The Bradberry Family

21 Random Facts About Me!

2009-01-26T14:01:00.002-06:00

Okay... so I know... no activity on this blog in quite a while and it's not looking like that will change much for a little bit still. However, I have a random post to share today that I posted on facebook earlier today. Enjoy!

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 21 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 21 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you!

So, since this is on my blog.... readers... consider yourselves tagged. I will be checking your blog soon to see if you posted your random facts!

1. I am amazed every morning that God grants me His grace to live another day.

2. I have OCD to the extent that I even drive myself crazy! What I wouldn’t give to be able to do some things in life without having to make sure they are perfect, not bent, unscratched, clean, symmetrical, etc.

3. Jon Bradberry, my wonderful husband, is without a doubt the one God chose for me. He is handsome, intelligent and down right hilarious! Plus he puts up with all my shananigans…. I couldn’t ask for more.

4. I have a secret desire to work as a waitress.

5. I have the sweetest, cutest dog on the planet… Lucy, appropriately named is the best substitute for children ever invented.

6. As much as I love Lucy, I do pray that God sees fit to bless me with children someday… whether born of me or simply born in my heart by way of adoption.

7. I think the only way to eat a sausage biscuit is with mustard on it!

8. Unfortunately I am addicted to TV… even the reality stuff… horrible I know!

9. The best vacation ever is a Caribbean Cruise and I would really love to go sometime soon… hint hint :)

10. For me, music is like air… I don’t function well without it.

11. I love to watch college and professional football…. whether at home or at the stadium. I am usually the one yelling at the referees to just let them play the game! I mean really, “pass interference”, I thought the whole point of the game is not to let the other team score! (Oh, and Jon just loves to answer my incessant questions about the rules and regulations in the middle of the game.)

12. I overuse the almighty exclamation point!!!

13. My family is the funniest family I know and I love them for that.

14. I love to watch the Food Network and dream of being a gourmet chef… and I have a secret crush on Bobby Flay :)

15. I tend to use “food” terms like yummy and delicious to describe non-food items and it drives my friend Lane insane!

16. I love Nicholas Sparks and really wish he would write faster!

17. I have the coolest little brother ever… and he’s available, so if you know a really cute Christian girl who happens to love hunting let me know! (Sorry Dave!)

18. I miss my Daddy’s smile.

19. Sometimes I dream in French.

20. My mom is one of my best friends… always has been, always will be.

21. Sam tagged me to list 16 facts, Brianne tagged me to list 25 so I met them in the middle with 21 facts… your turn!

Working with Momma

2009-01-16T10:12:00.003-06:00

Due to the frigid temperatures we are experiencing in Mississippi today Lucy got to come to work with me! As you can see from the picture below she isn't working too hard.... after all gotta watch out for those child labor laws :)

Did I mention that it is colder here today than in Fairbanks, Alaska..... what's up with that???

Lots to catch up on...

2008-12-30T16:29:00.003-06:00

I honestly don't know where to begin... the creative juices, if you want to call them that are not flowing. So, here are a couple of pictures to tide you over until I figure out where to start!

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Trying to take a Christmas picture...

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Surely one of them will do...

Update...

2008-12-29T15:59:00.000-06:00

Blogging will resume tomorrow.... hopefully!

Happy Birthday!

2008-12-16T15:53:00.002-06:00

My Daddy would have been 53 today... love you Daddy and miss you bunches! Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

2008-12-11T22:39:00.003-06:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to our little Lucy!!!

A Busy Night...

2008-12-10T09:20:00.004-06:00

On top of some pretty nasty weather last night we attended Currie's ("my little sister") Chorus concert, I made a wreath and we lost power! It was a busy night.... but we had fun! Below is a picture of three of "my children" from Pleasant Hill Baptist Church where I grew up. I was there when two of these girls were born, so I felt like a proud Momma seeing them perform.

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Catherine, Ashley, & Currie

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Then when we got home I resumed working on a wreath that I started this past Sunday. If you know me at all, you know that I love letters... particularly the letter "B" - for Bradberry of course. I saw this idea on Ballards Design's website and just had to have one... only I wasn't about to pay $45 for it! So, 2 wire hangers, 30 feet of Wal-mart garland and $8 later here it is.... what do you think? Right now it is still a blank canvas. I haven't decided how to "decorate" it yet. Your thoughts and ideas are certainly welcome!

It still needs plenty of work.... will post a new picture once it's completed!

The Year's First Christmas Party...

2008-12-09T11:31:00.003-06:00

And I wasn't even invited! This past weekend I went to help my sweet Grandmother decorate for her Sunday School Christmas Party. She had gotten the ladies of the class to agree to each take a table and decorate.... to go all out with real Christmas dishes, napkins and silverware, centerpieces and more. It was so much fun! Of course Granny called me and recruited my (well, Jon's) Nativity scene that she loves so and my help in decorating her table.

So off we went Friday night to the church to prepare for their party on Saturday. Three of the other ladies had already decorated their tables when we arrived and they were gorgeous. Here are a few pictures pre-party.

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Our table

The Nutcracker

2008-12-05T09:37:00.002-06:00

Last night, my Mother, Jon and I went to see the Nutcracker Ballet at the Mississippi University for Women here in Columbus. The Russian Ballet Company as well as about 50 students from one of our Magnet Schools performed the beloved ballet.

ballet

The Nutcracker is one of my favorite childhood memories, as my Mother used to take me every year when it came to town. It had been over 8 years since the ballet was last performed at the "W" so we were thrilled to learn that it was coming back. The house was packed for the sold-out performance and we had a great time.... even if some parts of the ballet were less than grand.

ballet

This was also Jon's first (and last) ballet. He kindly informed me that he loved me enough to come once, but that he would not be back unless God-forbid that our daughter decided to do ballet :). However, I would just love a little prima ballerina in the family so I am still keeping my fingers crossed!

ballet

Here are just a few shots from the night... no photography was allowed of the ballet, so it's just us! Hakuna Matata for the weekend...

ballet

Me & Momma

Jon's less than thrilled face :)

The Last of the Jax Pictures.... I promise!

2008-12-04T11:50:00.005-06:00

Well, here are the last of the Jacksonville pictures. We had such a fabulous time (as we always do) and were sad to leave.... maybe you can see why below.

Jax

Seagulls taking flight at the beach..... Lucy was all about some seagulls!

Lucy after a roll in the sand... she knew she was in trouble :)

On the road to Kingsley Plantation.... only one way in and one way out. This is a very creepy place at night, but beautiful in the daylight!

A view from the marsh at Kingsley Plantation... you can see the smoke stacks in the background if you look closely.

While we were in Jax, Danny (Jon's brother) took us to see the Tug boats he has been working on for a couple of months now. he is gone for days, sometimes weeks at a time. But it's not all bad... Puerto Rico and other vacation destinations are sometimes on the list of ports, so he gets to relax and be where the rest of us only dream about being.

Jon, me, Julie and Danny on the tug.... hope I didn't embarass Danny too bad with all my picture taking :)

Me on the boat... they wouldn't let me play with the axe.... something about emergencies only!

Julie downstairs.... these are some of the steepest stairs I've ever been on and I can't imagine climbing them with rough seas.

Danny's bunk (top one). Picture a 6'4" man climbing in and out of there!

Thankfully we didn't have to do this!

Jon in the engine room.

Looking out the porthole...

Check out the size of that rope!

Me and JB in our Tug gear... gotta love OSHA!

2008-12-03T14:25:00.004-06:00

Happy 26th Birthday to my favorite little brother, David!!! Welcome to "late" 20's bud.... I love you!

Here are just a few shots from David's birthday dinner which we had at my house last night.

David and Granny

David being.... well, David!

Discovering the awesome present from his big sister :)

Ecstatic over his gift! Christmas Tree Cakes :)

The fam, minus me (who was behind the camera) and Jon (who was asleep). Jerry, Momma, Granny, PawPaw and David. Of course you see the look on his face... he loves to aggrivate me.

He said he was going to smile for the next picture and this is what I got!!!

Christmas Pictures on the Beach...

2008-12-02T11:16:00.007-06:00

While in Jax my sister-in-law, Julie asked me to take the kids' Christmas picture for their Christmas cards. I happily agreed and we decided to get a few shots of us too! I think they turned out pretty good for just having shot them with my little digital Canon PowerShot (the big one was at home!). So, enjoy - I haven't run these through Photoshop yet and they will look better when I do, but I just couldn't wait to share!!!

jax

Julie & Danny, Me & Jonny
Our niece, Breanna

Our niece, Julia

Julia, Noah and Breanna

The girls being themselves :)

Me, Lucy & Jon

I wanted some "different" pictures for my photo collage so I played around with the kids a bit.... these make me think of a band's CD cover

Breanna

Julia and Millie

Even though she is squniting a bit I just love this pic of Bre! She is so photogenic :)

Me and the hubby!

Just us girls!

Back from Jax!

2008-12-01T16:09:00.003-06:00

Hello Blog family and friends.... I trust that your Thanksgiving was full of good food, fun and family - I know mine was! Jon and I had a wonderful time at home in Jacksonville and I have lots to share this week in the way of pictures.

Just a quick post today of a few of those memories captured on film!

Our half of the Bradberry clan.... Back Row from L to R: Noah, Jon, (Me) Ashley, Nan, Pop, Julie, Danny. Kneeling: Breanna and Julia.

Breanna and her Uncle Jonny at the Landing on Friday night for the Christmas Tree lighting.

The Christmas Tree at the Jacksonville Landing. The picture is blurry, but I think you get the idea of the size and brightness!!! This massive tree sits just feet from the water at a shopping mall/eatery known as "The Landing". if you're ever in Jax, it's a place you must visit! See you tomorrow for Thanksgiving part 2!Hakuna Matata!!!

Happy Turkey Day!

2008-11-26T10:05:00.002-06:00

Happy Turkey week is more like it! I hope all you bloggers have a wonderful time with friends and family this weekend... Remember all that you are thankful for and don't forget to thank our Creator! We're headed to Jacksonville, Florida to spend the holiday with Jon's family so I'll see you when we get back!

Be sure to head on over and check out my studio blog! Lot's of cute new stuff was just posted :)

Caught Red Handed!

2008-11-17T10:48:00.003-06:00

Jon thought this was pretty funny... while I was slaving away over Red Velvet Truffles that I was making for him, he came into the kitchen and proclaimed that he had caught me red-handed! I have to admit it was pretty cute so we took a moment for what turned out to be a pretty scary looking picture. This is me below. I had been rolling red velvet cake balls to later coat in vanilla bark. This was my first time to try this recipe and Jon seemed to like them. I however think I will play around with the recipe and try some variations next time. See below the picture for a link to the recipe...

The finished product! I used Bakerella's recipe for these babies... mmmm good!

2008-11-12T11:51:00.002-06:00

This is something we all need to remember.... daily! We may not know what the future holds, but we certainly know who holds the future!

Hakuna Matata!

National Peanut Festival!

2008-11-11T12:53:00.004-06:00

So, not only did we get to attend the Florida State vs. Clemson game this weekend, but also go to go the National Peanut Festival in our wonderful town of Dothan, Alabama. Dothan is a very special place for me (and Jon) and it always feels like going home when we visit there or simply pass through. It is after all where we met, married and spent the first days of our lives together! The Peanut Festival is one of the city's claims to fame. A fabulous week long fair/show with everything from peanuts and roasted corn on the cob to cattle shows and carnival rides. It has something for everyone and it is a favorite thing of ours to do when we get the chance.

I had originally planned for us to the Peanut Festival on Friday night and the football game on Saturday but due to rain, we had to go on Saturday night on our way home from the game. So, we arrived at the festival around 8:30 pm - just in time for a late supper! Sweet roasted corn on the cob (and still in the husk too!), the best corn dogs on earth and an Elephant Ear for dessert was on the menu. Seriously, nobody can beat the corn dogs and corn on the cob at this festival... the 30 minute wait in line for them will tell you that!

Jon and I just had a fabulous weekend and really enjoyed being "home" for a few days. Here are a few pics from the festival!

So worth the wait!!! You've not had roasted corn until you've had it at the Peanut Festival. They roast it in the husks then peal it back and dunk it in butter, then top it off with some Lawry's Seasoned Salt..... Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Waiting in line for corn dogs from the CornDog Man.... Sorry there aren't any pictures of the actual corn dogs - they were in our tummies before I could snap a pic!

Dessert.....

Don't worry, I shared with Jon!

Happy Peanut Festival goers...

Our favorite Ferris Wheel!

Jon's picture idea.... I wish I could figure out to photoshop my fat face out of the picture!

FSU Weekend!

2008-11-10T11:23:00.013-06:00

HEADLINE: Florida State Seminoles tame the Clemson Tigers in a 41 to 27 victory on Saturday, November 8th at Doak S. Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida!!!!!

F-L-O-R-I-D-A S-T-A-T-E Florida State, Florida State, Florida State.... Wooooooooooooo!

Jon and I are back from a wonderful weekend getaway to a few of our favorite spots including Dothan, Alabama and Tallahassee, Florida. I surprised Jon almost 2 months ago by putting FSU game tickets in his lunchbox one morning before work... tickets to see what I thought would be the annual "Bowden Bowl" pitting father against son in an ACC match up. However, due to Terry Bowden's termination at Clemson earlier this season, there was only one Bowden coaching this Saturday. Bobby Bowden came with his game face on and another year under his belt as the entire stadium sang Happy Birthday to him on his 79th!

The whole weekend was great.... I didn't have to share Jon with anyone (except 80,000 other fans) and we really enjoyed some alone time together. And without further blabbing I'll just "show" you how the game went...... Notice in the pictures how completely full the stadium was by kick-off. We were there way early for all the pre-game stuff and I think everybody else waiting until exactly 3:30 before finding their seats.

Our free shirts from the game, tickets and the gameday program.

JB and Me looking like a Chinese girl because the sun was in my eyes... my sunglasses were keeping my hair from whirling around in the wind :)

The Marching Chiefs

(We sat pretty close to both bands and enjoyed them battling back and forth throughout the game)

The Noles warming up...

The Noles with helmets raised heading to the locker room before the game.

The End Zone (one of them anyway)

Clemson stretching

Clemson arm in arm heading to the locker room before the game.

The Marching Chiefs' Drum Major taking the field

The Band and the Majorettes preparing to take the field for the pre-game show!

Half of the FSU Band...... This is of course one of the highlights of going to football games for me. Gotta love the marching band!!!

Noles!

The Coin Toss.... goes to FSU!

Chief Osceola and Renegade preparing for the FSU tradition of throwing the flaming spear into the center of the field before kick-off!

kick-off and some folks arms that got in the way of my shot :)

Jon doing the chop!

Christian Ponder (QB #7) throwing for a touchdown

The best kicker ever... Graham Gano kicking for a field goal.

Just short of a touchdown....

no worries.... we got it! TOUCHDOWN FLORIDA STATE!

Clemson's Band at Halftime

FSU's Band at Halftime

Jon waiting on the Ref's to review the play.

At the game....

Had to get one more in for dramatic effect with less than 2 minutes left in the game :)

The final score: FSU 41 Clemson 27

The result: Two very happy Noles fans!!!

Reasons I love my husband...

2008-11-06T10:52:00.004-06:00

Reasons why I love Jon... in no particular order:

He puts his relationship with Christ and his desire to be used of God above all things (which makes everything else fall into place).
He loves me!
He gives me the sweetest kisses on the forehead.
He eats everything I cook..... well except that horrible Spaghetti Squash I tried!
When other guys joke about missing the days of bachelorhood he never joins in!
He makes me laugh :)
He laughs at me... and makes me laugh at myself!
Sometimes he talks like a Yankee and doesn't realize it... it's very cute on him!
He grills and/or smokes a mean chicken, steak and ribs!
He loves date night just as much as I do and looks forward to Friday nights with me!
He encourages me in all of my crazy endeavors and truly wants me to succeed.
He is smart - brilliant in fact! He knows a little something about everything and everything about some things.
He is my best friend!
He has sexy legs!!! Yes, I said the "s" word :)
He is who he is without apology!
He lets me watch football with him and trys to teach me the rules even though i think some of them are pretty stupid!
He makes us a palette in the floor and we take little naps together sometimes.
He gets along with my friends and family.
He lets me get away with way more than I should :)
He's mine, mine, mine!

I love you Jonboy! I can't wait for our weekend getaway full of football, Peanut Festival and more!!!!

Well...

2008-11-05T12:49:00.005-06:00

I am not sure what to post today. I am not sure that I have any words. I am not sure what will happen next.

I am sure that God is Sovereign! For me, everything is riding on that one thought today. So without a lot of discussion or review I simply leave you with these words from Daniel 2 in the Bible....

20"...Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. 21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; 22 he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. 23 To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter."

I think if we remember that God is in control... that He knows what is in the darkness.... and that the light dwells within Him.... we can all rest assured that everything will be okay. It may be the other side of heaven when "okay" comes, but isn't that what we're living for anyway?

VOTE!!!

2008-11-04T08:21:00.002-06:00

Don't forget to get out the vote today! Vote your convictions... and if you don't have any feel free to use mine :)

McCain & Palin 2008

Weekend Fun!

2008-11-03T09:56:00.005-06:00

This weekend I had a Yard Sale with Jon, my friend Lane, and our friends Rob and Gayla. It was a Saturday only deal so we all worked feverishly on Friday night getting things priced and moving our big items to the yard we were using for the sale. We got up very early Saturday morning set up and our first customer arrived at 5:30 am! Well, I guess all that work tired Jon and Rob out because this is where I found them for part of the morning before our couches sold! Good advertising guys!!!

Later on in the morning my cousin Coleton stopped by and I had to have a little fun with him. He is a huge Alabama fan and we happened to be at some huge Auburn fans' home for our sale, hence the Auburn chair. I chased his speedy little self all over the yard before catching him. I intended to stick him in the chair, but he was trying to get away so this is all I got!

All in all we had a good day... and made about $375 !!!

Hakuna Matata!

2008-10-31T10:09:00.001-05:00

Where in the world is Woodland, Mississippi?

2008-10-30T13:49:00.002-05:00

This past Friday I traveled to Woodland, Mississippi, with my friend Lane. We were on the hunt for furniture to complete Lane's new house which should be finished (we hope) by the end of the year. So, having seen the commercials and listened to everyone rave about this furniture store in Woodland, we decided to go check it out for ourselves.

I got directions to the store and we set out after lunch on our adventure. We traveled the lonely highways of Clay County and just really enjoyed the quietness of the country life that surrounded us. Little did we know what lay ahead of us.... enter the town of Woodland. After 60 miles of country goodness we were greeted by the quaint little town of Woodland, Mississippi. Now, there isn't anything there except the furniture store, a cafe, and a few gas stations, but this place has southern charm written all over it. Below are just a few examples of what we found on every corner, in every yard and standing in any open spot along the way. Just wanted to share their creativity with you and brighten your day with a bit of Fall goodness! hakuna Matata...

Autumn...

2008-10-28T14:55:00.005-05:00

It finally feels like fall in Mississippi. Well, today it feels more like winter and my husband informed me that it has been cool for several weeks now. Obviously this Mississippi girl and her Florida boy disagree on the meaning of "cool"! However, the high for today is a fabulous 55 degrees and I couldn't be happier.... jeans and sweatshirts here I come!!!

Waiting...

2008-10-23T13:25:00.006-05:00

We're all waiting for something... graduation, marriage, children, a new adventure, retirement, ... etc. We wait and we wait and too often that's all we do. We sit and wait for one thing while the world keeps moving around us. We get so focused in the waiting that we cease to be effective in any other area of our lives. The point - it's what we do in the waiting that counts.

Right now Jon and I are waiting. Waiting to get out of debt. Waiting for me to figure out exactly what it is I want to do with my life. Waiting to move to Kentucky for Jon to go back to Seminary. Waiting to have children (or adopt). We wait quite a lot at the Bradberry house! But, I pray that we won't be so caught up in waiting for these things that we are no longer "involved" in day to day life. There is so much to be done, so much to see, so much to experience even now. We may not have everything we want (heck, we're not even close), but it's what we do with what we have that makes a life. More importantly, it's how we serve - how we worship in the waiting that matters. While I'm waiting I want to worship, I want to serve, Iwant to continue running the race.

The above video is a clip from the movie Fireproof that I mentioned several weeks ago. The song playing is from John Waller called "While I'm Waiting". I picked up John Waller's CD in October of last year after hearing him on tour with Casting Crowns. This song was immediately my favorite on the CD. It has ministered to me time after time and here it is again in such a transitional time in our lives. It's placement in the movie was perfect and I was once again reminded that our lives don't have to be void in the waiting. Though the movie and this video is about a specific situation the message of the song can be applied to any area of your life. I pray that you will be encouraged today as you listen.

One last thing before I go... did I mention that Fireproof is an awesome movie??? I have seen it twice and would gladly see it a thousand times and take all those willing to go. If you have not seen it yet, please go - take your spouse or significant other and go! The message of hope is a powerful one and this movie is dripping with hope for a successful marriage and more importantly hope for salvation, as the Gospel is so clearly presented. It was all a welcome reminder to this weary soul. I have been blessed beyond measure in having a wonderful husband and a strong marriage, but it did not come without trial nor will it continue without tough days. However, together we can fireproof our marriage... as Michael says in the movie, "Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." (Thank you Jon for giving this Mississippi girl a chance and for waiting with me! I love you MORE!)

Hakuna Matata for the weekend!

2008-10-22T16:17:00.004-05:00

We're so easily distracted, so consumed with the small stuff, but right now God has our attention. He is shouting to us. What is it that He wants us to hear? How will our hearts be affected?

CS Lewis

Friends and family we have a big task ahead... called the 2009 Presidential Election. I am praying that we will hear what He wants us to hear and be affected by the shape of our nation. May our hearts break for those who do not know His peace and those who cannot find His way. May God shout to us in our pain until we listen and seek only Him for refuge and strength in the days to come.

Catch-up Day Two

2008-10-21T12:09:00.007-05:00

Yes! That is SCC and Smitty together on a poster and on tour... and yes, I went to see them this past weekend!!! I am a life-long fan of these guys and the fact that (after 20 years of them making "records" and being the two biggest names in Christian Contemporary music) they have finally gone on tour together is awesome!
united tour

The concert was certainly one for the history books and for me - my all-time #2 favorite now. (Second only to the Steven Curtis Chapman tour with Steve Saint and Mincaye that I posted about here). Both Michael W. and Steven put on an amazing show and even performed together quite a bit throughout the night. Did I mention that it was AWESOME!?!?!

united tour

So, I went with 6 of my best friends... some old, some new. Of course Jon was there and had no problem making fun of me throughout the night for acting like a 12 year old girl :) Our friends Rob and Gayla came along as well as a few of my oldest and dearest friends, Karen, Manny and Neil. We left Columbus early and headed to the Galleria in Birmingham to do a little shopping and have dinner before the concert - had a great time there too.... you would've sworn we were still back in the Youth Group and this was our "regular" stop on the way to some event. Acting silly, playing on the escalators, giggling as we walked past Spencer's! The day certainly brought back memories of the childhood I was so fortunate to have!

united tour

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the night....

united tour

Me & JB.... (and yes, I know it looks like I only have one boob - but it's the only decent picture we took!)

The Gang (minus Manny)

Manny modeling the curtains in the BJCC

Me & Karen

Smitty and SCC sharing a hug (this photo taken by John Price Photo)

Smitty and SCC performing together

Our tickets and the part of the set list!!!

That's all for now... hakuna matata!

Hello blog!

2008-10-20T11:21:00.005-05:00

(Jonboy watching the Alabama/Ole Miss game Saturday.... doggone Rebels just couldn't pull it out!)

Hello blog, it's me, Ashley! I know I've been away, but I am here today. There's never a dull moment at the Bradberry house and sometimes that means this blog gets badly neglected! So I'll try to play catch-up this week...

Fall is here and we are loving it!!! October is my very favorite month and consequently one of our busiest at home and at work. With all the craziness I did manage to finish a project... one that took me almost 3 years to finish (sorry babe!). Nan, my sweet mother-in-law found this FSU fleece for me after we moved from Jacksonville. My intention was to make Jon a "Jon-sized" blanket for his couch sittin', football watchin' self during the cool seasons. Well, I started it and decided that it was not fun and made my fingers hurt so I put it away. EveryFall without fail Jon casually mentions how nice it would be to have his very own "Jon-sized" blanket and every Fall without fail I have left it in the closet - undone. But, this weekend I finished it and here it is....

See you tomorrow... hopefully :)

2008-10-01T10:46:00.000-05:00

Have you got your tickets yet???

2008-09-25T11:24:00.002-05:00

This Friday, September 26th is opening weekend for Fireproof , the new movie produced by Sherwood Pictures - the same church/company that produced Facing the Giants. I want to encourage everyone to go and see this movie. Let's remind Hollywood once again that faith based movies do just as well on opening weekend and give Fireproof enough of an opening to keep it running for weeks to come.

I've got my tickets already.... how about you?

Happy Birthday Aunt C...

2008-09-16T09:52:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday to you. Happy Brithday to you. Happy Birthday Aunt C...Happy Birthday to you!

This past weekend I had the wonderful pleasure of traveling to Shreveport, Louisiana (despite the looming hurricane) to surprise my sweet Aunt C for her 60th birthday. Let me just say first and foremost that in no way would you ever believe that she is 60! Aunt C is one of my most favorite relatives (and is married to my all-time favorite Uncle David!) so it was really special to get to be a part of her birthday celebration. Aunt C is a beautiful and gracious picture of a virtuous woman from whom I have learned much. My cousin and Aunt C's daughter, Shannon planned the event and we were able to spend some fun time with her as well.

Follow along below for the short version of our trip in pictures!

The Gang at our favorite restaurant (El Chico) on Friday night... we missed you Aunt C!

The Gang at Chili's on Saturday ironing out the final details of the surprise for the night. Aunt C had just called to say that she didn't believe she would be getting out for the night... we had no power at our hotel and the weather was getting rather nasty!

A sneak peak at the birthday cake :)

"What... only idiots would travel in this weather. But I'm glad you're all here!"

Aunt C discovering her senior portrait on her birthday cake!

There were beautiful flowers all around.

Blowing out the candles!

Shannon and Scott...... are they cute or what? I love hanging out with these guys!

The memory box that Momma and I made for Aunt C!

I snuck into Aunt C's bedroom and took a picture of the memory box on her bed... it matched
perfectly!!!

We had a wonderful trip in spite of the weather and Jon and I can't wait to go back for a visit!!!

This is not an advertisement for McAllisters...

2008-09-15T15:37:00.005-05:00

If you look closely you will see that in the bottom of this McAllister's Deli cup is a snake.... yes, a snake! When I arrived at work this morning I noticed the small reptile on the floor in front of Mrs. Kay's desk. At first I believed it to be fake - then it moved! Mrs. Kay immediately screamed and I went for "trapping gear". After many attempts on my life by "Sammy the Snake" I was able to trap him under a white Pepper's Deli cup (notice a trend here?). I placed a hymnal on top of the cup and called Jon to come and pick "Sammy" up and take him away.
ash

By the time Jon arrived we had had morning visitors and they too were anxious about our new friend. Jon quickly scooped up "Sammy" and transfered him to the clear McAllister's Deli cup where once again I photographed him! What a way to start off my day back to work after a weekend getaway that put us in the path of Hurricane Ike... more on that tomorrow. For now - Hakuna Matata!

ash

P.S. Despite my best efforts to convince Jon that the snake "rattled" his tail he informed me that "Sammy" was only a chicken snake!

2008-09-11T13:09:00.001-05:00

Prayer...

2008-09-10T11:15:00.007-05:00

My dear friends and family... today as I pray I am coveting your prayers as well. I won't go into a lot of detail but here are the basics - Jon and I are facing some big decisions right now. As most of you know we will not be heading to Starkville to pastor as God has closed that door. We are absolutely 100% okay with this because He has something awesome and unexpected for us up ahead. We also believe that He is moving us (as He has been all along until we got selfish and sidetracked) in the direction of education. It has been our goal since Jon's graduation in 2004 to pay down our debts and return to school and allow Jon to get his Master of Divinity degree. After trying our way for the last year we realize that God has not changed that desire in hearts nor has He allowed us to move in any different directions. Believing wholeheartedly that this is what He wills for our lives at this time - we are preparing for a change and pending Jon's acceptance to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, we will be heading North next year.
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We are excited about this new chapter in our lives, but at the same time we are facing a few difficulties. For the last 3 years Jon has been working as a carpenter in addition to his ministerial positions. That carpentry work is actually our primary source of income while I work only part-time at the Missions Office. Well, as most of you have realized -the housing market is getting slower and slower by the day. So the boys are officially out of work as soon as they finish the house they are working on plus one more. Jon worked a mere 13 hours last week and this week will only put in around 24 hours. In addition to that he has not booked any preaching engagements due to the fact that we may have been unavailable if called to Starkville as pastor. That leaves us in a crunch.
ab
So, I did all that whining to simply ask you to pray for us. Pray that we will move forward in the way that God wills. We know that if we simply follow His plan that He will provide the way and the means necessary to follow through with that plan. After all He plans to prosper us and not to harm us... plans to give us hope and a future as He says in Jeremiah 29:11.
ab
Well, thanks for listening to me "vent" a little. I promise it's the last time for a while :) Hakuna Matata!!!

Happy Birthday Bun Bun!

2008-09-08T12:38:00.003-05:00

The birthday girl blowing out her candles at Old Venice in Starkville this past Friday night!

ab
Me and the munchkins.... twins, Ben & Hannah. They are my buddies and we always have a good time together! Lots of sweet hugs and kisses are always dished out when we're together :)

When they say Junior what they really mean is....

2008-09-08T10:48:00.006-05:00

Just thought I would share this picture for those of you thinking those Junior Banana Splits at Sonic would be a nice treat... I stopped by Sonic one afternoon to grab a treat for me and Mrs. Kay. it was just one of those days when we needed a little something special. Well, a little something is exactly what we got! Check out the size of that thing - and yes, that is a matchbook I am holding to show some sort of a scale :)

However, it would not be fair for me to make fun of the fun size treat without saying that it was very tasty... all three bites :) Hakuna Matata!

Two posts in one day.... too funny not to share!

2008-09-03T15:12:00.002-05:00

Though you won't be graced with my writing skills (wink, wink) in this post I just had to share this very funny You-Tube video sent to me today. This one is for you Jon - maybe next time you'll think before you speak :)

The Amazing Thing About Grace...

2008-09-03T10:54:00.007-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about grace lately. What is it? Why do I receive it? How should it change the way I look at life? The questions go on and on... and I have just stumbled onto a great answer to some of those very questions.

I have always believed grace to mean God's riches at Christ's expense. An acrostic I learned many years ago and it has always made perfect sense. But, it only answers the what part of my question. Of course until now that's always been plenty for me. I am not the person who has to know how and when and where it all works - I just believe it works with or without me and I am fine with either conclusion. While I have a solid faith and know enough to get into a healthy debate with others over said faith, sometimes I believe that I am a little too "passive". By passive I mean that I lack full emotion and understanding of action and consequence in certain situations. In other words if the Bible says it - I believe it without contemplating what it means in individual situations. Hence, I am diving in to something deeper. While I will always be the same person I have always been, passive and all, I want to know that I have reason to be so passive.

Now you are probably thinking, "What does all that have to do with grace?". Well, not a lot, but grace was just the first depth I thought I would try and tackle. The subject matter came to me in the form of a quote, an excerpt if you will. I love quotes... little morsels of wisdom from other more experienced souls. Quotes give me just enough to be intrigued and seek out truth on my own. So, I came across a quote that spoke to me and then went off to find its source - a paper entitled "God's Purpose of Grace", by Horatius Bonar, a Scottish churchman and poet.

But how far has this grace come? It has come the whole length of a sinner’s distance from God. It did not wait till the sinner sought it, ere it came forth. It came unbidden and undesired. Nor did it wait till some of the distance had been removed, or some of the hindrances surmounted by the sinner himself. It traversed the whole distance itself, and over-leaped, or rather leveled every barrier. It burst forth spontaneous from the bosom of eternal love, and rested not till it had removed every impediment, and found its way up to the sinner’s side, swelling round him in full flow. It does away the distance between the sinner and God, which sin had created. It meets the sinner on the spot where he stands, and it approaches him just as he is. It does not wait till there is something to attract it, nor till there is some good reason in the sinner for its flowing to him. No; unattracted, and without any reason in the sinner, it pours itself forth in all its fullnesstowards objects whose only title is their utter worthlessness, and their possessing nothing for the holy eye of God to delight in. (Horatius Bonar)

Did you catch that? Not only do we recieve grace at Christ's expense and for free - we don't even have to search for it. Grace doesn't wait for us to seek after it or decide we need it - Grace over-leaped everything in its path to find us! It removes the distance between us and a perfect God and meets us where we stand, just as we are! Now that's what I call amazing!

Sure, this may be "old hat" to some of us, but it never hurts to be reminded that God is in complete control - He is Sovereign! If He takes the initiative in a matter so precious as grace, how much more can we trust that He will initiate the smaller blessings in life. How much more can we rest in the fact that He is "into the details" of our lives and that at just the right moment, whether we are looking for it or not, He grants us His grace and peace.

Wow.... I just had to share that today and while we are content in the waiting, I hope you will seek Him out today. I want to be found searching when He finds me!

Hakuna Matata!

Arkansas Mini Family Reunion 08

2008-09-02T14:17:00.010-05:00

This summer Jon and I had a chance to go with my (maternal) Grandparents to Arkansas. My mother was born in Marmaduke and a lot of my Grandmother's family still lives in the area (Marmaduke, Jonesboro and Rector).

ashley b

On Saturday we had a mini family reunion... it was "mini" due to the fact that not everyone was able to make it and some probably didn't even know it was happening! Regardless, we had a great time and I was able to spend time with family that I haven't seen since I was a kid.

ashley b

So, instead of me rambling on about the weekend I will just share some pictures and a few captions. Enjoy!

ashley b

The blood relatives (from lef to right: Sarah, Granny-Edna, Uncle Sam, Mona, Aunt Willie Mae, Me, Aunt Rita (not blood, but Uncle Sam's wife), Sherry, Aunt Shirley, Sarah Beth, and Daniel)

ashley b

"The Hill" Just for you Aunt Bun Bun

Me & my cousin, Sarah Beth

ashley b

Daniel's little girl, Shelby. I must have taken 50 pictures of this kid... she's just so cute and doesn't she look like she could be mine???

ashleyb

Daniel's oldest son, Garrett playing with Sarah Beth's dog Shadow.

ashleyb

Granny & Paw Paw introducing the Arkansas group to our favorite game of Farkel.

ashleyb

Garrett was really into the game.
ashleyb

And here is little Shelby rolling the dice.

ashleyb

And here she is again... this time saying, "Oh well, I farkeled!"

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David and Isaac (Daniel's youngest son)

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Picture of an old scrapbook that my Uncle Sam borrowed from the town hall to show us. My Grandmother made these scrapbooks when she was in a Home Demonstration club many many years ago. I think my Grandmother is taking this picture and my mother is the little girl on the far right of the bottom row!

ashleyb

This is my Grandpa Phillips' marker in New Liberty Cemetary. He passed away when my mother was only 14 so I have not had the pleasure of meeting him, but have heard lots of wonderful stories and my brother looks just like him!

I need a do-over!

2008-08-29T10:45:00.005-05:00

Have you ever has one of those times in your life when you felt like everything was caving in around you? Well, I am there! This has been the most stressful month so far this year. Work is crazy, the studio has orders coming out the ying yang, my husband and I have has several interviews with a church and they have presented him as their candidate for pastor, my house is a wreck and now there is another wonderful storm headed our way. Oh, yeah and Barrack Obama is officially my least favorite presidential candidate ever! Seriously - If I thought you people wouldn't come looking for me I just might run away this weekend. But, fortunately I have such a wonderful husband family that you would all come and find me and bring me back to the nut house so I think I'll just stick it out on my own!

Oh yeah, things are crazy - but life is still good, right? Right. Because I know that the "LORD my God is in my midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over me with gladness, He will quiet me with His love and He will exult over me with loud singing!" (Zephaniah 3:17) Meaning, He will save me from all of this madness while rejoicing over me. He will quiet me and give me a peace about the craziness I am in and He will sing over me - loudly! Of course the loudly part is because I am talking so loud trying to tell Him all my troubles, so He has to speak up in order for me to hear Him. But the point is that He does it - faithfully everytime I find myself in this place! That my friends is love. A love that I wish I could show to those around me. A love that I wish others would show themselves. And ultimately a love that I do not deserve, yet He gracefully extends it to me each day I put my hope in Him. So yeah, things are crazy, but I know the Peace.

Why am I blabbing all of this now? Well, I know there are a few of you who check this blog with frequency and I wanted you to know that I am still here. I do have lots to share.... like my family reunion in Arkansas, our vacation to Jacksonville and tons more. Hopefully I will be able to catch up on a few things this weekend share with you next week. But until then.... hakuna matata!

Four Years!

2008-07-24T20:18:00.004-05:00

I have the best husband in the entire universe! Today we celebrated four years of wedded bliss :) And I can honestly say it has been a wonderful four years. I couldn't have asked for a better man to call my own... and surely he'd say the same about me (wink, wink).

Thank You Father for a husband who loves You first and me second. You knew what you were doing when You put us together and I am forever grateful!

2008-07-10T14:26:00.003-05:00

It's been a while... the Bradberry house has been full of activity lately. Some great, some not so great. So today (or this week I should say) I simply leave you with a quote from one of my favorite people...

Hakuna Matata for the weekend...

Welcome to the world... Brody Parker!

2008-07-03T12:48:00.003-05:00

Announcing the arrival of

Brody Parker Eaves
Born on July 2, 2008, at 7:18 p.m.
Weighing 7 lbs 11 ozs and measuring 21 inches long.
Proud Parents are Matt & Sarah Eaves

Brody Parker Eaves

Daddy and Son

The Giraffe my mom gave Brody...

Me and Brody... if you notice his expression I believe he was thinking, "Ah, I'll just go home with her!" :) Don't I wish - I want one!!!

Really, he is too cute for words and the pictures do not do justice. (My camera died just before he decided to wake up, therefore no eyes open shots, but they're gorgeous too!) Congratulations Mommy & Daddy I know you'll both be great!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-06-26T12:53:00.005-05:00

Birthday Card from my brother!

Flowers from my Grandmother!

What a wonderful birthday this has been so far... so wonderful I just have to share! It started this morning with gifts from my husband. Now, let me warn you that we do not do lavish gifts (diamonds, jewelry, big stuff) for birthdays. We are very simple folks and very easy to please. With that said here's a peak at what I received from Jon. You'll want to note his unique wrapping style - always a surprise with him! This time it was tin-foil and blue painters tape combined with a brown lunch sack and toilet tissue paper. (Just a note: he used Snowman Napkins to wrap my Christmas gifts).

Then when I arrived at work this morning I was greeted by a chocolate pie, a beautiful vase with a Gerbera Daisy and a gift from Mrs. Kay. I have been coveting an address stamp that both of her daughters use and she was kind enough to get me one for my birthday!

As if all of that wasn't enough when 11:00 am rolled around in walks my mother with a picnic lunch (homemade brownies included) and more gifts! She gave me the cutest brown and pink flip flops, an Irish necklace and a new Audrey Hepburn movie, Funny Face. I thought what a great surprise... but wait... there's more! A few moments later my grandparents, brother and Jerry walk through the door to join us for our picnic :) Do I have the greatest family and friends or what?

My birthday picnic with (from L to R) Granny, Paw Paw David, Jerry, Momma and Mrs. Kay!

Me & D

Challenge...

2008-06-25T12:47:00.002-05:00

I am involved with Mission VBS's this week so my blog time is limited... therefore I am issuing a challenge. I have told my story over the past 2 weeks - now it is your turn! I want to hear your story. Your story can be about anything you want it to be so what are you waiting for? Blog away my friends! Hakuna Matata for now!

Our story... where we are now

2008-06-20T11:10:00.004-05:00

So much has happened since moving back to Columbus. Of course we see my family a good bit and we've made some new friends. I have been able to reconnect with some old friends as well. Over all life has been good. But, if you've been following our story for very long you know that we encounter the occasional bump in the road and Columbus has had its share.

I don't really know how to tell this next part without confusing you so bare with me. Jon had been on staff at Canaan for almost 2 years when we really started to pray about resigning. As much as we loved our youth and the folks at the church something just wasn't right. To be perfectly honest with you it hadn't been right for a long while. Reason being that Jon did not feel "called" to be a Youth Minister any longer. He had served as Youth Minister throughout the last 10 years and he knew that God was truly calling him to preach - to be a Pastor. That being true and where his heart was it would be a diservice to remain in a position that he wouldn't be able to give 100%. So, in April of 2007, Jon submitted his resignation.

Thankfully he already had a job doing carpentry and was able to go full time with that and I was now at Dr. Bennett's office and the Missions Office working. Missions Office you say? Yes, back in February of 2007 I was able to come on board for a job I've always wanted. I began as the part time Ministry Assistant of Publicity and Promotion - say that five times fast! I am responsible for a monthly newsletter, annual books of report, the calendar and numerous publicity for special events. I love it! Plus, it puts me in my preferred field - MISSIONS! The whole thing was truly an answer to prayer that I would be able to serve in the ministry as well as Jon. All that to say, though he was resigning from the church at least we could still pay our bills :)

Next we began to send out resumes. Jon was also put on the "supply" list at the Missions Office. This list is given to our churches when they need someone to fill a vacant pulpit due to not having a pastor or their pastor is simply going to be out of town, on vacation, etc. Almost immediately he began "booking" preaching engagements every weekend. We had several calls from churches that had received his resume but nothing definite. We pondered many scenarios from Jon beginning his Master's work at Seminary to doing a church plant. Still we had no crystal clear vision from God.

Here a little over a year later that's pretty much where we are today. I have since left Dr. Bennett's office and am now solely at the Missions Office, Jon is still working as a carpenter and filling the church's pulpit each Sunday, and we are still seeking God's will. We have interviewed at several churches over the last year, but God has still left the door unopened. We know that He has a plan and we are trying our best to be patient as He reveals that plan in His time. Who knows where we will "end up". For now Jon is getting some great experience and we are making connections all over the place! I do ask that you pray for us as we continue to seek God's will for our lives and that He make His plans known.

Well, that does it for the "general version" of our story. Thanks for coming along on the ride and please check back often as now I will be able to go back and tell some of the little stories that didn't make this first cut - they are some you definitely won't want to miss and they are sure to be an easier read! May you all have a fabulous weekend... Hakuna Matata!

Our story heads east...

2008-06-19T10:17:00.006-05:00

We stopped over in Columbus for a surprise visit when we left the cruise after which we headed back to Dothan to pack. Yes, I said pack. Jon and I had decided to make a move to Jacksonville, Florida. If you remember from the beginning of our story this is his hometown and he was happy to go back to the big River City. I too was excited even though this would move me further from my home in Mississippi and of course my family was sad. Jon was going to be working with his brother who was starting his own business as a contractor. I was hired on at Baptist Hospital where my new sister in law also worked (thanks Julie!). We got an apartment just around the corner from Jon's family and settled into married life.

(The Dames Point Bridge in Jacksonville just a couple minutes from our house)

In case you don't know Jacksonville is HUGE. I grew up in Columbus, Mississippi, and I am pretty sure you could fit a hundred of them in Jacksonville. Seriously, it takes over an hour to drive from one side of town to the other. And lets not forget that it's nicknamed the "River City". Everywhere you look there is water whether it is the St. John's River or the Atlantic Ocean - so cool! It was really cool to have a real mall (actually more like 4 or 5 real malls), a variety of restaurants, the beach and something to do on the weekends other than rent a movie and stay home. The pace of life was much different and I will admit it took me a while to get adjusted. For those who are wondering I only got lost once. I was knew to the whole having to take an interstate just to go to Wal-Mart thing and ended up heading "out of town" one day as I was trying to get home. But, I eventually figured things out and began to enjoy the city life.

We spent a lot of time with Jon's family as they are all very close and I got to know the in-laws a little better. Jon and I made some wonderful new friends (we miss you Joe & Melissa) and I got to meet his old buddies who told me about the "real" Jon Bradberry! Jon took me to all the coolest places.... St. Augustine, Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach to name a few. I even went to Universal Studios for the first time in my life when Melissa and I planned a surprise birthday weekend in Orlando for Jon and Joe. I could go on for days about our time in Jax - maybe another time though.

(Downtown Jax - gorgeous!!!)

(Altell Stadium. Home of the Jacksonville Jaguars!!! And yes, I got to go to a game!)

(The Landing in downtown Jax. I took this picture while cruising in Uncle Vic's boat one day)

So, things were great. We were busy and we were stretched for money but we were happy. Happy that is except Jon was longing to be on staff at a church. In case I haven't mentioned it I married a preacher! Jon surrendered to the call of ministry in 2000 (I think) and graduated with his B.A. in Theology at the Baptist College of Florida. Well, we began to really concentrate on sending out resumes around January 2005 and wouldn't you know that a little ol' church in Mississippi, Columbus to be exact called Jon to be Minster of Youth in April of that same year. So, 9 months after moving to Jax and we were packing again. This time it was Jon's family that was sad. Maybe sometime I will tell you the "faith story" surrounding his calling to our church in Mississippi but for now just know that we did get called to Canaan Baptist Church in Columbus.

At this point, I was excited. Having dreamed of being a minister's wife if was finally happening. And a Youth Minister's wife at that - how cool! I love kids and teenagers (probably because I still am one!). We settled into Canaan and quickly had a full plate. I went back to working at Dr. Bennett's office and it was as if I had never left 2 years earlier. Jon and I began to build relationships with our youth and I got involved in every little they'd let me be a part of including choir, teaching and eventually directing Vacation Bible School. God worked out every single detail to bring us to this place. So why did it never feel quite right? Want to know? Come back tomorrow for the current chapter in our story.... Hakuna Matata!

P.S. Yes, I know that this post began in 2004 and somehow ended up in present time. I obviously left out a lot. It would take me years to tell the complete story so remember this is the very abbreviated version!

Our story goes on...

2008-06-18T12:52:00.008-05:00

(Our cruise photographers took the most wonderful photographs. This is just one of the formal ones... don't we look like millionaires???)

(At dinner in the Monet Dining Room)

Today our story continues with the second half of the honeymoon and when I left you yesterday we were headed to Grand Cayman. Let me just remind you that this is my favorite island. There are few things that can compare with the natural beauty of the Caymans. The people are friendly, the water is gorgeous and the food - fabulous!

Did I mention the sea turtles? Well, allow me to do so now. I love sea turtles and while on Grand Cayman Island we went to the Turtle Farm. These people were actually crazy enough to let me play with a few too! Okay, so they let everyone play that wanted to but I can pretend that my love for these creatures was so evident that that's the true reason I was able to play with them :) Check out these pictures of our "sea friends". I named my little guy Oliver. He was so cute! I wish I had found the picture of me kissing Oliver but I ran of time this morning when I was gathering the pictures to post today.

(Me and Oliver)

Anyway, Grand Cayman was wonderful. We ate our first Caribbean Jerk Chicken which was incredibly hot and saw a lot of cool stuff. Next we were on to Cozumel, Mexico. This place was equally exciting and full of possibilities. We decided to do our own thing and shopped around the open air markets before heading to Chankanaab Park. Once at the park we relaxed beneath the shade of Palm tree for a bit until we decided to rent snorkel gear. Now don't get me wrong I love the water, but the idea of swimming with real sea creatures was a little frightening. Nevertheless I agreed to snorkel and will admit that once I learned how to not swallow water I enjoyed myself. Well almost - I enjoyed it up until the point that a Barracuda brushed up against me. At that point I screamed underwater thus losing my snorkel and swallowing more sea water than I imagined possible. My husband on the other hand was laughing hysterically and decided to chase after it to capture a picture. He was able to snap a picture but the quality was not great so I will spare you this time.

All in all it was a great cruise. We enjoyed every single minute of every day and can't wait to celebrate our 5th anniversary next year with a similar cruise (if we save the money!). The whole week brought us together as husband and wife and God truly blessed us. Of course the honeymoon did eventually end and we were "forced" to leave our wonderful boat. Back to land, the real world and deciding on where to go from here. If you come back tomorrow you can find out where we ended up.... hakuna matata!

"Our story" begins...

2008-06-17T14:44:00.005-05:00

(The new Mr. & Mrs. in Cozumel, Mexico)

Hello again blog world! Sorry for my absence yesterday as I was busy catching up from being out of town this past weekend. My friend Lane and I headed to Atlanta on Friday to do some "house shopping" and I was completely exhausted upon our return Sunday night. All in all we had a great trip and Atlanta won't be the same without us!

As for today - my story, actually now it's "our story" continues. After our wedding we drove a couple hours to nearby Pensacola Beach and stayed the night at the Hilton Garden Inn. Let me take one minute to say that we did not get the room we reserved, it was way overpriced and there was a reunion of some sort going on where people were "carryin' on" all night long. In spite of all of that the night was perfect and that's all I'll say about that as this is a G-rated blog :)

The next morning we drove to New Orleans, Louisiana, to board our cruise ship. The Carnival Conquest - the most perfect boat in the entire world. My sweet, wonderful, perfectly fabulous new husband knew me so well. He booked us on a "French Impressionist" inspired ship where we dined in the Monet Dining Room each night overlooking the ocean, saw shows at the Toulouse Lautrec Lounge and stayed in a beautiful Verandah Deck room complete with our own private balcony. Everywhere we looked there were French Impressionist paintings. Did I mention it was perfect?

Of course our destinations weren't bad either. Montego Bay, Jamaica, Grand Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico. Talk about paradise. I've never seen water so beautiful. Our first stop was Montego Bay, Jamaica, and while I wish we had done things a little differently on this island it was still pretty cool. We played on a beautiful beach, had lunch at Jimmy Buffet's restaurant, and I was offered illegal drugs! Yep, you read that right. While waiting on our taxi back to the boat a couple of Rastafarians propositioned me - right on the street! I wasn't thrilled at the time, but now at least I have a funny story to tell about Jamaica -"eh man" (insert Jamaican accent here)! I did love speaking the language while on the island, even if all I knew was from the movie Cool Runnings. Our driver on the island was impressed with my knowledge.

Our second stop was Grand Cayman Island. My absolute favorite spot! I mean where else can you play with sea turtles? Come back tomorrow for part two of this fabulous island and the conclusion of our honeymoon and see what I mean. Hakuna Matata :)

My "Hallelujah" Story...

2008-06-13T09:21:00.004-05:00

Well, I think it's time for a happy chapter in this life story of mine. So on this fabulous Friday that's just what you'll get. My little brother David preached my Daddy's funeral and we said our last goodbyes. Although Daddy was gone life had not stopped. We had to move forward and we did.

Jon and I continued to plan our wedding. We made arrangement after arrangement and mailed invitation after invitation. In the mean time, Jon graduated from the Baptist College of Florida. He had a little help of course! (With all the drama his future wife was causing she figured it only fair to help him write 2 papers in order to get class credit.) All in all things gradually became "normal" if there is such.

As July 24th drew near I knew it would all be worth it. Some of my friends and family came the week before the wedding and we were able to hang out and just have some fun time. We also got a lot of loose ends tied up before the big day. And of course on Thursday pretty much all of the family and wedding party was there. I was surrounded by love on all sides. It was magical. Our rehearsal and dinner was so much fun. My brother who officiated part of the wedding showed out big time and Jon had barbequed quite a feast for dinner. However, nothing compared to the big day. Traditional in parts, unconventional in others... for us it was perfect. We vowed to love, honor and cherish each other, sang to each other and prayed together. We were surrounded by all of the people we loved. My favorite part though has to be that we walked out of the sanctuary to the tune of the "Hallelujah Chorus". Laughter erupted as the song began to play and we ourselves couldn't keep from giggling.

(Me showing off my lime green flip flops...
yes, I wore them all day. I don't back down from a dare!)

The reception that followed was equally exciting.... well except for the whole cake shoved up my nose so that I couldn't breathe thing! But even that was great. I am always the one rooting for the bride and groom to cream each other and that's just what we did. Just like our wedding, the reception was simple and it too was perfect for us. I wish you all could have been there and to those that were - thank you for being a part of our special day.

When all of the food was gone and the guests began to leave we too prepared to make our big escape. A change of clothes and a "to-go" plate and we were good to go. We hopped in the car while being attacked with bird seed and jetted off to Pensacola where we would spend the night before heading to New Orleans to board our Cruise Ship. And that's where today's story ends. So until Monday... Hakuna Matata!

My story goes on... warning may cause tears... grab the tissues!

2008-06-12T09:57:00.009-05:00

Well, I suppose most of you know what happens next. Jon comes to the great state of Mississippi and spends Christmas with the family and gives me diamonds…… earrings that is! They were gorgeous (thanks Julie). We had a great Christmas break and then headed to Jacksonville for New Years. I had my first taste of Pop’s lasagna and Nan’s homemade bread and I knew for sure that I would enjoy being a part of this family if I got the chance.

After New Years Jon and I both headed back to Dothan. He began his final Spring Semester at BCF and I began my new job in the ER. Things were finally going well. I had settled in to this new, very unexpected life and Jon was busy trying to prepare to graduate. On February 5th though things would change again…. this time it was good change! On Jon’s 29th birthday, he informed that the greatest birthday gift he could get would be if I would agree to be his wife! He came to my apartment just as I got off of work for what I thought was to get his “real” birthday gift (an XBOX). I stood there in my navy blue scrubs – not looking great I tell ya – and after he opened the XBOX he popped the question and took my ring out of his pocket. I’m pretty sure that I said yes after the shock wore off! He later told me that the jeweler had called to let him know my ring was ready so he went to pick it up. On his way home he decided he wouldn’t be able to wait and propose as he had planned, but would have to ask me immediately! How sweet! I remember everything about that night…

So, the next few weeks were great. We set the date for Jul 24, 2004, booked a honeymoon cruise to the Caribbean and began to plan our Big Day. I thought nothing could go wrong… but, something that no one can prepare for was waiting for me just around the corner. Please bare with me as I tell this next chapter. It won’t be easy and I cannot leave out detail – for my benefit and yours.

(Me and Daddy)

On April 1, 2004, my dad went into the hospital for a heart valve replacement surgery – open heart surgery. He was in Meridian, Mississippi and I was in Dothan. Still being the new kid on the block at the ER I had not planned on asking to be off to travel home for his surgery, but a last minute gut check told me that I needed to be with my dad. Although the doctors (and all of us for that matter) were pretty sure the surgery would be fine, I still felt the need to go and be beside him. I called Jon who came straight from school, called his work to tell him he needed to go with me to Meridian, and we drove to Mississippi. We got there just before visiting hours ended for the day. Daddy was out of surgery and in the ICU for recovery. He didn’t know I was coming and I still remember the joy that spread across his face when I walked into his room. Still on a ventilator and unable to speak, I knew what he was thinking and I was glad that I had come.

The following day, Daddy was off of the ventilator and we were able to go and spend time with him. I showed him a picture of me in my wedding dress that Momma had snapped when she came for a visit and he got to see my invitations. We laughed about him having to wear a suit for our upcoming wedding (Daddy hated wearing dress clothes). Everything was fine – or so we thought. Jon and I said our goodbyes to everyone and later that day headed back to Dothan with the promise that we would come back when Daddy got to go home. We returned to Dothan that Friday evening and I called to check on Daddy and he was doing fine, so we settled in for the night. The next morning we went about our day as usual. It was a Saturday and I didn’t have to be at work until 2:00 pm so we headed out to one of our flower girls’ ballgames. On the way there I called and checked on Daddy and he sounded good. We talked for a little while and then I told him I would call again that night to check in. That was the last time I ever heard my Daddy’s voice. The previous day became the last time I would ever see him.

Jon walked through the doors of the emergency room that evening with a look on his face that I’ll never forget. He had come to tell me that my Daddy was gone. The doctors said that a blood clot gone to the heart caused his death. It was quick and unexpected. He was 49 years old. Long story short, my co-workers gathered my things for me, called the boss, sent us out the door and we drove that night back to Meridian to be with my family. Just 3 short months before he was to give me a way…

I tell you this story to remind you that life is precious. Take time to be with those you love and make memories that will last you a lifetime. Go - when you think you're not needed. Be - when you don't have the strength. Love - like there's no tomorrow. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for giving me the “gut feeling” that ultimately led to me being with my Dad for those last moments. Though he would never walk me down the isle, he saw me in my dress and received his invitation. God knew that I needed to be there that day and I am grateful. Father’s Day is this coming Sunday and my Daddy is with our heavenly Father. Happy Father’s Day to you both and to my Paw Paw who gave me a way and who has always been there for me and to Jerry who has also always been there for me. I love you all!

Until tomorrow… Hakuna Matata!

My story continues...

2008-06-11T07:50:00.005-05:00

First off let me apologize for such long posts. I normally wouldn't write so much, but I am trying to be brief about each event and not drag this series out for the next month. So, thank you for reading... I really appreciate you taking the time to hear my story.

Now where were we? Oh, yes I had just met Jon! What a whirlwind courtship we had. After 4 weeks of just hanging out with "his church group" we had our first official date on October 2, 2003. He cooked dinner and we watched Master of Disguise. It took him and hour and a half to make the move to hold my hand... I was just about to take matters into my own hands when he finally wrapped his hand around mine. So sweet, so subtle, so him! We also shared our first kiss later that night and I believe it took him about as long to make that move. Unexpected I believe for both of us we never looked back. Over the next 2 weeks we shared many dreams, plans, the past and the present, but as all good things in my life do, it had to be interrupted with some kind of drama.

(My pole in Dothan... we took this picture in March of this year! It's still knocked over...)

I know you are all wondering if I can ever go without some kind of difficulty and the answer is simply, "No." After just 2 weeks of dating while traveling back to my dorm room one evening I decided to grab some caffeine at the McDonald's in Dothan. When I began to make my left hand turn into the parking lot I was T-boned by a Camaro. Of all things... my favorite car... a Camaro! I spun several times and came to a stop as I slammed into a pole. I emerged unscathed except a few nasty bruises. The other car's passangers were also fine. My poor little car was not. Here I was all alone in a new city with no family. What else could I do but my call my new boyfriend to come and get me. So, I called Jon (who had already gone to bed as he had to be at work at 2 am) and told him that I had had a small accident and needed him to come and get me. And that's what he did. He arrived and made sure I was okay and then firmly told me that this was no "small accident" and why did I not tell him how bad it really was. Well, it was my first wreck and seeing that I was unharmed I thought it turned out pretty well... except for the car. Long story short, my grandparents came out the following weekend and drove me (and Jon) to Tallahassee where I purchased my Saturn.

(Me and Jon the morning after getting my new car. We had just had breakfast with my grandparents... another funny story, but I'll spare you. This is also the first ever picture of us together! Granny had to show everybody back home who my new man was.)

Now, you would think the drama would end there but it didn't. Shortly after that incident I found out that the Medical Clinic I was working at would be closing for lack of business which meant I was out of a job. The job that would pay for my new car and food and gas. Enter my sweet Momma and my grandparents who helped with expenses even though they really didn't have it to give. So, I survived the first semester (with all A's I might add). I had been to Florida to meet Jon's family and he had come to MS to meet mine. We exchanged our first "I love you's" and began to dream about a possible future. We were in love and my life was a wreck, but we would make it work.

In mid-December and the end of the Fall semester I had to make a tough decision. I was still without a job as folks with good resumes don't get consider for Fast Food joints and the bookstores and I knew that I would not be able to afford tuition for the Spring semester. My mother urged me to move back home, but I couldn't. How would I leave Jon? So, I made the decision to permanently move to Dothan, Alabama, about 30 minutes from the school. I sadly withdrew from BCF and continued to look for employment. And just before Christmas break I was offered a job at Flower's Hospital in the Emergency Room. Yes! I'll take it. Within a week I had a new job (that I loved by the way), a new apartment (my first) and I was moving again. My life was also going in a whole 'nother direction from what I planned. What was going on here?
I guess you'll have to come back tomorrow to find out... and just a warning, the drama is far from over :) Hakuna Matata!

My Story... part two.

2008-06-10T08:36:00.013-05:00

(Me and a camper named Ashley at Garaywa. Doesn't she look like Ruthie from 7th Heaven?)

Sadly camp could not last forever and like all good things, it came to an end. I packed up my cabin, said my goodbyes and headed home to Columbus for the 2 short weeks before I would "really" move away from home. Of course I had no idea what was waiting for me around the next corner and once I found out I was no longer a happy camper.

Several months before camp and all throughout I would occasionally have these "spells" that would feel like what I imagine a heart attack feels like. Sometimes once a week, sometimes every other week I would have these attacks. Well, after I returned home from camp, I had another one. This was "the big one". Now, I am not nor have I ever been a fan of the doctor's office. I like to treat patients, not be one, but this time I needed to go. I ended up in the emergency room (insert moans and groans here). After several tests, an ultrasound and a GI Cocktail they decided I had gall stones and would need surgery asap. Bare in mind that I leave for college in less than 2 weeks now and in that time I had a trip to Florida planned with my grandparents and I do not miss trips with my grandparents! You wouldn't either if your grandparents were as cool as mine :) Anyway, I met with a wonderful surgeon and we scheduled my surgery for August 7th (after I returned from Florida). All went well, except that I ended up having to stay overnight in the hospital (for what was supposed to be out-patient surgery). My blood pressure bottomed out and I scared an elderly volunteer half to death when I passed out on her. But, I eventually regained some strength and they sent me home the following day. Recovery was not fun, but with my stitches still in and a few tears shed, I drove myself to Graceville, Florida, on August 9th to begin the next chapter in my journey.

I pulled onto the campus of the Baptist College of Florida with my mom and Jerry behind me. After 5 hours on the road we hurriedly put my things into my dorm room, set up and headed to their hotel for the night. The drive to Florida had already "made it all real" and we were prepared to say our goodbyes the next day. Without knowing a single soul, I returned to my dorm and my folks drove back to Mississippi. Once again my life was about to change in a way I never expected.

BCF was great. After having thought I was going to have a private room, (my first roomate decided she wasn't coming to college after all) the RA politely informed me that I was moving across the hall. Enter Suzie - the best roomate anyone could ever ask for. I moved all of my things into the room across the hall and bonded instantly with my new roomate. Suzie was the best thing that could have happened to me during that first week of school. This being her 3rd year at BCF she already knew the ropes and gladly shared her insights. We shared many great times during that Fall semester, but none so memorable as my budding new romance.

Yep, you guessed it. Enter Jon - better known to some of you as my husband. I met Mr. Bradberry on September 3, 2003, at Rehobeth Baptist Church. And as far as I am concerned all thanks goes to Rehobeth Baptist Church for having a church sign that looked very much like the sign at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, my home church in Columbus. Rehobeth ended up being the first church I visited on my own and it was all because it reminded me of the one I left behind. I had first visited on the previous Wednesday and Sunday and later came to find out that Jon was visiting Jacksonville that weekend or we may have met sooner.

(Me and Jon in November 2003)

Anyway, very quickly as I know you are tired of reading, we met very casually and it's a really cute story. Almost as quickly as I had visited Rehobeth, one of the sweetest little ladies took a liking to me. She spoke each time I visited and always greeted me with open arms. The only problem was I didn't know her name. This of course bothered me, but I didn't want to ask her, being sure that she had already told me. So, on this particular Wednesday night Jon was sitting in front of me. I quietly leaned up and said, "Excuse me, could I ask you a question? I was wondering if you could tell me that lady's (pointing) name." His reply was not what I was hoping for. He had drawn a blank, but only for the answer to my question. We started a conversation in which we discovered we attended the same college and had classes right next to each other. He invited me to Sunday School and the rest as they say is history. Well, at least until tomorrow when I continue my story. Hakuna Matata!

P.S. By the way- show some love, leave a comment!

The Beginning...

2008-06-09T14:15:00.005-05:00

This is an attempt to tell my story. How I came to the place I am now. The family I have. The friendships I've made. The places I've been. And the dreams that I dream. Tune in all week to experience the journey I've been on for the past 5 years. Enjoy the ride!

(Me and my first group of girls at Garaywa, 2003)

Last Monday was the first day of camp at Camp Garaywa in Clinton, Mississippi. Oh, how I wish I was there! My summer at Garaywa in 2003 remains undefeated as the best summer of my life. (Sorry, babe - the wedding and the honeymoon came really close! I consider those to be "events" and not really a summer.) Anyway, in a previous post I mentioned that Steven Curtis Chapman had made a huge impact in my life. This is that story. (Garaywa fits in to the story just in case you were wondering.)

On October 1, 2002, I attended a concert on Steven Curtis Chapman's Live Out Loud Tour in Tupelo, Mississippi. I had no idea that the evening would change my life and this post would be 10 pages long if I went into all the details so I will try to summarize.

Unbenounced to me, Steven Curtis Chapman had brought 2 very special guests along with him to Tupelo - Mr. Steve Saint, son of missionary Nate Saint who lost his life for the cause of Christ in 1956 and Mincaye, the Auca Indian from Ecuador who had killed Nate Saint and four other missionaries serving along side him in Ecuador. That night they shared their testimonies of God's love and the power of forgiveness. As I would not do their story justice, I recommend reading several books: Through the Gates of Splendor, by Elisabeth Elliot; The End of the Spear, by Steve Saint; and Jungle Pilot, by Steve Saint. Of course you can always take the short cut and watch the film The End of the Spear.

(Steve Saint, Me and Mincaye in Tupelo, MS, 2002)

Their story changed my life. I was moved beyond words and am still amazed at the impact it had on me. That night I knew that I could hide no longer. Most of you that know me, know that I love people - all kinds, all colors, all ages. I love missions and for as long as I can remember I have wanted nothing more than to be involved in missions, particularly in Africa. However, as many who are called do, I thought myself unworthy, unable and the mission unaffordable. After High School I chose a major far from my calling. I hid in the Fine Arts department of MUW for 3 1/2 years before surrendering to the life God had called me to and on this night, October 1, 2002, I vowed to change. I completed the Fall and Spring semesters as planned and then took my first leap into a new life. I enrolled at the Baptist College of Florida majoring in Theology and Missions for the Fall semester of 2003. I quit my job at the doctor's office and in May 2003, I packed my things and headed to camp... not to play, but to work. This was my first experience in the life I was meant to have and I have never looked back.

Having loved youth camp every summer since I was 12, I always wanted to be a Camp Counselor when I was of age. Camp Garaywa, Mississippi's Girls in Action camp was the perfect place for me. I was able to work side by side with Missionaries and gained a wealth of knowledge about their work and my own walk with Christ. I experienced more growth that summer than I ever imagined. I can only pray that the counselors this summer will have the same great experience.

Garaywa opened up a whole new world for me. The experience changed me. In one sweet summer I grew to truly know my Savior. I saw His compassion. I felt His love. I experienced His grace. I could write for days on end about my time at camp, but for the purposes of this journey all I shall say is that I am grateful for faith. The faith to follow the Lord's calling without knowing the all of the details of how I would move forward, pay my bills, and become the person He intended me to be. The faith to simply say, "Here I am Lord, send me."

Come back tomorrow to see what happened once camp ended. And of course see pictures from along the way. Hakuna Matata!

Welcome my girl Lane to the 21st Century!

2008-06-06T11:39:00.003-05:00

Yeah! My best friend Lane has officially entered the 21st century and we are so happy. She has just recently taken on the task of building a new house and now a blog... go check here out here and leave her a note of encouragement.

Just when you think you have it all together...

2008-06-06T11:32:00.002-05:00

Hello all on this fantabulous Friday! I had a whole week of posts scheduled and partially written and then life happened. I apologize to those of you who were looking forward to my ramblings, but all I can really say is that I will try harder next week :)
I do have one request today. Prayer. My sweet friend Raiza unexpectedly lost her father this morning. He was only 56 years old. Those of you who know my story know how deeply my heart goes out to this sweet girl. I covet your prayers for her and her entire family and I know they will definitely appreciate them.
As for my story, tune in on Monday for part one. I promised my sweet friend Lane that I would post something other that NKOTB and movies for a week, so you won't want to miss it! Hakuna Matata!

Nothing left to say...

2008-05-28T12:41:00.003-05:00

My dear blog readers I am speechless. Yet another tragedy in the life of someone I deeply respect and love (though I do not know them personally). Last night Nichol (Smith) Sponberg, formerly of CCM trio Selah, went in to check on her 10 week old son Luke and found him not breathing. Paramedics were unable to revive little Luke and he is now in heaven with Jesus and his cousin Audrey Caroline. Please keep the Sponberg family and the Smith family in your prayers. This has been a rough year for them thus far and I know they need you now more than ever. If you'll remember, Nichol's sister-in-law Angie (married to Todd Smith of Selah) just lost her little girl Audrey Caroline only 7 weeks ago.
We know that God is in control and that He is faithful in ways we will never understand and we praise Him for that. But, it is still hard and it will still take time. Please lift these families up in prayer today along with your continued prayers for the Chapman family.

Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed. Because His compassion fails not. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion" says my soul, "therefore I hope in Him". Lamentations 3:22-24

Your Prayers Are Needed!

2008-05-22T15:02:00.004-05:00

Last night, shortly after 5:30 p.m. a precious little girl named Maria Sue (just 5 years old) went to meet Jesus. She is the daughter of Contemporary Christian Artist, Steven Curtis Chapman. In a tragic accident at the Chapman farm in Tennessee, Maria's brother failed to see her in the driveway as he pulled his SUV in last night. Please be in prayer for this sweet family who means a lot to me in a lot of different ways. Maybe I will post about those reasons in the days to come, but for now please pray as the Chapman family grieves the loss a daughter while supporting a heartbroken son.

Above is the latest SCC hit, "Cinderella" written for two of his adopted Chinese daughters, Maria Sue and Stevey Joy.

2008-05-12T09:48:00.002-05:00

Jon and I watched a great movie last night so I thought I'd use today's post to reccommend it!
As a part of Lifetime's Mother's Day Weekend they were able to show a new Michael Landon, Jr. movie named Saving Sarah Cain. The movie is based on the Beverly Lewis book, The Redemption of Sarah Cain.
Having spent several weeks in Pennsylvania last year I was able to experience some of the Amish culture and quickly fell in love with their plain ways. This movie gives you just a little taste of what it's like by telling the story of 5 Amish children who are left in the care of their Aunt Sarah, an Englisher who lives far away from their home in Lancaster County. A truly touching story, Saving Sarah Cain is a must see for you and a must buy for me!
So, until you can see the movie enjoy this GodTube video of Point of Grace singing "How You Live" with Saving Sarah Cain excerpts.

Happy Mother's Day Weekend!

2008-05-09T10:19:00.004-05:00

To my favorite mothers...

There is but one and only one

whose love will fail you never.

One who lives from sun to sun

with constant fond endeavor.

There is but one and only one

on earth there is no other.

In Heaven a noble work was done

when God gave man a Mother.

Irish Blessing

Happy Mother's Day... I love you!

P.S. Momma, I can't wait to give you your gift :)

A Sad Day

2008-05-08T09:26:00.003-05:00

Well, I knew it was coming.... but I still wasn't ready. Last night, my favorite American Idol bid farewell to the show. Jason Castro was a long shot I know, but I loved him none the less and can't wait for him to produce an album. Maybe we'll get really lucky and it will be a CCM album to boot! I know that I'll be the first in line to support him if he does. Until then, I am left with videos of my favorite performances like this one. Here's Jason Castro with Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Bro. Iz's version). Enjoy!!!

Spring Cleaning

2008-05-07T10:28:00.002-05:00

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit." Psalm 51:10-12

This is my prayer today... create a clean heart in ME! Sometimes we just need a spiritual "spring cleaning" you know? It's often said that we are headed for, in the middle of or just coming out of a storm. If that's where you are today, and trust me we all fit into one of those categories, pray this Psalm for yourself. Don't merely read it and hope for change, but pray it... all day long! At the end of the day I promise you will be a different person if you allow God to minister to you through His Word.

Blog Travel

2008-05-06T09:31:00.003-05:00

Good morning! I have been reading all of my favorite blogs this morning and a couple in particular just jumped out at me. I have a lot of favorites, but these two are particularly high on my list and I wanted to share them with you.

The first is 22 Words, http://twentytwowords.com/ , blogging by Abraham Piper, son of John Piper. Each day he atempts to sum up his thoughts in only 22 words and each day I count them just to make sure he doesn't go over :) Todays post is really simple, but makes a bold statement. Abraham says, "Tactics that make the gospel memorable are worthwile - if they're truly for the message, not the messenger." Wow! How many times do we get that one wrong? I know that I have and so as not to get on a soapbox I will simply encourage you to check out 22 Words for yourself... you never know what you might stumble upon!

My second inspiring read for the day comes from Angie Smith who is married to Todd, lead singer of the awesome trio Selah. Todd and Angie just recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Audrey Caroline. Audrey only lived a little over 2 short hours, but she left a legacy bigger than most. If you are broken and need to be lifted... if you need to be humbled... if you need a reminder of just how big our God is then head on over to Audrey Caroline: Bring the Rain and read Angie's posts. She is one fabulously talented writer and I know you will be inspired by her story.

As for me I am off to read the rest of my feeds for the day! Happy reading to you too!

I Cross My Heart

2008-05-05T10:00:00.004-05:00

This weekend I had the priviledge to attend a beautiful outdoor wedding where another one of my "younguns" tied the knot. Matt was one of my first kids to babysit and now he's all grown up, married and going to be a daddy. No doubt he will be wonderful in all of his new roles. I however am not doing so well in my new role of "old person" who used to babysit and teach these kids in Sunday School. None the less, he's another one of those kids that I am proud of and I was proud to be there for his big day! Here is a picture of the new couple... Matt & Sarah Eaves.

The Eaves, May 3, 2008

Currie & Pam

This is Matt's little sister Currie and their mom, Pam. If you know my family, you will recognize that they are pretty much family to us too. Currie is the little sister I never had and she is growing up entirely too fast... But isn't she beautiful!?!?

Same yesterday... and today!

2008-05-02T14:31:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I missed posting yesterday... oops! I thought about it around 9:30 last night and decided that I didn't feel like pulling the computer back out to say I posted. But, I am here today so here goes. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 Consequently this post is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow :) Have a great weekend!

P.P.P.

2008-04-30T14:33:00.003-05:00

Favorites...

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

This is my absolute, all-time, never failing, never ending favorite passage of scripture. Even before it was plastered all over everything this was it for me. Of course to get the full effect you should really read the verse in context beginning with verse one of chapter twenty-nine, but for the purpose of this post I am just going to tell you how I see it.

It's really simple and can be summed up in three words... Provision. Presence. Purpose. God always provides, He is always present and He does everything with a purpose! It doesn't get much better than that. So, go check out Jeremiah chapter 29 and see for yourself!

Later, Ash

My life just got a whole lot better.

2008-04-29T13:10:00.003-05:00

Did I win the lottery? No, well kind of... NKOTB is back!!! Yes I was, am, always will be a NKOTB groupie. Can't help it.. they got the right stuff and I love it! I have waited 14 long years for this one and to think just 2 months I finally gave up my NKOTB blanket for my sweet Lucy to sleep on. I knew I was making a mistake, but I think I still have the rest of my memorabilia in cluding my Joey Mac hat with a hole in the top :)

Hope you got a good laugh out of all that... but seriously... I am so psyched!

Anyone want to go to a show with me?????????

The Case of the Missing Blogger.

2008-04-29T10:24:00.006-05:00

Case File
Crime: Blogging infrequently. Blog abandonment.
Suspect: Ashley Bradberry
Last seen: With the exception of a couple videos, February 19, 2008.
Investigating officer: Aunt C
Sentencing: Yet to be determined.

Well, here I am. Just released from my holding cell, better known as a crazy work load. I apologize for abandoning all 10 of you who check out my ramblings with some sort of frequency! And, so as you don't have to listen to my excuses I'll get right to my "blogging" for the day...

I love quotes. Quotes by famous people, quotes from movies, from books, from anywhere. What is it about someone else's words that make my day. Perhaps it is the simple fact that they seem able to express my own feelings without knowing what I'm feeling. Maybe it is the rhythm in which the words seem to flow out of the mouths and pens of those more intelligent than I. Or perhaps I am in love with the dreamy ideas that I am often left with after reading such quotes.

Take for instance one of my all time favorites by Augustine. He says, "The world is a book and those who don't travel read only a page." My mind immediately floats over many pages and I become overwhelmed with the desire to finish one book and go to the next. My "books" are of course more like countries and destinations... Africa, Ireland, Greece to name a few. But the point is that the quote inspires something... travel, reading, history, etc. If only we read more - imagine the places we could go!

See you tomorrow. Ash.

Holy WOW!!!

2008-04-11T09:46:00.002-05:00

Check out this stellar performance from the Top 8 American Idol contestants last night... it's only taken them 3 seasons to get the drift that "we" aren't going away and that we will not deny our faith!

The Lord's Prayer... this will be my child someday!

2008-04-08T10:44:00.002-05:00

Has it really been a month?

2008-02-19T10:53:00.005-06:00

Granny telling Paw Paw that she's gonna kill him for not telling her about all of this!

Blowing out the birthday candle!

The gorgeous birthday cake courtesy of Mrs. Sandy

Granny's Tea Pot table and china gifts
The party planners!
Heather, Me & Shannon

Memories table!

Well, so much for online journaling :) I have clearly failed at that task... but all is not lost. I have many post-it notes on which "journaling" has taken place! If you know me at all, you know I love notes... post its, note cards, scrap paper, etc. And you can find a great number of them wherever I am and on any given day. So enough about that.

What has been going on? Well let me just mention a few things in hopes that I will return to this blog to give details later. The biggest thing this month was the celebration of my Granny's 80th Birthday!!! Praise the Lord for allowing me to be a part of the family He chose for me! I will just go ahead and get the next statement out of the way... I HAVE THE BEST GRANNY IN THE WHOLE WORLD and I can think of no one more deserving of a great surprise party than her! Me, my mom, my Aunt Carolyn and her daughter Shannon and my Aunt Bun Bun and her daughter Heather planned and plotted for several weeks and with the aid of Paw Paw were able to pull of the biggest surprise in family history. We had a Tea Party for my Granny complete with all of her closest family and friends. It was wonderful! And just so you don't have to listed to me ramble I'll just leave you with some pictures from the big day!

A Challenge...

2008-01-18T10:55:00.000-06:00

Broken and spilled out for love of you Jesus. My most precious treasure lavished on Thee. Broken and spilled out and poured at Your feet. In sweet abandon let me be spilled out and used up for Thee.
--Steve Green

That is my prayer, this is my challenge:

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Titus 2:3-5

In 2008 my desire is to live out and strive to have the 7 virtues of a biblical woman. Carolyn Mahaney, author of Feminine Appeal puts it this way.

"Consider the loveliness of a woman who passionately adores her husband, who tenderly cherishes her children, who creates a warm and peaceful home, who exemplifies purity, self-control, and kindness in her character and who gladly submits to her husband's leadership - for all the days God grants her life."

That is what I want. And I do passionately adore my husband! Of course we have not been blessed with children yet but we have family and friends who have and it is our joy to be with them (and proudly return them several hours later!!!). I long to have a warm and peaceful home - which just happens to be my next project. I am closing the painting studio for several weeks to do some inventory, de-junk and organize our home. All this so that at a moments notice we can invite you over without frantically cleaning for the 20 or so minutes it takes you to get there! And who couldn't use a little more self-control, purity and kindness... those are all areas which are in constant need of improvement.

So, there you have it. Once again I invite you to join me in this challenge. If not the specific challenges of Titus 2 then maybe a challenge of your own that you have been avoiding. Whatever the test, put God in charge and He will see to the rest. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

So much for tomorrow...

2008-01-17T10:06:00.000-06:00

Another promise unkept. Please do forgive my lack of posting since Monday. Work to say the least has been crazy and I have been trying to fulfill all of my painting orders before taking a little hiatus from the studio.

You're probably thinking that since I haven't posted since Monday that things are not going as well as I anticipated... Well, you are indeed wrong! Things are still going wonderfully. My quiet times each morning have been refreshing, my "diet" or as we like to say "eating healthy" is strangely good and things in general are just the same... good! Work and painting are the only reason I haven't posted again this week. So, today I'll share just a few things from the "healthy eating world".

When it comes to diet and exercise I have always been a bit out of place. Being a naturally large framed girl with big bones and big features diet has not come easy. I have always been very active in sports and colorguard and life in general and was in pretty good shape - it was just a big shape! Well, it's been almost 2 summers since I left the softball field and that shape has only grown and muscle tone diminished. Therefore with all of my other priorities for the year I decided it was time to really get serious about my (and Jon's) health.

Now, my family will tell you that there are a lot of foods I love and they will also tell you there are a lot of foods that I don't love, namely the stuff that's good for me :) But, I decided that if I could just eat it enough I would begin to like it and it's working! I have fallen in love with my broiler and with steamed vegetables... as long as they have plenty of Tony Cachere's on them. I eat Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal every morning, have an apple a day, soup or a turkey wrap for lunch and a sensible dinner. I even broiled Catfish the other night! And the best part is - it's all good! When I get the munchies during the day I have my trusty 100 calorie snack packs on hand and with plenty of water I stay pretty full. yes, I said water Granny... it's still not my favorite but I'm drinking it!

So, the meals are going well. I am also walking at the track several times a week and doing step aerobics every other morning. At the end of my first full week I had lost a total of 4 lbs. Now I know that doesn't sound like much... but it is! And it's certainly better than nothing. So come on and jump on the "health wagon". If I can ride and not fall off anyone can!

See you tomorrow for sure where I want to tell you about my Titus 2 challenge! Love you!

A New Year.... A New Me!

2008-01-14T11:31:00.000-06:00

Alright, by now you are asking yourself why you keep checking this blog because the author is not posting with any sort of regularity. So for that, let me apologize. With the new year I am truly trying to change a few things about my life and a few of those are taking quite an effort. Thus I decided not to post anew until I had my game plan nailed down.

Well, here I am, plan in hand and with a sense of joy that has long been missing. For the first time I feel that my "resolutions" are in the right order, right perspective and are coming at the right time! I begin with my list of priorities for 2008.

1. To develop and grow in godliness, beginning with the strengthening of my daily quiet time.

2. To love my family more deeply, beginning with a challenge from Titus 2 to uphold the seven virtues of a biblical woman.

3. To serve in the ministry, beginning with a clearer vision for my position in the mission office.

4. To fellowship with believers.

5. To wear Jesus Christ "on my sleeve" and share Him with non-believers.

6. To attend to my studio with more dilligence and planning.

7. To care for my health, beginning with eating healthy at home and exercising daily.

8. To share this journey with those who wish to join me, beginning by posting to this blog as a personal journal of sorts.

And there you have it. I began my journey on January 2nd and it has been an amazing one so far, to say the least. I want to take just a moment to tell you about my quiet time which had a direct effect on all of my priorities. In addition to my scripture reading and prayer, I am reading Carolyn Mahaney's book Feminine Appeal and I just want to share a passage that jumped off of the page this morning as I read...

"Our conduct has a direct influence on how people think

about the gospel. The world doesn't judge us by our theology;

the world judges us by our behavior. People don't necessarily

want to know what we believe about the Bible. They want to see

if what we believe makes a difference in our lives. Our actions

either bring honor to God or misrepresent His truth."

How true those words are! I cannot wait to read and see all of the morsels of truth that God has to show me through these renewed quiet times and reading. It is my earnest prayer that each of you would jump on board and evaluate your own list of priorities for 2008. I guarantee that if you seek Him for the order that He will greatly bless each item on the list!

See you tomorrow! Hopefully ;)

New Years in Jacksonville!

2008-01-04T11:26:00.000-06:00

Lucy's first trip to the beach! Isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen??? She was a bit shy of the waves at first... but it didn't take long until she frolicked unreserved :)

Jon takes Lucy for her first stroll on the beach. (Fernandina Beach)

Sunset on Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, Florida

For a special treat Uncle Vic invited us out on his new Yacht! So, on Saturday, me, Jon, Pop, Uncle Vic and Jon's cousin Mike and daughter Tiffany headed out to the Amelia Island Yacht Club to board the "Branch Office". All I can say is - I could definitely live like that!!! It was a beautiful day once the fog cleared out. We headed up the Intercoastal Waterway and made our way all the way down the St. Johns River through downtown Jacksonville. We saw Dolphins and Pelicans and wildlife of all kinds.... such a great day!!!

Pop taking over for a bit... doesn't he look at home behind the wheel :)

The most wonderful husband in the world! He really misses his boat, so it was a special treat for us to go out on Uncle Vic's boat for the day Saturday!

This is the Coast Guard boat complete with machine gun man on the bow that kindly told us to steer clear of the loding docks with the big ships in them. Apparently they were loading Military equipment or something else really valuable! Jon's cousin Tiffany got a big kick out of this incident :) Seeing as how her Daddy was driving the boat!

My handsome hubby crusin' on the bow of the boat as we coast through the Intercoastal Waterway!

The Holidays in Review...

2008-01-03T14:52:00.000-06:00

It was a very Merry Christmas for the Bradberrys and our extended families! We had such a wonderful Christmas and were blessed to spend it surrounded by the families we love. Here are just a few of the fun pictures we have to remember this, our 5th Christmas together! Enjoy...

Our little Lucy in all her Christmas gear! She had just ripped into her first Christmas present :) (by the way, her shirt says I ate Santa's Cookies)

Yes, she is eating what you think she's eating.... one of Lucy's Christmas Treats! Can you believe this is the same woman who wouldn't let me eat dirt as a kid???

Can you believe that Pop ate one of Lucy's treats too!

Jon was jealous of Lucy's antlers... so he borrowed them for a quick pic!

The traditional reading of the Cajun Night Before Christmas by the best Momma ever! I believe she done 'sat hersef down on dem red hot coals :)

Don't I look pretty? Miss Hannah decided that she was the only present we needed this Christmas!

Coleton decided that he needed to show Hannah how to really wear that bow on your head! Isn't he the cutest???

My little Benjamin stealing another apple! If you'll look closely you can see that he had already taken one earlier, taken a bite and put it back :)

The last 3 of us at the Kid's Table for Christmas! We don't want to grow up... our table is way more fun!!!

Uncle David opening the Turkey Baster that Jon brought for Dirty Santa.... if he'd only known then that there was a $20 hidden inside the top!

A Christmas Nap with Zeke & Me!

The Sunday of LOVE!

2007-12-21T09:08:00.000-06:00

December 23, 2007

The fourth Sunday of Advent.

Today we light the candle of LOVE, in addition to the candles of HOPE, PEACE & JOY.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only ... Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Christmas is not about all of the things we bring to the celebration. Christmas is about what He brings. Christmas is about a God in Heaven who loved us enough to send His Son to die for us. -Randy Vader

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus: there is room in my heart for Thee!

It's Called Christmas ... with a capital "C"

2007-12-20T09:51:00.000-06:00

Thanks ChristLights for the video! Be sure to scroll down and pause the Christmas Player so you can hear this new Christmas Song by the Go Fish guys :)

Meet my "nephew".... ZEKE!

2007-12-18T13:20:00.000-06:00

My little brother David went and picked up his new puppy this weekend! Meet Davo's Maximus 'Zeke' Titan.... but we're just going to call him 'Zeke' :) He's is the cutest 7 week old chocolate Labrador Retriever! I can't wait for him to be big enough to play with his cousin Lucy!!! She was very sad that she didn't get to love on Zeke when he visited us Saturday. But, the breeder's told Dave to keep Zeke isolated from other dogs until he was about 14 weeks. Come mid-February Lucy will be all over him like white on rice:) Hope you are all having a great week so far! Christmas is only 7 days away... and my in-laws are only 5 days away!!!!

Lead Me to the Cross

2007-12-17T15:32:00.000-06:00

Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this page and pause the music player so you can hear the video!

Fantabulous Friday snippet...

2007-12-14T09:29:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I know I said no Fantabulous Fridays until after the first, but I just had to sneak this one in.... It really should've been done in late November, but maybe you can have this great find for next year's Christmas Celebrations! I can't believe that I haven't posted about this book yet, so here goes.

As you can tell from this blog - I have become an "Adventer". While I realize that most of our Southern Baptist folk don't know what this is, I am fully embracing the Advent Season and even thinking ahead to when I have children of my own to share this special time with. That being said I want to recommend a book to all you Moms out there. It is Lisa Welchel's The ADVENTure of Christmas!

Now, most of you will remember our girl Lisa as Blair from one of my all time favorite TV shows, The Facts of Life. Lisa is now a Christian author and speaker. She has some wonderful books and products on the market that you should definitely check out. Her main ministry focus is Moms which led her to write a book about great ways to share the meaning of Christmas with your children through the celebration of the season of Advent. I already own this book and used several of the ideas with my preschoolers at church last year. It is just loaded with fun cratfy ways to make Christmas a month long celebration - all the while keeping Christ at the very center!

Anyway, I just wanted you to know that there are great books like this out there to help you if you're just starting to embrace the season of Advent. And of course you can always leave me a comment or question and I'll be happy to discuss it with you!

Christmas Blessings,

Ashley

The Sunday of JOY!

2007-12-14T09:06:00.000-06:00

December 16, 2008

The third Sunday of Advent

Today we light the candle of JOY in addition to the candles of HOPE and PEACE.

"The joy of the LORD is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10

The echo of God's life within us; the infallible sign of the presence of God-just as the angel announced to the shepherds on that night long ago, Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,...unto you is
born...Christ the Lord. Joy is beholding God in everything.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus: There is room in my heart for Thee!

For she's a jolly good puppy...

2007-12-12T13:53:00.000-06:00

Well, I have officially fallen off of whatever fruit wagon on which I have been riding! For last night put the "icing on the cake" (no pun intended) of my crazy dog lady shenanigans:)

Here are just a few clips from the night... enjoy!

"Surely they aren't paying attention to me... I could never get away with this any other time."

"Momma - Daddy just got home from work and it's not like I'm smelling his arm pits for nothing. Could you please quit taking pictures already? Boy do I feel sorry for my future brothers and sisters..."

Go ahead.... Elf Yourself!

2007-12-12T11:29:00.000-06:00

You must check this out... even if you've looked at a hundred of them by now, I guarantee you haven't seen one like this!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1330726694

Happy Birthday Lucy!

2007-12-11T13:47:00.000-06:00

Well, my baby girl is one year old today... or so we're saying. Since Lucy was a rescue and the man who we took her from cared very little for her all he could remember is that she was born in December 2006. So, we decided that December 11th sounded like a good day and here it is! Of course this means that she is actually 7 in dog years and that age is more likely appropriate in conjunction with her behavior. She has begun to develop quite a personality! And, since her Daddy is working long hours and sees her very little, she has developed quite an attitude towards her instructions during training. Jon says she is just being rebelous because she misses him:) Awwww...

Anyway, here is an early pic from our first days with Lucy. I will post birthday pictures after tonight's celebration! Yes, I am the crazy dog-lady who is celebrating a dog's birthday - sue me!

Blessings,

Ashley

Sunday of Peace

2007-12-07T10:06:00.000-06:00

December 9, 2008

The second Sunday of Advent

Today we light the candle of PEACE, in addition to the candle of HOPE.

"Peace I leave you, my peace I give unto you... Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

God gives us His Son - The Prince of Peace - to make the dark, painful areas of our lives less frightening. He whispers softly to us "Don't rush, walk slowly, don't be afraid of the dark - I am the Light, I am with you always."

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus: There is room in my heart for Thee!

2007-12-06T15:01:00.001-06:00

Christmas Traditions!

2007-12-06T09:58:00.000-06:00

I just love Christmas! So I thought it might be fun to discuss our favorite holiday traditions... and for me a few that I hope to begin as Jon & I have children:) My all-time favorite Christmas tradition is new Christmas Pajamas! Every year for as long as I can remember, my momma has gotten me new PJs for Christmas... I love pajamas!
In recent years another favorite of my traditions is the celebration of advent and using my advent wreath and calendar. It is such a special time and I can always feel God's warmth and light around me as I read my advent devotion and light the candles.
Okay, 2 more and I'll stop and let you chime in:) These 2 are things I hope to introduce as Jon & I begin our family - The first is for each year to take a clear glass ornament and paint the year on it, then on small slips of paper write special memories from that Christmas, such as gifts given, funnies, events, etc. The second is one that I am still working on... Jon & I have not officially decided whether or not Santa will "visit" our house. We both grew up with Santa of course, but we are both really big on Christmas being CHRISTmas. We don't want competing "joys" throughout Christmas - only the One True Joy! I know that sounds stuffy and anti-Christmas to some of you, but that's just where we are. However, if Santa does decide to visit he will only leave 3 gifts. This will give us a chance to share the story of Jesus' three gifts and the Christmas Story on a level they will understand. If Santa does not decide to "visit" we are debating on whether or not for ourselves to just give 3 gifts. ???? So much in the air and we won't fully know until those kiddos come along, but good food for thought don't you think?
So, now that I am off of my mini-soapbox tell me about your favorite Christmas traditions. Leave me a comment... whether you're a blogger or a guest:) Can't wait to hear all of your ideas!!!
Christmas Blessings,
Ashley

More Advent Ideas!

2007-12-06T09:25:00.000-06:00

Please excuse my lack of posting this week... I keep forgetting to upload pictures to the computer and I hate to post without pictures:)

So, today I want to share another great way to celebrate advent (the Christmas season) in your home... this one's especially good for the kiddos! It is an advent calendar. Many of you may have had something similar when you were a kid so you may know better than I how wonderful this can be. The Advent Calendar can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish... you can buy one or make one... you can use a theme or just use candy! However, the type of calendar I want to introduce is one that shares the Christmas Story. For each of the 25 days of Christmas (Dec. 1-25) there is piece of the Christmas Story to add to the "puzzle". And each of those 25 days you can share with your children and family about the true meaning of Christmas - about One Perfect Gift rather than the gifts piled under your tree. Pictured above is the Advent Calendar that I purchased last year from http://www.desiringgod.org/. They are not available at this time due to the fact that they are being "revamped", but they will be back! For now, there are plenty of other places to pick one up, such as Hobby Lobby, TJ Maxx, Home Store, Oriental Trading and many more. What a great way to celebrate the season all month rather that one day. Not to mention keeping your child's attention and giving them something to look forward to each day!

Christmas Blessings,

Ashley

2007-12-03T11:17:00.001-06:00

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Cunselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Fantabulous Fridays Suspended...

2007-11-30T15:08:00.000-06:00

Okay - for the next four Fridays I will be posting about the Sundays of Advent. Fantabulous Fridays will return after the first of the year :)

December 2, 2007
The First Sunday ofAdvent

Today we light the first candle of Advent - the candle of HOPE.

"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul after you, O God." Psalm 42:1

Longing for God's presence in our lives, we rush through the Christmas season, intent on fulfilling the desires and wishes of our families and friends, when focus should be on getting ready to receive Jesus - the Hope of the World!

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus: there is room in my heart for Thee!

What is Advent???

2007-11-30T11:03:00.000-06:00

The word 'advent' is Latin for 'a coming or arrival'. The Christian season of Advent is a season of preparation. For the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, we thank God for Christ's first coming and prepare for His second coming! For more on the history of advent and all of the "technical" aspects you should check out www.cresourcei.org/cyadvent.html

So, now you're all wondering about the wreath -right? You know, the one I posted a picture of earlier... The Advent Wreat is the most widely recognized symbol of Advent. I'm sure you have all seen the sets of purple and pink candles during the Christmas season. But just so you'll know, I'm going to tell you all about it!

The wreath is made of a circle of evergreen branches laid flat to symbolize eternal life. Four candles (traditionally 3 purple, 1 pink) stand around the circle, each representing one if the four Sundays of Advent. In the center is a fifth candle (traditionally white), the Christ Candle which is lit on Christmas Day.

Advent worship in our home can be likened to a journey through the Christmas Story, each candle symbolizing a theme or part of the Christmas Story. The first Sunday of Advent (12/2/07) a purple candle representing HOPE (or Prophecy) is lit. On the second Sunday of Advent (12/9/07) the first candle is re-lit and the second purple candle representing PEACE (or Bethlehem) is lit. On the third Sunday of Advent (12/16/07) the first two candles are re-lit and the third candle - the pink one - representing JOY (or Shepherds) is lit. Then on the fourth Sunday of Advent (12/23/07) the first three candles are lit and the last purple candle representing LOVE (or Angels) is lit. All four outer candles are now lit! On Christmas Day the four outer candles are lit and finally the white Christ candle can be lit representing the Birth of the Savior!

So there you have it! I will be posting in the future about the individual Sundays of Advent so be sure to check back often!

CHRISTmas - Notice the emphasis!

2007-11-28T13:20:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking about Christmas a lot over the last 2 years. Yes, I said 2 years, not 2 weeks. Our world has completely commercialized the holiday season. For example, we are overly worried about the sales on Black Friday, concerned with the "Christmas Tree" vs. the "Holiday Tree", etc. etc. But what is Christmas really about? For me it is about one thing and one thing only - the birth of my Savior.

Now, I am not going to lie and say that I don't get caught up in the "Christmas Spirit" when it comes to decorating, baking, shopping and caroling - because I do! However, I am trying to be very aware of that lately. I want to celebrate the right way - not the politically correct way, not the way my family has done it for years necessarily, and not the way that others think I should. I want to treasure each day leading up to Christmas. I want to feel the joy that the Shepherds and Angels felt on that Christmas night so long ago. I want to lay my gifts at the Savior's feet and there myself lay also!

It is all too easy to fill up on all of the "Holiday Stuffing" like shopping and gift swapping, baking and partying, and all the while feeling empty as the new year rolls in. All of these things of course can be wonderful and a blessing to myself and/or others, but not if I delight in them more than I delight in HIM! John Piper explains it best when he says, "If you don’t feel strong desires for the manifestation for the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great.” The miracle of Christmas is GREAT and I want there to be plenty of room for it in my celebrations.

With all that said, I want to introduce to you one of my solutions for keeping Christmas all about the CHRIST! It is an Advent Wreath. I began this adventure last year with our church and this year will be focusing on my home more. I am posting a picture of my Advent Wreath here for you to see and I will be writing on the subject throughout the weeks to come! This is a very simple, yet exciting way for anyone to get to the heart of Christmas. So stay tuned to hear all about the season of Advent and my new Christmas traditions!

This is the beginning of my Advent celebration. The wreath has since been moved to another spot and surrounded by a Nativity Scene. For pictures and to find out what Advent is - you must come back tomorrow! See you then...

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

2007-11-27T11:35:00.000-06:00

Two posts in one day! I know you are amazed :) Just thought I'd post a few picks from around the house.... it's slowly beginning to look like Christmas at the Bradberrys'. The tree is up and yes, it's real! We have a beautifil Blue Spruce and it hurts like everything! Why we have to pick the painful trees I just don't know! But it's beautiful and in the words of Clark Griwsold, "Little full, lot of sap!" However, it's totally worth it for that special Christmas scent that greets you at the door.

An OCC Weekend!

2007-11-27T10:04:00.000-06:00

Hello blogger world! I know you have all been anxiously awaiting my next post - so here it is! There is much to post about so strap on your seat belts for a long ride.

This past weekend we had the great priviledge to volunteer for Operation Christmas Child at their Atlanta Distribution Center. Our main job for the day was inspecting the shoeboxes. We are fortunate to know that the boxes from the Atlanta center are shipped to India via the Port of Charleston. So, we were able to remove items that may be offensive or sacred to that particular country, such as snakes, Harry Potter and Pokemon. Then we would place in filler items to make up for those taken out. It is such a blessing to be a part of this ministry. Thank you to all of you who made shoeboxes this year and for those of you who missed out - there's always next year! Above are just a few pictures from the weekend - Enjoy!

2007-11-21T09:47:00.000-06:00

Happy Turkey Day (early) Everybody!!! I just wanted to tell you all that I have much to be thankful for.... a wonderful mother, brother and grandparents.... great family and friends.... and the best husband in the entire universe! Yes, the entire universe. My sweet husbdand sent me these gorgeous flowers yesterday for no reason other than "Just because I am thankful for you" says Jon and the card that accompanied the flowers! Now, you readers, like my mother and friends are all asking yourselves, "What did he do?" "Are they fighting?" Well shame on you! Okay, not shame on you, but you really shouldn't worry. We love each other - I do little things for him and give him little happys all the time... He spoils me by merely putting up with me all the time and surprising me greatly at random! I love this man! We have a great marriage, completely void of fighting and bitterness, only full of love and respect. I have come to realize that we are somewhat of a minority these days. Most people think marriage is all give and give and the other person takes everything away. They think that they are still two single people with their own lives and just happen to be "legally" married. It is truly sad that marriage is failing in America. I am extremely blessed to have a godly husband who puts Christ first in all things and me second - the way that it should be. And I have no problem submitting myself to him and the marriage that God intended for us!

Okay, let me get off my soapbox and just say again that I am so thankful for my hubby! And of course for the rest of the family - after all, y'all have had to put up with me a lot longer than him:) Hope you all have a very thankful, Turkey Day! Love you!

For my Momma... no snakes in these!

2007-11-20T13:22:00.001-06:00

How about one of these?

Pray for my new Island Friends...

2007-11-15T13:08:00.000-06:00

Special bulletin: Please take a moment and pray for some new friends of mine. For their safety, I cannot publish their names or their pictures. I can ask you to join me in prayer though. This week I have the priviledge of meeting and spending time with four very gracious ministers from another country which I will simply refer to as "The Island". The Island has very strict laws against religion and the Bible, yet these ministers press on daily to share the love of Christ with their fellow countrymen. We Christians in America take our churches and our Bibles for granted. These men don't have sanctuarys of any kind to meet in, they don't have enough Bibles for each household to even have one. Most of us have 4 or five Bibles, some even more. I encourage you to pray for these ministers and at the same time for us here in America. I pray that we would no longer abuse our freedom and that we would find a way to help those like my new friends who have no such freedom! If you want to know more details about my recent encounter you can email me or leave me a comment. I will gladly share with you - just not through this website:)

In the picture above is (L to R) Island Brother 1, Mrs. Kay, Island Brother 2, Island Brother 3, Bro. Dan, Island Brother 4 and Myself.

Lucy's First Hoodie!

2007-11-13T09:45:00.000-06:00

Hello world! Sorry for my absence yesterday. Things to do, people to see, places to go... But, I am here today and as you can see above, have the cutest picture to share:) This is Lucy's first hoodie! I was so excited the other day when I stopped by Old Navy and saw this on doggie clearence. And doesn't she look adorable??? She was so good to let us put it on her and go for an evening stroll! Can't wait to get her Christmas outfit on her! She will no doubt be the star of our family get together:)

Well, hope you all have a fabulous day! I am off to post some new pics on the studio sixteen six blog.... check it out!

Oh! and don't forget... this is National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child, so get those boxes to a collection center near you!

The Bradberry Family

21 Random Facts About Me!

Working with Momma

Lots to catch up on...

Update...

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

A Busy Night...

The Year's First Christmas Party...

The Nutcracker

The Last of the Jax Pictures.... I promise!

Christmas Pictures on the Beach...

Back from Jax!

Happy Turkey Day!

Caught Red Handed!

National Peanut Festival!

FSU Weekend!

Reasons I love my husband...

Well...

VOTE!!!

Weekend Fun!

Where in the world is Woodland, Mississippi?

Autumn...

Waiting...

Catch-up Day Two

Hello blog!

Have you got your tickets yet???

Happy Birthday Aunt C...

This is not an advertisement for McAllisters...

Prayer...

Happy Birthday Bun Bun!

When they say Junior what they really mean is....

Two posts in one day.... too funny not to share!

The Amazing Thing About Grace...

Arkansas Mini Family Reunion 08

I need a do-over!

Four Years!

Welcome to the world... Brody Parker!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Challenge...

Our story... where we are now

Our story heads east...

Our story goes on...

"Our story" begins...

My "Hallelujah" Story...

My story goes on... **warning** may cause tears... grab the tissues!

My story continues...

My Story... part two.

The Beginning...

Welcome my girl Lane to the 21st Century!

Just when you think you have it all together...

Nothing left to say...

Your Prayers Are Needed!

Happy Mother's Day Weekend!

A Sad Day

Spring Cleaning

Blog Travel

I Cross My Heart

Same yesterday... and today!

P.P.P.

My life just got a whole lot better.

The Case of the Missing Blogger.

Holy WOW!!!

The Lord's Prayer... this will be my child someday!

Has it really been a month?

A Challenge...

So much for tomorrow...

A New Year.... A New Me!

New Years in Jacksonville!

The Holidays in Review...

The Sunday of LOVE!

It's Called Christmas ... with a capital "C"

Meet my "nephew".... ZEKE!

Lead Me to the Cross

Fantabulous Friday snippet...

The Sunday of JOY!

For she's a jolly good puppy...

Go ahead.... Elf Yourself!

Happy Birthday Lucy!

Sunday of Peace

My story goes on... warning may cause tears... grab the tissues!