In Cute Shoes

Continued Blessings

2012-02-06T22:29:00.002-05:00

Thank you all for your cards and texts and messages on our appointments. We were actually so lucky and fortunate to get into the cardiologist early! My sincerest apologies for not getting to this earlier! We had GREAT news at the cardiologist! He said it all looked great and his words were "couldn't look better." He assured us too that we were sent based on our past history only, not due to any indicators from this pregnancy. We were actually in good spirits when we went. We loved this Doctor & his staff from our appointments with Reese. They remembered us and remembered so many personal and specific things about us, it made us feel so blessed to have such caring Doctors. We left so excited and like a weight of the world was lifted off of us. We know no ultrasound or Doctor diganosis is 100% but after all we went through with Reese and the continued appointments, we learned a lot, and in that we learned to rest in the goodness. So, as a big of a struggle it is for me not to worry (story of my life for 33 years) :). I am resting in the goodness of our appointments. We are beyond blessed and thrilled. Thank you for your love, support and ALL your prayers.

Being pregnant again has brought back the feelings I had during pregnancy with Reese from last year. I was noting our appointments on our calendar and I noticed the week we had the good 20 week scan (the "big" scan) that I posted about, was the same week, almost to the exact day in January 2011 that we were given the poor diagnosis for sweet Reese and I wrote you all on this blog. We stand amazed, heartbroken but ever blessed on the last year worth of entries.
It's been a long and hard year, but we are so excited for what this year brings. Being pregnant again has been worrisome, and some days a bit terrifying, dreading appointments and what's to come, but it's all been worth feeling her litle kicks, having her scanned more times than 'normal' and knowing God has once again blessed us with a child. The feelings and the look of a swollen belly are extremely wonderful, but also a bit sad remembering the last time I was pregnant and the emotions I felt which only lead to us longing for her more. It's been so hard losing Reese, nothing will take her place as our firstborn and sometimes thats hard to explain. It's hard to accept and realize this pregnancy is different than Reese's but we again, choose to rest in the goodness, God's goodness, with His faithful hand on us, and soak up every ounce of this pregnancy and what it will bring. We are 22 weeks now and as much as I am ever thankful for normal appointments, and good scans, I am learning some patience too....... we don't have another appointment with our OB until Feb 23 and our Specialist Feb 27th! If you can pray for us during this 'waiting' time we'd be very thankful.
We are still amazed by each of you and the blessing YOU are to us.

I have started the post on our memorial we had for Reese and will publish it soon. How sweet of you all to reach out about that sweet day, we are very very touched by each of you.
~Phillipians 1:3~

With much love, faith and hope,
Jennifer & Jimmy

A joyful day!

2012-01-16T17:18:00.000-05:00

Hello sweet friends and prayer warriors!

We had our appt today with the specialist. (We changed it to today because Jimmy was off work and it worked great for us to go this morning).)
We had our big anatomy ultrasound and all looked GREAT! The specialist was very reassuring and our little girl was measuring on time and all appeared to be normal! This was music to our ears to say the least! Because of our history with Reese, he did suggest we see our pediatric cardiologist Doctor (who we love) in early February, but he saw nothing wrong or abnormal with the heart today! JOY! Our hearts sank a little bit when he said he was going to send us there, we were so afraid we were facing another difficulty, but he quickly assured us (before we could even ask) he was sending us there before he had even walked in the room today or before he had seen any ultrasound pictures. Our scan was reasonably short considering all the long scans we had with Reese. We are grateful for those and thankful our Doctors are so thorough! We feel so good today and we are 19 1/2 weeks. :) We are at the halfway mark Saturday! Praise the Lord for great news and good health!

We see our regular OB next week and see our cardiologist February 6th. If you can be in prayer for those appointments and for our peace that would be so appreciated.

Many of you have asked about our memorial we had for Reese December 31st and I'll be sure to post about that later this week. The day was very special and a sweet remembrance. We miss her everyday but we are so ever thankful and grateful we are carrying her sweet sister today.

We are absolutely resting in the goodness of today's news and appreciate the texts, cards, calls and emails. You all are more than wonderful. You are precious to us and we appreciate your continued love and support.

With hope, faith and love,

Jennifer & Jimmy

Merry Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T12:43:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas cards this year..... they were extra special......

And the back of them.....

We hope you read carefully :). We are 16 weeks pregnant as of this Saturday! We have been under the care of a specialist and our fabulous Doctor. We have had several appointments, scans and tests with the specialist and so far so good. The specialist told us at one appoitment he couldn't give us more reassuring numbers. We recevied our poor diagnosis with sweet Reese at 12weeks, so we've been anxious to attend all these appointments the past few months.

We found out earlier this fall and we were actually almost 2 months pregnant at the Heart Walk!
It's been hard keeping it under 'wraps' (especially since I'm showing more this time and we're so far along) but we were excited to announce it on our Christmas cards, graciously created and made by my sister!

The pictures on the top are from this late summer and fall. Top left is our anniversary trip to St Maarten in July, Top right is TEAM REESE on October 22nd on the square. Bottom left is Dublin, Ireland which we visited over Thanksgiving ( a post in itself) and bottom right is Central Park in NYC when we were lucky enough to go over Labor day and go to the US Open!

I knew when the mail delivered this week because our phones and emails went crazy. Thank you sweet sweet friends for all your kind words, wishes and prayers. Each message overflowed our hearts. Thank you all for saying how much you'd be in prayer for us, we can't thank you enough for that.

We will absolutely keep you all posted on our progress. Our anatomy/heart scan is Jan 17 and Jan 19th. At this point their are not indicators of any issues (as we had last time) but we are of course still very anxious to have those appointments. Thank you for your prayers and love and support on this journey we continue to walk.

No sweet face or sweet child could ever take the place of our angel Reese, we think of her daily and a small family memorial is taking place next weekend (New Years weekend)at her graveside, which will be a first for all of us. As sad as our hearts still hurt that we don't have her here, we are beyond excited, joyful and ever grateful to God for allowing us to be parents to this sweet little baby we will meet in early June. We have cried tears of joy at each appointment we've had thus far at the good news!

We cried especially at the one this past Monday......... when we were told this baby was a sweet little girl! Blessed beyond all measure.

With love, hope and faith,
Jennifer & Jimmy

October 22, 2010

2011-12-13T17:51:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe it has been 2 months since I've posted. I was waiting on a few things to post and now I have it all. We also recently took a trip to Ireland (another post coming soon!) and I have just fallen behind. I promise to update in the coming weeks, BUT first our recap of such an amazing day!

We woke up on October 22nd, our walk with the AHA and TEAM REESE. It was a beautiful fall day. It couldn't have been prettier. Our committee had worked endless hours over the past few months it was unbelievable all that everyone accomplished. This committee was made up of our mothers, sisters, grandmother and our friend Staci. We met once a month and emailed more times than one could count to pull of the day. These are just a few of the folks that made October 22nd, such a wonderful and memorable day. Let me say that each of these sweet people spent more time on this than one normal person would do. :) They are to be commended and thanked beyond what we could possibly express. These folks generated donations, corporate sponsors, designed t-shirts, made plans, decorated to make for an adorable party, organized events, pick ups and meetings and much much more.

We arrived at the square early to get to our tent that the AHA had generously donated for us, the committee quickly got started setting up the tent with super cute decorations and Reese's candy as well as heart balloons attached w/ fruit snacks for all our little walkers. We had 225 walkers sign up and we had 220 walk with us on that day!! Many of these walkers traveled from Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida and many traveled hours across the state of Georgia. We were a LARGE sea of pink being one of the top teams. Our sweet team led us in incredible fund raising, making us the top community team raising OVER $11,000.00 to the American Heart Association. Our hearts were full to the brim when we heard our final number that morning, all of this is memory of our first-born, our sweet, precious little girl, Rebecca Reese.

We had generous corporate sponsors that donated so that we could provide all 225 walkers (from children to adult) a TEAM REESE t-shirt free of charge. We had had pick up dates for these and so everyone showed up in their t-shirts and it was amazing. The pink just kept coming and coming that gorgeous morning :)

We walked 3.2 miles around the beautiful square area and we walked with friends, family, tiny children just a few months old (who strolled of course) and complete strangers that had joined our team. We were so touched by every single walker.

After our walk, we all headed to my dear in-laws for an after party. We wanted to show our appreciation to the families that spent their day with us, along with all the donations. My in-laws have the PERFECT place for a party so we enjoyed the beautiful afternoon fall day on their land. We had a large jumpy house donated (this was a HIT to say the least) , we had lunch donated as well as delicious desserts and drinks donated by various vendors that are near and dear to our heart (who all can be found on the back of a TEAM REESE t-shirt). Each of these vendors we knew personally and all offered their services. Talk about being blessed~these folks came from everywhere wanting to be a part and to feed and entertain 225 people is not an easy task. What started as a simple walk turned into an amazing amount of donations to the heart association, and a wonderful party with delicious food and fellowship. Another huge hit to the day was the band we had playing. This band was made up of family members, so it made it even more special. Every member is a family member and they played wonderful hits and the kids danced and so did some of the adults! The band was playing as folks started strolling in and that created just the atmosphere we were looking for. We can't thank everyone enough for the time they donated as well as all the goods. To provide a party on donations alone from companies and dear friends was something we never envisioned.

We gave awards to our two top walkers. One being a SIX year old that raised $1k in memory of our Reese. $1000!! She was precious and we were so proud of Miss Alexis Bird. The other, was our dear friend, Andy Goodman who topped out at over $1200 in donations. We also had so many walkers raise over $300! I think he last count was over 25 walkers rasied over $300! We appreciate each and everyone of you and we cherish the sweet donations in memory of our sweet girl.

We had our dear dear friend, Allyson Warrington, a professional photographer (AGW PHOTOGRAPHY) donate her time to us and she took pictures from the first attendee showing up at the tent (at 7:30 am) to the last folks leaving that late afternoon from the party. She documented the entire day and these pictures are beyond special to us. We could never capture the day like she did and we are EVER grateful to her services and her generous heart and her sweet husband for coming and watching their 2 girls as she "snapped"away. :) Whether you were there or not you don't want to miss her fabulous photos of the event!
(Instructions to see these photos at bottom of post)

The next morning Jimmy woke me up with "we're on the front page" and I thought he was kidding, but low and behold, our sweet TEAM REESE had made the front page of the Sunday paper. Front and center with a large photo of the walkers and a little bit of our story. The foot print you see on the front of each shirt is our Reese's actual foot print. She takes after her mom and dad and had big feet like the both of us. I was so touched by my husband and sister for that special touch (& surprise) on our t-shirt.

We can't thank everyone enough. We just don't have the words to express how much EACH AND EVERY donation meant to us, and how much EACH AND EVERY walker meant to us, along with the many emails and letters we received on folks that could not be in attendance that day from family to friends to strangers that are now friends. YOU all made the day possible, YOU had the vision to make us a top team (and we made it!) YOU had the vision to surpass our goal of $10k (we hit $11k) YOU and YOUR time and donations made the party tremendous, YOU have forever touched our lives and our hearts.

We miss Reese each and everyday and some days are harder than others, as we expect. But each time we see someone wearing their t-shirt or glance at the pictures from the day it brings sunshine and hope for tomorrow.

With love, hope and faith,

Jennifer & Jimmy

Thank you again for sharing your hearts with us and such a special day with us. To view pictures from the TEAM REESE event,

Click this http://www.agwphotography.net/store/

Click the Access Gallery link and enter in the access code below:

Access code: Martin
After you do that, you will be able to view these pictures.

If you have any questions, please email us and let us know, we are HAPPY to answer them! jamesthomasmartin@gmail.com

***Also, if you'd like to order any photos, feel free to do so from the site, but the site minimum order is $25 so if your order does not exceed that amount, please contact us and we will absolutely set you up!****

TEAM REESE WALKER INFO

2011-10-16T19:43:00.001-04:00

Hello TEAM REESE walkers! We are SO excited for this Saturday's walk, October 22nd at the Marietta Square. If you signed up for our team, you should have received an informative email.
If you did not get this email please do the following:
1)check your spam since it went to many recipients
2) email us immediately at jenniferyeartymartin@gmail.com so we can get you your TEAM REESE shirt &important information for Saturday

T-shirt pick up time's are located in the email. We are thrilled to have so many walkers on our team~225 strong! With that said, we unfortunately cannot pass out t-shirts Saturday to all 225 walkers and be ready to start on time. So we do ask that you participate in one of the 2 pickups.

Important info for Saturday (where to park, when & where to meet and post party info)

Saturday, October 22nd 8:30am on the Marietta Square

ARRIVAL TIME:
Please arrive at the TEAM REESE tent by 8:30 am wearing your Team Reese t-shirt for our team picture. Please be sure to allow time to park and locate our tent. We want you all there for the team photo!

Location of the TEAM REESE TENT:
Our tent will be located at the corner of Whitlock Ave & Atlanta St. This is the corner of the square closest to the Courthouse and Tommy’s Sandwich shop. You should be able to spot us by the massive group of pink t-shirts and our TEAM REESE Banner. If you have any problems finding the tent please call Jennifer 404-406-5518 or Lindsey 404-667-4974.

Where to PARK:
The best place to park will be in the Parking Deck located at 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta 30060. **The Marietta Farmers Market will be going at the same time as the walk, so the parking deck will be the easiest place to park.

Post Walk Appreciation Party:
Maps to the after party will be available at the team tent.
The after party is less than 10 minutes away from the Square & will start immediately at the walk’s conclusion.

Thank you for your love and unconditional support on this journey. Our TEAM REESE committee has put in countless hours and efforts in this day and we are so excited to share it with you and have you and your families be a part! We also hit the $10,000.00 mark Monday evening for our team donations to the American Heart Association!!!! We are just in amazement at the generosity of everyone and cannot thank you enough!

We look forward to seeing you all Saturday!

Love from our hearts,
Jennifer & Jimmy

TEAM REESE

2011-09-13T10:26:00.001-04:00

Hello sweet friends, family, readers and sweet strangers that we now call "friends"~

Here is the update for TEAM REESE that so many of you have been so sweet to ask about, donated to and volunteer your time. The walk is held on the Marietta square Saturday, October 22nd. Activities (t-shirt pick-up) start at 8am and the walk begins at 9am. Strollers are welcome, its a very family friendly event!

Immediately following the walk there will be an after party at the Martin's home, which is just a few short miles from the square (maps will be available at our TEAM REESE tent on the square). This is also a super family friendly event with activities for children, lunch and a band! We have been blessed and humbled by the many donations to the after party by dear friends, family and business owners that are all dear to our hearts.

Our t-shirts were revealed to us this weekend and we were in absolute awe. They are precious and very special. My sweet & precious husband and sweet sister surprised me by having Reese's actual footprint printed on the front of the shirt, so you will all have a piece of our sweet girl... (and see that she took after her parents with big feet) :)

What you need to do to sign-up:

-Even if you have joined our team on the AHA website, you still need to fill out our form on the link below so we can account for you a t-shirt and the after party.

-You must register each person walking (of all ages) individually. For example, a family of 4 needs to submit 4 entries separately (rest assured its all very quick & easy!)

-A donation is not required to walk or to have a t-shirt but if you would like to make a donation there is a link to the donation page on our form below and also to the left of this page (next to the TEAM REESE button). Thank you for all the many donations we have received, we are getting closer to our goal day by day!

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to email us at: jamesthomasmartin@gmail.com

Here is the form to sign up:
TEAM REESE Walker Sign-Up

Thank you for all your support, love and fund raising efforts. We are looking forward to a WONDERFUL walk and a fabulous after party with friends of all ages! We are also excited about meeting many of you face to face.

With Much Love, Faith and Hope,

Jennifer & Jimmy

99 days

2011-08-22T22:14:00.002-04:00

It has been 99 days since we came face to face with our sweet Reese, and also had to say goodbye.
Our hearts still hurt like they did 99 days ago. Somedays it feels like yesterday and other days it feels like an eternity. There is not a single day that goes by that we don't think about her multiple, multiple times. I wear a necklace everyday to remember her and Jimmy wears his watch with her initials engraved on it. But no matter what we wear, she is always with us, in our hearts, and minds and our spirit. I know thats so cliche to say, but she is ours and always will be.

I haven't known quite what to say the past 99 days to the sweet readers and prayer warriors. Many days, I haven't known what to say to our closest friends and family, that absolutely continue to show their love in so many ways. Our porch rarely has a week that isn't empty, we have gotten countless sweet emails and cards from folks still thinking of us and so many donations to the heart association we are just overwhelmed. We have had church services in memory of her, we have had flowers at the altar for her. But none of that seems to mend our hearts like we wish it would. The service the flowers were for Reese, they were gorgeous and stunning, but as you look to the altar each service, it was so hard to sit there & know those flowers were for our sweet girl. I was mad, sad, hurt, and honored all at the same time. It was so sweet and I am so thankful for all the services, tributes and many gestures made in her honor. They do warm our hearts.

I also haven't known what to say because its up and down as you can imagine. One sweet friend, that has walked this journey before me, told me, that I would have maybe 20 bad days and then 10 good ones, and then get to 10 bad ones and 25 good ones. I thought to myself, "no I'm going to press through this and try to hurt and then heal and move on" she couldn't have been more right and I couldn't have been more wrong. Days are hard, and some days are bearable, but there is no way to tell which ones will be which, thats the tough part. Some of them I scream and cry and my sweet, precious husband just holds me. Some days he's mad and I try to talk with him through it best I can. Some days we are just quiet and know whats on one another's hearts. I guess that is all a part of the grieving process. In July, we celebrated our anniversary and we decided to take a last minute trip. It was a great trip, but it was an awful reminder of why we had those vacation days left. We had planned on using them for maternity leave, not a trip for us. While it was good for us to get away and a last minute plan, it was still hard. No trip, no exotic island, nothing can heal us like we hope. We spent lots of time reading and watching sunsets. We spent time with one another alone, which provided some healing for us too.

We then had our due date (August 3rd) that entire week was flat out misery until the day passed. I was a total wreck, but thankfully, through much prayer and the amazing support of friends we waded through the rough waters. My girlfriends amaze me. I had texts that day, every hour, as if someone synchronized it. I hadn't even gotten out of bed when the first one went off. Precious, precious friends. We still get "thinking of you's" when we need them most. The best emails,cards or gestures always come at the time we need them most. The Lord hears our prayers.

So many of you, even strangers, have emailed me and I love emails, thank you. I don't have all the answers you ask though. When folks ask how we make it through this each day, I don't want to hide it, its hard. Very hard. Hard to see sweet little girl things we wish we were putting Reese in. Watching close and dear friends have precious babies, that we more than adore, but at the same time, makes our hearts long for our little one. There are reminders everywhere we turn, every single day. But there are also reminders of so much grace and love. Through our family, through our friends, through our prayers. We have blessings in abundance. We try so hard to focus on those. But the best way to explain how we get through each day is by a story close to my heart for several years now...

I did a Beth Moore study years ago with some amazing women, who lived through trials I never thought I could face, and ironically this study focused on that. Beth said that we are given an amount of grace each day and my grace and your grace "amounts" are different, based on our need. There are times when I need more than the previous day and may need less tomorrow, but He gives us this grace according to what we need. You may need more today than I do, and vice versa tomorrow. He meets us where we are,each day. Beth goes on to use Exodus 16; God tells Moses that He is going to rain down food (manna) from heaven for him & the Israelites that are facing the "wilderness." He instructs that each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. A key part-notice He doesn't say enough for a few days, enough for the weekend, enough for a month, he says enough for that day. God goes on to test them, yet He supplies them when every need of theirs as long as they trust Him and obey Him. The Israelites were in a dark point at this time and they were encountering danger, they were weak and weary and they begged to the Lord for things to be easier. They desired for things to come about to where they could relax and not endure the suffering they were going through. Oh. how.we.can.relate. They had to then trust God and His ways to receive their needs. And that is where we place our trust these days. We pray for our manna each day (our daily bread) we know HE will meet us there, with just the right amount to get us through each and every day. One day at a time.

Some think is "nuts" we would do that when we're still so hurt He didn't heal our child, but that's when the grace appears that He promises, in our darkest days and nights. The grace comes through love, through unexpected emails, through cards, through gestures, tributes and gifts from you all. From His word of promises, from song lyrics, from the peace you can't explain. Thats our daily bread, and that is the answer to your many questions on "how" do you get through this.I don't' have all the answers, how I wish I did but I assure you, if you had told us we would face this trial (or any trial we have had in our lives) I would have told you I couldn't live through it. Just as I told the woman in our study 9 years ago, who had just lost her husband to her best friend after 25 years of marriage, and a woman also in the study who lost her college aged daughter in a terrible car accident, I told them then, I could not physically live through those trials. It's a wonder who God places in your lives, isn't it? Many of you email and say you couldn't make it, you just 'couldn't do what we're doing' but I promise you, when faced with it, your amount of grace from our Heavenly Father increases and your manna rains down on you like you can't imagine. And more than my promise of that, is His promise. I am here to tell you, you could and would walk through the wilderness just as we are doing. Is it hard? Beyond your wildest imagination, but is it bearable, yes, with the healing rain from the only one that can provide it. Does it make us perfect people or Christians by having this grace poured on us? Not in the least. We still question and we are still in the midst of great suffering, which in turn, plays out into our days, but we are determined to remain faithful even in the "trenches" as I call them until He himself, pulls us out.

We adhere to the story of Moses and the Israelites as we walk through our own desert right now. Begging for the suffering to be over, but all the while, being as honest as we can with the Lord, and trusting Him each day, that his manna will pour down on us. And it does, faithfully, every.single.day.

Thanks for sticking with us and by us, even in our lack of updates. Our hearts have so much to say, but our heads and bodies don't always have the energy to express them. We love you all and thank you for your continued love, support and prayers.

Love,
Jennifer & Jimmy

Team Reese

2011-06-29T10:23:00.006-04:00

Dear Sweet Readers,

You may have noticed the new "buttons" on the left side of the page labeled Team Reese. We are amazed at the amount of friends that have already started to put this up! My sister created the cute buttons and graciously added them to our blog. Before I had a chance to post an explaination on them and get instruction from her, the sweet pink background donning our little girl's name was already popping up all over! Bless you, bless you and thank you, thank you for those that have already posted, you are so dear to us. We are humbled by everyone's genorosity to the heart association and team members that have signed up walk in just the past 12 hours! The buttons will direct you to our Heart Association page and a then the next "button" is to "grab" and post on your own blog or facebook page, if you feel led to do so. No pressure at all, but we love the support from everyone.

The past few years Jimmy has participated in the American Heart Association heartwalk in loving memory of his grandfather. Once we stared dating, I started walking along with him in the walks. Believe it or not it was one of his first family events I was a part of! This year, we walk in loving memory and sweet adoration of our little girl Reese. Our time with her in utero and then meeting her tiny body on May 15, 2011 was all too short and our hearts are still mending, but we are blessed by the continued love shown to us in this journey. The Cobb Heart Walk will take place Saturday, October 22nd at 8am check-in and 9am walk. It is VERY family friendly event, lots of families, strollers and its an easy 5k walk around the Marietta square area. This year, the heart walk takes on a whole other meaning to us after knowing all too well the complications that can come from a heart defect. After we lost Reese, so many asked what they could do, this was the best answer to us to simply support the AHA. We knew from our experience in the past being walkers what a wonderful organization it is. Donations started coming in and shortly thereafter, with both of us having a friend that works for the AHA, and with their encouragement and support, we decided to put together a team. We had no idea how quickly it would take off and for that we are so so so very grateful to our friends and family for their awesome support! We have a special meeting place/tent for TEAM REESE the day of the walk and we are in the works of planning all that goes into that day and we are excited to be putting our energy into something that is so near and dear to our hearts and a sweet way to honor our little girl. It doesn't touch taking the pain away that we still feel, but it certainly does comfort us to hopefully help others that are facing heart defects or heart disesase.

We would LOVE to have you, and your family or friends join us in the walk. We would love a huge team of TEAM REESE walkers. We love the support of the walkers! We of course, also greatly appreciate any donations made. Friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, and complete strangers have reached out to us already with support to the AHA in memory of Reese and now with TEAM REESE in place and the fabulous "plugs" from my sister and the buttons she has created, we are excited to see all that can be accomplished and benefit the AHA from TEAM REESE.

How to join/donate/or post the button to your blog or facebook page:
By simply clicking the button on the top left, this will direct you to our AHA site and allow you to sign up to join our team (as a walker), donate or do both. All donations made go directly to the AHA in support of our TEAM REESE. We hope to raise $5000.00 (or more :)) by the walk date of October 22nd. And by the amazingness of you all, we are over halfway there before we even developed the idea of a team! Bless you! And aside from the donatoins, we are ever so thrilled about the amount of folks that have expressed interest in walking with their families. You will never know how much that means to us and we cannot wait to see you all together in October.

We are still in the throws of planning and organizing so bear with us as we continue to work on all the things we hope TEAM REESE can bring to the benefit of anyone struggling, or felt the loss of heart disease and heart defects.

We love you all. Thank you, thank you for your love, support, the continued emails, cards, and messages that warm our hearts. To know we are still being lifted up in prayer daily is what helps us get through each day. We can't thank you enough for walking this journey with us, every part of it.

Much love, hope and faith,
Jennifer & Jimmy

Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

The Best Dad...

2011-06-17T17:12:00.003-04:00

We are truly blessed by all the fathers in our lives. We certianly feel we have the best dads around, they are all beyond amazing. While it's wonderful to celebrate them and we will do so on Sunday, I (Jennifer) can't help but be saddened that we don't have sweet Reese here to celebrate with us, or that I am no longer carrying her as we had hoped for at this time. It's comforting to know, as we said in previous posts, that she is with our Heavenly father and no better place for her than there, but oh so selfishy do we still wish she was here, every single day we wish that, but even moreso when we feel the sting of a holiday. Our hearts very much still ache for her. We have constant reminders of what to us "isn't right" when we go along with our days, and it is beyond hard to get back in the 'swing of things' after having her for 28 weeks and looking forward to a lifetime with her.

Father's Day is hard for so many people, certainly not just us. All the many that have lost their dads too soon, so many that are longing to be a dad, and then the awkward category of us........ the ones that had and lost. I know we are not alone in that category, and that is comforting and also heartbreaking. To celebrate, to not celebrate, to acknowledge or to ignore as best we can? It's tough. Our families look to us for our lead and frankly, Jimmy & I, as well as them, are all walking on unsure waters of what is acceptable and "right" to do without making anyone feel uneasy. I know that our family & close friends, and many of you would say you know that Jimmy is a father, he created sweet Reese, he is her father. He cared for me like nothing else while shew as in my tummy, he spoke to her, he prayed for her, he longed for her, and he still longs for her. And sadly,because she is not here on this earth, we question the celebration styles. One thing is certain, Jimmy will always be Miss Rebecca Reese Martin's father.

I know that it's hard to explain or say the right words in these types of situations, but I've realized to ignore it, is even worse. Jimmy not only loved and took care of Reese & I for 28 weeks, he had to make some hard decisons that no daddy should ever have to do. He held my hand and sweetly rubbed my hair, when we got the diagnosis at 12 weeks that she was not well, he comforted us over and over. He went to every specialist doctor apppointment we had, which as you know, there were many. He smiled at her face and profile, everytime we got to see an ultrasound of our sweet girl.He cherished the many pictures we got each visit. He held onto them and protects them like crazy. He had the strength to ask each Doctor we saw the questions I couldn't bear to ask. He spent time researching his daughter's condition in hopeful preperation that she would be with us. He longed to give her the best life possible here. He had to be the voice for our little family and talk to the nurses and Doctors as we prepared for delivering her that day. He stayed up all night before her delivery checking on me, He clutched my hand in a tight grip with our arms bent and stood close to me, encouraging me every step while we brought Reese into this world. He loved on his daughter when he first saw her as much as he could. He prayed over her little body for her when we held her. Instead of signing a birth certificate, he had to sign papers of her final resting place. He had to make decisions for her that I couldn't face myself. There were lots of things that had to be done while were were at the hospital that he throughly thought through each decision on his daughters behalf. He had to endure the pain of losing his only daughter, and he has done it with so much grace and strength. He has strength I envy, he has grace I admire and he has so much faith, that he spends hours talking to me about how confident he is that this will be redeemed and has a purpose. (I'm faithful, but I'm still struggling with the why's and the purpose). As Reese rejoices and sits with her Heavenly Father this Sunday, I can't help but have faith that she feels and knows her earthly father's love for her as well. The only person that could have loved her more is who she is with now and I pray she knows that.

Happy Father's Day to someone that has had to say goodbye too soon, to someone with enough love for his daughter to fill the earth, to someone who's heart still aches and longs for what is not here, and to someone that absolutely never failed his daughter. She was blessed beyond measure to be your daughter Jimmy Martin, and I know one day, when the time comes, she will be able to tell you that face to face.

So, I choose to celebrate this Sunday. Celebrate the dads in our lives, celebrate the abundance of blessings we have from them. The countless ways they have been there for us, the strength and Godly love they have shown to us, the protection they've given us and the love they all had for Reese. I choose to celebrate the blessings of them and even with sadness and a still very broken heart, I still choose to celebrate my husband, and his blessings as a father to Reese. No greater a man to have been hers.....

The Healing Stone

2011-06-01T09:48:00.005-04:00

Sweet Readers,

Thanks for continuing to follow us on this road we walk. We really can't begin to express our deep gratitude for everything everyone has done. We have been blessed, and simply in awe of the love shown to us. We have had our yard done by dear sweet friends, (I assure you a full day's work) we have had plants planted for us, we have had so many beautiful flowers sent to us, we have gone through OVER 100 cards that have been mailed to us, we continue to have delicious meals brought to us and we cannot begin to count the many texts, emails and posts we have read and re-read. We want everyone to know that even though we have not been able to respond at all times, that we have personally read every card, post, text, email multiple times. They warm our hearts at such a hard time. We have received already over $2500 in donations to the American Heart Association team that we had started when we found out about Reese's diagnoses. We actually have been a part of a team each year in the past but this year it took on a whole new meaning. We are so thankful for the many many contributions made on her behalf. It is inspiring and appreciated more than you know. We are amazed at complete strangers even sending us cards with such uplifting words during this time. As I said before, this is a sad society to be "inducted" into but we have learned all along this journey, there are so many of us out there. And even as the cards and emails keep coming, we learn of even more. We are grateful to everyone for sharing their hearts. It is heartbreaking, but also comforting to hear from others that have walked this road before us and they along with our faith, give us HOPE. At times I feel pity and think how unfair this is, and then I'm reminded of all the others that have gone through this, unfairly as well. We hold tight to the truth; that our God is in control, He is sovereign and we trust Him. We trust Him whole heartedly right now because frankly we have no other choice and the peace we experience when we do is priceless. Our hearts are still broken and I said a few years ago that there is no better a healer of the heart than the One who created it.
The days are still hard, of course some better than others. It's hard when we have all sorts of reminders (and those are many each day) but we continue to pray for the peace we have now, that it continues to fill our home, and that we continue to lean on each other and God. We thank him for our many blessings we have experienced on this journey. And though sweet Reese is in the arms of Jesus, our journey is not over yet. We still cling to his promises that gives us hope for redemption and blessings ahead.
Out of all the gifts we have received and sweet and kind donations, we are often times taken back by again by the amount of love and just amazing thought by some in particular. This past weekend was the perfect example of this. My sweet friend Alycia came in town from Charleston. She always seems to make the trek when I have a crisis or even when there are times of celebration, despite the 6 hr drive, being the mommy of 2 toddler twins and a devoted wife, the girl is always there.
Alycia arranged for a few of us girls to have lunch Saturday on her visit. I was looking forward to it, but also secretly hoping it would not emotionally drain me more than I already felt. I couldn't have been more wrong. The visit and lunch was wonderful and was medicine to my soul. When Alycia arrived she was talking with Jimmy & I and she handed me a gift and said it was from dear friends. I opened the card first and it read that "this gift was given by friends who are praying for you both and for friends that are hurting with you both." I read each name on the card in awe, eleven of my wonderful sweet and precious college girlfriends, what on earth could this be? I opened a beautifully wrapped box from a favorite store to see the most gorgeous necklace. It was an emerald flower with diamond accents. As I opened the box Alycia told me emerald is the birthstone for May, Reese's birthstone. I was overwhelmed to say the least. Jimmy was as touched at the beautiful gift as much as I was. We were both teary over this amazing gesture of love and deep thoughtfulness. They placed the sweet necklace around my neck and I have worn it everyday since. I touched it a million times the first few days of wearing it. Unbeknown to them, I had been looking alone for the perfect keepsake for myself to wear. I hadn't quite found anything and I had never even gotten as far to look for birthstones. It could not have been a more perfect and fitting gift. The love and thoughtfulness that went into this gift makes it all the more special. Thank you dear friends for such a special special gift that I truly treasure. It was no coincidence that I read shortly after that the emerald is also considered "the stone of healing." Bless you dear dear friends.

Please know that every single gift, every sweet card, keepsake, beautiful plant, delicious meal, each loving text, post, email, generous donation, any act of love you have shown on our behalf has been so very appreciated and each one brings comfort to us. Thank you all for your amazing love. Thank you for your prayers, please continue to keep us in prayer and we'll continue to keep you updated on this road towards restoration and healing. A hymn we use to sing "They'll know we are Christians by our love" comes to mind over & over as the love continues to pour in....bless you all sweet readers, friends, family and strangers for loving on us.

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord And we pray that all unity may one day be restored And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love They will know we are Christians by our love

Much Love, Hope & Faith,

Jennifer & Jimmy

My Healing Stone

2011-05-21T19:58:00.004-04:00

Sweet Friends, Family, and Prayer Warriors,

We wanted to take this time to thank everyone so much for their amazing support. The outpouring of love and prayers has been tremendous and so comforting to us both. We have received countless calls, texts, posts, emails, etc and we just feel so overwhelmed by your graciousness. Thanks to many of you who so sweetly donated to the American Heart Association in memory and honor of our little girl, Rebecca Reese Martin. Thank you to all that have brought food, have sent flowers, planted plants, you are all precious to us. We are beyond grateful for all your kindness. Most of all, thank you so much for all your prayers and for your continued prayers for us, we needed them last week, yesterday, today and we will need them in the days, weeks and months ahead.
We took this past week after delivery to get away for a bit. We had had a vacation planned Wednesday of this past week but moved it up after last weekend and with Doctor's permission. No vacation can soothe our hurting hearts though, but it was nice to get away for a bit and have some time to ourselves to talk, process, completely unplug and pray. The literally constant stream of texts, posts, calls, emails have been what helps keep us going because each time a phone went off, we knew someone was praying for us. We haven't been able to muster up enough to respond to them, and unplugging some this week was good, but we want you to know every text, email, call, post has been read and appreciated more than you can possibly know. This blog, to us, was our best resource to respond to the hundreds of outreaches to us.
My sister has done the last blog updates and kept you all posted the day we delivered sweet Reese. Those are her sweet words below and we are grateful to her for those.
Sadly, I knew I needed to face this screen as well and continue to share our hearts since you so graciously opened yours to us on this journey....
We knew she wasn't well from our 12 week mark, but we had faith that she could be healed and mountains would move. We prayed and prayed. We know you all prayed and prayed. We know our prayers were not in vain. They were heard, as hard as that is to say right now, we do know they were and still are heard.
Last Friday after our apppointment (you can read about below) I was pretty uneasy and it was a long appointment. We were to return on Monday and they had monitored us for hours. Saturday morning I woke up early and for 3 hours didn't feel our sweet girl move. I knew something was wrong. We called our OB and she sent us straight to the Women's Center at Kennestone, and she met us there. I knew before we walked in, that something was not right. Jimmy was so sweet and was trying to be reassuring but we both were devestated, completely devestated when the ultrasound revealed what I had feared most, our little girl's heart had stopped. Her heart was not well, and we knew that but we were trying our best to get her here so she could have surgery. Despite a poor prognosis back in January with a cystic hygroma (that did resolve but still leaves you with a poor prognosis) we really felt we were in the positive side. We had so many people praying. We had faith. We had some positive appointments and were in our third trimester. We never missed an appointment. We were thinking cautiously optimistic. We cried as our Doctor had to confirm our worst fears. She hugged us and cried with us and before we could utter a word told us all we had done for this child was amazing. No matter what she said, we still felt we had let Reese down. I certainly did. I had avoided even the "crazy" things such as hair color, caffeine, deli meat, everything that I remotely heard could be bad, I avoided at all costs and it still wasn't good enough. That broke my heart. Our parents arrived just as Dr Shin had left the room and they were as devestated and heartbroken as the rest of us. We all had so much hope. Shortly after, more family arrived and so did our pastor to pray with us. We were then moved to a delivery room to start the delivery process.
From that afternoon, our room was filled with family and of course nurses, who were the sweetest they could be. I told them this had to be the hardest part of their job. They agreed. We were also told that there were 3 of us on the hall that night. A family at 26 weeks, one at 27 weeks and us at 28 weeks. My heart broken even more, we prayed for those families as well. The medicine started that afternoon to allow my body to start labor, and we were told it would be a long process and that it could even be days. Jimmy was amazing the entire time and we talked a lot about how we felt some peace, or at least we were convincing ourselves that she was well, not struggling and though we'd see her tiny body soon, we knew she was already in the arms of Jesus. And let me tell you, we KNOW that. Fourteen times in scripture Jesus mentions children and states in Matthew 19:14~ "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. " Do these things make it any easier? To be honest, barely. But let me say that is the one thing we haven't questioned this week, we know where Reese is. We felt the peace as we talked about that but we were still so utterly heartbroken.
We prayed it would not be "days" of labor as we were told and that it would be as quick and painfree as possible. The medicine continued throughout the evening and into the early morning with contractions starting shortly, and of course gradually increasing overnight. By 4am I was in a good bit of pain and was given my epidural. By 8am I was ready to deliver, this was a blessing, that things had progressed so quickly from the night before. It all moved so fast from what we had been told to expect. Never once were we stressed or scared, there was a peace in that room. There was sadness of course but we had an overwhelming sense of peace as we started the delivery process. With Jimmy by my side and helping me every step, we delivered our firstborn. Miss Rebecca Reese Martin at 8:47am. She was precious to us, absolutely beautiful. All 1 lbs and 12 ounces of her. She had big feet like both of us and a gorgeous angelic face. We knew she was no longer in pain and hear heart was wholly healed. We held her, loved on her and we kept telling one another "she's not here" in hopes to help us remember where she truly was. We wrapped her in a blanket made by my mom and the family came in after we had had some time with her alone time to just let it all out. Our parents and siblings were there as well as Father Walsh. We had her baptized right there in the delivery room, wrapped in a blanket, and a sweet hat as we held her in our arms. We said prayers for her soul as everyone held her and rejoiced in the fact that we will see her again. Tears were aplenty and our hearts were so hurt. No sugarcoating any of that, it was certainly the hardest day of our lives. After the baptism and prayers, Jimmy & I had more time alone with her and said our goodbyes and prayed over her tiny and precious body as her parents. We thanked God for the opportunity to be her parents. She is ours, and will always be our firstborn, and we love her more than we can express. We had such high hopes of having her here, and that is the hardest part. The moving on, the day by day process. Oh, how I hate the word process. We had this week to reflect, pray and start the grieving process. We are sad beyond words can express, we are disappointed, we are hurt, and we have questioned "why" more times than one can count, but despite all of this and the pain we bear, hear us clear, we feel the prayers. We feel them all. Each and every one. We must, because there is no way to get through this if we didn't. We ask, downright beg of you, to not stop praying for us. There are even harder days ahead and this week has downright been excruciatingly hard, but we know that the Father will see us through. Some ask how we can still have faith, and you know what we do. We absolutely do, we still whole heartedly believe. We have peace that Reese is with the best caretaker of all. As selfishly how much we want her so so badly here on earth with us, we rest in the fact that she will know no earthly fear, sting, evil or pain. I lost a grandmother in October and a grandfather in December and I know she is with them both as well as contless other relatives that have gone before us.
We have had some tough, tough days, hard to get out of bed days, and it's not going to be easy but with each of you and the One that says he will never foresake us, we can face tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that. Will it be easy? No, the hardest thing we've ever done. So we again ask for prayer, and your patience and love as we and our families grieve this precious loss. Our sweet little girl forever touched our lives, our marriage and our souls in the wonderful 28 weeks we were able to have, feel and love on her. Thank you dear ones for the most amazing outpouring of Christian love we have ever seen. We are blessed to be surrounded by such Godly people doing such loving and generous acts on our behalf. Bless you all.
And bless you, bless you for opening your hearts into our lives, all three of them. We love you all.

With Much Love, Hope & Faith,
Jennifer & Jimmy

Blessings...

2011-05-15T20:16:00.007-04:00

Hi sweet friends,

What an outpouring of love and support you all have shown for Jimmy, Jennifer, and Rebecca Reese (or "Reese" as she is called). So many have asked about any arrangements being made. We wanted to let people know that there will not be a memorial service held for Reese. This morning was a sweet, sweet time as we gathered as family, Reese was baptized by Father Walsh, and we all said good-bye to her precious tiny body. She will be laid to rest by my grandfather who passed away earlier this year.

Jimmy and Jennifer have asked that if you would like to show your love and support in a tangible way, a donation can be made to the the American Heart Association. If you would like to make a donation in honor of Reese's life please click HERE. The AHA is an organization that has been close to Jimmy's heart long before his daugter was concieved, as he has been one of the top
fundraisers in heart walks of years past. I believe it was in honor of his grandparents in years past and now the honor will be shared with his sweet daughter, Reese.

Once again, we cannot express enough that your prayers are the most special gift you can offer.

I'm not sure when Jennifer will return to blogging but I will continue to update as instructed or as need be. With so many different forms of communication please continue to check back here for the most current updates. They are considering the blog to be "home base" right now and the easiest way to communicate to you all.

I cannot say it enough....thank you, thank you, thank you for your love, support, and prayers.

Blessings to you all,
Shannon (Jennifer's sister)

Sweet Baby Girl...

2011-05-15T10:02:00.005-04:00

Rebecca Reese Martin is as beautiful as her name. She is 1 lb 12 oz and 13 inches of pure love. She is beautiful. Jimmy and Jennifer are resting in the reassurance that she is in a much better place with Jesus. She was baptized shortly after delivery and is surrounded by love and family. Mommy and Daddy are holding up amazingly well.

Please continue to pray for Jimmy & Jennifer as the following hours, days, and months continue. So many people have asked how to help, which we greatly appreciate it. During this current moment, the best way you can help is simply by praying. We covet your prayers. We feel them. We ask that you don't stop.

We praise God that we, as believers in Christ, can grieve with hope and rest in the knowledge that this goodbye is not the end.

Blessings,
Shannon

A Heavenly Meeting...

2011-05-15T08:56:00.005-04:00

She is here.

Please pray for this moment...

2011-05-15T07:47:00.003-04:00

Jennifer is 11 cm and the doctor has arrived. If you are up please stop and pray for them this very moment. We are asking for comfort and peace that suprpasses these circumstances.

Morning Update...

2011-05-15T07:28:00.003-04:00

Jennifer was able to get a little rest last night. She recieved an epidural @ 4:45 this morning and the pitocin started at 6:30. Her water has broken by itself and she is currently @ 4cm. We are thankfkul for the progress and pray that God continues to be near us as the day draws on.

Please keep praying!
Shannon

A Long Night...

2011-05-14T22:04:00.004-04:00

Good evening friends,

There is little new to report but since the outpouring of love is so overwhelming, Jennifer and Jimmy asked that we keep the blog as updated as possible.

As with any delivery, there is no set timeline. However, this will likely be a long process. Right now oral medicine has been given to Jennifer to help prepare her body for labor. The nurses are antcipating starting the pitocin at 5:00 AM tomorrow morning and we are praying things quickly progress from there, but once again, have been told it could be a slow process.

Currently, Jennifer and Jimmy are trying to rest. They are holding up incrediably well and facing this with grace and dignity that can only come from our Creator. I believe you can feel God's precense in our midst and maybe even baby girl herself. What joy I get thinking of her fully restored in His presence. What sorrow I feel for her absence here. I know God has already used her life in so many ways and will continue to do so.

Thank you for your love and support once again. Please continue to pray.

Much love and blessings,
Shannon

Heavy Hearts....

2011-05-14T14:03:00.002-04:00

Dear friends,

It is with a brokenheart that I write to let you know that sweet baby girl has gone to be with Jesus. We are clinging to God's promises in our darkest hour...

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
Psalm 34:18

Please continue to pray for Jimmy and Jennifer as they meet their baby girl face to face for the first time, but praise God it won't be the last. We are clinging to the fact that this goodbye is not the end...

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 21:4

Love and blessings,
Shannon (Jennifer's sister/ blessed to be sweet baby girl's aunt)

Long Day

2011-05-13T18:23:00.002-04:00

We had our regular OB appt Wednesday, this was our last one with our regular OB, we'll then be seeing an OB at Northside to prepare for delivery, she is also under the same roof as our specialist and pediatric cardiologist. Wednesday's appt went well, heard the heartbeat, measured well and did the glucose test, which we got back today and it was normal.
We headed out this morning for our pediatric cardiology appointment. We love our cardiologist, Dr V, and the appt went well as far as her heart. Her Tetraology of Fallot is of course still there( hole in between the walls) but the artery that was narrow had grown, so that was great news. Her heartrate was good when we went in but dropped a few times during the ultrasound and went right back up as we were leaving. He said this could be because he was pressing on the cord which can causes a drop in heartrate or just the way I was lying. However, with it dropping, he wanted to make sure that our specialist didn't want to see us to monitor that and they did. So upstairs we went. They took us back and did an ultrasound to check fluid levels (good) and a few other things and the heartrate. Her heartrate was going between 130-150 which was great. We thought we were on our way out. But then they informed us that even though the readings were good on the quick ultrasound, that they'd still like to hook us up to the heart doppler (NST test) to monitor. We had good rates in teh 140's, again I thought we were done but the Dr appeared and they were concernced because it wasn't "varying" like they liked. Sooo, they sent us out for lunch since we had not eaten (we had no idea we'd be at the Drs that long for a 9am appt so I had had very very little to eat). We had a good lunch outside and went back to Northside an hour later for more monitoring. All was well, we were reaching excellerations but then we had a few dips, pretty low. It worried me, of course but the Doctors came in and while they are concerned they were not 'too too concerned' because 28 weeks is early to get an NST(I think those were their words) and with that they did say they needed to monitor us again Monday. So all kind of confusing. They said if it continues that they will need to look at the baby further to make sure nothing else is wrong, that part scares me too. We need to pray that the placenta is doing the job it needs to do, that our single umblical cord (most have 2) are getting her plenty of nourishment, and that she continues to move and grow. Fetal movement is key and I do feel her, but its added pressure to make sure I feel her. We need her to grow so if she does have to be delivered early that she is as big as possible, though we pray we do not have to go that route. Our Friday didn't quite turn out like we thought it would. I missed lunch plans and some errands, of course no biggie in comparison to doing what we need to do. Jimmy unexpectedly missed work since our appts are usually not an all day event. But we are praying for miracles yet again. God has brought us thus far and we know he won't foresake us now. It's been quite a day and worry is high, but we are trying to enjoy our weekend and trust that God will watch over all of us at this time and give us what we need. We are weak, worried/concernced and tired after today's unexpected events, so tonight we pray and claim Matthew 11:28~Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest
We thank you so much for your continued prayers, we ask that they don't stop now, we need to get as far as we can in this process with a healthy baby girl. We are still overwhelmed with the meals, gifts, flowers and many surprises that appear on our doorstep. We are covered in prayer and it's wonderful to have that from such wonderful people.
Earlier this week I was reading Hebrews 11 and it mentioning some "Great examples of faith in the Bible" it talked about Abraham,Enoch,Moses and Noah, just to name a few had all taking great measures of faith and were rewarded. The faith of those that crossed the red sea, so many examples of great faith. I loved how it was all simply written out in one chapter. I then realized that I had to take all my concerns and my worries and put them into the hand of our maker and the one that I have faith in. Somedays it's easier than others but I have to believe, I have to claim it, and I have to have the faith to believe all that is seen and unseen, and have faith to believe past what realities may show (Hebrews 11:11). I love what my sidenote said on faith and belief~Simply believing is not exactly the same as faith. For belief to be faith, it must light on what is certainly true. Yet Scripture gives examples of situations where belief alone is required, even commanded. There's no time for evidence collection, to wait, to hear, for certainty. Just believe. Like Peter walking on the water--don't think, act! God even requires us to believe in him when, temporarily, the evidence looks bad: to trust.God requires belief and trust in moments of human weakness, but faith is what makes us strong. Faith is the state of being convinced about what we hope for.

With much Love, Hope and Faith,
Jimmy & Jennifer

The Wailing Wall

2011-05-05T13:22:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to check in and report on our latest appointments. Last Wednesday (April 27) we had an appointment with our specialist. To me, this was one of our better appointments because it simply didn't last as long as they normally do :). Which to us, is a good sign. Our sweet little girl was active and moving for us and they got good measurements and she weighed in at 1.9lbs, so she is growing! We need to continue to pray for her growth so she is a substantial size and so that she is prepared for any surgeries when she arrives. (The bigger the weight the better) With her 2 vessel umbilical cord (most have 3) we need to make sure she is getting all her nutrients and nourishment. I'm working hard to do my part in this and praying she is getting all that and more! The doctors still want to monitor her closely so we continue to see them quite frequently. This next week (Wed May 11th and Fri May 13th) we have appointments with our OB and then with the Pediatric Cardiologist. We are praying for these appointments, every appointment seems to bring nerves. We hope for good news at both.
Our days are up and down. Some days we are flat out overwhelmed with all that we are told we may face, and some days we are overwhelmed with tons of goodness. We continuously thank God for this blessing and for how far he has brought us on this journey. We feel immensely blessed that we are able to be where we are today considering where we came from. But, to be honest and transparent, there is still so much fear. Especially to me (Jennifer) which I am working on daily. I KNOW God's hand is right on this and we feel him every.step.of.the.way. He continues to show Himself over and over again to us. We are ever thankful for that and I am trying my hardest to let my human fears subside and trust in His word and His promises. I repeat them as many times as it takes for me on a day to day basis. We continue to do things that aren't always easy, making lists of what we need, starting to plan a nursery despite my worries, allowing my precious friends & family that have graciously offered to jump in the throws of planning showers, and we pray that we are doing the right thing. Those things aren't easy for me. Our prayer lives have been enriched in this journey and it's already been life changing. We pray to the Lord that he hears our prayers and we know, without a doubt that He does.
On prayer, there is a "Wailing Wall", also known as Kotel in the old city of Jerusalem. It is part of an old Jewish Temple and was constructed by King Herod. Old, to say the least! The last remains of the Jewish temples that was built more than 2,000 years ago is the Western or Wailing Wall. This wall provides the boundary between the Temple Mount of the Muslim Quarter and the Jewish Quarter. Due to the historical and emotional significance of the Wailing Wall, many Christians visit here. This is a place where many will stop to meditate, reflect and pray to God, with some leaving their own prayer request within the wall.The sages state that anyone who prays in the Temple in Jerusalem, “it is as if he has prayed before the throne of glory because the gate of heaven is situated there and it is open to hear prayer”.

While we are not Jewish, we have heard from so many people that have visited Israel (including many of our family members) that this is such a sacred, holy and special place. Over one million "notes" are left in the wailing wall each year, of each persons cry to the Lord. We fully realize we don't have to go to Israel to pray (although I wouldn't mind) but we are blessed that one of our dear friends is headed there this Saturday and asked us long ago about putting a prayer in the wall for our little one. I have loved this idea ever since she mentioned it. Her & their group (Valdosta Baptist Church)will pray over our prayer request/letter at one of the oldest and considered most holy & sacred sites of the city where Jesus once was. That in itself is amazing to me! So this morning I prepared our note of prayer to be placed at the Wailing Wall. Special prayers for our sweet little one being knitted in the womb, prayers for us as parents, prayers for her life once she arrives and for all that our future will hold will be placed in this massive wall, along with so many others cries for hope.
So, while we stay put, and continue to pray here, we are blessed that a piece of our hearts is leaving this Saturday for the Holy Land...

Meeting the Surgeon....

2011-04-22T09:44:00.002-04:00

This has been a post that I'm behind on, and I absolutely hate that, but I wanted to make sure I had all the information right and I needed some time to "decompress" after the appointment itself.

On Monday we made our way to Egleston Hospital, Children's Hospital of Atlanta (CHOA) and met with our surgeon. He had come so highly recommended we weren't in the least bit concerned or even nervous meeting him, that is, until we were there. Everything was so "official." The facility is so nice and amazing but they go to great lengths to check you in each time, complete w/ a hospital bracelet I was told to wear at all times while there and again it was much larger than any office we had been to, we were at a top-notch children's hospital, a bit overwhelming. After check-in, we headed to the 2nd floor (some grandparents in tow with us as well) and we met with our Surgeon's nurse, who we loved and then met with him. It was nice in the fact that no new information was given (he does no ultrasounds just takes the info from our pediatric cardiologis and he just meets with you and prepares you). He told us the scenarios we were looking at for post birth surgery. We do not know which one she will have until she is here. The four different scenarios are this:
1. If she is of adequate size (6.5 lbs or more) and her oxygen level is good, then they will send her home and let her grow a little more, bring her back in 4-6 months and do the surgery.
2.If she is of adequate size and her oxygen level is poor, then they will need to do something for her soon. So since she is of adequate size they will elect to do the permanent fix surgery soon after birth.
3.If she is of small size and her oxygen level is good, then they will send her home and let her grow a little more, bring her back in 4-6 months and do the permanent fix surgery.
4.If she is of small size and her oxygen level is poor then they will need to do something for her soon. But since she is small they don’t want to risk putting her through the permanent fix surgery so they will opt to put in a temporary shunt to help with the oxygen; then bring her back in 4-6 months and do the permanent surgery.

So regardless of size it sounds like the critical thing we need to listen for after birth is her Oxygen level. As long as it is high then she goes home for a while, but if it is low they will do something quickly and her size will determine if they can do the permanent fix or the shunt.

This, I'm sure is a lot to you all readers and its a lot to us as we have learned the in's and out's of the process we are going to face. The surgeon answered any and all questions we had and we feel confident in him to do the surgery when necessary. He and the cardiologist we've been meeting with will make the decision after she is here. Thats the tough part, not knowing. We then went on to take a tour of the room she'd be in, and then the recovery area. The nurse asked us if we wanted to see a baby that had had surgery that day and she said it would be easier for us to see it now. I couldn't answer her propertly because of the tears that were starting to stream down my face. I kept telling myself how "lucky" we were to be here considering where we were in January & February of this year, and tried to console myself that way. We continued the tour and went to see a sweet 9 month old little boy that had had surgery that very day. His parents were of course by his bedside and he had a nurse at the end of his bed (each child gets their own nurse at the end of their bed w/ monitors,etc) I hate that this sweet little boy had to be tied up to wires, tubes,etc and was still under anasteshia but he looked pretty good. It wasn't easy by any means, and I stayed composed when we were in there, thank goodness, the nurse "coaxed" me to come a little closer so we could be prepared when our little girl faces surgery. This little boy didn't have what our little girl needs done but he had a murmur that had to be operated on and the parents found out about it shortly after he was born. We are thankful we can be as pro-active as possible and know somewhat of what we are facing.
The nurse again was wonderful and very helpful and the facility is amazing. We feel blessed to live in a city with top-notch healthcare that so many people have to travel to. It was just the "reality" of it all. I had a rough time that night & next day, but Jimmy kept saying "they can fix her, and they will." It wasn't easy for him either, but he has been a rock of strength. Again, all week I keep telling myself to re-visit my January 21 posts and remember the sobbing and Jimmy helping me literally get out of bed those days and knowing how I'd have given ANYTHING to be told then that it's a defect we can manage. So, as hard as things are to see and face right now, we are ever so thankful for making it this far. Surgery on anyone is scary, surgery on a tiny infant scares me greatly. We keep praying without ceasing for healing, the surgeons and doctors. We pray for her to continue to grow, grow, grow and for upcoming appointments and most of all this week we've prayed for peace. The anxiety has been high, and we are slowly coming back to peace, which is a welcome thing!
As we approach Easter Sunday, I keep thinking of the hymns we'll sing. I have thought of this every Easter since I was a little girl, but knowing our chances of singing "He Lives" or my favorite "Because He Lives" is great. I love old hymns and love to stomp them out on the piano any chance I get. I have always loved 'Because He Lives' and this year our Easter theme has been a verse from if "We know we can face uncertain days because He lives." And we do absolutely know that and trust that and we cling to it now more than ever. Verse 2 starts with how sweet to hold a newborn baby.....and it goes on to say 'but greater still the calm assurance, this child can face uncertain days because HE LIVES'<
In this Easter and this season of our lives, we will rest in the calm assurance, that we are all covered today and everyday by the power and love of the one that gave his life for us. We are reassured and know that any uncertain day, now or that is coming, can be faced because He rose from the dead to live for us. To us, there is no greater calm assurance than that....

With much hope, faith and love,
Jennifer and Jimmy

Cardio Follow-Up

2011-04-12T15:52:00.003-04:00

Another check-in :). I was going to wait and do the 2 appointments this week together, but you all are just SO darn sweet by emailing, texting and posting wanting to know about yesterday's appt. That truly makes us smile and feel SO blessed knowing that so many people are praying for our sweet little girl and wanting an update.
I am pleased to say yesterday's appt with our pediatric cardiologist went well. The Yearty grandparents made an appearance at this appointment, and while the ultrasound really just shows the heart at the cardiology appointments, they were intrigued. We absolutely love our pediatric cardiologist and the grandparents felt the same. He spends so much time with us, draws us diagrams, explains everything in great detail. Things are still the same, with the Tetralogy of Fallot diagnosis and we'll await for her debut before they know exactly which type of surgery they will perform and when. That will be a stressful time as well, but we take it one day and thing at a time. Try not to borrow trouble for tomorrow. We are thankful for the good appointments, we feel so blessed each time we get to go and it's good news. We loved seeing the sweet face in 3-d last time (below) and we've definitely gone from grim to hopeful. Still nervous? Absolutely! But I know that goes with just about any pregnancy. And I've always erred a bit more on the cautious side in life. :)We have another appt with our regular OB this Thursday and then we meet for the first time, the surgeon at Egleston next Monday the 18th and back to the specialist the 27th. Lots of April appointments with lots of different people, we are so thankful for the staff and doctors we have met on this trek, they have all been wonderful thus far.
Thank you again for everything and most of all the prayers and continued prayers, complete strangers have lifted our family up, and we just are in awe of the amazing people that are graciously doing that. We still have a few months to go, 3 1/2 to be exact :). God is at work in this little one's life and we can't wait to see it unfold.....thanks for being a part of it all.

Celebratory Weekend!

2011-04-07T08:07:00.006-04:00

Hello Everyone! Just checking in after our most recent visit with our specialist.
We had an overall good visit. It's so hard to relax in these appointments, with such long ultrasounds and not knowing what they are or are not seeing. It can get downright overwhelming at times. However, this hour long appointment was our shortest appointment with the specialist yet! We saw our sweet little girl, she showed us her 5 little fingers and waved at us, as well as moved around quite a bit. I'm starting to feel her move on a daily basis and hope Jimmy will be able to feel her soon. We are at 23 weeks and feel blessed to be this far! The only thing that the specialist saw (besides of course our heart defect which we follow up with the cardiologist) was that her head was measuring small and they would monitor that. The Doctor did go on to say that not everyone has a big round head. I looked at Jimmy :) and I'm not sure he appreciated that too much. :) She said this along with the heart defect could be a sign of Digeorge Syndrome, but again, we will not know that until she is born. We decided not to do the amino because if she has Digeorge, she has it and it will in no way change the course of the Doctors treatment from here on out, so we saw no use for it. The Doctors said it was only if we wanted to know. We love her regardless. Digeorge can be a broad spectrum. Some people live their entire lives with it and have no idea, some have stronger traits of it. There can be slow learning math skills and possibly some behavior skills, but we could also chalk those two things up to her genetics. :) We just continue to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17), that our little girl is healed, that her heart is fixed and that she graces us with her debut at full term.
We were told that the heart is structured and it just grows but doesn't change structure, while I absolutely trust and believe Doctors, I know our God is bigger than that and I actually pray that her heart is wholly healed. We have not because we ask not (James 4:2), so I am going to keep asking. As mentioned below, I'm trying so very hard to pray THROUGH the faith, with undoubtedly knowing that He, the healer, the maker and giver of life, can heal our sweet little girl. We are beyond blessed to continue to get good news and with each appointment, we have the anxiety that we won't receive good news, but each appointment gets better and better. Going from such grim prognosis to some hope is a miracle in itself! The hygroma is still gone, her neck is a little "thickened" from where the hygroma was, but the fact that it's gone is again another one of God's miracles. We thank him for that so very much.
Thank you all for the intimate, precious emails you sent after the below post. I had no idea it would generate such great conversation. Believe me, I'm a beginner in this praying "through the faith" thing, but it'll change your prayer life!
Please continue to pray for our sweet little girl, and for our upcoming appointments. We have four more appointments this month, and all of them are with different doctors. I will update after each one. The next one is Monday, April 11th with the pediatric cardiologist to follow-up from his first diagnosis (Tetraolgy of Fallot) We cannot thank you enough for your continued prayers, posts, scripture you share and again, opening your hearts on this journey with us.
We had celebrations galore this weekend! After our appointment early Friday morning, the wedding festivities of Lindsey & Mike began! Lindsey is Jimmy's sister, and also a friend of mine before I even really "knew" Jimmy.It was the.most.perfect.weekend.ever! I have been blessed enough to be a bridesmaid a few, 15 times in my life :) and it was an honor to stand beside Lindsey & Mike, I even "ugly cried" and DID NOT want to do that :). Her bridesmaid luncheon on Friday & rehearsal dinner that night were so nice, so genuine & sweet and just voerall outstanding. Not only were they each super nice events, they were so darn sweet! The toasts at each one were some of the sweetest I have ever heard. I had read that very morning about Paul and his writings on love and marriage and it was no coincidence (yet again devotional coincidences-I think not) that Lindsey & Mike's marriage is blessed. They have taken some wonderful steps in pre-marital retreats, and absolutely entered this sacred covenant with two of the most precious hearts. There was never a moment of stress before or during the weekend. Her planning was so organized and enjoyable (yes it can be-hers was!) Everything from even their surprise proposal in September was perfect.(I am a huge believer in surprise proposals and I don't think that I know of another bride that was THAT surprised). The wedding day was gorgeous, God graced us with beautiful weather, everything was in bloom, the reception was indoor/outdoor and it kept being referred to as "Father of the Bride" like and there is simply no other way to put it other than that. It was prefect. The dance floor became the dance room by the end of the evening with their terrific band. It's always nice when people dance at weddings but the ENTIRE room was filled to the brim that night of all of the "rock star dancers" Jimmy being one of the lead ones (video to come for sure!) It was a blessed event, a sweet and precious weekend from Friday to brunch on Sunday. We know they are enjoying their amazing honeymoon in St. Lucia!
A quick pic from our appointment. We were asked if we wanted 3-d pics, we hadn't even thought of having that done, knowing its an extra expense, but the tech told us that was one 'good' thing about seeing a specialist, (if there is a good thing about it) that they have the machine for medical purposes so why not. She took 3 cute shots of our sweet girl. I think Jimmy was astounded at the sweet face we saw on the screen. Thank you prayer warriors for praying and continuing to pray for this sweet face. Enjoy!

And one more....

Checking In....

2011-03-23T17:20:00.000-04:00

Sweet Readers,
You all are so good to us. We continue to be showered with love, a full mailbox, wonderful meals, and "porch surprises" as I call them. All the "Thinking of You" and "Praying for You" messages are so appreciated, again EVERY SINGLE post, comment, text, email, card, etc is so very touching. We can't show our gratitude enough.

We had an appointment last Thursday-St Patrick's Day, with our regular OB. These are typically uneventful appointments, where they weight/measure and check the heartbeat with the doppler. These are less involved because of all our specialist appointments. Our OB is even amazed at what she sees in the reports, just because she doesn't see this as often as of course a specialist would. However, we still have to keep our regular appointments and so last week was the 20 week mark. (We are at 21 weeks now!) Everything was good, and because some Grandmothers came along, they got to see a glimpse of our sweet girl. We weren't due for an ultrasound but the Doctor was thrilled to just show them (and see the heart for herself). It was a quick appointment and again, we rejoice in uneventful appointments.

We head back to the specialist late next week. I am still anxious at those and for those appointments in fear that they will find something else, or a diagnosis will change since we are still 22 weeks when we go (more than 1/2 way there though!). I have been learning a lesson in trying my best to let those fears go and trust in the Lord with the simple answer, FAITH. It's simply put but certainly not always easy. And to me, I'm not sure living in absolute faith is something many can do, but we are called to do so.

The Lord knows what we need, and he didn't miss a beat this week either. Tuesday morning I was doing my devotional before work and it was a lesson in "praying through things." It simply said praying through things "might be defined as praying one's way into full faith, while praying into the assurance that one has been accepted and heard, so that one becomes actually aware of receiving, by firmest anticipation and in advance of the event, the thing for which he asks full confidence that our prayers have been heard and answered." We don't stop praying in these trying times, we just pray differently. Pray with no doubt left that our prayers are being heard and answered in accordance with God's word. Praying as it says "in advance of the event for which we ask" That took me back a breath. Praying with SUCH confidence and SUCH assurance in advance?! This is tough for me, I feel I could made to look like a fool, I typically "beg" in prayers these days. After reading the direct idea of this, I feel maybe I don't have enough faith to pull that out!? But I know and believe that is what is right, it's just another lesson in this journey. While continuing to read, I immediately looked up, because I'm telling you, you ask or you struggle with something and the next thing you know, it's the March 22nd lesson in your devotional. :) As I worried I wasn't going to be able to pull this off, I remembered something I learned a long time ago~knowing that the Lord takes our spiritual temperature with our hearts not our tongues, thank goodness! So he knows what I'm trying to do and get across, bless Him. To pray in thanksgiving for the things yet unseen, KNOWING they have been heard. Not an easy thing for an anxious mommy-to-be like me, but yet, another fantastic example of "leaning not on your own understanding."

The day's devotional also stated that the old Pentecostal Era "prayed in ways like it was as easy as cashing a check at the bank." That's pretty simply put! I'm a little uneasy this particular morning, and now this devotional giving examples of praying in such faith, I'm a bit overwhelmed. For some reason, I pick up my Bible next to me, (not in accordance w/ the devotional) and it literally falls open to Matthew 9 and my eyes are drawn to an underlined verse that somewhere along the years, I had underlined. It was verse 22 "Daughter, be encouraged! For your faith has made you well!" Being already overwhelmed, this took me over the edge. I knew I was being wrapped in the arms of love, grace and compassion from our Heavenly Father that morning, I have no doubts. Remember, this scripture was not given in the devotional, and low and behold that was the first page the Bible was opened to, without a thought given.

To explain the verse you must know (don't worry,short version)it's from the story where Jesus is going through the crowds and a woman who was ill, and she was just trying to "touch him" and she just knew, without a doubt, with all of her heart, if she touched Him or His robe in any way, she would be healed. And that verse was His response to her.
Again, talk about being spoken to! She was praying through her pain, and boy did she not ever believe "in advance of the event!" Just knowing in full faith that if she could reach Him, he would heal her, and he did. The very same lesson my devotional was trying to teach me, and the very one my heart needed to hear.

Later that evening, some girls from work and I were going to a painting class where we were to paint a cross. We were told to bring scripture, lyric or something to put on our cross. For 2-3 weeks I just couldn't decide what to put on my cross painting, I had too many favorite verses, song lyrics, and couldn't decide just what I wanted. After this overwhelming, yet amazing morning devotional,I called Jimmy to tell him the morning's events before work and without really thinking about the verse and the painting, he said "I think you found your verse tonight." And right he was.....

Rejoicing from the Heart!

2011-03-07T14:29:00.008-05:00

We had the best appointment we have had yet this morning! We are excited to share our news.
We met with the most wonderful pediatric cardiologist that came highly recommended, not only by our fetal specialist that we've been seeing, but also by some friends that have had the opportunity to work with him. He was amazing! He spent so much time with us, we loved him even before he told us......."this is fixable and manageable". That was music to our ears!! He said it several times, and we just couldn't get enough of it. We were amazed. We waited as they did a super extensive heart ultrasound and then he patiently explained absolutely everything to us. Basically, she has VSD, and to be further on it, she has Tetralogy of Fallot which on our little girl specifically she has; a smaller pulmonary valve (which we need to get bigger) and Right Ventricle hypertrophy. This stuff is way over our heads but our Doctor did a fabulous job drawing and explaining it and sent us home with the information. Again, all I kept hearing was "fixable and manageable." But, there are a few more hoops to jump through for us (below), but overall we felt it was great news.

He said she had a "good squeeze" and "beautiful 4 chambers" so we were ecstatic with that. She also had an "excellent heartbeat." He couldn't believe how much we had gone through in 18 weeks, but that is because we saw the Cystic Hygroma. The reason he was surprised is because many heart defects are found at 18-20 week ultrasounds because it's the most clear to see then (the heart and baby have had time to develop) with that said, by the 18-20 week mark sometimes, as in ours, the hygroma is resolved. Anyhow, the surgery(s) she'll need will be done after birth. In utero is not necessary for us and to him, more risky than we need. She could have one surgery, but he feels she may need two of them. Again, these will be done right after birth most likely. He will continue to monitor us, he will be there when she is delivered and then she will go to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for surgery, with what he says, are some of the top surgeons. We will meet with the surgeons in the future to know our entire "gameplan." The success rate in these surgeries is 90% so he just reassured us before we could even speak words out of our mouths. He obviously knows what he's doing because we really didn't breathe a word, taking in everything he said and he seemed to answer every question we may have ever come up with.

He congratulated us which was so nice to really hear. He told Jimmy to make sure he called him directly if he ever had any questions on anything, he was great. We were both crying before we could walk out, we just couldn't believe all the information and the positive light he put it all in, we just hadn't experienced that yet.

Now, there was one thought of his, that he said wasn't a "huge" concern but something he would like to further test . It is Digeorge Syndrome. This is sometimes common in babies that have Tetralogy Fallot. He said our risk is a bit higher for having this than another pregnancy, because of the heart defect, and so he said we may want to have an amino done to rule that out. He said medically it wouldn't affect him or his future in handling surgeries,etc. He said that is for us, and to us, we want to arm our doctors with all the knowledge they can have upon delivery. So we will most likely have an amino done in the near future. Please pray for those results. Digeorge syndrome is not as severe as downs but does have physical and mentally delayed developments, lower immunity,etc. While we still hold hope and pray that we have a totally healthy baby, we hold firmly to the faith that the Lord is giving us the baby He desires us to have.

We are very excited, and still "cautiously optimistic" because we are certainly "not out of the woods yet" BUT we are EVER GO GRATEFUL for the blessings of today! We were terrified this morning of what was to come, and we left beyond grateful and having to compose ourselves before we headed up to the checkout counter. We talked before we were called back that the same God that has been there for us our entire lives, restored us and brought us together is the same God we'll serve no matter what we hear back there. We agreed on that and back we went. We came out with tears of joy. We can't thank you all enough for the prayers and continued prayers you bestow upon us. The meals, cards, flowers, surprise gifts, they all are warming OUR hearts and that keeps us going. We said in our first post that we serve a God who is able to "do immeasurably more than we can ask" (Ephesians 3:20) and we have already seen that.
This morning I was reading about Jesus telling the disciples that "even faith as small as a mustard seed could move mountains" (Matthew 17:20)and prayer warriors, you my friends, have had the most amazing faith. By your prayers and the mighty works of our Father, mountains have already been moved. We absolutely pray they continue to be moved as we go through this pregnancy. We have a lot to be thankful for at this point and we are thanking God continuously for his goodness, but we also continue to hit our knees in continued prayer for development of the heart, for our Doctors, surgeons and our family. We know we still have months to go, and many many appointments to get through but with the support we receive from you all and sufficient grace from the Lord, we have no doubts we can journey through anything.

With much love, hope, and faith,
Jennifer & Jimmy

Baby Girl Martin and her sweet profile

One more thing

2011-03-04T15:31:00.003-05:00

In regards to our post from earlier today (right below)---We just found out our appt with the pediatric cardiologist is Monday at 11:45am. You all have been so wonderful in asking when the appointment was, and we hated we didn't know when we posted earlier but we just got the news now. This news is great that it's so soon, but also gave my nerves a little chance to re-visit (very little). We know we are at a great hospital (Northside), we have so many precious prayer warriors praying for us and we only hope to bring good news on Monday after our appointment. Our minds tend to wander back to the "what if's" since their are so many possiblitiles with such a vital organ, but we are astounded at the many stories we get daily from friends of friends sharing their miraculous heart stories. Thank you all for opening your hearts on this journey.

With much much love, gratitude and thankfulness to each of you,
Jennifer & Jimmy

The "Big" Appointment Report

2011-03-04T10:29:00.003-05:00

We had a very very long appointment this morning with our specialist at Northside. We did leave with some hope, which was a welcome and pleasant feeling.
We had an hour plus long ultrasound going over the full anatomy of our little girl. She was VERY wiggly today and they had to "catch" her in certain positions because she was moving so very much. That was certainly neat to see. As we somewhat expected, our little girl has a heart defect. Although severe to our specialists, we won't know exactly what it is and what they can do about it until we see a pediatric caridologist next week. This Doctor is also at Northside, so we feel blessed being at such a great facitlity for care. We saw a very clear profile (with such a long ultrasound we saw A LOT of our sweet girl), we saw 2 hands, 2 feet, 10 fingers, 10 toes, nose, lips, and so very much more~I mean to tell you all, we saw it all. That is the one nice thing about the specialists office, you get very very in-depth looks at your babies.

The good, I mean great news to us~ the hygroma was gone!!! It was not seen by the Doctor! This was HUGE news to us, the Doctor said it was good news because it can take over the baby and create something called fetal hydrops which is fatal. So that was a wonderful praise for us! While he agreed that was good news, he was quick to remind us that the heart is the problem, and that is what was causing the hygroma. He did see 4 chambers, which again positive news to us, but doesn't believe one is pumping correctly to where it should be. He said the cardiologist would be able to look at this more closely. Our specialist today spent lots of time with us after our hour long ultrasound, even conducting one of his own and her anatomy on all parts look good except the heart, so again rejoice in small victories. Her intestines were "bright" but he wasn't too terribly concerned with that since we have had a CVS test (which was normal), a Cystic Fibrosis test (which was negative) and these can sometimes be indicated through bright intesines. Again, we focus on the heart issues for now.

We understand the Doctors have to present us with the information and they can't be eiher super negative or super positive at this point so we hold out continued hope for a miracle. Our little girl still needs a miracle at this point since we are dealing with obviosuly such a vital organ and we still have a long road to face. We pray that the heart can be healed, fixed, in some way shape or form. We again will know much more next week after our appointment. He said he was "sorry to give us such not so great news" but to us, the fact that the hygroma was gone, and the heart,(though we don't know the exact issue) can possibly can be fixed and healed. We have heard some miracle stories about hearts being healed in utero and shortly after birth, we again, hope we are one of those stories. We are aware this path can change at any moment, but we rejoice in today as we continue to take things simply day by day.

Thank you again for all your prayers, calls, texts, cards, surprises (yet another yesterday & today just "appear"), you all are amazing. Starting at 7am all the way
until now when I type this at 11:40 the phone hasn't stopped. The entire way to the appointment we receieved text messages all along the way, almost too many to count it was unreal!(and this was early for some of these peeps :)). It meant so very much, we just cannot get over the love we are being shown by SO SO many of you! Each message means more than you can imagine. When we see "praying for you right now" and "on my knees for your sweet girl" over and over all the way to the appointment and home, we are in absolute awe. We appreciate ALL of you who prayed today, yesterday and will continue to do so tomorrow and all the days this journey continues. As we said on day one, we serve the Divine Healer and we hope and pray its in His mighty plan to heal our sweet little girl.

Much Faith, Hope and Love,
Jennifer & Jimmy

The Waiting Room

2011-03-02T15:13:00.006-05:00

Hello sweet readers. You all are so special and dear to us to continue to surround us with your love. There is not a day that goes by without seeing someone drop by, receiving a surprise text or post or getting a card (LOVE going to the mailbox now!)or coming home to the sweet gifts that "magically" appear on our porch from our dear friends and even "friends of friends." We continued to be humbled by your sweet gestures.

The past few weeks have been the "waiting game" for sure. We have had some great weekend getaways, and our lives have been full of fun with loved ones, as we continue to pray constantly for our sweet little girl. Our nerves and the feeling of anxiousness have certainly shown up the past few days as we wait for our "big appointment" this Friday, March 4 at our specialist's office. This is our 18 week specialist appointment and this is where they hope to see the heart chambers and the anatomy clearly as she has had some time to grow. This should be a very "telling" appointment. Fear consumes us in waves of what "could be" and then we have waves of peace and calmness. I'm happy to say that the peace and calm far outweighs our fears. We still have our breakdowns and talk about what we will do in certain situations, as far as trying to be prepared as much as possible, but ultimately we surrender to the one that holds us in the palm of His hand. It may sound crazy to some, but really, it is all we have. It's the only "sure thing" right now in our lives, and we trust it with all of our being. He is not going to forsake us. He never has and He never will.

We have run through a million scenarios in our mind, because in our shoes right now there are a lot of them. We hope by each appointment we can eliminate some more and have a better understanding of what we are to face. Day to day life, seems to go on as normal as possible, which a sense of normalcy is nice. We smile at my belly that's starting to show, we try not to think too much into the future, because our minds would be utterly crazy if we did. Just too much unknown. This has put a lot of things in perspective. If we weren't in this situation I think we'd be MORE stressed because it would be unnecessary stress. The stress of preparing a nursery, having the right car seat, having enough money, having childcare. And right now, our minds don't even think that far, we are truly living this day by day. It's hard not to look into the future and hope, but we try not to left our minds drift there too much. We have so much hope and pray we have a miracle to show off one day, to take to the park, to church in a bonnet, to buy everything pink for, but we relish in the fact that we have her today, in me now, and we just go with that day to day. We lay our hands on my stomach and pray for her daily, more than once. Jimmy has been so sweet and such a comfort. A rock of strength, but yet tender enough to hurt and share in feelings. It has been a road we didn't choose to travel, but there is nobody I'd rather walk this road with. His prayers for us and his love for us already is amazing and is exactly what our Lord calls the man to be in scripture. I'm in awe that already, with a child in the womb, he is fulfilling what is asked of him biblically. This blessing alone amazes me daily and leaves me with soft tears of gratitude each evening when nightly prayers are said.

The feeling of peace we have is a peace you cannot explain (the peace that surpasses all understanding) as we mentioned before, its your prayers, your support and your love. Do understand, we have our moments but they are few and far between right now and that is so nice. We are at times downright scared to death of what will occur Friday but those times pail in comparison with our peacefulness that is radiating our home right now.

We pray for good results Friday, that they are able to get good readings from the ultrasound and that we will be prepared and comforted in all we face. We will absolutely update after our appointment Friday morning with our specialist at Northside. Thank you for all your amazing love you continue to show us. When I was a little girl we use to sing "They will know we are Christians by our LOVE" and believe me, there is no doubt at the Martin house! We are fully surrounded by some amazing, loving, Christian folks :). We are blessed by each of you.

With much love, hope and faith,
Jennifer & Jimmy

Genetics Visit & OB Visit

2011-02-15T17:10:00.002-05:00

We had an appointment yesterday with our Genetics specialist and today with our regular OB.

The Genetics Appt~It was certainly informative as far as biology goes. We wish we had paid more attention in biology class in times like these....
Our Genetics Counselor, was extremely nice and helpful, she answered a lot of questions and informed us of future testing options. I didn't sleep a wink the night before. I was mindlessly wondering about the appointment, because we had heard through many people that this would not be an easy appointment. Overall, we were fortunate that ours went as well as it did. She went over all the possibilities and was somewhat hopeful in that we have eliminated chromosomal issues. The next most common issue is a heart defect. We won't know exactly if we have that until our next appointment with the specialist, which is March 4th. Hopefully then they can tell what we may or may not be dealing with in heart issues. We may have to wait even a week or 2 after that to see and possibly have a fetal echo done, to check the heart out a bit further. As we said before, its a process of elimination at this point until we see something that gives reason for the hygroma. But that is really our next step. There may be need for an amniocentesis, but we aren't sure of that yet. That sample would be used to have a microarray testing, which could give us more information on other syndromes, that the CVS cannot test for. However,at this point we're not sure if we're having that done. It's all so overwhelming so we try to approach it all with one step at a time. So, our March 4 appointment will be the most revealing thus far and we continue to hope and pray for that appointment.

OB Appointment~We met with our regular OB today and it was pretty routine. Our little girl's heartbeat was heard through the doppler and due to all the Specialists ultrasounds, we did not have to have an ultrasound done today. We did have some more routine bloodwork done and hopefully those results will be just fine. So basically we had a simple "check in" appointment so our OB can keep stats on us as well.

We are relieved our round of appointments are completed for a while. We don't go back to either Doctor until March 4th. We'll try to get some r&r in during this little 2 week break. Sooo, to be sure we make the most of these two weeks, we are headed back to Asheville tomorrow for a long weekend at The Grove Park Inn! We are very excited to go and getaway and enjoy some family time, spend a day at the Grove Park Spa :), and enjoy the beautiful weather!

Thank you again for your continued prayers. It is so heart warming to see so many acts of love each day done for us, we are so blessed by them all. The many "gifts" that keep "appearing" on our porch, the wonderful emails and texts, your stories of hope,the many prayer lists that you have graciously added our names too, every act leaves us in awe. Thank you, thank you.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

By your many acts of love, you are a shining light in such a dark time. Thank you for being our light. When we experience the abundance acts of love for us, we can't help but thank our heavenly Father for our wonderful prayer warriors, friends and family.

Our Appointment Update

2011-02-11T20:40:00.002-05:00

We are sorry this is so late today, but it's been a busy day. We arrived at Northside for our appointment with our specialist promptly at 7:45am. We were quickly whisked away to the ultra sound room, which is very large, detailed, and has many screens since it's a specialist practice. We saw our little girl, her heartbeat was good, and it was the first time we saw her all "curled" up. She was sleeping soundly. They really needed her to wake up and move around a bit to get some anatomy pictures, but she really wasn't into waking up. She wiggled in aggravation but was sleeping soundly. :)
Jimmy giggled saying she's just like me as I'm hard to get up in the mornings.
I must say, I was a proud Mommy, as she conducted the entire 30 minute ultra-sound with her legs crossed. :) (I totally ate that up)I told the ultra sound nurse that that is because she is a lady, of course. :)
They tried and tried to get her to move, nothing crazy or forcefully, but I think she felt it was simply still too early in the morning for all this business.
They took the best pictures they could get in the long detailed ultra sound. They reminded us several times that it is still very early to see the structures since we are at 15 1/2 weeks, but today they didn't see anything unusual as far as structure and anatomy. Ultimately though, they should really be able to tell on our next appointment with them, which is March 4th. Again, we take our small victories and are thankful!

The hygroma~It was still there and they didn't get great measurements on it, from the way she was sleeping. But it doesn't appear to have grown, which is good. She did have a vein or artery missing from her umblical cord, as its to have 3 and she just has 2, which is often an indicator of a syndrome.

Our CVS tests results, as we knew, were normal so we talked to the Doctor on that and she recommended our next steps should be to meet with a genetics counselor and to consider a micro-array testing. This test would show approximately 80 more possible syndromes and be a little more detailed. We are in the process of researching that as well as preparing for our genetics counseling appointment, which is Tuesday, the 15th. We hope to inform you all of more then.

We didn't learn a lot of new information today, but it wasn't bad news either. Just somewhat of the same situation. We know our outlook isn't "medically" great, but we again, have to rely on the hand of the almighty father to carry us through whatever the future may bring, and we felt the peace and prayers today on our appointment, so thank you. Many of you ask "when will they know?" The truth to that is, possibly at 20 week ultraound, or possibly even later. It's a process of elimination at this time trying to detect what exactly is causing the hygroma, as well as a process in waiting for our little sweet one to grow some more so organs can be seen and development can be accurately assessed. I know that's not as soon you, or we, would like, but we have to be patient in this process. That's not easy for anyone, but overall we truly have a calmness that helps us tread through the unknown waters. It's not always easy, I don't want to "sugarcoat" things, but we truly take it day by day and continue to trust the Lord in what He has planned. We don't know whats coming with each appointment that we wait for, but we do know the One that holds tomorrow and we simply try to remind ourselves of that each and everyday, as many times as it takes.

Thank you isn't a strong enough word for us to express to you all for praying for our family. We are being prayed for across the country and even as far as New Zealand! We are humbled and blessed by your acts of love and by all the prayers you offer up for us. Don't for a second think we don't soak up each and every email, comment, post, letter, card, or many acts of service done our behalf. Those things fill our 'love tank' and help remind us, we are not alone, for we are blessed.

With much love, hope and faith,
Jennifer and Jimmy

Updates

2011-02-07T17:18:00.000-05:00

It's another week and we just wanted to give everyone an update. You all are precious for the abundance of continued calls, texts, meals, emails, cards, posts,etc. We just can't say it enough, we are overwhelmed and our hearts are full from YOU! Each and everyone of you that reaches out, even the ones we haven't ever met personally, it is amazing and we feel your love and prayers!

Late last week we received the final results from our CVS, and they are the same as the preliminary results, they are normal, which was a nice relief. This is good news, but also leaves us, and the Doctors wondering what exactly is causing the hygroma. There are A LOT of other reasons that this could be occurring, we are just eliminating some of those one by one, which is what the CVS did. The Doctors are quick to tell us that there are still many many other major defects, and neural tube defects and heart defects that are NOT tested with a CVS. The heart chambers, skeletal structures, and main organs are not really able to be diagnosed with any potential issues until 20 weeks when she has had some time to grow. We entered our 15th week this week.

We go back to our specialist this Friday morning, the 11th. We will be sure to update our blog after our appointment. At this appointment we hope to discuss and leave knowing more about the results of the CVS test that they did. We know they are normal chromosomes, (which again we rejoice in small victories!) but we still have a long road to face and pray each day that the hygroma is miraculously healed and our baby is healthy. Some say that's too optimistic, in terms of medical thought, but we have heard and seen stories of healing's before in this exact arena and we pray ours is one. We do know that God is with us in this every single step. We rely on our faith and scripture knowing that there is a purpose and a plan. It hasn't been an easy road at all, we are on the roller coaster of emotions, some days are better than others, and some are downright overwhelming as you can imagine. But we are truly held up by our wonderful friends and family. The continued messages each and everyday that people are still praying for us is beyond incredible and we are forever grateful for every single one.

We continue to pray for a miracle and cling to the everlasting arms. There is no better place to be. Thanks for opening your hearts on this journey with us.

With much faith, hope and love,
Jennifer and Jimmy

A Morning Visit with our Little Girl

2011-02-02T09:33:00.011-05:00

This morning we had an unexpected Doctor's appointment, which turned out to be fine, and things are just as they were,nothing new, but it gave us an opportunity to see our little girl again. With us being at 14 weeks, this was the last time they said that the baby would fit on the whole screen. This visit was to our regular OB, who had not seen us since our CVS test. She reiterated how rare this (a hygroma) was and how she doesn't see it often. She then asked "So what are you going to do?" I was taken back hearing those words. I explained to her that we planned to carry this baby as long as God allows. I think I was a little caught off guard by her question, since we hadn't really thought twice, but I realized we have not seen her since our appointments and that the last time we left her office we were still in shock and there wasn't much talking that day, other than directions to the specialist. But I certainly declared our intent very clearly and she smiled.

I usually cannot bear to watch the ultrasounds, because to me its just a reminder of what we may not ever see or get, however, today was different. I didn't shed a tear and looked in awe. (I always look, I'm just usually crying the entire time). Our little girl was sucking her thumb and had a strong heartbeat, and plenty of fluid. Her hygroma was still there, though we are not sure of measurements or anything at this time. We will know more when we get the final CVS results (hopefully this week), and when we see the specialist next week.

It has not been an easy few days since our weekend getaway, a lot of unknown, and a lot of scary terms and things that are floating around make for a lot of fear and concern. But we try to get through each day being gently reminded, we must trust and seek peace in the giver of life. Our daily prayer is for the hygroma to resolve, for a wholly healthy baby. We know God's plan for us will be laid out by Him and Him alone. We know that we can trust Him because He is the same God that goes before us and has restored trials to us before. Understand, that we know restoration will come no matter the outcome. It's hard to swallow, hard for us sometimes to grasp, but it's something we know without a doubt. This blog started as a path to restoration several years ago, and it will continue to be.

Some have asked how we "know" and we simply have 2 answers; faith and scripture. We must cling to both to survive. Please hear me, this is not meant to be a "bible lesson" in the least, but for those asking, here are the scriptures we put our faith in:

His Will-we know His will will be done by Proverbs 20:24 (A man's steps are directed by the Lord, how can anyone understand his own way?) and Proverbs 16:9 (In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps)

Trust-we know we can trust Him because Romans 8:28-(All things work for he good of those that love the Lord)and Psalms 32:10 (Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him.)
Proverbs 3:5-6 (Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.)

Restoration-We know he will restore this situation (again, no matter the outcome) because
Ecclesiastes 3:11-He makes all things beautiful in his time.
Philippians 1:6-He who began a work in you, will be faithful to complete it.
Psalms 147:3-He heals the brokehearted and binds up their wounds.
Jeremiah 29:1- For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

That is all the "answers" I can provide to the many that have emailed and asked "where do you get your hope, and faith and belief?" The Word of God is filled with many many more promises but these, some of the simplest ones, are closest to our heart right now. Bless you for wanting to know what we are trusting in. For the ones inquiring, I hope in some way you can use these verses in your own lives for whatever it may be you are seeking and we hope they give the same comfort to you as they supply to us. Frankly, I'm not sure how we'd survive this trial without faith, in fact, I'm not quite sure how anyone lives without it.

Thank you again to our prayer warriors, the emails, posts, meals, flowers, calls and texts. We cannot thank each of you enough! To see a glimpse of what you're a part of praying for, here she is.....

The Weekend...

2011-01-28T19:09:00.007-05:00

After the long week we've had, we packed up and headed to Asheville Friday morning. This trip was planned months ago for my Aunt's Birthday, and earlier last week we discussed whether to still make the trip or not. We quickly decided the getaway and birthday celebration was good timing and the change of scenery would be a good for our souls. The weather was crisp and clear and it made for a beautiful drive to and from. We enjoyed downtown Asheville, a tour of the Biltmore, and the Grove Park Inn.

We are trying to soak in everything we've learned the past week (it's been quite a bit of information to take in) and attempt to move forward with some peace with the seen and unseen.

I must share, I am blessed to have Jimmy. We have been married since July, and found out we were expecting in November, we were beyond excited and thrilled! Jimmy was over the moon when I told him we were going to be parents. He has been an amazing source of strength and hope. His words are real and reassuring. His heart hurts so much, just as mine does, but he's an amazing example of believing God, having unrelenting faith as we are called to do, and knowing our heavenly father has his hand in all of this. This little girl is already beyond blessed to have this man as her Daddy.

After our news last Friday, I was thinking how many exciting things in just a quick 7months. A wedding, a dream honeymoon, a home as "ours", and a positive pregnancy test. We couldn't feel more blessed.

We get ready this morning to face another week, back in the routine of things, back to Doctors (hoping for final CVS results this week) after a pretty relaxing weekend away. Our minds are never clear of all of this, but we certainly tried as much as we could this weekend to relax, and enjoy some time away from our routine.

Thank you again for your continued prayers, your amazing messages, your comforting stories of healing and hope, your sweet texts that let us know you are on our knees for us right that very minute. We are touched by each and every one. It was amazing to be away from home and receiving a messaage and knowing people were praying for us. We are blessed and humbled with the army of prayer warriors lifting us and our family of three up. As Frances Crosby wrote in 1873 in a beautiful hymn, We are watching and waiting, looking above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

With much love, hope and faith,
Jennifer

First Diagnosis Results

2011-01-26T18:56:00.005-05:00

We received our first diagnosis results today and we must celebrate our answered prayers and "small victories" on this journey and this was defintely one! The results were normal. None of the major chromosomal issues were found from our testing Monday, praise God! We still must await the final results, which will be in about a week, but there is a 99% chance that the final results will match with this. I know it's a bit confusing; to explain further, we had a CVS test Monday (as you can read below) and during your CVS test with that specimen, you can do a FISH test that gives you rapid results on the major chromosomal issues; Downs Syndrome, Turners, Trisomy's. These results are returned within 48 hrs, which we chose to do and we received late this afternoon. The specimen taken during the CVS will continue to culture and we will have final results in about a week. So we still await those results, but the preliminary results were positive.
What does this mean?
Well, we are learning just as you learning, so we are not quite sure. A CVS test does not test for neural tube defects, heart defects, or any other defects, just for the chromosomes we mentioned above. The nurse started the phone call with "I have some good news....your tests came back normal" So I listened to her about getting the final results in a week and asked again "so, this is good news?" and she replied "yes." This is good news because it immediately rules the major chromosome issues out but we still don't have a cause, and that is important. The Doctors are still "very concerned" because something is causing the cysytic hygroma(the fluid, that's large and on our sweet baby girl) not to drain, an issue with the lymphatic system and we must find out what is causing this. It can be many things, scary things, but we most certainly believe in the power of prayer, and you wouldn't believe some of the miracle stories we have heard,we pray constantly ours is another one. We truly trust our wonderful specialists, but we also put our faith in the hands of the divine healer. We ask you not stop with your prayers, that you pray these mountains are moved. We are still very early on in this journey and still have a lot of things to face. Your prayers are what get us through each of these and they mean everything to us. As I said in the post below, you are all our "Aaron's and Hur's" holding us up to withstand this battle.

We treat this as a good day and pray we have more. We have more Doctors to speak to tomorrow, we will hear our final CVS results in about a week and we see our specialist in a about a week and 1/2.

Thank you to the mom's that have shared their hearts with us by telling their stories, that gives us hope and strength. Thank you to the complete strangers that have committed to pray for our family, we feel immensley blessed that you are doing so. We can't thank you enough for the messages, emails, comments, texts, phone calls, cards, flowers, dinners after our testing procedure and most of all for your prayers. We ask that you continue your prayers for whole healing for our little girl and her cystic hygroma, continued peace as we go through each day, for wisdom and knowledge for our Doctors, and for our families.

So many of you ask how we are, and we certainly have our share of tears and questions of "why," I don't want to "sugarcoat" that, we've had some downright sobs. But those moments are somewhat short lived as the calmness begins to overwhlem us. It's the calmness that brings peace. Although, I am eternally grateful for the rest that peace brings, at times when I start to feel the peace, I begin to feel guilty for it. I wonder, how can we be peaceful at a time of total uncertainity and fearing the worst for our first child? I have quickly learned to accept that the peace can't be explained or understood, because it's simply the peace of God that surpasses ALL understanding. (Phillipians 4:7)

With faith, hope and much love,
Jimmy & Jennifer

Our testing update

2011-01-24T22:29:00.003-05:00

We are so overwhelmed by the support we have received its a paragraph on its own, so we'll save room for that....
We did have our CVS testing done today. We don't have much more information but we will have some prelimenary results by Wednesday. These may or may not tell us what we have going on, however the final results will be in 10-14 days. The test was done at Northside Hospital Doctors center and it was quite a long appointment. It was defintely more painful that we had anticipated and longer than we expected, but its over. We got to see our sweet baby again and to us, she certainly looked perfect. We want you all to know that we FELT the prayers in the very room of the procedure. Thank you for praying for us and thank you for praying for the doctors, we absolutely loved our specialist today. We expalined to her, as we said in our last post, that no matter what the test results may read, we are carrying this sweet baby as long as God allows us to. We felt so comfortable with this specialist practice, we plan to see them in the future as we journey on this road. An absolute answered prayer.

We are amazed that people all over the country are lifting us up in prayer and we just cannot thank you enough. We are astonished and overwhelmed at the love and support we have been shown. We have received hundreds of emails, texts, facebook posts, messages,phone calls,etc that we are so blessed by. We want you all to know that if you have sent a message, email, text or any type of communication we have read it(and Ican almost guarantee more than once). Your words and prayers are comfort to us in this time of our lives. As we pulled out of Northside today and headed for 285, we said how we "truly felt covered in prayer". From the test and well into the evening, we have been at peace. More peaceful than we have been since hearing the news. This weekend wasn't easy, we were still in shock and processing everything that had gone on Friday, and I'm sure we will continue to do so, but the peace that surpasses all understanding was in the Doctors office today as well as gracing our home right this very minute. Bless you all that have stormed heaven's gates in our family's name. We ask that you continue to pray without ceasing. (1 Thess 5:17)
I must tell you all one last thing, because I want you to know how much every.single.person reading this is doing...
My (Jennifer) Uncle Brian, a minister at Burnt Hickory Baptist, came over Saturday evening unexpected and prayed for us. What a blessing this was. He laid his hands on us and prayed for our family. He explained he was going to claim whole, healthy life and he would be "our faith" while we go through all of this; not that we don't have faith, we certainly do, but he's going to be the one standing on the rock for us. He is going to be our strength and faith while we trod through medical terms, appointments,etc. In Exodus 17, Moses & The Israelites are at battle with the enemy, the Amalkeites. Moses, trying to fight as hard as he can,states "I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.” (vs 9)
The neat thing about this is "as long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. (vs 12) I can imagine this must be quite the task and hard to do as one man, and it was....because Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. 13 As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.
Please know that if you have said ONE prayer in our names, you are our "Aarons & Hur's". Just like Moses, we grow tired and its YOUR words, YOUR prayers, YOUR thoughts, YOUR comments and YOUR amazing love that is holidng us up to withstand the battle. "Thank you" is not enough. We are blessed to know you (or even not know you) are praying for us. We believe in miracles and we do know, with all of our hearts, that good will prevail. Please continue to pray for us on this journey as we await test results, as we try to go on day by day with uncertaintity. The one thing we are certain of is our God is ever present in our lives and in this situation. We will leave our hearts with the on "who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power..." (Ephesians 3:20)

With heavy heavy Hearts....

2011-01-22T17:46:00.002-05:00

We have had some bad and sad news today. Right before Thanksgiving we found out we were pregnant. We were very early, we found out super soon, we were excited about this as we could take all the proper precautions, and we did. We had a 6 week ultrasound in early Dec and things were good we even saw a strong heartbeat flickering on the ultrasound screen. This past Wednesday we hit the 3 month mark and had our 12 week appointment Thursday, hearing another strong heartbeat through the doppler, then Friday we went back for an ultrasound since the tech was out Thursday. It turned out to be a heartbreaking ultrasound. Our baby was waving and seemed to be normal, we were elated to say the least. We were told shortly thereafter by the tech that our baby has a major defect that is “not compatible with life.” Our hearts were instantly broken as we stood there and listened to what we were going to face. We were immediately sent to a specialist at Piedmont hospital. We had several long and detailed ultrasounds, in which they were able to tell us the baby we had fallen in love with is a girl. They did extensive ultrasounds at the specialist and confirmed that she has a severe problem with her lymphatic system. This is known as Cystic Hygroma where the baby has extra fluid around them that is caused by the body not draining properly. The reason the body is not draining properly can be caused by many defects, such as; down syndrome, turners syndrome, trisomys, heart defects and many other things. While we don’t know which one we are carrying, we do know our baby girl’s fluid is quite big, 9mm to be exact and the prognosis is not good. We were given 3 options. We can have an invasive test on Monday, called a CVS to determine what strain of this we are dealing with and if it’s chromosomal or genetic. We could do nothing and see how things turn out, or we can terminate the pregnancy. We both immediately agreed that termination wasn’t for us. For us, our faith is too great for that, and after our very long ultrasounds today with a baby girl waving at us and sucking her thumb and a clear strong heartbeat, we just can’t fathom that option for us, the thought never stayed in our mind for even a second. We did choose to have the CVS test, which will take place Monday afternoon at Northside Hospital. This test will draw fluid from the placenta and it will be cultured and after an agonizing week of waiting, we will know what chromosomal or genetic defect we are dealing with. Having a Cystic Hygroma in a prenatal screening is very very rare, it happens in 1 out of 1,000 pregnancies. From what we’ve learned, in cases similar to ours, the baby will eventually succumb to the defect, whatever it is that is not allowing the body to drain the fluid, and this typically happens between 20-26 weeks in utero. When this occurs, the baby is then delivered. If this is our case, we will carry our baby for as long as God’s plan is and go from there. We have read about many miracle stories and can only pray our baby might be one of those. We trust and pray for our Doctors as we enter this road. We serve the divine Healer, if he chooses to so heal her.
We will hold our faith and will appreciate prayers as we enter this long road. We are so very sad right now, so devestated and have shed more tears in a few days than one could imagine. Please share as you feel led, we need as many prayer warriors as we can get. We are blessed beyond words with lifelong best friends and such loving and supportive families. Nobody, up until this point knew we were pregnant, we were waiting for the 12 week mark, which we are at, but with news we didn’t expect. We still feel it’s important to share. We also feel it’s important to be as transparent in this journey of faith and hope as we can possibly be. We will update the blog as often as we can and we promise to you, the ones praying, that we will do so. We absolutely believe we serve a God of miracles and we know we can rest in His arms and His word no matter what the outcome. We ask that you pray for a miracle, for our broken hearts, for God’s will and for His love to shine through in such a dark time for us. We love you all and we ask that you put your faith where ours is right now, at the foot of the cross.

With much Love, Hope and Faith,
Jimmy and Jennifer

It's not easy bein' tall

2010-09-28T23:19:00.000-04:00

Okay buds, brace yourselves, I have some sad news today. I have had the hardest time lately, I have had a huge fear that has been consuming me and thus, it is time to confess. Here goes..... (and, I have it all figured out)...I am going to die young because of one simple thing~.......because I am tall.(major sigh). Something I can't control. Terrible. I finally had the guts to prepare Jimmy for this, over a delicious "date night" dinner last weekend and now, I am publically telling you all.(I know, I can feel your devastation through the computer screen.)
This fear goes back to a few months ago, when I started noticing these cute "lol's" (little ol' ladies, not laugh out loud) having lunch together,sipping on their tea, talking about their grandkids and the weather. I saw group, after group, l.o.l after l.o.l, and low and behold, A-L-L of these ladies were short! They're spunky, and cute and even the ones in their 90's were adorable. They may be a little slow on the feet and maybe in their mind, but overall they are pretty darn "with it" I would go to this lunch establishment and know the ladies would be there and week after week, wait for the "tall one" to show up. (You know, there is one of us in every group.) And yet week after week,she's still not showing. Hmmm... I notice a trend, I see this at church, at luncheons, out shopping and event after event, there is never a one in the bunch over 5'5"! What the heck?!? So I then decided, their sweet "tall friends" had already 'gone home' and not to their cute little bungalow off the square where they have lived for 50+yrs, but ya know... "home, home."
I focus on this and realize how awful it is being tall. Even the tallest Golden Girl is gone! I don't want to hear another bud tell me they have to have something "hemmed." If they mention it, I will enlighten them, with a tear in my eye and in the most pitiful way, say that they get to wear their pants longer because they are short. If they can't see in a crowd, they will be in more crowds than us, because they will have more events to go to (tear).

So, back to telling Jimmy. I finally braced myself to tell him this (again, over a great date night meal) Now, mind you, Jimmy never knows what is about to come out of my mouth or mind, but bless him, he handles it usually well. I wanted to break down in tears right then.(dramatic,okay, not really) But I did try my best to prepare him for what is to come. Even though I feared he would be irritated I didn't make my discovery until AFTER he proposed. Soooo here goes.....at this "telling" time, I sit up straight in my chair, have a long sip of wine, take some deep breaths before I begin to tell him "the something I have to tell him." He pauses. He is intrigued. He knows this is serious business. He places his fork down, I then proceed to tell him the latest.. I'm expecting him to be as upset as I have become, and I thought he did. He almost spit out his 'beloved' seared tuna. I thought "oh my gosh, this is going to hit him so hard he can't even stand to eat." He continued to patiently listen to my rant and my "research" and was left... speechless. He did not seem to take the matter-at-hand seriously. He then tried to tell me, that I will in fact..... shrink. Is he serious?!? I tell him, I highly doubt I am going to shrink the 4-5 inches needed be in the "little old ladies club." He goes on and brings his precious, 5'1, sweet 86 year old grandmother, "Beek" into it. He says she was once 6'5" and a center for the Marietta High School basketball team. "Oh really" I say, with the most sarcastic voice I can manage to muster up. I see now, he is not a bit worried he is going to be burying me early! Why he'll will have "pick of the litter" with all the cute,short friends I have! With the model world, wanting ladies 5'8'' or taller, I don't have to worry they'll be professional models, because Tyra, Heidi, Giselle will be with me....in the ground!
I am devastated just having to tell him about my revelation, and low and behold, he seems to think I am "jumping the gun" since we haven't even had children yet and do not need to be worrying about my admittance into the "little ol' ladies society!" (mind you..sorority>junior league>l.o.l. club)So not only do I have I had to buy search and buy pants in a "long" my entire life, now but I have to face the reality that my days are limited. (sigh). I simply, will have to start my own chapter of the 5'6" and taller Red Hat Society club. Come to think of it I should probably start it in the next few years so we ladies can maximize our time together.

Table for Two...

2010-09-20T20:42:00.000-04:00

First, let me start this post with this. It may appear in these posts, that the wedding was a big "to do" it was far from it. It was 46 immediate family members, a simple sit down lunch and no planning. I went to ONE dress store, we went to ONE reception site and that was it. Nothing else was needed besides my bouquet (florist next door to the church), no flowers for the church, or anything.It was simplicity at its best! I felt I needed to say that since the posts may appear different. I wasn't even going to blog about the wedding day or dinner, because it wasn't anything huge, I didn't think anyone would be dying to hear about it. However, my friends have encouraged me to share, since they didn't get to take part and turns out, some were shocked I would have a party for two :). It was the easiest thing ever :), besides eloping. Not a single decision to be made :)

Sooo, the night before the big day..........

With having just me and Jimmy in the wedding we had no need for a rehearsal. We decided though, that we would like a rehearsal dinner. Just for two. I gave Jimmy his wedding gift and he gave me mine before we went to our dinner. The entire day and night was so sweet and again, simple. (If you know me, simple is what I usually am far from!) I had my brother-in-law, Matt make him his every own table for his beloved "big green egg" smoker. Jimmy LOVED it and loved that Matt had made it! It rocked! Davis helped give it to him.

Jimmy so sweetly, spoke my love language once again....Louis Vuitton..... and gave me a Louis Vuitton clutch, which I gladly "donned" the night of our rehearsal dinner. We dined at HAL'S in Buckhead. Best. steak. I. have. ever. had . How had we missed this place earlier? We loved that we were there and not a soul in there knew what we were celebrating, it was just he & I. Not a single ounce of stress, we were just so excited. We had a romantic dinner for two and it was beautiful and low key. It was a great, memorable night. We toasted to each other the night before our wedding. I could not recommend this enough :) I love rehersal dinners as much as the next bride, love to give toasts, hear the family stories, see the precious pictures.

Somehow, this one was just extra special and perfect for us.......

The Luncheon

2010-09-14T21:11:00.000-04:00

After we walked out of the church as husband and wife, we walked right back in for pictures with everyone in attendance, this was not hard as it was only 46 people including ourselves, and that was ALL family so we knocked out a lot of family pictures really quickly :)

Along with the below wedding post, in wanting a simple family wedding, we also opted for a simple reception. We wanted an elegant and nice lunch for our family to enjoy to sit down, be able to talk and enjoy. As much as I love to dance ;), we even opted for no dancing, just our favorite tunes in the background. We chose a sit down lunch at 103 West in Buckhead. It was beyond perfect. They were wonderful to work with. It was just amazing, simple, no-fuss, but very nice. Everyone arrived and we visited in the foyer until one of the waiters did a hand chime bell through our crowd and opened the doors to the beautiful dining area. The tables were gorgeous and were all named places we had been (Red Rocks, CO, Ireland, DC, Jekyll Island, etc) each table also had a picture of us at the name of the table. We wanted it to be personable. Namecards were made by sister and color coordinated the lunch choice for each guest. We dined on filet, chicken and salmon and it was DELICIOUS! I must say we loved the cake too. It was huge, gorgeous and exactly perfect. It was all just so darn easy, almost one stop shopping. I wanted to do something for Jimmy for the reception, so I surprised him with his 3 favorite things. Cheerwine (in bottles, straight from NC) Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Chick-fil-a brownies, all his favorites. Guests had lots of sweets to choose from, but also had "to go" boxes to take home. We dined and laughed and had a true family lunch. We didn't make a grand exit, it was literally like we all got together for lunch, which we loved. Jimmy and I were the last to leave with our parents, and departed at 3pm to head straight to the St Regis, and that is a post in itself....
Here are a few pics from the luncheon.

We truly wanted a day to be families united, giving glory to our heavenly father for bringing us together and as carefree as possible. I am so glad we were able to accomplish that!

Rehersal Dinner post next-----a rehersal dinner for two.... (yes, just two!) I highly recommend it :)

I'm baaacck!/Wedding

2010-09-13T21:08:00.004-04:00

After being hounded recently for not updating my blog, I took a vow to promise to update it the next few weeks and get back in the routine! I am ashamed, I must say that I have not taken the time to update since our engagement. I'll start with an apology, I'm sorry. I'll do better, promise for real. Next, I'll say thanks. Thank you friends, for wanting to read what I have to say (or not have to say) I actually have LOTS to share, so my solemn vow is I will update you all on the past 5 months-yikes, that looks terrible. I read my google reader everyday and I am seriously the worst. blogger. ever. But again, here goes. I'll blog on the past 5 months, LOTS happened and I am blessed beyond measure. Here goes...bless you for bearing with me!

July 10, 2010
Lots happened between April and July but I'll start with the "big day" and work backwards, then forwards and have you all sorts of confused :)

Jimmy and I knew we didn't want a long engagment or a big wedding. I even, believe it or not, tried to get him to elope on several occasions but he knew best :). We planned a simple, intimate wedding with immediate family only and us. We knew with having a service we wanted it to be reverant and worship style. We didn't want to just walk in and say "I DO" and go on. We give God the full glory for bringing us together, and preparing our hearts for each other. One day I'll tell our story......but for now... we are getting married, stay with me....

We quickly planned our wedding in 3 short months, I even answered a few "no's" on the "omg, are you pregnant?!?" question (yes, it was asked a few times...girls need to read my fave... Emily Post) but we wanted nothing more than to start our lives in simplicty and before God and had no reason to wait!

My uncle Brian married us in the same church both our parents were married in, and where I grew up. The altar we stood at, was the same that stood in front of me during numerous kids choir rendetions, Vacation Bible School, youth group and so on. Very special and dear place to both of us. Our parents have been married a total of 68 years together, we wanted nothing more than to share that commitment in the same place, they made their vows years ago. We chose not to have any attendants, not even siblings, we truly wanted our vows before God to be us and us alone. (and truth be told, I know a thing or two about bridesmaid dresses and I didn't think Shannon, Courtney or Lindsey cared for another one either;) ). We decided on July 10, 2010 we would commit ourselves to one another, and so we did just that.

At 11am at Marietta First Baptist church on the Marietta Square, the piano was playing gorgeously hymn after hymn and thereaftter, a sweet friend, Katie sang beatufiully "Be Thou Near to Me" by Selah. No "marching of the Mom's" everyone simply walked in and took a reverant seat right before this. After "Be Thou", my brother played the acoustic guitar and he Katie sang "To You be the Glory" by Kari Jobe and Matt Maher. It was the.most.beautiful. song. ever. It's hard to find, but it was exactly what we wanted echoed throughout the 1800's chapel. Jimmy walked in with my uncle Brian as they started to sing, and after they were in, I walked down the aisle, alone..... right at the time the chorus began of "To You be the Glory." I cried the. entire. way. down. I didn't think I would, but the simplicity of such a goregous song on the guitar accompanied by two beautiful voices and seeing Jimmy, overwhelmed me. Walking down the aisle alone, I gave myself to Jimmy, nobody giving me away, me giving myself to him. He wonderfully met me about 1/2 way down the aisle and arm and arm we approached the altar of God. We said our vows, which were perfect, not traditional, but had our own scripture we had chosen on our engagement day among many other things. We then had our parents and siblings approach the altar and place hands on each one of us as my Uncle Brian would speak blessings on both of us. Blessings to hear each other's needs, to be the the wife of the good and bad and to be the husband of the good and bad. For us to have enough tears to keep us tender and the love of Jesus Christ as the center of our marriage. I. loved. this. part. Our families together, us before God, and being blessed by the hands that raised us. As our parents and siblings walked back to their seats, Katie so beautifully sang "How Great Is Our God" (mind you, I'm a "music person" and we hand picked all of our songs to reflect our love and God's amazing love to us-more time consuming than picking my dress :) this was hugely important to us!) After her goregous song, we were named man and wife and exited the same church that both our parents exited 30+ years ago hand in hand as husband and wife..... my sister said it best that morning when she said "Heading to the chapel this morning, with the truth of God's unfailing love resounding in my heart.... "The Lord God is in your midst, a might one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exalt you over loud singing." Zephaniah 3:17.

Tomorrow, I'll share the Reception and then backtrack to the Rehersal Dinner.....stay tuned because it will be the most unconventional rehersal dinner you've heard of!

A truly magical day

2010-04-12T15:04:00.004-04:00

This past weekend, James surprised me with a trip to Barnsley Gardens on Sunday evening. We were lucky enough to attend The Masters Friday in Augusta, which was incredible weather, awesome golf and a WONDERFUL day, then we went to the David Gray concert Saturday night and so I couldn't imagine anymore fun for the weekend :). But Jimmy told me to be ready by lunch and he'd pick me up and for me to bring a dress, that was it. I didn't think much because the 2 of us go on random trips ALL the time. We took backroads to Barnsley so I had no idea where we'd end up. Upon arrival I told him I had just mentioned us taking a day trip there b/c some of our friends had and he and I had never been. So, that played perfectly into his plan, I just thought he heard me and listened. :)

He had a golf cart when we arrived and the weather was perfect. We took a trip around the gardens and in the most picture perfect & secluded spot, on a bridge overlooking a pond with purple wisteria draping along the trees, he then began the sweetest proposal a girl could imagine. As he dropped to his knee, I eventually collapsed to mine and we hugged and cried for so long, I never even noticed the ring on my finger (I'm so not joking). I was more thrilled at a life together as a married couple than anything. The rest was unimportant, but I must say about 10 minutes later when we had a seat in the gardens, I coudln't believe the beautiful diamond he had given me and picked out. I was still in shock. We only called our parents and siblings, nobody else. I wanted the day to be about us and it truly was. We talked and he told me the story of getting the ring, the trip he planned and that he had talked to one of my Doctors and I was not due in work Monday :). We then had an amazing drive around the ruins and gardens in our golf cart and at this time, he says he has another gift for me. I'm speechless, how much can a girl get? We arrive back in front of Barnsley's chapel and he gives me a new bible. This bible has my to-be name on it and had a very sweet inscription on the inside and dated April 11, 2010, our "engagement day" I told him this meant more than the ring. I think I almost cried all day :)

After exploring the grounds we caught the end of The Masters and got dressed up for an incredible dinner at Barnsley. Our table was on the veranda, overlooking the lake. Could not have been better, it was amazing and the food was incredible.

Barnsley is known for their great gardens but also spots to sit and relax. They have chairs in the neatest places. After dinner, we then took our cart back around the grounds and ended up in a "bamboo circle" totally private with 2 chairs, a truly neat place. We had wine there and talked with David Gray music in the background, all outside on a gorgeous spring evening! He then suggested we see the ruins at night, they have low lighting on the ruins at night, so we entered and low and behold their was a private fireplace there with 2 chairs and a table and a fire going. We enjoyed the rest of our wine there and some Chris Botti. Again, the entire resort was practically ours. The ruins were amazing at night, almost moreso than the day. It was a magical day. Every.single. second. We talked about our future and how lucky we both were and how we prayed for Godly spouses. I never knew someone so wonderful existed, that would be such a match for me. In fact, I just didn't think something so "perfect" could be out there. But God has graciously given us each other and just as Jimmy said last night, that "God has been with us since day one and hasn't stopped, because the day was beyond perfect in everyway. " And that keeping God first, as he wrote in my new bible, was the most important thing, and we've made a strong vow to commit to that fully. Our prayer as we enter this journey is marked in our new family bible. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in afflicition, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:9-12

We know this is news to many, since the phone has been minimal but we wanted to share our truly magical and blessed day.

There she is...........

2010-02-15T11:10:00.011-05:00

YES, THREE posts in one day! Catching up! :) Thanks readers!

On January 30th, 2009, I had a houseful of ladies and threw one of my "silly parties" again. Those that know me, know I LOVE to throw parties. I will attempt to make a party out of anything. :) I love getting together and love my buds! This time was no exception. We laughed til we cried (like we always do) and we had a ball. The neat part of this party was our theme and reason behind it. I had a "Miss America Party" because we girls were all lucky to take a trip to NYC for our 30th bdays (see post Seven Belles in the City~ December 2008 for that story). And while there, we made plans to hang out with one of the girls friends, Alyse Zwick. She had attended Pebblebrook High School here in Marietta and she was a FABULOUS host in NYC. We had an absolute blast with her. When we were there she was Miss Long Island and gearing up for the Miss NY pageant, which she wont the title.!Right then, we knew we had to host a party in her honor! We had the date marked and saved for months. We were so excited and Alyse knew we were toasting in her honor! The day before we found out that she won the swimsuit competition in the pre-lims.

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/cgKxx4le1xP/2010+Miss+America+Pageant+Preliminary+Competition/C7FWJ5c6U43/Alyse+Zwick

We were sure that would secure her a spot in the Top 15, unfortunately it didn't but we were still SO PROUD and so excited to see her there! She looked gorgeous and it was nice to know she is just as beautiful on the inside!

We had a talent contest which Staci clearly won with the pageant cake she made (seriously she made it!!) We had tiaras for all to don, prizes for best dressed which included all "pageant staples" and had the dinner catered by Mellow Mushroom pizza because thats what the contestants eat back stage-PIZZA! We dressed in our evening's best and Miss Pauldin' County even made an appearance :). Fun times had by all and a big Congrats ALYSE! You were stunning and made the Georgia Peaches proud!

Jennifer, James and Jerry

2010-02-15T10:56:00.006-05:00

So TV wasn't always "my thing" and its certainly not now. I rarely get addicted or 'into" any shows. I am a Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters fan and some wonderful, um, lets say "educational" shows on MTV :) but other than that, I am not loyal. I was one of the few in college that didn't care about the Friends finale, because I had never had time to really watch it. I don't have anything against TV but I'm not usually in front of it. However, Jimmy (aka James) is a huge movie buff and enjoys TV a fair amount. He has convinced me that I have been missing out on life's greatest pleasures, and that somehow my life would be more complete had I watched the entire 9 year season of......... Seinfield. I think he thinks Jerry Seinfield is the king of TV. He absolutely loves the show. Of course its all re-runs now and he swears he has seen every.single.episode. He owns all nine seasons. So in New Years Resolution time he suggested I get caught up on this huge part of my life that I was lacking and that we watch the entire run. He created a spreadsheet (yes, I know) and figured we'd need to watch 3.5 episodes a week to get them all in. One perk is there are no commercials on these dvds he has. (Thank goodness). So, we began......I don't think I laughed season one and I'm not sure there was more than a chuckle in season 2. I just don't get it. My aunt says everything in a persons life there is Seinfield about, um not so sure. It also doesn't help that I am constantly critiquing their clothing choices and wondering HOW on earth this was a hit dressed like that. Then I'm reminded I was in 5th grade when the show even began, and lets just say its been a while since 5th grade. Jimmy keeps saying "it gets better" but I'm not convinced yet. So much that if there is nothing on TV, I'd much rather go to sleep than watch Seinfield. Maybe my tune will change in seasons 3-9......I think he should have to watch all six seasons of SATC! Talk about an education :)
Stay tuned......

It's Over...

2010-02-15T10:30:00.005-05:00

my long-time relationship is over. We tried to break up a few times over the past 10+yrs but it never lasted, I always went back. I was too dependent. I couldn't function at work or social events without them. I felt ugly without them, but I have finally said goodbye to my dear love, my solar/acrylic/fake nails. I didn't think I could manage but I'm on week two!! I think the reason I hated the relationship is the time it took. Who wants a draining, needy relationship? My nail cat always thought I was funny asking if I could "drop my hands off and pick them up in 40 minutes?" I just hated the time there, it wasn't terrible per se or painful but it was in one word....B-O-R-I-N-G. Too high maintenance. Since I hated these "dates" so much, I would put them off making the relationships more brittle, ugly and destructive. A set of 10 would be a set of 8 by the time I rolled into my date at Nail Trend. Not to mention the cost of these suckers. So, I finally decided I would once again try to end this relationship. Not go back this time. Not gonna do it. I went in and had a manicure, best $10 I have ever spent. Why didn't people tell me those were much more fun, soothing and QUICK than the fill-in dates I was having?? Seriously, it was like being wined and dined. It was wonderful. I was in heaven and knew I could manage this. Plus it allowed some "color" in this bland, 10 yr old, dried up relationship. (I was having to get pink/white (aka 'american') because I could go that much longer without it being as noticeable if I had the color. )But, those that know me, know I'm too bold for american ALL the time. So it was only fitting that my OPI color choice this time be "An Affair to Remember" I was totally cheating on the white and pink powder, the dremel and the gosh awful tips. As all new relationships begin, this one is no different. I'm taking time to learn and adjust and I think in two weeks I have painted my nails at least four times, this chipping business must stop. I hear there is a counselor out there named Sally Hansen that assists in these type of relationship and recommends Hard As Nails, I'll give it a shot. I sure can't keep going back all the time, even if it is $10. I think this might work, its a budding start and I'm learning to really enjoy the lack of neediness, dependency, the fear of hurting them, as long as they keep their end and don't start chipping away at me, remain strong and true, and don't nail me down to anything, I'm in :).

A Little Holiday Shopping Fun :)

2009-12-09T14:00:00.005-05:00

James gave me his credit card today to make a few returns for him,etc and I immediately thought in the words of Julia Roberts (aka Vivian) "Big mistake. Big. Huge. I have to go shopping now"

This is how I see my afternoon going....:)

'Twas the weeks before Christmas, when shopping needed to be done,

This is what Jennifer called Christmas fun!

James gave her the AMEX with much confidence and care,

In hopes that his needed presents would soon be there.

Could she stick to his list that she had in her hand?

Of course she could! That is the plan.....

The list was short and she knew she could get it done quick,

So off to the mall to see what she could pick!

She spotted a pair of boots that would look great on her feet,

At an incredible price you simply couldn't beat!

So she swiped the card thinking it'll be fine,

Then turned and saw a Chi and shouted "oh, now that one's mine!"

So she pulled the green card out of her wallet once again,

One pair of boots and a Chi, it can't be that big a sin'

Then out of her wandering eyes... a new purse did appear!

She saw it, held and loved it and thought oh dear!

But then was startled, when around the corner there arose such a clatter,

She sprang to the designer purses to see what was the matter.

Away to each one she flew like a flash,

Tore open her wallet, ready to shell out the cash.

With her fashion knowledge, so lively and merry,

She knew in a moment it must be.........Burberry!

More excited than ever, not a one looked the same,

And she whistled! and shouted! and called them by name!

"Now, Gucci! now, Prada! Kate Spade and Michael Kors!

On, Fendi! on Coach and Louis Vuitton.....her most adored!

To the top of the line! to the top of the mall!

Now buy them! buy them! buy them all!"

So up to the register she quickly flew,

With her hands full of purses, and a few wallets too!

She needed to finish her list and hurry back home,

Knowing with James' card, she must not shop alone.

A bundle of bags she had flung on her back,

And she looked like Jackie O opening her giftsack.

Her eyes -- how they twinkled! her new purses made her merry!

Then she ran across the receipt... and oh! that was scary!

To make it up, she'd cook James' favorite meal to satisfy his belly

Trying to laugh and not worry her butt shook like a bowlful of jelly.

She knew it was time to leave the mall right there and then,

She couldn't wait for Christmas two-thousand and ten!

I heard her exclaim as her car drove out of The Lenox's lights.......

"Happy Shopping to all, and to all a good-night."

DID SHE SURVIVE ON ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH

2009-09-14T22:35:00.002-04:00

Atop Mt Evans-HIGHEST PAVED ROAD IN US! Elevation 14,k ft!

I have gotten countless emails wanting a follow up to my Colorado Trip and did the "girly girl Princess" survive. I am here to live and tell it folks..... I made it :). If you missed my REI TRIP post below, you may want to read it before you start this journey......

July 29th we departed the ATL airport at a scorching 90 degree. I had been to Denver several times to snow ski and after being there once in summertime for a Young Life camp back in the day, I was thrilled to return to the mountains in summertime.

Well, you woulda thought it was snow weather because when we landed on JULY 29TH MIND YOU, we stepped off the plane to 55 degrees and COLD in Denver, not a pleasant 55, a COLD 55. I quickly panicked realizing my entire trip to REI might have just been a waste, but thrilled at the $$$ I could get back on my returns! We shuttled to the Rental Car place and picked up our Jeep Cherokee, that I was quite pleased with. We were then told it was the coldest day ON RECORD in Colorado for July....lovely. Thank goodness the jeans made the cut for the trip, and pondering in the Jeep on the way to lodging I couldn't help but think I could buy 2 more pair w/ those darn CHACO's I could return!

Our first day we explored Red Rocks, because after all, we were going to see a show there.....we visited in the morning and it was breathtaking. I could hardly wait to get back there for the show. Now, folks, along w/ my REI trip, you must realize the show I was going to was the jam-band Phish. I had a brief run with them back in high school, but it was short lived. I have been re-introduced to them, and they do seem to be playing the same things so I was content w/ going and thrilled that James got to see one of his favorites. RED ROCKS was A-MAZING. I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU SEE THERE~ PUT IT ON YOUR BUCKET LIST!! I told James as we were driving off "God was just showing off right there." I'm telling you its incredible as you sit in AWE of your natural surroundings!

We visited lots of other neat towns..... BIG SHOUT OUT TO FORT COLLINS, what a neat town! I should've gone to college there! I probably wouldn't have gone to class though.......wait, I didn't do that anyway :) We rafted in Idaho Springs, James could not believe this was one of my favorite things to do. The chacos made their debut on the Clear Creek River. James thinks they are at the bottom of the river because he hasn't seen them on me since...hmmmm.....And to top it off, as I was putting on my wet suit one of the instructors said "Okay Miss Princess zip it all the way up" And note, I wasn't done yet! HOW did he know I was a princess?? I wanted to scream" DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I HAVE PREPARED FOR THIS TRIP SIR TO NOT BE A PRINCESS?!?" But he was nice and I just went about my business...makeup and earrings and all....

We then took the drive up Mt. Evans. BUDS, THIS IS THE HIGHEST PAVED ROAD IN THE UNITED STATES. I was freaking out! I prayed more in those 14 miles than 30 years! The road is narrow, its a "white knuckle drive" but I am SO GLAD we did it! On the way up we stopped at 2 lakes, the first one we admired a super gorgeous mountain as high as the sky, little did we know we'd be atop that very soon. We then stopped at LAKE SUMMITT on the way up, BY FAR my most favorite "memory" of the trip. It was breathtaking. Strange animals, in desperate need of a pet spa visit were hanging out in the parking lot there and some men working in snow suits. In true girly girl fashion, after rafting I changed into a cute skirt, a fleece and my flip flops since it was 70 degrees. It was a bit chilly at LAKE SUMMITT, but I handled it quite well and we made the rest of the truck up the mountain. It really was to the point of "how much further can we go" the road drops off here and there and bless James' heart I must have said "watch the road and be careful" 1000 times, when again, bless his heart.... his hands or eyes never left their duties.

We get to the top and HELLO!?? IT IS 37 DEGREES! A BRISK 37!!! People were in snow suits, I failed to get that memo! I was just waiting for someone to mention my skirt and flip flops with SNOW on the ground! yes, snow. We stayed long enough to take good pictures and I was back in the Jeep. Mt Evans was by far a big highlight of the trip and we are SO GLAD we did it. I have never in my life seen views like that ALL the way up, better than an airplane. Every turn we made in that 14 mile stretch had us saying "wow" and "awesome" and "incredible" and me "watch the road and be careful" :)

We also visited Golden, CO on our visit and many other little towns, we had a BLAST. SO much history there! We were hoping to go to some of the other shows at Red Rocks (there were 4 and we had tixs to 1) but some of those Phish Phans may "appear" to be homeless, but they got some MOOLA folks.....they were selling tickets $300-400. Needless to say we drove by our last night there, pulled over and could hear some blaring from the natural acoustics of "the rocks." And in all fairness, Phisheads have come a long way since my run with the band back in 1996-97, there were limos like crazy and everyone's "grown up" I think the town of Morrison, LOVED it! Way to fuel a hard economy!

Anyhow, here are some pics.....the memories are priceless, the jokes are endless, the hiking was breathtaking, the rafting was adventurous, and the chacos........are um...........MIA.

Doesn't this look like a postcard? One of the many stops on the way down from Mt Evans

Lake Summitt, only about 1/2 way
up Mt Evans

RED ROCKS....

One of the views from atop Mt Evans

The animals on the way up Mt Evans (at Lake Summitt) in great need of a day at the Pet Spa....

Wait?!?

2009-07-21T06:41:00.000-04:00

It seems as though I have friend after friend waiting on something. For those that know me, you know I am NOT patient. :) And that I want instant gratification in all that I do. However, it doesn't quite work that way, does it? I cannot count the number of times lately in my life, I have been ready to scream "what are we waiting on?!? where are you God, Savior, the one that PROMISES to answer?!?" We are waiting and waiting. Andy Stanley just finished up the series "The Waiting Room" If its not us, its our dear friends we're praying for that are in "the waiting room" waiting to be called to our "answer/appointment" by God. I have friends waiting on fertility results to know if they can conceive on their own, I have one waiting to see if their multiple attempt to conceive through fertility assistance has "taken." One who is too young, is waiting the results of a tumor, another waiting on her husband to decide if the marriage to him is "worth it", another in a desperate attempt to move and having to wait for the answers of her prayers of sending a buyer. Another friend waiting on a job, after they were recently laid off after their company went under. Some waiting on the prince charming they have been praying for for years. It seems as though so many of us are waiting on something. Sometimes its big and sometimes its small. We wonder why we wait. After all, he says to "delight in him and he WILL give us the desires of our hearts." We're followers right? We're claiming to God's promises through his scripture, we are doing all that we "know" how to do, so why are we being forsaken or forgotten about? Why are we being "punished" (in some of our minds) on no answers to our prayers we cry out daily? What on earth could be the purpose? We are walking by faith, but what for we ask!?! Why must we wait?!? I thought this answered these questions quite well.....beware if you're in the "waiting room" right now for anything, it could give you chills. Some of us have read it many many times.....

WAIT

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried. Quietly, patiently, lovingly, He replied.
I pleaded, and I wept for a clue to my fate, And the Master so gently said, "Child you must wait." "Wait? You say wait?" my indignant reply. "Lord, I need answers, I need to know why.
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?"
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.
"My future, and all to which I can relate hangs in the balance, and you tell me "wait?"
I'm needing a 'yes', a go ahead sign, Or even a 'no', to which I can resign. "
And Lord, you have promised that if we believe, We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry~ "I'm weary of asking, I need a reply!"
Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again, "You must wait,"
So I slumped in my chair; defeated and taut And grumbled to God; "So I'm waiting, for what?" He seemed then to kneel and His eyes met with mine
And He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign. I could shake the heavens, darken the sun, Raise the dead, cause the mountains to run. "
All you see I could give, and pleased you would be. You would have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.
You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair; You'd not learn to trust, just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me, When darkness and silence was all you could see.
"You would never experience that fullness of love As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove. You would know that I give, and I save, for a start, But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart. "
"The glow of My comfort late in the night; The faith that I give when you walk without sight;
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask From an infinite God who makes what you have last. "
And you never would know, should your pain quickly flee, What it means that 'My grace is sufficient for thee'
Yes, your dreams for that loved one o'ernight could come true, But the loss! if you lost what I'm doing in you. "So be silent, my child, and in time you will see That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft' may My answers seem terribly late, My most precious answer of all...is still...wait.

By Russell Kelfer

My Trip to REI

2009-07-13T15:34:00.002-04:00

So, with the upcoming Colorado trip closely in sight, I felt I definitely needed some new "duds" specifically for this trip. Since my summer closet is 90% made up of summer dresses or skirts, which I have been told are "not appropriate" for the Colorado trip that will include hiking, rafting and Red Rocks, I did what I do best-----I went shopping!!!

So off I went at lunch today to REI, what I felt was the 'coolest' place to get CO clothing. At first it seems so bland. I have been there before, but its always so "blah" to me. It seriously needs some pizzazz. But I'm sure they leave out the pizzazz and fun colors and music to keep "divas" like me out of their "outdoor" store. I head straight to the shoes, a boy that looks to be about 14 and a "little guy" gets my sizes in the Chacos. Understand, these were a "must have" I decided before even trying them on. I put them on and immediately felt like Mary Magdalene, really I felt like they were Jesus shoes except they were a feminine color, therefore, I called them Mary Magdalene shoes. I see these on all my friends and sometimes I think they look um......lets say....... silly (for lack of a better word) on them, but they are "cool" so that overlooks silly, right? They are the most comfortable shoes I have tried on to hike/raft in, so my 1995 Tevas are out and the Chacos are in! None were purchased as REI thinks more of theirs than zappos.com but they are coming! SOLD!

Then, I head directly to clothing, but since everything is so BLAH, I found myself having hard time differentiating the women's and men's sections. I found ONE pink jacket hanging on the wall enticing me over to the "womens" section. I grab it, love it, its but of course and XS. Little did I know at that point that probably only XS people, like the itty bitty shoe boy that shop there. However, I move on quickly find sale after sale, rack after rack of name brand clothing. Of course I stick to The North Face & Patagonia, I mean if I'm going to do this I am going to do this, right?!? I even kept myself away from some Patagonia DRESSES! However, they too were "blah" and if I'm going to wear a dress in CO, which is possible, I am thinking more "bold" than the dreaded colors they were carrying. Nonetheless, I was still uber proud of myself for by-passing the dresses!! I keep going.....

By the time I hit the dressing room my arms were so full I dropped clothing! I was thinking how much I was going to spend and how I'd just have it all done in one - stop shopping a-n-d it all was on sale!!! As I entered the dressing room in the "shopping high" we all get, I try on the first pair of clothing, um.....ARE THESE MEN'S??!?! I mean hike if you want to ladies, but seriously must we look like men while we do this?? Needless to say, first pair shorts-goner. Next pai...., North Face khackis, I almost bought them online at rei.com before going shopping because I though they'd be perfect just like my NF jacket I already owned & loved......hmmmm.... well once these shorts were on, another story. 4 sizes bigger than what I wear they may be perfect, thank goodness there was no online ordering! I went up one size thinking "oh they must run small" SMALL MY HINEY, those suckers were hugging my "fluffy" hiney, like those folks in REI hug the trees. Okay, sooo North Face runs a little small. I figure this is the outdoorsy peoples "higher end brand" I compare them to Bebe, BCBG as they are always so small, so no biggie. I was hurt by The North Face people and their terms of a size of a "12" but I move on. Ahhhh yes, oh yes a pair of khacki pant capris. Well, Patagonia must be on a runway somewhere with The North Face because I have never seen that small of a size with double digits on the inside.

At this point I have convinced myself I'm too fat to go to Colorado. I won't even be able to hike a trail, I'm just fat. No thoughts that I play tennis, hike Kennesaw Mountain, I can't do it in Colorado, I'm going to have to call James at work, shed a tear and tell him I'm just simply too fat to go to Colorado. And also that I should've never eaten fried rice at the sushi place for lunch right before shopping. I am ready to google on my i phone "how much weight can I lose in 2 weeks?" However, I keep trucking and will google that after I get out of the ridiculous treehouse-like dressing room. I keep going and I get a pair on that fits............. but UGLY! I mean who wears this!? All I could think of at that point was me posed on a hike just perfectly, with a cascading snow capped mountains behind me and James next to me, and realizing I would get no "cute" comments on facebook IN THOSE PANTS. Ughhh...

I did find a pair of shorts I'd never spend $25, much less the $45 I DID spend on them, but just because they were "what I am to wear." And it made me feel better that I kept on my black pumps when I tried them on. Seriously the things pumps do for our legs..........

So, I emerge from the dressing room, grabbing all my clothes that didn't work off their tree stump bench and there I see.... one pair of pink "something" hiding on a bland rack. It was pink Columbia capris, of course they came home with me too. I swear they were screaming "save me from the neutrals!!!" I also had a good buy on a North Face light jacket and a pink NF shirt. I guess NF expects their "granola girls" to have large 'tops" as their tops run right on size?? No no, I quickly realize its because I would wear it more fitted than the granola girls would :)

Soooo, I take my 4 items to the checkout place and spend my total of insaneness on my new "Colorado Clothing" that you may not ever see me again in. As she rings up the total, I immediately start thinking of what kind of party I can "host" to wear these again? How cute could I make Earth Day 10'? That thought didn't last long. I pay and exit with my REI bag (of course made from recycled something) and march my cute v-neck dress, black pumps, Versace Sunglasses self out of their "forest" and hop in my BMW back to civilization.

The Granola Princess

And they're off.....!

2009-04-22T12:17:00.011-04:00

Big hats, super heels, cute dresses, warm sun, good friends and a good beau, horse races with WINNINGS what more could a girl want in a weekend?? This past weekend we traveled to Kentucky to meet some friends and attend Keenland, one of the fabulous horse races in Kentucky! We had a fabulous brunch tailgate the morning of the races and then headed into the Grandstands at 1230 for the 1pm race. the inside was beautiful, gorgeous landscaping, very well kept, neat venue. Pretty dressy. I loved that there was a small string band playing as you entered, hats and horses galore! There were 9 races total and we bet a little on each, I strictly picked by name while everyone else was analyzing how much the horse had won that year, who their jockey was, etc. And it turns out, that stuff really doesn't matter, we won several races! I have never been so excited on a $2 bet before :). 'If only' we had bet more. I must say the #1 race we bet on Precious Princess, how could she NOT win, she was not favored at all YET SHE WON!!!! I wanted a picture with her but didn't make it out in time to visit with her. I'm not one to gamble so I didn't actually place the bets, my job was to pick the names and then kiss the tickets before the race, it worked! :) Fun times had by all and a wonderful, memorable weekend!! I really plan to go back to another KY horse race, it was a blast! Here are some pics! This upcoming weekend a group of friends and I are headed to Rome, Ga for Steeplechase. We go yearly so its that time of year again, so two weekends of horsies, whats a girl to do? Buy another hat is what she is to do! I truly think that is THE reason we have horse races :).

Down on the Farm

2009-04-16T06:45:00.002-04:00

I have a few 'favorite' spots I love to go to that are close to home and this is just one of them. I was fortunate enough to travel lots of places all over the world last year for my 30th year and saw some AMAZING sights (older blog"Thirty and the Year of Travel" on it if you want to see pics) Anyhow, out of all the places I got to see and absolutely loved visiting, there are still a few more closer to home that mean more than any statue, monument, ocean or historic building. One of those places is known as "The Farm."

Just a few years ago, some of my best friends, Staci & Andy's parents purchased "The Farm." It was a beautiful 1800s home on 420 lush beautiful acres complete w/ pecan and peach orchards, located right outside Macon, Georgia in Marshallville. However, it is very much 'off the beaten path'. Its GORGEOUS!!! The beloved home was last used as a hunting club if I remember right, and bless Andy's mothers heart, she has worked ever so long on making the home cozy and comfortable for all. It has a touch of her in every space of that house. Its perfect now and fully functional. Complete w/ old tall windows that are original, as the floors and many other details of the home show its date. It has a great side yard that I dream about and as you ride up to the 'home place' you see a white picket fence on the edge of the property and a big front porch welcoming you in. It is simply breathtaking, especially when things are in bloom, or a recent snowfall (it does happen!) or when its all green in the summertime.

The Thompson's have been MORE than generous throughout the years allowing all of us to go down there and visit. I've been with Mr & Mrs Thompson many times as well as the groups Staci and Andy bring down. I think I've only missed one trip in all the years. I just LOVE that place.

Its the one place I get dirty :) Its the one place I wear camo :) Its the one place I will shoot a gun (I hate guns usually) Its the one place I TRULY relax. Its the place I can drive a 4-wheeler, play in the mud, see Deer, saw my first coyote, and act silly the entire weekend. :) Its also one of the few places I will go without 'doing my hair' :) I just love it.

A few weekends ago was no exception, a group went down there, just as many many times before and had a great time just as many many times before. We rode 4-wheelers nonstop, shot skeet, targets (thankfully not each other, these guys are super safe!), we got muddy so much we got a truck stuck :). Laughed til we cried, ate til we popped (those are a 'given' on any trip there!) and enjoyed lifelong friendships and new ones as well. Its a place where everyone is themselves and relaxed. A place to tell stories around the late night campfires, a place to see true nature and beauty! Thanks to Staci and Andy ONCE AGAIN for hosting an amazing weekend. They are priceless and we always leave blessed by friends and full of memories, every single time we've had a visit down on "The Farm" In fact, I think Tim McGraw may have been in Marshallville that night he wrote "Down on the Farm" the first few lines describe our farm trips to a "T"
YEE HAW :) :)
Every friday night theres a steady cloud of dust That leads back to a field filled with pickup trucks Got old hank cranking way up loud Got coolers in the back Tailgates down Theres a big fire burnin but dont be alarmed Its just country boys and girls gettin down on the farm

HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-08T11:59:00.007-04:00

Hallelujah the Angels cried and so do I this Easter season!

I do love Easter but I am not quite sure I have loooooooved Easter THIS much since I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Easter Bunny when I was a child. Even then I'm not sure it was as exciting as this!!

FOLKS, I MADE IT, 40 DAYS WITHOUT ONE SINGLE IOTA DROP OF COCA-COLA!!!! Not even Sprite or Mountain Dew or ANY TYPE of soft drink!!!!! For those that know me and for those that read my post "Addicted" below you must know I was fully addicted on the drink!!! It made things difficult, there are sooo many meals and snacks that are meant to be enjoyed with a tasty ice cold coca-cola. 1963 Coke's slogan was "things go better with Coke" They were right back in the day! However, I had to endure water and tea and other nonsense the past 40 days. 40 days may not seem like long, but let me tell you, its MUCH longer than you think!

The #1 question I keep getting over and over and over again is "Will you go back to drinking coke?" Folks, are you CRAZY???? I wanted one at 9am on Easter Sunday!!! But, I promised my side-kick who endured this venture with me, we'd wait until Easter lunch with the family. Now, to continue to answer the question, YES, I absolutely will continue to drink coca-cola! It's not great for me but it's not so bad in moderation either. I plan to drink less but give it up totally?? Are you nutso?? Everyone that has been in contact w/ me in the last 40 days knows I have been on this adventure, probably due to my constant pouting, mood swings, and the 10 min it takes me to order a drink at dinner b/c I don't know what else to drink besides coca-cola :). So I'd bet they would be willing to say "now now, let her have her coke." I would like to not drink it in the mornings as my 'caffeine' and strictly limit it to meals, that part I might can do. Thats the one thing this has taught me, I don't need it as much as I think I do. However, depriving me of it forever and ever amen is just not gonna happen, no two ways about it. How can I meet my goal of having a "Coke Room" in my house on my 40x40 list if I stopped drinking it altogether? Thats no fun! And no, I don't believe in Diet Coke, I would love to love it and have tried and tried but its just not going to be my 'thing.' :)

I also would like to give a 'shout out' and dedicate this post to the late Dr. John Pemberton, who brought the beloved into my life. A pharmacist from Atlanta, Ga (even better, its home grown!) he concocted the formula in his backyard in a three legged brass kettle in his backyard. Bless you Dr. Pemberton for all the smiles you've given and meltdowns you're prevented. One day when I pass the pearly gates, I hope to see you and say to you "Let's have a Coke and a smile" (Coke's slogan in 1979).

These days Life Taste Good (2001) and nothing quenches the thirst like The cold, crisp, taste of Coke (1958) and I plan to enjoy the Real Thing (1969)for a lot more years to come...

Oh my word! My new Best Friends!!!!

2009-04-07T16:42:00.005-04:00

Okay, so I am now fully committed to posting more :) I figure I can post about anything so here goes :)
You must meet the new most important best friends of my life, they have changed my life, and while NONE have replaced the ultimate satisfaction of COCA-COLA, they are seriously up in the running of the 'greatest things on earth' :)

Here goes....My new Best Friend, this follows me wherever I am, is soooo dependable, she keeps me up-to-date on all the social upcoming not-to-miss events, she gets my importanto emails that are telling me such necessities as- Bloomy's (Bloomingdales's) is having their fantastic 'Spring Sale' as well as keeping me in the loop with my 125 'contacts' my other best friends. She sleeps beside me and alerts me of ANYTHING that might be going on. She even tells me in the morning what the weather is going to be like so I can dress not only cutesy but appropriately :) She tells me how much to tip at dinner, even where to go for dinner and assists me when lost in the car or in the grocery store looking for a recipe! She is my rock, my side-kick, she even wears PINK all the time. She just needs a name. This my blog friends is my tried and true best friend, there for me in all times no matter how I might treat her..here is a picture of the devoted one~ the I-phone
.Again, she just needs a name!!! Suggestions?

My other new best friend, hasn't been around as BFF #1 above, BUT we were just introduced last week and I am now starting to want to hang out A LOT more. You just have that 'instant' connection, ya know? You really aren't expecting much then they give you so much more than you ever thought in just a short time! I am quite smitten with this new guy and I think we might have some weekly upcoming dates. I at least hope so. He's a bit high-maintenance, but hey, so am I. We have to stick together. He's just so darn cute and artistic and full of SURPRISES nad everyone knows I LOVE surprises!!! He's been around forever but I never thought we could be friends, because we didn't have that much in common. Now that my love for cooking has expanded the past few years and I LOVE entertaining and dinner parties this friend has already shown utmost devotion and assistance in ways I cannot begin to explain. Meet BFF #2, however, disregard the "Whole Foods" and replace w/ "Harry's" (minor detail~they're all owned by the same peeps!)

Lastly, this friend is just so pratical, we're still figuring out our 'connection' but thus far this one is great! She is DA BOMB and listen up folks, I HIGHLY suggest you get this if you don't already use it. (I may have been the last ot be introducted to her) I love to read fellow blogs and I know many of you do too. Instead of being a subscriber to everyone, or clicking on your favorite blogs EVERYDAY from your favorite list only to be disappointed b/c they haven't updated in ages (ooops) this best friend does it for me!!!!!! She is like my personal assistant in many ways and different ways than BFF #1! This friend is FREE and practical and requires NOTHING OF ME :)
She's seriously being taken for granted.....meet new BFF #3, Gmail Reader we've been BFF for about a month now I love her!!!!! This is how it works (pay attention blog readers) you simply go to gmail.com and create an email account, you can use it or not, and then at the top you have a calendar and reader and a few other things (the calendar is neat btw) but on reader you click on it and add ALL the blogs you read. Each time you click on reader, it shows you how many 'unread' blogs you have (meaning who has updated their blogs since you last looked) and takes you right to it! I may have 10 one morning to read or just 1 or 2 depending on who has updated and when. But instead of going to each and every website, Google Girl does it for me!!!!! Gmail is where its at!

Who are your BFF's??

ADDICTED

2009-03-03T10:16:00.006-05:00

It has come to my attention that I have a serious problem. I am addicted to something I have daily and several times a day. I can't survive without it. In the past week without it, I have gone into deep withdrawals and had incredible mood swings. It's so much a part of my life, it goes with so many things, that without it, I'm not sure what to have to replace it. Without it, I have lashed out at loved ones during my detox state, I have had body aches and shakes from the lack of it. I long to have it and don't feel complete without it. Yes, my name is Jennifer, j-e-n-n-i-f-e-r, I am thirty years old, and I am addicted to.................. Coca-Cola.
For the Lenten season I decided I could live without coke. After all, it just 40 days right? Who can't do it? I thought it would be good for me anyway since I can't stand diet coke and the 'real thing' is not the healthiest for me. I did it back in high school cold turkey, so why couldn't I do it now at a much wiser, more knowledgeable age? This won't be too bad, or so I thought.... I was very excited about this endeavor, until....... it happened. Day One, not so bad. I sure missed it, I have coke for breakfast (yes, I do, its my coffee!) I have it during some meals and have at least 2 a day if not 3. I know, I know, bad. But Day One wasn't too terribly bad. Day Two, I was kinda ill, not happy that morning at work, clueless as to what to have with a lunch that was at The Varsity of all places, who goes to the Varsity and doesn't have a good ol' fashion coke with their meal??? (You orange drink lovers, thats not my thing, but I 'get' that you think its the Varsity's greatest menu item). I, on the other hand, cannot imagine my hot dog without a coke (yes, healthy at its best this week!) Anyhow, I survived with a mediocre sweet tea. Not too bad. But seriously people, its like salt and pepper, ketchup and mustard, Mexican food and COKE, pizza and COKE, cheese straws and COKE. So many meals and snacks will be at mediocre all the way around and I figured I'd just have to deal.
Day Three, you might as well have checked me in at Wellstar. I might have even required restraints, arm bands and all. I woke up in the foulest mood in ages and with a headache. This princess doesn't do headaches, I hardly take Advil, I am just blessed not to 'ache' often. Thankfully, some Tylenol was close by and so was the expiration date, but I had to have something. I was so ill the entire way to a family breakfast. At breakfast I started to literally feel sick and that was it, I thought to myself "I am getting the flu" I just don't feel 100% like the flu though?? Ladies and Gentlemen, it was the lack of my addiction~coca-cola. I was astonished at how TERRIBLE I felt and even more astonished that my body had THAT MUCH of a reaction to the lack of it!!! I was literally in shock. Not to mention, the person dining right directly in front of me at my table had a wonderful, fizzy, straight out of the can on cold ice, the real thing, no diet here, Coca-Cola, for breakfast. (See, I am not the only one). Not only was I ill and picking the pulp out of my teeth from my 'freshly squeezed orange juice' I was having to watch the coca-cola in front of me be downed by someone else with a refreshing "ahhh" after the sips. It was painful enough with the headahce and now this?!?!? It had me wondering if I should research and see if Coke keeps the secret of their recipe soooo secretive because it still has cocaine in it just like back when it was first made! I mean WHO can be addicted to coca-cola this bad that it causes withdrawal symptoms??? SURELY something else was wrong with me, this can't be from coke. Boy, was I wrong....
I figured that the mood would increase and the aches would decrease throughout the day, after all it was Saturday and a low-key one at that. Again, I was wrong. For those that know me, you know I love two things; coca-cola and shopping :). Folks, I couldn't even shop in good spirits that day!!! I continued to ache and pout and whine at my best (which I can do very very well). It never got better, so much that I was in bed at 9:30 pm on Saturday evening, hoping it would only get easier. Thankfully, Sunday was much easier, going to church and the snow was a nice distraction. I was reminded at church Sunday though while sitting in 'big church' and seeing our white cross that hangs above the pulpit, I thought quietly to myself....."Ya know Jennifer, the lack of coca-cola, although so good to me and I think I am 'dying' without it, is nothing compared to being hung on that cross to pay for another person's sins. I never had to endure such a thing or even close to it. I don't have to pay for others sins, and mine are gracefully and thankfully forgiven, my hands don't have the nail scars, I've never had blood pouring out of me from any wounds, I've never worn a wreath of thorns much less, so deep that they dug into my brows. I reflected on how many times I had thought a coke would taste oh so good on my lips, and the numerous times in just 6 short days, I've said 'oh, I am sooooo thirsty.' Why Jesus said the same thing while being crucified! "Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. "John 19:28-30
His thirst was obviously of a different measure than mine. I pray that in the next 34 days, that I don't complain as much about what am I going to drink, that I am reminded of the sacrifice that was made for me and this is just one way to humble myself before Him. I pray my heart is opened and this season is not looked upon in my mind as 'just something to do' That the true meaning of the Lenten season and Easter warms my heart and comforts me far more than my beloved coca-cola could do. I pray I choose to drink from the best source around, the only thing to quench the soul's thirst~the living water.

Slumber Parties, Beth Moore & Jury Duty!

2009-01-26T17:32:00.006-05:00

What a combination huh? :) This weekend was fabulous with the girls at Big Canoe. We had a blast and the girls seemed to love the cabin and especially the hottub. We ate as expected more than we care to share. We shopped at the 400 outlets most all of the day on Saturday, came home and ate homemade spaghetti (thanks SIMS!) followed by a Reese Witherspoon marathon. We watched Legally Blonde I &II as well as Sweet Home Alabama. Sidenote~-I recently visited the place where filming of SHA was which is Crawfordville, GA. Even ate bbq at the 'bar' that they went to and hung out at and saw the downtown area where all the 'town' scenes are filmed. Very neat,highly recommend it, great stop on the way home from Charleston!

I learned all the latest Taylor Swift songs,(sung at the top of every girls lungs) heard so many laughs coming from the hottub it scared me of who was doing a swan dive from the top porch to the lower porch that houses the hot tub, no piercing kits showed up (that i am aware of), I learned the latest RUSH news from a college attendee, and was reminded of the fabulous college life by all of our college gals that joined us. It was a lot of fun and a weekend to remember! Lots of laughs and girl talk and I think I brought home an additional 5lbs from it. No more youth weekends :). J/K of course...........

Beth Moore, you ask? Well, I am blessed to hear her speak every year with my dear friend, Alycia, we haven't missed yet and those times are PRECIOUS to us. Well, Beth and her praise band, Travis Cottrell, who I also adore, taped a music dvd last night at Woodstock Baptist Church. My fab friend, Sarah, sings in the FBWC praise team and got us FRONT ROW killer seats. We were so close we could hardly stand it. We were CERTAIN we'd be on the dvd :). We'll see how that goes. It was a GREAT experience, the music was incredible, Beth spoke 3-4 times for about 2-3 minutes a piece, to go along with the songs and it was a fabulous night of worship! The lighting, sound, stage, choir, etc was amazing and I was thrilled to be a part of it. Now, if they would just put our row of girls on the cover....:)

Jury Duty! Yep, thats me! All week long :). I was so excited when I got the summons, only because I just thought it was fabulous and glamorous despite being told otherwise :). I learned today though, it is quite boring, although I give State Court 'snaps' (remember I watched Legally Blonde all weekend) that their proess and procedure is quite efficient! I was randomly selected to be in group one, therefore I had to be the last to leave, but was dismissed at 1pm and headed to work! I read a book I'd saved especially for this week "Same Different as Me" and only hope to go back just so I can have quality time to finish my book! However, since I was in the last group to be dismissed Monday, our group had Tuesday off, sooooo no reading time . I enjoyed my 1/2 day of civic duty and 1/2 day of work Monday. I went back Wednesday ALL day to sit there and that was fine, as the juror administrator said "what choice do you all have? " :) As much as I wanted to be on a case, as soon as they said our group was waiting for a possible criminal case, I cringed. I would feel so sorry for everyone, I would probably be one of those obnoxious jurors that causes 'hung juries'. So, it's probably better I'm relinqueshed of my civic duties .....until next time :)

I tried to post pictures of Big Canoe and Beth but it would not let me....will attempt again :)

Slumber Party with Teenagers?!?!

2009-01-23T12:32:00.002-05:00

Yep! 16 wonderful teenage girls and two of my good friends, will be trucking it up to my families cabin in Big Canoe this weekend to host "BUDS BIG CANOE BASH 09" :). You might thing I'm crazy (and I probably am) but I do love these sweet girls! We have the 11th and 12th grade girls going, along with some from our college class. It will strictly be GIRL TIME. Which means lots of gab, junk food, nails painted, new hair-do's, shopping at the outlets, more laughs than you can count and............................ NO SLEEP :).
This is my 2nd weekend doing this in 2 months! Last time they were all at my house so this time we have a good bit more room and more than ONE bathroom! HALLELUJAH FOR THAT! :)
And one of the girls wants to bring a wal-mart belly button piercing kit....FOR ME! I told her I think that is only for the teenage bodies, of which I'm not. I also tried to stress the importance of sterlization in this process, that we cannot provide at a cabin, but I was quickly told "um we do this ALL the time, and you're the ONLY ONE without one" I am also the only one that is 30 in this group! Ahhh the peer pressure.........at least while at my 'high school' weekend. :)

Pray for a fun, safe, belly button infection free weekend ;) No telling the stories I will have to tell on Monday........

Going to shine in 2009

2009-01-05T19:45:00.002-05:00

Yes, yes, thats cheezy but it rhymed, didnt it? 2008 ended GREAT (oh I am full of them today!) Hope you like the new page, its all ready for Valentine's Day! :)
It was a great great year. Christmas was wonderful, it just didn't last long enough! I was blessed to spend the Christmas with my family and others and had a wonderful time doing it all! This year, I could care less what I had gotten in gift (really, I didn't) I was just so thrilled to spend the time with Davis, my precious nephew, who was so fun at Christmas this year being 1! And, so thankful for all the blessing brought into my life this past year!

The new year brings new things, new faces, new places, new life and I'm so thankful to begin a new year where I'm at in life! I am grateful for all the travel I did in 2008 but my New Year's resolution is to STAY HOME :). We'll see how that goes :). I've already been successful in turning down TWO trips that I normally would've jumped right on! I am really trying to stick to this resolution! :)

My friend Bethany (link to her blog on the left, dont know how to link yet) "tagged" me on her blog and we blog buds stick together, so here goes......Bethany tagged me, and I am suppose to share ten things about myself that are "pretty interesting". I've done a 'TOTALLY RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME" blog before so I'll try not to repeat myself....let's see....

1. After doing a 30x30 list, I am currently working on my 40x40 list, I figure it should be a good list since I now have ten years :). Suggestions??
2. I HATE running, HATE it! Would rather walk fast, hike or bike but HATE running... but will do so at times. :)
3. I eat peanut butter crackers and a coke everyday for breakfast (yes, yes I know, not the best choice). I think people that sit down for breakfast on weekdays are strange ;) I need that time to get in my last minutes of beauty sleep and primp. ;)
4. I LOVE Department 56 Snow Villages! I put mine up everyear! One of my 40x40's is to be able to put my entire village all in one spot on display at some point. Now, they are just scattered about, however, being me, I do try to place the restraunts together (who wouldn't want krispy kreme after being a the mexican cantina or chinese palace??) I put my winery and irish pub together, yet far enough away from the church ;).
5. I remember numbers in a strange way. I can recall phone numbers from ages ago, street numbers, zip codes off the top of my head. I've been like this forever and all my close friends and family think its great, yet none of us have figured out a way for me to use it. They call me "the walking phone book" or use to, it was MUCH more helpful pre-cell phone days. :)
6. I attended Cotillion (manners class) in middle school. I strictly went because my friends went and the best part................ WE GOT TO DRESS UP EACH TIME WE WENT. I loved that part! I still remember all my ball dresses, and even remember my favorite cotillion outfit from just a regular meeting. It was a bright purple skirt and top, pretty fancy and I thought I was hott stuff ;) I know the box step from that and that the guy to your left is 'responsible' for you at a proper seating. ;)
7. I struggle most with WORRYING. Although, if you know me, you know I've been this way for my ENTIRE life and you'd also know that I've gotten sooooooooooooo much better! I've learned to surrender, and go on my way, although this is still my biggest struggle. I tend to worry about everything :).
8. My favorite color is PINK (I know, shocker) but my favorite color to wear is RED.
9. My favorite hobby is SHOPPING (yes, another shocker) my favorite inexpensive hobby is reading or tennis. :) Although the tennis becomes expensive since I love the clothes ;)
10. You will not catch me snorkeling :). I hate fish and birds. Yes, random, but not a fan of either. I don't even eat seafood and cannot stand the thought of fish in the ocean when I'm there. I once had a bird in my house and locked myself in my hallway until help came, it was just a small tiny bird that came through the chimney in the kitchen but I refused to assist it in getting out. I don't think he liked me either....

Seven Belles & The City...

2008-12-18T06:27:00.000-05:00

We made it! Six of my best buds plus myself headed to NYC December 11-14th for a big celebration of all of our thirtieth birthdays! (well, not everyone is 30 yet but most!) We had a GREAT time! I personally LOVE New York City at Christmastime (in my opinion its the ONLY time to go!) We arrived in soaking wet rain but made the best of it (thank goodness it only lasted our first day!) We saw Chicago the night we got there and that dried us off a bit, until we hit the torrential downpour as we exited the theatre, but we laughed and made the absolute best of it! We spent Friday and Saturday hitting Canal Street, shopping in Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue and everywhere in between!!! We were lucky enough to have Miss Long Island (a friend of one of the girls with us) show us around and take us out one night, it was a BLAST! We had a delicious meal in Littly Italy Saturday night after seeing Lady Liberty,strolling through Central Park and checking out every other sight we could possibly see. We even went through Grand Central Station with our reindeer ears on and we were photorgraphed so much we felt like movie stars!!! We wore them all Saturday night once we left dinner at Little Italy and we found a fabulous dessert bar on our way out we had to stop at! Then we even wore our ears through the subway, through downtown and were a hit everywhere! Who knew? The girls about died when I showed up with everyone a pair but everyone in NYC loved them :). We dined on delicious Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes (the bakery where Charolette & Carrie devour cupcakes in SATC). We saw just about every sight in NYC you could see~and all in 3 days! It was a GREAT trip. The town was decorated gorgeous and Christmas was most defintely in the air! We even saw a proposal at midnight at Rockefeller Center Ice Skating rink (too cute!). We stayed so close to Times Square that we were lucky enough to see it all! We even attended church Sunday at St. Patricks, it was the most beautiful church in the U.S. I've ever visited! We could barely walk off the airplane when we finally hit Atlanta Sunday night, were 7 tired little puppies but it was the trip of a lifetime and tons of memories! If 30 has been this good, I can't imagine 40...... :)

Thirty and The year of travel......

2008-12-02T15:37:00.014-05:00

I am so sorry I've been MIA, I smile when I get emails asking where I've been b/c I've not posted, that means a lot! Its nice to know you're read:). I've been out of town most of the time and with that I'll start with......I made a list a while back called a "30 by 30" list and I have had a blast completing it. I got most of all it completed and even gave myself another year while 30 to get the last few things accomplished. Some are as simple as baking a cake from scratch, deep sea fishing and others were a bit more involved...One thing on there was that I wanted to travel this year. I've been fortunate enough to travel in the past and have so many more things I wanted to do and see! Well, I took over 12 trips in 12 months this year! I loved every minute of it! In 2008, I visited Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Paris, Nice, Ireland and some a bit closer to home...Charleston, St. Simons, North Carolina, West Virginia, Galveston Texas, and next week NYC! Not to mention several trips to Big Canoe, one of my most favorite places. I saw things I never thought I'd see, walked where I never thought I'd walk, shopped in the most amazing places, ate authentic cuisene, saw amazing sights in Rome (collesium, patheon, sistine chapel), Shopped in Florence to return with an authentic Italian leather jacket, took a boatride in Venice, Walked Paris an entire day by myself, Gambled in Monte Carlo, jumped in the French Riveria, Spent 2 weekends with awesome college girlfriends in Galveston and Charleston, spent Thanksgiving in Ireland with my 2nd family for my goddaughters baptism, laid on the beach in St Simons (my fave beach spot), saw the most gorgeous leaves in North Carolina, and took in every second. I feel SO BLESSED to have been able to do this and even more blessed that I got to travel with such GREAT people. I traveled most of my trips with different circles of friends or family. Next week I travel with my lifelong best friends, most since grade school to NYC to celebrate ALL of our 30th bdays and I cannot wait, I love that place!! I vowed that turning 30 in 2008 would be great and it's been far beyond what I ever imagined. I have traveled the world, met so many new faces, built long lasting friendships, turned another decade older, had an A-MAZING surprise 30th bday bash which I am FOREVER grateful for, got the gift of my dreams (A Louis Vuitton I've wanted for at least 15 years, yes 15!) :) my relationship with Christ has grown far greater than I could imagine, I've become closer to my family, lifelong friends, gained so many great ones, decorated my house from floors to window treatments, been blessed to speak to groups of women sharing my past struggles and story, became a godmother, ate sushi, gained new neighbors, shared my home, learned true forgiveness and learned love all over again. I am blessed beyond measure. If it wasn't Christmas I'd have that song back on my blog!

I am amazed daily at my family, friends and the love they continue to show me and thank God everyday for that and most importantly his amazing grace he continues to shed on me. "But I am like an olivetree flourishing in the house of God. I trust in God's unfailing love forever and ever" Psalm 52:8. Have a blessed Christmas season. And I promise....more to come!

Love,

Jennifer

SURVIVED & REVIVED!!

2008-11-17T06:53:00.002-05:00

THE PRINCESSES'

A-MAZING WORSHIP led by Kristian Stanfill!!!

Yes, we went rolling....;)

I made it!!!! Fourteen WONDERFUL 11th & 12th grade girls and ONE bathroom I've decided is 'roughing it' :) HOWEVER, it worked out PERFECT! There wasn't one fight/issue or drama regarding our limited bathroom space :). There were bodies all over my little house and we seemed to have plenty of room! I ate more than I care to share. We stayed up til 3am on Friday and 2am on Saturday! We spent AWESOME times at the church Friday night,all day Saturday & Sunday morning. We had INCREDIBLE worship led by THE KRISTIAN STANFILL! When not at the church, we had great small group time, a dance-off, a trip to Starbucks, a trip to Wal-Mart (for toilet paper and it wasn't used for the one bathroom) and tiaras for everyone that we doned at church on Saturday evening :). We laughed, we shared, we ate like crazy, we jammed out in the cars to and from our destinations and we all worshipped together at the fabulous services! It was a great weekend minus computers, tv's and even phone calls were short! Nobody even asked to check their facebook page once! :) These girls were amazing!! They are all sooooo special and precious to me. I see them each week in Sunday School but believe me, you don't 'know' them til you spend a weekend w/ them smushed in my house. :) I met a few new faces of girls that had brought friends. I learned what was going on in high school these days and were reminded of my days back at Harrison. I hope they all got something out of the weekend. It was an incredible experience for me! It was a blessing to be their leader AND their host home and I am now even more caught up on the latest ways to shorthand text messaging. :) Thanks for all the prayers that went up for an awesome weekend, they were answered beyond measure!! Have a blessed week! :)

D-NOW 08'~A passion like Fire!

2008-11-13T06:34:00.000-05:00

Well, Disciple Now 08 is here!!!! This is a youth retreat weekend for all our youth (grades 6-12) from our church. This year we have our biggest number ever of youth attending!!! I've been stressed to the max this week, hoping I have enough space to 'house' the precious 11th and 12th grade girls that are assigned at my house, figuring out what to feed them, logistics, scheduling, games, programs and much more. Then I realized having MORE girls than I expected at my house and figuring out a few more last minute details is a GOOD problem. No, it's a GREAT problem. It took me all week to realize that, and an exhausting day today, but I'm finally there. :) D-Now was one of my favorite weekends as a youth no matter who's church was hosting it and I'm trying to remember those great weekends, my leaders and how much fun we all had so I can get in 'high school' mode again :). We have an INCREDIBLE band coming (Kristian Stanfill!!) which will be amazing in itself, we have some killer program, skits & productions that will take place (check back Monday for Jennafergie's appearance, I hear MTV CRIBS stopped by her place!!) :) and even a Tahiti relief project to help our sister church that is in dire need of our assitance right now. I get excited typing it all out! We have an AWESOME group of leaders in place (which always makes it a blast) and more importantly we have an abundance of teenagers coming that I hope and pray are blesssed in many ways this weekend. For those that have asked what they can pray for, THANK YOU! I love that you ask me to blog about this!!! It makes me smile! :) Sooooooo....here goes; Pray for our entire weekend, our plans, our relief project, our speakers, our leaders, our students and most of all for the Lord's prescence to be alive and active! Despite all of us going nuts trying to plan the 'perfect' weekend, we know that we WILL have enough beds, we WILL have enough breakfast, we WILL have enough pray and play time :). Now we rest.......rest in the goodness that WILL take place this weekend! Our theme is on fire, so pray we're all fired up :).
If I'm awake enough Monday I'll catch you all up with an update and pictures ;). Seeing as I'll have a HOUSE FULL of High School Junior & Senior Girls ALL weekend at my home, I'm thinking Monday will be a 'recovery' day. :) But a blessing it will be!
Fired Up,
~Jennifer (aka Jennafergie!)

Grace.....Again

2008-11-05T07:30:00.004-05:00

As you know I love me some music :). And so so many speak to me in times of need and in worship. However right now, if there is any one song that speaks to me, it's this one. I would add it to my playlist but it won't let me quite yet. :) I absolutely love the lyrics and feel that if there is one song I could've written about my journey.......this just might be it. I wonder if they got in my mind to get the lyrics :). We're given so many gifts throughout our life, and for each one I'm thankful for....the gift of life, family, friends, unconditional love, forgiveness, joy, peace, and even eternity. I find myself most thankful for grace. I'd be lost without it yet I spent so many years not knowing what grace even was! It always sounded good and 'pretty' and something I wanted but thank God, I learned what grace felt like. It's a gift everyday which I am forever grateful for. This is a great one, I encourage you to really listen to it. I hope you're reminded as much as I was while listening to it, how amazing His grace truly is. Check it out.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g00W8PLa1RI

"No freedom from the choices I had made, but with one touch you made me clean, You met me in my deepest need. "

Faithful

2008-10-21T06:30:00.000-04:00

Let me share a little bit about being faithful that I learned this weekend..... Faithful is being committed to someone or something no matter what comes your way. Faithful is being busy, dedicated, tired, dealing with the good and the ugly, going at all costs to be a part of it, making it the best it can be, showing honor, desire, compassion and unconditonal love. Faithful is serving at ONE church for FORTY years. Yes, you read that right FORTY years. This past Sunday, my grandmother, Jackie Conley, was honored at her church, Edgewood United Methodist in Columbus, Georgia for being their piano and organist for FORTY YEARS. I cannot type it enough! :) She came to the church in 1968 after moving from Savannah, and one month later her husband was stricken with a brain tumor and passed away shortly after. This church helped feed, cloth and nurture her and her four young children. She jumped right in to help them by being their pianist and organist...and has never left her bench. We have planned NUMEROUS if not all family vacations around her Sundays so she could be there to play. She has hardly missed a Sunday in all of those forty years. She has accompanied some of the best! I was honored to be asked to speak at the 11 o' clock service and I tried my best to praise her name, which wasn't a hard task at all. Not only is this woman faithful to her position in the church, she is faithful to the Heavenly Father, more than anyone else I've ever known. She has never waivered in her faith despite her hard times, she is the most trusting, faithful child of God. I cannot think of the phrase "Bride of Christ" without thinking of her. She is the most PATIENT woman. I wish I had half of her patience. She is patient in teaching piano students, she patiently and repeatedly taught me to play the piano, a trait which I am FOREVER grateful to her for. She is the prime example of God's love. She loves others, and serves others just as Christ called us to do. No matter what became of the church throughout the years, she remained steady, strong and true to her Sunday school class, her women's bible studies and most devoted to the 88 keys in front of her. If you asked her to pray for you, I guarantee you she has. I never see her without her bible, devotional book and the comic section of the paper. :). A best friend, brought this to my attention as she heard the news of the celebration ceremony and said "40 years at the same church is amazing!! Can you imagine someone from our generation doing that? We’re more “disposable” than that generation…we change jobs, churches, houses, etc. Our grandparents live in the same houses they bought when they got married, retired from the first job they had and go to the same church they were probably married in!! I think they were more tolerant that we are. If their house got too small once they had kids, they just made them sleep in the same room and made do. If their job was awful, they just sucked it up and dealt with it. And if the church wasn’t doing so good, they just prayed about it and stuck with it until it was doing better. We move into bigger houses, quit our jobs because “it doesn’t make me happy” and bounce around from church to church. I wonder what that says about our generation? Maybe we should be more tolerant? Or maybe we’re happier b/c we MAKE our own happiness by improving our lives?

I only could think 'wow' after I read this. These are all fabulous points! No idea if its a generational thing or what, but regardless Jackie Conley is the definition of faithful. To stand to a promise and observance in duty. She has played every hymn ever written, played for weddings, funerals, colleges, students and anything else that came her way. She never left the gift she was given, nor never ignored it, she used it all for His glory. We can praise her all we want, but I know one day she'll hear the words from the one that matters "Well done, good and faithful servant" Matthew 25:21

Tis the Season? Already? YES! :)

2008-10-15T09:28:00.004-04:00

Come one, come all! Its the fabulous Junior League Mistletoe Market this week at the Cobb County Civic Center. Tickets are just $6 at the door and its something you don't want to miss! The event brings in sooooooooooooo many great vendors. Tons of children's things, great 'girly' gifts, home decor, books, and more! The Junior League has put this on for many years now and each year gets better and better. It's titled one of the 'biggest and best' of the South's shows! Don't worry....it's not a 'craft show' for you Southern gals that know the true craft shows :). It has LOTS of cute things! I get so much of my Christmas shopping done when I'm there!! I am very excited this year since I am the Special Events chair. Its been A LOT of work but I think it will pay off in the end. We have a big galla event this Friday that has me working and stressing like crazy but I think everything is in order...at least, lets hope so :). So come out to the Civic Center, its fun, seasonal and always a hit! Hours are: Thursday and Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 9am-4pm at the Cobb Civic Center! And by all means if you are there ask for me! I'll be living there from Wednesday afternoon til Saturday night! I'd love to see you!

CHICKNICK 2008

2008-10-06T11:41:00.003-04:00

Well it was that time of year again for our annual "Chicknick" trip. This trip is taken with some of my oldest and dearest friends. (See my previous post 'Lifelong Friends' in July to REALLY know these gals!) :) Anyhow, we headed up to our families cabin in Big Canoe Friday afternoon and we had THE BEST time ever. Chicknick is always so fun. We laugh til we cry, we eat way too much and somehow always end up dancing...in our pj's nonetheless. A "true" slumber party. Everyone even had to bring their own 'slumber snack!' We also play "Favorite Things" each year, which is where you bring your favorite thing under $20, each year this game is a blast and its so fun to get to know someone else's favorite item. So all sorts of things make an appearance at this game! We play the traditional way where we draw numbers, steal gifts,etc and everyone leaves with someone else's favorite thing. Many girls get very creative. Saturday the weather was GORGEOUS so we had pedicures and played tennis, we also had dinner out and we were so loud and with 11 of us we had the cameras going, we thought we were paparazzi! I was convinced we were "that table" until someone said how nice it was to see a group of girls get together for a weekend of fun. We are all blessed to have each other. I cannot think of one minute that someone wasn't laughing on this trip. It's one of my most favorite weekends and it was a great time for us to really getaway. Some left spouses at home, some left children at home and it was a true getaway for all! We even reminised on old times and old trips. I had a blast and love these girls with all my heart! They are the best friends a girl could ask for.....and the memories are priceless.

Home is where the heart is....

2008-09-22T12:09:00.010-04:00

As some of you know the past 4 months I've had 2 fabulous roommates! Kristie & her precious son Isaac have been living with me until their house was ready. Things could not have worked out more smoothly. Just as she moved in, a house across the street was available, purchased and renovated for her & Isaac and they moved in last weekend! I think its just perfect for them and even better they are not going far! I've grown quite attached to Isaac and I'd die if he was going much further than across the street! So its a blessing for all! I have loved watching him grow the past few months at my house. We've laughed alot about the fact that he will spend his first day at kindergarten saying his favorite color is pink, he loves to shop, he loves high heels, porch parties, Sex & The City re-runs and coordinating outfits. I am afraid I've corrupted him. :)

It's been fun and she was so great to put up with me and all my craziness! I LOVE to entertain and I think in the 120 days they were there as Kristie says "this is party #76" and she's probably right. :) Dinner clubs, Jr League events, Southern Living Parties, Premiere Parties, Neighbor Dinners, Birthday Dinners, just to name a few ;) she has helped with and patiently endured. She followed me around and turned off the lights, cleaned up after me, located many missing shoes, keys, and whatever article of clothing I HAD to have that night, helped me put things together that I ordered and could NOT do alone, played musical cars in the driveway, endured my cooking ;), shared cokes for our 'caffeine fixes' and reminded me of trash days just to name a short few! I already miss her I missed trash day this past Tuesday! :)

But aside from this, I'll miss our late night chats and our deep discussions. I know they're in the right place and God had a plan in all of this when He brought us together, and we know he did because too much of it we couldn't have managed ourselves! We sat in amazement before she moved out on the front porch rocking chairs AMAZED by the way it all played out, all by God's hand. Kristie has grown so much in her faith in just a few short months and has been inspiring to me!! She is a lady of grace and dignity and has proven so strong during her heartbreaking trials, this girl is a survivor. God has GREAT plans for her & Isaac I cannot wait to see it all unfold and all from a great view.... just across the street.

"'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Washed White as Snow...

2008-09-16T17:24:00.002-04:00

I don't even quite know how to begin this blog. I have to say I was a part of something last Sunday that will forever be engraved in my mind. Let's start a few months back...
Last September I started attending Divorcecare at a local church. My "home church" did not offer this at the time. It took A LOT to go but I went willingly and ready. It was one of the greatest decisions I ever made. I met so many precious people in that class, we cried, laughed and truly healed. One girl in paticular Kristi, and I formed a quick bond, we were about the same age, had matching purses (you know instant fashion bonds) and stayed in touch throughout the class and for a year after and still going! Kristi & I shared in daily struggles and trials that go along with our changed lifestlyes. A few months ago, Kristi asked if I would consider baptizing her at her church. At first my gut reaction was "heck no I can't do that" but I prayed about it and spoke to several ministers about this. The way her church does it is that someone that has walked alongside you or encouraged you in your spiritual life typically baptizes you, alongside with the pastor. I had never heard of such! This is a hip, awesome, very respected church in our area too. I had no doubts what they were doing was on the "up and up" but I wanted to know for me. :) I even had friends flat out say "Jennifer, you can't do that!" Also, I was the FIRST to admit "I am not worthy of this" Well, after considerable amount of prayer, and much guidance I agreed to take part. Still wasn't sure of how this was going to be done, but I was going to do it and... quietly. Sunday, I walked into the church, over 20 others were being baptized that day mostly by family or friends. I had a complete peace about the entire thing. Kristi's turn came and as we watched her awesome video/testimony I was able to say a few words and then baptize her in the name of our Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It was the 'traditional' Baptist way, even though this was a non-denominational church. And it was quite an experience!! It was an honor to be a part of her special day and amazing to see the personalization of each baptized that morning. Kristi herself emailed me first thing Monday morning and thanked me yet again for doing this. Little did she know it did more for me than her. One of the many things I got from Kristi is how she described the experience...her words were " I just remember being raised out of that water and feeling your hand on my shoulder. It truly felt like I was washed a new and the old stayed in that tank. I saw little debris of lint, hair, etc. in the water when I got in and at first thought it might be a little icky but after coming up out of the water I realized that that was just the old from each of us in that tank and God has now washed it clean for the next lost soul." Wow, could she have said this any better??
How often do we see baptisms but do we really realize we are washed white as snow? I was feeling so unworthy of this honor, yet maybe I needed to realize myself that, I too was washed white as snow and thankfully am over and over again. Even though we all have sin that crimson stains our lives, fabulously He washes it white as snow! He paid it all with His crimson~His blood He shed at the cross for US to be washed white as snow. Pretty rockin' if I do say so myself :)

"Come now, and let us reason together" says the Lord, "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool." Isaiah 1:18

Friday's Fun Facts :)

2008-09-12T11:08:00.003-04:00

TGIF :) Love the weekends! Here are ten "Fun Facts" about me that you may not know! :)

1-I have had 8 cars! (before you think I'm a horrible driver-only one replaced due to a wreck!) :)
2-I looove cheese!
3-All the family on my moms side (alll 23 of us) live within 5 miles of each other
4-I play the piano
5-I have been in 14 weddings
6-I have a PINK bathroom (original 1950s pink, love it!)
7-I run my heater in my office 365 days a year-yes even in 90 degree temps outside, I'm always cold!
8-If you come to a shower, party or dinner at my house I would cry if we ran out of food, not gonna happen, it's a southern thing ;)
9-5 out of 6 my grandparents are living~one that I never had the chance to meet, the others I have been blessed to know well. I've also known 6 of my great grandparents in my lifetime!!
10-I am taking 12 trips in 12 months this year for my 30th bday year! It's on my "30 x 30' list that I have loved completing!

Have a fabulous weekend!!!

God's Mysterious Ways....

2008-09-05T06:00:00.001-04:00

I have been having just one of those "pity parties" for myself lately. SO much going on, so much to do, so much to deal with and just frankly tired of it all. So selfish and so willing to be just "sit and be ill" as I call it instead of "sit and be still" ;). I have shared my frustrations in prayer (which I know is totally healthy), and to myself thinking "why this" and "why that" for me and friends with burdens right now. I'm about ready to throw my hands up. I'm at the end up of my rope and in much prayer asking God to show me what to do and enlighten me on why do I think things are just so irritating right now?! As I've said before be careful what you pray for....
Then walks in the most precious woman at our office. She is beautiful inside and out and dressed so cute and ALL smiles. She is so friendly and never once does her smile leave her face or her gentle spirit leave the room in which she sits. Later, I find out this woman has NO family, I mean zilch,zero, nada. No children, all her siblings live in other states and she's 100% alone. Which saddens me as she seems so 'put together'. So I think wow~thats nice she can be that friendly and all smiles and look so fab. Then, I also learn that she is suffering from cancer. Immediately I do a double take and take a good look at her and notice other than her head being covered by a fashionable headpiece, she looks pretty darn good! So I reasses and think surely this woman who is so friendly all the while suffering from cancer must be in remission. Nope, she is terminal. Okay then, that hits me like a ton of bricks and why is she smiling so and so happy? She is all smiles, come to find out from our mutual friend, because of her great love for the Lord and the peace she gains from Him EVERY single day. Well then, holy cow, she can be jolly and I'm going to be pouty??(which I can do quite well);) I felt like an ant in the room with her. And remember, this woman is going through this with no family nearby, not a one! So here, this precious woman is showing God's love simply by her demenaor and I'm showing no love, and how do our two life issues compare?? You know the answer to that, they certainly don't! Sure, some of my "burdens" and "issues" that I'm praying for and about for me as well as others are pretty big deals, but none of my personal ones compare to hers whatsoever. And hmph! She's the one that has a smile on her face while I look stressed and irritated and I think I'm the one hanging on for dear life?? Made me think twice as you can imagine. I have pretty much gotten to the point of begging God to show favor on me, save me from things, help me see his light and be patient and loving and all those things. I pray this almost daily.....well buds, he delievered! He did just that today! He showed me by this precious, God loving woman. I actually got to converse with her and personally see His love overflowing from her. This woman faced with death around the corner, is joyful, smiles and not fearful in the least. I thanked Him for opening my eyes, but also remembered my prayers to Him, begging to be shown favor or good will which is the defintion of grace.........and guess what? As she slips out the door and on her way, I find out her name is what else, but Grace!

Are you ready for some Football?

2008-08-31T12:22:00.005-04:00

As a Southern gal born and raised I love college football, as so many other "belles" do. I was ready for the season to start and had a fabulous opportunity this year to make it a HUGE gameday! I left at 6:30 in the morning for Athens on Saturday (that was sooo early for me but I was bright eyed and ready to go!) With a packed car full of good eats, dressed in gameday best, our crew arrived in Athens around 8:30 and had the best time cooking out and visiting until the kickoff at 12:30, with the new UGA VII presented right before that. It was HOT but a fun game and yes, I must say I was a traitor in true form......... I wore RED (gasp I know, I caught lots of heck for it!). Then after about the 4th quarter with the Dawgs in a comfortable lead, we made our way out of Athens and straight to Atlanta, stopping only to freshen up and change clothes that is from RED TO ORANGE. Yep, the next stop was the Georgia Dome for the much anticiapiated Clemson/Alabama matchup. ESPN's gameday was there and since I was meeting a best bud from college and her husband, who are huge clemson fans (and he a former player) I sported orange proudly. The seats were INCREDIBLE in the dome. This was a huge, hard-to- find ticket and our seats just happen to be 10 rows up in the dome~amazing!!! That kick off was at 8:30 which I was comfortably in my seat way before kickoff to take in the crowd and let me tell you~the crowd was fired up and full of spirit! It was great just to be a part of it in some fashion. The Tigers lost but it was still such a fun time with great friends! As non-stop as the day was it was THE way to kickoff College football season~2 college games in one day!! I made it to my bed at 11:45pm that night and was asleep as soon as I hit the pillow. So very exhuasting day but SO MUCH FUN!! Now, are you ready for some football???

Happy Birthday to my Favorite Boy!

2008-08-26T09:23:00.004-04:00

Well, my sweet, precious, loves his Aunt so, nephew Davis turned ONE this Monday the 25th! We had a family party this past Sunday with almost 30 people~just family in attendance! I was certain little man would cry when we sang Happy Birthday but as you can tell from the picture where he is getting his own cake he was clapping and laughing and we were singing! Granted, we sang for weeks before preparing him for this big day! He was great and loved the entire party! He got lots of super toys that amazed me. I personally hope his most favorite is the Sit and Bounce Zebra his Aunt gave him :). He was all smiles, played nicely and seemed to enjoy every minute of it. I am so blessed to have so many "children" in my life, that are just like family. But I have to say, there is nothing like having a sibling have one!!! And I cherish all the children I love and spend time with but I "crave" Davis time. I am so lucky to see him so often. I think he likes me, and the fact that I gave him potato chips and REAL coke last week for lunch has nothing to do with it. :) Or the fact that I read the Cookie Monster book 10 times in a row last week (none others would do). He's a joy to us and a blessing! He came at just the right time! God's timing is so good! He's been the biggest blessing to me this past year and I just cannot believe how far the two of us have grown the past year, he more physically and me more emotionally. :) I remember the day he arrived so vividly. He is one loved little boy! Thanks Shannon and Matt for making me an aunt, if you'd like to make me an aunt to 2, I'd be most appreciative :).

Thankful Tuesday

2008-08-19T15:33:00.003-04:00

I realize I've been MIA but I've had a horrible cold and have had to slow down my never-slow-life :). I even missed 2 concerts this week and various events, but I'm on the up and up and had a fabulous weekend back in the loop. :)

TUESDAY'S THANKFUL THIRTEEN~Totally random (almost) things I'm thankful for!

1. Tylenol Cold and Sinus medicine-brilliant!
2. Birthday Parties-Have 3 this weekend one of which is my nephew, Davis Gorman who turns ONE Monday & we celebrate Sunday!
3. The latest and greatest 11th and 12th grade girls at Noonday Baptist that I get to converse with, pray with and of course eat with each week :). Sunday School isn't as fun without doughnuts!
4. REAL COKE! It's my "coffee" and I hate anything diet!
5. Target~seriously can we not get anything we need there?
6. Pedicures~I'm so thankful for the poor souls that touch footies all day!
7. My front porch~so many fabulous talks and peaceful days/nights spent out there.
8. TIVO-I barely watch t.v. and I love TIVO! No commercials!
9. My Kroger Plus card-it always somehow makes me feel I've saved money :)
10. Mom's Love-she checks on me and let me spread my germs on her sofa (and in my old bed)last week) and... even made soup and grilled cheese-yummy!
11. Unlimited text messaging~if your number is in my phone you get this one :)
12. Dinner Parties~I love to have a true dinner party with fabulous friends and food! What more could ya want?
13. Summer Fashion~I LOVE summer dresses and shoes and I am trying to get all my white worn before Labor Day! I wore my favorite white dress yesterday & white suit today! (They get offended if they don't get one more wear before they are put up until Easter 2009!)

Happy Tuesday to all! Now that I'm out of my MIA status, I promise to post more~thanks for all your encouragement! :)

Sweetly Broken

2008-08-04T17:21:00.002-04:00

Yesterday at a fabulous church service, we sang "Sweetly Broken" by Jeremy Riddle. For those that know me, you know I love me some church music! Ranging from good ol' Southern Gospel hymns, to the latest and greatest in Christian music, just anything that gets the spirit moving! I was so taken back by this song yesterday, it was one that 'hit home' like so many do. I realize over the past year, at different times, I've felt so broken, unfixable, unreachable and unlovable. Yet thankfully I serve a God that has restored, redeemed and loved me like none other could've done. I never would've wanted to title myself "broken" ...as if! I thought I was strong enough to conquer it all without being broken. Nope, not gonna get me. The only thing broken on me that could cause damage would be a heel on one of my fabulous recently purchased shoes..and that has happened and it's tragic (R.I.P Red pumps Fall Line of 07'). However, yesterday while worshipping and singing this song, it came to me, as if a gentle voice said "yes my dear you are broken, but not harshly,not viciously and not thrown to the wolves, you were and are sweetly broken." That makes all the difference in the world! That one word~sweetly! What an honor it is, I must say to be broken (now that I'm willing to admit it)! I have a best friend who says all the time (and she knows who she is) "Jen, you're not broken, you're bruised" she is so right in so many ways, but yesterday I wanted to dial her digits right there in church and tell her "But Bud I AM BROKEN and its awesome!" I know without a doubt, she'd 'get' what I was telling her, I, nor her, had ever looked at it this way! Yet, just as the song says 'he beckoned me at the cross, drew me to my knees and I am sweetly broken, wholly surrendered.' And what a priceless gift to have! I am thankful that I have been broken, its caused me to be living an out of control life, surrendered to him, not me and not my control.

Although heart wrenching, I am blessed to be talking to so many girls in similar situations and, try as I might to lift them up. It's humbling because it SHOWS me how much I’ve healed, it is AWESOME to say things to them and WHOLE HEARTEDLY mean them and tell them it WILL be okay and to share mistakes I made along the way. I look back at my prayer jounral in absolute awe! I see how broken I was/am and how beautifully and graciously He has restored me! With that said, I told one girl I wouldn’t trade a single tear, heartbreak, devastating day, loss of a life I knew, for the relationship I have now with Jesus. It's like the old, true southern gospel song "Wouldn't Trade Nothing For my Journey Now." And I wouldn't and I mean that. It's a privilege to have been broken and have experienced the peace that surpasses all understanding, the uncondtional love that abounds, and the grace He has given me.

Psalm 34:18~"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit"

He is so near and so saves and does it oh so sweetly....

Doing the Charleston

2008-07-28T11:18:00.006-04:00

Wow! What a fun weekend! I was blessed to spend the past weekend with my best college girlfriends. We try to get together once or twice a year (aside from wedding and baby showers) for a fun, girls getaway weekend. This year was no exception! We spent the weekend in Charleston dining on fabulous food, lounging on the beach and ending with a scrumptious brunch. There is so much "catching up" to do with all of us when we get together, so there was no moment of silence-whatsoever! I loved it! This circle of friends is a bit different than the earlier post, these are girls that have only known each other 10 years or so, but share an incredible bond of closeness that people think we'd never been apart in 30 years! We trudged through many of our 'growing pains' together. I think everyone on the trip lived with each other at some point or another, or close to it. We shared some of our best years together in school at Georgia Southern. At GSU it use to be so easy to go to Savannah, Hilton Head or any beach and take a quick getaway, we had no cares or responsiblities (thanks mom and dad!). And now, it takes a lot more effort to get everyone together for a weekend due to the simple fact of growing up! Especially since we're all spread out throughout the southeast, BUT YET, these girls all tend to find sitters, miss work and travel lengthy hours for our trips, which always leave us with crazy memories. It's awesome to think "Gosh, we really were together all the time at such important times in our lives, and how amazing and wonderful we are still together!" Thanks Alycia for hosting us in your gorgeous home and I can't wait til our next girls getaway. I remember back in college saying "I hope when we're 30 we're still great friends and going on trips together." This trip I left saying "I hope when we're 40 we're still great friends making time for trips together." I have no doubts we will....

Lifelong Friends

2008-07-21T09:59:00.003-04:00

I am so blessed by all the WONDERFUL friends in my life. I am blessed to be in different "circles" of friends, with each circle providing true friendships and always fun times. Last night we celebrated Felicia's 29th birthday with a dinner at my house. The thing about this paticular group is these are the girls that know me better than I know myself. Most of us have known each other since FIRST OR SECOND GRADE!!! We are still the best of friends and have maintained great contact over the years. Most are amazed that we all still see each other and stay in touch, but I wouldn't trade these girls or this circle for ANYTHING.This is the group that gets together and your stomach hurts when the night's over because you have laughed SO HARD.

These are the girls that I've shared first days of school with, many slumber parties, so many ballgames (we could've taken any group on last night in softball, basketball or tennis game). We've shared our first dates, first proms, first jobs, Spring Breaks, annual Christmas parties and COUNTLESS birthdays together. We've since traded in our cleats for heels, our ball uniforms for wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses, our dates to husbands, school's to careers, babysitting to mommyhood, 13th birthday parties to 30th (yikes),the slumber parties to bridal and baby showers, best friend titles to Godmothers and maid of honors titles, church camp to "grown up" vacations, college roomates to homeowners, and among all the good, we've had some bad too. This group has been through some heartbreaking divorces, career changes, loss of grandparents, fertility struggles, surgeries and even cancer. But through it ALL, this is the group of girls that is tighter than you can imagine. We've all seen each other cry and have shared countless tears throughout the years but more laughs than one can imagine!! When an obstacle arises these are the girls that are immediately on the phone and email and call the "crew" to figure out how to help. This group has an unshakeable, unbreakable bond that amazes most. We don't just say we'll "be there for you" this group IS there for you in EVERY way...meals, gifts, a phone call, a sweet email, a card, crying with you and praying with you and for you. God put us together many years ago and we've leaned on one another so much the past twenty-three years, YES 23! We've shared the biggest events life has together~every single one of them for each lady. It's an honor to know each and every one of these ladies. They are a blessing to me in so many ways. They hold me accountable, they pray for me, and they are there for me everyday. They keep me going, I'd like to think we all keep each other going. :) " How truly truly blessed am I to have these friendships.

"Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend's counsel that comes from the heart." Proverbs 27: 9

My heart must be doused in oil and perfume because these friend's counsel through the years has been overflowing. Love to each of you from the bottom of my heart.

New Beginnings....

2008-07-11T22:24:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! My name is Davis! This is me and my Aunt Jennifer, in the picture above, right after I was born! This picture was taken 10 months ago (yes, it's almost my birthday- but mom says that is a post for a different day) and it was the start of a new beginning for both of us! My aunt had been through some rough times prior to my arrival and her heartbreaking divorce was finalized a few weeks after I was born! I haven't known her for long but let me be the first to tell you she is beautiful, funny, a lover of the color pink, graceful in life (but not on her feet), and a reflection of God the Father! I learned at a very early age by watching her that often when faced with a big obstacle, like climbing a mountain, God will use this opportunity to draw you closer to Him (even if it means he has to carry you because you have ridiculous high heels on- which let me assure you- 9 times out of 10 my Aunt Jennifer does)! Thus the name of this blog...

I'm hoping that this blog will serve as a chronicle of the works God has done in her life, and that she will share all sorts of other information (where to get the best shoe sale, things that make her smile, what music she's listening to, and most importantly what she's getting her super cute nephew for his upcoming birthday)! There is a lot to learn and I know you will love her almost as much as my mommy and I do- So without further delay I will leave the rest of the blogging up to my Aunt Jennifer. Enjoy! ~DAVIS

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His
compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your
faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."
~Lamentations 3:22-24 (NIV)