Titus 2 Tuesday ~ Ashley

"You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." Titus 2:1 - 5, NIV

This past weekend was not only spent celebrating our big news, but it was also my 30th birthday!  And, wouldn't you know my best friends and family threw a Surprise Party for me!!!  It was sooo much fun, and I was definitely surprised!  I hope I'll have some pictures (hint hint to any who were there with cameras) soon I can share with y'all! 

So, just as I was surprised and greeting everyone who was at the party, one of my dearest friends popped through the door.  Ashley lives in North Carolina, so it was a super treat to have her there!  Ashley is one of those rare women who just radiates with beauty, character, and warmth.  She truly captivates an audience with her charisma and zest for life.  Ashley worked at Disney World for a few years, and she's really an actress at heart.  I love Ashley for her love for life and all things in it!  She really is one of those women in my life who reminds me that a happy heart makes the face cheerful (Proverbs 15:13!

Ashley came bearing gifts. . .  It's something she's known for doing, and we love getting these fun boxes of goodies.  This was a pregnancy box, and she filled it full of fun, loving, and heartwarming things.

It has the sweetest Mother-to-Be card ever, and it included Palmer's cocoa Butter Massage Cream for stretch marks, crackers for morning sickness, a oneside that has Sleepy from Snow White on it with a cute little tag that said *hopefully* my little one will love to sleep, and my favorite of all, a jounal.  Each gift had a handmade tag on it, as you can see in the picture.  The journal's tag is my favorite:  "You know how in the Bible it says 'Mary pondered all these things and kept them in her heart' regarding her new baby?  Well, Mary had a better memory than me!"  Ashley goes on to tell me how she keeps a journal to her little boy of fun things, silly random things, and big stuff like her prayers for her son.  How awesome is that!  I absolutely cannot wait to fill it full for Baby S!  I already have a prayer journal I plan to fill with prayers during the pregnancy, so this journal is perfect for my thoughts I want to share with my baby!

Ashley, I am so glad I got to see you and you came to my party!  I love you to pieces, as we three girls say, "more than my luggage!" 

Jodi, B, and Ashley at my 30th Birthday Bash!

Who has touched your heart and life this week or ever?  Link up and tell us about her!

Guess What. . .

Ellie Grace has some news to share. . .

She’ll be a Big Cousin in June of next year!

A boy or a girl, it’s already loved so dear!

Tim and I are expecting, it’s true!

We’re tickled pink. . . . or maybe blue!

We appreciate your prayers as this baby does grow

We’re so very thankful God has blessed us so!

Much love,

Bethany and Tim

“The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” ~ Zephaniah 3:17

Thursday's Ten ~ Halloween Costumes

Today for Lora's Top Ten, we're listing Halloween costumes, Halloween candies, or anything Halloween!  Lora has been lots of great things; check her blog out for great ideas!

So, here are ten a few things I've been for Halloween.  Sadly, I think I stopped dressing up when I was a pre-teen, and I haven't dressed up since.

1.  Witch.  I was four, and my Gma made the costume for me.  It was so dang cute!  Hat and all!  I was in Kindergarten at a private school in Macon.  We lived 45 minutes away in Gordon.  My class was to dress up on Halloween, but the parents received a letter warning them against "scary" costumes.  Only friendly costumes, please.  My parents were clueless that in Macon there was a huge wave of folks convinced Halloween was of the devil and evil.  My mom sends me to school in my witch costume!  And you know what?  There ended up being a full page picture of me in the school's yearbook that year!  In the witch costume!

2.  Hobo.  I think I was a hobo many years.  Maybe that's why I can only think of four costumes in my life!  After the witch costume, my mom seemed convinced you were supposed to make your Halloween costumes at home with items around the house.  So, I wore old jeans, one of my Dad's flannel shirts, and an old straw hat.  Momma even painted a tooth black for me.

3.  Punk Rocker.  This was mid 80's, I believe, and I sported purple and silver.  Everywhere.  My hair was even silver.  I can still remember the smell of the spray we used to color my hair silver!

4.  Little Red Riding Hood.  Another Gma creation.  It was really cute!

um, yeah, I'm sure I had more costumes but I just can't remember any of them!  So, I'll top off this list with Halloween candies I loved:

5.  The goodie bags from the Blankenships.  We always went to the Blankenships' house on Halloween, and she always had the best goodie bags of treats for us! 

6.  Pixie sticks.  I think I love these today because of the fond memories I have of my sister eating as many of these as she could possibly stomach on Halloween night!

7.  Popcorn balls

8.  Those peanut butter chews that are in orange and black wrappers.  I didn't really like these until adulthood.  They are goooood!

9.  Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

10.  Peanut butter cookies

So, what have you been for Halloween?  What's your favorite Halloween candy?  Link up and tell us about it!

Titus 2 Tuesday: Eleanor Grace

 am having Mcklinky issues ~ again!?!?! I apologize that the link is unavailable until mid day.  I can't get into MckLinky to edit it at the moment either.  Sorry, y'all!

"You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." Titus 2:1 - 5, NIV

Today, I'm honoring the youngest little lady yet.  Eleanor Grace is my niece, as any of you who've been following my blog for a while know.  Ellie is 11 months old, and she has absolutely stolen my heart.  Yesterday, I honored my sister on her birthday, and Ellie is her daughter.

Ellie has taught me so much about God's love for us.  I never knew the feeling of truly loving a child so much that you think your heart might burst until Ellie was born.  Really, I loved her that much before she was born.  The promises God gives us that He knits us in our mother's belly and knows every detail about us, including the hairs on our heads came alive in amazing ways when Ellie Grace entered my life. I've mentioned before that my sister allowed me to be in the delivery room when Ellie was born.  Wow, what a miracle to experience!  I was in utter awe at the site of seeing a life be brought into this world, and really, all I could think was My God truly is Good. 

Ellie's big smile and sweet laugh reminds me time and time again to enjoy life.  Watching her little mind grow and develop has taught me to enjoy the little things in life.  Her smile is infectious, and her giggles light up our family!

We recently took Ellie to the pumpkin patch for some picture fun!

"Taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him." ~ Psalm 34:8

“There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.” ~ Walt Streightiff

"A happy heart makes the face cheerful." ~ Proverbs 15:13

Ellie Grace, your crazy Aunt B loves you beyond measure!  You are a beautiful little girl, and I pray God showers you with His favor and blessing all the days of your life! 

Happy Birthday to My Sister

Oh blogosphere, how I miss thee. . .  Work is quite insane these days.  And, as usual, life outside of work is crazy busy as well!  I can't believe I've been so slack with posting, but it's just been that nuts! 

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Monday is my baby sister's 27th birthday.  Just as I've done before for my mom and my Gma, I'm honoring my sister with 27 things I love about her. . . .

Jenn, Brian and Ellie

1 - Jenn, you were the best playmate a girl could've ever wanted.  Whether it was playing dress-up in momma's clothes and heels or playing house in our playhouse in the back yard, riding bikes around and around and around the neighborhood or raking "homes" into the leaves in the front yard.  You were so much fun to play with as a little girl!
2 - You were the best "P-nut" ever
3 - Your big brown eyes and soft curls as a baby always did make my heart melt. 
4 - Your big heart for Benjamin in your daycare class at school.  He was a special needs child that you had such a sweet relationship with; I always thought it was so neat how you were always the one to help him wash his hands, help him eat his lunch, and take care of him.
5 - "Miss Yinn's"
6 - Your funny questions throughout life:  "Are all silverados silver?"  "Chickens aren't birds. . . .  are chickens birds?"  "RIP. . .  yep, he was a Really Important Person."
7 - Your not-so-futile attempts of reading your summer reading books every year at the beach.  Remember the picture of you "reading" your book, only the book was upside down?
8 - You were a fantastic cheerleader!  I always thought it was so neat how you'd be so high up, jumping and flipping without a care in the world.
9 - Christmas Eves, laying in bed together watching Scrooge until the wee hours of the morning because neither of us could think of sleeping. 
10 - Sneaking into the living room on Christmas mornings WAAAAAYYY too early to see what Santa left us, only to slip back into bed until a more acceptable hour to wake our parents.  We kept that a secret for years! 
11 - Sweet Mama's, Crab Daddy's, and SSI in general
12 - Island Townhouses C-9
13 - Homecomings '98 and '00
14 - How sad I was when you left for college.  I missed you terribly!  I don't know that I ever really told you just how much I missed you!
15 - You coming up to Athens for the Indigo Concert one year for your birthday
16 - The back porch on Senora Place. . . .ahhhhh, the memories!
17 - Your incredibly beautiful wedding day
18 - Driving to Birmingham and sitting in the restaurant with our family the night Brian proposed.  You had no idea we were all there.  That was so much fun!
19 - Finding out you were pregnant and helping you get something together to give to Momma to surprise her!  Wow, wasn't she surprised!?!?! 
20 - Ellie Grace's birth.  What a gift to let me be in the room during that amazing miracle!
21 - You let me be such an obnoxiously proud aunt, and you always welcome me into your home to love on her and spoil her rotten!  Don't you and Brian ever wish we'd just leave y'all alone?  Wait. . . don't answer that!
22 - UGA Games Galore!
23 - Growing up with the Kononen's, Wilson's, Crews boys, and the like!
24 - How excited you were for me when Tim and I got engaged.  I'll never forget your smile when you walked through the door to see us right after we got home!
25 - King & Prince
26 - Growing as women together ~ becoming better women, wives, you being an incredible mother, and me hoping for such an opportunity
27 - YOU are my baby SISSER and I love you with ALL of my heart!

Happy Happy birthday, Jennifer! May this next year be your best one yet!

Titus 2 Tuesday ~ My Mother

"You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." Titus 2:1 - 5, NIV

Welcome to another edition of Titus 2 Tuesday. I always enjoy thinking back through my week and determining who taught me a Biblical principle the week before.  And then there are times, like today, when I know who to honor, and while there are so very many things I've learned from this woman, it's so hard to put it all into words. 

Today, I'm honoring my mother.  I told you all of the bittersweet importance of last Friday.  Well, when I think of all that we went through and how God provided for us so much so in the days, weeks, months, and years that followed my Dad's death, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and love for my momma. 

Growing up, Momma was the disciplinarian.  There was never really the "wait til your Daddy gets home" line to scare me.  Rather, it was more of my mind knowing, "Oooooh, Momma's gonna get me for this one."  Maybe it was - and is - the teacher in her, but Momma always was the one to crack the whip and keep us girls in shape.

Momma loved us and provided for us in a way that was definitely second to none.  Looking back, after my Daddy's death, not one time did I ever wonder, "how's momma going to do this?"  I never ever doubted her.  I knew she'd make it through.

And sure, there were tears along the way.  Lots of tears.  But momma taught me early on the importance of honesty and transparency in a relationship.  We were oftentimes more friends than mother-daughter, but yet, I still respected her and admired her for being my mother. 

And now that I'm grown (knocking on the door of 30, actually!?!?!), I still love my momma so much for who she always was and continues to be in my life.  As a married adult, I am amazed at the dignity and strength she displayed through my Daddy's death.  I simply cannot imagine.  And as we have begun to dream of parenthood, I'm in awe of the incredible mother I have. 

Momma, thank you from the bottom of my heart for loving me through so many highs and lows in life.  You truly are the best and I thank God for you!!

Who has taught you Godly truths this week?  Link up and share them with us!

Heartaches and God's Work in Reversing Them

Tomorrow is Friday, October 16, 2009. And I know where I was 15 years ago tomorrow. I know that I sat in church with my best friends while my Dad prayed a prayer that was heartfelt and true ~ way more than I knew at that time. My family had lasagna for lunch; it was left over from the night before when we ate with my grandparents.

Looking back, though, my Daddy picked at his lunch. Strange because he was eating his momma’s lasagna and he loved her cooking.


After lunch, my mom planned to go to Milledgeville (the nearest town) to run some errands. Being 14, I wanted to do my own thing, which I’m sure included yapping on the phone, running the neighborhood with my friends, or anything typical 14 year olds do.


My Dad, though, was quite adamant that I go to Milledgeville with my mom and sister. “You need to spend some time with your mother, Bethany.” I still hear him say that over and over in my head.


You know, they say hindsight is 20/20. We see everything clearly when we look back on it and know the outcome. So it’s easy for me to say Daddy was subdued at lunch. I didn’t think much of it at the time, though. And then, there were some of Daddy’s humor sprinkled in: I chased him down the driveway as he backed out to run an errand himself. I wanted him to take a roll of film to the store to have it developed. As I reached the truck, Daddy’d gun it for a second and leave me standing there laughing. I’d chase him ten feet down the driveway, and he’d roll down the window this time. He was actually gonna let me give him that roll of film. . . . Nope. He gunned it again and farther down the drive he went. I remember laughing at how silly my Daddy was. He was laughing, too.


Daddy took that roll of film to the store for me. But he never did tell me so. That was the last time I ever spoke to my Daddy. We three girls (Momma, Jenn and me) went on to Milledgeville and ran our errands.


Later, around 5 that afternoon, I guess, I was getting ready for church. Youth Choir to be exact. The next chain of events happened so quickly I don’t even know that I can – 15 years later, even – put them into words. The phone rang. We raced down the stairs. The front door flew open. The sheriff pulled into our drive way.


And the sheriff was in tears. I knew immediately something horrible had happened.


Minutes after his three girls left, my Daddy made his way across the street, through some woods, past an open field, and to the edge of a pond. There, he shot himself. Ending his life in an instant.


Did he think of us? Did he fathom the thought of leaving us forever? Did he realize his worries were temporary?


I don’t think so.


The minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months that passed were completely full of heartache and pain. Agony and grief. Raw and real.  My Daddy's prayer that morning in church, I was later reminded, included my Daddy asking God to be with us, comfort us as we faced things in our lives we might  not understand.  How prophetic.  How true that we needed our Father.


Fast forward to today, 15 whole years later. Man alive does it still hurt. I miss Daddy still and cry now for different reasons: Tim never met my Daddy. As I’ve fallen in love with my husband more and more everyday, I’ve cried over the fact that my Momma doesn’t have my Daddy to grow old with. Ellie will have no idea what her Granddaddy was like, and he would've been a fun one for sure. Daddy was a banker, too; how many times over the last 8 years of my career have I wanted to bend his ear about something in my job? I’ve officially lived as long without my Daddy as I did with him. And really? I’ve just begun living.


With all this heartache and pain, though, I’m celebrating something today. Something beautiful and true. See, I’m in an incredible Bible Study where we’re wrapping up studying Esther. One thing our teacher’s really challenged us with is reversals. How has something terrible turned to be used for God’s glory?


This is my reversal. God used my father’s death to teach me so many things about Himself. Because of my Daddy’s suicide, I know that my Heavenly Father’s love for me is perfect, without flaw, and never fails; this is something no human on earth can ever provide for me. I know the feeling of “crawling” into my Abba Father’s lap for a good long time. It was there, in His Lap that my heart was pieced back together again. And I’d like to think it was pieced back together again with much more compassion, empathy, and love. I know I pray that all the time. I also know, though, that Satan is always at work, attacking us when we’re hurting as my Daddy was. But I know that my thought closet must be completely rooted in the truth of the Scripture. No lies are good. I know that regardless of what comes my way on this earth, that my Heavenly Father is carrying me through.  Because of this heartache, I know Psalm 40:2 - 3 to be true:

"He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."

And for that, I am eternally grateful.