I Am Convinced...

...that it would have been easier to build the airplane this week than it was trying to get the people building it paid correctly. And next week is not going to be much better. What do you think? Should I just go build the plane? After all, I know what they are getting paid. :-) With my new jobs as builder of airplane I'll be working all holiday weeks (especially on the holiday) and I'm going to work a weekend shift (Friday - Sunday.) I'm pretty sure I'll retire several years earlier on this path.

Anyone who knows me well, knows I am facinated with manufacturing processes. Modern Marvels is one of my favorite shows. This morning they had an episode on this morning entitled "Commercial Jets." It was excited for me to watch this episode because it was a few years old. And at the end they state something along the lines of "I wonder where the next step in commercial airliners will be." Well, folks, you can view it for yourself here. And do you want to see what I see at work most days (besides the center and aft fueslages): yep, I see the DreamLifter. This plane freaks. me. out. One of these days I'm going to have the privelege to see it take off and land...even if I have to work from the parking lot to make that happen.

Pumas and Bison and Bears Oh My!

Two weeks ago my parents came down to visit and bring my Murphy. I was so excited to be reunited with my dog as he provides great company seeing as how he is only 1 of 2 people I know in this city. Imagine my surprise when they arrived and Doodlebug was with them! It was such a great surprise. The second day we were here we went to Charles Towne Landing. This park is where the English settlers landed in 1670 and established their colony. One of the neat parts of this park is they have a natural habitat zoo. This showcases the animals that would have been native to this area in 1670. So, here they are.

It was quite exciting to see all of these animals. There were also otters (which I could not get a good picture of) and Doodlebug deemed them her favorite. We would not buy her a stuff otter in the gift shop (I know, we're horrible) so mom said all she did on the way home (5+ hours) was tell them how much otters are her favorite animals. She's a smart one all right.

Text the Troops

As Thanksgiving approaches and I dread the 5+ hour car ride home (my first with the dog) it is hard for me to imagine not spending this time with my family. Yes, driving home is not a lot of fun (especially with the oil barons getting rich and me getting poor) but I am going home. When I accepted this new position in this new city so many hundred miles away, I knew I would not see my family as often as I had been. But with one friend currently living in southern Asia and another friend moving to the Middle East soon I knew that I was thankful that it only took me 5 hours to get home and I could go. They don't have the luxury of doing that. Another group of people who will not be spending Thanksgiving with their families are our troops. I love our troops. I love that these men and women voluntarily sign up to serve our country. I respect them more than I could ever tell someone and the fact that they know when they sign up it could mean going into war, makes it even more special. My dad is a veteran. My grandfather was a veteran. I have several friends who have served and are currently serving in the armed forces. I work next to an Air Force base and see our men and women in uniform on a daily basis. It warmed my heart when I read an article on how we can say thanks this holiday season. It's part of the "America Supports You" program. Check out the links in the box below to see how you can make your support known and thank the troops for serving you.

I Heart Vick

I am in love. Not mildly in love. Madly in love. And yes, this is probably just a fling. But starting last night and every night for the next few, my heart belongs to only one. If I could, I would spend 24/7 with this new love. The emotions I have experienced are unlike any I've ever felt before. Relief, immediate. Sleep, amazing. And the way he smells...simply irrisistable. And to think he came into my life when I was at my worst and has done so much for me. Simply amazing. I guess I need to back up a few days and tell you that late last week I started coming down with a cold. I spent most of the weekend taking meds and drinking lots and lots and lots of water. In fact, I'm pretty sure you could have floated a small pontoon in my stomach on all the water I consumed. Things got worse and by Monday I was pretty sure I was going to stop breathing in my sleep and that would be it. I even called my mom to tell her I wasn't going to make it. (Note: I am overly dramatic when not well. I don't deal well with pain. I'm pretty sure I get this from my grandmother. It doesn't bode well for me getting older.) Lucky for all reading this post I survived and awoke Tuesday to go to work another day. I was feeling remarkably better overall, but I have this persistant deep cough. Finally, I though, I was turning the corner. It really doesn't pay for me to think. By Wednesday night I wasn't afraid of not being able to breathe, but I was afraid of coughing up both lungs. And I could. Not. Stop. I wanted to go to sleep at 9:30 but a little after 11 I had been coughing for 2 hours and was ready for it to end. I just wanted sleep. So, I did what I do best and got online to do some blogstalking. I figure if I'm going to cough up a lung or two, I might as well get caught up on some stalking. So, I got caught up and decided to stalk a little more. So I ventured over to Mommy of Three and read this article: cough solutions. And that is where I met my new love. I would like to now introduce you to Vick. And he comes in my favorite shade of blue! So, the trick for when you can't sleep because you are coughing is to rub Vicks on the bottom of your feet and put socks on. And you'll be able to sleep. It's the craziest thing I've ever heard of, but it worked. I am a believer. And I'm in love. So, for the next few days it's me and Vick. I'm sure I'll break his heart when I no longer need to spend so much time with him, but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts. After all, not all relationships were meant to be long-term, right?

I Have Been a VERY Bad Friend

So, in my hiatus (unintentional) from blogging, I missed the tribute to Shanle on her birthday. So, for her 3rd unbirthday of this year of her life here we go.

S - Shay's wife. Remember Shay. Yep, they are still one of my favorite couples ever.
H - Honest. Shanle is always honest when you need or to be or when you don't want her to be. You always know where you stand around her. A great characteristic and I love her for it.
A - Angel with a choir robe on. Ok, maybe not anymore. But she was when I first met her. I still enjoy sitting next to her and hearing her praise Jesus on Sundays.
N - Neat gift giver. She went to Kenya and brought me back the coolest bracelet that she knew I wouldn't like. It was orange and white. No, I'm not a Vol fan, but I loved it anyways. It represents the #20. Go Tony Go. It's in my car so I think of her everytime I put the car into drive or park.
L -Long way away. Ok, really not so long, but she isn't just down the road anymore. And she isn't saving me a seat on the 3rd row at chuch anymore. But she is always around on Facebook to poke me and send me messages.
E - Ever-forgiving. She doesn't hold it against me that it took me 3 days to get this posted. She's just pumped she got her own blog entry.

So, Shanle, I love you and I hope you had a great day. Love, Kari.

2 Weeks as a Carolina Girl

Today marks the 2 week anniversary of my time in Charleston. In some ways it doesn't feel like it has been 2 weeks and in other ways it feels like I've been here forever. I LOVE MY JOB! I am already getting to contribute so much. They have not had an SAP payroll "expert" in the position for a while and the person currently doing it has never supported a live implementation. This job is the only one she has ever been on and she started in training. So she is eager to learn tricks surrounding payroll. I am getting to learn about time and org management which I find extremely exciting. It is so great working with someone in a situation where I feel like I can contribute and learn. It's very rewarding. I have also figured out some stuff I've never supported and neither has she so we are both excited. Danna and Tony should be so proud that they taught me so well how to dig and find the answer. It is super rewarding also. I don't care much for apartment living, but for 50 more weeks this is home (not that I am counting or anything.) My house has shown 3 times (it shows again on Saturday) and there have been no offers. I am praying it will sell soon. Then I can buy a coffee table, book shelf, and a dining room table. My co-worker used to live in Charleston and she told me the name of a great furniture store with great prices and sales so I am excited about checking it out. My family is coming to visit next weekend and I am pumped to get to show them my new home and surroundings. Also Murphy will be moving down there at that time. He and I will have many adventures together and it is great that there is a sidewalk along the road in front of my house so I'll be able to take him on nice long walks. This weekend I am going to focus on unpacking the rest of my boxes and putting some sort of order to the place. That way when the fam comes next weekend, they can't complain too much about the disorder. I am also going to visit my firsh church here. I am debating between two different visits: East Cooper Baptist and Sea Coast Church. Check out the websites and let me know what you think. Oh, and I went on my first work dinner to Coast on Monday night. It was great seafood and good to get to know my team members more.

The Birthday Girl

Last week Doodlebug turned 5. Today Favorite Cousin Jennifer turns 21. Doodlebug loves Jennifer. Last week she even loved her more than she loved Favorite Cousin Daniel. I feel a family war coming. To be settled at Thanksgiving.

Time Travel Tuesday - Most Adventurous Act

(I cannot post the image due to a blogger error. I will do it tomorrow.)

This week Annie is asking us to tell about our most adventurous act. Moving to Charleston is definitely the most adventurous thing I have ever done. (Well, aside from killing the black widow spider, but I've already told that story.) I told my mom that moving to college was nothing major because I always knew I would. Then moving to K-town after college was expected because when you graduate from college you have to take a job and move somewhere. And an hour from where I grew up is hardly what I'd call a "big move." However, picking up my life, packing up my first home, and moving 5.5 hours away was an adventure. Yes, I know it isn't moving half-way around the world, which is literally what two of my friends have done, but it is still a HUGE adventure for me, a girl who always wanted to build a small home on her grandparent's farm and retire there with her dog and niece running around everywhere. I'm a small town girl, who had big town dreams, who then realized she really is a small town girl. So, now I am a small town girl living in a big city 5.5 hours from everything familiar. Yes, I come here often on vacation, but living here will be an adventure. I hope to take advantage of everything the city has to offer and treat it as a long-term vacation. I don't want to become so complacent in my daily living that I forget all of the history there is around me. I found a wonderful website which tells me events that are happening in the area. I am terribly sad to read I missed "A Taste of Charleston" by mere days, but I know that next year I will be there. I will also drive a couple of hours north to Irmo to attend the Okra Strut (it's a festival, ya'll.) Yes, folks, you read it here, there is a festival totally devoted to fried okra. Life doesn't get much better than that folks. Well, enough about my big adventure. I hope you'll continue to join me as I continue to tell you more about it.

The Itsy, Bitsy Spider Drives Me Nuts!!!!

A week or so ago I wrote a blog about the spider who climbed into my TV. Well, here he is. Yes, it's a he. I am positivie. His name is Charlie. Ok, so I'm not positive the spider is a he, but wishful thinking is better than wondering if it really is Charlotte and she is looking to have little Charlotte's in my TV. So here's Charlie. Holly walked up to the TV last Sunday and "touched" him through the screen. He froze up into a little ball and I haven't seen him since. May he rest in peace.


On to spider story #2. I was up at 4:00 AM on Wednesday morning finishing up some packing for the move. I went into the garage because I knew there was a Rubbermaid container that was not completely full. I went to move a camping chair off the top and noticed a spider. Upon closer look I learned it was not your everyday spider. Nope. Carrie's life is not that easy. It had to be a Black Widow. You got it. Carrie + 4 AM + Poisonous Spider = NOT FUN!!!! I almost called my dad because he is fascinated by all things poisonous (spiders, snakes, etc.) It's weird, I know, but he's my dad so I love him regardless. But I decided I would be brave so I looked up the best way to kill said spider. I didn't want to smash her because Dad would want to see her. So, from a website I learned oven cleaner does a good job killing them. So armed with a can of bug killer and oven cleaner I soaked her down really well. Then I rinsed out a salsa jar and scooted her into it with a fly swatter. So, she is now preserved at my home for my dad to investigate. It only took me an hour to get brave enough to do all of this and move on with my packing. Since my original plan was to get up at 5:00 AM and get started, I was right on track.

And the final spider story. Arynda and I arrived in Charleston around 5:30 PM. I got my lease signed and the movers called to say they were an hour out. So we went out to get something to eat and pick up a few groceries. We came back and the movers were here so we started moving boxes around as they brought them up to the apartment. I went into the master closet to put something up and lo-and-behold a spider was attemting to build a web from the ceiling to the floor. So I decided this spider (which I'm sure was female) had to go. Bye-bye spider.

Hopefully all the future spiders who would want to impose themselves into my life will read this blog and know that coming into my life is hazardous to their health. But if they miss the memo, I am ready to attack at a moment's (or hour's) notice.

Doodlebug is 5

Craziness fell upon my sister's home last weekend as my niece turned the ever-important age of 5. For the party this year she decided to go with a cowgirl theme. However, the festivities started on Friday with me taking cupcakes to her school for her classmates to enjoy.

On Saturday it was cowgirl all the way! I showed up a little early to add the ever important french-braid pigtails to the cowgirl outfit. Here is the final product. Unfortunately Doodlebug is not camera friendly, so since I was trying to do a black and white and just pick up the pink, I didn't get a real picture of her outfit. But at least you get to see her lovely smile instead of her "rolling my eyes and glaring at you for trying to take my picture for the 15,000th time today" look.

Horseback rides were available for the children. Only for my niece would I climb upon a large animal and be led around a field. Not my cup-o-tea. But the things we will do for the little ones in our lives.

The kids had a lovely time and the adults roasted tons and tons of hotdogs and marshmellows for little mouths. Ok, who am I kidding, the marshmellows were all for me. I can't believe she is 5 years old. So much has happened in the last 5 years and it seems so long, yet not long enough.

5....4....3....2....1

Yep, I've made it to moving day. Am I packed and ready to go? Heck no. I've never been ready for anything in my entire life. I'll be the one who is late to her own funeral. Of course, by that time it won't be my fault I'm late, but those who come to pay their respects will say "she always was fashionably late." I have lots to blog about but there just hasn't been time the last couple of weeks. Here is what we need to discuss in upcoming posts:

1) Doodlebug turned 5! Craziness, I know.
2) Spiders...I HATE them
3) Pressure Washing
4) Farewell to my first home

I looke forward to catching up with each and everyone one of my 5 readers once I am settled in South Carolina. And hopefully I will find the cable that hooks from my camera to my computer so I can upload some pics as well. Until we meet again, God Bless!

The Itsy Bitsy Spider...Climbed Into My TV!!!!

Yesterday afternoon I was taking a much needed break from packing and decided to watch last week's episode of "Ugly Betty." Leisurely laying upon my couch I noticed a small spider crawling around on my TV. Being the oh-so-very-brave person I am, I got my trusty facial tissue and walked up to the TV to rid my home of this uninvited guest. I went to smash the nasty little critter when I noticed he wasn't on my TV. So my next thought was he was part of the scene, some sort of advertisement for a new show, etc. So I changed the channel. Spider was still there. Yep, the pesky little thing has set up a home INSIDE my TV. So yesterday as I watched "Ugly Betty" my spider watched "Ugly Betty." He also got to watch "Grey's Anatomy" and this morning he has watched a lovely couple get married on the "Today Show." I really hope he plans on moving out before I move to SC. I also hope it is a he and not a she because so help me if that spider builds an egg sak in my TV I'm going to have a HUGE problem on my hand. So while it is a cute story, I want this spider washed down the TV spout.

I'm How Old?

Tonight I went to see Jeremy play softball since it will be my last opportunity to see him play this year. As I was sitting there talking to his mom and dad, his dad was making fun of the fact that until children are 2 years old women always refer to them in months. For example:

Carrie: So, how old is Charlotte?
Terrie: She's 21 months.
Jimmy: Why don't you just say she is almost 2?
Terrie: Because when they are that little things change so much from month to month.

So, I decided I'll start telling my age in months rather than years. I'll either feel younger or older...I haven't decided yet. In 15 days I will be 345 months old. WOW! Ok, so it made me feel old. Which is good because as we were sitting there chatting about age, these two kids were hitting a beach ball back and forth. The ball came flying over toward me and one yelled, "you almost hit that lady!" I looked around. Where was the lady? I realized she was calling me a lady. Yep, I've finally grown old enough that children refer to me as a lady and not a girl. I feel old. It's 9:33 P.M. I should be in bed. Goodnight to all.

Travel Itenerary Completed

My friend Leah and I decided that she needs to come visit me at my new home. My friend Shay told me I should charge Leah to stay at my place (since she wouldn't be paying for a hotel.) So, Leah and I decided tonight that when Shanle and Shay come to visit she'll just tag along. That way she can come for free. Brilliant...that's what Leah and I were as we devised this plan.

Apple vs. Dell

Yep...that's my predicament tonight. You see, my reward to myself for getting a new job was a new computer. Go me! So, I ordered my nice new Dell Inspiron 1520 (in red!) and am loving it. Until tonight. Tonight it is my enemy. Or maybe it is Apple's iTunes that is my enemy. Regardless of which one is my enemy, the new Dell and iTunes are definitely enemies. Apparently there is known problem with the drivers/cd burners on the Inspiron computers which do not allow them to burn playlists from iTunes. So, guess what that makes Carrie? A VERY UNHAPPY CAMPER!!!!! You see, I bought the new Bart Millard "Hymned No. 1" CD and wanted to burn a copy for my car. I have now wasted 3 CDs because they initialize and then won't burn. So, tomorrow I am going to take my nice new red Inspiron to work and cross my fingers my VERY GOOD FRIEND Adam will help me out. According to some of the message boards I need a different burner or maybe it is a software patch. Just because I am an IT person doesn't mean I understand any of this.

So, Adam, if you read this before tomorrow, you can research error "Unknown Error 2131." Thanks!

Shay's Day

So, today is all about Shay. Shay is married to one of my goodest friends, Shanle. Yes, I said goodest. Get over it. I'm from the South...proper English is not expected of me. The fact that I occasionally write cohesive sentences on this blog should make you happy enough. But I have digressed. (See I even know big words like digress. Are you happy now?)

It's Shay's birthday. Shay just recently found out I have a blog so I thought I'd write a little poem for him. We'll see how it turns out. If you keep looking and there is no poem it means it didn't turn out. I just thought I'd lay it all on the line for those of you who may wonder if I'm losing it. I am, but just because I'm losing it doesn't mean you have to get all upset about it. After all, I'm moving to the beach and you aren't. So there. Oops..I digressed again. Here goes something...

September 26 is a day
It's a day to celebrate Shay
How many years I will not tell
I'm writing this on my new Dell

Shay stole Shanle's heart I fear
At least he let her stay real near
Their wedding was just like a dream
It gave Haley and I time to scheme

Happy Birthday to my friend
I just now found a key that says end
Until I learn the new computer's quirks
Silly poems like this will have to work

Shay, I hope you had a great b'day. If I had found the picture of you on the turtle I would have placed it on the blog, but it disappeared from your Facebook profile so I couldn't humiliate you in front of the 4 people who actually read this blog.

Moving on Up, to the East Coast

As you all know, I have spend the last several months knowing that my current job would be coming to an end. But I also knew God would provide. And He did. In less than 5 weeks I will be moving to North Charleston, S.C. to begin a new job with a new company. I am feeling so many emotions it is undescribeable. I am happy, sad, excited, nervous, stressed, awestruck, etc. I am still not sure how to process all of this. But I will and all will be good. I spent this past weekend on the lovely Hilton Head Island with my two favorite guys (Jeremy and Jacob) and my emotions were up and down all weekend. I hope I held myself together pretty good since I was "one of the guys" but I did get teary-eyed a few times know it was likely my last road trip with these two. I have grown to appreciate getting a car and going on an adventure with them.

Pros to Moving:..............Cons to Moving:

People will come.............My family is still here

I get to meet new people.....My friends are still here

The beach is 30 min away.....The mountains are 30 min away

Coopers River Bridge.........Knoxville Greenways

Low Country Cooking..........Pete's Coffee Shop

Publix.......................Market Square

No matter where I am though one thing stays constant: God is everywhere. Amen! So as I begin this new adventure I hope to blog more so that those I am leaving behind can experience Low Country Living with me.

Because I Said So

No, I don't suddenly have children which I believe is the point in life where the above statement becomes the 11th commandment. It's even before "thou shalt eat lots and lots of chocolate." I have used the statement on various children before, but until you reach mommy status it bares even less weight than it does when you are a mommy. Trust me on this one moms. If the aunt says it, the niece doesn't care. After all, I'm just the aunt. What do I know? My job is simply to provide nice shopping trips to Tar-gay and lots and lots of cool clothes, tents, and various other items to play with around my house. I'm cool so what I say means even less than what a mom says. But I am digressing from the reason I am posting tonight. If you are a mom of young children, were a mom of young children (meaning they are now older), or know someone who is a mom then you need to read the blog Because I Said So. I stumbled across it in a couple of the other blogs I stalk. This woman oozes creative writing talent. And it all started with an Ebay add. She is quickly becoming famous and I think every person I know should check out her stuff. So show her a little more love than she is already getting and go visit. Why? Because I said so, that's why.

Time Travel Tuesday - Yesterday

I have finally decided to do one of Annie's "Time Travel Tuesdays." A lot of them have not applied to me and my 21st birthday was about the most annoying ever so I've decided I can blog about "Yesterday" (which was Labor Day for those who may live in another country.) Yes, that means one thing most importantly: I got a 3-day weekend! Praise the Lord!!!!!

So, you now ask, how did I spend my day. Well, here is my story.

I got up way too early yesterday morning. What is about those days when you don't have to be up that make you get up even earlier than you would on a work/church day. Well, I was up. So I managed to let the dog out, feed him, feed me, and then do laundry and dishes. Once the kitchen was semi-clean (my kitchen never reaches really clean because I love to eat!) I started making my dessert for the cookout I'll tell you about shortly. It was for Strawberry-Pretzel Salad. It is so yummy! It combines sweet & salty and cream cheese and fruit. So it is healthy because fruit is involved. And besides, calories don't count on holidays or days that end in "y".

I spent the rest of the morning working on a side bookkeeping job I do for a local landscaper. I then thought I should lay out in the sun which worked perfectly until a wasp decided he wanted to sunbathe in my chair. So, inside I went. What else is a girl to do at this point but take a relaxing bath prior to her nap. So, bath, nap, and then it was time to go to the PaRtAy! My best friend, A, lives at the end of a driveway which contains her parents home, her Mammaw's home, and her aunt & uncle's home. Well, Aunt L and Uncle B have a pool. So that was my first stop. You see, Uncle B has fallen in love with my Wii...so I had left it there on Sunday afternoon for the kids to play. Since they play my Wii, I get to swim in their pool. After some pool time, A and I went in to help prepare the feast for grilling: steak, vegetable kabobs, salmon...YUMMY! After we ate the food, A, her boyfriend C, and I got in the pool with 5 of the 8 grandkids. It was a blast. I have recently been spending more time at Aunt L and Unclel B's so their grandkids are warming up to me quickly. Let me just say, if you are having a hard time getting kids to open up to you, bring a Wii. I have become the next best thing to sliced bread in their eyes. So, Wii time, Pretzel salad, swimming and eating with good friends. What more could a girl ask for?

Memory Monday - High School Spirit

Since this past June celebrated me being out of high school for 10 years I've decided to do this "Monday Memory" which I saw over at Vader's Mom and she snagged it from somewhere else. So, enjoy my trip down memory lane with me.

1. Who was your best friend? Connie...and she is still one of my best friends
2.Did you play any sports? Nope, but I think I attended at least one of every activity as a fan, even cross-country (I lived one mile from the park that held the course... am I not the best friend an athlete could have!
3. What kind of car did you drive? Honda Accord then a Dodge Neon
4. It’s Friday night. Where were you? Either a football/basketball game or with my parents
5. Were you a party animal? No. I need sleep.
6. Were you considered a flirt? It would depend on who you asked
7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir? Choir senior year
8. Were you a nerd? If I would have tried harder, I suppose I could have been
9. Were you ever suspended or expelled? Nope.
10. Can you sing the fight song? I don't know if we had one
11. Who was your favorite teacher? Kathleen Terry
12. What was your school mascot? Trojan
13. Did you go to the Prom? Junior only
14. If you could go back, would you? There is not enough money in the world to make me go back
15. What do you remember most about graduation? I sat next to my friend Justin, and he made up his own words to the Frank Sinatra songs the band played
16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day? At school
17. Did you have a job your senior year? I worked at a pharmacy
18. Where did you go most often for lunch? The cafeteria...we weren't allowed anywhere else
19. Have you gained weight since then? Too much...but I would never want to be that skinny again.
20. What did you do after graduation? Went to Project Graduation then left at 8 the next morning for MissionFuge
21. What year did you graduate? 1997
22. Who was your Senior Prom Date? Didn't go...Mom & Dad took me out to eat and then shopping. Then I hit the after prom breakfast at my friend Emily's house. My WHOLE youth group was there
23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion? Nope.

I Could Be in the Record Books

But I'm not. This weekend I went to Bristol Motor Speedway for the race under the lights. It is the pentultimate nighttime race in the series. For years they have done a card stunt where you have a card on your seat and you raise it up at a certain time and it makes a picture. For the past few years it has been only in turns 1 & 2 that they did this. However, this year they wanted to get it in the record books so all 160,000 seats had a card on them. So, where was Carrie during all of this record breaking you say? She was in the pits. Below are pictures of the two card stunts. The first one was done during the National Anthem (160,000+ singing it will send chills up and down your spine regardless) and the second was while the drivers were getting in the cars.

In this picture, my actual seat is direction north of the "M" in Million.

More to come on this exciting weekend. Oh and I bought a digital camera so expect more pictures on my blog. :-)

It's Finally Friday

Well, another week has come and gone. It's been a fun one too! The McAmis boys and I made it to Atlanta and saw most of the game. Because we were driving back that night we made a deal that if either team was up by 5 or more runs by the end of the 7th inning we would leave. The Hot-lanta Braves were up 6-0 at the end of the 7th so we headed home. They won 6-4. If they had lost, I would have been ever-so-stinking mad that we left early and I wasn't there to lend them my support, but they won so I am ok with the decision. Mercy Me sang the national anthem so it was really nice. We had to scalp tickets and ended up being able to sit behind 1st base about 37 rows up (or something like that.) Quite the nice view.

Sunday provided a nice blessing of a steak lunch at my best friend A's house. I have adopted her family as my place to eat for Sunday lunch. Her sister had found steaks on sale that week so I was blessed with an a amazing lunch (including some DEE-LI-CIOUS hash brown casserole.) The remainder of the day proved not to be as restful as I had hoped because I had to go granny-sit. My mom had to take my Papaw and two great-aunts to the funeral home so I got to granny-sit. Lucky for me she was in a really good mood that day. And I got to see Cousin J's pictures from Austria. So it was a nice day of family, friends, and food. A girl can't complain!

Monday I went with my boss and her three kids to Dollywood's Splash Country. I was just expecting to stay with the youngest in the kiddie area most of the day. However, as he and I roamed the park (because it would be too much to ask that they keep all kiddie things in one area) we discovered he isn't so little anymore. He's actually tall enough to go down some of the slides. So, life jacket in hand, off we went. Raging River Rapids is his choice of rides. The lines moved at a pretty good rate and the closer we got the more excited he got. Now, not having any children of my own I never dreamed I would be so nervous. I mean, what if we get to the top, get on the float, and he hates it. I would have single-handedly felt responsible for hit life-long hatred of water slides. Well, we got in the raft with a lovely mother and her daughter who were in line behind us....and down we went. I watched him like a hawk as he sat expressionless in the float. My mind is going a million miles an hour. "He's hating it." "He hate me." "He is going to have a phobia of all things water related." And the ride ends. He is still expressionless. "I'm going to have to carry him out of this pool kicking and screaming. Then find his mother and explain to her what I have done to her son. He's still emotionless. I have never seen such a blank look on someones face. The screaming is about to start. I just know it. We get out of the raft and are heading up the stairs. HIS FACE LIGHTS UP!!!! "I want to do it again...let's do it again!!!!!!" YEAH! I didn't scar him for life. Thank you Lord! It turns out his mom, sis, and bro saw us in line so they watched part of the ride down. The rest of the day we stayed together and rode more rides like this. It was such a privilege to be with him when he experienced his first water slide. Yet, I do believe I lost 3-4 years off of my life in the process!

There were some tennis games this week and I got to play Wii with some good friends on Tuesday night. The rest of the week has been pretty low-key (thankfully!) Tonight I'm off to see the Bourne Ultimatum. I'll blog on this next week. Have a great weekend and give your family lots of hugs!!!!

It's Official

I can now leave the country. I walked to the mailbox yesterday thinking "wonder what bills came today" because it is bill paying time of the month. I opened the mailbox and thought it was interesting that there was a fancy USPS envelope in there, but the roommate is getting married so the mailbox has had more interesting things lately. However, this envelope was addressed to me. And it was from the government. And it contained my passport. WOOHOO! I had applied for it in June and was told that it would arrive around September 20. And they say the government never does anything in a timely manner. Well, they got this baby to me in about 6 weeks. So now I am "have passport, can travel" girl. Well, I can go to any country that requires a passport but no special series of shots. If I need shots, I probably won't be going anywhere anytime soon. I hate shots. I fear them worse than anything. But that is another post for another day.

The Evolution of Sports...Or Something Like That

I watched the movie "Glory Road" tonight. A very powerful movie about the Texas Western basketball team that became the first Division I team to ever start 5 black players in the NCAA tournament. However, the one thing that stuck out to me throughout the whole film, set in the 1960s, was this: the players shorts were very short and the cheerleaders skirts were very long. Flash forward to today and it's the reverse: the players shorts are very long and the cheerleaders skirts are very short. Just an observation. I'm a dork. I'm ok with that.

Heading to Hotlanta

Tomorrow's the day. It's the day I attend my annual Braves game. I guess I've gone 5 out of the last 6 years. There's just something about Summertime that makes me want to sit outside and watch some ball. This time I'll be heading to Atlanta with a couple of guy friends (my girl friends all think baseball is boring.) We're going to do a little shopping, eat some yummy food (Cheesecake Factory or California Pizza Kitchen), and watch some baseball. It will be a fun filled day for sure. I'm not sure it will produce as many funny stories as our car-trip to the beach, but I'm sure there will be several fun stories to tell.

Recent happenings:

1) Dad turned the big 59 last weekend. That means next year he hits the big 60 followed by me hitting the big 30. I'm ok with that. My friend asked me recently how old I think is too old to have children. I told her 29. ;-) However, my dad is the coolest. I can't thank him enough for all he does for me and my sister. I'm the luckiest girl in the world Thanks, Dad. I love you!

2) I bought a Nintendo Wii. Normally I do not get into video games, but the guys at work talk about how much fun this is so I now own one. It is a great group activity and actually gets you up and moving so I consider it cardio. Win-win for sure! Uncle J also bought one for the pre-teens at church. I'm going back to the 5th grade so I can hang out with them!

3) Transformers rocks. If you haven't seen it, you need to. This is a movie theater movie for sure. I'm talking full price movie theater movie. You need to see it in all of its high-def, surround sound wonder.

4) I got to hang out with some of my friends this week who work in our college department. Rebecca, Meggan, and O'B...thanks for letting me hang with you!

5) I am still avoiding the Harry Potter madness. Not a movie seen nor a book read. And I plan on continuing this trend. Sorry AB, I'm not coming over to the dark side.

6) Work is still work. I still have a job which is good. I appreciate Dilbert more than I ever have in my life at this point though. I'm convinced that Scott Adams has a mole in every large corporation in America though.

Well, I guess that's enough. Maybe if I blogged more often then I wouldn't have such long posts.

A Year Ago As If It Were Today

It's been one year since our sweet Emma went home to be with Jesus. Our Earthly wishes were always for her to come home with us, but it wasn't in His plan. Some say the pain gets easier with time. Yes, some days are harder than others, but some days it seems as bad as it did one year ago. I still rememer that whole evening as if it were today. Around 7:30 PM that evening, my friend and I had just eaten and were on our way back to my house to do pedicures. I called my mom on my drive home and asked how Emma was doing. "She's doing OK," mom said. Emma had been having some rough days, but mom's voice seemed normal. She was out shopping for material to make Emma some pretty trach collars. My friend and I got to my house and started our pedicures. My phone rang. I'll get it later. No big deal. I've talked to mom and everything is fine. But my phone rang again. After a moment's thought I decided I should see who called because no one ever calls me back to back like that. Both calls were from the NICU. My dear friend Katie who is a nurse there had left me a message to call the hospital ASAP. I called and they put me through to my mom who said to come now. That's all she said. It was 8:50 PM. I think I got dressed and to the hospital in 10 minutes. I remember going to the NICU and everyone was sitting outside of the doors. Normally this area was empty. I buzzed the nurses and they told me to come in. They didn't even ask me to scrub in. As soon as I walked in the door I saw the white curtain and I knew. She was gone. Yes, her tiny little body was there, but she was gone. I remember Nurse Hope hugging me with all of her might and then my mom and I embracing. You see, it was my mom's turn to be in Knoxville with the baby and my sister had gone home to be with Doodlebug. She was on her way. But we were all too late. Mom and I stood on each side of Emma until my sister got there. It seemed like forever, though I know it was only 15 minutes or so. What I heard next I hope I never hear again for as long as I live. The agonizing scream of my sister was the worst sound I have ever heard. So hopeless and full of grief. The nurses cleaned Emma and wrapped her in a blanket so Jessica could hold her one last time. I think she held her for the next 3 hours. I remember packing all of sweet Emma's things into my car. After we got all of her stuff loaded, I went downstairs and got Doodlebug. She was outside the hospital in a friend's car. I just held her. I didn't want to let her go. Her words to me were, "Did mommy have a heart attack?" Doodlebug was with Jessica when they called to tell her. Poor thing. She had no idea. I told her that her mommy was fine. She said "ok, she's upstairs with Emma." The next morning we told her that Emma had gone to live with Jesus. Being the sweet one that she is, her prayers from that point on were for Jesus to make sure and change Emma's diaper. I wish I could say that the rest of the weekend was a blur, but it wasn't. I remember everything that happened. I remember that my sister was kind enough to arrange Emma's funeral around a wedding I was in. I remember going to the wedding and playing the part of a bridesmaid while my mind and my heart were 50 miles away with my family. I remember getting up on Sunday morning and crying in front of my Sunday School class while thanking them for the prayers and support during Emma's life. I remember the line of friends and family who came out to support my sister. I remember the words the pastor spoke and the sweet voice singing Jesus Loves Me. I remember going to the burial the next day. The tiny white casket with the lovely purple roses on top. Emma is buried next to my Uncle Sandy who passed away 1 month to the day before she was born. He would have loved that little girl, as he loved her mother dearly. And they are together now.

I've never told anyone some of these details. And I know there are more. But for now, this is all. It's therapeutic to type it all out. It will also be therapeutic to be able to come back and read these words again.

Yes, it's been a year. But it is like it was today.

We Need Rain

Alabama, Kentucky & Tennessee are so dry that:
1. The Baptists have started sprinkling.
2. the Methodists are using a wet wash cloth.
3. the Presbyterians are giving rain checks and,
4. the Catholics are trying to turn wine back into water.

Wonderful Summertime

I love Summer. No, I don't enjoy the weather over 85 degrees. Nor do I enjoy the fact that my yard could pass for the Sahara. However, I do enjoy the food. There is nothing on Earth tastier than an all vegetable supper that came straight from the family garden. It's not quite like it used to be because I now have to cook it myself (mom gives me raw vegetables and I then have to cook them) nor do I have the variety (no okra, tomatoes, squash) but it is still the most delish thing I eat all year long. In the past week I have had green beans and corn off the cob. Awaiting me in my ever so lovely (yet overcrowded) refrigerator are a few ears of corn on the cob. Maybe I'll see if Bets wants me to bring them on Friday and we can eat them with her and savor a little piece of Summer in Memphis. Or maybe I'll leave them here and savor them all by myself. But truly, nothing is better so I feel I must share...

To Mom and Dad...thanks for the garden, thanks for the memories, and thank you God for Summertime (and blessing me with the aforementioned.) I LOVE YOU ALL!

My Car Has Been Revived

However it may still be grounded...no long trips for it anytime soon. Turns out the battery had died. Dead. Hasta la vista, battery. My car is now equipped with a Duralast battery which will hopefully last it for > 100,000 miles. Thanks to my dear Daddy-O who made the drive to Knox-vegas and changed it for me. We got it changed just before the skies opened up and a torential (but short) downpour started. So, the battery is new, the radio is finally working (the code in my paperwork was wrong...surprise surprise), and I am happy.

Oh, and as a side note, I have accepted a 1 month extension with my current employer. Gives me more time to look and enjoy the current "party" as AB would say. Plus I can decide next month if I want to stay until October 2. But that's the end of the road. It's been a long journey, full of wonderful people. The people definitely made the job worth it. I'll miss them all.

Bad Car, Really Bad Car

So, on Saturday I bragged about my lovely car making it to 100,000 miles with no major issues. Guess what!?!?!? Stinking car won't start now. Hoping it was the battery, my sweet friends Brian and Jessica drove over and tried to jump it for me. It didn't budge. So tomorrow morning I will be arising with the sun, calling the Honda place, then calling a towing company. Thankfully I have towing insurance. Now I'm just praying it won't cost an arm and a leg for the repairs. Maybe I should go vacuum it out though so at least it will be clean when it goes in for surgery...after all, everyone and everything should look their best before their insides are worked on. Or maybe I'll just let the cantankerous old cuss go into the shop looking like she does. Serves her right!

Tara, Please Call Your Friend

This morning I was getting ready and the phone rang. I answered. A young girl said, "Is Tara there?" I politely told her she had the wrong number. A few moments later the phone rang again. A different number showed up on caller ID so I answered. This time it was a woman who said, "Is Tara there?" I told her that she, too, had the wrong number. I go about my morning routine and I receive a call from yet a different number (actually it said "restricted" on my caller ID.) So I answered. Guess what? You got it. Tara still doesn't live here. I finish getting ready and as I am getting in my car, the phone rings with yet a different number on the caller ID. This time I don't answer. I am hoping that when it goes to voice mail and they hear my recorded message, "Hey this is Carrie and I can't get to the phone, yada, yada, yada..." they will realize they are not going to get Tara and stop calling. But no. They call back again. Since I am on my way to work and am getting tired of the game, I answer the 5th time. And the little girls says, "Is Tara there?" At this point I bit my tongue and told her that she still had the wrong number and to stop calling. Thankfully that ended it. I'm not sure if she thought that my continuing her quest to call me and ask for Tara that somehow Tara would appear, but alas it did not work. Maybe they thought that by calling from different numbers she would appear. Who knows. Had they called a 6th time (and quite possibly from a 5th number) I was going to take a message and tell her that I would give it to Tara the next time I see her. Since I know no Tara's I guess it wouldn't get delivered, but hopefully it would stop the calls. I assume they would start up again later, but at least it would have given me a slight break this morning.

So, Tara, if you are out there...please call your friend. She misses you.

100,000 Miles and A New Vacuum

Today my car hit 100,000 miles. It was a bitter-sweet moment. I am thankful that my car has made it this far with no real issues (praise God for foreign cars!) However, it saddens me to think I have spent that much time in my vehicle in less than 5 years. Granted, I have taken some great trips in that car, but it still seems insane I've driven that much. Oh well. Here's to the next 100,000 miles.

I finally bit the bullet this week and bought a Dyson vacuum. I admit, it was a LOT of money to spend, but so far I am very impressed. It is amazing the amount of dog hair it has picked up off my carpet which I know my old model would not have gotten. And the best part? It doesn't stink. My last vacuum emitted the worst smell when you vacuumed and I always thought the air smelled dusty when I was finished. Not now. So, while it is a lot of money I would recommend it if you are in the market for a new vacuum.

Well, another week has come and gone. Here are some highlights:

1) Baby A appears to be doing well. She was back in the hospital last week for a few days, but is home now and doing better. I got to spend some time a couple of different days while she was down here just holding her and loving on her to give her sweet mother a break. Please continue to lift this family up in your prayers as they are going through a lot right now. I am so thankful that God is building up a friendship between her mother and I because I have had such an appreciation for her mother since she helped me dig my retainers out of the dumpster when I was in 6th grade.

2) Friend A is home from the mission field for a few days. She has been serving our Lord in Southeastern Kentucky through Big Creek Missions for most of this month. To hear her stories of salvations and doors that God opened during this trip was amazing. It is such a privilege to call her my friend.

3) I have another friend A who is serving in the Peace Corp in Cambodia. She has become infected with Dengue fever and is on bed rest for the next 2-3 weeks. There is no medication for this, but prayerfully, since they caught it early, she will be able to beat it. Please lift her and her family up in prayers. She is literally half a world away, and since I have no kids of my own, I can only try to fathom what her family is going through right now. On a lighter note regarding this friend, thanks to the internet, I was able to talk to her a couple of weeks ago using an instant messanger tool. Doesn't technology rock!?!?!?!

4) I've realized there are too many A's in my life. Baby A, 3 or 4 friend A's. I'm going to have to come up with a naming convention. Hmmm...suggestions anyone. (For those who know friend A in Cambodia, I'm considering referring to her as Spring. The rest of them, I have no clue.)

5) Cousin J made it home from Austria. Thanks to the weather she got to add a stop at the Tri-cities airport to her list of airports landed at on her way home, but she finally got to Knoxville late last Sunday night.... minus one suitcase. However, it too made it home the following day and was delivered to her door by the nice airport people. It was so exciting to watch her take this journey this Summer. Over and over I kept thinking how proud her daddy would have been to see her do this. I know he is looking down and smiling up his brave little girl.

She is now in Chicago and should have watched the Cubs beat the Brewers last night. I'm glad the Cubs won because she has loved them her whole life.

6) I'm still praying about my job situation. The company has given me the option of extending my last day by 2 months. This is STRESSING ME OUT! I don't care that they have let me go (in fact, I firmly believe that was God slamming a door shut because I wouldn't walk away on my own) but to make me choose my last date...this is worse than the first. Oh well. I have 1 1/2 weeks to make a decision.

7) Paul still hasn't posted.... but he did put a hilarious comic strip on his Facebook page. See it here: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=877

Well, I've told you enough about me (and my friends and family) for this week. May you all have a very blessed weekend!

From the Mouth of Babes

My niece, Doodlebug, is 4 1/2 years old and thinks she knows it all. Here are two of her recent antics.

1) She asked my mom what the dinosaurs looked like while they were alive. Apparently she thinks my mom is old enough to have seen them.

2) She also believes that she, myself, and my aunt (that would be 3 generations) are sisters. Not sure where that came from, but I thought it was funny.

Don't you wish you could see the world through a child's eyes. That's all God asks us. To have the faith of children. Doodlebug believes my mom saw the dinosaurs and that she can be sisters with someone twice her mother's age. But so often we try to make our faith so much more complex. Yet, the very center of it, is childlike belief. Yes, we have to grow in our faith and become stronger Christians and more Christ-like as we continue our walk with Him, yet the core of everything we believe comes from having that awe-inspiring child-like ability to look at Him and see Him for the glorious Prince of Peace that He is.

This, That, and The Other

Well, I feel like this post should be the month in weird, but whatever. I'll leave the weird parts out and just give you the highlights.

• A happy update...baby A has gone home. She started eating and all of the other things babies do so she is at home and doing well. Praise the Lord! He is so good to all of us, yet we neglect Him so often.
• Mom, Dad, Doodlebug, Macy, Dece, Murphy, and I all went camping last weekend. There was lots of excitement including watching a squirrel eat a walnut. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it was fun. Anytime you have 4 people and 3 dogs in a camper there is always adventure.
• 30 working days left in my current job...
• I have officially begun the "hard-core" search for a job. I am praying for direction as to where I will be. Will it be Knoxville or Timbuktu...who knows. Sometimes Timbuktu seems appealing.
• Doodlebug is coming to spend the night with me tomorrow and we will be swimming with A and her nephew on Friday. The kids are really looking forward to this...as are A and I. It means we get to spend time together before she heads back to the mission field.

I'm going to try to do better at posting. Paul keeps saying he's going to start posting again, but I'm still waiting... I guess he'll do better once he gets his car unlocked.

Beautiful Picture

My cousin J is in Austria for the summer. My aunt sent this picture to me that was taken of J in Vienna. Isn't it just gorgeous? I'm so proud of my baby cousin.

Today is A's Day

It's A's birthday today. She is serving our Lord on a mission trip in Kentucky for the majority of this month. Lucky for me they post pictures so I can see what she is into. Please remember her and the entire team in prayer as they serve the people of Appalachian Kentucky during the month of June through Bible schools and community service projects. Plus, it appears she is getting her groove on. I love you, A, and I praise God for what you are doing for Him this summer.

Remembering Gus

I met the Doriot family on March 12, 2006, in the NICU/PICU waiting room at ETCH. Mom and I were sitting there talking and waiting to see if they would show sweet Baby Emma again on the WBIR telethon. While mom and I were sitting there we struck up a conversation with the sweetest lady who was working on a scrapbook for her little Gus while waiting to see Gus make his second appearance on the telethon. Gus had been in the NICU the year before when the telethon was broadcast and this year he was in the PICU. This year Gus's dad was the designated spokesperson for the family. When the TV finally broadcast Gus it was the sweetest moment. He was such a cute little baby and having met his mom you just feel in love with him over the T.V. God called Gus home to be with him 1 year ago today. After his passing, his parents started a ministry called GUS's Gang. They used the word Gus to stand for God Understands Suffering. This ministry is for families of chronically ill children. Jenny (Gus's mom) keeps track of their progress and posts it on the Gus's Gang blog. It was always so encouraging to read her sweet reports of Emma during her last few months with us as well. Pete, Jenny, and Belle made the trek to see us when we lost Emma. I feel so blessed to have met these people and that out of such sadness so much was gained. Please pray for this family today as they grieve on the anniversary of losing their child, but praise knowing that he is where we all want to be.

Mercy Me - Homesick

You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times
And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you
But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry
Is how long must I wait to be with you

I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways
The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know
But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same
Cause I'm still here so far away from home

I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

In Christ, there are no goodbye
And in Christ, there is no end
So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have
To see you again
To see you again

And I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

Update on Baby A

Mom spoke to Andee on Friday and the baby is still not having BMs. Andee turns 30 on Tuesday and I know she had hoped the baby would be home or near coming home by this date, but it doesn't look like it will happen. Mom is going to try to come down tomorrow so we'll go see Andee. Keep praying for this little one and that God will continue to work in her life. Also, pray for Andee as she juggles being in Knoxville with the baby while she has 3 little ones at home in Morristown. Pray for strength for Andee as she battles through this.

The Random Events of My So-Call Life

Well, it's been an exciting couple of weeks around here. It may not read so on this blog, but it has been fun. Mom and Dad F came into town for J's graduation. It was so exciting to see her graduate with her master's. Now she, like I, has to find a job. It's not fun, but God will provide for both of us. She had an interview last Wednesday with a company she worked for last summer so hopefully that will turn into something for her.

Cousin J left for her summer of study across the pond. She will be in Austria until mid-June studying music history and the history of Austria. I am so excited for her as she takes this journey. She will be creating memories that will never leave her.

I was able to spend this weekend at home with good friends and family. My bff from high school and I had a yard sale on Saturday. I never make a ton of money because I don't have good junk, but the time she and I get to spend together is priceless. She is having baby #2 this summer and so we won't be able to do much more together for a few months as she adjusts to have 2 little ones to care for. Her oldest, a daughter, is becoming one of my favorite little ones. She has such a sweet smile and is at the state of life where she will repeat anything you say. She has also taken to calling her dad "honey" which is the cutest thing I've ever seen. After the yard sale I went to Mom and Dad's to spend the night. They replaced their cedar shake roof with a red tin roof. It looks awesome! I can't wait to go home and spend the night sleeping under the tin when there is a nice steady rain. Or sitting on the front porch swing as it rains. I'll have to take a nap in that swing for sure! The doodlebug came up and we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows on Sat night then she came back up on Sunday after church to help us gather the cedar shakes and tie them into bundles for kindling. She wasn't allowed near the piles for fear she would step on a nail, so we had to put nails and certain boards where she could pick them up and contribute. It is always such a pleasure to be around her. Dad and I keep picking her up and carrying her around even though her mom and nana say not to because she can walk, but we will only be able to hold her for a few more years and so we are taking advantage of it while we can. She is really loving, and gives the best hugs. I can't imagine our lives without her.

Well, this week is the season finale of LOST so they better make it good. I'm leaving this weekend for a short trip to Charleston. It will be a lot of driving, but worth the two days away from home. It's always nice to get away for a few days and just renew yourself. Be praying for safety as we drive down on Saturday and home on Tuesday.

Statistically Inaccurate?

I saw an article yesterday on CNN but didn't have time to read it. The headline was "U.S. Divorce Rate Lowest Since 1970." I again heard this headline on the news this morning. My first thought was "that's really cool." But then I realized it isn't a true statement. Yes, I'm sure that the statistics will show you that there were fewer divorces. But I wonder if the statistics are also lower for marriages as well. As a twenty-something I attend a lot of weddings. However, I also see a lot of people who decide that rather than commit to someone "to have and to hold from this day forward," they will just live together and "have and hold until things get rough." They may even do it for several years. Then when things get rough, they just break-up and find their own place. There was no marriage so there was no divorce. It breaks my heart to see this happening over and over again.

Mark 10:6-9

"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female'. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife; And the two will become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

The End Is In Sight

LOST has announced its end date. The series will end after 3 more 16 episode seasons. Hopefully with this direction they will start wrapping up some loose ends. It would have been nice to have 2 seasons with 24 episodes (which is normal) but that is not how it works. It will be sad to watch it go, but I think by then it will definitely have run its course. Now, that being said, Sawyer better make it off that island alive!!!!!

Baby Update

I just spoke to Andee and the baby is doing good! She had her first poopy diaper which is HUGE considering she had a bowel blockage. God is sooooo good. Andee said she knows that it because of all the prayers going up for this little one. Please continue to keep this family in your prayers as we all know it is still a long journey to normalcy.

Update on Andee

I spoke to Andee this afternoon and the baby was out of surgery and in the NICU. She is on a ventilator to help her breathe but everything else was going well. They are feeding her and will be watching her bowels to make sure they work properly and don't become blocked again. Andee seemed to be in good spirits though so I hope to go visit soon. Pray for my mom and I as we gather the strength to go to the NICU for the first time since last July. I'm sure the memories will come rushing back, but I feel it will be a healing process for both of us.

Pray for Andee

Please pray for my friend Andee today. She is being induced becuase her baby has known intestinal and bowel problems. Intially there was not a large concern because of what was going on, but this week the doctors discovered the baby has a bowel blockage so they want to get the baby out ASAP so they can operate. I will post more details and updates later.

The Best Things In Life Are Free

1) Salvation (it doesn't get any better than that!)
2) Blue Bell Icecream

Blue Bell ice cream is doing an ice cream tour celebrating their 100 years of being an ice cream company. Today they stopped on Market Square and gave away free samples of their vanilla ice cream. Nothing is better on a hot Spring day than FREE ice cream!

Where's Carrie?

I have been crazy-busy the last couple of weeks so not a lot of time for blogging. I have been having a (mostly) wonderful time enjoying my life and the good friends God has so graciously blessed me with. The weather has cooperated so that I have been able to play tennis with good friends twice in the last couple of weeks. We're going again tonight and that makes me happy. It probably doesn't make A, P, and JM happy because they'll have to chase down all the erratic balls that I hit everywhere. Hopefully the guy who steals our tennis balls won't be on the court next to us this week. We also have a fourth person to play now which makes life a little easier as well. I am in the midst of planning two vacations. My friend J and I are going somewhere.... anywhere... just get us out of this state. Then I am going with another group to Charleston at the end of May. Traveling makes me happy. :-) Still no updates on the job front. I really need to start pursuing this more than I have been. I finally got a rejection letter from the job I had applied for last fall and had all the interviews for. Oh well. God will provide, but I have to do some work on my end as well. I have posted a link to my 2007 goals. I am not doing very well on most of them, but I am still trying. I guess that is the point of goals. Something to strive for. Hmmm... I need to post them on my fridge so I have a more visual reminder of them in front of me daily. Well, I better go now and get some work done. Later.

Update on 2007 Goals.

Prayer

I have long thought that my current job situation has presented itself as a mission field brought to my doorstep. All of you who know me well know that keeping a neat work area is not a requirement in my book. I may be obsessive about some things, but keeping things orderly and put away is not on the list. I had two CDs lying on my desk. I actually looked at them this morning and though I should take them home. However, this afternoon they were still there. One was a soundtrack to a movie. The other was the Third Day Christmas album. One of the men I am working with stopped by to say "hi" and asked about the two CDs. I told him about each. First he asked to borrow the movie soundtrack. Then he asked about the other. I told him it was a Christmas CD that I really liked. He also asked to borrow it. I pray that God will use this CD to plant a seed in his mind. I also pray that should he ask, that God will give me the words to say.

Some Light-Hearted Fun

What a weekend! Friday night I was blessed with a fun game of tennis with my dear friends A & P. I kicked their butts of course...oh wait, that was in tennis dancing, not in actually playing a game. Oh well. I look forward to many more fun games with them this summer. It is so nice already having such great weather and being able to be outside and enjoying it in such great company. On Saturday I traveled home where my niece was beside herself with excitement that I was coming to see her. It's nice to know that someone gets so excited just because you are coming to visit. That evening we celebrated my Papaw's 86 birthday. His actual birthday was Sunday, but when you're that old you are just happy to know that people remember at all! He enjoyed the company and even got to eat steak, though there was no filet mignon for him. My chocolate chip cookies were a hit though and he kept them all for himself. He is not much for sharing his desserts! Last night my friends R, B, and C came over for dinner. B is moving this week so it was a goodbye supper for him. We ended up cranking up the karaoke using On-Demand (thank you Comcast!) and having a great time. I honestly can't remember when I have laughed that hard. So, it was a great weekend with great memories. God is so good to bless us with great friends and weather.

Your Two Cents Please

Starting May 14 the US postal service wants your two cents worth. No, not your thoughts, but two more cents for every letter you mail. So, now I get to go buy some not so cute 2 cent stamps to pair up with my very cute Hershey Kisses stamps I bought last month. Sort of defeats the purpose of the cute stamp when I have to put a not cute stamp next to it. However there is some good news to this story. You will not be able to buy a forever stamp. You buy it at the going rate for stamps (which will be 41 cents) and it will alway be good. You won't need to put some not cute stamp next to it when the price of stamps goes up again in a couple of years. So, now I am trying to figure out how many stamps I use on average so I can stock up on these forever stamps. With interest rates as low as they are, I feel buying low is a much better option these days since my money is earning less than two cents in the bank.

I Am Encouraged

1. I am encouraged by most of the comments to my recent blog. I was afraid that many of today's Christians and church-goers felt that asking a church membership to be obediant to God was wrong. Thank you, my friends, for encouraging me that it isn't all who feel this way.

2. I want to highlight a blog I stalk. This person knows I stalk their blog, in fact, I posted my first comment on it last night. At church there is an awesome ministry for 5th and 6th graders led by an awesome couple J and L. I have been reading both of their blogs for over a year, but have recently just introduced myself to them. I got to spend some time talking to J at Disciple Now this past weekend and thanked him for what he is teaching on in the 5th and 6th grade department now. They are learning manners! Hallelujah. Now, don't think J is neglecting teaching them the Bible as he does that with a passion like I haven't seen in a long time. But he is also teaching them how to be respectable citizens. So the guys are learning how to be gentlemen. The coolest thing is J is telling everyone so that when someone sees a 5th or 6th grade guy following the rules, they can tell J and the guy will be inducted into the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and they get the coolest t-shirt. Last night my friend R and I attended the first induction ceremony. It was awesome! Now, don't think the girls are excluded. This spring L is going to teach them how to dress modestly. I am so encouraged by these two people God is using to touch the lives of the next generation. You can read more about them at their blogs Live Out Loud and New Day, New Mercies.

Reflections

This past weekend my church had Disciple Now for our teenagers. Let me tell you that hosting 9 ninth graders is an experience in and of itself. The guest pastor really touched some of these girls and they felt he really spoke to them on a level and using language they could understand. For Sunday services at our church, the guest speaker preached as well. On Sunday night he talked of the trial that Jesus went through in His last days and also about the church that the guest speaker planted about 3 years ago. In talking of his church, he spoke about the process of building the church by-laws and how it was a several month process involving several people who spent many hours together and apart studying scripture and making it a Biblical based church. Below are the items one must commit to to be a member of this church:

1) You must be a Christian (saved through Christ's grace and have followed in Baptism)
2) You must be involved in a small group
3) You must serve somewhere within the church.
4) You must tithe.

In a discussion with my roommate this morning, it became apparent to me that some of these items (2-4) offended some members of my church. How do you feel about these? Should church members be required to do these things? There is a Biblical basis for them so should it be optional? The church that requires these runs about 1,600 each week with approximately 800 members. That means they have 50% of the people doing the work. Don't most churches have 10% doing the work? Let me know your thoughts.

Amazing Grace

How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.

Amen.

It Is Well, With My Soul

When peace, like a river,
attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea

billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has

taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

A local newsstation did a special on Monday about miracles. My friend Jennifer and her husband Benji were interviewed. Jennifer survived a near-drowning. She and her husband credit God for allowing her to live to share her testimony of the miracles He still works today. On the website for the station you can leave comments about their articles. One person left comments about how people always praise God when the outcome is good but always blame God when the outcome is bad. I stopped and said a prayer for this person, that whatever has happened to them in their life that they are so bitter toward the One who created them and that God will send a Christian into this person's life to show them God's love in all situations. A lot of bad happens in all of our lives, but as we often hear and often have to remind ourselves, if we knew the big pictures we'd take God's will everytime, good or bad at the moment. After all, when Horatio Spafford wrote this hymn, it was not after a joyous occasion. But how it warms my heart to sing it.

His Eye Is On The Sparrow...

...and I know He watches me.

I love to sing. Now, I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but I still like to sing. The Bible doesn't instruct us to sing only if we can carry a tune. It simply says to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord." So, while others (my poor roomie included) may not think it is so joyful, God does. I think I'll highlight a few of my favorite hymns over the next few posts. Hopefully I can find the backstories to them so that we can all learn something in the process.

His Eye Is On the Sparrow

What A Month!

Wow! It has been a long time since my last post. I cannot believe we are two weeks into February already. I'll try to catch you up as best I can.

1) God is so good. I was dreading working with our outsourcing firm in cross-training my job replacement, but it has become the highlight of my day. I am working with 3 men from India, one from Sri Lanka, and one from Argentina. 2 of the 5 will actually be staying in Knoxville and have lived in the states for several years. The remainder will eventually all be stationed in Buenos Aires and I wish them the best.

2) I do not like the layout of the new Nascar.com. I am not big on change, and that is one change I could do without.

3) I found the missing timeline page from the adventure J and I shared in Brevard last Summer. I will share it with you later this week.

4) Gracie has decided I am her second favorite person on the planet now so she calls a couple of times a week to see when she can come visit or I can come stay with her. Lucky for her, tonight's the night! It is so fun to watch her grow into a beautiful little girl.

5) Another friend got engaged yesterday. What does this make, 10 now? I'm not even sure. Next summer is going to be packed with weddings. I hope they aren't expecting expensive gifts.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

A Crazy Week

Well, it's been a week since my last post. And what a week it has been. I tried to start off the week with a positive attitude, but there is just so much negative it is hard to maintain it. Work keeps getting worse and worse. Since January 1, we have lost 4 people from our team. Guess what that means? You got it, more work for the rest of us. And yes, the rest of us are the people they didn't like enough to keep in the first place. Oh well. I will persevere. God has already laid out the path of my future and He will guide me in the way I should go.

I guess the funny spot of the week is I worked a popcorn stand for the Cheetah Girls concert on Tuesday night. I have never seen so much cheetah print in all of my life. And some of these little girls were very decked out. Even some moms! I would not be a cool mom when it comes to these things. I think it is because my mom never did these things with us and I think we turned out normal (of course, what is normal.) We'll see which is better: the Cheetah Girls or the Monster Truck show I have to work at tomorrow night. Hmmm....

I have been blessed by getting to spend time with good friends this week. H and I hung out Monday night and worked on our various cross-stitch projects. J and I had our monthly "date" night last night. We went to Mimi's Cafe. The food was really good, but I would have to say the service was lacking. We had an appetizer of zucchini sticks and then we both had different pasta dishes for our main course. I had jumbo spinich tortellini in an asiago cheese sauce. Very tasty. Tonight I will be going with my friends A & E (isn't that cool) to Regas. It has ranked high on mine and J's list of good restaurants in this city. Definitely leans toward "pinky up", but good just the same. And not unreasonable priced.

So, until I come up with more random thoughts for you, TTFN.

It Doesn't Get Easier

I have received news twice today of people who have passed away. One is a father and a husband. He spent several years here on Earth and experience life. The other is a baby. She faced the same battle Emma did (in fact a little too eerie the similarities.) So much life to live, yet God was ready for her to be with Him. It just breaks my heart to hear of these things. Not for the one who has passed and is enjoying their eternal life with our Father, but for those here on Earth who are left with a void. So, say a prayer for these families who are now facing a void in their life. Pray that God will give them a peace they cannot understand. And pray that He will wrap His arms around them and comfort them when the sorrow seems too much to bare. I have often been told, and completely agree, "Life is hard, but God is good."

The Children Need You!

On Sunday, January 28, Children's Hospital will do their annual Children's Miracle Network Telethon. I hope that you will pray about making a donation to this hospital. They did so much for my family and others. In fact, it was the night of last year's telethon that I met Gus's sweet family. Both Gus and Emma got TV time that day! And while Gus and Emma are now healed in heaven, it is because it was God's choice to take them home, not a lack of care on the hospitals part. Children's saw my cousin through a serious infection when he was in primary school. He's now a healthy (though very skinny!) 22 year-old college freshman. My dear friend, A's, nephew also spends time there receiving treatments for his CF. (I'll be writing more on him in an upcoming post.) It's very easy to make a donation, and through you all children who go there will receive the best and most up-to-date care. If you wish to donate, please click here or watch WBIR on Sunday afternoon/evening on January 28 for the phone number to call in and donate. And remember, most companies will match gifts over a certain amount!

Thankful

I have recently been convicted of things I need to be thankful for. One thing I never mention but am often thoughtful of is the fact that my parents saw to it from an early age that my teeth were straightened. I believe this stems from the fact that my dad's parents did not have enough money to put braces on his teeth as a child and he was always self-conscious of his smile. So, come 2nd grade, I was in the dental chair getting fitted for my first set of retainers. From 2nd grade until 10th grade I had some form of metal in my mouth. After several retainers, multiple teeth removed, and a nice, full set of metal braces, the results is pretty nice (if I do say so myself.) Granted, one tooth is still a little off, but it gives my smile some character (and most don't notice.) I no longer have an underbite, I was able to keep all of my "adult" teeth (except my 1 lonely wisdom tooth), and I can smile knowing that people aren't going to be staring at my teeth. I know this is vane, but I am so thankful that my parents sacrificed so that I could have straight teeth. And the best part of the story...my sister and I got to spend time with my dad at the orthodontists office, watching him live out a dream of his. After all, if his daughters were going to have straight teeth, so was he.

Monday Night Football

Ok, I have never been a big football fan. And when I watch it my team is Auburn. Mom made me pick a team so I did. Go Tigers. However, I did find myself looking forward to Monday night’s match up of Ohio State and Florida. I have personal reasons for not wanting Ohio State to win. I had however, resigned myself to the fact they probably would. Needless to say, I'm old so I did not stay up for the whole game, but went to bed when Florida had a comfortable lead 24-14 in the second quarter. When I got up this morning and heard Florida won, I had two reactions. The first one was excitement because the team I was pulling for won. The second, disappointment. I mean, these are supposed to be the #1 and #2 teams in the country and the final score was 41-14. That is not a game. That is like a high-school team taking on a peewee team. I (who in the past have never really cared) am completely in favor of an overhaul to the BCS championship structure. Next year I would like to force myself to stay up to see a real game played, not go to bed in the second quarter due to boredom.

Some Random Thoughts

It's been a few days since my last post so here are a few thoughts:

1) What a difference a year makes. When I think back to what I was doing a year ago, who my friends were, and where I thought life was headed, it's amazing to see where I really am. God is awesome! He is the constant I look to and am so thankful that no matter where I see things going, He always has the best plan for me.

2) If you see my friend Craig around, ask him about the cat and the vacuum cleaner. Best story ever!

3) My friend Erin just moved into a new home. She had a few of us over for a potluck on Saturday night. It's so nice to get to spend time with friends.

4) My friend J's mom and dad were in town this weekend so I got to sit with them at church. I miss them dearly and wish we got to spend more time together. I think I need to take a trip to Brevard and surprise them sometime. :-)

5) My cousin, J, and I bonded over earrings this weekend. I had the second hole in my ear repiereced and she got a second hole. You haven't really shared anything as a family until you have been pierced together.

In Remembrance

Today Baby Emma would be 1 year old. It has been a difficult holiday season thinking that we should have been celebrating her 1st Christmas. Instead we spent it missing her terribly. New Year's was no fun because it brings back memories of the past year as everyone asks you to reflect on the past year. I told my care group in Bible Fellowship that I have dubbed the year 2006 as the year "the Lord gives and the Lord takes away." He gave us so many blessing, but He also took things as well. It is all part of His will and I know it is good and perfect but it still hurts and you still feel voids in your heart. Baby Emma is better and home with Jesus. Am I jealous? Heck yes! But I know that my time will come when God is ready for me. And I can't wait until the day when I see Him face to face and am able to praise Him for all He has done for me and my family and for the blessings (even those in disguise) that He has provided during my days on Earth.

Please also say a prayer for the Doriot family as they are experiencing a trying holiday season and January. Their sweet little Gus would have been 2 in a couple of weeks. They have been such an encouragement to our family all the while working through their own grief. You can read more about Gus at the Gus's Gang Link on the right.