Update "into the busy life"

5 Grandchildren and 6 Great grandchildren
(Ashley, Angela, Me, Amanda, and Trent) and

(Lyndsey8, Katy6, Taylor6, Bryant3, Alex almost 2, and Cody 9 months)

As my blog title reads, "into the busy life", and I guess right now has defintely been a pretty busy one. Since my last post alot has been going on. So I am going to put some pictures up from the holidays. Thanksgiving, we decided to take pictures of the great grand children and when you have 3 boys under the age of 3 and 3 girls under the age of 8, you can guarantee craziness. With 6 kids, you can not get a great picture with all of them looking in the same direction. Then we(the grandchildren) also had the pictures made with the kids.

This was my first year decorating for Christmas since I have lived in my house. Blue and silver ...the theme.

My friend Kim helped me decorate my house, not that we decorated the whole house but a small corner of my living room. I don't have much space to decorate.

So Christmas seemed to come and go, but had a great time hanging out with family and friends.


Had a night out with my "little sis" with some shopping,supper, coffee shop,movie and sleepover

Went to see Katy in the christmas play at her church

(my sister Amanda and nephew cody)

Isn't he the sweetest thing.... my other nephew Bryant watching tv on Christmas Eve!

Before Christmas, Ms. Lisa resigned from Woodlawn, and times have been hard. But God has an amazing plan.

I spent New Year's Eve with one of my adopted moms which was nice.

Then in January, Mary Ella, Lisa and I went to Nashville for the Children's Pastor Conference. It was the first time in Nashville and let me just say that it was beautiful. It was still decorated for Christmas. The whole trip was a bit bittersweet because it was the last time with Lisa as staff from Woodlawn.

After coming back with alot of new ideas to use in the ministry and a new refreshing desire in my heart to work with those kids, things were going to be different. Something that I never thought would happen in 6 years. Once back Upward games have started and well my life is still busy as ever and now I am praying for guidance and wisdom on what God has for my life.

Friends for all seasons

Who helps you weather the storms of life?

Well as I ponder that question and as I read the article the other day that brought that question up, I recalled the friends that have been there through the thick and thin. "Very few friends are meant to be 'lifelong fixtures', and 'I' think that's the way God intended it. He brings people in and out of our lives to give us just what we need at just the right time."

As high school students we make friendships that we think will last forever because we were all involved in the same activities. Then after many years there are only a handful of those people that you might still be in contact with.

I think the friendships that you make in college are those friends that you will keep for a lifetime because you have lived with, ate with, worked together, prayed together, worshipped together, grew in the Lord together, among many other things.

When I started MHC, I believed that I made some good friends pretty quickly, but I already had friends as well that went to MHC too. Over the years, I met some people awesome people and those friendships are the dearest to my heart.

So to close, I am going to thank those friends that have been there through the storms and the good times. Boy did we have a blast in those great years!!!!

To Kyle: thank you for your friendship for over a decade. You have defintely kept me sane and you have helped me through some issues as well as warned me about others.

To Andrea, Leslie, Rhea, Charlotte. and Sarah: thank you for your friendship through high school and all the craziness in band, high school is defintely a changing place and I thank you for the memories that we shared

To Amber, Amanda, Alma, Heidi, Maria, Kathryn, Erin, Sarah R, Sarah P, Felicia, Casey, Aaron, Dwayne, David, Lori, Matt, Lee, Tyler, Eydie, Joanna, Kelly, Corby, Larry, Ben, Andrew,Stephanie, Beth, and I am sure there are many others: Thank you for just being you, wow we had us a great time in college and boy do I miss those days. Thank you for the awesome memories( there are way tooo many to list here). To those special ladies that have been there the most....it is great to have a group of girls that are still friends and I know that we will be for years to come.

Thank you !!!!!

Veteran's Day Memorial Service



On Monday, at Riverbend Middle School, they had an assembly to remember and honor our veterans. It was very moving. There are 2 teachers at the school that are veterans and I say thank you! I say thank you to all veterans! Ms. Hamiliton put together a slideshow that had relatives of the rest of the staff at the school and my grandfather was one of those pictures. I can not describe the mood in the gymnasium this afternoon. It was pretty silent, which hardly ever happens with a school full of 7th and 8th graders. The Beta Club presented the program and they did a great job. The ROTC from Bunker Hill came over for the pledge and the National Anthem. They also played Taps, which I don't think you can listen to without crying. So all of this to say, there were several reporters there and the school made the news at 5:30 on channel 3 news. I was pretty impressed. If you have a chance this week or know any veterans, tell them to drive by the school and see the memorial that they have placed around the parking lot.



I have provided two websites to check out: 1st one : is the article and 2nd one : is the video that was televised on WBTV

Please watch!

http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?s=9325582





http://www.wbtv.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=3120788&h1=Veterans%20remembered&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=87133&LaunchPageAdTag=News&activePane=info&rnd=5123822

Thankful

Saturday I rode with my family(Mom, Dad, Nanny, and my nephew Cody) to the mountains. We were hopeful for some pretty scenery but no such luck. I think we were a week too late. The trees and all reminded me of the scene on The Lion King where they show the elephant graveyard. The trees were all dead! I wanted to go so that I could take pictures of Cody in the leaves since this is his 1st Thanksgiving.
So I had to settle with the leaves in my parents front yard. They turned out pretty nice. I will have to add them at a later date (can't find my computer cord).

But as we were driving up the mountain, I began to think of all the things that I am thankful for:
-that my Lord Jesus Christ died for ME and forgives my sins
-that I have a family that loves me
-that I have great friends that will even let me just vent and gripe to them on the phone and don't judge me
-my job that I have and that I can teach the young generation about serving, loving and knowing Jesus as their personal savior.
-my ability to dance and teach interpretive movements.
-the colors of the seasons in NC


There is so much that we all are thankful for! So I ask if you would wish to add to my list to please do so!I would love to hear what you are thankful for this thanksgiving!

Special Video

I am not sure to how many of you watch Oprah. Let me just say that I do not watch her very often nor am I a huge fan, but the other day I watched the show titled "Miracle Children." I guess you can say I have a soft heart for those children. The stories truly touched my heart. There was a family on there that showed true strength from the Lord with their story about their little boy Eliot. I have attached the website to where you can see the video in its entirety. I will warn you, the first time you see the video you might need a tissue handy. The family is also going to be on Oprah's live show today as well. I hope you are touched by this video. It is amazing at how God gives us the strength to do the things that He has called us to.
http://www.ignitermedia.com/products/iv/singles/570/99-Balloons

http://www.ninetynineballoons.com/

http://thespectacularvernacular.blogspot.com/

For now!

It's been over 2 weeks now and the basement is almost empty. I have really stopped my part of the process. Now my dad has gone through most of it because he has to decide what is worth saving or not. See he was an only child and both of his parents died within a few months of each other and at that time it was very hard for him to even go through it all. I have been presently surprised on how Daddy has handled it all. He came over yesterday to work on some more and he told me that he wanted to be by himself. God has continously showed up through the whole process. Over last week, when it began to get cold and rainy, I thanked God that I found the problem when it was a little (alot ) warmer. I can't praise Him enough for the ways that He has shown up. Not that this is the last installment of the story to the basement, but it is the ending for now!!!!

Part 3 and counting

As you can probably tell, I am not very good at writing posts and keeping them interesting however, right now it has been an outlet for me to put into words the last week of my life. Continuing the story of the busted pipe in the basement. On thursday, my mom and I started around 8:30am working upstairs and then Lisa and Mike came over. They pulled all the rest of the things that were in the water side of the house. By lunch we had cleaned that side out. When I went down there that morning the water had covered the floor again. I am not sure where it is still coming from. I think that it is coming from the wall. Wow there is so much water!!!! So then after I went and got some nourishment that was very well needed since it was liek 85 degrees but felt like 100 because it was hot inside and outside and the smells were not the best. Then another guy from church came, Eric, and Mike and him took 2 loads to the landfill on his trailer. They were big loads. When they got back from the second load, my mom and I had decided that we would call it quits. It was just too hot and the moldy side was not the best to be in anyways and when I walked in there my stomach would turn.

So we waited til my dad came to look at everything that we pulled out. I could not believe the help and support. I felt many prayers lifted up for me and my parents. I got ready and went to Upward evaulation. Then on Friday it rained and I laid around all day. I was worn out and I guess I needed some time to reenergize. On Saturday, my mom and dad came over to help. Even Trent, my brother, came to help. We made some progress on the moldy side. Saturday afternoon around 4pm we stopped for the day and I got ready to go babysit two great kids. After my shower, I sat down and for the first time the whole week, I really felt like I could put my head around things. There is now defintely a light at the end of the tunnel. I can see it. Yesterday mom and I worked on some more things for about an hour. So slowly but surely we are getting it done. It will be awhile til the whole process is done but who knows what could be done down there when it is all said and done.

Have you ever......

This is so fun, I just couldn't resist. Below is a list of things many people have done or experienced. You are supposed to copy/paste the list onto your blog and then BOLD the things that you have done. You might learn something new about your friends in the process. Here's the list with my experiences in bold and my comments in blue... and TAG!! My friend Amber’s comments are in blue and mine are in red!

Bought everyone in the bar a drink
Swam with wild dolphin
Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
Been inside a Pyramid
Held a tarantula
Taken a candle lit bath
Said I love you and meant it
Hugged a Tree
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightening storm at sea
Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
Seen the Northern Lights
Gone to a huge sports game
Walked the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Grown and eaten your own vegetables
Touched an iceberg
Slept under the stars
Changed a baby’s diaper
Taken a drip in a hot air balloon
Watched a meteor shower
Gotten drunk on champagne
Given more than you can afford to charity
Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
Had a food fight
Bet on a winning horse
Asked out a stranger
Had a snowball fight * the best one was at the Café at MHC!!!!
Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
Held a lamb
Seen a total eclipse
Ridden a rollercoaster

*the best one is Rockin Rollercoaster Aerso smith at Hollywood Studios in FL
Hit a home run
Danced like a fool, not caring who watched
Adopted an accent for an entire day
Actually felt happy about your life, even for a moment
Had two hard drives for your computer
Visited all 50 states *I want to one day be able to say I have…. I have been to a lot of them.
Taken care of someone who was too drunk
Had amazing Friends *still have them
Danced with a Stranger in a foreign country
Watched wild whales
Stolen a sign
Hitchhiked in Europe
Taken a road-trip * that is what college is all about!!!!
Gone rock climbing
Midnight walk on the beach
Gone sky diving
Visited Ireland
Been heartbroken longer than you were in love
*Important Note here... if this happens to you, he wasn't worth your time. Trust me.
In a restaurant sat at a stranger’s table and ate with them
Visited Japan
Milked a cow * at the North Carolina State Fair every year when I was younger
Alphabetized your CDs
Pretended to be a superhero
Sung karaoke
Lounged around in bed all day * at least once every couple of weeks
Posed nude in front of strangers
Gone scuba diving
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Played in the rain
Gone to a drive-in theater
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
Toured ancient sites
Taken a martial arts class.
Played a computer game for more than 6 hours straight
Gotten married
Been in a movie
Crashed a party
Gotten divorced
Gone without food for 5 days *wow don’t think I could do this
Made cookies from scratch
Won first prize in a costume contest
Ridden a gondola in Venice
Gotten a tattoo
Rafted the Snake River
Been on television news program as an “expert”
Got flowers for no reason
Performed on a stage
Been to Las Vegas
Recorded Music
Eaten shark
Had a one-night stand
Gone to Thailand
Bought a house
Been in a combat zone
Buried one/both of your parents
Been on a cruise ship
Spoken more than one language fluently
Performed in Rocky Horror
Raised children *not my own but sometimes I feel like I am
Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
Picked up and moved to another city
Walked on the Golden Gate Bridge
Sang loudly in the car and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
Had plastic surgery
Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have
Wrote articles for a large publication
Lost over 100 lbs
Held someone while they were having a flashback
Piloted an airplane
Petted a stingray
Broken someone’s heart
Helped an animal give birth
Won money on a TV game show
Broken a bone.
Gone on an African safari
Had a body part below the neck pierced
Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
Eaten mushrooms gathered in the wild
Ridden a horse
Had major surgery
Had a snake as a pet
Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
Slept for more than 30 hours over 48 consecutive hours
Visited more foreign countries than US States
Visited all 7 continents
Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
Eaten Kangaroo meat
Eaten sushi
Had your picture in the paper
Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
Gone back to school
Parasailed
Petted a cockroach
Eaten fried green tomatoes
Read the Illiad
Killed and prepared an animal for eating
Skipped all of your school reunions
Communicated with someone without sharing a common language
Been elected to public office
Written your own computer language
Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
Had to put someone you love in hospice care
Build your own PC from parts
Sold your own artwork to someone that didn’t know it was yours
Had a booth in a street fair
Dyed your hair
Been a DJ
Shaved your head
Caused a car accident
Saved someone’s life
Have a nice weekend everyone!

Part 2-

Okay so I left off waiting on the plumber. Tuesday night since my water was turned off I went to the ladies small group. It was exactly what I needed that night. To be able to get away. We talked about our burning bushes and what we hide from people. So after a great time, I was headed home in almost an out of body moment I seee I wreck and all the EMS, Fire, etc response people come to the scene and because of where I was sitting it was like I could not even move or know the next thing to do. I was just going with the motions. Wednesday rolled around just waiting on the plumber to call me to say he was on his way to my house. I went by my work and talked with a friend and I started crying. At the church that I work at, we have prayer every morning at work at 9:00am so that morning I had not planned on being there but we walked into the circle and I could not stop crying as they prayed. Afterwards, one of the other staff members came up to me and said just let me know exactly what is needed... I have connections to different people. So Lisa came to my house and helped me start the process of moving wet nasty boxes out of the way so that we could begin to get the water up. Water that had been there for a long time. The plumber seemed to thing that the water had been leaking for months but the water bill had not been any higher. When we were able to get to a door where all the water was there was a piece of carpet that was just saturated with water. Then Lisa and I were able to move a piano outside that was behind the door. It is amazing how God gives us the strength to move things that you can normally not do. The piano was sitting on top of the wet saturated carpet and we had to get it over a ledge to get it out of the house. Later on, Alvin and his son came by to give his expertise on the matter and he said that he would help out any way he could. They also helped move some more things out of the water side.

Then another church friend brought a trailer for me to use and his shopvac. I got really good using that. God showed up again with all of that!!!! My plumbing bill had been paid off by someone that said that they were doing it for me because they loved me. Later on, Lisa and I sat down and I told her that is going to be amazing to see God show up through the whole experience. Maybe God will work a miracle in my dad's heart through it all. I prayed Wednesday morning for God to do a miracle and day by day something else is going on.

So early afternoon we decided that we had had enough for the day and we would start fresh Thursday morning. I got ready to go to church. While we were talking with the kids we were telling them about ways that you can let people know that you have the Lord in your heart or that you love him. And I said even when things happen, you have a different perspective on things. You are able to see a happier outcome then becoming bitter about the bad parts about it. It is funny how emotional I have not been. It is kinda of like I am too exhausted to even cry.

I am not sure if that has made any sense at all but I thought writing it out would help me process it at least.

I will share more about Thursday later... one day at a day!!!!

My week of October 13th ....Part 1

Today is the first day since Tuesday that I am able to even sit back and am able to have a clear mind. Well because I was unable to go to work since Monday.... I have completely put everything that I have to do at the back burner. Right now, my house has been the main priority. Tuesday afternoon when I got home, I went to the bottom half of my house where I have not been in the 4 years that I have lived here. I live in the top half of my house. When I walked downstairs it was hot and muggy feeling and I opened the door and I realized that there was a leak in the bathroom and not only a leak but there was water pouring out of the ceiling. So I called my dad and ran like I never had before to get my neighbor. Well he was in the middle of cutting meat so while I went back to my house, waiting what seemed like hours for him to come over there to help me figure out what happened and how to turn the water off. Once he went down there we realized that the room was covered in mold. He told me that he even thought that there was probably 100 gallons of water in there. So obviously, I begin to panick. I called my dad again and told him that we were able to turn the water off and I asked him if he was going to be able to come over and he told me that work had not been good lately and he couldn't handle the stress. So then I began to cry again!!! I cried for like 2 hours..... my mom came over and we tried to figure out what I needed to do. I had to pack up some stuff and prepare to go and spend the night at my parents house. Now all we had to do was wait on the plumber..... or a plumber!!!! (more to come)

crispness in the air

There is such a freshness in the air. I would love to say that I love the fall weather but I love spring time more. The fall season has such a crispness in the air. I never want to get up because it is cold and then you have to wear layers because it still gets warm in the afternoon but then in the evening it gets to be chilly again. I feel like I have to pack a bag full of clothes when I leave my house just so I can be comfortable all day. I am sure this is boring you.

As I was thinking about the change of the season and how our life changes in stages like the seasons do. Sometimes change is good and sometimes it can be bad. I know that any change in God's will for my life will be for the good; however, it is it is pretty hard sometimes to discern that voice.

I can't wait to see the leaves start to change colors and all. I think it is just a picture from God to show us how changes can be.

What is God doing in your life ?

just started

Ok so today, I started this blog, but I am not so sure how I will be at it. Sometimes I am not so good at putting things into words or even making it sound right. And with my home computer out of commission right now, I can not blog on a regular basis. I am up for any ideas of some things to blog about. Anyone that knows me well enough knows that I can defintely talk anyones ear off but when it comes to putting things onto the computer it is not as easy.