What I'm loving Wednesday

Okay, so this is the first time I've "linked" up with someone before, but I thought I would give it a try. Today I'm linking up with "This Kind of Love" and doing my first ever:

I'm LOVING all the sweet memories around the house of Puck. Even though it's still hard, and we miss him so much, we are enjoying remembering him.

I'm LOVING the slight hint of fall I'm feeling in the air...Yay for Fall! Fall is my favorite season. I love everything about fall: the weather, the scents, the decor, the food, the mountain getaways, I love it all..But most of all, I can't wait to see all the beauty that fall brings!

I'm LOVING:

The first of our new collection of Disney movies (for our future children)...The Fox and the Hound! Okay..now for the story behind the movie: We were at Walmart getting my sweet little niece, Gracie, a prize for being a big girl during her eye surgery she had last Friday. I was looking for the movie, The Lion King. Well, one of the WM associates informed me that Disney "locks" up certain movies in their vault and only releases them at various times. Then, they lock them back up...forever! I was shocked and knew then, that I must start a collection pronto. Josh was laughing at me, and said that today was not the day to start our collection, due to the amount of stuff already in our buggy. He also wasn't sure about the whole forever thing. This may or may not be true, and either way, it was a great sales tactic, because it worked...and we left with #1 of our collection :) (at the top left there is a sticker that says just released from the vault haha)(oh and FYI you can't even buy The Lion King..it's in the vault...but it is scheduled for a release soon..Yay, I love Lion King)

I'm LOVING:

my IPAD. I had no idea that I would enjoy it as much as I have. Josh and I have "old fashion" phones. They are not touch screens and don't have the internet on them. So, I wasn't sure I would like it, but boy was I wrong. It's wonderful. I do my daily devotion using the "Our Daily Bread" app. I check my email, blogs, and facebook. I have the Kindle app on it, so I read a lot on there. I listen to music with Pandora and TuneIn Radio. I check the weather. I could go on forever....And my sweet niece LOVES it too. I have so many games and books on there for her as well. She calls it her IPAD. :) Thank you Greg for our awesome IPAD. We LOVE it!

I'm LOVING my "The Daily Walk Bible." It's great. I do my simple devotion on "Our Daily Bread," and then go to the scripture from that particular devo and read the entire "walk" that encompasses that verse. I really feel like I'm "getting into His word." And not just reading one or two verses, like I normally do. This Bible also gives you an overview of the book, and insights along the way that offer interesting facts about that day's passage. So if you're needing a new Bible, I would highly recommend this one. Here is a sample if you're interested.

I'm LOVING my recently long stretch of days off from work. Even though I was pretty sick at the beginning, we had to cancel our beach trip to Destin, and our precious Puck died during these days, I have still welcomed and embraced the much needed break. I know that God had all this planned out. Since I was sick and at home, Josh and I were both with Puck when he had the stroke, so we were able to take him to the vet immediately. And since I was sick, Puck stayed right beside me the whole time, even slept with me, so I was able to spend some extra time with him, right up until the time he got sick. Thank you God, for your perfect timing, even in the little things!!

And lastly, I'm LOVING my family, friends and more than ever, my hubby and our precious pup, Chloe!

Thought I would throw a Christmas pic in...since it is just around the corner!! (Oh yeah, I LOVE Christmas too!)

What are YOU loving???

~“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad, let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord.” Psalm 96:11-13(NIV)~

Hanging with the Holston's

About 2 weeks ago (I know, I'm a little behind) I got to hang out with one of my favorite families!! "The Holston's"
We had a great time. We went to eat at O'Charley's, and then went to Best Buy for a little shopping! I just love being with them and those sweet babies! Unfortunately, Josh had to work, so he wasn't able to join us. Hopefully he will get to come next time!

James and Jameson

Kaci and Aly

Look at those sweet faces!!

Kaci and the family gave me a sweet gift for my birthday that night. They gave me a book called "Prayers with Purpose for Marriage," an awesome tumbler that has "Rejoice in the Lord-Philippians 4:4" on it (pretty cool huh? since that is the name of my blog, and Kaci bought this way before I started my blog) And she gave me a little jewelry box with this written on the front:
"Friends are kisses blown to us by Angels."
~"A Friend loves at all times." Proverbs 17:17~
Thank you Kaci, James, Jameson and Aly for all my sweet gifts, but more importantly, for the gift of your friendship! Love you!

We will miss you Puck

With a heavy heart I write tonight. Early this morning, our 18yr old Jack Russell, PUCK, suffered a stroke that left him disoriented, off balance and unable to walk. After seeing him like this, it broke our hearts. The vet said he wouldn't recover and would only get worse. We knew we had no choice, but to have him put to sleep. I've never had to experience this before, as an adult. (I had childhood dogs, but really don't remember going through too much after they passed.) This was hard, probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. And thankfully, my Mom, and husband, Josh, took him back out to the vet, because I just don't think I could have done it.

Puck was an amazing dog. He loved life and was full of energy! He's been apart of our family for 10yrs, since my Mom and Greg, my stepfather, got married. It's so hard to believe he is gone. We are going to miss him so much. Things just won't be the same without him. As I have been grieving today, I have been finding comfort, not only in remembering him, but also in poems and stories about losing pets. I thought I would share some with you.

"Time to Go"

The time has come, I think you know

the Lord is calling, so I must go

I love you so much; I wish it wasn't so

I wish I could stay; I don't want to go

You're the best family a dog ever had

so kind and gentle, never mean or mad

I'll never forget the day that we met

I was so lucky to become your pet

You opened your door and showed me your heart

I'll never forget you; we'll never part

You loved me and cared for me over the years

you taught me everything and took away my fears

The Lord is calling now, I must go

but before I go, I want you to know

I know it hurts to lose a friend

but I'll always be with you even to the end.

~by John Quealy

(the following 9 pics are from Puck's 18th bday party we had for him this past Oct.) "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life-like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right? Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long." (a 6yr old boy perspective on why dogs don't live as long as humans-from article by Harvey Mackay.)

Dogs are pretty amazing creatures. They live in the moment, don't hold grudges, and love unconditionally. We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. In return, dogs give us their all. We can learn a lot from them:
-Live simply
-Love generously
-Care deeply
-when loved ones come home, always run to greet to them (and even sometimes give a kiss)
-Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
-Take naps. If you can't, at least take a break.
-Run, romp and play daily. It you have a chance to have fun, go for it.
-Let people touch you, don't be aloof. Allow people to get close to you.
-Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
-When you're happy, dance around and celebrate it!
-Delight in the simple joys of a long walk
-Be loyal
-If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
-When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

"My goal is to be as good a person as my dog thinks I am." H. Mackay

And one more of my favorites: "The more I know about people, the better I like my dog." -Mark Twain

A few facts about our sweet Puck:

-He LOVED life, and his zest for it was contagious

-He loved to party and celebrate

-He loved to eat: He was fed rotisserie chicken for supper almost every night of his life. And a bacon strip for dessert. (This pic above was of his bday cake which was just for the dogs! His name was in jerky treats. They loved it.)

-He loved his family. He was a dog that was always "waiting" on you to come home (we could see him waiting for us to come home often through the door or window)

-He always welcomed you at the door.

-He loved kids too, especially if they would play with him, like Miss Kylie Grace loved to do. He loved her.

-He would bark at thunderstorms, and would even go out into the rain to get them.

- He loved to play fetch, particularly with a tennis ball. He would play for hours if you would let him.
-He loved to chase a flashlight. You could get it out and he would sit and stare at it, waiting for you to pick it up and play.

-He would chase the reflection from his dog tags any chance he could get. He would bark at it for hours and try to bite it.

-He didn't much like cats, and would chase one if he saw it.

-He also would chase airplanes when he went outside.

-He occasionally got table food...and liked some of it (taco bell obviously) but was often a picky eater. He wouldn't eat just anything. And getting him to take a pill was often quite the challenge.

-He ate out of an ironman kiddie bowl for supper(I got for him at Target for $1), cause he was our little IronDog

-And he was very smart!

-He liked the snow and would go explore in it when we got it.

-He was very curious-had to check everything out, and wanted to be where the action was.

-He did not like baths, and would start to shake at the mention of the word. He would also run and hide. Josh once had to chase him around the backyard after he said "bath."

-He Loved..Loved...Loved to take "walks"and knew that word. He got one at least once or twice a week for most of his life(especially in spring/fall) unless it was too cold, hot or raining. (this pic above made me think of that because that is the only way to get him to look at the camera was to say "you wanna go for a walk?")

-He was the leader of our pack when we went for a walk. He was always up front, sniffing everything out and marking it, of course. I always liked to walk him, because I actually got exercise. Chloe and Nick are a little slow at times.

-He loved to be outside.

-He loved Christmas and all the presents. He would sniff them and would be right in all the action. He always got gifts too!

-Even though she would occasionally pick a fight or two, his little niece, Chloe (mine and Josh's dog) truly adored him. (She has been looking for you Puckie ever since you left today. And wouldn't even eat all of her supper. She is going to miss you so much!)

-He has a brother Nick, and they were buddies. (Puck, Nick has been very sad since you left today. (I figured they would react to him being gone, but had no idea it would this bad, or this painful to watch.) Nickie is already missing you sweet boy.)

I had no idea I would ever be this attached to a dog. He was a member of this family, who will be forever missed. Puckie, I love you and so do your Mom, Dad, Brother Shane, brother in law Josh, and all your friends. We have been so blessed by your sweet life. You have brought so much joy to our family. And though you had 18 wonderful years of living, I'm so selfish and I wish we could of had 18 more. I know you are in doggie heaven and free from the aches and pains of getting old. I hope to one day see you again!! We love you and will miss you dearly!

In Memory Of:

PUCK

Oct 1992-Aug 24, 2011

"Creation"

When God had made the earth and sky,

the flowers and the trees,

He then made all the animals

the fish, the birds and bees.

And when at last He'd finished

not one was quite the same.

He said I'll walk this world of mine

and give each one a name.

and so He traveled far and wide

and everywhere he went, a little creature followed Him

until its strength was spent.

When all were named upon the earth

and in the Sky and Sea,

the little creature said "Dear Lord,

there's no name left for me."

Kindly the Father said to him

"I've left you till the end.

I've turned my own name back to front and called you DOG, my friend,"

Author Unknown

Joel & Victoria's Blog at JoelOsteen.com

My mom shared this with me this morning and I thought I would share it with you. It was such an encouragement to me and hope it is for you too! A great reminder to never keep up, never lose faith and to just "keep singing." warning: you may want to grab a tissue
"...sing and make music from your heart to the Lord." Eph 5:19

Joel & Victoria's Blog at JoelOsteen.com

My Favorite 1st Grader

For the past week I've been really under the weather and unable to do much of anything, including blogging, so I've got some catching up to do!! Last week was a very important week for a very special girl:Our sweet niece, Kylie Grace aka Gracie
It was her first week as a first grader, in public school!! And boy was she excited! Up until now, she has attended the Myer Center, and it has been wonderful and she loved it there too!

I got to go to "meet the teacher" night with them. She has a great teacher and such a sweet little classroom.

There are going to be so many new things to learn and discover and she is ready! She was already looking through her science book before we left! I think she is going to love school! She said "and the best part is that I don't have to take naps anymore." :) I tried to tell her she was going to want those back one day!! She is growing up so fast and we are so proud of her!!
Aunt Brandie and Uncle Josh are praying for you sweet girl, that you have a great year in the 1st grade! And we can't wait to hear all about it! We love you!

~"For I know the plans for I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11~

Good Food and Good Thoughts

Guess where we went last night.......Does this look familiar to anyone???

That's right....The Cheesecake Factory!! We decided to have a little date night and head to Charlotte, to one of our favorite restaurants! And once again, it was amazing. I was going to try and get a pic of the the piece of cheesecake we ordered, which was the white chocolate caramel macadamia nut cheesecake(that was a mouthful..no pun intended..hehe), but with two forks in my hand, there wasn't a lot of room for a camera...haha :) Josh also loves this place...but not because of the same reasons I do (the food of course) He however, loves the "ambiance." And while it is relaxing and pretty inside, the food is bit distracting for me...imagine that!! :) We had a great time and always enjoy our "date nights" together.

And while we are talking about "good" things...I thought I would share something good I ran across. It's called Goodthoughts. It's a great little blog that has a great little story behind it. She also has a page full of bible verses and quotes, and even other links to sites and blogs that have "good" things going on! I have enjoyed her blog, hope you do too! I'll leave you with her quote of the week:

"We have enough people who tell it like it is-now we could use a few who tell it like it can be." Robert Orben

~"Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1~

Inside Out and Upside Down

Whew...what a great, but also very tiring week. This past week was Vacation Bible School at our church. Our theme was "Inside Out and Upside down on Main Street." And the class that Josh and I teach, the College and Careers, were in charge of the "Bible Time." Getting everything together and "just right" was quite the challenge, but the C&C rose to it. And every bit of effort we made really paid off. We've been preparing for this for a couple of months now, and our prayer this whole time was that the Lord speak to these precious children through us. And I really feel that He did, in a powerful way through our skits each night. So....welcome to............"Parable Productions....where you'll hear some of the most unusual and unexpected stories the world has ever heard" (That's ingrained into my brain bc we said that each night.) On "Main Street" the kids were drawn into stories that Jesus told about everyday people in everyday situations...aka Parables! But of course His stories were anything but ordinary. Each night had a different "Word on the Street" and had parable from the Bible that went along with that word. And we acted out the parables each night.
Jesus turned lives upside down and hearts inside out through parables that challenged people to look at themselves and others in new and unexpected ways! This was our stage...red (shower) curtain and all!

And a few cast members...Kat and Steven, having a staring contest! We decided to throw our own spin on things each night to make it a little more interesting for the kids and to get them involved. Josh and Steven wanted to use the puppets. I was reluctant, but eventually "gave in." (they had to check with the stage manager of course, haha j/k) :) And was so glad they had that great idea. It was a hit...the kids loved..and I mean loved the puppets...Kit and Kat. They would do a little intro each night..and were quite the comedians.

This was our awesome "Now Playing" poster. Thanks April and Kristen. Yall did a great job!

And a few more of the cast members...Kristen (our servant that night), Kit, myself (the narrator that night), and April (our "dirty" guest) That night was the Parable of the Warmest Welcome teaching us to extend GRACE to others as Christ does for us. Grace-God's riches at Christ's expense.

And our male crew!! Steven, Daniel, Brandon and Josh!

Our female crew (minus Kristen):Katie, me, and April

Need a say more...they were so funny!

Our "ticket guy"(Brandon) who greeted the kids when they came in and who gave them prize when they left.

A little drama!

Josh's night to be narrator

Sweet kids showing off their cool shades!

In Costume!! This night was the Parable of the Shocking servant and our word was Forgiveness. And this here is one handsome guard :)

and more great kids showing off their shades!

Singing and having fun! I truly think we had just as much fun as the kids did, and benefited from the lessons as well! We had a lot fun getting into God's word. Praying that our lives and the children's lives will continue to be Inside out and Upside down for Jesus!!

"Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." Psalm 25:4-5