Just a normal day at work...

April 27th, 2011 "April's Fury"

April 27^th did not start off like any other Wednesday morning. I woke up to a phone call at 5:20 AM from Jared saying there was a bad storm coming and the thunder had woken him up. He suggested I may need to leave earlier than usual for work, so I needed to get up and get ready. As soon as I got out of the shower the power cut off and the storm came. I lay back down with my hair in a towel waiting for power to come back. By 7:00 there was still no power at my house and it was time to leave. I was driving out to Hwy 280 to work in Inverness and little did I or my sleepy town know what would come later. As I got off on 280 the traffic stalled. This was not unusual, but today was heavier than normal. Eventually we weren’t even moving. Assuming there was a wreck, I called my boss to let him know I might be late. Two hours later I had moved less than a mile. There was a tree down across the highway from the morning storm. I turned around and headed home. It was a beautiful sunny morning (always beautiful after a storm) so I thought this would be a great opportunity to be lazy and get some sun, so I headed to Jared’s to go to the pool (his office lost power and he didn’t have to go in to work that day). Ended up not laying out, but took a nap and then went to get some food. We heard that bad weather was on its way, but still did not have power. Around 2 o’clock it popped back on just in time for us to catch the tornado going through Cullman, AL and then to my beloved alma mater, Tuscaloosa. I couldn’t believe my eyes watching the EF-4 tornado (as we would later find out) tear through Cullman, and I wasn’t expecting what was next. Tornado warnings ALWAYS sound off and NOTHING bad ever happens (at least where I have always been). We would get some heavy rain in Tuscaloosa, strong winds, but never an actual tornado (while I was there at least). For four years I called Tuscaloosa home. I grew up there. I found myself and the best friends that I could ever have. As I sat helplessly in Pleasant Grove watching James Spann tell everyone there that the tornado  was on the ground and to get to a safe place immediately all I could do was pray. I prayed a hand and protection over each one of my friends and their homes. I was texting my best friend Rachel and she said they were heading to the bathroom, it was getting bad. My heart just sank. I was watching it on the ground and watching it tear through a place that I loved. As it passed through Tuscaloosa, I got a phone call, “We are okay, it missed us.” And this is where it gets worse. The tornado that went through “T-town” was heading our way, still on the ground. Concord, Alabama was another victim, and most of this small town was destroyed. My friend, one of my brother’s best friends, lost everything. The tornado came and ripped through his home throwing him and his wife away from it in separate directions. They had gotten in the bathtub, he was holding on to her as tight as he could. The next thing he knew, he could not find his wife and was buried with rubble. Garrett was found and rushed to the hospital. It wasn’t until Thursday evening, Friday morning that they knew Jennifer did not make it. After the tornado went through Concord and Hueytown, it went were I never imagined it would go. It tore its way right through my hometown of Pleasant Grove. I wasn’t at home. I was at Jared’s. The power cut off and I was told to get in the basement. The air outside was so still. We could see from the garage window, a piece of debris falling out of the sky. The trees were still, and it was quiet. Then you heard the most eerie sound, a distant train coming closer. The wind picked up, and more debris was coming down. The tornado was in my town. It was moments from destroying what I called home for 23 years. The storm came over us, and within moments it was gone. We walked outside and there was a tree across the driveway. There were broken trees in the backyard. Across the street a tree was on a house. I immediately started calling. My grandmother in Hueytown was fine; she had not even lost power. MY best friend since 6^th grade (who lives across the street) was at home. I had to know they were okay. She said that it was bad. They were fine, but it was bad. “Danielle, your house is still standing, but I think there is some damage.” I hurt. I was scared. I knew talking to Brandi, that she was okay, but I had to see her. And I had to see my home. Andrew came by in his truck on the upper road because we could not get out of the driveway, and we headed into a nightmare. None of us were expecting the damage that we came up on.

I live behind North Side Park, Jared lives near the main Pleasant Grove Park. It should take less than five minutes to get from one house to the other. It took longer. Traffic was crazy. Homes were gone; neighborhoods wiped out, and people everywhere. We had to park and walk. A man was stuck in his home under the rubble; a group of men were trying to get him out. Jared and Andrew went over. They found a two by four to pry the wall up that had the man trapped. When they lifted it, he squeezed through the small opening they made him, shouting, “You are all angels, my guardian angels, oh thank you, bless you. . .” He was thankful to be alive. A woman came up from around a tree, “We need a nurse, we need to get a child to the hospital, and his neck is hurting.” People were everywhere, checking houses, what was left of houses, looking for people, and searching for their belongings. We walked through what was once someone’s backyard. When we made it to the road I looked around and didn’t know where I was. I was on Dogwood Lane. A road I traveled every day. It is the road that takes you to my house, and the houses were destroyed. It took my breath away, I couldn’t have imagined it. Homes I passed everyday for 23 years were flattened or destroyed. A little further down the road homes were still standing, but damage and trees were everywhere. Walking down the hill were several trees blocking the road. Determined to make it home we started climbing through. We made it to 5^th Avenue (the road before mine) and I could see trees, power lines, and poles down all over. Neighbors were walking around in shock. Yet none of us had even seen the worst of it. At the first left, I was finally home. Leigh Ann and Brandi were walking up the street. Immediately I ran to Brandi and just hugged her. Tear filled friends couldn’t do much more than stand for a while embraced thankful for each other being safe and alive. I walked down to my house and my heart started racing. It was standing. It was fine. There was metal in the driveway from a building up the road, there was a broken window, maybe a few roofing shingles missing, and part of a fence was down with the top of our tree on it. Other than that my home sweet home was fine. I packed a few clothes and heading back out. It was too hot and too dark to stay there, and way too scary.

The morning of April 27^th, 2011, something amazing happened. And I truly believe that God answered all of my prayers that day. When I got the 5:20 phone call that morning something inside of me knew something big was coming and something big was going to happen. As soon as I got off the phone with Jared, I started praying, and I was praying for specifics. I asked God to lay His hand on my house, family, my brother's and their families and homes, my grandmother, the Creel’s house and family, Mr. Meredith’s house and him (next door), and Eric and his house (the other next door). I asked a specific prayer and protection over each of them and our homes. The tornado destroyed everything maybe 200 yards away from us, yet we suffered little. I prayed a specific prayer over Jared and each of his family members and their homes. I also prayed for my parents (they were at the lake in Riverside, AL just a short distance from Moody and Pell City) and our house there.

While the tornado was ripping through my beloved town of Tuscaloosa I prayed for my old roommates and the place they were (the tornado went passed them, and destroyed homes and neighborhoods right next to them), my friends Jackie, Andrew, Rachel, Bradley and several others and their apartments. . . They were all okay. God had his hand in that storm. I am not saying that my prayers were answered and no one else’s were, but I know God heard me that morning as I prepared and cried out to him. He protected the ones that I love. I’ll be forever thankful for that moment and early phone call.

The next day the cleaning began. No one that I knew went to work that Thursday. My road was still blocked off by trees, and the town was in shambles. We drove around, where we could, to see the damage and started helping where we could. Most places you had to walk, so we took off on foot. We had several members of our church lose everything in this tornado. But each of their lives was spared. The places they were, that they didn’t usually go to during a storm for some of them, were the only areas of their home left standing. The Ferguson’s were under their porch in their basement (they usually went to a different corner of the basement), the porch is the only part of the house that is where it should be. The Ammon’s left their home. Their initial plan was to be in a closet in the center of the home. The items of that closet were found intertwined within the branches of an uprooted tree that lay across their yard. They made the decision last minute to go to the Creel's house and get in their basement across the street from my house. Several stories we kept hearing from so many people. SO many people have incredible testimonies from this storm, things that they will never forget, stories of how only God could have saved them, how only God could have protected them and surrounded them as their home was torn away by an EF-4 tornado.

Pleasant Grove was flooded with so many volunteers, food, clothing, drinks, waters, and other items that our church looked like a supermarket. It was incredible to me to see the way people came together and took leadership positions organizing, cleaning, separating, and spending their time helping and caring for those who had little to nothing left.  It brought a sense of unity and closeness that I had not seen or felt in a while. Digging through your friend’s rubble, the remains of their homes, looking for anything you can possibly save for them is not an experience that I recommend. However, it is an experience that will change you. It is humbling to go through that, to see the sacrifice of others helping, and to see the look on their faces when you find something precious. It makes you thankful for all of the things you DO have and makes you worry less for those that you do NOT have and THINK you need. Stuff is stuff and is replaceable, people are what really matters, and my friends are irreplaceable.

My daily drive home is through a devastated area. Homes are being bulldozed, people are trying their best to salvage what they can, trees are being cleaned up, roofs getting fixed, windows being replaced, but there is one thing that isn’t changing; God’s presence and his almighty hand that is covering our city. He continually shows me how great and mighty HE is. I look around and my heart aches and tears fall as I drive down Dogwood Lane. To my left where a thick set of woods used to sit on a hill, I can see through to 4^th Street (a road I have never been able to see from there) and the destroyed church building that lay in piles. As I make my turn right home is so much closer. My emotions are almost uncontrollable when I take the final turn and my little cul-de-sac is sitting just fine. God’s presence is there. I often wonder why it happened, and feel guilty that we suffered only power outage and a broken window. I have to stop myself and remember I do not have to know why. God does and that is all that matters. His plan, His glory, His rules. I am His child. As His child I will obey, not question. I will understand more than ever when I hear, “because I said so.” God does not cause devastation and fear. He brings hope and gives life. He did not spare me, my home, my family, and my friends for my benefit, but so that I and each one of us may be a hand for help for someone else and for His glory to be revealed and His love to shine. He calls us to go, and follow Him.

Garrett is still in the ICU at University Hospital in Birmingham. His lungs are weak, his levels are up and down, and his family is there. They are with him, praying for his recovery. Praying for his peace and praying for their son and brother to be healed. They have had many scares over the last four weeks as their son continues to fight for his life. I am asking a special prayer from each of you for Garrett, his family (Parents Frank and Janell, brother Kevin), his doctors and nurses, his wife’s family (The Leonards), and for all of his friends who love him so much. Garrett is an amazing man and a wonderful friend. He has always been there for my brother and supported him in all situations. He may not have always agreed with him, but he was always a friend.

He is fighting through so much pain, physical and emotional right now. He has lost his home and his one true love, Jennifer. They delayed her burial hoping Garrett would be able to attend the service, but he was not. After he gave the okay to go ahead with her arrangements, he had a bad couple of days and nights. Since then I have not been able to see him. When I did get to see him, the week after the tornado, Garrett was responsive. I held his hands and I looked into his heavily medicated eyes when he was able to open them. He waved at me. I was so excited to see him wave. He could motion to answer questions, move his arms, and his nurse said that all he wanted was some Orange Juice. I know that he is in God’s hands. If God wants him, he will take him. If there is still work for Garrett to do on this earth, God will allow him to do so.  Garrett needs us for encouragement to get him through this. He has lost his wife and the home and life they were building together after only eight months of marraige.  I’m so thankful that we serve such a faithful God, Garrett will see her again one day. It is no longer his plan, but God’s. Praise to the King for He is mighty and wonderful. HE is the one in control. May his hand be laid upon Garrett’s lungs and body for the ultimate healing from the ultimate physician. Amen

"Heads Carolina, Tails California"

I am stubborn.
If I said that around my mom she would laugh, (in agreement) and just shake her head. My Mom tells me all the time to do stuff and honestly, I just don't half the time. I easily forget things unless it is something that I want to do (I know this is not one of my better qualities, but I am working on it, I promise!). That is what she tells me and she is correct. I think about 'me' all of the time. The things that I want to achieve, the car that I want, the house I want and the way I want to decorate it, my job, my money, my free time, and how I got to where I am at this point in my life.
Well here is a big shock, I got here, because my parents loved me enough to let me make my own decisions (whether they knew I was going to make a huge mistake or not), they let me have way more than I ever should have gotten, sometimes let me off WAY too easy, and wanted the best there ever could be for me. It sounds like I ran all over my parents, and yes sometimes I am sure that I did. I am sure that I disrespected them and took advantage of the freedom, their trust, and their willingness to give. BUT I still had rules and when I broke them I WAS punished. I will never forget getting in trouble for stealing the key to our lake house and going with a few friends and my brother and a couple of his friends (ALL my idea). Well, we got caught. Apparently when we left there was a light on our pier that was left on. My brother had taken my car a few days or weeks earlier for whatever reason, and my neighbor told my parents that it was my car in the driveway and they were just making sure that everything was okay. Assuming that he would be the one to do this (not precious me) they blamed him and he actually took it. It wasn't until later in the day (after I knew that he had taken the heat for me while I was out with my friend, and chose not to come home and take responsibility for it (can we say selfish any clearer than that)) when my mom finally just got to him with her "so disappointed"'s that he made her realize who it actually was... TALK ABOUT TROUBLE. I was grounded for homecoming week my senior year. I YELLED and SCREAMED because they would not let me out of the house one night to climb the water tower (of death.. If you are from Pleasant Grove you know this thing could have fallen down at any moment.. They actually tore it down the following year because it was a threat and danger since we brilliant, fearless, high school children couldn't stay off of it). I just wanted to paint my name on there. . . And they were NOT giving in.
So needless to say, I had freedom, and I got away with a lot. But my parents were still tough and I didn't get away with as much as I would like to think. We are all so funny to think that our parents do not know what we do when we are young. We think we are soo good at hiding our lifestyles, pictures, clothes, everything, but we don't realize that our parents actually know us better than most of our friends (at least this is the case with mine). My mom may not hear every detail of every story that I have to tell, I may leave out some very important pieces to make things seem better/worse than they are, but my mom can call me out quick. And I am not saying that she always knows what is going on.. but I am her daughter and she knows me. She knows when I am hurting, my moods and what they mean (after all she did give birth to me 23 years ago, I think by now she's got it), when I don't feel well and try to hide it, when I am stressed, and she can even guess what it is that is going on that makes me feel a certain way.  Mothers are so much more deep than we ever could have guessed. They are super heros without the cape and leading ladies without the recognition.

So I say all of this to say. I think it is time to start listening to dear ol' Momskies! When she was my age, she traveled all over the place. She went to Europe, and who knows where else (I cannot always remember) with a group of people, but not always a group of people she knew very well. I think she tried to hint around to me on Valentine's day (in the sweetest email) that I need to get out of my comfort zone and see the world and what else is out there. I need to escape everyday and find joy and excitement in something other than what I have always settled to do. So I think this may be the year of planning and hopefully doing. I want to see something outside of the SEC. (ha) It is time to go beyond the southern states and see what the WORLD is really like. I will always be a southern girl and a Bama Baby, but who is to say that somewhere up north or out west couldn't be home (away from home of course)? Or at least a fun adventure? I'm going to try and do things a little differently this year, and hopefully from here on out. Anyone that would like to join me is more than welcome! The more the merrier! (ROADTRIP!) God made a world much too beautiful and complex not to see what all it has to offer. Not only do I want to get out and travel, I want to get out of the comfort of who I am and start experiencing life in a new and exciting way as well. I am twenty-three years old and single. I literally have the WORLD at my fingertips. I think it is time that I start to realize that and take advantage of this gift (that I don't always see as a gift...actually close to never) that God has given me. One day all of my dreams will come true, I do believe that (because I serve a God who loves me and wants to give me the desires of my heart (Psalm 37:4). I also believe that as his child, and someone who seeks him, the desires I have are placed there by him. So why wouldn't he want to grant me what he has placed inside of me?--HE is such an awesome God). But until they do, I have time to enjoy life in a completely different way than I might later in life. Some opportunities are once in a lifetime. They never come back around. It's time to start treating EVERY opportunity like that and taking chances.

So lets flip a coin. . . see where we are heading first!

Little ones to Him belong. . .

. . . They are weak but HE is strong!

Saturday February 12, 2011 was a much needed refreshing day! I was allowed by the grace of the Lord to wake up to a beautiful day that His hands created. After a fun, yet interesting Friday night, I was awakened by the sweetest kiss on my cheek at 6:38 AM (My clock said 6:50 but is 12 minutes fast, and btw I had not fallen asleep until around 2:00 or 3:00 because I got in late from a concert) from a little boy that I am so proud to call my nephew, Cameron. He and his brother Cody spent the night with us (or actually my parents since I was not there until they were all fast asleep in bed) Friday while mommy and daddy had a date night with friends. I just could not ignore something that precious and of course got up to go downstairs and watch some weird cartoons and Cam playing his Nintendo DSi. The little one (My Chunky Monkey) was also awake and eating his breakfast. 

It is such an amazing thing to watch a baby grow into a child and then a child into a teenager. I have been blessed with so many little cousins (ages still in the belly - 11?), 2 wonderful nephews (6 months-6 years), and 2 beautiful nieces (cannot wait to get to that story! :D) (8-13). I have watched these children grow from helpless newborns, to rolling over to get a passy (Cody has recently learned to roll from back to belly (he learned belly to back first))

 

 sitting up, first steps, . . . , to the teenage years and facing the world and all that it has to offer (the good and the not so good).

 **I can say that I am impressed (understatement) with a BEAUTIFUL teenager that I am so very proud of, Meghan. She is smart, talented, beautiful, a woman of GOD, a prayer warrior, a dear friend, a wonderfully amazing big sister, and a true blessing of a daughter and niece. She has grown up WAY too fast for me ( I was 9 years old when she was born ), but I could not be MORE PROUD to call this child of God MY NIECE! The things this young girl has gone through in less than 6 months would shock you. You would not believe it by the courage that she always shows! (I love you SO much Munchkin!)**

I spent the afternoon with Cody (Cameron and his dad had a boys day registering for baseball, going to Gamestop, and running a few other errands) and I watched as this 6 month old child rolled from one end of the blanket to the other, played with his toys, reached, grabbed, pulled, and scooted and I was amazed. 

 Literally six months ago to the day at this hour, this child was still in his mother’s belly. I was waiting for the call to head to the hospital to be there to meet this little guy when he came out. I was anticipating what he would look like, how many fingers and toes he would have, if he would have hair or not, and if the delivery would go smoothly. I was praying that God would lay his hand on my brother and sister-in-law (Eric and Amy, especially Amy as she prepared to give birth) and family as we all prepared for a new life to be GIVEN to our family.  We spent months (We found out Christmas day 2009 that Amy was pregnant) 

wondering if it was going to be a girl or boy, what his name would be when we found out the sex, and then how much that boy would weigh coming out. And now I am looking at a miracle child (cannot remember the term but after he was born we were told that there was a possibility that if the sac had torn at a certain spot our little angel could have been sent right back up to heaven. It would have been something near impossible to notice during labor if I remember correctly. Our hearts all sank when we found out and then rejoiced at God’s creation) and watching as he begins really learning about and comprehending his body, movements, actions, noises, surroundings, and family. I hear his laughter and my heart melts. I see his little grin with his absolutely adorable cheeks and I think, “Wow.” 

Psalm 139: 13-16 “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

GOD,

I ASK THAT YOU BLESS THOSE READING THIS. I PRAY, LORD, THAT YOU LAY YOUR HAND UPON THEM, GUIDE THEM, SHOW THEM YOUR GLORY, YOUR TRUTH, HONOR, AND YOUR UNENDING LOVE. SHOW HOW YOU ARE A MIRACULOUS CREATOR, REDEEMER,  AND FRIEND. LET US SEE YOU IN ALL THINGS THAT SURROUND US, LET US RECOGNIZE THAT WITHOUT YOU, WE HAVE AND ARE NOTHING. SHOW US LORD HOW AND WHEN TO REACH OUT TO THOSE WHO NEED TO HEAR OF YOUR GRACE AND LOVE, THOSE WHO ARE SEARCHING. THOSE WHO NEED ANOTHER CHANCE. OPEN OUR EYES TO SEE YOUR CHILDREN IN NEED OF FORGIVENESS AND GRACE. FORGIVE US OF OUR SINS SO THAT WE MAY BE FOUND IN RIGHT STANDING WITH YOU IF TONIGHT WE MEET YOU FACE TO FACE IN THAT FINAL CALL FOR YOUR CHILDREN. FILL US WITH YOUR SPIRIT SO THAT WE MAY HEAR YOU, FEEL YOU, AND SEE YOU. IT IS IN THE PRECIOUS NAME OF JESUS THAT I PRAY, --AMEN

Brad Paisley H2O Tour, Birmingham AL 02/11/11

Last night I was blessed by a wonderful friend Thanks B!) to attend an amazing concert night watching the beautiful Jerrod Neiman, amazing Darius Rucker, and the always entertaining and wonderful Brad Paisley. We had amazing floor seats and Mr. Brad Paisley sang a shocking 20 feet (maybe less or more, I'm not really good with judging distance) away from me at one point in the concert. Three or more songs later he was TWO FEET FROM ME as he walked through the crowd back to the main stage!! Brandi and Leigh Ann were the lucky ones who shook his hand while I stood in a chair giddy as a school girl with my camera shaking. (I know he is just a person but I have to admit that it was pretty amazing, I mean come on, HE IS BRAD PAISLEY!)
I didn't have a picture when he was 2 feet away from us, the only thing that came out on my camera was a black and white blurry blob. Maybe one of the other girls has one, if so I will post for you all to see!
I just have to say that Darius Rucker and Brad Paisley are two of my very favorite country singers and they put on a GREAT show!  Those who were not able to go to (or didn't know about) this concert, I highly suggest you attend the one in Nashville later in February. (February 26, 2011 to be exact. Here is the official tour website : http://bradpaisley.musiccitynetworks.com/index.htm?id=14357).

So as I tell  you about this amazingly wonderful experience, I'm going to share with you some of the things that I hear when I hear these men's songs on the radio. While I am driving down the road, stuck in traffic, working out, getting ready in the morning, I love to listen to music. Music makes me happy, calm, and lost in a moment. There is just something wonderful about it. Tunes and words orchestrated together perfectly to make my heart melt and my mind think (I'm going to assume I am not the only one that feels this way).
Let's start with Darius Rucker. He was the second performer of the night, and runs a close race with Brad for being my favorite (Jerrod Neiman was pretty on that big screen, but he just wasn't someone that I cared too much for). (This is the "music" part of DR's webpage: http://www.dariusrucker.com/discography/all/charleston_sc_1966). You can listen to the songs I believe, but I cannot currently get them to play for me. One of my favorite songs is "This" If you listen to the words and think about everything that you have been through in your life and where you are now it is amazing to think that the smallest thing really could have changed your entire being.

"I don't really know how I got here
But I'm sure glad that I did
And it's crazy to think that one little thing
Could've changed all of it

Maybe it didn't turn out like I planned
Maybe that's why I'm such, such a lucky man

(Chorus)
For every stoplight I didn't make
Every chance I did or I didn't take
All the nights I went too far
All the girls that broke my heart
All the doors that I had to close
All the things I knew but I didn't know
Thank God for all I missed
Cause it led me here to
This"

In life we all experience numerous events, are given multiple opportunities, take hundreds of chances, meet thousands of people, and probably make millions of decisions. Each and every moment of our lives is filled with chance and opportunity to make a decision that will determine another, and/or have consequences that will also shape our future and future choices. Imagine a moment when you said "yes." Now think of that same moment and imagine yourself saying "no." WHERE WOULD YOU BE RIGHT NOW? I think of the choice I made when I chose a college to attend. I will admit that as a high school Junior I was going to make the decision to go to Auburn University in the Fall of 2006 (I know this is disappointing, but at the time I had my reasons). BUT the beginning/middle of my senior year I changed my decision (and made the BETTER decision I do believe) to attend the UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA in TUSCALOOSA! I cannot tell you the things that I think of "if had I gone to Auburn" instead of Alabama. The friends I made, the ministry that I was involved in, the mistakes I made as a freshman (and every other year following), the good things I did, the career path I chose. . . I would have been a completely DIFFERENT person, I believe I would have experienced things in a completely different way, and who is to say that that would have been for the better or worse? No one knows! It is absolutely INCREDIBLE how God has worked in my life. The things that He has done, the way He has redeemed me, placed me back on the straight and narrow path, placed certain people in my life who have influenced me and taught me. I cannot believe that He knew what I would become and who I am still becoming, He knew the things that I would/will experience and the HUGE lessons I would/will learn in every stage of my life, from every friend, foe, family member, job, co-worker, cashier, doctor, dentist. . .  the list goes on and on. So many people have affected me just by their attitudes, the way they treat others, the way they love, cherish, honor, and respect. I could ramble on forever, but all I can truly say is that I am thankful that I serve a God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, wonderful, perfect, and trustworthy. He has NEVER let me down and He has NEVER taken me somewhere where he couldn't get me through. He is my best friend and true companion.

Brad Paisley has numerous songs that relate to my next subject that I could not choose just one to pour my heart out about. But this man sings what I want. He is a man who LOVES his wife and his child. I hope and pray that this man lives what he sings and treats his wife how his songs portray love and friendship. "Waiting on a Woman" -- "You're Everything to Me" -- "I Thought I Loved You Then"-- SO many more. I want a love that is so everlasting and TRUE. The world has changed so much since "way back then when they . . . " But I want that way back when love and courtship. (I'll go more into this tomorrow I think.. with Valentine's Day being Monday I'll hold off on that for now ha)  A man that loves the Lord and serves Him will make an amazing husband/boyfriend/fiance/father/uncle/grandfather. . . Look at his role model! I believe that every woman is a princess and deserves to be treated and respected as so. (Guys I also believe that you all deserve to be treated as the princes that you are, and you deserve the respect and honor from your wife as defined in the bible. You deserve a woman to care for you, love you, and be your PARTNER in your life. But men and women PLEASE understand: In order for someone to truly love and respect you, YOU must love and respect them. It is not a one way road, a relationship involves TWO people and ONE Spirit to be successful (Not that I know so much first hand, but I think I have seen and learned from so many others, and found scripture that backs this, heard sermons preached. . ., to know that this is TRUTH)).  Brad's songs make me hope that there are still men out there that know how to love like this. BTW many country songs and their music videos have some of the BEST ideas for dates and such! :D 

So I have rambled on enough for tonight. I will leave out with this : 1 John 3:18 "Dear Children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." Our actions speak louder than words. This new week I am going to try and live what I say, write, and believe a little bit harder than ever before. 

Post #1 Who I am.

I am a recent graduate of the University of Alabama (August 7, 2010 ROLL TIDE!)  with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration. I am twenty-three years old, and I working, but I am not allowed to tell you where (ha). I have an amazing family (I just moved BACK in with my awesome parents after 4 wonderful years away) I have two older brothers, a sister-in law, two adorable nephews, a sister and brother-in-law, and two beautiful nieces! I am truly blessed with some very wonderful people in my life who lift the Lord up in their families and live for him and his will in their lives daily.

The most important thing I can tell you that I would hope I wouldn't have to (that it would just be known) is that I love the Lord with all of my heart and soul. My second year in Tuscaloosa I found an amazing group of people who worshiped together in a back yard (freezing cold or burning hot they were there). It was a group of guys, radically saved and changed by God, who wanted to share what God had done for them in their lives. They just wanted everyone to know this incredible Savior who could redeem us and give us an eternal life in Heaven. A God that is always there, comforting, guiding, and teaching us as we go through our day to day activities. A God that is perfect and pure, reasonable and understanding. This "Backyard" ministry grew, made its way into a church, and is now a college ministry on the campus of the University of Alabama led by students. UNASHAMED based off of Romans 1:16, "For I am unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God for the salvation of those who believe, . . ." changed my life.

You can also watch UNASHAMED LIVE every Thursday at 8:00

www.unashamedua.com

I am currently back home (as mentioned earlier) in Pleasant Grove. I have finally been able to see my long time best friend Brandi on a regular basis and have been attending church with her and her mom at the Pleasant Grove Church of the Nazarene. This church is one that I never knew anything about. I passed it almost daily heading to and from different places, but was a member elsewhere and just never really gave it the thought. I didn't know what I was missing! I have been blessed to be a member of the "Oasis" Sunday School class for "young marrieds and singles." I feel completely overwhelmed with love from a group of people that I have not known more than a few months. Immediately I was accepted in and grew into this little family that we have formed. It is not a group that only sees one another on Sunday mornings. Wednesday nights, weekends, weeknights. . .  whenever something is going on, you can bet there is a group somewhere hanging out to watch a football game or playing a game of catch phrase.

Although I am truly loving being home with my parents and seeing my high school friends and being apart of this amazing church family,  I cannot help but to miss everyone in Tuscaloosa. I grew into a new person in the four years I spent there. I went through so many different things, conquered fears, made mistakes, learned from those mistakes, made several choices and decisions that have and will affect my future, made new friends that I will cherish forever, and I was a part of a ministry that I will always carry with me. I loved unashamed and made the dearest friends that I could have ever asked for in Tuscaloosa. Rachel, Jackie, and Brownie will always be my "Happies"and several others that I could not start to name for fear of forgetting one, but I hope they know who they are, are constantly on my mind and in my prayers. But I do know that God has glory and a plan in all things. So while I am here, I am going to live with His joy and make the best of it!

I also had some AWESOME roommates while I was in Tuscaloosa. The three and then four of us have gone through some very interesting times together! It was four years (with Whitney), three (with Layne), and two (with Jessica) that I will NEVER forget. I miss having them at home, or coming in at some point in the day or night and laughing and cutting up for hours. Oh and the puggies... So many memories I could start listing. It is amazing the things that I look back on and wish that I could go back to. Take FULL advantage of the time that you have to share with ALL of your friends is my one piece of advice. You never know how much you will miss when they are not around.

What else can I tell you all? 

I am going back to school to get my nursing degree. Two months before I graduated (Major: Health Care Management) I was told that I probably wouldn't even be considered for the job that I wanted without it. Once finishing my second degree, to make the first worth anything, I am STILL not quite finished. I will also need to get my MBA and/or MHA. Yay for so much school. I am also considering getting my PhD in something. Since I am going to be in school for a while, might as well be a doctor of something :D (but that is just something to laugh about for right now, not really too sure that it will happen)

Lamentations 3:22-24

"The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him!"