Pray for Me!

So this has got to be quick, but I wanted you all to know=) It is 7:39am, and I am about to throw Savannah in the car and head out to a new venture in my life. I lead my first women's Bible study at 9:30 this morning! Woo-Hoo!

Can I tell you I can scared out of my mind and freaking out a little? God really had to work some circumstances to maneuver me into doing this, but I'm really excited, and I've never been so sure about something I'm supposed to do...at least it's been a while since I really felt like that. Satan has thrown every excuse and set of circumstances in my path in the last month to keep me from showing up this morning, but I'll be there with a smile on and yes, even make-up=)

So please say a little prayer my way, and continue to lift up the other ladies in my group as we see what God has to say to us these next six weeks. I highly encourage everyone...if you've never had the priviledge of being a part of a women's Bible study group, I can honestly say you are missing out on a huge blessing God has out there for you. If you've been doing them for a while, like I have, and haven't taken the plunge to commit to lead one...I highly recommend this as well. There's nothing like being in an uncomfortable, unfamiliar situation to remind you that God is the closest, truest, most faithful friend you truly have! Take the plunge and share life with others!

Savannah Update

Well, it's been a while since you've seen my little munchkin up to no good=) I've got lots of video clips thanks to Joey's parents, CA & Rick. I just need to figure out how to edit them to upload onto here! Anyway, enjoy the pics=)This is Savannah "helping" Mama do laundry. (She really just wants a ride down the hall in the basket.)

Still not too sure about our new-found climbing abilities. We love getting up...lots of busted lips lately says we hate getting down.

Mama says, "DO NOT touch the puppies while they are eating." So where do I sit down? Oh, my little line-walker!

And, having some fun in my new tunnel=)

Ah, Memories...

So, I've been a little lax lately with my blogging. Probably because I can only get on the computer when my munchkin is asleep, and that time is quickly depleting as she gets older!

Anyway, we made a visit to Grandmama's house the other day for naptime, and during her nap, my mom and I set up her New England Heritage Village collection and her Christmas In The City houses. Now, it may seem silly to keep something up year-round that is SO Christmas, but these houses have always made me smile every time I see them. They remind me of the warmth of Christmas and family, and the light that surrounds the whole season, so why not keep them up year-round? Plus, any good collector isn't afraid to show off what they've got! No matter what season it's from=)

But it's really not all about the collecting for Mama and me. At least for me, it's about all the memories surrounding these houses. Every year growing up, Mama and I took a special trip out, just the two of us, to go and make our yearly purchase. It was so much fun to browse the cityscapes set up in the shops or the Galleria rooms. You'd take your catalogue and mark the ones you really liked, then try to guess which ones out of those you liked might retire this year because that meant your purchase appreciated quickly. (Whether they are really worth anything now, I have no idea, but again...not the point.)

Mama and I would spend hours browsing through houses, and I would create fun little stories about all the characters in all the different scenes. I was so enthralled with this tradition that near the end of our collecting days, I even started paying half the price of the pieces, so we could afford to buy more. I probably have stock in a little over half the homes pictured here. But it didn't matter. It was all about something just me and Mama did together. That's it. I rarely got her all to myself for three others tugging at her heels, so I loved every minute of these outings, and looked forward to them every year.

So here they are....our little cityscape, all lit up and inviting and welcoming anyone to come and stare and imagine all the little stories you want, to your heart's content. Ah, memories....

So Proud of My Hubby!!!

So if you haven't heard already, Joey was officially accepted into Mercer University's MBA program this week!! Woo-hoo! I cannot begin to tell you how proud of him I am. I have always thought this would be a good decision for him to make, but we both always agreed that there just would never be a "good" time to get started. So this past year, he began to feel the Lord leading him in this direction, took the GMAT, applied to KSU and Mercer, and here he is about to start classes the first of March! Wow!I am no fool to how incredibly hard this will be for him and probably for us as a family as well. But this is totally God's will, and I am convinced Joey will be very successful. The classes consist of meeting once a week from 6-10 at night for 8 weeks, which considering all the other options out there, I didn't think this was too terrible. Now, how long it will take him to graduate, we're still waiting to find out until after he meets with his advisor. But regardless, he is very excited, and I am so proud of him.

Joey is a man of excellence in all that He does. His relationship with the Lord is strong and steady. He is a loving, caring husband and devoted father--you should just see how good he is with Savannah! And as a boss, I hear he's top-notch. The loyalty of his long-time management, and the caliber of character they exhibit speaks for itself. I am so blessed that God chose him for me from the beginning of time. You will be the best student as well, hon. So proud of you.

A Fresh Start

So, I kinda got blogged out keeping everyone in the loop for Christmas, so I guess this is my first official post in a while. A lot has been going through my mind lately. All the evaluting and looking/planning ahead that most people do at the beginning of the year can be overwhelming, and for a person like myself who think all day AND all night this time of year, getting things down on "paper" can be a bit difficult, frustrating, and time-consuming--even though I LOVE to write.

So instead of resolutions, our pastor challenged us to just make 2-degree shifts in our lives this year that are small and attainable and over time will lead to big changes, so I've really been contemplating what 2-degrees I want to shift.

The first obvious and needed one is my quiet time with the Lord. For all you mothers out there, I pray you know where I'm coming from. Sleep is a valuable commodity these days and with Savannah officially out of her morning nap, not one of which I have much. And I'm sorry, I am the worst morning person on the face of the planet, even Joey will tell you this. (Ask him to make my "morning face" sometime; it will crack you up!) So, I've resolved, despite all the teaching I've been through my entire life, and all the Bible verses I know I can find about rising early in the morning, that my body, soul, spirit, needs sleep. God is okay with this--I have to remind myself that He's not frowning on me from heaven for not meeting Him at six in the morning, and I have made a 2-degree shift to the first thirty minutes or so of Savannah's nap in the afternoon.

It has made all the difference in the world for me! For the first time in, oh let's be honest, years, I have been able to have a consistent quiet time for a whole week! I know there are blessings that come with meeting God early in the morning, but He has to pleased that my consistency has improved. Honestly, I think He just wants to spend some time with me, so He will take it when He can.

One day I will be disciplined enough to start my day in the Word. From experience, I know it's a fulfilling and refreshing practice. All God's promises in the Bible are true, but for this stage of the game, I think I've finally given myself enough grace to accept that one o'clock in the afternoon can be just as refreshing and fulfilling...the consistency definitely is. "Thank you Lord for answering my prayers and helping me to live in Your freedom, and not by my own condemnation and legalistic expectations."

Does anyone else meet with the Lord at an "unorthodox" time? Always good to know you're not alone=) Haha!

2008 Highlights

So, this will be a rather long blog, but more so because of the pictures, not the words. I loved every moment! Can't wait to see what 2009 will bring! Here's the recap: (And I'm only going to hit a few main points from each month, so please, no one go and get their feelings hurt!)

January
1. Savannah starts sleeping through the night! YEAH!! I have a life again....hence the red hair-loved it, hated the upkeep.

2. Savannah's baby dedication. Don't know why the only picture I have is of me, Savannah, and Mark, but here it is. February

(Can't leave out the infamous girl's night party my greatest friend Amanda threw.)

3. Savannah stays away with Aunt Lah and Uncle Tim while we hit seminar in Orlando.

March

4. Joey's brother in TX got married! Welcome Amber to the fam=) Savannah takes her first plane ride and does swimmingly.

April

5. Spending Easter with Matt & Em in Fayetteville, NC was fun. Good times.

May

6. For those who know, this was a tough month. Homesitting for Aunt Debbie and enjoying pool was a bright spot.

June

7. Let's see...Chattanooga Aquarium with the Durham-side of the fam and the Braves Game with Matt & Em--I love doing things with family=)

July

8. Family Vacation!!! Amelia Island!! Can't wait for '09!!!

August

9. We loved visiting the TX grandparents with Little Miss. San Antonio is always a beautiful place to visit.

September

(Visit to Bro Mark's school, JSU, with Tim and LA for a football game.) 10. Back to see the Macon Grandmommy & Macon Granddaddy. October

11. Visiting the Hill's in AZ! We had so much fun! And Savannah was a doll=)

12. Savannah's 1st Birthday party!

13. Her first photoshoot compliments of SugarSnap Photography.

14. And my weekend getaway with friend Bekah. Loved it! (See blog for pics.)

November

15. Thanksgiving with Matt & Em!!!! We had such a good time!

December

16. Christmas! You can read all the blogs before this one to see all those great pics again=)

So did we travel all over the place or what? ! ? Seriously! Whew...tired just reliving it=)

What a great year. The last fourth is blogged and everything else captured on film. Life is good. Live it up in '09 and don't forget how much God loves us all!