The Night Before....

....I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve. We just got home from our final dress rehearsal of Festival of the King and man am I pumped! I have never really been in a play or musical, so I guess you could say this is my "acting" debut. And this is such an incredible story....the story of how the King of Kings came to live among us...I mean, how could you not be excited about that.

Also, my "nearest and dearest" friends and family are coming to support and cheer us on. Many of them have never heard me sing...and none of them have seen me act...lol! My co-workers, aunt, and scrapping bud are coming tomorrow....Q's family is coming on Saturday...and my family is coming Sunday morning.

There's still room for you. Come check us out...you won't be disappointed.

Old Man Winter

Old man winter paid a visit to Arkansas last night and left us with a nice covering of the white stuff....ice! The wind blew our patio furniture around and the sky deposited a nice coat of ice on everything.

This was my porch last night as it was still coming down.

And this afternoon, the roads are still slick, but we're starting to thaw out....we're up to 27 degrees!! A heat wave!

I was actually excited to see the ice....because I knew it meant I would be "stuck" at home...and well let's face it, lately that hasn't been happening. So I took the opportunity to put some ornaments on the tree and hang the stockings. I usually go all out for Christmas decorating, but this is as much as I can handle this year. I even managed to get my cards out this week.

And what's that under the tree? Yes! I even got a few presents wrapped. Now, if I could just finish my shopping!!

I'm thinkin' tonight we may sit down as a family and actually play a game! {gasp} Blake has really been wanting to play a board game and I think tonight is the perfect setting.

Introspect

What do you do when you find yourself at a crossroad where either choice is going to be a difficult road? Do you choose the lesser of two evils? Do you do nothing and let the choice choose you?

I'm at a hard spot.

My emotions are all over the place and I've yet to allow myself to feel their full effect. On the outside things are wonderful, but on the inside...well, it's an entirely different situation.

I'm trying really hard to just seek God and allow Him to work in me and through me. Not an easy task for an OCD control freak. LOL.

In the meantime, I keep extending grace. I keep praying. I keep hoping. And I wait...

...I wait for a clear path and direction.

The King Is Coming

Where is December? I know...it's only the 8th, but I feel like it's just slipping by so quickly. It is such a busy ministry season and this year is definitely no exception. I'm really trying to focus on Christ and the fact that during Christmas we celebrate not just His birth, but the fact that He came to earth to save the people....it's about the Coming of the King. He came...for us...to die for us...so that when He comes again we will be able to be with Him. I think we forget that. We think of Christmas and automatically go to this little baby in a manger. Christ' coming was so much more than that!!

We are 9 days away from our opening night of Festival of the King....this play tells the story about the Coming of the King and I'm so excited to be a part of it. For a congregation of 500, a production that has around 40 actors, is huge God thing! Not to mention the tech crew, costume people, hospitality, props, stage crew, and all the other volunteers that have worked tirelessly to make this production come alive! We have put in countless hours because we want to see lives changed...for people to understand that God came for us...and that He is coming back again to take us home.

Prayer Needs;
**strength to finish strong
**health of our actors/singers
**patience with one another
**salvation of the lost that will see this production
**open hearts and minds of everyone who comes to hear this story

Just Curious...

One thought rolling around in my head today....

....how long are we considered "post-deployment?" And when do we start feeling like a normal family again...a normal couple?

Ok, that was two thoughts, but hey who's counting?!

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!

Lights of the Delta

I am so behind on blogging...I'm not even sure where to begin. (I think I should've participated in NaBloPoMo...so at least I would've been accountable to post this past month) Anyway, thought I'd start with the most recent...

This past weekend, Mallorye competed in her first Preliminary Pageant. It was a much bigger deal than we realized, but we so enjoyed the experience, and learned a ton!! Like, always have a back up plan!

The weekend started on Friday afternoon with a 5 HOUR rehearsal! These people are seriously hard-core. The girls got some really neat gifts and then went on a tour of the Festival of Lights, complete with caroling, hot cocoa, and pictures with Santa! We drove back home and got in bed around midnight (next time we rent a room!)

The gifts...fleece blanket, tote bag, monogrammed soda koozie, leather day planner, a hoodie, and lots of candy and chocolate!

Saturday morning found us getting make up done at 7:30am! Then on to hair, where our first catastrophe happened. The lady never showed up to do her hair. Thank God for Colette! We ended up just going natural with her long straight hair...hey whatever works! Her interview was 11am...and she feels like she did really well on that...then at 2pm she competed in On Stage Question (aced that one!), and Talent...we need to work on the talent competition. At 7pm, the final stage of competition began with Active Wear (she looked awesome) and Evening Gown. Although we didn't come home with a crown, we did have an awesome experience, made new friends, and gained valueable knowledge.

Mallorye before interview

Mallorye killing time after the interview...she thought this sign was neat since her platform is "Heart of Hollywood" Organ Donation Awareness

Mallorye in her opening number outfit...getting ready to go back stage

Now to get ready for the next one!!