God CAN Move Mountains

James and I have had a situation come up in our lives that has required a lot of prayer on our parts. Sometimes God just speaks to us. It really is hard for some people to believe that God can do that...God laid something on James' heart this weekend, and it was huge. Sometimes God will ask us to do things that we don't understand. This is a personal family situation...Not something that could be "blogged about" specifics...But just know...God is working. I know that. I always have. But this weekend, he showed my family. I wish I could sit here and write out all the details , just so others could see how amazing this story it. But that isn't what I logged on here to do.

He made so many things possible this weekend...for us to just up and travel over 9 hours to visit with a hurting family member....my work situation was taken care of, Jame's work was, we had football practice taken care of, plus my parents kept our kids for us. All within an hour of making this desicion...God opened every door-for us to go...a good friend even let us borrow their GPS...amazing. I am so blessed by my christian friends...you guys know who you are...and I love you.

In an attempt to explain where I am going...James and I have been praying for a family member. This weekend, God laid it on James' heart to go and visit them. And share what God had laid on James' heart. He was obedient. A difficult thing to do. But he did. I love him for that. After this weekend, I KNOW that God CAN move Mountains...and does everyday. We were praying in the car, trying to make desicions as to how to handle this situation...and the following song came on the radio.....

'>

Saviour, He can move the mountains,

My god is mighty to save,

He is mighty to save

Forever author of salvation,

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

o take me as you find me

All my fears and failures

Fill my life again

I give my life to follow

Everything that I believe in

Now I surrender (and I surrender)

I know this post may seem like a lot of rambling...but even though our prayers may not be answered when we want...or the way we want....He is there. Listening. Loving us. He knows what is best for us. We don't. I was thinking today, in the Bible, when Lazarus was sick, and dying. His family and friends begged Jesus to save him. Not to let him die. But Jesus had a plan. Way bigger than our little minds can comprehend. He let Lazarus die. But only to bring him back to life. How Awesome is that. He wants us to turn to him. In ALL things. And that is what we have to do. In everything.

Missing blogging, but simply growing closer to my God. Everyday. Love you guys. Will be back soon.....=)

An AMTC Update

Just wanted to post a little update for our AMTC friends....We recieved an email from our director, Stephanie, with the following link to the AMTC website...Be sure to check it out....http://www.amtcworld.com/the-results/real-life-stories/maceys-real-life-story...We are so proud of you, Macey!!

"Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal...for it will certainly come, it will not delay." Habakkuk 2:3

"Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established." Proverbs 16:3

"May he grant your hearts desires and make all your plans succeed. May the Lord answer all your prayers..." Psalm 20:4-5

Alive and Well

Thanks to everyone for all the emails, and comments...You sure do know how to make a girl feel loved!!!! Still "vacating" from the blogging world for a while longer...Enjoying my family...and working like crazy on one photo session after another....=) Still posting sneak peeks for my customers on my business site...so be sure to check it out....God is working in our lives...We can feel it...Will share with you when I come back....Until then....God Bless!

Going on Vacation

No, we are not going on another trip...but I am going to take a "blogging vacation"...James and I are trying to make some changes in our lives...and this is my contribution...Not forever...Just for a little while...Happy Fall....

Jeremiah 29:11(The Message) "For I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. "

Bedrock?

Macey came home yesterday so excited..."Guess what Mom? We are going on a field trip Thursday...and I can't wait..."( I knew she was because I sent the money and signed the paper a week or so ago...but I just went along with her) "Really? Where is it you guys are going? "I asked her...

Rock Mound....She answered...

I started cracking up...for those of you who don't live in our beautiful area of east Tennessee...There is a local historic site in the area, called...are you ready? Rocky Mount...Hee hee...

Macey was so excited because she loves "pretty colored rocks" ect...and had even planned on spending some of her money in the gift shop...thinking she could buy her some rocks...at the Rock Mound.....

I love you, Macey...=)

A Catch Up Post...

Well, I have had a few pics that I hadn't uploaded and I have been playing around with them...and doing some editing....(which is getting ready to end...I have just about booked my fall sessions for my photography business-which means no more playing with my stuff) But I wanted to add a few pics...Not all related...

Remember back in July when I said our cat, Millie had a kitten...Well, here she is...Miss Sadie...I can't believe that I hadn't taken her picture since the week she was born...but sure enough..I hadn't...So, here is a picture of Miss Priss herself..She is a mess...but a cute one...Coming from a non cat lover..She has just about brought me to the other side...=) She is 10 weeks old now...Sitting on Macey's lap...We have spoiled her and Millie both...
This past weekend, Cade had his championship football games...Which is sort of funny considering his little team hasn't won a game....Cade is a tough little guy and he gets out there and does his best...Notice in the following picture...He is the little guy behind the one in the front of the pic...pulling the shirt off of the other player...Aren't they supposed to grab the flag? Not the shirt? Hee hee.... James just told me he got a penalty for holding on this play...and the funny part..James and Ian were so proud of him....=)
Here Cade is making his best block of the season...this little guy ended up flat on his back...I think Cade was sort of shocked that he did this...But I am not kidding when I say strong...He was so proud of himself after this play...
Here is the team...We sort of did our own little team picture....Nothing formal...Just a before the game shot....Cade is on the front row...
Here he is with his trophy...Such a proud little guy...He even took it with him to McDonald's after the game...Wanted to make sure everyone saw it..you know...;)
As my friend, Tanja said on her blog, this program is an awesome one...Such a feeling of community, and you can tell the parent's /coaches care about the kids....Cade was happy to play with some of his friends, as we were glad to catch up with long time friends too....The prayer during the trophy presentation just gave me goose bumps. We have participted in many "rec" sports, and this program is one of my favorites...

Can't wait until the next sport...Cade is planning on playing Upward Basketball at our church..I can't wait to see him in Basketball shorts....Too cute!! After our games, we came home and decided to work outside....I mowed, while James weed-eated...Our yard looks awesome...the leaves are beautiful....I just love the fall of the year...I rate it right up there with summer...

This is a face that Cade makes...he raises one eyebrow...and it cracks us all up...so here is my attempt at catching this face...Love it!Cade and I did a self timer photo after I finished mowing...this was our outcome...gonna print this one...We had a good weekend...spending time together...that is something that James and I have decided that we want to make a better effort at...These guys are only little once...and I don't want to regret a thing...I am considering making some BIG changes in a few things around here...So, we will see...

Busy, Busy, week coming up...My fall sessions start this week...so I can't wait!! This is my favorite time of year to take pictures...Hope everyone is having a good week. Good Night...

A Two Thumbs Up...

James and I just got home from our "date night". We went to see Fireproof....I loved this movie...It was so emotional for me...right from the very beginning...I cried on and off through the whole thing. But that is a good thing...I love a good tear jerker... Many of you have posted about seeing this movie already. But I just had to say something about it. God is at work in this film. I sat and watched this movie, and during one particular scene-Salvation is explained. I was sitting in a crowded theater, that was almost sold out. And the plan of salvation was being explained on the screen...Unbelievable. When I type that word, I ask myself..."Why is that unbelievable?" God can do anything. Anything from saving marriages or friendships to healing the sick or even putting his word on the Hollywood Movie screen....I have been blessed tonight. If you haven't seen this one...Go see it..You will leave loving your husband more...But most of all-Loving our Father more. My sleep deprivation has caught up with me tonight. Busy day tomorrow. Good Night.

I Have Been Tagged...

I haven't been tagged in a long time..I was tagged by my friend, Melanie to do this one...So here goes...

A. attached or single? married to James, my high school sweetheart {heart}

B. Best friend? my honey, of course =)

C. Cake or pie? birthday cake-with buttercream icing, yummy

D. Day of choice? whatever day that I am not working

E. Essential item? laptop, cell phone, my van-always on the go

F. Favorite color? chocolate brown

G. Gummy bears or worms? not a gummy fan.period.

H. Hometown? Kingsport

I. Favorite indulgence? right now. candy corn =)

J. January or July? July-my birthday, summer, tan time

K. Kids? Yes, 3...Ian, Macey and Cade

L. Life isn't complete without my? my family

M. Marriage date? August 20

N. Number of brothers and sisters? 1 sister

O. Oranges or apples? apples

P. Phobias? small spaces, crowds

Q. Quotes? "Whatever!"

R. Reason to smile? My trip to NY was a huge success...and we are going back in June!

S. Season of choice? Summer and Fall

T. Tag 5 people. Whoever wants to =)

U. Unknown fact about me? I am OCD...not unknown to everyone...=)

V. Vegetable? corn on the cob

W. Worst habit? nail biting

X. X-ray or ultrasound? Not sure what you want here?

Y. favorite foods? Japanese

Z. Zodiac sign? Cancer

7 things I plan to do before I die: 1. Swim with Dolphins. 2. Be debt free 3. Go to Hawaii 4. lose weight ;) 5. see my children get married 6. Get a Roof (I couldn't resist that one) 7. travel the world with my honey....

7 things I can do: 1. Organize 2. Scrapbook 3. Blog 4. Photography 5. Craft 6. type(very good typing skills) 7. Draw

7 things I cannot do: 1. swim in a lake (too nasty) 2. tolerate annoying people 3. weed eat 4. Do a flip in the pool without holding my nose 5. put a roof on my house 6. change a tire 7. Keep up with all our laundry..

7 things I say most often: I say so much...I can't even think of seven....

7 celebrity crushes: Nicholas Cage, Kirk Cameron, Bob the trainer, from The Biggest Loser...Love him!! Matt Lauer...=)

Thankful

This morning, I had just gotten the kids on the bus, and came in to pick up the house, and clean up the kitchen...My normal morning routines...with the Today Show on in the background (of course!) It was about 10 minutes until 8, and the phone rang...It was James' work, so I answered it...(Yes, I am a screener-I will openly admit it) But to my surprise, it wasn't James-it was his boss....

" Is James there?" he asked..while I thought to myself..."What is going on?"
"No, he isn't...", I answered. "He left for work around (the time he always does) and dropped my son off at school...He should be there by now.."
"Well, he isn't," he said. "You may want to check on him."
"Ok," I said, as my heart was beating out of my chest. "Thanks"

I hung up the phone and couldn't even dial his cell phone number because my hands were shaking so much...Too many thoughts were going through my head...Has he wrecked? Was Ian with him? Is he over the bank somewhere and no one saw him? I was thinking all of this and dialing his phone at the same time...one ring, another, another, my heart started beating faster and faster...no answer...his voice mail....

Right at that moment, the house phone rang again...It was James' boss again...

"I just thought I would call you and let you know that James is in (some sort of) training...I didn't know about...Just found out..Didn't want to worry you."
"Thanks so much...because you did." I said, as I hung up the phone...then I lost it...Broke down, crying, shaking. I couldn't even stand. My phone rings again..It was James.

"My boss said I should call you...that he scared you because I wasn't in the shop"....
"Scared me isn't the word..." I just cried on the phone...

There are many times in my warped mind of paranoia, that I have imagined that phone call...I can't hardly explain the way I felt this morning...not in words anyway...I wasn't even able to post about it until this evening...It just bothered me that much...I am thankful..for my husband..I know that I don't tell him often enough how much he means to me...but I am going to today...I love you honey. For all you do for our family...even though I may nag over "getting stuff done" such as a roof I still LOVE YOU....You are everything to me...and I just want you to know that today...No matter what...You are my life...

Auditions, Again....

Macey decided to audition for "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" again this year...Auditions were last night...This cute little play is based on a children's book, and it is the play that sparked Macey's love for acting and theatre....The community theatre in our area puts on this production yearly, as sort of a traditional holiday event...Our family LOVES this play...Did I just say holiday event? I can't bear the thought believe that Christmas is less than 3 months away. It will be here before we know it....Time flies. Here is a pic that I took with my cell phone right before she went up on stage....Break a leg Mace!! There were a lot of people there for auditions...but she did great!!! I was so proud of her...James was sitting in the back of the theatre and could hear every word she said!! And she put lots of "umph"(as we call it) into her audition!!! She has come such a long way, and has learned so much this past summer...We won't find out roles until Wednesday or Thursday...But I hope she gets the one she is hoping for...Just a little post from one proud mommy....Love you girl!!

Marriage Retreat

Our Sunday School class had a Marriage Retreat this past Friday night...Yes..you read that correctly..We got home from NYC on Friday around 1:30, and we left for our Sunday School class outing at 5pm. I came home, emptied all the laundry, and began doing one load after another, so I could get our suitcase re-packed....the kids were off to Mamaw's, and we were off to a cabin in Virginia....with some very special friends...We had 4 couples go, and hopefully the next time we do this-we will have more...but we had a great time...We cooked lasagna, and garlic bread for dinner (even though our oven was a little slow....) had a Bible Study about prayer... and enjoyed some quality time just talking...and sharing with Christian friends...I feel so blessed to have these people in my life.... (Tina, Christy, Me, Sarah, James, Kevin H, Kevin M., Daniel took the pic)

Here is the one with the self timer...and Daniel is front and center...=)

The highlight of the evening, was when Kevin was showing us how he could squeeze an egg as hard as he possibly could...and it would not break...He said this was "something" he has done ever since he was a child..and it has yet to break....Until now....This was the funniest thing I have ever seen...Egg went everywhere...Even in our friend, Kevin's hair....Everyone laughed so hard over this, that we were in tears....I actually got sick at my stomach from laughing so hard...Hilarious!!! Nothing like playing with raw eggs on a Marriage Retreat....Ha ha ha....Tina took most of the pictures...I brought my camera, but left my memory card at home in my laptop bag...(because we had just got home from NYC-and didn't have time to think of everything) So, she is going to email them to me...I will post more when I get them...But had to share a few...

The next morning, we got up and cooked a yummy breakfast-everyone helped...and it was ready in no time...We had sausage, bacon, biscuits and eggs...and coffee...All of us were coffee drinkers but the Murdock's...and there was no talking them into any either...;) We got everything cleaned up and we headed over to Natural Tunnel State Park...for some hiking...and enjoying God's beautiful creation...It was a beautiful day, and we all rode the chair lift down to the tunnel, and then we took a trail up the mountain to an area called Lover's Leap...Beautiful view...I would love to go back in a few weeks, when the leaves are changed....to take pictures...We headed back towards home around 3:30 or so...stopped at a little hamburger place to eat...and then we were back to reality...

Here is a picture of the guys...posing in front of the Natural Tunnel sign....All of us hiking, we used the self timer for this one.....Everyone went their own ways...We got the kids, and came home and crashed...I was absolutely exhausted...I laid down on the couch, and slept for an hour or so...got up...and went to bed...That is one thing that I miss when we vacation...how good our own bed feels...I don't think I moved all night....We had a wonderful fall break...Tomorrow it is back to life as we know it...Run, run, run....Hope everyone has a great week...Good night...

I wanted to give a special thanks to Christy for all you did for this weekend...for getting all the groceries, and taking care of the money...Our weekend couldn't have happened without you...Thanks so much....Love you.

New York, Day Four (Part Two)

As promised, here are some pictures from the rest of our New York trip (Day Four)...After the Today Show, we headed on over to the NBC store...and had fun taking some pictures in the store...Matt was there and posed with me for a pic...Hee hee...(cardboard cutout...)If you weren't sure....Loved the NBC M&M's.....had to pose in front of this one....I actually bought my "magnet" (I get a fridge magnet every time we go some where different for vacation...) here in the NBC store...and a key chain that actually had my name on it...=)

Next we headed on over to Rockefeller Center, and took a few pics...then we ate lunch at the Roc Cafe...After our "NBC experience"-we took the subway up to Central Park...which was absolutely beautiful...Here are some pics from the park... It was like walking out of the city, into another world....I can see why New Yorkers love to spend their time here...Loved it...
This area was beautiful as well....
Amazing to see the city in the skyline.....
Ian took this picture of James and I....with the sun blazing down on us...even with the sun, it was still cool outside....
We took the kids to the Central Park Zoo, and then we headed on back to the subway to start our trip home....

We had an amazing time in New York City...It has always been on my "list of things to do"...and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go...New York is an amazing place...and I can't wait to go back in June...It is going to be a dream come true for Macey, that started with AMTC...God is so good to us. He has opened one door after another in this journey...I can't thank Him enough for being there for us, and guiding us in each and every step of the way...Dreams are important in our lives...and the lives of our children...and I am so glad that James and I have had the faith to make this one come true...Continue to remember our family as we take this amazing leap of faith. I am sure that there will be many changes, and obstacles to come...Macey is one special little girl, I know that...regardless if she signs with an agency or not...But to see the self confidence that she has gained over the past 6 months-is just amazing to me...New York City was a blast!!! (and I can't wait to go back) But, tonight, as I sit in my den, in my house...I am so thankful to be home...God is Good...All the time....Heading to bed...Good Night...Have a Blessed Sunday tomorrow...

New York, Day Four (Part One)

This morning we were up by 4...Yes, you read that one correctly...4am...Our plan was to be in Rockefellar Center by 6am...and we ended up arriving by 6:30 or so...for the "Today" show...Yippee!!! Here is a picture of Ian and Macey holding the sign that we made for tv..."Celebrating Macey's 9th Birthday in NYC!!!" This was the one thing that I wanted to do while we were in New York...and we got to this morning...Here I am...=)It was freezing this morning too...We all had to wear coats, and long sleeves...and we still froze to death...but it was worth it because we got to see lots of stars...and for those of you who were watching tv this am, (I got your text messages!!!) You got to see us on tv...=) Here is a shot of the plaza....Jeff Gordon (Sorry, Nicole, and Jayme) was on the show today revealing his new race car....

Anne Currie came over and talked to the kids...She was wishing Macey a Happy Birthday in this picture...We had so much fun this morning...One of the highlights of our trip!!!! ( See Jeff Gordon in the background) Al Roker...shaking our hand...I was so excited over Matt...that this pic is blurry...I got a bunch of photos of him...but this was the one where he was walking over to us...I actually got to shake his hand...All of them were so nice...and talked with us and with the kids...Here they are doing the Jeff Gordon segment....it was so cool to see what goes on behind the scenes during the show...This was Macey right after we were on tv!! She was so excited....We all got free t-shirts, bracelets, and badges about reading for children.... Jessee McCartney walked by us...See the Corduroy book in his hand????That is the same book that is now in Cade's hand...He gave it to Cade and Macey as he walked by to leave the set....WOW!!!!!! Macey was estatic!!!LL Cool J was there to read to the children...Here is a pic of him waving at us...Greg Kinnear was also there reading to the children...Too cool...I have a lot more pics...but it is late, and we have to get in bed, so we can drive home tomorrow...so I will just label this post, as Day Four, Part One...Hope everyone is having a great week....Love and miss everyone back home....Good night.... AMTC is awesome!