St. Patricks's Day and More

Addie loves to make cupcakes and what better day than St. Patrick's Day!! So we made green cupcakes with sprinkles!! They wore their green hat that Mr. Pat and Mrs. Terri Bryant gave Addie as a gift right before Claire was born.

Claire was being silly with her icing!

She was not trying to wink in this photo, but singing her heart out!!

Love my baby goose!!

Bogie my 10 year old Jack Russell Terrier is wanting to eat grass and not look at the camera!

Sweet Sallie, Chris's Father's day present from last year that the girls and I found in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot. She is the sweetest and smartest dog that I think I have ever owned! Now, if she will just quit chewing and herding my car when I back out of the garage.

There was snow on the ground in February when I took this picture and Addie comes out of her room dressed in a swimming suit with this sucker in her hand! She is so crazy

I took these pictures with a new app on my iphone: toon paint, Addie had fun playing with them

Claire was about to fall asleep on Brother Terry's shoulder at the mexican restaurant after church one Sunday night, I think he loved it!!

I have been gone for a little while. Have taken a break from the blog for too long so here are some more photos. I have decided to take the year "off" from project 365 (taking a picture a day) and so I am actually not picking up the camera as much, not such a good thing I guess, huh?

I have been fairly busy lately. I started to work full time this week at the practice to help out since we are a doctor short with Dr. Joe Tabor leaving to practice with his brother. I am sort of relief help until they hire another full time vet. Hopefully I can still keep up with my Beth Moore Bible study, which I am in the 8th week of and still doing homework!!! Woohoo, and trying to stay scrapbooking some for my sweet friend's Georgie's store and for my albums. I must start Claire's baby album soon as she is almost 2!!!!

I am still running/training to get myself to run a 5K on May 2nd in Clarksville. I really thought I would have it mastered by now, and I probably would have if I can get past the 2.5 mile mark!! I have taken about a week and 1/2 off and need to get back on it! I did run this morning and now that I am working more it will be harder, but I really want to do it.

A lot has happened since I have blogged. My good friend Paige Morris that I worked with at my first vet job in Mt. Juliet, TN was diagnosed with an astrocytoma in mid-February. It is a glial cell tumor, which is in the temporal lobe of her brain. She is now on her third week of radiation and she has 4 more weeks to go. They believe that she has had it for 5 years and never had any trouble until the end of January she started seizuring. If you read this please be in prayer for her. She is 40 years old, has a 5 year old daughter and she is a new Christian. It is my prayer that she draws closer to God and not away from Him, or blames Him. He is the great physician and He will heal her.

It is also my prayer that my sweet dear friends that keep up with this blog, know that I love you dearly. If I haven't called you in a while or we haven't talked lately (Dwinna : )) I am thinking of you. Life happens and we get so "busy" and I hate that I can't see you guys more.

Praying for God to show us all new beginnings with Spring at our feet! Love you all!

UTCVM 10 year reunion and more SNOW

Well, we once again got another good snow! I really didn't believe the weather forecast, but when we woke up Tuesday morning we woke up to 5 inches of snow. The girls and I stayed in the house for 3 days solid and today we ventured out to the grocery with Chris.

This past weekend Chris and I had our ten year vet school reunion in Knoxville at the Marriott. We got to see a lot of our old friends and it was nice catching up with them. This is a picture at Dave's house: Lyn Beeson Bedsaul, Laura Devlin Bacon, Amity Crawford Chaudoin, and Jackie Bomar Pulver.

My picture on my way to run at the gym on the 11th floor of the Marriott in downtown Knoxville.

Eric and Jackie Pulver are in Reno, NV and having a great time out there. Eric is practicing family law and Jackie is working part time. They have two little girls.

THE Matt Stevens and Amity

Richard Wilhelm talking to George Bowers and his wife who have opened up a practice in Winchester. Glenn and Misty Kirksey where there and Paul Plummer and his wife Cassi who are both teaching ruminant medicine at Iowa State Veterinary School.

Laura Devlin (my old roommate in vet school), Lyn, and Tracy Rodeheaver Dewhirst

Chris and Eric being silly.

The only picture I got of Lyn and Chris her husband, which is classic for a Chris/Joe picture!! What is he going by these days??

It SNOWED!!!

Claire's exact facial expression was her mood exactly!!

She thought the snow was pretty, but wanted me to carry her. We were out a total of 15 minutes.

Suited up and ready to go

Chris and Addie went sledding on Saturday afternoon. All the sleds in Montgomery County were sold out and we improvised with our trash can lid! It worked pretty well for Addie's little booty but not mine or Chris's.

Chris down the hill!

Sallie and Bogie loved it!! Bogie had to jump pretty high to stay out of it because it was as tall as he was. I believe we got about 7 inches.

Addie with her snow angel and her beautiful duck tape around her wrists and ankles to keep the snow out!!

January

I made some wonderful friends at my 1st vet job in Mt. Juliet, TN. Heather Polk is one of them and I decided enough talking about getting together one day and I went to Mt. Juliet last Friday night and spent the night with her. We had Sue Bell, Claire, Lindsey, and Tammy come over and we talked until 4am!! We slept about 4 hours and chatted some more the next morning. Heather is a great friend and she and Chris are wonderful christian friends that have a passion for missions so it was nice catching up with her. Her Chris is in Africa this week and will be back the end of the week. He is helping build baptist churches in Kenya.

Monday I drove the girls down to Land Between the Lakes and we stopped to see the bison. Chris is working half of them today and the other half tomorrow. He is vaccinating them, worming them, and TB testing them.

Addie on the roof of the car checking out the bison!!

My big stinker in her snowman outfit I bought her at market last year.

Aunt Nat and Uncle Justin got Addie a Barbie makeup bag and we will have to pay them back for this one day!! She has loads if makeup in her bag.

My blue eyed babe!!!

The Lewis Espresso Cafe

Aunt Sherri and Uncle Mike sent Addie and Claire an Espresso Cafe for Christmas. They absolutely love it. We have had it up in the dining room until last week and I squeezed it up the stairs to the playroom. It is big enough to fit their chairs in and their kitchen. Addie makes coffee and espresso for Chris and I to drink.

There is even a door on it for them to open and close.

Breaking Free

I know this post looks and sounds like one before right? I am starting a Beth Moore Bible study at church on Sunday nights. We started last week and so far I am doing my homework on time. My new year's resolutions of course are kicking in strong because it is only January, right? The whole weight loss, exercise, Bible Study thing for me is the same ones every year. BUT, this year I really am going to make them come true!! As of January 1st, I am exercising weekly towards my goal to become healthy. I am going to participate in a 5K run, Lord willing, the first part of May. If you know me well you know that I am not a runner, I repeat NOT a RUNNER, however I have always wanted to try it. I have NEVER been able to run more than 1.5 miles without having a stroke. I am excited to do this though. To prove to myself that I am tired of just settling for what I have become physically and mentally. I am going to make myself into the person/body I should be. I have so far lost 5 pounds and I have LOTS more to go, but I will get there because my attitude is finely right. With that said, I decided to take the plunge into Beth Moore's bible study, Breaking Free which is about not settling for mediocre!

This weeks Bible study is about 5 primary benefits we are free to enjoy as children of God.

1) We are to know God and believe Him

2) Glorify God

3) Find Satisfaction in God

4) Experience God's peace

5) Enjoy God's presence

Today on day 2: Glorify God, I was smacked in the face a bit. It was a good thing, I needed her to point these things out to me. What does it mean to glorify God? Can we and are we even fit as human beings to do that? She points out that being created for God's glory means two truths to those of us that are called by His name: God wants to make Himself recognizable to us and God wants to make Himself recognizable through us. I Corinthians 10:31 we learn that God desires to be recognizable in us in all that we do. A life that glorifies God is a life that reveals God. According to Romans 3:23 we all fall short of God's glory because we are full of sin. BUT, we have the Holy Spirit in us and due to that we have the hope of glory.

Her study today had me take a test to make me aware of whether or not I glorify God in my life. Answer True, False, or P for making progress:

1) My most important consideration in every undertaking is whether or not God could be glorified I Cor. 10:31

2) I do not seek my own glory John 8:50,54

3) My sincere hope in my service to others is that they will somehow see God in me (1 Peter 4:10-11

4) When I am going through hardships, I turn to God and try to cooperate with Him so He can use them for my good and for His glory 1 Peter 4:12-13

5) I am sometimes able to accomplish things or withstand things only through the power of God 2 Cor. 4:7

I wish that I could answer True to all, but that wouldn't be true!! I have a lot to strive towards to fulfull His purpose in creating me.

**1 Peter 4:10-11 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.