Truer Words Have Ne'er Been Penned

Do you recall what I said last Saturday night? If not, here is a reminder:

"Our "tomorrow" may hold lots of things that we have planned, or it may hold lots of surprises. But we may be like those disciples and have no idea what our "tomorrow" holds, and it could change our lives forever! But whatever our tomorrow holds, we hold on to this thought:

Whatever happens...whatever you see...
Whatever your eyes tell you has become of me
This is not the end...
I am making all things new again"

Let me share with you the plans I had for my Thursday when I typed those words. I was going to either run 10 miles with Matt and then clean out the storage shed OR if CJ couldn't go with Terri to watch Patrick play in the State Tennis Tournament, then I was heading to Mobile to cheer on some Redskins.

Let me tell you what was NOT in my plans. My plans did not include: waking up late after sleeping on the Love Seat for fear of more storms coming in. My plans did NOT include rushing to my cell phone first thing that morning to call Terri to see if CJ was ok. My plans did NOT include crying at all that day. My plans did NOT include hanging up from talking to Jill and yelling to Matt "brush your teeth - they are on their way to pick you up to go to Tuscaloosa" (ha) My plans did NOT include watching them drive out of our drive with tears streaming down my face......need I go on?

But as my plans were quickly changed, I was reminded of this verse:

"Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

God has a greater purpose for what we have witnessed. And it is that purpose that will prevail!

Some of you know that our student ministry is reading the book Radical by David Platt. Maybe part of God's purpose is to see if we are going to really be Radical. We are working out the details at this moment, but Sunday morning after Sunday School, our students will be taking Radical to the streets of Tuscaloosa. Our plans are to go to Tuscaloosa dressed in work clothes and armed with bottled water, toothbrushes, etc. and minister to these people that have lost everything! We are ready to give to and serve the people of this state!

"Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus" 2 Timothy 2:3

Many of you have asked to see some of the pictures from the day Matt spent in Tuscaloosa.....here are just a few from Matt's phone.

This is what they saw as they walked towards CJ's house.....could you imagine, as a mom, walking into this, knowing this is where your son is?



This is CJ's house......what a miracle!





I love this picture. This is what we gave CJ for graduation from High School four years ago.....I don't know if I am more impressed that it survived the storm or that he still has it!




"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." John 14:18











"Do not be afraid because I am with you. Do not be intimidated; I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will support you with my victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10



"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair" 2 Corinthians 4:8



“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling” Psalm 46:1-3





I know that I have overloaded you with pictures, and believe it or not, I just chose a few of what Matt had. Before I go, I just wanted to share one more quick thought. I feel like all I have done since our power came back on, has been watch the news (minus car line, a t-ball game, having Davis' stitches removed, visiting at a friend's house, helping out the Hubauer's - well maybe I have watched a little of the news) but I have seen some pretty amazing things! I have seen countless stories of neighbors helping neighbors, friends helping friends, strangers helping strangers. I have seen two different news anchors on two different channels burst into to tears and weep to the point they had to go to commercial. I have seen amazing pages come up on Facebook helping people in countless ways. I have heard amazingly scary stories of death......and most importantly survival. Do you know the common thread of these thing? Alabama! Not the University or even the State - the people!

I have lived in three states in my lifetime - Alabama, Kentucky and West Virginia. Let me tell you - there is nothing like an Alabamian! We are a breed of our own - ask my sweet Georgian husband! Let me say in all honesty that Alabama is home -
"no matter where I lay my head" But I have seen a side of Alabama the past 48 hours that make me even more proud to be from this great state! And somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered learning the state song of Alabama at some point in high school. Just ask Matt - every time we would cross the state line on those long drives back from West Virginia - I sang the ENTIRE song. But this week - this verse has taken on a new meaning:

"Little, little, can I give thee,
Alabama, mother mine;
But that little--hand, brain, spirit,
All I have and am are thine.
Take, O take the gift and giver.
Take and serve thyself with me,
Alabama, Alabama,
I will aye be true to thee."

After The Storm, The Sun Will Shine Again

Yesterday was terrible! As I watch the news, I still can not believe we lived thru something like this. What an amazing loss of life. I wonder if I will ever lose this lump in my throat. I am overwhelmed!

Just to let you know what we experienced, we were "flying blind" which may have been the best thing for us. We lost power around 2:30pm. It really wasn't raining then, but we had a bad storm pass thru earlier that morning. That storm weakened a tree, so when the wind picked up, the tree went down.....on a power line. We were without power until 9:30pm, so we missed any and all tv/radio coverage thru the worst of the storm.

When the tornado hit Tuscaloosa, Davis and I were in the bathroom (our safe place) because another tornado was heading towards Oneonta. At that point, the only form of communication we had was cell phone. My mom was texting James Spann updates, and we could follow Facebook updates. As soon as we heard that a terrible storm hit Tuscaloosa, we lost cell service. We knew nothing except that 1) it was BAD and 2) we have students that we love as if they were our own living there. Terrified could not even describe the feeling that we had.

So there we sat. The longer we had no communication, the more panic began to set in. Where did these kids go? Are they ok? What is happening next? Are there more storms coming? Are they coming here?

Around 9:00, we decided there was nothing else to do, except go to bed and continue to pray. We laid down, and around 9:15, our sweet friend Linda was here checking on us. She had been calling and texting since earlier in the afternoon, and when she had waited as long as she could, she came over to check on us. As soon as Matt opened the door, the power came back on (I didn't realize she was such good luck) We still had no cell service, but we could communicate via Facebook.

We were able to check on those students in Tuscaloosa. I saw post after post "We are safe! No power - but safe" But then I saw the post that shook me to my core.

CJ Hubauer
House is gone but im ok

It was at this point, I lost it!

CJ is Terri's son. Remember Terri - my best friend in the entire world?
My friend that:

I spend my holidays with



I run races with



That loves my child as if he were her own



Shoot - she even paints my toenails!



That friend!

Her child lost EVERYTHING and I had no way to contact her! My stomach was in knots!

When daylight came, I had cell service. I am sure you know the first phone call I made. I will not go into CJ's story - but it is remarkable! Maybe one day I will share - maybe one day I will let CJ share. But - Matt, Terri, Jonathan, Mark and Jill are on there way to Tuscaloosa to help CJ put some pieces together and bring not only CJ home, but lots of other students that have no power or no home or no way to get their car out. Please pray for this family and everyone involved. Today is going to be a sad, sad day for lots of people, but especially for those that I love!

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10



Matt and CJ in Seattle, WA

A Developing Sense of Humor

Davis has developed a love for the art of telling jokes. Please notice I did not say Davis has mastered the art of telling jokes.

I just had to pop in and share the top three of the day.

When does an astronaut eat? At launch time

Where does a cow go on vacation? Moo York

Why do dogs not drive cars? They can't find barking spaces

We have been home for the day because of some pretty bad storms that came in this morning and the promise of even worse storms coming in this afternoon. I am not a fan a bad storms, and my heart is heavy for those families that have lost loved ones, but I sure have loved spending my morning playing play-doh and telling jokes with my favorite buddy in the world!

Stay safe out there!

Happy Easter To All And To All A Goodnight!

Well......He came



And left a trail of eggs leading to the goods (yes Davis slept in a tent last night)







Davis found the eggs



And the goods......

A miniature helmet from each NFL team



A movie



Davis had to choose his favorite teams.....

The Steelers



And the Washington Redskins



We went to church



Davis got to ride in an Auburn golf cart with T - possibly the highlight of Davis' day



After church, we headed out to Mark and Jill's (and Carter's) for lunch and......

Spending time with friends





Playing baseball





Hunting eggs









And back to baseball with Carter




It was a wonderful day! But we are exhausted. Matt got up super early to go to the Sunrise Service and since we have been home from the Sims, they have taken my dad to the ER in Birmingham. They have admitted him to CCU and my mom is on her way to stay here with us and we still have homework and a bath to take care of. But I must exclaim as I dash to pick up the mess "Happy Easter To All And To All A Goodnight!"

'Twas The Night Before Easter

Here we are.....the night before Easter. We had lots to do today....things like....

Dying Easter Eggs









Taking Easter Eggs out to dry











Choosing the perfect carrots for EB (easter bunny)



Writing a letter to and drawing a picture for EB







"Dear EB, I like you. DAVIS"

Listening to the greatest story ever told



Praying, unprompted from mom or dad, from the overflow of my heart "Thank you for dying on the cross for our sins"

And now......we wait......



Just like those disciples over 2000 years ago, we are not sure what we wait for. Our "tomorrow" may hold another baby. Our "tomorrow" may hold Davis as an only child, and we will praise God for giving us that one precious gift. Our "tomorrow" may hold buying a home. Our "tomorrow" may hold staying in this rented home forever and being completely satisfied in that. Our "tomorrow" may hold lots of things that we have planned, or it may hold lots of surprises. But we may be like those disciples and have no idea what our "tomorrow" holds, and it could change our lives forever! But whatever our tomorrow holds, we hold on to this thought:


Whatever happens...whatever you see...
Whatever your eyes tell you has become of me
This is not the end...
I am making all things new again