Noah's 1st Program

So proud of little Noah...he had his first school program today. Watch his debut as Squanto!!!

Ryan Kendrick Rocks

So Proud of My Son & My Niece!!!

What a special weekend!! I have never been so proud of two teenagers in my entire life.  Both of whom have faced tremendous struggles and are overcoming them with grace and dignity.  My niece Taylor invited me to her ROTC meet on Saturday and I have to say I had no idea what it was about.  I was amazed by the discipline of these amazing young people.  They went through their drills with such detail and intense precision.  I am so proud of her for joining this program and sticking with it.  My hope for Taylor is that she will follow her dream of joining the military and furthering her education.

On Sunday I was so excited because Law & Grace our Sheriff's musical group were paying a visit to our church.  I had heard them before and was blown away by their amazing sound and how all of the members were law enforcement officers who are dedicated to using their music to bring people to know the Lord Jesus Christ.  On this night I was so proud once again because the Sheriff extended an invitation to my son Ryan to perform a song with them.  Ryan gladly accepted and joined the officers on stage for an instrumental performance of Amazing Grace.  I was once again in awe at the obstacles a teen can overcome and how GREAT God is!  I am so proud of my son and my niece Taylor.  Bravo kids!!!

The Season for Being Thankful

Life has been full of interesting twists and turns and changes for me over the past few months. I have not felt this good in a long time and since it's almost Thanksgiving time again I felt it would be a great time to reflect on the things I am thankful for.

God has blessed me in so many ways and I feel like I have been awakened recently. I am happy to report that my son Ryan is doing very well and I couldn't be happier for him. He is moving in the right direction and no doubt this is due to so many who have been praying and supporting him. He has a lot to be thankful for believe me! He has given me a few wrinkles and gray hairs (which I dye blonde of course) but I wouldn't trade him for anything. I am thankful for the son God has given me and the lessons he continues to teach us everyday.

Brian and I of course are still enjoying wedded biss after over 20 years together :) I am so thankful to the Lord for sending him into my life. I feel like the luckiest girl to have him as my husband and best friend. I feel sorry for those who are married to players who don't value their marriage like my husband does. I am thankful that my hubby isn't at work, at school or in the neighborhood looking for other female relationships like some guys I know of. I am thankful that I can trust in my marriage. I am greatful for a happy home.

My Mom's diabetes is under control and my sister is doing great with her job and promotion another thing to be thankful for. Our family's Fall Festival for the church was a huge success this year, tons of fun as well as our church revival. I am thankful for the wonderful vacation trips we got to take this year.  We had a blast in Wears Valley camping, in Savannah, and in the Outer Banks (OBX) which was an absolutely gorgeous beach vacation.  I got two promotions at work this year and our company is staying very busy which is definitely a blessing in these economic times. I love my job!!

I am thankful that the Lord has guided me in a different direction this year when it comes to my friends. He saw fit to lead me away from a friendship that wasn't good for me and has led me toward some wonderful new friends as well as back to some older ones. My new situation is so much more positive, and has made me realize what kind of friends I need to be around.

I am thankful not only for my relatives, my family but also so very thankful for my church family. I know without a doubt that the Lord is working within this AWESOME group of souls. They are such caring, God loving people and truly hold special places in my heart.

I could go on and on and on with how I am blessed but I will end here for now with a little poem for your reading enjoyment. I hope everyone enjoys a safe & happy Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving Day will soon be here
It comes around but once a year
If I could only have my way,
We'd have Thanksgiving every day!

Noah's Birthday

Well our little Noah (my nephew) had another birthday...it's so hard to believe he's growing up.  This year when my sister asked him where he wanted to have a birthday party he said Chuck E Cheese!!!  The kid had never been to Chuck E Cheese in his life so we figured he must have seen the commercials so his wish came true.  He had an absolute blast.  We all did.  He got lots of presents and spent hours playing the games.  Happy Birthday little man.

Long time no post.

Time sure does fly...I have been so busy that I haven't taken time to post, my bad.  We have enjoyed several weekend home visits with Ryan and it's hard to believe he's been away from home for 2 months already.  One more month to go.  Meanwhile we enjoyed a great trip to Savannah, GA.  Dad, Brenda, Amber, Ed, Brian and I had an absolute blast.  We also had time to visit Tybee Island this time and we all fell in love with it.  If you get a chance make Savannah & Tybee a must see on your next trip.

Ryan's birthday party

Today family and friends gathered to celebrate Ryan's 17th birthday a little early since we aren't sure if we will get to see him on the actual day.  He always asks to eat at his favorite Mexican restaurant El Ranchito.  We love their food.  It's funny how he loves Mexican food because when I was pregnant with him I craved tacos...Brian would stop on his way home from work everyday and get me a six pack of tacos from Taco Bell to help with my cravings.  I think that may have something to do with his love for mexican food. It's hard to believe that it's been 17 years ago during the Great Blizzard of 1993 that I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy.  Time is going by too fast.  I'm so glad that everyone came together today for Ryan...he has so many people who love him and support him.  He is truly blessed in that regard.

Sunshine, Friends and Mud Bogging in East Tennessee!!!

Finally we got a break from all of the snow that we've been bombarded with, and slowly but surely this week the temperatures began to creep steadily upward, today we ended up somewhere in the high 50's.  All of us have cabin fever. This weekend was perfect.  We kept my 3 year old nephew Noah on Friday night and as usual everyone in our house turns into a little kid again, it's always a blast when he comes to stay the night.  He is another one who loves to play the Wii.  You should see this little guy playing those games.  He LOVES IT!!! 

With the melting snow has come some deep mud holes around our house and Brian couldn't wait to get out in his big Ford and tear it up!!  Nice action photos taken by my son Ryan.  Great work guys!  I think he's warming up for the Struttin in the Ruts mud bog in Mt. Carmel, TN, at least we are hoping that they do it again this year.  

Super Bowl Weekend & Taylor's Military Ball

It was a fun weekend for us.  Friday night I went to my sister's house to take pictures of my beautiful neice before she attended her ROTC Military Ball.  She was stunning in her dress and beaming for the camera.  She received several awards and was promoted in rank.  Congratulations girly!

Noah spent the weekend with us and we had a blast with him.  Then his mom and daddy came Sunday and we all watched the Super Bowl with our neighbor JR.  Brian and I donned our Colt's shirts and cooked up a bunch of yummy snacks for everyone.  Too bad the Colt's didn't win this one but it was a great time anyway.

Congratulations to My Little Sis!!!

Congratulations to my little sister Amber who has finally earned her scrubs in college!  We are so proud of her.  She has also made the Dean's List.  Way to go girl!! 

Lazy Snow Daze!!

Brian and I enjoyed a really nice weekend.  On Friday we celebrated Brian's Mom's birthday then came home and watched the snow begin to fall.  I love winter weekends like this one.  On Saturday we enjoyed being completely lazy all morning, cuddling on the couch watching movies, when we finally did emerge we played in the snow a little bit then headed back in for more movies and games.  We are still really enjoying our Wii and games.  I was on a huge roll and beat Brian at all of the sports games...he couldn't believe it.  We still enjoy each other so much.  On Sunday we went for a drive in the snow.  Did a little bit of four wheeling.  Funny thing was this time I didn't take a ton of pictures.  I was too busy looking at the beautiful scenes...all of that white fluffy stuff blanketing the fields and houses.  These were the only pictures taken over the weekend.  I guess you can see a little bit of snow in the back grounds.