Celebrating in someone elses failure...

Recently some news has come out about someone.  A moral failure we might say.  Now I dont want to sugar coat this and act like it is something that it is not.  I will be the first to say that the crime committed is terrible, sickening, and disgusting.  But my heart breaks for this person and the family and friends that are surrounded by the situation. 

I have recently read comments on Facebook from so called "christians" who are celebrating in this moral failure.  Even calling it a "VICTORY".  This situation has NOTHING to do with these people, yet they are claiming someones failure a victory for them.  Just as this crime that was committed sickens me.  This pathetic disgraceful attitude sickens me even more.  How dare someone parade around in anothers failures.  You show me that in the bible?!  YES the bible says that vengance is his and that he will repay, BUT this situation has nothing to do with these people who are parading around in their so called "victory".  What they SHOULD be doing is falling down on their faces and praying for this family whose lives are falling apart.  How sickening is it that they would parade it around as a "victory". 

I hope you are reading this and you know who you are.... because I want you to know.... that YOU SICKEN ME.... You are pathetic and you are FAKE.  Your attitude is just as bad as this moral failure, this sin, this sick disease is just as bad as your attitude and your lies that you "heard this from God before it came out".  You are liars!  I will pray for you that God will reveal to you this sickness in your heart.  GOD did not make this person fall.  This is a sick disease called SIN.  So if you think that this is YOUR victory then this "victory" is from satan... not GOD. 

To all my other readers who are not the people being addressed, think before you speak, pray for your enemies, and follow the WORD.  Not MAN. 

Christmas is coming!

 I am MOSTLY decorated for Christmas, I have a few things I would like to get if I find them, but here is what I have so far! 

 

I made this wreath for Nathan two years ago.  He's a HUGE Duke Basketball fan!

 

This little tree is decorated with all the ornaments Nathan's Granny has given him over the years, plus a few ornamets of mine from the years! 

 

Im going to get some lights and wrap around this garland to give it a POP at night! 

 

We thought this stocking looked like our coco pup and the hanger is a schnauzer, which is what her mommy was!

 

Here is our little princess! 

 Taylor Made Music has some exciting Christmas gigs coming up soon as well!  Hope you can make it to some!

Dec 10 7-9 PM Fills Coffee Shop @ Union Road COG in Gastonia
Dec 12 10:30 AM Freedom Biker Church Hickory, NC
Dec 18 7:00 PM New Life Saturday Night Dallas, NC

"Its Where I Shot My First Deer"

I havent blogged in quite a while!  But I to blog and share this with everyone!  I have been begging my dad to take me hunting for the past two years and he FINALLY gave in!  I went to his house on Wed. afternoon and practiced shooting, here's how that turned out!

 Then on Thanksgiving afternoon we went to the woods!  My dad built this box stand on his land and this is where we hunted from.

We got up in the stand about 15 till 4 and sat there looking and quietly talking!  My nephew Caine had shot a missed a smaller deer a couple weeks ago and my dad had seen it around, so that was the one he was hoping would come out.  This is where I was looking most the time

At about 5:15 sure enough the little deer came walking out!  I sighted her in and BOOM!!!  Me and Daddy got out of the stand and tracked it through the bushes, it only went about 15 yrds.

Im pretty proud of my first deer!  It was a lot of fun and very exciting!  Im looking forward to doing it a lot more!   

I guess this is my proof for those of you who didnt know already... Im a redneck girl.... :)  And proud of it! 

Quiet Your Mind

I hear the waves
Sun beatin' down on my shoulders
It's a near-perfect day
Wishin' I wouldn't get any older
They say that it's gone 'fore you know it now

Quiet your mind
Soak it all in
It's a game you can't win
Enjoy the ride

I feel the change
Goin' on all around me
It's strange
How I'm taken and guided
Where I end up right I'm needed to be

Quiet your mind
Soak it all in
It's a game you can't win
Enjoy the ride

At the end of the water
A red sun is risin'
And the stars are all goin' away
And if you're too busy talkin'
You're not busy listenin'
To hear what the land has to say

Quiet your mind

I hear the waves
Sun beatin' down on my shoulders
It's a near-perfect day
Wishin' I wouldn't get any older
They say that it's gone 'fore you know it and
Soak it all in
It's a game you can't win
Enjoy the ride

-Zac Brown Band

0-15?

Well I hate to be a pessamist, but I dont see my Panthers winning ANY games this year unless SOMETHING changes or if there is another team out there as horrible as we are.... which would be pretty hard to find! 

Nathan and I went to the game yesterday and had AWESOME seats!  The tickets were given to us and it was the best seats we have EVER had!  Section 101, row 15!  It was a really neat experience to sit that low and have the players that close to you.  We tailgated before the game with Nathans dad who grilled AMAZING buffalo chicken thighs!  I made my taco dip and one of the guys fiances made the best peach pie that I have ever ate!  It had cream cheese in it and it was soooo yummy!  There was a little damper on the day though, litterally... the day was VERY damp.  Nathan was so dissapointed because he ALWAYS says "todays gonna be a pretty day cause it NEVER rains when the Panthers play"  until this point his little theory for the most part was true.  The majority of games we have been to have been beautiful and sunny and if not sunny just a little overcast.  Its snowed a few times, but other than that, its mostly really pretty weather.  Not Sunday!  Last week it was 90 and sunny, this week it was cool and rainy!  haha, Nate was kind of dissapointed he had such good seats but horrible weather, but we had a great time anyway!  Here are a few pics!

I Got A Blog Award!

Yay!  My first blog award!  Thanks to my sissy at Little Carrigan!  

Here are the rules! 

The Rules:
1. Answer this question: If you had the chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?
2. The second thing you have to do is, pick 6 people and give them this award.You then have to inform the person that they have gotten this award.
3. The third and final thing is, thank the person who gave you the award.

My answers:

1.  If I could change 1 thing in my life then I would have not been so stupid and let my hubby get away the first time we dated!  I thought he was too dorky the first time around, boy did I have a lot of growing up to do!  I am thankful that I have him now, but sticking with him from the moment we met and dated years ago would have saved me a lot of heartache and trouble, but God has a plan and I'm thankful for his grace and mercy and that he led me back to my sweetie!  :)  

2.  Here are my six people!

1.  The tallented:  Jonathan O'Brien at J. O'Brien Photo  -  This guy is so tallented, and if you need any pics taken, he's your guy!

2.  Crystal at stories from my ute.  I have to be honest, her blogging skills are what made me first want to start a blog, and then she had an adorable daughter so of course I love checking out their latest adventures!  She is so stylish and I love reading about the things they do!

3.  My friend Jimmy of Elishah has started a new blog with very inspirational posts check him out here More than a Man 

4.  Amber over at The Grooms always has wonderful stories and inspirational thoughts!

5.  Becky at Beckys Blogs has some pretty cool recipes

6.  And of course my other sissy Joy at Life On Hallman Hill!

I dont follow a lot, but these are some of my favs! 

I love fall!

I just had to say it!


I LOVE FALL!!!! 


There's just something about football games, marching bands, the apple festival, the chill in the air, the warm colors, falling leaves, just the crisp, freshness of it all....

It makes me excited that Christmas is coming! 

One thing I need to work on is becoming a better seasonal decorator.  Today I went to Dollar Tree and Dollar General and got some little fall accessories for my house.  I didnt want to spend a lot because honestly I have NO clue what to do with them.  I love to decorate my house just for normal, but theres something about seasonal decorations when I do them that well... I think just looks tacky!  I go into other peoples homes and its so warm and inviting lol  any suggestions on how to make it more appealing?  Not just fall, but Christmas too, things just look cluttered when I put them out...

Kimmie... HELP ME!  :) 

Also, did I mention Im SUPER excited about our band playing at the Apple Festival this coming Saturday?  If your in the area, we will be playing at the 5/3rd stage from 12:30-1:15  then its Taylor Made Unplugged at 1:30 at Freedom Church then New Life Saturday Night at Dallas Wesleyan begining at 7:30 Saturday night!  Its a full day of Taylor Made Music and I hope you can come see us at least at one! 

"I cant get enough of his grace..."

The title of this blog is taken from a song by one of my favorite ministries/bands of all time, The Crabb Family.  Here is the song in its entirety:

I've been to some places, where I did not belong.
I've been through some valleys where I almost lost my song.
I stood in an unholy place.
But through my triumph or failures, I couldn't get away from His grace.

His love is amazing, He won't let me go.
Unmerited favor, He loves me so.
When I falter and fail and feel like giving in,
He says lay your burden on me, I'll bear it again.
The only thing I know to say is,
I can't get enough of His grace

His grace is still amazing after all this time.
Still nothing separates us from His passion so divine.
Neither life, death, nor ages, or principalities
Could ever come between the love that Jesus has for me

When I think about Grace, this song inevitably comes to mind somewhere in my thought process.  The line "I cant get enough of his grace" echos in my mind throughout the day when I think of how good my God is!  

Today I was in conversation with someone and the subject of Gods grace came up.  Two sides were represented in the topic.  

The First Side:  God is full of grace and mercy, and preachers/christians/singers/ need not sing/preach/or speak in a negative manner about how God will punish you for sins or actions.  

The other side:  Yes, God is full of grace and mercy, but that doesnt give you a get out of jail free card.

Which leads me to this blog.  I want to know your opinions, scriptures, thought on this subject:

There is a fine line between RECEIVING Gods grace and ABUSING Gods grace....where is that line?  

When I think about this, I am so torn.  I was raised in a church that pretty much taught what you cant and shouldnt do and for the longest time I was terrified that if I didn't shout and run the isles, pray for hours, cry my eyes out in such abandoned pursuit of God that I was not a "true" christian, and that I was in danger of hell.  In my opinion, grace was not taught to me as a child.  Yes, I knew Jesus loved me, and yes I knew he would forgive my sins, but only if I asked, and my asking had to be a heart wrenching emotional experience.  If I didnt read my bible every day then I didnt have it....

Today, I do not believe that God is like this.  I have read the bible, and when I read it I feel like God is the exact opposite of this, yet because of the culture here the questions arise in my heart and I feel like I doubt my beliefs, or that I have misread or misinterpreted the bible. 

For example:  An alcoholic.  Alcoholism is a disease, a generational curse, a form of bondage.  Say a person gets saved.  They dont want to drink anymore, but their body still craves it.  They have a drink.

Can God not have grace on this person because he knows their heart?  Is Gods grace only ok to be given if it applies to your sins and not anothers?  Just because you dont do a certain "sin" and God doesnt have to use his grace on you for that particular "sin" doesnt mean that he cant or wont use it on someone else who does struggle with something you dont.  Its so easy to judge others and say... well how can they do that and then expect to get into heaven?  Im sure that same person wonders how you can call yourself a christian and yet sit back and judge and not help them through prayer and support and faith that God can help them through.  

Now, just to clarify myself.  I am on neither side of this, I have questions about it and I would like to know scripture to clarify this for me.  Grace or no grace?  And if there is grace, then how can it only be applied to certain things and not others?  Who decides?  Who gets it?  Why are somethings okay and not others?  

Okay, let loose! 

Taylor Made T's

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that the new Taylor Made T-shirts are in!  They are $15.00 and we have sizes from Small - XL.  If you would like to order one, just let me know!

The shirts are black with this logo on the front, and they are high quality soft cotton shirt!

Also, make plans to come support Taylor Made at the following events!

Saturday, September 18th
Lincoln Co Apple Festival
Fifth Third Stage
12:30-1:15 PM

New Life Saturday Night
Dallas Wesleyan Church
7:00 PM

Thank you for all your support for Taylor Made Music!  A special thanks to Nelson Bynum, and Purpose 51 for helping us with the T's!

"If I only had a few more hours in a day....."

I would be a better wife
I would have a spotless house
I would train CoCo everyday
I would cook fantastic healthy meals every night
I would have lunch prepared for work the next day
I would do at least 30 min of cardio every day
I would exercise every day
I would practice singing and playing guitar more often
I would teach myself to play the mandolin
I would plan out our ministry better
I would study the bible more
I would pray by myself more
I would have ironed clothes
I would have friends over much more often
I would go to church more
I would go shopping more often
I would spend more time with my family
I would read more books
I would decorate my house better
I would have an immaculate yard
I would... be a better person all around....

Yet, all these things, I expect myself to accomplish with the time Im given....

What would you do if you had some extra hours in the day?  Do you find yourself wishing you did?  Do you get all these things done? 

"Lord, help me make the most out of the time you've given me here on this earth.  Help me to distinguish the things that I NEED to get done, and the things that can wait.  Help me to not waste my time on things that don't matter, but instead to be wise.  Help me to take good care of the things you've given me and blessed me with.  Help me to be a woman of GOD!" 

I've been a slacker!

I have been slack in the blogging world latley, but exciting things have been happening!  Back on July 17th, Taylor Made Music recorded four new original songs written by Nathan and I.  Im so proud of the guys, they did so well in the studio.  I would love to post the songs here on my blog page, but I have NO CLUE how to do that...so.... visit our Myspace page to hear them!  I cant wait to record more of our songs until we have a full CD to send out.  All in HIS time though!

This weekend Nathan and I are going with some friends to the ATL to see the Braves Vs. The Dodgers!  Those crazy sales people who always come by work trying to sell packages finally came in with something I like!  So I got 4 free game tickets for 40.00 plus 6 buy 1 get 1 free tickets!  So I sent off for my tickets and we will be sitting in section 148...not too shabby for 10.00 a piece!  I hope we can get down there in time to eat at Jalepeno Charlies.  Last year I took Nate on a surprise trip to ATL to see the Braves and go to the aquarium.  We had such a good time we really wanted to go back this year!  Anyway, the Sunday we came back we stopped downtown to get an early lunch and we just stumbled across this mexican/spanish restraunt and it was DELISH!  So, Im really hoping we can go there again, it was so neat, you enter from the street into a lobby and go up an escalator to get into the restraunt, and they have a balcony patio you can eat out on above the street!  It was so nice!

Recently something happened to me, that has reinforced a lesson I learned a while back.  We were asked to play somewhere, but someone did not want us to be there.  So they went out of their way to keep us from playing!  Then lied about it to other people to make themselves look better....Yes, these are "christian" people too!  The person who did this to me used to be my role model.  I wanted to be like this person, I would sit in church and watch them sing, I wanted to be just like that when I grew up.  As fate would have it, in some ways I am very similar to this person in the career path I chose and of course this person did have an influence on the way I sing to this day.  But years ago I learned that sometimes people really just don't care if you look up to them or not.  So this is a two part sermonette...

Lesson #1:  We need role models to step up and CARE about those people around you who look up to you.  Whether it is in your church, your place of business, your family, sports team, wherever you are... people look to you.  They watch your life, they imitate things you do.  They watch your reactions, they hang onto every word YOU SAY!  You might be thinking right now, there is no one who looks up to me, but I PROMISE you SOMEONE is!  It might be your child, it might be a parent..yes...it might be someone older than you that looks up to you, it could be anyone.  Take time to pray today that God will let your life shine, and that you will not overlook those who need to be reached out to and raised up in your footsteps... you can make a difference in someones life, dont take that forgranted.  You are responsible whether you want to be or not!  So why not step up, be a man or woman of God and make a difference!

Lesson #2:  Lesson #1 was for the role model, Lesson #2 is for the protege.  DONT LOOK TO MAN!!!!!  IF the role models would step up, this lesson would not be so hurtful to learn, but the fact is... whether it is on purpose or not on purpose.... we are human and MAN WILL LET YOU DOWN!  Its a hard hard hard hurtful lesson to learn, but its one that needs to be learned early on in life.  Yes, its okay to look up to people, but never put them on a pedistal higher than yourself because if you do they will hurt you, fail you, and dissapoint you.  The ONLY person we can look to is GOD because HE will NEVER fail!  He is always there, he is always teaching us, he is ALWAYS mentoring us, he always listens, he always answers.  He always answers... that part is the best because we as humans will sometimes answer, but not answer honestly, and we dont always give the best advice.  But HIS answer is always perfect!  It might not be what you want the answer to be, but it is honest, true, and perfect in every way and when we follow HIS advice that he has given us in the Word of God, and when we follow the guidance (advice) of the Holy Spirit then we will NEVER go wrong! Notice I said ADVICE... just like taking human advice, the choice is still ours to follow it!  We are never forced to do what he says, but the outcome is so much better when we follow HIS lead!

This makes me so excited because when MAN fails you GOD ALMIGHTY will lift you up!  Can I just say since that person "banned" our ministry from performing that God has opened MANY doors of ministry for us since then!

So today, seek Gods will for your life, don't look to man to direct you, look to HIM!  This makes me so excited that its not up to us to find our way through life, but if we just pray and submit ourselves to him and follow his will, he will carry us through!!!  PRAISE GOD for that!  Be excited today that HE is in control if you just let him be!  You don't have to worry about the stresses of your life!  You don't have to wonder around worried and afraid of tomorrow... you just have to TRUST him that HE KNOWS BEST... and that he will GIVE YOU HIS BEST!  That is a PROMISE from him!  Even though it might not be the way you want, that is trusting him anyway... that is FAITH!  Have FAITH today that HE is in control if you have placed your life in his hands, and if you haven't then TODAY is the day!  Give your life to him, and let him lead!  It still might not be easy, but knowing you have someone else in control of this crazy life gives you peace beyond understanding, and knowing that in the end, all things work together for the good of those who trust HIM! 

That was a little too Salty.....

A while back I visited the Salt Mine church in Charlotte, NC.  Pastor Steve Wright preached on being Salt to the world.  Obviously, he has studied up on this since his church's name is The Salt Mine!  This message has stuck with me and I've recently been in discussion with someone online about the ways and methods of sharing Christ with others.  You can read about my last big discussion with this person here and here! 

Every person in this world is different.  Because of this fact, people have different ways and methods of doing things.  One person may have a sweet and gentle spirit, may never "get loud", or might be quiet and not say a lot.  Another person might be "gruff", abrasive, and sometimes to the sweet gentle person, seem a little rude!  Both of these personalities, in the purest sense, do not intend on being taken in a negative way.  This is just human nature, we are all different! 

When it comes to sharing Jesus Christ with others, I think we have to have both of these.  The word says that we have to be SALT and LIGHT to the world.  Salt is a wonderful thing, and I think this is the perfect example to show us how to live our lives for Christ.  With salt you can enhance the flavors of so many things.  You can preserve foods, it melts ice, kills nasty slimy snails, can reduce swelling on injured parts of the body, helps make good homemade ice cream, and it can be used as an abrasive cleaner.  There are so many more uses for it, but these are my examples today.  All these things can be done with the right AMOUNT of salt.  Too much salt and your food is ruined, not enough and its still so bland you cant even taste it!  We have to have to give the right amount of Christ to this world.  If we dont give enough, how will they even know we are his followers?  How can they tell we are even in this mix with them?  How can they taste the good flavors of Christ?  Yet on the other hand, if we are too salty and we give too much of Christ we will be overbearing.  Green beans with too much salt are NASTY... but green beans with the right amount are heavenly!  We cannot be effective if we go around dumping our salt on people!  It just does not taste right to them, and we should be ashamed that we gave away such a bad meal! 

I have heard it over and over... "if you just tell them that He loves them just the way they are then they will not realize they need to change."  First of all....it is not our job to change them.  We are called to share the LOVE of Christ first.  When someone realizes they are loved, undeserving of that love, they WANT to change for the person who loves them.  They want to learn more about this person, they want to get to know him. And in getting to know him, HE will reveal the changes that need to be made. Yes some abuse his love and grace, but for too long we have left the love he has for ALL man out of the message!  Second, if the gospel is shared in TRUTH... it will "clean with a gentle abrasiveness."  Just like salt, when the word and love of God is shown to someone, it can begin to gently clean away the dirt and grime that is in there lives.  Now keep in mind, salt is not a liquid acid where you just pour it on and it immediate disintegrates every stain.  But it is a cleaner that needs to be gently rubbed in, careful not to scratch the surface of what your cleaning!  It may take several cleaning sessions to make it pure and clean again, but if you put a little elbow grease in it, it will shine like new.  The bible says that we are the BODY of Christ.  Some are the head, some are the tail, some are the arms, some are the fingers, some are the heart.  In the same since, some reap, some water, some sow.  Not everyone is called to reap the harvest!  Just the same, not everyone is called to sow the seed.  We cannot judge ministers by their position in the body.  Some share the love of Christ, some disciple, some ministers heal hearts, some are more abrasive and God uses them to clean!  None of them are wrong, but we all have to have a little bit of it all.  To the one who cleans, clean with love.  To the one who loves, love but also share the freeing power of the truth of the word!

What is your seasoning?  Can the world around you tell that you are a salt shaker?  Or do they think you are the pile of salt poured out on the sidewalk over the shriveled up snail?  (perfect example of too much salt!)  How are the quality of the meals your feeding others around you?  Do others want to eat your food or do you always have a lot of leftovers?  If so, you might need to measure your salt! 

Patio Project

This past Saturday Nathan and I started on our patio project!  Friday night we had our band over for a cookout, and I had the patio area set up and it made me even more excited to get this project started!

We started Saturday morning about 9 and it was already scorching outside!  I dont know how hot it was, but I do know that by about 11:30 I couldnt hardly stand up anymore because I was so weak from the heat!  Nathan started tilling up the ground where the patio is going to be laid and I start shoveling.  I can tell you right now, I am not cut out for that line of work!  Its okay for projects like this, but I have the utmost respect for people who work outside like that everday.  Hats off to you!  We probably hauled off about 15 or 20 wheelbarrel loads full of grass and dirt that we tilled up!  We had to quit because it was too hot, but last night we tilled up again and got the area as level as we could with what we had!  I used a rake and a shovel to even everything out after Nate had tilled.  One area was a lot higher than another side so we had to go over that part a couple times.  After we got the level out and put it a couple places we got the tamper and packed the dirt in as much as we could where I moved the dirt.  Then I sprayed it with water in hopes that it would help pack and settle everything else down again where we had tilled.

Our next step is to steak everything off so we can get things squared up and get our boards cut for the edging.  We are probably going to use treated wood as the edging as it will be cheaper, but our measurments will have to be spot on for everything to fit right because we have to get everything cut at Lowes when we buy it since we dont have the saws and all that mess.  After that we will dig out where the edging will go in the ground, make sure its squared up, then it will be time for the sand.  We will put in the sand, make it level, tamp it down and then begin with laying the pavers!  Put them down, and then sweep sand over the pavers to fill in the cracks.

I hope all this works out as we hope.  I have never done anything like this, so mostly I've asked EVERYONE I know who knows ANYTHING about doing this type of thing, and the most consitant advice I've gotten is "just make sure its level and square"  and "make sure when you measure from corner to corner you have the same measurments."  We havent got to this part yet, and thats the part that makes me most antsy, but Im sure whatever happens it will all work out and we will have a beautiful patio to enjoy for the rest of the summer and fall months.

Im enjoying summer, but I will be honest, I cant wait till those cooler evenings when we can load up our firepit and enjoy the fall air!

Music

Im so excited about what God is doing in our ministry these days.  Back toward the first of the year I found myself praying often, that if it was His will, He would send Nathan and I band members.  Up until this point it has only been Nathan and I, and before Nathan it was just me!  When I pray for our ministry, my prayers are very simple.  First of all, I give it all back to Him daily, then I pray that his will be done in it, open doors he wants open, close doors that need to be closed, and to have favor and lead us in whatever He wants us to do.  I had a longing in my heart for a band to play with us, and I knew that he would not place that desire there if it was not of him because of the way I had been praying.  So a couple months after praying this, things began to fall into place!  Nathan and I were invited to lead worship for a new church in Gastonia called The Fathers House.  Its located at the Gaston Co. YMCA.  A good friend of ours who we used to play with at our home church had contacted us about this and he plays bass, so of course we wanted him to play with us!  As a side note, one of the many reasons we wanted a band was for Nathan to get to play his electric guitar.  This boy is CRAZY tallented, and playing acoustic all the time is just not the same and very restrictive to someone who normally plays leads on electric.  He never complained, but I knew he wanted to play pretty bad too.  So anyway, since we had a bass player all we needed was a drummer to complete our little set up so Nate could play electric.  We called up our good friend Jeremy and there it began.  We played a little worship set that morning, having NEVER practiced together and made it through with flying colors!  Nathan and I had a date booked that following weekend for a full concert type setting so we recruited the guys and they came and we did it again, no practice, and this time a 45 min. set.  With many less mistakes as would have been expected I knew we had something special with these guys.  Our newest member, who we also played at our home church with recently joined us on keys this week, and is an awesome asset to the team!  We are set to record 4 of our original songs on July 17th, and we are so excited about what all God is doing!  He directs our paths and orders our steps.  Pray HIS will for you life, pray HE orders your steps.  Give it to him, and then trust that he knows best!  Even if it doesnt happen when you think or how you think it should, doesnt mean NO from God.  Trust in Him today to give you his BEST!  We are his children and he gives his kids good gifts, not junk! 

Taylor Made: (from left)

Nathan Taylor
Laura Taylor

Jeremy Pendleton

Phil Barker

Vince Willbanks

Brenda Barker (on camera) 

I Do - Year #2!

Yesterday was the closest thing to perfect that we can have here on earth!  I just want to start out by saying that I have the most wonderful husband and he went above and beyond this year in the romantic and thoughtful department!

My day started off pretty early, Nathan said he had to run some errands and for me to get ready while he was gone.  He had told me a couple weeks ago that he had a scavenger hunt planned out for our anniversary!  So I got ready and the excitement began.  He told me to get in my card and instructions would be there for the rest.  So I did and he had a card waiting for me on the steering wheel.  It said that the scavanger hunt represented our journey in life and included the address of my first stop, so I put it in my GPS and off I went.  This first stop took me to Franklin Square.  All I had was the address so I had no idea which building it was so I put the address in my phone and it was Krispy Kreme!  :)  I got VERY excited at this point lol.  The card also told me that when I got there I was to go inside and tell them I need to pick something up for Laura, so I did and the lady behind the counter handed me a Chocolate covered Kreme filled doughnut, a bottle of milk, and a card!  So I went back to my car and opened the card!  It said that this stop is to show how sweet our love is for each other!!  :)  I had a BIG ole smile by this point, and couldnt wait to see where I was headed next.  So I plugged in the address in my phone and discovered my next stop was Lowes!  So I scarfed down my doughnut which was O SO GOOD, and headed into Lowes.  My card instructed me to see customer service.  So I went in and had to wait in line but when the girls asked how they could help I told them I needed to pick up something for Laura, and said ARE YOU HER?  And I said yes and they said We were wondering what you looked like, are there any other men in the world like your husband?!  You better treat him right!  haha this made me feel like a MILLION bucks!  Then they handed me another card and a Red Forever & Ever Hydrangia.  I thanked them and went to my car to read the next card.  It said that the hydrangia is actually a hybrid of two different kinds and when it matures it makes beautiful red blooms and this was just like us we came together as two to make one and every day we mature and get better!  It was at this point, the woman in me came out and I cried like a baby!  Im so blessed!  :)  My next stop, after I plugged in the address, I found out was Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens!  I was estatic over this one because I had been begging Nate to take me there since we moved to Gastonia a year ago!  I got there and Nate was waiting on me in the parking lot with my admission braclet ready to go.  We toured the gardens and they were absolutly gorgeous!  It was HOT outside, but it was still fun, and I was happy when I saw that they had some of the same plants as I do in my flower garden!  When we were finished there He gave me another card which had a gift certificate to get a manicure and pedicure!  So I went and did that and then went home so I could give him his new TOMS shoes (it pales in comparison, I know...)  He also had a giftbag waiting on me at home with a beautiful glass flower vase with our wedding date and names engraved and the # 2 for our second year along with a picture frame that had a wedding picture of us and then a picture from our last cruise we took! He also had went to Harris Teeter and bought half a cow.... not litterally, but they were the biggest steaks I've ever seen!  So for supper we had steak, sauteed mushrooms and we were supposed to have a grilled videllia onion, but we were so full we couldnt even eat them!

We also got our new washer and dryer installed yesterday, which took FOREVER since they are in like a hallway type room.  They ROCK!  I did 2 loads of laundry, washed and dried, while we watched a movie!  It was fantastic!!!!  :)  The only bad part about that is, that they are larger than the old washer and dryer and our bifold doors wont fit back now!  So... we have to figure something out there....  but for now I have no doors lol

I just had to share this day with everone, it was one of those days that was so wonderful you just dont want it to end!  Im so thankful for Nathan and our marriage.  It hasnt all been perfect like yesterday.  No ones is!  But Im also thankful for all the imperfect moments because they make days like yesterday all the more special.  Those imperfect days are the days we grow, and the perfect ones are there to remind us that we survived!

Be Blessed!!

Oh Look!  A fat girl eatin a doughnut!  Who woulda thunk it! 

A Pink Pineapple Plant?!

Beautiful!

Lantana = my fav!  I have some of this in my garden!  Not this big but just as pretty IMO!

Me w/ my awesome Hubby!

In the greenhouse!

LOVE IT!