Bah HUMBUG!

I used to LOVE Christmas . . . There are still many things I do love about Christmas, however there are many things I do not! I find myself every year getting lost in the busyness and stressing to find just the "right" gift for everyone. Part of me wants to be thoughtful and let people know I am trying to think of them, and part of me just wants to buy things and be done with it already! You know? Let's face it, all most all of us have what we want. (Except world peace.) I am also not a great spender of money, although I am getting better which means financially I am getting worse! It just kills me to think I spent a dollar more when I could have gotten it cheaper elsewhere. Alas, I will finish my shopping this week best prices or not.

Things I like about Christmas
1. Getting to be Santa Claus
2. The elf on the shelf (Addie loves this!)
3. The decorations
4. Baking Christmas Goodies
5. Christmas Carols
6. Being sneaky
7. Spending time with family and friends!
8. No school for Addie- getting to spend time with her and SLEEPING IN!

Things I don't like about Christmas
1. Trying to divide time between families.
2. SHOPPING!
3. CROWDS!
4. Being TOO BUSY!
5. Trying to buy presents for people who have everything they want and have no ideas to give you.
6. CROWDS! (yes, I know I already had this on the list. I REALLY don't like it.)
7. My house looking like Christmas threw up everywhere until we get it organized and decorated.
8. Stores not having everything they advertise!
9. Missing my Grandpa.

I hope to take a moment this season to remember, God- all powerful, holy, all sufficient, and majestic, loved us enough to humble Himself and become flesh. He did not come to become King, but as a servant, a helpless baby. He trusted the very people, who had proved untrustworthy, just so He could have a relationship with you and me. His birth brought all of us life. May we be thankful, grateful people, for all it cost the Holy God to walk among us.

Welcome to Our World . . . Chris Rice

Fragile fingers sent to heal us

Tender brow prepared for thorns

Tiny heart whose blood will save us

Unto us is born

Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around you

Breathe our air and walk our sod

Rob our sin and make us holy

Perfect Son of God

Perfect Son of God

Welcome to Our World . . .

Bulgaria! Here we come!!!

There are 147 million orphans in this world. It's time to do something. After much prayer and tears, we have chosen to adopt from Bulgaria! We are very excited and cannot wait to see what God is going to do through us and in us.

1. Why Bulgaria? We chose Bulgaria for many reasons. The program offers children from various ages, but we will likely be placed with a child from ages 2-4. The program has only 2 short trips to make, instead of long stays in country. Also, Bulgaria is a country we thought we might like to revisit with our children. The country is just on top of Greece, which I've always wanted to see!

2. How long will it take? We don't know for sure! As with all international adoptions, there are no guarantees. We hope to be bringing our child home next year at this time. It could be much shorter or it could take 18 months at the longest. We are trying to prepare ourselves for a long wait.

3. Boy or Girl? We have decided not to choose! So this will be another big surprise for us! (Those of you who know me, and know I am a planner must be SHOCKED! We just really felt led to let God do the choosing. It will also help our wait time.)

4. How does Addie feel about all this? She is SOOOOOOO EXCITED! She is telling just about everyone we meet that we are going to get her a baby brother or sister from Bulgaria. She has been bringing home maps of Bulgaria from school, and praying for her new brother or sister.

5. What will the child look like? They have olive skin, dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes.

6. How much does it cost? About $28,000. I know it's a lot of money. Believe me, I know. (If any of you have extra money lying around . . .)

7. What agency are you using? Hopscotch Adoptions in North Carolina. For some reason (we believe is the Lord) I just kept feeling drawn to it.

Please pray with us as we walk this new journey. It's finally time to move forward in this area of our lives. We are very excited, but there are many new challenges that await us. Pray for our transition, and the transition of this precious child who may soon be ours who lives a world away from us RIGHT NOW! This child is already born, living in an orphanage with no family to call their own. I cannot help the 147 million orphans around the world, but I can love one.

Uncertainty

In our Sunday School class at church, we've been doing a series on marriage. We've been looking back at those first years of marriage and comparing how our lives have changed since then. Our first 2 years of marriage were a blissful time for us. After spending almost 2 years long distance dating, it was wonderful just to be near each other daily. We had our struggles, but they were mostly financial. God always provided in those lean times. I was thinking in class a couple of weeks ago, how wonderful it was to really TRUST God for things. We had so many needs, we depended on His goodness DAILY. We lived simply, because we had no other choice. We still need the Lord as much as we did then, really even more. I know I take for granted things God has blessed us with, especially financial blessings. Now, each paycheck pays for all the things we need and more. It is a HUGE blessing, but one I regretfully take for granted. I found myself wanting to trust the Lord like that again.

Be careful what you wish for. . . It's been a difficult week for us. There's so much going on we are having to trust God for, and prayerfully decide what we need to do in so many areas. BIG things. These decisions may take us completely out of what we envisioned our next few years to look like.

There has been a country song which I have listened to so many times. The song is "Red Light" by David Nail. I am relating to the lyrics about how I am feeling. Not about our marriage, but about the pain. When you are hurting deeply, it seems like everywhere you look life is continuing as normal for everyone else while your world is crashing down around you. Guess it's time to trust God. Really trust Him . . .

The Birthday Letter

This year was a BIG birthday time for Addie. We decided to have her birthday party with friends at Wizard Animation Studios, where the kids are able to star in a movie with 4 other friends and bring home the DVD of their movie. (Addie has watched her movie about 100 times.) It was a great party, and they did a super job. The kids had a great time, and Justin and I didn't have to do ANYTHING! They had a special for HALF OFF, which was so much cheaper than doing anything else. We were so blessed to have the Millages come in for a visit that weekend and celebrate with us. The next weekend our families came in to help us celebrate her actual birthday. It was all birthday all the time for a while. We've already decided next year we will let her have a few friends over for sleep over and not do a BIG party.

Along with all the celebrations there is one thing I do every year for Addie, I write her a birthday letter. I have not been good about keeping a baby book, or even scrapbooks. She will have thousands of pictures to look through, but nothing that marks the year for her in what she has been doing. The letter always includes the activities she's been doing that year, the songs and TV shows she likes, favorite books, what our family has been through, the food she likes, vacations and experiences, and the things I love about her. I keep each letter in what I call my "Mama" box, which is where I keep my favorite drawings, programs, and special things she has done. Some day, she will be able to read these words and remember who she was and how she was. It is my hope to write more letters to her as she grows up on specific topics, like dating, marriage, my relationship with the Lord, etc. Here is the last paragraph from last year's letter.

I cannot even begin to express my love for you. You have such a pure heart, and it is so tender. I am really trying hard to be a good Mom. You have made me a better person, just for knowing you and loving you. Someday I pray you will become a Mom, and know just exactly how much you can love someone. I just love you more than my heart can hold. You are such a big girl and growing up so fast. I wish there was a way I could just freeze you right now and not let you grow up. I am already sad knowing kindergarten is just months away, and I won’t have you every day with me. You are my sweet little friend, and I am so honored God chose you to be my daughter. I look forward to the day when you begin your relationship with Christ. I will be so excited to share that journey with you too! He has been my foundation, and I hope He will be yours too. Christ is the reason for life, and in Him you will find your purpose. He loves us more than we can ever imagine and someday we will see Him face to face. I am so excited to spend each day with you and you are my “I love you!”

My hope for these letters is that she will remember what God has brought us through, who we are in these moments of time. If something ever happened to me, she will always know how much I love her and be able to see a glimpse of who I am. In this world of facebook, twitter updates, and email, I encourage you to WRITE LETTERS to those who mean so much to you. They are truly gifts.

Gracie's Birthday

(As I am typing this, I am becoming emotional!) Our 1/2 Pug and 1/2 French bulldog is turning 9 years old today! Gracie is really my first dog. We had dogs until I was about 8 years old, so I don't remember them well. My grandparents had dogs we claimed, and some were very special. Gracie surpasses all of them. She has been through so much with us. From moves to vacations to Addie's birth, she has been our constant companion and friend. The only reason I am even a little sad today is because I don't know how much longer we will have with Gracie, my hope is years. If only dogs could have the same life expectancy as we do!

We got her around Halloween in 2000, and carried her in a plastic pumpkin through Walmart while we bought new dog things. We named her "Gracie" after the church we had just moved away from in Knoxville. We spoiled her, loved her, trained her, and enjoyed how much she added to our lives. Gracie has always been great with Addie. When Addie was a newborn, I would lay her on our bed while I showered. There were times I would come out only to find Gracie and Addie snuggled together on our bed. Gracie never took food from Addie, and she was protective of her. To this day, Gracie enjoys playing with Addie. Gracie seems older and older to me now, as she sometimes limps from bad hips. She is still the same wonderful dog we love so much, but she just can't do everything she once could do. Aging is a terrible thing. I will spend today being thankful for the 9 years we have had with her, and praying for more!

KINDERGARTEN!!!

The truth is, I suffer from separation anxiety, not in a medication sort of way, but in a I REALLY miss you sort of way. The start of Kindergarten was a much dreaded event for me. Coming home to no kids might sound like heaven to you, but it was something I was not ready for. Of course this is not the master plan, as we are headed to international adoption. I did start a very part-time job teaching music at a preschool a couple days a week to curb my anxiety and earn some money for the adoption. Here are some things I have learned from Addie's first week of school.

1. Home-schooling is a beautiful option. (I now understand why people do it! Getting up early every day to fight through traffic, only to LEAVE my favorite little person there is not FUN!)

2. Addie is more ready for Kindergarten than I am.

3. The grocery is not as fun without my little friend, but it is much faster.

4. Maybe I only stayed up late because I could get up late! I am finding myself asleep before 11:00 pm at night!!! This has not happened to me since MIDDLE SCHOOL!

5. I have authority issues! I do not like to follow someone else's schedule.

6. Addie is the slowest breakfast eater.

7. Addie is not a morning person, and that is very hard since I am not either.

8. It's weird to see Wes King and Steven Curtis Chapman when dropping your child off at school. I grew up singing their songs, and I even wrote SCC fan mail in high school. Weird.

9. I think the tough thing about beginning Kindergarten is the BIG picture. This is the end of Addie being at home more than she's at school. Ugh, there's that home-school thought again. . .

10. Summer is the most wonderful time of the year.

To conclude, this week was only half days! Let's see how it goes for full days. . .

End of the Summer. . .

Never before have I dreaded an end to Summer more than this year. Maybe it was the start of Kindergarten, maybe it was the BEAUTIFUL weather this Summer, or maybe it was the end of no routine and sleeping in. Regardless, I have mourned these last few days as we start a new chapter in our lives. I thought I would include some of my favorite Summer pictures.

*** For those of you who have asked about "31" mentioned in the earlier post . . . It was AWESOME! God really used it in a big way. The teachers did an outstanding job, and the surveys gave the night a "9" or "10" overall. God also brought good beyond the night as we have new visitors, as well as new relationships that came from "31." There are so many good stories from it, and thank you to all who prayed!

31

In June, Faith Murphy, a friend from our church called, she said they were beginning a new thing in the Women's ministry at our church. (www.clearview.org) Faith asked me if I had any ideas or anything I would like to contribute to the Women's Ministry. We talked back and forth about some ideas, and then the idea came to me. There are so many things I would like to know how to do! I knew I wasn't the only one who felt lost when particular subjects came up. I have friends who are newly married who need a few cooking hints, and other women like me, whose Mom or Grandma didn't show them how to sew. What if we had a night where women of all ages could come learn something new! A safe environment where the older could teach the younger, the skilled could teach the unskilled, and have fun learning together while building relationships. So often in our churches, we seem to become familiar with a few families, but never get to know those older or younger than us, or those in different situations. This event would allow women of all ages-single, married, widowed, and divorced, to come together.

The idea took flight. I started thinking about classes we could have like gardening, cooking, skin care, sewing, scrapbooking, budgeting and then I found teachers for each one. Faith and I chose a date at church, booked the room, and began setting up a budget, securing a caterer, and made plans for childcare. We decided to call it "31" after the woman talked about in Proverbs 31. She was resourceful with what God had blessed her with! She worked hard, and was a blessing to her family. Not since I was a student minister at Grace Baptist Church, had I took on such a huge event to plan. I really have never enjoyed doing the details, the ideas are much more fun! Since the event took off, we have been so blessed by the response! We have ladies from high school up to the age of 92! We've had ladies come and suggest other classes for the future, and agree to teach them. We also have ladies from parents to grandparents, singles to divorced, and everything in between. My prayer is for God to use the event for His kingdom. I know the teachers will bring Christ into the conversation. I know God will bless their faithfulness. God has already blown our expectation, in our finite minds our hope was to have between 50-75 ladies coming to the event. It was a week night in the middle of Summer, and an event we've never done or heard of! The last count I got on Friday was 152 women. Wow. It's really a "God" moment for me. I can't wait to see what He does on Tuesday!



Proverbs 31:25-31
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

When to say "When"?

I'm not sure if I know the answer to my title. In a month, it has been 4 years now since our very first miscarriage in July 2005 which started our journey toward another child. We have applied for adoption and had 2 young ladies consider us. They chose other families. We have had genetic testing to see if there is a reason for our 3 miscarriages. (We are waiting on the results.) Addie will turn 6 in September and starts Kindergarten in August. A few of my friends have said, do you really want to go all the way back to babies? Some days I am not sure. Others have said, "don't give up! They will have a special relationship." The truth of the matter is I want Addie to have the joy of a sibling and the sibling relationship especially in adulthood. Of all the trials and heartaches, I know one thing. I am not in charge of her destiny or even my own. I know God controls our answer, whether the result is in another child or not. So, do we give up? How much more money do we throw at what may not be God's choice for us? We have options, with adoption, in vitro fertilization, insemination, and of course, continuing to try on our own. But, when does it end? Will we know when we've tried enough? I don't know. How much farther do we go? We will of course keep our adoption options open, and pray God answers us. What if He does not answer us with a child? A child we have prayed for earnestly for 4 years. I know His ways are better, it's just so hard to let go of what you want.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (New Living Translation)
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Beach

This was our 4th year in a row to Destin, Florida with my parents. It was a rough trip getting to Destin, as we had a flat tire on the way. It made us lose about 2 hours going down, which made the LONG trip even longer. We had to have the tire patched and while they changed the tire, the jack was put in the wrong place so we have a dent on our new van again. This was also our first time to take one of our dogs, so all the extra commotion was made more difficult. We were spoiled with having the built in DVD player you can play Wii on, as well as it giving us a chance to watch our movies on the portable one. Finally, after we arrived and unloaded everything, I dropped our digital camera on the ground heading to the beach. It wouldn't even turn on after this! This was a very expensive vacation!

Once again, the beach did not disappoint us! We decided to take our nephew, Luke, with us this year. Luke and Addie are very close and we knew they would have a great time together. The first day, we got a little nervous as Luke asked to go to the pool after being at the beach for only 30 minutes! We figured out they enjoy the boogie boards, and that kept us at the beach for many hours. We also jet skiied on the ocean, went to the Track to ride go carts and bumper boats, took a pirate cruise, and shopped! Justin and I discovered how much fun snorkeling is! One day he was out snorkeling and a dolphin swam very close to him. He never saw them but heard their squeaks. I was out on my boogie board and came within 20 feet of them. It was AMAZING! It was a fantastic vacation, and it went by much too quickly. Now we have the vacation blues. . .

Only Child. . .

Last night we went for a walk in our neighborhood, which we do almost every evening we are home. We take the dogs, and sometimes Addie rides her bike. We have special rocks we always stop to play on, one is the stage rock where we do "shows" and the other is a "pirate ship" rock. On our walk last night we ran into neighbors who have a 4 year old and 8 month old twins. Addie watched as the older sister doted on the twins. When we got home, we sat on the back porch in our swing and talked. For the very first time in all our years of struggling, Addie said, "Mommy, I don't want to be an only child." It just pierced my heart. I have no idea what God's plan is for our family, and I know His ways are best. In the almost 4 years of pain and loss, Addie had never expressed her desire for a sibling. When we would ask her if she wanted a baby brother or sister, she would always say yes. But, this was the first time without being asked she stated her feelings. I am hoping this is God preparing us for a child, and not just Addie being old enough to realize what is happening. Only time will tell . . .

Spring/Easter

It was an eventful Spring both at church and at home. We were able to spend last week with both Justin's and my family. Last weekend, Justin's family came and we got to spend some great time with them. It was a FUN time. We went to see "Monsters vs. Aliens," went shopping at Opry Mills, played tennis, cheered at Addie's soccer game, saw the live show of "Llama, Llama Red Pajama" at the library, and stayed up very late. It's always fun to do a sleepover with the cousins, although there is not too much sleep for them.

This week we were able to be with my family at my parents' house. On the way, God protected us from a very frightening experience. As I was driving on the interstate, a man in front of me drove over a huge piece of metal. It looked like someone's fender. As he drove over it with his back tire, it sent it flying into our new minivan! It hit the hood first and then our windshield blocking my vision. It made a very loud sound, and I thought for sure it would shatter the glass. I screamed, and looked back at Addie who was still watching her movie and didn't even notice! After taking it to the Toyota place, they said the repair would be $1700! We turned it into our car insurance, and so we only paid the deductible. We are so grateful!

The Easter Bunny visited us at my parents' house on Saturday. (We are trying to keep Easter Sunday just for Jesus, so the Easter Bunny comes early at our house.) Addie found part of the Easter Bunny's tail coming out of a door (a stretched piece of cotton), and she was just so excited about it. After the Easter Egg hunt at my parents' we had a great meal and time together.

I wanted to share some pictures from the last few weeks so here they are . . .

End of the Beginning

Easter is one of the most glorious times of the year for me. It forces me to remember the details of what I celebrate each day, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each year I try to read the last week of Christ from the gospels from Palm Sunday until Easter so I am ready for Easter! Reading through the crucifixion always just sickens me, but that's not the end! I will never forget one Easter Sunday at Grace Baptist Church (in Knoxville, TN) when our choir sang "End of the Beginning." The congregation walked into a dark sanctuary and the music to the song began. It stayed dark until we sang, "Three days later, three days later, three days later. . ." They showed the video of the stone rolling away and then all the lights came up so bright and we sang "He Rose." Imagine 300 voices singing, "He ROSE!" on Easter Sunday. The crowd errupted with applause, cheers, tears, and celebration. Now, imagine how much greater it will be in heaven. Enjoy the song, but more importantly celebrate the message!

Addie's First Soccer Game!

Well, we have tried gymnastics, swimming, and done several outdoor things with Addie, but never an organized sport. Addie was sick for her first practice, got rained out of another practice and game, and the coach was out of town for the other practice. We showed up at the field having no training in soccer, other than last summer's soccer camp and Justin's kicking it around with her. This was a recipe for a difficult game. I discovered lots of things about Addie and myself at this first soccer game.

1. I am very competitive, and it hurts a little to see your child running 20 feet away from the ball with no idea what to do.

2. Addie knows how to kick the ball, but it is a completely different thing to add 8 other people trying to kick the same ball and expect her to kick it too.

3. As much as you think you have shown your child how to play, there is no teacher as good as experience.

4. Peacemakers don't make the best soccer players. But, I'll take the peacemaker any day of the week.

5. I found myself wishing my parents had let me play soccer at age 5, but knowing then what I know now (how to play soccer). Wow, I could really be good if that happened!

6. I need to be very careful to enjoy the time, and let go of any frustration I might feel. It's not the Olympics after all!

All in all, it was a fun day and we saw great improvement in the hour she played. We look forward to many more soccer games and are so proud of her. If ever you are feeling down, I highly recommend watching a little league soccer game. It is quite amusing, and you'll be surprised at what you learn.

Wilderness at the Smokies

This past weekend was the start of a week long vacation for Justin. We were supposed to be getting the house ready to be put on the market. Since we decided not to sell, we went to the Wilderness at the Smokies with Justin's family. It is a new resort in Sevierville, just before you hit the craziness of Pigeon Forge, that has an indoor and soon outdoor water park. There is a baby/toddler area that has slides, teeter totter, and swings. Next is a hot tub pool, that is very relaxing. Our nephews enjoyed the surf area, where you ride a boogie board and it simulates surfing. The pictures at the bottom show the wave pool, and the climbing area. My favorite part was the water slides! There was one slide unlike any I have ever been on. It was a 4 person slide with a HUGE drop into a 2 story funnel. You just swirled around the sides until you eventually slid down to the bottom. It was GREAT! (The 7 flights of stairs to it were not as great.) Even with a fever, Addie enjoyed the time very much! The only trouble we had at the resort was keeping track of everyone!

New Decision

After much soul searching and sleepless nights, we have finally decided to stay in our home. Addie will be attending Christ Pres. Academy in the Fall for Kindergarten. We found we were accepted into the school last week. We have visited the school several times and are very pleased with the school, the education they provide, and the spiritual emphasis they make in every subject. This was not an easy decision, but one we feel good about. Christ Pres. needed to know a permanent answer by May 1, which did not give us enough time to sell our home. Finally settling on our decision was difficult for us since we both went to public schools, but now we feel great about it!

A New Home

Well, we've decided we need to put our home on the market. We live in Davidson County schools which are not the best and Addie starts Kindergarten this Fall. The school we are zoned for is failing math and science, as well as it has disciplinary problems. Sending Addie there would feel like feeding her to the wolves. We are left with only 2 choices, stay in our home and do private school or move to Williamson County schools. We will find out if Addie was accepted into Christ Pres. Academy on Monday. It's a terrible time to sell a house, so we are concerned. We need to make at least enough out of our home to buy another one. We are praying for God's blessing. It just all stinks. We love our home, and to find one in Williamson County with everything we have would cost $60,000-$100,000 more than we paid. OUCH! Our other issue, Addie and I are terrible with change. We really want to stay where we are, but we aren't sure if private school is a good fit. We also have no idea if we move, what area of town would be better for us. We'd like to move closer to friends, but this would make Justin's commute more difficult. If we stay in the area we are in, we still don't have many friends around. Please pray for us, as we seek God's direction in this area.

My Valentines Beginnings. . .

It started in the Fall of 1995, when Justin and I met at Belmont University. We met through a mutual friend. We started spending a little time together and the more time we spent, the more time we wanted to spend. We were out into the wee hours of the morning driving around Nashville and talking and laughing almost every night. (We somehow made it to our 8:00am classes.) After hanging out non-stop for almost 2 weeks, it was time for Fall Break. Justin went home to Knoxville and I flew to hang out with a friend in San Antonio, TX. Justin asked my friend Kari to let him drive me to the airport, which I was very excited about. That 4 days away from him felt like an eternity for me. I could not wait to get back to Belmont to see him again! My friend Jayna was supposed to pick me up at the airport on Sunday afternoon and much to my surprise Justin was waiting for me when I got off the plane. This picture was taken at the very moment we saw each other! (Thanks Jayna!) It was the first time I knew I loved him. . .








In the Fall of 2003, we welcomed our little valentine into the world. Addie has been the greatest gift I could have ever asked for. She was our surprise and continues to surprise us every day. I love her more than I could ever express. . .



Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

Addie-tude

I know I can be sarcastic and say things with attitude, but it always sounds different coming out of my 5 year old's mouth. On the way to school the other day, she was angry with us for making her wear her coat in the car seat. (She hates to wear her coat in the car seat because she can't move.) She said, "Does my face look happy to you?" Last night on the way home from church, she said "We didn't even get to play on the indoor playground! I was like "Helloooo!" It's always hard not to laugh and yet I really don't want to encourage attitude. Finding the balance between allowing for a personality and keeping her respectful is difficult. I am wondering if boys have attitude too, or if it's a girl thing. . .

The Reunion

Fall of 1994

When I was eight years old, we moved from Benton, KY to Jackson, MO. My Dad accepted the pastor role at First Baptist Jackson, MO. It was a great experience for me and unlike most preacher's kids, I was in Jackson from age 8 until I left for college at 18! One of my first friends in Jackson, was Courtney (third from the left). I have blogged about her before, and we are still very close to this day. Another friend who came along a couple of years later, was Lisa (first on the left). Lisa joined our church and we became fast friends. We loved to laugh, loved the arts, and we had so much FUN together. A few years later (about 8th grade), Sarah became a part of our foursome. We were always together in church and school. We were always there for each other, and even though after high school we went our separate ways we stayed friends. We were in each others' weddings and loved each other very much. Lisa and Sarah were best friends, and Courtney and I were best friends. But all of us together was a circle of close friends.

Then, life happened. My parents moved away from Jackson, so I never went home. Lisa moved to Columbia, MO, Courtney moved to Memphis, TN, and Sarah moved to Nashville, TN. While, I was living in Knoxville the four of us lost touch with each other. It was sad, but it just happens. Through the magic of Facebook, we have reconnected and on Saturday we will see each other all together for the first time in 8 years. I am so excited! I know we will laugh, cry, talk, and eat! It will be so good to remember, and catch up with my friends after all these years. Saturday will be a day I will treasure.

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart."

Things you really shouldn't have to tell your kids. . .

It's been a rainy afternoon with lots of basketball and football on at our house today. Addie has been bored and coloring a lot with her new markers from Christmas. We saw some green marker stains in our carpet. When we asked her what it was, she said "I don't know." We asked if she had been coloring on the carpet, to which she answered "No." Then we looked around for things that may have bled onto the carpet but saw nothing. Just then, George (our puppy) walked by. I noticed his tail was GREEN! That's right, Addie decided to color George's tail GREEN with a marker! How she got him to stay still is a mystery. So, everywhere he has sat in our floor now has a green marker stain. There's just some things you just don't think to tell your kids, like don't color the dogs!

Tag #2

My friends Brandy and Melissa tagged me to post the 4th picture in my 4th folder from all of our pictures, so here it is. This is a picture from Christmas 2006 and we were trying to get a picture with Addie and all of her cousins. Obviously we did not get a good picture so no one has really seen this one! Now, Brandy Anovick, Jessica Briggs, Jennifer Millage, Jessica Adkins, and JoAnna McKnight it is your turn to let us see your 4th picture in your 4th folder with an explanation!