Memorial Day

Mark and I spent our Memorial Day weekend in Wilmington just relaxing and spending time with family. Our sister in law, Amy, is an artist and she was a part of an Art Festival in downtown Wilmington, so we got some great shots of the area. Downtown Wilmington is a huge, historic tourist spot and the scenery is beautiful. It is on the riverfront and there are several historic churches and buildings in the area. We also visited the beach (of course) and spotted the 10 foot alligator (in the picture below), sunbathing at Greenfield Lake. That was quite exciting! Anyways, enjoy the pics!

Feeding the Geese at the park.

Here is our "little" alligator friend we spotted on the back of Greenfield Lake.

Horrible Tragedy

Steven Curtis Chapman is by far my most FAVORITE songwriter and singer of all times. His music is unbelievably powerful to me and just so genuine. Yesterday, tragedy struck his home. His youngest daughter Maria Sue Chapman, who was a 5 year old adopted from China was hit by an SUV in their driveway and killed. I cannot imagine the pain they are going through. As a mom, I truly cannot even begin to imagine going through this. I praise the LORD that they trust HIM and that HE (GOD) PROMISES to give us "peace that surpasses all understanding" even in situations like this. Maria is the youngest child in the Chapman family and was one of 3 that they have adopted from China. Maria had just turned 5 a few days ago, now she is home with Jesus. PLEASE pray for their family during this time.....

David Vs. David AMERICAN IDOL

I have been hooked on American Idol this season and tonight was the final competition between David Archuletta and David Cook. Everyone assumed it would come down to these 2 men in the end and it was awesome performances from both. It is so hard to know who to vote for because they are both so talented. I think they both were equally GREAT tonight, so I voted for each!! I cannot wait until the result show tomorrow night!

Myanmar and China

WOW, what tragic events in the last few days. Myanmar with the cyclone killing over 30,000 (at least), and China with the massive earthquake, killing at least 18,000. Before I had ever traveled overseas it was so hard for me to relate when tragedy struck other nations. After living in Japan for almost 2 years and traveling to several other countries around the world, I feel like I can better relate to the suffering of the people of all nations. The anguish and pain that we feel in America when we experience things such as 9/11 is the same anguish, fear, pain, and loss that all people of all nations feel when tragedy strikes. Thank God for the missionaries and for the people that have carried the message of Christ to such nations. Without Christ there is no HOPE in death, there is no HOPE when you lose a loved one, there is no PEACE to calm the fears. PLEASE..PLEASE pray for the people in these countries as they deal with such devastation and PLEASE if you feel God calling you to go and help, answer His call! Pray that through these events that God will be glorified among the nations and SALVATION will come to those that are lost.

New Camera Pictures

Mark and I just got a refurbished Olympus E-410 SLR camera, and we are getting used to it. Here are some pictures we have taken. The quality is amazing, and just think how good it will be when we learn to use it properly. Lucky for me, Mark reads instructions, because I never do!"I believe I can fly..." Josiah has begun to express himself quite vividly when he is upset as you can see here. God is truly the best artist of them all..... Lunchtime with MOM on Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day

What a blessing it is to be a "MOM"....Have a great Mother's Day weekend ladies!!

Tomato Plant

This year I have planted my first tomato plant, and squash and zucchini. I hope to save some money by growing the produce ourselves. SO...here are the first pictures and we will see how the progression goes. Hopefully, I have a green thumb....the squash and zucchini are just seeds in the soil for now, but this is the BIG BOY tomato plant.

Updated pics

Here are some new pics of our little man who is now a little over a year and a half...TIME FLIES..

New Job

I love running my own business, but lately I have been doing a lot of shows and got a little burned out. Being the only owner, it makes for a whole lot of work and time. Last weekend I was sick and participated in the Southern Women's Show here in Raleigh. It was a great show, but I worked 40 hours in about 3 days, so I was worn out! I will continue to do Unique World Trends, but starting Monday I am going to start coaching gymnastics for 3-5 year olds. YEAH! This will be my stress free, active, do not have to dress up job. I used to coach the same age group and teenagers when we lived in Wilmington at Gymnastics Unlimited and I really enjoyed it. Josiah will be able to take the "mom and tot" class for free, and I was a gymnastic NUT growing up, so that is extra exciting for me. I am already teaching him forward rolls which he LOVES. I tell him to tuck his head and he bends over, puts his head on the ground and gets ready to flip. TOO CUTE. So, if you are in the Raleigh area and have children, come visit Gym Carolina.

Shark Week all Year Long

Last night our friends Matthew and Elizabeth came over for our regular Wednesday night get together. Elizabeth has quickly picked up on my obsession with wildlife, especially SHARKS..She gave my one of, if not my most favorite birthday gifts EVER! It was the complete 20th Anniversary SHARK WEEK DVD set! I am so excited because my favorite TV week of the year is Shark Week. My husband picks on me because sharks are so exciting to me and yet they are the biggest fear that I have in life. Truly, no joking. I am from Wilmington, NC so I grew up on the coast, LOVE the water, but am terrified of sharks. I have been blessed to have only seen a very small once while I was in the water. Ok, off to watch some more SHARK WEEK! Thanks Elizabeth...

Cool Photos

I am sure you have all figured out my obsession with wildlife...love these pics..

Turning 31......UGHHH

SO... I am not loving getting older. I still feel like I am 21, so it is a bit odd to me to actually be 31 years old. Thank you for all the birthday wishes! Mark and I spent the weekend in Myrtle Beach at South Beach Resort to celebrate and it was GREAT! My sister bought a time share there so we got to stay as her referral in a 2 bedroom condo at the resort. We watched movies, ate at Planet Hollywood and an ocean front restaurant called Damon's and relaxed by the pool. It was our first weekend away from our son who is 18 months (which is good for all married couples to do with children), but we were more than ready to see him again on Sunday. GREAT BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!

HALLELUJAH

So, I am sitting here to watch the American Idol results show and I have the chills! They just opened the show the same way they closed it out last night. That is right, the contestants sang "Shout to the Lord"and they included JESUS in the lyrics this time! WOW!!! It reminds me that one day EVERY tongue will confess and every knee will bow to JESUS CHRIST! Whether the contestants singing it are believers or not, they just confessed who Jesus is..AMEN once again..

Idol Gives Back...Shout to the Lord

I do not know if you had the chance to watch it last night, but Idol Gives Back was a great show! The show is used to raise money to help AIDS victims, especially orphans in Africa whose parent have died from the disease. The money is also raised to help those in poverty in the USA. There were guest appearances by SEVERAL celebrities who shared their stories about traveling to Africa and places in America to experience firsthand the horrific situations of poverty and need for medical attention. Among the celebrities were Brad Pitt, Carrie Underwood, Robin Williams, and many more. The biggest shocker for me was when Ryan Seacrest announced at the very end that the Idol contestants would be singing "Shout to the Lord" which is one of my favorite praise songs about who Jesus Christ is. Even though they edited out the name of "Jesus" in the beginning of the song, it was powerful just the same. I love how God uses even American Idol to get the praise that He deserves! AMEN!! On that note, it was just 2 weeks ago that Dolly Parton was on the show and sang "Jesus and Gravity" also giving a great testimony to who Jesus Christ is. AWESOME STUFF!! ²⁷"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27 NIV

Check out my Slide Show!

Sorrow to Joy

Yesterday I spoke with one my dear friends whom I grew up with. Over the past several years her mother has been battling ovarian cancer. Mark and I were also quite close to her mother and used to clean her home when we owned a cleaning business in Wilmington, NC. Emily ( my friend) shared with me yesterday that her mother went on to be with her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on Monday. It was such a testimony of God's love to hear the peace in Emily's voice while dealing with such a hard thing. Such peace comes from knowing that her Mother had accepted the forgiveness that God offers us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We can rest knowing that Janine is in heaven with God where she has no more cancer, no pain, and a brand new body. HALLELUJAH....I want to share Emily's blog with you and I promise you will be more than blessed as you take part in her journey from SORROW TO JOY. RAINBOW HEART (Emily's Blog)

Starting a Business

About a year ago I embarked on a new mission of starting a retail business named Unique World Trends. I had no idea the work and time that goes into such an ordeal. While my husband and I were living in Japan as missionaries, we had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Thailand. If you have ever been to Thailand you know the beauty of the people, the land and the merchandise. I bought a few purses while there and have received compliments on them daily since back in the USA. After some urging on by my mother, I decided to start importing them to sell. One thing has led to another and now I have a full fledged Internet retail shop selling handmade BAMBOO, SILK, COTTON, and WATER HYACINTH bags. Of course along the way I have added some famous Thai silk scarves and some other trendy things to my shop, but I focus primarily on the Thai products. I like the Thai products because they have unique look and are very high quality merchandise. I have had the opportunity to be a part of several TRADE SHOWS and am still very much learning the ropes of running a business. I would love it if anyone had some helpful advise to pass along...I will keep you posted. I will be hosting a table this weekend in Wilmington, NC at the annual Coastal Living Show.

Eagle ray kills Woman

WOW...what a story. In Florida, and eagle ray jumps from the water and crashes into a woman. Read the story here.

Easter

I love this time of the year when everything is coming back to life and the weather is warming up. I have spent the last 3 days with my door open all day playing outside with my son. I also love this time of the year because of Easter. Of all the things to come back to life, there is nothing that compares to Jesus Christ being raised back to life 3 days after His death on the cross. WOW...it is only because of this resurrection that I have been forgiven of all my sins and will spend an eternity in heaven when I perish from this life.Becoming a parent has really helped me to begin to understand the sacrifice God gave us when He sent His Son to die for us, so that we may live. What an amazing love. I hope that each of you reading this have accepted the love and gift of Jesus Christ dying on the cross and being raised again to life. Love you all....

White Killer Whale FOUND

White Killer Whale Spotted Very cool, check it out.