Nov 29

For any of you who read this post, you may be interested in this update also. Just amazing! And Exciting! And Unbelievable! And, well, you get the point.

I am on my next to last day of finding something to be thankful for. It has been eye opening for me, even when it was difficult to find something of great importance to appreciate. Of course, I am thankful for small things which make my life a little less hectic. I have a love/hate relationship with my alarm clock, but have found it to be a necessary evil; I love hot chocolate when it's chilly outside; I am thankful for spell check (since I am a t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e speller!!!); I can't live without my DVR...you get the idea, right?

So, I saved one of the most important things until next to last: You, my blogging friends. Blogging was introduced to me impromptu when I felt like my life was spiraling out of control. I had been trying for a baby for over 3 years, and it was my blogging community who came out of the wood work to hold my hand-as virtual as it may have been--while I cried and poured my heart out to people who completely understood all I was going through...the emptiness, the doctor appts, the hormones! You became my allies who marched the front lines of this war on infertility with me. You prayed for me, and I prayed for you. And, now, we share a bond that is as strong as any other.

I am so thankful for your comments and encouragement. I am so thankful for your posts. I am so thankful that I chose to continue blogging on this side of the pain. You and each of your journeys are important to me. I can't really express in words how truly thankful I am to be here blogging, and that through out the entire web, you and I connected by chance (or a google search).

Thank you for everything blogging friends. You are certainly one of my many blessings to be thankful for.

Nov 28

I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to post the past few days. So, you get three things today:

I am thankful I got to see an old/new friend today at Sams! Beth, you were seriously the highlight of my shopping trip. I hope we meet up again for lunch sometime soon.

I am thankful for birthday parties. Today, one of my friends had a birthday party for her son. He turned one! It won't be long until I will be planning Baby K's first birthday party, and I hope our party turns out as fabulous as yours did for Baby F.



I am thankful to be completely finished Christmas shopping for Baby K. Now, I have all of my other nephews and niece to buy for and I am DONE!!!! My goal: Be finished by Dec 10. Don't know if it will happen, but I'm going to try.

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving with your families!

Nov 25

Today, I am thankful I still have 30 days (EEEEKKKK!!!!) to shop for Christmas! Also, have you heard about this? This little girl is on a mission to raise $20,000 by Thanksgiving to adopt a child with Downsyndrome. She has already raised over $11,500 in a week! If you read the past few days posts on their website, you will see a remarkable example of "child-like" faith. She has no doubt that God will provide the $ to adopt this child. What a wonderful Thanksgiving blessing that would be! I am truly moved by this little girl's passion. She could change the world all by herself! Help spread the word! How exciting! I can't wait to see what happens!

Nov 24

I am thankful today that given the local economy and the fact that my employer cut out raises this year, we still got a Christmas bonus! Thank you Lord!

Nov. 23

Tonight, I'll keep it short and sweet (and to the point):

I am thankful that I will NEVER, EVER be the kind of teacher that I have for my class tonight. He is a teacher who deliberately embarrasses students for being "over-achievers" or a teacher who picks on quiet classmates. I really pray that I will be an encouragement to my students to always give 110% on assignments. I am thankful that I recognize that as educators, it's our own fault that students sometimes give half efforts or fail to participate in class discussions. I am thankful for the educators in my life who never made me feel the way I left class tonight...and the teachers who make me want to be the best teacher I can be.

Nov 22

Some of my classmates and I went to TN for the night to do some Christmas shopping. My goal was to have it all finished when I got home today...so much for that. I was able to get some really cute clothes for Baby K. He's growing so fast! Other than that the only thing I bought were small gifts for his daycare teachers.

Since I missed yesterday you get two things I'm thankful for:

1. My home! It's good to get away sometimes, but it's also good to be home. It's so comforting to walk in the door and be surrounded by your "life" (even when it gets hectic!) I am very thankful I have a roof over my head and a warm place to lay my head down at night. And, my sweet husband--he makes my home a happy place to be. I missed him terribly last night!

2. I'm also thankful that tonight I get to go to bed early. My last big school assignment is completed, and I can breath a big sigh of relief. Whew! I almost thought this semester was impossible. Then, if it were (impossible), would I believe in Phil 4:13?

Nov 20

Tonight, I am thankful for movie night. Baby K is already in bed, and K and I are getting ready to watch a movie and stuff our face full of pizza. Tomorrow I will be going to TN with some of my classmates to spend the night and do some...make that ALL of my Christmas shopping, so I am thankful that Baby K decided to crash early so his daddy can have some of my attention too!

Nov 19

Wow, the month is over half over! Can you believe this time next week, we all will be stuffed full of turkey, dressing, and fixings (and gearing up for the biggest shopping day of the year)!!! I am so excited, I can hardly stand myself.

Today I am thankful for these movies:






I am looking forward to watching them Thanksgiving evening with my family!

Nov 18

I am thankful for a good prognosis at the doctor's office for my dad's hand. He is back at work. Yes, you read correctly. He is doing very well. He went back to the doctor on Monday, and received a good report. His middle finger is healing better than expected, but the doctor is now concerned with his thumb. His doctor told him he could return to work as soon as he felt up to it as long as he promised to take it easy. (We all know he is over doing it, but that's what he does. He works. He's worked his entire life to have something to show for all of his hard work. He doesn't know life any other way.) He has his first therapy session this morning. Thank you all for your prayers! Please keep them coming.

Nov 17

I am thankful for this group of people. Together we raised over $5,000 to find a cure for breast cancer. It was so cold the day of the walk, so I had to take Baby K home, but we were so honored to participate in honor of my Grandma who is a survivor. I love this group of people! They are some of my best friends and I pray that none of them are ever faced with breast cancer.



My niece sporting the cure ribbon on her cheek, while Baby K is wearing pink for the ladies!



I pray that it is because of one of our $1's that a cure is found in 2010!

Nov 16

I am thankful for this song. It has gotten me through so much, specifically infertility. I just love it. It reminds me, even in the worst of times, that the Lord deserves to be praised. Enjoy!

Nov 15

Today, I am thankful for Lisa, my fabulous sister-in-law. She has K's quirky sense of humor, so she is constantly making me laugh! She makes the absolute best chicken-and-dumplings in the South. Actually, her apple dumplings are pretty fantastic too. She is the absolute best!

*The expression on Baby K's face is priceless. My dad says he gets this pouty expression from me, but I think he's wrong.

Nov 14

I am thankful for my mom and dad. I have two of the best parents on Earth. I am really blessed to be a child of parents who are still married. Sadly, this is almost unheard of anymore. I can see how much they love each other.

I must tell you all too, that I am really thankful that my dad wasn't hurt worse than he was Friday night. I received a call around 8:30 from my mom telling me that my dad had an accident with a saw. As he was putting down hardwood flooring in their house, he cut his left had pretty bad. He had a 4.5 hour surgery last night where he lost his index finger, but the doctors are trying to save the others. We covet your prayers that his hand will heal quickly.

Nov 13

I received some really exciting news yesterday. Go over and congratulate The Whites who recently found out that they are expecting #2, due in June 2010. After a long battle with infertility, God surprised them with this wonderful news!

Also, I added an updated picture of Baby K over there ------------------>
He just turned 9 months old this week. He has 2 teeth, is crawling EVERYWHERE, is pulling up, saying Da-Da (and on occassion, "No No No."), waving bye-bye. He has stranger anxiety and can't stand for people he doesn't know to touch him. He still isn't sleeping through the night *sigh*, but the exhaustion is so worth it. I bought him this CD yesterday and it is so good. I love, love, love it!




This CD is packed full of Christmas songs about the birth of our Lord. (Which brings me to something else to be thankful for: that some companies still find it "politically correct" to have christian meaning behind the season. Praise God!)

Nov 12

Wow, I didn't realize how difficult this would be. I have so much to be thankful for, but when counting my blessings, I must include the smaller blessings in my life and some of that you wouldn't care to much to hear about...so, I'm trying my best to give you the most important things.

Today, I am thankful for forgiveness. Without that, I wouldn't have the relationship I have with my family for acting a fool when I was in high school. Without it, I would have someone mad at me constantly with all of my imperfections. Without it, I would be mad at someone else constantly. Without it, I wouldn't be saved by God's AMAZING Grace!
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I have to update this, because I have something else to be so thankful for today. Go over and congratulate Charne on the birth of her daughter! She has waited such a long time for this moment, and I couldn't be happier for her. God is so good!

Nov 11

Today, I am thankful for all of the Veterans serving worldwide to protect this wonderful country we call home. I also am thankful for the firemen/women, rescue workers, and police officers (even YOU, Mr. State Trooper, who gave me a speeding ticket yesterday.) I pray for all of your continued safety and for God to pour out blessing upon blessing on you and your families. Thank you for serving the people so that we feel safe.

Nov 10

Today I am thankful that the Lord cares for His scattered Sheep. As some may stray from the flock, He, Himself, goes out to care for and bring them back. He doesn't delegate this task to anyone else; He never gets overwhelmed or stressed out like we allow ourselves to be. Yet, He personally rescues each one, even his most unworthy servants. Isn't this amazing?

Being Thankful

This weekend, I attempted something I had never before tried: I cooked a turkey. Now, for some of you, this may not be a big deal, but for me this was HUGE. I admit that I don't enjoy cooking. I'm not very good at. I'm not confident at all in anything I make; I prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I just don't do it. But, alas, this weekend I faced my fears and cooked a Thanksgiving meal for K and I and our parents. To my surprise, it was really good. I may have to give cooking a shot.

Eating turkey, stuffing, and fixings put me into a thankful spirit. So, to copy my dear friend Deidre, I am going to try to post every day with something I am thankful for during the month of November. Since I am already 9 days behind, today you get an extra long list.

1. I am thankful for my amazing husband. He helps so much around the house and with Baby K. I am so lucky to have him as my husband and the father of my child. He is a very special person; I am deeply blessed to have him in my life.

2. I am thankful for my equally amazing son. I had to wait five years for him, but he is nothing short of being perfect. He has a smile that melts my heart. He's 9 months old tomorrow, and growing ever so fast, but I am so blessed to be his mommy. His only word is Da-da, but I know he loves me every time he gives me sweet baby kisses. (He rarely shares those with Da-da.)

3. I am thankful for having a job. In the county I live in, the unemployment rate is nearly 12%. My job drives me crazy at times and stresses me out. But so many people around me would love to have a job, even if it is one that they hate.

4. I am thankful for the bible study I am doing. I mentioned this last post, but it has been really great for me spiritually. I find myself looking forward to the next day's lesson. It has been very enlightening so far, and I hope to gain new insight upon completing it.

5. I am thankful for friends who encourage me during my imperfections. Thank you for always being there for me and praying for me. Thank you for being a strong support system for me. (You know who you are!)

6. I am thankful that school is almost over. Only 3 weeks to go. I will never again take 9 credit hours while working full time. This has been so draining on me personally and professionally. I love studying education and I can hardly wait until I am responsible for a handful of students. But, school has caused me to shift priorites and rely heavily on other people. I look forward to having time to breath again in the coming weeks.

7. I am thankful for my grandma who did something really special for K and me this weekend. She knew that our pocketbook has been strained with all of the doctor appts we have had lately and she helped us out by giving us some much needed $. That was so sweet of her. I felt so relieved I cried. I asked her why, and she said, "God just told her we needed it."

8. I am thankful that God always, always provides. Even when we don't deserve it, he pours out blessing upon blessing on us.

9. I am thankful for the sunshine the past few days. I'm in love with summer. I love basking in the sun and laying out by the pool. Winter/Fall has never been a favorite time of year for me because I don't like being cold. The past few days has been Spring-like. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!! I know it won't last long, so I'm savoring every second right now.

Until tomorrow...hope you all find time to be thankful today! I love you all!

Social Networking Woes....2

Social Networking.

It so funny how addicting these sites can be. What was life like before you knew the status of 400 people who you haven't seen in +10 years? Have you ever stopped and wondered if the reason you stopped talking to them in the first place was because you weren't the friends you thought you were or you grew apart? Or, because as you got older, you changed, your values change, you become two totally different people as adults.

Cracked.

That is what social networking has done to my Christian life. I reconnected to all these people who couldn't have cared less what my walk with God looked like. And instead of joining me, I slowly joined them. Now, I must interject here that there have been some really good connections for me. People I once was really close to. It was fun to see how their life turned out and revive our friendships. But for the most part, it really hindered my relationship with God. My prayer life suffered; my quite times stopped; my attendance to church hit rock bottom.

I won't go into my much of my testimony. I will save that for another post. I will say that I am a suicide survivor. I overdosed on Tylenol when I was 17 years old which damaged my liver. So tell me folks---why on earth would I want to turn to alcohol now as I have "reconnected" with friends? I'm so foolish at times. I found myself in pictures on friends pages with drink in hand. I didn't even stop to think how I looked to the world, or what that may have done to my testimony. I just did it.

I am fighting back.

I found a bible my grandma gave me. It's called "Time with God: The New Testament for Busy People." It's on my desk at work, so that before I even begin my day I read the lesson. It has been so good to get back into God's word. I'm filling in the cracks, bit by bit with Scripture. (This has helped in more ways than social networking too. My job has been extremely stressful lately. Upper management has really cracked the whip and we have lost many of the freedoms we once had. So, I pray every morning for my workday, my co-workers, and other requests.)

I pray that God will continue to discipline me. I want to grow and prosper as a Christian. And, I want a life that reflects Him. I want to do something that matters with my life. I want to be surrounded by fellow Christians who have my best interest at heart and who will give me Christian advice and encouragement.