ladies conference

hi there all. i am in hot springs, arkansas for a ladies conference. what a blessing. 6 of our ladies, my mom, and friend went with me. we've had a great time. it's been nice to get away a couple of days. i have been praying bout this and asking the Lord to speak to me. And you know what? he has! (amazing how that happens ;)

so much good music and the speakers have been wonderful, godly, spirit filled women. i love how the Lord always has exactly what i need when i need it. it's as if they were given a specific list of things to talk about that would hit me!

i had lots to repent of...and feel so much better now. there's always room for improvement! i've asked Him for forgiveness, now i need to ask a few others for forgiveness! can't wait either.

anyway, thought i would share this with you all:
i am so thankful that my mommy came along with me. we are very close...always have been. more like sisters at times. we joke and carry on with one another....it's so much fun havin her around.

i got to thinkin while on this trip....i have so many women who i look up and admire...but my mama is #1. if she were reading this she'd say, 'whatever' b/c i've never really told her that. but it is so true. there were many sessions today. one was on finances. the whole time i thought of how my mama has always handled finances so well. she has looked well to the matters of her home. she is efficient and frugal. she is wise with her spending, making sure the Lord is given their 1st fruits. then there was a session on submission to husbands. man, she is the best example of that i've ever seen. she has always submitted and honored my dad no matter what. she has shown me how to obey and love my husband through her example. no matter what, daddy was her (earthly) king. she shows him reverence and takes care of him. she is a help to him above measure. there was also talk about our mouths....yeah, that one hits us all. but i couldn't help but think of is how she never speaks harsh words. is she perfect, no. but it's amazing how sweet and kind she is.

i have never met anyone else like her. she never meets a stranger. upon first meeting, you become 'sweety' or 'honey' and 'baby'. she's just that way. she can make anyone feel special and worth something. she has a huge heart and is the most giving person ever. she does things for people she doesn't know or even has just met. if she sees a need, she wants to meet it....and without the applause of man. she's rather just sit quietly in the background and make sure everyone is taken care of. she genuinely wants people to be happy, even at her own expense.

she has (and still does) done things for me that i surely do not deserve. i am so unworthy of her love to me. but i am surely grateful. i am prould to call her my mom, my friend.

in fact, i can't even find the right words to describe her. all i know is that i pray to have just a fraction of her heart, her spirit, her generosity, her forgiveness, her compassion, her long suffering.

Father's Day

well, happy father's day to all who are in my family. 1st i think of my hubby....not my daddy of course, but the father to my children. he's such a wonderful man. i am sure every woman says the same of her husband and father, but it's so true in my case. i am so blessed to have a preacher of the Gospel as my husband. he takes such good care of the children and i could not ask for any better.

my dad. where do i begin? i will say, (and i'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind) that he was not always a Christian man. and he did not always live a Christian life. but i also know that he loves me and my brother. his love for us has always been evident, no matter what. of all the hard working people in the world, my daddy is #1 in my book. he has worked years on power lines doing dangerous work in crazy weather at ridiculous hours. he has never had a 'past time', no hobbies or leisure time, no vacation time (& if he did take off, it was w/out pay). he is dependable, he is strong, he is a man of his word, he is a natural leader, he is a rock. and i will proudly say that i am an A Class daddy's girl. that's righte, i do not hesitate to say it. he is so precious to me. he's my daddy and i love him dearly.

also, my father in law. now although the odds are stacked against me (i am his in-law, and a step one at that) for 15 years he has treated me like i was his own daughter. there has never been a time that i haven't felt that he was just as close to me as a biological father. he took me in from day one and to this day treats me as his own. i am thankful that he has always gone over and above to be that father figure to me!

....so we knew that going on a vacation was would be a little tricky with bailey. everything is, though. when one is physically and mentally challenged, the easy things are not.......easy. we knew there would be lots of walking (up & down hill), it would be hot and sunny (not good for someone who burns easily), the days would be long, crowds would abound, no naptime would be available, and so on. but we have lived with these challenges everyday for the past 7 1/2 years...vacation only multiplies them.

thanks to grandparents, we were able to go on rides with shelby & brody...had we been alone, one parent would have had to sit out with bailey while the other went on ride patrol. it was such a blessing to have them with us to help out with bailey. we decided to rent a double stroller to wheel her around in. (not meant for a 7 yr old, but we had to improvise) just getting her into it was a sight to see. it took me and michael picking her up on either side while nana held the stroller still. even then, she doesn't understand 'bend your legs' or 'scoot back some', everything has to be done by us.

she is so helpless at times. as i was watching her the last day....(nana & peepaw were already gone...therefore i was that parent on watching bailey while michael was on ride patrol)....i couldn't help but notice how in her own world she was. here we are in an amazing amusement park. there are rides everywhere, junkfood galore, kids running around having the time of their lives.....and here sits bailey in the double stroller with her deck of cards and a piece of juicy fruit. she is content to shuffle the numbers right off those cards, never batting an eye at the laughter of others or the screams from the children on the rides. she sits there all alone, it seems, in her own little world. who knows what she is thinking or how she really feels or if she even comprehends where we are.

how i long for her to talk to me. if i could have one wish, it would be to hear bailey speak. not just mumble in 'baby talk' consonant sounds, but to really speak with words. i would be so excited to hear her tell me what she wants to drink....ya know, i thought about that, too. she never gets to decide what she wants us to order her at a restaurant or to give her at home. i mean, we always order sprite for her, but what if she really wanted sweet tea or just water...the poor thing cannot even tell me that. she just accepts what is given to her.

i really do just sit around sometimes and wonder what's going on in that mind of hers. i cannot wait for her to get to heaven....she will be given a new mind, a perfect mind...and i have no idea (and if you'll be honest, neither do you) what heaven will really be like, but i cannot help but to get excited about the thought of her running up to me and talking up a storm. i want to just sit and talk to her for a while. yes, i am fully aware that once in heaven we will be praising God, but i sure hope that He gives me just 5 minutes alone with my daughter to hear her talk to her mom!

hi there folks....so very sorry it's been so long since i've posted. it seems as tho there has been quite a bit going on around here. anyway, i'll try to catch ya up on everything over the next couple of days!

so last week we went on vacation. it was our first real family vacation. we went to branson, mo. michael's parents met us there and we spent the week spending money we didn't have! ha, that's the way it always goes, right?!

well, where to begin with the stories? i think i'll start here:
we always cringe at the thought of vacation because as most of you know, the hotter it gets, the more clothes that come off!!!! it seems as tho girls just walk around in panties and bras and the men go around shirtless. it's insane. shelby is 10 now and we have certain standards in our home. her wardrobe consists of dresses/skirts and culottes. she has always been very obedient and has a good attitude about it. we have explained to her why we do the things we do....which i think is something a lot of "independent fundamental baptist" parents have lacked doing...explaining. i think lots of times orders are barked and no reasoning is given. well, we have always told shelby why we wear the things we wear.

needless to say, although we have done this, there are times that shelby looks around and sees that she's different. ya know, it's hard sometimes being the only one doing something. and she is at the age that being different isn't always so much fun. you get funny looks and people ask questions and sometimes even treat you different. anyway, to our surprise, we were thrilled when we got to branson.

i think i saw more skirts and culottes than i ever have! we went to silver dollar city (an amusement park) there were females of all ages there looking modest and having the time of their lives. i was so happy because shelby was able to see that she is not the only one who has the same convictions as we. there are those out there who are likeminded in the wardrobe area. it was just a real blessing for her to see that you can look modest and still have a good time. seeing others made her feel not so alone and strange. she does look different all the time, but you know, she should.