Fantastic Quote!!

"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you." - Walt Disney

Back to Blogging

It has been a LONG time since I have felt like blogging - I've just had so much going on lately that I haven't even had time to process it all in my head, much less write it down for everyone to read!

First things first - JOHN IS GOING BACK TO AIRTRAN! Yes, we are shocked and pleasantly surprised by this turn of events!! He received his recall letter the first week of December and after taking a week to pray, seek out godly counsel, and talk to everyone he knows in aviation, he made the decision to go back. We do have to pay a large sum of money to his current company since he will be breaking his 2 year contract, but it is worth it to both of us. John has also made the decision to keep our address in South Florida and he is going to commute. Neither of us are sure how this is going to change things, but since over 70% of the AirTran pilots commute, I think that it won't be that big of a deal. John isn't looking forward to the extra flights, but I am not looking forward to him being gone longer either, so I guess we will both have to wait and see what happens. Our goal is to save, save, save so that we can move back to Georgia with a down payment - no more renting or moving, hopefully!!!

I am excited about 2009 and what God has in store for us. So many things have changed dramatically in the last 2 years - almost everything in our life is completely different than it was when we first got married, and while you would think that we would be miserable with all of the changes - 99% of which were NOT our choices - we are more content than we have ever been. I have learned a lot - more than I will ever be able to share on this blog - and I am looking forward to what lies ahead...

Deck the Halls With Buddy Holly

I love Christmas music! I've had Love 94 on in the car for the past 2 weeks (24 hour Christmas music!!) and when I'm working at home, I have the digital cable set to the Christmas channel. Although we have yet to put up our decorations, the songs still put me in the Christmas spirit!!

The only thing that might surpass my love for Christmas music is my love for misheard Christmas lyrics!!! Here are a few that were taken from a fabulous book entitled, "Deck the Halls With Buddy Holly" by Gavin Edwards...

• "Please bring us some friggin' pudding" - "Please bring us some figgy pudding" - We Wish You a Merry Christmas
• "Oh come, hoggy faithful" - "Oh, come all ye faithful" - O Come All Ye Faithful
• "In an eggshell stable" - "In excelsis Deo" - Angels We Have Heard On High
• "While shepherds washed their socks by night" - "While shepherds watched their flocks by night" - While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
• "O tanned and bound" - "O Tannenbaum" - O Tannenbaum
• "Police have my dad" - "Feliz Navidad" - Feliz Navidad

Do you have any to add to this list???

On the Third Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

This is a tree in our backyard.

Upon closer inspection this afternoon, I found an early Christmas present inside/under this tree...

THREE FRENCH HENS!!!!





We should have gotten these girls ages ago...they are a constant source of entertainment!!!!

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations to my amazing husband for passing his test - he is now a certified fire fighter in the state of Georgia and will hopefully be transferring his certificate to Florida so he can volunteer here. He worked SO hard and I am SO proud of him!!!!

Fantastic Week & Weekend!!

We have just finished one of the best weeks/weekends we have had in a LONG time. This week was especially amazing because the majority of our time was spent serving in ministry as volunteers. As someone who was committed to full-time ministry for 15 years and expected to be serving in ministry full-time until the day I died, I was not prepared for the abundance of free time I experienced when I was let go from full-time ministry. While I firmly believe that being let go was the GREATEST gift God has ever given to me (next to John) and the time I have been able to spend focusing on my marriage and family has been a blessing I would not have traded for the world, there has still been a hunger in my soul to serve in ministry.

Now that I have had the chance to get my priorities in order (church does not equal God and will never come before my first ministry, which is to my family) and now that we are back in South Florida where the ministry connections never cease to amaze me, it seems that God has opened the floodgates and provided me with so many opportunities to serve in ministry. This week was spent serving at Sheridan House, hosting an accountability/prayer/encouragement group for high school girls, attending a celebration banquet for all that God is doing at Sheridan House, serving at a Parenting Seminar hosted by my church, visiting a ministry that serves foster parents and foster children, and serving on the media team this weekend at my church. Now, I am not telling you all of this so that you will think I am great - FAR from it! I'm sharing this with you because I am so excited to be reminded that God is STILL using me even though I am not on a church staff, and that even though I am a big screw up and have so many dysfunctions and hang ups and hurts, God still allows me to serve Him and sends me opportunities that excite me, thrill me, and renew my passion for Him.

I have to tell you that the majority of the weekend was spent focusing on children and families and a couple of local ministries that do a fantastic job of bringing Christ's love and hope to these families. Sheridan House is an amazing family ministry that has hundreds of resources for all types of families. They minister primarily to kids & teenagers and single moms. They also provide family and marriage counseling and do a phenomenal job of showering every person that comes through their doors with love and grace. Take a minute and check out their website - there are several ways you can be involved in what they are doing and every one of us can benefit from their resources.

Barnyard Blessings is another amazing ministry that provides resources to foster parents and foster children. Based in Cooper City, it was founded by the most amazing couple I have ever met in my life and their love for foster children is absolutely contagious. They are always in need of kid's and young adult clothing, furniture, and toy donations and will even come pick up your furniture donations. Please check out their website, too - you can even schedule a time to visit the Barn and hear their amazing stories of how God has taken their dream and turned it into an amazing reality.

One last thing...this has been the busiest week/weekend we have had in a LONG time, but I am more energized and excited than I have been in a LONG time. Especially as the holidays approach, I hope that you'll consider taking some time to serve someone - even if it's just holding the door for someone or giving someone a little bit of grace - you'll be amazed at the difference it makes in YOU :)

The Snuggie!

Okay, I know it probably seems like I do nothing but sit around and watch informercials, but I saw this yesterday and had to share it!!!!







"The Snuggie" is a blanket that you wear - that's right - complete with sleeves and a hood, it's a blanket and cult robe all in one!!! The commercial seems like an SNL spoof commercial - check it out!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xZp-GLMMJ0

Pedi-Egg

Have you seen the infomercial for the Pedi-Egg?? It is the most disgusting commercial I have ever seen in my life!!! As someone who thinks that feet are pretty gross anyways, it's very disturbing to have to look at someone's foot crumbles being dumped out of a little egg lined with razor blades. And it's even more stomach-turning if you happen to be eating ANYTHING when this ad is shown.

Letters to the Next President

In the midst of all of the transition and change in our life, we have been closely following the upcoming presidential election. We've already sent in our votes to Georgia via absentee ballot and have been praying consistently for the results. Am I worried? Trying not to be. Am I concerned? You bet!!!

This morning I went for a long walk and listened to a podcast of Andy Stanley's series, Letters to the Next President. You can watch all 3 parts here. The individual teachings are entitled Heaven Rules, Beyond Approval Ratings, and Once Upon a Time in the Middle East. What was interesting to me was that my focus when I pushed play was on the election, but by the time the teaching was over, I was focused on how the teaching applied to my life and to the lives of so many people that I know and love. If you have any kind of leadership position at all - leading a family, a business, an organization, a church, or a class - then you should really check out this series. Not only did it help me to put some perspective on my own life, but it also gave me a new way to pray for the outcome of the election. I hope you will take the time to check it out!

When it Rains, It POURS!!!

I am not even sure where to begin, but needless to say, John and I are EXTREMELY blessed. In the past 2 weeks, we have been given an amazing house at an even more amazingly low price that we are moving into TOMORROW, I have accepted a job that is so unbelievably perfect for me that also allowed me the opportunity to go to Chicago for 4 days for training last week, we have received countless gifts and blessings from our family through this whole transition -including the tremendous gift of rent-free living - AND we have found a church that has totally embraced us and provided us with love, support, encouragement, and friendships that seem like we have had them for much longer than we actually have. I still don't know what God has planned for us in Florida, but I am confident that it is something incredible. Yes, I still miss Georgia and yes, I still want to go back someday, but I am blown away at the lengths God has gone to in order to show stupid, selfish, bratty me that He has a great plan for me, even when it is hard for me to see it.

Fireproof

This past weekend, my in-laws took John and me to see the new movie, Fireproof. Honestly, John and I did not have any expectations walking into the theater. We were just happy to be spending some time together with his parents and happy to be getting out and doing something. Having seen Facing the Giants, we both knew that the acting would be like watching a high school play, Kirk Cameron would be the only actor that we recognized, and all of the Christians in the movie would be over the age of 65 - but still, we grabbed movie snacks, got all comfy cozy in our seats, and prepared to mock the movie.

Well, there were a few moments that John and I made comments under our breath and made up our own script, but I have to admit that about halfway through, I was really into the movie. Yes, the acting was a little bit cheesy and no, we didn't know any of the actors, and yes, most of the Christians in the movie were knocking on Heaven's door, BUT...the story and message of the movie completely made up for all of that.

I'm not going to go into the storyline, but I walked out of the theater with a very thankful heart for the husband that God has blessed me with and a huge burden for those whose marriages are struggling. After the movie, John and I went to Ikea and then out to dinner and during dinner, we started talking about the movie and our marriage and what goals and dreams we have. One of my goals is to set aside one night a week to watch or listen to a teaching and then talk about it. I also want to continue to read as many books as I can on strengthening our marriage. In the movie, the main character is given a book to go through for 40 days. While walking through Barnes and Noble today, I saw that same book on the shelf and thought about buying it. As I looked at it, there was a part of me that said, "Things aren't bad - you don't need this book." But the longer I stood there, another part of me reminded me that marriages are fragile and we should be doing all that we can to improve them so that they can reach their full potential and not just get by.

So yes, I bought the book (The Love Dare) and am really looking forward to being challenged by it. If you haven't seen the movie, go see it and know that while it won't be winning any Oscars this year, it will be worth your time and money.

Hippie Chicks

As promised, here are some pictures of "the girls."




Georgia, Sheryl, and Prissy

Tornado

Ever since we have moved back to Florida, I have found that I am dealing with many of the same emotions I was experiencing right before we left. There was a lot of hurt that took place here and now that we are back, so is the hurt. It seems to be lurking in the most unusual places! I have talked to trusted friends for godly counsel, prayed just about every minute, and tried everything I know to keep forgiving and not let my heart become hard and bitter. It is not easy, but day by day it seems to be getting better. Yes, being 800 miles away from the places and people made it a lot easier to let go of that pain and move on with life, but now that we are back, I find that I am being sucked back into the past and it is a place that I definitely do NOT want to return!! I feel like I have moved on, but it seems like there is a force that is trying to bring me back down and I am determined to fight it!!

I know that I have written about this before, but I think that it is a lesson that you have to keep learning as you go through life. It is never easy to forgive, and there are a lot of misconceptions about what it means. For a while, I thought that I needed to mend all of my broken relationships and forget every hurt and offense, but I quickly realized that sometimes pain can be a warning - once you have been burned by a hot iron, you learn to be extra careful and do everything you can to keep from touching it again - and in the same way, when you have been hurt over and over and over again by the same people, I think it is wise to guard your heart and move on - remember the good times and continue to pray for them, but then move on! Most of all, I try to remember how much God has forgiven (and continues to forgive) me and I ask Him to use all of this pain and hurt to teach me how to live my life for Him and for Him to use it to change me and to make me into the person He has created me to be. Part of my journey of forgiveness is forgetting the lies and holding on to His truth - and the pain is not nearly as strong as His love and truth!!

When we moved to Georgia, I would play this song over and over again to remind myself of how destructive it is to hold on to offenses and to allow bitterness to rule in your life. I find myself playing it a lot more these days...I hope it encourages you to fight against the destruction that unforgiveness can unleash in your life.

Tornado by Sara Groves

You live your life like a tornado
Destruction follows everywhere you go
And you have no plans to stop or slow

I will not let this bitter root grow in me
I will not let you leave that legacy
But it gets so hard when pain is all I see

And every time I find healing, you're making a new mess
And I am learning the real meaning of forgiveness...

And I tried to remove myself from your path
But I keep waking up in the aftermath
So I pick up again and say I won't look back

I will not let that bitter root grow in me
And I will not let you leave that legacy
But this constant fight is breaking me

And every time I find healing, you're making a new mess
And I am learning the real meaning of forgiveness...

And it hurts when you hit at the hearts of the ones I love
When everything you touch is rubble and dust
And it gets so hard to know how to trust...

But I will not let that bitter root grow
I will not let it, no no
But it gets so hard oh...

And every time I find healing, you're making a new mess
And I am learning the real meaning of forgiveness
And I could move and never send you a forwarding address
Or I could learn the real meaning of forgiveness...

Chicks, Man

John and I are going to be moving into a house in Cooper City at the end of the month - yes, we are totally excited! When we first went to look at the house, the lady who lives there told us that she had pet chickens. Yes, chickens - as in Kentucky Fried, Cluckin', Rotisserie, etc. She took us out to her ENORMOUS backyard and in one corner of the yard was a little henhouse and when she called, 2 chickens came running towards her. It was unbelievable! She said that she had a friend who had them and raised them for their eggs (2 a day!). They required so little care and were so inexpensive that she decided to get a couple of her own. They stay outside, are not nearly as dirty as you would expect, and are extremely quiet. She treats them like pets and they provide her with fresh eggs - I'd like to see a cat try that one!!

So of course, John (being the redneck that he is) decided right then and there that since the yard was already set up for chickens that we should have them, too! The thought of having farm fresh eggs totally appealed to me and with the understanding that he would do all of the dirty work, I joyfully agreed to the idea.

Unfortunately, John was born without an ounce of patience so while I was in Tampa this weekend, he went out and bought 2 chicks. When I came home, he took me to pick one out for myself and now we are the proud owners of 3 chicks - Prissy, Sheryl, and Georgia - and John and I are obsessed!! John built a tiny mansion for them yesterday out on my sister's back patio and we are constantly checking on "the girls." Everyone we have told has looked at us like we are insane, but we think it is great! I would have loved to have waited until we were in our house, but I'm not complaining.

Pictures of the girls are coming soon...

My Husband, the Romantic

This was a real conversation that John and I had in the car yesterday driving from a friend's wedding to the reception...

Me: "That was a gorgeous wedding! I just love weddings!"

John: "Yeah, me, too. It's like a free expensive date."

Only in Georgia...

We passed this SUV on our drive down from Georgia to Florida...I miss living in Georgia!

Back In Florida

I'm sitting in a Starbucks in Pembroke Pines drinking my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of 2008 while I wait to have lunch with a friend. I needed to get some stuff done (paying bills, catching up on email, working on our budget, and updating my resume) and I figured this was as good a place as any. There is a cowboy-looking guy in the corner on his laptop, 2 suits in another corner who look like they are playing Battleship with their dual tiny laptops, a guy and a girl discussing religion (very interesting!) and an annoying beeping sound that no one behind the counter seems to be hearing. Yes, I think I could do this everyday if I could only find someone to pay me to do it!

It has been a very strange week. We had some family from GA come down to FL with us and they left this morning. We've been going out to eat and going to get facials and pedicures and spending lots of time visiting with family, so it has really felt like we have been here for a visit and will be heading back to Peachtree City any moment...but we're not. We've looked at a few houses and will continue our search this weekend, which is extremely ironic since this was the weekend that we had planned on moving into our new house in GA. I've had one interview that didn't go the way I had hoped it would, but it encouraged me just the same. Yes, it has been a strange week and the Pumpkin Spice Latte magic doesn't seem to be doing anything to improve things besides increasing my craving for another one...

Thankfully, things are not as "gloom and doom" as they have been over the past 2 weeks. John has a job - a very good job - at a time when there are over 10,000 pilots in America looking for flying jobs. Yes, we are blessed. We are living with my sister and her husband and our niece who all seem to be as happy to have us living there as we are thankful to be living there. We have family here that loves us and spoils us more than anyone ever has - we are blessed. We have a handful of friends who have kept in touch with us despite weirdness and distance who are now within driving distance and anxious to see us again. We have the hope that in 2 years, we will be back in GA with lots of wisdom and maturity.

Things could be a lot worse - God has been showing me that in so many ways over the past week. Despite the rotten history and memories that seem to be hidden in certain spots all around Fort Lauderdale, it is nice to be in the place that I called home for 99% of my life. So many things have changed - including me - and I hope that I don't miss out on the changes that still need to be made in me. I'm excited to see where God is going to lead us and what He has in store for us here!

Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy

While packing up the house yesterday, I came across one of my favorite books. It's called "Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy" and it is chock full of misheard lyrics to popular songs. Taken from the song, "Purple Haze" by Jimmi Hendrix ("excuse me while I kiss the sky"), the book contains hundreds of hilarious lines that people have mistaken for the actual lyrics to songs. Here are a few of my favorites that don't contain swears:

• Misheard: "Cinnamon Gum" / Real Lyrics: "Should'a been gone" -- "Oh Sherry" by Steve Perry
• Misheard: "The Cuervo Gold, The pinecones rush in and make tonight a wonderful thing" / Real Lyrics: "The Curevo God, That fine Columbian, make tonight a wonderful thing" -- "Hey Nineteen" by Steely Dan
• Misheard: "She sees the hat and is she gonna touch it?" / Real Lyrics: "She seems to have an invisible touch, yeah" -- "Invisible Touch" by Genesis
• Misheard: "Four hundred children and a box of oatmeal" / Real Lyrics: "Four hungry children and a crop in the field" -- "Lucille" by Kenny Rogers
• Misheard: "Let's pee in the corner, Let's pee in the spotlight" / Real Lyrics: "That's me in the corner, That's me in the spotlight" -- "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M
• Misheard: "Kick a chicken with it" / Real Lyrics: "Getting jiggy with it" -- "Getting Jiggy With It" by Will Smith
• Misheard: "Hold me closer Tony Danza" / Real Lyrics: "Hold me closer, tiny dancer" -- "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John

These are just a few of my favorites!! Do you have any to add to this list???

The Past 36 Hours

I have spent the past 36 hours lying in bed in the fetal position. No, I have not finally gone insane - I have been dealing with another IBS attack. My stomach started hurting earlier in the week with John's announcement and quickly progessed into a full blown attack with the planning of the move (8 days until we leave), wrapping things up at my job, crying hysterically for 2 days (too long to even try to begin to explain), and finally surrendering to the plans that God has for us. It literally felt like Freddie Krueger was trying to claw his way out of my insides - I have never felt pain like that before and I am not looking forward to feeling that way again any time soon. Thankfully, I was able to stay in bed all day yesterday and all night last night. After sleeping a lot and taking a really good pain pill, I feel much better today, physically. Mentally, however, I am trying to pace myself to only think about what I have to do today and not what needs to be done over the next 2 weeks. I want everything done now and I have to remind myself that I only have one week left to spend with my friends and family here. I need to make sure that I use my time wisely and don't waste it watching the Olympics or Gilmore Girls re-runs in an effort to put off the inevitable. We are moving back to Florida. Even as I type that, it still hasn't sunken in. Yes, there are a lot of positive things about going back, but it's the "going back" part that has my head spinning. I am a "moving forward" person - hence the name of my blog - and going backwards seems equal to giving up, losing, failing, and missing it somehow. I know that there is a reason for this and I know that God is going to blow our minds with what He has waiting for us in Florida - but in the meantime, I am confused, frustrated, disappointed, and somehow clinging to the truth that this life is not all that there is and that He knows what He is doing.

Please pray for my health to stay extra-strong over the next 2-3 weeks. Please pray for John and I to keep our eyes on Jesus and not on our circumstances. And lastly, please pray for us to learn the lessons we need to learn from this - I would hate to go through all of this only to come out of it exactly the same.

Our A-Mazing Small Group

This past Tuesday, we had our final small group gathering. I had no idea when we joined this group last September that these people would not only become great friends, but would also be the support and encouragement that would get us through this past year. With 2 other pilot couples in the group, it was so awesome to have other people around us who totally understood all of the issues that pilot couples face. John and I both feel like we have known these couples forever and are really going to miss each of them.


This is Monee and Dru. Monee has had all kinds of health problems and many of them reared their ugly heads this year. She is the most giving person I have ever met in my life! She is so much fun to be around and I am going to miss eating giant bags of peanut M & M's with her! Dru is expecting her 3rd child and is the textbook definition of the perfect mom. She is incredibly hilarious and has an amazing story of how God transformed her life. She works with the Middle School girls at Southside and does a fantastic job.


This is Daniel and Monee. They are both pilots and John and I bonded with them at the very beginning of our group. Daniel works for the FAA and thanks God every day for his job. Because of his job, Monee can no longer pursue aviation as a career, so she is back in school to get her MBA. You have never met anyone with as much ambition as this girl! Daniel also volunteers at the Peachtree City Fire Department and has really been a huge encouragement to John.


This is Jenn and Dan - our leaders. Jenn just took her test to become a Pilates instructor and is very passionate about health and fitness. She is also a great mom to their one-year-old, Karina. Dan works for GA Pacific and has had a very successful year. They have also faced some family health issues this year that have not been easy. John and I have had the privilege of apprenticing under Dan and Jenn and are really going to miss them.


This is Dru and Travis. Travis was a pilot for Turner (yes, as in Ted) and recently left there to work at Flight Safety. Their 2 kids - Caitlin and Logan - are the most adorable kids on the planet! Although these guys are much younger than us, we have learned so much from them.

Although it is hard to leave our families up here, it is equally hard to leave these friends who have become our extended family. We are completely convinced that life was intended to be lived out in community and we are so incredibly thankful for this community we found at Southside.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

The list of the pilots being furloughed that came out on Thursday was not the official list. Yeah, I know - it makes no sense at all!! The REAL list came out today at 5 PM. Since John was the very 1st name on the list, there was a chance that he could be safe.

Well, at 5 PM, the same list that was released on Thursday came out again - and yes, John's name was still on it - so we have our final answer - we are moving back to Florida on August 26th! Not sure what God has in store for us, but we are confident that He has something incredible planned for us both.

Please continue to pray for us as we go through the very stressful process of moving in the next 2 weeks. And please keep John in your prayers as he deals with all of this and goes back to flying internationally. I am so proud of him and the way he has handled all of this.

News

John just called me from the airport to let me know that he is being furloughed from AirTran. This means that he is being laid off, but can be called back to work if and when they decide to hire more pilots. We have decided that John is going to go back to work for Florida West (the company he used to fly for in Miami) and we are moving back to South Florida in the next 3 to 4 weeks. He has to sign a 2 year contract with Florida West, so if he is called back to AirTran during the next 2 years, he will not be able to take his position back at AirTran. This was not an easy decision, but we feel that this is the best decision for our family at this time.

As you can imagine, we have a lot to do in the next few weeks! We need to get packed up, finish up our jobs here, find a place to live in FL, I need to find a job, and we need to make the very dreaded drive back to FL. We are CONFIDENT that God has great things in store for us in spite of the mixed emotions we are experiencing. We are so sad to leave our friends, family, church, and the place we have come to call home, but we are so thankful that John has the opportunity to go back to a great job. The timing could not be more perfect and we are positive that God is in control.

Please keep John in your thoughts and prayers - he is pretty discouraged and upset, but is very thankful that unlike some of the pilots losing their jobs, he has another flying job waiting for him. Please keep us both in your thoughts and prayers as we once again make a big move. There is a bright side to all of this news - we will get to keep our flying benefits as long as he is furloughed, so we will be coming back to Atlanta to visit as often as we can!!

Thanks for all of your prayers, phone calls, get togethers, and emails over the past few weeks - we love all of you very much!!!!

New House Pictures

Even though we still don't know if we are moving into "our" house or not, the house has actually been an ironic distraction from the waiting game. Watching each piece come together has been so exciting, especially since we chose all of the pieces! There's always the fear that what you picked is going to be hideous, but so far we have been amazed at how well it all is coming together. If we never get to live in it, we have still have had so much fun watching the whole process from start to (almost) finish.

Here are the most recent pictures of the house:


Painting the outside


The kitchen!


The stairs with the foyer in the background


The master bathroom


The master bedroom

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us! We should know this week what is happening at AirTran. Either way, we are ready for whatever God has planned!!

How Starbucks Saved My Life

I am a huge nerd - my husband reminds me of that every other Tuesday when I drag him with me to the library. I always have and probably always will love to read. When I was little, my mom would take us to the mall just about every Saturday. I would always find a book at the bookstore and would usually have the entire thing read by the time we got home. My mom was impressed, but made me re-read that same book over and over again until our next trip to the mall.

As I grew up, I spent loads of money at Barnes & Noble, Lifeway, and Family Christian on books. I have Rubbermaid boxes full of books even after lending out (which I guess turned in to giving out) over half of my collection over the years.

Luckily for John, Peachtree City has a great library system that is just down the street from our house. They have a pretty decent selection of books - including up to date Christian books - and I look forward to searching through the aisles of books every other week.

Last week, after we saw Batman, John was kind enough to remember that it was time for my bi-weekly trip to the library. As soon as we walked in, I was drawn to a book on the "New to the Library" shelf. It was called "How Starbucks Saved My Life." I started reading it that night and wanted to spend all of my free time reading it - and here is why...

If you view Starbucks as a part of your life - meaning that you have memories connected to your time spent there or even a drink that you indulged in - then you will totally love this book. I don't want to give the whole story away, but for those of us who know the difference between coffee and Starbucks Coffee, this book explains all of the reasons why Starbucks is not just another coffee shop. If you are a reader and a lover of exceptional writing, then you should pick up a copy of this book. Be warned - there are a few swears in the book - but they do not add to nor will they take away from your experience.

Batman!

Yesterday John and I went to see The Dark Knight. It was VERY intense, VERY dark, and VERY good. At one point, John and I thought the movie was over, and then it practically started all over again! I had to cover my eyes a bunch (I am such a sissy!) but I really did enjoy it.

It was so sad to watch Heath Ledger - I'm not sure that anyone else could have played that role as well as he did and I don't think that all of the hype about his performance is at all related to his death. It was incredible.

On a lighter note, was anyone else completely ANNOYED by the Batman voice?? Does he smoke 10 packs of cigarettes when he puts on that costume or is the mask supposed to be like a Darth Vader thing???

Turdle the Turtle

John was walking across our "backyard" out to the parking lot when he saw something moving in the grass. Upon closer inspection, he found this turtle eating dog turds - hence the name, Turdle!!!

Mamma Mia

I went to see Mamma Mia last night with two of my friends from our small group. They had seen the musical at the Fox Theater and had talked so much about it that we all decided to go see the movie together. All in all, I thought it was a really great movie, but there were a couple of things that will probably haunt me for the rest of my life...

• Pierce Brosnan singing. Yes, everything you have heard is true - he should stick with the Bond movies and stay away from the microphone.
• Colin Firth (who is one of my favorite actors) playing a role that made me NOT want to watch him!
• A little ABBA goes a LOOONNNNGG way! I'll probably be singing Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! for the next 3 days!!
• And finally, the image that has been burned into my brain is...Meryl Streep singing "Dancing Queen" with 100 Greek women behind her while playing AIR GUITAR!!!!! Horrible!!!!!

If you've seen the movie, what did you think???

The Saga Continues

Yesterday John received an email from the Pilot Union saying that they had met with AirTran last week about the possible furloughs. It was a long email that basically talked in circles, but from what John and I read, it all comes down to this...

The union and the company have been in contract negotiations for quite some time now, and since the company now has this furlough card to play, they are using it to their advantage. In their current contract, it states that if there ever needs to be furloughs, the company has to terminate the 14 retired pilots who currently work in the training department. The company has been trying to get the union to agree to look past this part of the contract and allow them to keep the 14 retired guys and furlough 180 pilots. Confused??? Yeah - we are, too!! How much sense does it make to lose 180 guys for 14???? Let me try to explain...

If they get rid of the 14 retired guys, then they have to pull in 14 current pilots to take their places. They also have to spend the money to train them to work in the training department PLUS they have to continue to pay them their current salary (as opposed to the meager salary they are paying the 14 retired guys) and upgrade 14 other pilots to fill the spaces left by the pilots who were sent to the training center....so...

The union really only cares about getting a good contract and the company only cares about managing their money, so they are both using the pilots to get what they want. Now they are talking about FIRING all of the probationary pilots (yes, this includes John) so this whole thing can go down in so many different ways - none of which sound particularly appealing.

Right now, John is applying to a few aviation jobs that would allow us to stay in GA and keep the house we are building. If none of those work out, then we are considering moving back to South Florida where he has been offered a job at his former airline. Please pray for us to have wisdom beyond our years, peace that is overwhelming, and faith that God has a fantastic plan for our lives. We trust Him and know that He is going to do more than we could ever dream!!!

Time To Make the Donuts

To celebrate not having any cavities last week and to take John's mind off of AirTran, we decided to make donuts last night. John is a self-proclaimed donut King and would seriously love to open a donut shop one day.

Here is what John's set up looked like...



And here are some of our creations - Chocolate and Peanut Butter (John's favorite combo) and Chocolate with Toasted Almonds (my personal favorite).



We also made one jelly-filled donut and topped it with peanut butter. Here is a picture of John enjoying his creation.



It turned out to be a lot of fun and John actually laughed and smiled for the hour it took us to make the donuts. Besides the fact that our apartment now smells like the Youth Fair, it was totally worth it!!

Anybody know what to do with the old donut oil???

The Dentist

This week, John and I had our 6 month cleanings at the dentist. We LOVE our dentist up here, but we both HATE going to the dentist, so we try to schedule our appointments together so that neither one of us chickens out and "forgets" to go.

One of the reasons that I was dreading my appointment was that I know that I need to have my wisdom teeth taken out and I am absolutely terrified. I had some pretty extensive oral surgery when I was 19 and it left a huge impression on the pain portion of my brain. Suffice it to say that there was kicking involved when the dentist removed my stitches :) Thankfully, our new dentist totally understands my fear and has recommended me to an oral surgeon who will knock me out for the procedure and she promises that I won't feel or remember anything. I'm still terrified, though...

After my cleaning, (which is the best discomfort of all time - disgusting scraping followed by nauseating gritty polish in order to produce a mouth that you never want to use for eating again so that it will stay all clean until your next visit) I was given 2 products...

The first was Listerine Tooth Defense Mouthwash. Imagine washing your mouth out with lighter fluid mixed with Tabasco mixed with squirrel urine - yes, it IS that bad, but if it means that I can keep my teeth for a very long time, I will swish the nasty stuff 3 times a day.

The second was the Reach Access Flosser. Now according to my brother-in-law, Bryan, floss is something that was made up by dentists and pharmaceutical companies that would destroy your gums so that you would be forced to go to the dentist who would recommend that you floss which would make the cycle go round and round. I, on the other hand, believe that flossing is fabulous and will probably end up with huge gaps between my teeth because I am totally addicted to this flosser! I have been flossing like 3 or 4 times a day!! If you struggle with flossing, I highly recommend this little contraption - you'll get hooked!!

Any advice on the wisdom teeth??? Please, no horror stories!

House Warming

John and I are in the process of building our first home with the furloughs at AirTran looming in the distance. Whether or not we end up moving into the house, we want to make sure that we are putting God's will for our lives above our own dreams and plans. One of the ways that we are putting our faith into action is by giving God this house. We are confident that God has a plan for us and whether or not it includes this house, we want to trust Him to do what is best and to be positive that He is in control. We want to give up our hold on this house and not let it control us or our decisions. The best way we know how to do this is to give it over to God through prayer. So....

Last week we invited friends and family to stop by the house and write a prayer or Bible verse or whatever God laid on their heart onto the foundation or the framing of the interior of the house. We also asked them to pray for the people working on the house, for all of the circumstances concerning the house and our plans to move into it in the Fall, for John's job situation, and for whoever ends up living in the house. For those who live far away from us, we asked them to send their verse or prayer to us and we would write it in the house.

Needless to say, we were BLOWN AWAY by the response and could not believe how amazing our friends and family are. Here are a few pictures of some of the things that were written...











As soon as I walked into the house and saw all of these promises, I burst into tears! I sat on the stairs in silence for about an hour. I am blown away by all of the amazing things God has done for John and me and I feel so unworthy to have His love and grace poured so freely upon our lives. No matter what happens with this house, I know that God is in control. John and I are convinced that we are going to stand back in awe as we watch God take this situation and use it for His glory. We are looking forward to watching Him work in ways we never could have imagined!

Moving...again

My family and I lived in the house I grew up in for 20+ years. When I met John, I only had memories of 2 moves - both of which took place when I was an adult. John, on the other hand, has moved over 10 times in the last 3 years. In the almost 2 years that we have been married, we have moved two and a half times (trust me - it was two and a half!) While he sees moving as just a part of life, I see it as a MAJOR event.

Our lease will soon be up in our bug-ridden, leak-prone, overweight-stomping-neighbors-upstairs, management-couldn't-care-less apartment. Honestly, it hasn't been all that bad, but we are ready to be done with apartment living and get back into a real house. Even though we are not sure where we will be going (the theme of our lives!) we are sure that we need to start packing up and preparing for another change of address.

There are a few things about moving that I love and a few that I could live without...let's start with the cons...

CONS

• Re-learning what switch goes to what light
• Packing the kitchen without Peggy Nations!! She is the best kitchen-packer ever!!
• The packing tape - it sticks to everything (including itself) but refuses to adhere to the box!
• Not being able to find anything for a week - no mater how well you label the boxes
• Filling out those change of address forms
• Losing things in the moving process - John lost a pair of Abercrombie jeans when we moved to GA...it happens with the strangest items!

And now for the positive side!

PROS

• A change of environment - I love new places - whether it is a hotel room or a shopping plaza I have never explored - I love going somewhere I have never been before!
• Cleaning out! John can tell you that I am constantly throwing things away - I hate clutter! A move gives you the incentive you need to finally throw out that old prom "wine" glass from 1992!
• Every house has something really cool in it - it could be a huge tree in the backyard, an amazing kitchen, a balcony, courtyard, or in our case...A GARAGE!!!!!! There's always one thing that you are really excited to show people when they come to see your new place!
• Finding things you thought were lost from the last time you moved! Maybe we will find those jeans...
• And now, for the #1 thing I love most about moving...finding things that the previous owner left behind!! So far, the best thing I have ever found was a coffee mug that says (in really fancy letters) "Way to Go, Sh**head!" I found it in the townhouse I rented from a couple in our church - priceless. To this day, John and I take turns hiding it in different spots where the other one will find it. It has brought us endless joy!

What do you love/despise about moving???

Bambi vs. Police Cruiser

There are tons of deer crossing signs all over Georgia and here in Peachtree City, we have more than our fair share of deer. Being from South Florida, I am fascinated by the little Bambis and have been known to pull over to the side of the road to watch them eat on the golf course. I've seen them walking down the side of the road, crossing through the parking lot at Publix, walking across a residential street, and ironically, laying dead directly underneath a deer crossing sign - no joke!

Today was definitely my most disturbing encounter with a deer since we moved to Georgia. I pulled into the church parking lot at Southside and noticed something laying on the ground across from my car. As I got out of the car, I saw that it was a deer, bleeding pretty badly from the head and lying dead in one of the visitor parking spaces. (insert your witty line here about the deer dying to come to church!)

I walked into Waumba Land (our preschool ministry) and found one of the pastors and asked him if he knew there was a dead deer in the parking lot. He explained that the policeman who directs our Sunday morning traffic was sitting in his police cruiser, drinking his coffee while waiting for his traffic shift to start. Suddenly, a deer ran out of the woods and directly into the side of his parked cruiser. It shattered his rear windshield and rear passenger window and left a pretty huge dent. (By the way, this is one of my biggest fears about living here - yes, I love Bambi, but I love my car even more!) He said the deer was hurt, but ran back into the woods before the officer could get out of the car. "Well," I said, "the deer ended up in one of our parking spaces." He and some of the parking team guys immediately went out to cover the poor animal and take it away before any of the preschoolers saw it.

Our preschool director told us that her husband hit a deer once, pulled over on to the side of the road, put the deer's head in his lap, and petted it until it died...I had a bird fly into the front of my car once (as in the front bumper) and I went home and cried about it for an hour.

Ever have a vehicular encounter with any of our animal friends???

Faith

"The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd." - Hebrews 11:1 & 2

John received an email from AirTran officials yesterday that said that there may be furloughs (layoffs) in September due to the rising costs of fuel and the strain it is putting on the economy. There are a variety of possible scenarios, none of which sound particularly appealing, but we are confident that God not only knows what the future holds, but that this was not a surprise to Him at all and He has a plan for all of this.

Yes, we are a little nervous, especially with a house being built and the financing dependent on John having his current income. Yes, we are doing everything we can to prepare for what may happen if John does in fact lose his job. And yes, the words "worried," "stressed," and "freaking out" have escaped our lips a few times over the past 24 hours. BUT...we serve a God Who is faithful and we are confident that this will be added to His perfect record of saving the day in a way that we never could have imagined.

Please keep John in your prayers - he LOVES his job and has been so excited about the house and completing his first year at AirTran that this has really knocked him off of his feet. I know that He has faith that God will provide, but like most men, he wants to do all that he can to take care of our family and he wants to be successful in his career. Please pray that we will make wise decisions and that if we need to hold off on the house that God will make it clear before we get to the point of no return.

I have complete faith in God - He has seen us through so many other things, I have no doubts that He will save the day!

We Have a Skeleton!

Here are some pictures of the "bones" of our house!!

Less Like Scars

No other song more accurately describes the last 2 years of my life better than this one! Praise God for His healing, His timing, and His passionate desire to mold us into the image of Christ!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9RDNuUz7Sk

Less Like Scars by Sara Groves
It's been a hard year
But I'm climbing out of the rubble
These lessons are hard
Healing changes are subtle
But every day it's

Less like tearing, more like building
Less like captive, more like willing
Less like breakdown, more like surrender
Less like haunting, more like remember

And I feel You here
And You're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
But You are able
And in Your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars and more like
Character

Less like a prison, more like my room
It's less like a casket, more like a womb
Less like dying, more like transcending
Less like fear, less like an ending

And I feel You here
And You're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
But You are able
And in Your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars

Just a little while ago
I couldn't feel the power or the hope
I couldn't cope, I couldn't feel a thing
Just a little while back
I was desperate, broken, laid out, hoping
You would come

And I need You
And I want You here
And I feel You

And I know You're here
And You're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad, bad situation
But You are able
And in Your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars
And more like
Character

What a Week!!

It has been a very, very busy week at our house...



John has officially started training to be a Peachtree City Volunteer Firefighter (that's one of their trucks pictured above). This is in addition to being a wonderful husband, co-leading our small group, volunteering in the infant room in Waumba Land at church, kickboxing and boxing twice a day, and flying 100 hours a month for AirTran Airways. He LOVES everything he is doing, so I really can't complain! We have totally switched places - when we lived in FL, I was always going in 50 different directions and he was always asking me to slow down - my, how things have changed!! He has training about one or two nights a week for about 3 to 4 hours each night. Please keep him in your prayers - especially for his safety! He needs both arms and both legs in order to fly the plane!




On Sunday, I flew down to Fort Lauderdale to go to Sam and Shannon Watson's graduation party. I only told one person (Peggy Nations) that I was coming, so it was a really big surprise to everyone else! Since the party wasn't until the evening, I was able to go to church with my family and then out to lunch at a Benihana-type restaurant. Jordan loved it all - except for the FIRE! Check out her face!



The highlight of the whole day was surprising my little Watsons as well as most of my girls and so many of my dearest friends from South Florida. It was so good to catch up with everyone and I was so glad that I made the trip. I love those girls and their family, and I wouldn't have missed it for anything!!



Even though getting home was a challenge (long story - suffice it to say that I took the long way home - Fort Lauderdale to Newport News, VA to Atlanta) it was so great to come home and see this huge machine on our lot finally moving dirt!!!



This was what our lot looked like today when I was at work. You can see that the plumbing has been started and the foundation will be ready to be poured next week. It is hard to believe that it is actually happening!!

We have a lot coming up - a wedding in South Florida, family coming for a summer visit, the Peachtree City 4th of July parade (seriously, it is a big deal around here), and, of course, our normal crazy schedules. Hopefully it will all make for a lot of really good posts!!