Another great Christmas and a blessed year!!

Christmas is already over and John and I are now back in Florida from a wonderful visit to both Mississippi and Alabama. This Christmas was wonderful! Not only did we get to see most of the Davis and Kirkpatrick family, but we also got to see the Hollomon family! This was the first year since my mom's parents passed away that we got to spend Christmas with them and boy was this a treat! The only one that didn't make it was my cousin Chris and I hate he didn't get to come, but maybe next year! John and I are so blessed to have the best families in the world!

It was so great to get to visit with family and eat some great food! Leaving is always the hard part, it seems to always remind John and I of our wish to live closer to home. I hope one day we will be able to live a little closer to family, but until then I will remain content that God has great plans for us here in Tallahassee.

While we were in Alabama, we got to attend John's church back home, which has been a rare occurrence over the last 3 years. Most of the time when we visit his parents, we have to spend Sunday driving home. The minute we walked in people were so excited to see us. It amazes me how friendly they have always been towards me. His church is a really small country church and has always treated me like they have known me as long as they have known John. This church is such a testament of Christ's love. I thank God for allowing us the opportunity to visit John's home church once again, but more importantly the impact they are having on their community.

Today, I have spent most of the day taking down all of the Christmas decorations and washing laundry from our trip. I have always loved putting up Christmas decorations, but taking them down is not near as much fun... At least I am almost done!!

My mom and dad are coming to visit this weekend and are also bringing the rest of our Christmas present, since we could not fit it all in our car. They gave us some beautiful light fixtures for our home and I can't wait to get them up! This was such a great gift and John and I could never thank them enough for this!! I am excited we are getting to see them again for a few days!!! When you live far from family- you cherish every moment you get to see them!

It's hard to believe that another year has already gone by. This month last year, John found out they were shutting down the plant he worked at in Valdosta, GA and he had to look for a new job. I can honestly say that without going through that event in our life, I would not be the person I am today. It's the neatest thing to see God take a situation such as a job loss to help you develop perseverance and to help you grow stronger with Him! God has blessed us so much this year with John's new job, new friends, a new home, a new church and many other things. As our economy continues to weaken, I am currently grateful that John still has his current job and we are able to pay our bills. The future looks so uncertain with the industry John works in, especially since they are shutting down plants every month and most of the companies are having major financial problems. So far we have been blessed and his plant has stayed in the clear. I continue to try and remain calm, knowing God is in control and He will get us through what ever this economy throws are way. I will always remember how God took care of us last year and that no matter what we will endure in the future that he will take care of us once again. I am so thankful I have a God that will never leave me nor forsake me!

I am excited to see what the future for John and I holds and to experience all that God has in store for us in 2009!! I pray that no matter what you are going through that you not forget that God is always there and He will never leave you!

Christmas is almost here!!!

Well Christmas is almost here and I can't wait to see my family!!I have finally finished my Christmas shopping, which I am very happy about. The traffic and crowds out right now in Tallahassee are getting worse by the day. I am guessing due to the economy there are more last minute shoppers this year waiting to see if sales are going to get any better.

Tomorrow night John and I are hosting our Sunday School Christmas party, so most of today I have been cleaning the house. It seems like I constantly need to dust this house, and I can't seem to get rid of it all. If anyone has any suggestions feel free to let me know. It's really funny how the older I get the more I notice I am like my mother. Ha! Did I really just admit that?? My mom has always never had a problem entertaining and hosting events are their house, and John says I am just like her in that respect.

Christmas time is one of my favorite times of the year. One of the reasons is cause I get to go and visit family! If you have ever lived away from your family, holidays are times you always look forward to!!

Some of the best memories I have as a child are during Christmas time. One of the Hollomon family traditions that I miss the most is getting to eat Gumbo at my Daddyer and Memi's house. Memi was always such a good cook, and I regret not spending time with her in the kitchen. She could cook anything and boy when she cooked it was not just a few dishes it was a delicious feast!! Another favorite memory is getting to spend the night with my cousins Chris, Julie and Jon, at Memi and Daddyer's house during Christmas. We would always pull out all of Memi's blankets and sheets and make pallets on the floor, so we could all sleep in the same room. I will never forget some of the pranks we would play on the first person who fell asleep! Tooth paste or shaving cream in the hand was always a funny prank.. boy those were the days!! All of these wonderful memories really make me miss my grandparents on my mom's side. Ever since they both passed away, we rarely get to see our cousins since they live in Texas, but this year there is a slight possibility they might be coming for Christmas and eating lunch with our family. This would be a really nice surprise if they do end up coming!!

Also, for the first time ever the Davis family will not be together on Christmas day for lunch. As much as this saddens me, I know the older everyone gets the harder it is to get everyone together. I do feel blessed that for my entire childhood and most of my young adult life, I got to spend Christmas with all of my aunts, uncles and cousins. Thanks to my mom and dad's influence, I truly understand the importance and meaning of family!

As important as family is, the real reason we should celebrate Christmas is even more important. With out Jesus' birth we would not have eternal life. Instead of getting all caught up in the stresses of the Christmas season, I hope you will stop and remember the real reason we celebrate this glorious holiday and that is due to Jesus' birth. Happy Birthday Jesus!!

Just remember, if we take Christ out of Christmas we have nothing!!

Mississippi and Alabama here the Kirkpatrick's come!!

Bring the Rain....

Well it's a gloomy day here in Tallahassee. It's been raining off and on all day. Last weekend we got to go visit John's family and have a late Thanksgiving with them. John was in his best friend Jamie's wedding in Alabama on Saturday. It was really nice getting to spend some time with John's family, but at the same time made me sad we don't live closer.

I can honestly say that God blessed me with such loving and giving in-laws. Even though technically they are only my family by marriage, they treat me as if I am their own daughter. John's mom is one of the most giving persons I know. While we were there, we got to visit with some of John's cousins, his Aunt and Uncle and his Nanny. His nanny sent us home with a huge tin of homemade Caramel popcorn, which is very delicious!! Overall, it was a great weekend and I am looking forward to visiting again for Christmas!!

This week has been really busy for John. He has had several visitors at the plant, that are keeping him really busy. I spent some of Monday decorating the front door and entry of our house for Christmas. This was the first time I have ever tried to hang garland over our door and it wasn't the easiest thing to do with out a helping hand, but I managed to get it up there. Since a lot of the homes in our neighborhood including the front entrance of our subdivision are decorated for Christmas, I thought our house needed some decorations as well. I will try to post some pictures of our Christmas decorations for you to see. I still need to hang the wreath I made, but I am waiting on John to put a screw in the door.

Yesterday, on my way to do some much needed Christmas shopping, I heard a song on the christian radio station that really spoke to my heart. The song is "Bring the rain" by MercyMe. I am going to post the lyrics in case you have not heard this song.

"Bring the Rain"

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that
I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You

Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

(Chorus)
Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings
You glory And I know there'll
be days When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to
praise You Jesus, bring the rain

I am yours regardless of the clouds that may
loom above because you are much greater than
my pain you who made a way for me suffering
your destiny so tell me whats a little rain

[1st Chorus]

Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
is the lord God almighty
is the lord God almighty
I'm forever singing

[2nd Chorus 2x]

everybody singing
Holy holy holy
you are holy
you are holy

This song truly expresses the attitude that God wants us to have and live out during painful times in our life. I have seen so many Christians that have had circumstances happen in their life and instead of clinging to God and drawing closer to Him they turn away from God and blame Him for there pain. This really saddens me to see people blame such a loving God.

Back in 2003 my cousin Kristen, who was 12 at the time, somehow aspirated Staph Aeurous pneumonia in her body and within 24 hours it had destroyed her lungs and she was put on a ventilator. After many nights and weeks in the hospital, God chose to take her home to be with Him. I spent many nights and weeks trying to figure out how this could happen to our family, and God finally taught me to see this situation with a completely different attitude. You see we are only on this earth to give God glory.Our job is to honor Him in everything we do. I am so very thankful that Kristen's passing not only, brought people from all over the US to their knees in prayer, but also left a legacy to the people who knew her. It has been so encouraging to see God glorified in this situation. God has allowed Kristen to be a great testimony in my life, and I have had the privilege of sharing it to many. I can confidently, say that the day Kristen arrived in Heaven to be with our wonderful and almighty Lord, she was told "well done good and faithful servant". This tragedy, has not only brought Glory to God, but has challenged me to live each day as if it were my last and to make sure everyone I know will one day have eternal life just as Kristen is experiencing. It is my prayer that no matter what situation we may encounter, that we will realize that Jesus is much greater than any pain we may encounter and to suffer for His glory is an honor not a tragedy.

Sorry this ended up being so long, it's just what has been on my mind lately. Hope you enjoy the christmas decoration pictures.

What I am thankful for!!

Well it has been a while since I have posted. This is mainly because I was out of town the whole week of Thanksgiving. This year was the first year that John and I were not visiting family on Thanksgiving. Since John is in a new job and wasn't able to take as much time off we decided not to make the drive home.

This year, I had the privilege of spending Thanksgiving week helping out a dear friend we made while we lived in Valdosta. My friend's daughter was having surgery that week and her husband is currently serving in Iraq. John and I decided that I would go help her out and he would drive up Thanksgiving day to be with us.

This past week allowed me to gain a new appreciation of military families. You see, I had never really been exposed to the military life style until we lived in Valdosta. I can honestly say that military wives are very strong women!! I kept thinking how much I missed being away from my husband for one week, and then realized that's nothing compared to what my friend was going through. Her husband had been gone for several months already and will not be home until the middle of Feb. This week helped me realize how blessed and easy I have it compared to these families! I now am truly thankful for what are military does and has done for our freedom! I am truly grateful I was given the opportunity to spend a week and help my friend out with her adorable little daughter!

Even though it is already past Thanksgiving, I still want to tell you what I am thankful for. There are many things that come to mind such as my family, John's family, my wonderful husband, and John's job, but most importantly I am thankful for Jesus' death on the cross, His forgivness and the gift of eternal life. I believe that this is most precious gift one can receive and I will always be grateful for this gift! A lesson God has been teaching me lately, is that He shows up all through our day, but we often never notice Him. This is because we don't acknowledge Him. I was emailed this story a while back and it has really changed that way I look at my day. Here is the story:

"I was in the waiting room and I saw an old friend with his wife - they're both in their 90's. He's working hard to care for his wife because her health is really deteriorating. Because it had been raining when they came in, my friend asked the dentist if he could help him get his wife out to the car. My dentist came back in, really touched by what had happened in those two minutes - so touched that he brought it up two more times. He said, "When I went out with George and his wife, it wasn't raining. And George said, 'Isn't it great that the Lord stopped the rain long enough for us to get out to the car?' Then he just looked heavenward and said, 'Thanks, Father.'"

Now isn't that acknowledging Him and noticing God working in the details of your day.If you don't, you'll miss God and you'll miss the joy that only comes from the Lord. But if you do train your heart to go on a daily "God hunt," you'll experience what the great preacher Charles Spurgeon talked about when he said, "He who looks for providences (or God actions) will never lack a providence to observe."

If you haven't been seeing God a lot lately, it's because you haven't been looking. I challenge you to go on a God hunt everyday and you will be amazed at how many blessings you were not noticing before!! I am thankful that I have a God who works in my life everyday!!

Do not be anxious.....

Well the weather has turned cold here in Tally. I think it got down to 33 one morning this week. I am not a fan of cold weather, but John loves it.

This past weekend John got almost all of the quarter round cut so we can finish and cover the edges of the wood floor we had put in. Next I guess I will get the pleasure of painting it so we can finally nail it down... boy am I ready to get that project finished!! 1 more down 50 more to go! Ha!

Last week John had to travel to Ocala, Florida for a business trip for several days. To his surprise the day he got there he found out that they were shutting down that plant. Boy, was this a full circle moment for him. In case you didn't know, they shut the plant down John was working at in Valdosta last December, which caused John to look for a new job. Fortunately, God took care of us and John got a new job really quickly. Even though this shut down does not affect John's job as of right now, going through this last Christmas brought back not so great memories. My heart goes out to all the employees who lost their job, and I pray that they will rely on God to get them through this difficult time. This economy has gotten so bad and is really making me nervous. Plants like the one John works at are getting shut down every week due to the economy and housing market. I struggle trying not to worry about this, but I know that ultimately God is in control and he will take care of us not matter what happens in our future. The verse that helps remind me to not worry is Philippians 4:6-7. It says "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." After studying this verse, I noticed that we are commanded to not be anxious and no matter how hard this may be God commands us to not be worried. I pray that we all realize that no matter what we are going through we are told to not be anxious about anything and to present our worries to God. I can honestly say that once you practice this a burden will be lifted off of your back and God will give you a peace about your situation, however this doesn't mean the worry will go away, it just means you gave it to God to handle. Enough of rambling about this, I just pray for all the Americans this economy is affecting.

A while back I mentioned we had planted a lemon tree. Well I finally took a picture of it to post on here so you could all see our cute little tree! It's the picture above that has a tree in the planted container.I am still hoping it will produce lemons one day!!! One of our neighbors, who happens to be a widowed man in his late 80's or early 90's has a orange tree that is next to our fence in his back yard. I never knew it was an orange tree until this past week when I noticed oranges hanging all over it! It's so neat to see the oranges! I was really tempted to climb on our fence and sneak one to try, but I didn't. I am sure if I asked him he would give us some, as I know he will never be able to eat all of them, but I hate to bother him. Anyway, I took some pictures of it; so hope you enjoy them! In case you can't tell by my excitement, I have never been around fruit trees much in my life so to me this is pretty neat!!

Well I better go before this gets to long and boring. Hope you enjoy the pictures of our lemon tree and the neighbors orange tree!!

God is always there!!

It's been a while since I have written anything, so I thought I would take the time to update my blog. Last week, I got the pleasure of spending the week in Hattiesburg, MS with my mom and dad, while John was on a business trip in Virginia. I had the best time! I got to see several family friends, my aunt Kathleen and my grandparents. I also got to eat at one of my favorite restaurants back home called Peppers. They have the best potato salad you can get anywhere! I really wish we could get this restaurant in Tallahassee!!

One afternoon I got to visit with my grandparents and I helped my grandmother learn how to cut and paste on their computer. In case you are wondering if I just said grandparents and computer in the same sentence I did! Believe it or not my grandparents are computer-savvy! When I met John he did not believe me when I told him they used the Internet and actually emailed me! I personally think it's awesome that they wanted to take the time to learn this new technology to communicate with their friends and family.

While I was in Mississippi, my mom through an election party on Tuesday night with their supper club friends. It was great to get to see all of these family friends that I have known just about my entire life! It also happened that everyone there was rooting and voted for the same candidate, but sadly he didn't win. I have since realized that even though I think the wrong candidate won the election, I also know that God is in control and this was no surprise to Him. No matter how hard these next 4 years may be, I know that Deuteronomy 31:6 says: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." I am so very thankful that God will always be there, even if the new president might make some bad decisions for our country.

I came across this poem the other day that I want to share with you. I do not know who the author is.

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways, all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way.
Grace for the trails, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, Undying love.
God, your love is so precious!
You protect your people in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm36:7

When I read this the first time, it really reminded me that no matter how hard things may get for us, that with God's strength and love we can get through anything. God never promised us a life of no suffering, but he did promise us grace, strength, and love to get us through tough times. More importantly than all of those promises, we have been given the gift of eternal life and that is the most precious gift we could ever be given.

Well I guess I have rambled enough. John will leave again tomorrow to head to Ocala, Fl for a few days for work. I decided to stay here, so we would save the money from having to board the dog. Well I need to get some stuff down around the house and this is about all that has been going on with us.

Boring long week.....

Well this week has felt really long for some reason, but at least it's almost over! Not to much has gone on this week. I have worked on the Christmas shoe boxes for the kids that our church participates in and that has been fun! John and I always enjoy buying the toys and items to put in them every year. The weather here has turned out to be fairly cold this week in the mornings. I can't believe it has already dropped in the 3o's a few mornings this week, but thankfully it warms up during the day to the high 60's and low 70's. We have actually had to put our lemon tree in the garage due to the cold weather.

This weekend John's plant is having family day. John and I will go and I think we get to play games and win prizes. Monday morning John will fly to Virginia for a week on business and I am planning on traveling to Hattiesburg to visit my parents for several days, which I am excited about! When you don't live close to your family, it's always exciting to get to go back and visit!

I am still on the job search and I found one or two I did apply for this week, but don't know if I have a shot. I have been told by several people that it can be really political in getting a good job here in Tallahassee, which stinks but nothing I can do. I am trying to be patient and remember that it's all in God's hands and He has wonderful plans for me. I know John is still enjoying me being at home and all the dinners I have been cooking! I will admit that it has been really nice to be able to pick up and go anywhere at anytime and not be pinned down to a full time job schedule, but the extra money a job would provide would have advantages as well!

Not to much else is going on in our lives except will be doing some traveling in the next week. Hope all is well!

Hattiesburg here comes Daisy and I!!

Thanking God for the little things!

Today has been a very gloomy day outside and it has rained all day long, but God has reminded me of wonderful cherished memories, as well as many new blessings.

Growing up one of the things I was blessed with, was having the very best neighbors on Bellmont Drive. Our neighbors were like family to me, well really more like grandparents, but they were such role models to everyone one around them. I can remember many times wishing my parents would buy a bigger house instead of adding on to our current one, but they always said that we couldn't leave our neighbors. And until now, I never really understood why they were like this.

In Valdosta, we lived in a nice neighborhood, but never had neighbors that wanted to get to know John and I. This was a little disappointing, but we had so many friends from church I never really thought to much about it.

Now that we are living in Tallahassee, in our new neighborhood, I have realized what me missed out on in Valdosta. The day we closed on our house here in Tallahassee, John and I were painting and that day we had neighbors already ringing our doorbell to meet us. I was so amazed! It turns out we are blessed with some really great neighbors!

One of them, is an older lady in her 60's with no family close by, doesn't drive, and recently found out she has breast cancer. Even after all that she is going through, she has made such an effort to get to know me. Today, in fact I got the privilege of going to lunch with her at a cute cafe and then to help her pick out a wig for her to wear after she looses her hair from chemo. I have so much admiration for her strength. I can not even understand what it is like being in her shoes, but I am very grateful God is giving me the opportunity to help her in even the smallest ways. I am confident God will teach me many lessons through her! I have already been reminded today to thank God for my health, my families health, for being able to drive, and for my new caring neighbors!

As much as I thought I missed our house in Valdosta, I am even more grateful to have the experience I had growing up getting to know our new and wonderful neighbors! Between our new church here and our new neighbors, God has truly blessed us so much!

My challenge to you is to remember to thank God for the little things we seem to most often forget about.

I am reminded of Philippians 4:4 " Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice." This is actually a command from God and I hope we can all remember to rejoice in the Lord during the good times and even during the not so good times.

Fall weather is finally here!

Today, it finally feels like Fall weather in Florida. The weather is just absolutely beautiful. I took Daisy on a walk and for the first time her tongue was not sticking out half way home. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the nice weather outside and all the colored leaves are just beautiful to look at!

John got back Saturday night from Minnesota. He said the weather was cold, but he loved it! I think it got down in the 20's at night. One thing he misses about North Alabama is the colder weather. He said they actually got snow fairly often in the winters, where as in South Mississippi we rarely saw snow growing up. I have never been much on cold weather myself, but John seems to really enjoy and miss it.

We still have many things we are working on at the house we bought. I don't think the work will ever end. Last night after work John painted the wood molding around the garage door white. It's looks much better. It was in need of a paint job. We still have the quarter round to finish on the wood floors we had put in before we moved in, as well as some painting to finish in the master bedroom. I think this list could go on and on, so I will not bore you with all the updates we still want to make. I am sure if you own your house you understand how it never ends.

In a previous post I mentioned that we recently planted a lemon tree. Well, I am not sure what's going on with it, but a few of the leaves started to turn yellow, which according to the research I did is not a good sign. I researched a little on the Internet and it said it may not be getting enough iron or nitrogen or maybe it has been over watered. We have cut back on the watering and went and bought some citrus fertilizer to help it get some nutrients. I hope this helps our poor little tree. At least it's not wilting yet and it still looks pretty healthy! I really want it to produce some lemons!!!

Not to much else is going on with us. Hope you are having the great Fall weather that we are getting in North Florida!

I was thinking the other day about how long it had been since we moved from Valdosta to Tallahassee. I couldn't believe it had already been almost 7 months. Boy does time fly or what!

This week has been pretty good so far. On Monday I got to keep a friends 2 years old while her and her husband worked. Their nanny who normally keeps him was on vacation. We had the best time playing with Thomas the train, talking about big trucks, and watching airplanes in the sky pass over our house. I have always heard of terrible twos but he was the complete opposite. He was great! I will say one of the diaper changes was quite traumatizing, but I managed to get it done!! Ha!

John left this morning to head to Minnesota for some work training. He was excited about getting to be in some colder weather. I guess it will be just Daisy and I until Saturday night when John gets home.

About a week ago John and I planted our very first fruit tree. It's a Eureka Lemon tree. We are excited about it and hope it actually produces some lemons. It's not a very big or tall tree but it's cute! I don't think it's going to get over 4 ft tall.

Last weekend in Valdosta at our church was the youth groups Mud Bowl football games as well as homecoming on Sunday. Seeing pictures on facebook brought back wonderful memories of living in Valdosta! It was also the big high school football game "winnersville". This is where Valdosta High plays Lowndes High. This is the biggest rival game ever and always is a sell out! This year the win went to Lowndes once again. I think that every year we lived there they won the game, I always felt bad for Valdosta High. If you ever want to go visit a town that lives and breathes football take a trip to Valdosta, GA! Not only is high school football big, but also the local division 2 college Valdosta State University, has a really great football team. They were division 2 champs last year! Go blazers!

Well enough about valdosta, how about those Bulldogs who beat ranked Vandy last weekend! Boy was I happy we finally got another win! Funny enough most people here in Tallahassee think you are talking about the Georgia Bulldogs when you mention the Bulldogs. Yesterday when John and I were at the eye doctors office the doctor and his wife, who works the fronts desk, noticed John's MSU shirt he had on and said they were big fans to! They have a son who goes to graduate school there and is an athletic trainer for the football team. Wow, what a small world! They even said they attended Super Bulldog weekend last year. It's really neat when you meet people who have connections to back home here in Fl, because I don't feel like people here in tallahassee understand what it means to live in the real south.

Well enough about football, I need to get ready to run a few errands.

Very Blessed!

Well, its been a while since I have written, but I have been pretty busy lately. This past weekend my wonderful mom came to visit, which was lots of fun! This past weekend was also John's birthday. He got lots of nice stuff and I even got him his first ice cream cake! I think I may have been a tad bit more excited about it than he ,but he did appear to enjoy it. Growing up the Davis side of our family always had ice cream cakes for birthdays and boy they were good! John had never had the pleasure of getting one, so I thought he needed to see how great they are! Ha!

Mom left to go home on Sunday morning and John and I were a little sad to see her go, but I know dad was missing her! I will say though I think we were a little tired of watching politics on Fox News... If you have been around her lately I am sure you have gotten an ear full of concerns regarding the presidential election coming up. I think everyone we came into contact for very long with she brought the election up. It's pretty funny. I have not met many people on fire as much as her! Don't get me wrong, I do think this election is very important, I am just not one to bring it up with the guy I meet at Lowe's. Ha! I still love my mom and agree more than ever that if Obama gets into office we are in for some big trouble! I am just sick of all the media favoring one particular candidate! It's not fair and sadly most people will believe what they are hearing. Well enough about the upcoming election.

I have been thinking lately about some news I found out about several couples we knew in GA separating and or getting a divorce. This news has really saddened me. I just don't understand how Christian couples can let this happen. To me if you ever think you are falling out of love you need to first pray to God and secondly get help. Divorce should never be an option. I believe that if your relationship ever gets to this point then you need to sit back and take a look at your relationship with God. My heart just goes out to these families that are going through this. I could not imagine being in their shoes. I feel so blessed that God provided me such a wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally and would do anything to make sure I am happy. My husband also understands that I am not perfect and forgives me just as Christ forgives us. Wow, just thinking about this gives me chills ,but also warmth. I know God has truly blessed me with such a loving Christian husband and I thank God for him daily! My prayer is that these couples will seek out God and realize without him in their relationship it will continue to fail!

Well I guess I have rambled enough. I need to go and get ready for my Chiropractor appointment.

We are back from Mississippi and back to reality

Well this weekend is over and it seems to have gone by so quickly! John and I had the best time riding the Goodyear Blimp and still can't believe we got that opportunity! It was really neat getting to look at Hattiesburg and Petal from the air. We were able to ride over three of my dad's Goodyear stores, the campus of USM, our old house on Bellmont and mom and dad's new house in Timberton as well as many other locations in Hattiesburg. It was also great getting to see our whole family! We even got to see my grandparents, one aunt and uncle and some of my cousins! What a fun trip we had in Mississippi ,but now it's back to reality in Tallahassee, FL.

John is back at work and I appear to have lots of laundry to get done around the house. My mom is coming to visit this Thursday and will stay the weekend, which I am very excited about, just wish dad was able to come as well, but maybe next time. I am still debating what I want to cook while she is here. Since I have been spending so much time at home now that I am currently not working, I have taken up the hobby of cooking. It's been really fun trying new recipes and John is liking being the ginny pig! Luckily most of it has been edible! Ha!

This weekend is John's 29th birthday. It's hard to believe he is that close to being 30 years old! To bad people only think he looks like he is in his early 20's! Ha! He was even mistaken for a high school student when we first moved here. We laughed about that for a while!!

Well not to much else is going on, but it will be nice to finally be in town for a couple of weeks. I am ready for a break from traveling. I think I just heard the washer go off, so I am gonna get back to the laundry.

Hope you enjoy the pictures of us riding the blimp!

Almost the weekend!

Well it's almost the weekend and I am getting excited about going to Hattiesburg this weekend to ride the Goodyear Blimp! In case you are wondering, yes it is the actual Goodyear Blimp that flies in the air and that you see on TV during some of the football games. If you know me well, you already know our family business is Goodyear franchises, so needless to say yes I get excited with anything that deals with Goodyear! Ha! Who would have thought a Mississippi girl could like rubber so much! Ha Ha! I will post pictures of the Blimp when I get back.

John has had a pretty good week at work, especially since he took a vacation day this past Monday and he is leaving early on Friday to go to Hattiesburg. I have spent most of this week doing laundry, cooking dinner, and cleaning the floors. Sounds exciting doesn't it.... Ha, well I guess that's the life of a stay at home wife. I really would like to find a job, but that in itself is turning out to be a challenge in Tallahassee. Either I am way to picky or the economy has caused there to be a shortage of good jobs here. Hopefully in the near future I will find something to do, but until then I will continue to keep cooking and cleaning.

I was looking at my calender the other day and noticed that my parents 30th wedding anniversary is coming up at the end of this month. I thought wow what an awesome accomplishment! I am so proud and excited for them. I look forward and hope to make it 30 plus years one day like them! I could never thank God enough for giving me such loving and thoughtful parents!

Well I better go for now, but I must thank God for all the blessings He has and is currently blessing us with!

Hattiesburg, Mississippi here we come!!!

First Blog

Well I decided to start a blog, after seeing so many people I know have one. It's been pretty neat to be able to keep up with what's going on in their life, so I decided it would be fun to blog myself. Since this is my first blog it will not be very long, but here is a brief update on what has been going on with us.



John and I are now living in Tallahassee, FL which has been a adjustment from Valdosta, GA. We have bought a new house here in Florida and are finally unpacked and settled, but at times we still miss living in Valdosta. John has not adjusted as easy as I have, he still is a little unsure about Florida, but I think with time this will improve. I can honestly say right now that God has truly blessed John and I in the short 3 1/2 years we have been married. I am excited to see God's plan for us in Tallahassee.



Well, this is all I have for now, since I have some things to get done around the house, but more will come soon!