A month! Seriously?!?

It has been almost a month since I have posted here. Time has absolutely FLOWN by!

Guatemala was amazing and my heart is longing to go back. As long as the Lord provides, I think I'll be flying back in October. I can't wait. The children there, the people there, and God's amazing presence was overwhelming. I truly feel like God is really going to use me there. You can read and see pictures {here}. But, bare with me. I'm still updating, and since I've been slammed with things, it's a slow process. I'm trying to get it all updated though!

After I got back from Guatemala I repacked and headed for the beach for some family time. Samantha and I met my parents and little sister in Florida for a few days on the beach. It was a blast and the weather was awesome the entire time we were there.

I was able to set up a Thirty-One Gifts booth at the hairshow here in Knoxville this past weekend. I had a few sales and a few new contacts so God blessed me there.

I started back to school yesterday after a month off. It felt good to be back doing what I love. I didn't think I missed it as much as I thought until I got back.

Life in general is going great. God is moving and working in ways that I never thought He would. Everyday is a constant reminder of just how big and just how great He truly is. He has held me in the palm of His hand through some crazy storms and is now showing me the rainbow at the other end of it all. I have truly been blessed and I know that it is only going to get better from here.

Where has the time gone??

It's been weeks since I last posted. I've been SO busy! Life has been a whirlwind of things and I'm finally getting back in the old groove and settled into my never-ending-oh-so-busy life! God has truly blessed me with such awesome family, friends, and an even more awesome life!

Samantha and I are pretty much settled into our new apartment...and it looks amazing, if I do say so myself :) Hopefully I'll have some pictures posted in the next few days so you can see for yourself.

Church is great. Pastor Scott has had some really awesome messages the last few weeks. You can listen to them here. Northstar has really been a blessing to me. The people there are amazing and have such hearts for the Lord. I really feel like I'm at home when I'm at Northstar. I'm being used in the Children's Ministry on a weekly basis and am honored to have such a sacred job within the church. Those kids are the future of God's kingdom and I feel so blessed to be a part of their lives. To hear and see their love for Jesus is amazing. If you live in the Knoxville area and are looking for a church home I want to encourage you to seek Jesus in your journey and visit us at Northstar. We would love to see you!

Please be in prayer for the Smith family as yesterday was the year anniversary of the death of their sweet girl, Audrey. Also, be in prayer for Baby Stellan. A surgery may be in his near future, however God is a performer of miracles and anything can happen between now and tomorrow. Pray for rest for MckMama and her family, pray for Stellan's doctors, and pray for Stellan.

As for me, I'm great. I'm planning a trip to my hometown for this weekend and can't wait to have easter egg hunts with the baby, home cooked meals, and family time. School is going great and I'm really loving my decision to be a hairstylist. I love it! Paisley is great as well and is excited about showing off her new Easter dress this weekend!

Wild, Wild Week

This week has flown by! I can't believe it's already Friday. I'm ready for the weekend. I find myself looking forward to Sunday more and more each week. I can't get enough of DOK and church. I love Northstar and feel like I have truly found a home with the people there. They are amazing and I have made such wonderful friends there.
This week has been great. Like I said, it's gone by super fast. Monday I worked and went out with some friends that night. We ended up at Wild Wings Cafe for some good food and fun! Tuesday Margaret and I threw Tricia an engagement party/girls night. It was super fun and filled with good times. Wednesday was school and church. The kids in my class are amazing and I love teaching them and hearing about their week and what's bothering them in life at the moment. They have the sweetest hearts and they love Jesus so much. Thursday I had school and worked all night. And here we are at today, Friday. I had a test this morning at school and think I did pretty well on it. Tonight I have to work and tomorrow is school and more work. I'm working a lot the next few weeks, but I'm thankful because I need the money badly.

At the moment, a few things I'm doing/love are:
*The song, Feels Like Redemption by Michael English
*Hot Carmamel Apple Cider from Starbucks
*Being cuddled on the couch with Paisley
*Going through all my cute, colorful summer clothes and putting them away to bring out the big, soft, winter clothes
*Trying to make out my Christmas list, plus figure out what to get others
*Falling more and more in love with God each day
*Praying for sweet friends
*Reading some of my favorite blogs about adoption. My favorite, Dreaming Big Dreams. And praying that their Haiti adoption speeds up!

What are you some of your favorite things right now?

Simply Saturday

Saturdays and I have a love/hate relationship these days. I love Saturday because normally I just go to school all day and come home and relax from the week. Here lately though, I've been working on Saturday nights, and closing nonetheless. Samantha and I both close tonight, so we'll be nice and sleepy at church in the morning for sure :-)

I have stayed busy at school this week, and today especially. I had two haircuts and a pedicure today and then ran the front desk the rest of the day. It was a pretty simple day.

So far, since being home from school, I have loaded and run the dishwasher, put a load of towels in the wash, picked up the kitchen and bathroom, and picked up around the living room. The list for when I get home from work, is much longer than what I've done so far. I still need to put away all the clean laundry, pick up my bedroom, do two more loads of laundry (and then I will have no dirty clothes in my house, except for what I'll be wearing), take out the trash, mop the floors, vacuum the carpet areas, and bring down and put away winter clothing. Hopefully I'll be in the mood to clean when I get home from work. Otherwise, I'm going to be a cleaning machine tomorrow. My goal is to not have to lift a finger after church though. At least at my house.

I have pictures to pick up from Walgreens, and then I must go to work for the night. I'm glad Sam is working tonight, otherwise, I might be one unhappy little girl. I love working with my Sam!

Update on Gary

Gary Wayne's surgery went wonderful. He got his new heart and was awake and talking last night. This is a huge answer to prayer. As long as the heart works with his body, he should be able to live a much more normal life than he's been living. I can't imagine what he has gone through the past year or so. Not knowing if his heart was going to give out on him in a blink of an eye. I'm so thankful for God's hand in this. If it were not for Him, Gary would not be alive. I know that for awhile I struggled with the fact of WHY. Why was my friend, who was only 19 at the time, only have a 5% chance of life? It was hard to imagine. We grew up together. Went to the same church our entire lives and were the same age. It was crazy. We weren't supposed to have heart failure. But it happened, and it made me put more faith in God.

Thank you all so much for your prayers during this time.

I'm back in full swing!

After a few days of absence, I'm back! I have been in between jobs and have not internet at my house, but all that is settled, and the internet at the house is working again, which means I'm back in full swing. Tomorrow morning will include the P.U.S.H. post for the week, so if you have a prayer request...please let me know! Send to my email, emmylou924@comcast.net or post as a comment on this post! Now....where I've been....in bullet form:

• Life has taken a turn of events. After having my heart broken by a guy that I loved dearly, I am loving life and I'm happy.
  
• I have started going to church at North Star Church again, and I'm more in love with it than I was the last time. I will miss my church family at SPPC, but I'm confident that I am where I need to be right now
• Looking for a job, but knowing God will provide at just the right time! I'm learning to trust Him a little more!
• Loving cosmetology school! Can't believe I have been going for a month this week! It's crazy! Time has totally flown by!
  
• I have made several wonderful new friends. Whittani has become such a lifesaver. Thanks girl for everything!

So those are few updates from my life. Life is good for me and I'm super happy! Boomsday was Sunday night and mom and Caiti came up from Greenbrier, and Lacey came from McMinn Co and we all had a blast hanging out, shopping, and watching the fireworks. Mom and Caiti stayed until mid day Monday and we went shopping, had lunch, and just spent some time together. I'm so glad they came to visit. I love them so much!

Those are a few updates from my life. I'm sure there will be a more in depth post later. I just have a lot to get caught up on right now...not to mention, the new 90210 comes on in thirty minutes!

You think you really know someone....

...and you find out, you don't really know them at all.

I have called it quits on mine and Josh's relationship. Without going into major detail, let's just say...
I'M NOT GOING TO BE PLAYED

Period.

I'm not really sure what happend, but I refuse to be played by anyone, let alone a man, and not to mention someone I loved dearly. If he would like to take a step down then by all means, I hope he's happy.

I still have a lot of questions. Like why do people lie? Why do people feel the need to hurt those that love them unconditionally? Why do guys cheat? And then lie about it?

But, with all that said, I'm back to the blogging world. Sorry for the absence. I have lots of other things to blog about, and as soon as I have internet hooked back up in my apartment, there will be an abundance of posts I'm sure. Until then, I'm living my life the way I want to live it, and having a blast with my girls and sisters.

Two years ago...

Two years ago I was getting ready to make the "dreaded" drive to Knoxville where my parents would drop me and most of my belongings off in a dorm room on The University of Tennessee's campus. (Can you tell I didn't want to leave my little town?)

I never, ever, ever thought I would leave Greenbrier. Ever. I never thought I would go to college, much less on three hours away from "home." Parts of my senior year were hard for me. My dad had been on a deployment since June after my sophomore year. So when I began my senior year of high school, my daddy had been gone for over a year, and there was still no word of when he was going to be home. Here I am, starting my senior year, and my daddy is in Iraq. I'll tell you right now, that feeling sucked. I didn't know when and if he was going to be home to see me graduate, so leaving for college was the absolute farthest thing from my mind. Graduation was also a distant thought. My guidance counselors were both family friends, so they had my best interests at heart. They pretty much made me fill out applications to schools, and I did. I filled out a bunch. They just never got submitted because I didn't pay the application fees. (I thought I was going to get that one by them, I didn't.) I finally payed the fee for UT, mainly because one fee covered three schools, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Martin. I figured if I got accepted to one, my duty was done. And accepted I was.

My daddy's deployment came to an end, and he was home right before Christmas. At this time, I didn't know if I was accepted to UT yet, but I still had no intentions of leaving for college, so I didn't care. I received my acceptance letter in the mail a few days after my dad was home. Of course, my parents were excited, and I was too, because to me, getting accepted to UT was a huge accomplishment, but inside I had a knot in my stomach too. I didn't want to live three hours away. My dad had just come home, I had a boyfriend, and all my family was in Greenbrier. Not to mention my best friend wasn't going away to college, so who would I have to go with me??

I still had it in my mind that I wasn't going to college, and I had serious doubts that my parents would make me go to UT. So, I went through the rest of my senior year without giving any other school a thought. I had a blast. Graduation came and I still had it in my little mind I was going to live in Greenbrier forever. Remember that boyfriend? Yeah, we were still together and we were going to be together forever. High school sweethearts, best friends, and all that jazz. We were the "perfect couple."

Summer came and I never registered for orientation at UT. I figured if I "forgot" it would be too late and I wouldn't have to go. Wrong. They sent a letter and my mom sat at the computer next to me and made me register. It looked like I was going to UT after all. I went to orientation and decided that it might not be so bad. I could at least give it a shot. Not to mention that I got free football tickets. Who didn't want free tickets to watch the Vols play?? Plus, I could always come home on the weekends and see the boyfriend. We would be ok, right?

I moved to Knoxville and literally came home almost every weekend. Except home game weekends. Free tickets, remember?? And I love the Vols :-) My relationship seemed to be hanging on, and I didn't know really anyone else to be interested in anyone else. Life seemed to be good, and it was for the most part. I hated being in Knoxville (besides those free football games) so I had every intention of moving back home after my year was up. And those were my plans, until after Christmas.

{I'm sorry. This turned into a really long post, but it's my blog, and I'm having fun going back a little and remember all this stuff. Plus, all these things are what brought me to where I am today, and I like knowing it.}

Christmas break came and went and I moved back to Knoxville. I started coming home less and less. The drive got old after a while and my relationship with the boyfriend was starting to fizzle out. We ended up breaking up in March, two months before I was supposed to move back home. That break up literally made me do a 180. I got with a friend of mine who was planning on staying the summer in Knoxville and we decided to get an apartment. I called my dad, he co signed, and that was that. I was living in Knoxville for the summer.

The ex-boyfriend found out and was furious. He tried to talk me out of it. We talked and talked. We got back together and broke up and tried again to work things out. I got a job at Hooters and loved it. The ex boyfriend and I still tried to make things work. However, I knew in my heart, it was never going to work, yet I still held on because he was a security that I could still hold on to. A month passed and I decided I didn't want to go back to college. So I emailed my dad, told him I still wanted to live in Knoxville, but didn't want to go back to UT. (Even the free football games weren't going to change my mind) I didn't go back to UT. I worked at Hooters, and the ex-boyfriend and I ended our relationship for good. No looking back. I was starting a new life.

And I started a new life...
And by reading this blog after today...
You're reading all about it :-)

Stay tuned for how I met my sweetheart!

Remembering

It's a Friday night. It's summer. We just got inside from swimming in our pool and it's time for dinner. Our hair is all wet, we put on clothes over our wet swimsuites and get ready for our regular visit to Stokley's. We get the big corner table where the booth wraps all the way around the table in a semi circle. It's just big enough for Nan, Pop, Tiffany, Lance, me and Caiti. We order and eat. We finish, and go home. We take off our clothes in the car and throw them on the patio table. We all jump in the water. Nan sits outside with us until well after dark while we swim. Pop is inside watching tv. Those were the days....

Pop is sick. He has cancer. We all sleep in our sleeping bags in the floor of the living room. I can hear Pop's oxygen tank making noises while I try to sleep. His hospital bed is in the den. He sleeps alot. We don't go to Stokley's anymore.

I've just started second grade. We're playing outside on the playground. School is almost out for the weekend. I'm on the swings with my friends. Mrs. Beth our school secretary is walking down the hill with my daddy. My daddy never picks me up from school. I run to him and he picks me up and holds me really tight, then puts me down and we go get my things. Mrs. Beth just gives me a hug, and she looks sad.

I get in the front seat with my daddy. He holds my hand and asks "Emmer, do you remember when Blue Birdie died?"
I nodded yes.
He continues, "Well, Pop died today. He's not going to be at Nan's anymore. But he's not sick anymore."
We leave the school and go home. I cried all the home. But when we got in the drive way, my daddy told me I couldn't cry anymore. I couldn't cry in front of Nan.

My daddy gave me a piggy back ride up the driveway. We go in the back door and everything is the way it was before. The couch is back where it should be, and Pop's not there. His hospital bed is gone. Mom and Caiti were on the loveseat. Uncle Van, Tiffany and Lance were on the couch. Nan was sitting on the fireplace. I find my way over to Nan and sit next to her. Everybody is really sad.

Uncle Bill and Aunt Jean come over to watch us while Nan, Daddy, Mom, Uncle Van and Uncle Bubba leave. They're going to the funeral home. Aunt Jean brings Kentucky Fried Chicken with her, and a chocolate cake. She doesn't even make us eat the chicken. She just lets us eat the chocolate cake if we want it. She sits in the rocking chair and takes turns holding us and rocking us.

A few days later my Pop is laying in a box. He's asleep. People are giving us hugs and telling us everything is going to be ok. It's not ok. My Pop won't wake up. I ask my Nan if I can touch him. She tells me that I can. I reach out and touch my Pop's hand for the last time. It's cold and stiff. It's not my Pop. I tell my Nan that I'm ok. I just want to hold his hand.

We all go to the cemetery, and take Pop pretty flowers. They're getting ready to put my Pop in the ground. My Pop who would let us watch western movies with him, my Pop who would hold us tight if we did something wrong, my Pop. I didn't understand. My uncle Bubba was crying. He jumped up and held onto my Pop's box. He was crying loud and that made me cry. Bubba didn't cry. He was tough, he made us laugh. He tickled us and wrestled with us, and threw us in the pool. But that day, he cried. And I cried too.

And I still cry today.

To my Pop:
I was just a little girl when you died. The world was an innocent place to me until it took you away. I miss you. We all miss you. I'm glad you're not hurting anymore. I can't wait to see you again. I know you're watching over me. Raylon starts kindergarten next week. You would have really liked her. She's really funny. She asks about you all the time. The last time we went to give you flowers, she picked out a really pretty white rose for you. She asked me if you would like it. I told her you would. I love you Pop and miss you a lot.

Love,
Em

Interesting little snippets from my life

I have a sweet puppy named Axle. He's great. He's a yellow lab, and the best thing in the world. I don't know what I would do without him.
My little cousin, Raylon, starts kindergarten next week. I can't believe she's going to be 6 in October. I wish she was still a baby. I'm praying that she doesn't go to kindergarten and tell her teacher that when she grows up she wants to be a Hooter girl like her Mimi. I'm not a Hooter girl anymore, so maybe she's forgot about that little dream of hers.
When I was little, I had pet birds. One was blue, and his name was Blue Birdie, one was white, and her name was Snowball, and one was a cockatiel and her name was Baby Sunshine. Sometimes, I wish I still had a pet bird.
One Christmas, Tiffany and I decided that our grandmother needed a pet, since she lived by herself. Mind you, she was perfectly happy by herself, and was quite content with just her grandchildren there at various times. Anyways, we got the bright idea to get her a bird. She wasn't very happy, but Molly stayed a part of our family until one day, Molly just "flew right out the door"
I was a cheerleader when I was in middle school. For one year. That was enough. I quickly decided that I didn't really like girls. And I really didn't like to cheer.
After I was a cheerleader though, I somehow got talked into coaching Jr.Pro cheerleading for two years while I was in high school. I loved it, and loved my girls. Most of them were 5 then, they're alot older and bigger now. It seems so long ago.
I never thought I would leave my small town. NEVER. I had my life planned out. I would graduate high school, get married to my then boyfriend, and have a family. I never saw working in my mind, I never saw college, I never saw anything but my one redlight town. Boy did that change. Now I'm in Knoxville, 3 hours away from my one redlight town, not married, and in cosmetology school...

And couldn't be happier

A quick review

This week has been crazy busy.... here's a quick rundown:

• Started cosmetology school, and love it! I've learned how to do so much already. The teachers are great and so are the other students. Last week I learned how to do two cuts, roll a perm and a roller set. I'll be honest, I didn't think we would jump right into the practical stuff so fast, but I'm glad we did. I think it will help not get so bored! I had my first test on Thursday and made a 100!
  
• Lacey came up on Wednesday so I got a little girl time with my sister! We went shopping for me some school stuff and then had Maggy Moos ice cream! Yummy!
• My post for VBS somehow got erased, so I'm having to re-do it when I have the spare time. I may just end up posting fewer pictures than I had planned.
• Got caught up on laundry and cleaning and grocery shopping today. I was so tired, I didn't even make it to church :-( Sorry Dennis!! Laundry is almost finished, but I've given up on it for today and I'm now snuggled up in my bed!
• I started the P.U.S.H Wednesdays segment this past week. Hopefully, as word gets out, it will grow and minister. I've had a few new requests to add to the list for next week, so be looking! As long as I don't loose track of the days, it will be posted on Wednesday morning (or really, really, really late Tuesday night!)
• Life in general is good. Everyone at home is doing well as far as I know. Tiffany's wedding plans are coming along well as far as know. I'll be glad when that is all over with! Mom is busy helping her and planning her shower too. Wedding madness will all be over with after October 11.
  

And I think that about sums up what's going in my life right now. I think I'm going to snuggle up in the bed now and watch a little bit of TV. Hopefully, I'll fall asleep early tonight. I haven't been getting to bed until close to midnight, so hopefully tonight I can fall asleep before midnight! I highly doubt it though.

Three.

Three things in life that, once gone, never come back -

Time

Words

Opportunity

Three things in life that are most valuable -

Love

Self-confidence

Friends

Three things in life that are never certain -

Dreams

Success

Fortune

Three things that make a man/woman -

Hard work

Sincerity

Commitment

Three things in life that can destroy a man/woman -

Alcohol

Pride

Anger

Three things in life that, once lost, hard to build-up -

Respect

Trust

Friendship

I received this list of three's in an email. Think about them...they seem to ring true to me.

Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate
A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - te lling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: 'Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups .

The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly... And enjoy your hot chocolate.

I received this in an email, and thought it was too good not to share. How true the words are. I'm guilty of going through life wanting more at times. Wanting more dinners out instead of mac-n-cheese from home, more clothes {even though my closet is overflowing with plenty of nice things}, more trips, more, more, more. None of those things that I constantly want more of are going to change me. My friends are still going to love me, no matter what I wear or where I go on vacation. Josh is still going to love me, whether we go out to eat or I cook a not-so-decent- meal sometimes. No matter what I have or what I do, I'm still me. Just a simple girl, with simple dreams. I have been truly blessed by all the things I have been given and have. There are some people my age who are a lot less fortunate than I am. I have a wonderful life, a great apartment, a nice car, good job, and a wonderful future with the man of my dreams ahead of me. I'm truly thankful and can honestly say, I'm going to start enjoying my hot chocolate in my simple little cup.