ok wow...

ok, yes it has been a while since I blogged and yes, I am obviously not very good at this. But here is a little update anyway....

Life is really good right now! Hayes and I have talked a lot lately about how we are so blessed! God is truly blessing us in so many areas of our lives and we owe it all to Him. There are a few areas in our lives that we are really trusting Him in but we know that He is in control and we are learning to let go and FULLY rely on Him! 

Also, I am realizing that I am sooo blessed with the friends I am surrounded by. I have some amazing women in my life that I believe I will do life with and I am so excited about it. I have realized the older I get and the more "into life" I get, how important it is to have good godly people in your life that will speak truth into you, holding back nothing. We are so blessed with great relationships.

On a little lighter note....I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! I am so excited about this season and the warmth and meaning that it contains. I get so giddy with Christmas decor and events! Hayes totally spoke to my love language last week with spending quality time with me shopping for our tree and all of the house decor....that to me is a perfect day! I hope that this holiday season is filled with the joy of Christ for each and every one of you. I pray that you find his peace in your life and truly feel the true meaning of this Christmas season.

YEAH!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

oh yeah...

so....before I was updating you guys on my running, well....I ran the Race for the Cure last Saturday and ran about 3/4 of it! It was a great experience!! Some asked "Did you have fun?" and I replied each time "No! I don't run for fun...i run because I need to!" hahaha but it was definitely a neat experience with the other 15,000 people downtown! I would love to do more but they are expensive! I can run for free and shop with the registration money :)   I may do a few more though!! Thanks to my friends Lacy, Amy, and Amanda for encouraging me to do it!!! 

(i have not run since....haha... probably not good!)

We love Paula Deen!!!

Well, I am still learning the blogging world but I have now added a few people to follow but that took like a week to figure out! hahaha So last night, Lauren,Amanda, Damaris, and myself met Paula Deen at Books- a- Million at Brookwood Mall! It was definitely an experience!!! Menopausal women everywhere....including the manager at Books-a-Million who was not enjoying her job. But, anything is made fun with my girls! I am so blessed to have amazing women of God around me that I know will be there for me and we will do life together. It will definitely be a fun ride! 

My heart has been so full lately! I am so thankful  just for the things that the Lord has blessed me with....first of all, I am thankful for this faithfulness in loving me even when I don't give Him the time he deserves from me! He is so faithful to love me and provide our every need...He is so good! Secondly, he gave me the most amazing husband who loves me unconditionally but loves God even more and seeks after His heart everyday. I can't believe I am so blessed to do life with someone who loves life like he does and makes my heart so full. I love him so much, sometimes I feel like i may explode :)  And then I have a family that loves me and is there for Hayes and I all the time...some are not as fortunate and I remind myself of that blessing a lot! Also, to be a part of Church of the Highlands is something that is so important to us! I am so honored to be apart of a church that is truly changing the world! Also, we are seeing so many come to know the Lord weekly and that is what it is all about!!!!! I also truly enjoy serving on the worship team. There is truly nothing more amazing than leading people to the throne of God and seeing people's hearts and lives changed in the presence of the Almighty (can you tell it is something that is so fulfilling to me??) And lastly, I am so thankful for my little house! We were in the processing of building a new home and trying to sell our house, but obviously that was not God's plans for now....and I am so ok with that!!! I love my little 2br/2bth townhouse and am so thankful that we are comfortable and provided for! I will be content until the Lord brings something else along!!

Ok, so I guess I just made up for like 3 weeks of not blogging but those are the things on my heart lately!!!! 

so i'm not such a good blogger!

ok so it has been a well since I have posted..oops! Life gets so busy but I do want to try to get better at updating more often. 

Right now I am in a beautiful, very large cabin in Gatlinburg,TN that overlooks the city with all of 24/7. We've been here a few days and it is amazing! 

I haven't run in almost a week !!! eeekss!! I will be back at it on Thursday afternoon and I am actually looking forward to it!!

Ok, its late...night...

18 minutes today!

I'm at 18 minutes! I took Saturday and Sunday off and ran 17 min yesterday and 18 today! Ok so It's not that big of deal to most people but to me....it's pretty good...and I guess the best part is that I look forward to it and actually enjoy it!....

Ok so enough exercise talk. Another big thing in our lives is that we NEED TO SELL OUR HOUSE! That is if we want the house we have now built....if it is not what God has for us, well, then I don't want it! I have completely turned the situation over to Him!! 

Well, Hayes is about to be home from being gone to Mississippi for 2 days and I have made him a good dinner of Baked Ziti, Ceasar Salad, and chocolate cream cheese cupcakes for dessert (well actually Tria Market made those)....hahaha  and I got him a surprise that he has been wanting for a while ( a bag for his computer that he can have while he rides his motorcycle). I did it because 2 weeks ago Hayes became a licensed Pastor and I want him to know how proud I am of him! I love my husband with all my heart and I am so proud of the Godly man he is and what an amazing leader he has become!! The Lord has blessed me so much with him!

Ok, so I am off!!

hmm...

so i wanna get into the routine of blogging but I really can't think of anything today so.... I will tell you about my new adventure to get into shape. 

For the majority of my life I have been very physically active in sports and other things but lately I have not!! So in effort to get back in shape I am now doing the thing that I have always despised...running! My goal right now is just a simple 5k. I know that 3.2 miles is not a lot to run, but for me it is! I also am taking classes at Gold's Gym and really am starting to enjoy this whole "get into shape" process! Today I will go run 17 min and walk 13 min (30 min is a 5k) so I am progressing from the 10 min I started out at! I will keep you updated!

ok ok...so I gave in...

I truly enjoy reading all of my wonderful friends blogs and keeping up with what is going on in the world, but I just haven't taken the time to do my own until now....so here it is (we will see how often I really get to update this thing :). 

So for those who don't know what is taking place in our lives, I will fill you in.....

Hayes and I bought a house in Leeds, AL in February of 2007 that desperately needed some TLC. So, we took on that challenge and conquered it in my opinion. It is a 2 br/2bth townhouse/duplex (whatever you want to call it) with fabulous neighbors next door (my brother and his wife and now baby). We put our special little touches on it and have truly enjoyed it but it is now on the market. The reason for that now leads me to tell you about one of the most amazing opportunities that God has blessed Hayes and I with. August was 2 years that Hayes has been serving as apart of the staff at Church of the Highlands. We are so blessed to be a part of an amazing life-giving church that is truly changing the world! Hayes is now the director of twentyfourseven, a college aged ministry and leadership academy! We are so blessed to be a part of the students lives and see them grow into the women and men of God that they are called to be. Hayes is right in his element!! With this program, comes a month long mission trip every spring to a foreign country and for the last two years, We (yes both of us....thank God) have spent a month in China spreading the love of our Saviour to the people of China and Tibet with these amazing students. I am so thankful to the Lord for allowing me to have jobs that believed in what we were doing to allow me to leave my job for a month and be with Hayes and twentyfourseven. Those are experiences that will forever change our lives!  soo.....hahaha (a little sidetracked) the reason for the move is to have more room for our ministry and so we can have our students in our home more....we love them! We could not ask for a better pastor or church body to be a part of. Church of the Highlands is where Hayes and I met, fell in love, and now serve. We love that place!! :)

Now for me, well it changes a lot! Right now I am working at a school called Mitchell's Place. It is an Early Intervention Center for children with Autism. I LOVE IT! I am there one day a week for sure, but find myself helping out more than that....I leave there knowing I have made a difference. I also keep a friend's little girls a few days a week and love them dearly! Other than that, I am really pursuing a place in the "wedding world" as a wedding planner/director and I am trying to get that started! I also paint children's canvases and sell them in a shop and independently. Whoo....I'm tired of writing all of that, I know you are probably tired of reading it!

So, that is the update on our lives! All I can say is our God is a good God and He provides everything we need...and more! He is blessing us in so many ways and is teaching both Hayes and I a lot about Himself and what He has in store for our lives! Who knows where He will take us but we know that right now we are in the center of His will and want to stay there!