The Worthey Family

Chase made All-State Chorus!

2011-11-02T13:30:00.000-04:00

My next big news today is that Chase made All-State Chorus!! This is quite an accomplishment and Tommy and I are so proud of her!! Chase had All-State Auditions back on October 15, 2011 and we just found out the results today, and she made it!! This is a huge honor, this chorus is made up of high school chorus students all across the state of Georgia, so as you can imagine only a select few from each school are chosen! During her audition, she was judged on a solo, singing her scales, sight reading, as well as a written test she took on musical terms, I am sure I am leaving something out, but needless to say Chase did very well!! We are so excited for her! Now she has to learn her music and in February during her winter break we will spend 3 days in Savannah, GA for her to rehearse with some of the top choral directors from all over the state, and then they will have a performance on our last evening there!

Here is a picture of Chase as we were headed to All-State Auditions!

Nathan and Hester Celebrate 10 years of Marriage

2011-11-02T13:18:00.000-04:00

Well, as you can probably tell I have been working hard to get my blog up to date, I have been especially busy today, because I have 2 wonderful things to blog about that are happening on today's date, and even though I got several blogs caught up, I still have more catching up to do, but I didn't want this day to pass by without blogging about these 2 important events!!

This post is to wish Nathan and Hester a Happy 10th Anniversary!! 10 years ago today, our son Nathan married the love of his life, a wonderful woman that Tommy and I are so proud to call our daughter in law! They have a wonderful marriage and 3 beautiful children that are wonderful blessing to them and our entire family! We love you, Nathan and Hester! Congratulations on 10 years of Wedded Bliss and wishing you many, many more years to come!

Kaleb and Kinley turn 4

2011-11-02T12:47:00.002-04:00

~Saturday, September 3, 2011

September is a big birthday month in the Worthey family, but the 2 that I am putting in the spotlight today is Kaleb and Kinley! Kaleb is our youngest grandson, he is Matthew's son (Matthew's birthday is on September 17th) Kaleb has gotten into Volcanos and so his party was a you guessed it a Volcano party! Since they live in NC, we don't get to see them as often as we would like, but here are a few pictures I got from Sarah of Kaleb's 4th birthday!

Kinley is our precious granddaughter, she is the oldest daughter of our son Nathan (Nathan's birthday is also in September, he was born on September 23rd) Kinley turned 4 years old on September 11th. They live in Cumming now, so we don't see them as often as we would like either, but at least they are only and hour and a half away and we were able to go up on Thursday evening September the 8th and help celebrate Kinley's 4th birthday at Chuck E Cheese! She had so many friends from school come and help her celebrate and they all had so much fun playing all the games, and having pizza and birthday cake!

We love Kinley and Kaleb so much and we are so proud to be their Grandaddy and Mimi

Happy Birthday! We love you both! ~ Grandaddy and Mimi

First Football game of the Season

2011-11-02T12:34:00.003-04:00

~Thursday, August 25, 2011

Chase was so excited for Marching Season to get underway this year, she loves Colorguard so much and this year, she was not only spinning her flag, but she also made the weapons line, which means she will be spinning the rifle and the sabre!

Here are a few pics from the first game of the season

Here's some pictures of the performance, there is one I know you can see Chase, but my camera is still having technical difficulties

After the performance, Chase loves that feeling of being on the field!! :)

Destiny's 4th Birthday

2011-11-02T12:24:00.001-04:00

~ Saturday, August 20, 2011

I couldn't let this day go by (even though I am just catching up the blog) I still couldn't let this day go by without saying a Happy Birthday to Destiny! As many of you know, Destiny is the little girl who stayed with us for almost 4 months while we were doing foster care. Unfortuantely we had no other choice but to close our home to DFACS because of a particular case worker, Valerie Walters was putting the rights and needs of the biological parents far above the needs and safety of the children in her care, Destiny being one of them, so we felt we had no choice, but to close our home!

On August 20th Destiny turned 4 years old, Destiny and I had talked many times about having her a big fun birthday party, she had never had one before, so I was so excited, and as you can imagine she was so excited too, she asked me everyday if that day was her birthday party! I hope that where ever she is now, that she was able to celebrate her birthday like a 4 year should!! We love you Destiny and we will never forget the time we had with you!!

Grandkids Starting School

2011-11-02T12:13:00.000-04:00

~Wednesday, August 17, 2011

5 out of 6 of our grandkids started school this year...I'll start with Jacob and Kinley since they both started today August 17th...Jacob started Kindergarten and Kinley started Pre-K, Billy started 1st grade on August 18th, and Hannah started 3rd grade on August 25th and Kaleb started Pre-K on the same day! WOW! They are growing up so fast! and again I have no pics! Sorry!! :(
Grandaddy and Mimi are so proud of our grandkids and all they are learning! They are all 5 doing really good in school this year, and we are very proud of them!

Trip to Matthew and Sarah's House

2011-11-02T12:02:00.001-04:00

~ Monday, August 15, 2011

The week of the 15th I went and spent a week with Matthew, Sarah, and the kids! I had a wonderful time with them (as usual). Matthew cooked me a wonderful steak sandwich while I was there, and Sarah and I tried out one of my Weight Watcher casseroles that I had been wanting to make! Kaleb is getting so big and starting to become alot more out going! The first day I got there Sarah and Hannah both had dentist appts, so after she picked me up from the airport, she just had to drop me and Kaleb off at the house and then she left, I have to say I was afraid he wouldn't want to stay with me because it usually takes a little bit for him to warm up to me when I haven't seen him in a while, but much to my surprise he was happy to stay with me and he loves to watch (not play) but watch others play Monkey Balls on the Game Cube...Mimi however doesn't know anything about video games, the Wii I love...I could play Wii games all day, but the others with all the buttons and moves, I have no clue!! So as I was attempting to play Monkey Balls, Kaleb kept grabbing my face and saying "Mimi Don't let them fall!!!" Then when I was doing good, he was jumping up and down saying "Go Mimi Go!!" It was so funny! Unfortuantely, this is one of the times my camera was not working, so I have no pictures, but I had a wonderful week with Hannah and Kaleb! They are such a joy! I loved hanging out with Matthew and Sarah too!! Thanks for letting me spend the week with you guys! I love you all! :)

Chase First Day of School - Sophomore Year

2011-11-02T11:24:00.003-04:00

~ Monday, August 8, 2011

Chase started her Sophomore year of high school this year...I can't believe it!! Where has the time gone? It's seems just like yesterday, I was taking her to Mom's morning out 1 day a week! Chase is such a joy, and I love her more and more with each passing year! I love being her mom and I am so thankful for the wonderful young woman she is. Chase loves the Lord, she loves her parents, she loves her family and friends, and she LOVES music and colorguard...those are her 2 biggest passions!!

Here are a few pictures from her First day as a Sophomore!

Close up of the her new backpack

Chase with our traditional First Day of School sign!

Close up of the sign

Our traditional First Day of School Breakfast at Waffle House! :)

...and there she goes our beautiful Sophomore girl!! :)

Beach Trip 2011

2011-10-28T01:21:00.000-04:00

~ Thursday, August 4, 2011

As I mentioned in my last post, when Nathan and Hester picked up Jacob, Kinley and Elyn from our house, they were headed to the beach! They had graciously invited us to come along with them, so Billy was picked up Wednesday evening and we headed out bright and early Thursday morning to spend a few days with Nathan, Hester and the kids on the beach in Gulf Shores! Hester said the way the condo was set up we would have enough beds for Chase to invite a friend along, so Payton joined us on our last trip before school started back that Monday!

We had a fun ride to the beach, as usual when we set out on a long car ride, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for a big breakfast! I got a picture of the three red shirts! :)

Tommy and I enjoyed a nice ride for most of the way down because as you can see Chase and Payton spent most of their time with these in their ears! We could talk about them and they didn't even know it!! :)

We had a great time with Nathan, Hester and the kids as usual! We went out to eat, spent most of our time at the pool because the ocean and beach were covered in jellyfish, but we love the pool! Payton and Chase played racquetball several nights, and Nathan and Jacob enjoyed some putt-putt golf! Us girls all headed out on our last day their to the outlet malls! Chase got a hat, sunglasses, and an Alabama T-shirt! Payton got a pair of sunglasses, and a cute T-shirt and Kinley got a new purse!! :) Chase and Payton kept the kids one night, so that the adults could go on a double date! I got some cute pictures of Elyn when we got home...Hester had her laughing so hard, I wish it was a video! It was too precious!

and here are a couple of pics the morning we left!! I don't know if you noticed, but Chase and Payton planned out their traveling attire ahead of time...on the way to the beach they both had on their red Ron Jon t-shirts and on the way home, they are both wearing their Bass Pro Shop t-shirts!! :)

We had a great 4 days at the beach, we have never been to Gulf Shores before, but it was exactly what we needed before coming home and starting school on Monday!! :) Thanks Nathan and Hester for letting us tag along with you guys again this year! We love you!

4 grandkids for 4 days!! (con't)

2011-10-10T11:57:00.002-04:00

~ Monday, Aug 1, 2011

After a fun filled day outside playing all kinds of water games, we had a fun night planned as well. Elyn was kind too worn out to hang in with us, so we laid her down for the night and while Aunt Chase and I were setting everything up, Grandaddy took all the kids into our room and read them a story. When Aunt Chase and I were ready we told the kids that we were going to the movies!! (Of course Jacob's first question was who was going to stay with Elyn? He's such a good big brother, but I assured him she would be fine!) I explained that we were going to a special movie theatre called the "Worthey Theatre", then we led the kids out into the kitchen where Aunt Chase had the Concession stand set up, I gave everyone their money, and they were able to purchase a ticket for the movie, a bag of popcorn, a drink, and some candy...The kids continued on to the ticket taker aka Grandaddy, then they found their seats in the theatre and waited patiently for the movie to begin...

Our Feature Presentation for the evening was Yogi Bear

We were actually suppose to have a "Drive In Movie Night", but I couldn't find 3 boxes big enough for the kids to fit in, but hopefully we can do that again in the future...my plan was to add wheels and headlights to the box with paper plates, Aunt Chase was going to add their names to the back of the "cars" and our plan was to let them decorate their cars before the movie, but like I said it didn't work out, but we all a great time anyway and since we had a longer night than usual, the kiddos were ready for bed when the movie was over!!

On Tuesday. we tried heading out early for the park, (it was so hot the days the kids were here, we thought if we went early that it wouldn't be too bad) We went to a park in Hogansville, a park that is usually empty, but it's a really nice park and it has a pavilion for a perfect place for a picnic, so we took our lunch supplies with us!!

When we got to the park, the kids went immediately to play and I headed over to put our supplies under the pavilion...I had barely gotten over to the pavilion when I see Jacob and Billy heading over, so I asked if they were already hungry and they both responded "We are so HOT!" So they got a drink and headed back to play! We got the picnic set up, everyone ate really quickly and we got back in the Tahoe as fast as we could!! I couldn't believe how HOT it was, so we drove around with the A/C on full blast (My daughter in law, Hester calls our Tahoe The Artic Bus, but this day is was so nice!!)

Grandaddy was able to get a few pictures while we were at the park, I had really wanted one of all 4 of the kids together, the park has this cool slide that has 4 slides together, but it was way to hot to make the kids do a "photo shoot", so Grandaddy just walked around and took some pics as the kids played!

Chase was such a big help all 4 days the kids were here, and the kids loved having Aunt Chase to play with...

After we left the park we drove around a bit enjoying the A/C, but Chase had colorguard practice that evening, so we took her to practice, then took the kids to Burger King, so that they could play in the cool, we had dinner then back to get Chase from practice!

On Wednesday, we played games around the house and played the Wii quite a bit, we had to get the kids stuff together because Nathan and Hester were coming in the early afternoon to get their 3 kids because they were picking them up and heading straight from our house to the beach! Brian and Gerie's flight was not coming in until later, so we had Billy all day on Wednesday and he had a great time, beating Grandaddy on the Wii, not to mention a new game Grandaddy started by hitting Jacob and Billy with a little blow up ball! They loved teaming up against Grandaddy!! :)

We had a wonderful 4 days with 4 of our grandkids!! Thank you Brian, Gerie, Nathan, and Hester for letting the kids stay with us!

4 grandkids for 4 days!!

2011-10-07T19:09:00.002-04:00

~Sunday, July 31, 2011

Our son, Brian called me (I guess he lost the toss..haha!) Anyway, Brian called a few weeks ago and said that He, Gerie, Nathan, and Hester were all planning a trip together and wanted to know if we would keep his son, Billy, and Nathan's 3 kids Jacob, Kinley, and Elyn for 4 days...I immediately said YES...because of course we love having the grandkids over anytime we can! We have never had 4 of them at once to spend the night with us much less have them for 4 days, but we were excited! I immediately started planning what fun things we would do while they were here, I figured it was best to keep them busy, hopefully avoiding too many "missing mom and dad too much" moments! I have "pinned" several fun things for the grandkids on my Pinterest account, so I figured this was the perfect opportunity to use some of those ideas!

Sunday night we went to church and just kinda got everyone settled in...We have a room here at our house set up for our grandkids, we have a crib for Elyn and bunkbeds for the older grandkids. However since I didn't want the older ones to wake up Elyn too early, we decided it best to make pallets in our room for the 3 older ones! They loved sleeping in the same room with Grandaddy and Mimi and they all layed down easily each night!!

Monday, August 1st we spent alot of time outside, we set up our kiddie pool, a table for painting river rocks, we played outside bowling, and last but not least we did water balloon pinata`, and water balloon fights!!

A good time was had by all!! :)

The Outside Bowling was a Big Hit!! and they were all really good at it!! :)

Water Balloon Pinata`

Kinley was the first to bust a balloon, I don't think she realized the water was going to go all over her! She was pretty surprised! Elyn loved watching them!! :)

Elyn even got in on the water spraying when Billy busted his balloon!

We all had a great time on Monday! It was a really HOT day, and all these water activities were the perfect thing to keep us all cool! :)

**I will continue with the rest of their visit and some more fun things we did in another post!**

Pictures of Chase - Summer 2011

2011-10-07T13:24:00.001-04:00

~Friday, July 29, 2011

I have been wanting to get some good pictures of Chase in an outdoor setting, we have 2 really good cameras, but I'm not always the best at knowing exactly how to "position" her for pictures. We always seem to get pictures in the same old style, not to mention both of our cameras are having problems right now. I saw some pictures on facebook of Chase's friend, Jessica and when I found out that her mom had taken them, I immediately got in touch with her to see if she would take some of Chase! She said she would be glad too, so we met her and Jessica, and Chase's other good friend Jessica (I know that sounds like a joke, but I'm serious!)

She took lots of pictures, I won't bore you with all of them, only my favorites!

Chase made a quick shirt change and we got some pictures of all 3 girls!

These are two of my favorites!

I can't believe it only took 3 trys to get a pic with all three jumping at the same time! Love this!! :)

Thanks Tracy for taking such great pictures of Chase for me! We will treasure them always! :)

Chase goes to Daytona Beach

2011-10-07T11:59:00.001-04:00

~Friday, July 15, 2011

So after our midnight showing of Harry Potter, Chase and I rushed home for a few hours sleep before we had to get up and meet my brother and his family at 8am. Robert, Nancy, and Sierra invited Chase to go along with them to the beach! My Aunt lives in Daytona Beach, so that is where we always went as kids, it was a great vacation place and my dad got to see his sister - Bonus! So my brother and I still love to go to Daytona when we go to the beach!

Anyway, I was so excited for Chase when Robert asked if she could go along with them! One reason because since our cruise was in February we had no plans for another vacation and because Chase, and my niece Sierra haven't had alot of time together since they moved to Hampton, it's only about 45 minutes away, but between Chase's busy schedule and Sierra's busy schedule it's hard to get together. They are about 10 months apart and have always been close cousins!

Chase had a great week in Daytona with them, and we are so grateful for my brother and his family for taking Chase along, since moving back to GA from NC, my brother has been a great help to us from letting us live rent free in his house, to buying Chase Easter clothes, and school clothes, and taking her on a great vacation with them!

Some pictures for their trip to Daytona Beach!

Chase and Sierra were both amazed at the Two - Story McDonald's!! LOL!

Nancy LOVES pigs, so of course she had to ride the pig on the Merry go round!

I love my big brother and I am so thankful for all he has done for us! I know the Lord will truly bless him for all he has done and continues to do for us!!

Chase's Sabre

2011-10-03T12:37:00.001-04:00

Some of you may recall that back on Chase's birthday in April, her brothers, sister in laws, nieces and nephews all went in together and gave her money (I don't know how to link the post, but you can go back to April 2011, and find the post on Chase's birthday party, and see her with what seemed like a never ending roll of money!) As I said they all pitched in and gave Chase money, so that she could buy a sabre for colorguard, at that time, she was hoping to not only be on the flag line this marching season, but to also be on the weapon line (they spin flags, rifles, and sabres) So, Hester being very creative decided to give Chase all the money in $1 dollar bills, that she taped all together, then rolled it up and put it in a box with a "pull tab"...Chase was very excited when she pulled and money just started coming out and like I said it seemed like a never ending stream!! It however did end, but not until she pulled out $125 dollars, she had enough money to buy her sabre, a much needed pair of gloves for guard, and I think she got a new shirt too!! :)

Chase got the Sabre this summer, and practices with her sabre, her rifle, and her flag every chance she gets, as I told you in my post about Band Camp, Chase did make the weapon line, and she absolutely LOVES it! Tommy and I are so proud of Chase, not only for her commitment to the guard, and the marching band, but she goes out of her way to help the "rookies" on the guard, and to do all she can do to make this years show the best! And I have to say this years show is really, really good (but I will tell you more about that in a future post)!

Here are some pictures of Chase the first day she received her sabre in the mail,

she immediately got it all taped up and ran outside to spin with it!!

I want to thank Chase's brothers, sister in laws, nieces, and nephews publicly for their genorsity by giving her the money to purchase this sabre! We love you all so much and we appreciate all you do for Chase!

In Chase's Words:

Brian, Gerie, and Billy - Thanks so much for your part in helping me buy my sabre, and gloves! I also want to thank you, Brian for being at my football games, chorus shows, and awards nights! Thank you for rooting for Newnan, and being the band's (colorguard's) biggest fan, even though I know in your heart you will always be an EC Indian!! I love it when people ask me "who is that with your parents?" and I say "that's my big brother!" Thank you for always being there!! I love you all more than I can say!

Nathan, Hester, Jacob, Kinley, and Elyn - Thank you for your part in helping me buy my sabre and gloves! Thanks Hester for the fun idea of giving me the money in $1 bills and the cool way you wrapped it up, Thank you for helping my mom with all the party favors, and all you did to make my 15th birthday the best! I know it's hard for you guys to always come to games living so far away, but I appreciate the support and love you give to me! I love you guys so much and even though I don't always say it the way I should I hope you all know how much I love you!

Matthew, Sarah, Hannah, and Kaleb - Thank you for your part in helping me buy my sabre, and gloves! Matthew- Thank you for instilling in me the love for marching band, since I couldn't play an instrument, but I knew I had to continue the "Worthey Family Tradition" and be in the marching band, so that's when I first began to look at the colorguard and I love it! I love the feeling I get when I am on that field performing! I know you know what I mean...Thank you for sharing that with me! Thank you for the calls and texts you send me before games, and competitions...it means so much to me knowing that you guys care about how my show turns out!! I love you all more than I can describe!!

Kinley and Elyn Sleepover!

2011-10-03T10:48:00.000-04:00

~ Friday, July 15, 2011

The weekend of July 15th our daughter in law, Hester asked if we could keep the girls! UH?? YES!!! We love having any of the grandkids any chance we get...Hester had plans with some friends, and Nathan had already made plans to take Jacob to Fan Day at UGA, so Grandaddy and Mimi got to keep Kinley and Elyn!

We had so much fun with them, we did lots of coloring, and stickers!! We played kitchen, and trains! We had tickle fights with Grandaddy!! The girls even found Chase's Supergirl cape and had lots of fun running around the house like they were flying!!

Here are a few pictures from our weekend!

Kinley and Elyn are both so precious and fun and We are so thankful for the time we had with them!

Here a couple of pics from Nathan and Jacob's time at Fan Day at UGA

What a great Father/Son day!!

I can't end this post without wishing Hester a Happy 28th Birthday!

(although her birthday was back on July 17th)

I am trying to catch up and record all this for our "memory book", so with that said;

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HESTER!!! WE LOVE YOU!!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Pt 2

2011-09-29T12:14:00.002-04:00

~Thursday, July 14, 2011 (Friday, July 15, 2011)

Chase somehow talked me into going to the Midnight showing of the Harry Potter movie, we have seen all the HP movies in the theatre together with the exception of the very first one...This is the first time we have gone to the midnight show for Harry Potter and the first time, Chase decided to dress up!

Since Luna Lovegood is the only blonde girl in Harry Potter, Chase chose to dress like her, she made a pretty cute Luna Lovegood if I do say so myself! I even managed to get crafty enough to make her a necklace like Luna's that keeps the "Nargels" away! Don't ask...I don't know!! :))

It was a great movie, I can't believe I stayed awake thru the whole thing!! Making memories with my girl, that was the best part of the evening!! :)

Water Party for My Sunday School Class

2011-09-29T11:38:00.001-04:00

~Saturday, July 9, 2011

I started in June teaching the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade Sunday school class, and I have been really enjoying my time with them each week! I wanted to plan a fun outing with them this summer, but it was just so hot I wasn't sure what we could do, so I got a little wading pool, a sprinkler, some water balloons, and we had a water party! Tommy grilled hot dogs, we had all the fixin's and just enjoyed fellowship with the kids parents, and playing lots of cooling off games!

These are pictures from the Foot Freeze game...the pool was filled with water, and a cooler full of ice!

The boys and girls had to use their toes, to pick up the little plastic fish in the pool, and with their feet and toes only then place the fish in the bowls sitting next to them!! :)

Our little one got involved too!!

Then we moved on to the Musical Sprinkler game....The sprinkler was turned on and off as the kids danced to the music, when the music went off you had to hold your position and the sprinkler came on!

I didn't get any pictures of the water balloon fight, our Student Pastor Adam decided it would be fun, to dump a bucket of the cold water from the foot freeze pool over my head!!

Here we are back inside to decorate some cookies

Final group shot before everyone went home...First one is a good group picture the second picture shows just how silly these kiddos are!! :)

We all had a really great time, lots of food, fun, and fellowship

Thanks to all the parents that came and brought their kids, and those that stayed and helped out!

and a very special thanks to Chase and her friend Caroline for all their help, this party would not have been as successful as it was with out your help! Love you guys :)

Playing Catch Up

2011-09-29T09:55:00.000-04:00

I can not believe I have not updated my blog, since July 5th! I have never been an everyday blogger, but I don't think I have ever gone this long without some kind of update! I have to be honest, besides being extremely busy since July, one reason I have not been updating is because I have been somewhat discouraged...I haven't been getting as many comments on my post as I used to get and I started feeling as no one was reading or no one was finding my post interesting enough to comment on them! But I was reminded by my lovely husband that I am really doing this blog for my own benefit, and as a record of things our family is involved in and when....a record of our memories and that really matters to me more than whether anyone is reading my post or not! So, I plan to start updating my blog with all the things that have been going on with the Worthey's since July 6th!! I hope if you used to read my blog, that you will continue to do so! I have lots to catch up on, so I may post 3 or 4 blogs a day, so make sure you look for older post! :)

July 4th Celebration!!

2011-07-05T22:51:00.002-04:00

We enjoyed a fun 4th at Newnan High School for the fireworks!!

Our little family! :)

We met up with some friends from church

Isiah and his American Bald Eagle Face painting!!

Chase, Jenna, and Lexi wearing their glow in the dark accessories!!
Chase's earrings, Jenna's bracelets, and Lexi's necklace

Chase's earrings finally glowing!!

The fireworks finally started a little after 9pm / and that's about the time the rain started to sprinkle....

I managed to get a few pictures before the bottom dropped and

we were drenched in a matter of seconds!! :)

Here we are back at the Tahoe:

At least we're all still smiling!!

All in All it was a great day celebrating America's Independence Day!!

Our Sweet Elyn Grace

2011-07-01T20:00:00.002-04:00

We have a friend that is starting to learn photography, and she has taken some great pictures of 3 of our grandkids! She went to church with Nathan and Hester and has watched the kids grow, so when Hester found out she was into photography, she had her take some pictures of the kids! Well, when we knew Brittany, she was just a little girl, so after seeing the wonderful pictures she did of Jacob, Kinley, and Elyn...I decided to have her take some pictures of Tommy, Chase and I...unfortuantely her camera was broken at camp, so we had to put off our shoot for another time! Hopefully soon, but last night I happened to be on her facebook page and she had uploaded this new picture of our granddaughter Elyn! It is just so precious I had to share it! I just love it!! :)

Is she precious or what??

LIFE...As We Know It!!

2011-07-01T02:06:00.101-04:00

Life as we know it seems to be constantly changing these days!! I suppose most people would think that things go on as usual, but for us there has been several changes that have affected us and it seems as life as we know it...is changing!!

What changes you ask?

for starters our baby girl is a Sophomore in high school and is learning to drive!! This has been a huge change, I never drive anymore, if Chase is with me, she wants to drive and since my ride is the Tahoe, when Tommy is with us, he of course wants to drive!!

Chase is growing up so fast and I have to admit....Mom is going through "Empty Nest Syndrome" just a little early! I did the same thing when Matthew moved out too and I still had Chase, so as you can imagine this is harder, but Thank you Lord, I still have several more years to enjoy my daughter at home, and when the time comes I will send her off to college and be happy for her (I will only cry when she is not around) lol! I tell her it's her fault she is such a good kid, and funny too!! We have such a great time just the 3 of us! Tommy found some Lone Ranger movies on sale at Target for $1.99 and he and Chase stay up late and watch them, she only does it to humor him, but it's cute!! He has started to call her Tonto because she's his side kick, and she calls him Kemo Sabe...which funny enough means "trusted friend" in Native American...and her daddy is definitely her trusted friend! Some other changes are that Chase has taken on the responsibility of doing the laundry! It's been a huge help to me, when she's home that is...Chase's schedule is pretty full with band practice and such, but she has had the last 2 weeks to play too and she has taken full advantage of having no band!!

Swimming with friends every chance she gets!

Underwater picture...Too Cool!! :)

Six Flags with Friends!

Just hanging out with friends at the house!

and last but not least playing with her nieces and nephews
this is a sweet picture of Aunt Chase and Elyn on Father's day weekend!

Another change this month has been that our Minister of Music at LBC resigned effective the end of May, so since Tommy has led music in the past, he has decided with the permission of the church to lead the music until a Music Minister could be found...We don't know how long that will be, and besides being totally exhausted on Sundays from handling all the music as well as preaching the sermon, Tommy really has enjoyed being involved in the music! He loves to sing and I think he has missed singing!! He is trying to build the choir up and he is even getting the kids involved coming up to do a song on Sunday mornings every now and then! Tommy started the first Sunday in June leading the music. The next Sunday we found out that our piano player had been diagnosed with detached retina, so she had to have surgery and was going to be out for a few Sundays. We are very fortunate to know several woman that play piano, so I contacted a girl (woman now) that was in our youth group years ago, and she was available to play for us the past 2 Sundays! We are just so grateful to Afton and her husband Doug for making the trip to Luthersville to play for us! It was a great joy to have a former youth to come and play and to see her with her husband and children and how she is serving the Lord! What a blessing for Tommy and I and her playing was a blessing for our church as well! Tommy has also recruited our Student Pastor's wife, Dana to play her flute, she does wonderful solos, as well as accompanying the piano, she has been a great addition to the music program and I hope she continues to play for us!! :)

These are not all the children at LBC, these are just the ones we could coax up on stage!

This is our Adult choir with Tommy leading! Looking Good! :)

Dana accompanying Afton with her flute

Dana's solo...very beautiful!

Thanks again Afton and Doug for coming out to LBC to play for us!
We appreciate you more than you know!! :)

As for me...the first of June I started teaching the 4th - 6th grade SS class...I have always said that I didn't want to actually teach a class because I am not a teacher, but I am really enjoying this class! I enjoy studying the lesson, finding new ways to share the lesson each week, and fun ways to make SS enjoyable as well as the kids learning God's Word. It's been fun! I had a slight set back this week. However, this is only a temporary change thank goodness! I started having some dental problems last Sunday, Tommy took me to the dentist on Monday, and we found that a tooth that I had a root canal on had re cracked and was abscessed, so the dentist felt our best alternative was to pull the tooth and then after that heals in a few months to do a fixed bridge...the bridge work is pretty expensive, so we are just taking it a little at time, praying the Lord will provide the needed funds as we need them! The toothache was painful, the extraction was even more painful, then I ended up getting a dry socket which is extremely painful, so I have been out of it all week! I am so thankful for Tommy and Chase taking care of me, especially for Tommy dropping everything to take me back and forth to the dentist, I had to go 3 times to have my socket packed with medicated gauze! Now that I am finally on the mend...This is one change I will be happy to see go!!
We also have been meeting with CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) about starting a Good News Club in our local public elementary school...This would be an after school club for grades 1st - 5th where our church can have one day a week and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the kids!! We are so excited about this opportunity and we are gearing up to get started this coming school year! This is not only a wonderful evangelistic outreach to the community to help possibly grow our church, but first and foremost we are excited about getting into the public school and growing the Kingdom of God! We already have a good working relationship with the elementary school, Tommy and I have been over there on several occasions for different reasons, so we are excited about working further with the Good News Club in this school! Please pray with us as we take on this project we need several volunteers and teachers to be involved each week from September - April. As of right now I am going to be the Team Coordinator, so I covet your prayers as I take on this new role! I pray God will give us just the right people, ones that will faithfully be there to help teach the boys and girls about Jesus!

This is Life...as we know it...right now!!

Date Night

2011-06-22T15:01:00.003-04:00

Tommy and I had the chance to sneak in a date night in the middle of the week yesterday, so we decided to go to a movie.

Our Choice??

We had such a great time! We both loved the movie! We also got the chance to check out the new movie theatre between Peachtree City and Sharpsburg...NCG Cinemas! We have never been to a movie theatre like it before, it was pretty neat...Free Refills on any size beverage / or popcorn and it's self -service! We highly recommend the theatre and the movie!

Thanks Tommy for a fun date night!
I enjoyed having you all to myself!! I love you!

Band Camp 2011

2011-06-20T14:39:00.003-04:00

As most of you know since starting high school last year, Chase has followed in her brothers footsteps and become a member of the Marching Band! Since Chase doesn't play an instrument that led her to the Colorguard, and she absolutely LOVES it!! She has become totally obsessed with colorguard, she now owns her own flag, rifle, and sabre...all of which she is usually in our front yard spinning at some point everyday!! Last year being her Freshman year, she was a rookie in the marching band, but this year, since she has marched a whole season, and competed in several competitions, she comes back as a Veteran!! She is so excited and she has been such a great help and encouragement to the rookies that have joined the marching band this season!! Tommy and I are so proud of her and we look forward to going to see her march every chance we get! She is quite good, if I do say so myself!! :)

Being a member of the colorguard is alittle different than if you play an instrument, if you play and pay you can be in the band, with the colorguard you have to go thru auditions and you have to be chosen every year! This year Chase tried out for the Weapons line, they only except 5 to 7 girls to be part of the Weapon line, they spin flags, rifles, and sabres....and only Vets can try out! Chase was so excited to be able to try out and even more thrilled to be accepted on the weapon line!! Band practice started the first week in May every evening from 5p - 9p except Wednesdays! June 11th and 12th (Saturday and Sunday) were kinda of pre band camp days meeting each evening from 5p - 9p then Band Camp really began Monday morning the 13th from 8a to 5:30p everyday thru Saturday June the 18th! Chase was worn out, but had the time of her life!! She loves colorguard and marching and though this week was tough, she loved it!! Saturday afternoon was a "Show off to the Parents" They have learned a whole section of the show already...it was quite impressive!!

Here are a few pictures from the last day of Band camp:

Chase with her Coach!

Before the show for the parents, the colorguard captains have "band camp awards" for everyone, some are funny, and some are more serious! Chase was so excited to receive the "Most Improved Weapon" award...This year the weapon line has only 2 vets that have been on the weapon line before, so it was quite an honor for Chase to receive this award!

This is a picture of the entire Colorguard section:

The show this year is based on Edgar Allen Poe's poem The Raven, the colorguard designed there own sectional shirts, it's Edgar Allen Poe, with a nest with 2 Ravens (because they have 2 Seniors) then in the nest are Eggs (the Rookies) and the middle egg is cracking open with a flag, rifle, and sabre in the middle... Very creative!!

Now for a few pictures of the performances for the parents:

Chase always seemed to turn every time I took a picture, but I got a few good ones! :)

Great Job Chase! We are so proud of you!!

We can't wait for Marching Season (aka Football Season) to start!!

Happy Father's Day, Tommy!!

2011-06-19T21:59:00.002-04:00

We've had a wonderful day today honoring Tommy this Father's day for all he means to our family! He leaves for church before Chase and I are barely out of bed, so he opened his cards and gift and had to run, so we waited until after church to take a few pictures

In case you can't see...The frame reads....
My Husband...My Daddy....Our Hero!
We love you, Heidi and Chase

Tommy and Chase with his Father's day gift from us!
The pictures twist, so the frame holds 4 pictures and we are getting
new family pictures made in 2 weeks, so we will have some great new pics
to go with his new frame! :)

Chase with her Daddy and Papa

After church we went to Nathan and Hester's house to grill out and spend the day with them, we had so much fun, lots of good food, fun, and family! Thanks Nathan and Hester for having us all at your house! We love you all so much!! :)

I just had to share the card that Chase got Tommy this year...It was so cute!! They absolutely love to pick on each other, so when Chase found the card, she said "This is the one I have to get!!'

On the outside of the card...it reads..."We have the perfect father/ daughter relationship" then the inside reads..."You are my father and I am perfect!!" LOL!! Too funny!!! Tommy loved it!! :))

Happy Father's day, Tommy!! Thank you for the wonderful husband and father you are! You are such a godly example before your children!! We are all so thankful to have you in our lives! We love you so much!! :) I hope you have had a wonderful day and that you have felt honored and celebrated today!!

Tommy's Early Father's Day Surprise!

2011-06-17T21:00:00.001-04:00

Tommy got to open a Father's day gift early! Chase and I had gotten Tommy a special tie and had planned for him to wear it on Father's day, we didn't know that he was planning "Ulgy Tie" day at church for Father's day, so we decided to give him his Father's day tie early, so that he could wear it this past Sunday!

Isn't he cute in his AWESOME new tie!?!

Jacob Wins!!

2011-06-17T09:00:00.002-04:00

Hester and the kids have been down this week going to VBS at their old church, so she brought Jacob, Kinley and Elyn over to our house on Monday to spend the afternoon with us! We had so much fun playing with the kids and catching up with Hester! The last few times Jacob and Kinley have come over they have wanted to play board games, they especially love Battleship, and Sorry! Jacob and Granddaddy were playing Sorry and Grandaddy had 1 piece left to get into home and Jacob didn't have any in his home, but he came back and ended up beating Granddaddy!! He was so excited!!

Jacob was Green - Granddaddy was Red

Granddaddy and Jacob are making faces like on the Wii - Jacob Wins, so he's happy
Granddaddy loses, so he's sad!! :)

My Birthday!

2011-06-16T22:09:00.000-04:00

I celebrated my 43rd birthday last week, on June the 8th. Actually, we celebrated several days, which was great for me! With my birthday falling on a Wednesday it wasn't going to work out for us to have our usual birthday dinner, so Tommy and Chase took me to my favorite restaurant for Breakfast - Cracker Barrel!!

"Daddy are you cheating??"

Notice the sweet little boy in the window, he was watching the whole time Tommy and Chase played!

Tommy headed off to church that evening and Chase and I decided to spend the evening together with a girl's night out!! We went to Taco Mac for dinner, we had alot of fun talking and just enjoying each other's company!! I love my girl!! We met up with Tommy after church and had some birthday ice cream at Diary Queen!

UH?? I wasn't ready!! :)

Love My Girl!!

Tommy and Chase both give the DQ Blizzards 2 thumbs up!! :)

Tommy and Chase surprised me with a wonderful birthday gift as well...They got me a Netbook and I have been enjoying it so much!! Here's a picture of Tommy enjoying my new Netbook!! :)

On Thursday, some friends from church took Tommy and I to lunch to celebrate my birthday and to celebrate Tommy's 2 year Anniversary at the church, and continuing the celebration my dad took Tommy, Chase and I to Olive Garden for lunch on Friday! Unfortuantely I didn't get any pictures on Thursday or Friday!! I have had a wonderful birthday...my daughter in law, Hester took me to breakfast this past Wednesday and we ran into Gerie, so I got to enjoy another birthday breakfast with 2 of my daughter in laws and my granddaughter Elyn!

I'm so thankful to my family for making my birthday so special!

Billy's visit

2011-06-16T13:49:00.000-04:00

Our son, Brian and his wife, Gerie celebrated their 10 year wedding anniversary on June 5th. They planned a trip out of town, so we got to have our grandson, Billy for a week! We had a really fun time being able to spend some one on one time with him. Billy loves playing the Wii and one of his favorite parts of playing the Wii is beating Granddaddy!!

Billy had Soccer camp for a couple of days while he was with us, and unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of him at camp, but he had a great time even in all this heat!! We did find a few ways to cool off while Billy was here, one day....Billy, Mimi, and Granddaddy decided to wash our Tahoe...so we took that opportunity to spray each other with the water hose! We had lots of fun especially when Billy and I would spray Granddaddy!! We also went to the local park and played in the water sprinklers, that was alot of fun and helped Aunt Chase cool off before going to Band camp (the lack of posts has alot to do with Chase having band practice and now being in band camp...I will update about that in another post!)

Several nights after Billy's shower, Aunt Chase would sit with him and they would read stories together from her Nook!! It was so sweet to watch them together reading bedtime stories!!

We had so much fun having Billy here with us! We can't wait for his next visit!!

Chase's Freshman Year

2011-05-25T14:45:00.002-04:00

Let me start by saying Tommy and I are so proud of our girl!!

Chase immediately got involved in high school as she began her Freshman year! Chase is a member of the Colorguard for the Newnan High School Marching Band, she is also an active member of the NHS Women's Chorus, as well as participating in the Newnan High School Fine Arts Department's production of "Hairspray". We have been to several awards ceremonies this week, Chase has earned her Letter in Band / and Chorus, as well as a Chorus pin. She did this by not just participating. A few of the requirements are maintaining an A average, working service hours in the Chorus room, as well as attending music events in which she was not involved in, Chase accomplished all these things plus some! Chase also earned an award for her participation in the District 6 High School Honor Chorus. Chase's big surprise of the evening was being awarded the "Freshman Chorus Member of the Year" award. (Chase has also earned 5 points of the 10 points needed to be invited into the Thespian Society, her 5 points so far are for her work in Hairspray the musical - each point represents 10 hours of service in a play or doing service work, you must have 100 hrs to be invited, Chase hopes to be invited this coming school year!)

As you can see Chase has been very busy this school year, however she has not let any of these extra curricular activities keep her from doing well academically...Chase is finishing her Freshman year with a 3.95 GPA!

Chase has already started band practice for the 2011/ 2012 Marching Season, she is also very excited about being a member of the Women's Chamber Choir her Sophomore year beginning in August!

Band Awards Night - Monday, May 23, 2011

Chase accepting her band award and Letter from Mr. Edrogan

Chase on stage with other Freshman Band members receiving award and band Letter

Chorus / Drama Awards Night - Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Chase receiving her Chorus award, Letter, and Chorus Pin

Chase receiving the FRESHMAN CHORUS MEMBER OF THE YEAR award!

Chase receiving her District 6 High School Honor Chorus Award from Mrs. Robbins

Chase with Mrs. Robbins

Chase with Payton and Autumn at the Chorus Awards

Daddy and I are so proud of you and all your accomplishments this year!
Keep up the good work!!

Our Home Repairs

2011-05-24T10:36:00.001-04:00

Back at the end of March, Moreland was pounded with some bad storms and many people had severe hail damage, we had hail the size of baseballs!! We were fortunate enough not to have any leaks, but we did have severe damage to our roof and siding, plus 2 windows...Since we did not have any leaks our adjuster took his time to get to us, but we finally were able to hire a contractor and get all our work done this past week! We are also fortunate that we have a contractor as a neighbor! Brandon was great! He handled everything for us, from dealing with the insurance adjuster to completing all the work and going above and beyond! We have a new roof, new siding, and 2 new windows, we basically have a new house on the outside!! :)

This is a piece that Chase picked up after the storm was over,
so keep in mind this already hit our house and ground and it's still the size of a baseball!!

Thanks Brandon, for all your help!

Chase's AWESOME weekend!

2011-05-16T16:59:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, May 12th Chase started with the usual question. Can _________ (whoever it happens to be each week) spend the night? This week the blank was filled by Sydni! Sydni and Chase have gotten to be close friends from church, Sydni isn't actually a member of our church, but her grandparents are, so Sydni comes with them quite often and long story short, she and Chase hit it off and became good friends! As part of the spending the night, they wanted me to take them to a ball game (Church softball) then Sydni's mom was going to pick them up from there, and they were all going shopping for a formal dress for Sydni! So far nothing out of the ordinary! This is a pretty common occurrence at our house, Chase rarely has a weekend that someone is not spending the night and they aren't wanting me to play chauffeur!!

Friday night went as planned, we met up after school got Sydni, brought home Chick-fil-a and Chase and Sydni spun flags, rifles, and Chase's new sabre most of the night...Now this is where we insert the "AWESOME" weekend...Saturday morning Sydni's dad called (He's a firefighter here in Coweta County) and asked if they wanted to be in a Country Music Video!! UH- YEAH!!! This is about the time the screaming started!! Screams of Joy of course!!!

Let me back up just a little, a local firefighter is fighting stage 4 cancer, and a new country star Corbette Jackson, who happens to be from the Newnan area, wrote a song for him called "Heart of a Champion", if you haven't heard it, look it up on youtube it's a great song! Corbette Jackson has raised alot of money for this firefighter by doing benefit fundraisers and such! ~ So Sydni and Chase both love Corbette Jackson, he's young and cute (too old for them) , but they are teenagers, they love him none the less!! So when Sydni's dad called and said get to the fire station and you and Chase can possibly be in the music video with Corbette Jackson for "Heart of a Champion" they flipped out!!!

Sydni was rushing to do her make up and I said maybe they will have someone there doing your hair and make up! She looked at me and said "There's something wrong with my hair??" OOPS, wrong thing for me to say at that moment!! They both finally got themselves together and I took them to the fire station! They had a blast!! They both got to meet Corbette Jackson and had pictures made, they were also asked if they knew anyone that had passed away due to cancer to write a poster in memory of them. Chase chose to make a poster in memory of my best friend, Nan Wallace that passed away in 1998 from cancer. Chase was only 2 years old when Nan passed away, but she still knows Nan because we talk about her often!! They were there from about 10am to 3pm, but they had the time of their lives! We don't know when the video is due to come out, but if you happen to be watching CMT and the video for Heart of a Champion comes on look for Chase!! :))

Chase and Abby very excited...Corbette Jackson is singing just behind them!! :)

Chase and Sydni with Corbette Jackson

Chase with Corbette Jackson, she is in shock about now!! LOL!

My Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-10T16:50:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful worship service at church then Tommy and Chase took me out for lunch! After lunch we came home and just hung out together, watching T.V. and talking...later in the evening Chase and Tommy made popcorn and we watched our favorite show!!

They also gave me some wonderful presents that I have enjoyed so much!

( Tommy had me convinced that the Tahoe was my Mother's day gift!! )

Tommy and Chase bought me this new dress for Mother's day...I just love it!

I also got charms to add to my bracelet...getting close to being full!! :)

We also took some flowers by my best friends grave, she passed away in 1998 after a 10 year battle with cancer, we always take flowers by on Mother's day and different holidays! I miss her so much, so glad to know I will see her again one day!

Thanks to my family...I had a wonderful Mother's day!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T11:00:00.005-04:00

Happy Mother's Day from the Worthey's

I am very thankful for our daughter and our sons, our daughter in laws, and our 6 precious grandchildren...I count it a privilege to be a mom and a mimi and I am so thankful for the family that the Lord has blessed me with!

I hope each and every one of my blog readers have a blessed Mother's day!

Hairspray

2011-05-07T16:00:00.007-04:00

The Newnan High School Fine Arts Department Presents

Hairspray - The Broadway Muscial

starring

Chase Worthey

OK OK...not really starring Chase, but she was the star of the show to her daddy and me!! Since January of this year Chase has been hard at work, involved in the Senior play at school. We would literally take her to school at 8:00am and not pick her up until as late as 10:00pm some nights! She and all the cast worked really hard and the performance this past week was all worth their efforts...They were AWESOME!! The real star of the show was Abby Grace, she played Tracy Turnblad and she was wonderful, they all were...I could go on and on!! Chase only being a Freshman this year had a minor role (if you have seen Hairspray, Chase was a mother of one of the girls on the Corny Collins Show) Chase was in about 6 scenes, she did a great job and her daddy and I are so proud of all her hard work! The last performance for Hairspray was Tuesday night, and then Chase started Colorguard practice for the marching band on Thursday night, no rest for the weary I guess!! As you know Chase LOVES the Colorguard, she is very excited it has started back!

Here are some pictures of Chase with some of her close friends that were in the show!

This was Chase's daughter in the show!

Here is a collage of Chase with most of the cast members:

Here is a collage of some scenes from the production...
(we weren't allowed to video, so this was the best I could do!)

Newnan High School put on a wonderful production of Hairspray and I wish everyone could have seen it. Much of the credit goes to the Drama Director Mr. Bob Ramseur and his wife Ms. Elizabeth Robbins, who happens to be Newnan's Choral Director!

Newnan High will be putting on it's Spring Variety Show Livin' in America on May 17th, so if you are in the area, you should make plans to come out to see it Tickets are $5...I know it will be worth your time!

Chase got her Learner's Permit...Be Warned!!

2011-05-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

All my local readers be warned, Chase took her test for her learner's permit, so she is offically learning to drive now! She has driven only a few times because she is involved in the Senior play at school, so she has been busy with dress rehearsal until so late at night that she hasn't had much chance, but I will post more on the Senior play later!

Chase was not able to get her permit on her birthday, since her birthday not only fell on a Saturday, but it was also a holiday weekend, so she had to wait until Tuesday April 26th to go take her test! She passed with flying colors...She made a 85 on the laws, and a 100 on the signs! :) She is so excited to finally be able to start driving, she is just like Tommy and I both were, we couldn't wait to turn 16 and get to drive and Chase is the exact same way!! :)

Daddy and I are so proud of you Chase!

Easter Sunday 2011

2011-05-02T14:00:00.001-04:00

We had such a wonderful Easter, Matthew, Sarah, and the kids were here, so we got the kids up early for their Easter gifts, then we all got dressed up in our Easter clothes and headed to church for sunrise service...We had a wonderful service, Tommy read some scripture, we had some special music, and then we took communion. It was a very simple sweet service! Afterwards we fellowshipped together with breakfast, before our regular Sunday school and church service started!

This Easter was a time for firsts...It was the first time all our kids, our daugther in laws, and all 6 of our grandkids were all at the church together!! Tommy and I couldn't have been more thrilled! We stayed after to have a family picture made...Tommy's parents got in on the picture as well!

So we have 4 generations of Worthey's in this picture...Priceless!! :)

Also another first was having all 6 of our grandchildren at our house on Easter for an Easter Egg Hunt!! We had such a great time! I wish we could make this an annual tradition! Hint Hint!! :)

We had a wonderful day celebrating the Resurrection of

our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

as well as wonderful times with our family!

We hope you had a wonderful Easter as well!! :)

Chase's 15th Birthday Celebration!

2011-05-02T02:12:00.001-04:00

Saturday April 23rd was Chase's 15th Birthday! We started the day by taking Chase out for a girls day out, Tommy was called away to preach a funeral, so Matthew was left to take the kids to the Easter Celebration at our church while Chase, Sarah, and I went out to start the celebration, our first stop was to get coffee (Hester, and Sarah have made Chase quite the coffee drinker!), then we headed to USA Nails for pedicures, O'Charley's for lunch, and then a stop at Old Navy for a birthday dress for Chase's birthday dinner later that evening!

We had a wonderful day celebrating Chase, and getting ready for her Birthday dinner at Olive Garden that evening, Chase invited several close friends, and most of our family was there to celebrate as well! Even Tommy made it home and to the party in plenty of time thank goodness! :)

Here is a collage of pictures we made at the party,

Chase with her friends and family along with some of her gifts!

Chase also received a unexpected gift from Tommy and I

as well as a unique gift from her brothers, their wives and families!

Tommy and I have saved reward points from our credit card, so we were able to get Chase a Nook Color for her birthday! She was so excited! She loves to read and she loves technology, so we felt this was the perfect gift for Chase's birthday!

Chase's brothers, their wives and families went in together to give Chase money because she has been wanting to buy a sabre for colorguard (yes, my daughter is completely obsessed with colorguard, she is so excited, it is starting back in just a few weeks!) Anyway, not only did they give her enough money to buy a sabre, but they did it in a fun unique way! Chase opened her present to find a box with a tag that read "Pull Here Slowly" as she began to pull...out came $1 bills, she pulled, and pulled, and pulled...until she had pulled out $125 one dollar bills!! She was beyond excited...what a fun way to give money!! Thanks Brian, Gerie, Nathan, Hester, Matthew, and Sarah for making Chase's gift so special! Here's a few pictures to see the fun she had!! :)

Chase was certainly blessed with wonderful gifts this year, besides her money and Nook Color, she received 2 dresses, several pairs of earrings, 2 necklaces, a glee CD, and my brother, sister in law, and niece gave her a Six Flags Season Pass!

We had a great time celebrating Chase!! She has been such a joy to us since the day she was born! Tommy and I are so proud of her, and we count it our privilege to be able to celebrate her birthday! We love you Chase and we hope you had a great day!!

A special thanks to my daughter in law, Hester, who made party favors for all our guests (Chase's friends) I never got a picture of all of them, but here are a few! She did an AWESOME job and all the girls love them!! Thanks Hester for helping to make Chase's 15th birthday party a complete success!! :)

Happy Birthday Chase!!

2011-04-23T06:00:00.008-04:00

Today we celebrate Chase!

We still can not believe our baby girl is 15 years old!

Chase, Daddy and I want you to know how much you mean to us! From the day we found out that we were expecting you, we have loved you with all our hearts!! You are such a joy to us and you make us proud everyday! We are so thankful for a daughter who loves the Lord, who loves and respects her parents, and loves her family and friends with her whole heart! You inherited alot of your daddy's traits....You have the biggest heart, you amaze me how you open your heart to people, you are so kind and compassionate! and Your sense of humor is a gift, you are a funny kid, and you make me laugh, sometimes when no one else can! As hard as it is to believe you are already 15 years old (time flies when you are having fun!) We have LOVED every new stage you have come through. I loved holding you and bonding with you as an infant! We blinked and you were a toddler, what fun we had, as you explored everything!! Then the preschool age brought more explorations and explanations, you asked questions all the time...and we gladly answered because we knew, you just wanted to learn!! I have to be honest, it was hard to send you off to school, but what pride we feel when teachers tell us what a kind, compassionate, smart girl you are, so willing to help others without being asked! We thought middle school was going to be a hard transition (for daddy and me that is), but when you got out of my car in August of 2010 to start your first day of high school, that was hard!! Now all I can say is WOW! You are amazing Chase! You have really gotten involved at school, from Color guard with the Marching Band, to being fully involved in Chorus and the Senior play, as well as staying involved at church in the youth and singing solos, and making your daddy look good when you sing with him, God has definitely given you a gift in music and among all this you still manage to maintain straight A's with most of your classes being Advanced! We are so proud of you!! The teenage years have brought us more joy, most people believe teenage girls are full of drama and heartache, but I want you to know that daddy and I are loving this time of life with you, I love our girly times, and daddy loves your date nights, and just those times of hanging out together, whether we play Wii or watch our "show" together (haha!) or you and daddy stay up late to watch a movie!!! Now we start a new phase...Driving...YIKES!! Seriously, as much as we wish we could keep you here with us forever, Daddy and I love watching you grow and mature into the wonderful young woman you are, and I am excited to get out on the speedway, I mean the road with you!! We are looking forward to celebrating you, at your party tonight!! We hope you have a great day!!! (I will post pictures next week)

Thank you Chase for giving us 15 years of love, and laughter, and more joy than we could have ever imagined!!

WE LOVE YOU WITH ALL OUR HEARTS! ~ MOM & DADDY

Our "New To Us" 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe

2011-04-20T15:52:00.000-04:00

Tommy and I are so excited about the purchase of our "new to us" 2004 Tahoe! We have been wanting to upgrade for sometime now, but just didn't feel like it was ever the right vehicle or the right time! So last week when Tommy was talking with a friend of ours he was telling him about all the car repairs we have had lately, and so he told Tommy that we should buy his Tahoe...We were really planning on looking for a small SUV, but knowing this one had been taken care of so well, one owner, fully loaded, leather seats, sunroof, any and all the bells and whistles they had in 2004 and only 45,000 miles...we just had to take a look at it!! To make a long story short, we fell in love with it! So Tommy headed out to the credit union Monday morning and we went and picked up our new Tahoe that afternoon!

My Dad's Deacon Ordination

2011-04-18T12:53:00.000-04:00

This post is long overdue...I have several things that I should post about just because this blog has become such a keepsake for us, that I like to blog about everything, but with all that has been happening with us over the last few months, and my slow computer, it has made it impossible to "catch up". However, I did want to go back so to speak and blog about my Dad's ordination as a deacon! I am so proud of him! My dad has worn many hats through out my life and I am so thankful for the example he has been to me! He was a loving husband to my mom and cared for her until she passed away in 1976, he showed me how a husband should love his wife, he then became both father and mother, providing for his family, protecting us, and nurturing us! Things weren't always easy, but I know my dad did the best he could to provide us with a loving, safe, home environment! When my grandmother faced Alzheimer's disease, my dad didn't want to put her in a nursing home, so even though he worked full time, he managed to care for her, cooking her meals, making sure she was taking care of herself physically, and taking care of her home. He even brought her younger sister out to live with her to avoid the nursing home, unfortunately he and my aunt evidently had to make the hard decision to place her in a nursing home, but my dad continued to visit her every single day until she passed away in 1997! My dad's sister has now been diagnosed with Alzheimer's as well, and he feels that same desire to care for her, she lives in FL, but he makes monthly trips down to visit her, and talks to her daily, he is even considering moving to FL to help her husband care for her! This is the kind of man my dad is...I hope and pray I have learned every lesson!

When my dad was approached by his pastor about being ordained as a deacon, he was honored, but didn't feel worthy, but he accepted willingly and I believe he is making one fine deacon! I am proud of the heritage my dad has passed on to me! He served his country in the military for 23 years, He still serves his family everyday, and He serves his Lord and his church! Thank you dad for being the man you are! I am so proud to call you my dad!

My dad with my step-sister, Ashley and her daughter Macy

Chase and Poppa

My sister in law, Nancy got some pictures of me and my dad, some with my niece as well, so I will add those when I get them from her!

Our Cruise - Winter Break 2011 (Part 10)

2011-04-10T23:00:00.000-04:00

I do apologize for dragging our cruise posts out so far, I never dreamed when I started that I would end up with 10 parts, but out of 7 days and over 400 pictures, I just had so much to share, I hope that you have enjoyed seeing our cruise pictures and hearing about our adventures and I really hope that I haven't bored you too much! This is the last post, just a few random pictures of us around the ship that I thought would be fun to share!

Random Pictures:

This is Chris, our Cruise Director. He did an Awesome job!

Tommy and I enjoying an afternoon show!

These two of Tommy and Chase were made in the Atruim as we enjoyed music one night before going to dinner!

This was my favorite picture we had made on board the ship, it reminds me of how Chase always says

"Hey, I'm part of this relationship too!"

Chase dancing along with YMCA, she had just finished in the conga line, fun night on the Lido deck that night! :)

Chase could not pass the ice cream dispensers without getting a cone! She was in Heaven!

Here is some more Chase "sillyness", she loved doing this little backwards dance down the hallway to our cabin!!

Now for some of Tommy's sillyness: The first pic, he is pretending to be caught at a slot machine, and the second pic, he is pretending to be passed out!! LOL! Gotta love a pastor with a sense of humor! :)

Chase loved that the soda cans in Mexico had spanish writing, so she had to have pictures!

We were able to enjoy several beautiful sunsets on our cruise!

A couple of pics right outside our cabin

There were a couple of really good comedians on board -Here we are at The Punchline enjoying Cowboy Bill, he was our favorite comedian! :)

I will end this post with a few more random pics of us out and about around the ship

Thanks so much for visiting our blog, and sharing some of our cruise experience with us, I hope that we haven't bored you too much, we just had such a good family time, we wanted to share it!! :)

Our Cruise - Winter Break 2011 (Part 9)

2011-04-09T03:00:00.003-04:00

This post is about what became Chase's obsession, she could not wait to get back to the cabin at night to find, not the chocolate on the pillow, but the

Towel Pets

Day 1 - We think this is a seal, but not sure?? Any thoughts??

Day 2- was a Swan, this was one of Chase's favorites! :)

Day 3 - was an Elephant!

Day 4 - We have no idea?? Janessa and Heather's guess was an armadillo??
What do you think??

Day 5- was this cute bunny rabbit!

Day 6 - was a monkey, as you can see this was our favorite!

Even Tommy had to have his picture made with the monkey!! :)

Day 7- last, but not least was a stingray!

These are in order from the first night we came on board, until the last night, there are only two of them that we aren't sure what they are...if you know please feel free to comment and tell us what you think??

Our Cruise - Winter Break 2011 (Part 8)

2011-04-08T12:28:00.001-04:00

Tommy can't believe it took me 8 posts to get to the food! We ate very well on the cruise, it was wonderful! I only took pictures of the formal dining, but there was also plenty of food all day long...We ate breakfast in the formal dining area a couple of mornings, but mostly there was a restaurant on the Lido deck that always had a wonderful buffet (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner). Poolside was what they called the Sky Grille, they had great hamburgers, chicken strips, and the best fries ever!! and of course I don't want to leave out the Pizzeria, it was open 24/7....needless to say we ate alot of pizza! (Especially since the Pizzeria was directly above our cabin, one flight up the stairs and you had all the pizza you wanted 24/7) The ship also had a Fish & Chips restaurant that Tommy ate at once or twice during lunch, and they had a very nice Steak House, unfortunately we never made it to the Steak House, it was $30 a person extra and was reservation only, it wasn't just the money, we really enjoyed dining in the main formal dining room in the evenings, we had a really great time with Janessa and Heather and as I told you in a previous post our wait staff was AWESOME!

Chase loved the place settings!

Heather's Escargot

Tommy trying the Escargot...I love Janessa's face as she watches!! :)

Our head waiter always made sure we (Chase) had plenty of fries each night!!

Tommy's appetizer

Janessa and Chase shared a Baked Alaska to go along with their Chocolate Molten Cake :)

Chocolate Molten Cake...This was our favorite dessert! We had it every night!! :)

All the girls loved our Matre`D - Nash...He was pretty dreamy!! :)

Here are a few pictures of one of the last little "tricks" our head waiter did for us...First he brought us a glass of ice with the string from a tea bag and asked if we could pick up a cube of ice using only the string...of course none of us could, so here he is showing us how it's done! We all loved his tricks each night!! :)

Voila!!

I love the look of amazement of on Heather and Janessa's faces!

Our Cruise - Winter Break 2011 (Part 7)

2011-03-31T10:24:00.003-04:00

Our last port of call was Progresso, Mexico. This was added because of our late departure since we were unable to make our original port of Montego Bay, Jamaica...We were pretty disappointed and after hearing alot of people saying that Progresso was not that great, we decided to stay on board this day and take advantage of some of the people being gone, and just laying out, not to mention Chase and I must have went down the water slide 10 times that day! The waterslide was our favorite!! (:

Our Cruise - Winter Break 2011 (Part 6)

2011-03-30T12:18:00.001-04:00

Our second port call was Cozumel, Mexico...this was our 4th day on the cruise! We probably had the most fun this day! We loved all the out at sea days, and really had lots of fun on the ship, but as far as a port call, this was definitely the best day...We didn't port in the same place that our cruise did when Tommy and I had been in Cozumel 16 years earlier, so we didn't recognize much, but it was beautiful!

As I said we didn't do any shore excursions that the ship offered due to budget issues, but we got a taxi (again another fun ride, in Mexico, they don't stop for pedestrians, they just honk and speed on through...makes for an interesting ride!) So, we went to the beach...Tommy and Chase rented snorkeling gear and I took pictures of them, then I put all our stuff in a locker and joined them out in the ocean. The water there is so blue and so beautiful! I didn't snorkel because I have before and wanted to save the money because as beautiful as it is and as much as I enjoyed it the first time we snorkeled in Cozumel...seeing all the fish swimming around me (especially the HUGE ones) freaks me out a little, so I just swim and don't think about it!! LOL! (:

SNORKELING IN COZUMEL

AFTER SNORKELING

Can you tell who had the most fun snorkeling??

Cozumel was a good long port call, so we were able to enjoy the beach, snorkeling, and then we even did alittle shopping around town, as well as taking some pictures...All in all it was a great day!

Our Cruise - Winter Break 2011 (Part 5)

2011-03-24T03:55:00.000-04:00

Our first port of call was the Grand Cayman Islands. Tommy and I had been to Grand Caymans on our first cruise about 16 years ago, so it was really neat to go back with Chase and show her the beautiful blue water and to watch her swim at 7 mile beach!

Here we are on the Tenders taking us to shore...windy day!

We didn't do any paid shore excurisions...we stayed within our budget and just checked out the island ourselves, we didn't have alot of time in Grand Caymans, so we basically went to the beach, took some pictures, Chase swam for a little while in the beautiful waters, while Tommy and I stayed on the beautiful sand beaches watching her!

He appears to be bored, but he had fun!

The wind was crazy that day, and it was making my hair crazy!!

Here are a couple of random shots Chase took of a boat; and a guy at the beach! :)

I just love that beautiful blue water!

Chase would probably tell you her biggest memory of the Grand Caymans was our crazy taxi driver; she did drive pretty crazy...and she did not want to leave until she had more people...she kept yelling out the window, even after she was driving. "7-mile beach...I take you to 7-mile beach!" It was definitely an interesting ride!! :)

Our Cruise -Winter Break 2011 (Part 4)

2011-03-18T21:00:00.002-04:00

We had the privilege of sharing our table in the evenings with two young women from Canada! Heather and Janessa...They were alot of fun, they especially enjoyed making fun of our accents! We had them saying Y'all by the end of the cruise! Of course we are still working on getting the hang of saying "Aye" Chase is already ready to head to Canada to visit them! Heather is still in college, and Janessa is an RN delivering babies!

Janessa, Tommy, and Chase all sang Karaoke one night at Vincent's...They all did a great job...if I ever learn how to upload a video...I have video of Tommy and Chase's songs!

Our waiter made Heather, Janessa, and Chase these bows made out of our napkins one night...Janessa tried to get me involved, luckily he got to busy to make one for me!! (:

Next post will be about our first port of call ~ The Grand Caymans!

Our Cruise -Winter Break 2011 (Part 3)

2011-03-18T03:07:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of our ship from the shore of the Grand Cayman Islands

Some of the really fun nights on the ship were Formal nights (I think Chase and I enjoyed them more than Tommy, but he played along)...It was alot of fun getting all dressed up, we of course went to a wonderful show and then to dinner!

We saw some great shows on board the ship, the first night was a wonderful musical, my favorite was the Illusionist...unfortunately they would not allow photography during shows, so I have no pictures to show you, but you can take my word for it...every show was great!

These are pictures of us in the Lounge waiting for the show to begin!

Here we are at dinner - First Formal night

Here we are in the Atrium on the First Formal Night!

Chase in the Atrium looking so pretty!

Tommy on the second Formal night...being a good sport! (:

Me and the Man of my dreams - Second Formal night

Our gorgeous girl - Second Formal night

Tommy and his girl! (:

Stayed Tuned for more about our cruise and our ports of call!

Our Cruise -Winter Break 2011 (Part 2)

2011-03-14T02:46:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the delay between Part 1 and Part 2...we have had a couple of pretty hard weeks, we were forced to have Destiny placed with another Foster family, and we decided it best to close our home to Foster care because of Destiny's caseworker, she became increasingly impossible to work with, she never communicated with us, and it was obvious from our first meeting with her, that she cared more about the "rights" of the biological mom, than she cared about the safety and well being of Destiny, and for Destiny's sake and for the sake of our family, we had no choice, but to come to the decision to close our home! Please pray for Destiny! My biggest concern is that she feels that we have abandoned her too! Well, back to more happy things like our cruise...

We really had a wonderful time, despite the "little" setbacks we had, we really enjoyed spending quality time together just the 3 of us!

Here are a few pictures of our cabin, it was pretty small, but it was cozy!

Our first two days on the cruise we were Out at Sea! We LOVED that...No land in sight, just beautiful ocean all around...We also enjoyed the HUGE Water slide on board the ship, as well as laying out in the sun, we also enjoyed exploring the ship and just relaxing on the deck...Days at Sea were some of our favorite times!

My man looking so sexy! This is one of my favorite pics from the trip!

Chase loved the never ending ice cream cones!! :)

Stayed Tuned for Part 3

Our Cruise -Winter Break 2011 (Part 1)

2011-03-03T13:56:00.001-05:00

Several people have asked when I was going to blog about our cruise, so I decided to go ahead and do a quick post and then spread it out over several post, so maybe I don't bore you too much with all our pictures and such! We had an amazing time, with that said we will probably never (I suppose I should say never say never) however we will probably never go on a Carnival Cruise again. Our trip started with some "snags" some because of nature, and some to do with Carnival...We started our trip on Saturday, February 19th (we chose to drive just because we didn't want the stress of flying stand by) plus the road trip gave us extra family time together! Our cruise started in Galveston, TX, so we drove Saturday to Lafayette, LA and spent the night there at the Hilton! Apparently, they were having a bikers convention alittle scary, but we survived!! :)

Here are a few pics from our road trip:

We can't go on a road trip without a Cracker Barrel Breakfast!

Tommy relaxing after the long drive to Lafayette!

Chase at the Hilton on the Grand staircase!

Sunday morning we got up bright and early and headed to Galveston, TX, actually... let me back up just a little Saturday night we received a call from Carnival (a recording) saying that due to fog in Galveston our ship was unable to come into port and to check their website for further details, well we are on the road with no Internet access except our blackberry's and we weren't getting all the details! Between my brother and our daughter in law, we finally found out that the ship is going to be delayed, but we are to head to the terminal between 4:00p and 6:30p on Sunday (instead of 12:30p and 2:30p) Well, this is where the "fun" begins! We actually arrived in Galveston as originally planned at 12:30p, but since we were told on the website that the port was closed and not to come to the terminal we just hung around Galveston and started heading over about 3:00p to unload our luggage and park! What a mess! We were in line forever to park the car, we had to carry all our luggage with us because of lack of signs we had no idea where to drop them off or where to park for that matter, we finally found a very nice police officer who told us where to go, we finally got parked, then again no signs, no people telling you anything (keep in mind the ship holds approx 3200 passengers, not only embark, but the 3200 debarking) What a mess!!! Anyway, after we finally found the end of the massive line, we finally boarded the ship about 8:30p that evening! (Only to find out that others came on to the terminal at 12:30p and were allowed to check in and boarded hours before us...UGGHH!) Then we find out that the fog is going to further delay our departure, this was some of Carnival's fault because they delayed leaving and by the time they did the fog was back, anyway, this meant we were going to have to miss our port call in Montego Bay, Jamaica (which is one of the reasons we chose this particular cruise) There is much more I could go on and on, but there is really no need! However with all that said...We had an amazing time! We had a great staff of people that waited on us hand and foot, we had two wonderful young women from Canada that shared our table with us in the evenings, we ate and ate and ate some wonderful food, and we saw some incredible shows, from comedians, to musicals, to an amazing Illusionist! We also enjoyed the huge waterslide on board the ship, as well as swimming in the Grand Caymans, and snorkeling in Cozumel, Mexico! Even with the rough start, we had a great time, enjoying all the ship had to offer, and as Chase said our favorite part was having Daddy's undivided attention for 7 days!!! I will share more about the port calls and our adventures on the ship in the next few posts! So stayed tuned for more about our trip and lots more pics!

Chase on the ferry!

Tommy on the ferry looking cool! :)

This is a view of our ship from the ferry headed into Galveston!

Approx 4 hours in line here, still smiling...That's a good sign! :)

Stay tuned for more post about our cruise and more pics!

Day 31 of 31 Ways to Pray for my Children

2011-02-17T10:36:00.001-05:00

Day 31 - A HEART FOR MISSIONS “Lord, please develop in them a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples”.

Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. Psalm 96:3 (NASB)
Today is my last post in my series of 31 days/ 31 ways to pray for my children...I have had to get busy making sure I posted everyday, but I have enjoyed praying for my children and grandchildren in these 31 specific ways, along with my other prayers for them. I hope that you may have gain some inspiration through my posts. Most importantly, I did this for my children and grandchildren to see these characteristics and values apparent in their lives, and I am so proud to say that I do, this is just extra prayer (that never hurts!)

Heavenly Father, I pray that You would give my children a love for people of all races and nationalities. Show them the way You want them to be involved and build in them a strong desire to deliver the message - personally or through giving money for someone else to do it.

Day 30 of 31 Ways to Pray for my Children

2011-02-16T10:36:00.004-05:00

Day 30 - GRATITUDE “Help them to live lives ‘overflowing with thankfulness’; that they may ‘always be giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’”.

having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. Colossians 2:7 (NASB)

always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;
Ephesians 5:20 (NASB)

Gracious God, in the busy-ness of my day, I sometimes forget to stop to thank You for all that is good in my life. My blessings are many and my heart is filled with gratefulness for the gift of living, for the ability to love and be loved, for the opportunity to see the everyday wonders of creation. I pray that my life will always be an example to my children and grandchildren to be grateful for all the blessings You have given us, and most importantly for the gift of salvation! I thank You, too, for those things in my life that are less than I would hope them to be. Things that seem challenging, unfair, or difficult. When my heart feels stretched and empty, and I feel so overwhelmed, still I rejoice that You are as near to me as my next breath and that in the middle of everything, I am growing and learning and I pray that my children and grandchildren will continue to rejoice and be grateful for the mountain top experiences, and rejoice and give You praise in the valleys as well!

Day 29 of 31 Ways to Pray for my Children

2011-02-15T10:52:00.001-05:00

Day 29 - PRAYERFULNESS “Grant, Lord, that their lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to ‘pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests’”.

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, Ephesians 6:18 (NASB)

Gracious God, I just want to thank You and praise You that we have the privilege to come to You in prayer. I ask You to give my kids more than respect for prayer; give them a heart for prayer that grows and grows until they spend more time with You than anyone else. Teach them to be transparent and not act like something they're not. Make each of them true worshipers who prayerfully come to Your throne room. Give them a passion to please You. Teach my kids to dispense kindness in such a way people will see You and not them.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T16:58:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day from the Worthey's

We hope you have a wonderful day celebrating love...we plan too! :)

Day 28 of 31 Ways to Pray for my Children

2011-02-14T16:49:00.001-05:00

Day 28 - SELF DISCIPLINE “Father, may they develop self-discipline, that they may acquire ‘a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair’” (Prov. 1:3).

To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity Proverbs 1:3 (NASB)

My prayer today is that my children may develop self-discipline that they may acquire a prudent life. Lord, continue to develop self-discipline in my own life so I may exemplify a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right even when I don’t want to do it. Give my children the desire for You and a calling to do the right thing at all times so they may become all You have called them to be. I pray for Chase that she might be self disciplined in the area of being prepared for school. I pray for her as she continues to learn spiritual disciplines to draw her closer to You, Lord. This is my prayer for all my children and grandchildren! I also pray for my children when they lack discipline in using their time wisely. Help them all to be disciplined in making healthy choices. Hebrews 12:11 says “No discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Discipline is not all that fun in the moment. But a life of discipline is a life of righteousness and peace. I pray this for all my children as well as my grandchildren!

Day 27 of 31 Ways to Pray for my Children

2011-02-13T09:00:00.002-05:00

Day 27 - A PASSION FOR GOD " Lord, please instill in my children a soul that "followeth hard after thee," a heart that clings passionately to you.

My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me Psalm 63:8 (NASB)

Gracious Heavenly Father, I pray that you will give my children and grandchildren a passion for loving You that not only rivals their love for anything else in their lives, but surpasses it and then revolutionizes it to be something pleasing to You.

Day 26 of 31 Ways to Pray for my Children

2011-02-12T13:22:00.002-05:00

DAY 26 -The willingness and ability to work hard. “Teach them, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, ‘as working for the Lord, not for human masters’”.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, Colossians 3:23 (NASB)

Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to do it with all their heart, as working for You and not for men. I pray that You would give them a willingness to use the gifts You have given them and to not take for granted their abilities, but to work hard. I pray that in all things they will always give You thanks and praise!

Day 25 of 31 Ways to Pray for my Children

2011-02-11T11:00:00.002-05:00

Day 25 - H O P E - “May the God of hope grant that they may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit”.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NASB)

Heavenly Father, I pray that You would give my children and grandchildren a desire to be faithful through hard times by understanding You have a plan and purpose for their life.

Day 24 of 31 Ways to Pray for my Children

2011-02-10T09:49:00.000-05:00

Day 24 - A SERVANT HEART - “God, please help them develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, ‘as if [they] were serving the Lord, not people’”.

With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, Ephesians 6:7 (NASB)

God, please help my children and grandchildren develop a servant's heart for You so they will please You through their willing spirit. Equip them to serve effectively and use them to facilitate the work of the kingdom. Help my kids see what needs to be done regardless if anyone else notices it or not. Then give them a heart to do what they can without being noticed if possible.

Day 23 of 31 Ways to Pray for my Children

2011-02-09T09:07:00.001-05:00

DAY 23 - FAITH “I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them”.

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea'; and it would obey you. Luke 17:5-6 (NASB)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
For by it the men of old gained approval.
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;
for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.
Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants AS THE STARS OF HEAVEN IN NUMBER, AND INNUMERABLE AS THE SAND WHICH IS BY THE SEASHORE.
All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.
And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.
But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son;
it was he to whom it was said, "IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED."
He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.
By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.
By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.
By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.
By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.
And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,
who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,
quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;
and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.
They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated
(men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,
because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. Hebrews 11:1-40 (NASB)

Lord, Great is Your faithfulness! Lord, You are faithful and just and You forgive all our sins and unrighteousness as we confess and repent. Thank You Father, that You are so faithful and full of grace. I am thankful that Your fruit will keep my children and grandchildren trusting firmly in You until the end, I pray that they will be known as being faithful, one who is trustworthy, dependable, reliable and who keeps their word. I pray that my children and grandchildren will be faithful at school, at work, no matter how small, trival or unimportant the matter may seem.

I pray for my children and grandchildren's continual faithfulness to You, Lord, that each one of them may continue to trust You unwaveringly and be able to receive what You have promised.

Day 22 of 31 Ways to Pray for my Children

2011-02-08T09:35:00.000-05:00

Day 22 - Contentment "Father, teach my children 'the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . . through Him who gives [them] strength'".

I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:12-13 (NASB)

Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don’t need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity. Lord, help me to be an example of contentment to my children and grandchildren! Father, I pray that my children and grandchildren would have contentment that brings about a lasting peace and grateful hearts that only You can give to them. Help them not to focus on the material possessions that they lose sight of what is really important. May the character of their souls and the fruit of their actions be of much greater importance than the perishable things that get their attention! Help them to look to You for proper balance in the things You have so richly blessed us with and the attitude in which they receive these things from Your hands.

My Rosacea Study

2011-02-07T11:30:00.000-05:00

As you may remember starting back in October I started a research study for my rosacea. I think I must have gotten the placebo, or either the medicine just did not work for me because I still have all the same redness, but hopefully they gained information from the study that will help to create new medication for the treatment of Rosacea.

I think I shared with you in my October post, (sorry I don't know how to link the post) that along with all the fun I had at my long visits, we were also getting compensated for our time! The grand total came to $2500 dollars...this was totally unexpected I was more interested in having the redness gone from my face, but we do plan to put the money to good use! We started that day making plans to go on a CRUISE during Chase's winter break! This was our gift to each other for Christmas, 7 days with no interruptions, just the 3 of us! I didn't want to blog about it until I knew it was a done deal, Tommy and Chase had to get passports, and we had to find a cruise that would work for the time period we needed and for our budget! Well, we booked the cruise Saturday! We believe we have found a really great trip and we are so excited! We leave on the 19th to head to Galveston, TX and the cruise leaves from there on Sunday, the 20th and we will return to Galveston on Sunday, the 27th!

Here are a few pictures from my time in the study:

These are a few of my research buddies (from left to right Karla, Me, Cherie and Kim), we look alittle rough, but keep in my mind we had been there almost 12 hrs at the time this picture was made! LOL!

This is Tammy and Ron they were the puzzle makers!

Cheryl (in blue) was also part of the study, and Amy was our nurse, she kept an eye on us, checked on vitals and such through the long 12 hr days!

This is Nancy and Karen! Two of the other nurses that work with Dr. Ling! Nancy was our entertainment...LOL! She was wonderful, providing us with movies, and games, and she always got us the best food (we weren't allowed anything hot to eat or drink, but she kept us full all day!! :) Along with everything else, Nancy also provided hand and foot massages! I really think I should have paid them for my time there, but I'm not complaining!! :)

This is Dr. Ling, he is a great doctor, and a really great guy!

This was me getting my eye pressure test, since the medication they were testing on our rosacea was similar to a glaucoma medication, they had to do this test every visit! It looks painful, but it was actually pretty cool! :)

I can't wait until they have another study that I can be a part of...I had a great time, and reaped some awesome benefits, not to mention, I made some new friends!

Day 21 of 31 Ways to Pray for my Children

2011-02-07T09:43:00.002-05:00

DAY 21- RESPONSIBILITY “Grant that they may learn responsibility, ‘for each of you should carry your own load’”.

For each one will bear his own load. Galatians 6:5 (NASB)

Heavenly Father, I pray that You would give my children and grandchildren a sense of responsibility. Give them a sense of responsibility, so that they may never waste the gifts which You have given to each of them; a sense of responsibility to their teachers, so that all their patient teaching of them may not go for nothing; and a sense of responsibility to their jobs, that they would not take them for granted, but that they would have a good work ethic and work hard using the talents and abilities You have given them.
A sense of responsibility to their friends, so that they may never disappoint them; a sense of responsibility to those who have gone before them, so that they may never forget what our freedom and liberty cost. A sense of responsibility to the world, so that they may put into life more than they take out. Most importantly a sense of responsibility to You Lord, so that they may always remember that You loved them so much that you gave your only begotten Son for each of us!

Day 20 of 31 Ways to Pray for my Children

2011-02-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

Day 20 - COMPASSION “Lord, please clothe them with the virtue of compassion”.

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 (NASB)

Dear Lord, I pray that You will give my children and grandchildren a heart of compassion, I pray that they will know that compassion is not pity, but yet love in action! I pray Lord that they will show the love of Christ in their words, and in their actions and that all they do today and everyday might lift up the name of Jesus!