A Very Sweet Christmas...

Karoline was invited to a cookie decorating party the other day at a friend of our friend Amy's house. Her house has a gym (yes, a beautiful G-Y-M) and it was great for the kids to run around and play and had plenty of room for the kids to decorate cookies.

Karoline, Abby, & Chloe

Sydney giving Karoline a big hug...

Today Karoline & GiGi put decorated our ginger bread house. It turned out so cute. This was Karoline's first... she did a great job!

TJ's New Job- God Provided!

After over a year of TJ looking for a job, God provided!

Here's the story... I twitter and I follow WMBF News. One day I was driving by the station and I saw a navy blue SUV with two orange Auburn flags flying and an Auburn tag on the front of the car. I twittered "I don't know who in your station is an Auburn fan but WAR EAGLE". A producer from WBMF, Jennifer Dale, responded to me and we began following each other on twitter. we tweeted back and forth and her husband knew of TJ and he was also from Mobile. She also helped get the camera's to Wellspring's grand opening!

A month later or so I ran into this guy in Kroger with Auburn gear on and I yelled "War Eagle" of course. It turned out to be her husband, who also works at WMBF News. Seeing he was "normal" (haha... you never know with people on the internet) I invited them over to watch the Auburn vs. Alabama game. It was the first time I met Jennifer in person and we got along with them great. So fun to meet Auburn fans!

While watching the game TJ and Jennifer were talking about jobs and such and she said they had a graphic designer position open they were needed to fill quickly. She emailed the lady in charge of hiring and she wanted to interview TJ first thing the next week. She did and he got the job! AND we have some new great friends too!

WMBF News started in Myrtle Beach a few months before we moved to Myrtle Beach last year. It's the best news station by far in the Myrtle Beach area! Most people are very young. TJ is actually pretty old there! So he is now working from 2pm-10pm at WMBF Monday- Friday. We miss him at night but we are also VERY THANKFUL for the job & that it works with his Wellspring work too.

This is a HUGE blessing for me personally. I have enjoyed Real Estate but have missed my kids like crazy! I worked way too much. This job for TJ along with our supporters at Wellspring will allow me to concentrate on working for my dad, Premier Designs, and my new upcoming adventure with Domestic Ease. Real Estate is on a small hold for now.

Though it would have been nice for TJ to find a job like this about this time last year, I would not trade this past year for anything. We were able to see God work miracles to help us pay our bills & He still does!! We really had to trust Him monthly to provide and He was very creative with how to get it done! And it really allowed TJ to work the LONG LONG hours for Wellspring that were needed to prepare for Launch! It has been a VERY stressful year, as I know it has been for many of you too, but God has provided! We are thankful!

This is just another way God confirms our mission here in the Grand Strand...

To see those that are far from God become PASSIONATE followers of CHRIST!

These pictures from the WMBF NEWS Facebook page.

Christmas Trip

Despite this...

We headed here...

And finally got to meet...

LAINEY!

Thursday after the funeral & our quick stop in Auburn, we met TJ's family at a lake house. We came hear last year and it was so great. This year we enjoyed the new addition, Lainey! Last year we were praying for her, this year she was with us! What a blessing! She is just precious and I love taking pictures of her :)

We had a great time filled with wonderful meals, movies, playing in the game room, laughing, sleeping/ napping, wearing pajamas, drinking hot chocolate & cyder, and opening gifts. The most popular was probably the girls tu-tu's which TJ proudly modeled Lainey's for everyone on his head (picture below)! We were thankful for this short, but wonderful time with Sarah, Jared, Elle, & Lainey! Gigi and PopPop got to follow us back to South Carolina for CHRISTMAS!

Saturday morning we drove to Birmingham for Barna's extended family Christmas party at Aunt Loretta's house! It was great to see everyone and the food was yummy, of course! We were thankful that it worked out that we could come again this year... then we got in the car and drove 8 hours back home! The trip went well and we are now home and getting ready for Christmas Day!







** There are a few more posts below** I think I'm all caught up now!

If you want to see more pictures you can view the slideshow...

A Quick Drive Through Auburn

On the way from Griffin to the Lake house to be with TJ's family we stopped in Auburn for dinner. It was a quick "drive through" but it was Anderson's official first time in Auburn and the first time we have taken Karoline & Anderson to Niffer's, my favorite place in Auburn to eat. We stopped in the book store to pick up a few Auburn Christmas gifts and I am glad we stopped. The campus has changed SO MUCH! It's just crazy! I LOVE AUBURN and hope that next season we get to go to a game!

I Remember...

I remember making her laugh...

I remember making her cry...

I remember her hands covered in flower when she made fried chicken...

I remember her watching from the deck me, Jennifer, Jeff, and Brent act like crazies in the swimming pool...

I remember driving and getting Diary Queen dipped cones on the way back to her little house...

I remember her hanging her laundry on the clothes line and the horses would come out and greet her...

I remember her face at Christmas time... and her Sock- Shop boxes...

I remember her watching Jennifer and I opening Christmas gifts, my things where purple, Jennifer's always pink...

I remember her sofa's were always covered with blankets (which I never understood), with her tweezers, mirror, and gossip magazines sitting on the table...

I remember going to get my favorite orange juice when I would visit her house, "Bright and Early" and letting me pick out my favorite cereal (always something Mom would never allow)...

I remember crawling around her house after we were supposed to be asleep and hearing her yell "Get back in bed" one hundred times...

I remember driving her insane when Jennifer & I used the phone book to find pen-pals... We got a sweet TV repair man!

I remember her chasing me with a wooden spoon when I would prank call 911...

I remember her telling me to get off the phone when I was waisting time talking to stupid boys...

I remember her always giving me the biggest hugs and she never said I love you enough...

I remember her being so proud of me getting into Auburn... She became an Auburn Tiger at heart.

I remember calling her because she was the only one who knew what was going on in Days Of Our Lives too...

I remember visiting her and eating what dad calls "country morning breakfast...she always cooked... she was an amazing cook...

I remember introducing her to TJ and how beautiful she was at my wedding...

I remember telling her I was naming Karoline after her...

I remember the first time I introduced her to her grandson, Anderson...

I remember this summer her taking Karoline to get her first Dairy Queen dipped cone...

I remember her saying my name and looking at my face when she was so frail in the hospital bed...

I remember being up with her all night, thankful she knew to call my name when she needed me...

I remember holding her hand and saying good-bye and telling her I loved her with all my heart...

I remember telling her over the phone today that I loved her and heard her say "I love you too" to the best of her ability...

I remember so much more...

I remember Mama... and I'll NEVER forget!

My sweet Mama Perkins went to be with the Lord today at 9:44pm!