I'm engaged! :)

I was asked the big question! And I said, "Yes!" More details to follow, including photos and the video of the proposal!

Poncho the Possum

Last Saturday (after work - I had to go to a funeral service), I went to pick up my Mom, and we went to church where the service was being held. As I'm driving, my Mom tells me this story. She said that last night they(my parents) heard a noise on the porch, and the dogs(Joli and Barney) were barking. Mom goes outside to see what it is - and it's a possum that has gotten into the dog food. My mother - being the photographer that she is - gets her digital camera that I got her for her birthday and proceeds to take pictures of this possum. She laid the garbage barrel(what she had the dog food in) on it's side so that the possum could get out AND obtain a better picture.

A few days later - same thing - Joli had heard something and started barking. Mom goes out and see the possum curled up in the dog food.

Mom has decided to name him Poncho! :)

Quote of the morning

So, around 5am, I had a three-fer come in with vomiting. The 9 y/o didn't look well at all - had been vomiting since 2100. The 7 y/o vomited in the parking garage and mainly just appeared tired. After all, it was 5am. The 5 y/o was fine - she hadn't started yet. Mom wanted her evaluated simply because her siblings were ill. One of our MDs goes to assess the patients.

And the youngest one said, "We had chicken for dinner, and we ate too much!"

I'm sure it didn't have everything to do with it, but it's definitely a possibility.

Newfoundland trip with details...

August 6th:

The Royal St. John's (the longest annual competition in North America) Regatta was postponed due to weather. On the day of this event, the entire town shuts down. It is usually held on the first Wednesday of August - however, this year it was held on Friday, August 8th.

So, we went to Topsail Beach:

We also did some scouting in CBS - Convention Bay South. We(our van - Steve, Jackie, Bruce, Tiffany, Terry, & me) returned back to the college (Memorial University). It was about 2 hours later when the first van(Larry, Judy, Tony, Carolyn, Roger, Ed, Angie) returned - needless to say, they were LOST in Newfoundland! :)

That evening, a few of us went to Signal Hill - took pictures of the city.

August 7th:

We hiked down Signal Hill - was able to get several shots: Fort Amherst and the waves crashing into the bank.

Here's a shot of a row of houses - with different colors.


August 8th - Regatta Day:

I love rowing! I wish I would have went to UTK just to row - and of course go to school! :) And the greatest thing about this competition is that it can be anybody. Meaning, it can be a softball team, a group from a bank or law firm. They have access to the boathouse. So, I think it's pretty cool.

That evening we went out to eat and we 'celebrated' the Warden's birthday(without him knowing it). We sent the girls to sing Happy Birthday to him - and the Moose Head!

That evening, we played Spades: Jackie & me vs Terry & Tiffany. And one of the quotes of the week, Terry said, "I'd rather play cards than eat."

August 9th:

Topsail beach for some backyard bible club. While waiting for people to show up (the weather was yucky the entire time - it was the misting rain) - some of us had a little fun.

Me...on the seesaw.

Afterwards, our van went to Fort Amherst - the first lighthouse in Newfoundland.

August 10th:

We attended church at the St. John Cathedral(Anglican). It was beautiful! It was the first church of Newfoundland.

After an hour and a half service - and the hour and a half tour, we went to Cape Spear - the most easterly point of North America. We also were able to do a little bit of whale watching.

Whale tail!

August 11th:

We all finished up what bit of shopping we needed to do. We also noticed that people were out mowing their yards(in the misting rain) with push mowers and whipper snippers(which we know as weedeaters). And all week long - there always seem to be a line at Tim ("Crack") Hortons.

August 12th:

Our flight was delayed an hour and a half, because pilots who fly into Newfoundland are those who fly out - and they have to have an 8 hour clearance from flight to flight. Meaning, the pilots flew in around 1:30am that morning.

We hit some turbulence on the way to Newark. Had a slight delay in Newark, but we still made it to Nashville on time at 4pm.

It was a great trip. Our mission was fulfilled - we spoke to those we came in contact with, and God will take care of the rest.

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit..." Matthew 28:19

Newfoundland trip!

What a trip! Newfoundland was great. Had a wonderful time - spending the week with people I knew and those that I knew of, but hadn't had the opportunity to spend some quality time with. This was a much needed trip - I was able to reach out those in Newfoundland, but as a friend told me, usually mission trips end up being slightly selfish - because tend to see where we need to be spiritually, and see how truly blessed we really are.

It's going to take my a little bit of time to go through pictures and tell you more about the trip. I'll start working on it this week and hopefully have a better description of the week for you. However, I'm currently posting the photos on Facebook, so that you can see what we did throughout the week.

Thank you to all of you - your thoughts and prayers this week!

Newfoundland - update!

Due to the weather in Houston - they changed our flight. We're leaving later (meeting at the church at 6:30am) - flight leaves 9:35am - getting into Newark at 12:55pm. We have a 5 hour layover! With the transit system, we can get to New York in about 30 min! Woohoo! Even more excited now!

Newfoundland!

Heading out to Newfoundland tomorrow! If some of us need a history lesson, you can find Newfoundland by viewing this map.

It's not going to be bright, but definitely early! We have to be at the church at 4am. We're flying over half of the U.S. (Houston, TX, Newark, NJ), then to St. John's, Newfoundland) - only to get there are 11pm! There's a two and a half hour time difference. All day of flying and delays! Woohoo!

Plan on taking lots of pictures, so I'll have plenty to post when I return! Have a good week!

Camp Hope

I know many of you have heard me speak of Camp Hope - it is truly a passion of mine! My friend, Ashley and I directed this camp for 3 years, and I was involved with it 3 years prior. I love these kids! They have hold a dear place in my heart!

Camp Hope is a for children who are burn survivors! I had the opporunity to go out and see them yesterday for a few hours. It was so great to see them - letting me know how much they missed us. I can't post most of the pictures due to HIPPA, but here are few of myself and some of the other counselors!

Here's Samantha - wearing all of the fireman's gear in 95 degree heat! She's one of the occupational therapist.

This is Kelly. She's a survivor of Stephens-Johnson Syndrome. She has participated by being one of the counselors for several years!

LifeFlight made their appearance! The kids were super excited.

I'll close this post with a quote that I think sums up a burn survivor - a true survivor.

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These people have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep, loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."
~Elizabeth Kubler Ross~