wCm

Another one...there are just too many to narrow it down!

2009-03-01T16:38:00.001-08:00

I'm in Love...

2009-02-28T14:48:00.000-08:00

With my little baby niece Marlie! I didn't really expect to love her this much...if that makes any sense. I mean, I knew I would love her but there is something about a baby that is part of your flesh and blood that just makes that love so much stronger! I feel like I've been able to experience a small piece of what it's like to be a mother all though I know that my sister loves Marlie on a whole other level. Here are some pics of "little one" as I have come to call her:) She is just over a month old now!

I don't know if you can see it very well in this pic, but Marlie's hair is always sticking straight up and to the middle, almost in a "faux-hawk". Love it!

Beautiful mama (my sis Kingsley) and baby girl

Cute little yawn!

Uncle Michael:)

She was only 1 day old!

Look at that precious little face!!

Tagged!

2009-01-26T18:53:00.001-08:00

Ok, the 4th picture in my 4th folder was this! This is the night of Kelee's going away party when she was leaving for South Africa almost 2 years ago now! Wow! I can't believe it's been that long. Me, Alyson and Robin gave her that watch for her going away present. Kelee was very happy about her present...but we used the opportunity to over dramatize the happiness...shocker! Miss and love you Kelee!!

Baby Marlie is Here!!!

2009-01-23T07:14:00.000-08:00

Marlie Jade

January 22, 2009

7 lbs 13oz, 20 1/2 in.

Mommy is doing great!! She is the most precious baby ever...more pics to come!!

A Very EVENTFUL Christmas break!

2009-01-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

Well I did a horrible job of taking pictures over Christmas, but I did take a few so I will have to add those later. Here's a brief overview of our Christmas and New Year:

We left on Christmas Eve morning to go to Spokane, WA where Michael's mom's side of the family lives, I experienced my FIRST white Christmas (with 5 feet of snow!!), went skiing and Michael snowboarded, played lots of games, ate a ton of food and watched lots of movies. We had a GREAT time!! I have never in my life experienced that much SNOW!

Now on to the drama...the night before Michael and I left WA to come home on 1/3, I started to get a terrible stomach ache. I wasn't nauseous at all, but had just horrible abdominal pain with no relief. Couldn't sleep the whole night. The next day, on our way home, we got suck in Vegas on a delayed flight for 3 hours (we were already going to be getting home after midnight) and by this time it was about 6pm and I had still not been able to eat anything all day. At about 7 I tried to eat a sandwich from Subway and IMMEDIATELY regretted it!! We finally get home to Nashville at about 3am, and at this point it had been more than 24 hours that I had been suffering with this terrible abdominal pain. So, we decided to go ahead and go to the ER. I was afraid whatever was wrong with me was causing damage to my body, and plus I'd had ENOUGH of the pain! So we arrive at the ER and they take me to a room to have my blood pressure taken, etc.

While we were sitting in the room, we can hear this woman moaning and yelling like crazy due to the fact that, we soon found out, she was in labor. The yelling gets closer and closer and soon the woman, sitting in a wheel chair, is stopped right in front of the door to our room. So we have a CLEAR view of everything going on. All of a sudden we here her say, "The baby's coming! I see his head!!" we look over and see her husband and 2 nurses crouched down under her and within about 5 seconds the baby was out and crying!!! What the heck! We just witnessed the birth of a baby!! Michael and I just looked at each other and said, "did that just happen?!" HA!

So the next 5 hours, I was taken to a room, given an IV, blood taken, given all kinds of medication, including Morphine (that didn't even make a dent in my pain), had to drink this awful stuff so they could put die in my stomach to see what was wrong, and at the end of it all, it was a virus attacking my digestive system that I basically couldn't do anything about. By the time I left, the pain was FINALLY subsiding. I'm just so thankful nothing terrible was wrong with me!! I never want to go through that kind of pain EVER again. And after witnessing that woman giving birth...there is NO question whether or not I will have an epidural when I give birth...YES PLEASE!!! Poor Michael was sick with a terrible cold too, but he stuck by me through it all. He was amazing. I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year, minus any major drama!!

The JELL-O Generation!!

2008-12-04T16:57:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have a fun task for each of you...

Next time you are at your mother's/grandmother's house, take a look in her pantry. How many boxes of JELL-O does she have??! I bet you will be SHOCKED!! And then ask the question..."what are you planning to DO with all that JELL-O, Mom?!" My mom and I have a theory as to why this generation feels the need to stock up on JELL-O, but I will reveal that later.

Please report back with your findings...:) HA!

God has a Plan and Purpose for ALL

2008-11-21T07:08:00.000-08:00

I certainly don't mean to stir up any more negative feelings about our new president (even though this probably will, sorry) and there are a lot of things I do like about Obama....this however, is something I strongly disagree with.

I know this woman personally...she lives in Nashville and has an AMAZING story of how she was aborted and SURVIVED!! If this doesn't make a case for everyone having the right to life...even unborn babies, then God help us.

If I were you...

2008-11-14T13:52:00.001-08:00

I would think twice about becoming a Starbucks Gold Member!

Ok so it sounds great at first...pay just $25 a year to get this special card, and each purchase thereafter is 10% off, plus one free drink on your birthday and one free drink the day you sign up.

So I thought...great! I go to Starbucks quite a bit, so this will DEFINITELY be worth it and save me a ton of money. But just in case, I decided to do the math because I'm a math genius (enter laughter).

Let's say you buy a drink for $4.50 once a week for an entire year (54 weeks). That comes out to: $234 a year.

With the Starbucks gold card you get 10% off so doing that same equation, it now comes to $210.60 a year.

That comes out to a savings of $32.40, but then it costs $25 to become a member in the beginning.

Even factoring in 2 free drinks at $4.50, the TOTAL savings for an entire YEAR is only $7.40, and that's if you remember to go to Starbucks on your birthday.

Is that bizaar to anyone else??! I just thought for SURE I would save at least liek 20 bucks a year becoming a "Gold" member. Geez, Starbucks...I feel like you have betrayed my trust in trying to trick me like this. Very dissappointing.

Kingsley's Baby Shower

2008-11-02T05:42:00.000-08:00

We had Kingsley's first baby shower for Marlie Jade (baby girl's name!) at my house this weekend. It was wonderful. Here are the pics!

Mom, Kingsley and me

My aunt Beverly, Kyndall(soon to be added to the family, marrying my cousin Grant in March! and her soon to be mother-in-love Renee)

I was so happy Ashley got to come and bring her precious little girl, Milan!

Trying out Marlie's new bows!

Baby Bedding

Aunt Lanie, mom, Kings, me and Jody (my grandmother)

We had a great time and are so excited to meet Miss Marlie Jade sometime in January!!

Finding my Strengths

2008-10-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

I took the Strengths Finder 2.0 test awhile back for my job at Mercy, and I have to say the results were very interesting! I'll give you my results, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Some say that others can clearly see your strengths while it's hard to see your own. So tell me my friends, are these really me?

1. Strategic: (this one was a shocker to me) the ability to sort through the clutter to find the best route. You see patterns where others see complexity. You play out alternative scenarious in your head in order to decide the best path to take.

2. Developer: finding potential in others, helping to stretch and grow them in their gifts. These signs of growth inothers are your fuel and many will seek you out for help and encouragement because they know your helpfullness is genuine.

3. Woo: (stands for Winning Over Others) You enjoy the challenge of meeting new people and getting them to like you. Strangers are energizing and you are drawn to them. You love to "break the ice" and make connections with people. In your world, there are no strangers, just friends you haven't met yet :)

4. Includer: "Stretch the circle wider" is your philosophy. You want to include people and make them feel part of the group. You hate the sight of someone on the outside looking in. You always want to draw them in so they can enjoy the group. You are an instinctively accepting person.

5. Positivity: You are generous with praise, quick to smile and always on the lookout for the positive in the situation. People want to be around you. Their world looks better because your enthusiasm is contagious. You inject drama in every project (for sure!!) You find ways to find everything more exciting.

I definitely see a lot of 3-5 in me initially. Very interesting. I would encourage everyone to go out and get this book, you can find it at any major bookstore, or here.

Mercy Ministries

2008-10-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

I just have to share about what a priveledge it is to work for an organization that is truly changing lives...and I am seeing it first hand! If you are ever in the area you should schedule a time for a tour of the home to see first hand the unconditional love, exceptional living conditions and life changing power of Christ when you walk through those doors. One of the greatest things about this program is...it's completely free of charge!! I have not found another residential counseling program that is free of charge. This is just one of the many reasons why it WORKS! We want the girls to know that we are not trying to make money on their problems and our love is unconditional...just like God's love.

Our founder, Nancy Alcorn has an amazing story of how God led her to start Mercy Ministries 25 years ago. I cannot tell you how REAL and straighforward Nancy is about these issues and getting free from them. She has never let anything persuade her to waiver on any of the principals God gave her to begin this amazing ministry, and so He continues to bless it! Read about Nancy Alcorn and the beginning of Mercy Ministries here.

We rely SOLEY on private donations (through individuals, churches and business) so we can have the freedom to share Christ...the only TRUE live changer. Without that, the program would not be as successful as it is today. There has been an abundance of graduates writing in to tell us how they are doing and just to testify that God has changed lives for the better! You can read those letters here.

Thanks for taking the time to read this...if you have any questions about getting involved with Mercy through either volunteering, donating, or raising awareness among your community or with your church, please contact me!

New Hair!!

2008-09-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my brilliant sister who is the best hair person in the world! I'm convinced...

Coolest Feature Ever!!

2008-09-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

Ok thanks to the wonderful Anna Morrow:) I have discovered something new about blogger that will change all of our blogging lives forever!! If you will look to the right...you will see that I am adding all of the blogs I read in a new way that will constantly be updated if that person makes a new post! So much time is now saved! Much thanks to Anna for that revelation.

All you have to do is go to LAYOUT and "add a gadget" and I believe it's the first item on the list...add a blog list. SO great!! Enjoy!

P.S. I am not done updating this section so don't be mad at me if you don't see your blog there yet. :)

Our new house, finally!!!

2008-08-23T08:52:00.001-07:00

Here's a sneak peak...we have a LOT of unpacking and organizing to do so please disregard the mess! I'm currently taking a break from the madness to do some posting...:)

I love these windows!

My favorite part...the back deck with an amazing view! There is actually a guy who lives behind our trees that has a big pond with a waterfall that he turns on at night...it is SO nice!!

I'll post again once everything is done:) We LOVE our new house!!

Baby Shower for Annie

2008-08-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we had a baby shower for Annie for baby girl #2! She will be named Katie Charlotte, of course after our dear sweet Katie, Annie's sister.

Annie with her daughter Maggie on the right and Katie's little girl Merriwether on the left.

The hostesses and Annie (Jesse, Me, Annie, Bethany)

Me and Ashley, one of my very best friends from home. I miss her!

Beautiful Merriwether

It was so great to see everyone!

2008-08-15T21:22:00.000-07:00

I have 2 new posts below...trying to catch up! So just keep scrolling! :)

Love is in the air!!!

2008-08-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is...but 4 of our best couple friends got engaged within like 2 weeks of eachother and they are all getting married within the next year. It's crazy! Love is definitely in the air. We hosted a fabulous "double engagement party" for 2 of the couples--Clay and Hannah and Mike and Jenny. We had it at Ombi restaurant off of Elliston place, and I would recommend this place to anyone wanting to do a private party! It was fabulous!

The hostesses with one of the guests of honor. (Me, Ty, Hannah and Alyson)

Clay and Hannah, getting married November 14th

Some of our guests enjoying the fantastic food and ambiance:)

Mike and Jenny, getting married October 4th Cheers to the happy couples!

We are so happy for you all!

Trip to Ft. Collins, CO

2008-08-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Over the 4th of July weekend, Michael, Robin and I went to visit our long lost friends, Eryn and David:) It was a fabulous trip and Robin and I soaked up every last second with Eryn:( Miss you! Here are some pics from the trip:

Absolutely breathtaking views! We went to Rocky Mountain National Park

We went to this big open field to watch fireworks with the cute little Ft. Collins community! Here's Eryn and David:

I told Michael that I was just a little bit mad at him for overshadowing me in this picture by being so stinking HOT! I mean really...

Good friends back together again. Nothing has changed when we see each other even though we live far away from Eryn. I love these girls.

Praise the Lord...

2008-08-10T07:27:00.000-07:00

We are finally closing on our new house!!! It's set for Monday and I can't believe it's finally here!!! If I have to live in this house for the rest of my life, I would rather do that than have to work with another lender like this again. :)

I'll post pics of the new house soon!! Yay!

My lack of posts...

2008-07-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

Is because of one thing...my new job!! I am loving every minute of it, but it is seriously a non-stop all day long series of events and by the time I get home every night it is all I can do to have enough energy to do anything but sit on the couch and rest my weary brain:) Hopefully as I get in the groove of my day to day activities I will not be so drained every day.

Here is a list of updates:

1. My little sister is pregnant!! She is due January 12th (she's about 14 weeks right now) and although things didn't happen in the, shall we say "normal" order...we are all very excited and covering mom and baby in prayer every day. Her name is Kingsley and if you would like to add her to your prayers we would so appreciate it! She will be a great mom:)

2. Still waiting to close on our new house. Hopefully it will be some time around Aug. 15th!

3. Over the July 4th weekend we went to visit our great friends Eryn and David in Colorado. We had the BEST time!! Saw gorgeous breath-taking mountains and had some great quality time spent with some truly special friends that I thank God for. Eryn has posted pics from our trip on her page. I haven't had a chance to post pics so you can look at hers.

4. Michael's birthday was July 11th. He is now 28...and I am so blessed every day more and more to be married to him!!

5. Kelee has a BLOG!!! YAY!! Be sure and show her some love:)

Ok that's all I can think of for now...I will try to do better about posting updates!

Update

2008-06-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

Since there is a lot of craziness and transition in our life right now I thought I should give a brief update!

I recently was offered a job at a non-profit organization called Mercy Ministries of America, headquartered here in Nashville, and I accepted!! Mercy is a home for young girls who are troubled with either drugs, abuse, self-harm, eating disorders, depression, unplanned pregnancy and everything in between. Mercy gives these young women freedom from these things through teaching them who they are in Christ and His power to forever change their lives. It's an AMAZING place! I will be Director of Development and will be working primarily with developing donor relationships, and I'll be working mainly with new homes(as far as I know). There are lots of new homes being planted around the America (and also the World!) so my job will be to develop relationships with surrounding businesses, churches, and community leaders in the area of the home to form partnerships with them in supporting the home. I'm SO excited!!

Moving on, Michael and I are in the process of buying a new house! Yes, we did just buy our townhome a few months ago, but the plan was always to use this as a rental property. So we found an amazing deal in a new neighborhood very close to where we live now and are hoping to close at the end of the month! I know this is LONG overdue, but for those of you who have never seen our townhome, and because I want to document our first home purchase, here are some pics.

I will post pics of the new house when we close on it, but nothing is set in stone yet so I'm a little hesitant!! Stay tuned for that.

Our first home as a married couple...

Hallway looking into guest bedroom

Master bedroom (we haven't really done much decor wise to the upstairs, it's been a little neglected!)

So that's our little townhome! We love it but it's already feeling too small for us. We found someone to rent it out for a year in less than 5 minutes! No joke. We put it on Craigs List and within 5 minutes started getting calls and emails!! What a blessing!

That's what's going on in the Cantrell's lives right now! Thanks for checking in!!

2008-06-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

I was watching the news this afternoon and saw and heard something that absolutely appalled me. Today is the first day gay marriage is legal in the state of California, but that is not really the thing that has me all fired up. They showed clips of crowds of people opposing this new law and picketing against the gay people who were getting married. They were claiming to be Christians and one woman, ON CAMERA actually said, "They will spend eternity in the flames of hell!!!" and even worse things than that. WHAT?! Can someone show me the love in that sentence and what good saying that could possibly do? It completely burns me up to hear the things people will say in the name of Jesus. I don't believe anyone has the right to say who will be spending eternity in Hell except for the one and only Judge. I believe our number one priority on this earth, as Christians, is to love and serve others in a way that shows God's perfect love, and to be able to testify as to where that love really comes from. People who are so openly judgmental and ugly about certain lifestyles are not showing love at all. That just gives non-Christians MORE reason to want to never learn about God's love. It's a terrible, terrible thing. I just wish I could shut-up all of those people.

Anyway, had to take a moment to vent! How does everyone else feel about this kind of thing? I would be very interested to hear your thoughts.

South Africa pt Deux

2008-06-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ok for some reason I am having trouble posting pics on this one and I'm tired of trying:) so...if you would like to see the rest of the SA pics you can view them here on my facebook page. Enjoy!

By the way, please keep Kelee and especially her host family in your prayers. 3 days after we left, a mob of 50 people came in the middle of the night and basically ambushed their home. Kelee, Michael and I had already left so none of us were there. They broke out all the windows and rolled burning tires into their house. Everyone is ok, but this is all about them blaming Kelee's host father for something he didn't do, mainly because he is "wealthy" and they are jealous. Everything is so political there. Anyway, Kelee cannot go back there after all those relationships she is built so I know she is just devestated. She is waiting for her next assignment living in Vryburg which is a town about 2 hours away I think. Praise God everyone was alright and that we weren't there when it happened!! I will keep you guys posted on where she will be assigned next. Please pray that God will lead her exactly where she needs to be, and to comfort the family as I know they are very shaken up. Thanks!

Maria Chapman

2008-05-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't live in Nashville and may not have heard, Wednesday night Steven Curtis Chapman's 5 year old daughter was accidentally killed when one of the sons was backing out of their driveway and hit her. It is so terribly sad, especially for the young boy I think. We need to pray for them. Here's the article from the Tennessean: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080521/TUNEIN/80521174/1005/ENTERTAINMENT

Our South African "Holiday" pt. 1

2008-05-20T10:43:00.001-07:00

They call all vacation time a "holiday" over there. I like it:)

We had one heck of an adventure last week!! We got to see our great friend Kelee which was definitely the main reason for going, but we also got to do and see some really cool stuff!! I'll try not to bore you with too many details, just a few highlights from the trip.

This was our first night in Johannesburg (Joburg) at this really cool African themed restaurant called "Moyo". They came around and painted our faces! Too cute.

This was the view from our balcony. Really cool "square" of restaurants and bars.

The next morning we left to go on our road trip to visit Phillip, Kelee's boyfriend.
Here's a pic of Michael trying to figure out how to drive on the RIGHT side of the car, and the LEFT side of the road!
A picture of Kelee and her honey! His name is Phillip and he is a farmer in a town called Bray. He owns tons of land there and sees it as his purpose and calling in life to help the oppressed people where he lives have a chance of a better life. He's amazing.

I thought this was just a really cool pic of Kelee The next morning we went out to Phillips farm and went exploring on a four wheeler and a dirt bike! It's about 40 thousand acres of land!!

Us on the four wheeler:)

Phillips goats...

Doesn't this pic look sort of fake?? It's like they were posing! hehe.

More to come...

Help!

2008-05-20T05:36:00.000-07:00

Ok ladies I need some major help and/or advice. Our laundry situation is out of control, and it seems hopeless! I mean, we don't even have kids yet! It's very very disheartening to me that I can't gain control of just 2 people's seemingly endless amount of laundry. The thing is, I'm great at washing clothes. Love it. But when it comes to folding or hanging up clothes once they are done, it just gets totally out of control!! If I get behind on even ONE load, then it just snowballs and we have a sea of clean laundry in our guest bedroom. What do I do about this? This is seriously bothering me, I even had a major breakdown last night (with tears and all) because the situation seems hopeless. Help! Any advice is welcomed.

South Africa!!

2008-05-07T12:15:00.001-07:00

We are leaving tomorrow morning bright and early for South Africa!! We will mainly be going to visit my great friend Kelee who is in the Peace Corps there! We could not be more excited about this ADVENTURE of a vacation! Please pray for a safe trip for us! I'll definitely post lots of pics from our trip when we return. Lions and Tigers and Cheetahs, oh my!! :)

A Possible New Business Venture...Diaper Cakes!!

2008-04-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

I have made a couple of diaper cakes for my friends' baby showers over the past few months and have gotten a lot of compliments on them. Recently, people have been asking me to make them and have actually been paying me for it! So this really sparked my creative side and I think it would be so fun to start doing this on the side. They look great as center pieces on the gift or food table, as shown below. I have included pictures of 2 different diaper cakes I have made, so what do you think?

This first was the one I made for my friend Kristy's baby shower and how it looked on the table.

This next one was for my friend Lauren's sister. Both of these were for baby boy showers, and I haven't made a "girl" one yet but I would love to so if you know of someone that is having a girl please pass my info along! Thanks! (oh and I must give props to my friend Kate who initially gave me instructions on how to construct one of these! Thanks Kate!)

Farewell, Journeyman...

2008-04-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

I just found out that my most favorite show EVER, Journeyman, has been cancelled! BOO!! I could seriously cry right now. Michael and I used to have a Monday night ritual...Heroes first, and then Journeyman. Please don't tell me Heroes is going to be cancelled too. Why are you doing this to me, NBC?!!

Great Quote...

2008-04-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

"I cannot offer something to others that is not evident in my own life"...

I don't know who said this but it really resonates with me. Sometimes the simplist of thoughts cut the deepeset and cause the most transformation in our lives....

Pray

2008-04-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

I just found out today that Baby Ethan, who has been battling Leukemia for over a year passed away a couple of days ago. This is such a sad time for his family, but also a peaceful one because their baby boy is no longer suffering but has the most ultimate peace with Jesus. Please cover the Powell family in prayer. They have been through so much and I can't imagine it. Cancer is such a terrible disease and I don't know if I will ever understand why it continues to take our loved ones.

Cutest thing I've ever seen...

2008-04-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to US!

2008-03-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

Today is our 1 year anniversary! It truly seems like just yesterday I was starting my blog and posting pictures on here from our wedding! And I've heard it only goes by faster after this one.

I am so blessed! Michael is the most wonderful husband. It's crazy to think how much closer we are now than even on our wedding day. I thank God for bringing us together so perfectly. Thank you Lord, for your good plans for our lives!

We are going to The Melting Pot tonight, (YUM!) as it has become kind of a tradition to do our celebrating there. :)

Happy Anniversary Michael, and many more good years to follow!

Love you!

A Moment to Vent my Frustrations...

2008-03-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, so no joke, pretty much every single morning for the past month I have known the answer to the Mix 92.9 morning trivia question and I just cannot get through! I mean seriously...I don't know what it is, but as soon as they ask the trivia question, the answer immediately pops in my head! Even if I'm not totally sure of it, my first instinct has been right every single time! Is that crazy?? But I just don't understand...I call on my cell repeatedly, a bazillion times but why can't I ever get through?? Is this a conspiracy among radio stations or something?

More Pics of Parker!

2008-03-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

Congrats again to Jon and Kristy on their new little bundle of joy who is just over a month old now! I love this little guy...

Are you having a "dinner downer"?

2008-03-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

Join Our Food Network! It's a blog just for sharing recipes! It's already filling up with yummy EASY recipes so please join us! Email me or leave me a comment with your email address if you want to join and I'll invite you. The more the merrier!

I'm trying the honey baked chicken tonight...YUM!

Baby Ethan

2008-03-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

Ok I haven't updated on this little dude in quite a while, but this is the little baby boy that has Leukemia that many people have been fighting HARD for the past year with prayers for. Please continue to pray for this family and for this precious child. They just had some tests done to see if the Leukemia has returned, because from the outside looking in, it seems like it has. But they just got a preliminary test back saying NO LEUKEMIA!! Now there is another set of test results to come that are more telling, so please please hit your knees for this family right now. They have been through more than I can even begin to imagine. Thanks!

http://www.ethanpowell.com/ (click on Updates)

Tagged

2008-03-07T12:27:00.001-08:00

10 years ago:- I was 17, Junior in high school, drove a red honda civic that I got for my 16th birthday, but if I remember correctly, I was soon going to bang that thing up to peices. I had already gotten stuck in several ditches, hit a mailbox (I actually hit it so hard I uprooted the thing and my dad made me paint them a new post) and it was a 5-speed so I would always forget to pull up the emergency break and it would roll out of our garage into whatever was behind me, like other people's cars and basketball goals.
My best friends were: The infamous "7": Ashley, Katie, Melissa, Griffin, Jill and Brittany, and then Keyla, Annie, and as always, Bethany.
I was dating: hmmm probably Damon Dumser. Griffin stole him from me that summer and we didn't speak for a few months until the fall musical and we made up back stage:) ah, memories! Wait, Bethany, didn't we have a little "tiff" and we made up during the "We Go Together" number in GREASE?? HAHA! What is it with me and making up with my friends during musicals??!
Favorite Stores to shop at then: hmm, probably Gadzooks, Maurices, and Gap. (we didn't have a lot to choose from, ok?!)

Things on my "to do" list today: Go to work, finish my weekly prospecting goals, make dinner, hang out with my hubby and possibly do some cleaning/organization to our new house. It's a little chaotic with boxes.
What I would do if I suddenly became a billionaire: Pay off all of our debt, pay off our friends' and family's debts, start having children, adopt some too, buy a house, go visit Kelee in Africa, go visit Eryn like once a month at least, help my sis open her own salon, help anyone in need, travel the world.
Three bad habits: I throw clothes all over the floor (me too Eryn...you know this) When my hair comes out in the shower I ALSO put it on the wall and sometimes forget about it!! Michael hates this. When we were first married I was adament about remembering to get it off. Now I'm a little less anal about it:) I lose so much hair that sometimes it's like, is that normal? I bite my cuticles. I absolutely DESPISE this habit of mine and it seems that I cannot stop. Any tips? I've tried putting a bandaid on each finger but that's not very practical for my job. My other bad habit is buying yogurt and fogetting to eat it before the expiriation date. This drives my husband crazy! haha. Whenever I buy yogurt he gives me this look like, you sure about that? hehe.

5 Jobs I've had: Server at Applebees, Title Curator at Richmond Title (I know you all didn't know that I was an expert in this) Barista at Starbuck's, Account Manager at 1Point Solutions (this is the company that went bankrupt because the owner stole millions of dollars of people's 401K money. Dirty dirty.) And now I'm in sales for Fontis Health.

That was fun! I tag anyone who wants to do this.

A New Blog...

2008-03-03T12:17:00.001-08:00

Ok I decided to start a new blog simply for recipe-sharing!! Click here to view this blog, and let me know if you would like to be a contributer and I'll add you! The more the merrier...

Happy March!

2008-03-03T06:50:00.001-08:00

How amazing was the WEATHER this weekend! Praise God for that. I can't believe that at the end of the month, Michael and I will have been married a YEAR! It has completely flown by.

Well, we bought a new townhome this weekend!! We love it. It feels good to actually own our own home! We have been moving in all weekend, thanks to our amazing friends and my parents! You all are so quick to help friends in need and we are blessed to have you in our lives. We also bought a new sofa and chair! Sofa Express is going out of business so you can negotiate prices (sort of). We still need to buy a china cabinet so if you have any suggestions, pass them on! There is this store called P.D.'s in Franklin that has really cool furniture so we may look there. I will post pictures of the house later when we get everything fixed up.

Well here's to yet another Monday...this seems crazy to me, but it seems like by the time Friday gets here I can't even stand the thought of work, and the whole weekend I'm thinking I can't possibly go back. But by the time Monday gets here, I'm really ready to be at work again! I guess we are just conditioned that way.

Have a great week, bloggers and blog-readers!

A Response to the Social Club Frenzy at LU...

2008-02-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm going to use this outlet to do a little venting about something I feel pretty strongly about, that some of you may not agree with. I do not wish to offend anyone in saying how I feel about this, but only to speak the truth I know in my own heart on the subject, and if the Lord chooses to use my words to change someones heart, then may I be a vessel for Him.

My college years were spent at Lipscomb University, a wonderful school with amazing teachers and just all around great students. At Lipscomb, we did not have "sororities" like they do at state schools; rather, "Social Clubs" which were sororities/fraternities on a MUCH smaller scale. Because our social clubs did not have to adhere to certain state mandates regarding pledging, active members of our clubs could pretty much do anything they wanted to as far as pledging goes, including hazing the pledges. The defination of hazing, as found on Wikipedia.com is as follows: Hazing is an often ritualistic test and a task, which may constitute harrassment, abuse or humiliation with requirements to perform random, often meaningless tasks, sometimes as a way of initiation into a social group. The definition can refer to either physical (sometimes violent) or mental (possibly degrading) practices.

I would have to say most social clubs at LU participated in this very definition of hazing on some level. Some were more on a mental level, others were more physical, and some consisted of both. Active members justified this type of behavior, usually because of one or two reasons; 1. "We went through it, so everyone else who joins has to go through the same exact treatment," or 2. "Pledges need to go through hard times together so that they will bond as a group." There have been many, many debates as to whether pledging went against the key foundations of the school, like portraying Christ in every activity, ethical practices and service to others, but above all, living to the highest standards in Jesus Christ.

About 2 years ago, Lipscomb elected a new president, Randy Lowry. One of the big changes President Lowry wanted to make, after seeing the process himself, was to change the way pledging was handled at LU alltogether, the goal being to make the pledging process more in line with Christian practices. Oh man did this cause the uproar of the decade. Alumni started coming out of the woodwork in opposition to this new change. There is even now an online petition of currently 162 alumni (and counting) that have signed saying they will no longer support Lipscomb financially because of this. I realize I am in the minority among social club alumni that supports President Lowry and the deans at Lipscomb who are helping to bring about this (much needed) change, but I must stand up for what I believe in no matter what. I want to ask you that are so opposed to the decision of the deans...what in your heart truly is leading you to believe that the way we have done pledging all these years truly glorifies God? To me, there is no question that it is a breeding ground for elitism and domination over another human being. And to those of you who truly believe that hard pledging promotes closeness among a pledge class...I agree to a point. I definitely bonded with my pledge sisters, but the TRUE bonding happened when/if I experienced life at a spiritual level with those girls. One of my very very best friends in the entire world was in Delta Sigma (a different club than me) and I'm closer to her than many of the girls I pledged with, and I know many people who could say the same thing. A social club is just that: a THING. An orginization. Don't get me wrong, I loved my time in Pi Delta. ButI can tell you for sure that I was never comfortable with being on the "active" end of pledging. I am not saying I was perfect, I'm human. But I can't deny the turmoil in my spirit during that time. To me, what really is important here is reaching others for Christ. Serving others. Impacting someone by putting them BEFORE yourself. Loving others despite any fault. These are some of the key elements Jesus Christ lived by, so what about this mirrors the pledging process we all went through? It's crazy to me how we can easily throw these beliefs out the window for the sake of tradition.
For those of you who actually read this entire post, thanks:) I don't want to use this as a way to start a knock down drag out argument at all. I do, however welcome your thoughts, even if you never even went to LU, and even if you disagree with me.
Thanks.

Welcome Parker!

2008-02-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

Announcing the arrival of PRECIOUS baby Parker Gabriel Houston! Kristy (Brinker) Houston's new baby, if you don't know who the heck I'm talking about!

Here's a picture of proud daddy:) I wish I had a picture of mommie but we didn't get one. She had a rough day!

Stats:

born 2/17/08

7lbs, 7oz

dark brown hair, and lots of it!

I can't believe my friends are starting to be PARENTS! So weird...but awesome!

Miss Ella Grace!

2008-01-30T11:14:00.000-08:00

I finally got to meet Rebecca's new baby girl last weekend and she is absolutely gorgeous! We also got to hang out with Mr. Andrew, Chris Anne's new addition who is such a cutie. We had breakfast at Panera, and then headed over to Rebecca's to see Miss Ella Grace. I swiped these pics from Rebecca's facebook:) hehe. Hope that's ok Becca! Congrats to both of you!

P.S.

2008-01-17T13:12:00.000-08:00

I don't know why my header picture at the top is all stretched out like that. Help?!

Diet and Fertility...

2008-01-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

Ok, before you jump to conclusions, I am definitely NOT trying to get pregnant. This is just a subject that really interests me, and of course one day, it will be personal. I know many women struggle to get pregnant...I may end up having a hard time myself, who knows. But I want to prepare myself and get my body healthy and ready no matter what. I do firmly believe that our diet has everything to do with how unhealthy Americans are in general, and why we are the most obese country, so it would only make sense for diet to affect this as well.

I read an article recently from Newsweek called "Fat, Carbs and the Science of Conception." I don't know why there hasn't been much mention of the possible connection, it seems pretty obvious to me that if diet affects how healthy you are, it would affect your fertility.

In this article, they talk about a diet high in fats, sugars and unhealthy carbs has a pretty substantial adverse effect on a woman's ability to conceive. A diet high in fiber, fruits and veggies and good (whole grain) carbs is a recipe for baby-makin success!

Many women with PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (which is said to be the leading cause of infertility) made some heated comments on the article, but in my opinion, they just probably felt the need to be defensive. The article is not saying this is THE cure for infertility, it's just saying it could be the cure in some cases. So...what are your thougths? Anyone care to share your own conception stories and whether or not you agree with this theory?

An Overview of Our First Christmas

2007-12-31T16:50:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

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?

2007-12-19T13:58:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

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!!

2007-11-30T07:19:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-11-07T07:34:00.000-08:00

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...

2007-10-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-10-18T12:13:00.001-07:00

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....

2007-10-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-10-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-09-27T07:18:00.001-07:00

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...

2007-09-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

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???

2007-09-11T13:46:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-11T06:53:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

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!!

2007-08-31T07:50:00.000-07:00

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

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

Thanks, Anne...

2007-08-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

"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!

2007-08-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

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??

2007-07-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-07-26T20:26:00.001-07:00

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!!!

2007-07-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-07-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-07-16T10:06:00.001-07:00

(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...

2007-07-07T08:04:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2007-07-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-06-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-06-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-06-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

(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!

The Honeymoon!

2007-04-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

HOLA! We went to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico on our honeymoon and it was amazing to say the least. This is a little girl I made BEST friends with on the plane. Her name was Natalie and she was so cute!

We stayed at The Royal. This was the lobby inside of our resort. Incredible!

more views from the inside looking out into the pool area
This is us the first night at the Asian resturant at the resort that was AWESOME! This was one of our favorite places to eat.
Random pics of our first night...

Notice that most of the pictures of both of us are only from about an arms length away because we didn't want to ask anyone to take our picture:)
Our awesome pool!
And this is the way cool "swing" bar at the pool (bar with swing chairs)And the swim-up bar
Some more random pics
This is the little town of Playa Del Carmen, we are on the walking street; there were tons of little shops, cafe's, restarunts, etc...
Michael caught me in mid-song, which is not that hard to do:)

We love being newlyweds! The first few days I was telling everyone we talked to that we were on our honeymoon! I felt like Monica on FRIENDS. Remember that episode?
We saw this awesome show about the Carribbean and I just had to get my picture taken with the dancers:)
We went to Tulum one day and saw the Mayan Ruins which was pretty cool... Except it was hotter than blue blazes! And our tour guide wanted to tell us his life story, while we melted.So we snuck away and found a tree so we wouldn't pass out.
This is was at the edge of the Mayan colony....a cliff and the ocean. It was gorgeous. These next pics are from our next to last night there. We made friends with this English man at our hotel who was also a local, and he took us to go dancing! We had so much fun and made some friends...
Woop woop! Here we go...
Cuttin a rug...
Oh yeah, I've got moves

WHEW! We are tired. And sweating. Time to go home...
This is from our boat ride to Cozumel. As you can see, we are smiling and look pretty happy, so this means we apparently haven't left the dock yet. We will not be posting any other pictures from the boat ride, because it ended in people hurling left and right, and to say the least, was the boat ride from Hell. Moving on! This was the walking street on the way back to our resort. It was really cool at night.
Well, time to come back to our sweet homeland! We were WAY over the limit for our suitcases when we got to the airport, so we had to stuff things in our carryons. I don't know why but I thought it was so funny to take pictures of Michael doing this. It was a little frustrating, but I was pretty amused:) I think I was just really tired. Well that's it for the tour of our honeymoon adventures! It was probably the best vacation we've ever been on. Hasta Luego!!

Congratulations Michael!!

2007-04-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we just found out that Michael is now the new Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Trevecca! YAY!! He as only been there for 6 months and already getting a big promotion! It's amazing. God just continues to bless us! Well just thought I'd share the wonderful news!

We are now bloggers!

2007-04-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

We had so much fun with our wedding website that we decided to create a blogspot! We have been a married couple for almost 3 weeks now and I think it's finally starting to sink in. We are in the middle of trying to organize our now conjoined crazy lives, and this includes lots of "spring cleaning!" We will be moving at the end of May so it's goodbye to the good ole Royal Arms for good. I must say, I'm not too sad about that! We will be putting up pics from the wedding and honeymoon soon...