MEET THE LEIGHOWS PLUS ONE!

Week 22

2011-03-12T18:53:00.002-06:00

Now that we know we are going to have a Trinity, stress and panic have officially set in! With Carey and I on different work schedules, we don't have much time to shop for furniture and bedding together so we have come up with a solution. We each look seperately and then email the other with pics of what we like! We are planning on going shopping over Spring Break and hopefully will have purchased the the above items!

We bought this Bible to start teaching Trinity the love of her Savior early! Carey reads to her almost every night! She gets to hear a different Bible story each time! We envision reading this to her before she goes to sleep at night and then eventually her reading to us! We love to think about her future and what plans God already has laid for her!

Trinity is growing!

Belly Shot

Daddy and Mommy Leighow

God Bless You!

Week 21 and The Gender Reveal Party!!

2011-03-06T22:48:00.000-06:00

It's here!!! The time from the sonogram to the party was soooo long! We decided to go with the pink and blue theme...

Our invitation read:
Baby Leighow's Gender Reveal Party
Host:
Mommy and Daddy Leighow
When:
Saturday, February 26 at 02:00 PM
Where:
Gran and Grandpa Blackstock's home

Will it be Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice or Frogs n Snails n Puppy Dog Tails?
Come be the first to find out if our new little joy is a GIRL or a BOY!!
We are going to find out when you do!!
Join us for an afternoon of snacks, sweets and surprises to share in our big announcement!
No gifts please! Just bring yourselves!
Mommy and Daddy Leighow

The following pics are from the family helping to get ready for the party and then the actual party itself! Sit back, relax and enjoy!!!

Mom, me and Linda working on things...

Will it be boy or girl? When the guests arrive, they will pick with color and wear it with pride!

He or She???

Carey and I working on the poll!

C thinks He and I think She!!!

Mom hanging up decorations!

Dad hanging up decorations!

Me, Dad and Carey still decorating!

My "New Mom" tiara and Carey's "Dad to Be" Medal!

Fun deco to scatter around!

There were five of these bottles for people to guess how many pacifier candies were in there!

Are you Team Trinity Kaylynn or Kayden James? Our poll on the blog is 15 boys and 14 girls! The final count at the party was 21 boys and 18 girls!

The bling football bopper that maw got Baby L!!!

The table where the madness is about to begin!

The very excited and anxious mommy and daddy to be!

Maw, me and Carey

Our prego lady cake by Beth's Cakes!

Mom, Carey, me and Dad

Papa, me and Carey

Some of the spread...

More food!

PINK Lemonade and BLUE punch

Some cupcakes for the kids! Pink and Blue ornaments on each one!

The time has come....here we go!!!

AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy kisses!!!

It's a GIRL!!! See the pink!!!

Maw telling Bryan he's going to have a neice!

Pink Italian Creme Cake

Our Daughter's Name...

Carey and I had decided on the name Trinity before we even got pregnant! Trinity honors our Heavenly Father who is the only one who could create this precious miracle growing inside of me...
Kaylynn...Kay is my momma's middle name and Lynn is Carey and my dad's middle name and Carey's mom's name is LINda (and yes there are MANY other Lynn's in my family and also another Kay!) We wanted to truly honor our earthly moms and dad and also our Savior!

What an amazing day! Thank you Lord for blessing us with a daughter! A huge thank you goes out to momma, daddy and maw for helping us get ready for this party! And thank you to all who came to our special day! We love you! Trinity is so blessed to have you all in her life!

If you would like to see all of the pics click here:
http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3740669017/a=6058229_6058229/

God Bless You!

Weeks 19 and 20

2011-03-06T19:45:00.000-06:00

Week 19 -

We had our 2nd trimester prenatal Quad Screening and praise the Lord, all tests came back normal! We were able to hear the baby's heartbeat again and it was 145...it sounded so strong! It's so amazing to continue to fall in love with a baby that you have only heard the heartbeat! Dr. J says we are doing great!

Week 20 - HALF BAKED!!!!! WHOO HOO!!!!!

This week we were able to see Baby L in about a 30 minute sonogram! It was Carey, his maw, my mom, my dad and me! What a special moment to see God's miracle in my tummy! Baby L was moving around like crazy! Everything looked perfect with no abnormalities and we feel so blessed to have received that news! We were able to see the blood flowing, the chambers of the heart, the bones, the spine, the toes, the feet (which were about an inch), etc! Baby measured at 11 inches and 14 ounces which is right in the normal range. The sonographer was so nice and was really excited to hear about our Gender Reveal Party! When it was time to look at those baby parts, she turned the screen away so we couldn't see anything and then she wrote down the gender and put it in a sealed envelope! It was so surreal knowing we held the gender in our hands but didn't know! We took the envelope to Beth Sanchez who owns Beth Cakes and she was ready to make our cake for the Big Reveal!!!

Baby looking straight at us!

Baby's Feet

Baby L's profile!

God Bless You!

Weeks 16, 17 and 18

2011-02-05T15:13:00.003-06:00

Being snowed in a week, you would have thought I would have blogged by now!

Don't forget to take the gender poll to the right!!

Today we are 18 weeks and 3 days! Time really is flying by! I'm finally starting to stress about the nursery, getting things cleaned out and just realizing we are going to have a baby in five months! However, we really aren't looking at furniture, paint, bedding, etc until we know the gender of Baby Leighow...we have looked a little but looking at everything without being able to narrow it down is a bit overwhelming for me. And those of you who know me, know that I am a planner so not being able to plan is pretty excruiating for me! LOL!

I've had some people requesting updates on some things...
CRAVINGS
I truly am an odd eater! I eat grape jelly in my mexican rice, drink skim milk with all meals at home, mix corn with cottage cheese, etc, so cravings for me have always been there since before I was with child! LOL! I was craving shrimp cocktail the other day so I bought a frozen package and ate almost all of it in one sitting and as I'm sitting here typing this, I realized I was craving shrimp scampi and popcorn shrimp the past few days so hubby took me to Red Lobster last night....hmmmm...maybe this shrimp obsession IS a craving!!!

HEALTH
Baby L and I are both doing well. I still haven't felt the baby move yet so we are anxiously awaiting that moment! We have a doctor's appointment Thursday for second trimester testing to make sure the baby is healthy. Please say a prayer that all turns out positive! Sleep has become spontaneous...I crash at night however, usually wake up in the middle of the night and lay there for a while before sleep surrounds me again! I get up so many times to go to the restroom throughout the night that Chloe won't even sleep with us anymore...she sleeps on the couch in the living room! She's a tad put out with me! LOL!

Carey has been reading to the baby almost every night! This is the book we read to him/her!

It is one of the most incredible things to witness watching my hubby lay his head on my growing tummy and just talk to the baby! I can see his love for this baby just growing by leaps and bounds!

Here are pics of the last three weeks....

Week 16

Week 17

Week 18

My parents have gone above and beyond to help us throughout this pregnancy... cooking healthy meals for us, taking us out to dinner, helping put up and take down Christmas decorations, buying some maternity clothes and items for me and goodies for the baby, and many other things that we will never be able to thank them for! We are eternally grateful!! We love you!!

God Bless You!

New Poll

2011-02-03T15:17:00.000-06:00

Check out the poll to the right...

Do you think Baby Leighow is a Bouncy Boy or a Gorgeous Girl??? Pick your choice!!!!!

Only 23 days until the Reveal Party!!! Whoo hoo!

God Bless You!

Snowstorm 2011

2011-02-03T14:57:00.003-06:00

Gotta love Oklahoma weather! It was in the 70's last week and this week our windchill has been as low at -5 degrees and we received 6 inches of snow! Here are some pics from the craziness!

Chloe loves to run in the snow!

You cant even see our patio!

Chloe out in the snow!

My backyard when it was coming down heavy!

My front yard!

The lion heads streams of water are frozen!

My parents pool is almost all frozen!

Now you can see why we have been off from school for four days (including tomorrow)! This is our school!
Front entry way to the front doors!

Bus Ramp

Teacher's parking lot

Teacher's parking lot!

God Bless You!

Day at the Mountains

2011-01-17T21:59:00.000-06:00

Today, my parents and hubby and I went to the mountains to hang out...it was such a beautiful day!

Eating at Meers...momma and baby were happy with this choice!

On top of Mount Scott

C and Dad solving the problems of the world...

Mom and Dad

Mom and Me

C and Dad peeping through the sunroof

Awwwwww.......

Beautiful sunset

See the rainbow!!

Pink Mountains

Just had to put a picture of my baby girl Chloe!!

God Bless You!

Weeks 14 and 15

2011-01-17T21:27:00.000-06:00

We had our first prenatal visit with my new OB during week 14, Dr. Joslin and we LOVE him! Carey and I both feel beyond blessed to have him as our doctor! We didn't really know what to expect but we did the usual history and exam. We were also able to hear the heartbeat of our precious baby!! Carey absolutely glowed when he heard it for the first time! It's so incredible to see his heart melting even before he has laid eyes on his child! We asked if my parents (who were in the waiting room) could come in to hear the heartbeat and of course he said yes! They were able to hear it along with Carey's mom (we called her and had her on speaker phone!) What an amazing family we have!

We have set up our date for the gender ultrasound...February 18, however, our gender reveal party will be February 26! We have started planning the party and can't wait until that day!!!

I'm going to try and answer some questions that people have been asking:

CRAVINGS:
I really have not had too many odd cravings (I eat odd anyway!) but the main one is I crave V8! Carey buys me cans and I will just down it in one or two drinks! I also have been eating pickles before I go to bed but I have always loved pickles...just maybe not as much! :-)

HEALTH:
Baby L and I are both in good health. We have not had any problems and we will see all of Baby L's organs and growth update on February 18 so prayers for a good report are much appreciated!

NAMES:
Yes, we have a name picked out whether it's a boy or a girl and although many of you know, we are going to wait to blog it until we reveal the gender! Both names have family names involved and it was relatively easy for us to decide!

NURSERY:
We think we know what colors we would like the nursery if it's a boy but we are totally clueless if it's a girl! We did finally decide which room to use for the nursery and that was a struggle in its self!

HOW I'M FEELING:
This is such a loaded question! Do people really wanna know how I'm truly feeling or are they just asking it to be polite? My answer varies depending on my mood for the day....some people get the "I'm feeling great" version and then others get what they asked for...sour stomach, tired, pains from my ligaments stretching, girls are heavy, back hurts, gotta go to the bathroom, insommia, hibbie gibbies, skin itches at night, stuffed up nose most of the time, trouble breathing, I could go on and on....so beware when you ask this question! You may get the latter version whether you like it or not!

Here are some pics from week 14

14 Weeks

Carey is already in love with this baby!

Well, I found out something new about me this week...I have motion sickness! I have NEVER had motion sickness...I am that girl who can ride roller coasters over and over again and it never phases me! I am that girl who was on a cruise the week before Hurricane Katrina hit and never got sick! I am the girl who can read for hours while in the car and never get nauseaus! Today...it happened...we were sitting in a car wash (Yup, a car wash!) and when the mechanical arms began to move, the sickness hit! All I could think about was "please make it stop!" Then clausterphobia hit as the blue wet strips covered the car! AAAAHHHH!!! My mom kept telling me that things would change about me during pregnancy and boy was she right! No more car washes for me!

I am looking forward to feeling the flutters of Baby Leighow! I keep reading where I should start feeling something around week 16 so every night I lay quietly trying to feel something but nothing yet! I'll keep you posted!

Here are some pics from week 15

Week 15

My newest love....my prego boppy pillow! Thanks mom and dad!

Since we don't know the gender yet, we haven't started on the nursery so all of Baby L's things are in the corner of our room! Spoiled already!

Some of the things that we have bought or been given for Baby L!

More stuff for baby Leighow!

It's still hard to imagine that this will be our family in five months!!!!

God Bless You!

Expecting a bundle of joy!!

2011-01-02T22:23:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!!! This is the year our baby is born!

I am going to devote majority of our blog to our pregnancy.

I'm going to backdate a little bit...here goes....

We found out we were pregnant on October 25 and boy were we without words! We told a few family and friends but kept it pretty private until our first ultrasound at 7 weeks. The first time we were able to see God's miracle we were blessed to have my parents and Carey's mom there with us!

Our first sonogram at 7 weeks!

First Family Portrait! Meet the Leighows!

Hugging after seeing our baby for the first time!

The first trimester has been a little rocky...I've unfortunately been sick most days but am on the downhill side of that! I took progesterone shots through the end of week 12...122 total shots to be exact! Carey was so supportive and gave me the shots every day! Here is a pic of the needle that we used!

We went back for another ultra sound at 10 weeks and here is baby Leighow!

The baby was moving all around! Kicking it's legs, moving it's arms and even turned upside down!!! It was so surreal and we have a video of it! What a blessing the Lord has given us!

Everyone has been asking for belly pics so here goes....

10 Weeks

11 Weeks

12 Weeks

13 Weeks

As of today, we are 13 weeks and 4 days and the baby is the size of a lemon! It is still so surreal to us that we have our miracle baby growing inside of me!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers through all of this!

God Bless You!

Divas In Devotion

2010-03-19T18:12:00.003-05:00

So it has been forever since I have blogged! One of my dearest friends is starting a blog where we will discuss a Christian book and discuss it via blog. Please check it out and join us! It's divasindevotion.blogspot.com

Hope to see you on there!

God Bless You!

I Love America!!!

2009-05-10T15:39:00.020-05:00

On July 4, 2009 at Elmer Thomas Park in Lawton, OK, Carey Leighow will be ministering and performing for a city wide festival called I Love America hosted by Lawton First Assembly of God and Cameron Baptist Church.

Carey stands 5’11” and weighs 270 pounds and has bench pressed over 500 pounds. He joined the US Army where he was immediately recruited for the Special Operations Unit and became an expert marksman. After intense mental and physical training, Carey went on to fight in the real-life battle portrayed in the movie “Black Hawk Down”. The movie was made about him and his team. He has also guarded President Clinton and Air Force One.

Carey has been a member of both The Power Team and Team Impact for 13 and a half years. He and the other members used their talents to spread the gospel and inspire people around the world to make positive changes in their lives using visually explosive feats of strength to enthuse, astound and to inspire crowds from both the Christian and secular community. While serving in this ministry, he has traveled all over the world including a two week mission to Africa with Larry Jones speaking and performing to people of all ages. He has been seen on Walker Texas Ranger and numerous episodes of Team Impact Ministries on TBN. The team was even recognized by President George W. Bush and over 100 governors, senators and congressmen for the positive contributions they have made to the lives of America's youth. He recently retired from the feats of strength ministry after tearing his achilles tendon in two during a school assembly in Ohio and having major reconstructive surgery.

He is now actively involved in Lawton First Assembly of God and The Mix Ministries Youth Program. Carey works for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections where he is able to share the gospel on a daily basis with men who desparately need to hear the truth.

Come check out I Love America and hear Carey's testimony and God's delivering power from drugs, alcohol, anger and family violence!

Here are some pictures taken from the last few years....

Crushing a can with his bare hands!
Headbreak during fire!
Snapping a bat in two!
Giving the Glory to the Cross!!!
Children's Church Time!
An amazing Alter Call!!! Praise the Lord for all the decisions!
Double Palm Break in fire!
Elbow Break!!
Carey and one of God's children!
Bending 2 inches of steel for a triple bar bend!
Triple Bar Bend!
Forearm Ice Break!
Preaching in Jasper, Texas!
Headbreak - Before!
Headbreak - After!
Speaking at a school assembly in Statesboro, Georgia!
Elbow Break - Before!
Elbow Break - After!
Forearm Break in fire!
Ripping a phonebook in two!
Before a school assembly!
Forearm Break!
Bending two frying pans into the shapes of burritos!!
Speaking at a school assembly in West Virginia!
Headbreak!
Spinning fire in his hand!
Blowing up a hot water bottle until it explodes!
Ripping a phone book in half!

God Bless You!

2 years ago today...

2009-02-16T18:58:00.003-06:00

2 years ago today I married my best friend, my soulmate, my partner, my better half...My life has truly changed and I feel so complete with him by my side!

He gave me these roses which were like the flowers in my bouquet (except the roses were white). It was so thoughtful of him to think about that! How lucky I am to have such an incredible husband!

I love you sugar bear and I can't wait for another year with you!

God Bless You!

25 Things About Me...

2009-01-31T09:38:00.002-06:00

Okay so I have been tagged like a million times on facebook to do this list. I have put it off and put it off thinking how hard it was going to be. I finally decided that as I wait for another load of laundry to finish, I would do it...here goes...

1. I only knew my husband for two weeks when I knew I wanted to marry him...4 months later we were!

2. I am a DIE HARD Sooner fan! Winning and losing decides my mood for the day...maybe the week even....husband is slowly learning this!

3. I am amazed daily at how God blesses me and my family!

4. I am a talker and tell LONG stories!

5. I LOVE macaroni and cheese and could eat it for every meal!

6. My biggest fear is drowning...water terrifies me!

7. I can't wait to be a mommy one day!

8. I brush my teeth in the shower!

9. I am the biggest cry baby watching movies or anything on tv!

10. I talk to my mom and dad EVERY single day!

11. I am so blessed with the family I have...we are a unique crew but are so close! My cousins feel more like brothers and sisters than cousins and aunts and uncles are like second moms and dads!

12. I LOVE any roller coaster! There is NOT one I will not ride!!!! Bring it on!!!

13. Skim milk is my favorite drink...I drink it with EVERYTHING!

14. I still sleep with a bear I got when I was in the 4th grade!

15. I am named after the man Ashley in Gone With the Wind!

16. I hate coconut! EWWW!!! So gritty in my teeth!

17. If it's a game, I want to play it! I love me some games!

18. Competitive blood runs in my veins...I am not a good loser!

19. I am a sports fanatic and have been known to be called a "dude" on several occasions! More often by my husband!

20. My "In-Laws" are not in laws...they are my family!

21. I am very over protective of my friends!

22. My best friend and I have been friends for 24 years!

23. I was in ballet, tap and gymnastics growing up!

24. I would rather someone else be happy than me...in other words, I would rather be sad than see them sad!

25. I LOVE JESUS!!!!

If you read my blog, consider yourself tagged to do this as well!

God Bless You!

Ice Ice Baby...

2009-01-29T13:49:00.002-06:00

We had an ice storm come through Monday night and woke up to HEAVY sleeting Tuesday morning and school was cancelled! Carey was at work and it took he and I an hour to get the car up the driveway when he got home. We used phonebooks, boards, hot water, rakes, shovels, you name it and it was used! Finally a neighbor came over and helped push it in the garage! Thank goodness for good neighbors!

School was cancelled again on Wednesday so Carey and I thought we would be proactice and work on the driveway for Thursday. Three hours, a rake, two shovels, a broom, and a leaf blower later we had only finished one side and it was going to stay that way! We were exhausted! And sore to be honest...does that meant I should work out more???

School is cancelled yet again today and cabin fever has most certainly set in! I am getting out today to head to the mall with my mom and run a few errands! Who knew I would want to go to work so bad!?!

Hope you are all warm and cozy!

God Bless You!

CONGRATS!

2009-01-29T13:39:00.003-06:00

Congrats are in order to JR and Nat....they are expecting Baby P in August!!!! We are so excited and happy for them! May God keep all three of you healthy and strong throughout the pregnancy! Love you!

If you want to check out their blog and see Baby P progress go to www.jrandnat.blogspot.com

God Bless You!!!!

Basketball Games and Birthday

2009-01-29T12:56:00.006-06:00

We had a day of fun a few weeks ago....we were able to go see Jess, Hunter and Mikey play basketball and then off to Chuck E Cheese for Mikey's 5th birthday party. Shane coaches Hunter and Mikey's team and is the asst coach for Jess's. Hunter scored 8 points, Mikey scored 2 points ande Jess scored 8 points. As much as I loved Chuck E Cheese growing up, I hope that is the last CEC party I have to go to for a while! WHEW....just insane!

God Bless You!

Arabia and Snow

2009-01-29T12:49:00.004-06:00

Linda, Carey, Carla, Brenton, Bailey and I went to a museum that had thousands of bound cargo recovered from the Arabia steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in 1856. It was a really cool museum and we had a great time at it! We even watched them in the process of restoring some of the items! Enjoy...

God Bless You!

New Year's Eve and Emergency Rooms

2009-01-29T12:36:00.003-06:00

We had quite a bit of a scare on New Year's Eve Day. We were sitting at breakfast that morning and Carey had a seizure. Having God's hands around him, the entire family was home and we called 911. We went to the ER and they did every test you can think of...Cat scan, EEG, EKG, blood tests, sugar tests, urine tests, ultra sounds, and who knows what else and by God's grace everything came back normal. We were all very frightened and still are in some sense. He spent about 6 hours in the ER and we came home and he slept for several hours. He woke up to play a few games with the family and the neighbors, say Happy New Year and then back to sleep. We saw a neurologist here in town and Carey sat through a 4 hour EEG which came back normal as well. We chalk it up to the fact that God had a message for Carey and now he has heard it! I want to thank you for all of your prayers, calls, texts and emails concerning him! We appreciate and love it more than you will know! God is good!!!

God Bless You!

Ice Skating

2009-01-29T12:09:00.002-06:00

We went ice skating in Crown Center in Kansas City and it was just the second time I have ever been! Carey decided not to skate, but Carla, Brenton, Bailey and I have a blast! I never fell!!! YEAH!!!

God Bless You!

Pics of the Pinkie...

2009-01-29T12:05:00.003-06:00

If you recall in a past post, I cut my finger on Christmas Eve...here are some pics of it. It looks good now with just a little scar! Thanks Dr. Leighow and Dr. Leighow and Dr. Superglue!!!

God Bless You!

Christmas Pics

2009-01-29T11:38:00.001-06:00

Here are pictures from Christmas in Missouri....Enjoy...

God Bless You!

Greetings From Missouri!!

2008-12-26T14:36:00.002-06:00

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! We are still in Missouri enjoying our vacation. We have been on NO schedule and just been as unproductive as we want to be....ahhhh sooo sooo nice! LOL

We arrived in Missouri Monday afternoon and settled in for a night filled with snow! It was so beautiful! We loaded up as a family and headed to see Four Christmases (which by the way, don't take the kids to see) but we all laughed enough to hopefully drown out some of the inuendos!

Tuesday we spent the day watching movies and just relaxed in our pajama's!

Christmas Eve, Dalen, Kathy, Andy, Sarah, Larry, Sue, Beth, Amanda and Jeremy all came over and we had a game exchange night. Carey and I ended up with "The Moment of Truth" and "Imaginiff". We have already played both and they are lots of fun!

Christmas morning, Santa came and we all opened our stockings and the kids (Brenton and Bailey) got to open one present before heading to Carla's parents house for the rest of the presents. We spent the day there and had a wonderful time!

Today, we are just vegging out and enjoying all of the family being together. I think I am going to venture out to Wal-Mart in a few to use my gift certificate for some holiday decorations that will be on sale! WHOO HOO!

I don't have any new pics to upload so you will have to wait for those until we get back to Oklahoma...sorry!

I will leave you with my now most memorable Christmas Eve story....all the family were here and had just finished eating dinner, sitting around talking and I decided I would start doing some of the dishes. I was on my last glass bowl when my fingers turned to butter and it slipped out of my hands and into the sink in which it proceeded to shatter into peieces! One of the big pieces came up and cut my pinkie in two strips causing it to bleed like a stuck pig! Of course everyone had to stop what they were doing and see what a mess that I had made. Now if you don't know me, I tend to get embarrassed if all eyes are on me which they were. I looked down and saw all of the blood and started to sweat and feel light headed....I don't know if it was the blood, the flesh I could see through the blood, the blood filling the sink, the 16 sets of eyes on me, the turtleneck I was wearing or the fact it might have been 80 degrees in the kitchen at the time but whatever the cause I thought I was going to pass out! Carey grabbed a towel and let me sit down while holding my hand above my head (still 16 pairs of eyes on me). Bryan came over with a first aid kit and we (we as in the two Leighow brothers not me) discussed what to do with me. Although I probably should have gotten stitches (can you honestly imagine what the ER would have been like at 10:00 on Christmas Eve????) , it was decided to use what we had....which was the ever magical.....wait for it....dun da da dun....SUPER GLUE! Yup, they super glued my meat and flesh together on top of the blood that kept coming and proceeded to wrap my pinkie until it was about an inch and a half thick with bandages (continuing the 16 sets of eyes on me!). The throbbing came about 30 minutes after I did it continued through the night. However, when morning came and I took off the bandages, the throbbing had subsided and it just looked gross! We put more bandages on (on top of the bandages that were actually superglued to my finger LOL) and went on about Christmas Day! This has now become my most memorable Christmas Eve story.....

God Bless You!

Christmas at Grams

2008-12-22T00:09:00.004-06:00

We also had Christmas at my Gram's house tonight with Grams, Aunt Judy, Uncle Mickey, Erin, Josh, Kayce and Brad. It is so nice and comforting for us to all be together! Enjoy the pics!

Please say a healing prayer for my Uncle Mickey!

God Bless You!

Christmas at Mom and Dad's

2008-12-21T23:38:00.002-06:00

This morning we had Christmas with my parents, Shane, Alicia, Jess, Hunter and Mikey. We had an awesome morning of just enjoying each others company. We started the day off with Jess reading A Christmas story to all of us...what a treat! Enjoy the pics! There are no pics of mom and dad because when they were opening their presents I was using mom's camera! Sorry Mom and Dad! Thanks for a great Christmas! I love you both so much!

God Bless You!

Christmas

2008-12-20T23:19:00.001-06:00

We had Christmas at Nana and Papa's house today. I feel so blessed to have had most of the family there. I have learned to treasure each and every minute with them! Here is a LONG slide show of our crazy Christmas pics! Enjoy!

God Bless You!

Christmas Break!

2008-12-19T13:45:00.007-06:00

In one hour and 11 minutes, it will officially be Christmas break! I am so thankful the time has come to release the pent up students that we have here! LET US ALL BE FREE!!!!

We have had a busy December so far and the holidays haven't even arrived yet! LOL!

I have been keeping score at our middle school basketball games and have even gotten Carey to keep clock for a few of them! Let me tell you...6th grade parents are in a world of their own! WOW....

We have been crazy busy with church too! From Wednesday night youth services to Thursday night young adult services to youth leadership Christmas parties to Sunday mornings! Lots of fun and exciting stuff going on there! We were blessed with a gift to go on the tour of homes with some other church couples! We really had a good time meeting new people and just enjoying other's company!

Carey and me at the dinner before we left for the tour

Christina and me...my little scurrier friend! LOL!

The beautiful Christmas tree in our church

Gary, Christina, me and Carey...the guys were really excited! LOL

Carey and I driving to the church

We have been getting ready for Christmas and finally are totally ready! All presents wrapped and under the tree! We have Christmas at my Nana and Papa's tomorrow and then my parents and Gram's house on Sunday. Then it's off to Missouri and hopefully not run into any bad weather! We will be up there for a while enjoying the family but not sure how long yet!

Of course, let's go ahead and just throw out there that OU won the Big 12 and are headed to the BCS game! WHOOT WHOOT!! Not forgetting that awesome Bradford brought home the Heisman trophy! BOOMER!!!!

Here are some of the latest pics....

Mikey and Hunter getting ready for their basketball games!
Chloe looking over my shoulder while I wrap presents!

Carey and Chloe snuggling and sleeping in the morning!

Carey wearing one of my shirts! It almost fits! LOL!

Shane, Mikey and Mom after his Christmas Concert

Mikey and his usual not smile!

Shane and Mikey

Mikey is singing with his class...can you see his head in the back middle?

Grams, Jessica, Hunter and Mikey after Jess and Hunter's Christmas Concert

I hope you all have a very Merry CHRISTmas and a Happy New Year!

May God bless you and all of your families!

Jessica...our anchorwoman!

2008-12-03T14:24:00.001-06:00

My neice Jessica got to be on a news channel in Oklahoma City this morning helping with the weather! Here are some pics of her famous debut....

God Bless You!

New...

2008-11-15T16:50:00.001-06:00

In case you missed it, I have added new Christian quotes, daily Bible verses and also sports info on the side of my blog! That way if I don't post, you can still see something new! :)

God Bless You!

Welcome Luke Michael

2008-11-14T14:58:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to say congrats to Melissa and welcome to one of the cutest baby's I have ever seen!!! We are so excited to meet you Luke Michael!!!

If you wanna see more pics, check out her blog..it's in the Blogs I Stalk column!

God Bless You!

Mikey's Surgery and Carey's soon to be

2008-11-14T14:55:00.003-06:00

Carey has torn his meniscus cartilage in his right knee (same leg as the achilles) and will have to have surgery on Wednesday in Oklahoma City. Please keep him in your prayers!

Mikey had surgery to get his tonsils out last week and he is doing great! Here are some pics right before he went in!

God Bless You!

And the luck continues on...

2008-11-14T14:13:00.002-06:00

This is totally random but Chloe is driving!! LOL!

So this is our back door...

The glass is completely shattered into millions of pieces but somehow still standing!

God Bless You!

Carey's trip to Missouri

2008-11-14T14:07:00.003-06:00

Carey went to Missouri a few weeks ago and here are some pics of the fun times he had!
Carey driving to the farm ready to hunt!

Bailey cheering!
Bailey posing as cute as ever!
Bryan ready for the buck!

Can you believe these are bloomin in Missouri in November???

Carey is still looking for the BIG OLE BUCK!!!!

The family eating at one of Bryan's fav restraunts! I need some pics of Carla!

He is back there this weekend for opening rifle season...it's the boys weekend he looks forward to all year long! Hope he gets a good one!

God Bless You!

Nana and Papa

2008-10-28T12:27:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to give you an update on my Nana and Papa. We moved them from out of the retirement community they were in back to their house yesterday. It was a pretty good day for Nana once she got home. Please keep them and our family in your prayers as they face a battle of many ups and downs.

God Bless You!

Colorado and Missouri

2008-10-28T12:24:00.002-05:00

Carey headed out this morning to Missouri to see the family and of course...to go hunting! He is so excited! I hope he sees some BOB's out there! and gets a doe or two for that awesome jerky!!!

I am headed to Denver, CO for a middle school conference tomorrow and will be back Saturday night. That means Gran and Grandpa get to dogsit our little Chloe! We will miss her so much!

Have an awesome week and a blessed weekend!

God Bless You!

Arkansas Weekend!

2008-10-28T11:42:00.005-05:00

This is a quote from my sister in law and it speaks for itself...
"you know you are a redneck when your idea of a great weekend is loading up the kin folk and the firearms and heading out to Arkansas!"

Well call me a red neck and check out our great weekend! LOL!!!

We loaded up the kinfolk (mom, dad, Carey, Chloe and me) and headed to Arkansas to meet my brother, my neice, my nephews and his girlfriend Alicia and her two kiddos. We had a fun filled weekend! We arrived Friday night and ate dinner with the entire family and were able to meet Alicia's mom, stepdad, two sisters and their families. After dinner we headed to a Haunted Forest which the kids liked alot! Saturday, we got up and watched Ike play football and he got an interception! Then we headed to Alicia's house to get ready for the Halloween party she was having. Carey brought the firearms and the older kids were able to shoot out in the pasture. Lots of fun!

After everything was set up, it was dress up time! We had so much fun dressing up and the kids had a great time too! They had a hayride, a bonfire that Carey built, music for the kids to dance to, night time volleyball and lots and lots of food!!! Who could ask for anything more?????????

Thanks Alicia for an awesome weekend! Love ya!

Me, Jess and Carey...a preview of what the weekend holds!

Me, Hunter, Carey and Mikey

Ike playing football!

The view behind Alicia's house!

I got skillz!!!!

Love this pic of Jess and me!!! So many people think we look alike...what do you think?

Ike looks like a natural!

Now that is the pro!!!

Jess's first time shooting a shotgun!

The gun I will use when I get my first deer! (positive thoughts!)

The crew (minus dad and Carey since they didn't dress up!) Alicia as a gypsy fortune teller, Shane as a pirate, Hunter as the Incredible Hulk, Jessica as a mummy, Gran as a pig in a blanket, Mikey as a Jedi, me as a Zombie Hunter and Chloe has her Halloween shirt on too!

Carey, Mikey, Jess and me....what a great face Mikey!

See what happens when you talk back to your wife???

How do you kill already dead people?

The newest Leighow family portrait! Maybe I'll blow this one up and hang it over the fireplace!

Who looks meaner?

Shane, Alicia and Mikey going on the hayride!

Mom and Dad by the bonfire that Carey made!

Lauren dressed up as a tight rope walker! She is so cute!

Mikey and Ike...Ike is Harry Potter!

Hunter has big muscles just like the Incredible Hulk!

Hunter and Mikey excited for the hayride!!!!

God Bless You!

The A,B,C's of Life...Ants, Birthdays and Cake

2008-10-23T12:41:00.009-05:00

So, I am sure you have heard of the phrase "Ants in your pants" right? Well, have you ever really thought about it and put yourself in that frame of mind? I unfortunately did!

This are the definitions for "Ants in your pants"....

1. If someone has ants in their pants, they are agitated or excited about something and can't keep still. 2. To be nervous or anxious or jumpy; to be unable to sit still. 3. If you had 'ants' (small insects) in your 'pants' (clothing) you would probably feel like jumping around.

Synonym: antsy
1) The children had ants in their pants, so we took them outside for some exercise.

2) Would you please stop tapping your foot?! You must have ants in your pants!

That is just a background.....I'm sure most people would say that phrase used as an idiom and not literally.

I can use it literally now! We were out front of Frontier City having Jessie's birthday party and I was the only one standing on this particular side of the picnic table. I was busy helping light the candles (a million times cuz the wind was being typical Oklahoma wind!), cutting the cake and picking up the presents Jess was opening. I kept sorta fidgeting and feeling like something was tickling my leg so I would use one leg to scratch the other leg. This went on for several, several minutes. I was off in my own little world to be honest and when I finally came back to reality, I looked down and saw my shoes and my legs from the knees down were covered in red ants! I took off running and flailing about not making any kind of sense but had no idea what to do! Carey and my mom were chasing after me all while I am scrambling and beating on my legs and thighs and stomach and anything else I could slap all in the parking lot with loads of people walking by...I am sure they thought I was having a seizure or something! (Hence the phrase running around like you have ants in your pants!) :)

Carey herded me (literally like he was on a horse and I was the cattle because he wasn't trying to touch me)into a porta potty (which I HATE!) and I proceeded to take my clothes off in this nasty portable bathroom! I tried to shake the ants off into the toilet and if you have ever been in one, you know you don't have the most room in it and I have no idea where the ants were going as I was trying to shake them (all the while also balancing on one shoe, holding my breath and trying to not touch anything in there!) It was quite a feat! By this time, my dad had gotten the car and drove it up to where we were so I could get in. I managed to dress myself and then proceeded to throw myself in the car where I could undress again! Most of the ants were off of me at this point so I was doing detective work to see where all I had gotten bit (legs, back, thighs, foot, chest). Luckily dad had some itching cream and mom had a benedryl for me to take so that I could enjoy the rest of the day!

*****Side note...The bites became these large red inflamed puss pockets so I went to the doctor and I found out I was allergic to the ants. Just par for the course! I am still taking antibiotics as we speak!*****

*****One more side note...the whole time I was blogging about this, I was itching like crazy all over my whole body like they were crawling on me again!*****

So now to the fun stuff....Jessie had her 10th Birthday on the 10th! It was an awesome day! For her birthday, her daddy is letting her totally redo her room including painting it four different colors! So needless to say, her presents were all about her new room!

Fuzzy blanket
Cool rug
Gran, Grandpa, Daddy, Jessie, Hunter and Mikey
Grandpa holding all the gifts!
Purple comforter
Different color curtains
Fuzzy pillows and teddy bear
Aunt Sissy, Uncle Carey, Jess, Mikey and Hunter
Picnic party in front of Frontier City (the place I was attacked!)
Blowing out all those candles!
More gifts and fun friends!
Jess is ready for some fun!
Not sure if Grandpa is though!
Carey and me decked out in our Crimson and Cream, but it turned out to be a VERY sad day....
YEAH! This is fun!!!
Now we are talking! WAY FUN!!!!
Okay...maybe not so much fun anymore!!!!
Jess and me doing the twist!
I had a side cramp after all that twisting and shaking!
Jess was called on stage and everyone sang Happy Birthday to her!
The emcee was a little scary looking!
Carey, Lauren and Ike fixing to ride a roller coaster! Fun times!

Chloe Faith Leighow

2008-10-23T12:36:00.005-05:00

Just a quick picture of her pumpkin shirt that lights up! Some might say she might be just a teeny weeny bit spoiled!

God Bless You!

The Mix Ministries

2008-10-23T12:11:00.005-05:00

Carey was fortunate enough to preach last night during the mid high and the high school youth services at church since two of our youth pastors had been gone all week. God really spoke to him about the vision He wanted him to portray so he had been working on his sermon for several weeks. He put together a human video to the song "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath. If you haven't heard it yet, it is a MUST! Oh how the world would be so different if we could see it through our Father's eyes! The video went off without a hitch and then God really used Carey as a portal to speak to our young people. The Holy Spirit was so strong in that sanctuary that I didn't want to leave! All of our Wednesday night services are awesome and the reason this one was different was because I was able to watch God work behind the scenes the weeks leading up to last night! Praise God for all the salvations that occurred and we will continue rejoicing in His daily blessings!

Carey building the cross...

Here is a pic of the cross he built with cinder blocks during one of the services...

Thanks to all the students who helped with the human video, Christina (my scurrier), Colton and Sarah who really helped us out last night! We love you guys! We feel so blessed to be a part of such an incredible vision for this generation at First Assembly!

God Bless You!

OU Cheer Alum Weekend

2008-10-20T15:32:00.016-05:00

What a weekend we had! We drove up to Norman for practice on Friday night and it was so good to see everyone! In case you don't know, OU has an alum game for the cheerleaders every other year and we get to catch up and pretend that we are still young and in the shape that we were in! (That is definitly not the case! I am still sore from just two days of it!!!) Me, Carey, mom, dad, Shane and Alicia all went to the game and it was great family fellowship for us all! Thanks for coming to support me!

Here are just a few of the pics from the game....
These are the girls I cheered with at some point in my 4 years at OU
Building our stunt
The BIG A!!!
Now this is the OLD School group! These are the ones who started the All Girl Squad and the ones who were on co-ed that year!
Practice at the OU Football Indoor Facility!
Steph can still pull that stretch! She was my flier at OU!
Carey and me
The entire OU Cheer Alum group!
Carey and me on the field!
"U" Baby!
Sooner Chant!
I feel so at home on the field! I love the smell of the grass and sweat and the feel of the sun beating down and the sound of the pads knocking together!!!!!
Go Murray!
Cool Shot!
Pick it up D! We need Mike Stoops back!
Bradford back to pass...
Punting time...
Me and Bubba
Bradford shuttle pass
TOUCH DOWN!!!!
Alicia and me!
Carey is even doing a #1! I converted him!!!!
Alicia, Shane, Mom and Dad
Look at those stats! Record Breaking stats!!!
Nice victory!
Stoops running off the field in victory!

If you would like to see more.....click on the link below to see them all from the weekend! http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=861201224524994590/l=436887281/g=6058229/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Saturday morning before the game, we headed to watch Mikey and Jess play soccer. Mikey scored 2 goals and Jess scored the only goal that her team had! Mikey is number 37! Great job guys!

Thanks for letting us crash at your house Bubba!

God Bless You!

OU Cheer Alum Weekend

2008-10-17T15:16:00.003-05:00

This is the weekend where all of us oldies that use to cheer at OU get together and we actually get to cheer at the game. It's a big game this year against Kansas! I am way excited to see all my friends! It will also be Carey's first game at Owen Field! I will update with pics later! Have a great weekend!

God Bless You!

Mikey

2008-10-08T13:42:00.003-05:00

Mikey (in orange) had a soccer game last Saturday and he plays up on the kindergarten team (he is only 4) and this is a kid (in green) that is in kindergarten that he played against!!! What are they feeding him??????????

God Bless You!

Website...

2008-10-08T13:39:00.004-05:00

You have to click on this website and see all the Sooner stuff they have for babies! The possibilities are endless!! And even if you like some other rinky dink school, this site will have it! WAY COOL!!! BOOMER!

http://www.kidsarefanstoo.com/oklahoma.html

Here is a preview of the site.....

God Bless You!

Hail Storm

2008-10-07T10:46:00.007-05:00

Yesterday we got bombarded with a 15 minute storm that turned into a very severe storm! Thank you Jesus for the rain!

This is how it started...Nickel size hail

Then it became quarter size hail...

And finally golf ball!!!! That would hurt if it clocked you in the head!

It flooded so quickly!

The water was over the curb in a matter of minutes!

God Bless You!

Cutest Dog Ever!

2008-10-06T10:04:00.003-05:00

We just love our Chloe so much!

Here she is with her new toy! It's an OU football toy! She runs around with it in her mouth!
This is her and her daddy cuddled up sleeping together! Can we just say spoiled?

God Bless You!

Surprise Brando!

2008-10-06T09:58:00.002-05:00

We threw a surprise birthday party for Brandon at his house on Saturday! He turned a whopping 33 on Thursday!!! Hope you had a great day! Love ya!
Ashley and I decorated the house before he got home!
More decorations!
The table all set up with munchies. We ate hot dogs, BBQ sandwiches, macaroni salad and some to die for home made cheesecake by Chef Ashley!
Some of the people waiting for him to get home!
SURPRISE BRANDO!!!

God Bless You!

Baby Luke Michael Wilson

2008-10-06T09:21:00.005-05:00

We had a pretty good weekend! Saturday morning we had a baby shower for soon to arrive Luke! Let me tell you, that little boy is going to be the best dressed hunk around!!!! I was so happy to see Melissa and can't wait to meet God's precious gift to her!
Isn't that a precious cake?
This baby balloon was so darn cute!
All the hostesses together with Melissa
Me cutting the cake!
Do you think he will be an athlete?
Melissa made these favors herself! It was a baby bottle filled with Mn M's and a note and it said
"Thank you for coming
to celebrate this day
Sit back, relax
and enjoy your stay
I'm sorry I can't be with you
to join in Mommy's shower
But I'm very busy you see
I'm growing more each hour
Though I'm not there
to thank you for
the lovely gifts you've brought
My family is thankful
They appreciate the thought
I'll be arriving soon
And I'm happy as can be
So, after I've been home awhile
Please come and visit me!
Love, Baby Luke"

Is that not the cutest thing you have ever seen!?!

Melissa and her mom Beth
Luke has a Nike Bath Robe!
And of course he has to have an OU outfit!!!

God Bless You!

Luke's 1st Birthday

2008-10-03T11:11:00.002-05:00

Happy 1st Birthday Luke!!!!

I am so sorry we won't be at your party but I am so excited to see all the fun pictures your mommy will post!

God Bless You!

Summer Pics

2008-10-02T11:46:00.005-05:00

Here are some pictures throughout the summer!
Carey being his silly self! Can anyone else do their eyes like this?
Nana is finally up walking! Papa is there as a great support system!
Nana and my cousin JR
Nana and me
This was memorial day and Jessie, Hunter and Mikey sat down at their great grandpa Bill's gravesite. They sat down on their own and it was really a tender moment!
Carey's black eye from youth camp!
Isn't this just an awesome sight to see!
Carey speaking at Sand Springs!
Carey breaking at bat at the See You at the Pole Rally!
The alter call was great!
Our stage at Lawton First for I love the 80's. Can you see the rubix cube's in the back ground?
Carey is dressed up in MC Hammer pants, cut sweatshirt and a nice long black wig! Great 80's look!

God Bless You!

Chloe Faith Leighow

2008-10-02T11:20:00.006-05:00

This is our dawgter and we are so proud of her! She is our pride and joy! She was born March 4 and weighed 2 pounds. She is now up to 8 pounds and is so naughty!! We love her very much!
This is the day we brought her home!
Riding on her daddy's shoulder!
She loved to ride there!
Her ball is as big as her head!
So tiny sleeping by her daddy!
She is our little princess! Thanks Gran and Grandpa for spoiling her!
Her first bath! Now she loves water! You can't take a bath without her either jumping in or whining wanting in!
This is her infamous Polar Bear pose! She loves to have her belly scratched!
She loves to be dressed up! This is her "Out on The Town" dress...leopard is so in this year!
This one is from Auntie Christina and says Easy Rider and she loves to sit in the driver's lap when she goes bye bye!
This is her "around the house" dress. It says Dogalicious!
Now did you think I wouldn't have an OU Bandana for her? She wears it every game we watch! Thanks to Whit who bought it for her!
She was peeking out at us!
She is dancing pretty here! Her Daddy has taught her lots of tricks! She can sit, stay, dance, shake and lay down! She is a genius!
She is finally growing into her big ears!
She loves the pool and likes to work on her tan with Gran!
Here is Daddy, Hunter, Mikey and Chloe! What a group!

God Bless You!

Followers of Our Blog...

2008-10-01T14:55:00.001-05:00

If you read our blog, please sign in to the right as a follower! We would love to know who actually reads this! Thanks!

God Bless You!

Don't faint, but.....I'm BBAAAAAAACCCKKKK!!!

2008-10-01T12:54:00.011-05:00

Okay, so it has been SEVERAL months since I have last blogged! Please forgive me and please stop with all of the death threats!

Here is an update as to what has been happening in the crazy lives of the Leighow's...(sorry no pics, I am doing this at work!)

April -
I went to see Carrie Underwood in concert and it was awesome! We had floor seats and I even got to high five her hand!!! We (my mom, dad, me, Brando, Kayce and Melissa) had a blast!!!!!

Carey also spoke to several FCA's in Lawton Public Schools and several youth groups and had a great response!

We got a puppy! She is a West Highland White Terrier (Westie for short) and her name is Chloe! She was born March 4 so she really is a baby and we love her so much!

May -
So school finally came to a close and I was ready for the summer!!!

Carey continued physical therapy throughout the month trying to get his Achilles strong again.

I got a new cousin-in-law! JR and Nat finally got married on May 10th and it was an awesome day! They were both so beautiful and the wedding was just magnificent! We all had an incredible time and are so thrilled to watch them grow in their new journey as husband and wife! We love you guys!

June -
We took a huge family vacation to Cancun, Mexico! My parents, Carey's mom, bro, sis n law, niece, nephew, sis n law's family, and more family on Carey's side. Total there were 18 of us! We had an incredible hotel right on the beach and an awesome view to all the "big" boats! We did swim aerobics every day, swam in the pool and ocean, played beach volleyball, some went on a pirate ship dinner, rode four wheelers in the Mexico jungle, snorkeled in an underwater cave (SCARY!), some swam with dolphins, went to three dinner shows that were fabulous and of course worked on our tans! We had a phenomenal time! Thanks to Carla who set the whole trip up! We love you!

Also, in June, Carey was able to speak at a youth retreat at Camp Y'Shua with First Baptist West. We were out there two days and got to know a great youth pastor and his wife and his fun youth group.

Carey also went to camp at Turner Falls with our Youth Group (in which he got into a fight and came back with a black eye!!!) We had an awesome turn out of students who went and he continued to go back down there one night a week with our youth pastors for five weeks.

July -
Carey finished with physical therapy and his Achilles continued to get stronger each day.

Our church hosted the 2nd annual "I Love America" in Elmer Thomas Park in Lawton and Carey was able to speak and do some feats of strength at it. There were awesome fireworks over the lake and all in all, it was a great night! We had over 200 people come forward!! Praise God!

I also started volleyball practice for the upcoming season, my summer was officially coming to a close! So sad!! :(

Carey was fortunate enough to go on a mission trip with our high school leadership team from our youth at Lawton First. They went to Mexico and it truly changed every person's life who went down there. They saw things that they couldn't imagine and several little kids touched the hearts of our high school boys and our men! The pictures and testimonies they brought back brought tears to my eyes!

This month was also a hard month for my family. My Nana fell and broke her hip. She ended up having surgery the next day and I spent the next two weeks staying in the hospital with her with a few nights off in the mix of it all. She has dementia so needless to say, she was very confused and it called for some long sleepless nights. She was in the hospital for around two weeks and then moved to the Nursing Transition Unit (which is a glorified nursing home and we were NOT pleased). I once again stayed there off and on for the time she was there which was around 10 days. We made the hard decision to move her and my papa into Ten Oaks Retirement Center for the extra help and therapy that she needed in August. At that point, we had no idea how long they would be there or if they would get to leave.

August -
Carey and I had been praying for a long time and came to the hard decision that it was time for him to retire from the Power Team. For many reasons, we both felt that the time had come for him to move on to something else that God was preparing him for.

We were able to go on our mid high mission trip to OKC for two days and help an intercity church. We had a great time getting to know the kids, the other adults who went and also the church members. I fell in love with this little girl who I held most of the day Saturday and didn't want to give her back to her mom!

School and the volleyball season started this month as well. I had worked on and off throughout the summer at school to get ready for the upcoming year. We were back and rearing to go! Our volleyball season got off to a rocky start but we started to peak by the end of the month.

Nana and Papa were living in Ten Oaks and as therapy began, we could see Nana getting stronger and prayers being answered!

We also had a sleepover with our youth leaders at Christina's house and I finally played cops and robbers for the first time! We had so much fun! The interns were there with us and I miss the girls so much! (Love to you Whit and Ems!!!)

Linda flew in to stay a few weeks with us since we were unable to go to Missouri this summer. We hadn't seen her in a while so it was nice to have her with us! She had back surgery about a month prior and had upcoming knee surgery. She is doing much better with both and we ask that you continue to keep her in your prayers as she recuperates!

OU played their first game against a not so hot team and came out victorious!

September -
Volleyball ended up doing pretty well. We finished our regular season 16-11 and we are getting ready for regionals on October 9th. Wish us luck! We also had our varsity sleepover at the house last Friday night. Carey was there with me, Coach Kemp and 14 high school girls! He went bowling with us and then ducked into the bedroom once we got back to the house. I just can't understand why he didn't want to make beaded bracelets and necklaces with us! What a party pooper! But he did get up early the next morning and make homemade donuts with chocolate icing and cinnamon and sugar! YUMMY!!!

Nana has continued to get stronger and stronger. She is now walking with a walker and eating by herself and doing things that we never thought she would do again! We are truly blessed each day that we have with her! Papa and her have decided to go back to their home at the end of October. Please keep them in your prayers as they walk down a difficult path of uncertainty.

We are in full swing of Home Groups. Home Groups are Sunday nights when our youth is broken into smaller groups at someones house. We are fortunate to have the best house and home owners ever! Sam and Angie have provided such a fun environment to learn the Word! Our relationships with the students are really growing as well!

OU has continued to roll over their opponents! Ranked Numero Uno in the polls this week!!! BOOMER!!!! Can I get a SOONER!!?????

Carey had the privilege of speaking at a See You At The Pole Rally up in Sand Springs, OK (near Tulsa) last Wednesday. He spoke to around 250 students and had around 85 answer the alter call!!! Praise God!! New Christians names written in The Book!!!!! How can that not be exciting?!?

October -
Today, Carey spoke at Lawton Christian School during Chapel. I hope it went well!

Also, we are still praying about the path that God wants us to take with Carey's job. Carey has not felt led to a specific job in the secular world and we are praying for His will to be done and not ours. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we trod up and down the mountains of uncertainty. We know our faith will only grow through this and we are thankful for all of our blessings He has already given us! We are thankful to our family who has been by our sides in this time...we couldn't been doing it without you! You know who you are Mom, Dad, Linda, Bryan, Carla, Grams, Judy and Mickey! We love you!

God Bless You!

Carey's birthday!!!

2008-04-24T21:57:00.004-05:00

Carey turned 36 today!!! Unfortunatly I had to work today so he spent the day with our youth pastors Matt and Heath. Then they came over for dinner and to watch Facing the Giants. We had a great evening! I hope you had a great day my love! I love you sugar bear!!!!

So here is an update on Carey...he is now in cast number five and goes back to the doctor on the 29th. We are hoping that the cast will come off and he will not have to get another one! Please keep him in your prayers!

God Bless You!

Ode to Nat...

2008-04-24T21:44:00.003-05:00

Last weekend was JR and Nat's bachelor and bachelorette weekend. Friday night we all went to BJ's in Norman and had a great dinner. It was great to meet all of their friends and just get to hang out. Then Saturday night was Nat's personal shower and we had a great time! Can't wait for you to be a part of our family! Love ya Nat!!!

God Bless You!

Jess's Track Meet!

2008-04-24T21:27:00.004-05:00

Jessica was in a track meet last Saturday and got 1st in the baseball throw, 2nd in the 200 meter dash (she lost by .06 seconds!) and third in the 400 meter relay! We were so proud of her!

God Bless You!

Cast Number Four and other stuff...

2008-03-29T19:21:00.008-05:00

So we went back to the doctor on Friday and much to Carey's dismay, he had another cast put back on. He had high hopes of being able to walk out in a "moon boot" but Dr. Funderburk said no way. He has a walking cast on until April 29. That is another 4 weeks with a cast! Needless to say, his spirits were a bit dampened leaving the office!
Pic of the scar before removing the bandages...

Some one needs a pedicure BIG TIME!!!!!

The scar actually looks pretty good! It's healing quite well!

Carey's new blue cast and so fashionable walking shoe!

After we got home, we went over to my Gram's house to play Uno with Grams, Aunt Judy, Uncle Mickey, Erin, Josh, Kayce and Brad. This has become a weekend ritual for us! I didn't play so well but Carey didn't do too bad!
I also received another birthday gift. It was from Grams, Aunt Judy, Uncle Mickey, Erin and Kayce.
It's the Main Ingredients Chile set! How cute is this!

I love the peppers! We love to entertain so this will definitely come in handy!
Thanks for an awesome night! We love you guys!

Today, we went to eat lunch out at Meers in the mountains with my mom and dad. If you haven't been there before, you are missing out! They are famous for their longhorn beef hamburgers and awesome cobbler! I always eat my cobbler and home made ice cream first and this time was no different! YUMMY!!!! You can check out their website...http://www.meersstore.com/ People come from all over to eat there. Thanks for a great lunch Mom and Dad!!! You guys are the best! You know just how to cheer us up! Right through our tummy's!!!!
The Meersburger!!!

On our way out to Meers, we saw a truck blow out a tire and flip just three cars in front of us. Everyone slammed their brakes on and Dad, Carey, mom and I got out and took off running to see if we could help. Carey and Dad helped get the couple out of the upside down truck. Thank the Lord, they were both wearing seat belts and were just scratched up. Mom and I tried to talk to the girl (a 21 year old who was visiting her boyfriend stationed at Fort Sill and from CA) and clean up some of her scratches and cuts. I had some handy wipes in my purse, water, napkins and band aides from the car. They were both so shaken up and also so very lucky! They had flipped on a bridge and thankfully they didn't flip OVER the bridge!

Sometimes it takes things like that to happen right in front of your eyes for you to realize all the blessings and security you have in your own life. We all go through our struggles and sometimes get so wrapped up in them and then you realize just how lucky you are. Our Father will never give us more than we can handle...all we have to do is have faith and just believe in Him and His miracles!

God Bless You!

The Big Three Oh!!!

2008-03-26T21:17:00.009-05:00

So today I turned 30...

I was a bit unsure how I was going to feel in the transition of leaving my 20's and entering my 30's. On one side, I was sad to be leaving the only part of adulthood I have ever known and yet on the other hand, I am so excited to see what my 30's have in store for me. In the past year and a half, my life has taken such a turn that I truly never imagined being where I am right now...I met the man that God had in store for me, fell in love, married my soulmate and best friend and bought a house. Which brings me back to being excited for the future...only my Father knows what is in store for us next year and I am anxiously awaiting each day!

I have wonderful friends and family who wanted to make sure that I had a fabulous day! At midnight last night, my hubby told me happy birthday and I got a text from Lisa too! My day started off with a phone call from my parents singing to me and then my Grams singing to me and so many texts from my friends and family and I left the house with a big smile on my face! I arrived at school and found my room decorated in black and numerous "over the hill" signs! Brandon, Charlotte, Chris, Judy and Teresa all had a hand in making sure I felt old today! I wore a crown that said 30, a necklace that read 30 and a pin with lips that said "Kiss me! I'm 30!" They all made my day even better! I had some gifts from the Levinson's which helped add to my OU collection! BOOMER! I continued to get texts, emails and phone calls from so many people...some with mean things to say and others with sweet things...no matter what was said, they were all thinking of me! Here are some pics of my day!

The DEATH table with black roses!
My throne doused in black!
The front part of my classroom...notice the wheelchair!
They even got a hold of my computer!
My cake is so pretty and tasted oh so good!
Lighting the candles!
Me and Brando Lane!
FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!
Nice face! Those cheeks are a family trait!
They were trick candles!

My parents, Carey, me, Nana, Papa and Aunt Nay Nay went to Red Lobster for the birthday dinner. Mine is today and my Nana's is tomorrow so we always celebrate it together! It was a great meal and we had lots of fun with me still wearing my "30" jewelry!

The wonderful parents who brought me into this world!
How blessed am I??? I have a great family!
Papa, Nana and Me!
Me and Aunt Nay Nay
I love my husband so much! He is the best!
Happy Birthday Nana!
They are singing to us birthday girls! It was a little embarrassing!
Opening presents!
MMMM..I love the smell of my candle!
A new OU shirt!
Love my Reef flip flops!
A new COACH purse!!! WHOO HOO!!!
My beautiful plant and balloons that my awesome parents and wonderful brother gave me!

I had such a wonderful day and love and appreciate each and every one of you who helped make it so special!

God Bless You!

Easter Time...

2008-03-22T11:45:00.007-05:00

I have been looking for this weekend for months! Carey's mom flew in Wednesday (it was supposed to be Tuesday but that is a long story...let's just say it took her eight hours to leave Kansas City and fly right back to it!) and Bryan, Carla, Brenton and Bailey came in on Friday. I picked up Jessica, Hunter and Mikey Friday morning and all the kids were so excited to spend some time together! Friday afternoon we all dyed Easter eggs! It was so much fun! The kids seemed to really enjoy it!
They each decorated a dozen eggs!
Hunter and Mikey made a lot of the sports eggs!
Smile Bailey!
Love the egg Brenton!Jess did a fabulous job with her eggs!
After dying eggs, we all loaded up into the cars and headed to the mountains. We ate at Riverside Cafe in Medicine Park and the kids had a great time feeding the fish. We drove up Mount Scott and it was so beautiful and such a beautiful day!
The five kids posing pretty!
Mikey is so cute!
Look at those muscles Hunter!
Jess, Hunter and Mikey
Bailey just kickin it...Brenton just chillin...

Today, we all loaded up (Carey, me, Linda, Bryan, Carla, Bailey, Brenton, Mom, Dad, Shane, Jess, Hunter, Mikey, Nana, Papa and Uncle Bill) and headed out to Aunt Nay Nay's house to meet Nay Nay, Uncle Ronnie, Kourtney, Emma, Joseph, JR, Nat, Holly and Luke for a big Easter shin dig! This morning, Papa and I made 5 dozen deviled eggs and they were sure good! We had smoked meat, honey ham, potato salad, slaw, baked beans and some really awesome dessert including Momma L's brownie chocolate cake! I got to finally meet Luke (check out the Thrasher's blog if you don't know who that is) and play with him! He is so precious! **Cody and Holly...you have a beautiful baby!** After we stuffed our faces so full it was ridiculous, it was time to hunt the Easter Eggs! There were over 200 eggs hidden and some had candy and others had money in them! Emma found one!
Nana, Uncle Bill and Papa watching all the kids find the eggs!
Emma and Hunter found an egg hiding on Uncle Carey as Linda and Bryan were watching!
Emma and Hunter looking for one of the prize eggs!
Everyone was getting in on the egg hunting action!
Check those plants Joseph!
You found a prize egg Mikey!
Did you find it Brenton?
Bailey being sweet and helping Mikey out!
Shane helping Mikey count his eggs!
Jess is searching for the hard hidden ones!
Bryan helping Mikey proudly show off his egg!
What a great looking group!

Thank you to all of our family that helped make this day such a success! Please know that your hard work is well noted! We love you!

We had a great day filled with family and fun but please don't forget the true purpose of Easter...Jesus' ressurection! We pray many blessings upon each of you and your families!

God Bless You!

Prayers

2008-03-22T11:43:00.003-05:00

Our previous youth pastor and his wife (Josh and Christina) lost their 2 year old boy Boomer on Thursday. He drowned in a pond and could not be resesitated. Christina had just given birth to their daughter Ashby on Tuesday. This family is going through more than most go through in a lifetime. Please keep them in your prayers.

God Bless You!

Big Saturday night!

2008-03-22T11:32:00.003-05:00

Carey, Brad and I went to Wal-Mart last Saturday and all I can say is that I hid from them! There were alot of bumps and bruises (given to Brad mainly) and beeping from the continuous backing up! The pics say it all....

God Bless You!

Food For Thought...

2008-03-13T09:17:00.001-05:00

I received this email from a friend and there are some great ideas to ponder and to put to use...

A Soulful Relationship

By Reverend Ronald McFadden

If you're not married yet, share this with a friend. If you are married, share it with your spouse or other married couples and reflect on it.

An African proverb states, "Before you get married, keep both eyes open, and after you marry, close one eye."

Before you get involved and make a commitment to someone, don't let lust, desperation, immaturity, ignorance, pressure from others or a low self-esteem make you blind to warning signs.

Keep your eyes open, and don't fool yourself that you can change someone or that what you see as faults are not really important.

Once you decide to commit to someone, over time their flaws, vulnerabilities, pet peeves, and differences will become more obvious.

If you love your mate and want the relationship to grow and evolve, you've got to learn to close one eye and not let every little thing bother you.

You and your mate have many different expectations, emotional needs, values, dreams, weaknesses, and strengths.

You are two unique individuals who have decided to share a life together.

Neither of you are perfect, but are you perfect for each other?

Do you bring out the best of each other?

Do you compliment and compromise with each other, or do you compete, compare, and control?

What do you bring to the relationship?

Do you bring past relationships, past hurt, past mistrust, past pain?

You can't take someone to the altar to alter him or her.

You can't make someone love you or make someone stay.

If you develop self-esteem, spiritual discernment, and "a life", you won't find yourself making someone else responsible for your happiness or responsible for your pain.

Manipulation, control, jealousy, deceitfulness, neediness, and selfishness are not the ingredients of a thriving, healthy, loving and lasting relationship.

Seeking status, sex, wealth, and security are the wrong reasons to be in a relationship.

Question: What keeps a relationship strong?

Answer: Communication, intimacy (not sex), trust, a sense of humor, sharing household tasks, some getaway time without business or children or moma and Daily exchanges (a meal, a shared activity, a hug, a call, a touch, a note), sharing common goals and interests. Leave a nice message on their voice mail or send a nice email.

Growth is important. Grow together, not away from each other, giving each other space to grow without feeling insecure.

Allow your mate to have outside interest. You can't always be together. Give each other a sense of belonging and assurances of commitment. Don't try to control one another.

Learn each others family situation. Respect his or her parents regardless.

Don't put pressure on each other for material goods. Remember for richer or for poorer.

If these qualities are missing, the relationship will erode as resentment, withdrawal, abuse, neglect, dishonesty, and pain will replace the passion.

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think."

The grass withers, the flowers fades, but the word of God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8.

Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight?

The difference between 'United' and 'Untied' is where you put the 'I'.

Live Simple, Love Generously, Care Deeply, Smile Often, Speak Kindly, And
Leave The Rest To God! He's in control, anyway!

God Bless You!

Track Meet

2008-03-12T21:43:00.002-05:00

We went to our first track meet yesterday and our girls and boys did a great job! We were very worried as practice continued to go by each day and we were not seeing great progress. We are a very young group with only 5 out of 35 athletes ever having been to a track meet! The girls got third out of thirteen and the guys got fifth out of fourteen! We had numerous individual medals and relay medals brought back with us. GREAT JOB! No matter how they perform, one thing I do is pray with them before each and every event. If I teach them nothing but one thing, I want them to know that no matter if we win or if we lose, we still give Him all the glory! That is how Carey and I are trying to live each day...even through the trials that may come our way, we just continue to thank God for the day that He has given us to go through the trials, the love he surrounds us with and the faith He continues to show us! How have you thanked God today?

God Bless You!

The Black Cast...

2008-03-12T21:34:00.002-05:00

So Carey went to the doctor yesterday for a check up. They cut off his BOOMER SOONER cast and the doctor looked at his incision and was very happy with how it was healing. He got his 24 staples taken out and even kept one that he has in his wallet! Dr. Funderburk was VERY pleased with his healing so they basically skipped a cast where he was still to have his toe pointed down and they went ahead and put his ankle in neutral position! YEAH! We go back in two more weeks and from there Carey will either get a walking cast or a moon boot but either way...NO MORE CRUTCHES!!! He now has a "manly" cast on since it is black! Whatever that means..... :)

Please continue to keep him in your prayers!

God Bless You!

Welcome little angel...

2008-03-09T16:42:00.007-05:00

Carey and I just wanted to say Congrats to the new parents Teddy and Kristen of a beautiful baby girl Brenlea Ann who was born Friday and also congrats to the new big sister Isabella! They are now a wonderful family of four! We love you guys!

Beautiful Brenlea Ann...

Precious gift from God!

So tiny...

Look how proud Daddy is...

Beautiful proud mama...

God Bless You!

Carey's Achilles...

2008-03-09T15:04:00.016-05:00

So last Monday night, Carey had a LONG night with excruciating pain in his big toe. He was so frustrated that he had major surgery on his achilles tendon and it was his big toe that was killing him! I was worried that the surgery had caused something so in the morning, Carey called the doctor and told him about the pain. Dr. Funderburk immediately said to come back up to OKC and get it checked out. We drove to the city and got in right away. They cut his cast off, looked at his foot, barely touched his toe and the first two questions out of the doctor's mouth were to Carey were: Do you eat red meat? (if you know my husband then this is a funny question since that is mainly what he eats 90% of the time!) and Do you drink protein shakes? (another absurd question since we have two buckets of protein mix in the pantry!). He immediately had a diagnosis of Gout in the joint of his big toe. Neither Carey nor I had heard of gout and obviously didn't know what it was. The doc was explaining it to us and said that it is more painful than the surgery would be! Well, we figured that out the night before!

The definition of gout is a disease created by a buildup of uric acid. In this condition, monosodium urate or uric acid crystals are deposited on the articular cartilage of joints, tendons and surrounding tissues due to elevated concentrations of uric acid in the blood stream. This provokes an inflammatory reaction of these tissues.

If you think back to high school, think about the cartoon like pictures in your history textbooks that showed Kings sitting on their thrones with an abnormally large big toe and a huge turkey leg in their hand that they are gnawing on...if you can remember that, they were showing that the King had gout. Apparently back then, the Kings ate better than their subjects (hence the red meat and protein products) and also had servants to wait on them hand and foot (the crystals build up in joints that are not very mobile)!

Anyway, the doc gave Carey some anti inflammatory for a week and put him back in a new cast. He is doing so much better now! He was in so much pain and unable to sleep at all. The past few nights, he has finally gotten some rest and slept quite peacefully! We thank God for that rest he has gotten!

Here are some pics of our unexpected trip back to the surgeon...

Starting to saw...

Don't saw his leg!!

The cast is almost off!!!

It's not too swollen!

24 Staples and a Major surgery later...

Scratch it while you can Carey!

Time to put the new cast back on!

He is definitely not happy about another cast right now!

Look what color it is!!

BOOMER SOONER!!!

Cast number 2!!

Please continue to keep Carey in your prayers...prayers for patience, understanding and obedience!

God Bless You!

I have been tagged!

2008-02-27T17:33:00.003-06:00

I was tagged by Nat so here goes...

10 years ago:
I was a sophomore at OU and living in the sorority house with Deanna (my suite mate in the dorms), Andrea (her little sis) and Brandi (my big sis) and cheering for John Blake on the field in front of not too many happy football fans!

Things on my to do list today:
Be the best nurse I can be to Carey!

What would I do if I suddenly became a Billionaire?
First off, pray about what to do with the money! After all, it's His money first! Second, pay off our house and any debts that we owe, set up college funds for future children as well as nieces and nephews, make sure that mom and dad and Momma L are set for the rest of their lives. And get Carey the truck that he has been wanting!!!!

Three of my bad habits:
1.) Biting my nails (even though I have fake ones, I still bite on them!)
2.) Gossiping (I have been working on this one and turning it over to the Lord!)
3.) Procrastination

Five jobs I have had:
1.) Worked as gymnastics coach at the YMCA with 3,4 and 5 year olds for a summer
2.) Worked as a sales person for Harold's Outlet Clothing Store in Norman for two months
3.) Coached at a cheerleading and tumbling gym in Moore for 5 years
4.) Taught at Central Middle School for 7 years and coached cheerleading for 3 years, softball for 2 years, basketball for one year, volleyball for 3 years and track for 4 years.
5.) Coached at a cheerleading and tumbling gym in Lawton for 1 year

Five things people don't know about me:
1.) I am scared of the dark!
2.) I love skim milk and could drink it with any food!
3.) I still sleep with a bear that I got at my 10th birthday!
4.) I am fearful about being a good mommy!
5.) When I blow my nose, it is like a fog horn! I don't do it around many people!!!!

I tag these people: Erin and Josh, Liz, Tommie, Amy, Kristen, Meghan and anyone else that wants to!! Copy and paste into yours and fill in your answers!

You're it!!

God Bless You!

Today was the day...

2008-02-27T17:13:00.004-06:00

that Carey had surgery! We left this morning at 4:30 am to be in North OKC by 6:00 am. It was me, Momma L, Mom and Dad who drove up in the van with him. My brother Shane showed up after we arrived and Bryan (Carey's bro) was there via phone! :) Carey and I both appreciate Momma L for flying in to help take care of him the first few days and for mom and dad for getting up so early to drive us there and to just be there for support. We also appreciate and love Shane (who rearranged his work day to be there) and Bryan (who was ready to get on a plane at the drop of a hat to be here) for their concerns and prayers!

Surgery went well according to the doctor. We praise God for giving the doctor the steady hands to do the job, the nurses for their caring hearts and the anaesthesiologist for his smarts! The Lord kept Carey safe throughout the procedure and we raise our hands in praise to Him!!!

Dr. Funderburk explained everything to us and made sure we understood what occurred and what will occur in the upcoming weeks. Carey has about two inches of gauze around his foot and then fiberglass lightly around that to make up his first cast. They have his foot pointed down to relieve any tension on the Achilles tendon. We go back in two weeks to have the cast taken off, staples removed and another cast put on.

Here is a pic of his foot (I took this while he was sleeping!)

He was given a pain blocker from his knee down to help with pain the first 24 hours. He has been sleeping majority of the day which is essential in the healing process!

Please continue to keep him in your prayers! Prayers to deal with pain, patience and understanding!

Thank you to all of you that have called, texted or commented with concerns, thoughts and prayers for him! It really means alot to us! We love you!

God Bless You!

Carey breaking ice...

2008-02-23T21:33:00.000-06:00

God Bless You!

Aurora, Illinois

2008-02-23T21:03:00.003-06:00

Here are some pics of Carey in Aurora, Illinois...

God Bless You!

Surgery Set...

2008-02-22T17:15:00.002-06:00

So Wednesday is the big day. Carey will have surgery to repair his Achilles Tendon which is torn in two. Yes, that's right. It is severed. According to the surgeon, "he did it good!" He will be in a splint cast for two weeks and then they will put on an actual cast for at least two more weeks. He will be on crutches for at least four weeks with no weight bearing. After that, only the good Lord knows what will happen. They will see how he is healing and decide whether to take the cast off or what the next step is. Please continue to keep him in your prayers!

All we can do right now is to thank God for his injury and to look forward to the lesson He is going to teach us. At church, we have been learning about trust and putting ALL of our trust in our Father. These are the sermons I have listend to the past two weeks and they were sure delivered at the right time...there is no place like the present to put these principals to the test.

T - Take an inventory...are we really putting all of our trust in God? It starts with us trusting and God will do the rest! The devil wants us to trust ourselves and not put it all in His hands.

R - Recognize God as our source...God gives us the power, strength and breath to make it through each day and any trials and tribulations that we may face. We are ungreatful if we believe we can do it without God.

U - Understand God's principals...Who's in Charge (Who is going to run our lives...the One who created me and the One who knows me the best), To Give and Grow (We need to learn how to give if we want to grow with Him), Do it Now (Procrastination is straight from the Devil. He will make sure tomorrow never comes!), I'm in Debted to Him (we are in debt as soon as we are born to Him, we will never be blessed if we feel like we are owed), The Fountain of Youth (we live forever through our giving)

S - Surrender everything to God...We have to surrender everything that we have to Him. He will never give us more than we can carry and He will always be there to carry the part that is too heavy for us to carry alone! He expects us to surrender everything from family, finances, burdens, pain and sorrow. There is nothing we go through that God has not touched.

T - Trust God's promises....He will provide if we trust. He may not be early, be He will never be late. He is ALWAYS right on time.

Trust is something that is difficult for many people to give and to feel. I personally have had a hard time trusting people because my flesh has been burned but through God he has made me whole again and able to love and trust so deeply. So why is it that He is capable of teaching me to trust again but it is so hard to totally trust in Him?

I challenge each one of you to look at your life truthfully and ask yourself...do you trust Him???

These are just some things that God has put on my heart!

God Bless You!

Appt...

2008-02-21T17:10:00.002-06:00

Carey flew in to Lawton today around noon. He put on his best husband grin and escorted me to my great aunt's funeral, gravesite and famiy dinner afterwards. This was with moonboot and cane!!! Speaking of moonboot...Carey's new name is Cosmic Carey! Goes nice with Astronaunt Ashlee doesn't it???? (inside joke to some!)

We got him an appt with Dr. Funderburk in OKC at the Mcbride clinic at 10 tomorrow. Please continue to keep him in your prayers as we continue to find out the prognosis. We really appreciate all of you who are praying and have put him on your many prayer chains.

We'll keep you posted...

God Bless You!

Zanesville, OH

2008-02-20T21:00:00.003-06:00

So Carey and the guys are in Zanesville, Ohio this week on another crusade. He has been home a week, started hitting the gym hard and ready to get back on the road again!

Around 1:45, I got a phone call from him with the 8 most dreaded words that come out of his mouth..."Baby, I need you to pray for me." (Realize that I LOVE to pray with and for Carey 100% of the time. When it is the way those words are said, it makes my heart drop into my stomach.) Those words are usually followed by me saying "What happened?" Then it's Carey's turn to tell me what horrific injury has just occurred. You see, I know this dialogue quite well since it has already happened twice...once when I knew him just a month and he REtore his pec and bicep and the second time when he thought he had broken two ribs (they were only bruised and he had a pulled muscle below the ribs). Well, that is exactly how it went today for the third time. His response was this "I think I just ripped my achilles tendon." WHAT?!?!? He was right. They took him straight to an orthopedic surgeon who did x-rays and MRI's confirming the severe tear in his right achilles.

He is flying home tomorrow and I will be in the process of getting him an appointment with a doctor in OKC ASAP. The surgeon in Ohio (who wanted to do the surgery up there on Friday) said it must be done within 10 days of the injury.

This is him in the hotel room propping the moonboot up. He wasn't even allowed to go to the crusade at the church tonight! Please keep Carey in your thoughts and prayers. He is in some major pain and will have a long recovery. Please pray for the Lord to have His will with him and also for him to keep his spirits high. I will keep you posted as we know more!

God Bless You!

The Impossible Quiz

2008-02-20T20:53:00.002-06:00

So if you wanna get addicted to something, you gotta check this test out! It has 110 questions and I have yet to beat it! I am on question 56 and I have been doing it for two days!

http://www.notdoppler.com/theimpossiblequiz.php

If anyone beats it, let me know!

God Bless You!

Anniversary Day!

2008-02-16T20:02:00.005-06:00

I AM THE LUCKIEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD! I woke up this morning to breakfast in bed! We ate and then continued the morning by being lazy and watching some good ole tv while just veggin out! We didn't really exchange presents since for our anniversary we got a brand new king size mattress about a month ago! That was the best present ever! However, my hubby surprised me with OU valves for my car (that I have been begging for since Christmas), an OU basketball goal to hang on the door and the sweetest card I have ever seen! It was like it was written only for us! We got up and around and headed to eat dinner in Wichita Falls. We were going to go to the city but the weather put a damper on that idea!

We are in the car on the way to eat!

The sexy man himself at Cheddar's...

We put these on one year ago today at 1:30 pm with our Father and families watching over us...

When we came back to town, we decided it was time to eat our top tier of our wedding cake. We were both trying to figure out the meaning and history behind saving the cake for one year and then eating and here are the two things I found on line. If you know any other reason, please let us know!

Reason One...
The tradition is rooted in late 19th century when grand cakes were baked for christening of the first child. At that time, it was assumed that christening would occur soon after the wedding ceremony so the two ceremonies came to be linked along with the cakes. Gradually, wedding cakes became more elaborate and christening cake took a back seat. Later, when the custom of three-tier wedding cake emerged, the bottom tier was used for reception, the middle for distribution and the top for the christening. With the passage of time wedding became disassociated with christening as the time gap between the two events increased. Hence the reason for preserving top layer of the cake changed. Couples began to preserve it for their first anniversary and to remind themselves of their special day. In the UK, there is a tradition to send a piece of wedding cake to people who are unable to attend the ceremony and make them a part of celebrations.

Reason Two...
The one-year anniversary is the final rite of incorporation that closes the circle of the wedding journey. What began with the proposal or the decision to marry now comes to completion with this final rite. In our culture, the act of incorporation is materially symbolized by eating the leftover wedding cake. The tradition instructs the bride and groom to freeze the top layer of the cake so that it can be eaten on the one-year anniversary. The ritual of eating is a primary rite of incorporation in nearly every culture around the world. Partaking of the cake that was baked a year before is a way to bring the year into the body, come full circle, and complete a process that began with the engagement.

Whatever the real reason may be, we decided to do it because it is a tradition! It actually tasted good!

It's time to eat the top of our wedding cake!

Kisses for my man!

Can you tell it is in the shape of a heart?

MUAH!!!!

Cutting the cake...

Such precise cutting techniques!

I wanna help too love!

Open wide!!!

MMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!! The cake was moist inside!!!

Good times!!!

God Bless You!

Our first Wedding Anniversary!

2008-02-16T09:35:00.004-06:00

One year ago today, we were in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico getting ready for our wedding! We had Carey's mom Linda, brother Bryan, sister in law Carla, neice Bailey, nephew Brenton, my mom Jodie, dad Rick, brother Shane, neice Jessica, Uncle Bill, Grams Dorothy, Aunt Judy, cousin Erin, cousin Kayce, and Josh all with us. It was the best time of our lives!

On this very day one year ago, I married my very best friend and my soul mate. I am just so thankful that God made him and molded him just for me and that we both had the patience and the faith in our Father to let ourselves feel love so profoundly. I was just telling Carey the other day how truly happy I feel all the way to my core. My heart and soul are so filled with love that somedays I think I am going to burst! I never knew that I could love someone so much and honestly feel incomplete without him by my side!

We feel so blessed that our families have blended so well together. We are both very lucky to have such wonderful and loving families and it's the bigger the better!!! I now truly understand the meaning of "God's will." So much has happened in the past year and I am excited to see what the next year holds for us!

Thank you for praying for us and loving us before we knew each other and also now together as a couple. I know many people who were praying for our significant other for many years before we ever laid eyes on one another. PRAYERS DO WORK!!! We love you all!

Mom and Dad brought us a cookie cake for our anniversary!

I can't believe it's been a year!

KISSES!!

LOVE YOU SUGAR!

My husband is hot!

GOD BLESS YOU!

Family Time

2008-02-16T09:08:00.001-06:00

I just love being around my neice and nephews! One weekend, we had the boys and got to go to Hunter's basketball game where he scored two points! It's so cute, they stand on little spots on the court and take turns shooting! The following weekend we had Shane and Mikey's birthday party and all three kids! It was a great weekend of playing games just enjoying each other!

God Bless You!

Munday, TX

2008-02-16T08:47:00.002-06:00

Carey's crusade in Munday was phenominial! We made some great friends and there were numerous salvations! Some of the guys from one of the host churches took us hog hunting...I went too! I also was able to spend some time with a very dear friend of mine who I hadn't seen in a few years! It was a great trip!

God Bless You!

Christmas in Missouri...

2008-02-15T23:51:00.002-06:00

We spent a week and a half in Missouri over Christmas break! We had a great time!

I even hunted with Carey!

God Bless You!

I had to finish Christmas 07...

2008-02-15T23:28:00.001-06:00

Christmas at my Nana and Papa's...

God Bless You!

Munday, TX

2008-01-11T14:34:00.001-06:00

So, I have been kinda slow on the posts over the holiday...SORRY!

We had a fantastic time in Missouri...it snowed on Christmas Day! It was so beautiful! I'll post pics of everything next week!

Gotta pig's head on my wall at my house too...you see pics soon!

Last weekend, one of my best friends dad's passed away. It really made me put some things into perspective. No matter how prepared you are for life, you never know when it will all be over. I am ready to meet my maker and am excited to know that one day I will! However, to see how the family struggles and goes through the tough times really hurt my heart. I don't want anyone to mourn over me. I want everyone to know how happy I will be and that I will be in my Father's arms! That is the way we should remember those who are Christians. On the other hand, how awful is it to think about the non Christians who are in the depths of Hell? If that doesn't scare someone, then nothing will! I am so thankful for my salvation and for my Father sending His Son to die for me! Please keep the Clark family in your prayers as they go through this difficult time.

This week, Carey and The Power Team are in Munday, TX. That is only an hour and 45 minutes away from Lawton!!! My wonderful parents and I have driven down the last two nights for the program and driven back afterwards. My aunt Nancy went with us Wednesday and last night, my Grams went with us. The town is a small one with population of 1200 and Wednesday night there were 120 salvations and last night, there were 150!!! How amazing is that?! My parents and I are going down there to stay tonight and tomorrow night in a town about 20 minutes away (since this town does not have a place to stay). And tonight, I get to go Hog hunting! Not sure if I am excited about this or scared. The hog on our wall is not really something to get all hyped up about if you know what I mean. But it does mean spending time with my hubby so that is always good!!!

Tomorrow, I am driving to Abiline to see one of my other best friends from college Ashley. (Trust me, with lived together two years and it was quite confusing to have two Ashleey's in the house...we called each other by last name or by "ee" or "ey".) She is actually three hours from there but we are going to meet halfway and I am so excited! She had a little boy Wyatt who is almost two that I have not met yet and she is pregers again!!!!

Please pray for The Power Team this weekend and let's make it Satan's worst weekend ever in Munday, TX!!!!

God Bless You!

Christmas at Mom and Dad's

2007-12-23T09:27:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, we spent the day with my parents and brother and kids. We started the day off with snacking, opened presents for two hours (we do it individually!) ate Christmas dinner and ended the day watching the Dallas Cowboy game at our house. It was a very Merry Christmas!

God Bless You!

Our first Christmas...

2007-12-22T21:18:00.001-06:00

My hubby and I decided to open a few presents Friday night and the rest Saturday morning. We each have one more to open in Missouri as well as our stockings!

We are just so blessed to have such a wonderful family and to have found each other. We thank the Lord above each and every day for molding each other to be our soulmates and best friend.

God Bless You!

Christmas at Gram's

2007-12-22T21:07:00.000-06:00

Friday night, we had Christmas at my Gram's house. Shane and the kids drove down from OKC for a weekend full of family, fun and presents.

Grams asked Carey earlier in the day if he would share the story of Jesus' birth and have a mini sermon. It was awesome! I read from Luke and then Carey just let the Lord take over through him. You could feel the Holy Spirit in that room that night! Praise God!!!!

God Bless You!

It's Christmas Time....

2007-12-20T21:42:00.002-06:00

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!!!!

Tomorrow starts our first day of our six day Christmas spread! I am so excited to spend time with our families!

Friday, we will have Christmas at my Grams' house with my dad's side of the family which means eating some of my aunt's "special" mac n cheese!!! YUM YUM!!!

Saturday, we will have Christmas at my parent's house with my brother and neice and nephew's. That is sure to be CRAZY!!!!!

Sunday, we will have Christmas at my Nana and Papa's with my mom's side of the family! It's always fun to have all the great grandkids together!

Then on Monday we are off to Missouri! Christmas Eve night, we will have more Christmas with Carey's mom's side of the family which means game time! WHOO HOO!!!!

Tuesday is CHRISTmas!!!!! In the morning, we will open our stockings and head to Carey's brother's house for more family and unwrapping time!

Wednesday is just time to spend with Carey's aunt and cousin (whom I have not met before)!

I am just so ready for two weeks off from school and ready to spend time with my hubby! He is off for three weeks!!!! YEAH!!!

Enjoy the pics of our CHRISTmas decorations in our home...it's our first CHRISTmas!!!

God Bless You and Merry CHRISTmas!!!

Ice Storm

2007-12-13T13:20:00.000-06:00

Here are some pics of the ice storm that came through on Monday. This is the back road to my parents house.

Stay Warm!

God Bless You!

Peanut Brittle

2007-12-13T08:37:00.000-06:00

It's Christmas Candy time!!!! Last night I learned how to make Peanut Brittle from my mom and my Papa. They make the best brittle EVER! I like how it is flakey and not so chewey! I decided to share the recipe with you. Let me know if you make it and how it turns out! Happy Cooking!

Papa's Peanut Brittle

Ingrediants -
1 quart unsalted raw peanuts with hull
3 cups sugar
1 cup white corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1 dash of salt
3 tsps baking soda
Stick of butter
Cooking Thermometer
Two Cookie Sheets

Butter the cookie sheets first. Then combine the water, syrup and sugar and salt and put the stove on high. Using the cooking thermometer, let it cook to 238 degrees stirring slowly but constantly. Once it is 238 degrees, add the peanuts. Continue to stir slowly and constantly until it reaches 300 degrees. Add baking soda and begin to stir quickly as it rises for about 30 seconds. Pour mixture onto two cookie sheets (two people should do this...it is VERY hot and difficult to do alone.) Immediately shake the cookie sheets to spread the mixture out. Put the cookie sheets somewhere until they cool (we use the garage since it is cold!) The peanut brittle will slide right off the cookie sheet when cooled. Place in bag and break to your liking.

God Bless You!

Sit back, relax and enjoy the pics!!!

2007-12-10T16:44:00.001-06:00

This weekend, we headed to Dallas to attend Tabitha (Carey's cousin's) wedding. It was so beautiful! Carey was a Bride's Man and he did such a fabulous job! Here are some pics leading up to the wedding and the actual wedding!

God Bless You!

What to do with no light....

2007-12-10T15:39:00.000-06:00

So today was quite the day at school...at around 11:30, our electricity went off for good!!!

It started out with just going off and on for a few times and then nada! I was in my "hole" and I have no windows or emergency lights or exit light or anything so needless to say when it went off, it was pitch black!!! My door was closed so there was literally no light poking in. My kids started to panic so I told them to just sit there and I would find the door. I was using my arms as my "antennas" waving them about so that I didn't run into anything face first and knocked one student in the back of the head....oops! I finally found the door and sent all my kids back to class. (we had to gather their things with the light from my cell phone!) This was also during one of our lunch periods! The kids were in the cafeteria screaming! They finished and dumped their trays but we still had 6th grade eat lunch in the dimness of the emergency lights!!!

We thought it would come back on but not so much. Carey was in the parking lot bringing my Aunt Nay Nay and I lunch when he felt this rumble beneath his truck and he turned around and saw a big fire ball going across one of the electric lines. I guess enough ice was finally on the branches to make them fall and take out some of the poles!

Between 11:45 and 3:00, we had over 700 students call home and parents pick them up. It was total chaos! They were packed in the school's circle drive three cars wide and parking on the main street to come and get their kids. Our school phones didn't work since they run off electricity so kids were in the halls using cell phones (with permission) and getting jackets (the heaters obviously were out too!). Parents were rushing in like it was a bomb threat or something and running up and down the halls looking for their kid. We (teachers, counselors, principals) were trying to locate kids but with computers down, we had no access to schedules!!!

We even had a parent who showed up for a meeting and wanted to still have it, so we held it in the library by the light of the window!!!

By the end of the day, the emergency lights were even barely on. We were going off of the light coming in through the windows.

Trust me...it is a day that I will not soon forget!!!!

And, I am getting a flash light for my room!

God Bless You!

An OU Christmas Carol

2007-11-29T19:21:00.000-06:00

'Twas the night before the Big XII and all through the land,
not a Tiger was stirring, not even the band.

Their Jockeys were hung by the locker with care,
in hopes that the Sooners soon would be there.

Truman was nestled all snug in his bed,
while visions of the BCS danced in his head.

And Pinkel in his kerchief full of Tiger pride,
and Bob and the Sooners ready to ride.

When down in San Antone there arose such a clatter,
Chase sprang from his bed to see what was the matter.

He realized the Option was gone in a flash,
and Maclin's dreams of running had just been dashed.

The Tiger tight ends trembled as they watched the show,
A Crimson and Cream luster set the horizon aglow.

When what to their wondering eyes should they find,
but a miniature Schooner, seven National Titles behind.

With a wizened old driver, skilled in leading his troops,
they knew in a moment it must be Bob Stoops.

More rapid than Temple his players they came,
and he whistled and shouted and called them by name.

"On Bradford, on Joe John, now Patrick and Murray!
On Chris Brown! On Iglesias! On Hartley and Kelly!

To the top of the conference! To the top of it all!
Now dash their hopes! Dash their dreams! Dash away all!"

And then in a twinkling, the Tigers fought back a scream,
and Chase saw the last of his Heisman trophy dream.

The defense drew in their breath and looked all around,
and realized that their "Pig" was nowhere to be found.

Bob's eyes how they twinkled, his coaches how merry!
As they carried on the legacy left them by Barry.

Gary's sad little face and a fear in his belly,
he shook on the field as his knees turned to jelly.

Pinkel spoke not a word, and the ball they couldn't carry,
Stoops filled up the scoreboard and then turned to Gary.

And laying his hand on the shoulder of his friend,
he gave Pinkel a nod and said, "Like Norman again."

Bob sprang to the Schooner, to his team gave a shout,
to the BCS they flew and left Mizzou down and out.

And we heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight,
"Boomer Sooner to All and to All a Good Night!"

God Bless You!

Baby Weekend

2007-11-18T15:54:00.000-06:00

I had a baby filled weekend!!!

Friday night, I went to my friend Melby's house and hung out with her and her precious baby Jake Elliot. I had a great time holding him...until he wanted his momma!!! I'm not quite the best when it comes to crying babies. He is so cute and a CLONE of his dad!!!! He is quite the miracle baby....

Saturday, I drove down to Dallas to go to Carey's cousin's personal shower. Tabitha got some beautiful things for her and Ryan's honeymoon. We had a great time playing games and just doing girly fun stuff!!! I even wore a lingerea toilet paper outfit! I'm sure I was quite hot! It was great to see her and Aunt Jean and Kim! We will be back down there in a few short weeks to see the beautiful wedding!!

Saturday night, I went to my friend Misti's house. She had her little girl Mackenzi a few weeks early but she is beautiful and doing fabulous! She was dressed in a little OU outfit and red OU socks for the Sooners football game!!!

She also has a precious big sister Zoe Curren whom I haven't seen in over a year! She is two now but she acts so big!!!! During the game yesterday, she had her OU cheerleading outfit on and when someone would yell, she would yell "BOOMER SOONER!!" Her parents have taught her well!!!!

Here is a pic of Misti and Zoe about a year ago at a Dallas Cowboys game. Misti is one of my best friends that I cheered with at OU. She and I are those type of friends where I can go months without talking to her but the second we are together, it's like no time has passed. I am blessed to have that kind of friendship with someone. You always hear that you only have a few "true" friends in life and I know that Misti is one of them! Love ya Mist!!!

Carey was in Buffalo, NY this week and came home a few days early! I was so excited but was on my way to Dallas while he was on his way home! He will be home for over a week and I am so ready for him to be here a while!!! He makes my world complete when he is home and I am so blessed to have him as my hubby! I love you sugar bear!!!!

Have a blessed week and a wonderful Thanksgiving!

God Bless You!

What Color Are You??

2007-11-18T15:25:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I am borrowing another survey from Tommie. I even got Carey to do this one! How accurate are these descriptions of us...

Ashlee...
Your color is black. The color of night. Serene and mysterious, black conjures up images of elegant evening gowns, dashing tuxedos, and gleaming limousines. Traditionally a symbol of success, black also represents power and an uncompromising demand for perfection. Not surprisingly, you tend to set challenging goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to achieve them — your strength of character is second to none. This unfaltering determination, along with your natural elegance, impresses people. But keep in mind that your personality might be intimidating to some. Try to temper your demanding side with a little softness — trust us, it won't kill you. Overall, though, black is the color of professionalism and achievement, which means it's clearly the color for you.

Carey...
You're green, the color of growth and vigor. Good-hearted and giving, you have a knack for finding and bringing out the best in people. Green is the most down-to-earth color in the spectrum — reliable and trustworthy. People know they can count on you to be around in times of need, since your concern for people is genuine and sincere. You take pride in being a good friend. For you, success is measured in terms of personal achievement and growth, not by status or position. Rare as emeralds, greens are wonderful, natural people. It truly is your color!

God Bless You!!!

Personality Quiz...

2007-11-16T13:00:00.001-06:00

One of my friends Tommie took this quiz and hers was pretty dead on so I thought I would try. How accurate is mine in your eyes? I added some little notes out to the side!

The Choleric's Emotions...
Born leader
Dynamic and active
Compulsive need for change (um, I don't think so. I don't like my cheese moved!)
Must correct wrongs
Strong-willed and decisive
Unemotional (have you met me? who knows what emotion will come through next!)
Not easily discouraged (depends on the situation)
Independent and self sufficient
Exudes confidence
Can run anything

The Choleric As A Parent
Exerts sound leadership
Establishes Goals
Motivates family to action
Knows the right answer
Organizes household

The Choleric At Work
Goal oriented
Sees the whole picture
Organizes well
Seeks practical solutions
Moves quickly to action
Delegates work
Insists on production
Makes the goal
Stimulates activity
Thrives on opposition

The Choleric As a Friend
Has little need for friends (I do not agree with this one!!!)
Will work for group activity
Will lead and organize
Is usually right (well duh!!!)
Excels in emergencies

Here is the link so you can try it yourself!
http://oneishy.com/personality

God Bless You!

Thanksgiving...

2007-11-16T12:15:00.000-06:00

I don't know how most of you do Thanksgiving but in my family, we have several days of it. We start off with my mom's side and all of their traditions. First, mom and Aunt Nay Nay have to get together with Papa and figure out who is cooking what each year and then they in turn tell their kids what to help cook and what to bring. Well, my role for the last 5 years has been to make our home made noodles from scratch. My great grandma Mary made them and Papa learned how from her. When I first learned how to make them, my papa didn't have a recipe. He said "It's all up here" and pointed to his brain. Now, if you know me at all, you know that I am not well known for my cooking abilities so I needed a step by step recipe. It took me two years of watching him sprinkle a little of this and a little of that to come up with something to put on paper. Now that I have it written down, I can actually make them by myself but that is not the fun part. It has become a tradition that my Papa and I do them together. I do all the mixing and kneading and rolling and stuff while he sits there telling me story after story (some of them I hear each year) and he cuts up the noodles and lays them out. It is a moment that I will forever treasure!

This year, we introduced Noodle Making to JR and Nat. They came up from Dallas early Friday and took turns measuring things, kneading the dough, rolling the dough and getting covered in flour (which by the way was quite hilarious!) As I sat there and watched them make the noodles and listened to Papa telling them the same stories, I began to realize how blessed I am to have such an incredible and loving family. My family may have its fair share of tiffs and what not but we truly love each other and every single one of us have so much to offer and it all started when Papa swept Nana off of her feet!!! Now 3 kids, 5 grandkids, 3 in-law grandkids and 5 great grandkids later, look at this awesome family!

We had Thanksgiving on Saturday and everything was so delicious! We had our entire family (except my hubby) there including three from Dallas, four from OKC and one from Atlanta, GA! We know how to get together when there is food involved!!!!

Carey was unable to attend because he was in MO hunting. It was opening weekend for rifle hunting and they have a tradition up there when they get together and go to the farm for a fun filled boys weekend of: hunting, tooting, butt scratching, deer shooting, loogey spitting, practical joke doing, story telling, story exagerating (my deer was SSSOOOOO big) and whatever else boys do when they are together! He had a great weekend and took down a 10 point buck and a doe!!!! Great job sugar!!!!

God Bless You!

2007-11-04T18:16:00.000-06:00

This is the neatest video. The music is by Casting Crowns.

Hope you enjoy it as much as Carey and I did!

God Bless You!

Nobody's Perfect...

2007-11-04T17:45:00.000-06:00

So I can't believe I am putting Hanna Montana on my blog but this is a song that my HIGH SCHOOL volleyball girls like to sing over and over...just thought I would share it with you....

Hannah Montana Lyrics

God Bless You!

Judgement House...

2007-11-03T00:12:00.000-05:00

Carey is in Decatur, Alabama this week so please keep him and the other Power Team members in your prayers!

Linda came back with me from Dallas and is spending the weekend with me until Carey comes home on Monday and then together they will head to MO. He is so excited to go since it is opening weekend for rifle season!

Now on to tonight...
Coach Kemp and I decided to ask all of our volleyball team to come to the Judgement House with us. I asked several other people to come as well. We ended up with 13 people and it was so awesome! Four of our girls accepted Christ into their life!!! PRAISE GOD!!! Amber, Cyra, Scooby and LaKisha really need your prayers as they walk into this brand new life. They have many trials and tribulations that lie ahead of them and only our Father will be able to get them through each of them. I thank you ahead of time for all the prayers!

God Bless You!

Happy Halloween!!!

2007-10-31T15:06:00.000-05:00

I hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween!!!

I celebrated my Halloween last night. Carey got to hunt with Coach Kemp's husband while she and I went to the Cement Halloween Carnival with her daughter Ashley. It was so much fun! We even went through a haunted house!!! I got to do the cake walk and the soda walk...took me back to the carnival days at good ole Central High! They even had a jail too!!!!! I wish I was a little kid again sometimes!!!

I have to tell you my worst halloween memory....when I was about 6 or 7, my mom dressed me in my ballerina outfit and I had on my tutu, my leggings and even my tap shoes with the red crayons holding it together. I lived in the country, so my parents would drive to the end of each person's driveway and then I would get out and run to the door and run back to the car. Well, this one dreadful evening, I got out at the end of the Pittman's driveway and I knocked on the door and I got homemade cookies. Now as I child, who wants homemade cookies..I wanted the hard stuff...candy from the store!!! So already a little disappointed, I make my way up the long gravel driveway and I hear footsteps gaining on me! I turn around and a huge black dog is running after me! He was barking and panting and slobbering and whatever else a mean dog does! I take off running and what do I do.....I fall on the gravel, skin my knees up and tear holes in my leggings! I, for some reason, tried to pick up the cookies crying hysterically and dash back to the car. Just to top things off....the cookies were old and stale!!!! Needless to say, I never trick or treated at that house again!!!

I hope your Halloween is better than that one!

God Bless You!

Okay, Okay....October Review

2007-10-31T08:59:00.000-05:00

So after some "pushy" people commenting that I am not blogging enough, here goes the latest in the Leighow life! (with no pics by the way!) Just kidding T Tommie Reid and Nat...I love you guys and am thankful that someone reads our blog!

So OU beat Texas and I was super pumped about that! My mother-in-law (Momma L) was in town for the week and she is from Texas so.....she walks out of her bedroom Saturday morning wearing a burnt orange Texas shirt...yes people I had a Texas fan sitting in my living room. I know, I know...I was a little flustered at first but I dealt with it and she took the football whooping with integrity! BOOMER!!!

That same weekend, Carey preached at my old church. He did a phenominal job and was an awesome portal to God. We had invited two of my high school volleyball girls to church that morning. Amber and Megan...they called that morning and said that they were on their way and we were so excited. Carey had really been testifying to Megan during our games this season. God had really put her on our hearts...and praise God...those two girls gave their life to Christ that morning! I was so proud of them! Please keep them in your prayers..we all know how hard it is in any aspect of life to be a Christian and to be a young Christian in high school is soooo hard!

The next weekend, Carey flew out on a crusade to Greenville, PA and his uncle became ill so he flew home and we headed to Dallas to see Uncle Bill. While we were there, we were able to go to Tabitha (Carey's cousin) and Ryan's wedding shower. It was a luau theme so what did Bryan (Carey's brother) and Carey do? They headed to the costume store to buy outfits. The bought grass skirts and couldn't find coconut bras so they made some! It was the funniest thing ever to see my husband and brother-in-law trying on these homemade bras on each other to make sure they fit just right! It was awesome! What made it even funnier was that we stopped a few blocks from the house the shower was being held and they were on the side of the road getting dressed. As people were driving by, walking their dog or pushing a baby stroller they were staring at these grown men putting skirts on with amazement....one of the passer buyers was Ryan's family!!! Needless to say, Tabitha and Ryan were quite suprised!

So on to the following week and weekend...Carey headed up to MO to do some bow hunting. I had to work for two and a half days so I met him up there Wednesday night. Before I headed out, we had our volleyball banquet. It was soooo neat!! Coach Kemp and I gave out awards to our girls and we had lots of families show up. We had over 65 people there! The girls in turn gave us some priceless gifts...Kemp got a scrapbook and a big picture that the girls signed and I got a volleyball and a big picture of the girls and they all signed both. It was a little emotional to see the season come to an end. Kemp and I have realized just how little/nil God is spoken in the home. We may not have been the best volleyball coaches but we definitly feel that God has placed us in their lives for a reason and vice versa. We hope we can continue being there for them when they need us to be.

Now it's Missouri time...I flew up Wednesday night and Carey had been hunting the past two days. He hadn't seen a whole lot in the acres behind the house so we headed up to the farm in Bosworth, MO. It is a beautiful drive and they have over 3000 acres so it just goes on and on and on. Once we got there and rested a bit, it was time for my first hunting trip with the hubby! (I am quite the experienced hunter since I went hunting ONE time before when I was in the 5th grade...I went Turkey hunting and only shot at some cans on the fence post!) I had never seen anyone bow hunt (except on the numerous shows we watch on tv but those don't really count.) Carey got me all decked out in his hunting gear and all my warm stuff underneath...if you know how cold I get, let me tell you that I was not cold! That is how bundled up I got...in fact, I was a bit warm! So now I am dressed and we get on the four wheeler and head down to the tree stand. We stop about 200 yards away and start walking oh so quietly towards the tree line. Now remember that I am in Carey's coveralls so I am having a hard time walking. I finally figured out if I grab the crotch area (which are down by my knees) and pull it up to the correct placement, I can actually walk normal! YEAH! Score 1 for me! We finally get down to the deer stand and Carey tells me that the ladder feels like it is not sturdy but he says "trust me, it is. Just be VERY quiet!" So he goes up first and it looks a little shaky but it's my turn next so here goes nothing. As I am crawling up the metal ladder that is nailed to the tree by two nails, I get about half way up and my legs start moving slower and my knees get to shaking...the WHOLE ladder is now shaking at this point! I look up at Carey and he is cracking up watching me work my way up the tree. Score another 1 for me! I finally get my knees to quit knocking and I just wanna sit down. He wanted me to sit on this little chair (that is the size one of my dolls would sit on) on the edge of this tree stand...um, I don't think so. I will just sit on the floor of the not so big tree stand. Now I am excited to keep a lookout for deer...I am ready...I am up in the tree...I am decked out in my outfit....and I look to my right and I see big black clouds heading our way. Carey thinks I am 5 and don't know what thunderheads look like and he says "they will go north of us." Uh, ok...NOT!!! So it begins to rain...I sit there not saying a word (another point for me...that makes 3 points) (Carey is waiting for me to say let's go in) and after about 10 minutes of pouring rain...it begins to hail!!!! I still sit there not saying a word (there's another point) (Carey is FOR SURE that I am going to say let's go) and after about 15 minutes of hailing, the lightening starts. At first it was just little bits of lighting up the sky and then KAPOW! I turn around and say "That was streak lightening!" Of course Carey is positive that I am going to flip out even more so he says "let's just wait it out". I turn around and just watch the lightening (add one more point to make 5) thinking about how there is a METAL ladder leading up to the tree stand, a METAL chair sitting in the tree stand and we are in the TOP of a tree and how my mom is going to kill me!!!! Then I began to think about what a great blog this would be...I think that kept me going throughout its duration. The storm stopped after about 30 minutes and my heart eventually slowed to a fast pace but not out of control like before. Well after quite a while I see a doe so I QUIETLY tell Carey. (that would be 6 points) From the position I am sitting at in the stand, the deer had walked behind the tree so I couldn't see it anymore. I was too scared to move an inch since I had been lectured to not move any if a deer was in sight. The next thing I know, Carey has pulled back and lets go of an arrow and I hear THWARP!!!! He got a doe! I of course see nothing and am sooo disappointed but happy that he got one. So we wait a while and then climb down out of the tree and start searching for blood. We found some and soon found the doe. Now as I am looking at this doe, I began to realize that she is going to have to ride on the back of the four wheeler all the way to the house touching me. You see, I am still unsure of this whole process. I love the meat and am okay with hunting...for other people to do though..just not sure about me. I have no choice but to hang on to the deer while we head back. It was a bit uncomfortable but I held on (another point to make 7). Once we got back, Carey said we had to clean it and I had to help gut it. Okay, I can do this. I watch him cut the deer up the middle and he nicks the stomach....EWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!! I almost threw up..the smell was horrendous! I had to hold a leg while he did this with one hand and I was holding my nose with the other (I am now up to 8 points). Now came the make it or break it part....I had to hold open the rib cage with my bare hands!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I am sooo up to 9 points!) During this entire process, I fought an internal battle within myself. I would look at it and think "Yeah, Carey got one!" and then I would see the toungue hanging out the side of the mouth and think "awwww.... how sad." Then I would think how cool it was to be with him and to watch him in his element and then I would look at those big brown eyes and wanna cry....I am still unsure which side of me won that arguement! So that was my hunting trip!!! Add up the total points and put an extra one on there for effort and I came up with ten! So Carey got a 10 point wife!!!! LOL!!! Sometimes I crack myself up!!!

The next week, Carey flew out to Knoxville IA and had a fantastic crusade! They were in a little town with around 7400 people and had over 1500 salvations!!! PRAISE GOD!!! It is so amazing how He works...you may go to a small town but when He is involved you better expect BIG miracles!!! During this week, one of my friends had her baby. His name is Jake Elliot and he is adorable! He is the exact replica of his dad! I started thinking about all the people who are prego or just had babies and I counted up 10 people that I am friends with!!! Holy moly!!! I guess that is the next step in my generation. Carey and I want kids, we are just waiting a little while before we take that step. SO QUIT ASKING!!!!!!!

Friday night, my parents and I went to Trinity Baptist Church and they were putting on the Judgement House. If you have never been to one, it is an eye opening experience. It is a play that you walk through rooms to see different scenes and they have a very scary hell scene and an awesome heaven scene! If any church hosts one near you, you should try and go see it. On Sunday night, I went to my old church to see the play Heaven or Hell. Four of my volleyball girls came with me! YEAH!! I am so excited that they are willing to go to events like this!

Also, on October 28, Carey's Uncle Bill went to be with the Lord. Even though we know that he is no longer in pain and is young again and filled with the utmost of joy, it is hard for the flesh to feel the same. Please pray for the entire family as they go through this difficult time.

Carey is in Decatur, Alabama this week on a crusade. He is with JC, Matt and Janet. Please keep the Power Team in your prayers for an awesome turnout this week!!!!

Unfortunately, Carey is unable to go to Uncle Bill's funeral so mom and I are headed down to Dallas to stay with Momma L and the rest of the family for the funeral tomorrow. Once again, please remember them in your prayers!

I hope this brings everyone up to date on the Life of the Leighow's.

God Bless You!!!

28-21...NUFF SAID!!!

2007-10-06T20:41:00.000-05:00

BOOMER SOONER BABY!!!

Bevo...the next white meat!!!!

Today had its ups and downs. We attended a funeral this morning for a family friend who passed away this week. He was a die hard OU fan so I'm sure he is celebrating today! Please keep the McCarter family in your prayers.

We cooked a big lunch today for Momma L, mom and dad. We had a great time eating and watching the game! Linda is from Texas so she busted out her burnt orange shirt!!!!! When I first saw it, it knocked the breath out of me but I soon regained my breath and realized that the score of the game would speak for itself! (I still love ya Momma L!)

OU BEAT TEXAS!!!!! The game was great because we got a W but our special teams need a little bit of tweaking!!! And our penalties...good grief!

Lead em Up Bradford!!!

That's 7 points!!!

HUGE FUMBLE!!! Great job Defense!

Add another 7!!!!

DJ Wolfe is from L-Town!!!!

Red River Champs!!!

Carey is preaching tomorrow at Letitia so please keep him and the church in your prayers!

God Bless You!

Worthington, MN

2007-09-25T18:46:00.000-05:00

Last week, Carey and the guys were in Worthington, MN. They had an awesome week and saw over 600 salvations! Can you imagine how much the Holy Spirit was moving in that town? The devil was sooo not happy last week! WHOO HOO!!!!!

Check out the website below to see the article of Carey and The Power Team. He was on the front page of the Worthington Paper!!! There were three great pics in the paper (which he brought home!) but only one on the internet.
http://www.dglobe.com/articles/index.cfm?id=6450

Here is a pic of Tim, Carey and Jonathon from the Jasper crusade.

Carey ripping a phone book...

Carey blowing up a hot water bottle...

C and the guys are in LA this week for three days full of schools. Please keep them and the students who will be hearing them in your prayers!

God Bless You!

Sermon

2007-09-15T23:47:00.000-05:00

When Carey was in Jasper, TX, he preached at an awesome church called Harvest Church. They actually taped his first service sermon and put it on their website. If you would like to hear it, click on the link below

http://www.harvestchurchonline.net/

and then click on Resources, Media and Message Archive.

You will see August 9th, The Power Team, Carey Leighow.

Click on it and it takes quite a few minutes to download. If you have the time, sit back, relax and let the Holy Spirit fill your heart and home with His words!!!

God Bless You!