Mi familia.

I would like to introduce you to my family. I can honestly say that I love them with all of my heart and that they made me who I am today. I am so blessed to have these wonderful people in my life.

Let me share a little bit about myself before I begin: I am 21 years old. I am a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. I work for an Optometrist at the moment but it is definitely not my career choice. I was born in Chattanooga, TN but grew up in North Augusta, SC. Both of my parents are from here and this is where all of my extended family is. I moved back to Chattanooga in the summer of '07 for college. I have only been to one year of college (2007-2008) and went to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for that year. I have no clue of what I want to do with my life. I have two older sisters and a younger brother; they are my very best friends and could not imagine my life without them.

(p.s. I'll be the extra person in most of these pictures! xD)

This is Cody. He is 19 years old. He is the author of the inspirational texts that I put in my blog. Cody is very athletic and enjoys most sports; soccer, though, is his favorite and he is a superb player. He is starting school in the fall to be an X-ray tech. My brother is an amazing Christian and I am very proud of the man he has become. He is definitely someone I look up to, even though he is younger than me. I admire his character and his loyalty. He would go to the ends of the earth for the ones he loves. He still lives in SC so I don't get to see him as often as I'd like to. I usually go to Cody first about any decision I have to make because he always encourages me and pushes me to make the right decision. He also has a way of talking me into doing things that I wouldn't normally do; and I really like that about him. xD

His nicknames from me: Bubby and The Bear Jew

Meet Ashley. She is 22. Ash and I are 14 months apart so we grew up with people thinking we were twins. Of course, it didn't help that our momma dressed us alike. She is very strong in her faith and hugely opinionated. She is not afraid to share her opinions with people. I admire that about her. She is very honest and doesn't let embarrassment or pride get in the way. She is also very protective of her family, especially me. Ash has always looked out for me and my feelings and that is something I really appreciate. I love being around her because she always makes me laugh. Seriously, I laugh at just about everything she says. She has the best kind of humor; it is very dry and sarcastic. All of my siblings and I are very sarcastic people but she is the funniest. I wish I was more like her in that way.

Nicknames: Ace and Ash

This is Brandy. She is 24 (and will be 25 on May 26th). She has been married for a little over a year now. Her new last name: Kennedy. She is a nurse in West Virginia... It's so far away :( Brandy is probably the person that I look up to most. She is an amazing Christian woman and wife. She lives for the Lord and it shows in everything that she does. I feel like I can blame my passionate love of movies on her. We starting hanging out more when I was a junior in high school. We bonded mostly over Gilmore Girls and movies. She would take me to the movie theater all the time, and when we weren't at the theater, we'd rent a movie or two. Those years before she moved to Tennessee were some of the best years of my life.

Nickname: b.smartt ("b" for short)

This is the newest addition to our family, Mat Kennedy. (Sorry, Mat... I couldn't find a GOOD picture of just me and you. We need to change that.) He and Brandy married back in April of 2009. He is a youth pastor in Charleston, WV. My family first met Mat when he came to my extended family's church in Tennesse to be the youth pastor. I have learned from the years he was there that he is a very dedicated youth pastor. He loves the kids with his whole heart and will do anything he can to help them. Mat really goes above and beyond. I've seen youth pastors only work when they have to (Sundays and Wednesdays) but Mat is always doing stuff for and with his kids. Any church is lucky to have him on staff. I am very blessed to have such a God fearing man as a brother. I can call on him for anything. And, he is such a joy to be around. He is hilarious without even trying to be. Brandy is very lucky to have him as a husband and she definitely could not have chosen a better man.

Nickname: MJKennedy (I'm not even sure he knew that... haha)

This is my nephew Bruiser. He is huge and slobbery with the cutest face ever. His farts are the worst smell on this planet, but I love him anyways. Bread is his favorite food. If you even say the word bread, he goes crazy. I love to tease him with a slice or two and then throw it on the floor so he can eat it... in ONE BITE. I love it when he rests his head on whoever he is near so they will give him attention. So adorable. xD

Nickname: Bru-bru

Here is the woman who gave birth to me. Her name is Angie. She still lives in SC so I miss her like crazy. She really has a big heart and is such a giver. And if you were wondering, that's where I get it from. People tell me I look just like her which makes me very happy because she is beautiful; inside and out. If you held up a picture of her when she was younger beside a picture of me when I was younger, you would think I was a clone. It's crazy. She has always been such a loving mom, encouraging us and helping us to become who we wanted to be. She and my dad did such an amazing job raising us. They trusted us fully and did not limit what we could and could not do. We, for the most part, always did the right thing and grew up to be great people. (Or I think so, at least. :D )

Nickname: Momma


That's my daddy. His name is John. He is an engineer at SRS and such an intelligent man. He and I are so much alike. My dad is a quiet person until you really get to know him. He is the one my siblings and I get our humor and quick wit from. I just love being around him because he always cracks me up. He really can turn any situation into a reason to laugh. I really admire my daddy. He was always the one to fix things when they were broken and explain the things that were hard to understand. He is very talented musically. I don't think there is an instrument that he can't play or that he wouldn't be able to teach himself to play. He loves each of us for who we are and supports the decisions we make. He is such an awesome dad. :)

Nickname: Daddy