the anna to my elsa.

Meet Betty…

Betty is more than just my sister. Betty has been my best friend since birth…we go way back.

Think about how you define “best friend”…always there for you, would do anything for you, loves you in all your mess and encourages you to do your best, your confidant, the person you call when it hurts… and also the person who feels THEY win when YOU win! Yep…that stuff. That’s her. I could write a novel on our adventures but I’ll save it for a book….We shared a room and a twin bed until she left me for Tim…I was 9 years old and had an elementary meltdown as he carried his 18 year old blushing bride across town to start a new life…and by across town I mean a mile or two. I was heartbroken so I spent many days and nights at their house. Sorry, Timothy…package deal.  Thirty years later I moved in with them during my divorce. I left then moved back in after I lost my business. I owe them…big time.

The Q & A

How did we meet?

One of the best days of my life!  Our parents walked into the house with you and you became my living, wiggling, breathing baby doll.  I adored you then and I adore you now.

What’s your favorite memory of us?  As children, snuggling in bed with you every night and talking about whatever was on your mind that day.  You always made me smile.  I have lots of fun adult memories but when I think about you as a child I get warm fuzzies all over and thank God that you are my sister.

Morning Person or Night Owl?  Hmmmmm….I used to be a hardcore night owl and can still do that from time to time but after years of getting up early to go to work I think I’m reprogrammed to get up early, but I’m still a night owl in my heart.

Morning Routine?  Coffee first and foremost!  I sit in my comfy robe, sipping my coffee with a dog on my lap and read.  I always get up extra early just so I can sit and wake up slow.

…and night?  Tim and I almost always go to bed together but he is the one that sets that in motion.  If it weren’t for him I don’t know when I would go to bed.  His movement to the bedroom tells me it’s time to get in my jammies, wash my face and brush my teeth.  I can find so many things to do before bedtime. When he’s out of town I hardly ever get to bed before midnight.  I pay for it the next day and can’t wait til he gets home and gets me back on track. He is the epitome of routine and I am just the opposite.  We need each other!

You have $1000 and you have to spend it in one store in 30 minutes: where do you go?  Go?  Girl, I could do some online shopping damage in under 30 minutes on Amazon! No need to leave my house.

What are you listening to?  The Message on Sirius in the car but mostly I listen to podcasts.  Right now I’m totally into The Road Back to You: Looking at life through the lens of the Enneagram.  I have also been listening to Times Square Church:Sermons and  The Mark Gungor Show.  Mark’s practical marriage advice cracks me up. I love my Pandora stations… I also always have the CD in my car that Tim made me in case I need to hear some love from him. : ) 

 3 things you are loving right now?  Payton, Aiden,  Jude and Levi! Yes, I adore my grands and am looking forward to more!  ( Angie has another due any minute! )Everything else pales in comparison to time spent with them. 

But the STUFF I’m loving is:

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Makeup 3-in-1 Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm 

My new 2017 Erin Condren planner

Purification Essential Oil in my YL diffuser

What’s in your bag?  I usually carry a small purse but it is amazing what I can pull out of it at any given time.  My have-to-have items are my driver’s license, chapstick, tissue, a little money, credit card and gum.  I also carry around a few stickers at all times.  You never know when you might need to express yourself on something with a smiley face sticker.  : )  My friends call me a little rat because I’m always digging in my purse for something.

Who inspires you?  Right now, Gina Miller is high on the list. The way you and Kurt “keep on keepin’ on” is such an inspiration to me.   Overcomers of great adversity always inspire me to reach higher, dig deeper, and get over myself.  My clients inspire me daily. ***I wanted to ask her to change this answer but I was like, “you know what…if the person who at one time, or three, depended on you for shelter can one day be your inspiration then THAT needs sharing!”

What connects you to God?  The Word, worship, music (playing and listening), nature, family, and friends.  I am so blessed to have a great family and awesome friends that share their love of Christ and what He is doing in their lives in almost every conversation we have.  It is inspiring, uplifting, and causes me to seek God more diligently in my own life.

 Favorite verse?  That’s like asking which child is your favorite but I do have some I lean on more heavily than others.  Proverbs 3:5,6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

 What tugs at your heartstrings?  Worship music, talking to my parents, playing with children, reading a great novel, reading my Guideposts every month. I’m a 2 on the Enneagram so if you are familiar with that you will understand that connecting to others really moves me.

If you ARE familiar with the Enneagram I am a 5 with a 4 wing meaning I am an introvert who has to isolate to get my energy back. After I took the test and gave my results to Betty she had an epiphany of understanding  and well… this is us…Remember the scene in Frozen where Anna wants Elsa to build a snowman…Here watch:

I lived with Betty and Tim during what felt like a hopeless time of my life. My bedroom was at the end of the hall and I would retreat there with all my sadness, giving the enemy full permission to keep me well aware of my situation.  Betty’s music room is across the hall and one day as I was literally lying on the floor in a pool of broken, music began to stir through the vents. Betty was playing the piano, as she often does, but this time I could not only hear it, I could see it. I could see the love being poured out with each note. I sat up and began to pray and I lifted my eyes and hands and thanked God for a sister who loves me SO MUCH…for a sister who does not hide her talent but lets her light shine for all to see and hear. I knew it was time for me to come out of that room and melt. I could not go back and change anything but I could move forward… and it was time.

If ever in Andrews, Texas I can assure you there’s a back porch located in the back of the most welcoming house where my sweet Betty will stop what she’s doing…ask you if you want something to drink… and sit and visit with you. She loves company…but more than that, she just loves. She loves me…and oh how I love them….

Happy I could share a snippet of my favorite person with you…