Surfside = Paradise!!!

Hello everyone...Here I am again, fresh off a WONDERFUL vacation to Surfside Beach, SC...It was an incredible time of rest and relaxation...We had a wonderful time of laying on the beach, reading some great books, eating at some incredible places, and just being together! Today, after we returned home I was in a "weird" mood...Kinda wish I was still on vacation!!

Here are some pics for you to enjoy...

(the view from our bedroom!)

Excitement...

Hello everyone...Hope you all are having a great week...Things are crazy around here (as always!)....Here are a few things going on...

**We just got back from Cincinnati, OH with our college group...We had a great time going to Dave and Busters, "Riding the Ducks" on the Ohio River, Going to a Reds game, and going to Kings Island. Needless to say, we are old and feel old...We wish we had the energy we had in college! The kids were great and we had an awesome time!



**I got a part-time job at a local gift shop that is opening in our town! I can't wait! I start Monday and can work as much as I want....Vera Bradley, Pandora, and all the other gifts are going to be hard to resist....Patrick wants me to bring home a paycheck...not leave it there!!



**I passed a fragment of a kidney stone!!! I took it to the Dr. yesterday and will know in a few months what it is made of...hopefully that will tell us what measures to take to not have one again!!!



**We are counting down the days until the beach!! We can't wait to go again!! This trip will be the first one that we are going on with no one else but us!!! 15 days!!



Here are some pics of the Cincinnati Trip:

The group @ Kings Island

Patrick on one of the water rides!

Patrick loves sprinkles..the kids really ragged him about that!

Us on the "Ride the Ducks" Ride....

Us @ the Reds Game...It was SO hot!!!

Finally...an update!!!

Well, being that it has been a CRAZY 11 DAYS since I lasted updated my blog, I figured that now was the time...Lots has gone on for sure...


After returning from the mountains with my parents, I went to the urologist to find out why my crazy body has been acting up! Well, he believed that there was a narrowing in my ureters that was causing my pain and wanted to do surgery to find out more...So on July 16th (2 days before Patrick's BIG birthday weekend....see more below!) I had the surgery...He did not find anything and now believes that the problem is probably dealing with the endometriosis that has reappeared...So I go to my OB-GYN on Aug. 12th to talk further about all of that...


So after a SHORT recovery time at home, we ventured to Pigeon Forge to spend the 30th birthday weekend with Patrick's parents. We had a great time...We enjoyed being with eachother and especially PapPaw being able to make the trip to see our home, and the beautiful mountains....We also enjoyed many great meals and great memories....Here are some pics!

Patrick and his Papaw...I love this pic!! Two great men!

Patrick opening one of his gifts!! An MSU t-shirt!!

The two birthdays...His mom's birthday was the 21st! What a great time!

The family enjoying the day together!

The group loving some Johnny Carino's!!! Yummy!

On Sunday, after church, Patrick was definitely surprised to find out that I had been planning a surprise party for him! He could not believe that I could keep my mouth shut..not just me, but everyone at church, youth group, and family...We all did great! He loved it. The people of the church were so kind and enjoyed the party so much!

Patrick with his Mountain Dew cake...What a great theme!

The family posing with the birthday boy!!

On Monday after the big party, Patrick left for Centri-Kid Camp for the week and my mom came to stay with me ( I had planned on going with him, but with a stent in and still recovering it was not in God's plans!)...Mom and I had a great time being together and relaxing...Mom and I figured it up that she has only worked 2 1/2 weeks in the past month and has made 3 round-trips to this area over the past month...She rocks!


So, hope that has caught you up with all of the crazy-ness of the past couple of weeks! Maybe the next month won't be as busy...we need a break!!!

He is EVERYHING...

I needed to be reminded of this today...hope it will remind you too!

He is EVERYTHING…

In Genesis, He's the breath of life
In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He's our high priest
In Numbers, the fire by night
Deuteronomy, He's Israel's Guide
Joshua, He's salvation's choice
Judges, He's Israel's Guard
In Ruth, the kinsmen's redeemer
1st and 2nd Samuel, our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles He is Sovereign
In Ezra, He's the true and faithful scribe
In Nehemiah, the re-builder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He's Mordecai's courage
In Job, the timeless redeemer
In Psalms He is our morning song
In Proverbs, He is our wisdom
Ecclesiastes, He's the time and season
In Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream
In Isaiah He is Prince of Peace
In Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekiel, the call from sin
Daniel, the stranger in the fire
Hosea, the forever faithful
Joel, the spirit's power
Amos, the strong-arms that carry
Obadiah, the Lord our Savior
Jonah, the great missionary
Micah, the promise of peace
Nahum, our strength and shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's brings revival
In Haggai He restores that which was lost
In Zachariah, He's our fountain
And in Malachi, He's the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings
AND THAT'S JUST THE OLD TESTAMENT
In Matthew Mark Luke and John, He is God and Messiah
In the spirit filled book of Acts, He is the reigning fire from Heaven
In Romans, He is the grace of God
Corinthians, the power of love
Galatians, freedom from the curse of sin
Ephesians, our glorious treasure
Philippians, the servant's heart
Colossians, He's God and the trinity
Thessalonians, our calling King
In Timothy, Titus and Philemon, He's our mediator and our faithful pastor
In Hebrews, the everlasting courage
In James, the one who heals the sick
In 1st and 2nd Peter, our faithful shepherd
In John and Jude, He's the lover coming for His bride
AND in the Revelation, in the very end, when it's all over, said and done, when time is NO MORE. He is and will always be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, son of Man, Lamb of God, The Great I am, Alpha and Omega, God and Savior He is Jesus Christ the Lord

HE IS EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED!

Prayers!

Hello everyone...Hope you are having a great day...the weekend is almost here!!!

I have a prayer request for you to pray about....I went to the urologist today after having some severe problems since April (fainting, vomitting, ER visits, etc) and was trying to get some answers about all that is going on with my lovely kidney stone (that refuses to leave my body!!)...After reading films and hearing about my symptoms, the doctor is seeing some things that he would like to investigate...He believes that by doing a "ureterscopy" and being able to scope my entire urinary tract, that he will be able to see what is going on and right away be able to fix it. He believes that the problem might be due to some endometriosis being attached to my ureters....so in that case, it would require some more surgery by my gyn. . I am having the "ureterscopy" next Wednesday (July 16th)...Please pray! Pray that the doctors would be able to find the problem and be able to fix it.

God is SO good and His mercies are new every day...He has a plan!!

Love to all,

A Wonderful Weekend of Celebration....

Wow...What a wonderful weekend! Patrick and I met my mom and dad in Pigeon Forge on Thursday for the July 4th weekend. Not only were we celebrating Independence Day, but we were also celebrating my parents 40th wedding anniversary. And what an incredible weekend it was...

Dad and Mom!

Our Cabin!

We arrived on Thursday and the present that I had worked on since Valentine's Day was screaming at me to be opened. I could not hide the secret anymore!! I had written all of mom and daddy's friends and family and asked them to write a letter/card and send pictures...they could share good wishes, memories, etc. I compiled all of them into a scrapbook! It turned out so good...Mom and Dad opened it up and were first shocked to see pictures of their dating/early marriage years and wondered how I had gotten these pictures...they soon found out by reading the letters from their family and friends...It was awesome to watch them read the letters and cherish wonderful memories together...Here are some pictures of them with the scrapbook and a picture of the two pages of Patrick and my letter...

After reading the scrapbook and mom upset that all her makeup was gone, we went to play putt putt....We had a great time....That night we ate some "famous" Westside BBQ from New Albany...and Red Velvet Cake...Yummy!!!

Daddy making one of the many "hole in one" shots!

Mom and Dad with the Red Velvet Cake!!!

Friday, we ate breakfast and relaxed around the cabin, played some pool, and went to rent some movies to watch...We had a great July 4th..listening to the Fireworks, eating at a local Cafe, grilling out delicious steaks and being together.






Saturday, we took mom and dad to the Old Mill to eat a delicious breakfast and also went to play another FREE round of putt-putt that we had won on Thursday...awesome!!! I even made a hole in one! Go me :) Dad made his famous hamburgers, mom and I scrapbooked, and we enjoyed the mountains some more from the beautiful back porch...

This is picture of me and mom with our MOA survival shirts!!

We were so sad to leave, but are already planning another get-away weekend together soon...that will probably involve some football...MSU style!

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad...we had a great time and look forward to being together soon!

Have a great week everyone!

What am I up to?

Here's what I've been up to....

Watching...
HGTV
Jon and Kate Plus 8

Reading...
Nothing at the moment...but I believe that will change when I go to the mountains this weekend with Patrick and my parents!

Just Finished Reading...
People Magazine...Love it!!!

Listening to...
Travis Cottrell's O Holy Night Free Download...Click here for more info!

Studying...
The book of Proverbs for Sunday School class...awesome wisdom!

Over-indulging on...
Nestle PureLife Strawberry/Kiwi Splash Water...I hate the taste of water and this flavored water is wonderful!!!

Thankful for...
My parents celebrating their 40th Wedding Anniversary this July 4th!
A trip to the mountains tomorrow!
God's provision

Praying for...
My urology appointment next Thursday
Baby Nolan

Trying out...
Cha Cha text based answering service...Its really cool! You can text ChaCha with question and some real human being will answer the question with a text in return.
Franklin Covey Packing Lists and Grocery Lists...Amazing for someone organized like me!

Gearing up for...
Water Games tonight @ church

Looking forward to...
A weekend in Pigeon Forge with Patrick and my family! We need a weekend away SO bad!!!
Patrick's 30th birthday and his family coming to see us!

How about you??