Here's to You

GRANDMA...

I have been sitting at the computer for over 20 minutes, and I keep erasing my thoughts. I do not have the words to describe this amazing woman! If you know my Grandma, you understand the dilemma I face. For 86 years, she has blessed the lives of the people around her. She has a servant heart and loves to help others. She never misses a birthday or anniversary of any of her family members and loves to send cards to celebrate these special occasions. She is a hard worker and still finds things to do: crocheting, sewing, cooking, etc. She has taught me many things in life...the importance of family, the love of God, the joy of serving others, the way to cook. However, some of my favorite memories are the times we have spent sewing and talking. Just a couple of years ago I had the joy of learning to crochet and sew from the great teacher, Grandma. She was so patient with me! God has blessed me with a talented, family oriented, God fearing woman that I like to call Grandma!! I love you Grandma!!


On Friday, we celebrated her 86th Birthday in Nashville. We had dinner at my cousin's house, and then 16 (Grandma, Mom, Dad, Dewayne, Jane, Randy, Robbie, Elsie, Paul, Aimee, Lucy, Sophie, Luke, Laura, Craig, and I) of us went to the Grand Ole Opry. It was so much fun!! Grandma you are so special, and I love you so much!! Hope you have a great birthday!!

"A woman of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies."
Proverbs 31: 10

Prayer Request

This weekend we were in Nashville celebrating Grandma's 86th Birthday and my father-in-law's 60th birthday (more posts on those events to come). This morning we worshiped at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ with Craig's parents, Charlie, Ashley, and Gentry. As I read through the bulletin, I noticed an upcoming 5k for the Walker family. After church, I asked Craig if he knew the family or what was going on. He did not. At lunch, the family was mentioned again, so I asked Ashley for more details. She had told me about a woman at their church (whose brother Craig and I knew at Lipscomb) who delivered her daughter stillborn two weeks before her due date. A couple of weeks later, this same woman was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. WOW! Ashley told me about Sara's caring bridge site and how powerful her testimony has been. I stumbled upon the site tonight and have been reading all of her entries. God is an amazing Father, and HE is working through Sara. PLEASE read her story and pray for this family. I would encourage you to go back to her very first entry and read all of her thoughts in order. May God continue to use Sara to touch the lives of so many!! May we choose to wake up each day and savor all of the moments God gives us each day!!

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sarawalker

Vacation

Well, we just returned from a week at the beach, and I must say I'm ready to go back. After having temperatures in the upper 70s and lots of sunshine, I do not like the winter weather that greeted me. Craig was able to get off last week during my Spring Break, so we left for Destin on Friday as soon as school was out. We arrived a little after midnight, and we spent the entire week relaxing! Like I said, the weather was perfect, and the beach wasn't too crowded, which made me happy. I loved sitting in my beach chair with a good book on the beautiful days we had!! We spent our days at the beach, and our evenings at our favorite restaurants. It was so nice to stay up late, sleep in, and not have anything to do. Although it was hard to leave, we look forward to going back this summer!!

Paint Me a Birmingham

We spent a wonderful weekend in Birmingham with our amazing Memphis family. God truly blessed our lives with the Bootons, Clendenins, Lokeys, and Parnells. Without a doubt, our experiences in Memphis would have been completely different without these friends. They truly love at all times! It's hard to believe that in the past three months we have ALL been able to get together on two separate weekends. Well, here is a recap of the weekend using Tracy Lawrence's "Paint Me a Birmingham." It's always fun to hang out with these special friends.

Well, could you paint me a Birmingham?

Just the way the Lokeys and Bootons planned.


Put all these wonderful people in town.


Fun and games all the way around.


Put the dogs in the backyard please.


Lots of food, no one would disagree.


For a while, it's like living in Memphis again.
Thank you for the weekend in Birmingham!!

Winter Break

Although we have missed 7, yes, I repeat 7, days for school this winter, my wonderful school still granted us our promised two day winter break over President's Day. After work on Friday, we drove to Nashville. We ate yummy food at some of our favorite places (J.Alexander's, Loveless Cafe, Satco, and Le Peep). We spent Saturday afternoon in downtown Franklin, which was fun! We met up with our friends James, Elizabeth, and baby Andrew. We went to a Predators game, and I enjoyed watching Carrie Underwood.We spent time with my in-laws. It was a wonderful trip, and we look forward to more trips this Spring!!

On Sunday night, I drove to Florence to spend the rest of my Winter Break. On Monday, I hung out with my Grandma and my parents. We ate lunch at Trowbridge's, which is always tasty. We did a little shopping after lunch. Then, I went to meet baby Jackson. One of my best friends from elementary school had a baby on February 1. Melissa and I spent a couple of hours with sweet Jackson and Codi. It was so nice to spend a couple of hours with these amazing friends, and I loved meeting precious Jackson. For dinner, we went to Ricatoni's, which is another Florence favorite. The rest of the time was spent hanging out and playing cards.

Oh, how I love family and friends (and I guess food, if you read this blog carefully)!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Today, I'm thankful for all the LOVE I have received in my life. Thank you Craig for loving me and for making each day a blessing to be your wife. Thank you Mom & Dad for the countless sacrifices you made for me and for your example of love. Thank you Adam, Luke, and Bethany for your constant support, laughter, and love. Thank you Cathy and Laura for entering a crazy family and loving us just the way we are. Thank you to my in-laws (Mr. & Mrs. Wright, Charlie, Ashley, and everyone else) for accepting me as a member of your family. Thank you to my nephew, Gentry, for melting my heart each time you call my name. Thank you Grandma, Grandpa, Grandmama, and Granddaddy for the love you taught your children and the love you showed me. Thank you to my extended family members for the love you poured into my life. Thank you to all my wonderful friends who have loved me like I was part of your own family. Most of all, thank you God for showing me the best example of love when you sent your Son to die for me, a sinner. Thank you for your love and your grace that you richly give every day!

I am also so thankful for the love I receive from my job. I LOVE teaching, but even more, I love my students. They make me laugh. They make me go crazy at times. They make me smile. We experience a lot of moments throughout the year. Teaching 4th Grade has been more amazing than I ever thought. I want to share this poem I received today. It brought a huge smile to my face. This little girl has a special place in my heart (like all my students), and I am constantly impressed by her creative mind. I thank God every day for the opportunity I have to work with these students, and I pray that HE speaks through me as I teach. Enjoy the words of one of my students:

"Roses are red, Violets are blue,
Who's the best teacher, Mrs. Wright that's who.
We learn by her words, We learn by her games.
She's not a boring teacher: on and on they drain.
It's fun to hear her talent. We love when she sings.
Lots of memories and creative ideas she is known to bring.
In Mrs. Wright's class, you're never glum,
You're always having bunches of fun!
Thanks Mrs. Wright for being a great teacher,
your good at being a Bible preacher.
So today I'm wishing you lots of love,
and so is the Lord from Heaven above!"

I pray that you know or will come to know the love of our Lord from Heaven above.

Guess What??

It's SNOWING again!

So far, I have been at school a total of one hour and 45 minutes this week. C-R-A-Z-Y!! All I know is that I am officially ready for Spring. It's been a very cold winter with lots of snow, so I am looking forward to warmer days full of sunshine. Is that too much to ask for?? Oh well, for now I will stay in my sweatpants and enjoy my lazy days! Hope you're having a great week!!