Sean and Heather

Sarah Beth is here!!!!

2009-05-21T20:53:00.003-05:00

Sarah Beth was born Tues, May 12, 2009 at 5:42 pm! Sean drove me to the hospital last Tuesday at 6:30am to be induced. My doctor came in at around 8:00am and broke my water and the pitocin was started. I dilated to 5 around noon and was given an epidural. At that point my labor stalled. My doctor came in at 4:20p and told me if I didnt show any signs of progression w/ in the next hour she would be doing a C-Section. I prayed that I would progress b/c I did NOT want to have a c-section. When my doctor came back in a 5:20 nothing had changed. At that point a good friend had shown up and Sean called another friend on the phone so that we could have some "girl" time before I went in. That time was cut short by the staff trying to prep me. I was wheeled out of my room and Sean was told to sit in a holding area until they were ready to start the procedure. It seemed like forever before they let him come back in. Within just a couple of mins of starting the c-section Sarah Beth was here!

I got to see her above the sheet and taken over to a station where they started to clean her up. Sean got to hold her first and then she was brought over to me. Shortly after that I was taken back to recovery. At that point most of the rest of the night is a blur. Wed morning I got to really spend some wonderful time w/ my beautiful daughter and husband. B/c of the c-section I stayed in the hospital until Fri morning. This past week has gone by so fast. I cant believe she is here.

It seems like just yesterday that Sean and I were crying out to the Lord for children, then praying that I would have a healthy pregnancy. We are still in awe and life seems a little surreal at the moment. I know that the Lord is a Lord of miracles and very thankful for the miracle He blessed Sean and I with. I cant wait to see what the Lord does through Sarah Beth and our family! Sarah Beth's first picture!

Our first family picture (still in the OR).

Sean went to the nursery w/ Sarah Beth to watch her get cleaned up.

Baby News

2009-05-09T12:23:00.002-05:00

I went to the OB yesterday (5/8) and she has decided to induce me on Tues (5/12)!!! I have to be at the hospital by 6:30AM to get checked in. Sean and I will try to post updates on facebook as much as we can on Tues. My mom is on her way here right now.

Sean and I are beyond excited and nervous all at the same time. We thought we would have a least one more week before Sarah Beth makes her appearance. We have a couple of last minute things to take care of this weekend. I also have to have all of my end of year paperwork done by the end of the day on Monday. It is going to be a busy weekend, but I am hoping that I can get a decent amount of sleep before Tuesday.

Also, Sean will be in his regular Chic-Fil-A on Monday night, but will not be at his other 2 restaurants on Tues or Thurs this week. (He does have subs for the 2 nights he is missing). Sean has also been given next Sunday (5/17) off from leading children's worship. Starting Mon night of next week, he will be back on his regular schedule and you can take the kiddos to go see him like you normally do.

We will keep you posted as we can.

To all the mother's reading this: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!

New Belly Pics

2009-04-19T15:43:00.002-05:00

Here are belly pics for those of you who have been asking. This was taken at my shower hosted by Susan Mayo on 3/7/09 (just shy of 7 months)

This was taken Easter Sunday (5/12/09) almost 8 months

This was taken at Kara Loy's Shower on 4/18/09. We are both 8 months pregnant! She is expecting a little girl, Lily Grace, on May 18th and I am expecting my little girl, Sarah Elizabeth, on May 17th. Even though Kara is due the day after me, I expect that since this is her 2nd child she will go before me.

I look in the mirror and see that my belly has indeed expanded and I still cant believe it sometimes. I feel very blessed that in just 4 short (or long) weeks that I will be holding my little girl in my arms. My husband, family and friends have been a huge blessing and encouragement to me through this pregnancy. I dont know where I would be w/ out them. I am grateful that the Lord has put so many wonderful people in my path!

I would also like to congratulate Greg, Susan and Carter Mayo on the birth of their beautiful little boy/ brother, Griffin Ryder. Griffen was born Thurs April 16th at 3:17p. He weighed 7 lbs, 4 and 1/2 oz and is 20 and 1/2 inches long.

5 and 1/2 month belly pics

2009-02-06T23:12:00.003-06:00

These are belly pics that people have been asking for. The pics were taken just before a friends wedding on 1/31/09. I cant believe that on Feb 17th I will be 6 MONTHS pregnant!!!!! We are so excited and cant wait to meet our precious little daughter!

Jan Baby Update

2009-01-30T16:47:00.003-06:00

On Sun (2/1) we will 15 WEEKS away from the birth of our precious blessing Sarah Beth! We are beyond excited. Sean and I are in the process of signing up for birthing classes through Baptist right now. We are also in the process of house hunting (which we could use some major prayers for this whole process at this point)! Please continue to pray that our precious daughter will continue to grow and develop like she should.

The 19 week ultrasound of Sarah Beth! The bedding for the nursery. It is the Tiddliwinks Lady Bug Collection from Target.

The stoller we picked out at Wal-Mart. We also have the matching pac-n-play and high chair.

Its a..................

2008-12-22T16:42:00.002-06:00

Sean and I are happy to announce that we are having a

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!

We are naming her Sarah Elizabeth and calling her Sarah Beth.

My doctor has changed my due date to May 17th based on ultrasounds and the baby's growth!

As soon as we get ultrasound pics scanned in, we will post those.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

Gatlinburg Nov 08

2008-11-24T21:01:00.003-06:00

I am almost 15 weeks! It seems crazy to me at times that I have made it this far. Sean and I feel so blessed to know that in six months our little jellybean will be here. My next doctor's appointment is Dec 2. We are hoping that my doctor will allow us to schedule the big ultrasound the week of Christmas. (I will be 19 weeks Christmas Eve). We dont really care if it is a boy or girl as long as the baby is healthy.

Sean and I spent 3 nights in Gatlinburg! We realized this may be our last vacation before little Jellybean makes and appearance and we had a great time. We went to several places we visited back in March and then some new places we had not been before.

Sean built a fire in the fireplace all 3 nights we were in Gatlinburg. Another view of our room. This is our second trip to Gatlinburg and we have stayed at the Rocky Water Motor Inn both times. We love it. Its not a fancy hotel but it works for us. Not to mention that all of the rooms in this hotel overlook a stream.

Sean and I at the Village in Gatlinburg.

Sean playing in the trees at the Christmas Place.

Me playing in the trees at the Christmas Place. This store is actually in Pigeon Forge, but its my favorite place to visit and play!

10 weeks and counting!

2008-10-22T17:00:00.002-05:00

Praise the Lord I am 10 WEEKS today!!!!!

I am so very excited to be at this point. After all of the miscarriages I never thought I would be sitting here praising God for 10 weeks of pregnancy. Sean kept saying it would happen and I didnt believe him. Nor, did I believe that the Lord would grant me (us) this miracle.

So far things are going pretty good. I have some moments of spotting. But nothing has come of it. I am still on strict restrictions until I hit the 12 week mark. I think even after that there will be some restrictions, but I am fine with that as long as there is a healthy baby come May.

People keep telling Sean to take good care of me. All I can say is that he has been GREAT about everything. Sean has been doing pretty much ALL of the housework with the exception of a couple loads of laundry here and there. He is doing a large majority of the grocery shopping and the errand running. He has even made me several meals in bed, just so that I can relax and not be on my feet. I dont think there is really anything else he can do to take care of me. He should win the award for Husband of the Year! He is doing all of this in addition to his regular work. For those of you close to us, know that he has had some very long weeks and weekends here lately. If you see Sean, please give him a word of encouragement. Bless his heart there are still 30 weeks left of this pregnancy and there will probably be many, many, many more things that he will have to do for me and the house. I love Sean so much and there is no way I could do this without him!

Have a blessed week!

Our MIRACLE!!!!!!!!

2008-10-13T15:18:00.004-05:00

If you notice the baby is holding a balloon. Proof that it is Sean's child!

Well folks, it looks like God is still a God of miracles. Sean and I are expecting a little blessing on May 20, 2009! It has been quite a journey this far.

I was a little late and decided to just wait a couple of days and see what happens. I took my first HPT on 9/8 and it was positive. At that point based on my history I told Sean give it a couple of days and it will be over. I didnt believe that the Lord would bless us with a healthy pregnancy. On Thurs 9/11 I took another HPT and it was positive, so I called my Dr and they had me come in for round of beta's pn 9/12. They called back and sure enough I was pregnant my level was 780. Now I had to endure the weekend to wait to take round 2 of beta's. I did throw Sean a surprise b-day party that Fri night. Mon morning I went back in and they called that afternoon to say that my numbers were 3060. My numbers had more than tripled and all we needed was for the numbers to have doubled. On 9/23 I had an ultrasound done and the baby was measuring 3/4 of a centimeter and 5 weeks and 6 days. I went back for my 8 week ultrasound on 10/7 (the day before my birthday) and the baby was measuring right at 8 weeks!

We are so excited to have this little blessing and very appreciative of the friends and family who have prayed for us and with us so far on this journey. We are not out of the woods just yet. Once I reach about 13 weeks, we should be good for the rest of the pregnancy. At this point I have some restrictions as far as what I can eat or drink. I am not allowed to exercise. I am hoping that once I reach the 2nd trimester that some of the restrictions will be lifted. Please pray for Sean and I as we take this journey.

As we get farther into this I will be posting more pictures and updates. Thank you for all of your prayers. We love ya'll very much and feel very blessed to have all of you as friends!

The start of fall

2008-09-21T18:38:00.002-05:00

I didnt realize how long it has been since I have posted on our blog. Life has been crazy and busy to say the least.

I started back to work on Aug 1st. The first week of so was busy trying to get things ready for the kids to come back to school. My first full week with students was crazy and full of drama to say the least. I am very grateful that things have calmed down and everyone is back in the swing of things. Choir is back in full swing and I am loving every minute of it.

Sean has started a new position within our church (and I couldnt be more proud of him!!!). He is the creative director of children's worship. Aug was a slow month for him, but this month has been absolutely busy for him which is great.

I have to say in our house right now the Lord is teaching us to trust in Him and to have hope. I am not at a point where I can elaborate on this yet, but it has been hard. We have prayed harder and longer than we have in a very long. We are very grateful for close friends and family who are walking through all of this with us. We continue to ask you to pray for us as we make decisions about what the Lord would have us to do. We are still hoping to adopt sometime in the near future. At this point we are saving as much as we can and waiting on the Lord to show us what direction we need to take.

I know this is a short update, but I will try and post more later!

Summer Update

2008-07-31T13:03:00.002-05:00

Well, I didnt realize that it has been 2 months since I have updated the blog. I guess I spend more time on facebook and updating our lives there than I do here. I will fill you in on our summer as well as adoption news.

Sean and I started out planning on having a nice quiet summer at home, and just a couple days in we realized that would not be the case. My 2nd day of summer break started with my car failing inspection. So, that started a week and a half of my car being in and out of the shop. We dropped a large sum of money and my car passed inspection. Then, I think that the hardest part is over and that it will be a piece of cake to get my tags. Wrong again! I needed to have my title. Even though we paid off my car last summer Nissan never mailed the title. I call Nissan to a) get the title and b) have my maiden name changed to my married name b/c I never got it changed. Nissan tells me that they never released the title from the vault, but they will send it out and I should have it within 7-10 business days. They also tell me that they cant change my last name.

For our 3rd anniversary Sean and I spent a very relaxing day at Fall Creek Falls State Park. Sean and I ate a picnic lunch and then headed to the falls. We spent a great deal of the afternoon sitting in our chairs reading. The sun was out and for a little while we actually most of the place to ourselves. Later that afternoon we packed up our stuff and headed out of the park. Sean decided to treat me to a little bit of shopping at the Outlets of Lebenon and then onto dinner at Outback Steakhouse.

As I am dealing with all of the car stuff, I get an invite to be a substitute chaperone for a mission trip to Miami, FL. I was excited and nervous about the trip. So on bright and early on a Sunday morning I board a plane with the senior high students from West End United Methodist. We served for a week through the DOOR organization. We slept on the floor of a Methodist church there in Miami. We would do service projects during the day and then in the afternoon we would go to a public pool to swim and then shower. (The church had NO showers). On Monday served lunch to about 250 homeless men and women at Missionaries of Charity. On Tuesday we led recreation for a group of kids through a poverty initiative group. On Wednesday we spent the day working on a Habitat for Humanity Home. That night we went to see Tampa Bay take on Miami in baseball. Thursday we went to Camillus house and served about 350 homeless men and women lunch, bagged popcorn and wrapped about 1000 sporks in napkins.

So, while I am off in Miami with a group of teenagers Sean is back here working like a dog. He had a ton of gigs and got very little sleep. When I came home Saturday night, the poor guy was exhausted.

The next day I get in my car and head north to MI to my sisters. Sean joins me on Wednesday night after a very exciting lightening filled flight. Flights had been delayed and cancelled because of a very large storm system. He flew from Nashville to Cincinnati and then into Grand Rapids. His flight from Cincinnati to Grand Rapids had to be re-routed to fly around the storm. Meanwhile my sister and I are sitting in the airport in Grand Rapids waiting for him to fly in. Eventually he made it in and we had a wonderful rest of the week. On Fri we spent the 4th of July at my brother-in-laws parents house on Hutchins Lake. Sean was brave enough to get on the wave runner with me again. I only almost knocked him off a couple of times. He was also brave enough to allow Matt to pull us around on the tube. That night we enjoyed a dinner of hotdogs, macaroni salad, chips, salsa and several types of desserts.

While we were in MI, I recieve an email from Nissan stating that they would place a lien on the title (reporting that it was paid for) so that I could change my last name. After we get home I take all of my paperwork along with a copy of our marriage certificate to T-dot and was finally able to get a TN tag. The next day I was able to get a TN drivers license and register to vote in our county.

The day after we returned home it was time for VBS. Sean and I taught the second grade. We had a wonderful group of kids. VBS on the whole was wonderful. The music was the best it had ever been. There were several kids that week made decisions for Christ which is the sign of a successful week of VBS!

We a week of downtime and being able to caught up with things here at the house. Then last week we spent the week doing Youth Super Summer. We had a wonderful week working with the youth. It was a time of great fellowship and worship. Watching the youth be totally free in their worship was an incredible experience and one that I was grateful to be able to witness. I also had the opportunity to hang out with some other adults in the church that I didnt know that well and develop some new friendships as well and strengthen some other friendships.

In the midst of all of this, Sean and I have been working to put more money into savings so we can fulfill our dream of adopting and expanding our family. Sean has also been called to be the Children's Worship Director at our church and he is spending time working on making that a wonderful ministry for the children of our church in hopes that the come to a saving relationship with Christ and the ones who have that relationship strengthen their walk.

On the adoption front there is really no new news to report. We are trying to decide between Mercy Ministries here in Nashville and Glandey Adoption Agency in Fort Worth, TX. We are so ready to move forward with this, but we are realilzing that this takes more time and preparation than we we thought. We want children like yesterday, but are trying to wait on the Lord to move us forward and lead us in the right direction. We ask the people continue to pray for us in this process.

We hope you have a wonderful start to fall. Sean is working hard and I start back to work tomorrow.

Holding Pattern

2008-05-31T11:48:00.002-05:00

Hey ya'll,

Just a quick udate for the month of May. There is nothing really to report. We are not sure if we are going to go through the agency we picked. They are very expensive and we arent sure we could come up with that kind of money any where in the near future. So, it is back to the drawing board. We are now looking at other agencies again and hopefully the Lord will work out something for us soon. Please continue to pray for us as we go on this journey. I can tell you that this is not at all where I thought we would be once Sean and I picked an agency. I was hoping to officially be parents in waiting at this point. Pray that we would not lose hope and that when all is said and done Sean and I will look back on this and say only the Lord could have worked things out and that HE recieves all of the glory!

As for our summer plans.
-I am headed to Chatanooga to the aquarium the first weekend in June with my mother.
-Sean and I are celebrating our 3rd anniversary on June 11th!!! (I LOVE him so much!!!!)
-Sean and I are meeting friends in Gatlinburg June 20-22nd.
-At some point we will head to my sister's in MI for a week or so.

Have a wonderful and blessed summer!!!!

Adoption News!!!

2008-04-14T16:49:00.003-05:00

Round One of the adoption paperwork is in the mail!!! It should be to our adoption consultant in about 3 days! I am hoping and praying that we will be able to move things forward a little faster now that it is in!

1)Please continue to pray for us as we walk through process.
2) Pray that we can "hurry up and wait"
3) Pray that the Lord will provide the finances
4) Pray for the birth mother and that we will be chosen by the right one
5) Pray for our little blessing. We don't know if he or she has even be conceived yet.
6) Pray that Sean and I would be the parents that we need to be.

As I sit here and type this I realize that I am filled with mixed emotions. I so excited to see what the Lord is going to do in the life of Sean and I and how He is going to expand our family. At the same time I have feelings of sadness and loss. Tomorrow (4/15) would have been my 3rd due date. Sean and I should be sitting on the couch waiting for the arrival of our 3rd blessing and here we are with no children and no longer pregnant. I don't want it to seem that I am not excited about adopting because I really and truly am, its just that its hard to acknowledge how we got here. We have 3 angels that we were never able to meet. I know that one day I will see all 3 of my beautiful children.

I also know that many people do not accept or acknowledge a miscarriage as a loss. We are probably the most overlooked group in the church. Watching the growing bellies of expectant mothers and the arrivals of the new babies is hard. A good friend of mine should have given birth last week and I should be this week. Yet, here we both are with empty arms (my friend does have an adorable little 2 yr old). At Mother's Day and Father's Day I am reminded that while people cant see our children it doesn't make Sean and I any less of a mother or father. We ARE parents.

So, as Sean and I take this journey that the Lord has us on, know that it is one filled with mixed emotion. I know that as time goes on and even when we bring home our little blessing, the 3 little ones we never met will never be far from our hearts. I cant wait to meet our little blessing the one we will be privileged to call son or daughter!

Thanks for reading our blog and joining us on this journey!

We love and appreciate all of you!

Praise God anyway...

2008-03-31T17:16:00.003-05:00

Well March has been a month of ups and downs...

The first of the month, Sean and I got excited at the thought that we may be pregnant. I took 2 pregnancy tests and they both came back neg. This is not an unusual thing for me. With all 3 pregnancies to date, the tests didnt come back pos until later. During all of this a good friend had her 3rd miscarriage. The day after that reality set in that I was not pregnant.

The next week a couple from church gave birth to their first child Kaylee. This couple was told that they could not have a child naturally and the Lord blessed them inspite of the doctors!

The next week was spring break. My wonderful husband booked 2 nights in Gatlinburg for us. We were able to connect and talk. I came home for a couple of days and then headed to Dallas for a wedding of 2 two friends from the recreation ministry staff at First Dallas. I also was able to enjoy a 5 mile hike the day before the wedding with some friends from SWBTS.

I came back to work last Mon to a day in the office and staff activity. Tues 3/25, I recieve an email that a college classmate lost her battle to cancer. Thurs night Sean and I missed a call from Mike (a good friend of ours). Fri morning Mike got a hold of Sean and told him horrible news. Our friend JJ from Dallas was no longer with us. Sean and I got in the car and headed to Dallas about 2 hrs after that call.

On that same Fri another couple from church had their little girl. I am still waiting her name and all of her stats. But mom and baby are healthy!

Let me tell you a little bit about JJ. She is the oldest of 2 girls in a wonderful Christian family. She was married to Scott and has a beautiful little boy named Jonathon. She was a teacher and basketball coach at a private Christian school in the Dallas area. Her husband Scott is the Dean of Students at this same school. JJ touched may lives while here. She was active at the private school as well as at the church. She was never above helping anyone. Her family became our family away from home while we lived in TX. She loved life and the Lord and it showed in her words and her actions. JJ was 7mos pregnant and lost her little girl (Tonya Renee) Wed (3/26) and then a couple hrs later she was gone.

When Sean and I met with the family on Sat, their whole attitude was praise God anyway. They continued to say that God is good. The funeral was a celebration of JJ's life. The music was nothing I had ever heard at a funeral. We sang "Great is Thy Faithfulness" and "Victory in Jesus." The choir sang "Isnt He Good" and "Jersualem." The floor of the sanctuary at First Baptist Dallas was full and there were people in the balcony. The choir loft was full as well. The choir filled the loft and spilled over into the balcony. I was really touched when the choir was singing "Jersualem" and Scott and JJ's parents stood up and started praising God. I was moved to tears by this one action.

During the funeral Sean and I sat with a couple has 2 little children. Ella who has cerebral palsy and Will who is only a couple of months old. In the midst of everything they have been through with Ella, this couple has also chosen to say Praise God anyway.

I am amazed sometimes by the people around me who no matter what comes up choose to say Praise God anyway. My friend who miscarried has said this all through her blog. There are times that I know that is what I should be saying, but I cant always make myself say it. This weekend I have tried to keep that attitude. As a Christian I know that the Lord is in control and nothing catches Him off guard. He knew what this month would hold. He knew that there would be many ups and downs. He knew what all of us would be feeling and experiencing as we went through this month.

During the funeral on Sat, something our pastor says all the time kept playing over and over again in my head... Bro. Jerry says "There is nothing so certain as death and nothing so uncertain as the time." No one would have expected to bury a 32 yr old wife and mother, especially one who had been healthy just the day before. It made me think about the urgency that we should all live our lives. We should be sharing the Gospel with those around us. How many chances to share the Gospel do we miss on a weekly basis b/c we dont ask the Lord to show us? Do we tell our family and our friends that we love them like we should? Do we live a life that is pleasing to the Lord? Are there things in life that we say we will do one day and have yet to do any of them? What are we putting off? Are there people in our life that we need to make ammends with? We always assume there will be a tomorrow and there are no guarantees. As I am sitting here typing this I am not saying that I am doing all of these things, but these are things that I have been thinking about and praying about since that phone call Fri morning.

During the next couple of weeks take time to tell your family and friends how much you love and appreciate them. Let them know that you are praying for them. If there is someone in your life with whom things are not right, pick up the phone and call them.

I am not always sure who is reading my blog, but I do know that there are many good friends who read it. I hope all of you know that Sean and I love you very much and we are very appreciative of the love you have shown us through the years. Ya'll have been there to celebrate with us as well a cry with us. We are very blessed to have so many wonderful, godly friends!!! Thank you for being you and being willing to love us!!!! We pray for ya'll and hope that the Lord blesses all of you in a very special way!

Adoption note: We have almost all of round one of paperwork filled out. As soon as Sean completes our taxes we will get the last part of it filled out and into the mail. From there we will hopefully have a tentative homestudy date set!!!

Thanks again for your love and support. Remember that whatever comes up in your lives... Praise God anyway!!!!!

We picked an agency!!!

2008-02-22T22:09:00.003-06:00

Well, I wish I had more to update. I know many of you have asked when I was going to post new news. We have chosen an agency. It is the Adoption Network Law Center. Here is what I know at this point. I talked to the agency this afternoon. We cant set the dates for the homestudy until we get in a round of paperwork. We dont have this paperwork yet. We should have it by the end of next week. They are going to send us a packet of paperwork as well as a video and some other information related to adoption. We will get everything filled out as quickly as we can so we can get the date for the homestudy set. The homestudy takes 2-3 mos. It is good for one year. If it is complete by the end of May, we will more than likely bring home our little blessing between Feb and March of 09 give or take.

I was told by our adoption consultant (AC) that they will place a healthy baby with us. They do an intensive screening on the potential birth mothers. For those of you who have done this before, this agency does about 300 placements a year. (Some of the other agencies we looked at only did anywhere from 27 to 130 placements a year). The AC says they get about 30-40 calls from potential birth mothers every day. There is also a very good chance that our new little blessing will not be born in the state of TN. We could be matched with a birthmother pretty much anywhere in the country. We were asked if we preferred a boy or a girl. Our response was as long as the baby is healthy we dont have a preference.

The most scary part is the cost. It is not what we thought it would be. When all is said and done we are looking at 30-40 thousand dollars. Yes, you read correctly 30-40 grand!!! So, for those of you who are prayer warriors, please pray that the Lord would drop this money in our laps, like manna from Heaven. Our God is a very big God and this is a drop in the bucket for him. I am struggling with how we are going to do this. We have no choice but to look to and trust the Lord to handle the financial side of things. Sean and I are making changes in our lifestyle. There are things that we love to do that we will have to sacrifice for the time being. We are cutting back almost quitting eating out. If you invite us to go out to eat, we may so no. Please know that we are not being stuck up, but we are trying to be good stewards of what we have and saving to bring home our little blessing. I get an adoption credit through work. We will also be applying for every grant that we can find. For those of you who have been down this road we would love to hear from you on how you financed your adoption(s). If at all possible we would like to avoid having to take out a loan. We realize that this is putting a great deal of faith in the Lord, but we know He is the ultimate provider.

There are some things that Sean and I are trying to take care of and work on now...

1) Trying to save as much as possible every month
2) Cutting back on eating out and shopping
3) Working on getting the scrapbook done (if any of you are blessed in this area I would love some help!)
4) Trying to get the house ready for a home visit. (Getting what would be the baby's room cleaned out, baby proofing our house. If any of you know where we can get a screen for the front of our fireplace for cheap, please let us know)
5) We are praying like we have never prayed before. We pray for the birthmother and our unborn baby. We pray that the Lord would provide the finances to cover all of the costs. We pray that we would be the parents that we need to be. We also pray that the Lord would allow us to see our little blessing grow up to accept Him as Savior.

I wish I knew what else we needed to do at this point, but like I said in the last post it is hurry up and wait. If there is anything that you would like to know that I havent answered in this post please feel free to ask. I love hearing the adoption stories that many of you are sharing. Please feel free to continue to share! I have had many people ask if they can give our blog address to other people and our answer is a resounding YES!!! We would like as many people to see our blog as possible. I have read comments from total strangers and I love it!!! I have also had many of you give my email to others and they have emailed me their adoption stories. Please keep them coming. Above all I ask you to please pray for Sean and I. This a huge lifechanging thing we are doing. We believe that the Lord has led us on this journey. We pray that we would continue to seek HIM in all that we do and that HE would lead the way!!!

I hope ya'll have a wonderful and blessed weekend!

Hurry up and wait!

2008-01-31T17:01:00.000-06:00

First I want to say congratulations to Joe and Andrea on the birth of their son William Cutler born Jan 29th at 7:51pm. He was 21 inches and weighed 7lbs and 10 oz. He was also welcomed by big sister Ella. I pray blessings on your new family!

OK, here I am 3 weeks after Sean and I officially decided to start our whole process. We still dont have the money we need and we still dont officially have an agency picked out. We are seriously considering going through Adoption Law Network Center. Everything we have read and heard about them is great! We are getting paperwork together and even have a folder to put it all in!

Mom and I went to Hobby Lobby last weekend and bought our scrapbook, the paper and some other things that I think I may need. I did call my sister, the scrap-booking queen, to ask questions. I have been going through pictures and trying to decide what to put in the book. (It was fun taking a trip down memory lane). Sean and I have many facets that make up our lives. We want the book to show all of the facets, making sure our personalities shine through. So far, we have some pages picked out. There will be a performing arts page for both of us. There will be a friend page for both of us as well as one that shows us with mutual friends. Sean will have a work page. I cant b/c of what I do. I will also put in pictures of our engagement, wedding, honeymoon and anniversaries. These are the pages we know we want for sure, but beyond that we dont know.

In choir we have been singing 2 songs that really have spoken to my heart. I was embarressed 2 weeks ago in choir b/c I started crying. It was like I could hear God asking me, "Do you really believe what you are singing?" I had to be honest and answer no. The song is "My life is in your hands." The phrase "With Jesus I can make it, with Him I know I can stand, no matter what may come my way, my life is in your hands" really got to me. There is so much more to this song than just that line, but it was the one the stuck out to me. Do I really believe that with Jesus I can stand and walk through this whole process? Do I really believe that I my life is in His hands? Do I believe that He will work all of this out for Sean and I? The second song is "My God is a Mountain Mover." Do I believe that my God can move mountains? (I feel like I am asking Him to move Mt. Everest for us). Do I believe that He would for Sean and I?

In my heart of hearts I know that God can do whatever HE wants! I know that He will give us the child we need and expand our family as HE sees fit. The problem comes in that in my heart I know these things to be true, but my head doesnt always think that way. I am a very black and white person, with very few shades of gray. My head looks at where things stand with this whole process and doesnt see how this will all work. I have trouble making my heart knowledge head knowledge, by moving it up 8 inches. (If any of you know my salvation experience, you know that I had to make head knowledge heart knowledge). As a believer we sometimes have to move information up instead of down.

So, here we are at the end of Jan and I am feeling very impatient. I am so frustrated that things have not worked themselves out NOW! I want to be a mother like yesterday. I want to make Sean a father! I want to give our parents grandchildren. I want my sister to finally have a niece and/or nephew from me. I want to be able to tell Hannah and Logan (my neice and nephew) that they have a new cousin(s). I want to be able to talk with friends about raising children and really understand where they are coming from. I know in a way this sounds very selfish and very much I,I,I... but I am inpatient. I WANT a child (actually several) to love and raise.

So, we are raising our money. We are cutting back on eating out. I am cutting back and pretty much cutting out on shopping. Sean is cutting back on Starbucks. Sean is trying to take extra gigs. We have our references picked out. I am getting the letter that I need from work. We are taking baby steps. Yes, they are steps in the right direction. I am at the point, where I am ready to RUN, not take baby steps, not even walk at a brisk pace, but RUN full speed ahead so that we can hold our little blessing.

Sean and I are praying for the birthmother. We dont even know if she is pregnant yet. If she is, she may just be finding out. I read on an adoption board (one lady talking to another one) that our baby may not be ready for us yet, or we may not be ready for our baby just yet. I pray that when all is said and done, that we have our child, the one the Lord intended for us to love and raise!

I guess I throw all of this out there to ask that you continue to pray for Sean and I. Please pray for the birthmother and our baby. Pray that the Lord will open the doors that need to be open. Pray that in all of this Sean and I are able to keep our focus on HIM. Pray that when everything falls into place, that we will give the Lord all of the glory and remember He chose to give us that blessing.

I hope ya'll have a wonderful and blessed weekend!

My two cents about Two Rivers

2008-01-30T16:58:00.001-06:00

(This is the long version of a letter that I wrote to the Tennessean after viewing an article this past Sunday. The actual letter that I sent the Tennessean was under 300 words. So this letter is about twice the length of what I sent to the Newspaper. Still, I wanted those not connected with the church to hear the truth, and not just what the newspaper is reporting. If you have an opinion or want me to email you the abbreviated letter, please email me at Sean@BalloonsMagicandMore.com)

I love it how people jump to conclusions and don't do any firm research on a news story, much like what is being reported on Two Rivers in the Tennessean on Sunday, January 27, 2008. (http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801270391)

First of all, I want to say that I'm a member of Two Rivers. So some of you might think this report is a bit tainted. That's okay. Most of the reporting on this event has been so one sided, it isn't even funny.

The reason this story is being reported is because the group trying to sue Two Rivers wants access to credit card receipts and not just credit card statements. Two Rivers claims that it can't give actual receipts to this group because some of those receipts have to do with counseling sessions with church members and other people.

For example, let’s say that I had a problem that I needed to talk with a pastor about. That pastor says, “Let’s meet for coffee”, and while talking buys me a couple of cups at Starbucks. That’s a legitimate church expense and is considered a confidential due to the nature of the conversation.

So now, everyone assumes that because receipts aren’t being handed over because of counseling sessions. That’s not the case. The church has never claimed that every single questionable charge is a counseling session. But because the church states “confidentiality” as the reason why receipts aren’t being handed over, the writer of this article assumes that all questionable charges are “counseling sessions”.

But let’s try to do something really crazy and look at the facts (something that most people have ignored when they’ve talked about Two Rivers).

The church is audited by an external accounting firm every year to make sure that the church is operating within proper guidelines. To my knowledge, the church has always received a clean bill of health.
When all of the commotion about Two Rivers and finances first came up, the church had another audit done to make sure it’s accounting and spending practices were considered legitimate. Once again, Two Rivers got a clean bill of health.
Two Rivers budget is in line with most other large churches in America today (for a reference source on this, please read “Money Matters in Church: A Practical Guide for Leaders” by Aubrey M. Malphurs & Steve Stroope).
Two Rivers is probably not the only mega church in the Nashville area to have its pastor eat at a fancy restaurant for some undisclosed reason. My guess is, although it’s probably not a frequent practice, it’s still done among other large churches.
We don’t know what the dinner was all about. Just because we don’t know the details of this event, doesn’t mean that any staff member of Two Rivers has done something wrong.

In any case, this is not a matter to be sorted out by the press or public. It’s a matter to be settled and sorted out by the members of Two Rivers Baptist Church, its budget & finance committee, and by the accounting firm that audits Two Rivers on a yearly basis.

I know that a church that doesn’t comment on these matters (like Two Rivers) may seem guilty to the general public. However, the Bible clearly states that these matters are to be handled within a church and not out in public. I think the group that is bringing a lawsuit against the church is not only doing the name of Two Rivers a disservice, but the name of Jesus Christ also.

I also think that it would serve the press and other members of general public well if they talked with some members of Two Rivers Baptist Church to get the other side of the story.

Please, don’t assume that just because the leadership of Two Rivers isn’t speaking on this matter that there is some type of shenanigans going on. In this country, we consider people innocent until proven guilty. Unless I’m wrong, the judge on this matter keeps throwing out the lawsuits against Two Rivers not only because the courts have no jurisdiction in this type of case, but the allegations against the church have no merit. Unfortunately, the only place were wrongful allegations can survive and see the light of day is in the press.

Me and Scrapbooking?

2008-01-26T11:08:00.000-06:00

Sean and I are still trying to put money into savings so we can get our homestudy done. We are praying that the Lord will bless Sean with some extra gigs, so this can happen sooner rather than later! We are still in the process of trying to get some of the paperwork together. I have been talking to some ladies on an adoption board and "listening" to their stories. I have also been asking questions about what we need to do to be ready for the homestudy. As far as I can we are on track with all of that.

One of the things I have been told that I need to do it put together a scrapbook for our birthmother. We have no idea who she is at this point. I have been told that we need to put in pictures of us showing our hobbies, favorite activities, vacations, places we have lived, the wedding, the honeymoon, our dog and other things that will show our personality and our lifestyle. If ya'll know me, you know that I am not the scrapbooking type. That being said I am starting to get pictures together. My mother is in town this weekend and we are going to go look at the scrapbooking store in Opry Mills. This may sound weird, but please pray that I can put together a scrapbook that shows who we really are and that it will look good.

As soon as there is more to update, I will post. I hope that ya'll have a wonderful and blessed weekend!

Faith Required

2008-01-17T19:21:00.000-06:00

Well here we are trying to figure out this whole adoption thing. We have a place that can do our homestudy, and we are trying to get the paperwork together. That being said we are praying that the Lord would work out the finances. There are so many grants we can apply for once our homestudy is done, but not before then. To get the homestudy done, we kind of need the money for it.

As I look at what all we need to be able to adopt and possibly buy a house it honestly freaks me out. In my heart of hearts, I know that what we need is only a drop in the bucket of God's bank. I believe that we are doing what the Lord has called us to do. I still struggle with beleiving that the Lord is going to work all of this out and that we will have a house and beautiful little blessing. I know that all I have to do is have the faith of a mustard seed. Somedays I am not sure that I have even that. I am sure there are times that the Lord looks down and shakes His head at me.

For those of you who read our blog and believe in the power of prayer, we are asking for prayer! Please pray that the Lord would help Sean and I to get the money we need and that we would be good stewards of what we already have. I hope to be able to update soon with a homestudy date! I think we may have also picked out the agency that we are going to go through, but we will announce that at a later date!

I hope ya'll have a wonderful and blessed weekend!

And the journey begins...

2008-01-11T22:41:00.001-06:00

Sean and I have started the process of trying to get a homestudy done. We have talked to several people and been online. I have to call a lady on Mon (1/14). The company she works for does homestudies all over the state of TN. We would like to have the date of our homestudy set by the end of this month if at all possible. Please pray that the Lord would show us who should do our homestudy.

There is something I meant to share in my last post. Adoption is the perfect picture of what Christ has done for us. We are not "born" into God's family. It is only through Christ that we have the blessing of being God"s children. When we adopt, we have like other parents the privilage of sharing the love of Christ with them. When the adopted children accept Christ they truly become a member of our family. I know that the day we bring them home, they are apart of our family, but them coming to know Christ makes them a part of our family for eternity. I hope this is coming across like I want it to.

Thank you for your prayers and keep checking back. As things happen and decisions are made, we will keep you posted!

I hope you all have a blessed weekend!

A mother's heart...

2008-01-09T21:41:00.000-06:00

I am going to share my heart with all of you reading this blog. This is not going to be a happy, feel good post, but a transparent look at my heart. I am not looking for sympathy, but asking for prayers and support for Sean and I. I would like to share with you the journey that Sean and I have been on. Many of you know where we have been and many of you dont. I am at a point where I can write and share. I hope that some of this is not considered an overshare, but that you see the spirit in which it was intended. We love each and everyone of you who read our blog. We value the friendships in which we have with all of you. If by some chance you have stumbled onto our blog, welcome and I hope that the Lord uses it to bless you in someway...

When Sean and I got married in June of 05, I had no idea that just shy of our 3rd anniversary we would be sitting where we are. I had no idea that getting pregnant and staying pregnant would be as hard as it has been. My dream was to get pregnant on our honeymoon. Instead, we got pregnant that Novemeber. In December, I found out I was pregnant and surprised Sean and work on a Monday. That Wednesday (12/17) night I miscarried our first angel. Late March, early April of 06 we got pregnant again. The last week in April I started spotting and was put on bedrest. We hoped and prayed that bedrest would work. I miscarried our 2nd angel on May 5th. At that point we took a break and waited to try again until after I had graduated from seminary and we moved back to TN. In July of 07 we got pregnant again. I held my breath and prayed that the Lord would allow this baby to hold on. On Aug 15, I miscarried our 3rd angel.

During much of this I have felt like a failure as a woman and a wife. After all a woman's body was created to carry and give birth to a baby. I became very angry with the Lord, and very jealous of the growing bellies around me. I admit that even now I struggle with this. In our church there are several ladies who are due in April. It frustrates me that I am not going to be in that group. I honestly rejoice in their healthy pregnancies and pray that they all have wonderful births and that their families are blessed by the blessing on the way. There have been times when I feel like there is no hope of ever relizing my dream of having a house full of children.

Sean has been a great source of strength and encouragement through all of this. He has dealt with the losses in his own way. It has been hard for him in the fact that he cant fix this for me. I married a man who likes to fix things. If he thought I wanted the moon, he would do what he could to get it for me. He has prayed for us every night and tells me constantly not to give up hope.

In September, I went to my Dr and she said that everything looks like it should. She then ordered a series of blood tests. I probably had about 20 tubes of blood drawn in 2 trips to the lab. One of the things my Dr was looking for was to see if I had a blood clotting disorder. The labs didnt really show much of anything. It was determined that I have a folic acid deficiency. My Dr then sent me to the maternal fetal specialist. (A maternal fetal specialist deals in high risk pregnancies).

I was a little confused as to why I was being sent to this new Dr even though I wasnt pregnant. When I got there I understood. This Dr also deals with women who are sitting where I am. She looked at all of the labs and gave us a mixture of good and bad news. First she said that I am 1 gene carrier for 2 types of blood clotting disorders. She said that if I were a 2 gene carrier for either type that this would be a cause for the early miscarriages. She then said the good news is that I can get pregnant. The bad news comes in that when we get pregnant the baby does not attach to the uterine wall like it should, thus resulting in the early miscarriages. She said that we may have several more miscarriages before I ever carry a baby to full term. She said that if we were not pregnant by Jan then we needed to call my Dr and get a referral to the TN Fertility Clinic.

After the 2nd miscarriage, Sean started talking about adoption. I was not at all ready to think about that let alone talk about it. In May of 07, I started looking at agencies, but I still was not really ready to accept that for us. Shortly after our appointment with the maternal fetal specialist, I was ready to start thinking about, really praying about and talking about us adopting. We decided that we would wait until Jan to see where we were with pregnancy. Before any of you get excited we are not pregnant. We are going to call to get the referral, but we are also going to start the adoption process.

For me this excites me and scares me all at the same time. There are so many agencies. We have the option of domestic and international adoption. We also have the option of pursuing an open or closed adoption. Each agency has its own set of rules and fees. We also have to have a homestudy done and we dont know where we need to turn for that. We are gathering all of the information that we can. We are praying that the Lord will show us which agency we need to go through. We are also praying that the Lord will provide the funds we need to go through with this process. We pray that the Lord will match us with the right birthmother and/or baby. There are so many unknowns at this point.

If you have been through this process or are adopted we would love to hear your story. If you have suggestions about agencies or other things we should know or think about please post. If you know of a pregnant lady who is not married and is considering adoption please think about us. If you know people who are going through this process, please send them to this blog. I found an online board and one of the ladies on there, was able to adopt through a friend. That friend called her and said that there was a lady in labor who wanted to give up here chuld for adoption. She and her husband drove 2 hrs and then brought home their child 2 days later. This gives me hope. I know that the Lord can use what avenue He chooses to bring us this child or children. As we get information and get things going we will be posting updates.

Thank you for reading this post. I am feeling more and more encouraged about starting this process. I hope and pray that by the time Christmas comes that we are either holding a baby in our arms or that we at least know that our little blessing is on the way. Thank you again for your friendship and your prayers. I pray that the Lord blesses you in this new year!!!

A Christmas picture at last!!!

2007-12-23T22:49:00.000-06:00

Here is our puppy Crimson laying under our Christmas tree. We could not put ornaments on the bottom of the tree because she decided that she likes to eat them. Right now our only issue with her is that she likes to hop over the couches and run under the tree. Earlier today while Sean was watching the Titans game she lept over the couch and I heard the tree shaking. I looked to see it wobble just a little. I had this thought of the tree toppling over. Hopefully she will be kind enough to leave our tree alone for the next week and a half.

This Christmas season has proven to be a busy one in our house. Between work and church and hanging out with friends we have stayed busy. My mom was here this weekend and we did Christmas with her Saturday night. Tonight we had dinner with some dear friends of ours. Tomorrow night we will go to Christmas Vespers at church and then go out for Chinese (this is a tradition that Sean has had for several years now). Christmas morning we will get up and open presents and that night we will go to his parents house for Christmas dinner. December 30- Jan 1st Sean and I will be helping out with Tera Nova (a huge youth conference held by Brent Gambrell Ministries). For the rest of our vacation we will be hanging out at the house and we may take a day trip or two. We plan on resting as much as we can before the new year begins!

I hope that all of you reading this post will have a very Merry Christmas. I pray that the Lord will bless your new year. I pray that all of your hopes,dreams and prayers for next year come true and that the Lord will bless all of you in a way that you never imagined

P.S thanks Susan for showing me how to put pictures on the blog!

Pictures

2007-12-16T23:55:00.000-06:00

I have yet to figure out how to put pictures on here. For those of you who are on Facebook can go to my page and see all of the pictures that I have been wanting to post. For the rest of you, hopefully I can get someone to show me what to do. Have a blessed night!

I caved!!!/ short update

2007-12-15T19:48:00.000-06:00

Well folks, I guess I should never say that I am never going to do anything. First I said I would never own a cell phone and I now I do. I said that I would never live in TX and I did. I said that I would never marry Sean b/c I thought we'd drive each other crazy, we've now been married 2 and 1/2 years. I said that I would never own a digital camera, b/c I loved film and now I own one. I said that I would never have a blog and I do. As of yesterday I have officially joined facebook after saying that I never would. I am proud to say that after only 24hrs of being on facebook I am up to 22 friends. I am stunned. We'll just see what other things that I have said that I would never do that I will end up doing.

For those of you who are waiting on an update from our household, here is the readers digest version....

-My friend Debra spent the week of Thanksgiving with us.
-Oct was busy for Sean, Nov was slow and Dec has picked up.
-Our Christmas tree went up the week of Thanksgiving. I could not put ornaments on the lower branches b/c our dog has decided that she likes to eat them.
- Two Rivers had its Christmas concert and banquet on Dec 9th. It was wonderful!
-I am dancing in an recital on Sun (12/16) for the first time in ages. I am taking an adult tap class at Bellvue Dance Academy (no I will not be posting a video)
-Outside of normal Christmastime activities we are just hanging out.

If there is anything specific ya'll want to know just post a message and I will answer it.

30, 40: Age or State of Mind?

2007-10-08T16:16:00.000-05:00

Well folks this has been a year of decade birthdays in my family. We start at 30 and run through 70 this year...

First to Matt (My wonderful bro-in-law) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! He turned the big 4-0 on Oct 2nd. I am sure there was much partying to be had in Michigan last week. I am sure that he has been playing his new X-Box non-stop with my nephew. Love ya Matt!!!

Me- I have officiall hit the big 3-0, although I have decided that I am not going to grow any older than 25. So, really I am 25 for the 5th time. As I sat in my bed at midnight and cried in my birthday with my husband and dog snoring, I decided that I dont really have to get any older than I want to. I have also spent a good amount of time evaluating where I am in life and where I want to be. I have accomplished some of the goals on my list but not all of them.

Here is the list that I had for me to accomplish by 30...

1) Graduate from college: accomplished in 00 (B.S in Psychology and double minor in Religion and Human Performance (exercise physiology) from Judson College).
2) Married: accomplished on June 11, 2005 to the wonderful Sean T Hughes
3) Graduate with my Masters: accomplished in 06 (Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Counseling from South Western Baptist Theological Seminary)
4) Settled into a career: I am actually in my 2nd career. I worked in the recreation field for 9 years and have been in the counseling field since this past Feb.
5) Have 1- 2 children: hasn't happend (2 pregnancies both miscarriages)- Lord willing, it will happen soon.
6) Home Owner- hopefully this will happen next Spring
7) Start Ph.D: since I just graduated in Dec with my Masters, this has not happened yet. Sean is wanting to go back to school, so I will wait on this one. (My dream is to get a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology from Vanderbilt)

I know many people have told me to celebrate this birthday like I have never celebrated another birthday, but it has been hard. Several have told me this will be the best decade of my life. I am going to go out with a small group of friends tonight for dinner. I guess as I sit here I realize that turning 30 is not the worst thing in the world and it sure beats the alternative.

Some celebrating has already been done. Sean took me shopping last Monday night. He knew that I love to shop and that would be a great gift for me. He has said that there will be another surprise tonight so I am waiting on that. My mom came up the weekend before last and bought me a beautiful brown dress coat so that I dont have to wear my black leather with everything this winter. I went home last weekend and mom took me to Mikata for dinner. That was fun. We ended up sitting with a group of students from Rehobeth HS on their way to their homecoming dance. Saying that I graduated from Carroll HS, the team that beat them the night before, they were pleasent. Today Sean brought me chinese for lunch. So, even though I am not thrilled with the birthday number, it has been a good birthday. Here's hoping and praying for an awesome decade!

An Anniversary

2007-09-12T16:09:00.000-05:00

Today marks the 6 year anniversary of the day that Sean and I met. Here is the story....

On Labor Day of 01, the guy I was dating broke up with me. I was devestated to say the least. On the following Sunday I knew that I could not go back to the church that I had been attending due to the fact that my ex and his entire family had been in that church for a very long time. The only other Baptist church I knew how to get to was Two Rivers. So that Sun 9/9/01 I attended Two Rivers for the first time. I was a little overwhelmed at the size of the church. I was not sure that I would be content in a church that size. I was pleased by the welcome that I recieved. This was also the first Sunday that the church had returned to one service instead of two. That morning I also sat in the Gathering Sunday School class for the first time. I felt welcomed and enjoyed the class. At the time I was a little uncomfortable with being as young as I was in that class, but I was thinking about returning to Two Rivers the following Sunday.
Tuesday morning was a morning that I and the rest of the nation will never forget. It was 9/11 I woke up and was getting ready to go to work at the Green Hills YMCA. I had the "Rick and Bubba Show" on the radio. As first I thought they were playing around with what they were saying and then realized that there was something not quite right. I turned on the TV and realized that what I was seeing on TV was also what was coming through on my radio. I sat in stunned silence, feeling completely numb. I went to work and the mood was subdued and many people stayed home from work that day. This day also means something to me because not only did my mother call me at work but so did my younger brother. Jason rarely called me at home and never called me at work. He was worried about me and wanted to check on me. That night I walked into an empty apartment and felt completely alone in this strange new city, that I would later come to love.
Wednesday night (9/12/01) I went to "Soul Training" which was the singles Bible study on Wednesday nights. I had my first conversation with Sean that night. He welcomed me to the church and we talked about Sunday School. I told him that I felt a little young in that class and that I was thinking about trying a class where the singles were a little closer to my age. Sean did not take that comment well. He pretended like he was pulling a knife out of his back and handed it to me while asking me if I had lost something. We had a good laugh and then I handed him a pretend walker. That was the beginning of a relationship that I praise God for every night.
As time went on I made some incredible friends that I would do anything for. With time Sean found his way into my heart and eventually I let him in and have not regretted it since. I praise God that the Lord has blessed me with such and incredible, godly, funny husband. I love his sense of humor and the way he helps me to not be so serious all of the time. I love his servant's heart. I love the way he goes out of his way to take care of me. I love the way he goes out of his way to take care of others. I love the way he makes my lunch every morning. I love the way he puts gas in my car and changes the oil. I love the way he likes to bring home flowers and icecream just to surpsrise me. I love that he is willing to sit through a chick flick just to make me happy. I love that he can finish my thoughts sometimes. I love the way makes me smile. I love that he will sit and talk with me for hours about everything and nothing. I love that we can sit on the couch and snuggle and never have to say a word and we know what the other one is thinking. I love watching him interact with his friends. I love watching him perform for children and love the way the look at him. I love that he is not afraid of being silly. I love the way he smiles at me. I love that he works hard to provide for us. I love that he is not afraid of hard work. I love that he does the little things in life. I love that he is not afraid to be himself. I love watching him serve at church. He is the only man in my life that can stand up to me and I will take it. I love that he loves me inspite of me. I only hope and pray that I can be the wife that he deserves. This list is so much longer. I could blog on the positive attributes oh my husband all day long.

I also want to wish him an early HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I pray that he knows that he is loved and that he is worth celebrating. I hope this birthday brings a year of amazing blessings. I LOVE YOU HONEY!!!!!!!

To My English Teachers and Professors

2007-08-11T13:41:00.000-05:00

This is an article that I read on MSN. I was one of those people in high school and college that actually enjoyed taking English. I would rather have had a full day of English and Lit rather than take any math and science classes. As I read this article I was reminded of some of the red marks and comments on my papers through out my schooling. I know that most of my posts do not follow all the grammar rules, but I do know them. I hope you ennoy this article. Those of you who read this blog who are grammar freaks, please dont shoot the messanger. ENJOY!
Errors That Aren't: 12 Grammar Rules You Can Toss Out the Window
by Martha Brockenbrough

In an uncertain world, it's nice to be sure of a few things:• Socks go on before shoes, and underwear, before pants; • An apple, when dropped, will fall toward the earth; and• It's a crime to start a sentence with a conjunction, or end one with a preposition. There's a bit of a problem, though, at least when it comes to the so-called certainties of grammar.Despite the insistence of teachers, starchy bosses, and more than a few well-meaning nuns, certain rules of grammar aren’t actually rules at all. They're myths, the Loch Ness Monster of language foisted upon us, many times for reasons unknown.The declarations against starting sentences with conjunctions and ending sentences with prepositions are two fine examples. And of course, there are quite a few more.It can be upsetting to realize these solemn rules of writing don't exist, sort of like figuring out Santa and your mother have the same handwriting. I still remember the time my high-school English teacher put a disapproving check mark beside a split infinitive, and the time a college-writing instructor told me not to use "like" as a conjunction. Those corrections are among my most vivid school memories, and in the years that followed, I took care not to make the same mistakes in my writing.And now, I must accept that those instructional gems were fake. At best, many commonly passed-down "rules" might politely be called convention. But even that’s shaky, because crafty dictionary users can always dig up examples where respected writers have departed with said convention for literally hundreds of years. That, alone, isn't a reason to discard a rule, of course. After all, people have been killing each other for millennia, and it’s still not OK. Or, to use a less extreme example: Just because your grandfather did something one way doesn't mean he did it the right way simply because he was born before you
The truth is that writers--even great, dead ones--sometimes make grammatical errors. In Pride and Prejudice, for example, Jane Austen's narrator says, "Every body declared that he [Wickham] was the wickedest young man in the world; and every body began to find out that they had always distrusted the appearance of his goodness."To be correct, she should have written "and people began to find out that they had always distrusted the appearance of his goodness."This doesn't mean Jane Austen was anything less than a brilliant writer. Grammar is important, but it's not the hallmark of great writing. Rather, it's a tool to help us express ourselves and understand others. It's what separates "Let's eat children!" from "Let's eat, children!" (If you can't see the difference there, please do not invite me to your house for dinner.)Where rules help us say what we mean, they're worth learning and obeying. Where they get in the way and twist our syntax--or worse, change the meaning of a sentence--they should be rejected. Here are 12 grammatical "errors" that aren't actually wrong, according to my own judgment, and that of a variety of experts, including: • Patricia T. O'Conner (Woe is I), • Paul Brians (Common Errors in English Usage, and his Washington State University Web site),• Ronald Wardhaugh (Proper English: Myths and Misunderstandings about Language), and • Mark Liberman and Geoffrey K Pullum (Far from the Madding Gerund).

It Ain't So No. 1: It's wrong to end a sentence with a preposition.The suffix pre means "before." This is perhaps where people got the idea that a "pre-position" couldn't be positioned last in the sentence. It's just not true, though. Even Shakespeare did it. There are certain times, though, when it's ugly to do this. "Where's he at?" is one of those times. "Where is he?" is better form.

It Ain't So No. 2: You are not to split your infinitives.The Roman Empire is long gone, but Latin's luster remains to a surprising degree. The ban on split infinitives--those "to-plus-a-verb phrases"--owes its existence to the idea that Latin grammar is superior to English. Balderdash. In Latin, you can't split infinitives because they're one word. In English, infinitives are two words, and it's not only fine to split them, it's sometimes necessary for the sake of clarity. As Patricia T. O'Conner puts it in her book, Woe is I, there really is no other way to say "To more than double" your rent without splitting the infinitive. The landlord "expects more than to double your rent" just doesn't fly.It

Ain't So No. 3: Use "that" with restrictive clauses, "which" with nonrestrictive clauses.I fed the dog that barked.I fed the dog, which barked.These two sentences have almost identical words, but their meanings are slightly different. The first one is restrictive--the only dog I fed is the one that barked. In the second sentence, the barking is incidental. It's not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Some people, including many publications, insist that writers use "that" with restrictive phrases (those not set off by commas), and "which" with nonrestrictive ones. It's not wrong to do this, and there is a certain amount of elegance to making that distinction. But, you can say "I fed the dog which barked" and still be correct. It sounds a bit more pompous, but it's not wrong, not if we're to go by the example of many accomplished writers. That said, it's not correct to write, "I fed the dog, that barked." "Which" can go both ways, but "that" can't.

It Ain't So No. 4: It's wrong to start a sentence with "and" or "but." Writers have been doing this for more than 1,000 years, despite the hand-waving of frantic English teachers. And they're going to keep on doing it. I could have used a comma between the "teachers" and the "and," but the period gives a longer pause and more emphasis on the second sentence. The conjunction still links the two ideas together; they just happen to be two sentences instead of one. It's fine to do with good reason, but your writing will be choppy if you do it too much.

It Ain't So No. 5: Don't say "hopefully." Say "I'm hopeful" or "It is hoped."While many people still avoid the technical misuse of "hopefully," it's misused often enough that it sounds a bit stilted to say "I'm hopeful," and even worse to say, "It is hoped." Language does evolve, and this is one of those cases where the incorrect use has won out. It doesn't mean you have to say "hopefully" yourself, but holding out the hope and expectation that people will stop doing this is the equivalent of being outraged that people are no longer holding up their socks with garters.

It Ain't So, No. 6: Thou shalt not say healthy food.Extreme language purists still insist that we describe nutritious food as "healthful." But if you don't want to sound as though you've just snapped on a fresh pair of sock-garters, you don't have to. It's fine to describe food as being "healthy." That said, the two words are not interchangeable. As Bill Walsh points out in Elephants of Style, a "healthy" appetite is not always "healthful."

It Ain't So No. 7: None comes from "not one" or "no one," and is therefore always singular.Actually, it just might have come from "not any of them," which is plural. "None" is very often plural. None of the sorority girls have hair, for example. If you're talking about something that can't be divided into units, then make it singular. None of their hair is real. Another way to remember: If "of it" could be swapped in for whatever follows "none," use the singular. If "of them" could be swapped in, use the plural.

It Ain't So No. 8: "Since" must always refer to time.Many people are under the impression they cannot correctly use "since" as a synonym for "because." That's crazy-talk, because it's been used this way since at least 1450. While it's nice to keep distinctions of meaning between words, it's not a crime against language to use "since" for "because," even if you can't use "because" for "since." Like healthful and healthy, and which and that, they can be synonyms even if they’re not interchangeable.

It Ain't So, No. 9: Don't use "like" as a conjunction.Is it wrong to say, "I feel like a million bucks"? Or is it better to say, "I feel as though I am worth a million bucks"? If you were to say the latter, anyone in earshot would be perfectly justified in making fun of you. It's been used as a conjunction since at least 1200, according to the Oxford English Dictionary [OED]. That said, many people--such as my college writing teacher--bristle at this usage. In formal contexts, this is a rule worth obeying, just so people don't think you're a rube.

It Ain’t So, No. 10: When answering the phone, you must say, "This is I" or "This is she." "It is I," and "This is she" are two phrases that reek of eau de pomposity. At least 400 years before Shakespeare wrote "O, Woe is me," we've used that particular expression in English. That's ample precedent.Where you do want to be careful, though, is with sentences such as this: "He likes chocolate more than me." Do you mean he likes chocolate more than you do? Or he likes chocolate more than he likes you? If he prefers you to chocolate, then you're better off saying, "He likes chocolate more than I do." If you're second in his heart, well, here: Have some chocolate. It'll make you feel better.

It Ain't So No. 11: You must always use "whom" when it's the object of a sentence.Remember that Noah Webster guy? The one who wrote the first dictionary of American English? Even way back when, he had the sense to advocate "Who did you speak to?" over "Whom did you speak to?" Sometimes, "whom" is just a bit too stuffy. This doesn’t mean it's not nice to know the rule--use "who" as the subject of the sentence, and "whom" as an object--but you can break this rule on occasion with Mr. Webster's blessing.

It Ain't So No. 12: Ain't isn't a word.It is. Right here, see? And it isn’t just a lower-class expression; once upon a time it was an upper-class colloquialism the OED reports--the cousin of won't, don't, can't and shan't. Keep it to music lyrics, musical titles, and appropriate rhetorical sprees. Even with its centuries-long pedigree, it just ain't a word to bring with you to fancy places.

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Features/Columns/?article=ErrorsThatArent&gt1=10289

My Heart for Two Rivers Baptist

2007-08-05T16:46:00.000-05:00

As I sit here starting this blog, I have debated about posting my thoughts and feelings about the goings on at our church. For those of you who are not members of TRBC, I ask that you pray for our church. For those of you reading this who are TRBC members, please only read this knowing that I am sharing my heart. If you are reading this for something to gossip about, please stop reading now.

My heart has broken over what is going on in our church. There is a spirit of division. I do not feel that this is what the Lord has intended for any church within His larger Church. In a warped way I feel very blessed that this is happening. I firmly feel that satan will not attack a church body unless the Lord is moving. While none of us would openly welcome this, we have to acknowledge that the Lord is indeed moving. When I look at VBS, Super Summer and the number of baptisms I can not and will NOT deny that fact.

I want to share my feelings on somethings that have I heard being said over the past several weeks...

1) That this situation was not prayed over: If any person in our church honestly knew our pastor and our staff even a little, they would know that many, many, many hours of prayer have gone into praying over this whole mess. They would also know that all of our pastors are men of prayer and they seek the Lord with their whole heart as far as their lives and especially the life of our church is concerned.

2) It has been said that Pastor has caused this dissention in the church. I have to say that this frustrates me very much. Pastor has not brought this on the church. Church members have brought this on the church. No where in scripture has the Lord endorsed a coup against a godly church leader. The fact that we have a pastor has been the pastor of our church for 21 years says a great deal about his character and the man of God he really is. I personally do not believe that the Lord would have a pastor spend his entire ministry jumping from church to church. I believe that He would have pastor be in a church to baptize, marry and bury several generations. I believe that if we will pray for, encourage and lift up our pastor, we can if it is the Lord's will, see that happen.

3) I will not believe that I am a member of a church where I am strong armed, railroaded or bullied from the pulpit. One thing that I LOVE about our pastor and pastoral staff is that we are highly encouraged to be in the Word and study for ourselves what the Lord has to say about certain subjects. I love that we are not told that they are the final authority on anything. I love that we are encouraged to get to know that Lord on a personal level and that we have the freedom in our church to ask questions and seek answers. I believe that only a pastor who is truly seeking the Lord and is secure in his position as pastor would encourage the congregation to dig into the Word and pray.

4) I know that there is some dissention about the 11:01 service. I know that I am among a rare few in my age range that actually prefers the 9:30 service. I do have to say that even though I prefer the earlier service it does NOT mean that I am against the 11:01 service. I believe that as long as the Gospel is not being watered down and people are coming to know the Lord and that people are growing in their walk there is absolutely nothing wrong with the 11:01 service. Since the pastor and pastoral staff are firm in doing both of these things, I support the 11:01 service even though I do not attend. (On a side note I do like the fact that in the early service we do get to sing the great hymns of our faith. I believe that we can learn a great deal of theology from these great hymns. I also like the praise songs in that most of these are lifted straight from Scripture. How great is it that in our music we get both theology and Scripture)!

5) I think that we need to focus on what the Lord has for our church instead of tearing each other down and back biting. I believe that the Lord has much instore for our church. I believe that we need to whole heartedly search the Lord and seek His will for our church. I believe that it is very appropriate that we are taking the entire month of August to study prayer and spend it as a church praying. I believe that only when ALL of us become broken that our church will completely heal and move forward.

6) Last but not least I want to share a personal story. The summer after I graduated from college I served a semester missionary through NAMB as a youth minister in a church out west. When I came to the church there was tension in the church. The longer I was there, the more I learned. While I cannot say that I know what our staff is going through with all of this I can somewhat relate.....
In the mid 70's the pastor of the church was asked to leave the church. In that case, the pastor had actually done something to which he should have been removed. In the years that followed the church went through some major turmoil. Since that time this church has run off several pastors. These men were not bad men, they had not even done things for which Scripture would allow them to be removed. Fastforward almost 25 years and the church is still batteling what happened in the 70's. I started in this church in May of 2000 and NAMB pulled me out in May of 01. Not long after I left the pastor was voted out.
I share this story not for gossip sake but to illustrate a point. We need to be careful the legacy that we are leaving for the children of our church. 25 or 30 years down the road do we want our children and grandchildren to still be fighting this battle? Do we want them to not truly understand what they are fighting, but that this is the way it has always been, and so that is what they must continue to do? What is it that we want our children and grandchildren to know about what happened when they look back on the history of our church? Do we want them to see dissention or a godly legacy?

I pray that anyone who has taken the time to read this entry will stop and pray for Two Rivers. I pray that the Lord will bless the pastor, pastoral staff and the rest of the church staff as well as their families. I pray that all them would find and encouragement. I pray that the Lord will carry our church through this time. I pray that when we get to the other side that we will be able to look back and see what HE was doing. I pray that we can continue to seek His will do the ministry that HE has called us to.

Thank you for "listening" to my ramblings. I pray that the Lord will bless you and that you will continue to seek the Lord in all that you do!!!

Heather
Hab 3:19

Finally, Heather's other half posts on the blog!!!

2007-07-01T18:33:00.000-05:00

(A note from Heather's husband ... Sean)

Those of you who know me know that living in Dallas/Fort Worth area was a really rough time for me.

Career wise, I went from a place where I was revered to a place where people really didn’t care about my skill set. They didn’t care how talented I was. I either didn’t fit in the Good Ole’ Boy system or some people really didn’t care about quality and just wanted the cheapest entertainment that they could get. The market there hard been ravished by low quality entertainment that though because they could make a balloon dog, they were professional entertainers

Church wise, I went from someone who was respected and even a deacon in my church to someone who people didn’t look at because my job wasn’t as important as theirs. It was a real shock to me to live in a culture where people thought that your job and what you had mattered more than your character. To have this type of attitude in the church was particularly deplorable.

Most of all, I was away from the people that I loved. I was away from the people who really cared about me in that true agape sense.

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Do you remember the show, “Everybody Loves Raymond”? I remember the one show when Raymond’s brother, Robert, got married. There were some things that went terribly wrong at the wedding. At the reception, there was an air of discomfort because of what had gone wrong. And Raymond has to give a toast with this whole family circus going on.

When Raymond starts to tell Robert of how he’ll one day think of his wedding day, Raymond looks over at the video camera and is inspired. Raymond talks of how life is like video camera editing. We don’t always remember the bad things that happen. As we move farther away from the time that we experienced, our brain has a wonderful ability to weed out the bad things and hold on to the positive memories. (Like editing a video)

That’s what I’m starting to do with my time in Texas. My wife hasn’t gotten there yet. She still has many bitter feelings over our time in Texas. I can’t blame her. We lost two babies there. We were mistreated by people. And we both definitely had our share of “raw deals”. But even as I was driving from DFW to Nashville in a moving truck, my mind starting going over the things that I would actually miss about living in the DFW area.

Yes, I still have painful memories of living in the DFW area. Sometimes, I feel like twitching like a Vietnam vet when I think about horrible circumstances there (YOU DON’T KNOW! YOU WEREN’T THERE!). In dealing with those memories, and concentrating on the positive things, I’ve developed this list.

So now, for your reading pleasure, I give to you the TOP TEN THINGS I ACTUALLY MISS ABOUT LIVING IN THE DALLAS/FORT WORTH AREA

(In no particular order)

1) Four Day Weekend

If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, you HAVE to go see these guys. This is an extremely funny improvisational comedy group. If you’ve ever seen a show like “Whose Line is it anyway”, it’s like that, but live. If you’re looking for a great night of entertainment and you’re in Fort Worth; don’t walk, run to the theatre. They sell out almost every single show. Get your tickets early.

2) Taquitos

To many Texans, this will sound stupid. For those of us who don’t live in Texas, it’s not.

In the DFW area, there are a lot of gas stations called QT. If you go into one of these establishments, you’ll see two sets of hot dog rollers. One will have normal hot dogs. The other one will have Taquitos. This is one of those delicacies of Texas that I’ve grown to love (along with spicy food and jalapeños). You just can’t buy these at the grocery store and get the same quality that you find at a QT.

3) Texas Rangers Baseball

I’m not necessarily a Texas Rangers Baseball fan. However, I love to go watch professional baseball. There’s nothing like it. To me, it’s one of the finest things God created about summer. Even if you don’t like the Rangers, you can see a myriad of other professional baseball teams play. When everything else was going wrong, I could always go watch a game and just forget about it all.

4) The Gaylord Texan

This place and its staff will ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart. Let me paint a picture for you.

It was near the end of the year in 2004. I had moved to Texas that previous July. Every attempt to try to get in with other businesses doing entertainment work had failed. I was close to the end of my rope. I couldn’t even get a normal job. I applied at a Best Buy and was turned down (I had enough retail, management, and electronics experience to be a manger there).

Just when everything was at it’s darkest, a light shown through. All of my attempts to get into the Gaylord Texan had paid off, and I got a meeting with the Entertainment Management.

The meeting lasted no longer then fifteen minutes. The Gaylord Texan was looking for entertainment for their “Lone Star Christmas”. Since I had tried to contact them on numerous occasions, they decided to give me a chance and call me into a meeting. After the meeting, they decided to give me a shot, but just for their Christmas holiday season.

During their holiday season, the comments about me started to flood into guest services. Visitors absolutely loved me. And Gaylord decided to give me a contract for 2005.

One of the comments that the former director of Food and Beverage gave to me was that I was the lowest paid entertainer, but I got more positive comments than any other entertainer that they ever had. I continued to work for them until I left in 2006. I still have a great relationship with the management. They’ve gone to bat for me several times; trying to get me into the Gaylord Opryland. They’ve even told me that if I ever move back to Texas, I have a standing job offer with them.

Keep in mind, for most balloon artists; I had one of the top jobs in the area. It was also a dream job in that the Gaylord gave me the freedom to do whatever I though was appropriate, knowing that my number one concern was making people happy. I really miss the Gaylord Texan and everyone I worked with there A LOT.

5) G.O.T. Balloons

This was the group of balloon twisters in the DFW area that met once a month. I loved hanging out with these people. I loved them for their creativity, their wacky characters, and the fact that they were people who understand what it meant to look at a balloon and see a world of possibilities. I miss you guys (Especially Stretch and his family)

6) Balloon Wholesalers

Like I said before, I now live in Nashville. If I want balloons, the closest supplier is a two day ship from me. In DFW, I had two to three choices of where to buy balloons. Some places knew me by name. One, I actually started to work for. You get really spoiled when you live in place where picking up balloons is as easy as going to your local grocer.

7) FBCD video crew & Children’s ministry

At one point, I volunteered once a week, until it got to the point where I had to go out and get a real job to support my wife’s education. I worked with this video crew at First Baptist Church Dallas (FBCD) until the summer before we moved back to Nashville. It was actually one of the few things I liked about FBCD. Unlike most people at First Dallas, they didn’t care that I didn’t have a prestigious job or owned fancy things. They liked me for me and my love for video and technology. I loved working with the guys there, and I became good friends with the video director, Dan Beckwith.

I also have to say that I also loved working with Jane Mason and the First Dallas Children’s ministry. I have to say, that God worked his hand of providence when I ended up working with them.

Before I worked with the Children’s ministry, I had a really poor experience with the Singles Ministry at First Dallas (Heather and I were engaged, but not married). I was treated so poorly, I was ready to quit going to First Dallas, despite the fact that Heather was an intern there and had to go to church.

It just so happens that just as I was getting ready to leave, I met Mark & Karen Korenek at a restaurant I was doing balloons in. In our conversation, we discovered that we both went to First Dallas. They asked me if I had ever considered working in the children’s ministry. I told them no, and they said I should really consider it.

I then called Jane Mason to see if they needed any volunteers. She put me in the same class with Mark & Karen. Once Jane saw the talent that I had, she immediately integrated some of my talent into the AWANA program. It was truly a blessing to use my talents for the glory of God

Now that I’m back in Nashville, I somewhat work with the video ministry at Two Rivers Baptist church. I don’t work with the children’s ministry at Two Rivers, as God hasn’t called me to use my gifts there in that way. However, I truly have a special place in my heart for both ministries at First Dallas. For a long while, those were the only things keeping me at that church.

8) Garden Ridge

I know that this will make me a wimp to some guys. What can I say? The creative decorator in me loves Garden Ridge. And the next time I drive to DFW, I’m picking up one of those Chiminea I’ve always wanted.

9) Panda Express

This is my favorite restaurant in the DFW area. If you live in an area where these restaurants are everywhere, consider yourself blessed. My wife and I love Chinese food. We love Panda Express even more.

10) Friends

Despite the fact that it was hard to make relationships in this area, I did manage to make a few close friends that I still contact from time to time. I would list them all, but then I’d forget someone and make them mad. Just know that these friends were an oasis in a place that was otherwise a desert.

Barevzez from Armenia

2007-06-19T11:27:00.000-05:00

Hello and greetings from Armenia. I dont have much time to write. So far it has been an exciting and eventful trip. I will give details and post pictures when I am back in the states. So far I have seen Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower on an unexpected overnight layover in Paris. We have met the church here in the capitol city of Arevan. We have also spent 2 days in a village north of here. We will be back in that village tomorrow as well as work with the university students on Thursday. On Friday we will start the 2 day journey home. Please pray for our work here and that the Lord will be glorified in all that we do. Also please be praying for the missionary family we have been working with as well as the pastor of that church. I hope ya'll are doing wonderful state side and I will see you soon. I love ya'll!!!

Heather

Off to the see the Mouse and an update

2007-06-07T15:26:00.000-05:00

Well folks,
Tomorrow Sean and I head to Orlando to see the Mouse. We are very excited and are very much looking to have a vacation and play a little. (Well I am going to try and get Sean to play as much as I can). We are staying with Sean's aunt and uncle when we go down. On Saturday we are going to hang out with them and goof off at their house. On Sunday we are headed to Epcott. This was a place we wanted to spend more time in while on our honeymoon and did not have that opportunity. On Monday (our anniversary) we will spend the entire day at the Magic Kingdom. On Tuesday we will hit the outlet malls!!! (I am thrilled, Sean is just going along for the ride). That night we will eat dinner with my sister, brother-in-law and my niece and nephew. This schedule is not written in stone but this is what our trip to FL looks like as of now.

I am also trying to get everything ready to head to Armenia. I think I have most of what is on my list. Part of my goal for today is to get as much packing for that trip done as possible. (My mom was kind enough to let me borrow one of her suitcases so I could do some advanced packing).

As I am typing this Sean is at a gig for the CMA. He participated in the CMA parade yesterday. He walked up and down Broadway in his stilts. For those of you not from the Nashville area, Broadway is a big hill. Sean came home last night exhausted and sore. He has a clown gig today for them as well as tomorrow. Praise God things are picking up for him. He has actually had to turn down some gigs because he already had others scheduled. Sean likes that things are picking up, but he would like to see it pick up a little bit more.

Since my last post, I have been to a baby shower and a wedding. The shower was for some close friends of ours who came in from NC. Marsha is due in July. Her husband Steve is thrilled that they are having a little boy (yet to be named). Big sister Anna is not sure exactly what is going on. The shower was wonderful. It was almost a mini Gathering reunion. (The Gathering was the singles Sunday School class were we all met and became friends and many of us found spouses). After the shower was over, there was a sweet time of prayer between a close knit group of us. I have to say that I am very thankful that the Lord has blessed us with such wonderful, godly friends!!!!

This past weekend I went home for a wedding. I have to say that Kristen was a beautiful bride. The ceremony was sweet. I wish Kristen and John all the best!!!

I am still trying to figure out how to post pictures. As soon as I get it figured out I will post pictures from the shower and the wedding posted. (I finally broke down and agreed to get a digital camera). By the time I get it figured out I will probably also be ready to post pictures from Disney and Armenia.

I hope ya'll have a blessed weekend!

Welcome to the New Blog

2007-05-22T16:36:00.001-05:00

Hey ya'll,
For whatever reason blogger has not allowed me to log back into our old blog, so I am starting from scratch. I will catch you up on what has gone on since I posted last....

Update on my mother: I did not share with all of you the scare that she had, but we are in the clear now. A couple of weeks ago mom found a lump and went to the doctor to get it checked out. Praise God the doctor did not find anything. Mom will go back in 6 mos for another check up. As long nothing shows up, she will go back to having yearly exams.

Update on Armenia: Praise God! The Lord has worked everything out. I have my passport and the money has been provided. The team and I will be in Armenia June 14th-23rd. We had our first team meeting on Sunday and I was able to meet several of my new teammates. We have another meeting this Wednesday to go over some other things for the trip as well as spend some time praying.

Sean is starting to really pick up speed with his business. He come Sunday, he will have worked 6 days straight! This is hard and wearing on him, but it helps us out.

Just in case you wonder what is on our plate for the summer, here is a tentative schedule:

June 1st: Heather starts summer vacation
June 1-3: Heather is going to Alabama for a friend's wedding
June 8-13: We are gonig to Orlando to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary
July 9-13: VBS for Two Rivers Baptist
July 15-22: We are headed to MI to see my sister and her family
July 23-25: Youth Super Summer for Two Rivers
July 26-29: We are headed to Boston for a balloon/ clown convention
Aug 1st: Heather head's back to work

This is what is on the calender so far, I am sure there will be other activities that will come along and we will keep you posted. Take care and God Bless!!!