Megan's Wedding

These are a little late in the coming but here they are. Actually I forgot about posting them and found them as I was organizing my scrapbook stuff.

Mom and dad, Bob was a little offended that you did not make it a priority to come.

I found out the hard way to always tilt up the flash especially if there is anything in front of you.
The happy couple
I think they were praying after lighting the unity candle, how cute is that or they were just talking to each other.
Oh yeah mom's favorite picture.
Flash did not want to warm up in time and Photoshop can't help it.
Off they go
Cutting the cake
The nice
The ugly mom I can hear your moan from here and see you cringing.
Here is Megan's side of the family. Well most of them at least. I met quite a few others.

Blessings from our Elders

These past two years I have really been blessed to be under the teaching of Ms. Anne Cheairs and the ladies in our Sunday school class. Ms Anne has been real weak lately and so she has not been able to come to class. Our dear Dal Fletcher though came to her house one cold night and took her to her house to care for her. I received a desperate call from Dal on Monday night. She wanted to know if Rachel and I would be able to visit/babysit Ms Anne the next night because her granddaughter was having a birthday party they wanted to attend and she did not think it wise to leave Ms Anne alone. I was more than glad to offer myself and ask my sister if she would like to come too. My sister would not be home from work then and she wanted to work-out so she declined. I was excited.
I tried to think of some questions to ask her to gain more wisdom one on one with her. I really did not get far but that was good. She was napping when I got there and Dal showed me around and then we woke her and told her I was there. She got up and I made some tea. We sat down to tea and I am really glad I could not come up with questions for her because she had tons for me. Wow we went from how the Sunday school class was, to if there was any romantic relationships in my life, to pray requests, to how my parents were doing. I think she may have learned more about me that night than I was aware of at the time. It was great though. All in all we talked about 2 1/2 hours and then we closed by praying. Which would be one of her favorite things to do.
In classic Ms Anne style she asked a few questions during prayer then closed the prayer by telling me to pray for my parents since she did not know all the scoop on them. This reminded me of Care group a few weeks ago. One of my friends was praying and was saying he was not sure of the book of the Bible that had been translated and I had to hold my tongue not to tell him because we do that so often in our prayer time in Sunday school, but it may shock some there. So I withheld and told him after what it was. I was not the only one who wanted to tell him though.
Ms. Anne is marvelous and I pray that she will be well enough to come back to class soon. She said it was a great blessing to get to know me then too. She would love to really know us young ladies in the class but she says she never wants to push it on us. This was God's way of opening a door for both of us.

Let me take you back

As I sat at my desk journaling today about who I would like to be in Christ I was brought back to the days of Psalty. I think this may be a moment when I feel old. Like younger people would ask, who is Psalty? What about Patch the Pirate, Antsillvania, Music Machine, Sir Oliver, and Bull Frogs and Butterflies? Those tapes would reverberate through our house as children. To be real honest I think I may collect them again. I just love those songs.
Back to my point the song that came to mind was Just Like You from the Psalty family album I think it was number 3. It went something like... Give Your peace, show Your joy, give Your love Lord How I want to be like you. I want to be like you and do the good things that I want to do.
I compiled a list of the character traits I would like to possess and the ones I do possess but chose not to use often.

• I want to be wise, now I know this comes with time and I will never know it all until I reach heaven and who knows what then.
• Along with being wise I want to be a scholar and a prayer warrior, like all the women in my Sunday school class, I just have to consistently follow their example.
• I want to be a woman who is content, joyfully. I want to recognize that God has me here in this place for a reason and I am to be bringing Him glory here and now. God thinks this is the best for me and who am I to argue that what I want would be better now.
• I want to be selfless and giving, of my time, energy and things.
• I want to be quiet and uplifting.
• I want to be meditative and think before I speak or act.
• I want to be an encourager and uplifter.
• I want to be a listener, this means not thinking of my response while someone is talking but soak up everything they say and then comment. I really think this would lead to a lot less foot in mouth syndrome.
• I want to be merciful and sympathetic. One great thing I learned in nursing is even if there is no reason you can see for a patient to be hurting and you don't think they are if they say they are then it is real to them so you react accordingly. Where as I would want to argue with them that they are not hurting.
• I want to be a supporter and a helpmate (the second will come if the Lord has a husband for me).
• I want to be unhurried and not dying for some form of pure entertainment every moment of the day. I want to learn to relax and rest. There should be more Quiet retreats all around the world. I was so blessed by taking the time to get away into the quiet to sit at the feet of my Lord and Savior and soak Him up.
• Along with that I want to be patient. Be content to wait upon God to act.
• I want to be self-controlled, especially with food. I have been very convicted about my eating habits lately. I had a coworker come in and ask if there was anything scientific behind ear stapling to decrease hunger. I told her I am sure that it does decrease your hunger but at the same time I don't have to be hungry to eat, when I see things I want I eat them. She was saying she was the same way. So I was saying no amount of ear stapling is going to do the trick. Whereas practicing self-control and not eating every time I am given the chance works every time.
• I want to be submissive, with joy.

I plan on taking each one and pray and practice it for a week or two so my character will change also.

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Girls Night Out

Last night we had the first of our Girl's Night Out meetings each month. Our topic was godly communication. As I am reading at work, no I don't have anything else to be doing. I found a whole chapter on communication in Josh Harris's Boy Meets Girl. I thought I would share his principles for authentic communication. I know these really hit the nail on the head for me.

1. Communication problems are usually heart problems. If our words are selfish, sinful and uncaring that is because we are selfish, sinful and uncaring.
2. Your ears are your most important communication tools. That is why we have two ears and one mouth. Listen twice as much as you talk. When you ask a question absorb the answer.
3. Good communication does not happen by accident, just like we were talking about last night. Meditate on things and conversations will flow more naturally.
4. The absence of conflict does not equal good communication.

• Learn to express your feelings and frustrations honestly without attacking or accusing the other person.
• Choose words, expressions and a tone that are kind and gentle.
• Don't exaggerate, distort or stretch the truth. Avoid extreme words such as always or never.
• Give actual and specific examples. Make notes if necessary before communicating.
• Commit yourself to seeking solutions and not just airing your grievances.
• Listen to what the other person is saying, feeling and needing. Try to detect their underlying concerns.
• Refuse to indulge bitterness, anger, withdrawal, or argument. Those emotions are normal but indulging them is sin.
• Don't hesitate to acknowledge your own failure, and be quick to forgive the other person.
• Keep talking and asking questions until you are sure that you both understand clearly what the other is saying and feeling.
• Train your mouth and heart until you can say the right thing at the right time in the right way for the right reasons.

5. Motive is more important than technique. We need to want to be loving and serve others.

My Marvelous Family

See that white by my foot yeah that is where I initially stepped and my foot went all the way down to the road. I thought it would be a cute picture with me all the way down there but nope.

Rachel is pointing the way, while I am trying to hitchhike. The dentist she works for is Dr. Perkins and so she needed this picture.

Mom sent us some copies of her pictures from when we were in Maine. Here are a few of the family. Daddy has gotten so skinny working on the farm. Mom now is trapped in a fraternity when it has always been dad trapped in a sorority. Tables have turned and I am concerned for her sanity. Naw but she does live with two ADD inflicted men and one suffering severe dementia, she has a lot on her plate.

Wow dad is actually tanner than all of us, who would have ever thought.
Sister, sister never were there more devoted sisters. Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister and Lord help the sister who comes between me and my man. Anyone can you name that movie? Other than my sister that is.
Ahh the girl's at Perkin's cove on the Marginal Way where dad proposed to mom.
And another, yes we are on the ocean and there was snow and ice on the ground. Can you say brr.

Inductive study

I am so thankful that I have a church here that is faithful to expositorily preach the Word and not just use the Word to teach some topic. In my Place of Quiet Rest today I read about how to get the Word into you. Our devotions are not just for reading the Word but using it. Suggestions she makes for getting the Word into your life are:

1. Write down two sentences about every chapter as you read, one to summarize the chapter and one to express how the chapter spoke to you personally.
2. Write out portions of Scripture to keep with you or display in your house.
3. Make notes in your Bible, I jot down ones I come up with and what I am taught.
4. Ask yourself questions as you read, what does it say? (observations) what does it mean? (implications or interpretations) and what should I do?(application)
5. Record your responses to the Word of God and share with another what you have learned so that they may help keep you accountable.
6. Record milestones in your spiritual journey, so you can remember what you have learned.

I hear over and over to study my Bible inductively and have been learning how from the ladies in my Sunday school class. One of the most important things I have taken is to pray and ask God to show you the truth and meaning in what you are reading and then use other aids such as commentaries to help clear up passages. Because those aids were all made by man and were from their studies.

Decisions, I hate them

Oh to be able to make up my mind and stick with it. Wouldn't that be wonderful. Once again I am rethinking the whole moving to Maine in September issue. I wanted to go and get into Photography school. Well last week I was talking to my friend about how I had gone to nursing school for a year and she had said she used to be a surgical tech and got her degree at UAMS where I work. She was telling me about it and my interest was peaked.

Before I looked into Photography schools in Maine I was looking here because as a full-time employee at UAMS I only pay a small percentage of tuition at any University of Arkansas school. But if I take classes at UAMS I only pay 10%, that is like nothing. So I had really wanted to do that, then I would not have more loans added to the one I am already paying. But you can only get a minor in Photography in this state.

So as she talked it made me think about how much I love to watch the "chop 'um up" channel as Tami and I call it. And really being a surgical tech, I would have to maintain the sterile field in surgery and arrange and pass instruments to the surgeon, so in essence I would be watching a real chop um up for a career.

So the next day I researched the program and profession. I liked all that I saw. So I sent out an email for more information. I can only take up to 11 hours a semester if I work full-time, but they did not have information on the part-time students schedule. I am ready to be back in school and I think this is the profession for me. I can always do Photography without a degree, my uncle did or I can go to school for that later.

I just got frustrated when I thought I had it all figured out and then this idea was sparked. Please pray for me that my boss will allow me to take classes and have a weird working schedule. That I would get accepted into the program, they only take 4 part-time students a year.

I would be so happy if God just laid out the map of my life for me. Or He would only open one door at a time and completely close all others at that time. But then life would be boring wouldn't it, hum can't decide that one yet. This could be me.

Start the Day

The morning watch is essential. You must not face the day until you have faced god, nor look into the face of others until you have looked into His.

You cannot expect to be victorious if the day begins only in your own strength. Face the work of every day with the influence of a few thoughtful, quiet moments with your heart and God. DO not meet other people, even those of your own home, until you have first met the great Guest and honored Companion of your life--Jesus Christ.

Meet Him alone. Meet Him regularly. Meet Him with His open Book of counsel before you; and face the regular and irregular duties of each day with the influence of His personality definitely controlling your every act.
~Streams in the Desert
This was the beginning of today's devotions with Nancy Leigh DeMoss. She gives steps as to how to get started having a quiet time alone with the Lord.
1. Make it a consistent practice. "It is much easier to breathe life back into a dead routine than to get life where there was no routine at all." This is not only something we need but something God desires. God wants to spend time with you!
2. In the morning.
I met God in the morning
When my day was at its best,
And His presence came like sunrise,
Like a glory in my breast.

All day long the presence lingered,
All day long, He stayed with me,
And we sailed in perfect calmness
O'er a very troubled sea.

Other lives were blown and battered,
Other lives were sore distressed,
But the winds that seem to drive them
Bring us peace and rest.
Then I thought of other mornings,
With a keen remorse of mind,
When I too had loosed the moorings,
With the presence left behind.

So I think I know the secret,
Learned from many a troubled way:
You must seek Him in the morning,
If you want Him through the day.
~Ralph Spaulding Cushman
3. A solitary place. Get away from all distractions to have an uninterrupted time with the Lord.

Happy Valentines Day

Here is the Cupid man of your dreams. He made me laugh. I sure would not want him shooting me with arrows of love, I just may end up dead. This song is for those of us who feel they have no Valentine. Whether you have love on this earth there is a Valentine who always has our hearts and lavishes us with gifts every day. His love will not fail and it is a perfect love. None on this earth can love so wholly and purely.
Hold On
Nicole Nordeman

It will find you at the bottom of a bottle.
It will find you at the needle's end.
It will find you when you beg and steal and borrow.
It will follow you into a stranger's bed.
It will find you when they serve you the papers.
It will find you when they locks have changed again.
It will find you when you've called in all your favors.
It will meet you at the bridge's highest ledge.
So baby don't look down, it's a long way.
The sun will come around to a new day.
So hold on, love will find you.
Hold on, He's right behind you now.
Just turn around, and love will find you.
It will find you when the doctor's head is shaking.
It will find you in a boardroom, mostly dead.
It will crawl into the foxhole where you are praying.
It will curl up in your halfway empty bed.
So baby don't believe that it's over.
Maybe you can't see 'round the corner...
To hang between two thieves in the darkness.
Love must believe you are worth it.

A Place of Quiet Rest

Recently I pulled out "A Place of Quiet Rest" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. My mother had sent this to me one time when I was in Hawaii, at the time I was not a believer but paraded around like I was one. I read it and really did not take a single thing from it. I read it again about a year ago to spice up my quiet time. I really struggle with it becoming, not really a duty, but rather a habit to me. I hate that my sinful flesh causes that hunger for His Word to wax and wane. It is written like a devotional with a chapter and then a Making it Personal section, which includes questions and activities to implement in your life.

I pulled it out again because once again I am there and found that I am not really taking anything with me from my quiet time. I pray that as I read it this time I can put all the concepts into practice and make my time with Him a delight. I do praise God that I am at least getting into His Word every day, before I just could not do it, but just reading is not enough, I must soak up every Word because it was spoken and recorded to bring me closer to my Master, Maker, and Lover.

Today I am starting the first chapter, "A Day in the Life of the Lord". She uses Mark 1 to explain how busy and harried Christ's day's were. I know many people even I have plead I am so busy. But that also reveals the priorities in your heart. What you hold highest will be what you spend the most time on or desire to spend the most time on. When every thing we do should be to bring glory and honor to God. Our life can be a day spent entirely with the Lord if we allowed it. The stage must be set. That stage is set for my by waking up at 5:30 to have my quiet time with the Lord. I need to start my day with Him and like Ms. Anne preaches give my day to Him before I even get out of bed.

Although I am sure Jesus needed sleep and His body probably called for it, Mark 1:35 says, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Nancy states, "This is precisely where you and I so often miss out on all that God has for us. Unlike Jesus, we attempt to live life in our own energy. We think we can keep giving out without getting replenished."

Take stock of your current time with God in the Word, praise and prayer. What words describe your spirit when your schedule is full or a lot is demanded of you? How did Jesus respond to pressure according to Mark 1? My prayer is God will speak to me through this study and make me more like Him. I pray this for you too.

Where is the Balance

Recently on a post-holiday stint to try to get healthy again my sister and I took on a diet that we could not really afford and half killed us. Or should I say half killed me because I was actually faithful to it until the last 2 weeks. Let's note that one night I almost passed out because I guess I was just not getting enough calories. Let me tell you, when you cut out carbohydrates you are always hungry. Which was also when I decided that the diet did not fit me. You can't just totally cut things out of your diet and totally deny yourself them. Well at least I can't.

The diet we tried is the Maker's diet. Basically you try to eat mostly organic foods (but it is not required to be organic) so that you get all the nutrients minus the pesticides. But you start out by eating really limited foods such as no carbs or beans and only goat or sheep dairy products. Then two weeks later you add a few more things cow's dairy and some beans and then the last 2 weeks you add limited carbs and that is then supposed to be a lifestyle change. The idea is that hunter gatherer people's are a ton more healthy than we are and they reason that is because of the way they eat and live. Also some of the Levitical food laws were there for good reason. I do not argue that later Peter was shown that all foods have now been made clean.
Acts 10:10-15
But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. A voice came to him, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat!" But Peter said, "By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean."
Again a voice came to him a second time, "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy."
But at the same times there are foods out there that are not good for you such as pork. Just to touch on the subject they have terrible digestive tracts so it takes forever for them to digest so their meat soaks up a lot of toxins because they are not picky eaters either, they eat anything they see. I will not get into specifics, just think really nasty and you probably hit the nail on the head. Also bottom feeders the clean up, be eating the muck that settles on the bottom of oceans, lakes etc. So when you eat them you are eating that too. Now I do love my lobster, crab, clams, oysters and STEAMERS so I will indulge sometimes but not too much or too often.
Colossians 2:16-17
Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
I liked many of the concepts and would keep them accordingly with my budget but use a twist to fit my personal needs. Such as I really do need chocolate a few times a month, and I can't afford organic chocolate.

It seems I can only be tried and true on a diet if it is really strict. Like I try the whole eating portions but the rest of the portions of ice cream stare me in the face and cry like the sirens dragging my helpless body behind and I have to surrender to its call and fill myself with another portion or 2. The thing is they have it all wrong when it comes to ice cream's portion size. There just can't be 210 calories in that bite size bit of ice cream, there should be a law against that or a way around it.

The real issue it seems is a struggle with self-control. I could just eat a portion of things but I don't want to why eat 18 chips when I could clear off half the bag easily? I love to eat, that is some of my problem not so much that I crave the food but I love the taste and I love having it over and over again, until the bag seems to have just disappeared. One of the fruits of the Spirit. I battle the flesh. My goal in life is to please the Lord and my eating habits are not glorifying Him. If I do not desire and crave Him that much then I have no right to desire food that much. That makes it an idol now doesn't it. Oh the things I have to work on. Not to mention our body is a temple and filling it with junk foods is not a way to preserve a temple of God.

Rest in Peace Dante

Job 1:21
He said," Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD."

Last week on January 31, 2006 my friend I had gone to school with died. Dante Jacuzzi came to Walnut Valley in I think 2nd grade, we of course were not friends until about 6th grade. Before then we were both normal kids that of course did not have friends of the opposite sex. After 8th grade both he and I left, I went to Parkview and he went to Catholic, he returned his senior year to Walnut Valley and I did not.

He was crazy to say the least. I remember in 6th grade there was a boy who had a crush on me and Dante prank called me one night acting like he was him and asked me out. I had the hardest time refusing him and tried to avoid him the next day, but he came up to me and told me that we had both been pranked by Dante and another guy. I could not help but laugh even though I felt really dumb. I guess it would have been worse if I had liked him and not refused the offer.

Dante always was the class clown and many times he got away with it. On top of his clowning around the boy was a genius. When most of us took Latin and struggled through it, he was striving and also taking a Greek class. This was only 7th grade. I remember he was a favorite of that teacher and she had something against me. He helped with the plays that she put on and I clearly remember he was helping with the sewing of the costumes for the play "Little Women" and probably others. Doing "girl's work" did not scare him and he would walk around with cloth he had been working with draped on his shoulder sometimes. He would proudly proclaim that he was helping with the sewing. The boy was a jack of all trades and probably a master of many of them too.

He was a great friend while the other boys were very reserved about being friends with girls, Dante had many, he could be our friends without liking us and being awkward with us. This is not a feat most teen boys can claim.

I remember in 6th grade he had tried to skate down his slide and came in the next day with a broken wrist or arm, and I had to help him fill in the bubbles for some sort of standardized test or something like that. Yes Dante was a daredevil nothing was out there that could cause him fear. He loved skating so much, most of the time he would mimic skate tricks in his shoes, rather than walk like the rest of us, Dante would perform his skate moves no matter where he was.

I remember him being very proud of his bodily functions and flat out killing the rest of us in Mr. Chambers class. Windows would have to be opened because it just lingered.

The last time I saw Dante was a year and a half ago at the Greek Food Festival. I was always glad to see him and learn a little of what he had been up to.

I don't know what choices Dante made in his life. I do not know if he is resting with the Father right now. I pray that he is and I will see him again some day. But I rest in the fact that God planned out his days before he made him and his heart only beat the number of times it was supposed to and ultimately His will has been done.

I do wonder how we are to have hope when we do not know if the person is in heaven. If we know they are in hell then we can not hope at all and it truly is a time for mourning because they have been lost permanently and there is no turning back for them. We can have hope knowing that our eternity is secure but that does not help as far as grieving the person. I pray that through his death others would be touched by their own mortality and humbly fall at Christ's feet.

I Have Been Blessed!

God has truly blessed me and proved Himself faithful another time. In the past I posted about my problems with a software company that cashed a check they should not have and I had to pay about $52 worth of overdraft fees. I tried to talk to them and request they pay it and they refused. A coworker told me to go to the Attorney General and make a complaint, I was tired of talking to those people so I filed my complaint and let go of it all. All through I prayed for God's provision and His blessing whether they refunded me or not. Months have passed and God has enabled me to only passingly think about it. On my own I would have called the Attorney General every couple of weeks. Then this weekend I received an envelop with that companies name on it, tears filled my eyes and praise came out of my mouth even before I opened it up and before my eyes was the $52 check.
I also had a problem with my credit cards. For some reason both cards had been charged with the same amount from the same place on the same day. This was in September. I called the card I knew should not have it on there, since the other one is my gas card, and I had been purchasing gas. They had me send in all sorts of paperwork and a month later I received a letter that they needed that information again so I mailed them the information. Then a month later I received a final letter that they needed the information that they were putting the charge back on and consider it reconciled. So I called and they had needed to know if I had contacted the merchant, she said with double charges it is the company that will just refund the charge. So I called them and they asked me to send in the two statements and they would figure out what happened. A few weeks later I tried to call them back and ask what they found but I could never get a hold of someone. So I decided to let God take control of the situation. Then about 2 days after I received my check I looked at my credit card statement online and the charge had been taken off.
Lessons I learned: Trust God, do what you reasonably can about a situation and then let it go to God, also practically make sure you have the right card when pumping gas because if you scan one and press cancel it may charge both cards. Better said pay attention to what you are doing.

Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Daily Wisdom

Every day I receive an email from Daily Wisdom and I thought today's email was wonderful and wanted to share it with you.

Filling In The Gaps - January 19, 2006

In early January I gassed up the car and headed into the desert. Just past Moab, Utah, I pulled into a truck stop to buy a few items and bumped into the New Testament on CD as narrated by James Earl Jones. Nineteen hours of passing the time, I thought to myself, as I bought the set. Given my new interest in Jesus, I thought my driving time would be well spent learning more about Him. Thirty hours later, I rolled into Indianapolis with the last chapter of Revelations coming to an end and a new chapter of my life just beginning.
It's interesting how the human mind fills in gaps where information is missing. For example, when we see a portion of a familiar picture, our mind automatically fills in the rest of the image. Or if we read a familiar text, our mind fills in the words of a sentence before we actually read them. Likewise, I automatically filled the gaps in my understanding of the Bible's stories. I assumed I understood Christianity. However, after listening to every word of the New Testament during my drive to Indianapolis, I became aware of how little I REALLY knew.
This experience helped me realize that I never actually understood the Bible. I only knew a distorted version, created through conversations, occasional reading of a passage or two, and by filling in the gaps. After hearing the Word from beginning to end, I was able to begin understanding the Bible's intended message.
Don't make the mistake I did by relying on your own concept of the stories in the Bible. Make an effort to consistently spend time reading the Word of God and you'll be amazed at how a distorted version of the Bible can become crystal clear.

Contributed by John R. Maculley, Jr.: John@Maculley.com John is a new Christian, having converted from Atheism in February 2005, one week before his 33rd birthday. He has spent his life studying philosophy and searching for truth in cultures throughout the world. He is currently working on his first book, entitled: "Searching for the Source", which outlines the mental process an Atheist goes through when considering spirituality.

More Maine pictures

These are the last pictures from Maine. Unless mom sends us some copies any time soon.

Mom and her Dunkin Donut, Krispy Cream (however you spell it) and Shipley's don't have anything on them. They are not dripping with grease nor are they oozing with sugar they are very fluffy and light. The are WONDERFUL!

Yes love the Mountain Dew, love it. Or just get totally ecstatic about it. I have not had a Mountain Dew in 2 weeks!

This is an idea of what my dream house looks like.

Here is the one with mom making the crazy face while eating her sandwich. I was trying to be cute in this picture and she wanted to goof off. Can't you just be serious mom?

A fairly small gathering of the family on Christmas Eve.

Me compared to the tractor tire.

Daddy hard at work on the tractor. He just loves being a farmer.

Dad getting ready to lay the bedding in the farm.

This is me skating on the field, sometimes graceful sometimes not. I only fell down once though.

Me wobbling on skates

Dad paying the toll. Something you just don't see down here.

Aunt Dorothy with Mickey

Ella and I counting as someone hides, of course she has her handy coaster in hand so she can find who is hiding with ease.

Ella attacking Nala or trying to ride her or love her you decide.

Dad is sort of looking this time.

Aunt Judy

Me and my cousin and mom eating in the background.

grandpa, Uncle Chuck and Sara, I think I am the only person who gets away with calling Charlie Chuck, but he has given me grief all my life, so I deserve to call him that.

My cousin Cory hawking over the TV

Aunt Dorothy with one of her gifts

There is a reason for such a pose. Grandma likes to tell me everytime we see her that I am the beauty of the family and this was the pose to prove it. Why don't you make my head a little bigger Grandma. But I have to admit the time it was just mom and I visiting her she commented on how I had gained weight although it was only like 2 lbs since I had seen her last. Never a dull day with Grandma.

Grandma Green not looking her best with her favorite Granddaughters.

Family resemblance? Maybe. Patty is the youngest in the red, Dorothy and then mom is about 21 years older than Patty.

What a cute mom and son moment. Darren and Pam. Yes ladies he is single but he is not ready for that yet.

My cousin Holly got engaged on Christmas Eve. He had used her Grandmother's diamond and had it reset, then he proposed on the 50th anniversary of her grandparents getting engaged.

Awed by her bling bling

Our fearless photographer

Dancing to our jam.

Here is a good close up of us.

Twin Mainiacs! This is New Years Eve and we were back here in Arkansas.

Lessons Learned in Sunday School

I have the most wonderful Sunday School teacher in the world. No one could ask for better than Ms. Anne. She is 86 years old and still a total fireball. The few young women in our class just sit and soak in her wisdom. She has been walking with the Lord since she was 16, and has become an awed prayer warrior and encourager for many women. She was never married and defended herself by telling us she could not find a man that surpassed her spiritually so that he could lead her.
One of her yearly encouragements for us is to have a year verse. This year I have picked:
James 4:13-15
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."

I have all sorts of plans for myself for this year and beyond but I always have to keep in mind that they be in God's will for me. I am planning on moving to Maine in September or October but this week I have had a longing to go ahead and move now. I have had to check that since I just came back from on vacation because that is not for right now. But even my plans to move in September may not come through if that is not what God has for me.

I decided to stay when my parents moved because I was growing so much in my church here. About 4 months later my sister became a believer and moved in with me. Who knows what opportunity would have been lost if I did not stay but God knew all of this before then. So no matter what my plans are God's plans will be what succeed and they will be the best for me.

New Favorite

For the time being my new favorite song would be:

Nicole Nordeman
Every Season

Every evening sky
An invitation
To trace the pattern stars
And early in July a celebration
For freedom that is ours
And I notice you in childrens games
In those that watch them from the shade
Every drop of sun is full of fun and wonder
You are summer

And even when the trees have just surrendered
To the harvest time
Forfeiting their leaves in mid September
And sending us inside
Still i notice you when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
And I offer thanks for what has been and what is to come
You are autumn

And every thing in time and under heaven
Finally falls asleep
Wrapped in blankets white
All creation shivers underneath
And still I notice you when branches crack
And in my breath on frosted glass
Even now in death you open doors for life to enter
You are winter

And every thing that is new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breath
And what frozen thorough is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with you
And how you make me new
With every seasons change
And so it will be as you are recreating me
Summer autumn winter spring.

It is so pretty and really speaks to me about how I will sit by and watch the seasons change with not a care and no notice to the beauty and detail unless it is snow or a waterfall. In every season I should take care to notice the detail and beauty God has blessed us with. Every tiny detail was planned in the beginning and continues on to this day, I should be amazed. It is easy to see the changes He has made in me, because of pride and selfishness, I need to think less of myself and more of Him.