Snowshoe, Here We Come!!!

We are leaving in the morning to go to Snowshoe, West Virginia. I am really looking forward to the snow but NOT the long ride! Mason woke up this morning in a very happy mood because he knows that today is his last day at school. He has our afternoon all planned out. It includes packing and packing and more packing. We have to take Ripley and Layla to Tia's, water plants, take the trash to the dump and several other things that he listed. Needless to say, we will be very busy this afternoon.

I hope that everyone has a great weekend! Keep us in your prayers for traveling mercies and no injuries on the slopes!!

Do you believe that there is a God? I have always believed without a single doubt but you know that there are some people that don't believe. Last night was a perfect example of God's presence in my life.

I called Bernie yesterday and ask him if he was going to church because I wanted to ride with him. At that time he said that he wasn't sure but he eventually called back and then picked me up to go. On the way to church we stopped and picked up a friend of Bernie's who is suffering from drug addiction. He is trying desperately to get into a rehab facility but until then he is staying in a run down hotel. We picked him up and off to church we went. We ate dinner really quick and then went into Bible study. It was really great. At the end of the service Bernie stood up and asked for the church to pray for his friend. The Preacher said a prayer for him right then with several men laying their hands in him. It was so moving. God was there for sure!

While we were eating dinner I noticd that Bernie's friend kept getting up and piling more food on his plate. I asked him if he had any food where he was staying. He said no but he was going to eat enough at church to hold him over. It just broke my heart into pieces. But you know what, he said it with a smile knowing that God was going to provide food for him somehow. This guy is a Christian but the devil had gotten a hold on him and dragged him down. He is fighting his way back and doing it with a smile on his face. Needless to say, Bernie and I made sure that he had food by the time that we took him back to his room.

We helped him carrying his things up to his room when we dropped him off. You just can't imagine the filthy place that he is staying at. The ceiling looked like it was going to fall in on us, it smelled so bad and a roach crawled across the bed while we were there. But this was the place the God had allowed him to stay and he was so thankful for it because his other option was the street. Before Bernie and I left his room, we stood in a circle, held hands and Bernie prayed the most amazing prayer that I have ever heard. We closed our eyes and held tight to each other and I realized that it didn't matter what condition the room was in, God is everywhere. He is real and He was in that run down hotel.

Am I The Next American Idol???

NOT! But I am joining the young adult choir at church. My mom has been inspired to create a new choir and I, for some unknown reason, have agreed to join it. I can not sing worth a lick.... not even in the shower. I have never been in any choir. Mason looks at me funny when I sing anything.... I think that he wants to tell me to stop but he is afraid of hurting my feelings. I am actually looking forward to it and I know that it will bless so many people in our church, including me. So, please pray for our new choir. Lord knows, we all need prayer, especially the people who are going to have to listen to my singing! YIKES! Maybe I can just hum along in the back row??

Happy Wednesday Ya'll!!

Burrrrr! It is so cold outside today. I think that the high is 48 degrees. That is cold!! I guess that I better get used to it though since we are going to West Virginia in a few weeks. We have been going every February for 3 years. I am really looking forward to it. I am not much of a skier but I enjoy the snow and just relaxing with a good book. Mason is going to try to learn how to ski this year. We are going to sign him up for Kids World, which is a one day camp for kids. He will probably be flying past his dad on the slopes before we know it. I am really looking forward to going tubing. So fun! This picture was taken two years ago in the Village at Snow Shoe, West Virginia.

I hope that as you are reading this that you are sitting down because I have some news. I hope that it doesn't sadden you as much as it did me because I was so super depressed over it! As I was getting ready for work this morning, I found...... MY FIRST GRAY HAIR!!!! Oh my goodness! I thought that I was seeing things but I swear it winked at me! I tried to pull it out but that little fella wouldn't budge. I'm sure that this is the first of many.... after all, I am almost 33 years old. So, today I am a little bit sad. I have colored my hair for a long time because I don't really like my natural color but now I have to color it because I found a gray hair. I am sure that there are more that I can't see... what a big, fat, gray haired bummer!!

A Tribute to My PaPa

One year ago today, my grandfather passed away. It was by far the saddest day of my life. His was my first up close experience with death and it was so hard. My PaPa was one of a kind. I am positive that there is not another man like him in this world. I remember when I was little, I'd sit on MaMa and PaPa's couch and wait for him to get home from work. I loved to hear him whistle in the mornings or make up silly songs about odd things. He used to call me Lori the Horse. He'd called all of us turd head tappin's. I have no idea where he got these funny names from or where he came up with all the crazy jokes. He could tell you war stories and describe things as if they happened yesterday. He was a very smart man and a lot of times he had an attitude about one thing or another. But that is what made him PaPa.

Nickiehoakiemombo was one of his favorite phrases. What does it mean? I have no idea but I say it to Mason all the time. We would always reply with "banana split". So, Nickiehoakiemombo to everyone who reads this tribute! PaPa's legend lives on!

Mason has been sleeping in our bed since he was about 2 years old. The older that he gets, the bigger he gets, the more crowded our queen size bed has become. I told him that it was time that he sleep in his own bed. I swear that he woke up 10 times during the night. Needless to say, I was so tired the next day. Then Sandy gave me an idea. She said that Noah used to sleep on an inflatable sleeping bag on the floor in her room. I talked to Mason about it and he was so excited. I made him a cot on the floor beside our bed and he has been sleeping there for a few days. He sleeps all night without a peep! Praise the Lord for small miracles!

So, I ordered him an inflatable sleeping bag because I felt bad that he was sleeping on the hard floor. It came in yesterday so he was really excited about trying it out. He laid down and went right to sleep until...... I woke to his screaming at about 1:15 am. He had managed to get his upper body wedged under our bed. So his legs were on the mat but his head was under the bed and he was stuck like that. I had to pull the mat from under his legs and then pull him from under the bed. He was hysterical. I put him in our bed for the rest of the night. He woke up this morning so angry that he wasn't on his mat. He didn't remember what had happened during the night. Tonight we will be moving the mat away from the edge of the bed.... poor little fella!