Military Appreciation Picnic

It's getting closer....deployment day looms overhead and taunts my schedule, my dreams, my life. Our guys (the 1037th) have already begun training for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan and we're in full military mode now. For me, this part is the most excruciating. My soldier is already there (in his mind) preparing (as he should) for his mission...and me and the kids are trying to carry on life as normal, but it's not. It's not normal for families to live thousands of miles apart. But this is what we do. This is the life we signed up for. We love our country and...as a family...have vowed to pay the sacrifice to keep her safe and free.

...and with all great preparations..there must be a party! Our home church, Southside Community, hosted a Military Appreciation Picnic a few weeks back, to honor the men & women getting ready to deploy, and the families that will hold down the homefront. We have an incredible church that embraces these military families and takes care of them.

Me & my soldier...for a quick snapshot

the military "brats"...actually they're really great kids who have an incredible friendship.
from Left to Right: Blake, Jarred, Mallorye

The Real Army Wives...this is who I'll be doing life with over the next 12 months
Kim, Melissa, Me, & Ginger (yes, there's two of us)


Melissa & her soldier, Chris

Kim & her soldier, Kevin

Kevin & Jarred enjoying some father/son time on the blow up slide...I can't tell who was having more fun..the big kid or the BIG KID!

Ginger & Ginger...racing to the bottom

We had a blast! We all needed a break from the stress of getting ready for the deployment and Southside came through and delivered just that. There were so many people that helped to make this day fun and relaxing for our military families...those that donated money, donated food, served, planned, donated tshirts...the list goes on. To all those that made this day happen...THANK YOU! To Southside....You guys ROCK!

Festival Of The King

Ok, these pictures are in reverse order, but I did not feel like messing with Blogger tonight...so....

We are diligently working on our Christmas Production at church and Quentin was able to snap some pictures tonight at rehearsal.

Me, singing the closing song, "Coming Of The King"

The grand finale'....singing and dancing included

Our pastor's wife, Denise, playing the part of Mary...singing "Pouring Over Me"


Our Pastor Charles, as Joseph, and the Stick Fighters (Mallorye is one of them) during the most impactful part of the production..."The Battle Within"

Me again, singing "And The People Cried"...with Leyla (aka Jenny) showing compassion for God's people and their plight...this is a very moving and powerful scene.

This is going to be an awesome production and I can't tell you how many hours have been put into making it a success...we began in September... If you live anywhere close to Paragould, Arkansas and would like to attend ...let me know and I will make sure you have a ticket! You definitely don't want to miss it!

Weekend Re-Cap

We've had a hectic weekend and thought maybe I should do a little re-cap for all those wondering, "where'd she go?"

Friday Night--was a wonderful family trip to the laundromat. My washing machine has been leaking and hubby hasn't had a chance to check it out (till tonight) and we were in desperate need for some clean clothes. Two hours and $30 later we had clean clothes. I followed that up with a trip to the grocery store...isn't that exciting. It took me longer than usual because I was reading labels. I am trying to completely eliminate sugar, meat, dairy, preservatives, and the like from my diet. Today (Monday) is day 3 without a Mt. Dew!!

Saturday--Mallorye had to be at school early to catch the bus for their Odyssey of the Mind competition. It was an all day affair that didn't fair too well. Quentin had Guard Drill and a PT test. Which leaves me and Blake...we headed to Marmaduke for his basketball tournament. He had two really great games and we won the championship!! Check out the photos ;)




Saturday Night/Sunday--we had 5 services at church with a special guest...Don Piper, the author of 90 Minutes in Heaven. It was my weekend to sing, so yes, I was at all 5...1 on Sat night, 3 on Sunday morning, and 1 Sunday night...but it was so worth it! His testimony really challenged me and I have to admit, I went in with a skeptic attitude. The one thing he said that really stuck was how he explained that we will meet those we helped to get to Heaven at the gates...who will you meet at the gate? Who have you helped get there? That struck a chord deep within me. I pray that I've touched someone's life and that there will be many people for me to greet.

Sunday night---after all the services....I crashed!

I think that March will slow down a bit for me and I am welcoming the much needed break! Hope you all had a blessed weekend!!