Prayer Requests

I posted this prayer request a little while ago and I just heard from Michelle that Arianna has been put on medication. They have already seen an improvement in her health in the short time that she has been taking the medicine. Thank you for keeping Arianna in your prayers!

This week my Uncle Dave's mother died. Although I was not actually related to her I always called her grandma. She was a wonderful women who lived a full life. Please keep her family and friends in your prayers during this difficult time.

Last week my great Aunt Winnie fell and broke her arm. Please pray that she will have a speedy recovery without any complications.

Blogger Reflection Award

Grams over at Talk to Grams has nominated me for the Blogger Reflection Award. I was thrilled when she told me she had chosen me for this award. This is what she wrote about me:

"Melanie is a lovely young Christian woman, who loves and cares for her family deeply. She is a encouragement to me every day. Her Christian values shine through all of her writings. She always has something kind to say on all of her comments to everyone! She loves her little girl with so much love, that you wish all the little girls everywhere had a Mommy like her! She also tries very hard to be a wife that her husband is proud of everyday! She is one sweet lady!! I am glad she is my friend!"

Thank you so much Grams for your kind words!! I too am glad we are friends!

This award was originated by a teenage girl and here are her guidelines: "As for my award, it is called The Blogger Reflection Award. Why? The reason for the title is because this award should make you reflect on five bloggers who have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted you in some way, and have been a Godly example to you. Five Bloggers who when you reflect on them you get a sense of pride and joy... of knowing them and being blessed by them. This award is for the best-of-the-best so consider who you pick, carefully. This award should not be given to just anyone. If you're going to do the award don't just write a few words and slap it on your blog. Write real thoughts about these bloggers and what they've been to you, and if the bloggers you pick have already been given the award, don't be afraid to give to them again. They deserve it as many times as it's given."

So, that means that Grams thinks I am the best-of-the-best. Wow! Again, thank you Grams!!

Now I know I am supposed to pass it on to five bloggers I think are the best-of-the-best, but I think all of my blogging friends are the best-of-the-best and I can't pick just five. So, I'm breaking the rules and not passing it on, because I just can't choose!

Wordless Wednesday #14

(taken by my dad)

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Brooke in DC

A message from Brooke:

As most people know I was nominated for NYLC (National Young Leaders Conference). I was the only person from my school who went and it was a great honor. I went to Washington D.C. and they had us busy from 7:30 in the morning 'til 11 at night. At the hotel we were assigned to a group that we met with every day. This group was our Leadership Group Meeting (LGM). In our LGM we discussed what qualities a person had to have in order to be a leader. We came up with 2 pages front and back full of qualities. We voted on a president and my new friend Josh from Mississippi won the election. We also held our own press conferences. At the press conferences we had to ask the President (Josh) questions about the war on Iraq, the economics issues, and what would happen if his plan had failed. During the conferences I was the Economist. LGM wasn't all just business though we had fun too. We played games and I even learned that our leader, Anthony, was really good at break dancing and a really good singer!
At the hotel we also had Model Congress (MoCo). MoCo was to prepare us for a session where we were to have Cacauses and Committees. There were 4 committees. The Democrat Criminal Justices Committee, Republican Criminal Justices Committee, Democrat Telecommunications Committee, and the Republican Telecommunications Committee. I was on the Democrat Criminal Justices Committee. The Cacauses A-G were democrat and the Cacauses H-L were republican (democrats had majority because of the congress today). The Cacauses were to come up with amendments for 2 bills, a criminal justice bill and a telecommunications bill. The Committees were to ask the Cacauses questions about the amendments they had come up with. Committees voted on the amendments and turned them into a bill. The next day we had a huge session with all 380 people and voted on the bills to make them laws. Both bills passed and became laws.

We didn't just stay in the hotel though we also went to museums, monuments, memorials, and shopping. Some of the museums that I went to were the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of Natural History, and the Holocaust Museum. I had the most fun at the National Museum of Natural History.

One of the monuments that I went to was the Washington Monument. Some of the memorials I went to were the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, and the WWII Memorial.

The shopping was great and my new friends and I had a lot of fun.

We had some pretty fun nights at the hotel. We had a karaoke night, a talent show, and on our last night in D.C. we had a dance at the Marriott! My friends and I had a lot of fun and even though I didn't know them for that long, I still miss them and I am keeping in touch with them.

Thank you again to everyone who helped to make it possible for me to go on this great trip!

Love,

Brooke

The Story of Us

I met Rich my senior year in high school. We started dating a couple of months after we met and our first "official" date was to my senior prom.

Aren't we cute?

After 5 short years of dating, Rich finally proposed to me in December of 1999. (Actually, Rich waited, very wisely, until I was done with college before he proposed.) Since I wasn't in a big hurry or anything I immediately started planning a July 2000 wedding. Rich wanted to wait until the summer of 2001, but I explained to him that it would be easier for him to remember how many years we had been married if we were married in the year 2000. Finally Rich my mom and I decided that July 15th 2000 would be the wedding date.

We (my mom and I) planned a wonderful outdoor ceremony that would take place in the midst of some very beautiful gardens at the Owego Treadway Inn. We only had 7 months to get everything planned so we were two very busy ladies trying to get everything done. Each Saturday during the months of May, June, and July the weather was spectacular- sunny and beautiful. Then the week of our wedding it started pouring on Tuesday and did not stop. We were sure that it would stop in time for the wedding, but alas it did not. The morning of the wedding several people scurried around to move the ceremony to an outdoor covered patio. Everything turned out perfectly and the ceremony was beautiful even with the rain. And, as the pastor told us that, "A wet knot is harder to untie."

Exchanging rings

Lighting the Unity Candle

The kiss

Married!

Our cake

First dance

Us

Later that day the rain stopped, so we

were able to get a few pictures outside.

Me, Rich & Brooke

Us with the ring bearer and flower girl

The wedding party

7 wonderful years later.

Happy 7th Anniversary Hun! I love you!

Thankful Thursday #1

Last week Grams at Talk to Grams tagged me with the Five Things I DIG About Jesus meme. I decided to use this meme for my Thankful Thursday. So, I am writing about five reasons I am thankful for Jesus and why I DIG Him.

1. He died for me so that I can live forever- (John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

2. When I am concerned about something I know I can turn to Him- (I Peter 5:7) Casting all your care upon him: for he careth for you.

3. No matter what is going on in my life, I can feel at peace- (John 14:27) Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

4. He loves me- (1 John 4:10) Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

5. Jesus loves kids- (Matthew 19:13-14) Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Now I'm supposed to tag 5 people to list 5 things they DIG about Jesus. But, I'm not going to- instead- if you're reading this- TAG, you're it! Come back and let me know when you've posted your 5 things so I can come read them.

For more Thankful Thursday visit Sting My Heart.

My Four Favorites Meme

I've been tagged by Grams at Talk to Grams to participate in the My Four Favorites meme.

Four Jobs I've Held

• Cashier at CVS
• Director of Kids' Korner at the YWCA
• Universal Pre-Kindergarten Teacher
• Stay-at-home-Mom (which is most definitely the best of all the jobs I've ever had!)

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over Again

• Family Man
• Father of the Bride I
• Father of the Bride II
• Christmas Vacation

Four Places I've Lived

• The town where I lived most of my childhood
• The town where I went to college
• The town we lived in after we got married
• The town I live in now

Four TV Shows I Watch (This is the hardest one for me because I don't watch very much TV)

• The Office
• House
• American Idol
• The Today Show

Four Places I've Been on Vacation

• Gatlinburg, TN
• Bahamas
• Mexico
• Orlando, FL

Four Favorite Foods (How will I ever narrow it down to only four???)

• Pizza (homemade by Rich)
• Lasagna
• Chocolate Chip Cookies (Chips Ahoy)
• Peanut M&M's

Four Websites I Visit

• Baby Center
• Discover Card
• Myspace
• Lots and lots of blogs

Four People I'm Tagging

• Jodie at Common Mom
• KC at Mindless Chatter of a Busy Mom
• Christi at Jealous Hands
• Shionge at So Shiok

Wordless Wednesday #13