Getting Ready for KENYA!!!!

Hello to all, I've been kinda busy lately with the new job :). Sorry I've been slacking with updating our blog. I really have a lot more pics still I want to add, but I've already procrastinated enough today. I'm off work today because of snow!! HOW NICE! And I really need to start packing and getting all my paperwork finished for my job. Things have been going really well. Aaron has finished another block of school, Praise the Lord. We are both really excited to be able to go on this trip together. God has provided all the money we needed to go and more! He is so faithful and good to us! We have been so blessed to see God providing for our every need. It's funny how things seem to go from "slow and boring" to "fast and crazy" in such a short amount of time!! Just a few weeks ago, I was bored silly with nothing to do. And now, my mind and body are trying to adjust to having a whole lot of things to do. It is so hard for me to keep my eyes on Jesus everyday and not stress about when I'm going to get things done or even how. It is a daily decision that I have to make to trust God with enabling me and helping me to get things done. It's funny the things I worry about and don't worry about. It seems like huge things I trust God for, but the little things, for some reason, I think I'm suppose to be in control of. Anyway, enough about all that. The point is that I'm a work in progress and I'm praying that God will make me more like Jesus everyday, even in all the little things.
A friend of mine sent me this verse and I pass it along to you....

"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word." 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Super Bowl Party!!

Our friends KJ & Michelle had a Super Bowl Party at thier apartment complex. Michelle is a huge Steelers fan, so it turned out to be a great night! The fellowship was great too! We are blessed to have such good friends. Here is a random picture I asked Aaron to pose for........he really did have a good time!
There was a lot of team spirit here...this is a pic of Michelle after her team scored a TD!! To the left of Michelle is our pastor, Matthew Kirkland, and his son, Mac(short for Mackiah, I think I probably spelled that wrong).
Here is our pastor's wife, Heather, and Mac, and Tiffany, Derek's wife.
This is Tank!! He belongs to KJ and Michelle. KJ actually made him a jersey, which you can see he is growing out of :). He was great entertainment as always!

More pics of family

I can't believe I didn't include any pics of our cute nephew Gavin, which is Caryss' little brother. He is a cutie!! We miss all of them very much!

Caryss' Birthday Party

Thank Goodness it's Friday!! I can't believe we will be on our way to Kenya two weeks from today! I've been so consumed with my new job this week that I haven't thought about our trip very much. Anyway, Aaron and I are watching some Olympic stuff on TV and going to watch an episode of "Lost" on his computer later. So, here are some more pics of Caryss' party.........
Caryss and her mom, Laura. Laura does a great job taking care of her two cuties!
I think this might have been Caryss' favorite present......her Dora Jeep!!
Caryss opening present after present after present..........lots of fun stuff!
"Pucker up!"---Caryss giving her dad some sugar
Mmmmmm good, Caryss enjoying her birthday cake

Caryss' 2nd Birthday Party!!

Well, I must say this has been an exhausting week. It is going to take a little bit of time getting adjusted to waking up so early. As any of you who know me would understand because I am not an early bird! I am anxious to meet my two students tomorrow and be in my classroom all day.

So here are some pics of Caryss' 2nd birthday party. It was a Dora Birthday Party, Caryss' favorite person. She seemed a little overwhelmed by all the people at first, but eventually was able to enjoy herself.

Here are some pics of Caryss blowing bubbles and of her waiting patiently to eat her Dora birthday cake.



Here is a pic of Daniel, Clint, and Aaron. (Aaron's brothers).

Visiting Family in Tennessee

YES!!! I was successful in downloading pictures tonight! These are pics from our visit to TN on Jan. 27-29. We spent some time with both of our families and I will be including pics from Caryss' Birthday party next. But for now, here are some great pics of my family, mainly my nephew because he is the cutest! He likes to roar like a lion, read books, dance to music(like his aunt & uncle), and turn the tv on and off :) . Oh, and of course, he loves to eat......anything. He chugs a big glass of milk every morning. He's a growing boy for sure!! Carla and I were able to spend some more time working on his scrapbook, which is coming along great!

During this trip, Colton actually made some sounds that sounded like "Sonya", but really "Nanya". I was pretty excited!
Me and Colton decided to go outside and swing for awhile. He enjoys that too.
Colton talks on the phone more than I do. If someone calls, he insists on talking to them no matter who it is. He has actually pushed the redial button and called me on his own :). Proud Momma & Daddy! What a happy family! This is my sister, Carla, and my brother-in-law Scott. They do a great job.

Well, just to let you know my job is going good so far. I went to my school for the first time today. It takes about 45 minutes to get there, but it is a beautiful drive through the mountains on a 4-lane highway most of the time. I observed a Kindergarten class today and will observe 2nd grade tomorrow. Then on Friday I will be in my classroom, 3rd grade and will meet my 2 students!! Say a prayer for me learning and adjusting to this new position. I am so thankful for this job and I pray that God will use me to be a Light to my students and co-workers. I know He has put me in this position for a purpose. I am also praying about and working on not worrying about things like how I will know what to do or how I will do all the paperwork. It is a daily choice that I need to make to lay it down at Jesus' feet and trust Him to provide for what I need. I know that when I am stressed and feel burdened and weighed down that I am not resting in Him. Aaron reminded me of God's word, which says, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take MY YOKE upon you and LEARN from ME, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 and of course in Matthew 6:25-34, I love these verses. I pray that God would use these verses to help you not to worry about things, but to "seek FIRST His Kingdom and His righteousness, so that all these things will be added unto you."

Update- Lots of News!

Hello everyone! We have lots of praises to share and lots of pictures also. Unfortunately, our computer is not wanting to cooperate with our camera and the pics are not downloading. So...keep checking, I have lots to add. Our first praise is that I have a job!!!!!! A full-time job in my field!! Today was actually my first day, but all I did was watch orientation videos and read through manuals and notebooks. I will be a third grade counselor in Giles County. I'm actually working for Family Preservation Services, which is a private agency that works with the school. I will have between 3 - 6 kids usually, but I'm just starting out with 2. I actually go to the school on Wed. to start observing and then I will be in my classroom on Friday!!!! WOW! I'm a little nervouse, please pray for me! I'm excited to see what God has planned for me in this job.
More good news and an answered prayer is that we have raised all $6,000 dollars for our Kenya trip, thanks to God providing lots of "cheerful givers". We are very excited about this opportunity to go and share the Good News and also provide medical care (Aaron, not me :)).
Aaron is doing well in school, but is looking forward to a break. Please pray that God would prepare us for this mission trip. Well, I think I'm going to head to bed now. I'm quite frustrated that I couldn't download pics of my cute nephews and niece, and our super bowl pary!! hopefully soon! Goodnight!