Viva Las Vegas!

Las Vegas was awesome! Dave and Phyllis were the best. We saw so many things in just a few days. I worked all night Tuesday night and with perfect timing, the baby decided to add some fun to our trip and kept me throwing up that entire night. I was able to get some sleep on Wednesday during the day, but as soon as I woke up, I was back at it again. Somehow I was able to get us packed and made it by the skin of our teeth to our gate. Wednesday night we flew from Nashville to Vegas. Still feeling extremely nauseous, I made a fool of myself and got one of those blue passes to preboard so that I could sit near the front of the plane, next to my favorite place, the bathroom. Mark was gracious enough to let me lay in his lap practically the entire flight, and by sipping ever so slighly on some gingerale, I was able to keep from getting sick. Dave and Phyllis picked us up we were able to drive through the strip before going back to their house. They live in the cutest little house literally 10minutes from the strip. Dave worked on Thursday, and thankfully I was feeling a lot better so Phyllis took us to Red Rock for a hike which was so awesome. The mountains there are SO different than we had ever seen. They were beautiful! We also went to The Mirage where all the tigers and dolphins are. Friday Dave took off work and we spent most of the day in Zion National Park.....VERY COOL! We did some hiking and drove through the canyon. It was a blast...until the very end. Just as the sun was setting my stomach started hurting and I was soooo nauseous...AGAIN! I then proceeded for the next 24 straight hours to lay on the couch and sleep. The only time I got up was to make my frequent trips to the bathroom 5 feet away and then back. My wonderful, awesome, one-of- a-kind husband along with my now very favorite Aunt and Uncle served and pampered me until I was able to come out of my coma. When I woke up it was Sunday morning, I felt some better and was able to actually converse and eat some food. I was feeling good enough on Sunday night to go to the strip and see some of the awesome places. We went to the Bellagio (sp), The Paris, and The Venetian. Monday morning we got up and went to Hoover Dam (which Mark LOVED) and then Phyllis dropped us off at the airport. The flight back wasn't as bad as the flight there, but still was not at all good. Here are just a very few of our pictures!

Gondola ride in The Venetian...so cool.

Our guide was actually Italian.

Hoover Dam

Zion Nat. Park- our favorite part of the trip


Hiking at Zion - Mark, Phyllis and Dave

In the Mirage- there were atually 6 baby tigers

playing in a cage

Zion...again. Can you tell we liked it!

Red Rock! I felt good that day.

Dave and Phyllis were so awesome and created the perfect vacation for us. They knew exactly what we wanted to see and were so willing to 'just do whatever.' Dave cooked for us every chance he could and did a great job at it I might add. Apparently he is extra great on the grill (I don't first hand-he grilled during my coma). So I totally recommed Las Vegas to EVERYONE! We enjoyed our short time on the strip, but there is so much more to do there than that. We will definitely be back!

Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving day/weekend. Mark and I of course went home for the weekend. We had lots of food (which I was extra thankful for this year), and a good time with family. This Thanksgiving was alittle different for everyone. Of course the thing on everyone's mind was the fact that Dado was not there with us. Baba cooked a ton of great food as usual, but I'm sure it was more difficult for her than anyone else.
A lot of Mark's family didn't get to come like they usually do. Everyone was busy with new babies, other family, or sickness, so the house seemed alittle more empty than usual. Instead of doing things with 'the cousins' we did things with 'the cousin.' Aunt Phyliss and Rachel Leigh were the only ones from Jenny's side that came in. I still really enjoyed our time together.

I went to the doctor yesterday. It's so amazing how just hearing the baby's heart beat can make me smile so big. I find myself wondering more and more about what he/she will look like, who's personality it will have, etc. So most of all this year I have to say I am thankful for this little one God is forming inside me. Mark and I are truly thankful for our little miracle.

Review of the Weekend...

As I blogged earlier this week Raich came last wednesday night and stayed until yesterday afternoon. We had a lot of fun. It seemed like she had only been here a day when it came time for her to go home. Friday we went to Matt and Lori's. Mark and Matthew pulled apart the entire engine etc. of the old Lumina. They literally worked on it most of the night Friday night and most of the afternoon on Saturday.
Saturday night we went to the Woodbury horse sale and bought a few horses. My husband was so awesome buying those horses. I couldn't have been more proud watching him in that crowd of men. It was cool hearing a lot of them talk about Dado and Jerry being such great men and seeing the respect Mark got just because of his dad and grand-dad being 'the best' men as some of them said. I even heard one say...'There will never be another like that Jerry Adams.' We are keeping the horses at the Bills right now, but will be taking them home at Thanksgiving. We got home late Saturday night and were so tired, but had a really fun time all together.
On another note, I am sure many of you are going to be very glad to know that for the past 2 whole days I have been feeling really well. I have not been nauseous really at all and seem to be back to my old self. No one was happier than my husband upon hearing this news. I told him yesterday in the truck on the way to pick up the horses that I didn't even feel pregnant anymore...he smiled from ear to ear: not because he doesn't want me to be pregnant, but because as he says, "I have a chance of getting my old wife back." I have decided to take that statement as a compliment and move on. So everyone keep praying WITH your fingers crossed (is that sacreligious?) that I have seen the last of the nauseouness.

This is the end result of 'the boys' playing with our old car

(they actually thought they would put it back together...HA!)

A couple of very wet and muddy puppies.

They played in the rain for 2 days and had a blast.
A dynamic duo

This is me BEFORE I started feeling better.

Horses

This post is mostly for my father-in-law, Jerry. It can also be for those who want to see the new horses we got last night at the Woodbury horse sale. It was really fun and I loved watching Mark bid on. I will write more about the events of this weekend next time. For now, here are the videos...enjoy!

The voice you hear is Margaret Bills

Jerry David

So every week I get an email from babycenter.com that tells me what the baby's size is this week. When I was just a few weeks along the baby was a lentil bean, and then a kidney bean, then a grape and last week it was a kumquat. All of those were really cute and I enjoyed trying to imagin what my baby looked like each week, all except for the kumquat, but I was willing to just go with that one. Each week I would tell everyone what 'our' baby was 'this week' and we would laugh and smile about 'baby lentil' etc....until this week. I looked on my email and as usual got the email that said "this week your baby is ths size of a....FIG. My immediate reaction is 'what is a fig?' I do realize that the bible talks about fig trees, which is great but never in my study did I actually know what a fig was that came from the fig tree. The first thing that came to my mind was a 'fig neuton.' That makes sense right...I mean who actually knows exactly what a 'fig' is. Needless to say I did some research and posted a picture for all your viewing pleasure of what size the baby is this week. So enjoy, who knows what size Jerry David will be next week...stay tuned to find out.
On another note, my sister Raich is here for a few days. She brought her dog (which I have to mention because she is over top of me right now making me mention Abby). Poor Abby is afraid of Mark something awful. When he comes home from work she growls and barks like an intruder has entered and she's the sworn protector. Raich got in late Wednesday night and will be here through Sunday afternoon. So far we have done pretty much nothing other than watch TV and look at houses, which I guess is ok since we don't make plans ahead of time anyway. Speaking of not making plans, we decided last night that we would call our very wonderful family, Matt and Lori, and invite ourselves over for the weekend. As usual, they gladly accepted and reinvited us so that I wouldn't 'feel bad' for inviting myself (we all know I am great at 'feeling bad'.) So for all of you who follow my blog faithfully (thank you very much) can wait paitently in anticpiation for pictures.

Wedding Bells

First things first. Mark's CT he had done was totally normal. We expected it to be, but were still relieved when we got the call that everything looked good. His headache is pretty much gone, although he says that sometimes he can still feel it lingering some. So we thank God for that great news!
We went to Louisville this weekend for Paul's wedding. Paul is Mark's best friend from high school. From what I hear they were totally inseparable back then. It didn't take long when I met Paul for the first time (several years ago) to realize why...they are practically the same person in so many ways: Crazy about UK basketball, intellectual men, absoutely hilarous, and neither one can dance to save their lives (although they try very hard). Of course both have gone their spearate ways now, but when they get together it's like nothing has changed. The wedding was beautiful. Margaret, Paul's wife, is beautiful and so sweet. Luke and Sarah came for the wedding but Jerry and Jenny had to stay home at the last minute because Aunt Grace passed away and Jenny got a horrible bacterial infection which put her in bed for several days. We stayed until late in the evening and then drove back to Tullahoma. It was a lot of fun, but definitely a hard trip back (mostly for Mark). I was no help at all to Mark who drove home, but luckily Ben talked with him on the phone until I was able to pry my eyes open for the last hour. So here are some pictures (Jenny): enjoy!

The Bride and Groom

My handsome husband with a bridesmaid

Just hangin' around;
waiting to take pictures after the wedding


Although I am VERY opposed to putting this picture here
(for obvious reasons) , a certain someone (you know who you are)
would be upset if I didn't and I would be in trouble.

Husband update...

Well our wonderful doctor, Dr. Bills (some of you may know him) saw Mark yesterday and said he thinks Mark has a tension headache. Almost all of the symptoms fit and so we got some steriods and a pain shot before leaving the office. His headache was still pretty bad most of the day yesterday but was a lot better when he woke up this morning. So hopefully it will be completely gone today or tomorrow. We are getting a CT of his head just to be safe because Mark doesn't usually get headaches at all, let alone this bad of one. We thought that it might be a sinus problem because of the time of the year and because Mark has always had bad allergies/sinuses, but we found them to be totally clear after looking at the x-rays.
So all seems to be back to normal around the Adams' household (appartmenthold). Family calls daily to check on their little 'grape' of a grandchild. I would like to tell them something other than 'everything smells horrible', and/or 'I'm nauseous'...but anything other than that would be pretty much a lie. Everyone tells me it will end soon, but I'm starting to be skeptical.
This weekend is Paul's (Mark's best friend) wedding which is in Louisville. We will meet Jerry and Jenny, Luke and Sarah for the wedding which will be fun. I'm really excited because I love staying in hotel rooms (which my husband says I'm werid b/c I like that). I'll have pics to show next week!

Sickly, Sickly

Yesterday when we woke up for church Mark complained of a bad headache. Unfortunately, it lingered all day long. Last night he was up most of the night and said it hurt so bad he couldn't sleep. I felt so bad for him. He is a typical man when it comes to being sick...complains, whines, wants me to stay next to him at all times, doesn't know what he wants but asks if I could figure it out. But, last night when he didn't go to sleep I really felt bad for him. He didn't even go to work this morning. I gave him everything I know to give him to help his headache, but nothing is working. He doesn't have a fever or body aches or anything. Just an excruciating headache that is constant. I finally called to get him into the doctor this afternoon because it just wasn't getting better. For now, he is being pitiful on the couch sleeping. It's nice though to be with him for a long weekend though, even if he is a sick boy.

New Wheels

So I worked very hard all day on Friday at the hospital. I didn't even each lunch until about 3:00pm because I just couldn't get a break. People treat the emergency room like it's a doctor's office....grrrr! I guess I shouldn't complain too much...job security. So the point of this story is to say that after a long hard day at work, I walk outside the ER for Mark to pick me up (because we only have one car) and what do I see...my husband driving an Altima! He had gone that day to Fayetteville and bought a car for us. I love this car. It is perfect for us. So here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

We drove to Manchester and Mark took me out to eat at O'Charley's, one of my favorite resaurants! I know, you all are jelous of the wonderful husband that I have. He is great!

Also, another cool thing that happened this week is that Clint and Sara had their baby girl, Morgan Faith Howard. Pictures will come soon! Welcome baby Morgan!

Seattle, Washington!

Hello from Fort Lewis (Seattle) Washington! Mom and I are visiting Ryan, Gloria, and little Elayna. We got here on Wednesday evening after a long plane ride. There was a medical emergency on our flight over. Thankgoodness there happen to be the two best nurses in the whole world on that plane. No kidding, this guy passed out after taking some pain medicine. When the stewardess asked for any medical personal to go up to the front of the plane, Mom and I happen to be the first ones up there. All ended well and the guy was examined by EMS after the flight. We then met Glo in the airport (with a huge smile) pushing Elayna in her stroller. I fell in love instantly with this precious baby girl. She is such a good baby. Gloria acts like a natural, like Elayna has been here forever. They are both very calm, content and so happy. Thursday we went downtown Seattle to the "Pike-Place Market." We had a lot of fun. It reminded me of Europe a lot. Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and fish (which stunk really bad). Today Glo went to work for a few hours and Mom and I got to watch Elayna. So here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure! More to come later.

This is in World Market...

we had to go to the back of the store to feed Elayna!

We had to climb this hill pushing Elayna and mom needed help.

Elayna's first tub bath!

Lotioning up! She was looking right at me!

Weekend adventures...

This weekend was very interesting to say the least. A few months ago we had planned to go to Matt and Lori's for the Dennis Reis naturalhorsemanship clinic in Cookeville. Matt received a lot of free tickets (yeah!) , so Mark, mom, Rachel, and I all decided to go. (Dad came and stayed Friday night too!) Friday afternoon when Mark got in from work we loaded up our Lumina and headed to Cookeville. As some of you know, we have been having some trouble with our car over-heating. Most of the time, we can just cool down the engine and put some more coolant in and we go on our way. Well this time I guess the car had enough. We had to stop every 15miles or so to cool the car down, and could only go 40mph the entire way there. Finally, about 10miles outside of Cookeville our car totally died. I thank the good Lord for great family. Matt and Lori came to our rescue. Since both of us have very good family genes of 'rednecks,' Matt and Mark did the most logical thing with the car and towed it, with a ROPE, back to their house. After talking with mechanics on the phone, (no place was available since it was the weekend) and having Dad,Matt, and Mark colaborate on what could be wrong, we decided the car was pretty much not worth fixing. Needless to say we stayed the whole weekend as planned and went to the horse clinic which was awesome. There weren't a lot of people there so we were able to get good seats. At the end, Mark was able to talk one-on-one with Dennis about 'horse stuff.' Dennis was very friendly and is one of the best if you ask us.
Sunday evening Matt and Lori, again, were very nice and took us back home to Tullahoma. So the search is on for a car now. The timing is not exactly what we imagined it should be, but I guess nothing ever is.
So, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you, to Matt and Lori for your wonderfulness throughout the ENTIRE weekend. We appreciate not only your kindness, but your willingness to spend your time, money, and give up your house for us. We love you so much!

Save the trees!

I am by no means what people would call a "tree hugger." Not that I have anything against "tree huggers," but just to set the record straight before I continue this blog...I am not a tree hugger. With that said, I can also say that I do like trees ( I do realize that being a 'tree-hugger' has to do with much more than trees). At the end of last week Mark and I realized that two huge trees that are across the street from our appartments had been stripped of their limbs. They were naked. We had a short discussion on how we did not appreciate seeing these once beautiful trees, we would play catch under, naked...not to mention I'm sure the trees themselves were even more unappreciative of their nakedness.
So this morning when I woke up I saw that both trees were now being chopped down altogether, you can imagin my disgust. I just want to say on record to anyone who will listen that I very much disagree with the decision to chop down these two once beautiful trees. I just cannot see how they were hurting anything. In fact, I would argue that BOTH trees were providing some wonderful shade for those of us who live around them. There was NO part of either tree that was dying or dead. So my question is...WHY! They were harming no one, and I can't see how they were even in the way. So the next time you all are thinking of cutting down trees...think first. Don't just start chopping away.

Update

Alright, so I know it has been forever since I wrote anything. We have been so busy over the past few weeks, which is no excuse I know, but the internet has been down most of that time so I think that's a pretty good excuse.

So what is going on with us...well here's a good summary!

A few weekends go I stayed with Joel and Andrea because Mark went to Chicago with his best friend from high school who is getting married next month. I'm a baby and don't like to stay alone, so I invited myself to Joel and Andrea's for the weekend. In exchange for free room and board for 2 nights, I 'babysat' Aiden and 'let' Joel and Andi go on a date. I secretly am positive I had more fun with Aiden than they did on their date.

The weekend after that, Mark and I went camping with Matt and Lori. That of course was really fun. It was cold enough at night and in the early morning to have a camp fire but still warm enough in the day to hike in shorts and a tee shirt. It was perfect weather! Pics are below.

Mark and Matthew swinging.

The hammock actually broke after a while.

We had to use this cable to climb down these rocks.

It was pretty steep.

This past weekend Mark and I (and Rachel) suprised our parents by going home for mom's birthday. We had a great weekend and were very impressed by our ability to keep our suprise arrival a secret!

And to end, I have to say that I am very excited to be going out to Washington State next week to visit Gloria, Ryan and Elayna with mom. I went shopping this weekend and bought a few things for the new baby...because I know she needs clothes for the long winter ahead.

The Baby is here!!!

Last night Gloria had her baby!

Elayna Vaye Mabry
September 19, 2008
6:42 PM
9 pounds 13 ounces
21 1/4 inches

Pictures will come later when I get some, but for now, those who know her blog can get on there an see them. Yesterday was a hard day for all of the Mabry family...and Jess. Gloria's water broke about 7pm on Thursday night and she was in labor for a total of 24 hours before a c-section was decided upon. Gloria had stopped dialating and she had a slight fever making the Elayna's heart rate go up. Long story short, she had the c-section and Elayna showed her mommy and daddy just exactly why she was unable to come out any other way...she was almost 10lbs! Mom and baby are doing great and I hear daddy is so proud. Jess was such a great friend. She kept everyone so well informed to which I am so thankful. She spent all of the same long hours at the hospital keeping Glo and Ryan company. Thanks so much Jess! I'm so excited to go see them in October. It can't come soon enough. See you soon Elayna!

This weekend's adventure...

Saturday Mark and I went hiking. We hiked almost 12 miles, which was just a little too long, but we had a lot of fun. We passed a lot of little waterfalls along the way. The trail took us along a creek and wound around up to Raven's point and then back down along the creek again. It was nice to spend the day talking and walking in God's creation together. It was a beautiful hike and really fun except for two things: We had to walk over a bunch of sharp rocks for 4 miles straight which made our feet hurt really bad, and we ran out of water. You would think that as pretty experienced hikers, we would have thought to bring more water than two small cups from Waffle House, but no. I tried so hard at the end of the hike to enjoy the beautiful creek flowing beside me, but there is just something about aching feet and dehydration that takes your full concentration. Seriously, I enjoyed the hike, but we should have been better prepared.


Thankfully Steve and Margaret had us over for dinner afterward and we ended up staying and watching the football game. It was really nice to spend some time with them and enjoy some great company, not to mention great food.

A visit from Aiden

Baby Aiden came to visit his Aunt Marlee today! Andrea needed to go to Walmart for some much needed groceries, so I got to watch Aiden for a while. Apparently getting groceries without trying to watch a 4 week old baby is easier, a fact which I will learn later I'm sure. We had so much fun sitting around together. He slept mostly. What did I do you ask while he slept?...watched him the entire time! It is amazing how many different faces he made in about a 45mim time period. He would go from the worst, saddest little expression to a huge smile, and then back to very sad again in about 5 seconds. I was worn out just watching his little face. It must be hard work to go though that many emotions in that short of time. I wonder what he actually thinking about...
I can't wait to be able to spend time with him again soon. Thanks for coming over Aiden!

Walnuts and grapes...

Today I discovered that grapes and walnuts together taste unbelievable! Apparently the entire rest of the cooking world knew this, but me. I made California Chicken Salad (never done that before) for small group this afternoon which called for...you guessed it...grapes and walnuts! I just happen to put one right after the other in my mouth and had one of those, 'oh my goodness that's good!' moments. I immediately called my friend Andi who said, "I know," with a sweet voice. 'Cool!' I thought. Then I called my other friend Andrea M., and her response was exactly the same. I instantly felt pretty much stupid. What was I thinking...of course they knew...they are stinkin' awesome cooks! So, I just thought in case anyone else in my little blogging world wanted to know, walnuts and grapes are heavenly together! Yum Yum!

A weekend in Cookeville

As we usually do, Mark and I decided last minute that we would go see Matt and Lori in Cookeville this weekend. As a wonderful brother and sister-in-law, they welcomed us with literally a moments notice. They are pretty popular people...we were lucky! We arrived on Friday night. As usual Mark and Matt stayed up talking until the wee hours of the morning about 'God stuff.' Lori and I kept our eyes open as long as we could, but at some point your body takes over and you are unable to keep your eyes from shutting. We finally gave up and went to be without our husbands. Saturday morning we got up and Matthew made a big, delicious breakfast. It turned out we needed that big of a breakfast. We went to Burgess Falls for a short hike. At the bottom of the falls, we found a fun place to swim...note the pictures. From there, the boys went on to hike some more and Lori and I went to Fall Fun Fest downtown followed by some shopping (thank you for my gift cards Lori and Gloria!) We ended up staying again Saturday night also. After worship on Sunday morning, we left for home. I recommend to everyone to go hiking and swimming at Burgess Falls. Thanks Matt and Lori for a really great weekend! I can't wait for our camping trip.

The water was cold at first...
demonstrated well by Matt.

On our way down to the falls...love you Lori!

Husband and wife

Boys will be boys

Lori and I did get in the water and swim beside this little waterfall that the boys played on. We did get out though and enjoy watching our husbands jump off the ledge over and over and over and over and...well you get it by now.

Cookin' with Marlee...

So today I made some cornbread. Baba gave me a new castiron skillet for my birthday which I LOVE! I decided today would be a perfect day to use it and make some cornbread. As you can see I ate the first piece. It was good I think...maybe a little dry. ANY suggestions for improvement are gladly received. Mark still hasn't had any yet, but I'm just sure he'll want one as soon as he comes home from work. I love to cook, but sadly I am not that good at it, so any recipes would be greatly appreciated! Please not too many chicken recipes....I do live with an Adams.

...so much fun!

Lasagna...bread...beans...PRESENTS!

Mom cookin' in the kitchen...

Raich playin' the piano...she is very good!

Just some of the Adams' women

(Jenny Lynn, Jenny, Joann, Baba, Mom, Amy)

Abby and Marlee enjoying coffee Sunday morning

Last weekend, Mark and I went home to Kentucky for our birthdays. We got there on Friday about 4pm, just in time for me to get my hair cut/highlighted. Sarah picked me up from my hair appointment and we went to Olive Garden. I highly recommend the endless soup, salad, and bread sticks....very good! Mark's Aunt Rachel came to stay for the weekend, it was fun to see her! If you have never met Mark's aunt Rachel you should, she is so much fun. I have to warn you though, the combo of Jenny and Aunt Rachel is the funniest thing I have ever seen. You literally will laugh until you hurt.

Saturday morning(Marlee and Raich's birthday), Baba and I went and picked beans together. I love talking with her about anything really, but most of all I love hearing about 'how things used to be,' when she was younger. After bean picking, I spent some time with Mark and Jerry at the barn working with horses until dinner time. Mark and I went to mom and dad's house for a birthday dinner and presents. I love just being at my house when my mom is making dinner, Rachel plays the piano and dad is studying. It reminds me of when I was little; of course the only exception was that I would be at the kitchen table doing homework.

Sunday morning (Mark's birthday) we worshiped at Melber. One of my favorite things about worshiping at Melber is sitting in my seat looking at all of the people around me singing and worshiping God. I just love closing my eyes and hearing those that I hold most dear to my heart singing as one, glorifying God. During the Lord's supper I looked over at Mark and we both whispered to each other that we were thinking of Team Arequipa who would also be taking the Lord's supper that morning. After worship pretty much the entire Adams' family gathered at Jerry and Jenny's for 'the birthday's.' It was so much fun and sweet of everyone to come! Sunday night we went with a bunch of people from church to a corn maze. Everything was going great and we were having fun weaving in and out of the corn trying to find our way out when we got a phone call from Crystal who said that everyone had made it out but us. Mark and I, Randy and Renee, Alex and Lauren and Christina Hays had entered 'The Labrinth," and didn't know it. This apparently not a good thing. The Labrinth was a maze inside of the maze. Naturally when we finally came out everyone was waiting and cheered...how embarrassing. So much fun though.

Monday morning started with breakfast at Baba's. The usual bacon, eggs, AWESOME biscuts, gravy and endless bowls of peaches. It is almost sinful...notice I said almost! Then is was off to the barn. Mark and I and Jerry rode for a while, and then sadly had to pack up and leave. The long weekend was so much fun, busy, but so much fun!

I heard from Megan this weekend as well. Team Arequipa has finally made it to their destination. Language school has started and I think they are finally starting to settle in for a while. I miss them terribly, but I am filled with excitement every time I read an email about what they are doing! Keep praying!

As everyone knows, I think, Gloria is due to have her baby very soon! I am so excited for her and Ryan and I can't wait to see Elayna. Keep them in your prayers while Gloria tries to keep her sanity in the last few weeks.

A Father's Wisdom

Dad came and visited this weekend! We had the best time together. Friday night we went and looked at a house that was for sale in town and ate dinner together. Saturday we went hiking together at some falls near by before dad had to head home. What an awesome dad God gave me! We had such a good time just talking about life and decisions that we will be making in the near future. For some reason, I had forgotten how wise my dad was. He was such a great listener and gave the best advice a person could give. He even brought Samantha (the family dog) with him to visit! The falls you see behind Mark and Dad is called "Machine Falls." Then we went and saw Rutledge falls (not pictured). The whole day was fun and relaxing for all of us. We were sad to see him go.

Aiden Joseph 'Joey'

Great News! Aiden Joseph 'joey' Abrahams was born on August 17th around 11am. 8lbs,90z, 20 1/4 inches long. We are so excited he is here! Andrea and Joel are doing great...very happy, but of course losing lots of sleep. They didn't find out whether is was a boy or girl, so of course when we heard Andrea went into labor early Sunday morning, everyone in our small group was waiting anxiously by our cell phones to hear what 'we'had. I am so blessed to be an 'aunt' now. I know Joel and Andrea are going to be great Godly parents. God has got great things planned for this little miracle. We love you Aiden!

Also...last Sunday was our 'Send off Sunday' for two families that our church (Cedar Lane church of Christ) is supporting as missionaries to Arequipa, Peru (just try to pronounce that one, it's tough). It was one of the best worship services I have even been honored to participate in. Very uplifting, although I cried pretty much the whole service. The songs were so appropriate and chosen perfectly. Greg preached about doing everything for 'His name sake.' The Smith's and the McKinzie's are leaving in just a few days for up to 10years to further the Kingdom of God in Peru. Both families have been here in Tullahoma for the past 6 months getting to know everyone at church better (or for Kyle and Larissa it was for the first time). Megan grew up in Tullahoma and had come back many times to visit with her husband Greg. Over these past several months I have grown to love both of these families very much, and felt especially close with Megan and Larissa. I am very sad because I will miss them so much but also very EXCITED for them in this new mission to which God has called them. I feel so humbled that God has allowed me to get to know these two women of God and their beautiful girls. I know, you are asking...'How can you feel/become so close to someone in just a few months....easy.....GOD! He knew exactly what I needed and gave it to me at just the right time in my life. I give him the glory! What an awesome God we serve!

First blog.....

Hello everyone. This is officially my first 'blog'. Several of you (you know who you are) have encouraged me to start a blog. So...here we are. I am 'blogging."
I thought it appropriate to start my first post with some general information about my life, family and friends...
Mark and I as you all know have just moved back to our apartment complex we lived in until last year when we moved to a house. Now we are back, but in an 'upgraded' version. It's TWO bedrooms now instead of one. It's small, but we are very happy. I am still working at the hospital, but I am what they call PRN. It's great! I still work 3 days a week and a few nights a month, but I am able to make my own schedule and don't work any weekends. Mark still works for the same company in town, and seems to really enjoy it. We just got back from an awesome trip to Oregon with his parents which was so awesome(pic shown above)! I saw parts of God's creation that literally took my breath away. We don't have horses here in Tullahoma right now. Since we moved back to an apartment we are going to wait a little while to figure out what we are going to do from here with our living arrangements. Both our birthday's are coming up so we will head back to Kentucky with our parents for some birthday fun! Jenny will give her yearly birthday bash for Mark, Rachel and Me. I guess that's it for now...at least until I get the hang of this whole blogging thing.