I scream, you scream...

Just thought you should know... Ben & Jerry's "Chocolate Therapy" ice cream is all kinds of scrumptious; especially in a waffle cone. We had the fortune of visiting B & J's last night after church, since our traditional ice cream stop- The Sweet Spot (a cute little shop with all kinds of candy, salt-water taffy, "beachy" paraphernalia, and of course, yummy ice cream)- was inexplicably closed. B & J's across the street was a magnificent alternative.

By the way, if you're ever vacationing in Emerald Isle, and need a good church to visit, go to Emmanuel Baptist on Bell St. in Swansboro. There you'll find wonderful preaching, singing, and people.

It has been a beautiful week here in EI. Clear and sunny, mid-upper 70's, and they've even caught a few fish!

The Joys of Fall

Leaves of red on the sidewalk,

A growing chill in the air,

Pumpkins smiling on porches,

Caramel apples at the fair.

Gathering close 'round a bonfire,

Roasting marshmallows on sticks,

Pulling on jackets and jeans,

Game winning field-goal kicks.

Tales of ghosts and wild costumes,

Gorging on Halloween candy,

Piling a feast on the table,

Giving thanks with the family.

Fall is a season of changing,

Of leaves, of air, of light,

Into a winter of resting,

Till buds spring into sight.

23!!

I had an absolutely lovely birthday yesterday! My mom saved me from spending the daytime hours alone- we went to lunch at Leon's (great burger!) then walked around and browsed some shops in downtown Mt. Airy. It was a gorgeous fall day! That evening Daniel and I went to a wedding, out to eat at Texas Roadhouse (mmm... NY strip!), then "window shopping" at the mall (where I was allowed to choose my birthday gift- a fabulous eggplant colored fleece all-weather jacket from Eddie Bauer- on sale!), and finally a quick stop at Walmart to get a few supplies to stock up for our upcoming fishing trip (which we are REALLY looking forward to!). I'm excited to see what this next year of my life will bring.

God's Been Good

It has been the most wonderful camp meeting week I could have asked for. I had a blast working during the days with the other ladies! But what really made the week were the services each evening. The messages were challenging and heart-changing, and the Spirit of God moved among us in a tangible way- especially on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Tuesday night the altar filled during the song service with people thanking and praising God for His many blessings. Then last night, Bro. David Harrison preached an outstanding salvation message. The burden for lost souls was pressing on my heart from the moment he began preaching till the very end. Christians prayed, God came down, and at least six souls were saved, possibly more. It was such a blessing! My heart has rejoiced much this week! Pray for all those who made decisions to keep them, and to serve God in a greater way than ever before in the days to come.

I love Jesus, Hallelujiah! I love Jesus, yes I do. I love Jesus, He's my Savior, Jesus smiles and loves me too. I'm a soldier bound for glory, I am going over home. (Bro. Harrison and his family sang for us- this is the chorus of one of the songs they sang.)

It's the Cheesiest!

We're having our annual Camp Meeting at church this week. Every year, supper is served before the services, and volunteers from our church come during the day to help prepare food and clean. I've gone to many of these meetings in my lifetime, and have enjoyed the bounty of food provided, but until today I did not realize precisely how much work is required by those preparing the meals. Today, I saw and helped fix the biggest tub of macaroni I've ever seen. It required the melting of 44 pounds of Velveeta, then mixing it with about 12-15 cans of evaporated milk, three 3 1/2 lb tubs of Country Crock, plenty of salt, and about 10 family size boxes of elbow macaroni. (sounds like a heart-attack waiting to happen, I know.) I and two other ladies took turns mixing it all up with a boat paddle in a large storage tote. It was great fun! I wish I'd had my camera. I'll be going back for round two tomorrow! To top the day off, the services this evening were wonderful- such a blessing!

Our dog is a punk.

Griffin (our one year old Cairn Terrier), is a constant source of joy and annoyance in our household. If our dog is any indication of how our kids will turn out, I'm not sure we're passing the training test. Daniel and I agreed to keep Bandit (my dad's 8 year old Cairn Terrier) while he is vacationing for a few days in Pigeon Forge. Bandit arrived last night, and Griffin was leaping with glee at having a visitor. His joy turned to disdain, however, when Bandit proceeded to shred Griffin's stuffed burger squeak toy. Seriously... stuffing was strewn across the floor, the fabric (a fuzzy sort) was in tatters on the rug, and the squeaker squeaked it's last as it was torn asunder. Griffin watched, whining intermittently, as his toy (a dollar store special- yeah, we were really concerned about it...) was dissected and destroyed, glancing every now and then at Daniel and I as if to say "Look what he's doing!! Why are you just sitting there?? Aren't you going to stop him?!?" Finally, Griffin decided he'd had enough. He retreated to the laundry room (where we had placed all of Bandit's stuff), and to his delight, found a large bone in Bandit's crate. Next thing we know he's prancing into the living room, bone-in-mouth, jumping and spinning around, desperately trying to draw Bandit's attention. As this continues, you can just imagine him saying "Na-na-na-na-boo-boo, I got your bone!!" He went the extra mile to make sure Bandit knew he would not be getting his bone back any time soon. A bit vengeful, no? It was highly entertaining nonetheless.

Today was filled with more fighting over the bone (apparently, the 10 pieces of bone belonging to Griffin are now invisible), much wrestling, and bouts of jealousy from Griffin. Bandit's personality is completely "chill". If you pet him a few times and baby him a bit, he's happy. Griffin is not satisfied unless he is the center of attention in his domain. If I pet Bandit, Griff gets between us and shoves him away. Griffin will jump on top of Bandit if he's not first in line in order to gain center stage. We've noticed evidence of this jealous behavior before- Daniel can't hug me for too long without getting barked at. Bandit goes home on Saturday. We'll see how it goes from here. I think it's safe to say we have a brat for a dog- but we love him!

Blessed With Freedom

Oftentimes, we find ourselves focusing on what we have lost rather than what we have in hand; taking for granted the blessings we have been given. Americans have so much, but are commonly discontent and dissatisfied with life. We are currently free to worship as we choose, to speak openly of our beliefs and opinions, and to arm ourselves to protect our families. Will that change? Will things get worse? Possibly. However, this is not a reason for us to lose hope. For the Christian, true freedom comes from God. Regardless of what happens to America, Christians know that our ultimate future is in Heaven, free from the cares of this world. He has given us the freedom to live for Him, and has promised to bless us in return. So, what are we doing for Him? He has allowed us to be born in a country where we are free to talk about Him as much as want, but are we taking advantage? It's humbling to see how much He has continued to bless, even when our service is not what it should be. He is so good to we who are so undeserving.
There is much to be thankful for today. My church, salvation, the Bible, my family, good health, employment, education, friends... freedom.
Pray for America.