Denver & Dally

I love this one...dirty face and all!

and this one

She was scared to jump...

but the lure of the chickens made her go for it!

Look at those long legs!

Ladies Winter Retreat 2010

Melissa, Me, & Mel

The Main Atrium of the Lodge...Gorgeous!

I recently went on a ladies retreat with the church we've been attending on and off for about a year or so now. The retreat was themed L3 (L cubed...I can't get the superscript # to show up correctly in this format) or, in other words... Living Exponentially (Live Loud, Laugh Loud, Love Loud). I cannot put in words how inspiring and uplifting this trip was, but I will try to give you just a sample of what I took away from this weekend so that you, too, may be inspired.

First of all, it was so inspiring to hear the testimonies of other women...not just any women, though. Women who, on the outside, seemed to have it all together but on the inside had been broken down and kicked to the curb by themselves or loved ones. Listening to how these women overcame obstacles such as doubt, fear, anxiety, incompleteness, longingness, anorexia, and betrayal through the Lord Jesus was aw inspiring for me. I don't know about you, but sometimes when things just seem to be going all wrong or when you just have a bad day or week, it is easy to throw yourself a pity party and dwell on how bad things are. These women helped reinforce a fact that I already knew but needed to be reminded of...You shouldn't just call on the Lord for help in bad times when you feel it is a last resort, but in the good times as well. After all, He is responsible for the good things that happen to us, too. I am quite guilty of leaning on the Lord when I am going through a hard time in life. One most recent example is when I was without a "real" job for six months and my dream job was nowhere in sight despite sending in countless resumes and letters of interest. I am almost ashamed to say that I prayed faithfully during this time period of hardship. Once my dream job came along I gave thanks to the Lord for all He had done and then once again I was back to my old ways of not reading His Word and not talking to Him on a regular basis. After this refreshing weekend, I am now back on track and closer to my Lord through His Word and prayer which, after all, was the purpose of this weekend (even though shopping, eating, and fellowshipping were very fun)!

Speaking of shopping, eating, and fellowshipping...

After the Saturday morning session, we had five hours to explore the nearby towns of Clayton, Dillard, and Rabun. We had lunch at Chick-Fil-A and then headed to downtown Clayton and Dillard for some shopping. There were so many neat stores and cute little cafe's. When we arrived back at the lodge for dinner, I was very impressed. The dinner was prepared by the in house caterer and consisted of spring mix salad, garlic bread, smothered chicken with caramelized onions and peppers and jack cheese, baked potatoes with sour cream and chives, and a double fudge brownie with vanilla bean ice cream. There were two more sessions after dinner and then we hit the sack to gear up for the final session on Sunday morning.

One last note..."Living a Legacy...Leaving a Legacy"

I would say that the single most inspiring and thought-provoking moment from the entire weekend for me was when one of the women spoke on "Living a Legacy and Leaving a Legacy". Basically, she inspired me to think about how the way I live now is a legacy, but it is up to me what kind of legacy I choose to live. She went on to explain that the legacies we live now will follow us after we are long gone. Those legacies may be in the memories of our children and grandchildren, our friends, our families, and our enemies. It is our (MY) decision to choose if our legacy will be a witness to the Lords' Kingdom. Everything we do can affect our legacy...Even simple things like (how quick we are to anger, how we handle a screaming two year old in a crowded restaurant, how we treat our tennis opponents, how we treat our co-workers and everyone else, how we treat a passer-by, how quick we are to forgive, how we choose to offer advice, etc...). How Inspiring!

Brooks, going for a strike!

Don't mean to brag, but you're looking at a 2-round winner! :-)

Mel is hoping for a strike, but gets a gutter ball instead :-(

Me, Melanie, & Allison

Dally Gets Settled Into Her New Home

She loves her tennis ball

What a serious look!

Dally, the wonder dog :-)

She's trying to take a nap, but I keep snapping pictures

Dally & I on Christmas Day

Dally & Daddy

OK, I know this is a hazard, but I had to snap a pic first...

don't worry, I moved her and closed the bottom of the chair so that she couldn't lay like this again. She falls asleep in the strangest positions.

This is her FAVORITE blanket. How I know this is:

(1) She does not chew it & (2) She always naps on it

She loves to bite feet

Sleepy puppy!

These are some of the pictures that I have taken over the past three weeks since we got Dally. She is so lovable and adorable...as any doggie mommy would say :-)

Among some of her favorite things to do include: playing with the tennis ball, chewing everything, playing tug-a-war with socks, kitchen towels, and her rope toy, napping, eating "people" food (especially cheese and lime sherbet), and playing with the "Big Dog", Denver. Although Denver doesn't really play with her yet, she jumps all over him and barks at him when he doesn't pay her any attention. He just sort of looks at her with a strange/mad look on his face. If he could talk, I think he would say, "What is she doing here?" I know he will warm up to her once she gets big enough to 'rough house' with! That's what happened when we got Dallas anyway. It just takes him a little time to adjust to not being the only dog in the family. Jealous thing he is!

A Sweet Puppy For Christmas

After celebrating Melanie's birthday with the family, Brooks, his cousin, Sam, & I headed to Griffin to pick up our little girl, Dally. It had been about three weeks since we had went and picked her out of all the other puppies. Then, she didn't even have her eyes open. So, we were excited to see her since she had opened her eyes and to see how she had grown. We were also excited for her to "see" us for the first time. On the ride back to Covington, she slept bundled up in a beach towel, in my lap the entire time. She got to meet Brooks' family and had fun playing in the yard. Her little legs were very unstable in the grass because she had not been outside until now. It was funny to watch. After a few hours of visiting, we headed home and once again she slept most of the way home.

A House Made of Blankets

Brooks & Paxton

Posing for the camera


helping Pax brush his hair...


But all he really wanted was the brush :-)

He loved being tossed up in the air...

and each time I caught him, I would tickle him...he loved it!

He was admiring the "tent" that Uncle Brooks made for him

Under the tent

Sharing his snack with uncle Brooks

Under the tent

This past Sunday, Brooks & I headed to Covington a little early for his mom's birthday so that we could keep Pax while she and Keith went to church (Pax had spent the night with them). They did not want to leave him in the nursery with children he didn't know, so Uncle Brooks and I got to keep our sweet nephew for the first time completely by ourselves! We were nervous that he would cry for his Mimi once she left for "grown-up" church but he didn't even whimper...partly because she slipped out while we had him pre-occupied in the closet (he loves to hide in the closet). We played the entire morning and had so much fun. Among the many games we played, the tent game was his favorite. He had Brooks and I both crawling under that thing over and over and over again. When Pax would crawl under, Brooks started pushing his feet like he was helping him under and the next thing we knew Pax was mimicking this new "trick" and was helping us under by pushing our feet! This went on for a good forty-five minutes or so. It was precious and it was so much fun! Wow, being around a child this sweet sure makes you look forward to the day when you have your own (that day is not anytime soon, if your were wondering :-)

Brooks and I would like to say "thanks" to Brad, Amy, Mimi, & Papa for entrusting us with this sweet boy for a few hours. What fun!

And...Happy Birthday, Melanie!