That Moment

This picture may seem a little strange, especially since Christmas has come and gone. However, this ornament brought about a discussion with Todd that is unforgettable. He and I were in Walmart looking at the 50% off merchandise. We came across some really cute ornament balls. I have never been a huge fan of the balls but these had Santa faces and snowmen. He really wanted to buy some and at that price, why not. I bent down to show him all of the different kinds that they had. As I pulled out the snowman, a box of ornaments were behind it like the ones in the picture. He said, "Mommy that is a picture of baby Jesus in the manger with Mary." I told him that he was right. He immediately began one of the sweetest conversations. He insisted that we needed those ornaments because that was the point of Christmas. He continued, "After all, Christmas is not about the presents it is about the birth of baby Jesus. If it weren't for Jesus, we would not have a Christmas." We continued this discussion for quite some time. He was saying that some people don't see it that way, but he does. He likes presents but "Jesus is way more important". I was so proud of him. We ended that discussion and I began looking at ornament storage containers. I glanced back and thought his eyes were closed. Then, I felt a small tug on my shirt and in a whisper this is what I heard. "Mommy, I just prayed". Tear began to fill my eyes. I wanted to grab him and say, now you've got it. You understand it. However, that would have confused him. Instead I said, "Wow, Buddy, that is so great. What did you pray about?" He replied, "Just everything."

This was one of those moments I pray about. For those of you that do not really know Todd, God has given him a heart unlike many males. He is very in tune with people's emotions. He has a servant heart. Trust me this is not any of my doing, only the Father. However, I pray often that Brad and I will raise him to have a servant heart. Sometimes that is a scary prayer. What if he is called to go to a far off country? But I still continue to pray for Him to have that heart. I saw that heart in Walmart. I saw that he was understanding things that will forever change his life.

As I conclude on 2007, I realize how blessed I am. Sure there have been heartaches this year. I lost the little girl that I long for. Brad was out of work some, Todd has been ill a lot lately, my mom still has MS, the list could continue. But, through all of this, I am blessed with the security of knowing that my Father will and does provide all that I need and more. HE has blessed me with a family that I love so dearly. He has blessed me with a church that stretches me spiritually. He has provided financially when it looked bleak. I pray that the Lord blesses us this year and that more than ever we will see His glory revealed to us. May God bless you all in 2008!

I was tagged by Todd

I was tagged by my mommy's friend from high school's daughter. So here is 8 things about me.

1). My name is Todd and I am five.

2). I like to play with Hot Wheels and tracks.

3). I really like to play with my Wii. I like to play Star Wars with Daddy and I am the best in my family at Hot Wheels!

4). I love my mommy and daddy.

5). I like to play computer games.

6). I work a lot at school but my favorite thing about school is PE.

7). I like to go to class at church and I like to play with my friends after church.

8). I like to draw things for my mommy and daddy.

9). Oh, I forgot to add that I love my cousins and really love to play with them and I like Alabama football!

Well, there are my 8 things just as I stated them. My mommy typed them but I came up with them on my own. I am a little bit older than some of the other kids so I had an advantage. I hope you enjoyed reading about me! Thanks Ella for tagging me. I would like to tag: Ava, Nate, and Wendy.

Casting Crowns - Prayer For A Friend

I recently found this song. There are so many people that I can think of that are struggling with spiritual strength or that have never turned to the Lord. This is a beautiful song that expresses what I have felt so often. Sometimes the words I have aren't right. I thank God that I do not have to have the words. I have to turn them over to the Lord and let Him use me as a tool. I pray that you will take a moment and lift up those that you know that do not know Him or that are struggling. Let us take this time to pray for one another's friends. After you take your names before God, leave a message stating that you have done that so that we can pray for each other's friends. Do not list names. God will know who you have brought before Him. This is a lost world in which we live. We need to join together to strengthen those that are struggling.

Pray also for me. Pray that when I open my mouth, the right words will be given to me. Then I can be bold as I tell the mystery of the good news. Ephesians 6:19

So close!

One and a half more days and I am off until January 7th!! I am so ready for it. I can't believe we are in school so close to X-mas. My mother-in-law comes in on Friday night and then we have Christmas with my parents and Brad's mom on Monday. I liked it better when we went back earlier in January and got out more days before the holidays began! I do not have many days to get into the holiday mind-frame! I am very excited about it, though.

AGAIN!!!

I can't believe it. Todd has strep and and ear infection again!! I am so tired of him being sick. He is so pitiful. He just can't get his immune system built back up. There are so many sicknesses going around here it stinks! It doesn't help that parents NEVER keep their kids home when they are sick. Therefore, they are spreading germs everywhere. I am so glad that after a 1/2 day on the 20th we are out for several weeks. Maybe all of the sickness will settle. I am just thankful that Todd is ahead academically since he has missed so much school!

Santa

We took Todd to visit Santa today. He is so funny. For many years, he was afraid. He wanted to get the gifts but not see him. I know that is pretty common. He is no longer afraid of him but he is very quiet when he sees him. He prefers to make out a list so Santa can read it instead of telling him. He also thinks that Santa "might need the list in case he forgets. He does see a lot of kids in a day, Mommy". We actually waited in line for an hour. That is a long time for Santa but I guess it's better than being overlooked on Christmas Eve. I can tell you Todd would NEVER wait that long for a great buy on clothes, food, or anything else!

My poor sick child

Okay, it has not been a fun day in our house. Todd continues to be sick. He is throwing up and having major diarrhea This is not a good thing. He has not kept food down or liquid. We had to rush him to the Dr. today because he was so weak he was tripping. In his words, "My legs are jiggly because my body is tired". That come after sleeping all morning. They had to test to make sure his kidney's weren't failing. That turned out fine. They did blood work to see if it was viral or bacterial. It was all still up in the air. In the meantime, we have to take him back at 11:oo tomorrow if he continues to be sick tonight, which he has already. They will look at IV if he doesn't improve. Oh, I forgot to add that Brad and I are also sick. I just about passed out in the Dr. office. I hate stomach viruses!!

Sick, Sick, Sick

This pretty much describes my child lately. I do not know what the deal is. He only missed 2 days of pre-school last year, he has already missed 5 1/2 this year and has to miss tomorrow, also. He has had strep (2 days), an ear infection (1 day), fever from flu shot (1/2 day), and now the unidentifiable illness (3 days after tomorrow). I took him to the Dr and thought he had strep again since it is going around. The quick test says negative. He has been running a fever over 100 degrees. Now he has stomach issues so I think it is the stomach virus that is going around. I can't wait until break so that his immune system can have a break. Sickness is much more complicated when both parents work!

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

We had a nice Thanksgiving. We went to my parents house. It was a pretty laid back day of eating and watching football.

I love black Friday. I enjoy the rush of getting up early and hunting for a bargain. I woke up at 4:15 to go make the trek this year. I went to Toys R Us first. I had timed it where I did not have to wait in the cold too long. That was a successful endeavor. I also got a great purchase for Brad. I will not elaborate because he reads this sometimes. I also managed to get several things completed. I am actually just about done. I love this time of year. I love the thought of picking out things that I think they will like. I enjoy wrapping presents, which I did last night, I love Christmas lights, but I enjoy the focus on our Savior the most. I am so glad the Church of Christ has finally embraced this focus during the holiday season. I know for much of my life Jesus was not spoken of during Christmas time. I am glad that we can sit and discuss His sacrifice He gave for us. That brings a true happiness to my life that no gift can provide.

What is your favorite holiday and why?

What a Weekend!

We had quite a weekend. My brother got extra Alabama tickets for Saturday's game. We decided to go and take Todd to his 1st game. I was me, Brad, Todd, my nephew, my brother, and my dad. We did not stay for the whole game partly because they were losing to a sub-par team. It was a fun game, despite the loss. While we were that close, we decided last minute (Friday afternoon) to drive on over to Montgomery after the game. We arrived in Montgomery at 6:30 Saturday night. We grabbed a bite to eat and went to my aunt and uncle's house. We had a great visit. We got to the hotel at 11:30 and were up Sunday before 7:00 thanks to our 5 year old alarm clock. We decided to go to Landmark. After church we went back to my aunt and uncle's house before leaving. We did not leave Montgomery until 5:00 which had us arriving in Nashville at 10:30pm.

Here are all of my random thoughts regarding this trip:
1). What were we thinking? We are still exhausted. Thankfully I am out of work the rest of the week and Brad only has to work tomorrow.
2). I got to briefly visit with some old friends. That is always fun. I also got to meet their children and they got to meet mine.
3). This was my 1st time back to Montgomery. That city played a big part in my life. It was odd going back after 10 years. The last time I stepped foot in that place was my wedding day! What great and special memories that building will hold for me.
4). Montgomery has expanded but some parts look identical to the scenery 10 years ago.
5). Although Montgomery was a good place for me growing up, I prefer TN. That is home for me.
6). I was glad to see that people still recognized me. I guess 10 years hasn't changed me too much!
7). It is always good to reflect on our past, but not live in it. I am so happy in my life now, I would not want to go back to high school. I miss my friendships but not the experiences!

Todd and the job

Many of you have asked, yes Todd is much better. His eyes were pitiful for a day and a half but are back to normal. He has been back to school and is doing well.

Others have also asked about my job. It is going well. I am in a self-contained special education class with 5 students. They are all young. I am loving it. After my time as a sub, I realized how much I love special education. I love the smaller number of kids so that I can really know them. I love being able to paint and it not take ALL day. I love being able to buy cotton candy and Capri Suns and not cost $50. ( Can you tell what letter we are working on this week?) I enjoy the small victories that these kids have. I just love the underdog! It has been a big transition and a lot of time up front. The class was very messy and there was no real curriculum. However, that is getting fixed and we are doing well with out new schedule. Guess that's all for now.

Sick

After one week of work, Todd is sick and I will have to miss work. For most people that is not a big deal and they like it. For me, I spent 2 1/2 hours today writing out lesson plans and schedules so that someone can fill in. Luckily, I do have an assistant who should be there. Still, you have to plan as though she isn't. It takes forever.

I had to take Todd today to the Dr. At first I thought he had pink eye. Last night, his eyes were running a stream of greenish yellow junk out of his eyes. He could not open his eyes this morning. The doctor looked in his ear and asked Todd if his ear had been hurting. Todd said no to which the doctor said he had a really high tolerance of pain. Evidently, he has had an ear infection for a while and it has backed up into his tear ducts. He looks pitiful, though he feels fine. However, I am keeping him home until we get 24 hours of antibiotic in him. The only good part is that my house will get cleaned tomorrow!

Investation

We had a real problem a week ago. I walked into my living room and there sat a brown rat. How disgusting is that. For several day we were unable to get rid of it. I finally got a picture of it and realized it was too cute to get rid of.

So here is what Todd decided to be for Halloween. He is the brother rat from Disney's Ratatouille. He was so cute in this costume. I loved the stuffing to make him look fat. I was glad he had all of that stuffing because it was cold. We had a lot of fun for Halloween. My parents had a party the Saturday before and he spent the night. Sunday night was Trunk Or Treat at church. Then, Wed. night, we went to a neighborhood and did a few houses before church. A teen really scared him so he got done pretty early. Todd is funny anyway because he does all of the work of going door-to-door but never ask for the candy. That is left for us and it does not fit into weight watchers!

Britt Nicole | Don't Worry Now

I heard this song on my way to work today. I thought it was beautiful! I am blessed to still have my dad. He is such a rock for me and an important part of my life. I cried as I heard this song thinking about people I know that have lost their father. I also can understand the thoughts of trying to figure out love during trying times. I feel that this song sings of our heavenly Father. He had to leave this earth for our sins ebenthough those around Him were not ready. He wants us to realize what love really is and He is always telling us it will be OK.

Deep thoughts by Todd

O.k. I have to say that I knew that deep questions about our faith and God would come; however, I did not think 5 would be that magical age. I understand my faith on an adult level, but was not prepared to explain some deep ideas to a 5 year old. I had not spent great time seeking for God's wisdom in this area yet! Here is a conversation that occurred between me and Todd yesterday. This all happened in under 10 minutes.

Todd: Mommy, how does God hold up the sun and not burn his hand?
Me: Well, he does not hold it in his hand. He placed it there and it stays.
T: How did he do that?
M: Well, He is God and can do many things that we can't do.
T: Well, I've wondered how he can make something out of nothing. Why can't I do that?
M: Yeah, he did make the sun out of nothing, but we can't because He is God and he can do things we can't do.
T: So, he made the whole world the same way?
M: Yes, that's right.
T: Is God a boy?
M: What do you think?
T: Yes, he is a boy.
M: That's right.
T: What about that other thing?
M: (I knew he meant the Holy Spirit.) I think you mean Jesus.
T: Um, I think...
M: No, you mean Jesus. (I did not want to get into the Holy Spirit any more than we already have. I knew they idea of a spirit living in us would scare him).
T: Yeah, I guess.
M: Yeah, He is a boy.
T: How can God live in us and in Heaven?
M: (I am thinking can we take any longer to get to Grandma's house. How long will these questions go?) Well, His body doesn't really live in our body. His body is in Heaven but he lives in our heart.
T: What do you mean He lives in our heart?
M: Well, we know he is there in our heart because we can feel Him. We know he loves us and we can feel His love in our heart.
T: Oh, yeah I can feel that.
M: Good, it feels nice doesn't it?
T: Yeah. Hey, what can we do that God can do?
M: Nothing, really because no one is like Him. He is so special. That is why we want to always love Him and obey Him because He does things we can't.
T: Yeah, like heal sick people. If we pray to someone else, they can't heal me, but God can.
M: Yep, your right. Well, look Todd, we just pulled up to Grandma and Grandpa's. (Thank goodness. I need to pray for wisdom on answering a 5 year old's questions on the Holy Spirit)

There you have it. I was in awe of his knowledge and curiosity. Perhaps we should all be that hungry for the understanding of our Lord. It was another realization of the important job we have as parents to help our children develop their on faith and belief in God. I guess I will be ready next time!

In the past

I was tagged by my friend, Jeni. I am supposed to write what I was doing 10, 20, and 30 years ago. So here we go:

10 years ago: I was married to Brad even though I was only 21. We had been married 4 months. I was in my junior year of school. I was deep in my major of elementary education. Brad was working many hours at Footlocker counting down the days until I graduated and he could get a job in his actual major. He was determined that I would be able to graduate from Harding.


20 years ago: I would have just turned 11 years old. I was in 4th grade. I was living in Flower Mound, Texas. I was in Mrs. Tweedy's class. She was one of my favorite teachers ever. I was in a class with a lot of special education children. I guess I was already in training for my future job. Those kids would listen to me when they wouldn't listen to the teacher.


30 years ago: I had just turned one. I was really cute. I was good since I had not hit my terrible 2's. I was a happy little baby.

What

I just realized that I must have been really tired last night when I wrote that blog. There were misspelled words and mis-typed word like crazy. I am really not that dumb.

The Touch

I have been doing a study called "Fingerprints of God" by Jennifer Rothschild. I actually started it a long time ago and had quit because of VBS. It got misplaced and I uncovered it last week. It is a really good daily study. It is not a long daily study, but it has some good thoughts. The premise is that we are made uniquely by God and he desires us to know Him like He knows us. On Monday, the session was about the woman at the well in John 4:3-10. The author was saying that not all of us get to see God through a burning bush or a talking donkey but that God reveals Himself to each of us individually. Rothschild went on to say that "Sometimes our plans and longings get in the way and they only serve to blur our view, keeping us from recognizing God's presence in our most ordinary moments". Wow! That is so true for me in my life. That was a comment that hit home to me. However, the most amazing thing was what was suggested to do at the end of that day's study. The author suggest praying to God and asking Him to reveal Himself to me in the next 3 days as He touches me in my ordinary life. I have prayed to feel God's presence before but never in a time frame like this. Let me just tell you, that was an amazing time in prayer for me. I truly felt connected and I prayed an earnest prayer. I am sure with a specific time frame I was more in tune to His leading. It was yesterday that God revealed Himself to me. It was in the form of a touch from a child. It was so evident that this child, though by earthly standards was lost, was a subtle reminder of my Lord and His plan for me. As of November, I will now be a full time teacher in a class that is a true calling. It is one that the scenario is awkward and the situations difficult, but one that I will embrace. It is one that God has called me to and it was all because I was ready for Him to truly lead my life. I would like to challenge each of you to ask God to reveal Himself, but be prepared, it might make you step out of your comfort zone, but if you truly believe in Him, it will seem like a much easier decision.

Memories

One of my good friends birthday is on October 15th. So, in honor of her, I dug up so old photos of the good days of high school. Many of my friends have blogs, facebook, or myspace accounts. I am so glad because it allows me to keep in touch. The girls in these pictures were what helped me to develop into who I am today! Thanks girls. I miss your friendships and the good days of laughing and being immature. Now we are responsible moms. Crazy stuff! For those of you that know me now, I had a perm in some of these years. What was I thinking?

This is a group of us at Winterfest either our soph. or Jr. year. I chose this one because the couple on the left are married with 3 children. We always knew they would stay together! He was also a good friend of mine.

This is us in our Sr. year. We were all in chorus and this was our terrible dresses! This was all of my good female friends!
Again, this is our Sr. year. We were on a chorus trip and had decided to play on the McDonald's playground. I am on the far left.

This is a us at our Jr./Sr. formal.

Thanks for the memories Rebecca, Erika, and Kristin. It was a lot of fun.

Cinderella Days

I have not seen this movie in a while. However, today I gained more respect for Cinderella. I scrubbed my kitchen/eat-in area floors with a small brush. You might wonder why. Well, when we bought our house 3 years ago, we picked out a flooring that was durable, cheaper, and would help disguise dirt. What we didn't think about was the fact that this flooring was VERY porous. Of course it hides dirt well because it seeps into the pores and make the entire floor look nasty. So, after putting this off long enough, I got down on my knees and for about 5 hours I scrubbed. My hands are about to fall off but the floor looks so much cleaner. Now, I have mopped it consistently but it just did not get all of the dirt out of the pores. So, I decided to post a picture that shows the difference between the cleaned floor and the dirty floor. Just remember, I really do keep them mopped, just not scrubbed. The clean floor is on the right and the dirty floor is on the left. Notice how much lighter they are when they are cleaned. You can see the dirt in the pores. GROSS!

Now some of you might wonder what Todd was doing during my cleaning. Well, I have included a few pictures to show what he did while I was being Cinderella.

He also played Scooby Doo with me,

He played cars, he played trains, and he played with the McDonald's food. Oh, and he watched Scooby Doo, too. Come to thank of it, no wonder he had to rest!



Luckily, my Cinderella days are few and far between. Tomorrow we are off to a pumpkin patch. Perhaps my carriage will be waiting!

Tagged

Okay, Kristin, a very dear friend of mine from high school, has tagged me about my man. Here we go:

1. Who is my man? Brad
2. How long have we been together? We have been married 10 years
3. How long did we date? We dated 1 years and were engaged 1year .
4. How old is he? 34
5. Who eats more? He does.
6. Who said "I love you" first? He did.
7. Who is taller? He is.
8. Who sings better? I do.
9. Who is smarter? I really do not know. We are probably have about the same IQ.
10. Who has more of a temper? Mine. He is very laid-back!
11. Who does the laundry? I do most of the time. He will do it if I am busy!
12. Who takes out the trash? He does.
13. Who has sharper computer skills? He does.
14. Who sleeps on the right side? He does.
15. Who pays bills? I do.
16. Who mows the lawn? He does usually. When he was traveling to Chicago, I did.
17. Who cooks? I do however not as much as I should.
18. Who drives when we are together? He does.
19. Who pays when we are out together? He does.
20. Who is more stubborn? Does Todd count? If not, me.
21. Who is first to admit it when they are wrong? Brad
22. Who asked out who? Brad asked me. Funny story. I will have to post that sometime.
23. Who kissed who first? Brad kissed me first.
24. Who is more sensitive? Me by far.
25. Who has more friends? We are about the same. Most of our friends are at church.
26. Who has more siblings? He does. He has 2 half brothers. I have one brother.
27. Who wears the pants? He does but we discuss things. I guess we sort-of share but he is our spiritual leader!
Now, I will tag the three people: Tracy, Becky, and Jeni.

Be Still

I was called to study the passage in Psalm 37:7 the other night. I had prayed that I would be lea to the scripture that I needed to study. This is what I read.

Quiet down before God, be prayerful before him. Don't bother with those who climb the ladder, who elbow their way to the top.

Now the second part was not too impacting. However, the words that really drew me in was "Quiet down" or "Be still". Then I was drawn to Psalm 46:10. This passage is one I have read a million times, but I really read it and thought on it this time.

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

It was then that I was lead to a common story. A lesson that I have taught in children's classes and one that I have heard many lessons on in my lifetime. However, it spoke to me in a deeper way than I can even put into words. It was the scripture in Mark 4:38-40.

38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

After reading this, I felt a feeling like I had not felt in quite some time. A feeling of comfort and peace. I could feel myself saying to God, "Lord, why me. Don't you care. I feel like I am drowning in life and do you just sit and watch?" It was then that I heard my Lord whisper to me, "Carrie, be still and be calm. Why are you afraid. Do you still have no faith?" Wow. I was opened to my true self. Why do I question. Why do I wonder if He is present. The same God that watches over me was willing to give His only son for me. Of course he cares! Of course he is there waiting for me.

I realized I have been running. I have been busy so that I do not have to deal with the hurt I have faced. I have been fearful of what trial I would endure next. Sad to say, my prayers have been guarded. Sure I have prayed faithfully but not openly. I have been awaken by the words of these scriptures. I have been told to be still. That is hard. I will leave with these words from a song that allowed me to make it through the loss of our precious baby girl. I sang this song many times with tears flowing from my eyes. I suppose it will always have a big place in my heart. I wished I was an artist. I would draw a picture of my Lord with a hand holding numerous tears. In each tear, would be words or names of things that I have cried over. Some are so insignificant. Others shook my faith but did not keep me down. This is a part of the song by Casting Crowns, " Praise You in this Storm".

And I'll praise you in this storm and i will lift my hands that you are who you are no matter where I am and every tear I've cried you hold in your hand you never left my side and though my heart is torn I will praise you in this storm

Update

Well, it has been a while since I have posted anything. Several of you have asked how things are going. Well, Brad had been offered a position a week ago but it was back in mortgage and was full commission. UGH! We had decided that he would wait until yesterday and if he did not have any other option, he would take that job. I really did not want him to have to work in a job he hated. Work is bad enough but if you HATE it, it is worse. However, on Friday, he received a call from his old boss saying he was trying to get him on with him. It would be doing what he loved (project manager coordinator) and it would be in town! So, yesterday Brad received an offer to work as an outsource for HCA a huge medical company here in town. He is so relieved and so am I! God is good you just have to sit back and wait for His timing. Also, I have been offered a full time position at the school where I have been subbing. We are on a 2 week Fall Break. I will make that decision when we return to school. I do not know enough about the position. I do know it is a self-contained special education class. I do not know the severity or the conditions. I will have to talk to the teacher. So, that is what is going on in our household. We are busy but are blessed to see God's work in our lives. Thanks for all of your prayers. This has been a difficult time for us. I am looking forward to some stability and sanity again! I pray that we can have a little breather before we are under trials again.

Exhausted!

Some of you have asked how the teaching is going. All I have to say is that 16 5 year olds WEAR ME OUT! This was only my 2nd day and I am still adjusting to their schedule. Today was more quiet and less confusing. I think we will do well. I really like the kids and the other kindergarten teachers. I just hope we continue to do well and that they get what they need academically. In the mean time, I have not slept as well as I did last night in a long time! So, if you can't sleep, go ask to sub for kindergarten!

Faith Beasley

We received the news from our genetic testing. We were expecting a little girl. They found nothing irregular in the testing. That was a tough phone call. One, they saw nothing wrong so why did she not make it? Two, I really wanted a little girl. I just knew that Todd would love a little sister and protect her to the end.

So, after some thought, we will always remember my little Faith Leeanne Beasley. This was not what we would have named her on Earth, but since God called her home before we ever met, we will call her Faith because that is all I have left in me after this trial. I have to know that God is good and that His plan is the only right plan not matter what I feel or how bad it hurts right now. So, Baby Faith will be waiting for me and what a happy meeting I will have one day. I love you, Faith but more importantly, I love you Lord!

Mrs. Beasley

Those are some words I have not heard on a regular basis since May of 2002. However, starting next Monday, I will hear them daily over and over again. I have agreed to take an interim teaching position at the school that Todd attends. Here is the good part, it is Kindergarten. I will be around 5 year olds all day and all night for 4 weeks. I am excited about it, though. I considered going back into teaching this year but decided to see how Todd did in school. He is doing well and since Brad still has not found a job, I could not pass it up. Also, with the latest happenings in our life, I need to make a change and do something to help me move on. On top of all of that, if I am not pregnant by next August, I will go back into teaching next year. I hope that this will get my foot in the door. I would love to be able to teach at the same school that Todd attends. It would make it less hectic. We will see how this goes. I always taught middle school but this is what I chose for my original degree. I am always up for new challenges. I just pray for LOTS of energy!

Self Control

Self control is hard enough for an adult , but can be nearly impossible for children. Todd has difficulty with sugar and certain dyes in food. We have worked hard to limit his sugar content so that he would do well in school. Sugars and dye can make him wild instantly. It is like we injected him with pure hyperactivity. Last year, he got in some trouble at preschool for being too active. For school this year, we had discussed having him bring his own snack instead of eating what was brought by others because of the sugar. We decided to let him try eating what was brought but if it did not work, he understood our plan. Well, a few weeks ago, he had been doing perfect in school, so I put a fruit roll-up in his lunch. It has a smaller amount of sugar than a lot of things. As I put it in, I stressed to him to not let it get him in trouble. I also told him if he had something sweet for snack, he probably should not eat it. That day, he ate it because they had been given crackers for a snack. Yesterday, I had given him another fruit roll-up. I did not "preach" to him. As a matter of fact, I did not even mention the sugar issue or not eating the treat. When he got home yesterday, he had not eaten the fruit roll-up. I asked him why and he said, "Because our snack was something sweet". It had been 2 weeks since we had that discussion and he remembered it and followed through with it. I was so proud of him. I was wanting him to learn to control it on his own and he had! That takes a lot of self control! I'm not sure I would have been able to do it if it was something I liked as much as he likes fruit roll-ups. So after a big praise, we opened up the fruit roll-up and ate it. He is growing up fast!

Young Families

What does a policeman, a vet, an architech, 2 accountants, a preschool teacher, and a businessman have in common? Not too much normally, but in our small group we all have the desire to reach out to the community and become stronger in faith. We have small groups at our church that meet once a month. Most people are in a group that is geographically close. A group of young families got together and decided close to home was not the important thing. We wanted to be in a group where our kids enjoyed meeting as well. We started with a group of 13 total. As of this weekend, we have grown to 38 people! We all have very different backgrounds. We have some single moms, some people with 4 kids and others with no kids. We are a very diverse group. From the outside, you would think we could not create a deep relationship. However, these families are very important to Brad and I. We laugh with them, we shed tears with them, we love them. I often think that this is what the early church would have been like. We have varying strengths and weaknesses but together, we are a vibrant group that wants to reach the lost.

Brad and I have had it on our hearts for some time to head up a young families ministry. We have decided that is what the Lord is leading us to at this point on our lives. Please be in prayer that we will know God's desire as we begin this endeaver.

Are any of you part of a young families ministry? What is your favorite part about it? Why is is successful or why does it not do too well. We would like to have other people's feedback.

For Wes- Glory Baby

I was led to this video by a friend from high school. I have a CD of Watermark but I had not heard this song. This really is a beautiful song. One night before we knew for sure we had lost our baby, I was crying and I remember praying and asking God to hold my baby tightly until I can can meet it, if it was to not make it on the earth.

When it rains..

This post could be about the desperate need that we are in for rain. We are now 13" behind and grass fires are everywhere. Our farmers are really struggling.

No, that was not what this was about. It was in response to life these days. First of all, thank you all for the kind words, cards , and flowers. It has been uplifting to receive comments from dear high school friends. I would love to know what is up with all of you! I feel well. Actually better than I had. It seems that the fetus was almost poisoning my body and that is why I had been so sick. Who knew? However, today, we received news that Brad's company had made some changes and he was laid off. Can you believe it? He had not been there long and the hospital changed hands. He was being flown in to Chicago every week. The new CIO decided to cut costs and that was one to be cut. So, here we go again. I told my mom I can't even heal from one episode without another one beginning. I feel like a diamond being beat until I shine. So, continue to pray for my health and now for Brad's job. This is unreal!

So the real thought for the post: when it rains it pours!

Done

Well, I had the D & C done today. I was very worried about it because I had a bad reaction to the anesthesia last time so I was worried this time. It was an easy process. I am feeling well tonight. I have not taken any medicine for pain. I imagine I will take Tylenol tonight but I should be doing well tomorrow. Thank you all for your prayers and kind words! They have made this easier. I should get the results from the genetic testing in a few weeks. I am in awe of the strength that the Lord has given me. It still saddens me but I will move on. Perhaps on March 19Th, I will have to grieve a little more since that was the baby's due date. If we ever endure the chances of getting pregnant, I pray that the outcome is better. My heart aches for those that have endured this more than once. I do not know how they do it!

His Will

There are times in our christian walks where we do not understand how things work. I feel it is these times that we learn our greatest lessons about being a TRUE follower of God. It is so easy to have faith when things are going well. It is usually in these times that we forget to thank Him for all he does. However, it is in the depths that we realize we are lost without Him. It is in the depths that we learn what faith is really about. It is during these times that we realize that we are not put on this Earth for our glory, but for the Lord's glory.

We heard the news we had hoped not to hear today. We had a miscarriage. There was still not a heartbeat and our tiny baby had not grown any. This was difficult to hear and comprehend. Sure, the intellectual part of me knows that this is much easier than having a child with severe disabilities. I have worked with those kids and their life is so hard. I know that it is God's will but it is still the hardest thing I have had to endure. I will never hear this babies cry. I will never get to see their personality shine. I will never hear them laugh. But one thing I know is that that baby is in the best place it could ever be! I look forward to the day we can finally meet it! I know it will be a joyous day for us.

I will have a D & C on Monday. That will finalize this ordeal. We have talked with our insurance and they will pay for the genetic testing to see if there is something we should be aware of for the future. At this point, we do not know what our future plans will be. The pain is too current and the emotions are too involved. Please pray that the procedure goes well and we can move on with our lives, ever grateful for the vibrant young boy we were blessed with 5 years ago!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Roman 8:28

The Storm details

Patience and humility. Those are 2 hard words to grasp for me. I consider myself a pretty patient person but could always improve in that area. Humility is such a big concept that is always changing. The more I study scripture the harder this one is. I think it s much more involved than not boasting. I think it is being totally open and helpless before the Lord. I don't think a truly humble person tries to figure God out. I think they just sit back and know that God is in control and this world is not about me!

Well, as I posted in the last post, we are going through such a storm. As many of you know, Brad and I have tried to have a baby for 3 years. While on vacation, we discovered we were pregnant. It seemed like a dream that I would one day wake up from. I was very cautious at first, but then we began re-arranging our house for this new family member. I went to my Dr. appointment on Thurs. Nothing too odd was mentioned. He wanted me to get an ultrasound to discover exactly how far along I was since we would do a repeat C-Section. He told me to do it within the next 2 weeks. They had an opening that afternoon so I decided to go on and do it. Brad was out of town, but we would have a more in depth one later. After a long process, I was told they could not find a heartbeat. This was devastating news for me. The Dr. said he did not want to make any quick decisions. Therefore, I am to have another ultrasound on Thurs.

Many people have asked what to pray for. Here is how we are praying. Despite how hard it is, we want God's will! If it is within God's will, we want this baby Thurs. to be as healthy as possible!! We KNOW that all things are possible with God's help. However, if it is not God's will, we ask that it be obvious the condition of the baby. We do not want to have to make a difficult decision. I would always doubt my choice. Up to this point, we have had no signs of a problem. If this baby is not to survive, I want that physical sign to be present so I do not have to guess. Please keep us in your prayers. Oh, we had not told Todd that we were expecting. We do not want to have to explain this situation to him. It is hard enough for us to explain it to our self, much less a 5 yr. old who has asked when is God going to give us a baby. I will keep you updated when I can.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds," James 1:2
I am not totally here yet, but am praying to get there!

Praise You In This Storm

Casting Crowns are one of my favorite groups. This song has amazing lyrics! At this time, I am going through a storm and this video expresses all of my emotions very well. Please pray for me. I will post the details later.

Todd's First Day of School

Yesterday, Todd went to school for the first day. They do this crazy system, so he is home today. He went a full day yesterday with only half of the kids. He will start officially tomorrow. I was having a really hard time letting him go to school. I really prayed for strength because if he saw me cry, he would get upset. I told him it was a great thing to go to school. I did really well. I was able to be strong in his presence. As I left, I got very misty-eyed. I still maintained it until I got to the car. It is so hard to believe that it is time for him to go to school. My house seemed so quiet and lonely. I had no one to laugh with or make silly jokes with. I know that this is part of growing up, but I have to say it really stinks! I will miss all of our time together. Sure, my house will be cleaner, but it will be much more lonely. When I picked him up yesterday, he came running to me as fast as his leg would go. He had a good day, but was ready to come home. He told my mom, "It is a really long time from the morning to the afternoon!" All afternoon, he was hugging me and telling me he loved me. I am sure he will do well this year, let's just hope I can, too!

Our vacation

I have been so behind on posts. I have had some comments on my lack of posts. So, I will attempt to catch up. In the middle of July, Todd and I flew to Chicago to spend the weekend with Brad. It was a really good deal on our part. Since he is flying every week, we had 1 free ticket. His company also agreed to pay for our hotel stay since they would not be paying his flying costs that week. He stays in a very expensive hotel, so that was a nice treat. While we were there, we did the Brookfield Zoo, which is 216 acres and is AMAZING! We also did the aquarium. That was not a good as the aquarium in Chattanooga. We were disappointed in that. Then, on Sunday, we went to Six Flags. For those of you that do not know, Brad and I are roller coaster fanatics! We would ride coasters all day every day if possible. We were so thrilled to see that Todd has inherited that love from us! He is tall for his age and could actually ride a lot of rides. He could have ridden on called The Demon that had corkscrews and went upside-down several times. We actually did not let him ride that one. We did not want to scare him to where he would never ride again. We are saving that for 6 years old! Anyway, it was such a fun trip. I look forward to going sometime for an adult only trip. There is so much to do there. I am sure we will go back soon! I have attached a few pictures. Oh, I forgot to tell that we were the Grand Marshalls for the parade at Six Flags. That was good because we got Todd's picture with Scooby Doo. That was one of the main reasons we were going to Six Flags. He loves Scooby Doo. He was supposed to be where you could get your picture taken with him, bit he was not showing up. We managed to sweet-talk our way into being in the parade, which guaranteed our picture with Scooby!

Our new toy

Okay, I have to say that we usually do not buy electronic games for fun. We did on Friday. Todd has been wanting a Wii. That is hard to believe since he is only 5 years old. However, we had put it off. We were in a store and discovered that these games are hard to come by. The guy told us when the shipment was coming in and we went and got one. It is so fun! For those of you that don't know, it is a video game you interact with. I have to admit, I played so much tennis and boxing yesterday, that my elbow is sore. We have had a blast with it. Todd loves it and it is a great way to get out energy when the weather is not appropriate for outside play. Now it will be silly purchases for us for another 10 years. You have to have fun every now and then and do something crazy!

Hard to believe

I know I have been away from blogging in a while. I have been very busy. I hope to catch up in the next few days. We went to Chicago this past weekend and hope to post pictures soon! In the mean time, I cannot believe that Todd starts school on August 1st! That is so fast. I actually purchased his supplies last night. I ask that you pray for him and his teacher. We actually go to church with her. She seems like she would be a great teacher but she will be out on maternity leave this year. That will be some transition to deal with. I am sure he will do well! I will update you on more happenings soon!

Where to begin?

It has been almost 1 month since I updated my blog. There has been so much that I really do not even know where to begin. I guess I will go in chronological order not order of importance. I will report on our VBS. Some of you have asked and here is the run-down. It turned out great!!! We had 92 kids and just over half were visitors. Many of the visitors do not attend church anywhere so it was truly an outreach! The kids had a good time and the church members were able to spend some time socializing with the community parents. We had rented an inflatable slip n dip for the kids to use in an activity and kept it for several hours after VBS. We did not let parents know that the kids would be able to slide after VBS so that they would be there to supervise their own kids and so we could spend some time in a non-threatening environment to get to know them. It was a lot of fun. For future reference kids love the water theme. It attracted swarms of people! We even had a man that had been considering baptism say that his son's excitement lead him to make that decision. Talk about the power of God. Thank you all for your prayers. Brad and I were absolutely exhausted after we were done, but it was during that phase that we were really able to allow Christ to do His work.

VBS

Well, I have very few days until VBS will be here. Brad and I are VBS coordinators this year. WOW, what a job. I decided the curriculum, designed the set and the decorations, decided on the crafts and activities and order all of the supplies, and I wrote all of the scripts. I am EXHAUSTED! When we decided to do this, Brad was not in Chicago all week and I was only keeping a little girl one day a week. Now, Brad is gone and I am keeping here 3 days. I will not give any information about her but, please remember her and her mom in your prayers. The dad has left them and it is a very difficult situation!

Back to VBS, I really enjoy the creative side, but not the leadership side. I am not a leader mentality. Brad tells me I am better than I give myself credit for, but I feel terrible. I feel so bossy. I would much rather be a worker than leader. We are having a water park theme. I think it will be a lot of fun. We did manage to rent a 30' inflatable water slide for the K-6th graders. Please pray that the VBS is a success and that we reach those that need to be reached. Please pray that we have enough supplies and workers. I will give you an update after it is over.

10 Things You May Not Know

Becky wrote this list on her blog and said she would like for other people to do the same. So, Becky, here are 10 things many people may not know about me.

1). I would ride roller coasters for a living if I had a chance.
2). I am afraid of snakes!
3). I love middle school age kids (I've been told I am crazy for this).
4). My husband and my sister-in-law grew up in the same church and knew each other far before they knew us.
5). I have recently lost over 30 lbs and am still losing more!
6). I would love to be a hearing impaired interpreter.
7). I did not go to my senior banquet (christian school and did not have proms) because the guy I was going with was highly intoxicated. I did not want to go alone, so I chose not to go at all. I regret that I did not go alone to this day.
8). I would love to be a college professor some day,
9). I tutored famous country music star's children and went to their homes.
10). I was dating 2 guys at one time when I was a Harding. One was in Alabama and one became my husband. The other guy kept trying to come and visit and I talked him out of it because he had financial difficulties. It was really because I liked Brad much more and I did not want to break-up with the other guy over the phone.

There you have it!

It starts early

We have a friend with a nice above ground pool. Todd and I have gone over there the past 2 Monday's for play group. The kids have gotten in the pool. Todd is very outgoing most of the time but when it comes to water, he is cautious. The first week he had on a life jacket, arm floats, and a ring float around his waist to sit on the steps. No, that was not my suggestion, but he wanted to be safe. This week, I had bought him a life jacket in hopes that he would go out into the water. Well, he literally stayed on the deck the entire time. He threw toys in the pool to the other kids. I tried to convince him to go in but he would not do it. I gave up and went to the screened-in porch to watch. One by one, the kids got out of the pool to move on to something else. Todd was on the steps gathering the toys he had thrown in the water. I went to walk to the other side of the pool to reach things on that side. I looked up and he was half-way around the pool. I did not say a word. I watched as he slowly released his hand from the side of the pool to test and see if he was going to float. All of a sudden, he began kicking his feet and splashing his hands. Finally, he said, "Mommy, look I can swim. You were right!" He was so proud. He wanted to play for a minute more and then he began to try and dive for things on the bottom. We still will need to work on that. After he was done, I asked him why did he wait till everyone was done before he would try. He told me he had to "get brave". He did not know if he could do it. I quickly realized he was afraid of failure. What, he is almost 5 and he already would rather not try than to fail. He missed all of the fun because he was afraid for them to see him not be able to do it. Don't we all do that? I know I do it in all areas of life, even spiritual. I hope that he will feel comfortable enough around his church family and actual family to try things and turn to others when he needs help from drowning.

So Proud

Todd had a soccer game tonight. They are usually Saturday, but they were rained out. Instead of practicetonight, he had a game. It was really hot. He played about 50 minutes out of the 60 minute game. All the other kids were crying and begging to not go in the game, Todd was gladly playing all of their turns. That was not what I was most proud of, though. This league is a christian league. They have weekly memory verses and devos. After each game, they give out stars... best offense, best defense, ect. He got the white star which stands for the most like Christ. He was really wanting the red star (who knows why). I was so proud of him. He was the only player that did not hit, make faces, say unkind words, or cry the whole game. He began to realize that I thought that was important. He was glad to get it but informed me, "I am going to stop all of their balls so I can get the red star (defensive) next time". The ironic thing is he stopped all 3 of their attempts to get a goal, but they were more impressed with his attitude. Oh, well, I he already has the "winning is the only thing" mentallity.

I'm Back

Wow. This half of a month has been so full of ups and downs it is exhausting to think about! God is so good. Why do we ever doubt Him? Why do we question Him? After Brad being laid off, we decided this time around (unlike Ponca City), we were not going to stress and doubt God. We were going to leave this situation in His hands and move on one day at a time. In the Ponca ordeal, we had every emotion toward God ever know except true belief that it would be fine. This time I had a peace that I cannot even explain. I cried the first time Brad told me he had lost his job and that was it. We had money that would last to the end of April and that was it. Not a penny more. At church, the first time they mentioned our situation, we were given a $1000 check by someone. They said they had been in our position and someone did that for them. Wow. That blew us away! That pushed us up to having more time for Brad to find a job. Then, out of the blue, I get an offer to work 40 his a week for what ended up to be 3 1/2 weeks. I was getting paid tutoring money (which is good) to be a secretary, which I am not very good at. I took it and Brad became a "stay at home Dad". I was absolutely exhausted, but this would buy us more time. Then, a week and a half ago, Brad was asked by someone at church about project management. Brad had done some of this but not in an official magnitude. He has always wanted to do it, though. He was asked to go to an interview in Chicago for this company. This past Monday. As of Monday at 2:00 pm, he is employed and getting paid almost double what he was getting paid! He is out of finance and into project management and the health care industry: 2 things he has dreamed of doing for quite some time! The only negative is he will travel to Chicago Monday mornings and return Thursday evenings every week. That will be an adjustment but it is really no different that his job before this last one where he worked 70 hour weeks a lot. Anyway, I know this was a long, choppy post, but I wanted to share the greatness of our Lord with you all. God does provide and is is faithful. Brad, Todd, and I are very blessed and this is just another example of the power of our God!

Busy

It has been forever since I left a message. I have been working more than 40 hours a week and Brad's dad came in town. I will have a lot to post when I have more time. In the meantime, please keep praying that Brad will find a job. He is still searching.

God works in mysterious ways..

This week has been a real adventure. Our paycheck was suppose to go in the bank on Friday but it didn't. We did not get it until Monday. We almost bounced a check due to this issue. Also, we were at church discussing our employment issues when a man brought us a $1000 check. Can you believe it? Then, today, out of the blue I got a phone call for a job working 40 hrs a week for 3 weeks on a special project. I will make enough money to pay bills for 2 more weeks. That should get us through half of May. We know God has a plan for us we are just taking it day by day. Please pray that these next 3 weeks goes well. Brad will play Mr. Mom and Todd had to adjust to this concept in a matter of hours. Please continue to pray for Brad's job search. He is under a lot of pressure and his dad is coming in town next week. He does not do much supporting of Brad just criticizing. Anyway, this was a lot of various information. Just keep us in your prayers. We have a totally different mind set this time that when we lost our job in OK. It is some easier, but it's never an easy road.

It's a Journey

James 1:2-7
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

Boy, This is hard. It is hard to take anytime, especially during adversities. Brad found out today that his company laid off 3200 people and his region was one that was let go. It is really hard to look at that as "pure joy". As many of you know, we have had our fair share of adversities in the financial/job category. We have been very blessed with health, however. And we praise GOD for that! When I read this scripture for encouragement, I found something that really jumped out at me. It was verse 6. The message says:

People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

Worry your prayers..keeping your options open... that is an interesting thought to me. I tend to worry alot. I am sure that is, in large part, a faith issue. However, I claim I like to be prepared. But, prepared for what? What can you really prepare for? Today was a showing that you can't prepare for anything. Could I have save more money, yea, especially if I weren't giving it to church and VBS. Could I have gone to work this year and made more money, sure, if I would have given up this precious time with Todd. Could I, Could I, Could I.. yes, but the truth is in the following verses:

12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
In the end, this is all that matters. I love the song "Stand in the Rain" by Superchick. So we will stand in the rain and God has promised we want drown.

Lord, we turn to you and know that you will protect us and care for us. It may not be the way we would like, but if it's your will, be done. Just save Todd's innocence in it all! Amen.

Music Tag

OK, I was tagged by Erika. I am supposed to list 7 songs I am either currently listening to or that mean something to me. I decided to explain them since some of them are new songs and are not well known. I really enjoy music, so picking 7 is difficult. So I had to do 8!

1). Calling For a Flood by John Waller- This is a new CD for me and this song is asking God to flood my life with Him and to take over every aspect of me. That is my desire... to be completely filled with Him!
2). Still Calls Me Son by John Waller- This song beautifully describes the love of God. That no matter what I have done or will do, God will be waiting with opened arms.
3). Stand in the Rain by Superchick- This song has been very important to me. The beat in this song is amazing but the words far surpass it. This song discuss that, even though we have pain, we should stand strong because eventually we will make it through the storm and be stronger. This has been such a blessing as I struggled with the inability to have another child. It helped me to realize I could stand in the pain and not drown. That one day, I would be finished with this storm. Powerful song!
4). My Wish by Rascal Flatts- This song is really good. It sums up many of the things I wish for Todd's life.
5). Only Imagine by Mercy Me- This is an older song but it hits me as much today as it did the first time I heard it. I can not wait for the day that I see my Lord. My mind can't fathom how great this is going to be!
6). If you Want Me To by Ginny Owens- This song was a big part of a turning point for me. After our situation in Oklahoma, I was left questioning a lot of things. I was angry and confused with God. I heard this song at a low in my spiritual life and it totally changed my mindset and my heart. My thoughts became lines from this song.."I'm gonna walk through the valley, if you want me to. It may not be the way I would have chosen.. but you never promised it would be easy, you only said I'd never go alone."
7). My Savior My God by Aaron Shust- This song is a good reminder that God is always there and will forever be my God. Todd loves to sing this song and I hope that the message is forever in his head!
8). Be Lifted High by Michael W. Smith- I love all of his music. This is a new song that I came across and loved this line, "And I fall on my knees so that it's You that they see". I hope that is how I live my life!

There you have it. Yes, I do listen to other songs that are not by christian artists. I just have so many that are that impact me daily!
I tag:
Franklin
Tracy
Becky

Weight Loss

I have been attending Weight Watchers for 8 weeks. As of today, I have lost 17.6 pounds. It has not been hard, either. I have cut down what I eat, but have not gone to rabbit food and cardboard! I count my points and am careful about how I use them. I also exercise some but not much. Brad has lost over 30 pounds in the same time frame. I feel so much better. My energy has sky-rocketed! I hope to be much lighter soon. I will keep you updated!

It's been forever

No, I have not fallen off of the Earth! I have been so extremely busy the last few weeks. I keep a girl normally one day a week but for 2 weeks had her 4 days a week. Also, I am organizing VBS this year and that is taking LOTS of time. On top of that, Todd is starting soccer and that takes time and we went with the teens to winterfest in Gatlinburg. And, most importantly, I am putting together applications for teaching jobs. Anyway, I have been busy. I will try to post more later!

Facing The Giants

I wanted to watch this movie at the theater, but never got around to it. However, I was able to watch it on the way to Winterfest. It was a tear-jerker. I thought the movie was good. It was pretty predictable but well worth watching. It is so nice to watch a movie that is clean and entertaining. It made an entire bus of middle school and high school kids silent. That has to say something!!!

If you do not know, a church in Georgia did this movie. The actors are people from their church, so some of the acting is a little exaggerated. It is still good. It almost received a "R" rating because it focused on God too much. That is messed up!!! If you have seen it, what did you think?

Winterfest

Brad and I had the opportunity to chaperon a trip to Gatlinburg, TN. There is an event every year called Winterfest. It is a rally for youth. It has been going on for many years. I attended as a high school student. This year there were 11,000 people there. It is AMAZING. Jeff Walling was the main speaker. I have always thought he was blessed to be able to reach teens in a way that most people cannot do. The worship service is unreal. If I had to say one mode of worship that connected me most to Christ, it would be singing. I love to sing and music can convict me faster than anything. That was no different this time. The music was so wonderful. It is how I hope Heaven will be! The theme this year was "The Prize" based on Philippians. It was really good and gave me a lot to think about. Please pray for all of those teens that made a connection this weekend, maybe for the first time.

Who is this kid?

Todd has been cracking us up. Here are two occasions that dealt with racing.

Todd has really been into Cars (from the Disney movie) ever since he saw it the first time. Brad and I enjoyed the movie as well, but we do not enjoy racing. Todd saw us flipping channels and racing was on. He asked to watch it. Brad and I could not believe it. I would rather get a root canal than watch racing (OK not that bad but almost). He watched it for a minute. He then asked when it would be over. I informed him it still had 100 laps to go. He said,"Are you kidding me! Never mind". Brad and I laughed and we relieved all at once.

Tonight, Todd was playing with his collection of Cars. He loves to race the main race cars from the movie (King, McQueen, and Chick Hicks). He gives us play by plays of who is leading and who has crashed. Tonight he looked at us and said" The King is in the lead but he only has a slim lead". Brad and I looked at each other and laughed. I thought it was so funny to say a slim lead. You just never know what he is going to say!

My Wish

This is a song that Rascal Flatts sings. I absolutely love the words to the song! The music is great as well, but it is the words that speak so much louder than the music.

When I heard this song the first time, it was at a time that I needed to be reminded that we are not on this Earth for ourselves but for the glory of God. He has not promised us an easy path but one that we can endure. He does not promise us all that we want in life, bit all that we need. He is always there taking care of us in every step and loves us more than words can express.

The next time I heard this song, I thought it summed up what I want Todd to grow up knowing and believing. I want him to know that he will have choices, but that Christ will lead him down the correct path. I also want him to know, that through it all, his mommy, daddy, and Christ will love him through all of his endeavors.

My Wish

by Rascal Flatts
I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow

And each road leads you where you want to go

And if you’re faced with the choice and you have to choose

I hope you choose the one that means the most to you

And if one door opens to another door closed

I hope you keep on walkin’ ‘til you find the window

If it’s cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile

But more than anything, more than anything

Chorus

My wish for you

Is that this life becomes all that you want it to

Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small

You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you’re out there gettin’ where you’re gettin’ to

I hope you know somebody loves you

And wants the same things too

Yeah, this is my wish

I hope you never look back but you never forget

All the ones who love you

And the place you left

I hope you always forgive and you never regret

And you help somebody every chance you get

Oh, you find God’s grace in every mistake

And always give more than you take

But more than anything, yeah more than anything

This is my wish

I hope you know somebody loves you

May all your dreams stay big

Credits:
Steve Robson, Jeffrey Steele© 2006 V2 Music Publishing Limited (BMI), Jeffrey Steele Music (BMI) All rights on behalf of V2 Music Publishing Limited administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, 8 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203. All rights on behalf of Jeffrey Steele Music administered by BPJ Administration, PO Box 218061, Nashville TN 37221-8061. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Is this real?

I cannot believe this is real. I came across this on the computer. They are saying it is a minature flying saucer. It only goes 15 miles an hour but can fly when traffic is bad. Would you really use this? I think I could sit in traffic and still get where I am going faster. Read more about it at this site. http://www.hammacher.com/publish/10321.asp# I think I will purchase one for Brad. Does anyone have an extra $17,000 dollars I can use?

Weather

Okay. I am so sick of weather people and the weather! I was awake at midnight and they were still predicting 1 to 2 inches of snow today. Do you know how much we got? NONE! Todd was so disappointed! I understand that things change, but that seems too fast to totally miss everyone in the area. I think I can predict weather just about as accurately. My prdiction is that it will be cold tomorrow and a 50% chance of precipitation!

Random thoughts

As I posted earlier, I plan on going back to teaching this next school year. I was looking at the county I was wanting to teach in to see when school began. It begins August 1st!!!! Can you believe that? I remember the days of starting in September. This really makes me sad. Kids do not have a long summer break anymore.

This brings me to my next idea.. VBS. I do not know about your area churches, but here participation has been down the last few years. I am looking at heading up our VBS at church. I will bw in charge of everything from choosing the material to getting the people and crafts. This is stepping out of the box for me. I am not a good leader. I am going to see if there is enough interest and if so I am the leader. We are going to a 1 day VBS because the summers are so short. It seems there are not enough weeks to make VBS an entire week. Please pray for the church that they will step up and for me that I can do this. Especially pray that we can reach lost souls. Pray that I will know what to do to get them to hear God's message!!

I will keep you posted!

Tagged

I've been tagged by Becky.

The tag instructions...
1) Grab the book closest to you
2) Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence
3) Post the text of the following 3 sentences
4) Name the author and book title
5) Tag three people to do the same


Here it is..
"Ask yourself, your spouse, and your friends:what sets this child apart? Childhood tendencies forcast adult abilities. Read them. Discern them. Affirm them. Cheerlead them.

Cure For the Common Life by Max Lucado.

I tag.. Tracy, Franklin, and Cory

Are you kidding?

Brad called me yesterday to inform me he had been lusting. No not over a woman ,over an electronic device. It is the new tv that was released at the electronics show. It is a 108 inch tv. Yes, you read that correctly. Can you imagine? They say it will not fit through most people's doors. Now, I like TV, but I am not picky about the size. Brad, however, thinks the bigger the better. I would much rather spend that money on decorations for the house or a vacation. Anyway, I just could not belive the size of the screen. Look at the man in comparison to the hand on the screen. Unreal! I do not know the cost of this TV,but a 103 inch goes for over $70,000! Yeah, we won't have one anytime soon!!

A time of reflection

At the beginning of a new year, I like to look back over the year and reflect on things that have happened. However, I also like to look to the upcomimg year and think on things that will begin.
2006 was a good year. It had a lot of eventful things to remember.

We were very blessed for Brad to get a new job. Todd and I have enjoyed having Brad around more and for him to be far less stressed. He works less time and gets paid more. God truly was watching over us and leading us in this decision.

We have been very involved in church this year. After many paiful years, we decided we were ready to get involved with the teens again. We teach the middle school class and we love it!!! We have also stayed very connected with our church family this year and developed very important relationships.

Todd turned 4 years old and started preschool. He loves school and is doing well. This has been a year full of excitement for him! He is smart and witty so he keeps us laughing!

My mom's health seems to be doing well. She had no new lesions and that was a good sign!! We pray that God will continue to bless her with health.

I had a lot of personal health bills this year due to my gall bladder. I am relieved that it was nothing more serious but I do not understand how something so small can be so expensive!!

Now for things in 2007...

Todd will turn 5!! That is impossible for me to believe! Time has gone so fast that I can't believe it. He will also begin Kindergarten. This is exciting to him and sad to me. Where has the time gone?

Since Todd will be in school full time and we have no other children (as of yet), I will be looking for a teaching job. I look forward to the extra cash, but not the time and effort that it will require. Please keep me in your prayers that I will find a job that will be a good fit.

We are working hard to pay off debt. This has aquired since we moved from Oklahoma and were tight on money. We want to pay it off!!!

We are going to Winterfest in Gatlinburg, TN. This is a youth rally I attended as a teen and I am looking forward to returning. It was a big highlight and uplifting time for me each year.

I want to be more focused on Christ's vision for me than ever before. I want to truly seek his face this year.

I know this year will be a great year. I look forward to a lot of firsts and a lot of memories. I pray that you all have a wonderful 2007 that is blessed and happy. May God lead us all to be better people that shine brighter for Him and affect more people!