Cherohala Skyway or Bust!!!

I am so stinkin' excited!!! In 4 days mom and I leave for vacation. Tybee Island, GA had to be scratched for reasons too lengthy to go into. I was very disheartened by this change of events since this would have been my first ever beach vacation.

However, when one door closes on the beach, another opens to the mountains. Funny how I always end up in the mountains. As I have worked on planning this "amended" trip since 9/28, slowly the excitement has grown. I am, and always will be, a mountain girl at heart. I am humbled by the massiveness of them towering up toward the heavens. And to think, those huge mountains are but a foot stool for God. I think that is why I am so humbled by them.

I am going east this time, not west :( Considering the last 2 years have been spent in the Rockies & San Juans, I am ready to see the Apalachians again. Our trip highlight will be the scenic drive along the Cherohala Skyway between Tellico Plains, TN and Robbinsville, NC. It will be a breathtaking drive through both the Cherokee Natl in TN & Natahala Natl in NC Forests. Our highest elevation will be a few hundred feet over 1 mile. I am hoping the weather cooperates somewhat and we don't contend with rain the entire time. I am trusting God to take care of that :)

After our Skyway drive we will go south to Murphy, NC where we have a gorgeous cabin reserved for 3 nights. It is owned by a couple that lives on the property. It was actually their vacation home turned full-time home for a number of years before they built a larger home on the land. Our cabin is fully furnished & equipped with a kitchen, washer/dryer, satellite TV & mountain views from the large porch. All this for just $80 per night. Hello? Can I get an "OH YEAH!!!"???

The only downer to the trip is the fact my vehicle needs over $400 worth of work to prepare for the journey through the mountains. Oil change, rotate/balance tires & ALL my brakes need replaced. Ouch! I wasn't too surprised....just hoping maybe they weren't that far gone. Better to be safe than sorry is my motto when driving in the mountains!!!

I leave you with some eye-candy photos taken from the website for the cabin!!!

Sunday Evening Post

I should be at church right now voting in our choice for an interim pastor but I have been horribly nauseated since waking from my nap earlier. I knew better than to let myself fall asleep.

The weekend was busy but not as much as last weekend. Friday night we took the stray pup that found his way to our business last week to the vet for shots and a check up.

Saturday I slept in and worked on laundry through out the day while I just kicked back and did some much needed scrapbooking. Saturday evening I met up with friends to go play putt-putt golf but since it was just 3 of us and it was extremely chilly outside we decided to forego an outdoor activity. Instead we went to a Chinese joint and Diana and I watched Sheila eat. Diana and I had already eaten so were not hungry. Then it was probably our last trip to Bobby's Frozen Custard for a Turtle Sundae and back to Sheila's to eat it where it was warm. I pooped out at 10 pm and decided to go home since I wanted to make the 8a.m. service the next morning.

I have done alot of scrapping this week & weekend. Considering I have not done much the past few weeks it felt very good to get some pages completed. I will leave you with my accomplishments since I am ready to go get a shower now! I may have posted some of these already but not sure so I am sorry if I am repeating myself!!

This was a Scrap Orchard challenge to scrap without using a photograph. I used 2 great kits to make this layout. Java Mama by Faith True & Cafe Date by Irene Alexeeva. Click on the image to be taken to my gallery post where you can read the journaling.

Another LO I did for the same challenge. I used the kit, Urban Dreamer, by Amy Stoffel. You can click in the image to go to my gallery post that has the journaling typed out.

I have had this photo of Trevor and I since June of this year and it was underexposed so it just sat on my hard drive. I read a tutorial this weekend for another Scrap Orchard challenge that showed me how to correct the exposure. I am still not thrilled with the photo because of the glare on my glasses but I love the photo of me & Trev so much I let it go! I used 2 kits by Amy Stoffel to create this layout....August & Autumn Garden. The word art is from TaylorMade Designs "Outside The Lines" kit.

This was done for the October Scrap Orchard RAK (random act of kindness) where you take someone else's photo and design a LO using it. I used the kit, Sand Pile, by Lorilei Murphy to do this one.

I posted this photo in my last blog post and here it is in a layout. I used the kit, Everyday, by Lorilei Murphy.

I love this photo of Trevor sitting in the rocks, especially after I did some photo editing to it. I used several kits to create this one and right now I cannot remember them (sorry)

Here is a series of photos of Trevor and his bubble mower. I think I used the kit The Bees Knees by Amy Stoffel but not quite sure at the moment.

I did this one some time ago but can't remember if I posted it. These are photos from an Autumn drive/hike in 2008. I used the kit Hanabi Hart to create this one.

Singles Conference Huge Success!

We said goodbye to Kent Bottenfield a little over an hour ago while outside of Farmer's Restaurant in Highland. It was such a let down to see him go. After the months and months of planning the FIRST Singles conference at FBC Maryville was an incredible success. Some might be inclined to follow that comment with the question, "So then, you had a large number turn out for the event?". To that I would reply "No, not a large number but the perfect number showed up." It was a success not because of numbers but because we honored God in every aspect of this event.

The preparation began Friday morning about 10:00 a.m. when my friend, Sheila, and I went to buy bottled water, soda, and various items for Kent's welcome bags. We arrived at the church at 12:30 p.m. and met up with others on the team to begin setting up tables & chairs in the gym. We decorated tables, arranged plates/napkins/utensils, stuffed carry-out bags, sorted through prize give-aways, etc etc. We left the church around 4:30 exhausted. We went to eat at Applebee's where we were entertained by Tyler and his impressions of Stuart & Lorraine. Okay, I was entertained and I entertained everyone with my hysterical laughter.

Saturday morning many of us arrived at the church by 10:45 a.m. to take care of the final details of getting registration tables in order, sorting t-shirts to sell, making copies of ice-breaker questions. The anticipation was mounting as 1:00 p.m. rolled around. We looked as though we would pounce on the first person to walk through the doors. It really was quite comical to look at. People began to arrive and the buzz started. My feet were insanely sore already. Soon it was nearing 2:00 p.m. and it was about to begin. Years of praying and a year of planning was about to unfold before us. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning eagerly ready to see the gift beneath the wrapping paper.

The worship band opened with 4 songs to bring us into an attitude of worship led by Brian Carr and the college band. Next was the human video by our very talented Steve Moutria. His ability to minister through these human videos just amazes me. I kid you not, you do not take your eyes off him the entire time he performs. We were so glad he had the forethought to ask us to move the video to the beginning of the conference vs. beginning of the concert.

Then it was on to the break-out sessions....1, 2 & 3. I was only able to listen in on 2 of the 3 due to a few glitches that came up. What I heard on the subjects of Flexibility, Unity and Purity was the heart of God and nothing short of that.

Now we are coming the really good part of this event. Yep, you guessed it, the food. Come on, we are Baptists and we love our food fellowships. Cuz let's face it, is there such a thing as a fellowship without good eats??? Oh no, no such thing! LOL We had purchased extra food just in case and there was SO much left over it was sickening! Farmer's restaurant out of Highland prepared it and we had Fried Chicken, Italian Roast Beef, Mostaccoli, Green Beans, Corn, Mash Tators, 2 Gravies, Salad, and bread. PLUS, delicious Boston Creme Torte Cake donated by our Sunday school teacher from his business. Seriously....insanely.....out of this world good eats!

We opened the concert at 6:45 with prize drawings and then Kent Bottenfield took the stage for his first set. Sitting in the very front row was bittersweet. While one moment I could sense Pastor Fred's presence and could easily picture him in my mind with that big grin on his face, lifting those eyebrows and doing that quick little head bob and giving us a thumbs up.....the next moment I was seeing the events of March 8th. Both visions would bring me to tears. And of course, I did not have my kleenex! Hello? I thought it was church policy to have boxes of kleenex in the front pews. If not, it should be!!!

The remainder of the concert was super and the presentation by African Vision of Hope was so informative but done in a way that did not bore you or turn you off. I pray their ministry was hugely blessed by the platform given through this event. Kent ended the night by grabbing the mike from Pastor John to make this announcement "I have NEVER, EVER done this in my performing career but I am asking you to please go out and buy my CD's. Every dime from those sales will go to AVOH." I just could have cried when I heard that. Humble, gentle, kind, compassionate, selfless man of God = Kent Bottenfield.

Afterwards we took Kent to......Applebee's! I don't eat there for 6 months and then I am there 2 days in a row. It was nice and relaxing to just sit and enjoy Kent's company.

Sunday Kent did the sermons of all 3 services. Wow!!! I could have listened to him speak all afternoon. He is a visual speaker and I LOVE visuals! He spoke on the subject of 'Intentional Pursuit of Godly Passion'. Purpose-Attitude-Satisfying-Sacrifice-Invest in Others-Non Negotiable was the acronym he used in his sermon. As always God gave yet another confirmation this was all HIS plan when Kent touched on several key notes of our class lesson from the previous hour.

After church our class & the speakers of the event took Kent to, no not Applebees, Farmer's in Highland. It seems most restaurants follow this code of architecture that states "Always design the dining rooms with high, open ceilings & tile floors so every sound echoes and when there is a room full of diners it is so loud no one can hear what the person sitting next to them is saying.....thus, your table turn around will be much faster and you will make more money" SERIOUSLY! Still, it was a delicious lunch and a great 1 1/2 hours of fellowship with Kent.

And then it was time to let Kent go so he could get back to his family and rest. This was an amazing weekend filled with great purpose....an attitude of worship....satisfaction of jobs abundantly well done....sacrificing of time and sleep....investing in others in our church and surrounding community....and the bringing forth of the non-negotiable Word of God. All this combined made for changed lives and what an incredible honor that God allowed me to be a part of it all.

Here I am with Kent outside the restaurant.

This little girl has my heart!!!!!

She is my Baby-girl, my Puddin'-pop, my Silly McGilly, my Sassy Mafrassy and a zillion other goofy nicknames I have for her. I am not just her HUMAN, I am her mommy and when she is suffering, I am suffering. Four weeks ago today, I had her at the vet for an insane case of itching & scratching. She received a cortizone shot which helped dramatically. But, as steroids go, it wore off and she is right back to itching terribly again. So, another 2 hour round trip to the vet for another shot. I am praying it is the allergins in the air still and not something in MY house that she is allergic to. All I know is this....I want her to feel better again. If I had the meds and the ability to administer them to her, I would. Gosh, I can't believe how sick it makes me feel to know I cannot really help her right now. Other than giving her a dose of children's Benadryl and taking her next door to my mom & dad's to see if that brings some relief. They called and it seems she is much calmer and not scratching like she was. I will find out when I go to get her shortly if it is my house. If she gets back here and becomes stressed & starts scratching obsessively again, I think Grandma & Grandpa just became surrogants to a Papillon for the night & tomorrow until the trip to the vet!

Miracles In The Midst of Agony

I promised you (7 days ago) a story about how miracles can be happening even while the world around us is in chaos. Read this story from my cousin's blog

"K was born on February 21, 2001 in Galveston, TX. Sadly, she was born very sick and it took a while to find out what was wrong. The doctors figured out there was something wrong with her liver when she was six weeks old. They tried every thing to make her better but nothing worked. In the end they said only a liver transplant could save her life.

When she was six months old she was severely ill, sick in the hospital waiting for a liver transplant. One bright September morning K's parents and doctors learned that a donor liver was available 800 miles away (in Nashville). However this was no ordinary morning, it was September 11, 2001. America was under attack, and as a result all airplanes were grounded. K's liver could not be flown to her in time. But nobody wanted to give up on K's liver. Many phone calls too place between Houston, Nashville, and Washington D.C. The Pentagon gave permission for the Air National Guard to fly the liver to Houston on a giant C130 military plane.

As a result K's life was saved. This heroic act saved one life on a day when thousands of others died. On the 8th anniversary of 9/11, K is a 3rd grader.

Such an amazing life story. As someone once phrased 'it gives me chicken skin' when I read it. You might know the phrase as 'goosebumps'.

I have been scrapping but just not posting, sorry. I will put a few on here before I leave. Dont' expect to see much from me until after 9/27 sometime. The Singles Conference & Concert that has been in the works for this whole year is now just 6 days away. All the loose ends must be tied up this week. I am taking off work Friday to allow for all the church prep work. Hopefully that will all me to rest up Friday night & Saturday morning before the event starts. Basically I will be living at FBCM from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. Hoping Grandma & Grandpa will take Molly for the weekend so she does not feel like an orphan doggie.

This was for a journaling challenge at Scrap Orchard. Since the 6 month anniversary of Pastor Fred's death and the 9/11 attacks fell in the same week AND I had failed to take my meds for depression for over a week......well, let's just say I was not in a happy place. I was terribly weepy that week. When I get weepy like that, I find writing is a great outlet. That was the inspiration for this LO.....my weepiness & love of writing!

This was for another SO template challenge. I used a new kit from LCC Amy Stoffel called Hanabi's Heart. The colors lend themselves to gorgeous fall pages.

Here is a LO I did last Saturday while sitting up at the church waiting for potential ticket purchasers. I was trying to decide what I wanted to scrap and came across this photo of me and my precious doggie, Little Bit aka Itty Bit. So, I did a Christmas page.

And you know my post would not be complete without a layout of at least ONE of the boys. These were some photos I stole from Andrea's camera while I had her SD card in my possession last week. I loved this series of pics with Trevor and his bubble lawn mower. My favorite photo is the one on the bottom to the left of the 2 smaller photos with his hat off. I think it looks like he is would be saying "I give UPPPPP....I have HAD it!!!!"

And here is another yesteryear layout using a photo of me from 17 years ago, yikes! Yes, this is a Glamour Shot photo and yes, I know, I had very big hair. No need to post comments about the hair, LOL!

M.I.A.

I knew I had not been on to blog for a while but did not realize it had been 12 days. As I look back over those days I cannot see exactly why I have been MIA on my blog. I have not been "that" busy. Busy, yes. Hmmm, I really don't know. But, I am here now.

It is Sunday morning. I have 14 minutes before I need to get up and get ready for church. If I have time when I am ready I will come back to the computer and work on unzipping & loading some awesome new Pea fonts I just downloaded.

This has been an odd morning. My mind has been racing with thoughts. The kind of thought processes that remind me of the magician pulling the colored scarves out of his pocket and it never ends. The colors change (as my thoughts are) but there is just one after another after another after another...you get the idea. Oy! I wish there was a pause button on my brain. Okay, maybe I should watch what I wish for. Really, I don't want to check out in the brainwave department permanently....just pause it for 30 minutes. As I say that I think of the word PRAYER. See, another thought process! Maybe instead of wanting to close my eyes and go numb for awhile I should PRAY. Praying takes the focus of you and whatever is surrounding you and your mind at the moment and puts onto the outward things. Well, I guess that depends on how exactly you pray. If the prayers are filled with God help ME....God I need this or God please grant ME, well then.....the purpose is kind of defeated.

This past week was the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks as well as the 6 month mark of losing Pastor Fred. Ugh, double whammy! I didn't turn on the TV Friday as I did not want the images of 9/11 flooding my brain. Don't get me wrong, we ALL need to NEVER forget. It is just that I am still dealing with the images of our churchs' own 9/11....only our date is 3/08. I could not handle anymore "images" this week.

However, there is a wonderful story I would like to share about 9/11. Yes, I said wonderful. It is a story of how even in the midst of our country's most tragic moments, God was still working miracles. More on that in the next post....I am 8 minutes behind where I said I needed to be to get ready for church. Last thing I need is to start running late and then get all "in a mood" before church....wouldn't that just make the devil so happy. I won't give him the satisfaction.

Be blessed!!!

Hope....

This little four letter word that comes out of my mouth probably more than realize stands for something much larger than I give credit. What do I hope for?

• the conference sales are enough to cover costs
• more work comes in to meet the weekly obligations
• all my plans for vacation go according to my wishes

What should I hope for?

• God sends to our conference the ones who are desperately seeking the kind of change only He can offer through Jesus!
• That I can be the shining light of Jesus in the work place, even when things seem bleak
• That God give me the opportunity to share His love to someone while on my vacation

So, what IS the difference between my first set of hopes & my second? OBJECT OF MY FOCUS! If I could have a recorder that only recorded those times when I say the words "I hope [fill in the blank]" and then replay those words I bet 99% of them would all be selfishly spoken with only my own concerns & comforts in mind. The hardest thing to remember is that hope is NOT this switch we turn on only when "we" need something to go our way. Hope is an eternal flame that should burn inside us....with the main focus being on God....the giver & sustainer of our Hope [in Jesus].

I don't believe it is wrong to hope for all the little things we hope for. After all, God lays on our hearts certain hopes and desires to take us in certain directions at different times in our lives. But, if we never place Jesus in the center of those hopes then are those things really worth hoping for? Sometimes the hardest thing for me to remember is "It's not always about ME" even though I often feel I "deserve" to have those hopes and dreams realized. In reality, all I deserve is what Jesus did for me over 2000 years ago in the greatest act of love imaginable through His death on the cross. That's what I deserve! But, my Jesus loves me so much He paid that price for me and has bridged the gap from my heart to God's with His blood.

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20

O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. Psalm 130:7

What are YOU hoping for today? Hope in Jesus and you will not be let down.