Footprints In The Sand...MY VERSION!

I have been carrying some hurts and fears for some time now, and tonight we went to the beach and stayed until sunset as a way of just getting away with some of our family and having a nice, quiet and relaxing evening. Well, of course I had my camera with me. I took a picture of some footprints that were on the beach line, because I thought they looked like neat footprints.





The next picture I took was this picture...



Notice anything about the picture???



What I was trying to capture was the beautiful colors in the sunset...however, when I got home and loaded the pictures on my computer, I noticed that there outlined in the picture was HUGE footprints in the sand.



I think that I would have noticed something that big along the beach??? Here's what I heard the Lord speak to my heart as I looked at this picture. "Carol, as long as you carry all the hurts and fears and try to walk this road alone, you won't cover as much ground and go to the level that I want to take you to, and as fast as I want to take you...but if you let me carry those hurts and fears for you, and help you through them, I will take you to the places I intended for you to go...and much faster than you think. When you relenquish things to me and let me help carry you through, you will cover much more ground than when you go at it alone."



All I can say, is that HE sure knows how to speak to this hard head of mine! He knows my love for the beach and my love for photography, so he used two of my favorite things tonight to speak peace to my heart. How awesome is HE???

Leona Lewis - Footprints In The Sand

Here's what's playing on repeat in my car...my hubby is so tired of this song, but I still love it. I first heard this song about two years ago and loved it because it spoke to my situation at the time. I found the cd again a few days ago just when I needed to hear it again. It's a beautiful reminder that HE is always there with me...no matter what's going on!

What I've Been Up To...

Last week, I was able to go to my parents house and spend my birthday with my family. I couldn't have asked for a better gift than to be able to spend a week with my family. Landon and I had so much fun with my parents and siblings. My brother and I share a birthday, so it was neat to be with him on our birthday.

I came home last Friday because Landon had taken sick on Wednesday evening and by Thursday I had to take him to the ER because he was having febrile seizures. We found out that he had ear infections which were causing his fever to spike and the high fever was causing his seizures. So, since he was feeling a little better Friday morning, I brought him home so he could go see his doctor here. I just feel better if he sees his doctor who knows him and knows what's going on with him on a regular basis. All I can say, is Thank God for insurance. A few days after his ears were getting better he had severe allergies that were causing his eyes to swell and drain so we were back at the doctors office for another visit, and another round of medicine.

Today was our ladies prayer meeting and after prayer meeting, my in-laws said they were going to eat at a place here in town and we decided to go with them. Little did I know that I was being set up for a surprise party...since I was out of town on my birthday, the ladies decided to surprise me with a party today after prayer meeting.



When we pulled up, I said to my husband that I thought I recognized one of the ladies cars in our church that wouldn't normally go out to eat. He convinced me that it wasn't her car, and then insisted that we wait on his parents to get there before going in the restaurant. Being the OCD person that I am, I was determined to go ahead in and get us a table before the lunch crowd arrived. Little did I know that I was ruining their plan!

When I walked in the door and seen everyone sitting there and heard, "SURPRISE!" I understood just how much I had messed up their plans of me being the last one to walk in. I am a hard person to surprise, but they all succeeded today. Our ladies leader knows that I am a different person from the normal...I like things that are out of the ordinary and am not your typical female. So, she had ordered me a cookie cake, and they had decided to have a more relaxed lunch for my surprise. THANK YOU!!! It was awesome. It really made my day!






They gave me a basket of 'goodies' since I turned 40. I think there's something in that basket for every type of pain I'll have for the next forty years! And then they gave me an awesome box filled with money...lots of money! It just don't get any better. I put the money towards something special that I am saving for and planning on doing for myself sometime in the next few months...but that's gonna be another blog all it's own. I am working on the courage and getting the nerve up to do this one, so stay tuned... :)



Tonight, we had our National Night Out here in town, and Landon had a blast! Everything was free, all the food, drinks, goodies, and games. Here's a few shots from tonight...

Landon on the rock climbing wall

The fire department sprayed out soap for the kids to play in, and then had the ladder truck spraying a fine mist to wash them off. Since it was so HOT, this was popular with the kids!

Landon loved it...


Landon's favorite...Cotton Candy!


Anthony helped run the cotton candy machine for a bit...that stuff is WILD!


The hammer was heavier than Landon...but he wanted to try.




My husband was in the dunking booth from 7-8pm, and Landon was determined to dunk his daddy! DETERMINED! He kept going through the line time after time, until finally Bro. Jerry, a neighboring pastor in town, decided to help him out a little! He is Landon's new best friend!






Thankfully, Anthony is such a good sport about things because he got dunked 'illegally' quiet a few times tonight!

Busy, Busy, Busy,

It's been a busy and fast weekend...but oh so much fun. My husband is singing in a group with two of his pastor friends, Triumphant Voices. They had a singing at our church on Friday night, then they sung at Strand Theatre in Jennings, La. on Saturday night.

This is the theatre outside...


I enjoyed meeting the people there at the theatre and enjoyed their singing.


Anthony doing his trumpet solo...


Alfred Gobson, Anthony Kennon and Elsye Mae Sonnier singing...


Triumphant Voices outside the theatre. I have some video of them singing that I need to download off my camera and post. I am not a huge fan of the old style Southern Gospel and Old Hymns but I do enjoy their style. And, I really like the short guy in the group! lol

Campmeeting Pictures

Worship service...


Some of our Foreign Missionaries


Bishop T. F. Tenney

Back at Home...

I'm a TEXAS kind of gal...I love just about everything about Texas. It's in my blood. However, there's just nothing like Louisiana Campmeeting! NOTHING like it!

We spent the week in Tioga and enjoyed every minute of campmeeting. Last year we were only able to attend the Friday night service, so my plans were to be able to stay all week this year. I loved the day services...and was so thankful that they had a wonderful Kid's Zone for Landon during the day. He had much more fun bouncing around and jumping around in Kid's Zone and learning about God on his level than he would have had sitting in the morning teachings with the adults. It was well worth the $7 a day. I would have gladly paid more! lol

My favorite service of all was Thursday night's World Missions Service. Anthony works with the Foreign Missions so we were able to host a missionary from Africa that was there for the campmeeting. We had lunch with all the missionaries on Thursday, and I cannot even began to explain how I felt after meeting them and hearing their stories. All I can say is that I walked away from that lunch and that service with 7 new heros.

The things they have faced and the stories they have to tell...WOW! And to think I complain sometimes about not having the right chips in the pantry, while they are just thankful to have food of any kind. The missionaries that we were hosting were trapped in their house for several weeks, and only survived by drinking the water from their waterbed...and never complained about it! They were just thankful that they had a waterbed and not a regular bed. Oh Lord, FORGIVE ME!

I'll post pictures of our services as soon as I have a little more time. I have a sick little boy that I need to awaken and get dressed for Sunday School. We had to take him to the ER yesterday to get a steroid shot because he got into ants and got over 100 bites on him. He sneakes food to his bed a lot, and mommy didn't catch the cookie he had left in his bed before the ants got to it. When we put him to bed Friday night, we didn't see the ants and they made their way to him before morning. The swelling has gone down, but he's had a reaction to the steroid shot and it's been a long night for him. LOTS of Aveeno oatmeal baths!!!

Needless to say, Mommy is just as tired as he is this morning. Hope everyone has a great Sunday!

My Landon...

Statistics Don't Lie...

Are you wondering how to stay safe in the world today? Have you ever asked yourself where IS the safest place? I just wanted to share some statistics that I found with you...

1. Avoid riding in automobiles - because they are responsible for 20% of all fatal accidents.

2. Do not stay home - 17% of all accidents occur in the home.

3. Avoid walking on streets or sidewalks - because 14% of all accidents occur to pedestrians.

4. Avoid traveling by air, rail, or water - because 16% of all accidents involve these forms of transportation.

5. Of the remaining 33%, 32% of all deaths occur in Hospitals - so, above all else, avoid hospitals.

But . . . you will be pleased to learn that only .001% of all deaths occur in worship services in church, and these are usually related to previous physical disorders.


Therefore, logic tells me that the safest place for you to be at any given point in time is at CHURCH!

Oh, and Bible study is safe too! The percentage of deaths during Bible study is even less.

So, attend church, and read your Bible. It just might save your life! And, for the record...if you're looking for a really great church, I happen to know of one! ;)

Sometimes...it's easier not knowing!

Sometimes we wait for weeks to find out something and then, the moment you know, you wish you could just go back to the waiting.

That's where I'm at tonight. My heart is heavy, my mind is tired, my eyes are blurred, yet sleep won't come and overtake my tired body. I sit here wide awake, wishing I had the power to turn back time, or better yet, the power to change the future.

We have waited for the last two weeks on a doctor's report for a family member who had surgery. In the last two weeks, I have called mom a million times probably and asked for any news, I've prayed and tried my best to stay positive and hope for the best, yet tonight as my husband and I were on the way home from celebrating our 22 wedding anniversary, the phone call that I had been dreading came.

The doctors report is that they got all the tumor, but that the cancer is still present in another organ of the body, and there's not much the doctors can do. My next question was, "So, where do we go from here? What's next?"

Mom was silent on the other end of the phone, so I knew that she didn't have the answers I was looking for. What I do know is that I believe in miracles...and I'm waiting on one right now. The human side of me crys out "God, we can't stand to lose another family member to this disease. We can't take much more loss. We can't keep holding on strong under these circumstances. We can't just sit here and wait this one out."

What I do know is that God is in control...ultimately! He knows the why's and how's and where's and who's of our lives. I know that nothing takes God by surprise. It's only human of me to want to live a life without anymore heartaches or pain. But, it's life...and in life we get hurt, we go through things we don't want to go through. What I must remember is that I am one of God's own. He created me in His image. He does not expect me to pretend that the pain of the situation is not real. It's okay if I cry...

One thing I know is that tears are a language that God understands. So for tonight, I'm just gonna let HIM hold me while I cry. Tomorrows another day...I'll face it with more strength after I spend the night in the arms of a God who understands where I am.

He knows what's best for me...

I just have to trust Him!

I know that God knows what's best for me and my life and that nothing happens without His knowledgement. I know that he sees my disappointment when things don't unfold in my life the way I had envisioned. Oh, if only I could life up my eyes to the heavens and see His hand moving with eternal purpose...then I could better understand. Then my questions wouldn't be so many.

I have to remind myself that my life here is just temporary or in other words...I'm not 'home' yet. So, for now, I must trust God with my disappointments, my hurts, my fears, and my questions and let Him lead the way. I can't and won't give UP, but rather GIVE IN! I must give in to His way and His plan for me, knowing that He only desires what is best for me and that He see's so much further down this road of life than I can.

Even when I don't understand...I trust you, Lord. I'll just hold on tighter to Your hand knowing that You will lead me in the right path.