An Overview of Our First Christmas

Well, our first Christmas as a married couple was definitely different than I expected, but a great one nonetheless. With losing one of my very best friends, it was definitely a sad time, very surreal, but when things happen in life that bring you to your knees (literally) you just can't help but cherish everyone you love so much more. Michael has been such an angel to me and a huge comfort. I love him so much. I don't know how people who don't know or believe in Jesus deal with pain, suffering and loss. I have an unexplainable (in worldly terms) sense of peace among my sadness because I know I will see Katie again one day. The Lord is so good to give us that hope.

I will give you all a quick overview of our Christmas holiday:

The weekend of Dec. 15th, we went to Louisville, KY (where Michael's parents live) and had an early Christmas with them. We went to the annual "Cantrell Christmas" and had a great time with extended family. Here is a pic of all the women And the men. None of the pictures turned out very well for some reason:(

The next weekend we went to Dalton, GA, where I grew up. After the funeral and everything, we got together at my friend Brittany's house. Annie, Katie's sister, and Jacob and Merriwether even came. It was good for all of us to be together and honor Katie. We looked at lots of old pictures and reminissed. This is a picture of all of my best friends from home and everyone's beautiful children. (left to right from top: Jill, Brittany, Annie, Melissa, Bethany, Me, Audrey, and Ashley) Below, Annie and me, she's holding Merriwether and I'm holding Ashley's baby boy, Zade.















Then, we started the family festivities. This was the first year that my parents have not lived in Dalton (they moved to Nashville this past summer) so we actually stayed with my aunt and uncle's house. It was very weird because my parents don't live there anymore, so we were ALL guests! But nonetheless, it was probably one of the best Christmas's we've had. One of our very favorite activities of the weekend was a crazy game of "Apples to Apples". As you can see, Michael is pretty pumped about his great hand:) If you've never played this game, I suggest you go out and get it. On Christmas Eve we played for 4 hours straight, laughing our heads off the whole time. My sister Kingsley and I formed an alliance, hehe. Here's a picture of our "Zoolander" faces. We were very mischieveous.

Here are some of the players highlighted:

My crazy dad (wearing my grandmother's oh so fashionable reading glasses for effect) She and my dad were tag teaming it.

My crazy aunts (mom's sisters, Lanie and Andy)

Mom, being silly as usual

Bro (Seaver)

We had to drink lots of coffee to be able to stay away for the FOREVER long card game!

Then we had our HUDSON family Christmas, which is traditionally on Christmas Eve. So my immediate family opened presents from each other. Michael was excited about getting Catch Phrase, Music Edition:)
The next morning we had our traditional breakfast at Jody and Papa's house (my grandparents). Here is a picture of Michael and me during "stocking time". Every person in my mom's side of the family has a stocking with lots of great surprises inside from Santa:) My aunt Lanie had made Michael one as well with his name stiched on it and everything! It was a great, great Christmas, and a wonderful first married Christmas for my precious hubby and me :)

My Dear Friend

I sent out an email about Katie so I thought I would just paste the same one as a blog post. (the picture was taken about a year and a half ago.)

Many of you already know this, but I wanted to share with you that my (and Bethany's) good friend Katie passed away a week ago along with her unborn baby boy, Bascom. She was one of my very best friends from home, and was diagnosed with Leukemia December 20th, 2006...exactly one year ago from the day she passed away. Katie is in the arms of Jesus now, experiencing a kind of peace that we can only imagine...and we will see her again some day. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for her and her family, and who have called or sent me sweet messages. I love and appreciate you so much.

I cannot say that I completely understand why Katie had to die...someone so young, so in love with God. Or why so many were believing and praying for her healing and God chose to not heal her here on earth, but I'm starting to understand a little better how He took something so aweful, and turned it into something so sweet and life-changing. I wanted to share with you some things that I believe the Lord wants us to take from Katie's life. He put her on this earth for a specific purpose that she so obviously fullfilled, and I believe we must carry on that purpose with her amazing story of faith.

If you didn't know Katie personally, you really missed out. Many people who didn't know her have told me that she has touched them. And that's just Katie:) The funeral home and church were packed with hundereds of people; people that Katie showed sincere love and care for, some of whom I and our close friends may have never even noticed in high school. And that's all because of Katie's unselfish love of others. If I have learned anything from Katie's life, I have learned that truly loving people is our main job on this earth. Never has anyone touched so many lives than through genuinely loving others. The more I learn about God and the closer I get to Him, the more I realize that's what we're here for. And Katie's life was just a testament of that.

I actually overheard a few people talking about how they gave their life to the Lord because of Katie. WOW. And I can tell you this...I never heard Katie preaching to anyone. She just showed honest and sincere love to them. Jacob, Katie's sweet husband shared with us the kind of person Katie was in private, which is even more astounding. He said that Katie had hundreds of names written in her Bible that she would pray for every single day, and many who were not yet saved. He said that when someone did give their life to the Lord, she would then add their family member's names:) Her life was truly spent standing in the gap for others, praying for their salvation, and loving them. I'm convicted, encouraged and inspired all at once. May God bring me to that completely unselfish place as well.

Please keep Jacob, Katie's husband and Merriwether, her precious 1 and a half year old daughter in your prayers. And her sweet parents Kurt and Melody, and especially her sister Annie who was extremely close to Katie and needs comfort and wisdom to understand and to be at peace.

I want to end by sharing the last email Katie sent to us, just a few days before the Lord took her and her baby to Heaven. The day she found out she was having a boy. :) May the Lord speak to you all through the faith He bestowed on my precious friend, and especially in her last days on earth. I will strive for this faith and love for others as long as I live.

From Katie, on Thursday December 13th, 2007:

To my most precious ones....it's a BOY. And the rush of joy I felt to hear that he is just perfectly fine despite the fact that he is living in this sad little body of mine is beyond anything I could ever describe. The short curls over my ears were soaked with tears that had streamed down the side of my face. I have been praying since August that if my body was ever failing this baby that God would take him in His own arms and cradle him for a while. Perhaps he has spent some time in the hands of angels but right now he is with me because he is kicking (smile). Just pray that he keeps kicking and growing. The best ultrasound picture we got is one of the bottoms of his little feet. This baby isn't more special than any other...this is the kind of protection God offers to all little babies given over to Him. That is something true that I thought as I laid in the ultrasound chair thinking about all the other little unborn babies floating down the halls of the obstetrician's office. That is why I get up in the mornings and pray for healing...because there are so many living without Christ, so many, and it makes me shiver...and it makes me hungry to share the ways in which He has blessed me over 26 years. And the peace I have even after the world has afflicted me in the worst way is just a testament to the power and omnipotence of the God I serve. My favorite verses in the bible have always perplexed me because I knew that I could never obtain such surrender own my own. I have lived under such a great canopy of love and acceptance all my life. With this disease God has offered me a chance to move, if only for a moment, out of the shadows of this rich world and into His arms. "Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ." Philippians 1:12-13 I am in chains for Christ. I am powerless and weak and have no provisions to offer my husband, children and myself apart from the relationship I have with THE GREAT CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, THE ALPHA AND OMEGA, THE LOVER OF MY SOUL. From where I sit...that's just not too sad (smile). My cup runneth' over. Pray for me like crazy. And by all means tell somebody about Jesus. Tell them what He's doing for me. Merriwether is clueless about the baby and clueless about the disease. She is just so happy, dancing and tearing up ornaments and loving on Maggie!! I love you all and rest easy believing that each of you sincerely knows that I mean that to the moon and back. Katie

What's your plan, God?

I think it's good sometimes to just be really honest about spiritual struggles so maybe it will resonate with someone out there who needs some encouragement and might be going through the same thing. Any feedback is certainly welcome. For some reason, about 7 months ago, God brought a story of a baby with Leukemia into my path as I was surfing the web one day. Many of you have heard about baby Ethan Powell and his battle, that is raging on...and they are at the most critical point in their journey now. And then of course my very great friend Katie, who I've talked about recently that is sick with the same disease. The odds are not looking great for Ethan...and according to the doctors, Katie's situation is hopeless. As a christian, I try, every day, to CHOOSE to believe otherwise. Some days my faith is so strong, and I believe with all my heart. Some days I have to literally make myself say the words. I feel the need to "protect God" and come up with some reason why if He doesn't heal them, when we aren't meant to understand it all. I cannot imagine what their families are feeling right now. For me, God has been really working on me to bring about a big change in me through praying and suffering for these precious angels in prayer. God says whatever we believe in our hearts will be done. He says if we say to the mountain "move" it will be thrown into the sea. There are numerous accounts of Jesus healing hurting, dying, suffering people because they BELIEVED. Honestly I would probably sum up the past few months as me being confused and frustrated with God. In my tiny little existence, all I can see is suffering people and their need to be healed, and sometimes I will just cry to God, sometimes angry, that what I call "healed" has not happened yet. Lately, God has been showing me that there is such a bigger picture that I could never even begin to grasp why God would choose to prolong someone's healing, or maybe not even heal their disease here on earth. I can barely even type those words because understanding that is so far from me. Some people are scared to even question God at all...that maybe even in their hearts they don't understand and are angry, but to acknowledge they don't have strong faith sometimes, is a complete and total sin. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are the ones that always pray with such timidness...like a request for God to heal someone is too radical so adding "if it is your will" after every request makes it better. I've heard both of these sorts of responses as I have talked to different people about this struggle. Everyone is in a different place, and I'm not criticizing. I'm just trying to talk this out. Katie sent an email out to us last week and God used that email to speak to me. Katie has an understanding of God's love and our purpose here on earth that very few Christians have. She said that she was thankful that God allowed her to have this struggle so she could learn what it is to be desparate for him (I'm paraphrasing). She said to pray for her...but also to tell everyone about what Jesus has done in her life. Tell others about Jesus' amazing love. That IS why we are here...why we are free. Jesus offers a gift that no one could ever take away. And why in the world would we want to keep silent about that? More on spiritual thoughts another time, my brain is mush:)

Katie Update-Prayers needed

Just to give you an update on Katie's situation (refer to previous blog about Katie) she has chosen NOT to go through any chemotherapy because of the risk to the unborn child. She believes this is best, and is believing for a miracle from the Lord. Please help me to pray for my dear friend who needs healing URGENTLY. She has a husband and a one and a half year old little girl. I just can't imagine this world without her.

I think of this verse every time I think of Katie's unwaivering faith...

Matthew 9:20-22
20Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him (Jesus) and touched the edge of his cloak. 21She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."
22Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. (emphasis mine)

Thank you for praying and believing with us!

Welcoming a New Blogger!!

Kristy (Brinker) Houston is now blogging! Everyone go and make her feel welcome and post lots of comments!

http://www.kristyandjonathan.blogspot.com/

Welcome Kristy! I'm so excited to be an aunt!! :)

Katie

Please pray for my dear friend from home, Katie (Hammontree) Whitlow. (picture is of all of our best friends from high school at my wedding, namely, Katie) Some of you know about Katie's battle with Leukemia just last year. The cancer has returned and seems to be more aggressive from what we've heard. We also just found out that she is pregnant which changes everything. They don't know if she will go through chemo and bone marrow transplant again because they believe this baby is a miracle from God, seeing as Katie wasn't "supposed" to be able to have children after going through her treatments last year, they are believing that God can heal without the help of any medicine that may hurt the unborn child.

I know Katie would hate for anyone to let even an ounce of doubt creep in that God will not heal her fully. I'm believing with her and her family that the Lord God in Heaven will show us once again his love and awesome power through Katie's astounding faith. Please stand with us in prayer for Katie's life even if you don't know her personally. I can tell you that if you did know her, you would never be the same. She touches every life she meets because the Lord is leading her life, fully.

Thank you.

Kelee Update!

Thanks to Skype, I am able to talk to Kelee more than I ever dreamed! We've actually been talking once a week to once every two weeks at least. I miss her so! She is doing just great, and has already done some pretty cool things. She LOVES the family she's living with and she says that she lives with one of the more wealthy families in the village (which of course is nothing like "wealthy" to us).
She was also telling me about how in South Africa, especially where she is, it's like going back in time to the 60's as far as racism goes. When she meets the "white" Africans, they cannot believe that she's living with the "blacks" they say. Some of the things she was telling me were seriously blowing my mind...racism is a major problem there, but I know that Kelee can at least plant some seeds of equality with God's help.

I will post more pictures when she sends them to me. Keep our little ambassador for the Lord in your prayers!
Eating smores with one of the local women at a bonfire. (by the way, they are telling Kelee all the time that she is too skinny. Being fat is a beautiful trait in South Africa!)
(Right) This is Kelee receiving a gift from some locals. They all LOVE Kelee:)
I thought this was hilarious. Kelee came across a giant COW HEAD while walking through a kitchen one day! And if you know Kelee, this was probably very cool to see:)

Shout out to a mama-to-be...

Ok, since my great friend Rebecca has every reason to start a blog but still hasn't...I decided to dedicate a little of my blog-space to her baby story!
Here are some pics from her first shower that was at my house...
Rebecca and her sister-in-law Kristen.

(right) Ahh, the yummy baby food taste/smell test game...but the only one who tasted was Rebecca's mom Leesa, who I think enjoyed the game the most of all!

We decorated little onesies with paint for baby Ella Grace. It was so much fun!

The hostesess with Rebecca, and a nice view of the awesome spread of food!
(left)Rebecca's mom Leesa, Becca and Kristen.
A great time was had by all. Rebecca, you are going to be a wonderful mom...you have been for me ever since I've known you! haha. Love you lots!

My Man

I'm at Michael's work right now being supportive because he has to work late, so I'm going to take a survey about him:)

1.Who is your man? Michael

2. How long have you been married? 7 months

3. How long did you date? We got engaged on our 9 month anniversary! Well, I guess is not technically an anniversary if it hasn't been a year yet...ever thought about that? Annual means yearly. Anywho...

4. How old is your man? 27

5. Who eats more? Michael, definitely. I can't eat very much at one time, I just eat many small meals througout the day:)

6. Who said "I love you" first? He did, and it was the sweetest thing...especially since I didn't say it back for like a month! Love that confidence.

7. Who is taller? Michael

8. Who sings better? We both love to sing, and do often (including making up songs on the fly together ALL the time) but I would say he is a better singer. His voice literally sounds like there is an angel from heaven singing to you. Really! I melted when I first heard him sing...

9. Who is smarter? It depends on the subject...techical, computer, electronic stuff, and how to fix practically anything, definitely Michael. Current events, cooking, English, would be my arena.

10. Whose temper is worse? I would say mine is worse because I'm a bit of a drama queen and show my anger quite freely and expressively:) Michael is very mild tempered and always thinks before he speaks. Precious.

11. Who does the laundry? Both

12. Who takes out the trash? Michael

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do...well, that is if you are looking down at the bed.

14. Who handles the bills? Michael. He's fabulous with finances, thank goodness!

15. Who is better on the computer? Michael, but I'm not too far behind

16. Who mows the lawn? The HOA for our townhome community :)

17. Who cooks dinner? I do, but only like 2 times a week. I need to do better!

18. Who drives when you are together? Michael

19. Who pays when you go out? Both of us, it doesn't really matter, it's all the same!

20. Who is more stubborn? I am more stubborn if anyone, but I think we are both pretty aggreable

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? hmmm...Michael probably.

22. Whose families do you see most? Probably mine a little more since they live in the same town now, but we do see his quite a bit too. We both have amazing parents!!

23. Who kissed who first? Michael, but it was pretty much a "lean in" on both parts;)

24. Who asked who out first? Michael asked me...and then Kelee invited herself to go because we weren't sure it was a date! HA! That's a funny story. Michael learned his lesson though, the next time he made sure I knew it was a date.

25. Who proposed? Michael of course.

26. Who is more sensitive? Michael is a sensitive guy, and is one of the reasons I love him so much, but I probably take the cake on that one. I cry very easily. Thanks Mom!

27. Who has more friends? Probably about the same.

28. Who has more siblings? I do

29. Who wears the pants in the family? We are still working out this whole "marriage" thing, but I'd say Michael is truly the leader, but he values my opinion very much, we make decisions together.

30. Who is the biggest pushover with the kids? Not applicable yet! I'd say Michael will be though:)

This was fun! Ok I'm going to tag some peeps...Eryn, Bethany, and Randi.Go!

Baby Ethan...

Making my last post sound very trivial...Baby Ethan's Leukemia has officiallly returned. Please refer to my other posts about Ethan if you are confused, or visit his website.
They now have to decide if they will do another bone marrow transplant, or more chemo...Please pray for this family and this child who has suffered too much already. I don't know why terrible things happen to good people, but I do know that our God redeems and He truly heals. And He loves this child!

Stumped about Gluten-free Cake mix and a weird day....

Do you ever have those days where you feel like everybody you come in contact with is rude to you, and you just keep hurting yourself? haha, sounds rediculous as I'm writing it, but this is my day today. First of all I keep hurting myself; stubbing my toe this morning, hitting my head on the car door, bending my fingernail back trying to open my desk drawer (yeah, ouch) and everyone is mean today! On my lunch I go to Wild Oats first, where I was trying to find a good gluten-free cake mix for a shower I'm hosting this Saturday and the mommy-to-be is gluten-free. Well, what do I know about gluten free cake mixes??? Nothing. So I stand in the isle, looking at about 6 different brands of GF cake mix...who knew there were so many! So I pick out a brand and try to find a Wild Oats employee to ask their opinion, and oh did I find the WRONG person! This lady acted like the absolute last thing in the world she wanted to do was give me her opinion on a GF cake mix. She looked at me like I was a complete idiot, and didn't help me at all. I was planning on eating lunch at the salad bar and was so turned off by this that I just decided to pay for my questionable cake mix and leave. Then I go to Subway to grab a sandwich, and on my way in the really spastic door hits me HARD in the left kidney! It's still hurting pretty bad. Then of course, rude Subway employees, and then to Target for some more rudeness. WHAT IS THE DEAL!! I typically have pleasant lunch outings. Oh well, let's just chalk it up to an "off" day!

Bunco

Has anyone ever played this spunky little game? We had our first official game a couple weeks ago and I hosted. We didn't take any pictures which is a bummer, but I will take some at our next game so you can see how OUT OF CONTROL this game can get! I think we were all hoarse the next day for screaming so much! Everyone is supposed to put in $10 each and then there are a couple of different categories you can win. Well, I ended up winning BOTH, taking home 100 bucks baby! Needless to say, I had the most fun of all.

Bunco: I recommend it.

A new arrival!

Just wanted to say congrats to one of my very very best friends from home, Ashley, and husband Donnie, on their new baby...that makes number 3! His name is William Zade and he was born on October 3rd. He's gorgeous, just like his big sister (Milan, 1 year old) and big brother (Ryker, 4, was the ring bearer in my wedding). This is a pic of Ryker kissing his baby brother's head:) So sweet! I absolutely adore this amazing family and pray God's blessings on them all of their lives. Love you guys!

"Random" acts of kindness...

I would just like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about my wonderful husband. Michael is a true gentlemen, a helper, a talented singer and musician, a lover of people, compassionate and oh-so handsome:) But I would like to highlight one of his main attributes today; Michael is truly selfless. This is one of the characteristics that really made me fall in love with him. It was pouring down rain this morning (and still is now, at 9:30am) and on his way to work, Michael saw a woman on the side of the road, trying to get shelter from the rain under a tree with hardly any leaves. Without hesitation, Michael pulled over and ran over to the woman and gave her his umbrella. This really reminded me of how much we need to be the hands and feet of Jesus to anyone we see in need...and how far it really goes. That woman could have been so touched by that act of kindness that she decided to do the same. Anyone watch the movie "Pay it Forward"? Anyway, I think it takes a lot more than just deciding that you are going to be Jesus to people in need...there is a true love for people that I am longing to have...that I believe can only truly come from God building that inside of us, the closer we get to Him. Anyway, didn't mean to preach, but I wanted to share this awesome story of a not-so-random act of kindness, and hopefully it will inspire you to do the same.

Startling...

Ok, I just read one of my blogging friend's blog today and have to share! Apparently, Autism is RAPIDLY growing, and there has to be a reason for it. Check out her post on this. Scary stuff. The more I read about this, the more I believe in a big connection between processed, non-organic foods and childhood vaccinations with Autism, allergies, and even cancer.

What are your thoughts or experiences with this?

Contacting Kelee

Many of you have asked how to contact Kelee, send a letter, etc. I will give you three different ways to send her your love!

EMAIL: keleeh@gmail.com (she doesn't check it very often, but eventually she will)

CELL PHONE: Yes, she has a cell phone! If you have Skype and really want to contact her, her number is 27799662545.

SNAIL MAIL: and I mean SNAIL! It may not get there for 2 to 4 weeks, but I know she would appreciate it so much! Her address is:

Kelee Hall, PCV
U. S. Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
SOUTH AFRICA

She would absolutely love know that there are people here praying and thinking of her daily. I'm sure she's starting to get a bit lonely! :(

Where in the world is Kelee Crisman Hall???

Ok so for those of you who knew Kelee in college and got to know the awesome, fun, touchy feely, crazy girl she was, I would like to clue you into who she has truly grown to be...an amazing woman still with all her craziness and natural ability to have a good time, but she also has the most compassionate heart for others and a love for Jesus that has made her into an amazing woman of FAITH! If you recognized my "Carmen SanDiego" reference in the title of this blog, you probably figured out that Kelee has left the country! Kelee officially joined the US Peace Corps this summer and is stationed in SOUTH AFRICA for 2 YEARS! She is in The Northern Cape, which is the most desolate province, and her village is called Madibeng and you won't be able to find it on a map. It's 8 hours from Johannesberg, close to the Botswana border, and it's near the Kalahari dessert for those of you who are dorks like me and want to figure out where exactly she is:) She is the farthest west PC volunteer! I will be periodically updating you all on her adventures as a Peace Corps volunteer as I hear from her. PLEASE keep Kelee in your prayers! This will be such a growing and learning experience for her, but she will need to know that we are lifting her up in prayer every time we think of her. That's what I've committed to do. I am just so proud of our Kelee and how she just LEAPED out of her comfort zone to accept her calling. We can all learn from a faith like that!

By the way, this picture is of her and one of her kindergarten students here in Nashville if you were wondering.

More to come on the adventures of Peace Corps Kelee!!

Baby Ethan Update

If you have followed this story at all, you know that this little boy has been through SO much, battling Leukemia, and the Lord has brought him through so much. This story is not only about Ethan's sickness, but it is about all the lives this baby has touched and changed, and he doesn't even know it yet.

As you probably know, Ethan's Leukemia went into remission a few weeks ago. Praise God! The journey is not even close to being over though. This family needs your prayers, desperately at this time. Ethan has had some complications with seizures, and on top of that, they have done some testing and have found some abnormal, probably cancerous cells hiding in his body. This is not good. If they determine that the Leukemia has returned, the doctors have told them that there is nothing more they can do. He has already been through every chemo treatment option his little body can handle. There is a big purpose for this child, and we have to believe that God is going to bring that purpose to fruition. Please join with me in praying for this family and all they've been through. Pray and BELIEVE that God will heal this baby once and for all, and give his parents the supernatural strength to keep going, to keep believing and to keep fighting.

www.ethanpowell.com

Thank you!

The Invasion

We watched this movie last weekend and it was really really good...it's a remake of The Body Snatchers. We were on the edge of our seats the whole time! Props to Nicole Kidman. She is so talented- so naturally beautiful. I used to see her and Keith every single weekday morning at Starbucks when I lived in Green Hills. They are very "real" people. Always in some sort of jogging/lounging attire, never any makeup, always smiling. This brings me to another point, I believe (and have often heard this) that celebrities like to live in Nashville because we are used to seeing famous people so we don't freak out and ask for autographs, and because we are in the south, we are kind and non-intrusive. I like that about us. You should go see this movie if you like a good thriller.

TGIF!!

I just wanted to make sure everyone knew it was Friday...

Thank the Lord!! :) Have a great and safeweekend!

Thanks, Anne...

"What a splendid day!... I pity people who aren't born yet for missing it. They may have good days, of course, but they can never have this one." - Anne of Green Gables

Did you ever read the Anne of Green Gables book or watch the movies?
Growing up, this consumed probably 75% of my summers break. Maybe this is part of the reason why I feel so positive and euphoric about the world I live in sometimes. I would love to just go back to those days of learning from Anne and not having a care in the world besides deciding what adventure I am going to go on that day. I even consider my best friends "kindred spirits" because of Anne's influence:) Thanks Anne!

This u-tube video brought me to tears today. What an amazing picture of the spiritual battle going on for our souls.

Poison...in my GUM??

I just found out that aspartame is in almost every type of chewing gum. Did anyone else know this? I have totally been in the dark. If anyone knows of a type of gum that does not contain aspartame, let me know. It's poison people! And yes, you diet-cokeaholics, it's in there too. Put the bottle down, I plead with you! :)

And the praises continue!

As of today, baby Ethan is 100% Leukemia free! Our awesome God did a miracle in this little boy. They have checked his blood and his marrow and they are both 100% Leukemia free. This is a day, a year, to celebrate for what the Lord has done! Many have doubted from the beginning, and have thought that Ben, Ethan's dad was in denial or crazy for believing that God would heal him. But look what true believe does! The Bible says whatever you ask the Father for, and if you believe with all your heart, it will be granted to you!! That wasn't a bluff people. Go to Ethan's website and read the update, it will surely lift your spirits and remind you of what a great God we serve.

Also, I will be running/walking in the "Team Ethan" 5K in December in Memphis if anyone wants to join me!! Ethan may even be able to be there, which will just be mind-blowing. Tons of prayer warriors throughout this journey will be there. It will be just a great way to praise God together for this miracle and raise support for St. Jude as well. Go to www.myspace.com/teamethanpowell to sign up! We can carpoole!

Thank you Lord for what you have done!!

BIG NEWS!!!

If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit obsessed with baby Ethan and his fight with Leukemia. I just wanted to share with you some GREAT news!!! After the cell-engrafting procedure, where his dad's cells were transplanted into Ethan's blood, the doctors said this had a slim chance of working...well??? Results came back, and the cells definitely engrafted and they are 100% DONOR CELLS! What does this mean? 0% Leukemia!!! I just wanted to share with you how awesome our God is and what prayer and true believing can do:) Go to the website to read it for yourself. This picture below is of Ethan and his dad Ben.

4th of July Pics...

Ok, this is a little late but oh well! We had a blast that night...first we had a cookout at our place and then we all went downtown and got on top of the roof of "The Globe" (used to be Planet Hollywood) so we had a spectacular view. Good times:)

ooh, scary. We were very high up so looking over the edge was a little nerve racking...but hey, anything for a good photo opp:) Happy 4th!

Baby Ethan...

(7/17) Ok I had to add to this post so I could share with you some encouraging news about Ethan. To give you a heads up, this cell engrafting procedure was said to have a very slim chance of working. Here is part of the update from Becky, Ethan's mom from yesterday afternoon:

This update could go on forever, so I'll cut it off by giving you the latest updates on him. His ANC is 128!! (It was 200 this morning, but they said it can fluctuate.) Anyway...he has an ANC!!! His white blood cells are to 1600! They drew a lab this morning to check to see how much of his blood is his and how much is his Daddy's. They said we probably won't know the results from that until Thursday or Friday. PLEASE PRAY for the cells to be 100% donor (Ben's cells)!

How cool is that!! Keep praying, our God is Awesome!!


(7/16) Baby Ethan needs your prayers like none other. Please go to his website and read the latest update. There is a picture there of Ethan that might rip your heart out, but let that not hinder us from believing in God's plan for this little boy's life! Just think, this could have been your child. They need us to hit our knees in a desparate way! Thanks. www.ethanpowell.com

Wedding Pics Continued...

I've got all of my wedding pics posted on yet another blog-type site, so to see the them click here: Wedding. This site can hold more pics at one time.

Enjoy!

Important Day to Pray!!!

Guys, this is a critical day for baby Ethan. Today he gets his first batch of "Killer Cells" from his dad. This starts the process of his dad's cells taking over any of Ethan's bad cells and with PRAYER, FAITH, and BELIEF is the cure for Ethan's Leukemia!! Please remember this in your prayers today. Take 1 or 2 minutes out of your day to lift them up in complete Faith for Ethan's healing. They are asking that everyone truly BELIEVE with them. There is no room for doubt. Ethan's life depends on it. Go to the website (under "blogs I read") to read the update. It's inspiring:)

Bitten...

Has anyone heard of Sarah Jessica Parker's new clothing line? It's apparently SUPER cute and quality stuff at crazy cheap prices. The website is bittensjp.com and it's sold exclusively at Steve and Berry's stores.

Neat!

What's been going on...

Well we've had a busy couple of weeks with moving into our new place, my mom and sister joining my dad and brother and completing the whole family living in Nashville now, and our great friends Eryn and David Jones coming to visit (for a brief moment!) We are thankful for the busy times...it means our lives are FULL! :)

Update on Kelee's mom: For those of you who don't know, Janis had a milignant tumor on her spine and they removed it last week. She's having some complications with lack of feeling in her legs, but they think this will come back over the next couple of months. They still are not sure if the cancer had spread from another part of her body, so please pray about that. Kelee is still planning on going into the Peace Corps to South Africa (after a long talk with her mom about it, they decided she still needed to go). She will leave mid-July, so also pray for her safety and for the Lord to lead her to people who need to know of His love. Pray for the Holy Spirit to speak through her in her words and actions.
Here are some pics from Kelee's going away party...we got her a "chunky" watch, and she was very happy about it:)

One more thing...if you haven't gone to baby Ethan's website (on my links) please do so. This is a potentially really sad story, but thousands of people are rallying together lifting up this little guy in prayer every second of the day. Please pray for June 18th: this is THE day that will decide the rest of Ethan's life...although we know that our God is not tied down to timelines. Please just take a moment to pray for complete healing! That's all for now. Oh and one of my very good friends is pregnant so that's super exciting. I won't say who it is just in case she doesn't want it broadcasted yet:)

URGENT Prayers Needed...

I was just reading through blogs on the internet today, and I just happened to stumble across this website for a little baby boy named Ethan who was diagnosed with Leukemia 8 weeks after he was born. I think they are from Little Rock, AR. They are at St. Jude in Memphis now. His mom and dad update this website every single day, and I ended up going back to the February posts (when he was diagnosed) and reading through all of them up to today. I was so touched by this family, their BIG faith in God, and their big need at this time...and the fact that one of my best friends was diagnosed with Leukemia in December and God healed her (Praise the Lord!)...I feel like I came across this website for a reason. Yesterday Baby Ethan began the last attempt of Chemotherapy and this is apparently the strongest kind he could go through. As I was sitting at my desk reading this, tears were streaming down my face. If you read through all the updates from the beginning, you will see why it cannot be time for this little warrior to leave this world. God has a huge purpose in this little boy's life, and I just feel compelled to tell as many people as possible to pray for complete healing for him. Please, do the same, and pass along his website to your own prayer warriors. This is the most critical time of their whole journey. Also pray for his mom and dad who have been through a lot.

Here is his website www.ethanpowell.com
go to the 'updates' link to read their posts. There are also pictures and videos. Here is the utube video link www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJX2JwaWmbc
of Ethan's journey. Beware, it's a tear jerker. I have also put the links to his website and utube video in my "links" section.

There is also going to be a nation wide prayer vigil for Ethan, this Sunday, June 10th. They are asking that everyone spread the word to their churches to take a moment during the worship service to pray for Ethan. Please spread the word!

I don't know why I came across this website...or why I feel so strongly about this family that I don't even know...but I do know that they serve the same God I do, and I have witnessed time and time again God's miraculous love and healing that he provides when we seek him.
Let's stand together in praying for God to put his healing hand on Ethan once and for all.

Our Wedding Day

(pics and commentary may be distorted if using a MAC)


On March 31st, 2007, somewhere around 4:30 in the afternoon, Michael and Whitney became husband and wife...It was the most beautiful day ever!

We were married at Saint Paul Community Church in Green Hills.

Getting ready...
This is Ryker, my little handsome ring bearer...he definitley kept us entertained with stories in the dressing room!

Here comes the dress!

My absolutely wonderful made of honor/hair dresser/make-up artist (my sister) helping me out... .......Kingsley Anne :)

.......Pre-Wedding Fun.....


What a hottie!



Grace, our flower girl! She is Michael's cousin The most beautiful bridesmaids ever!
and the oh-so-handsome groomsmen...
This is one of my favorites. It's Michael and his brother Stephen...so sweet!:)
My amazing mom
and awesome new "mother-in-love" I am so blessed!
This is the first time we've see each other all day...and of course, I'm crying! Thanks for coming to part one of our wedding day blog! Part two (the reception!) will be up soon...
...so stay tuned!