Comfort

I love the word comfort.

Comfort is to sooth, to console, or to reassure. Comfort is to bring cheer, and to give strength. Comfort helps ease the sorrow of grief and trouble. So many things can bring us comfort as we are going through difficult times. Whether it’s our faith, a loved one, a certain object, kind words, or a reassuring jester, many things play a role in comforting us during times of unrest.

Recently, we have experienced a tragedy in our family. My sweet nephew Levi went to be with our Lord. My sister Jordana was full term with little Levi, 40 weeks to be exact. He stopped kicking. This was such a shock to everyone. How could God allow something like this to happen to two people who deserve it so much? How can he allow people that don’t deserve kids to have them? I read an article yesterday about a couple that left a five month baby alone for eight days. The baby died due to not having his diaper changed and being malnourished. So much that I don’t understand.

What gives me comfort in this, is that Levi IS with Jesus. That Jordana and Suppe will see him one day. That one day, they will have a peace and understanding in all this turmoil. We have no idea the comfort that God supplies till we fully rely on him. Jordana told me the other day, that she is on a roller coaster of emotions. Yet, through it all she is praising Jesus for something every day. I have never looked up to someone as much as I do her and Suppe. I would be handling this so differently. If you happen to come across this, please say a prayer for them. God is working in big ways.


I want to share a recipe that comforts me, to go along with this post. This is something that reminds me of growing up, it reminds me of home, it reminds me of my dad. I hope you enjoy!

Teriyaki Peach Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups all purpose flour
3 Tbsp garlic powder
1 can of peaches (I use the light syrup)
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup peach syrup from can of peaches

Combine flour and garlic powder in a dish. Coat each piece of chicken in flour mixture, and set to the side. Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Cook chicken through. Once chicken is cooked, add peach and teriyaki sauces to the pan. Let chicken simmer in juices. Right before serving, add peaches to warm. Serve chicken with peaches on top. I usually do rice as a side dish and put extra sauce mixture on top.

Combo Time

I have all these weird combos I enjoy. My top favorite would be bbq chips dipped in sour cream, with pickles. I know that sounds gross, but I've been enjoying it since I was in middle school. Don't knock it till you try it.

 Lately, I've been enjoying another combo more often. I first had this at a garden party at my uncles house in Atlanta. I make it for office parties, and even had it to snack on before Thanksgiving this year. The family loved it.

What you need:

Butter crackers
A good pimento cheese ( I get the kind from Lowes Foods deli)
Cucumber- sliced

Stack them together, and enjoy!

The WORST vacation EVER!

I'm sitting here in the condo, and Andie's taking a nap. I figured I need to go ahead and write all this down. That way it's FRESH!

We left Hickory on Sunday morning. The ride down to Savannah GA was wonderful. Andie was cheerful for the first couple hours, then slept the rest of the way. We ended up not being able to check into our condo till 3pm, so we had a few hours to kill. We decided to walk around Savannah for awhile before heading to Tybee Island. It was SO hot. My dumb ass had on jeans, and I was sweating something fierce. I suggested heading on over to Tybee, and letting Andie see the ocean. We went back to the parking garage, changed Andie into her bathing suit, and rubbed her down with sunscreen. Being first time parents and all, we didn't think about the sunscreen being all over her hands. She rubbed that junk all in her eyes. I swear she was partially blind for like three hours. I climbed in the backseat and kept pouring water on a napkin to wipe her eyes with. Bless her heart, she looked like a hot mess. At this point, Brandon and I were both stressed out beyond repair. F#@! was flying, like you wouldn't believe.

We finally get to the condo, and got settled. I'm impressed with the place. It's colorful and cheerful, the absolute, and completely opposite of us.

When I planned this vacation, I didn't consider a few things...like a place JUST FOR ANDIE! At home, she has her own room, we bathe her in the guest bathroom, and we have white noise to help her sleep. I forgot the fan (source of the white noise), I didn't realize that this place only has a shower, and her playpen is set up between our two beds. It has been rough. I am taking showers with her everyday, and for the first few days, she screamed bloody murder the whole time. The fan isn't here to put us all in a deep sleep, so Brandon and I are awoken a few times a night with her coughing. We are also sleeping in separate beds for the first time since we've been married. I MISS MY KING BED!! I miss my husband too. :)

I woke up on Monday and prayed for a better day. I believe that the Lord thought it'd be a good week to test me. I am failing miserably. We went out to the beach, and the weather was perfect. We are having a great time, until I go to swim by myself for a few minutes. I'm out there, having a ball, watching Brandon and Andie from a distance, and then I feel it. That burning sensation all up my arm. Stung by a jelly fish. Yeah, WTF! It doesn't hurt bad enough to cry, but it does freak me out. I calmly walk up to Brandon and say, "I don't want to alarm you, but I believe I've just been stung by a jelly fish." Brandon then proceeds to freak out, and demands we go back to the condo. I agree, since I have no idea about jelly fish stings. He does a little research and then buys me some spray from the store. For dinner that night, we went to The Crab Shack. It's a great seafood restaurant, but we didn't like the fact that we paid 20 bucks a plate, and only got a small amount of food.

Here are a few of the other problems:

1. Biting flies. For the better part of the week, we couldn't relax on the beach without getting bit a billion times.
2. Jellyfish. The day I got stung, we went back out later. We saw a man get stung, and then spoke with another woman that'd been stung as well. We are AFRAID of the water.
3. Pay to Park. I live in Hickory, where parking is free. I've paid to park four times since getting here, and got a parking ticket, because I forgot to print the damn ticket after I put my money in.
4. Naps. Stuck in the condo, bored to death.

I know this is a lot of complaining. I didn't realize that vacation with a baby would be so difficult. Maybe this story will help someone, maybe it will discourage them. Either way I have no desire to go on vacation again anytime soon. I can't wait to go into work on Monday, that will be a vacation. Lets hear it for parenthood!

I've got one more night here. Even if it kills me, I'm going to make sure it's the BEST NIGHT EVER!

Here are a few happy pictures of our trip:

Oh yeah, she peed on the floor twice.