Thanksgiving memories and a message to Heaven

Thanksgiving....a golden turkey freshley cut, delicious stuffing, mounds of potatoes with a well of melted butter, sweet potatoes topped with crunchy brown sugar, homemade cresent rolls browned to perfection, bright red cranberry salad, pumpkin pie loaded with cool whip and finally pumpkin roll filled with cream cheese that squeezes out when you sink your teeth into it. The family gathers round for "grace" that is filled with many thankful feeling and sayings and finally the blessing for the food.
Sound like your thanksgiving??? Thanksgiving and christmas, for me alot of the extended family memories kind of blend together. As a child I would head to Dayton, Oh to my grandparents house the night before thanksgiving....the next morning my brothers and I would dress for the day and pile into grandpa's TV room and excitedly watch the "Macey's Thanksgiving Parade" Before it was all over with all 9 of we grandkids would be piled in the room. ( I don't believe Philip and Olivia had the pleasure of joining us, where they were just toddler and a baby) Finally the mom's would call us for dinner we would all gather into the kitchen and join for family prayer and finally load our plates, and at grandma's house Thanksgiving always included "the green stuff" (which was lime jello, cool whip and pinapple. Don't judge it till you try it.) Then we older grandkids would take our seats on a sheet covered love seat and at our feet was another sheet. As we got older and our family got to big we would occasionally have dinner at my aunt and uncle's. I am not sure when the "graduation" took place, but soon the sheet was gone and we enjoyed our meal with out mishap.
Now years have come and gone and thanksgivings have changed somewhat. Especially, last year when 2 days before Thanksgiving, my "Nanny" gave up the fight with cancer and went to be with the one she was truly thankful for. Needless to say last thanksgiving was different, alot of saddness, especially on the part of Papaw, not to mention all the kids that were with her when she left this world and met her Saviour. Then approx. 4 months later, grandpa got to lonely and left this world to be with her.
So now the next year of holidays are upon us and I along with my family will be with out a gray headed women who could make us all smile, and didn't really talk that much but loved to just watch all of her family. And a grumpy old gentleman that would belt out the word "BULL!!" at a moments notice. I have been blessed, to have them as part of my life. Nanny was a wonderful christian women, yeah she had her down falls, but I had the upmost confidence in her faith in God. Grandpa for most of my growing up years had little to do with God, and finally in my late teen years he came to know Jesus. One memory I have was one Thanksgiving/Christmas we were all getting ready to leave and grandma wanted to pray...well grandpa joined us and before we knew it the Lord settled down in our midst and grandpa was crying. I don't think I will ever forget that moment.
So Lord, if you can tranport messages or allow those who have gone on to hear earthly messages...Let Grandma and Grandpa know how much I miss and love them, and how greatful I am/was to have them in my life.

Our Indianapolis Pacers

Who let the dogs out???? Whoo, whoo,whoo, whoo?????
Ok, I am being crazy, but boy did we have fun at the Pacer game. It was just pre-season game, but it was great. We were setting 7th row up from the court and right under the net!!! And the price we paid for such great tickets was $0!!!!! It was all due to a Pacer cheerleader that works with Jonathan. Her name is Melanie. She is a great girl, and a pretty good dancer and cheerleader. Her parents had these great season tickets and they were not going to the game, so she got the tickets and let us use all 4 of them. So we took Liz and Peter. We had so much fun. At half time OUR wonderful Pacers were ahead of the ball game, but then they somehow lost it 2nd half and totaly blew the game. But one good thing I got a free T-shirt out of the game, and we got a bunch of awsome pictures. O'Neil did a good job too!!!













This is Melanie

Friends make moments in time so much better:)

My Birthday week

Wow the week after my birthday(Oct 8) , I was treated like a princess. I didn't cook dinner once!!! Other than a big pot of chili Friday morning. I was treated to dinner at Denny's, O'Charley's and somewhere else, which at the moment is missing from my memory. I told my husband since he had done this last year it had to be a tradition and he could carry this one out thru out my lifetime of b-days.
Well Friday came, none to early for me...I had taken the day off and you would think that I would have slept in. Nope not me, I got up and made the chili and did some light house work then packed my scrapbook bags and headed out to the local "Achiever's" store. I stopped at the library for a few good books and then stopped to pick up my lunch at my favorite fast food joint "Taco Bell", so I ate an early lunch or brunch. Then went on into the scrapbook store, where I spent approx. 5 hours scrapbooking!!!!! I had so much fun and I spent UNDER $20!!!!
Jonathan called me several times thru the day to see if I was having fun, then he told me we had late dinner reservations. I love suprises so all I said was "Goodie" He than told me it was nothing fancy. So I already figured it out in my mind that we were going to "Steak and Ale" (a very nice, but not to fancy restraunt) I was all excited.
I was all excited when he got home. He asked me if I wanted to dress up a little and to match him. I was really shocked at all the trouble he was going to, but it only made me more excited. We left our house a little after 7:00 and he told me we had to stop by the church. When we pulled in the church parking lot, I finally asked, "why are we here agian?" He said "To pick up an amp" Then I just casually said,"did you tell Jonathan (our new assistant pastor aka "country boy) that we were coming?" He said "Yeah I think he knew. He told me the amp was in the fellowship hall." So when we parked he asked me to help him get the amp. When Jonathan unlocked the door I suddenly saw a shadow of 2 men inside our fellowship hall!!!!! I yelped and suddenly all the lights went on and everyone yelled SUPRISE!!!!!!! I was so stunned I backed out of the hall!!! It took me a minute to realize I was surrounded by friends and there were balloons everywhere and food and cake and it was all for ME!!!!!! It was so much fun. 2 of my best friends (Leah and Jennifer) where there and my other best friend, LIZ was the host and the sneaky one behinde it all!!!! I was so proud of her keeping it quiet, she doesn't do well with keeping in suprises!!! At the party even clean up was fun, just ask Phil and Jonathan!!!!
I can't even began to explain how special the whole evening made me feel. I realized looking back over the entire evening how God has blessed me with so many friends. Some people find themselves fortunate to have just one good friend, but I have been blessed many times over!!!! And for that I am forever greatful. Liz, Becky and Jonathan thank for giving me one of the best birthdays ever. I won't soon forget this one!!! To all my Party Animals thanks for the gifts, but mostly just being there. And God, Thank you for giving me the best b-day gift of all "another year to spend with my friends and family."

My 1/4 of a Century

Well I have finally achieved 25 years. It is hard to believe that I have been in this living and breathing world that long, but as I look back over my life and try to think of someway to sum it up and the only word that I think is fitting is "Blessed." I think back to my beginning and those days are a little foggy. Little wonder huh? One thing I have been told by my mother was when I was a child the doctors believed I had a hole in my heart. Mom and Dad where going in for more testing to confirm this suspicion, but before they did they had the church family gather around me and had me annointed. As the test results came back they found nothing, I was a healthy baby. Maybe the doctors where wrong or maybe the "Doctor" healed me. Growing up I have thought about that many times how maybe I am a miracle to be alive and healthy. Who knows?
In my 25 years I have experienced many things. In the Physical: I have known how it feels to have stiches in my forehead. Although I don't really remember the pain or the actual incident, I do remember some preacher told me if I was good he would give me a candy bar. I was and I got a Snickers. I had many other scrapes and bruises, but not a broken bone. I have learned that jumping off to many stairs and falling off porches can do numbers to your ankles. I have had to have my appendix taken out at a young age, and the sickness I felt before that I never want to have again. In my time I have been in approx. 4 car accidents. One of which I still suffer from neck and shoulder pain. The other I watched a man throw a cement chunk thru our window and knocked out our driver. From that time I have been a nervous person when we stop in the city at night for a stop light at a pedestrian filled street.
In the Emotional: I have known what it is like to be scared. I was a scardey cat of a child. (and to be honest I still am!!) I would go into my room and yell into my closet, under my bed and in my bath room....thinking I just might scare the "bad guy." I always had my night light on and clutched my stuffed rabbit "Jenny" and even had my bible clutched to my chest. I thought the closer the Bible was to my body the more I was protected. I know how it was to be excited for vacations and christmas. My vacations usually started out with 2 teaspoons of Pepto to ward of the stomache ache due to excitement. (something I still have to do) I have learned that friends have to work harder at being friends as adults, due to the busyness of life. Also I have learned the people you think are hero's are really just "people" and they are capable of mistakes and causing hurt feelings. I remember how I felt the first time I thought I was in love and remember experiencing true love. I also remember the first kiss, first boyfriend and so many other firsts associated with the chemistry between boy and girl. I remember the feeling I felt when I slipped on my beautiful wedding dress and walking down the aisle and pledging my life to my best friend. I look forward to the next 25 years of my life and being able to spend them making memories with Jonathan.
In the Spiritual: From what Mom tells me I was 3 the first time I felt the tender nudge of Jesus and asked him into my heart. As far as I know I have always been a tender person when it comes to matters of the soul. I had some of my teenage stubbornness and sneakiness, but to be honest I don't remember a night that went by during that time that I didn't have the fear that Jesus would come back and I wouldn't be ready. I remember so many nights praying and asking forgiveness and vowing to do better the next day. Thank God He is so faithful!!!! I remember sitting in so many revival services and campmeetings and seeing and experiencing the movement of the Holy Spirit and seeing Him work thru his saints. I have grown more in the last few years than I ever have. In the last few months God has been doing some digging around me, and as much as it has hurt I have been thankful that God has seen fit to work on me to make me more how he would see fit. In the next few years I am going to be starting school to become a nurse and then before long I will be a mommy. Even though I am having to wait longer than I had planned, I am sure that God will be faithful and continue shaping me into the mother He wants me to be.
I am thankful to God for bringing me thru the first 25 years of my life, for giving me a Christian family and a wonderful Christian husband and many wonderful friends. I have been blessed!!!