Whatever Doesn't Kill You Really Does Make You Stronger

A Change Gone Come

2009-09-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

Back in April after my last bad bout with PCOS problems I hit the pavement walking and cut back on portions and cut out sweets. Since that time I am sooo happy and proud to report that I have lost 70 lbs!!! I am super excited about the changes in my life and have decided to change my style as well. I have gotten a nose ring that I LOVE! And I've completely changed my look and style in clothes. If anyone out there is wanting to lose weight, take it from me, if I can do it so can you! Hard work, dedication, perserverence and learning how to say no and push away from the table when it's easier to do otherwise! I am continuing toward my goal. I have 22 more pounds to lose before my first goal and 57 more before I reach my long term goal. If you are working on yourself, your health and your weight as well, good luck to you and keep the faith. You can do it! Since losing this weight, the first month the majority of my PCOS symptoms disappeared. PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!! A picture of the new me and my new nose ring!

Long time no blog, lots to say!

2009-09-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

It has literally been forever since I last posted. So much has happened in my life it is impossible to catch up but one major thing is that Brian and I have moved. We purchased 20 acres in the Carolina Community in March and moved our trailer to a new homestead. We like things a whole lot better here and are finally settling in. I have posted a few pictures of the land before we moved the trailer. I will try to post some after we moved it later.

PCOS UPDATE

2009-04-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

After 68 days on the women to women program I had to stop due to bleeding for 4 weeks. I have been very torn as to what to do about the current situation. After getting a free consultation with one of the nurses from women to women she told me about a book called "What to do when the Dr. says it's PCOS." After recieving the book I did decide to come off the program and call Dr. Wells to do another chemical D&C. I am feeling very discouraged and washed out with all of the excessive bleeding. I do still believe that God is on his throne and ask Him daily to help me. After reading 2 chapters in the book they led me to a support group for PCOS suffers that I have included in my friends list http://www.pcosupport.org/ After doing more research I ran across http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/index.php?cmp=19 a company call insulite laboratories dedicated to reversing PCOS and the insulin resistance it also causes. A much stricter regimen than I was on but if it heals it is worth it. When you have been this sick you are at the bottom and any way is up. Women to women made me feel so good I hated so bad to stop the program but I feel like they were focused only on balancing hormones rather than actual PCOS. I am even more hopeful about insulite labs and feel like the Lord allowed me to find women to women to help lead me to them. I have not ordered it yet but will hopefully be speaking to a Dr. from there on Monday. I am currently feeling like I cannot put one foot in front of the other due to all of the bleeding and will go today to have blood drawn to make sure I am not low in iron and becoming anemic. I covet your prayers and still believe that God is in control. I had to order the book from amazon.com due to the fact that books a million has only 2 books in the entire store on PCOS. I am amazed how little information there is out there on this syndrome. The girl who assisted me in books a million told me this was not a "popular" subject or they would have more books on it. She then proceded herself to ask me "what in the world is PCOS?" She is in medical school and I shared the highlights of PCOS that I knew with her. I am a private person but I choose to blog and share about this painful most horrific syndrome in hopes that it will help someone else. This is the absolute hardest thing I have ever been through in my life and to know that I have had this since my teens and no one to diagnois me or seem the least bit interested in helping is VERY discouraging. I pray for healing God's way and if it is by this insulite labs I pray right now for the Dr.'s and people who will help me. If not, I pray that he send the answer quickly. I am drained with this problem and treating myself. When I speak of PCOS people are so unaware of what it is and they don't understand there is so much more to the syndrome than just cyst on your ovaries. I want to get the word out about PCOS. I believe many women are suffering just like me, (maybe not in the exact same way but PCOS has MANY different symptoms) and they don't understand why or what to do. I am willing to speak to anyone who will listen and help anyone who may be suffering with this horrific problem. Even if you aren't suffering with PCOS, educate yourself on the syndrome. It could happen to you or someone close to you and you may be their support or listening ear and after educating yourself will at least know some of the symptoms and be able to relate in some way. It is painful to suffer alone and to talk to someone about it when they have no idea how to relate to you in any way. I will try to post some positive news very soon. Brian and I have some good news to share that some of you may already know about. I do not have the time to post about it now but hope to very soon. I hope that everyone is doing well and thank you all so much for your prayers, support and encouraging words. God reigns and He is FAITHFUL!!
In His Care,
Dawn

On a more personal note...

2009-03-14T21:59:00.001-07:00

First of all I would like to say this post is a little more personal than any of my previous posts. But after much consideration I have decided to post this with the hopes that it may help other people.

This month March marks 5 years that Brian and I have been trying to concieve (TTC). I have mentioned that in an earlier post I believe. What I didn't mention however is all the problems we have had. In 2004 after some symptoms I just didn't feel were right I visited my OBGYN, which was located in Enterprise at the time. He insisted that we do a biospy of my uterus. I took his advice and went through with that. After the biospy come back negative, he would need to perform a laproscopy. I had never heard of this and after his explanation of this exploratory surgery to find out what was going on, I scheduled surgery. After coming out of surgery he explained that he completed a D&C, asparated a cyst on my ovary and burnt out a small amount of endometrosis in my lower pelvis. He explained that the endometrosis was probably what brought me in his office in the first place and acted as if I should be back to normal soon. I always hesitate to ask a Doctor questions since they ARE the DOCTOR. He said there was no doubt that the endometrosis would return and in order to avoid further complications I should get pregnant or get on birth control. We decided to TTC.

After several months and on into a year of not being successful one tends to start to worry a bit. My mother-in-law told me about a chinese natural medicine Dr. that performed accupuncture and prescribed herbs in Destin. I decided I would give it a try. I mean after all what could it hurt? After several several trips to Destin and a lot of research Brian had come to the conclusion that I had PCOS (Polycysitic Ovarian Syndrome). I shared this with the Chinese Dr. and he said that it was very very hard to treat. After several more trips, I decided he was right. He had helped my endometrosis but he could do nothing for the PCOS. I felt like I was hitting my head against a brick wall. #1 do I even have PCOS? I should probably trust my husband who loves me unconditionally and does everything he can to research all of my problems. But on the other hand, I've never heard of this before and why in the WORLD didn't my OBGYN mention this? I have all of these symtpoms. I feel bad more than I feel good for no reason at all. I have horrible mood swings, so terrible I can hardly stand myself at times (poor Brian!). Thank the Good Lord above for providing unconditional love. Not to mention the personal female issues I am having with my menstrual cycle, infertility, weight gain and other very embarassing problems that I will spare you the details of.

After much more research in 2006 Brian thought I should take a medication called metformin to try to decrease some of the symptoms of PCOS. Finally after months and actually more like a year of begging, I decide to give it a try. The drug that has been around for years, used by diabetics but has been studied more recently for PCOS and the insulin resistance effect that comes with it. Keep in mind, NO medical Dr. has yet to say to me, I believe you may have PCOS. Obviously it is hard to diagnois and treat. But truly at this point you have to ask yourself, "Does any Doctor care about truly finding out what is wrong with me?" I feel like Brian and I have done more medical research trying to find out what is wrong than any Dr. ever has. My sweet and precious husband the RN believes I have this without a doubt, so what do I have to lose by trusting him and his research. Obviously he cares more than any Dr.

After several months on the drug and still no positive pregnacy test in 2007 we decide to see a fertility specialist. It took 1 full year for a local family Dr. to document that we had TTC before we could recieve a referral to the Fertility Dr. Here we are 3 years into TTC and my family Dr. wants to wait another year so they can document it!!! Ughhhh....so many frustrations. About 8 months into the metformin and only a few of my symptoms have started to disappate. I still have more bad days than good. I wish that I could truly explain the feelings that I have but I cannot. They are not really explainable, which I will have to say is one of the worst things about all of this. People think you are just putting on or lazy or just don't want to do anything. Brian is an outgoing outside person. When he is off he likes to enjoy it by doing things and my heart is to be with him as much as possible during his time off. Unforunately I never felt like doing anything. Even after a good nights rest I would still feel so bad. Tired, run down, achy, headaches, just plain awful. On a good day 2-4 advil would get me through, bad days it would take at least 6. Advil would only relieve some of the aches that I was experiencing. It NEVER releaved ANY of the just plain awful feelings. One Dr. said I was depressed. Gave me depressions medicine, I took one pill and swore to the good Lord above that when that pill got out of my system, I would never take another one and I didn't. I wasn't depressed, I wasn't dreaming, there was something wrong with me and I couldn't explain it to anyone and no Dr. seemed to care enough to find out what it was. Lose weight some would say, exercise (by the way, try excercising the next time you have the flu and see how that feels) that's the best way I know to explain it. After seeing several Dr.'s, trying all kinds of medicine and herbs and nothing seeming to help one can get a little discouraged and frustrated.

So here we are a documented 1 full year of TTC by the Dr. and still no positive pregnancy test. FINALLY a referral to have a BABY!! YEAH!! I was excited, hopeful and a ball of nerves all in one. We headed to Pensacola to see a well known fertility specialist there. I must say my first impression was a little blah...he was a little on the arrogant side but my husband will tell you that is just a trait of a surgeon. My first visit he takes 12, count 'em 12 viles of blood! I went back several visits for ultra sounds and vaginal ultra sounds to confirm ovulation and make sure everything looked normal. Brian was tested as well and when all results were in everything looked completly normal. I was even given a GTT test to test my blood sugar. After all normal results the Dr. says he must go in for another laproscopy. Ugghh, that is NOT what I wanted to hear. He thinks it's highly possible my endometrosis is back and possibly another cyst. I agree to have yet another laproscopy. After surgery is over he comes out and says these words, "I found absolutely no endometrosis, no cysts and piles of eggs. Dawn's reproductive organs look text book perfect. I see no reason that she isn't concieving." WHAT???? Two weeks after surgery we are back in his office to hear that we are in the 15% of unexplainable infertility. Well imagine that?!?!? Another road block!! God what are you trying to show me here? What are you trying to teach me? I have all kinds of feelings and emotions that run from anger, frustration, sadness to asking God WHY is all of this happening! The Dr. says we cannot take the well known drug for fertility "clomid" since I am ovulating or it will reverse my ovulation. We can come to Pensacola 2-3 days a week to pursue fertility injections and see where that gets us. However, he doesn't see any reason we shouldn't be able to concieve on our own. And just for the record, he states that I DO NOT have PCOS because I must have ovulation issues and more than one cyst on my ovary to classify me as a PCOS patient; I am more confused and frustrated than ever. I don't know whether to go back on metformin that has given me more relief at this point than anything or just stop taking it.

Since seeing the fertility specialist, I have continued to research and tried to find something to help me with my problems. Brian has found that I am pseudo PCOS. Pseudo??? I have what mimics PCOS. So basically I have the symptoms and some parts of PCOS. PCOS is very hard to diagnois and treat. Not all people have the same symptoms. It isn't like the flu, you can't say these are the symptoms of PCOS and you definitely have it. I have taken test that I have found online to show that I do have PCOS. Too many symptoms to say that I don't. I hate to tell the fertility specialist but he is wrong. I may not have the symptoms of not ovulating and more than one cyst but I have so many other symptoms, too many to ignore.

I shared this with a very close friend to me and a prayer warrior. She is a true friend to me and a God fearing woman that I love and trust. About 6 or 8 months ago she ran across an episode of "Mystery Diagnosis" on TLC of a girl that she said had a lot of the same symptoms as I did. She was so conviced that we had the same thing she called me and told me she wanted me to find that episode. What are the chances right? I mean c'mon, there's so many episodes of that I will probably never see that again.

The end of January I had a major problem with my menstrual cycle for the 3rd time in the past 8 months and to be quite honest with you I was a mess. I was angry with God, crying, upset and absolutely hopeless. I felt like God had forgot about me and I was so desperate that when I was with my prayer warrior we decided to take a big chance and look on the internet for the episode of Mystery Diagnosis. I was sure that the episode had something to do with PCOS so that is what I searched for when I found the website for the show. In my search, GOD, and it was GOD I ran across this website http://www.womentowomen.com/. I looked at their information on PCOS and found they had a personal program GUARENTEED to work. C'mon now how many things are guarenteed??? MILLIONS!!!! I can hear the commercials in my head right now, call NOW only 3 easy payments of just $19.95, GUARENTEED or your money back, right?? WRONG!!! I did however feel that the Lord had led me to finding this website which is a clinic in Maine, founded by 2 women MD's and 2 women Nurse Practioners. The more I researched the website the more interested I became. So my curiosity was up and to be honest maybe a glimer of hope was shining through once more. I decided to call. I told my entire story to the poor lady on the other end of the line and she listened intently and patiently. She told me that she truly believed this program would work for me and if it didn't she would gladly give me my money back. I thought that was good enough so I ordered it. February 12th my order arrived and within 3 days of taking what they call Herbal Equilibrium my menstrual cycle was fixed. March 14th marked 30 days on the 90 day program that I am on and I am here to tell you that my life is 100% different!!!! I haven't felt this good in 12 years! Almost every single symptom that I gave to the nice lady named Sarah on the other end of the line that day have disappeard. I was in total shock I called back after 3 days and spoke to Sarah once more and told her just what had happened. She told me that she didn't want me to get too excited since it would probably take the full 90 days to balance my hormones and it may seem like I go backwards at times but she too thought the news was wonderful!! I can't tell you how my life has changed and how the people close to me have noticed a difference in me.

This is the whole point of this blog just to tell you about this program. I don't recieve any benefits or commission from this, I just want women that maybe struggling with some of the same things or maybe even different symptoms but that come from hormonal imbalances to know that there is help and I am living proof. I could have spared you a lot of the details above and just put the website on here and said check it out but would you really have checked it out? Now that you know, I bet you'll check it out and read a little closer. This has truly changed my life. I am looking and praying for better things to happen in the next 60 days but even if it doesn't get any better than it is right now it's wonderful! I am happy to say that in the past 30 days I have only taken advil 3 times for a slight headache. I haven't had any of the tired, run down, feelings. I haven't been irratiable or had any mood swings. I feel GREAT!!! My attitude towards everything and everybody has changed.

I can't thank the Lord enough for what he has done. I feel so blessed and yet so sorry for the anger that I felt towards Him. I pray for His forgiveness and no matter what happens for us TTC I am blessed by God #1 to have a wonderful Husband whom I can't thank enough for loving me unconditionally, being there for me and helping me to try to find out what was wrong with me. #2 For the Lord to led me to this program and find what it took to make me well. #3 Some of the MANY lessons God has taught me through all of this; In our "instantanious" society where we tap our foot at the microwave we want things NOW, not tomorrow, not a year from now, but RIGHT NOW and we forget in our high tech world full of computers and digital cameras that God doesn't work that way. His ways are not our ways nor His thoughts our thoughts. I have learned to seek HIS will for my life, not MINE but HIS. Also God has showed me that "Bitter people NEVER get Better!" And certainly not to give up hope in God and suffer from the DANGER of doing nothing! After all in Matthew 9:20-22 the woman had issue with bleeding for 12 YEARS! She certainly didn't give up on Jesus...she said if she could only touch his cloak that she would be healed. However Jesus said it was her FAITH that had healed her. I too am like that woman, I have Faith that God is going to do whatever His will is for my life. I don't have to pray for a child, for if that isn't His will for my life it just isn't. I want His will for my life, not what I THINK is best but what He KNOWS is best. He hasn't ever let me down and I am not looking for him to start now.

I pray right now that this blog will not be anything more than a help for someone who may possibly be experiencing some of the same problems. If not then I pray that you are encouraged in some way. God Bless You!

Dawn

My God is BIGGER!!!!

2009-02-28T18:23:00.000-08:00

Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

I have been through several trials the past couple of weeks and have had to constantly remind myself of this powerful verse. When people are so cruel and hurtful it is so hard to remember that our struggle truly isn't against them. The devil is so strong and powerful in this cold dark world and his forces of evil are truly the struggle. It seems like he is trying to attack me every which way I turn. I refuse to give into his lies, games and hurtful situations. When I think about the price Jesus paid for my sins it truly amazes me. It was also more than enough to stop the devil from constantly attacking me. Thank you Lord for what you went through for me and for your power that you still portray in my life to this day. At the NAME of JESUS the demons fear and tremble. Flee from me satan, for you have no power over me and my life!! JESUS is my Savior and King and he will stomp you in the ground for me any day!!!!

So maybe it's time for an Allergy Dr.!!!

2009-02-06T22:37:00.000-08:00

During his shower tonite, Brian's throat starting swelling up AGAIN! After realizing it had to be something in the shower, he looked at his shampoo and body wash and the first ingredient is a sulfur based ingredient! He had to take a Benadryl and we have decided that we are going to make an appointment with an allergy Dr. to see if he can do something for this major sensitivity to sulfur. If not, we shall suffer but if so that would be wonderful!! This is scary and getting very old in a hurry. Poor Brian is worn out and has to work tomorrow. Remember him in your prayers and I shall keep you informed on the allergy Doc! Sulfur...boy that 6 letter word has sure caused some scary and crazy things around our house lately!

Update on my Honey Bunches of ALLERGIES?!?!

2009-02-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

Brian finally got to come home Monday afternoon from the hospital. He was sent home with 3 days worth of steriods and has been taking those. He has been having shortness of breath and a pounding heart which we think that is from the steriods. However the Dr. said he could have developed chemical induced asthma or tiny blood clots in his lungs from the reaction. We really won't know until 3 days after been off of the steriods. We had another scare last night when after drinking an RC Cola his throat started to swell again. We went back to the E.R. and after another chest x-ray the Dr. said his throat was beginning to swell again. He also told Brian that sulfur is in sooo many things. Asprin, lots of food, drinks (Benzoic Acid, found in some soft drinks), MSG's, perservatives and even water! The list is endless!!! He told Brian he would have to get used to this and to take Benadryl with him every where he goes. This is a scary feeling and Brian has been very scared to eat and drink. Those of you who know Brian know that he is already very thin and doesn't ever need to refrain from eating! Brian has been doing lots of research and finding out more and more about his allergy to sulfur. If you have an allergy to sulfur or anything else, you may want to do research as well. Even Brian as a nurse didn't realize all of the things that sulfur is in. I hope things are on the up and up for Brian and his allergic reaction. His face is swollen and red from all of the steriods but other than that he is doing better. Thanks for all the prayers and concerns! Take care everyone and watch out for allergies to drugs, they sure can be dangerous!

Anaphylactic Shock!?!?

2009-02-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

Saturday night around 6p.m. when Brian got home from work, he was complaining with his throat feeling like it had a rock in it and someone was pulling down on his throat. He said he had the symptom all day and the day before and it had progressively gotten worse. He was now gagging every 5 minutes. I finally talked him into going back to the E.R. where they did a chest x-ray and found his throat was about 95% blocked. The Dr. told us another hour and we would have had to call an ambulance and they would have had to do a trachiotomy. The Dr. believes it is caused from an antibiotic Brian has been taking for about 10 days called Bactrum for a sinus infection. They admitted Brian to the hospital and are giving him high doses of steriods, benadryl and epinephrine. He feels pretty good until those begin to wear off and then he feels his throat begin to swell again. It's a very uncomfortable and scary feeling, hence it makes him rather nervous and anxious. The nurse told him had he went to bed last night and tried to forget about it that in his sleep he would have never known and he would have went into respitory arrest. I am so thankful today that Brian is feeling somewhat better and that the Good Lord above is taking care of us and watching over us, even when we don't realize it. I ask that you remember Brian in your thoughts and prayers today as he recovers from what could have been a lot more serious problem than it is. Hopefully he will continue to recover with the high doses of medication and be able to come home tomorrow. Thank the Lord for his goodness, mercy and grace in our lives once again!

Spring Cleaning in the middle of Winter???

2009-01-23T20:49:00.000-08:00

Well I guess that's what you can call it. We've been doing a lot of long time needed work to our place. The first of January we had a choir party at our place, which sparked a fire in us to get a lot of much needed work done! We have certainly been slackers on the house since being so busy with school and work! We got so much done, maybe we need to have party's at our place about every three months to keep the maintance up on the place! Here are some of the things we have been busy doing:

-Repainting the front door which had peeled down to the metal due to a manufacter's defect, I do not have a before picture of this, you would not have wanted to see that sight!

-Washing the siding and brick down with colorox which had been put to the test after not being washed down for a few years.

-Repainting a spare bedroom...Green, which this picture doesn't do justice!

-Repainting a hall way that never got painted due to Brian's "fear" of the color "cut the mustard" taking over our house that he hated at first sight! (which I will admit doesn't look that swell without decor!)

-Repainted the shutters black which were starting to chip from the last painting. They once were green, now they are black. Like everything else up here according to my Dad. He says soon it will look like halloween...Men really should leave the decorating to the women!

-Replaced all the screens in the windows that were dry-rotted from the sun.

-Trimmed all the box woods so that now actually resemble a box wood!!!

-Put out new mulch on top of the 3 year old pinestraw that had also been put to the test when it come to doing the job of keeping out the weeds!!!

-And we FINALLY got the rotten floor fixed in our laundry room and beautiful tile laid. Due to some unfortunate air condition problems (which have now been fixed as well) we were left with this ugly mess! If you look to the right of this picture you will spot something that just doesn't fit. Kinda reminds you of those pictures when you were a kid where you circled everything that just didn't belong in the picture...yeah well, in this case it would be the big piece of wood over the floor. Fortunately this is all the pictures I have of that ole' rotten floor that stayed that way for 4 long years. Who wants to take pictures of their ugly rotten floor anyway?? We are definitely people who live with it until you just HAVE to get it fixed!!! I am so glad to have this project complete. Unfortunately, being the creatures of habit we are, we still step over this "hole" even though it's no longer there!!

I am so glad to have all of this complete! Whew!! Now I remember why this doesn't get done but once a year!

Blogging Slacker

2009-01-23T20:28:00.000-08:00

I do realize that I am sooo behind on my blogging. So behind in fact, if there were a sentence for the crime of not blogging I would recieve the maximum!!! We have been so busy that I haven't had time to blog! We are still alive and doing quite well actually. Brian is enjoying his vacation from school until August and we have a lot to accomplish before then. He is planning on going to Mobile and UAB to have a sit down face to face meeting to inquire about all the in's and out's of each school before he makes the big decision as to which one to attend. Be in prayer for him as he faces this decision as it will be where he completes the rest of his Master's Degree. We are looking forward to the day of completion but the journey to get there will not be an easy one, so remember Brian as he tackles these upcoming feats.
We have been doing a lot of things around the house that have needed to be done for quite sometime now. I have been trying to take pictures to show the fruits of all of our hard labor but haven't gotten in all of them. I am currently working on that blog and will be posting it soon. So keep a watch...we are still here and I will be posting more soon! Take care everyone! I hope all is well!

Baking, Baking and More Baking!!!

2008-12-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

Brian has been putting in his orders for Christmas cooking! His personality is so different when he is not in school he has been like a mexican jumping bean around the house. He has thought of so many different things he wants me to bake. We decided to do some baking for the people who helped him finish his clinicals along with his a few of his co-workers. In order to do all of this, I have been "touching the stove" to say the least. Here are a few of the things I have been cooking. Peanut Butter Kisses, Brownies, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Corn Flake Candy...it's easy to see why my time on blogger has been limited.

Once complete it was time to pack up the goodies. Here they are finally packed up and ready to go to the hospital! Enjoy and thanks to all of the people who have helped Brian finish up his B.S. We are so thankful!

I won't get to excited here on this post though...I have at least this much more baking to do...

I'm sure my Grannie Dozier is literally shaking her head at this picture! She was the best cook ever, besides my mom of course. She cooked everything homemade, nothing out of a box or can. Betty Crocker never had to come to her house, she was better than Betty ever thought about being. I always think about her, especially this time of year. One being that her birthday is December 26 and also how good she could cook. She was the most patient woman I've ever known. I think the 7 children may have had a little something to do with that. I know there were many times when she wanted to "tan my hide" and didn't. I, being the youngest of all the grandchildren and at her house a lot was her little "taste tester." Not that Grannie needed one of those or anything. Oh she always SAID she did, she never called me by my name, most of the time it was Hannah, or Hannah foot, come over here and taste this and tell me what it needs (obviously I've done a little too much taste testing!). I smile now just thinking about her, with her apron on saying that. It brings a tear to my eye, the memories that I cherish so near and dear to my heart. She wasn't an emotional woman, so Grannie never told me much that she loved me but she didn't have to, I knew it by her actions. If you still have your parents and grandparents, cherish the time and the memories with them this Christmas Season. It may be your last one together. Death can destroy a lot of things but one thing it can never take away is our memories and as Christians we know that one day we will see each other again in Heaven. She's probably up there now, baking away...shaking her head at my "Betty Crocker." Don't be too disappointed Grannie, you did make more of an impression on me than you think...Happy Birthday, I Love You.

The Day We've Been Waiting For!!!!

2008-12-19T18:43:00.000-08:00

Today December 19, 2008 Brian is officially finished with his Bachelors Degree!! YAY!!! We could not be more excited or proud! Only 9 classes left and he will complete his long awaited NP!! Kimberly asked me just the other night was all of the stress worth it? The thought has crossed my mind once or twice but when I met Brian he told me then it was his dream to complete his Master's Degree. He supports me in whatever I choose to do or be and I do the same for him. It's not an easy road for anyone I am sure but once done it will all be worth it in the end. Also what doesn't kill you truly makes you stronger and Brian and I are in this together as a team and we WILL be stronger in the end. To stick together, tough it out and remember, we're not in this alone, the Lord is by our side and we know "through Him ALL things are possible!" So hang in there Brian, I Love You and I support you in whatever you choose to do and be! You can do it, we can do it. I Love You and a Big CONGRATULATIONS!!! Now go get some rest, or wait a minute, are you already doing that???

Who wouldn't LOVE this job???

2008-12-05T20:43:00.000-08:00

About 2 months ago I was fortunate to land a wonderful job at Oasis. A fitness day spa and salon located behind KFC here in Andalusia. I think Andalusia is very fortunate to have a place this nice that offers all of these services: Spray tans, (done by hand, not in a booth) Massage (done by 2 massage therapist), Facials (including microderm.), Manicures, Pedicures, a full salon, ladies fitness with line dancing and aerobic classes, a sauna (which has all types of benefits I wasn't aware of!) and a smoothie bar made of 100% real fruit and no added sugar (which are delicious I might add!!) Maybe it's just me but I love this place! After working at Sitel for 3 months and having to quit the job due to TiVo's decision to pull their account and not being able to train for another position due to my piano lessons, I had been looking for a job to help Brian through school. I was so blessed and fortunate to find not just any job but this wonderful job at Oasis. During my interview with my boss and the owner, Daphne she explained to me that she had dedicated her business and building to the Lord. What a wonderful thing to hear! I was so sure the Lord hadn't allowed all of the other jobs I had applied for to work out! He had saved this one for me! It was an awesome feeling. God is so Good to me! I am so undeserving of his favor and blessings! Brian enjoys me working here as well, since I'm in a whole lot better mood than when I came home from Sitel. It takes a really bad job to appreciate a good one and I am so thankful for Oasis. I've made friends with all the people who work here and they are such wonderful people as well. A special "THANK YOU" to Brittany Morrow for her sweet recommendation to Daphne to help me get this job! I am loving it! They have gift certificates available which make great Christmas gifts for anyone on your list or maybe it's you who needs the pampering to help get you through the holidays! Either way, I'll see you at Oasis!

This is where you will find me most of the time. Making smoothies, booking appointments, answering the phones, doing a little cleaning here and there and taking care of customers!

Oasis sells a little bit of everything. Art work, jewerly (including the very popular Sorelli), luggage, monogramed key chains and travel mugs, Oasis t-shirts, purses, soy candles (which burn clean and not black) plug in burners and even a few gourmet food items. You can check them out on the web for more pricing information and pictures at http://www.oasisfitnessspaandsalon.com/

Alabama Crimson Tide...ROLL TIDE!!!!

2008-12-05T20:18:00.000-08:00

Click on the link below and watch the video titled Alabama vs. Florida 2008...it is awesome and pumps up an Alabama fan! ROLL TIDE!!!!

MySpace.com - Alabama Crimson Tide

A little "Music" makes everything better!

2008-12-05T20:07:00.000-08:00

I found these beaUtiful new ornaments for the tree and had to add them. I also found the green ornaments and green holly and leaves at the very top of the tree...a little different from the original picture I posted of the tree. So maybe I'm finally starting to get a little hint of the Christmas spirit. I've had my Christmas music playing! I think it helps that this year I decided to put our tree in the family room instead of the piano room! I have moved a desk in the piano room and didn't have room for the tree in there this year and it has been much more of an enjoyment to have in the room where we spend most of our time. Hope everyone is doing well. We are staying busy as usual. Enjoy the photos!

Christmas Time's A Comin'

2008-11-28T22:40:00.000-08:00

Normally I am not a Holiday person. I don't like the holidays at all. To me, we are way too focused on the wrong things. I like getting together and enjoying time with family and friends but I do not like the fact that most things are closed and shut down, it seems depressing. I feel out of my normal routine. It's such a hustle and bustle and worry to buy gifts which isn't the true meaning of Christmas anyway. It seems too much about gift giving and too little about the time and celebration of Christ's birth. There is one thing I am looking forward to this December 19th. Brian will complete his B.S. degree and I am thrilled! So thrilled in fact that I have ALL of my Christmas shopping done and ALL of my decorations out. I plan on spending time with this sweet man of my life when he graduates!!!

I am so proud of him but I am so tired of seeing this sight it has become a "sore eye" to me. He practically eats, sleeps and drinks in this room. I feel like I don't have a husband and I will be thrilled to spend as much time as possible with him when December 19th gets here! We plan on doing "NOTHING!!!"

Brian and I were discussing the other day about how the Lord has always seen fit to bless us with just what we need always in exactly the right time for when we need it. As most of you know, we have been trying to have kids for 5 years now so Brian and I were talking about that on our trip to Pratville. We talked on and in our discussion talked about how the Lord has always done things for us in His best time and not ours. We realized that maybe the Lord sees that now isn't the time for us to have children with our busy lives and Brian in school. When Brian started school he was fortunate to recieve a scholarship but lost it in January of this year. We had no idea that would happen but the Lord knew. I often wonder how we would have made it this year with children. I know we could have but it wouldn't be the way we would want it to be and the Lord knows that. It isn't always easy to accept the Lord's will for our lives but it sure makes it a lot easier when you can look back on things and say Wow, God is so good to us, He sees the future and knows what is best for our lives during the present. Maybe that explains why I treat these two little monkeys like my kids! My Dad thinks I'm insane, so it's okay if you do too! I probably shouldn't spoil them like I do but I feel like if and when God does see fit to bless us with a child I will put the spoiling I put on these two on my children. Until then this is what brings a big smile to my face...

When we first got Isabella these two absolutely hated each other!! You sure can't tell it now!

Lastly I will post a picture of my Christmas Tree. I'm not sure if you can read the sign above my fireplace. I found that this year and absolutely loved the saying which reads, "Simplify Christmas...Celebrate Christ" I can think of no better saying and no better reason or way to celebrate CHRISTmas!

Happy Birthday Darlin! 11/21/08

2008-11-25T19:45:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since my last post and I have good reasons: they are, BUSYNESS!!! I will be so thrilled to see December 19th arrive. Brian will be finished with his Bachlor's Degree and will have a short break before starting back to school again to finish his Masters. I am so ready for a break and I know that he is too. He has been at it all year and it's been a tough stressful year. He works weekend option at Andalusia Hospital and only gets 3 weekends off a year. Due to the demands of school and clinicals he hasn't had any off this year. I know, most of you can't imagine your weekends tied up...it's an adjustment but he does it to go to school during the week. He is completely online and has done very very well in his studies. Brian is the brains of our family. He is the bookworm to say the least. I am not a reader, however I am trying to get better at that. Here lately I have read some good books which include "Through the storm" "It's all about Him" and "Be the pack leader" the last one being read for my babies of course!!!

November 21st Brian celebrated 35 years on this old blue marble. He took Saturday the 22nd off for the first time this year and we went to Prattville and spent the day at Bass Pro (his home away from home). At 4:00 we ventured back to Montgomery to the Alabama Shakespear Festival where we saw "Charlottes Web" I cried it was so good!!! I love visiting the Shakespear Festival. They always do such a great job on the plays. We will be taking another trip there January 9th to see "Bear Country" which is about the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant. So get your tickets now Alabama fans! If you see my Dad please don't mention this as this is part of his Christmas from Brian and I. After Charlottes Web was over we went back to Bass Pro where we spent the rest of the evening. That store is huge and Brian loves it there and I was so happy to see him get to relax and be stress free for one day out of the year. We usually take a vacation once a year and haven't even had the time for that this year. Brian is a very committed person. He is not one who gives up. He is very determined and set on reaching his goal of becoming a NP. I am proud to call him my husband. He is so good to me and has made an excellent life for us. When Brian ask for my hand in marriage all my Dad ask of him was to take care of me and Brian has definitely went above and beyond that. I am so glad to be married to a nurse who knows so much about health related issues I may experience. Brian is a special man and I'm sure you feel the same way about your husband. God definitely knows what we have need of before we ask and he blessed me when he sent me Brian. Happy Birthday Darlin! I am so thrilled to celebrate Y-O-U!!! I don't have any pictures to post of our trip...I was too excited about being able to spend the day with my husband my camera was the last thing on my mind. Just picture Brian in Bass Pro like a kid in a candy store, trying on everything from toboggins to tackles!!! He loved it and I loved seeing him enjoy himself for a change!!! Hope everyone is well and has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Love to all and Happy Birthday Brian!! Hang in there...I Love You!

Family...Isn't it about TIME???

2008-10-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this picture!!

You hear the commericals on the radio, if you listen: Family....Isn't it about, TIME??? A message from the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints...It's too bad that message doesn't say from the Baptist because everytime I hear it I think about how it rings true. We never have enough time with our families. It seems like we are always doing work and school. One day that will be over though and we are looking forward to that day!

It has been so long since I last blogged. I have been terribly busy. The month of October has been a month of weddings, revivals, Pastor Appreciation, starting my new job at Oasis amoung many other things. To say the least we've been a bit busy.

These two sweethearts came home for a short break from school and we got to spend the evening together on a Thursday night. We headed to Enterprise to eat at Ruby Tuesday where we shared some heart to heart conversations and plenty of laughs. We took lots of crazy pictures but they were with Amy's camera so I don't have those. We then came back home and watched the movie "Iron Man" which when I first saw the front was a little skeptical but it was actually a good movie. When the night was over the two "hams" went to go home and found they were stranded (don't tell but they really liked being stranded with us!!) They had a flat tire and had to spend the night!! YEA, not that they had a flat but we got to spend more time together! I Love these two beautiful girls!

Being an only child, when I came into the Jacobs' family it was LOUD!! It was like a zoo. Going to Brian's house was never quiet or dull. There was always something happening there! Between 4 kids, flowers, dogs, cats, horses, extended family members in and out, I would be glad to get back to my quiet little world! I've now gotten used to the choas that goes along with larger families. People often used to ask me did I like being an only child and I suppose when you don't know any different, it doesn't really matter. Now that I've gotten a chance to experience life with these people I call my "sisters" I no longer have to say I'm an only child! They are very special and sweet people who mean a lot to me! (Beth also even though she isn't pictured!)

The girls have grown up so much. Besides being beautiful young women, they have many other good qualities about them. Amy is patient, sweet, kind and such a responsible "little mama". She gets things done that she needs to do. She will make someone a lovely wife and mother one day. Amy was always such a ham around the camera and I can't say that has changed much! In one of their earlier home videos Brian has the camera and you can hear Amy and see her shaking his leg saying....Brian down here, down here, take my pictures...Brian, Brian, look at me, look at me!! What memories these sweet brothers and sisters must have!

Kimberly has many good qualities as well. She is so tender-hearted, sweet, funny and a good manager of her money. Kimberly has never been one to spend friveriously. When she was much smaller she would spend time with Brian and I and we would go somewhere and Amy would ask Kimberly for some money and tell her she would pay her back later. Kimberly would usually always reply with the same thing...Amy no, you will not pay me back and besides all I have is $100.00 and I'm not breaking it! Kimberly has always also been so care-free and easy going. She never did like wearing shoes so everytime we got ready to go somewhere we had to "hunt" for Kimberly's shoes, which could be anywhere since she took them off everywhere! She too is going to make an excellent wife and mother.

And the one who they owe it all to, now known as Nan. I couldn't resist this when it came in the mail the other day. I immediately thought of her and wondered if she knew such an association exsisted??? Her Mom and Son a nurse and she picked out that name for John Luke...how neat I thought to myself!!

I had such a good time and I hope we can do this again soon. I know we are getting together for Christmas and I am looking so forward to that! I Love Ya'll!!!

A Flower And A Butterfly

2008-10-05T23:57:00.000-07:00

As I said in one of my earlier blogs, I keep a journal. Not a journal that I write my thoughts in everyday, a journal that I mostly take to church or anywhere I may be going to a devotional or revival. I don't take sermon notes, I take down things that God touches my heart with. Things that I don't want to forget. They may be things that mean something to me at the time I write them or they may be things that can speak to me for a different time in my life later on down the road.

So many times whatever it is that I am struggling with, God speaks to me about in little ways. No, He doesn't come down here in person with a loud voice and speak to me. He shows me and leads me to different things, simple things that make me realize His great power. His voice is so gentle, so soft, it's so neat to listen to God and watch Him work in my life.

I struggle with waiting on the Lord many times in my life. I am impatient. I want what I want, right now, I don't want to wait for the Lord to do it in His time. I want it NOW! I get angry when my prayers aren't answered after years of praying. I am like most people who stand in front of the microwave and tap their foot. Yet God is so gracious and merciful to me still. He has gentle ways of reminding me all along that, Dawn, I am still in control and my ways are not your ways, neither is my time your time. I know what's best for you, you are my child and I Love You. I'm going to do what's best for you, just like your earthly Father and how much more do I, your heavenly Father love you? This story is one of the stories that came along that He spoke to me through, along with the sayings at the bottom. Reguardless of how and when God answers our prayers, we are His children and He will only do the best for us. I believe that.

Once there was a man who asked God for a flower and a butterfly. But instead God gave him a cactus and a caterpillar. The man was sad and didn't understand why his request was mistaken. So he thought, "O well, God has too many people to care for" and decided not to question. After sometime, the man went to check up on his request that he had left forgotten. To his surprise from the thorny and ugly cactus a beautiful flower had grown and the unsightly caterpillar had been transformed into the most beautiful butterfly.

God always does things right! His way is always the best way, even if to us it seems all wrong. If you asked God for one thing and recieved another, TRUST. You can be sure that He will always give you what you need at the appropriate time. What you want is not always what you need. God never fails to grant our petitions, so keep on going for Him without doubting or murmuring. Today's thorn is tomorrow's flower. God gives the very best to those who leave the choices up to Him.

-Waiting is sometimes part of God's plan to bring Him all the Glory. We need God's timing and power for God to be fully and truly effective in us.

-Patience is accepting a difficult situation from God without giving Him a deadline to remove it.

-Sometimes the Lord calms the storm; sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.

-Faith is not shelter from difficulties but belief in the face of all contradictions.

-Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted.

-If you want to see God do anything significant in your life, get on your knees before Him and pray.

-God heals: faith doesn't. There have been plenty of people with lots of faith that God hasn't seen fit to answer their prayer.

-The reason we aren't seeing a Holy Ghost movement is because we are confessing and not repenting.

Confess - telling the Lord you're sorry for what you've done

Repent - confess and turn and change your ways

If you wonder why your prayers aren't answered - REPENT.

Lord help me to always look to you for guidance and for YOUR will for my life and not mine. Help me to be grateful the "thorns have roses" and not just see that the "roses have thorns." I praise you for speaking to me and helping me see and realize that you do want the best for me, your child and that everything happens In YOUR time, the best time. Thank you for the Flower and the Butterfly.

Whose Carving Your Pumpkin?

2008-10-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

Taking what satan has tried to turn into a bad holiday into a celebration of Christ.

When carving your pumpkin this year, try making the eyes "hearts" and the nose a "Cross" along with a regular smiling mouth, symbolizing sharing God's love...and remember this and share it with your trick or treaters. You can type this up and add a cute pumpkin to it and make a book mark and give it to all of your trick or treaters. It's a good witnessing tool and spreads the love of Christ. Don't allow satan to turn this beautiful fall season that God has given us into scary monsters and witch-craft. It's time we as Christians take a stand for Christ and we can start with little things like this.

-Christians are like Pumpkins-

What is it like to be a Christian? How does it feel to know the love of God - to know that he has washed away your sins at Jesus' cross and give you new life, a life that really counts and will last forever?

Someone has said that it's a little like being a pumpkin!

God comes to us and picks us up from a lonely, cold field. He washes off all the dirt of our sin. He removes the seeds of doubt, fear and hate that have grown inside us. Then he places within us the light of his love. This love warms our hearts. What was once filled darkness is now flooded with light. That love puts a smile on our face! Now the whole world can see God's love shining in us!

Go SHINE for the Lord as you

His

Incredible

News

Everywhere

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

Word Of God Speak

2008-10-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

I feel like the song on my blog...Word of God Speak. This is my last post for the day. I just want to share one more thing. I came home this afternoon and typed the blog "Soup For The Soul". Afterwards, it was time to go back to church. When I got there my blog was on my mind, since I had been searching through the Bible most of the afternoon looking at different verses to use in my blog. You will never believe it but Bro. Frankie used several of the SAME verses in his message tonite. The Holy Spirit was so strong, I began to weep. God you are so Awesome! The first words to the song say, "I'm finding myself at a loss for words..." and that's the way I feel. The word of God has spoke and poured down like rain in my life tonite, washing my eyes to see his majesty. I just wanted to praise Him for that and say let me stay and rest in His holiness. There truly is no better place to be. A place of serenity, peace, and immesurable love. Thank you Lord for being so real in my life and letting me know that you are faithful to your children. I praise you tonite and forevermore.
-Amen.

Soup For The Soul

2008-10-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

Fall is definitely here. We are experencing that lighter much cooler air. The love bugs have been and gone. Thank the Lord they are gone! Allergies, colds, flu and viruses are here...YUCK! I have my fill of those every year. Yet it is still nice to see and experience a change in the weather.

I never realized until someone told me that everything in the physical can be compared to everything in the spiritual. It took me awhile to relate things and catch onto that statement but now I understand. For example, when you think about the seasons changing. Things have to die in order to live. We have winter so we can have spring. We have to die in order to live. Paul tells us we must die to our flesh daily. (Luke 9:23; And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross DAILY, and follow me). We also die an eternal death and if we are born again have a new life in Christ. You may relate the seasons changing in a different way for your spiritual walk and life but it is true that everything can be related. All the beautiful colors of fall, the oranges, reds, yellows and browns and when I see pictures of states further north who have beautiful white snow, I think about how only God could create such beautiful seasons and things for us to enjoy. Each season has something beautiful and special to offer from God that he spoke into exsistence.

All we have to do is turn on the news and it is so easy to get down and distracted from what all the Lord has blessed us with. God doesn't want us to allow satan to steal our joy. What God intended was for his children to enjoy His creation and all the beautiful blessings He has given us. Take a look around and enjoy your creation and blessings the Lord has given you. Today if nothing else take time to stop and thank the Lord for what all he has done. God is in control. Everything that this world has to offer will let us down but he will never leave nor forsake us. He will never change. (Hebrews 13:5b...I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE).

I'm conviced with everything that is happening with our economy, we as Christians should not be afraid. (Hebrews 13:6; So that we may boldly say, THE LORD IS MY HELPER, AND I WILL NOT FEAR WHAT MAN SHALL DO UNTO ME). Fear is from satan and God doesn't want us to live in fear and defeat. (Matthew 6:31-34; Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof). The Lord clothes the liles of the field and knows when a sparrow falls how much more does he know and care for the needs of His children? (Matthew 6:30; Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?)He said He would meet our NEEDS, not our WANTS. (Philippians 4:19; But my God shall supply all your NEED according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus). Learning to be content with those is often a struggle for us as sinners who "want" what we want, not just what we need. (Philippians 4:11; Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content). Today be mindful that God has brought us this far, He is going to see us through to the other side. Enjoy each day and seasons and the different beauties they bring that God has so richly blessed us with!

Along with cooler weather comes time for warmer meals. This is one of Brian's favorite and mine as well. The easiest Camp Stew recipe I know of. Give it a try, we love it, especially during these cooler months!

In a large pot,

1 chopped onion and 1/2 stick of butter melted and cooked a bit (if you don't like onion or don't have one, I've left it out before and you can't even tell

2 cans of BBQ pork (Castleberry)
1 can of BBQ beef (Castleberry), they do not carry these at Wal-Mart
2 cans of corn (drained)
3cans of potatoes (they come round and I quarter them)
2 cans of stewed tomatoes (make sure they are just tomatoes, nothing else like added bell pepper)
1/2 - 1 cup of Ketchup (this is probably wrong but I never measure, just pour till it looks good)
2 tsp worcestershire sauce (on this either)
3 tsp lemon juice (this either, well actually on a lot! But it's still delicious)
1 tsp. tabasco sauce
1 1/2 cups of water

Bring to a boil and let simmer for 30 minutes. Take it from a robust, plump woman (don't you love those politically correct descriptions for FAT???) this is delicious!!! In fact, it's so good I was going to post some pictures of my pot but WE ATE IT ALL!!
=-) So you will just have to settle for my "colors of fall" pictures!

Wedding Bells Are Ringing!!!

2008-10-04T20:29:00.001-07:00

The month of October is a very busy month for me. We have been getting ready for revival with choir at church which will be October 12-15. Pastor, Brent Cook will be the speaker Mon-Wed nite. We are also celebrating Pastor Appreciation this month, along with an awesome group called "New Beginnings" coming to sing for the evening service on October 26th. I want to invite everyone to revival and New Beginnings. If you can come I would love to see you there. I will sit with you if you are scared to be alone. I know how that can be, visiting churches all by yourself.

On top of all the church things we have going on, I start a new part-time job this Tuesday at Oasis Day Spa. My sweet sister-in-law Amy will be coming in for a massage that day as well...what a supportive sister-in-law she is, my first day on the job and she comes to visit...okay, so maybe she isn't coming in JUST for me!! I think Amy deserves a little pampering, she has been working very hard in college this semester (Love You Amy!). Who wouldn't want to visit that place...it's absolutely wonderful!

In addition to the rest of this stuff I have 3, that's right one, two, THREE weddings this month. The first one was today in Esto, Florida. Not sure where Esto is? Well neither was I until today. A close high school friend of Brian's, Terry Stewart and Brandi Gammons were wed today and they ask me to shoot a few photos (I do not shoot wedding photos, this was just a favor for friends). Today was my first ever digital camera wedding, which went pretty well. They had the sweetest ceremony with a "hands ceremony" and "salt ceremony." It was very neat and something I had never seen or heard of before. (You can probably google these two things if you want to know more) Anyway, a very big Congratulations to Brandi and Terry. The two make a very lovely couple and we wish them a very long, happy, healthy and God centered marriage. Terry finished up his degree at Graceville Baptist College of Florida and Brandi is a singer and you can listen live to some of her music at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=153655085&MyToken=19c724fe-f34b-45f1-b727-ad9a24da9ba6

They are both great Christian people who have a heart for the Lord and He is going to bless their marriage and life! We love you Brandi and Terry! October 4, 2008. This blog is dedicated to you.
This last photo I took on my way home of the beautiful sunset on the evening of your wedding. Sure the sun sets the same way everyday but it will never again set on October 4, 2008. I saw this beautiful site and couldn't resist. I hope you enjoy it as well.

I will end this blog with one my most prized possessions. My favorite description of Love, besides I Cor. 13. I have this in my journal and have never shared it with anyone, so consider yourselves lucky Brandy and Terry! ;-)

-LOVE-

"It meant the world turned over,

the difference between living or merely existing,

the difference between light and dark, cold and heat.

It meant a full heart, a wild, strange and ever-changing feeling,

it meant all the colors and all the sounds,

it meant a thousand unexpressed thoughts;

it meant taking and giving,

it meant feelings that ran all the way

from rich goodness to cruelty,

all things full and nothing empty;

it was something proud and abject,

something like a slashing winter wind

and something as hot as a bed of fire.

If it was anything at all, it was all this."

Love always to the both of you.

-Dawn

What's Forever For?

2008-10-04T00:15:00.000-07:00

I have to say this about the first song on my playlist. Here a couple of years ago this sweet man, who in this picture is enjoying his favorite piece of choclate (Reese Cups) got me tickets to a concert as a surprise. When we finally arrived at the Opera House in Dothan he told me we were going to see Michael Martin Murphy...now remember I am an avid musician, who listens to all kinds of music all the time. I said WHO???? Who in the world is that??? Needless to say I wasn't too enthused about my "surprise concert!" From the looks of the parking lot, neither were too many other people...there were no cars. No problem getting a front row seat at this concert, I thought. I'm all about music and my sweet darling of a husband knows this, so we continue into the building where we sat in a concert with about 25-30 other people. What seemed like a disappointment and bad turn out to a concert, turned out to be one of the best concerts I've ever been to. For one, I felt kinda special, like he was giving just us few people a private concert. For two, he has to be one of the most simplest men on earth. A 3 man band came out and played for about 2 hours for us. We had the most fun. He told stories about his ranch and cowboy life...it was great. Then he really touched my heart and jogged my memory when he sang the song "What's forever for?" We wound up buying a c.d. and getting it autographed and I've been looking for this song a long time on my playlist and I finally found it. Stay here a minute and listen to the words. I love this song...it reminds me so much of our world today and how so many relationships are broken and hearts and lives of families are torn apart by divorce. I learned a valuable lesson that night. Just because you don't know all about something doesn't mean you won't enjoy it. Don't judge something by how many people are apart of it. Sometimes the majority misses out on the greatest gifts. A sweet simple concert made my night and special memories that will last a lifetime.

Just For My Sweetheart!

2008-10-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

September 23, 2008 marked 8 years that Brian and I have been married. Brian and I started dating in 1997 and I knew that he was the one for me when we met. We shared so many of the same thoughts, ideas and values. He has been a constant, steadfast and true husband to me. He has supported me in everything that I have done and he has always provided a good living for our family. Brian is a special man and I'm so grateful to the Lord for bringing our lives together. He makes each day a happy day and strives to better himself and our family. Thank you sweet man of my life who loves me and makes me happy. I look forward to many more years together and continually supporting you in all your goals and dreams for our family and future family. I Love You!

Our Girls!

2008-10-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

I mentioned our "children" in the blog to our Mom's so I wanted to share some pic's of them. This is Lizzy Tizzy. She fell from Heaven on April 13, 2007 while I was shooting pic's down at my Mom's. She followed me home and stayed here for days without food or water. It was like she was just meant to be ours. A month later we took her to the vet and found out she had heart worms. The good thing was that she is young about 1 1/2 - 2 and they only wanted around $4-500.00 to treat her. Wow! That cheap uh? Luckily, Paw Paw Kenny with all his animal knowledge has been treating Lizzy with Ivomec and she is a different dog!! Thank you Paw Paw Kenny for loving and taking care of our baby! If you could have seen her when she came here, you wouldn't know it was the same dog. She was underweight, wormy and not near as cute as in this picture. Lizzy now has the best life as an inside dog. She loves to squirel hunt, which she and Brian do together and she loves to just hang out around the house with us. She is our baby and our love.

Now for Baby Bella! Well, Baby Bella is a lot like Brian. She is very hyper-active, so it's kind of like having 2 Brian's around! She never slows down. You can't tell from this picture but this dog is the most hyper active dog I know. She literally sails off the back of the couch and almost reaches the counter! Bella came to us as "Mickey" which we didn't like, so we changed her name to Isabella Boo Jacobs. She came from an elderly lady who could not handle her. She had caused the lady to fall twice and she felt she just couldn't give "Mickey" the life she needed. So on July 12, 2008 we got Isabella. She was only 4 1/2 months old when we got her, so she has been quite the puppy to train. Brian and I were just saying how much Isabella has made us appreciate what a good dog Lizzy is! She has already calmed down a lot since we got her and she will start obedience training classes in November. We are looking forward to doing that together as a family and passing what we learn onto Lizzy. We are blessed with Lizzy and Bella and glad God sent them to us!

Here are a few more pic's of Brian and the Girls!

A Celebration Of Mothers

2008-10-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

May is Mother's day but I don't think that we show our love and appreciation to our Mother's enough! Our Mother's help to shape us into the people we are today. My Mother always shows me a better way of doing things. I've learned in my adult years that yes, she has been around a lot longer than I and her way of doing things are usually best. She is also such a helpful Mom. She helps me clean, cook, decorate, paint, and anything else that I may need her for. That means a lot. I TiVo Jon and Kate plus 8 and their parents are not involved in their lives at all and that has made me realize what a help my Mom is and how I am glad that she is involved in my life. Most importantly she is a Christian and has passed her values and morals down to me. I think that is what life is truly all about don't you? Having a family and passing on what has been passed on to you. God hasn't seen fit to bless Brian and I with any children yet. After 4 years of trying to concieve we are still in prayer that God will see fit to bless us with a child. Recently God has shown me that "In His Time" things will come to pass. Not my time or my wants but HIS will for our lives and maybe right now isn't HIS timing for us. We have been blessed however, with 2 precious pups who bring such joy and love to our lives and hearts. Lizzy May Jacobs, mostly called Lizzy Tizzy, a Rat Terrier and Isabella Boo Jacobs, mostly called Baby Bella or Bella Boo, a Jack Russell Terrier. They have certainly shed some light on what parenthood would be like and brought a lot of love and fun to our lives. I am proud to be their Mommy and Brian loves them just as much as I do! I am thankful for my Mom for showing me what love is and how to be a good Mommy and take care of things like Mommies always do. No matter how old I get, no one will ever be able to take the place of her and no one will ever be able to "fix" everything like Mama!! I Love You Mama...on Mother's Day, today and always.

I ask Brian to share a little about his Mom on here but he says he's not a blogger and I should continue blogging that I am doing a good job. Mrs. Cathy has passed a lot of things onto Brian that I have come to truly appreciate as his wife. Brian is such a helpful husband. He helps me in the grocery store, the kitchen, around the house and with just about anything I ask him to do, except blogging. He doesn't take after his sister Kimberly, Miss Journalism. Brian reminds me all the time that he used to help his Mama do all the things that he helps me do. I am sure she was GLAD to have his help...God Bless the woman! She has 4 children, which is to be commended in today's society. Not only do people not have large families anymore, they don't usually stay married when they do. His Mom is a Christian and I have seen her prayers evident in our lives. She keeps a prayer journal and puts us in it. It means so much to have Christian parents who pray for their children. For the most part, Brian just isn't your normal "man." I credit his Mom for this. He is a wonderful listener. He is a great researcher. He is so observant and intelligent. He always gives credit for his skills and abilites to his Mama. He always tells me that his Mom taught him to help in the kitchen. He will say, "Mama used to do this" or " Mama used to do that." I remember when we first started dating, Brian told me about his Mom using cranberry pills, which has helped with a lot of my bladder problems. He knows things and helps in ways that most men don't. He tells me things that his Mom used to do that may be helpful to me. Mrs. Cathy is also a 2 time cancer survivor. She is a a strong woman who would do anything for her children. Thank you for the things that you gave Brian and for making him the wonderful, sweet and loving man that I so proudly call my husband.

Laughter IS The Best Medicine ;-)

2008-09-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I catch myself getting "caught up" in the day to day things. I can remember when I was in school, it seems like I laughed all the time. Everyday I laughed at something. Most of the time I was the one making people laugh. I love to laugh and I love to make people laugh. A good friend of mine, Tina K. Rodgers and I spent a lot of time together in high school. She and I lived very close to each other and I would go over to her house quite often. She and I would laugh at all sorts of things. She lived with her Grandmother and she always kept those big marsh mellows in the freezer. My Grandmother used to always keep lemon drops in the fridge, so I can't say that I found it all that unusual. I would eat those things like crazy. Just thinking about it now makes me laugh so hard! Her Grandmother would always tell Tina (when I was gone of course) "that Dawn is never gonna be sick." Tina would of course respond with the normal "why Grannie?" and she would always give the same answer..."because the child laughs constantly and they say that laughter is the best medicine." Well I can't say that I haven't had my share of sickness but I can say that a good laugh always makes me feel better. If you haven't laughed in awhile, I hope maybe this blog entry will at least bring a smile to your face because hey after all, "laughter is the best medicine!" I recently found this website and edited my picture to look like this, you can do the same to yours if you'd like, http://www.yearbookyourself.com/. I found it so funny, I laughed and laughed and I needed that!!

Is Your Faucet Leaking???

2008-09-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

Boy what a past 2 days this has been!!! I think these 2 days have been more challenging than the entire year! Since we are on county water and the chlorine is so bad in the water, a few years ago we decided to get a filter under the counter. Filters as we all know, only work when you change them and we certainly haven't changed it regularly. So Sunday night I decided to change the filter...bad choice. I busted the pipes and water went everywhere! We had to turn the water off to the entire house and have pretty much been without water ever since. Brian has had to work and it has been a MESS!!! $25.00 and 8 trips to town later the facuet is still leaking. In fact parts have started leaking that weren't even leaking to begin with. I think there is nothing more aggrevating than a leaky faucet.

As aggrevating as this leak has been I thought about my own faucet, my own spiritual faucet that is...

My intentions were to change the filter. Just like a lot of times I have to step back, take a look at myself and renew, clean up, and make some changes, it's time for my new filter. Now granted my intentions to change this filter were good. I would have never busted the pipes on purpose. I believe that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Sometimes what we mean for good, Satan takes and turns to bad. We take the pressure for so long then we give into sin and bust. When we do so, most often we aren't the only ones affected. Just like the pipes busting affected the laminent flooring, all of my kitchen towels, the refigerator had to be moved to clean up the water, the cabinets were wet, the microwave was wet. Sin is like that busted pipe, affecting everything and everyone around us. Eventually it affects things that weren't even messed up to begin with just like the faucet. That's where God, the "Master Plumber," in all of his infinite grace and mercy comes in and takes out those old busted pipes and gets the glue out and puts the new pipes in and glues us back together. The good thing about God's glue is that it doesn't leave an ugly blue mark, like the glue on my pipes, God comes in and wipes us clean, white as snow. God didn't tell us that our Christian life would be a walk in the park. I believe we have up's and down's in our lives for a reason. God allows everthing to happen to us to show us just what we need right exactly when we need it. As you go through out this week and each day, let life's "little messes" be God's way of teaching you "little lessons." Maybe it's time for your filter to be changed, maybe it's time to see if your faucet is leaking. If it is, remember, God will come and repair it, clean it up, make it like new again...all you have to do is ask. Leaky faucets, little lessons, and God's mercy and grace to show us once again that He is Lord of all!

~"We pray in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God."

Colossians 1:10

By the way, I posted these pictures to say if you ever see one of these filters......RUN!!!!

The Blog World

2008-09-29T23:52:00.000-07:00

I am already a member of myspace so I am not sure if I will be able to keep up with e-mail, myspace and Blogging!! My sweet sister-in-law (might as well say Sister since she's as close as I'll ever have to a sister) is really into this blogging thing-a-ma-jiggy and thinks I would be great at it. I don't know why exactly since I don't have a lot of things to post and being the photographer I am - NEVER take pictures!!! I realize I should be shooting a lot more than I do but I never find the time. Brian is in school for NP and I am teaching piano, working 2 days a week at a part-time job and playing piano at Lindsey Bridge Baptist Church. Between all of that we keep pretty busy. This past year, life has thrown a lot of curve balls our way but God has been good and blessed us as always. He is forever blessing us with his grace and mercy. Ok Beth, my first blog, just for you. I am going to try to be a good blogger and keep this up. If you can keep up with John Luke and do it...I should have no problem! So, welcome to the blogging world of Brian and Dawn (I'm sure I will be the one doing most of the posting).

~From the fullness of God's grace we have all received one blessing after another.

John 1:16