Good times and bad.

Last weekend, I had Fri. and Sat. off so I went to Clinton. I stayed with Deann, and I had such a good time! I got to participate in a Bible study at her house that was so encouraging! It was so nice to feel unlimited by time and really discuss God's Word. On Saturday morning, I went squeal day for KT! (Where rushees find out which tribe they are in at MC). It was so nice to see a lot of my KT sisters. :) Then, I ate lunch with Alletta, and we got to catch up on life! It was nice to see everyone... but it made me miss Clinton even more! At least I only live 3 hours away.

On another note, please pray for my hometown- Rincon, GA. There has been quite a few deaths recently, and most of them were teenagers. From suicides, to car accidents, to sickness... the community is suffering from a lot right now. I was encouraged to see pictures from See You at the Pole this morning at my old high school, ECHS. All of the young people that have died have been either students or recent graduates of that school. It needs so much prayer, and it is encouraging to see so many students turning to God in times of tragedy.

Sorry there are no house updates... I have been so busy that I haven't been over since I took the last photos. I am probably going to swing by before church tonight. :)

Our new home!!

I promised pictures of our home... but what I didn't know is that I would have multiple pictures for our first post!! The foundation was poured last Friday 9.9.11...

My best friend, Deann, came to visit me yesterday, so we went to see the house. When we got there at about 5:45, they were still working! They had been framing it out! 9.15.11...

This afternoon, I got a picture message from Philip of the house. So, then I had to go see it again...lol. 9.16.11...

YAY!! It's really coming along so quickly. Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

New Beginnings

This week Philip and I signed the papers to build a house, and we are VERY excited about it! Besides making a good investment, we also are thrilled to: 1. Be in Gulfport where we both work and go to church. 2. Be able to yell at football and baseball games (or talk above a whisper) without being turned in by our neighbors. 3. Be free from the constant barking of our neighbors' chihuahuas... (yes, the same ones who turned us in for noise). LOL. 4. Have space for family and friends to visit.... and etc. etc.... I could go on all day. We are very blessed to be able to own a home, and we can't wait to move in!! The slab is supposed to be laid by the end of this week. I will post pictures as our home progresses from its current state- a pile of dirt.

Million Air also officially opened this week! WOOHOO!! Side note- my feet are adapting to heels after a little help from Dr. Scholls. Lori would be so proud.

In other news, we are getting ready to begin the Awana program at our church for the first time. I am going to be the director for the T&T girls (3rd-5th grade). I am so excited about the program, but also nervous because I have never done Awanas before. Please pray for me as I prepare, and also for clarity in sharing the gospel with these children.

I also went to adult choir for the first time last week... I feel like a real grown-up now. :)

So They Can Know

I have a heavy heart after reading my precious friend Laura's blog. She moved to Haiti about a week ago to teach at an orphanage.

Read the last few posts. Be challenged.

This week...

This week has been a fun one. I went out with some ladies from church on Wednesday night to see The Help. It was SO good that I want to see it again! I laughed, I cried (a lot), and I wanted to punch Hilly Holbrook. The setting was Jackson, so I recognized school and street names, tv station, and more. That was really neat to me. I'm so thankful that I did not live in that era.

On Thursday night, my childhood friend Whitney Miller (America's first MasterChef) was in D'Iberville for a cookbook signing. It was right down the road, so of course I went! I had fun visiting with Whitney and her parents. There was also an artist there who drew this charicature of me... haha!!

Last night, I went to dinner with the Nave's, some of our friends from church who both went to MC and MHBC in Clinton like me! They are so much fun, and their son, Christian, is adorable! Pip (or Peep according to Christian) met us after he got off work. Christian found out that Pip "talks to planes", and so he was talking to planes all night. Haha! We had a great time hanging out with them!
Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Birthday week!

Life has been a little crazy for me lately, going from being home all the time for 3 months to working full time. I've been taking naps a lot more since I started work! We are still not open... but the building is getting very close to completion. I can't wait for us to be open!

 Anyway, my birthday was this week and one of my very best friends, Laura, came to visit me! I'm really glad she came bc Pip was playing in a softball tournament, and he had 2 games that night. Laura and I went to the first game, then we ate pizza and ice cream cake from Bop's! :) I was really thankful to spend some time with Laura bc she is moving to Haiti on August 21st. She will be teaching English at an orphanage there. She also has a blog, and it is super encouraging- So They Can Know.You should check it out! Since Pip didn't get to hang out with me much that night, he took me to Olive Garden the next night. :) He also got me the elliptical trainer that I wanted so bad! It is like a small elliptical that only has the foot pedals. It is awesome! It is small and easy to balance on, and you can also turn it around and place it in front of a chair to use it like a stationary bike! I have really enjoyed using it! Thanks Pip!

DIY Name Plaque

Recently, I made a name plaque as a wedding gift for my friends, Adam & Jennifer! I thought I'd share my pictures and directions on my blog, so you could try it, too! I got the idea from The Southern Stitcher. Her blog is amazing. To make your own, you will need a wooden plaque, paint, white tissue paper, Mod Podge, a paint brush, and distress ink.

I bought this wooden plaque at Michael's and painted it white.

Cut a sheet of white tissue paper down to copy paper size, then tape the edges

of the tissue paper to the copy paper.

Print your lettering. (I actually printed on regular copy paper first until I decided on the font sizes.)

 I printed the last name in a larger size and with a more interesting font.

Cut out each word. (Try to cut close to the edges!)

For those of you who are new to Mod Podge (as I was), this is what the bottle looks like! :)

Place your words where you want them to make sure you are happy with the size and fonts.

Use a paintbrush or foam brush to mod podge the tissue word to the wood,

and then brush over the word as well.

It will look white like this when you mod podge over it,

but it dries clear!!

I also sanded it a little, and then used brown distress ink (that you can find in the scrapbooking section in your local craft store)!



I hope you all like my finished product! I was very proud of it, and I can't wait to make another.