideas and greatest (godly man) gifts to me...EVER was Terry.
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