friendship

GNO: Jamie Afshari’s Favorite Things

Karen BrownLeave a comment

14753856_865957648409_6907917693755538462_o

I’m Jamie Afshari and still girlishly giggle when I say that because it’s a new- to- me last name as of September 2. My husband Jahan and I live in Tower Grove and love city living. I work at Central Presbyterian Church and love serving the women there. I was fortunate to get my Master of Divinity two years ago from Covenant seminary and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of plumbing the depths of God’s love. As a Chicago transplant I am thrilled to say that St Louis is right; Baseball is pretty great in October. Who knew? 😉 Continue reading →

GNO: Rebekah Coste’s Favorite Things

Karen BrownLeave a comment

img_9965dxo

“Hi! I’m Rebekah Coste, formerly Sasse. I married my best friend Jean-Christophe, who has the kindest heart and some mean cooking skills, in May 2016. We currently live in Paris, France and I work as an English teacher. I enjoy keeping up with the violin, trying new recipes, exploring the city, improving my French, and being involved in community here. Thanks for reading!” Continue reading →

GNO: Lisa Roth’s Favorite Things

Karen Brown1 Comment

img_9605

Lisa is best friend and wife to Andy. They have 4 great kids. She works at Central Christian School as the Director of Development. In her free time, she tries hard to listen to God, stays up too late watching great shows with Andy, and enjoys cooking, crafting and camping with their crew.

Continue reading →

GNO: Stephanie Nelson’s Favorite Things

Karen BrownLeave a comment

me

Stephanie has finally embraced her inner Wizard of Oz and returned to Kansas in 2016 after almost 20 years of being apart. She is serving as the Pastor of Family Ministries at Alert Covenant Church, where she gets to teach kids of all ages, and they even let her stand behind a pulpit sometimes. Her greatest vices are Kate Spade bags, dark roast coffee, and nail polish. Continue reading →

GNO: Marilyn Nixon’s Favorite Things

Karen Brown3 Comments

I’m a child of God who has been married to Thurman Nixon for 36 years (has it been that long?!) and three wonderful (varies from day to day but most of the time they are wonderful) children.  God has been very good to me in all aspects and I want to please him in every way possible.

It’d be great to shed this humanness that I live with so that my pleasing him would be better (and I think easier!) :).  My job at Central Presbyterian Church and the people I get to work with each day is a blessing beyond measure. 

Continue reading →

GNO: Christine Vandervoort’s Favorite Things

Karen BrownLeave a comment

8i2a7973_tightI have been married to James for 27 years.  We have five children: Heather (20), Holly (17), Caroline (16), Jay (14), and Sophia (9).  It is a very busy household, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  As well as being a wife and mom, I am the Director of Early Childhood and PEEPs at Central Presbyterian Church. 

During the rare moments that I have free time, I enjoy reading, scrapbooking, baking (not cooking), and trying new things (as long as it doesn’t include small spaces or heights).  This summer I started taking piano lessons.  I love trying new restaurants, as well.

Continue reading →

GNO: Julie Schloss’ Favorite Things

Karen Brown1 Comment

unnamed

I am the wife of my best friend, mom of 4 school age kiddos, and driver of a messy minivan; I am a Jesus seeker, a reader, a runner, a spectator, and a friend.  I am the owner of a restless heart.  I love to travel and hang out at campfires. I drink a lot of coffee and love a good glass of wine.

Continue reading →

GNO: April Johnson’s Favorite Things

Karen BrownLeave a comment

img_3320

I’m a Michigander by birth, and am still one at heart and in my pronunciation of certain vowel sounds, but for the past few years St. Louis has become a home for me thanks to some wonderful people, many of which I’ve met through my church/workplace, Central Presbyterian. That almost makes up for the humidity and lack of lakefront acreage. Almost.

I spend quite a bit of time laughing at my own jokes, being jealous of people with dogs, and wanting to hug my mom. If you ever want to talk about books, the brain, or an interesting podcast you listened to recently, I’m your girl. Continue reading →

GNO: Barb Boyle’s Favorite Things

Karen BrownLeave a comment

screen-shot-2016-10-11-at-8-02-07-am

When I was a little girl, this is what I said to the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” A TEACHER!! I always said. I set out on my quest as I was the teacher of the neighborhood “school” in our basement, of my little brother born nine years after me, a teacher’s aide while in high school, a day camp director, camp counselor, middle school teacher and coach, preschool teacher at PEEPS, Sunday school teacher, and a college campus ministry staff person.

 I continue to love teaching as I have homeschooled our three children: Bethany (22), Brendan (20), and Bridget (16). I have been married to (Charles) Bryon Boyle the past 26 years. Bryon and I met on the Central singles’ softball team. It has been quite the adventure as we set out raising our children with lots of camping, canoeing, swimming, books, movies, ice cream, and pizza.

And here are some of my favorite things!!

Continue reading →

GNO: Cathy Barnes’ Favorite Things

Karen Brown1 Comment

11188366_10154025166408102_852632260935731573_n.jpg

I am a wife, mother, and a daughter of the King. God has blessed me with a rich and varied life. I have been a dancer, police officer and art teacher, and have participated in everything from beauty pageants to search warrants.

I have been married to my hero, Jeff, for 26 years. We’ve raised two wonderful adults, Allie (27) and Charlie (24), and are enjoying the incredible bond that comes from weathering years of experiences together…. good times, and bad—joys and sorrow. I am blessed to be working with children every day teaching them about art, and the Ultimate Artist—God. I love drawing, painting, reading, …and picking up a gun for some target practice now and then. Continue reading →

GNO: Jenny Smith’s Favorite Things

Karen Brown2 Comments

Jenny picture

I randomly decided to move back to Saint Louis a few years ago after college, and I feel pretty confident about that decision considering it lead me to marry my high school sweetheart (Taylor) and also to me working at Central Presbyterian Church. Since college, I’ve somehow acquired four animals (dogs: Mustard & Dill, cats: Poe & Turnip).  I enjoy (most) change and like to make things look nice. Which is probably why I paint my front door, on average, twice a year. I’m excited to see where God takes my little Noah’s ark-esque family, and I’m sure the two things that will never change are my love of popcorn and the amount of fur on my clothes. Continue reading →

Send

Karen Brown17 Comments
It’s called Five Minute Friday. Each week, we write for five minutes, freely, on a one-word prompt. We write quickly, then post, a flash-mob linking together at Kate Motaung’s site.
It’s fun!
This week’s prompt: SEND
1540294_821044974593937_5991679998378042213_o

My oldest daughter is a rock climber. What a sport. It takes incredible strength, obviously, but it also takes much patience and strategy. Much like chess, each move must be carefully anticipated and calculated. It’s also a sport that has its own vocabulary. I learned that they don’t say, “I made it to the top.” Instead, they say, “I sent the route.”

Continue reading →