sweet little faces

with big brown eyes

with a yummy Mexi cheese dip drip
with a 'mean' look
with salsa on the nose
Last night after church,
we ate dinner with friends at our local Mexican place.
I snapped these pictures of the kiddos.
They are all so cute!

a super cool birthday

And COOL it was!
After a beautiful, warm week,
Sunday was quite chilly for L's birthday at the park.
But, we partied anyway.Six years ago, this cute boy was born.

I love him a bunch ... and I think the feeling is mutual.He had TWO birthday cakes.

With a little help from the wind, he blew all the candles out

and made a wish (or wishes). :)Here is little brother all bundled up.And Miranda and Doyle zipped their coats together
in effort to keep warm.

"Happy Birthday, L -- may you have many, many more!"

fishing in memory

Saturday, a lot of my family gathered at Lake Russell

for the weigh-in of Mid-Lake Bass Club's fishing tournament
in memory of my uncle, Jerry McClain.It was a sad, yet sweet time to remember him.If he were still here, no doubt, he would have been there
fishing, in spite of the rain - right in the middle of the action.

Here are the winners:Many of the club members and Jerry's family:
Seems like our family has been through a lot the past few months,
but even on such a cloudy day like Saturday --
I was reminded the sun is still shining behind these clouds.
And soon the clouds will be gone
and there won't be a need for umbrellas.

that's what friends are for

I am blessed with wonderful friends.

Since we shared of our struggle with infertility,
I've received many encouraging emails and text messages;
some included words to songs, poems, quotes, scriptures, etc.The out pour of love and care for us has been precious
and just what we needed.It's a wonderful feeling to know someone else cares for you.
Thank you, friends! Much love to you!

An email sharing the words of this song summed it up nicely:
I want my friends to pray for me,
To bear my tempted soul above,
And intercede with God for me;
I need the prayers of those I love.

Berenstain Bears

I loved reading Berenstain Bears books as a child. These are great books ... which teach valuable lessons. (some of my favorites were about manners, telling the truth, and the gimmes)When I heard that the Berenstain Bears were visiting our Chick-fil-A, I called my cousins and we met for dinner on Monday night. L was curious about the bears and their costumes --- asking questions, like "How do they go to the bathroom?" LOL. And he made sure to speak to each one. R wasn't afraid of the big bears (as we anticipated) ... he wanted to grab their nose. I guess it looked like a ball or something. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Food, entertainment, and company was the bomb!

a bunch of randomness

My thoughts for today:

• For dinner last night, I cooked spicy chicken sandwiches with pepper jack cheese (a mix of Chick-Fil-A's sandwich's breading and Wendy's sandwich's flavor). Chris thoroughly enjoyed. And I made no-bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies for him. So, can I go shopping Saturday, babe?
• I'm loving this gorgeous, beautiful, perfect weather. And the spectacular blooming of flowers ... irises, thrift, camelia bush, and azaleas have budded! Love it!
• I did not drink caffeine at all on Wednesday. I survived without it 3/4 of the day on Thursday ... then caved and drank approximately six ounces. Don't ask about Friday so far?
• Chris and I love to play "Words With Friends" on our phones -- I won two games yesterday! :)
• I walked with a friend yesterday afternoon. Exercising feels great - but, why is it so hard to muster up the motivation to do it regularly? (I have two excuses ... (1) I do not like exercising indoors. (2) I have a phobia of exercising alone in public.)
• Yesterday, it was proposed to add a few duties and 5 additional work hours a week to my job. I accepted. [Duh] I (heart) my job!
• God answers prayer!! This was the 'theme' of the service at church on Wednesday. And Thursday ... I heard of not one, not two, not three, but of FOUR prayers being answered for me/friends/family! {see previous bullet} Praise the Lord!
• I disassembled and cleaned our front porch light yesterday. Thousands of bugs had met their death inside the globe. And the light shone brighter last night. Note: I'm spring cleaning a little at a time -- I may be finished by September.
• I've lost/misplaced/hidden a set of keys. And I need to find them [like yesterday].
• You know you're aging when .... the eye doctor mentions 'cataracts' during your check-up. Yep, at my appointment this week, when my eyes were dilated, the doc said he saw pheripheral cataracts. I said, "I'm only 29!!!" He said, "It's okay, we'll worry about them 30 years from now."
• Thank goodness, it's Friday!! ((insert much rejoicing)) Yes, I do love my job. But, I enjoy sleeping in and all the extra activities of the weekend. Oh, and duties of laundry and yard work are beckoning.

What are you thinking?

belated birthday post

A special girl had a birthday on March 3rd!
Her Granny hosted a small celebration with family
complete with cake, ice cream, and gifts.Strawberry Shortcake was the request of the birthday girl.
(Aunt P sure can bake a delicious cake!)

Making a wish!
I cannot believe she is 7 years old.
My, time flies. I love this birthday girl!

Disclosure: I'm not keeping my blog current. And I really dislike back-tracking.
Hopefully, one day I will be better at blogging more current events.

hearing God's voice

God whispers to us in our pleasures.
He speaks to us in our conscience.
But, He shouts to us in our pain.
~C.S. Lewis

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the reality of accepting struggles

Throughout my life, at times, I've had a difficult time accepting reality and coming to terms with life's struggles. Some big and some not-so big. Some I could handle and some beyond my control.

Elementary, I know, (no pun intended) but I struggled with going to kindergarten. I didn't want to leave my mama and brother at home. My sweet bus driver carried me from my class to the bus the first week of school. On a weekly basis, if not daily, I made myself sick, in attempt to being sent home. But, reality is 5-year-olds must go to school. And after counseling and meetings between my parents, teacher, guidance counselor, and principal ... I survived, eventually, keeping down my oatmeal and needing my bus driver to only hold my hand.

I struggled with transferring schools between 1st and 2nd grade - leaving friends and familiar surroundings. But, reality is that parents must follow God's direction even if we must move to a different county. And yet again, I survived - making friends and excelling in a wonderful new school.

As a 10-year old, I struggled with the 'unfairness' of losing my uncle, my father's 16-year old brother. Taken so young with so much life left to live. And although my parents explained and shielded me from a lot of details surrounding his passing, I didn't understand. But, reality is that God makes no mistakes and He has a reason for choosing to call His children Home. And I survived, as well as, cherishing precious memories and learning more as I matured.

Then, when I was just 16-years old, I struggled with the loss of my Daddy. How unfair it seemed. He wasn't there for my graduation, nor was he there to escort me down the aisle at my wedding --- oh, how I have missed him. Once again, reality is that God knows best and sees the big picture with a purpose and a plan. And with comfort and strength from the Lord, I survived, again.

Such has been the case throughout my adult life. I have had additional struggles, some beyond my control ... job loss, trouble in relationships, health problems, family deaths, financial difficulties, etc.

Reality has been harsh at times. Yet, I have survived, again and again.
Reality is life. And life is reality.
And reality is that life will have struggles.
Thanks be to God, I have survived by His grace and strength.

Now, at 29 years of age, just two months from celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary, I have another struggle. One that so quickly became reality and is now my life. After trying to start our family with no success for a few years, we are faced with a new challenge. Over the past few weeks, many doctors appointments and several tests discovered that it may be a struggle for us to have a baby.

We have accepted this truth {slowly} with many tears.
And while the full depths of the struggle is yet to be determined,
this reality is our life and part of our journey.
And with God's continued grace and strength, we will survive.

Please hold us in your thoughts and prayers as we travel this difficult path.

random phone pics with thoughts

Dum-Dum suckers make little girls giddy and oh, so silly!
I love this little one to pieces!

We've had a lot of rain lately.
I'm so thankful for the rain, but I'm a sunshine-craving girl.
Saturday night, my mom, my 'sisters,' "L," and I
went to a Girls Night Out concert with Anita Renfroe and Mandisa.
This silly girl enjoyed it. She loves Mandisa!

Thumpy says "good-bye" to Chris.
He is leaving for work.
(see her holding his hands -- so cute)
Come on, Spring!
I love-love-love Spring.
Flowers bloom and summer is on it's way.

a Friday night in the past

On Friday, February 4th,

Mountain Heart performed at a local auditorium.The show was sold out!
Our locals love this bluegrass (with a twist) band.
What an electrifying bunch these guys are!
Talented! Energetic! And Fun!Even included a little comedy of a true story
about 2 old men attempting to drown a skunk
in a gold fish pond and getting sprayed multiple times.

A self-taken portrait with my beautiful cousin, Miranda:
(thankful the camera got more of her and less of me cheesin)Friends, MJ and A :
We didn't know they were coming.
Randomly, met them at the door.
And sat together. Great times!Chris and me:
He looks tired - because He is tired.
He had worked Thursday night and Friday day.
And needed sleep.

my thoughts lately

I've been thinking a lot about this quote I read the other day:

Peace doesn't come from finding a lake with no storms ...it comes from having Jesus in the boat.

And honestly, I know "a lake with no storms" does not exist.
But, so often I search for calm waters.
I dream of a slower-paced, 'storm-free' life.
I wish for things, "if only I had _____"
And when faced with trials and sorrow, sometimes I ask "why me?"

But, I've been gently reminded "why not me?"
And "...it could be worse."

God never promised that life would be easy and without storms.
There's no record in the Bible of anyone
enjoying a perfect life exempt from trials. (think Job)
I've never met anyone who hasn't experienced pain and heartaches.
Everyone doesn't encounter the same storms
But everyone has storms.
And the struggles we face - teach us valuable lessons.
Battles makes us stronger and victory sweeter.

So, I will stop hoping for days without rain.
I'll attempt to embrace life ... whatever it brings.
I'll learn the lessons. I'll weather the storm.
I'll enjoy this day - with it's good and bad.
All I really need is Jesus on board.
Jesus has 'approved' the blessings and hardships.
He is the Sea-walker,
the Calm in the storm,
the Master of the sea.
He brings peace. I can trust Jesus.

cruising in a convertible

Chris was in an accident in his truck.

And while his truck was out of commission
and insurance was making their decision,
the rental car we were loaned was a Chrysler Sebring convertible.
Not our decision - Enterprise's.But we sure liked the decision!
And even got a touch of 'convertible fever.'
I'm not quite sure yet.
I'm so accustomed to riding higher up.
And convertibles can be a tad dangerous in the event of a flip.However, with the beautiful "February" weather we are having,
we enjoyed riding with the top down a few days.

"L" loved riding with Chris from church.
She didn't want to stop.
She proclaimed that she was going to have a convertible
when she is old enough to drive.
In about 10 or so years. ;)
Chris even allowed her to ride around mom's yard
in beauty-queen-parade-style."A" was a little unsure of the car at first,
but quickly decided she liked riding
in the "boodin-boodin" with Chris.And just because she's so stinkin' adorable:So, I'm still pondering ... convertible? or not?
Maybe one day. When I retire.
:)