Merry Christmas...

...from the Carpenters! We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Day celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Praise God for His perfect Christmas gift!

"The Savior- yes, the Messiah, the Lord- has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!"

Luke 2:11

Joy To The World...

...and joy on our Christmas tree! My sweet Mom has bought me a new ornament every year. (She started out buying one for me and Garrett, and now she still buys one for us, as well as Yancy and Katherine, and the grandkids!) She tries hard to find one for me that says "joy" and most years she's able to find one. So our Christmas tree is covered in over 30 "joy" ornaments and I LOVE IT! Thank you, Momma! I thought I would share a few of my favorites...

Just in case you're wondering, here's Yancy's favorite...

Opelika-Auburn News

It's amazing that Bullen and Andrew are in the paper at all. We still don't know how the newspaper found out they were going to speak. God is definitely at work in their lives! Here's the link...

http://www.oanow.com/oan/news/local/article/oms_greets_special_visitors/50907/

Bullen and Andrew are here!

Yea! I'm so glad that Bullen and Andrew are spending the weekend with us! I've had a bad week, and I'm feeling better already just spending the day with them. They have a way of helping me keep things in perspective. Our friend, Adam Massey, invited them to speak to his classes at Opelika Middle School this morning. They did a great job! I never get tired of hearing their story; God has done such amazing things in their lives. The newspaper was there, so we've told them they're gonna be famous! The article should be in tomorrow's Opelika-Auburn News. I'll try to remember to post a link to it.

Christmas Party

Monday night we celebrated Christmas with our Bible Study girls. We had breakfast foods on our menu since it was so close to Thanksgiving. Rebecca and I finally got to give our gifts that we worked so hard on. We made the girls- and ourselves!- a cookbook on Shutterfly. We included pictures of all of us and all the yummy recipes that we've enjoyed together. It was fun to see their reaction. Merry Christmas, Girls, and Happy Cooking!

Thanksgiving... again and again!

Thanksgiving is Yancy's favorite holiday and we got to celebrate it 3 days in a row this year! On Thanksgiving Day, we drove over to Thomaston for lunch with Yancy's grandmother- and aunts and uncles and cousins. It was a very eventful day! Yancy's grandmother, DeDe, as we like to call her, turned 83 on Thanksgiving Day. We sang happy birthday and had a yummy caramel cake, her favorite, along with lots of other delicious food. That afternoon, there was a calf born! It was so exciting and I was surprised how quickly it got up and going! Yancy was disgusted because he has a weak stomach, but I thought it was a neat experience. I think it was the 9th calf born in just a week, so it was sweet to see all the babies in the pasture. (I don't get out much!)

Happy Birthday, DeDe!

Yancy with his Uncle Paul and Aunt Cindy

Lots of baby cows!

Thanksgiving day 2 was also my birthday. I'm technically "in" my 30s now at 31. I really can't believe that! I still feel like I should be 20! Anyway, we celebrated with my parents and my brother's family. Garrett has 3 boys, so there is always lots of activity when we're together! They are definitely all boy! We all had a great time...

and here's the activity!

Yancy taught Garrison about the "atomic elbow"

I had a little help blowing out my candles!

Mmmmmm... yummy cake!

Thanksgiving day 3 was held at Yancy's Mom's house and it was Iron Bowl Saturday. We had SO much food; we could have fed 20 more people! We got to visit with lots of Yancy's family that we don't get to see very often. I enjoyed visiting with them so much, but I will have to say that I did not enjoy watching the game with a roomful of Auburn fans. I'll have to find a different venue for next year! Roll Tide! Anyway, we had a great day and we are still full from our 3-day feast!

Strategizing before the game...

Matthew and Papaw

Yancy refereeing the little football stars... they were hard-hittin'!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We all have SO MUCH to be thankful for!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

Charlie and Duke's Day Out

Yancy has been off this week, so we actually get to spend a whole week together! Yesterday we took Charlie and Duke to Chewacla Park here in Auburn. We've lived here 4 1/2 years and I'm ashamed to say we've never been! It's really beautiful! I was afraid of how the dogs would act because they don't really get out much, but they did so good. They had a great time in the water and never tried to run off. Yancy and I had a fun time too. We ate a little picnic lunch and enjoyed the scenery, especially the waterfall. This is our attempt at a "family" photo.

My new favorite picture of Charlie...

Catching Up

I've been absent from the blogging world lately! I'll try to catch you up on what's been going on. First, we went home to Dothan the weekend of Halloween, and I took this sweet picture of my nephews. This was right after them trick-or-treating and they continued to eat candy all night long! They were dressed as a ninja turtle, power ranger and Jeff Gordon. (Garrison, the oldest, wore the Jeff Gordon costume when he was younger. He would say he was "deff dordon." It was so cute!)

We love them so much and wish we could see them more. We always have a great time playing together; they always wear Yancy out! We tried to get a picture of me with them and this is as good as it gets...


Last week, while Yancy was working in Huntsville, I went to Greenville to visit my great friends, Stacy and Suzanne. I hate that I didn't take any pictures. You wouldn't believe the things I learned to do with a sledgehammer!!! (Actually I helped Suzanne tear down an old shed on their land! Told you you wouldn't believe it!) We had a fun time and it was great catching up. We always laugh so much when we're together. I love you and miss you both!

This past Monday night we had Thanksgiving with our college girls. It was a delicious feast and such a fun time. I'm so thankful for them! Again, I took no pictures. I've got to do better!

Last night, my best friend Rebecca came over for dinner (leftover dinner, but dinner just the same). We worked on our Christmas gifts to our girls because we'll be having our Christmas party with them on Dec. 1. They get out for Christmas break early, so we have to party early. I can't wait to tell you what we made them! Anyway, it's always good to have time with Rebecca. When it comes to our time together, too much is never enough!

Well, you're all caught up now. I'm on my way to Birmingham today to see Yancy. He's camping this weekend with some friends. (What are they thinking? They're gonna freeze!) I'm having dinner tomorrow night in B'ham with some girlfriends and I'll be back on Saturday to see Mannheim Steamroller with my friend Teri. It should be a lot of fun. And then next week is the big week of Thanksgiving and my birthday. I'm really looking forward to it...good food, friends and family!

Start asking, "What Now?"

I read this today, and it blessed me so. I know it will encourage you, too!
http://lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/2008/10/has-god-ever-hurt-your-feelings.html

Fun Fall Festival

Last Friday night, we had a fall festival with our Bible study girls. Rebecca was our host- thanks, Rebecca- and it was so much fun! We ate alot of delicious foods including taco soup, mexican cornbread, corn pudding, and fruit salad. Oh, and how could I forget all the candy corn I ate?! The girls taught me and Rebecca how to carve pumpkins, since neither of us had done it before. I think that will be a fall tradition from now on. It was alot of fun! Tommy and Yancy built us an awesome bonfire, so we made yummy smores and wondered if anyone was waiting in the woods for us! :) Thanks, guys, for the fire! We stayed up late, of course, laughing and having a great time together. Rebecca and I say this all the time, but we really do have the best girls ever!!!

Good Times

Yancy and I had a great time last week on our trip. We had never before been on a cruise and it was so much fun. I was a little worried about feeling claustrophobic and getting motion sickness, but a balcony and Dramamine cured that! Sysco was so generous and they chartered the whole ship just for Sysco award winners. There was about 1 crew member for each passenger. We felt very special! And I cannot begin to tell you how much food we ate! I'm sure it falls under the category of "gluttony"! It was all so good! After the cruise, Yancy and I stayed a little longer in Pompano Beach and were able to tour the Everglades on an air boat (something Yancy has always wanted to do) and we actually saw several alligators! We also drove down to Key West for the day. It's not really a day trip from Pompano Beach, but we were committed and made it happen! We didn't get many good pictures of us together, but here's a few from the trip.

Yancy's favorite spot

Horseback riding on Half Moon Cay- Don't you love the helmet?!

Touring the Everglades

I can't believe I held that thing, but when else will I be able to hold a baby alligator?!

Eating key lime pie in Key West... YUM!

Short Term Memory Loss and A Cruise

OK... so I've already forgotten all my wonderful lessons on waiting! I had a roller coaster of a week last week and it has just left me feeling very sad. I so long for a baby and I'm so sad that I have to keep waiting. Yesterday at church, I cried a lot. I had the lip-quivering cry, you know, the kind you can't control no matter how hard you try. The special music was a song called "Our Hope Endures" by Natalie Grant. It goes something like, "Sometimes the sun stays hidden for years, Sometimes the sky rains night after night... But our hope endures." That was how I was feeling at the moment, like the sun had been hidden for years. Sometimes I get down on myself for feeling sad (and Satan likes to tell me that if I were a "good" Christian I would be able to handle it), but I shouldn't feel that way because Jesus understands my feelings. He created my feelings. He knows my pain and each tear I cry. Jesus felt sad at times too. Anyway, I love the ending of the song, "our hope endures." Even though I am feeling sad, my hope- in Jesus Christ alone- endures!

I am slowly coming out of my sadness though. Number one, Jesus is my hope. Number two, Yancy and I are going on a cruise Thursday! Yancy found out in August that he had won the Pacesetter Award this year! The Pacesetter Award is a recognition given out by Sysco corporate and it's very hard to earn. Basically it means that Yancy is a superstar!!! I'm so very proud of him! His reward for being a Pacesetter is corporate recognition and a trip. This year the trip is a cruise to the Bahamas. I'm so excited about going on vacation, but I think I'm more excited about spending a whole week with Yancy. The timing of the trip could not have been more perfect! You think God had something to do with that? I do! God has been so good to us and blessed us so much! Pray that we'll have a safe trip and come back rested, with renewed hearts... and maybe a tan!

Lessons on Waiting

This is a long post! I had a lot to say!
Our college girls' Bible study had a lesson one day a couple of weeks ago about waiting on God. Well, since I'm kinda an expert (if you can call it that) on waiting, I put together a few things that God has taught me- and is still trying to teach me!- about why He wants us to wait sometimes.
1. To grow us, teach us perseverance. There's so much we have to learn!
Romans 6:3-4 "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation."
2. To test our faithfulness. Am I going to be faithful? Am I committed to Him? It please God when we wait with faith.
Hebrews 11:6 "And it is imposible to please God without faith."
3. To change our desires. I believe that God doesn't just give us the desires of our heart (He doesn't just give us what we want). But He is the one who actually places certain desires in our hearts. He has definitely used our waiting time to change my desires. When Yancy and I were first trying to have a baby, I so wanted to experience pregnancy and childbirth. But God has used this time to refine my desire to just wanting to be a mom.
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."
4. To work out His will somewhere else. I think waiting sometimes has nothing to do with me! God has pieces of my life that He is working out that I have nothing to do with. That's pretty amazing, huh?
Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."
5. To trust Him more. He wants us to just believe Him and take Him at His Word. He is worthy of our trust!
Psalm 9:10 "Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."
Jeremiah 17:7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him."
6. To be persistant. There is something about persistance that God honors. I think that when we are persistant with God, it proves our faith in Him. You all are proving your faithfulness as you continue to lift us up in prayer! I think about our nephew, Dylan, who prays for us and our baby every night. It's gonna be an awesome day when we introduce him to his cousin and say, "This is the baby you've been praying for!" Oh, how that will increase His faith!
Luke 11:5-10
Luke 18:1-7
7. To bring God glory. When we wait for something and have no control over the outcome, I think it brings God such glory. I think of the day when Yancy and I get our baby, what glory God will receive from that! It will not have been because of anything that we have done, but completely the work of the Lord.
Psalm 40:1-3 "I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry... Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord."
John 11:1-44 It's long, but worth the read. It's the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. God got even more glory by raising Lazarus from the dead than He would have if He had just healed him. It was hard for the family to wait for Jesus to act, but so worth it.
8. To remember our reward is in heaven. When I get to heaven, I'm not gonna be bitter or angry about having to wait for our baby. Our suffering and waiting can't compare to our reward in heaven.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 "For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."
Romans 8:18 "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."
9. To trust in God's perfect timing. I've heard it said that God's never early and never late; He's always right on time. His time frame may not be my time frame, but I believe His is better. And in the light of etenity, what's a few years?
2 Peter 3:8 "A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day."

I hope that this is as encouraging to you as it is to me. But I don't want to sound like I've got it all together, because believe me, I don't! Just this week, God challenged my faith and made me question whether or not we are doing the right thing. I think more than anything, God wants to know that we desire Him more than whatever we are waiting for. That's a hard thing sometimes, but I know that God will honor and reward our desire for more of Him! I'll end with my favorite quote. "If I could see things from God's perspective, I would change nothing!"

ps...Next time I'm depressed and discouraged, will someone remind me of all of this? I have such a short memory!

It's Back Tonight!!!

I LOVE THE OFFICE!!! I think it's the only show that makes me laugh out loud, sometimes to the point of tears. It's irreverant and inappropriate, but oh so funny!

Just What I Needed

Our friends, Andrew and Bullen, from Sudan came and spent this weekend with us. Yancy's family was able to be here with us to meet them too. Bullen and Andrew are such an encouragement to be around. They have suffered much in their lives, but they are filled with the joy of the Lord. You can't help but have a smile on your face when they're around. They have come to America to go to school and are attending Southern Union in Wadley, AL. If you are interested in helping support them while they're here, go to http://www.4cornersministries.org/get%20involved/donate.html. Make sure to write "Andrew and Bullen" in the comments section.

Wow... Still Waiting!

It seems like the answer to all of my prayers over the last year (really over the last 6 1/2 years) is wait. Wait?! I don't really want to wait! I'm tired of waiting! I feel like I have waited, and tried to do so with patience and joy and contentment. So, I'm not really happy about the fact that God's answer is still wait. I know that God has great plans for our family. I know He's going to bring us a precious, perfect baby. I know that He will sell our house. I know that He will provide a house for us in Huntsville. I know that Yancy and I will live under the same roof again for more than 3 days at a time. I know that God will provide a church and friends in Huntsville. I know, I know, I know. But sometimes I just don't feel it. But just as I'm writing this, I'm reminded of something I learned in a Bible Study once. I may have even posted about it before. (Maybe God's trying to teach me something, huh?)

God's Word is truer than anything I feel.
God's Word is truer than anything I experience.
God's Word is truer than any circumstance I will ever face.

I have to go back to what I know to be true about God in His Word because 1 Peter 1:25 says, "The Word of the Lord stands forever." So, what does God's Word say?

Jeremiah 29:11 "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Matthew 11:28 "Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."
Isaiah 55:8 "My thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine."
Psalm 37:4 "Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart's desires."
Psalm 113:9 "He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the Lord!"
Romans 8:35-39 "...For I am convinced that nothing... will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:28-29 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him..."
Zephaniah 3:17 "...With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song."
Nahum 1:7 "The Lord is good. When trouble comes, He is a strong refuge. And He knows everyone who trusts in Him."
Jeremiah 32:17 "O Sovereign Lord! You have made the heavens and earth by your great power. Nothing is too hard for you!"
Psalm 33:4 "For the word of the Lord holds true, and everything he does is worthy of our trust."
Psalm 24:18 "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted."

Well, I'm feeling better already! I'm so thankful for His Word. The Lord does have a plan for me. He does love me abundantly and unconditionally. He is good. And He is worthy of my trust. I choose to trust Him... and wait!

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength!" Habakkuk 3:17-19

Bath Time

Charlie and Duke get a bath once a year- whether they need it or not! (Believe me, they need it!!!) They were actually very good for their baths, especially Charlie, and I'm wondering why I don't bathe them more often. They smell so good and look so shiny. Maybe I'll change the tradition from once a year to once a month. We'll see how that goes! Here's Charlie's pictures. Duke was not avaliable for photos, as he was hiding in an azalea bush, afraid he might have to get another bath.

BEFORE...
AFTER... I know I'm biased, but I think Charlie is such a pretty dog!

1st Birthday

Madeline turned 1 last week and we got to help her celebrate on Saturday. How cute is she?! Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

Proud Mommy and Daddy...

Yancy with the birthday girl...

Another Reminder to Trust God

Trusting God seems to be a theme in my life lately. This is a great reminder from James MacDonald.

I Choose to Trust

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
Trust is the antidote to anxiety; it's the resolution of worry and the destruction of fear. Trust is the act of my will to give my burdens to God. It's like a muscle--as you exercise it, trust gets stronger.
Trust is walking forward moment by moment, having rolled your burden onto God. You've no doubt said, "I gave it to God once, but here it is again in my grip." When you sense that you've taken it back again, get back on your knees, get the burden back on God, get on your feet again, and continue to trust.
When you off-load your burden on God, you can pick up a promise from His Word. Second Peter 1:4 tells us that "he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world." There are literally hundreds of promises that apply to your specific burden. God's Word is filled with treasure.
I'm claiming Isaiah 41:10 right now for a burden I leaving at God's feet. "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." There it is! God is doing this whole thing with one hand tied behind His back. He's not stressed or strained. He's not worried about what to do. He has absolutely no capacity limits!
Isaiah continues, "Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you'" (vv. 11-13).
Take a moment to read that awesome promise again. Trust means you anchor your heart in the reality of God's awareness of your situation. He sees more than you can ever see. God, who loves you and is committed to you, will not disappoint you now or in the future if you put your weight fully on Him.

Baby Presley is here!

Kevin, Apryl and big brother Connor welcomed their baby girl, Presley Suzanne, into the world last Saturday. She is so precious and beautiful and tiny, just 5 lbs and some odd ounces (I can't remember exactly!). Congratulations, Kevin and Apryl! We're rejoicing with you!

God's Delays

We had an awesome church service yesterday. The music really spoke to my heart- including one of my all time favorites, Blessed Be Your Name. This song has been my prayer more times than I can count. Also, it seemed like Pastor Steve's message was just for me and Yancy. His title was "Why is God so slow?". I love that title! God never works on our timetable. He's got His own and it's perfect... never early, never late. Anyway I thought I would share some of what meant so much to me. His message was from Mark 5:35-43 when Jairus' daughter dies as they are waiting for Jesus to get there.

1. Delays are a part of God's plan for our lives.
a. Sometimes His delays have nothing to do with us. (This was a great reminder for me!)
b. Sometimes He has much more work to do in our lives first- like building our faith in Him.
2. Our job is to keep believing even when things get worse, not better.
3. In every trial we face, keep in mind the great victory- that Jesus has conquered death.

This was so encouraging to me as God delays in bringing us our baby, as well as moving us to Huntsville. I hope this is encouraging to you, too! God's working in His own time. Keep on believing! After all, He raised Jairus' daughter from death. What an awesome God! If you want to hear the whole message, go to http://www.podcasting.fbcopelika.com/.

Another Birthday

Today is my Daddy's birthday. He's been celebrating all week on vacation in San Antonio, but today we celebrated with toasted coconut cake. It was so yummy! Happy Birthday, Daddy! You always know how to put a smile on my face. I love you bunches!

Atlanta Date Night

My parents have been on vacation this week and we went to pick them up in Atlanta last night. So before heading to the airport, Yancy and I had dinner at a really great restaurant called Canoe. It's right on the Chatahootchee River with very beautiful scenery. We had terrific service and delicious food. My favorite was the fried Georgia peach pie. YUM! I would highly recommend it!