Interesting Email...made me think!

Thank you Nicole for your forwarded email. I'm sure that most of you who are reading this, received her email and read it, or at least I hope you did. Even though it was a bit scary, prophecies aren't always pleasant. It really made me think, and so I wanted to do a little biblical referencing for my own good. Now, the verses below aren't really in referece to the prophecies, but having an "eerie" feeling about things decided to do a little research. I had no intentions of creating a blog post from it, but with that said, and after doing some research, I felt convicted, just as Nicole did, to share the following verses below. I am NOT pointing fingers nor judging , or making accusations at either of the presidential candidates, that is not my job, and I haven't been given that right! My goal is not even to persuade you toward either of the candidates, because I feel that I have done all I can do and that at this point it is in God's hands, but I wanted to get the word out, so please don't take offense to me for sharing God's word. I just want everyone to pray for God's guidance during the next 6 days. For those of you who did not receive the email, my illiterate computer knowledge has not allowed me to figure out how to link to it without you getting into my email account. However, if I have your email address I will forward the email to those of you who may not have received it.

1 Samuel 10:6 The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

Deuteronomy 13:1 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder,2 and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them,"3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
—John 8:44


Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
— 1 Peter 5:8-9

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
—Ephesians 6:11-18

House For Sale

Yes, I said House FOR SALE! HA! I know I know, we've only been here 2 1/2 years, but "country-life" is calling our name. We have been scheming this for several weeks now. Erik and I know that it will be a while before we can probably sell our home, but with that said, how can you sell a house if you don't put a sign in your yard? You can't, and we will wait patiently until it does sell, no matter how long it takes. As we start settling for what the future may bring to us, we have decided that building a nice home in the country is what we want to have and hopefully raise a family there. We both feel that God has led us to this, and being next to my Mom, my uncles, aunts, cousins, and close to my dad, is just what we both want and we can't wait! For 23 years, I lived next door to my family. The cousins and neighborhood kids had the "run-of-the-mill" (if you know what I mean), and we had endless places to play, run and romp throughout 4o something acres. We will also be a little closer to Erik's parents as well. I was born and raised that way, and intend on going back to my roots out in Garland...my HOME! Erik is way too ecstatic too, but we know that our patience will be tested greatly. So for now, we'll keep enjoying our life here that we've had for 2 1/2 years, and hope for the best. Wish us luck! Yeah, I know...don't say it! We are well aware that the market is bad and that the economy is even worse! ha! I heard you... We are not crazy!

Grandma Jean

Please keep my family in your prayers. As expected, my Grandma Jean (Dad's Mom) passed away this morning. She had been in the nursing home in Brownsville since the beginning of the year, and was moved to the hospital Thursday before last.

Thanks,

I Soooo Want One!

Today, I stepped out to run a few errands. I left the TV on channel 5 after watching my "soap" at 1:00, so when I returned Oprah was on. I no longer watch Oprah, as a matter of fact, I will turn the channel quicker than lightning when her show comes on. My respect for her has completely gone down the drain, because of her religious views on salvation yadda yadda yadda, and other things....you know what I'm talking about.

As usual the audience full of women was in an uproar of excitement over yet another gift that she had bought for them. I thought to myself, "what now?". Evidently, I am further behind than I thought on new technology, because everyone in the audience knew what this gadget was. So, I listened for a quick explanation of this "thing" and then decided to continue my so called boycott of Oprah, by changing the channel and looking for this "thing" online. Oh yeah! I sooo want one!

The amazonKindle (click here) is a wireless, portable reading device that lets you download hundreds of thousands of books right at your fingertips. No computer or computer knowledge is needed, and it only weighs 10.3 oz. According to reviews, any book that you could possibly imagine is available for download as well as newspapers, blogs,etc. Almost all of the books are $9.99 or less, so it is actually cheaper than buying a regular paper or hardback book, because it saves paper, and takes less than 1 minute to download. Wow, I could literally take 1000s of books with me anytime and read whatever whenever I want. How cool is that? Now, I will admit that I love the smell of an old library book or new one for that matter, and I would still probably buy a "good ol' book" every now and then, but this thing is too cool! It is a bit pricey, at $359, (ugh!) so for now it is at the bottom of the priority list in this house. Maybe next Christmas?! Ha!

A Dog's Purpose

For all you dog lovers out there...you'll appreciate this.

I received this by email today. Thought I would share!

A Dog's Purpose (from a 6-year-old).

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience. The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker 's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.'Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The Six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'Live simply.Love generously.Care deeply.Speak kindly.Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
• Take naps
• Stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
• When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Be loyal.
• Never pretend to be something you're not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
• ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!
  
  

Trip to Gatlinburg and "Knoxvegas"

Woohoo!!! Our Vols finally won an SEC game. Sad isn't it? Luckily, Erik and I, along with Justin and Amanda Hanson, were there to share in their victory and had a blast! I was hoping that since it was their first Neyland Stadium experience, the Vols would pull a win, and boy did they! Thanks to J.T. Thibado for getting us in the student section where all of the action was. Although the temperature was in the 30s, we managed to keep warm by participating in all of the cheering going on around us. It's never too cold for Tennessee football!

On Thursday, we headed out toward East Tennessee, our favorite place of all, and arrived at our chalet outside of Pigeon Forge around 4:30. Erik and I have stayed at this chalet for the past 6 years. We love it! Its at the top of the mountain, and when I say "top," I mean TOP!...enough to make me queasy on the way up with all of those twists and turns. The view is well worth it.




On Friday, we got an early start so that we could get an early breakfast at one of our favorite places in Gatlinburg, Parkway Pancakes, only to find that it is now Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. What a bummer! So, we settled for "Flap Jacks" instead and headed toward Cades Cove, another tradition on our yearly Gatlinburg trips. It was misting rain all day, and the clouds were low, so I wasn't able to get the pictures I wanted to take. We were hoping to see a few bears, but turns out that the only bears around were "miles back." We saw a man who had walked back to get a few pictures, but I for one wasn't walking a mile in the woods to find a bear. The only bear I want to see is from my car! The deer were out in full force, and we managed to see a beautiful buck, and a few turkeys. After heading back to Gatlinburg for dinner, we went back to the chalet for a scenic view from the hot tub, before doing some shopping in Sevierville.







Saturday morning, we got another early start and headed to Ober on the tram. We road the skylift to the top of Mt. Harrison and it must have been 30 degrees at the top! Again the clouds were low, so no good pictures. I applaud Justin for riding the skylift to the top and conquering his fear of heights!!! YAY! We then went back to the chalet for a quick change before heading to Knoxville for a little Volunteer fun, enjoying the Vol Walk and a trip to the bookstore, always my favorite!





We headed back around 8:30 this morning and are finally home, and believe me, none of us were ready to come home! Amanda made the comment to Erik that he could just turn around at any point and go back-hehe!! I guess thats life, huh?

Early Voting Starts Today!

Good Morning everyone! I just wanted to remind all of my fellow Tipton County friends that early voting starts today! If you want to avoid all of the "hustle and bustle" of election day, go ahead, cast your vote! I plan to cast my vote this morning. YAY! I pray that you will seek God's will before voting, and that you remember that we are and always will be One Nation under God! So, get out there and vote, vote, VOTE! Below are a few verses from the Bible I found on an "election site" that I have re-directed to an online Bible. I thought that they really "hit home." I ask you to use them as reference before voting.

Leviticus 20:13

Jude 1:7

Job 31:15

Isaiah 46:3-4

Jeremiah 1:4-5

Exodous 20:13

Jeremiah 12:17

Love In Christ,

Fall Fotos!

Every year, during every season, I take a few pictures of Joey. (Quit calling me crazy) I finally put all of our fall decorations,so I figured today was pretty enough to take him outside on the front porch and get some quick snapshots. With a little bribery and a few milk-bones, I managed to keep him pretty still, the only difficulty I had was getting him to look at the camera instead of the "cookie" in my hand! I had to act pretty quickly. Out of 25 shots, I only had a few worth sharing. Guess I need to keep practicing, huh?

The "cookie" has been spotted...again.

When I Grow Up

Tonight I just happened to be upstairs in Erik's "playroom" looking for a computer program. I did not find the computer program, but did happen to stumble upon some pictures that I haven't managed to put out yet. His room is still under construction, so there are still a few boxes unpacked in the corner. I just couldn't help but share them with you all! I just love these pictures! His mom gave them to me years ago, and I took them to have them enlarged and framed. She did ask for the originals back, but what proud mother wouldn't? They were taken with one of those older flashbulb cameras. Remember those? I sure do! Every time I look at them I see a child's dream come true. We all at some point during our childhood said, "When I grow up, I want to be a....!" Who hasn't? Rarely have any of us followed our dreams. I probably said that I wanted to be a dance teacher a thousand times, but in actuality, I don't think that would have ever happened. I don't have the patience! Just ask my husband and my mom! hehe!! I am very proud of Erik, and no one but a firefigher's wife, can explain what it is really like being a firefighter's wife.

Erik at the Covington Fire Dept. wearing his Uncle Sammy's turnouts, in front of Engine 1. (1983?)

Erik riding in Engine 1. Erik later drove Engine 1 when he was hired at CFD...the newer one of course (1983?)

Erik and his company at an apartment fire this year.

Erik turns 31

Today is Erik's 31st birthday, which makes me think that in 6 months, I too will be over the 30 year hump and turn 31. Wow! Are we really that old? Erik and I have been together for 8 years (married for 6) and it seems like yesterday when I was fresh out of college from UT Martin, and getting ready to finish my degree in dental hygiene at UT. He was still living at home working at the fire department in Covington. We were both 22 years old at the time. I thought we were so old, but now I look back and realize that we were still just kids. Okay, maybe not kids, but we definitely had a different perspective of life.

Erik had to work last night, so he just arrived home this morning. I was quick to wish him a happy birthday, and as soon as he walked in the door I was shoving his presents in his face. I'm like a kid when it comes to birthdays. I love giving gifts! I managed to get him the tie that he had been wanting from the bookstore in Knoxville, and a "Timeless Traditions" framed print for his room or wherever he decides to hang it. I'm just lucky that he didn't throw it at me-hehe! Our team is not doing so hot again this year, but Vol fans we will always be! Happy Birthday "E"!