2012 Thus Far

I have not been a good blogger this year...only 3 posts and yet so much has happened! Before I get started, I want to thank my brother-in-law for being such a faithful follower and letting me know how much he has missed hearing from me!

We started off the year consumed with renovating Chad's office. It was A LOT of hard work, but it eventually came together. By the end of February, he was all moved in. I sure was ready to stop spending money and get him to earning some again! There are still some things on the “to do” list, but our wallet needs a recovery period if you know what I mean. Here are a few pictures of the fruits of our labor...

The foyer/reception desk (waiting on his new logo to go on the red wall)...

Down the hall to Chad's office (breakroom and conference room on right)...

Oh, here is our little intern hard at work...

Moving on to other things, I was blessed to have been part of a very special experience back in January. It was a Sunday night (January 22^nd), and I had the kids sleep downstairs because of the thunderstorm/tornado warnings.  I had tucked them both in, and a little bit later Alex called for me.  She had tears in her eyes, and she asked “what if a tornado picks up our house?”  I told her not to worry about that.  I said that I had seen a lot of storms in my life and that most likely that would not happen.  I then said, “if it were to happen, we would still be okay because God is always going to be with us and help us.”  She responded, “but we’re not saved.”  She was crying more now.  I asked her what she meant by that.  She then said that she and Noah weren’t saved.  So, I told her that I thought some kids were too young to know that they need to be saved and that I believe that God knows that and takes care of them.  I then asked her if she was feeling like she needed to be saved and she said, “yes, I don’t want to go down with the devil.”  I called Chad to the bedroom.  I can’t even describe what all I was feeling at this point, but I asked her if she wanted to pray about it and she said yes.  She was crying as she prayed the simplest, but sweetest, most sincere prayer I had ever heard, “Dear Jesus, please save me.  Please forgive me for my sins.  Amen.”  When she was finished, I asked her if she felt any better.  She said that she did, and so I asked her how she felt.  She said, “I feel like Jesus is going to make everything okay.”Although she is only 8 years old, I feel as if I witnessed a true “born again” experience, and I feel so blessed to have been there.  I am so thankful!!! Alex later talked with Brother Marty about her experience and about her decision to follow Christ. She was baptized on Sunday, February 26 at Sand Ridge Baptist Church.

In February, Noah turned 6 years old!!! Since we had been so devoted to working on Chad's office, I just couldn't pull off a big birthday party like I usually do. He was just as happy to celebrate at home with family and then go to the Monster Jam in Memphis a couple of weeks later.

Another fun February event was the first of four dance competitions for our little star. We enjoyed getting out of town, and she enjoyed dancing and hanging out with the girls.

One of the community events we always look forward to each year is the Carl Perkins Gala and Auction. This year's theme was especially fun, “Country Boys and Girls Getting Down for the Cause.”

Spring break rolled around, and we decided at the last minute to get out of town for a long weekend in Gatlinburg. We went to Dollywood and had a great time until the thunderstorms shut us down :( I didn't even take any pictures there!  Then, we spent a day in the Smokies. 

 We hiked to Laurel Falls...

Had a picnic at the Chimney picnic area on the Little Pigeon river...

Saw a mama bear and 2 cubs.  Here is the one of the cubs...

And drove through Cades Cove...

After all that, we still had the energy for some putt-putt! The game got a little too serious for someone though...there may have been a few tears shed!

After a pancake breakfast on Sunday morning and some shopping in Sevierville, it was time to head home.

Then, Easter Sunday wrapped up the kids spring break.

The Easter bunny brought Noah a "boy" bible.  I caught a sweet father/son moment while they were waiting on the girls to be ready.

After church, the egg hunt was on...

We are now busy with Noah playing baseball again. This past weekend, I finally had some time to enjoy the warmer weather and get some flowers planted and work done around the house. I'm so glad to have things looking better again!

On a spiritual note, I mentioned in my last blog post my desire to spend more time reading and studying the Bible. Well, I am not doing nearly as well with that as I'd like to be. I started off doing really well in March, but I didn't do as well in April. I'm not going to give up though! I've started a notebook that I think has really helped me get more out of my study time.

Well, I guess that wraps things up thus far for 2012. Hopefully, I won't wait so long before posting again!

Still like a newborn...

I'm ashamed to admit this, but as a born-again Christian, I have lived as a newborn for far too long. Yes, I go to church regularly. Yes, I pray. Yes, I read devotions. But, the Holy Spirit has revealed to me over the last few weeks that I'm not getting the proper nutrition I need for growth and development. I'm not feeding on His Word. Now, I could blame any number of things...busy schedule, full-time job, raising two kids active in sports/extracurricular activities, weariness, and so on and so forth. However, the problem is, truthfully, I know it really just comes down to the fact that I haven't made reading and studying the bible a priority.

That said, I have started a bible study notebook and have made a commitment to improving my spiritual well-being. I'm already finding that the more I read, the more I want to read. I marvel at the Bible's history, poetry, drama, inspiration, and prophecy. Most marvelous of all is how God Himself speaks to me through His Word and how much more I can learn about my savior Jesus Christ through it.

I know that I have only taken baby steps thus far, but perhaps I will be a toddler before long!

Milk Day

"What's 'milk day' and why are we out of school for it?"  That's what Noah asked when he looked at his school calendar and saw "No School MLK Day."  We had a good laugh.  He has since been told about Martin Luther King Jr. and about the significant role he played in our nation's history.  I just thought that little funny was worth sharing!

January is turning out to be a very busy month.  This is mostly due to my second job as renovation planner/designer/purchaser for Chad's new office.  His Dad's retirement presented the perfect timing and opportunity to realize his dream as we are transforming the dental office into a law office.  The contractors' work is underway, and I am really anxious to get to the part I really enjoy…the decorating!!!

We did get a little break from all the work this weekend while attending the TN Bar Association Leadership Conference.  Two nights at The Hermitage Hotel in Downtown Nashville was a real treat!  The hospitality was truly remarkable, and the hotel was fabulous.  http://www.thehermitagehotel.com/homepage.aspx

Chad snapped a picture of me enjoying my hot apple cider in the lobby.

The agenda:

Friday night - dinner and live music at BB King's

Saturday night - dinner at the TN Sports Hall of Fame and hockey (Predators won 4-2)

We had fun both nights hanging out and sharing laughs with the other couples we met.

During the day, I rejuvenated while Chad attended his meetings.  Then, we shopped for lights for the office.  I found just what I was looking for at the Hermitage Lighting Gallery.

Although we enjoyed our little getaway, we were ready to get back home to the kids.

Out With The Old...In With The New

Oh my, I sure have some catching up to do.  It got kind of crazy around here getting ready for Christmas. Then, I enjoyed some much needed time off work with the family.  I'm gonna back up a few weeks before moving into the New Year.  One of my reasons for doing this blog is so that I can later print and keep it as sort of a journal/scrapbook.  So, I want to post the pictures from when I finished decorating for Christmas.  I hope I forget how long it took to put up all these trees and all the trouble I had with lights or I may only have one little tree next year!

A few weekends before Christmas, I went to see Lady Antebellum with Mom and Josh.  The Saturday before, Chad told me we were going boot shopping for part of my Christmas.  So, I now own my first ever pair of cowgirl boots.  I guess I'm sort of picky, because we ended up driving all the way to Cowboy Corner in Southhaven, MS!  But, alas, I had happy feet ready to go to the concert!

A few other highlights from December:

The Christmas parade...

School Christmas parties...

And Santa came (even though I was sure Noah was on the naughty list)...

Of course, with Grandparents like these kids have, who needs Santa?  XBox, American Girl, Northface, Cowboy boots, clothes...geez!  Can we say spoiled?  I sure think so!

We rang in the New Year by putting away Christmas decorations and playing XBox with the kids.  We are such party animals!

We cooked the traditional New Year's "Good Luck" meal and had an overnight visit from Nanny & Papaw.  They had also dropped in to fix us dinner a few nights before, which was quite a treat!  They had lots of help in the kitchen though.

Then, it was back to work.

I want to thank God for all the wonderful blessings on this family in 2011.