Happy Birthday Crickette!

Well wow, here it is another month and another birthday for one of my children. It's baby girls time, but today she is no longer baby girl - she turns 20. I am not at home with her today, but in Alabama visiting with family. She had to stay behind and work and go to school (guess real world isn't so fun). So I can't really do my fun tribute to her today, because all the good embarrassing pictures are at home, but don't worry Crickette, I can do it again next week!

I will never forget the day I found out about you. It was on of the three greatest surprises of my life! I had everything planned out in my life, but God said my plans were not the best for me, His plans were greater! I had set the date to ween your older brother and had the doctor's appointment for me to go get put on birth control. I decided the day before the appointment that I should go to Save-a-Life and just make sure I wasn't pregnant, that way they wouldn't have to do a test at the dr. office. Well you can only imagine the look on my face when she said the test was positive. Yes shock was there but I was also excited! I always wanted three children and now that part of my life would be complete!

The due date for Crickette was actually June 6, but because her older brother weighed in at 9 lbs 9 oz, the doctor said we could make sure the baby didn't get that big and we could just pick a date to have this baby. Well I decided May 30 - this was also my daddy's birthday. How awesome to honor him as well. (My dad passed away when I was 13 months old). I had 3 ultrasounds while I was pregnant with Crickette and all three times she decided that she did not want us to know what she was. Even the day before she was born the technician tried for an hour to see but could not find results.

I can't even remember what little boy name we picked out but I knew Crickette Ann was for a little girl. I wanted to honor both sides of our family. My mom's real name was Henri Gene but she was known as Jojo. Chris mom's name was Annette so I knew that Ann would be great as the middle name. But to me Joann sounded too old for a baby and Anna Jo just sounded too country! So I had to dig a little deeper on my families side (Henri and Gene would not work anywhere). I had a great aunt named Crickette so I thought that would sound awesome. A month after we named my Crickette, I found out Aunt Crickettes real name was Georgia Violet (later Crickette thought that mean that she had another name too). So that is where to name came from.

Crickette came on May 30, 1990 and weighed in at 7 lbs 13 oz. Just a great size. I remember thinking she was so tiny. Again, this was the third child that I had naturally, and I agree she was no problem to deliver! Easy childbirth!

I have some of the greatest pictures to share when I get back and stories too, but today I say Happy Birthday Crickette! I hope you have a great day and know that you are loved (and missed today). Watch your movie, and enjoy the popcorn again today just for me. And know that when I get back you have to do it again, I still have not seen Dear John! I love you!

Road trip...

Well another journey . . and it is never dull. Our plans were to leave for Great Lakes around 7:00 am on Thursday morning. My husband gets back from working out at 7 and decided then to vacuum the car out for me. How Sweet - ugh, but I am ready to go.. Well at 8:00 am the adventure begins. The good news is that I-40 is open and ready for us to travel. I think the GPS says 13 1/2 hours. We begin, we have our little cooler with water and a few snacks and are ready. Now the box of other goodies is in the trunk with the big cooler with the favorite foods that I have cooked for Paxston. My status on facebook reads: I am not cooking for an Army, I am cooking for the Navy. I have cooked, Tuna Casserole, Enchiladas, rice & then chicken cooked in Mushroom Gravy. A great friend from church, Sharon, has made 6 dozen (HUGE) chocolate chip cookies for us too! We are set.

We did pass by the place where the rock slide was on I-40 - this gives you an eerie feeling for sure! Then it was fun the watch the GPS to see when we were getting close to being under a hundred mile mark and the hour mark. Made it much more exciting. The scenery was incredible once again. I love the mountains and as much as I loved being on the motorcycle while riding, I hate driving on them next to 18 wheelers! I thought about great friends as I passed by Ohio! Thought about a new blogger friend as we passed through Kentucky especially after seeing all those state troopers out there too! Of course passing by Indianapolis you think about Peyton Manning - go Colts! And then it's Illinois - PAXSTON.

As we are nearing Chicago, the GPS (yes the same one from the first trip - we are in the Infinity again) - starts to take us on a turn or two that is so familiar that we know its going to be trouble. It even tries to loop us around the same place twice so we decided to just follow this one road and trust that it will take us to something familiar. I know if we can just get near the train tracks that it will run to Waukegan! I have to keep telling Jordan that we are not going to get shot! Well we hit 41 which we know will take us straight to where we are suppose to be.

Time is getting close to Grey's Anatomy starting and we do not want to miss the finale. Then we see the city lights - CHICAGO. OH WOW!!! It is incredible at night and we are oohing and ahhing and don't care a bit about the TV show we are missing. Navy Pier is something else lit up at night too. We have Paxston on the phone and he is tired of hearing us squealing about how pretty everything is. It's time for him to clean before bed so we get him off the phone. Jordan starts texting Amber to find out what is happening on Greys and she is telling us it's CRAZY! We get her on the phone (glad to have bluetooth where she is all over the car.) I did have to turn her down to go through a set belt check, and then we are trying to figure out just when we will make it to the hotel to see the end. After going through several towns, we get back on I90 and there is the toll booth - it only takes coins...uh oh.. but then I remember that I have a Dollar coin left from our last trip - whew! We make it to the Econo Lodge in time to ask for the remote so we can catch the end - we stood staring at the TV for the last 10 minutes. WOW - glad I have it taped at home.

We made it! 13 hours and 45 minutes, not bad for the several stops we made, had to search for those silly bandz too! Oh and we just laughed when we turned around in the Pony Express Holiness Church parking lot!

That was Thursday. Friday will have to come a little later - we went to Six Flags. I have great pictures but will have to post when we get home. I had a blast on the roller coasters! I am loving spending time with my sailor and I am so thankful that my husband let me go! I hate that I am missing Ethan in his first speaking part in the play at the church, but Crickette will tape it for me.

Catch you soon!!!

AWANA Award Program

Sunday night we had an awards program at the church. It was my first year helping with AWANA and I had the Sparks. These are K-2nd grade and these kids are so full of energy. 95%of them were boys! Several said their verses and did a great job doing so.

Harley - this is my faithful little girl and she has attached herself to me. She even challenged me this year, she would not say her Bible verse until I said it first. Now the books of the Bible were challenging for both of us but we did it! She is VERY shy but I did talk her into saying a Bible verse in front of the church. I just reminded her that I would be there and that I knew she could do it! She is so cute!!

Austin - now this child also pulls my heart strings. He said John 3:16 for us and did such a great job. Now Austin may never learn all the things that other kids will learn, but he has learned many Bible verses this year, even when he had people telling his mother that it just couldn't be done. I was going to prove them wrong and with Jinny & I both working with him, he completed his first book! WAY TO GO AUSTIN. After the Sparks got finished he was sitting next to me. I had to get on to my son and I looked at Ethan and said, with that look in my eye "Do you want me to take you outside?" and Austin immediately said, yes, I want to go outside! Sort of broke my focus there! And Austin told me he wanted to go sit with Mimi, I told him to give me one minute and he could, he said okay. Then he looked at me again and said he wanted to go, I said give me one more minute and he help up his fingers and said "Two". Even he knows what are doing!

Dalton - my new little friend. Dalton's family came after the first of the year. I felt so bad for Dalton when he only got the participant certificate, but I reminded him that there was no doubt in my mind that he would complete both books next year, because he was doing such a fantastic job this year. He would rather learn verses and work on getting those jewels and his wings that play! He enjoyed staying with me for me to help him and I loved that too! He was so funny as we were waiting for the others to get through, he kept pulling at something in his hair and said he thought he had a tick, so here I go looking in his head and trying to see anything, but nothing there - WHEW! I told him that if there had been a tick I may have screamed. He just laughed.

I love all the kids and was truly blessed to be able to help this year in AWANA. But it is time to step aside and throw myself fully into the Sunday School and Children's Church - we are revamping and I get the fun job of searching for cirruculum and everything to go into a rotation process for the kids. We will take one theme and teach 4/5 ways in the month. They will get drama/movie/games/art and possibly storytelling of the same lesson in the month, so we are getting them grounded in the Bible. Loving the new approach and can't wait to post pictures of when we redo/repaint the children's area. This will be done by September 5.

And then there is VBS in between. Egypt, we are getting ready to build the palace! This too is going to be so much fun. Guess I need to post about the many hats that a preacher's wife wears....

Will be leaving tomorrow to go see Paxston. Driving to Great Lakes with Jordan - keep us in your prayers!

May 15

Hebrews 10:11
Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;

This can not get much plainer than this. It's also a reminder to us of what did take away our sins, His name is Jesus, and He was the sacrifice that paid it all for us. He died on the cross to take away our sins. I just wish that people could understand that the Bible is true to its word, and it is really not so hard to understand. But then I have to remember that it's the Holy Spirit that draws us to Him for that understanding also. But we must never forget that we still have to share this with others, because God may be using us to be that person that helps them to understand even more. I am so thankful that I put my faith and trust in Christ and I know that He and He alone is the one that died for my sins, so that I don't have to worry about confessing to another person all my sins so they can be forgiven. I have a direct line to the throne of God and His name is Jesus.

FRIDAY

Well this has been a strange week for sure - and now it's time for the weekend! Chris plays ball tonight and I have scrapbooking at church. Now to decide what to work on. Not really in the mood, so maybe just some layouts. Pictures can be added later...I really want to be at the game too, Chris has hit 2 over the fence at the last three games! GO CHRIS!!

Well by this time next week I will be in Great Lakes visiting Paxston. It will be crazy next week. He has put in order for favorite food to bring, since there is a microwave in the hotel and we are driving to see him. Jordan and I are going - so glad that I-40 is opened up. I will keep my eye out for the trooper that stopped our friend coming back from the Derby!

Found out that Eclipse tickets went on sale today. Crickette said that one girl went to get them and there was already a line. We will get them tomorrow. What a birthday present!! JUNE 30 - I will be watching the movie of my favorite book of the series. And they also announced this week the release date of Breaking Dawn - 11-18, but won't say if it will be one movie or two... either way we are there!
New Trailer out...


I got a new phone... the Palm Pre.. now to learn to use it. I have trouble just answering it. But I have the internet now! WOO HOO! But don't think I will be trying to type the blog on it, I am sure I will loose my sight!



So have a great weekend!

Oh yes, Private Practice finale - WOW - I saw then end last night and then went to watch the whole thing today. Why do we cry when we know it is not real! Looks like Grey's will be a great one next week too. We have to get to IL in time for that! And a wow finish to Vampire Diaries too.
Looks like some summer shows coming up will keep us occupied too!

Enjoy yourself....

Dear Mom

I can't believe it has been 9 years since you went to be with the Lord. I am so thankful that I can say that - you are with Him. I can remember for years of me asking you "do you know where you are going if you died right now" and your answer, "I know the Lord and He knows me" - but on May 1, 2000 it was an incredible day - the day you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior. It sure made going the rest of the way through cancer with you much easier.

I really believe that in my heart you know just what has happened to us since then, but I just need to replay the times in my mind for now. To think about how happy you would have been to go through all of this with us, because you said if God healed you physically, you would stay with us and not move back home.

Well we stayed in Ohio for almost two years after you passed away. The church people there we so good to us. I am glad that you got to know them and know what it meant to be loved and treated well by the church. God knew that something was missing in my life after you passed away and He sent a little ray of sunshine into my life by the name of Ethan Douglas. I know how happy you would be to know he was named after Daddy. There is no doubt that God walked you over to the edge of heaven and let you see the look on my face when I read that pregnancy test. I can see the smile on your face now. I was about as shocked as you were when you found out I was pregnant with Crickette when I gave you the prescription for prenatal vitamins and you knew I was suppose to be getting birth control pills.
Amber didn't stay with Brian and even had another boyfriend in High School. You would have loved getting her all dolled up for prom the next years. I think you would have had as much fun as I did. I think the most fun you had was when you bought her that hot pink dress for her to be in the Little Miss Headland Pageant.

Before Ethan came along we moved to Fort Mill, SC. This too would have been a place that you would have loved to be. This is where your first grand-daughter found her true love, Steven. She got her a Mississippi boy and from Jackson too. I think you might have picked him out for her if you had a chance. Crickette found a sport she loved and it was Volleyball, they even won the championship. You always thought she was a social butterfly and that she is! Paxston actually loved school in Fort Mill. You would not have liked it when Ethan got his first stitches, then broke his foot and had an allergic reaction to the medicine he was on and turned purple all over. It got kind of crazy with him for about 2 months!

Mema's health got pretty bad and we moved back to Alabama to be with her so she could enjoy Ethan. Paxston hated school here so I home schooled him. He did pretty good. Crickette was on the Drill Team for the band and was very good! You would especially loved her first truck - it was RED! And you would have also loved her prom dress - it was a Cheetah print, with red nails of course! It was then that you got to see Mema next. I am sure that when she got to heaven she filled you in on lots of stories, her favorite probably being Ethan playing outside with the water hose and stripping down to nothing! And then how bad she felt when he had the 12 stitches in his hand. Amber got married in 2009 at her school campus where they met. The wedding was just perfect and the ring on her finger was yours, just as planned, so she can think of you very often. She is making a great wife and you would enjoy reading her blog. She is quite a writer, guess she gets that from Daddy. We even put touches of you in the wedding, we used your green dishes to serve the candy in. Touches of her grandmother's were a perfect addition!

After Pepa got remarried we knew it was time for Chris to get back into the ministry full time. I can still hear you saying "I think he is the next Billy Graham". He is still an awesome preacher and God is using him in great ways, just like you knew He would! So now we are in Chesnee, SC. Now this place you would love, we are nestled between Lake Blalock and seeing the seasons change here is incredible. Chris bought a motorcycle in Alabama, but I just started riding it with him. I know you would not disapprove because I know how much you loved them, after all a motorcycle group had a ride for you. You would be so proud of Paxston, he joined the Navy. He looks so good in his uniform, and I know you loved a man in uniform! You would have been crying the hardest when we got to experience his boot camp graduation! And Chicago - you and I would have had a great time seeing the city together. I take you in my heart everywhere and think about how much you would like what I am seeing very often! Crickette is in cosmetology school and you would more than likely want her to cut your hair instead of me! I would love to see her wax your eyebrows, now that would be a hoot! No steady boyfriend yet, you know that saying you have to kiss alot of toads to find that prince... Ethan is playing t-ball and I am sure that you would be the loudest person cheering for him on the sidelines, and even last week, you would have been like me and decided that since the men were not stepping up, you would have coached 3rd base while I coached 1st. Oh yea, Amber is Senior Accountant at a company now, wonder where she got all those smarts from? You have incredible grandchildren!

So today my heart is heavy, but only because I miss my time with you. I guess I was spoiled because for your last year I got to see you every day and even when we didn't live together, I talked to you every day. The relationship I had with you was rare and I just want you to know how much I truly treasured it. You were an incredible mother and you did an awesome job raising me after dad passed away. You helped shape me into a very independent woman (sometimes that is my downfall) but I am blessed!

I love you and miss you and today I will think about all the good times that we had and the laughs that we shared. Right now I am remembering you telling me to wake up on our trip to Jackson, when the truck driver kept passing you and then slowing down, and then passing again. You told me that you might need a witness in case you had to the use the gun. Then next time he passed you - you just held the gun up to the window and showed him. He never passed you again! So with that I will continue my day with a smile!

Another Busy Week!

I had a great Mother's Day ride, we went up in the mountains. There were seven couples and another guy. It always so much fun. I never in a million years I thought I would love Motorcycles, Mountains and Curves - all in the same sentence. I am not sure if I like going up the mountain or coming down best. But I know I LOVE it! Of course the topic of the day was my hair and how it matched my burgundy sunglasses. When we went to eat a Side Street Pizza in Tryon I had one young boy say "Whatz-up" to me and threw his hand back into a peace symbol. I laughed all the way to the bathroom. Of course it was on the chilly side but still a great ride.

I had all four of my children wish me a Happy Mother's Day. Paxston sent me a text message first and then I got a phone call from Amber (she also sent me a card). We had a great chat! Next up was Crickette (who got me a very pretty ring but gave it to me months ago because she could not wait) and then Ethan. Ethan decorated a coffee cup in Sunday School and during the church service he leaned over and said "Bet you're glad I am your son, so you could get this coffee cup!" He is so funny.

Well now it is time for me to go treasure hunting. Well I am making it sound more adventurous, I have to hunt down supplies for VBS. We are turning this place into Egypt! It's going to be so much fun and we only have 1 month to do it. Yes I am getting a bit nervous, but what VBS director doesn't. One day I had a lady on the phone and she ask me what I did - I laughed and replied. Married to the preacher, church secretary, VBS Director, AWANA leader for Sparks, Youth teacher and now getting ready to be heavily involved in the Children's Ministry. So Hmm...what don't I do? It's amazing to see how 20% of the church people are doing 80% of the work.

Have a great day!!

Mother's Day

Every Mother's Day is tough, but this year it has been rough. And it's not because on Tuesday that Mom will be gone 9 years. I don't even know how to describe that is going on with my. I just know that somehow I am not all together with it. Does that make sense?

But I will say that I have the greatest kids anybody could ask for. I am a BLESSED woman to have four beautiful kids and a wonderful son-in-law! It's neat to see just how different each on of them are. They have each brought joy to my life in so many different ways.

So today, I am getting to do the one thing that I love to do - going riding on the motorcycle with my husband and a great group of friends. I really wanted to learn how to shag last night, but we didn't make it to that. So hopefully next time.

I have a new hair color - not sure what it is. My blonde parts really soaked up the mahogony in the color, bet I will get the looks this morning. Just make sure I wear my shoes to match my hair. It sparkles in the sun.

Have a great Mother's Day today.

Baby Scrapbook

I am not real happy with the pictures. I didn't have a program to crop them in like I wanted and the pictures just don't seem to do it justice, but here it is.'

The intro page. I stamped her name in the different colors.

Her Announcement Page: Hannah Camille
First Bath - Can you tell I love the Circle Cutters!
JuneCute Quote from Dr. Suess
July - Her name is embossed at the top along with the "fireworks" on the sides
August
September
October
November - I used silk leave also

December - My First Christmas
I made the trees from Oval and them embellished with brads.
January - This is one of my favorite pages. The letters are sparkly along with the paper that the snowman is on. The snowflakes are metal with crystal brads.
February - that's not black paper but chocolate brown.
March

April - Easter - Another page that I LOVE!

May - Her first Birthday.

The the very last page. I figure they can put her first portrait on that.