I Love My Husband!

"Therefore encourage one another and edify on another, just as you are doing....See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody. Be happy and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually. Be unceasing in prayer. Thank God in everything, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." - 1Thessalonians 5:11,15-18

I have a great husband. I mean I have a REALLY great husband. I am not sure what I'd do without. He came into my life at such a crucial time and even tho I told him "I'm not gonna sleep with you and I'm not gonna date you", he was persistent in his pursuing of me and it finally paid off. I knew from the get go that he was The One and he is still The One. I don't always tell him how much I love him and how thankful I am for him but he knows it. We have been through alot in the past couple of years but we are closer now than ever before. We strive everyday to put God first in our marriage and our raising of Mady. Today for some reason he has really been on my mind and I just wanted to write a post about how lucky I am to have him. I'm so glad we have such a great relationship/marriage.

Here's a song that reminds me of him:

Everybody keeps telling me I'm such a lucky man,
Lookin' at you standing there, I know I am.
Barefoot beauty with eyes that blue,
Sunshine sure looks good on you, I swear.

Oh I can't believe I finally found ya, baby.
Happy ever after, after all this time.
Oh there's gonna be some up and downs,
But with you to wrap my arms around, I'm fine.

So baby, hold on tight.
Don't let go!
Hold on to the love we're makin',
'Cause baby when the ground starts shakin'
you gotta know, when you got a good thing.

You know you keep bringin' out the best in me,
And I need you now, even more than the air I breathe.

You can make me laugh when I want to cry.
This will last forever, I just know.

I know!

So baby, Hold on tight.
Don't let go!
Hold on to the love we're makin',
'Cause baby when the ground starts shakin'
you gotta know, when you got a good thing.

We got a good thing, baby!
~Lady Antebellum

I LOVE YOU CHAS!!

Monday, Hard To Wake Up...

Well it wasn't exactly hard to "wake up" this morning considering I didn't sleep much at all last night. For one, it was storming like crazy and anyone that knows me, knows I HATE thunderstorms and I'm scared to death of them! I also have alot of stuff on my mind...some things I can talk about on here and others I can't. My main concern and struggle right now is my grandma. She has been diagnosed with Dimensia and it's progressing pretty quick. I'm taking this very hard even though I'm not showing it to most people. I have NEVER dealt with the sickness or death of a grandparent b/c I still have all of mine. I even have a great grandmother still alive. It's so hard because my grandma isn't sick-sick, she just can't remember anything. At times it's aggravating b/c you do have to repeat things to her but she can't help it. I know there is going to come a day when she doesn't remember my name and I dread it. It makes me cry just thinking about it, however I know the Lord knows what He is doing and He will take care of her...here and in heaven.

I did my daily devotional today which was in 1 Samuel

"Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few." - 1 Samuel 14:6

No matter what, God is always the majority and He always wins. Whether you have an army or it's you alone, if you have God on your side, you WILL win.

This was a great devotional, however I still needed some more comfort b/c I'm hurting alot on the inside today so I decided to read some more in the Bible. (You can never read too much!) A few of the verses of that got to me today are:

"For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my defense and my fortress, I shall not be greatly moved." - Psalm 62:1-2

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy and the God of every comfort, who comforts us in every trouble, so that we may also be able to comfort those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God..." - II Corinthians 1:3-4
This particular passage is really good and REALLY comforting. I encourage anyone to look it up and finish reading the whole section.

God is so amazing and I know He alone holds our futures. He has a plan for my life along with everyone elses. (Jeremiah 29:11) He makes things happen and even though we don't always know why, we know it's for his purpose. He comforts us in tough times. And He is cheering with us in happy times. We must fully place our lives in his hands and trust in him. He won't steer us wrong. There may be bumps and obstacles in the road but He will get us through it.

Anyways, I had a WONDERFUL weekend this past weekend!! We celebrated Chuck's 50th Birthday on Saturday at Pine Island. It was great to be surrounded by our families on such a beautiful day. Saturday evening, Me, Mom, Sherrie, Ashley, Tiffany & Jonathan all attended Brittany and Tripp's wedding. It was absolutely beautiful and I am soo happy for them! It's about dang time! haha. Then Saturday night, I had a girl's night with some of my favorite girls to celebrate my birthday and watch New Moon. We had a blast watching the movie, creating our own dance party, and staying up way too late. It was so much fun and I really love my friends especially my BFF :) Don't know what I'd do without her! Yesterday, we had dinner with the family for my birthday and it was great to spend a little time with my family...especially my grandparents.

Ok so enough for today, I think...hehe. I may decide to make another post later on b/c this is actually keeping me sane right now in this crazy place that I work. We are trying not to throw our keys at anyone ;)

HaPpY bIrThDaY tO mE!!

Yes that is correct...it IS my BIRTHDAY!!! I am the Birthday Princess today! :) I can't believe I'm 25 years old already! Where does time go? I mean for real... LOL I have had so many wonderful friends and family members call, text, and leave messages on Facebook today. I am so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. I'm just glad that finally, at age 25, I have figured out the meaning of life. I know God has a wonderful plan for my life and He has truly blessed me! Anyways...thank you everyone for all the Happy Birthday wishes. It's gonna be a great day!! :)

It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood!

It's Wednesday...Hump Day!! Annnnddd.. MY BIRTHDAY IS TOMORROW!! I don't really have much to write about today except to basically remind everyone of my birthday. I can't believe I'll be 25...a quarter of a century! haha...even tho Chas said last night during the prayer that I'll be half of a century! Not quite yet babe!

It's a gorgeous day out here today so I think we are gonna take Mady for a walk when we get home. Hopefully it will wear her out even more b/c she didn't sleep well last night which is odd for her! It's too nice though to not enjoy the outdoors. Anyways, I'm hoping everyone has a good day and enjoys the rest of the week!!

Back To The Grind...

Blah, Blah, Blah...it's Monday again! We had one heck of a weekend. It was super busy but it was great spending time with my family. We got Mady's pictures made on Saturday afternoon and it was awesome! I think the pictures are gonna be super cute! I'm so excited! If anyone needs a photographer let me know and I'll get you her information!!!

So yesterday at church, we finished our God, Love, & Sex series and it definitely went out with a bang. I totally recommend everyone reading the book Song of Songs. It's rather tough to read b/c it has a lot of imagery but it's good. So if you don't understand something, ask someone or google it! hehe... I love my husband and am soo thankful for God bringing him into my life at just the right time. I love where I'm at with Chas, and how we really strive to put God first in everything. It's hard at times, but we wouldn't be human if we didn't struggle. BUT, it's AMAZING how much God loves us no matter what. We sang a song at church yesterday that I love and everytime I hear it I just wanna break down in tears b/c I feel like I don't deserve to have God love me so much!
Here are the lyrics:

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.


We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

Sad, Sad Day :(

I'm dying guys. Ok not really, but I am having major withdrawals b/c my Blackberry died last night. We rushed over to Verizon and they have to send me a new battery that I will not get until MONDAY! I mean, seriously, why do they not keep extra batteries in the Verizon stores?? Ugghhh...They were right when they said Blackberries are really "Crackberries". I'm so addicted to mine! Sad I know. Maybe the good Lord above is trying to teach me something...so for now I will be without my precious Blackberry until Monday! ((sigh))

Back to my bible studies...

"'Very well,' Deborah said, 'I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honpr will not be yours, for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman.'" - Judges 4:9

This devotional was rather interesting to me b/c I feel like it addressed 2 different topics. One being that Deborah was basically a woman living in a man's world. She was a judge and the Israelites came to her to be judged. Women are capable of doing whatever basically and she did. Also, this study refers to doing whatever job the Lord calls you to do. You have to fulfill your role under Him. The hard part about this is trust. It's very hard to put yourself into His hands and let Him guide you and lead but you have to trust. I'm struggling with that right now in my life b/c I just want so bad to know what it is the Lord wants me to do with my life. I'm so impatient though. I'm trying to get better and just know that in time He is going to make it obvious to me as to what His plan for my life is. Until then, I will continue to wait.

Today is Thursday and of course this weekend we have a very busy weekend! Tomorrow is Melody's last day so we are going out to dinner tomorrow night to "celebrate" so to speak. Of course we are sad that she is leaving but we are all so proud of her as she takes on this opportunity to go back to school.

Saturday we are going to get the New Moon dvd and then we have my Aunt Sandy's Pancake Breakfast to raise money for her kidney transplant she had a year ago. I'm super excited b/c I love my Aunt Sandy and I'm so glad that everything is going good for her! Not too mention, the Pancake Breakfast is a another great time for OUR family and friends to get together and eat and fellowship with one another! Also, Satuday we are getting Mady's pictures done! I am so excited b/c we haven't had pictures done in a while of her and of course she is the cutest little thing ever!! Jen's birthday is Saturday so we are going to dinner that night for her birthday!! YaY!! And of course Sunday is the usual stuff...church, lunch, etc...

Well now that you've all had a summary of my upcoming weekend, I'm gonna do some work...ok probably not the work part but its ok! Have a good day...it's beautiful outside!! :)

A New Generation

I got a new devotional book yesterday and this morning the devotional was about A New Generation.

"After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nore what he had done for Israel." - Judges 2:10

This is what will happen if we don't raise our kids to worship the Lord our God. There are so many parents out there raising kids to sing the same songs and play the same games that they played when they were growing up but they aren't taking there kids to church and teaching them about Jesus who died on a cross for our sins. There is so many scary things out there in this world and I guess many people feel it's not "polically correct" to pray in public or that they will offend someone or whatever the case may be. But do we really want our kids growing up fearing so many things and not feeling true love and fullfilment? I know I personally don't. I want Mady to grow up knowing there is a God that loves her so much that he gave his one son to die on a cross for her. I want her to fully love God and walk with Him everyday. I also feel it is my job as a parent to show this to her. I also want her to grow up knowing her body is a temple and she needs to keep it sacred. She will grow up knowing what a real marriage is b/c her daddy and I role model it for her. She is going to know how a man should treat a woman and how the woman is supposed to worshipfully sacrifice herself.

I decided to read some other scripture about this same topic including:

"That you may reverently fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, and keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged." - Deuteronomy 6:2

"Children's children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their fathers." - Proverbs 17:6

All of this really hits home to me b/c it was when I gave birth to Mady that I realized that I needed to change my life and devote myself to God first so that I could raise my daughter in a healthy home. Chas and I have a wonderful relationship and just get closer and closer everyday. I am so glad that we got our lives right with God so that Mady could grow up in a worshipful house. I feel so sorry for kids who grow up in dysfunctional families. I even know some personally and it's just sad that their parents fight all the time and aren't married and don't live together. I just pray everyday for them and for the parents in hopes that they can learn more about God and learn what true love is.

Well Kellye and Carly say I'm writing a novel so I guess I will stop now. Remember to tell your kids today that you love them and God loves them

What A Weekend!

So, we went skiing this past weekend and had a BLAST! It was so much fun! We went with another couple (Chas' best friend and his girlfriend) and even though none of us had skied in a LONG time (Brandon has NEVER skied before), we all caught on pretty quick and managed to not break any bones!! I personally fell the first couple of times getting off the ski lift but after that I figured it out and did pretty well. Chas was like a professional skier out there! He did so well even though he hasn't skied in years! We stayed in a cute little cabin and it even snowed like crazy on us on Saturday night while we were skiing! We are definitely ready to take Mady skiing next winter.

On another note, the past 2 days have been rough for me. I realized just far off the path I was in my walk with God and decided that I gotta get back on. Good for me, God is still there waiting on me and doesn't give up on me. I was very angry this morning about something, or someone should I say, and before I reacted the way my mind wanted to react, I stopped, got a friend's bible, and decided to read. It was so calming. I couldn't believe how fast I calmed down and decided to not use any foul language and better yet, not respond to the immaturity at all. I realize that there are some people out there who are so far from God and His will and I will remember to stand firm in my faith and pray everyday for them and hope that they, too, can one day give themselves to the Lord. Some scriptures that really stood out to me this morning are:

"So then those who are living the life of the flesh cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him. But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells within you. But if anyone does not possess the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." - Romans 8:8-9

"A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger appeases contention" - Proverbs 15:18

"Be not rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few." - Ecclesiastes 5:2

"Do not be quick in spirit to be angry or vexed, for anger and vexation lodge in the bosom of fools." - Ecclesiastes 7:9

I hope each of you have a wonderful day and remember how much God loves you no matter what!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS!!!

Today is Mady's 1st birthday and we couldn't be more excited! I took the day off work to spend time with Chas and our sweet little princess for her birthday. It's been such a great day despite the nasty rain! We took her for her 1 year check up at the doctor and apparently we have a "petite" princess on our hands. She was only 28in long and weighed 20lbs and 7oz which is only in like to 30-40%. I have no clue how she is so small because she eats ALL the time. Seriously, there is no stopping point with her eating. She would eat all day if she had food in front of her. LOL I guess she is just gonna be little but that's ok b/c I know she has a big heart. After the check up, we went and visited Aunt Carly and everyone else at the credit union. Of course she had shots so she wasn't in the greatest mood but she was good. We had lunch at Copper River and then took Mady to Toys R Us to get her something for her birthday. We ended up with a Barbie Blackberry and some books. She seriously LOVES books and since she's a diva we had to get the blackberry since she loves playing with ours. We are having dinner tonight at my parents' house since they want to spend time with Mady for her birthday!

I'm still having a hard time believing that it has been a whole year. At this time last year, I was trying my hardest to get her out! At about 4 something that day it was decided that I needed a c-section b/c Mady's heart rate was dropping too low with each contraction. So at 6:43pm Dr. Mullins delivered her and she was taken into the nursery with a slew of "paparazzi" waiting on her! We have been so blessed to have had a healthy pregnancy and now a healthy first year of life. Mady is growing everyday and learning new things by the second it seems. Thank you to all of our family and friends who have done so much for us and especially Mady during the past year.

Again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS!!! :)

PaRtY TiMe!!

2 MORE DAYS!! Mady's birthday is in less than 48 hours! I really can't believe it!

We had her birthday party on Saturday though and it was WONDERFUL! We are all so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends that all made the drive out to Camden for the festivities! The party went over without a hitch even though Mady had not had her nap that morning. She was still in a fairly good mood and managed to dig into her cake. She wasn't too messy with it which is actually probably a good thing b/c anyone that knows me knows I can be a neat freak. LoL. Mady got LOTS of good stuff for her birthday including a bookbag with goodies, a bunch of toys, and a TON of clothes (which is ok b/c she is a priss and we like clothes!).

Also, we were so blessed by the good Lord with a BEAUTIFUL weekend. We had such a good weekend. Chas and I had our normal date night on Saturday and since we haven't been doing anything we decided to go to dinner even though we were EXHAUSTED from all the birthday party stuff. We went to Miyo's in Sandhills and had sushi. It was AWESOME! Then we did our normal Sunday stuff...church, lunch, and then we had a funeral to attend. We then walked out at Sandhills and I got a new pair of RayBans for an early birthday present! I'm spoiled...lol :)

So yea Mady's birthday is Wednesday and I am off work Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Wednesday we have her 1 year check up so I can update all of you on how big she has gotten and how healthy she is! We are going snow skiing this weekend with some good friends and it outta be interesting. I haven't been skiing in YEARS! So needless to say, pray for us (well me) this weekend so that we all make it back in one piece with no broken bones! lol

Hope everyone has a good week and enjoy this beautiful weather on this Monday!! :)

"The Hardest Worker In The Credit Union"

So yesterday afternoon, we were given the news that Melody (a.k.a. "The Hardest Worker In The Credit Union") had put in her resignation and would no longer be working with us in a couple weeks. This sparked alot of emotion from alot of people. I know I personally wasn't here when they made the announcement (but was called shortly after) but I dreamed about Melody all night long. I have mixed feelings about all this because even though I'm sad to know that she's not going to be here anymore, I am sooo soooooo PROUD of her for taking a stand and going after a goal. She is quitting Palmetto Citizens to go back to school. Most people get "stuck" here and I know I am one of them. I'm so jealous of her b/c I wish it was me that was able to take that initiative. She has given me some inspiration and motivation to get back to school so I can get out of this repetitive job that I really don't like.

Melody is a wonderful person and anyone that knows her loves her. She is somebody that I completely look up to even though I have never told her that. She is a woman of God and I admire that. She takes our teasing so well...and we do tease her ALOT! I have never understood how she puts up with all of us everyday but she does, and with so much character. She really is like a backbone to this branch. She makes sure supplies are ordered and everything is neatly organized. She will do anything anyone asks her, even though she may give you a hard time about it at first. Melody is truly a great person and I'm gonna miss seeing her everyday but I know that we'll all still be friends for a long time.

Anyways, on another note, Mady's birthday is exactly 1 WEEK from today!!! And her party is on Saturday! I can't believe it's already here! Also, today is Lil T's HALF BIRTHDAY! He is 6 months old today! Where has the time gone?

Ok I should do some work now....

Solemn and Solomon

Ok the Solemn part...I've been kinda down lately and I think it's just a combination of stress (not liking my job), Mady being sick, and then guess what, I got that nasty stomach bug on Sunday night. It was awful. I don't think I have ever thrown up that much in my life...not even when I was pregnant. Carly says I was just detoxing my body for p90x...lol.

Mady seems to be doing better now. She still has a few little sores in her mouth but she is eating better and is in a much better mood. Which is a good thing since her birthday party is this Saturday! Ahh...still can't believe it.

So I, myself, have been very stressed lately. One reason, probably the main reason, is that I haven't been spending as much time with God as I should. I'm trying to pray more to him and listen to him most of all. I'm really tired of my job and I'm wanting to finish school but I am asking God to show me his will for my life b/c I know I can't figure that out on my own. At church right now, we are doing a series on God, Love, & Sex as we read through the book Song of Solomon (Song of Songs). This is a really great series and I encourage anyone and everyone to come join us. I wanted to share some verses that have particularly stood out to me:

"As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love." (2:2-4)

I love my husband Chas with all my heart and I know that God put him in my life for a special purpose. I hope that I can be the type of woman that is happy and delighted to sit in his shadow. I can say that without a doubt his banner over me is love. Chas is such a loving person and he shows me everyday how much he loves me.

Anyways, I'm done for the day. I've got alot on my mind this week but I can get through it...only with God though.