Birthday Thoughts

Birthdays! I love them! I think that I always will. It's a day that I don't have to feel guilty about extra attention! I hope that when I am 80, I am still celebrating. My family has always made a big deal about birthdays - going to dinner, presents, laughter and fun! I just can't relate to those people who want to hide under the table when the restaurant staff come out to sing "Happy Birthday". I say, the bigger the sombrero, the better - bring it on! My mother was insturmental in creating the perfect birthday atmosphere. She would send me flowers at school, invite friends and family over - she always had plenty of snacks and goodies around. I don't know how she did it - but she would really listen to my likes and dislikes and on my birthday, she would have the perfect gift waiting for me when I woke up! I miss her! One tradition in our family is the worm cake. It's two bundt cakes cut in two and then fit back together in the shape of a winding worm. After frosting the cake, you stick long red licorice strips all over it and then place two oreos for eyes and a gumdrop for the nose (I know worms don't have noses - but birthday worms do!) The perfect birthday cake - a little ugly, but cute in it's own way! Tim and the kids are so good about keeping those traditions. In fact, Tim just came home from work and picked up the kids to go "do something". Hmmmm...wonder what that is? They are sneaky snakes! I can't wait!
As I reflect on today...my birthday...I think about all that life has given me! I have a wonderful husband, two beautiful children - and I mean their hearts more than anything, a safe home, adorable pets, a fun job, loving friends, an inspiring church family, and so many lessons learned! I have seen my share of hard times - the loss of both of my parents to cancer, the loss of my Pappy and other treasured family members, but through it all, I have learned so much about life and living. I never want to take a day for granted. Now mind you, I have plenty of days that I just sit around thinking of all that I need to do - but even in those moments, I am reflecting on the Lord and his grace and goodness! Even the bad days are worth living - fully living- in gratitude and thanksgiving! Live, Love Learn!

My Testimony

I was not born into a Christian home. My parents were both very “good” people, but they had never accepted Jesus into their lives as their personal Savior. When I was six years old, the bus ministry from First Baptist Church, Rogers, AR started coming to our house every Saturday. They offered to come by and pick us up for church on Sunday mornings. I looked forward to them coming on Saturdays because they always brought a big bucket of bubble gum! My dad finally allowed me to ride the church bus, but he was not willing to go himself. The people from the bus ministry continued to come by and visit with my family each week. After a few weeks, my mother decided to go with me whether my dad went or not. That Sunday was truly unforgettable. When the bus arrived, Mom was crying, pleading for my dad to go with us. Dad was crying, too, because he was fighting a battle of guilt. He knew that he should be the one taking us to church. However, that changed in only one week when Dad was driving us to church, himself! We continued going to church together as a family. Dad was the first one of us to accept Jesus as his personal Savior. Then each member of the family accepted Christ.
I made a public confession of faith when I was seven, but did not truly understand and accept the Lord as my personal Savior until I was fifteen. I was sitting in a New Song concert at FBC Rogers when they sang a song titled “Three Rows Back” and I was actually sitting three rows back at the time of the invitation! The song and the irony of my situation certainly did make an impact on me, but I accepted Jesus that night not because of any song that was sung or any words that were said. Jesus spoke to me that night in such a simple, straightforward way. I understood for the first time what it meant to become a Christian.
I have had some awesome opportunities to share the gospel with others. I served with my family on the Southern Baptist Volunteer Foreign Mission Board, ministering and sharing Christ with the people of Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua. During my youth, I also had the privilege of traveling the United States as Miss Arkansas TEEN. I used that opportunity to share my faith with those I met. The Lord blessed me with a godly, loving husband. We’ve been married for 18 years and have two wonderful children – ages 13 and 15. I had the privilege of leading them both to the Lord.
I have worked in the field of education for about 24 years. In opening my own preschool, I was able to “minister” to the families of NWA and share the love of Jesus with their children. I now work directly with teachers, sharing the importance of visual art, music and movement in education. In all that I do, I try to always show that the Lord is the most important part of my life and share His joy with all that I meet. My husband, children and I are members of First Baptist Church, Bentonville, AR where I serve as drama director, sing on the Praise Team and in adult choir, and serve on the Worship Planning Team. I look forward to the plans the Lord has in my future.

Blog...blog...blog...

Blog...blog...blog...where did that term come from? Well, I just happen to know! It is a contraction of the words "Web" and "Log" - Blog! It is a website maintained by an individual that focuses on news, events or functions as a sort of online diary. Most blogs are textual; however, some blogs focus on art, sketch, videos, music, or photos. Blogs provide an interactive way for visitors to the site to make comments on the content of the blog. I just had to know - thank you Wikipedia!

Quotes for the Day

"Oh the comfort - the inexpressable comfort of feeling "safe" with a person - having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words - but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away." - Dinah Craig

"We do not understand the intricate pattern of the stars in their courses, but we know that He who created them does, and that just as surely as He guides them, He is charting a safe course for us." - Billy Graham

Reflections during football...

Never really understood football - but I'm sitting here "watching" it with Tim. He's rooting for OU, of course, being from Oklahoma City. I can multi-task, though, so I thought I would share a little about me and my fam! Let's see....Tim and I were married on January 5th, 1991 - 18 years ago this past Monday! We have lived in the Rogers/Bentonville area throughout our married lives. Being a resident of Northwest Arkansas puts me in the minority - you don't find many natives around here! But we were both fortunate to have our families here in the area to help us settle into married life and then be close to help out when children came along. Carly was our first baby - born on May 28, 1993 at St. Mary's Hospital in Rogers. I remember still being in college at the Uof A - pumping in the bathroom between classes, thinking....what on earth am I doing...Lord, surely this isn't what you had planned for me! But it was His perfect plan - I just wouldn't see it for many years. Then Mason came along on February 14, 1995. Yep, my Valentine's Day baby - my cupid! My mother had worked as a nurse in Rogers for many years and knew many of the doctors, nurses and sisters at the hospital - so when I was told to check in to the hospital for a c-section, I remember Dr. Donnell poking his head into the prep room, holding a heart shaped sugar cookie and asking if he could sit in on the delivery! I've never been able to look at Valentine's Day treats quite the same way - especially heart shaped sugar cookies! By the time we had settled back in after having Mason, I had my own heart set on opening a preschool learning center. I just didn't realize that it would happen quite so fast. I was only 24 years old - married, with two children and now a business of my own. Life was beginning to race by - but I was enjoying every moment of it! My parents were instrumental in the opening of "Guys-N-Dolls Preschool for Creative Arts, Inc." I don't think that I would have been able to do it without them! Tim continued to stand by me as I soared through my dreams and he supported me the whole way. We watched both our kids go through the program and then many others to follow - but after 10 years, I needed a change - something new to do! We sold the school and I began to pursue consulting work. I had done some teacher workshops focusing on creativity in the classroom, so, I decided to focus on this as my primary career. I began writing and leading workshops for teachers focusing on visual art, music, movement - creative teaching techniques and team building. I continue to write and lead workshops for teachers as well as other business fields. Tim is a civil engineer with his own firm - Sand Creek Engineering and Landscape Architecture in Bentonville, AR. In his free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, kayaking, and riding on his tractor! Ha! I always find plenty of things for him to do - but I truly become a duck widow once Thanksgiving hits every year! He stays busy on the weekends trying to keep our freezer full of duck and geese. Would love any wild game recipes anyone has for duck, geese, deer, trout, pheasant, dove or quail - I never know what to do with all this meat! I need some new really good recipes! Anyway, that 's a little about me and my fam! Look forward to sharing more!

Starting my blog!

I am starting my blog today - I think! It seems like a good way to dump my brain contents and perhaps even inspire someone - who knows! I tend to go into overload if I don't write at least three journal pages a day, so, why not do that here and share! It will either inspire or make people fearful of me-ha! I never know what will come spewing out! So watch out....here I come!