A Year of Updates Part Two

I know, I know... You've all been waiting in suspense for my next blog post. Well, wait no longer! It's here! :) I need to update you guys on the other things that happened this past year; so here we go!

Warning: This is not a "hey, I'm going to read this to make me feel better" type of post. It's got a couple of stories about death, but ultimately it's about God's great love for us! So, just be warned!

This is my precious Granny. She passed away December 28, 2012. I was, unfortunately, not home to get to say goodbye to her, but it was just how Granny would have wanted it - TJ and I were with the youth on a trip. And I don't regret that one bit, TJ and I got to spend time with her on Christmas Day and she would have rather for us to have been with the kiddos than with her. She loved that TJ is a minister. She loved that we devoted time to the "young people" and tried to help them know Christ better. This was taken on mine and TJ's wedding day 4 years ago. I am so very blessed and humbled that I got to know her and have her in my life for 25 years. She taught me how to shop, eat good food, love people no matter what, how to love my husband by the way she loved Poppa, and most importantly how to have a relationship with Christ. She was loved by so many and we are all so blessed to have known her. I stopped by to see Pop yesterday. It was the first time since the funeral - I have had the flu and did not want to get him sick. He was doing pretty good. We talked for a few hours and he seemed to be in good spirits. He talked about Granny and how much he loved her. He talked about the day they got married - over 70 years ago by the way! He said that she made him a better man. If you're reading this please take a moment to pray for the widows you know in your life and also, take some time to visit them. James 1:27 tells us to look after orphans and widows in their affliction.

And on a lighter note (in a way...), we adopted a sweet kitty named Calvin! :) We decided to get another cat in August this year because we, ahem TJ, loves cats and we were beginning to get lonely without one running around the house. Our sweet Jay-Bird died in January 2012. I actually found him, Jay, when he was a few months old at a vet's office while visiting my parent's dog who had been hit by a vehicle. (side note - my parent's dog, Scout, was just fine. She had to stay at the vet for a week to be monitored and I just wanted her to know that she was a good dog and that we weren't leaving her there.) While at the vet, they had a cute little "vet cat" - a cat that lives at the vet because someone dropped him off and the vet didn't want to put him down. I thought he was the cutest cat ever! He was so soft and instantly "took a liking" to me. He was black and white and had a black dot on his forehead. I called TJ when I left the vet and told him about the cat. TJ said he'd go by and check him out. He did and came home with him too! I wanted him to have a "j" name and couldn't decide on one that fit him so we went with Jay. This was in the Spring of 2008, before TJ and I got married. Jay loved TJ so much because it was just the two of them for a little over 6 months; they lived in the bachelor pad. :) When I moved in Jay was tolerant of me and then he grew to love me just like TJ. He was a very strange cat, he hated when other people came over, especially my dad. He was comfortable with just the three of us. Skip ahead a few years and we have moved to Hyt and Jay starts having issues with his kidneys. Our amazing vet, Hyt Vet Clinic - Dr. Champion Jr, took such great care of Jay. He really was so compassionate and kind during our time we spent with him. He gave Jay an experimental treatment for his kidneys, it was kind of like dialysis, but it did not work. One night, after coming home from a terrible, no good, very bad day I found Jay laying in the floor; his back legs weren't working and he was in really bad shape. It was around 8:30pm and our vet was closed so we had to take him to the afterhours vet in McAdory. They were awesome there too. We made the decision to put him to sleep so he wouldn't have to suffer. It broke our hearts. We took him to Lawley the next day and buried him close to his outside kitty friend, Oreo. Here is Jay....

 

 

Like I said we adopted Calvin in August 2012. He has been so much fun! We actually went to PetSmart to find a female kitten, but this crazy male cat would not let me pet any other kitties in the cage! He would either knock them out of the way or position his head to where it would always be under my hand wherever I put my hand. I told TJ that I guess he was the one we were supposed to get and we got him. His name was Gilligan then. It was a terrible name. :) And since he "chose us" (as a nod to our Calvinistic friends) we named him Calvin. It really does suit him perfectly. He is such a Mama's Boy. He also passes gas something fierce. It smells worse than a grown man's. And here is our sweet Calvin...

 

 

I honestly can't write too much else from 2012 that I can remember. If I think of anything noteworthy I'll let you know! :) We find out what gender Baby Phelps is on February 13! That is my sister's birthday too! Much love peeps! Until next time!

Baby Bump! (or its just my fat that I normally suck in, but whatever!)

I'll post more on our crazy year tomorrow. Today I wanted to document my expanding belly. I can still wear some of my regular clothes, but they are becoming uncomfortably tight. I have a pair of maternity jeans and just this week (the past four days) I've worn them twice... They are so very comfy. Everybody should wear maternity jeans/pants, even if your not pregnant! :) TJ and I thought it would be fun to document the growing belly, known as sweet Baby Phelps from now on. It has been fun so far. I'm not the biggest fan of being in front of the camera; I'd much rather be the one taking the photos, but I am not going to be selfish because I want Baby Phelps to see how much he or she is loved. So here is what we have so far...

 



A Year of Updates! :) (part 1)

Well, it has been 13 months since my last post on thankfulness. I feel like a slacker but then I think back to what this past year has held... It has been full of ups and downs.

In December 2011 I started working at Student Life - a ministry designed to support the 24/7/365 job of the Church to support their Children and Student Ministry. While not every day is full of the wonderful parts of ministry, it is good. I love being able to help serve churches, volunteers, and ministers in the areas of growth and discipleship. I can say this because TJ is a youth minister and I have lots of minister friends - Youth Ministers are some of the most helpless creatures ever created! I'm kidding - but only a little ! :)

We also started doing a small group/Bible study group with three other couples around that time. It has been challenging and rewarding. I have grown to really count these people as some of my best friends - and they truly are friends because they've seen me at some of my worst moments. I believe that God, in His perfect design for us, created us for community. We are designed to "do life" with other people. I mean God Himself is three persons existing as One, Great God. He said to Himself in Genesis, "Let us create man in our image..." So yes, there are times when I need alone time and space, but I truly love the community TJ and I get to be apart of weekly.

We had the chance to go to the beach with our small groupies in June. It was great - great weather, great friends, and the best seafood in the world! Amber and I did a spray tan before we left so we were looking good too! :)

In July our sweet friends, Andrew and Rebekah, told us they were expecting their first little one! :) It has been such a privilege for me because I have gotten to document, through photos, Rebekah's expanding belly! (Side note - Rebekah and I do photography together! :) She is super talented and we both enjoy working together and I think we do a pretty fabulous job. Here is the link to our Image 1:27 Facebook Page - Enjoy!) Below is one of my favorites that I have taken of them so far!

We had a super busy summer and fall with all sorts of youth ministry activities.

BIG NEWS! We had our FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY November 1, 2012!!! We decided to keep it low key because we had so much going on. We stayed home, painted cabinets, and just hung out together. It was so nice! We did have a great dinner at Surin 280, I got to get the soup that I just love! It's a coconut, curry type soup. I could seriously drink like hot tea or something... Ahh, just thinking about it makes me want to drive to 280!

Another BIG thing happened in November... Are you ready? We found out that we were expecting our first baby! AHHHHH!!!! Crazy, right?!?! It was (and still is) so surreal. I took the test while TJ was still at work with one of our church members, Rick, and I remember just laughing to myself, thinking that it couldn't possibly be real. Well, those things don't lie - I did another test and sure enough before I could even cap that thing, those two little lines showed up! It was so hard to wait that hour to tell TJ but I really wanted to tell him in person. I went to pick him up from Rick's house and he just kept jabbering away. I tried really hard to get him to leave so I could tell him. Finally, I got him away and told him to stop the car and I just said that I had news... He looked at me like he thought I had done something terrible - I just gave him the pregnancy test and he was just as stunned as I was! We both just laughed, like it was a joke. But it is no joke! I am 14 weeks and 3 days... We got to see Baby Phelps at our 6 and 10 week appointment and then, just yesterday, at the 14 week appointment we got to hear the HEARTBEAT! Best sound in the whole world! And when we go back in a month we have the chance of finding out what gender Baby Phelps is. We are still in awe that God has picked us to be this kid's parents, we will do our best - with help from Jesus! - to raise this child to love the Lord and love others.

I'll have to add another post in the next day or so because we had a little more happen too. I just don't want this post to be too long! Until next time, learning that melodious sonnet! 

It is right to Give Thanks!!

Ok, so it has been a long while since I've posted! I'm terrible, I know! Oh well, it is well... On Facebook I have seen my friends, you guys(!), post the 30 Days of Thanksgiving for the month of November and I wanted to do the same thing except here on the blog so that I can do it all together. In the Methodist Church, we have this liturgy that we recite during certain worship services; I really love it, it says

Pastor: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Pastor: Lift up your hearts.

People: We lift them up to the Lord.

Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

People: It is right to give Him our thanks and praise.

Yes, it is right to give our Lord and Savior our thanks and praise, He is the only One that is good and just and pure and holy and worthy and admirable and loving and forgiving and mighty and awesome and so, so, so much more. Even though the Spirit of Thanksgiving was against me the other day (I was trying to open a DC*B Christmas cd...), I'm going to lift my heart to the Lord and I'm going to give my thanks - because it is right.

1. I'm thankful for my dear, sweet Jesus who loved me so much that He gave Himself up for me. He took my place when He didn't have to; He loves me with an agape love, a love that I can not comprehend. He corrects me when I go astray. He left 99 just to find me. And He does the exact same thing for you - you just have to choose Him and believe Him and follow Him with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength.

2. I'm thankful for my family - you guys mean so much to me and I love each one of you dearly! Mom, Dad, Rikki, Morgan, Megan, Poppa, Granny, Nana, Granddaddy and Clay.

3. I'm thankful for my amazing husband (TJ!!!) and his love for Christ; I'm so happy that he is God's best for my life and love him so very much!

4. I'm thankful for my amazing extended family that took me in when they didn't have to, loved me (even when I forgot to clean the bathroom!!), helped me to see a marriage totally focused on God, listened as parts of my world have fallen apart, and just been a constant in my life. Thank you guys, you'll never know what you guys mean to me!

5. I'm thankful for my family of followers of Christ that I have gotten to know and share my life with. You guys are spread out all over but I know I can call on you guys anytime. Thank You!

6. I'm thankful for best friends (sisters of my soul!!). We can go without talking to each other for long periods of time but the moment we get together it's like no time has passed. Your friendship has kept me going so many times. Love you!

7. I'm thankful for mandolins, banjos, box drums, and guitars.

8. I'm thankful for new friends and their sweet children, who bless my soul so much.

9. I'm thankful for NeedToBreathe, Jars of Clay, David Crowder Band, Gungor Band, and Chris Tomlin.

10. I'm thankful for Kid's Camp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11. I'm thankful for my church families, present and past. I've learned from pillars of the church all the way down to the teenie, tiny babies! You guys are amazing and I'm honored to have been/be apart of your lives!

12. I'm thankful for chips and salsa! =)

13. I'm thankful for thrift store t-shirts, they are the BEST!

14. I'm thankful for 70's rock (thanks to Daddy for sharing his taste in music!).

15. I'm thankful for books! I love books and love to read them!

16. I'm thankful that C.S. Lewis became a follower of Christ! Without his love for Jesus, he would have never written some of the aforementioned "books" that I LOVE!!!!!

17. I'm thankful for Chick-fil-A.

18. I'm thankful for Christmas Worship Music - I'm listening to DC*B's album right now, Oh for Joy, and if I didn;t have Christmas music then that might mean that Jesus wasn't born and we couldn't have the oh-so-personal realtionship with Him that we enjoy and often take for granted now.

19. I'm thankful for fingernail polish and hair clips.

20. I'm thankful for you and that you have taken your time to read through this and maybe this will get you thinking of what you are thankful for...

21. I'm thankful for my camera and that I have the ability to get out and take pictures of things I love.

22. I'm thankful for trees - I love trees, they are always looking up to the heavens, reaching for their Creator.

23. I'm thankful for Autumn, I love the changing seasons and the beautiful colors that Autumn brings.

24. I'm thankful for mistakes I've made, they have taught me valuable lessons in life.

25. I'm thankful for my fingers and toes and legs and arms and everything else on and in my body. Our Creator made us and we are beautiful just the way we are!

26. I'm thankful for the stars; I miss the stars here in HYT - too much light pollution. But, oh, how I love the stars - they are magnificent!

27. I'm thankful for cardigans, they are so warm and cozy and cute! =)

28. I'm thankful for those who have gone before us and are now a "great cloud of witnesses" that are cheering us on in our race!

29. I'm thankful for long walks when I can just completely open myself up and have conversation with Jesus.

30. I'm thankful for the quiet moments, the still moments in life when I shut my mouth and just listen.

What are you thankful for? You should be thankful for something. Remember, "It is right to give our thanks and praise."

Oh My Word! =)

Ok, so no hymn as of right now - but I have A LOT to write about so I'm not promising anything! It has been a while since I've been on here... A few things have happened between then and now.
To make it easier to sort out, I'll put it in a sort of list form! =)


- I've been wanting to write but I never could bring myself to write on the topic that I felt I needed to write about. It's about compromise, compromising our belief in Jesus just so we can _________ (fill in your own blank) - mine would be so I don't hurt people's feelings. Compromise is defined as "to make a dishonorable or shameful concession" or another term I use is settling (which means "to be satisfied with"). I am tired of compromising and settling!!!!!! I know what the Bible says about certain topics ad there are things that I do and people I know do are flat out wrong and totally against what the Bible says. Why then, do I continue to allow it to happen? Why am I not trying to encourage others to do the right thing? Why do I worry if I hurt their feelings? Why, why, why?????? The Bible is very clear

 "Don't you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, abusers, and swindlers - none of these will have a share in the Kingdom of God. There was a time when some of you were like that, but now your sins are washed away (!), and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for you." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Yes, I know the passage in mostly on sexual sin, but it does point out thieves, greedy people, and abusers and so on. But the next sentence is so wonderful - Now your sins are washed away!!! We have been set apart! We don't have to do those things anymore! But we aren't automatically made that way... We don't just get the gift, we have to ASK for it and make the choice daily (for me it’s constantly!) to lay down our burdens and take Jesus' - His yoke is light and His burden is easy! I don't want to sound like one of those back-woods, Bible-thumping people that condemn everyone to Hell, but it is TIME to take a stand! We can't serve two masters - we'll love one and hate the other. I think that many of us have settled or compromised our beliefs so that we won't be considered weird or back-woods believers or we just don't know what Scripture actually says... I'm not sure but I've heard and seen so many people compromise on what the Bible says. Like it's ok for their children to live with their boy/girlfriend or that the Bible isn't really God's Word, that men decided what to put in it and it's just really cool and neat letters (2 Timothy 3:16-17) or that it's ok to be inspired by something that Jesus would never have been ok with or the list literally could go on and on but I think you've got the picture. I'm tired of compromise and second rate living - Jesus has great things in store for me and I'm going to run my race with perseverance and try to help others do so as well. So you guys, go get your running shoes!!! (And please don't think I'm being that condemning person, I just know that Jesus has good, good plans for all of us and I want it for you too!!!!)


- Kid's Camp 2011!!!!! Woot!!! I love, love, love camp and this year was the BEST ever!! 15 beautiful souls were added to the Kingdom!!!!!!!!!! And that's awesome and amazing! I love the way Jesus works! The kids aren't prideful, they aren't scared of what others think, they'll stand up, raise their hands to worship our Savior. The camp pastor said to me one night during the songs, "Why can't adults do this (stand in awe of what Jesus is doing and just be unashamed for Jesus)?” I'll have more on Camp in my next blog; just ponder that question, "Why can't adults do this?"


I think that is everything for now, I had a lot of personal stuff too; I just need to digest it and learn from everything before I put it out there for everyone (who's just my Mom! Hey Mom!!) to see! =) Haha! This blog did make me think about NeedToBreathe so you guys should for sure check them out! They are by far one of my favorite-ist bands ever! Until next time, Much Love!

**So very sorry for the black writing, this silly thing will not let me change it! It's doing crazy things! =(

Its been 70 Years...

So my Granny and Pop have been married for over 70 years - that is a miracle... I'll say it again, THAT is a bona fide, real, true, alomost not even believeable, modern day miracle! How many people can or will say they stuck it out in their marriage for that long? I've only been married for 2 years and 8 months and I can say for sure that it is super hard. It's not something to take lightly - marriage is hard!!!! It's one of the hardest (if not the hardest) things I've ever had to do - choosing to love another person even though you could quite possibly murder them if you have to pick up another stitch of their dirty clothes, choosing to love even though at that moment you could throw a Mountain Dew bottle at their face (whoops!! I've done that!! Love you TJ!) - the thing about marriage is that it is a choice. It comes down to choosing love, patience, gentleness, kindness, SELF-CONTROL, peace, joy (not necessarily happiness because that is a feeling, joy is is conscious decision that you have to choose), goodness, and faithfulness - ummm, wonder where that came from? Galations 5:22. It is all a choice...

Back to Granny and Pop... Granny is in the hospital - she is actually going to rehab to rebuild some strength in her body (fingers crossed!!). My older sister and I visited her yesterday afternoon and we took Pop with us. Pop will be 95 this year and I swear if he could he'd be riding 4-wheelers, climbimg trees, and pretty much anything he could get his hands on! He's as sharp as a tack too! Some of my family think that he is loosing his mind... He's not - He was telling us yesterday about his job at the Belcher Sawmill off Warrior River Road and then going to the War, then his job at Brown Lumber, TN Coal and something or other, and then retiring from Westinghouse after 27 years - tell me that's loosing his mind!! Anyway, while at the hospital he told his wife of 70 years that she needed to go to rehab if that was the best thing for her to get better - he really wants her better do she can cook and bring him dinner whenever he wants it! He prayed for her well being before we left. He kissed her and called her sweetheart. He said he loved her and wanted the best for her even if that meant he'd have to stay by himself for 3 weeks (he has his cats to keep him company though!). He has loved her through thick and thin - she has loved him through difficult and trying times (she had their first child and raised him by herself for 3 years while he was overseas fighting for our country and freedom). They have shown me what it means to choose to love even in the worst circumstances. And the only reason their story is a modern day miracle?? They both made a choice to follow and serve the One, True and Living God - Our Blessed Savior - the Church's most perfect and only Bridegroom!!! Our relationship with Christ is our perfect example for marriage - He chooses to love even though we constantly reject Him. He is all the time what I mentioned above from Galations. He chooses love so we can have that most important realtionship with Him!

Much Love Guys!! =)

Every Hour I Need You

The title has nothing to do with the post per say, but I hear my wonderfully talented husband and the incredible youth band playing it in the background... It's beautiful and I love that hymn so much!

It is not my intention to write about hymns but I think they have so much to say to us. The people that wrote them went through some amazing and terrible things and because of what they went through the songs were born and were given life and still offer hope and meaning today! =)

Now onto what I signed on to write about... My beautiful, sweet, thoughtful, and loving friend (that I've only known for like 5 months and who is like my twin in just about every way [look out world there are two of me!]!) lost her Peppy Wednesday night. Peppy was a husband, father, grandfather and so much more! I only met him once about a month ago and I could tell he was something special. His funeral was today and it was one of the best, don't think I'm being morbid or anything - Peppy was honored in such an amazing way, he had such a full life and was remembered for so many things that he had done. He loved Jesus with his whole heart and instilled that in his children and they in turn instilled it in their children. One of his daughters wrote the sweetest things said about him today - it was about him being a "keeper" of all things. After the funeral was over the lady sitting next to me said something to the effect of "Wow, what a legacy to leave". So that is basically what my point is - what legacy will I leave? I want to be remembered for loving Jesus and living my life for Him and His glory. I want my life to be a reflection of His and I want to be remembered for being all things to all people... I'm not telling you all this just so if I die tomorrow you will say this at my funeral. I'm saying this because I want you to hold me accountable to what I say here.

So this blog is for Peppy and what he meant to our community and church family and also for me and you and what legacy we are leaving on future generations.....

Much Love Guys!!!!