Hughes X'S 4: Growing.....

My younger sister Karlie took a few days off work to come and visit us from Knoxville and was here Saturday through today! I will not go into much detail (some of you know her and her story) but take my word when I say that she has grown by leaps and bounds this last year and we all could not be any PROUDER of her!!! You can learn from all ages of people, from different walks of life, from people of different religious backgrounds, educations, locations, personalities, ect. I took a few moments over the weekend to realize some of the things that I have learned from this special person in my life. She has always been real....says what she means, rarely sugar coating words (and sometimes...yes it can seem harsh or rude) but she's honest.....and honesty is a wonderful trait to hold. I have learned that there is not just ONE way to be OK.....all people are different and handle themselves in different ways.....and it doesn't make she nor I "bad" if we react to situations differently. We ARE different people. She is very accepting of ALL people.....she would welcome ALL walks of life into her life without judgement!!! She is not caught up in the "materialism" of life.....she doesn't befriend you because of what brand of clothes you wear, or the style of bag you carry, or having the latest hair style.....she befriends you for who you are inside. I love her and I know she was on a journey in her life for a reason BUT I am sooooo very thankful that she allowed GOD to intercede and take control! With that being said we had a wonderful visit and I had the WHOLE 5 days off from work to spend with her!! We talked, laughed, swam, soaked up some sun, went to the market, ate great food, and just relished in our time together!

Showing off their face paintings from the market on Sunday

My beautiful sister Karlie

We bought lots of fresh/local/organic veggies from the market on Sunday to grill. These are white and purple beans......the purple ones turned green once cooked!!! We were like silly kids excitedly watching them change shades!