Weekend Update!!!

Had a TERRIFIC weekend!!
Went to camp for Junior Bible Quiz Semi Finals!!
Here's the weekend in pictures...


The drive to camp is always fun and silly...


Sweet girls...



Funny boy...


Another sweet girl...

A pic with the driver...

More silliness and fun...

And some more silliness...

Nothing but silliness right there...

Poor guy, alone with all the silly girls...

My cell phone riding along...

Haley's Cell Phone riding along...

The driver havin a blast...I love the drive to camp...

Something silly going on in the back...

Finally at camp...

Beautiful trees at camp...

Isn't is just Beautiful...

Beautiful grounds...

The weather was perfect...

The girls in our room...I love these girls...

My sweet roommates...

Have I mentioned I LOVE THESE GIRLS...

Miss Tabbie trying to get a picture With the girls take one...

Take two...

Silly pic...

More silliness...

Oh yes I sure do love these girls...

Can't forget the awesome boys...I love these guys too...


JBQ Registration...

I love JBQ...

Room Restistration...

My Quiz room...I got to be a Quizmaster...I loved it...

Crazy Quiz Box...We nicknamed it the Turkey box...

My Quiz room again...Great fun in this room...

The view from my quiz room...

Outside the door of my quiz room...so Beautiful...

Settin sun over camp...Breath taking...

Friday night's service outline...

I love to sing with a handheld cordless mic...my mic Friday night...

PT's view from the platform...he rocks...

Circle of Doom...

Ah...worship...this makes me cry...

It's just beautiful...

Prayer...I love it...

Riding in the back of PT's truck to see the new tower and waterfall...

Beautiful day for cruzin in the back of the pick up truck...

The new tower for the coming 100 foot water slide...woot woot...

Sweet...this is going to be so fun...

Beautiful waterfall...

Gorgeous...I love this natural beauty...

I love this shot...

Doesn't God make photography easy...

Look at those lovely girls...

I love these guys...

Amazing...

Pt and the girls...


Pastor Tim & Miss Marcia...my catalyst...

They Rock...thanks for letting me be apart of your ministry...

Miss Marcia took a pic with me and the waterfall...


Camp sign...I love this sign...it looks cool...

Cabins...

This is what you get when you try to be a kid and do cartwheels...I'm old...ha...

Headed home after a great weekend at camp...

Home Sweet Home...

The sweet ring Mr. Wonderful gave me...isn't he cute...I wore it for good luck this weekend...

What a great weekend it was...

Finally finished this post...what a pain blogger can be...

The weekend was truly GREAT...I really am very blessed to get to do what I love and work with great Pastors...Children and Ministry are my heart...I met alot of new people this weekend and got to spend alot of great time with the kids in a Beautiful place. Thank You Lord.

coming soon...

Update from the awesome weekend...complete with tons of pictures...

Does anyone else hate adding tons of pictures to blogger...what's with all the spacing issues...UGH!!!!

Dreams coming true...

I remember when I was single I would always imagine what it would be like to do certain things with the man God would bring into my life.

Yesterday I experienced one of those moments. (I have experienced several but this one jumped out at me in the actual moment.)

I would often go to the park on lunch and walk in the Spring and Summer sunshine and I would think and dream about what it would be like to go there on lunch with the man God chose for me. Yesterday I got to do just that.

It hit me as we were walking across the freshly cut beautifully green field in the beautiful sunshine that this was a moment I had waited a long time for.

It felt great to be outside in the warm sunshine strolling across the field with the man my Heavenly Father made just for me!! To be hand in hand actually finally being in a moment I had dreamed of for so long.

It was an incredible moment, becuase at that exact moment I was reminded again how Faithful and Loving my Heavenly Father is. And that every minute of the waiting was worth it for moments like that when I am hand in hand with this Wonderful man knowing that God put it all together just for us.

I love this weather and season in my life!!

It's amazing to be here finally in this place that I dreamed of for so long and on the brink of many of my dreams coming true. Truly amazing. Truly a God Moment. Only God could have made this possible. All the Glory goes to God, All of the credit for all the good and wonderful things in my life goes to God and God alone.

I absolutely would not be where I am today without my Heavenly Father and all the incredible things He has done in my life and all the incredible people He has brought in my life to get me to this point. My Amazing Family, my Mom, my Church Family, my Friends, and Mr. Wonderful.

Thank You Father for loving me so much. For all of the incredible blessings you have brought into my life. For all of the amazing things you have done. Thank you for being so Faithful and Loving to me though I deserve none of it. Father I don't know exactly where I would be without you and I don't ever want to find out. Thank you for pulling me out of the muck and mire and blessing me so much. Forever I want to serve and honor You. In Jesus name, Amen.

I love the smell of carpet.

Yes you read that right...

I love the smell of carpet when you are face down on the floor before the Lord.

Camp carpet

Sanctuary carpet

Living room carpet

I spent some time on my face before the Lord last night. Just basking in His presence. When I lifted my face I realized how much I love to be face down before the Lord smelling some carpet.

There is absolutely nothing like being in the presence of God. Nothing more comforting, nothing more freeing, nothing more incredible.

Last night ended The Experience at our church. But as one of our incredible youth girls said last night...The Experience doesn't have to end there. We can experience God everyday anywhere.

This week God refueled my passion for ministry and my passion to serve Him with everything that I am.

This week I listened to young people give testimonies of where they have been and what God has done for them.

This week I whitness healings right before my very eyes.

This week I watched as many Experienced God and chose to run after Him.

I am thankful for every Experience I have had and will have with God. I want to Experience Him EveryDay. I want to live for Him, bring Him Glory, Praise Him, Serve Him, and Minister for Him and Him through me.

I LOVE THE SMELL OF CARPET.

Fumes and The Experience

Will be running on fumes this week so please excuse the lack of whitty or interesting things to say here. I will do my best though.

I have been majorly cranky this morning. The past two mornings in a row my lovely cell phone has turned itself off and I have had no alarm. Which of course means I have gotten up LATE and had to run out the door very unprepare to face my day. UGH! I hate that!

On to the good stuff now...
* Our Youth are having an even this week called The Experience.
* These kids are spending their days praying and passing out flyers in the community and inviting their friends from school to come.
* Last night was so awesome. There were tons of kids there and I believe everyone in the room had an Experience with the Lord.
* Testimonies were given. These kids shared their deepest darkest lives so that others in the room would know they are not alone. So that lives can be touch. So that others can see that Jesus can and wants to do in all lives. Incredible.
* I cannot believe that I get to be apart of these kids lives. What an honor. What an honor to serve the Lord and love on these kids. His kids.
* Last night was just a reminder of what my life's purpose is. To Minister. All the days of my life, to minister. That is what I was created for. That is what my passion is. That is what I live and breathe for.
* I am so proud of these students. Everyone of them. I love them so much.
* Some of the kids were there too and I love watching them.
* I can't wait to get back tonight!!


You know I am reminded everyday that I am imperfect but I am so blown away that God chooses to use me anyway. I feel so unworthy and so humbled. I have many many faults and many many things left to learn. I am so honored and humbled to get to be in the place God has me. To be called to love His kids and guide them to Him. I have no words. I cannot tell you how much I love to minister and love kids and students and point them in His direction and encourage them and pray for and with them. Wow. I am truly truly honored and humbled right now.

Thank You Father for the priveledge of getting to touch lives and share You, Your love, Your hope. Thank You for using me when I am so very unworthy and imperfect. Thank You for the call you have placed on my life and the passion you have filled my heart with. I know that I would not be complete without You. Thank You Father for how amazing you really are and for everything you did in hearts and lives last night. Thank You Father for what you are going to do tonight and tomorrow night. I love you Lord. My life is Yours. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Weekend Update.

** Mr. Wonderful and I had a busy and good long weekend down south. **

*** Thursday ***

We left after work and working out and headed south to visit Mr. Wonderful's family. I have always loved the drive south and still do. We spent the evening playing with the babies and watching Syracuse and Connecticut play and excruciating long basketball game. WOW! 6 over times!

*** Friday ***

We slept in and then headed to visit with Mr. Wonderful's mom. We spent the afternoon with them. This was the first time we've seen them since Christmas. It was nice to get to be there especially since Mr. Wonderful's mom has been dealing with the return of cancer. in February cancer returned but God is a Healer and each report we got after the first was better and better. She will only need to take medication to treat the cancer!! God is Good! He is THE HEALER. So it was very nice to be there with them and get to visit.

Friday night Mr. Wonderful's brother and his wife and daughter came to stay at his parents too. The guys grilled hamburgers. Very yummy. The gals played with the babies. We played with the twins Chelsea and Chloe, and with Macie. Sweet girls. We all sat around watching tv and hanging out.

*** Saturday ***

The guys got up early and headed out to play a couple rounds of disc golf. They had a good time. I got up early to help watch the babies while Ms. Vicky tried to finish working. I loved getting to spend so much time with the babies. I missed them so much!! They have gotten so big and are now crawling and rolling over so good. Chloe is actually pulling up too. So sweet! When the guys returned Mr. Wonderful and I hit the gym for some cardio to work off some of the burgers we ate. (Thanks to Mr. Wonderful's brother for letting us know there was a Snap Fitness down the street so we didn't gain back quite as much as we would have!) After the gym I finally got to take a LONG HOT shower! It felt so good! Then a short nap!! We then ate like kings and queens, feasting on Filet's, salad, and baked potatoes and yummy Birthday cake!! Then we all settled in to watch Tombstone...I fell asleep through the ending of course. That seems to be my thing lately!

*** Sunday ***

We all got up and headed to church in the pouring down rain. But we managed not to get soaked. We enjoyed a nice service and headed back to the house for lunch and a movie. Ms. Vickie and I then made a Big Lots run!! Okay so I have seriously been missing out on some Big Lots!! I plan to visit our local Big Lots as often as I can!! Great discounts on great products! I had no idea! Then a lil nap before hitting the gym again before dinner. Hitting the gym was not my idea of fun on this day as I was getting accustomed to eating bad and didn't want to think about what it was doing to my body. UGH! None the less, burned off close to 400 hundered calories (nothing close to what I needed to burn off) before heading back to Mr. Wonderful's parents to over eat on the best potatoes EVER. Oh yes I ate potatoes EVERY day this weekend!! It was bliss!! We ate a yummy dinner and hit the road to home.

It was a fun and food filled weekend. Mr. Wonderful and I have some work to do to get the extra weight off now. It was worth it though.

We had a great time visiting with his family and playing witht the babies. I did not get a single picture with my camera. I did however come back with the twins Christmas Pictures. Maybe I will get them put on here soon. Those girls are precious and I miss them already!!

Now on to another busy week and weekend ahead. Work, Worship, and Working Out for the week!! Junior Bible Quiz, Youth Convention, and Drama Practice for the weekend!! Busy Busy Fun Fun!!

I am sad that we miss Fine Arts night last night at our church. I know our students did fantastic, I hated missing it. I love those students so much!

Random stuff...

* My lil apartment is mostly clean - what a great feeling that is.

* I can't wait to be in the presence of God tonight and spend time worshipping Him.

* I wish I had my own office with doors that close tightly.

* I am ready for the weekend.

* I burned 500 calories at the gym last night.

* I am probably doing an at home mani and pedi late tonight.

* I have too much to do and not enough time to get it all done. O'well such is life right.

* I love warm weather.

* I love sunshine through a car window.

* I love the drive south.

* I love Jesus, my family, Mr. Wonderful, & my friends.

Happy Wednesday.

Just call me Betty C....

As in Betty Crocker...

Or Duncan Hines really

I baked another cake last night. Now if you know me you know this is truly a miracle that I am baking at all.

You know I've spent alot of time and energy talking about how much I can't cook...when really I just needed to try. Or maybe it's that I have grown up some and have the desire to eventually be a good wife and mom and have reasons to push past my lack of natural cooking talent and learn from scratch and the hard way how to get it done in the kitchen.

What ever it may be I think I am now ready to stop talking so much about what I can't do in the kitchen and learn what I can. I can bake cakes. How fun is that!

With all that said...I baked another cake last night. This would be my second this year and possibly only my third in my lifetime, maybe fourth.

I made a Butter Recipe cake with Chocolate icing. It was pretty and it was yummy. Can't ask for anything more than that. It was easier this time and the last time, I actually felt like I knew what I was doing. I actually have enjoyed baking the two cakes I have baked!! So the second time around has already shown that I learn as I do.

Therefore I have plans to do more!!

Here is my lastest masterpiece...

Tagged...

Tagged by Southern Bride!


Here's how it works:
1. Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures.
2. Go to the 6th Folder and then pick the 6th Picture.
3. Post it on your bloggy and tell the story that goes with the picture.
4. Tag 5 other glorious peoples to do the same thing and leave a comment on their bloggy tellin’ about it.





This was actualy the first picture Mr. Wonderful and I ever took together. It was taken the day after we started dating after coming back from spending the day at the lake with my family. Not a great picture of us but our first.

I tag these amazing blog friends:

Lindsey at - Learning to be a Wife

Jamie at - Joyful Noise

JMB MOMMY at - His Grace is Enough

Kari at - Finding My Place In This World

Alyssa at - The Anderson Family


I have officially lost 7lbs and am now at 170. It's a slow process but I am encouraged that I lost two more pounds this past week. I really thought I had gained. I can't wait to bust break the 170 mark!! My goal in 140 I really want to make it!!!

Well Happy Monday Everyone!

Thankful for...

Thankful

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You know there are lots of uncertainties in life...especially these days...so I think it's a good time to reflect on the good instead of thinking about all of the bad and difficult...so that is what I am going to do in this post...

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I am Thankful to have a personal relationship with my Creator, my Savior, my Heavenly Father.

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I am Thankful to have family and friends who love me and care about me.

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I am Thankful I have the love of a Wonderful man that was created just for me by my Wonderful Heavenly Father.

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I am Thankful to still have a job to come to four days a week.

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I am Thankful that I can hear my Heavenly Father's Voice and that He is always faithful.

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I am Thankful to have freedom to worship my Lord and Savior freely and completely.

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I am Thankful for inspiration from my brother for a fresh new hunger for the Lord.

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I am Thankful my Heavenly Father speaks to me through His Word and encourages me.

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I am Thankful for writers that chose to be used by God to share the thoughts He has given them to change their readers lives.

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I am Thankful for singers that express their worship to God so that I too can worship with them.

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I am Thankful for the move of the Holy Spirit however He chooses to move in hearts and lives and services.

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I am Thankful to get to work out and get healthier and that I have Mr. Wonderful to do it with and help keep me motivated and push me further.

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I am Thankful for rare moments when I calm my temper before it affects those that I want direct the anger at.

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I am Thankful for bible verses that are alive and active in me..."Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

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I am Thankful to have a blog to use as one of my writing outlets and thankful to have awesome readers!

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I am Thankful to my Heavenly Father for all that He is and all that He does and for His amazing love and faithfulness.

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Last but not least I am Thankful to have spent this time thinking of all the things I have to be thankful for...there are many many more but I must stop and post and move on with my day.

I hope you too think on all the things you have to be Thankful for from reading today.

Have a Wonderful and Thankful weekend!!

A mess...

Quote from The Shack
This was just what I needed today...

"This mess is you! Together, you and I , we have been working with a purpose in your heart. And it is wild and beautiful and perfectly in process. To you it seems like a mess, but to me, I see a perfect pattern emerging and growing and alive - a living fractal."

"A fractal...Something considered simple and orderly that is actually composed of repeated patterns no matter how magnified. A fractal is almost infinitely complex."

Oh how good it is when The Faithful Heavenly Father speaks directly to your heart right where it is at.

Thursday Randoms.

I am ready for summer.

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This weekend is going to be so much fun!

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Friday Night - Hanging with my brother who's home from college to watch movies

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Saturday - The boys are all going to play golf while the girls hang out. I can't wait!! I am so looking forward to girl time!!! And I love that the boys are all going to play golf together!!

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Sunday is my nephew's 6th birthday party.

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I love wearing dresses, they are so easy and comfortable. I never liked wearing dresses really, but then I started wearing them and realized how easy and comfortable they are and now I want to buy all dresses and wear them.

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I can't wait to lose more weight and buy alot of pretty dresses to wear!

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I can't wait to have a tan agian.

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I am thankful for my security being in God.

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I can't wait to get a new cell phone.

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I don't mind working out so much, I actually quite like it. Especially now that I think I am seeing some definition in my arms!! Yay!

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Mr. Wonderful is a STINKER.

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That is all.

God works in unusual ways...

God absolutely works in amazing ways. I think opportunities are around every corner if we choose to acknowledge them and allow them. I am quite sure that I haven't been allowing them lately.

However last night God presented an opportunity, seemingly by chance, but I don't think anything really happens by chance, God knows all and orchestrates all, nothing surprises him.

Anyway while at the gym last night working out with Mr. Wonderful I struck up a conversation with a fellow gym member who was limping. That's how the conversation started, talking about why he was limping. Well God totally just surprised us both. We ended up chatting for 10 minutes or so about God and dating. Very unusual that I would be at the gym talking to a much older gentleman about dating and God's timing.

He was discouraged about dating and I was able to encourage him with my story. God asked me to wait and not date, so I did just that, I waited for over seven years, and it was more than worth the wait. So I was able to share that with this discouraged man at the gym and tell him how faithful God is and show him proof. He looked at me and said that that was just what he needed to hear. Isn't God amazing. I am sure that gentleman did not expect some young girl at the gym to be someone God would use to encourage him about dating.

I think God loves to do things in unusual ways, it shows more of Him and less of us. I love that about God. I think as humans we need God to do things like that so we can't say it was us or coincidence or chance. The man is a Christian and loves the Lord and received the things God wanted to teach him last night. He was blessed. I too was blessed that God used me to encourage someone else.

How awesome is God!!

I got to brag on how faithful God is and how wonderful Mr. Wonderful is.

Cool huh! That's God. You have to think that God just Loves moments like that.

In this incredibly difficult world, in these incredibly difficult times, in this incredibly difficult life, God is faithful.

There's so much pain in this world, so much to learn about how to be good and how to do good and how to love good. It can all be so very overwhelming.

Overcoming this world and life can seem impossible. But nothing is impossible with God. Jesus has already overcome this world all we have to do is trust and follow Him.

I think there is always much to learn and change and I think the ways kids grow up these days only creates more that they have to learn the hard way later in life, as I have.

Life is not easy folks, but GOD IS FAITHFUL. God doesn't promise it will be easy, but He does promise never to leave us or forsake us. What more can you ask for. Noone's life is easy all the time.

I pray that each and everyone of my readers knows the Living God in a personal way. He IS a personal God, He cares about the littlest details of our lives. He is our creator. He made us, each and everyone, and He made us with a purpose and a plan.

Father, Thank You for using me. Thank You for getting me through difficult times to simply be able to share genuinely with someone who needs to know they can do it too. Thank You for the incredible people you have brought into my life to help me learn the things I needed to learn that I did not know. Bless them Father as they have and do bless me. Thank You for your Faithfulness in this difficult world. You are Faithful Father.
Father I pray for each and every one of my readers, that they would know or come to know You in a deep and personal way. I pray that You would touch their lives in whatever unusual way You see fit to use. I pray that my readers would be blessed as You have blessed me, with purpose, new life, salvation, healing, calling, and Love. I pray that You would use this post to touch hearts and lives. It is Yours Father. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Snow Grinch

Okay so at some point recently I have become a Snow Grinch...I literally hate the stuff now...really...where did that come from...I don't know what caused it...but I hate snow...there I said it...good thing I live in the South and we only get snow rarely and it's not much...see pics below...

Yes I think it BEAUTIFUL but that ends my love of snow.

It snowed this weekend in the south. Rare but pretty. Annoying too. I enjoyed the snow most while I was snuggled under my electric blanket watching it fall outside my window...

I loved that by the afternoon it was GONE.

It's cold, wet, and Messy!

But enjoy the few pics I got...



This is what I woke up to Sunday Morning...Hallie all covered in snow...poor Hallie...


This is how Tater and I enjoyed the snow the most...we were both snuggled under the electric blanket...how cute is he...


I managed a picture of myself pretending to enjoy getting out in the snow to go to church...I was excited about church though...


Mr. Wonderful came so that I could follow him to church...we were unsure of the roads...

He ended up helping me scrape off my car...I am aparently quite clueless when it comes to dealing with snow...I had snow in my seat and in my trunk by the time it was all over...Have I mentioned I HATE SNOW?!?!?!...

Here's our snow picture...This shows the difference between us...He is in a T-shirt and flip flops...I am in a Tobogan, Scarf, Wool Pea Coat, Turtleneck Sweater, Thick socks and Boots...oh my...and as you can tell by my face I am ready to get in the car with some heat on...aaahhh...

This is what I see as I driving to church...

This is me happy to have heat finally warming me up...notice the ice on my coat...gggrrr...

Yes I do really think that the snow is BEAUTIFUL...that's the only good part about it...

Thankfully the snow was gone by early afternoon and dried up mostly so no frozen roads...except it would have been nice to stay home from work due to frozen roads!!!

That is the tale of me as a Snow Grinch.