Joni and Friends TV Series

Last night Stephen was flipping through TV channels and he stopped on TBN when he saw something that really touched him. It was something sponsored by Joni Eareckson Tada's ministry "Joni and Friends". I am sure many of you know her story. She was in a diving accident in 1967 that left her as a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, unable to use her hands. During her two years in rehabilitation she learned to paint by holding the brush in her teeth. She then wrote two best selling books including her biography and this helped her recreate her life. She is an amazing woman of God. The sufferings she has endured have given her a nearness and dependence on the Lord, wisdom, and compassion that truly moving. She has become an advocate for the disabled around the world. Her ministry "Joni and friends" does many things to minister to the disabled community. And now they are featuring a program at 7:30 EST on TBN and 7:00pm EST on NRB. Last nights episode was very inspiring. It was about a family who has adapted a number of disabled children and how selflessly they serve them and raise them to love the Lord.

Here is the link for the series: http://www.joniandfriendstv.org/

With so many poor choices of what the watch on TV, how great it is to have some quality programming that may just change your life!

Our Vacation

Stephen and I had a wonderful time on vacation. The Seabrook Island resort was so beautiful. Everything was so convenient and the beaches were not crowded at all, even on Memorial Weekend. From the Villa where we stayed we could drive about 5 minutes and get to the beach. But the drive was through the resort and was so beautiful. There were all of these gorgeous houses with large trees and Spanish moss. There were also deer walking around and we saw several on the days we were there.


We went to the beach everyday and there were two places to gain access to the beach. One of these spots was a pool complex. This was nice because there was a restaurant right there, beach chairs with covers if you wanted them, and a pool. You could get the best of both worlds of being on a beach but also having all of these things (and bathrooms which is nice for the pregnant lady:) At night they would have live music.


The other entrance to the beach was more secluded but was very private. We went there one day too and walked down the beach. There were these huge sand dunes where turtles nest. It was so peaceful. We saw dolphins swimming one day which was so fun.

When we walked on the beach at night it was almost like having it to ourselves and the sunset was magnificant.

We also enjoyed going to "Fresh Farms". This is a restaurant and shopping center right outside the resort. They have all kinds of upscale and quaint shops, restaurants, a grocery store that is similar to the Fresh Market, and live music over the Memorial Day weekend. We ate there one night and also ate on Kiawah Island one night.


Our villa had a full kitchen so we cooked a lot of meals. It also had a screened in porch and a balcony, cable, and Internet access (although we used it sparingly.)






Overall we had a great, fun, and relaxing time. It was good to unwind, turn the cell phones off, spend good time together as we prepare for parenthood, spend good time with the Lord, and just enjoy God's creation. We are so thankful for the opportunity we had to go.

On the way home we were able to stop in Columbia to see Daniel and Johanna. Daniel has been Stephen's best friend since they were children. They are expecting their first child in September. They were so kind to cook dinner for us.

So now it is back to the real world, but we come back refreshed and encouraged.

Coming Home

Today is the day we leave the beach. It is always kind of sad to come home from a vacation. It is kind of a downer. But we are so thankful for the wonderful time we have had here. It has been a great vacation. I will try to post about it tomorrow with some pictures.

But I did get something in my e-mail box that cheered me up! It is a picture of my friend Leslie's little girl Lilly. Lilly is the most animated 1 year old I have ever been around. And when she gets excited she opens up her mouth really wide and opens up her eyes really big. It is so funny. The first time I saw her do it I laughed so hard that I scared her. Anyway I asked Leslie to try and take a picture of her doing it and send it to me and she did. So I will post it here for your viewing enjoyment. I hope you all are having a good week.

Louie Giglio - Laminin

Someone sent me a link to this great video by Louie Giglio - (leader of the "Passion" Student Ministries). It is another reminder that the whole earth is filled with the glory of God. For those of us who are hidden in Christ, we should have ultimate trust in our almighty Father.

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope everyone is enjoying a nice day off today. Stephen and I are still at the beach and are having a very fun and relaxing time. We have had perfect weather. I will write more when we get back and add a few pictures.

"He will have no fear of bad news"

Almost everyday (except for the weekends) I will look at different news headlines on the Internet to see what is going on in the world and in our country. Most of the time the news is not positive. Even recently there is a lot of coverage of recessions, the housing crisis, the falling dollar, soaring gas prices, foreclosure, and job loss. And that is only in economic news..not to mention things going on with families, natural disasters, culture, and politics. Out tendency may be to fear or to prefer to not know what is going on at all. What the Lord wants is for our souls to be so anchored in Him that no matter what the circumstance we trust Him. He wants us to believe that He is in control of all things. This is beautifully stated in this Psalm that my husband brought to my attention a few weeks ago.

Psalm 112:7

(speaking of the righteous man)
7 "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD."

Recently when I have had little moments of fear I have thought about this verse. I pray that the Lord would make me a woman who has a steadfast heart, trusting in the Lord. And like the Proverbs 31 woman instead of fearing I am able to smile at the future. (Prov 31:25).

David Cook Wins American Idol

In case you missed it last night, here is a clip of David Cook winning American Idol and his final song performance. I think he handled it with a lot of class.

Pray for Steven Curtis Chapman's Family

I saw this on www.cnn.com this morning and I could not believe it. This is so sad. Please pray for this family and especially their son.


Here is the link. I wasn't sure if I should copy the article here because of copyrights.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/22/chapman.daughter.ap/index.html

Seabrook Island

Some friends of ours from church ( V and H thank you so much!!) are letting us use their beach condo at Seabrook Island for vacation this upcoming week. Stephen and I are very grateful and excited to have 5 days to get away together before the baby comes (and before I get so huge that I can't enjoy a vacation:) It's been a long time since we have been able to do this. Seabrook Island has private beaches and is in a resort setting. Is is near Kiawah Island and is about 45 minutes from Charleston. So far weather.com is reporting good weather so hopefully there will be lots of fun and relaxation in the sun. We are very thankful for the Lord providing us with this huge blessing.

Farmer's Market Love

I love shopping at the Greenville Farmer's Market. It is a great way to get fresh produce at a fraction the cost that you pay in the grocery store. For instance you can buy apples at $0.99 at pound. In the grocery store they are usually about $1.50-1.75 a pound. The tomatoes are so good as taste so much better than ones from a store. Not only do they have produce but many more fresh things from local farms. They have a huge variety of beans, canned jams and other sauces, honey, eggs, milk, fresh butter, ground beef, peanuts, breads, cheese, flowers, and so much more. I usually go at least 2 times a month. They are open Monday - Saturday 8am-6pm. Maybe I also like it because it reminds me of shopping in the open air markets when I lived overseas. But I really enjoy shopping this way. I also love saving money and getting great fresh things for our family:) If you would like to go it is located on: 1354 Rutherford Road, Greenville, S.C. 29609

Babys R Us Craziness

First of all, I give all mothers permission to have a good chuckle on my behalf right now. That being said, I went yesterday and started the daunting task of registering for baby items. I want to say a major THANK YOU to my friend Sarah who went with me and helped me figure out things I needed. But it was a bit overwhelming. There are so many things you need! And until you are a mother you don't even think about using half of those items. I have never thought about having something to stick in my dishwasher to hold baby things, what kind of thermometers are best, how many changes of sheets you need, that you need different covers for changing pads, mattresses, and pack in plays. I also think yesterday was another reminder of the huge responsibility it is to take care of another person, especially when they are so helpless. What a huge life change! But also I know that it is a blessing. The Lord will use this stage of life more than any other to show me how dependent I am on Him. So after 2 1/2 hours in the store and several more online I am pretty much registered. But through the magic of Internet I can still add things. So if anyone has any suggestions of things that they got for their baby that they loved please let me know. I can use all the help I can get. :)

Free Iced Coffee and Free Chicken Sandwich Today

In correction to my earlier post, I have now learned that ALL Dunkin' Donuts will be giving away free Iced Coffee today from 10am to 10pm. So if you are near one today grap a free cup of iced java. https://www.dunkindonuts.com/

Also today McDonalds is giving away free Southern Style Chicken sandwiches when you buy a medium or large drink.

The Office Season Finale Tonight

The Office Season Finale is tonight at 9pm on NBC. They say there will be lots of surprises and the shows plot has been kept top secret. It also is an hour long episode. I am sure it will be great with lots of laughs! Here is a clip NBC has posted of the cold opening for tonight's episode. Happy Office Thursday!

Myanmar Relief - Samaritan's Purse

If you are looking for a Evangelical Organization to send donations to for relief in Myanmar, China, or the places in the US recently hit by tornadoes, Samaritan's Purse is on the ground in these places with supplies, prayers, and taking any open doors for the gospel they can get. Consider supporting them or other likeminded ministries to help these people in the midst of terrible suffering. Their webite is: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/

Free Lattes!

The word on the street is that the Dunkin' Donuts on Wade Hampton in Greenville is giving away free Lattes all day this Thursday May 15th. This is to celebrate their opening of the new store. So if you are in the area stop by for a free cup!

Prince Caspian

I am excited about the movie "Prince Caspian" which will be in theaters this weekend. I recently re-read this book and I think the movie will be great. Check out the trailer!

Mother's Day

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. We had a great day but it was very busy. Since my family and Stephen's family live here in Greenville we usually spend holidays split between the two. But we had a fun day seeing everyone. I got up and cooked a dish to take to my in-laws house. (Poppyseed Chicken - yum!) Then we went to my parent's church for the service. Then we drove to Stephen's parent' house for lunch. We came home for about 2 hours and headed to my sister and brother-in-law's house to spend with my mom. Nate made his famous ribs and they were so delicious! For some reason I didn't get any pictures of either of our moms but I did get this funny picture of me, my sisters, and husbands all sitting on Nate and Kelly's new King Sized bed. :)

"Sav More" Money

I love learning new ways to save money. I read about something on a blog recently that I just had to try. I learned that the discount grocery store "Sav More" on Wade Hampton in Greenville has a side walk sale about twice a month. They do it at 9am on Saturday mornings. They put out tons of non-perishable food in rows of boxes. They then provide banana boxes for the shoppers. When they say "go" you can fill up as many boxes as you can and you only pay $6.00 a box. Most of the food is at expiration date or is surplus from other stores . They have a huge variety of things to choose from. I went this past Saturday and I must say I didn't know what to expect. There was a good crowd of people there and I was scared that people might push their way through the rows of food. But everyone was very nice. I got a ton of stuff for only $6.00 (as you can see in the picture). If Stephen had been with me we could have gotten even more but he had to work and I could only carry one box. I definitely will being going to more of these sidewalk sales! This is a summary of some of the things I got:

1. 3 Boxes of cereal (two of them are organic)
2. 6 Bottles of Salad Dressing

3. 4 boxes of granolla bars
4. a box of energy bars

5. chicken broth

6. Stove Top Stuffing

7. BBQ sauce

8. 2 Boxes of pasta salad

9. 2 bottles of peanut butter (one is organic)

10. mayonase

11. organic unbleached flour

12. two boxes of tea

13. smuckers grape jelly

14. bottle of hot sauce

15. box of banana/strawberry juice

Baby Burch is on the Way!

As many of you know, Stephen and I are expecting our first child in October. The due date is October 19th. We are very excited as we await the arrival of our first child!

What you may not know is what a miracle it was for me to get pregnant in the first place. Although every baby is a miracle we were especially surprised when I became pregnant because I have an infertility condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I found out that I had this before we even got married so I knew it could be very hard to get pregnant when the time came for us to try and start a family. I won't go into all the details of this condition ( please e-mail me if you have questions), but I praise the Lord that he works in spite of statistics and odds.

Although I had not reached the point where I was distressed or worried about not having children, throughout this past year the Lord has increased my desire to become a mother. But I knew I may have to put this desire on hold for a long time. Fortunately, God in his grace had other plans for me. Many friends and family members prayed for me and recently several people at church had prayed for me about this specifically. Then all of the sudden at the end of February I started feeling funny. I could not believe it when I finally took a test and found it positive. I then had a higher risk for a miscarriage so I waited to 12 weeks tell everyone. But everything went perfect with the first trimester. Now I am 17 weeks pregnant.

I write this to encourage anyone who may be struggling in this area or in another area of health. Our God is a mighty God and one who answers the prayers of the righteous.

We had our ultrasound last Wednesday (May 7th) which also happened to be our 3 year anniversary! What a blessing to celebrate that day by seeing our son moving and bouncing all around on the ultrasound screen! We got some great pictures of him as you can see. We then celebrated with a great dinner at MiMi's Cafe and watched a movie. I am so thankful for my wonderful godly husband. I love being married to him. And I am so thankful for the Lord blessing us with a son. Our greatest prayer is for him to become a mighty warrior for the Lord.