Faults, Failures, and Forgiveness

Everyone has faults.
Everyone has failures.
Everyone needs forgiveness.

I am not above anyone in any of these categories, nor do I claim to be. All of the above were things I have been thinking about the last day or so. We all make mistakes. We all have things that are unique to us that we falter on. Sometimes every now and then, sometimes daily. My faults and failures have made me who I am today, as cliche as it sounds, but it's true. I have made many mistakes, taken many wrong turns, and have ended up on the complete opposite side of the fence at times.

But every time I reach that narrow turn in the road, I find a cross of mercy and forgiveness.


I'm thankful for forgiveness. Without it, life would be a bitter, cold place.

Disappear Much

The last few weeks here have been C.R.A.Z.Y.
To catch everyone up, it's going to be a bullet-style post kind of day.

• FINALLY got to go home and see my daddy a couple of weeks ago. I took off work early and headed to Greenbrier. We had a great weekend. Friday night was spent at the season opener high school football game. Saturday the whole family gathered at Nan's for some cooking and games and family time. Lance came in and we hung out that afternoon, so that was fun. We had a party for my Uncle Steve's birthday and most of our family came together for that. Sunday was church and family time before I headed back to Knoxville.
• I put an offer in on a condo and it got ACCEPTED. I was floored. I am so excited about owning my own place. The amount of money I have put into renting is ridiculous, and rent prices are only going up. I decided that it would be a much better investment to own versus rent now. I close sometime this month and can't wait!
• Work is going well. I love my job at the credit union. While it's not something I went to school for, I feel like I am in the right place right now. I love doing hair, but right now, I just don't have it in me to do it all day everyday. I like being able to do it when I want to do it. 
• Preschool stuff is keeping me busy at church each week. It's growing and we have more and more visitors coming that have small children. I love it! They are all great kids and I have a blast with them each week.
• Football has officially started and we kicked that off Saturday here in Rocky Top! I have pictures from the game, so  there will probably be another post on that sometime soon!
• My Thirty-One business is soaring right now. I had great sales last night, much thanks to my awesome customers! I have really enjoyed the huge amount of parties that I've been having lately and meeting all the new people. I have had several new ladies join my team as well, and that has been awesome! I'm praying that it continue to grow! If you haven't visited my Thirty-One site, please do so! 

I think that about covers everything. At least in a quick way, anyways! I hope to do better about my blogging now that I am somewhat caught up on everything that has been going on in my busy life. 

Happy Labor Day!

One down...one to go!

I took today off from work and took the first part of my cosmetology test. I PASSED! WOO-HOO! Now, I just have to take the practical portion of it and then I'm officially licensed! I'm excited and ready to be done with that chapter of my life. No, I don't have a job in a salon lined up. I really like my job at the Credit Union, so maybe I'll find something part time to do in the evenings. If anything, I'll always have my license to fall back on.

My week has been slammed with Thirty-One stuff. I had a party on Tuesday night that has been a HUGE success. I have a meeting tonight and another party tomorrow night. I am so pleased at how it has taken off the last few weeks. From the party Tuesday night, I got to 2 bookings and one possible catalog show or another home party! I'm super excited. I have a another girl on her way over now that is going to be my next consultant on my team! I am pumped! Now is definitely the time to join, so if you're interested in making extra money and having fun, let me know!

This weekend was so busy, but so much fun. Saturday started out with some laundry and house cleaning but progressed into fun when Momma Carol and Whittani got off work. We headed out shopping for a couple of hours and then had a quick lunch. That night we had dinner at The Melting Pot for Whittani's birthday. We had so much fun. After dinner we walked through The Old City and up to The Mast General Store where Sam and I indulged into some ice cold Nehi's. Mmmm, they were delicious. We decided that was going to be our Saturday night thing; general store and Nehi's. You can't beat a cold orange Nehi on a hot summer day...and they are only $1! After our walk through the general store we headed up to Market Square and visited a few of the shops. 

Sunday morning was church. The preschool was hoppin' with a lot of little ones. Sarah was sick so I was on my own with running the preschool. God blessed, as always, and things were smooth sailing. The kids are really loving our study on Moses, and so am I. There are so many fun things to do with Moses' story and they are really "getting" it. I love it! 

Our family adventure for Sunday afternoon was a little road trip. We headed up to Kentucky Splash for a little water park fun. We had a blast! This year is the park's ten year anniversary so tickets to get in are only $10! Granted, it's no Splash Country, but for $10 and a fun 45 minute road trip it was well worth it. They had 3 water slides, a wave pool, and a lazy river so we were content. Ana and Steven tagged along with us so the 5 of us had a blast. We came back to Knoxville and headed to Alcoa for a little dinner at Cheddar's. We stuffed our faces and decided on a movie. 'Salt' won the vote and off we went. I wasn't sure what to think of the movie once we decided to see it, but after it started I was all in. It was a really good movie, so 2 thumbs up from me. 

Lettie update: Sweet Lettie made it to Atalanta. She is now at the rehab facility. She had a few setback of not eating or taking her bottle well enough so they had to put the NG tube back in. They are keeping her busy with various types of therapy so please pray for patience of the therapists, strength for Lettie, and rest for Summer. Please pray that Lettie will continue to develop her swallowing habits and that they are able to remove the tube soon and she can start drinking and eating without it. Also, please continue to pray for no more seizures. Thank you all so much for your prayers for Lettie. She is a miracle and to see how God is using her in so many ways is humbling. 

Time

Time is what is lacking in my life right now. I feel like I have zero time to do anything once I get home from work. In reality, I have a lot of time. However, by the time I actually get home from work and sit for a minute, I don't want to do anything! On a normal night, after work and grabbing a bite to eat, I'm usually home around 7pm. Sometimes a little later. After being up since 7am, the last thing I want to do is come home and do laundry or pick up. All I want to do is sit. Normally, that's what I end up doing. By the end of the week, my house is a disaster and my laundry is piled sky high. Not pretty. It actually stresses me out when things are such a mess.

Tonight, I have made a list of things that are going to get done tomorrow. I'm determined not to stop until I finish folding every last piece of clothing, putting away clutter, and reorganizing my desk.

The Fall/Winter catalog for Thirty-One debuts on August 1st, so I'm trying hard to get things taken care of for that. It's proving to be a big task in itself. I have 2 parties scheduled for the very first week of August! My blood pressure goes up just thinking about it. I have tomorrow, and maybe 2 days next week to prepare for them. I'm going to be one busy little person tomorrow and next week.

Does anyone else have trouble sticking to a schedule and using their time wisely?

Hebrews 4:16

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. -Hebrews 4:16

What a fitting verse for all of life's problems. 

I encourage you to approach the throne with confidence....you WILL be blessed!

Fancy Fourth

I made it back to Greenbrier for the 4th for the first time in a few years. It was great to be back home with family. We had a very busy weekend filled with The Turnin' of the Pig, church, family cookout, and church picnic and fireworks. I loved being able to spend time with my sweet family the whole time. I was able to share with everyone about my trip to Guatemala and even got a few family members excited about and interested in a trip there next summer.
Lance and his new girlfriend came in on Saturday. We spent some time at the Turnin' of the Pig together walking around, playing games, and catching up. I miss him so much so I was very glad to get a day with him. We spent most of the time watching Davy play games and laugh and run around. He loved riding the pony and got to ride it two times that night. There is just something about small town life. It's the little things, like hearing the train come through town, and homemade ice cream by the sweetest ladies in town. Such a great night!
Sunday was church day and family day. We had a cookout at Granny's house after church with a lot of food and fun. After filling up there we headed back to church for a cookout and fireworks. My cousin, Josh, always puts on a good show with the fireworks and this year was no different. Although this time we almost had a few fires...they turned out awesome. The show gets bigger every year it seems like.
The only thing missing this year was my sweet Daddy. He is still in Iraq, watching the sand blow by. Most of his squadron are home. He is on the last leg coming back, so he still has a few more weeks in the sandbox. I can't wait for him to come home! The Turnin' of the Pig was NOT the same without him. I am so proud to call him my Daddy

Power of Prayer

This is sweet Lettie. I've asked for prayer for her a couple of times here, and thought it would be nice if you could put a face to name. So here she is. 

Tonight, and the coming days, please lift her and her precious mom and dad, Summer and Mark, up in prayer to our ultimate Healer. He will receive all the glory and honor for her healing. 

Right now, Lettie has experienced some setbacks. You can follow her story and leave Mark and Summer a comment to let them know you are praying for them. I know they appreciate them and are humbled at how quickly their story has been passed along.

I was talking to a friend of mine today, and she couldn't have been more right. God is waiting for the time to "show up and show off." He is a healer and performer of miracles. I have no doubts that the bigger picture in Lettie's journey is going to be amazing. Already, her story has touched the lives of many. 

It would be so easy to give up on God in a time like this. Satan is coming from every direction. Emotions are high and Mark and Summer are weary. Their faith in God has never wavered. God has shown His hand on Lettie's life in more ways than one since her journey to today and I don't think anyone in her life can deny that. I can't wait to see the day that Lettie is healed completely...able to tell her story about a God bigger than the universe that healed her little body. 

Thank you all so much for the prayers you have prayed for Lettie and her family. It's humbling to know how many people have lifted her up.  

Exhausting Week

I did not do a single updating on my Guatemala blog...so if you have clicked over to read...SORRY! It has been one of the most busiest weeks ever for me and sleeping in this morning was AMAZING. Even more amazing than that though, was this special guy was my wake up call this morning. It made me smile just hearing his sweet little voice. The first thing out of his little mouth? "Mimi-are you coming to MY house today?" Precious. I had been up and down all week about driving to Nashville today to spend the 4th with my family. Um, that pretty much nailed my decision. Of course, I'm coming to your house. Who could say no to the most adorable baby boy (whose not such a baby anymore)? I'm excited, because tonight, we'll head over to the City Hall in my sweet little town and listen to some good 'ol music, play games, have homemade ice cream, and hand turned BBQ with all of the folks in town. I think tonight alone will make the drive there worth it. Which means....I must get going!

Back from Guatemala

I made it back safely from Guatemala late Sunday night. We had the best trip and God worked in so many ways. I learned a lot about myself, made some great friends, and fell even more in love with the people and country of Guatemala. It's amazing how different my life is now. I never, ever, would have thought that I would have a heart for foreign missions...but I LOVE it. I'm downloading pictures now and working on updating my Guatemala blog...so hop on over {there} to read all about it!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone that supported my trip, prayed for me, and encouraged me along the way. It truly means the most to me!