randomness....

more random things....

1. I love shoes but I would almost rather go barefoot all the time.
2. I, however, can't stand other people's feet.
3. I don't believe that there is good in everyone....some people are just plain evil....like child molesters and serial killers....they get pure joy out of the evil they do and no matter what made them that way...screwed up childhood or abusive parents or social class or whatever....I don't believe they can be saved or rehabilitated from twisted lives they lead, therefore....
4. I do believe in the death penalty...I do not think we should over crowd jails and waste taxpayers money on people that are so evil they shouldn't be using our oxygen.... (of course #3 and #4 are my own opinion and they are why I'm not God)
5. I love driving through the country, seeing old barns and rolled hay....
6. I plan to go on a wonderful vacation or mini-vacation with Danny every year. I love getting away somewhere with him and exploring new places.
7. I hate having to go in the office and crawl under the desk 5 times a day to reset the router that constantly goes offline....(I just had to go do this again!)
8. I am very passionate about the sanctity of marriage....It is a covenant, it is a commitment....and it really upsets me when people don't honor the commitment they made.
9. I miss having my mammaw here to pray for me....I know she is praying for me in heaven and I know one person's prayers aren't necessarily better than anothers...but she was so close to God...and the Bible says "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
10. I hate it when parents dress their twins (or multiples) exactly alike. (Thanks mom for not doing that to us!) We may have had the same clothes at times, but at least they were different colors. Twins are not the same person...dressing exactly alike treats them like they are (to me anyways).
11. I am addicted to Breathe Right strips....I have to sleep with one on every night or I will wake up not being able to breathe.
12. I hate subdivisions. I plan to live in a big house someday....hopefully a victorian....and have at least a few acres.
13. I have a horrible habit of not turning the lights off. It drives Danny crazy.
14. It totally makes my day when I walk into my sister's house and I hear my 2 neices and my nephew yell "Aunt Beka" as they run to give me hugs.
15. I love, more than anything else, spending time with my cousins, playing games, talking about growing up years, eating brownies, and just enjoying time together.
16. I wish I was wealthy....I'm not greedy, I just hate having to leave beneath my means....plus I would be able to share so much of it with family and my church

The end of 2008

Let me try to sum up the last 2 months of 2008. We started off November with a wonderful vacation to Tennessee in the Gatlinburrg/Pigeon Forge area. This is a great time to go! Not too crowded because it is in between the fall and winter seasons. The colors are wonderful, just slighly past peak. The weather was perfect! It made me never want to leave. Check out the video I made of our vacation.

I've been working all the holidays for some extra pay, but it hasn't really affected my time to spend with my family. I worked Thanksgiving day then we went to Danny's parent's house for dinner. Then on Black Friday we had our family dinner at Kristi's house. I made my yummy pumpkin ice cream pies!

I also got to help Jacquelyn and Nicole write their letters to Santa! So cute!

Danny and I moved in with Rachel in early December. We are still trying to get things organized and some stuff unpacked....it's so hard having a houseful of stuff and having to decide what can stay in a box indefinitely and what few things can go in our one room. I've pretty overwhelmed and feeling like a fish out of water this month trying to get used to the transition. I have never handled change well. In the middle of all this I have had to find time to finish a cross stitch of Nicole that I was making for Kristi for Christmas and also find time to study for my CMT test. I took the test on Dec 22 and I passed! So I now carry the CMT credentials behind my name (which means that I am a certified medical transcriptionist....only about 3000 in the country!)

I went with Rachel to a Christmas party downtown at the Mills House that the Spine doctors throw every year. It was pretty nice....at least we got to dress up!

Mack loved to nap underneath the Christmas Tree on my homemade tree skirt. Our Christmas was pretty normal. We went to my aunts house on Christmas Eve Eve for the reading of the christmas story and singing carols by candlelight. We also watched videos of different family members' vacations.

Christmas Eve was spent at mom and dad's. Dad made chili for dinner then we opened stockings and gifts. Here is a picture of Kristi holding the shadow box and cross stitch of Nicole that I made for her .

I worked on Christmas Day, but then Danny and I went to his parent's house for dinner and presents and to hang out. They got a Wii, so we had a ball playing on that.



We rang in the new year at our friends Kim and Josh's house. I've never really been to a New Year's party with friends....usually just hang out at home or with family....so that was fun. I wasn't in the best of moods but I tried to make the best of it and I did have a good time. We played cornhole and warmed up by the fire pit, we watched Josh set the lawn on fire with faulty fireworks, and we all toasted strawberry wine at the stroke of midnight. It was a great little party!

Contentment

I was reading Phillipians 4 this morning....Paul starts off by saying "Rejoice in the Lord always." I can speak from experience, as can most people, it's not that easy to rejoice ALL the time. should I be rejoicing that Danny has been out of work for 4 months, and that we have to sell our house and move into a small bedroom at my sister's house....but the verse doesn't say to rejoice only when you are in a great mood or if you've just won the lottery....it says ALWAYS. So i'm doing whatever I can to not let anything steal my joy. Paul goes on to say, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Now I can't say that I've mastered the "don't be anxious" part, but I'm trying with the help of God and some medication. But, in all honest, who of us can say that we don't worry about things. I do know that with every major decision Danny and I have had to make this summer, I have felt complete peace about it. And when those anxious thoughts do come up in my mind, I just have to go back to and do what Paul says in Phillipians 8-9..."Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." He goes on to say "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

SO no matter what is going on in my life, I am content because I know the strength of God will help me through this. SO how do I stay content? It's all in how you look at things. Sure, Danny has been out of work for 4 months, but I have gotten to enjoy having him home with me everyday. Sure, we have to sell our house, but now I get to live with my 2 best friends. Sure we have basic bills and medical bills coming out the yang, and only have 1 income now, but through God's faithfulness in taking care of us, not one bill has gone late. So I keep telling myself, my God is bigger than this....He has a plan.

Do I think it will be easy living in a small room in my sister's house? No, I'm sure it will be trying at times and we'll all get on each other's nerves eventually, but I thank God for her everyday....without her, where would we go? So, she gets a live-in cook and yard boy and we get a roof over our heads....not a bad deal!

So, though I haven't blogged in months, that's what has been going on with us. Now I'll share some recent pictures with you.

This first one is Danny and I at his best friend Josh's wedding to our good friend Kim Perry.



Here is a cool picture Danny took at the zoo of Rachel and I chatting on a bench in the Gardens.

Here is the most adorable, sleepy, grizzly bear I have ever seen!

And here is my adorable dog, Sabrina (we call her Brina). She's so spoiled because when she looks at me like that, she can get anything she wants!

I'll try not to stay away so long....

Our loss is Heaven's gain....

Ever since hearing of the tragic death of our Pastor's wife, Tania Burgbacher, this past Tuesday in an automobile accident, I have been trying to make sense of it in my mind. Not that it has to make any sense to me. God is in control. He has a purpose and it's not always for us to understand. But here is how my mind works....

When I think of angels, they are very tangible beings...I credit that to the wonderful way that angels are depicted in 2 of my favorite books by Frank Peretti, "This Present Darkness" and Peircing the Darkness." I think that prepartions in Heaven for Tania's homecoming were at their height on Tuesday morning. Angels were readying her mansion for her arrival, the crowning ceremony was scheduled, and her bejeweled crown was polished to a brilliant shine. It may have started out as an excited undertone, but as the day wore on and the hour got closer, all of the Heaven was buzzing with anticipation. "Tania is coming today!" the angels exclaimed to each other. I believe we all have our own personal guardian angels...and I'm sure Tania's angels were in awe as they were debriefed that morning of their duties for the day....what an honor, to be able to escort their faithful servant to the Throne Room of the Most High.

Yes, those of us that were left behind, to follow her at some other appointed time, are grieving our loss. I can't even begin to imagine how her family is hurting right now. But when I think of her reception as she entered the gates of Heaven, I can't help but smile and think how lucky she is.

Golf Week!

So this past week there was an LPGA Golf tournament at a local golf course, Rivertowne, in Mt. Pleasant. It was the Ginn Tribute hosted by Annika Sorenstam. The hospital that Rachel works for were sponsors of the event and they also provided the First Aid/Medical tent. (Rachel worked the tent on Saturday). When I heard that Rachel was gonna volunteer, I started getting excited about the possibility of getting free tickets! I'm not a huge LPGA fan, but I do really like Lorena Ochoa....and Danny is a big fan of Natalie Gulbis. Plus, I was really excited about doing something I've never done before....actually, with the exception of one Braves' baseball game, I've never been to any major sporting event.


Rachel was able to score us some weekly passes, so on Wednesday, Rachel and I went to the ProAm game. On that day, we were allowed to take a camera. We couldn't take one any other day of the tournament. I was very disappointed to find out that Lorena Ochoa had to back out of the tournament due to a death in the family....I was so looking forward to meeting her. Hopefully, I'll get the opportunity next year. Also, by the time we got there and figured out where things were, we had already missed seeing Natlie Gulbis or get any pics or autographs from her.

I did get my visor autographed by Paula Creamer.

I also got an autograph from Annika Sorenstam, the host of the tournament. This is her last year of competitive golf; she announced her retirement a few months ago.

We had a lot of fun that day! Due to work, we weren't able to go to the tournament on Thursday or Friday, but Danny and I went on Saturday. We got there in time to see Paula Creamer at the 10th Hole, then as we were headed to the info booth to get the free booklets they had with player bios, we walked right by Natalie Gulbis....I grabbed Danny so he would notice too! We turned around and followed her to get her autograph on our hats. Danny was completely awestruck....that totally made his day to be able to talk to her....He watched her practice putting and driving, then we followed her around her first 9 holes. The heat was pretty bad this weekend, and it was all I could do to make it around 9 holes. I cooled off in the medical tent with Rachel while he watched some more golf....but we left after being there around 4 hours.

We went back on Sunday, and despite getting a flat tire on the way there, we made it just in time to see Natalie tee off again. Danny followed her almost the entire round, just taking a break for lunch and cooling off for a bit. Rachel and I caught a few holes here and there, but mostly tried to keep cool in the shade. The heat index was about 95 degrees. As each player finished their rounds, they made a stop at the scoring tent, then would offer autographs. We got more autographs from Paula and Natalie in our bio books so Danny can frame his and I can put mine in my scrapbook.

It was such a fun weekend, but I do not like being in the heat at all and it completely wiped me out. We did stay well hydrated and had plenty of sunscreen on, and I think after getting a lot of sleep last night and resting today, I am finally feeling back to normal.

I do look forward to going back again next year (I hope Rachel can score some more free tickets!) I hope to meet Lorena then!

32

Well, the good news is that Danny is no longer working out of town!!! It only lasted a month, then he decided that he would rather find a job where he could stay home. I think it was harder on him that it was me....which I didn't expect...but he was away from his home and family, sharing a hotel room with a guy who snored loud enough to wake the dead! I still had the comfort of my own bed, the companionship of our wonderful dog, and all our friends around to help me whenever I needed them...or just to keep me from being lonely. Danny is now working at another local lumber....which is work that he knows and enjoys....except for the strain that it puts on his back :(

Well this has been a month of birthdays.....2 friends, my niece, my father-in-law, my grandmother, and my twin sister and I celebrated our 32nd birthday.....all within about 2 weeks. fun! fun! fun! So, with all the birthday fun we have enjoyed a AAA baseball game, putt-putt, bowling, cornhole tournaments....and a LOT of cake. Danny got me a sewing machine for my birthday! I'm really anxious to get started on a quilt and some other projects that I have in mind :-)


Here is Danny and I with our friends Josh and Kim on my birthday. We thought it was funny that Danny & Kim matched and Josh & I matched!

So, here is something I have observed lately...and it has really made me appreciate my husband even more than I already did. I know a couple who have recently separated....which I myself think is very sad. I think people should make every effort to save a marriage....and yes it will take HARD work and sacrifices, but that effort will be rewarded. Love can be restored. I believe God blesses marriage for those who take it seriously and value it the way He does. ....but anyways, my point....I have had the opportunity lately to observe this couple and I have seen more kindness and respect between them than I ever have. Now, maybe they are just being "nice" to each other for their kids' sake....not wanting them to see their parents fighting or something. But it just makes me sad for people who take things for granted until its too late. If we would just choose love and honor and respect for our spouses everyday....even though sometimes it gets easy to take them for granted or to be rude to them or just blow up at them because you can get away with it.....we would all have healthy, happy marriages. Now I know I'm just a newlywed, you say. I haven't been married long enough to experience the trials of marriage. But right now I make a choice to respect, honor, love, and support my husband, to not tear him down in front of others, and if he does something that upsets or offends me, I will wait until we are in the privacy of our own home to discuss it rather than air my feelings to anyone who will listen.....because he deserves better than that. Back to this couple I know....I don't think God has given up on them yet, and maybe their respect and consideration for each other lately is part of His healing for their marriage....I truly hope so.

missed me?

Well, I obviously haven't kept up with a monthly update, but the beginning of the year was pretty mundane for me....nothing much worth reporting. We had a pretty mild winter here in South Carolina. I love living just down the street from Rachel, I walk to her house or she comes up to mine all the time....and our dogs get along great with each other. I think if dogs could marry ours would. They are so cute together! Here is a picture of them - The Golden Retriever in the front is my Sabrina and Mackenzie is Rachel's 1/2 yellow lab 1/2 golden retriever mix.
The other picture is Rachel and I at our church Ladies Retreat in January.



On March 8th, which is also my neice Jaquelyn's birthday, my Mammaw Willa Deen passed away. I'm so happy that now she's in Heaven with Papaw and will not have to suffer anymore pain or sickness anymore. We will all miss her terribly....she was such an amazing spiritual cornerstone for our family....but I can't even imagine what a wonderful time she is having in Heaven right now. After having the funeral here in SC, we went to Ohio where she was to be buried to have a service there as well. We got to visit with a lot of old friends and family. We never miss an opportunity to spend quality time with our family....especially since we all live so far away and only get to see each other maybe once or twice a year....if that. We, as cousins, have always been close, but we have grown even closer over just the past couple of years. I value any time that I get to spend with them. We always seem to have a card game or 2 going on....this particular weekend, Poker was very popular. I'm looking forward to the 4th of July weekend when we have our 2nd annual Cousin's reunion!




Well, another major thing that has happened in our lives is the new job that Danny started this past week. He is now working for a fire protection company installing sprinkler systems in apartments and other buildings. I'm happy that this job will be easier on his back. He has had back problems for years and working in the construction/lumber industry has not helped that. He also will have opportunities for advancement in this company, so hopefully in the future that will help us financially. The only downside is he is working out of town 4 days a week for the first year and a half. He leaves early Monday morning and comes back Thursday night. Being apart for half the week is definitely not exciting to me, but I hope this allows us the opportunity to grow closer and stronger as a young married couple. Also, I think this will be an opportunity for us to grow closer to God and to lean on him for our comfort when we are lonely. Also, hopefully it will allow/force me to form relationships with others....I do not get out often and often rely on Danny and Rachel solely for my companionship, but I want to be able to reach out to others and find other friendships that I know God has for me. I have a wonderful life group family from church who meets at our home each week to learn more about God and to fellowship with each other. Each one of these people are very special to me and I'm sure that they have been put in my life "for such a time as this."

Well, it's about time to go to church, but just wanted to reminded you all to say a pray for Rachel and my mother-in-law Barbara and all the others from my church who are in Ecuador right now on a mission trip holding health clinics and building a church. They return this Friday.