LET US LOVE AND SING AND WONDER, LET US PRAISE THE SAVIOR'S NAME

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

From Him All Blessings Flow


We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We started out in Birmingham on Wednesday night spending the night with my grandmother. Enjoyed Thanksgiving lunch with my Dad's side of the family and than ventured to the farm Thursday afternoon. We arrived just before dark in time for fried turkeys and they were delicious thanks to Uncle Richard. I know you are going to think I'm weird but I am just not a big Thanksgiving food person.....yams, dressing, ham....not really my thing :) Don't worry I still ate plenty.

Anne Wesley sat with me and we played for 30 minutes!
I was happy to get some time with her!!
We woke up Friday morning and took the Jones' family Christmas card.
I love this picture of Jill and AW - she's precious.

We anxiously waited for the Alabama/Auburn game. My mom and dad came out to watch the game at the farm. The men stayed outside to watch the game and I was glad there was a TV inside (AWAY from the boys!!) I am glad that Alabama won! Trust me, it would have been a BAD night at the farm if they had lost.


Luke probably had the best time of all! His cousins Bear and Dixie were there. They played and played and played!

There is so much that I have to be thankful -Richard, my parents, sisters, in-laws, my job, our new home, church, freedom, a full pantry, creation, best friends, and the list could go on and on - God has given me everything I have. From Him all blessings flow.
On Saturday we went to Dothan to spend time with my cousins on my mom's side. We had more fun than I ever imagined! I'll post on it soon!
Happy December!!





































































Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Thankful...

for this little man. He brings so much joy and laughter to my life and my family. I'll love him forever.


Monday, November 23, 2009

Good Book



I am in the middle of this book From Fear to Freedom. would highly recommend it.

"Faith and presumption look alike because both qualities are characterized by confidence, but faith begins in the recognition and acceptance of our total human weakness. It relies solely on God and his gracious willingness to empower us. Presumption, on the other hand, is a reliance on human moral abilities and religious accomplishments, on visible securities. It ultimately relies on human will power to serve God and people." Rose Marie Miller p.16

Learning a lot. Thankful for grace.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Catching Up

Looks like I am not good as keeping this blog going. Life has been busy! I can't believe Thanksgiving is here and Christmas is right around the corner. I am super excited to spend the holidays with Richard and our families.
Here is a little recap of the past month and a half. Primarily, it has been full of youth!! I love them dearly. I am also tired :)

The pictures below are from our Senior High Fall Retreat. We were all about good fellowship, pumpkin carving, fireworks, taco soup, movies, and staying up late.




On November 4, we had "Youth Night" at church to showcase the Youth Ministry - Blake and I introduced ourselves, student testimonies, Blake explained our philisophy of youth ministry, and we played the most popular "Adam's Family" game. You should know that for the past few years Trinity Church has been building a new addition. This marvelous addition includes a fellowship hall, new offices, classrooms, choir room, and a youth wing!!! The name of our new youth space is "The Frith." It is a scottish term meaning security, refuge, friendship, loyalty, kinship, and a clan upon which one depends to face the evils of the world. It is different but I love the name. I made t-shirts for all of us to wear for youth night.



For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100:6



















Monday, October 5, 2009

Twenty Four


So I turned 24 today!! I have felt completely loved today by my family and friends. It is crazy and at times hard for me to believe that the Lord loves and celebrates over me and you every single day and every moment of our lives even in our ugliness. He rejoices and celebrates over his children. Thank you God for calling me to you and for rescuing me.

Rich and I went to Birmingham this past weekend to spend Friday night with my grandmother. I got to see some of my favorite people!!:) Tonight, we celebrated with my family at Sommer's Place! It was delicious!



I requested a fruit pizza for my cake this year! Tripp helped me blow out the candles. If you have never had a fruit pizza, you HAVE to try it!! I will be more than happy to share the recipe!!!
Thank you all for making today special!! Love to all.



Thursday, October 1, 2009

Surprise Surprise!!!

A normal Wednesday night for me looks like this:
5:00 - Ultimate frisbee with the youth at the park
5:45 - devotional time at the park
6:00-7:00 - Chick-fil-a with youth
7:30-9:30 - hanging out with Rich before bed.

Yesterday, my Wednesday was pretty normal UNTIL I walked into my house at 7:30 and found this......


Which was made by these amazing girls...


Kathryn, Chatty, and Erin came to Montgomery to surprise me for my birthday!!


I was super SURPRISED!!! Some people hate surprises - not me!! I absolutely love surprises!

When I first walked in the door everything looked normal until I saw this black bag on our TV stand. I seriously thought someone was in our house. I was freaked out until I heard sweet voices singing "Happy Birthday to you."
We ate cake, laughed a lot, and talked about life. I love spending time with my best friends at my house. God knew excatley what I needed - it was perfect!!
Thank you Erin, Kat, and Chatty!






Monday, September 21, 2009

My Baby Got Me a NEW........


DISHWASHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I couldn't be more excited!! Who knew I would ever be excited about a dishwasher? Not me. So excited I am even writing a blog about it and to brag on Rich :) We did not have a dishwasher in our old house. It really was not a big deal to wash the dishes just caused a few disagreements every other night about who was going to do the dishes! No more of that!!!! We both agreed that a dishwasher was a high priority in our next house.

Richard spent all day yesterday installing the dishwasher. I sure am blessed to have such a handy husband!

He had to cut an opening in the cabinets.

And go under the house to do the electrical wiring.


There it is!!!
I am thankful for the new dishwasher and the ease it will bring, but as I write this post it is crazy how much I expect to have certain amentities to make my life easier when so many people are without daily needs.
Praying for a giving heart and heart that puts others before myself.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Lately...

I wish I could have updated the blog sooner but better late than never!
The BIGGEST happening in our lives... we moved! One reason for the lack of posting is we didn't have internet here. Rich and I love living in the new house.
Labor Day weekend recap - Jen's in town, Natalie Fisher's wedding, afternoon at the farm.

Jen and her new FINANCE, Faisal were here over Labor Day weekend. So excited for them!! Mrs. Susan's daughter got married over the weekend. I went to the wedding with Jen and Faisal because Rich was watching the Alabama game.
The wedding was beautiful and so was Susan! Look at the stunning Mother of the Bride!

We spent Saturday at the FARM. Most of you know my love for the farm. With fall weather around the corner, I am looking forward to spending time there. Luke loves the farm too.

While we were at the farm, I got to see Anne Wesley. She is growing and developing a cute little personality.
More to come later!!
















Sunday, August 30, 2009

We will miss you, Richard!



Tomorrow is Richard's last day at the Church. When we started last August, we knew that Richard's job would be an interim position for one year. It is hard to believe his year is over. He has done an amazing job leading the youth ministry. Tonight at fellowship, the senior pastor recognized, thanked and prayed for Rich. I was so thankful too. I am not going to say working with your husband is easy. It was hard for us at times, but overall we would not trade the year for anything. I loved doing ministry together - working towards a common goal of seeing the kids love Jesus with their mind, emotions and will. I am confident that not working together is going to be good for us, but I will definitely miss him. Things I will miss the most: going to school lunches together, waking up late together, lunch at Chappys, sitting next to him at staff meetings, and most of all having Fridays off together. The Lord was faithful the past year and He will continue to be faithful as we adjust to change. Pray for Rich as he starts his new job!













Wednesday, August 26, 2009

"You Are Fired!!"

Don't worry I still have a job! I have heard "You are fired" more times in the last 5 days than ever. If I tell Ann Frances(4) to do something that she does not like, she will FIRE ME!!! I think she got the saying from a TV show but I am not sure? I love her little personality! I wanted to share some observations/experiences of being a "parent" the past five days. Obviously, babysitting does not compare to being an actual parent.

- The two boys have the swine flu.

-Vegetables are yucky and "I don't eat green beans."

-Berenstain Bear books are a favorite.

-Rich and I are soo not use to waking up at 6:30am!

-Playing puppies is my new past time.

-Rich and I have a LOT to learn before we become parents.

5 more days to go!!! I hope Ann Frances and I can go to the zoo on Friday.
Pray she doesn't get the swine flu.





Saturday, August 22, 2009

The next 10 days!!

Meet the Little's! Richard and I are staying with Tucker, Mason, and Ann Frances for ten days while their parents are in Italy on an anniversary trip! I sure hope Rich and I will be able to get away for 10 days when we have a family. We have had a great time! This afternoon we had a
water balloon fight!


Ann Frances - She is absolutely so much fun! Today, she went with me and Richard to look for a new mattress set.


Ann Frances giving her water balloons to Tucker.

I'll update more later!! Time for dinner!!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Helpers for the night!

My mom and dad have been great help with the house. Tonight they came over and we got a fews things knocked off the list - paint the bathroom window and finish painting the dining room. Four people can accomplish a lot more than two. We are thankful for their help!!


Thursday, August 13, 2009

THE HOUSE

As many of you know, Richard and I bought our first home about a month ago. We are super excited about the house. It is located in Old Cloverdale, a historic area in Montgomery. The house was built in the 1930s and is filled with many unique characteristics. Now you must know that the house is one BIG FIXER!! not exaggerating! Just wait to see the pics of the wallpaper... it is horrible. However, my very talented husband wanted a fixer and indeed he got it! He has been amazing. Today, he installed our new pedestal sink and commode. I definitely want to share more pictures once the rooms are completely finished but here are the BEFORE pictures. Absolutely LOVE the outside (ha that is why I only sent the outside picture of the house to my friends!)

And now for the inside....


Living Room

Dinning Room

Kitchen
I know you wish you could have wallpaper like that in your house!

But guess what? After one month of scrapping, the wallpaper is competely GONE!
Thanks to this woman - my mother-in-law, Ginger, has been absolutley incredible. She has dedicated herself and time to getting the wallpaper off. Today she finished!!! The dining room, kitchen, living room, foyer, hall, and guest bedroom were all covered in LAYERS of wallpaper. I also want to thank Richard, Ben, Steve, Jill, Franklin, Caroline, John English, and my dad for helping the layers come down. Whoo-wooo!! I never want to scrap wallpaper ever again in my life.














THANKS GINGER!













Tuesday, August 11, 2009

never ending job....


Painting - that is what I have been doing the past two nights!
Promise I'll post some pictures of the house soon, BUT there hasn't been time because I have been painting. We have a long way to go. I'll be so glad when it is done.



Alana Got Married!!!


Richard and I were in Dothan last weeked for Alana and David's wedding. Alana was the most laid back bride. I met Alana at Auburn when we pledged Chi-O together. There is never a dull moment with her and she is hysterical. I am always laughing when I am with her! Also, most of my friends were in town for the wedding, and I had gone entirely too long without seeing them. There is such freedom in being surrounded by people who really know and love you. God blessed us with an incredible group of friends.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Beach Highlights


Tonight is our last night at the beach, and we have had the BEST time! I think this is the first time I have stayed at the beach for a whole week. It has been nice not to be in a rush and do what we want. Rich and I are making are own family traditions...Zoe's chicken salad for lunch, margaritas with chips & salsa every afternoon, and watch the sunset at least one night. The first 3 nights we stayed in Seacrest and yesterday we moved to Sandestin for the remainder of our stay. In Seacrest, the ocean was covered in seaweed but today in Sandestin the ocean was absolutely beautiful. I have never seen the water so clear. There was no seaweed to be found. NONE! It was glorious. We spent a great deal of time in the ocean.

On the way down, I told Rich that I bet we see someone we know and he said I bet we don't. Well, I was right and I am glad that I was right because we had a great time last night with some friends from Auburn. We meet at Baytown Wharf and had dinner at Rum Runners with John David and Taylor Cleveland and KC Queen and his finance, Brittany. We loved our time with them. I am sad that our vacation is over tomorrow, but thanking the Lord for the time he gave us to relax, refresh, and enjoy his creation. God is good. I am really looking forward to the weekend. One my pledge sisters and close friend, Alana Wyatt is getting married in Dothan. Rich and I are heading there tomorrow!! Can't wait to see my friends! I'll post about the wedding!


John David, Richard, and KC at Rum Runners.