Happy Birthday Laynie!

Eight years goes by very fast...in the blink of an eye really. LOTS has happened in our lives over the past few years, but on January 1st 8 years ago, our little 'star' was born! We love you more than you know Laynie! Happy Birthday!

Some Thoughts

We have been in our new town for a full week now, and I've already learned a whole list of things! These are just a few things I have been thinking about over the week:

~ There will always be a traffic jam (or at least a 20 minute wait) when K through 12th grade schools are at the same location in a small town!
~ Wallpaper is NOT fun to take down.
~ I will be able to live with, in my opinion, "ugly wallpaper" longer than I originally thought possible.
~ A little paint makes a HUGE difference in a room.
~ There are still really nice people in this world.
~ No matter what town you live in, you are going to make friends that you will miss terribly when you leave them.
~ I am married to a really smart engineer that can fix or do just about anything I ask him to! :)
~ It's nice to not have ANY responsibilites outside my house (at least for the time being).
~ I love watching the HOGS when Ryan Mallet is a passing machine! :)
~ If you don't specifically make time for certain things they will NEVER happen: excercising, reading the Bible, blogging, dusting, etc.
~ You don't know how dependent you become on Wal-Mart until the closest one is at least 25 minutes away! (Maybe my bill will go down?)
~ I LOVE having a big kitchen.
~ More than anything I want my kids to be happy wherever we are!
~ On that note, DO NOT play the game Sorry! with a competitive four year old and go by the rules (especially if his big sister is playing and showing No Mercy!). A fun night of Family Games didn't end so well for the little one! :)

Flip Flop Fiasco

Do you notice anything strange about the flip flops on my feet? They are both brown and both Nikes; however, they have different straps and are therefore NOT the same shoe!!! The one on my right foot is new for this summer, and the one on the left foot is from my 3 year old flip flops (that I think I wore everyday). So are you wondering what the fiasco was? Well let me explain.

Last Thursday I had another follow-up oncologist appointment in Little Rock. It was at 10 am so I had to leave VB around 7:30 or so. When I woke up I was faced with many decisions...can I lay in bed a few more minutes, how many more chapters of my new Karen Kingsbury book can I read without being late, breakfast or not, which outfit should I wear, a little make-up or really 'get ready', straight hair or curly hair......all these decisions! I hurriedly got out of bed, read a couple of chapters while eating a quick bite, picked out a cute (why did I want to be cute at the drs. office?) outfit, a little make-up, and curly hair, grabbed my flip flops out of the basket and was off to Little Rock.

About 30 minutes into my trip, I looked down and guess what I saw? That's right--I had on 2 different flip flops! Oh great, now what am I going to do? I immediately called Trey and my mom and shared my situation with them. I also informed them that I would be stopping at Target in Conway to pick up yet another pair of brown flip flops because I was definitely NOT wearing shoes that didn't match! :-)

A few minutes after I made that declaration, I began to think about all my flip flops--6 pair in all. 3 browns, 2 blacks, and a blue pair Question--Did I really need my 4th pair of brown flip flops? Answer--No!

I honestly think God was teaching me a lesson through my flip flops--if you remember back to my morning and all those silly decisions I was worried with. Did anything I was preoccupied with that morning actually have anything to do with helping me grow and become more like Jesus that day? Did I spend any time in His Word that morning? Or was I more concerned with myself and how the world was going to view me?

In 1 Samuel 16:7 it says, "But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

I mean really, was I more concerned with what others (a doctors office full of strangers in this case) think of me that I would go waste money on more brown flip flops? Or did I need to wear those un-matching flops to remind me that day (and every other time I grab my shoes) that what matters most is my heart? I can look like I have it all together, matching flip flops and all, but my heart can still be a mess! That day I was convicted that it doesn't matter how others percieve me (crazy girl that doesn't wear matching flip flops), what matters is living a life that is pleasing to God, even if that means wearing flip flops that don't match on occasion! So I by-passed Target and walked in the doctors office laughing at myself and my un-matching shoes!

I was also reminded that I have a daily decision to make about what I do with God and His Word--I can either ignore Him and care more about my sinful desires, the world, & my outward appearance while neglecting my heart, or I can take care of my heart first by depending on Him daily, meditating on His Word and letting Him teach me more about Himself.

What decision will you make today?

PS--Just for fun--go in that closet of yours and grab some flip flops that don't match today just to be reminded that Jesus cares more about your inside than your outside! :-) Hope you have a blessed day!

Wonderful Weekend

WARNING LONG POST AHEAD!
Daddy got the call back in the fall that he had been chosen as an inductee into the 51st class of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. As usual, he wasn't sure he was deserving of the honor, but Mom, Robert, and I (along with the rest of our town) knew that he was!

The 2009 Inductees were Martine Bercher, Walt Coleman III, Lurlyne Greer, Daddy (Bobby Richardson), Jerry Rook, Kenny Saylors, Charlie Spoonhour, RC Thielemann, Corliss WIlliamson, and Jarrell Williams--for those of you that don't know much about sports, that is quite a list. For those of you like my husband, who live and breathe sports you can only imagine what a wonderful weekend this was!

Many of my friends here wanted to know why my Dad was chosen to be in this Hall of Fame, so let me just tell you. As a college athelete, Daddy was a four-year letterman in track and a member of four AIC track championship teams at ASTC (now UCA). He won the mile in the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conferece three times and broke AIC records by 6.8 seconds--his time a speedy 4:20.6. He began coaching in Crossett in 1966 and became head track coach in 1967. From 1967 until 1994, his teams won the state track championship 18 times! He was also voted Arkansas Track Coach of the Year 12 times. His Hall of Fames include: 1989 Ashley County Sports Hall of Fame; 1995 AR Track and Field Hall of Fame; 2004 AR High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame; 2007 Dallas County Hall of Fame; 2008 UCA Hall of Fame; 2009 AR Sports Hall of Fame.

The above paragraph does list many of Daddy's coaching achievements, but I think what spoke volumes for my Dad is the number of people that came to this event for him. There were over 100 people at the Induction with ties to Ashley County. I heard comments like, "Not only were you a great coach, but you were the best Algebra teacher anyone could have asked for." "Coach you were more than just our coach, you cared about us. You bought us running shoes when we couldn't afford them and we had to wear them to school to because that's all we had." "You made a difference in my life, if it hadn't been for you Coach I don't know where I would be." Now those are the things my Daddy will cherish forever.

A few people have asked if he has come off of cloud nine or if his head is shrinking back to normal what with him getting the keys to the city and having February 13th named Bobby Richardson Day in Crossett, but you don't have to worry about all that. That is not my Daddy's style, I don't think his head grew, but it was his heart that quadroupled in size--just by seeing all of the people and hearing their stories of the role he played in their lives.

I am so proud of my Daddy and I always have been. He has been nothing but my supporter, teacher, coach, cheerleader, prayer warrior, painter, Mr. Fix-it man, and friend. Now he is absolutly the BEST Popa any little boy or girl could ask for. It is my opinion (however biased it might be) that if you know my Daddy, your life has probably been blessed in one way or another because of him.

Devotions

I decided to try and start my mornings in 2009 with a devotional reading. I didn't know really where to look on-line for a great morning devotion, but I remembered reading about a Proverbs 31 Ministry. All of us women strive to be that '31 Wife,' right? So I thought, "Well why not start there?" So I did, and I LOVE reading them. The devotions are fresh and speak to me as a wife, mom, & friend.

I have been dealing with the 'business' factor of my life--yes I will admit it I am too busy. There I said it, I AM TOO BUSY! My daughter gently pointed that fact out to me over Christmas when she hurt my heart so badly when I asked her why she didn't want to make and decorate Christmas cookies with me? Her response, "I figured you would be to busy to do that Mom." Oh no immediately the tears and big hug came from me to her telling her that Mommy is NEVER to busy to do things with her!

But do I really live like that? That I am definitely NOT to busy for my husband and kids? I am trying, but God is still working on me. So yesterday (January 12th) I opened the computer and you can read what I found here. The title of the devotion was "Her Children Arise and Call Her Busy." You may have to scroll down through a few, but it's well worth reading. Let me know what you think about the devotions.

So this may come as a shock, but I am going to start using the words "No I can't......." to others occasionally and more of "Yes let's do that!" to my family.

I Never Lost My Praise

Let me just say I love, love, love singing in the choir. Josh is the BEST--not only does he teach us great, wonderful, awesome songs to sing, but he challenges our heart at each choir rehearsal. His desire is to see us grow spiritually--who knew you could have a worship experience in the middle of the week at choir practice that was so moving? Well it happened to me anyway!

Last night he showed us a video of the Brooklyn Tab choir singing and wanted us to just watch them lead in worship--they were awesome. We heard the song "I Never Lost My Praise". Josh asked us what we thought when we watched them--people had a variety of answers, but my thoughts were why don't we (I) look like that when I'm singing praises to God? I think there are a lot of reasons: I'm afraid others might see me like I'm crazy or something--just putting on a show--I think a lot of it has to do with how I was raised 'in church'--I don't really know what I'm afraid of, but I do know this my fear is slowly melting away. Why do I care what others think of me when I'm worshipping anyway? Worship is truly only about praising Him, God alone.

We are super blessed to be able to freely sing praises to our Lord and Savior, without Him this world would be in a heap of trouble. He has blessed me so much--I think hearing this song just said it best, and it brought tons of emotions flooding to the surface. I know I talk about having cancer a lot, but it was a big deal in my life, and I'm a different person with a different perspective about lots of things since going through it. Some of the lyrics from "I Never Lost My Praise" say:

But in the midst of my struggle, In my season of my pain;
One thing never wavered, one thing never changed;
I never lost my hope, I never lost my joy,
I never lost my faith, but most of all I never lost my praise.

Oh I want to praise HIM with my life!

I wish I was as technologically advanced as Amy is (I guess we were having the same idea this morning) but I'm not, so go to Amy Sullins' blog and you can hear the Brooklyn Tab choir singing this amazing song--go listen and be blessed!

Lessons from Luke

I am involved in Community Bible Study on Wednesdays here in Van Buren. CBS is made up of women from all different backgrounds, ages, churchs, and denominations. I actually teach the 3 year-olds during the women's Bible study lesson, and I have my Core Group lesson afterwards--so needless to say Wednesday is very busy for me, but I wouldn't change a thing!

We are currently studying the book of Luke. We are only on Chapter 7, but I have already learned so much during our discussion times from the other ladies. Some weeks we have a Scripture Verse to memorize during the week. Well I think I may have found a new favorite verse or at least one to try and pattern my life by. I don't ever remember reading it before, maybe I have and just skimmed over it--but take time to read it now:

Luke 6:38 says "Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Please Pray for Hannah

These precious girls are Bethany (on the left) and Hannah (on the right). I received this e-mail from Hannah's parents this week & I just want EVERYONE reading this to PRAY for Hannah right now, daily, as often as you think of her. She is a sweet, sweet girl from a loving, Christian family. Please read below to find out more about Hannah's health issues.

Email One:
Hannah's oncologist at Children's Hospital showed us pictures of Hannah's scans, and explained that the original tumor has seeded in the lower part of her brain and in her spine. There are at least nine tumors in her spine and two near her brain stem. After carefully reviewing her scans and the available research regarding treatment of glioblastoma tumors, the oncologist has determined that Hannah should receive radiation to the entire region before beginning the chemotherapy treatments. The goal will be to reduce the size of the tumors and stop any new ones from forming.

The oncologist was very straightforward and honest in explaining to us the serious nature of Hannah's situation. We told him that there are many, many people praying for her, and He agreed that God's help will be needed for a cure. We are thankful that we serve a God who is the Great Physician. God has given our entire family, including Hannah, a peace that can only come from Him. Please join us in praying for healing, and in praying specifically for Dr. Saylors, our oncologist, and Dr. Pena, our radiologist...that God would give them the wisdom they need to determine the best plan of treatment for Hannah. We know that the ultimate outcome is in God's hands, and that He loves Hannah even more than we do.

God is good, all the time, even in (especially in) the middle of a storm!

Bits and Pieces of Email Two:
This afternoon we took Hannah to CARTI in Little Rock for her first tomotherapy radiation treatment. We met briefly with the oncologist/radiologist who explained to us that she will have a total of 20 treatments to be completed over a period of four weeks. The tomotherapy radiation is different in that they will be treating her entire head and spine, rather than a single focused area as they did previously. He explained to us that anywhere the spinal fluid flows is a potential area for tumor growth, so they have to treat the entire area. He also told us that this time she will lose all of her hair, instead of just patches of hair like she did last time, which she was able to hide so easily. He also went over all of the possible side effects from treatment, and it is a rather lengthy list. He told us that she will probably not be able to attend school at all during these treatments.

I think the reality of how difficult the next few weeks and months of treatment may be really hit all of us today. Hannah has been amazing though...when we told her today what the doctor said about her hair, she said, "Well, it's only hair...it'll grow back." Her faith is so strong, and she is truly an inspiration to us. In spite of the storms and emotions swirling in and around us, God has given us a peace as well, a peace that can only come from Him.

Brad & Jill

WOW--let me know you are praying for Hannah--leave me a comment saying you will pray. Thanks in advance!

My Daddy--The Track Coach

Those of you that know my Daddy, know that it is definitely NOT in his nature to brag on himself, his Grandkids yes, but not himself--I guess that's why God gave him me and my Mom so we could brag on him! :-)

This past weekend, September 20, 2008, Bobby Don was inducted into the UCA Sports Hall of Fame. It was a very nice and formal induction weekend. It all began Friday night with a reception at the President's home, continued on Saturday with a 2 hour induction luncheon (yes my children made it through the entire thing), then continued with 'the hanging of the plaque' ceremony, a little UCA Bears tailgating, and the festivities ended with an introduction of all inductees before the kick-off of the UCA home game.

I'm just going to quote a little bit of what the program said about my dad--I've always thought this was true so it was nice to see that others recognized this as well. It began: "It may not be fair, nor wise, to compare any track coach to University of Arkansas legend John McDonnell, who won 42 collegiate national championships with the Razorbacks. But if there is a parallel to be drawn within the Arkansas high school ranks, there's likely no better place to start than Bobby Richardson."

The introduction also highlighted his running career at UCA where he was the 1962 AIC Cross Country Champion, a 3-time AIC mile champion, won the 880 title once and broke the league's record in the mile by 6.8 seconds in 1963--running 4:20.6 (guess he used to be pretty fast)!

It went on to tell that the Crossett Eagles under the leadership of Coach Richardson won a total of 18 state track championships and 4 cross country titles while he was there. Also mentioned that "He's probably one of the BEST high school track coaches we've ever had the privilege of having in the state of Arkansas." The introduction went on to say that "Not only was he a great coach and a great athlete, but he was a gentleman as well."

I guess you can tell I am pretty proud of my Dad--it was a great weekend. We enjoyed every minute of being there with him while he received his honor. I wish some more of you out there could have seen him too! I love you Daddy!

Importance of Praying

The Lord has really been working on me in the area of prayer. He has sent me some wonderful examples of praying people in my life, especially this week.

--If you have even glanced at Amy's blog, you know she is a praying lady--and with all our conversations, the Lord has been using her to speak to me about my prayer life.
--I am also working in CBS this year, and let me tell you those ladies can pray--I'm not joking! We follow a format to guide our corporate prayer, but it is powerful. And we pray a lot (right girls)? :-)
--And choir practice is a lot more than just rehearsing--Josh really wants us to grow in our walk with the Lord and to develop a heart of praise. Every week he begins rehearsal with a time of prayer or devotions. I LOVE IT! But I usually can't pray because Josh is singing and playing the piano, and it's so worshipful that I'm crying! :-)
--I broke out a devotional book this week that I had put aside for a while, and this was the scripture for August 26th: "He will pray to God and God will delight in him. That man will behold His face with a shout of joy." Job 33:26

Well all that to say this--it's pretty clear to me that prayer is a vital aspect of our relationship with God. He desires that we talk to Him, just as though we would our earthly friends. Oh how I hope the Lord will be pleased with me one day!

Our 10th Anniversary

Well today is the day! Trey and I have been married for 10 years--the time has really flown by. I don't think we really knew what to expect when we took our vows--'for better or for worse; in sickness and in health' but we made it! I am looking forward to see what God has in store for us over the next 10 years!

If you are listening to the music on my site, you will notice a new song playing "From This Moment"--yes I realize some of you reading this might think it is cheesy, but that's me--just a sappy, romantic at heart! Trey asked what I would want to do for my perfect date tonight, and I said, "You really don't want to know because you would (once again) think I had watched too many movies!"

So here's a list of some of the things that happened in our 10 years of marriage:

10 years together
9 pair of running shoes (maybe not quite that many) :-)
8 (or so) vacations
7 hospital stays (NO JOKE)
6 moves/homes/addresses
5 cell phone numbers
4 vehicles
3 churches
2 children and bouquets of roses :-)
1 happy & blessed couple!

I truly am a lucky girl; no Trey's not the most romantic of guys most days (he has had a few instances, like our engagement story), but I know without a shadow of a doubt that he love me! I am so glad he asked me to marry him all those years ago, and I would gladly tell him yes all over again! Keep on listening to my music today, #2 is pretty romantic too--I guess "Carried Away" would be "our song" if I had to pick one.

I'll Play Too!

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was in the middle of wedding week! My aunts, mom, and I were decorating like crazy--Trey and I will be married 10 years on August 1st!

Favorite Snacks
I love Regular Vanilla Coke from Sonic & sour cream and onion pringles--peanut M&Ms & Reese Pieces are also yummy!

Lists
I also make lots of lists! Let's see there are cleaning TO DO lists, overall Projects that Need to Be Completed Around the House lists, Wal-Mart Shopping lists (preferably in the order I will find the products in the store), and Christmas Shopping lists--I guess I can't really live without them either--kind of quirky, huh?

Jobs I Have Had:
Babysitter, Secretary, Substitute Teacher at CHS, Speech Pathologist

Places I Have Lived
Arkansas: Crossett, Arkadelphia, Fayetteville, Heber Springs, Van Buren

Bad Habits
Procrastination, probably a little too much TV time, not much self-discipline, I don't know--don't really like to dwell on the bad :-)

5 Random Things People May Not Know
--Once I start I book, fiction that is, I MUST finish it within the week, preferably in a couple of days--it totally consumes me!
--Most people think I am a snob when they meet me, because I am pretty quite and don't start conversations easily--now once I get to know ya, it's a different story! My college roomie of 3 years actually thought I was a snob for the entire fall semester at OBU! Just so you know I HATE new situations!
--I like college football almost as much as Trey, well maybe not quite that much! But I do love the HOGS!
--I am an organizer through and through (except for my craft room). Need help, call me!
--I always wanted to have a big family, 4 or 5 kids, but ya know what, my 2 are GREAT!

CDs I would want if stranded on an island:
This is a hard one for me--Trey is the musical guru in the family--I would say all of Chris Tomlin's, Third Day, Casting Crowns (even though I don't have one), George Strait and Garth Brooks the hits

What I’d Do if I Were a Billionaire:
Tithe, Probably build a new home AND hire an interior decorator, SAVE, SAVE, SAVE (I would have no choice I AM married to Trey) ha/ha, send my kids to private school and pay off all their future education expenses, totally take care of our parents, go to the MOST beautiful, remote tropical island with my husband, buy Trey an airplane and flying lessons, fund some cancer research, shop, the list could go on and on

Any one else want to post and play too?

Pearls

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. 'Oh mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?'

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. 'A dollar ninety-five--that's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma. ‘As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Her Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, 'Do you love me?'
'Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you.' 'Then give me your pearls.' 'Oh, daddy, not my pearls, but you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favorite.' 'That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night.' And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, 'Do you love me?' 'Daddy, you know I love you.' 'Then give me your pearls.' 'Oh Daddy, not my pearls, but you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper.' 'That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you.' And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. 'What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?' Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, 'Here, daddy; this is for you.' With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.

So it is, with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures. God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.

A Few Proverbs

These are just a few proverbs from chapter 27 that I found interesting this morning--happy reading!

Proverbs 27:2--Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.
Proverbs 27:6--Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.
Proverbs 27:17--As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:19--As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.

How Kids See God

My cousin sent me this e-mail a few weeks ago, and at the time I thought if I had a blog I would post this. Well now that I have one, here it is for your enjoyment!

A fifth grade teacher in a Christian school asked her class to look at TV commercials and see if they could use them in some way to communicate ideas about God.

Here are the results:

God is like.. BAYER ASPIRIN He works miracles.

God is like... a FORD He's got a better idea.

God is like... COKE He's the real thing.

God is like... HALLMARK CARDS He cares enough to send His very best.

God is like... TIDE He gets the stains out that others leave behind.

God is like... GENERAL ELECTRIC He brings good things to life.

God is like... SEARS He has everything.

God is like... ALKA-SELTZER Try him, you'll like Him

God is like... SCOTCH TAPE You can't see him, but you know He's there.

God is like... DELTA He's ready when you are.

God is like... ALLSTATE You're in good hands with Him.

God is like... VO-5 Hair Spray He holds through all kinds of weather.

God is like... DIAL SOAP Aren't you glad you have Him? Don't you wish everybody did?

God is like.... the U.S. POST OFFICE Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet , nor ice will keep Him from His appointed destination.

If you can think of a comparison, e-mail me or leave me a comment and we'll see if my friends can be as clever as these kids were. Have a wonderful day! :-)

The BEST News We Could Share

As a parent the most important job we are given is to teach our children about the love of God. It is up to us first and foremost to introduce our kids to Jesus, and let them know that He loved them so much that He was willing to die for them so they could be saved. I have always known that was a responsibility that Trey and I had, but until we moved and I met several people in our new community I don't think I fully grasped the idea that teaching our kids about Jesus was more important than ANYTHING--education, being an athlete, etc.

I have heard on several occasions since living in VB two things that have impacted me most: first, we should invest our lives in things that are ETERNAL--learning God's Word and other people, and second, the only thing you can take with you into eternity is other people (namely your children).

Well I am happy to tell you that yesterday at the end of our church service Laynie let everyone know that she asked Jesus to come into her heart! Trey and I have been talking and praying with her since the first of May and going over some material with her that our Children's Minister had given us. I know she's young, and still has much to learn about the Christian faith, but I'm so happy that she has made this decision.

Trey and I recognize that our job is NOT over; it is up to us to help her continue to grow in her faith. I ask that you pray the following with us: that Laynie will grow up to love the Lord with all her heart, soul, and strength and that she will live her life to please Him all of her days.

What a joy to know that our daughter is now a Child of the King! :-)

SLP for Another Year!

This post is for you Daddy--I have been majorly procrastinating in the area of keeping up with my speech pathology license. If fact, my husband called my dad this week, and they ganged up on me to get my hours finished. I had to have 10 CEUs by June 30th, as of Monday I had 0. But thanks to a little prodding from Trey and Daddy and FREE CEUs at Linguisystems.com I am DONE! Not that I plan on using my Speech Path License this year, but at least I can if I need too! Thanks guys! For any Speechies out there reading this--I would really recommend using Linguisystems! :-)

What Would We Do Without Kids?

Well maybe you have wondered just that--what would I do without kids? Our kids are gone this week, and I have made a list of the things I have done.

Worked out 4 days in a row
Made it to Cardio Studio ON TIME
Cleaned my ENTIRE house in the same day
KEPT my house clean
Cleaned out cabinets
Watched a girl movie
Read a whole book (in 1 day)
Gone shopping in peace
Visited with friends
Cooked supper for Trey
Played on the computer

But Most of ALL--Missed my Kids like CRAZY!

I guess once you're a Mom, you're ALWAYS a Mom. I'm ready for them to come home so things can get back to normal! :-)