Kari's Kiosks

Landon Makes Faces

2009-07-30T14:02:00.001-05:00

RaNdOm UpDaTe

2009-06-25T14:23:00.006-05:00

so in my previous post i said i would try to update during the first journey camp, that didn't seem to happen...it ended up being a busier week for me than i thought. i actually got the wonderful opportunity to help out in the arts and crafts room with some lovely volunteer ladies here at the camp. it was neat to see the youth actively involved in being creative with their time and enjoying the many crafts that were available to them. most kids these days spend numerous hours on a computer or in front of the tv with a video game, but these kids were happy to be inside playing games like twister or battleship to painting boxes and making bracelets. how lovely it is to see contentment on a teenager's face with something so relaxing and simple. unfortunately, i was only able to help out for one day because the next day my sister and her two lovely children came to visit for the day. having my family here at our home and relaxing with them was so much fun...i look forward to the next time they come to visit. i really should start taking more pictures of my niece and nephew, they are both growing so fast. Daniel Jaden and Lydia Grace are two little people in mine and Jeremy's life that we absolutely ADORE!!! Being and Aunt is an AmAzInG thing!

Next on our list, in less than 3 weeks...PARENTHOOD. woohooo. Jeremy asked me the other night, are you going to love our son as much as you love Daniel? I replied with...I guess we will have to see. lol. Just kidding. Of course I will love our son, but I know it will be a totally different love than what I have for my nephew.

***you can find more recent updates come from this amazing site***

Today I am spending the afternoon hanging with my hubby while he works!!! I cannot say enough how truly BLESSED we are to be here at HLC. Jeremy is so happy with his job and I love the fact that I can ride around with him and hang out with him while he works. God is so good to us even though we are so undeserving of such Love.

We had a doc appt yesterday and all is well...the doc told us that right now he is probably 5 lbs and doesn't look like he will be much more than 7 or 7.5 lbs at birth, we shall see very soon. Jeremy and I had guessed how much we thought he might way, I guess it will be 7.14 and Jer said 10. I think he is crazy!! lol, but it was fun to guess...now that we talked with the doc his guess has changed to 7.2! So unless little man comes early, we will see on July 14th just how big he is going to be.

Today I put all of our little man's clothes, blankets, burp rags, bibs, etc. in the wash with this special detergent that is supposed to be good for sensitive skin. On the bottle it says #1 Pediatrician recommended so I trust it. Many of you probably already know the name of it, but if not, it is Dreft...we will know very soon if this is the right stuff for our little guy or if he can handle something CHEAPER that would be great too :). It was fun to see all the little outfits and blankets that we know we will be using very very soon. After I get those washed, dried and folded I plan on packing a bag for the hospital for Jeremy and I as well. I figure that now is a good time to be ready for any day now which is what the Doc told us so as of today our diaper bag and our travel bag will be packed and ready to go.

Well....I guess that about sums up my random thoughts at the moment...maybe more will come later in the week. Jeremy does a much better job at keeping everyone updated so feel free to travel to this site for a more updated version of the Hellums family.

I pray you all have a blessed day and that God challenges you in a way that you have yet to be challenged. In the mean time, SMILE, if Christ is in your heart notify your face...seriously! You NEVER know who is watching!!!!

God is so Good

2009-06-15T21:57:00.002-05:00

HLC & the new Miles auditorium are off to a GREAT start this summer!!! God moved in a lot of lives tonight! Mike Satterfield(the evangelist) "brought it" as always & After Edmund(the band) sounded great!!Thank you Jesus for all you have done tonight and will continue to do throughout the week!! ***special thanks to my husband JEREMY DENIS HELLUMS for allowing God to be our leader and being such a great man of the house so that we would listen to His calling on us being here at Highland Lakes Camp.*** What a privilege and a blessing this calling has been!!! God, you reign!! I pray you all have a blessed week...I will try to update a bit during the week just in case you are curious about Journey Camp 1 with Mike Satterfield and After Edmund

!?!? Ideas Anyone ?!?!

2009-06-01T12:57:00.005-05:00

I wanna hear your ideas on choosing a pediatrician!!

Soon enough (in 5 weeks) our little man will arrive and we will need to start taking him to appointments and such, so I thought I would ask you, my readers(all the parents out there), if you have some great advice on choosing one or if you even have ones that you would recommend that would be in the Austin area close to where we live.

All is well with baby and I. He is growing so fast...I think he is just about as uncomfortable as I am, I can tell through his kicks and constant movement. I thought his movements would be slowing down by now but they have not, which is totally fine with me...except for when he enjoys being awake at night much more than during the day, but I hear that is normal and that newborns usually are night owls anyways so God is doing a great work in preparing me to be up partying with the little one. We are still trying to prepare and organize for his arrival and have been blessed to receive some great gifts at the showers we have had recently. When I get the time I am going to post some shower pics for you all to see. We are so blessed with such great friends!! God is so good all the time and all the time, God is so good!!!

Jeremy is still LOVING his job. The place where he serves is so cool...just the other day Jeremy and I were talking about how I always wanted to live on a lake. Little did we know 2 years ago we would be living that small dream of mine now. Highland Lakes is an amazing camp and we have spent this past week going to worship and getting to know the summer mission team staff and everyone is so great. I am super excited to be a part of the PEACE outreach team. It is such a privilege to be on the other side of things here at camp...watching the college students grow and stretch their lives is such a blessing to be a part of. Another exciting thing about camp, the concession stand has finally opened for the summer and I must say I have been wanting a Dr. Pepper slushy since we moved here in April and they are AmAzInG. I finally got one yesterday when my more than awesome husband surprised me with it during a short break he had. :) Thanks hubby!!

That just about wraps up all the thoughts I am having right now...maybe more will come sometime soon.

I hope you are having a blessed day and that you are seeking God in all that you do!!!

8 WEEKS

2009-05-15T11:14:00.002-05:00

That is how long we have until we get to meet our little man. Only 8 weeks...wow!! You know they say time flies when you're having fun, well not that I have been having the best time of my life with this pregnancy, but time sure has flown by and quickly for sure. I can hardly explain all the feelings I am having right now as I think about how different our life is going to be in exactly 2 months. I think this blog will be one of reflections, thoughts, hopes and what is to come so sit back and enjoy :)

**Oh, just curious, why don't they call it a 10 month pregnancy instead of 9 months?!?..because it actually is 10 months....just a little side note thought of mine.

Jeremy and I will have known each other for 4 years this month on the 27th. It seems like just yesterday that we met and were making plans for our first date. I remember walking into miles auditorium(the old one) at Highland Lakes Camp and seeing this handsome man on a ladder who actually climbed down and started walking my direction. I like to think I'm a nice, outgoing person so just like any other situation I proceeded to introduce myself and have a conversation with this man. After a long talk that night and exchanging of phone numbers, the man God made for me was brought into my life and little to our knowledge was the road laid down before us to follow. We fell in love very soon and dated for a year and a half before we were engaged. Dating was so much fun! It is such a different thing than marriage. Jeremy was so good at setting up dates and surprises and poems...he was doing a great job winning me over, but I would have married him even without all of his creative efforts. Being engaged was exciting as well...only 5 months thankfully, but a very interesting 5 months it was. Preparing for the wedding, the showers and other stuff. Keeping us both busy and anxious, the day finally arrived when we became husband and wife and an AMAZING day it was and an AMAZING marriage it has been!!!

Wow!!! Time sure does fly!! Jeremy and have been having the TIME OF OUR LIVES!!! Honestly, being married to my best friend is the coolest thing ever. And now to think that our coolest days to come are only 8 weeks away. Recently I have noticed a difference in the way Jeremy and I interact with each other...or better yet, a difference in the way we spend our time together. Thankfully, Jeremy was blessed with an awesome job to serve on the full-time ministry team at Highland Lakes(where we first met) and each day involves something new and different on his list of things to do. Some days I am able to ride around with him while he does his duties and all of the days I have lunch with him. We have been spending so much time together and that time has been so precious and so passionate and I know it is God preparing us for our life to change. A good change for sure, but a change that will definitely challenge us emotionally, spiritually and will be a challenge to our relationship and how we will act with one another.

Thanks to my lovely older and wiser sister( right right) who came in and started talking about whatever, I have lost my thoughts and do not feel like finishing this blog....maybe I can continue it at a later time....

Hope your weekend is blessed and that God is working in and through your life!!! Be Blessed

I'm on a roll...

2009-04-24T13:45:00.003-05:00

3 new blogs 3 days in a row. I must be bored or just in the sharing mood I guess. I have to advertise for a photographer...she did a super job with 3 clicks on a camera and I am just amazed at her work. Jeremy and I went to a VIP(very important preggers) shower at the Palmer Events Center in Austin and while there we got lots of goodies and free stuff. Well, this photographer was there and she was taking belly shots and we didn't know we would be taking any pics or my hair would have been fixed with a bit more makeup, but this lady did a great job with us despite the flaws. We got 3 free prints and I am considering taking more with her(have not discussed this with the hubby yet) and I would even like her to take some of our baby boy when he arrives. So, for your viewing pleasure, the photo below is one that she took and I would encourage you to check out her website and browse for yourself. Have a lovely day! God Bless

I'm so excited...and I just can't hide it

2009-04-23T22:47:00.002-05:00

Just wanting to share my excitement about my upcoming baby shower(s)!!! For my wedding showers, I was happy to have them but believe it or not I am not big on being the center of attention when it comes to gifts. But, with the baby showers coming I am super excited because it will be things that are for our baby boy and not just for us!! Some items have already been purchased on our registry lists and I am getting more and more excited as the days go by and it gets closer and closer to shower time. With only 3 months to go there is so much it seems like we need to do...the glory of it all, God will take care of it and I don't have to worry about a thing. :) Isn't it nice to serve a RISEN SAVIOR that has EVERYTHING planned out no matter what we do. I love it! Thank you Jesus!! As I am writing this our little man is getting some good kicks in on my ribs, quite a disturbing, yet amazing feeling. I can hardly wait to meet him!!! OK...I should try to get some sleep...something that is getting harder and harder to get these days. Thanks for letting me share my excitement blog!

GOODNIGHT & GOD BLESS

so much to say...

2009-04-22T14:32:00.002-05:00

so little time to say it in

Sorry for the delayed bloggage(not sure if that's a word or not). lol. We have been super busy and super lazy(me) and not having internet at our new place yet isn't making this blogging thing much easier. It has been nice to just be away from the internet though...*sigh of relief*...Spending quality time at home with the hubby and no internet is quite enjoyable. Moved to Highland Lakes Camp and Conference Center the first weekend in April and we are just loving where God has us right now. It is so peaceful here and the people are AmAzInG. Could not ask for better friends and "family" oh and our WONDERFUL neighbors, lol. We are just happy to be there and happy to be alive and well.

The past 5 days have been spent playing, laughing and taking care of my nephew Daniel, we love our nephew. He is so much fun but so busy and I am happy to have a break. Not sure if I'm ready for this baby stuff yet, well, i know I'm not ready, but God will allow all of that to fall in place when the time is right for us:). He's pretty cool like that. The next few days I will be spending time with family in the big ol town of Milano, it's relaxing to come to my parents house and just be. Although, I do a pretty good job of just "being" when I'm home. Getting our little place put together has been a job, downsizing and preparing for one of the biggest space takers of our life all at once...I must say we have done a great job and really love our place.

I have entered into the 3rd trimester this week and I am feeling every bit of it. Baby boy Hellums has moved up into my ribs and that is pretty uncomfortable. Still enjoying his kicks all day long and night and laughing when he has the hiccups. That is the weirdest, coolest feeling to feel someone else having hiccups inside of you. Can we say UNEXPLAINABLE?!?! I love it! The throwing up and nausea has not stopped yet...I'm believing I will have it for the entire pregnancy, I mean, why not, I only have 3 months or less left anyways...I have handled it this far, why not take it all the way. UGH! pregnancy! So amazing yet so annoying.

We can hardly wait to see who our little man will look like. From what the sonogram tech said he already has daddy's chin :). I might post some belly pics on here, but most of those pics make it to facebook, since I am hardly ever on this thing. I think I have said enough for now....feel like I am rambling....and I'm starting to feel sick so I better get going.

Hope the update finds you in good spirits and I pray you have a blessed day!!! My husband is the blogger in the family and if you really want to keep up with what's going on in the Hellums' household, you can find all that info HERE

God Bless

I DO I DO I REALLY REALLY DO

2009-03-10T12:02:00.004-05:00

Today Jeremy and I are celebrating our TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!!! This man makes me happier than anyone on this earth. God really knew what He was doing when He created both of us for each other. Since March 10, 2007 I have not stopped loving this God given gift with all of my heart and that love will not stop until death do us part. Today will be a day of relaxing, reminiscing and love love love :). We came across our wedding book the other day and found it empty(almost) so we will be filling it out to the max today adding all the important heart felt details. I have posted a couple of our favorite wedding day pics for your viewing pleasure...

Our lovely milk fountain surrounded by cookies :) yum

My hubby loves taking pics of his bride

**Our daily reminders**

Our beautifully dressed wedding party :) thanks again y'all

Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy Hellums

My amazing family and I~ our ring bearer was the CuTeSt EvEr~
I guess my dad wanted to seal the deal with some cash!! lol
That cake was a toughy, but we enjoyed it all the same

Hope you enjoyed our pics as much as I enjoyed sharing them with you.

Have a blessed day!!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Scriptures about LoVe

2009-03-04T10:41:00.002-06:00

Here are some scriptures that God has laid on my heart recently about LOVE, hope they touch you as much as they have touched myself. God is really opening my eyes to a whole new level of LOVE and the things in life that REALLY matter. Enjoy...

Leviticus 19:18
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

Deuteronomy 6:5
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

1 Chronicles 16:34
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.

Proverbs 12:1
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

Proverbs 17:9
He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 17:19
He who loves a quarrel loves sin; he who builds a high gate invites destruction.

Proverbs 22:11
He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend.

Zechariah 8:17
do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this, declares the LORD.

Matthew 5:44
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:17
This is my command: Love each other.

Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

1 Corinthians 13:2
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 16:14
Do everything in love.

As Christians we are held to a very high standard...God's standard. We must always be on guard and always show the LOVE of Christ to everyone. If you are a Christian and you say that you are a Christian, then I urge you to begin to live that out in your life...act like a Christian so that God will shine through you and through your daily actions so that the lost world around you will want to follow the same God that you claim to follow. This is a tough battle, but hey, God has already won it for us. I will be praying for you as you walk the Faith and I ask that you would pray for me as well. Christians, we need each other. We need to be Christ to each other, not tear one another down, but rather show LOVE at all times and be there to lift up and get going again. Be Blessed

stay tuned

2009-02-16T11:30:00.002-06:00

New blog coming soon about LOVE!!! thats all.(blog will be here as soon as I can gather my thoughts and be able to sit at the computer long enough to write it and not get sick)

Have a great week. be checking HERE for baby Hellums info

God Bless

my husband, the ice hole driver

2009-01-28T11:35:00.002-06:00

I just thought of the title and laughed out loud to myself. I really need to find something to do with my time. Maybe get a job or something. But u have to check out my wonderful husband's blog, I really wonder about him sometimes...lol...he rocks.
find it HERE!! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Love you hubby ;)

I LOVE THIS MAN

2009-01-19T21:02:00.002-06:00

I am so thankful for you Jeremy and all that you are in Christ and all that you are as a husband. I know you are going to be a great daddy! I LOVE YOU

It's been a while

2009-01-14T13:57:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone, I hope this Wednesday is treating you as good as it has been treating me. For the first time this week I have not been sick today, well a little nauseous, but no throwing up which is huge for me. I do know that if by the time we go to our next appointment and the fun of being sick has not ended, I am going to ask the doc to do whatever she can to make it stop. I'm not one to take meds, but if meds are what will help then sign me up. I have a job starting soon and cannot imagine throwing up at work and going about the rest of my day...don't see it happening. So, whatever I can get to help, that is what I will do. Since graduation I have not done a thing and it has been such a crazy time. I try really hard to keep up with my wife duties and clean, cook, love, but when you spend half your day in the bathroom it's hard to do all that. The love part i have down, but the cleaning and cooking is where my wonderful husband comes in. I had no idea just how amazing he is when it comes to taking care of a pregnant woman. I guess I knew I would find out one day, but jut not this soon. I am so thankful for him and his cleaning/cooking skills. His memory, that's another thing, but what can I say, no one is perfect. I am also thankful that we serve a God who is sovereign and that never goes back on a promise and is always with us anytime of the day. God has been the one getting me through each day with or without a smile on my face. He ultimately has been my strength through all of this and I never give Him enough praise. God is really up to something in the life of Jeremy, Kari and Baby Hellums and I am humbly waiting to see what that is keeping in mind that it will be amazing :). When we first found out we were pregnant we couldn't wait to go out shopping and looking around at stuff. So far, we have only purchased one thing, but that one thing will turn into a big part of the decorating of baby's room. We found the perfect bedding for a boy or girl and we both love it so we bought a picture frame to start off, not to mention that was the cheapest part of it so we are hoping grandparents can help with the rest. lol. It feels good having that out of the way...but funny because that is the only plan that we have...what the baby will sleep in. Jeremy and I were just talking last night about how we don't have a plan for this or that or where are we gonna live when our lease is up. And the fact and the matter is...WE DON'T HAVE TO PLAN! ya know? Anytime we plan God usually laughs at us so why plan, just wait on Him to tell us and guide us where we should go. Our plan needs to be to wait on the Lord's plan and right now that is a hard thing to do with a baby on the way, but with help from each other and encouragement to one another this planning thing will all fall into place because like Jeremy always says "it's all gonna work out one way or the other" and he is right! Yes honey, you are right! (you can pay me later for that one, just kidding). So I don't really know where this blog was heading or how it will end, but I'm guessing I just had some thoughts to share and sort of fill you in on what is going on with me a bit. The next month or so looks to be open for me so hopefully I will have time and energy to visit some friends and family I miss dearly and maybe get this house in order..who knows. But if you aren't busy and feel like hanging out in the day, let me know!! I'm always down for manicures and pedicures :) Well, I think that's about all I can think of right now. Who knows, I might get creative and start a blog series...but don't count on it. lol. I just blog for fun and to see what others think or have to say about my thoughts. Blogging isn't as big for me as it is for my hubby, check out here for better blogs and more info on the Hellums' life. Have a great Wednesday!
God Bless

I DID IT!!!

2008-12-20T06:40:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone

GRADUATION was SOOOO MUCH FUN!!!!! I laughed and had a great time getting to visit with friends and not to mention I LOVED seeing my WONDERFUL FAMILY and FRIENDS in the stands cheering me on! Thank you to all of you, family and friends, who made it to the ceremony. It truly meant a lot to me and words cannot express my thanks at this point. So the morning started off rocky...I wasn't feeling so hot, thanks to baby, but as soon as I arrived with my big bag full of crackers, soda, lemon drops(thanks Becky) and a bag in case I got sick, I was feeling fine. Then we started to go into the coliseum, what a rush!!! Katie(my sister n law) was right behind me and it was a blast every step of the way. We took pictures and laughed and talked throughout the whole ceremony...sorry Mrs. President of Texas State, I do not remember a word you said. lol. oops. But I do know that I graduated, I laughed, I cried and I will never forget December 19, 2008. After I got my diploma(which wasn't in there by the way, I have to pick it up in January, lol) I started feeling sick and that was so not cool, but I took deep breaths and sipped some soda and eventually the queasiness went away. Wow, it's 6:45 am right now and I am still excited...even though I have already thrown up once this morning, nothing can steal my joy today. When Jeremy and I got home last night after doing some Christmas and grocery shopping it was about 5pm. I was exhausted...hardly got any sleep the night before due to anxiety I'm sure. So I decided to rest for a bit and ended up not waking up til 5:40 this morning I think when my hubby was getting ready to leave for work. I sure missed him last night...usually we get to lay in bed and chat about life and whatever but I was out of it. Thank you honey for letting me sleep! Today we have Jeremy's family Christmas and I am really hoping the morning sickness doesn't stay with me all day. Then later this evening is Katie's graduation party and I'm hoping I feel good enough to join her for a bit, we will see. Once again, thank you all who came to celebrate with me, I love you all so much and could not ask for better friends and family. Have a happy and safe weekend!!! God Bless

It's finally here

2008-12-18T12:46:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen, I will be graduating from Texas State University-San Marcos. I am super excited and proud of myself for finishing up in 4 years. Not to mention, I am graduating with cum laude honors. Now that is something I never dreamed up and I am super proud of myself for all of my accomplishments. I was never the college type until I got married and my husband pushed me to do my best and I started actually prioritizing things in life and then all I wanted to do was make good grades. Thanks Jeremy, for that extra push when all I wanted to do was give up.

I want to ask you, if you are a praying person, to please pray that I feel great tomorrow with little to no nausea at all. Today has been good so far...a little queasy but nothing as bad as the days before have been. Another thing I never thought would happen would be that I am expecting a child as I walk across that stage to accept my diploma. Tomorrow will be a great adventure that I'm sure to never forget.

To those of you graduating this weekend at Texas State; congratulations, you made it!!! I am so proud of you and proud to call you my friends!!!

Hope you all have a blessed weekend! Until next time...

i have reached the END

2008-12-05T10:15:00.003-06:00

TODAY IS MY LAST DAY OF SCHOOL EVER!!!

This week I have been observing(as much as I can when I haven't been sick) and today, December 5, 2008 marks the last day of school for me for a long time. :) I couldn't be happier!!! 2 weeks from today I will be graduating from Texas State University in San Marcos with Cum Laude honors. I never thought this day would actually come and it is right around the corner.

God has shown me and my family so much during this semester, actually throughout this whole year. My marriage, my family, my friends, everyone has been so supportive through all the good and all the bad times. The number one person I am so thankful to have in my life other than my Lord and Savior is Jeremy Denis Hellums. I could not have asked for a bigger fan that what he has been to me throughout my college career. He pushed me when I didn't want to go(often). He let me whine and cry to him when the tough times rose. Mostly, he prayed for me and with me day after day asking God to give me the strength to finish with all that I have. Student teaching prove the be the toughest of all my semesters. God taught me so so much during this semester and I feel like he has made me a different person through it. I never thought I would say this, but I think I actually have a bit of patience in my blood now. lol. Those of you who know me, know how much patience I have. :) I'm working on it OK.

Jeremy, thank you for your support and love and prayers and all your help with my projects and lessons. You are the best husband in the world. I am so blessed to have you in my life.

One other person that I must thank for helping me with my portfolio(tearing it apart by editing it, jk) is Alan. Thanks so much and thanks for creating that really cool rock cycle thing that my kids loved so much:). You are such a great friend!!

Well, it's time for me to get ready to go. I am off to go to my old class to return a journal and pick up some things. Hopefully I can get in a couple more observations(we will see how I feel). I hope you all have a wonderful day today. Look around and think about all the blessings God has given each and every one of you. God is good all the time and all the time God is good! *HUGS*

p.s. all my student teacher friends, I hope you all enjoy your last day and that you only shed tears of gladness cuz we are done ladies and gents. I'll see you all at 10am on December 19th!!!! WOOOHOOO

maybe this won't last forever...

2008-12-04T11:58:00.003-06:00

morning sickness that is...

Today I feel much better!! Very pleased with the way I feel and I am looking forward to observing in some friends' classrooms today!! Hope you all have a blessed day. oh and if you think about it, could you please shout out a prayer for my friend Alan and his mother. They are going through some hard times and God is the only one who can truly help the situation. Thanks.

God Bless

LOL

2008-11-24T22:17:00.003-06:00

HAHAHA...just thought I would start this blog off with a laugh. I love to laugh, I believe laughter is the best medicine and right now I am feeling much better than I have been. Could be because I'm married to the best Mr. nurse ever, could be because of Nicole's vicks remedy help, could be because those little things keep me laughing, could be because I am DONE WITH SCHOOL FOREVER!!! I'm thinking it's because we get to see our little miracle tomorrow that God has been creating inside of me:). We are so excited and so anxious, not sure how much sleep we will be getting tonight. I am so excited about what this week has in store for us. Filled with family, food, laughter and love...not to mention a weekend trip shopping with my mom and sister!! (well, that is if we are all well...let's hope so). Hope you all have a wonderful week. Be safe traveling and enjoy your precious time with the ones you love. At least enjoy some good food if you don't like your family. lol.

GOODNIGHT WORLD!! Big day of fun events tomorrow :) Be checking HERE for updates on baby tomorrow evening sometime. Well, maybe afternoon, depends on how busy Jeremy is at work. lol.

HAHAHAHAHA

2008-11-23T21:37:00.003-06:00

Life has many splendid hilarious times where all you can do is laugh. Well, this is one of those times...HAHAHAHAHAHA...God has shown me so much during these past couple of weeks. There are things in life that matter and things in life that do not matter. For example,Thanksgiving is coming up and I'm finding it hard to not be thankful for everything God has given me. So in the midst of little things or little people perhaps that try to steal your joy, God has reminded me that those little distractions aren't worth my time. Tomorrow is my last day of student teaching and I would rather lay in bed all day because I have been sick with a bad cold, but God will get me through this little thing called a cold. I am looking forward to my LAST DAY OF SCHOOL EVER (until i get my masters, which has been put on hold) and I couldn't be happier to have finally made it to this point. Wow, this semester flew by and God has given us so much to be thankful for. With baby on the way, my life has changed...our life has changed. All the silly things in life...well, they are different for everyone, but I don't worry over them as much as I used to. Why? Simply because they do not matter and will never steal the joy we have as a family and who we are in Christ. Since watching Lindsey Kane's video I have tried my best to view everyone as a neighbor and tried to have love for them all. That's a hard thing to do. Jeremy and I were driving down the road and this car was going like 30 in a 70, that is way slow, but i looked at Jeremy and said "guess that's our neighbor too." We both smiled and went on with our way. lol. God is so cool. He is so mighty and I think he too laughs at those little things that try to get in our way, knowing that He is so much bigger and stronger than them and how they are so insignificant. As Thanksgiving is getting closer and closer, I hope you find it easy to not sweat the small stuff and focus on the BIG PLAN God has for you! Have a great week and a HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

p.s. if you think about it, could you say a pray for me to feel better? this cold is trying to get the best o f me.

Love

2008-11-21T16:34:00.002-06:00

I came across this video on my facebook feed and it spoke straight to my heart. I hope you all get as much out of it as I did. Lindsey Kane is a great gal and does a fabulous job sharing and leading worship for God. Lindsey, keep up the good work and thanks for the video. Enjoy...

I love fridays

2008-11-21T06:48:00.003-06:00

YAY for friday! hope you all have a blessed friday and a marvelous weekend! I have been looking forward to friday since well, sunday. lol. the weekend rest is well needed these days. check here for updates after tuesday, the 25th!!!

BAB*Y

2008-11-16T22:19:00.002-06:00

Hey readers,

Go to my hubby's blog to find out our latest news in life.

Have a great week everyone

God Bless

10 things Jeremy loves

2008-11-13T17:57:00.003-06:00

this is a long overdue tag i received from my sweet friend Jackie so here goes...

1. FOLLOWING GOD
Jeremy loves to be involved in the church and loves to help other people by showing Christ's love. The summer after we got married, we surrendered our lives to the ministry and that has been an amazing road to travel with Jeremy and to see his reaction to each thing God brings our way.

2. ME
Jeremy loves me and loves to see me happy. There is nothing that he wouldn't do for me. His love for me is so passionate and everlasting. He is constantly reminding me of how much he loves me and all the wonderful thoughts he has about me. Daily he tells me how beautiful I am.

3. FAMILY
My husband is ALWAYS the center of attention at any of his, or mine, family gatherings. He has come a long way with all the ups and downs of life and it makes me so happy knowing that I am married to such a big family man. My family sure does love him!!

4. FRIENDS
Hangin out with friends is one of the things he loves the most. It doesn't matter what we are doing, he always likes to enjoy the company of great friends.

5. MOVIES
Anything funny, action or even Disney is going to be enjoyed by Jeremy. He likes all movies...One of the favorites we share together is Enchanted :) Yes, my husband is a romantic.

6. FOOD
I cook all of the time and he loves it all. That saying "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach" is so true around our house. A nice plate of spaghetti(my recipe) and he is hooked for life. He loves breakfast tacos and is a great mexican food critic. His favorite BBQ place is Kreutz(spelling?).

7. BOOKS
I bet he keeps, no wait, from here i can see 6 books on his night stand right now. That boy loves to read and is upset if there isn't enough time in his day for it. Never will he read and finish one book at a time, he has to have 15 going all at once. I don't understand it, but he loves it.

8. SPORTS
Texas football is a favorite of his along with the Dallas Cowboys. High school football ranks pretty high up there too. BASEBALL is his favorite. Before we were married I decided to start a tradition of getting him baseball tickets for valentines day. So that summer after we married, we went to NYC to watch the Yankees play before they got rid of their field. This year we went to Houston to watch the Astros. Not nearly as exciting as the Yankees, but baseball is baseball. Next year we hope to travel to another state, possibly Boston. who knows?

9. CAMPING
This is something that he has recently shown great interest in. We had the opportunity to go camping and he was thrilled. He setup the tent, made a fire, kept me warm at night and just had great fun. He loves to be outside and we plan on going again soon. Like dec. 7th soon if ya wanna come?

10. NEW LOVE
I will let him share with you the latest thing he fell in love with.
Click on Jeremy's newest love to read what he has to say.

I tag Nicole and Courtney to write 10 things their husbands love :) (thanks Nicole) . God Bless

December 19,2008

2008-10-27T16:16:00.002-05:00

The title is the date of one of the best days of my life that is yet to come. Graduation is something I have looked forward to since I have started college back in 2004. hahaha...that makes it sound like it was forever ago, well it has felt like forever to me. I just know that I am happy and proud to be getting my degree in four years, what an accomplishment, to say the least. College has definitely had it's ups and downs, but I will be happy when I will no longer have to be enrolled...well, at least for a little while. I do plan on getting my masters and a few other things but why do it now...I need a break and that's what I'm gonna take. So if anyone wants to hang out the month of Dec. or Jan. I'm down. I am hoping for a long-term sub job to fall into place and it would be from February to May(nothing is for sure yet). Student teaching has definitely been a learning experience...can't say that I have enjoyed every minute of it, but I have taken it all in and used it as just that, a learning experience. Like college, it has had the ups and the downs. I start my two week total teach next week and I am super excited and scared all at once. I can do it! I just lack confidence these days with doing the right thing and saying the right thing...I mean come on, this education stuff is pretty serious, not something you want to take lightly like ever. I am pleased with my school as well as my cooperating teacher and I am going to miss this time in my life because I have learned so much and laughed so hard. These kiddos rock my socks off...you would not believe the things they come up with. Not a day goes by that I am not amazed by one of them. Children bring so much joy into my life. It sort of makes me want to have my own one day. lol. We will be blessed with them one day I hope, just not anytime too soon. So...I have 4 weeks left of student teaching and 54 days left until I graduate. Wow!!! WOW!!! wow!!! man, I can hardly wait. I have so much to do in so little time. I hope you all have a great week and that you learn something new in your life's journey. oh, sorry I have not updated this in so long, life sure gets busy in the real world. :) God Bless

hi, hello, hey...

2008-09-27T22:16:00.002-05:00

Hope you are all having a blessed weekend! Jeremy and I have been enjoying ourselves. We we able to watch my hometowns homecoming football game last night, which they won! YAY EAGLES. It was lots of fun and afterwards I went with my mom to help sponsor the dance. This was the first time in my life I felt old. They played the cotton eyed joe, which the kids new, but then they played the shotish(spelling) and I'm telling you I was the youngest one there that new that one....oh well. life goes on. I wish I would have realized just how easy I had it when I was in high school. No bills, no "real" responsibility, no cooking or cleaning(well sometimes), no laundry. I was asked this weekend would I want to go back to high school and all I could think was, why go back? I have a wonderful husband!! An amazing relationship with my family!! The best friends anyone could ask for!! No, I love where I am and where God has taken me. Life is not about going back and doing things over, it's about the journey along the way and what you allow God to do with that journey is what matters. God is so good and daily He shows Jeremy and I that we are where we need to be, surrounded with the people we are surrounded with and doing what He has called us to do. Just today we were talking about the blessings we have in our life and just how living day to day has grown us in so many ways. I pray you all are enjoying your journey and looking forward to what is to come rather than wanting to revisit your past. Have a blessed weekend and remember, if you don't have a church family or are interested in visiting, feel free to join us tomorrow morning at 10:30a.m. at The Well. look us up~ www.thewellinaustin.com

Thanks for the Comments, but No More Anonymous

2008-09-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

If you know who is leaving Anonymous comments on my wife's blog, please ask them to stop. We are not accusing anyone, but what we do know is that the majority of the comments come from the cities of either Kyle or Bryan, TX ( www.google.com/analytics allows us to get this information ). Since we don’t know exactly who it is, Kari and I are posting this to “let it be known.” If you read Insert Title Here or Kari’s Kiosks, wonderful, but if you don't have something nice to say, don’t say it (we are open to debate and different points of view on topics we discuss, but “hate” comments will no longer be tolerated). If you do have something negative to say, please let us know who you are and don’t leave your comments Anonymously; maybe we can address these issues. We can choose to read or not to read someone’s blog, if you don’t like what you read, please go to another site. We don't write directed at anyone; if that is what you or anyone else thinks, you’re wrong. We write what we feel or think with no one in mind! If you feel like we are writing or directing something at “you,” maybe you should ask the Holy Spirit why you feel that way. If you have a problem with me or my wife or both of us; you really should talk to us about it; I am sure that we are open to communication in any shape or form. Oh and leaving Anonymous comments (mostly rude) is not going to happen anymore.

For those avid readers who enjoy reading our blogs, thanks for being there for us. Pardon the Interruption, regularly scheduled blogging will occur after this post. Thanks for reading and God Bless.

Romans 12:9-21

2008-09-21T18:58:00.000-05:00

The Message version:

9-10Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

11-13Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

14-16Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.

17-19Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."

20-21Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

NIV version:

Love in Action
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. [c] Do not think you are superior.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," [d] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." [e]

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

....Need I say/write anything more?

I hope you find it in yourself to always look for the best in others even when they have tore you down to the core. Love. It is such a strong word. Misused and abused by many time and time again. I pray that you all have a blessed evening and that this verse speaks to your heart as much as it has been speaking to mine. P.s. this is what our sermon series has been about, there is still one Sunday left for you to join in on church with us if you haven't done that yet. Also, you can catch up on other sermons because they are online now. Just go to www.thewellinaustin.com and that is where it's at.

surely we can change...

2008-09-20T10:46:00.000-05:00

on the news this morning the title was... FOOTBALL TRUMPS HURRICANE VICTIMS...if it wasn't bad, now look at this. check out my hubby's blog for more info, www.jhellums.blogspot.com

Hope you all see what is happening in this world and if you can't do anything to help it physically, please pray. prayer is so powerful. We need a change.

This is the day the Lord has made

2008-09-14T09:06:00.000-05:00

Hey, I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday! If you are not already plugged in to a church in the area, I encourage you to try out The Well. Our new sermon series is already rocking and I am looking forward to hearing even more about what God has to say through our pastor Jason. You can look us up online and find directions at www.thewellinaustin.com it starts at 10:30a.m. Hope to see you there. Have a blessed Sunday everyone! Look for God in all things around you.

good, GREAT, awesome, BEST

2008-09-05T13:39:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone

Sorry for not updating my blog, my life has seemed to be busy in a very un-busy fashion. My dear friend reminded me of sharing some good news that has recently taken place. I will start by saying that I passed both of my teacher certification exams and I am now equipped to be an elementary school teacher with only student teaching and graduation left on my plate. I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to finally be done with school. I did not take any breaks, I have been going to college for four years strong and don't get me wrong, I love it all, but there comes a time to finish and that time has finally come for me. I will be doing student teaching for 65 days at Caldwell Elementary in Pflugerville and I have already had the chance to meet my cooperating teacher, who I must say is amazing, and I met all 22 of the kids in my 4th grade classroom. I am thrilled and honored to be a part of the Pflugerville district, I have heard so many great things about it and I am ready to jump right in and join the fun:). Recently I have had the pleasure of sleeping in, hanging out with friends and family, having lunch ready for Jeremy during the afternoon and generally getting my "summer" in before school starts up. All my laziness will end when Monday gets here. I officially start in the classroom on the 8th and will not finish until December 5th, which is very short if you ask me...and then I will graduate at 10am on December 19th!!!!!!!!!

More great news, I know you have probably heard or read Jeremy's blog, but I would like to say that Abigail Burnett is one adorable little girl that I am looking forward to spending time with in the near future. We were blessed to be able to meet Abby when she arrived at the hospital and I'm not sure if I have ever seen such a full head of hair before, but I'm glad she has some because bows are some of my favorite accessories on a baby(I think they are Warren's favorite as well...lol). Warren and Nicole are so proud and I think they are going to be great parents for this new joy in their life. We have had the opportunity to hang out with them on more than one occasion and I am so glad that we have all become close friends again. They have truly helped Jeremy and I in more ways than they will ever know. God has blessed us with some amazing friends since our marriage and these two are definitely a part of that blessing.

Wanna hear some AWESOME NEWS, MY DAD IS HOME FOR GOOD!!!!!! On Wednesday my dad flew in to college station and we met him at the airport with lots of hugs and smiles. He will not be returning over seas and that makes me so happy. Jeremy won't know what to do with a father-n-law around now...don't worry Jeremy, I know he will be happy to put you to work. lol. While I am overly excited that my daddy is now home, I would like to ask those of you who will, to pray that he finds a job here in the states so that he can stay here with us forever, well, you know what i mean. So today after Jeremy gets off work, we will be heading to milano for the night to hang out with my family, see Milano high school's football game and spend time relaxing in the country. As much as I love living in Austin, I sure do miss the peacefulness of a small town.

The best news I have for this weekend is that we are celebrating Jeremy turning 27 years old. I love birthdays and I especially love that when Jeremy was born, God knew exactly who he would marry someday which is why I love celebrating my husband's day of birth. One cool thing about the year Jeremy was born (1981) is that my parents got married in May of 81 and they started praying for their children and spouses for their children and I find that really neat to see how God placed us together. Jeremy is such an awesome man of God and I am so thankful to have him in my life. He has never been big on telling people it is his birthday or big on celebrations, but I have always wanted it to be a big deal because to me, birthdays are a big deal. So....we will be having a meal of Jeremy's choice cooked by my parents on Saturday along with presents and such, but his actual birthday is not until Sunday...who says we can't celebrate all weekend long :).

I will do my best to keep you updated but I can't make any promises, student teaching may prove to be the busiest semester ever. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Could not wait til the morning

2008-08-13T22:48:00.000-05:00

So i told you about the book i am reading, Crazy Love, and tonight I just had to share what I came across while reading. For a while I have put the book down because I was reading all of the gospels, which go along with the chapter I am in...so....I pick it back up tonight to read and I am blown away by what I have read because Jeremy and I have been talking almost on a daily basis about love and all of it's qualities and to what extent we are to love one another and love others around us. I told him just minutes ago that this could not wait til the morning, I had to share it tonight and just so you know, none of these are my own words, it all came directly from the book I am currently reading. Here goes...

God's definition of what matters is pretty straightforward. He measures our lives by how we love. In our culture, even if a pastor doesn't actually love people, he can still be considered successful as long as he is a gifted speaker, makes his congregation laugh, or prays for "all those poor, suffering people in the world" every Sunday. But Paul writes that even if "I have all faith, as to remove a mountain, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing"(1 Cor.13:2-3 ESV). Wow. Those are strong and unmistakable words. According to God, we are here to love. Not much else really matters. So God assesses our lives based on how we love. But the word love is so overused and worn out. What does God mean by love? He tells us,

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends...faith, hope, and love abide, the three; but the greatest of these is love.

-1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13 ESV

But even those words have grown tired and overly familiar, haven't they? I was challenged to do a little exercise with these verses, one that was profoundly convicting. Take the phrase Love is patient and substitute your name for the word love.

-Francis Chan

Wow! How heart wrenching was that? Any Christian that reads this and is not challenged even the slightest bit might re-think what they are really, truly living for. Our God is not interested in what we are capable of offering to him half the time. He is interested in our EVERYTHING. Following Christ isn't something that can be done halfheartedly or on the side. It must be central to everything we do and everything we are. I hope this speaks to you as much as is did to me. LOVE! its all about LOVE! and if we, as Christians, don't grasp that soon....then we are NOTHING. Do you want to be nothing in God's eyes? Or do you want to do as He commands and LOVE others and put others in front of yourselves? It is a very dangerous decision, one that should not be taken halfheartedly. I encourage you to not be lukewarm and do not be evil. (Malachi 1:8) Goodnight :)

HEY YALL

2008-08-05T18:37:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to say hey to all my readers and see how you are doing?

School has kept me super busy...as i type i should be studying for a final, but instead, im doing this...oh wells. cuz guess what? I ONLY HAVE TWO DAYS LEFT OF UNDERGRAD CLASSES FOREVER!!!! YAY YAY YAY. WOOHOOO...this makes me so happy!

Hope you are all doing fantabulous and I pray God is blessing you beyond extremes. In a few short minutes my love will be here and we are headed to have dinner with some great friends in lockhart. Just wanted to say a few sweet words to let you know I care about ya:)

Smile Smile Smile and be HaPPy!!!

LOVE YA

One year older

2008-07-30T18:15:00.000-05:00

What a great past couple of days it has been. On Monday, I had sooo much fun getting pampered with my mom and having lunch with her, it's so awesome to have my mom as one of my best friends :). I love her!! Later that evening we went to see Dark Night with Jeremy and it was not the best, but because my husband liked it so much, I will keep all the comments to myself...lol...I guess I'm just not the action-movie type. I would have rather had more of a love story. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE...that's what I like, lots of LOVE. After the movie, we went and grabbed a sweet treat to calm my nerves and then headed home to rest up for the big day.

On Tuesday, July 29th, I turned one year older. woohoo. getting old is so much fun! not that i am old or anything, I only turned 22, but each year is older for me and each year brings on some new part of my life that God has planned for me. While it was a little awkward(didn't really feel like my birthday...guess that happens when you get older?!?), it was a WONDERFUL day and I would do it all over again. My sisters, bro n law and nephew came Monday night so we all spent the day together.

The morning started with a yummy brunch at ihop and then we headed to Zilker Park to ride the train and wade in the water...it was a beautiful day and we all had a grand time. Anytime I am with family I am just amazed at how blessed I am to have such wonderful people to call family, simply could not ask for more. After we cooled off with some awesome sno cones we headed to my aunts house to visit with even more amazing family. Later in the evening when Jeremy got off work we went to a fabulous seafood dinner at Red Lobster. We decided to go there because we knew we all liked it and to reminisce a little because when I was younger we always celebrated my birthdays there. Good food, Good company, GREAT time. When we got home we had birthday cupcakes(my FAVORITE) made with funfetti batter and icing. I must say my mom did an AWESOME job on those. yumm yumm. I enjoyed opening all of my presents from candles and crocs, to movies and money, and here is where i must say my husband is amazing...he did the sweetest thing for me.

On our first date, one of the places we went to was Austin Java and while there he showed me some love notes he had saved on his computer that were meant for his future wife. so for my birthday, he typed those notes that were wrote a month before we ever even met and then he added some that he had wrote to me just this month...and framed it. It is super sweet and is one of those things that i will cherish forever. He sure is a charmer and I look forward to getting more simple and amazing charming things from him.

So today I returned from my 2 days off to lots of school work, a quiz that I'm sure i didn't ace and a midterm grade which was pretty good i must say...i mean, come on, its summer school, did you really expect me to make A's on everything? lol . On that note, I must end this because I have homework to do and a lab final to study for. I am totally pumped about these last 5 class days because they are my LAST UNDERGRAD COURSES EVER!! Student Teaching will begin in the fall with a huge celebration of my graduation in December. Then it's off to the real world.

One last thing, THANK YOU, all of you who sent me messages, cards, texts, voicemail, etc...I am so thankful for you and your kind-heartedness. You did not have to remember me on my day, but you did and I thank you!!! Your friendship and love means more to us than you know:) I was reminded of one of my favorite verses yesterday when I was getting all the love from all of my friends. Proverbs 17:17- A friend loves at all times...

LOVE YOU

LoViNg LiFe

2008-07-27T17:32:00.001-05:00

The next few days are going to be so much fun. I love spending time doing fun things and enjoying every minute of it and that is just what i intend to do for the next few days...relax, smile, laugh so hard that i cry, celebrate and be surrounded by those who love me the most..Thank you God for all your blessings.

Who would have thought that I would ever make it to be 22? i surely did not, but by the grace of God I am here, alive and well, living for the one who created me. I love where I am right now in life, especially loving who I'm surrounded with on a daily basis. My husband is the most awesome partner for life, my family is more than I feel I deserve and mostly, my friends rock my socks off. I love to laugh and live to love. so...I have so much to be thankful for looking back on my 22 years of life.

On July 29, Tuesday, I will turn a whole year older. a whole year. so much has happened during the year of being 21...the good, the bad and the ugly...but the GOOD by FAR outweighs all the bad and the ugly. Cuz you see, Jeremy and I are still going strong doing what God has called us to do on a daily basis, striving to pursue a life of Holiness.

So i picked my mom up today and brought her to our home to stay for a few days to share laughs and joy with me on my birthday. Tonight the festivities start with dinner and a movie...YAY for good times with my two favorite people, my hubby and my mommy :). Tomorrow I will be skipping, yes, skipping to celebrate with my mom all day relaxing, getting manicures, pedicures, massages and who knows what else. Later tomorrow evening my sisters, bro n law and amazing nephew will join us for dinner and then Tuesday, another day of skipping for me(Hey, I have good reasons) will be a celebration of my birth, what fun!!!

I'm sad that Jeremy cannot hang with us all day, but I know he is doing all he can to provide for our family and that makes me so proud of him, besides, he will get to be with me the rest of my life. He truly is an AWESOME man of God and an AMAZING man of the house. I am so proud to be Mrs. Hellums!!

So that's it, that's what will be going on the next couple of days...still trying to figure out where to have birthday dinner...hula hut, melting pot, oasis, McCormick and Schmick's...if you have any other ideas feel free to share :).

I pray you all have a BLESSED week and that God challenges you in some way.
Love ya lots

GoD is SO GoOd

2008-07-22T11:26:00.000-05:00

I just want to say THANK YOU to all of our wonderful friends who have been so supportive and who LOVE us no matter what. All of the nice things you have had to say have been so awesome. God has truly blessed Jeremy and I and some of those blessings are each of you with your kind and uplifting words. This is a tough world we live in, but with the LOVE of friends, family and the strength from our Heavenly Father we can get through it day by day looking forward to that glorious day where we will all meet in Heaven. The thing I look forward to most when I get to Heaven is no gossip, no rumors and definately no one tearing you down. It makes me laugh thinking about how SMALL these comments are compared to how BIG our GOD is and how much HE LOVES US and how HE shows us HE WILL TAKE CARE OF US. Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS, LOVE AND TRUE FRIENDSHIP. God will BLESS you beyond belief for standing up for your fellow brother and sister in Christ. WE love you ALL so much. I pray you have a fantabulous awesome day.

"A friend LOVES at ALL times.."
-Proverbs 17:17

Anonymous commenter visits yet again...

2008-07-16T10:39:00.000-05:00

alright, so once again, I have received some harsh anonymous comments and you can go to my previous blog and read them because yes, I published them, or you can read them below from me pasting them:

Anonymous said...
could this post be any stupider? seriously, nobody gives a crap and we are all now dumber for having read it...you are awarded no points and may God have mercy on your soul.

July 13, 2008 2:01 PM

Anonymous said...
once again you are so stupid and the things you blog about make no sense. The reasons your love is based on are not anything of true worth or value. Oh and just because you put love in there a THOUSAND times doesn't make it any more true.

July 16, 2008 7:13 AM

This is for you, mr. or mrs. anonymous commenter,

Who are you? What do you want? Why do you continue to read my blogs if they only make you dumber? Do you not have anything better to do with your life than to tear me or my husband down? Why do you care so much about what I might have to say that you keep revisiting my blog? Why does it matter to you what I blog about? Isn't it my blog;therefore, I can write what I want? I am sorry you have such a hard time when it comes to my blogs and what might sound like a "sunday school" answer to you right now, is merely myself expressing my feelings towards you at the time. So, take it as you wish. I pray even now that as you are sitting and reading this that your day is filled with love and surrounded by those who care about you the most. I pray that God would bless you and show you His perfect plan He has made for your life, that wherever you are you would experience a peace that surpasses all understanding. I do love you, anonymous commenter, and however hard that might be for you to swallow, it is true. I ask that you would be strong today and not give in to the lies of satan and that God would bring His sovereign grace over you in all that you do. I do mean all that I am saying, as hard as it is to say to someone who has such ill feelings towards my husband and I, these are words of truth. I do realize though that you will not, at first, take it as truth, but I do pray that when you are alone that you think about the words that you have said and think about the impact it could have on anyone's life, not just mine. **What if the person you were writing those comments to was in the middle of a crisis in their life, maybe feeling like they are nothing and that this world has nothing to offer them so why live?(this is in no way how I feel, I am only making an instance that might get you to think twice before treating people the way you do or leaving comments anonymously not knowing what might come from them) How would you feel later if you read in the paper about something happening to that person and it was from your comment that topped it off? Could you live with yourself?

I have to stop this blog because I have 2 tests to study for and 2 classes left in the day, but I want to ask you to try as hard as you can, next time you think about leaving a comment on my blog again, to think if deep down in your heart you really think it does anyone any good to read your thoughts...I'm sorry you feel the way that you do and if you have an issue with me, dont be afraid to email me, khellums@yahoo.com or even call me. Because A. you are probably someone that I know or you know someone who knows me that could give you my cell number or my husband's number and B. This needs to stop. It is not healthy at all for you to hold in so much hatred for me or my husband and not try to do anything about it.

As for the rest of my readers....any words of wisdom, Godly advice or anything you would like to add...feel free.

Hope you all have a blessed day :)

!!!We WILL be TOGETHER for EVER!!!

2008-07-11T13:47:00.000-05:00

For the love of my life

Just felt like blogging about how WONDERFUL my husband is and letting the world know how much i LOVE him!! I find love to be the most precious gift God has given us. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE, its all about LOVE!!!! My love and I have been married for one year and four months yesterday...time sure flys when you're having FUN!! I love being married, I would not change it for the world. I loved our wedding, despite a few mishaps which are very much overlooked and mean nothing to us now. I love waking up next to my best friend every morning of my life. And not to mention praying together every night before we fall asleep is something I love more than anything. I love the way we are allowing God to lead us and just sitting back relaxing as much as possible although we are always on our toes.(I dont think that made too much sense...oh well). I love his kisses, hugs and all that jazz. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the man God has given to me to have and to hold for a lifetime!!!

I know I dont ever say it enough and I probably never will, but I do love my husband and appreciate all that he does for our family....HE IS THE BEST

p.s. for those of you who are disgusted by mushy love stuff, you probably should not have continued reading it, but I do pray that you have a love in your life or one day God sends you one so you can experience the true joys of love God has in mind for man and woman.

time sure flys

2008-07-07T13:05:00.000-05:00

OK, so that blog i told you to be looking for...well, keep looking, because i promise it will be coming. I have not had the time to really sit and gather all of the amazing thoughts that God has laid on my heart to share.

I do recommend you read my husband's blog, http://jhellums.blogspot.com to see how our wknd went, its quite hilarious. He is so much better at this blog thing than I am. I am so proud to be his wife. He even inspires me through his blogs and I pray he does the same for you.

I started summer session 2 today and Texas State University. I could never be happier. This session will be the end of my undergrad courses here at the good ol hill country, too bad those hills didn't help me out much. lol. (that was funny to me, sorry if you didn't get it). I am taking General Sciences 2, the lab that goes with it, and CI 4350(math methods). So far, so good...but i do look forward to August 7th when i am DONE!!!!!!!!! Yay for graduation in less than 165 days:)

Jeremy and I are out at Highland Lakes Camp this week doing sound and stuff for them, they all are such a blessing to us and we couldn't be happier than serving alongside of some of the most amazing, God-breathed people. This is the place where Jeremy and I met, those of you who know us you know the cupid story and all its bliss.

I pray you all have a blessed day and that God reveals something to you today in whatever it is you are doing. I will leave you with a few quotes I like from the book I am reading:

"The point of your life is to point to Him."-Francis Chan

"All that matters is the reality of who we are before God."-Francis Chan

"Friends, we need to stop living selfish lives, forgetful of our God. Our lives here are short, often unexpectedly so, and we can all stand to be reminded of it from time to time."-Francis Chan

Be on the look out...

2008-06-29T23:51:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,

I have a few things to update ya on, but more importantly I have a book to share with you about...God has really been speaking to me in several areas of my life and really telling me to give it all over to Him, all of it and mostly giving me comfort that His revenge is far more powerful than mine could ever be and really speaking to me on how I should love everyone that I encounter....this all ties perfectly with the book I am currently reading.

So, if you are interested...stay tuned because when I have some more time I am going to be writing a good blog. (at least in my opinion it will be good, take it how you want.)

But for now, it is time for bed. Jeremy and I had a wonderful Sunday....I always love Sundays. I wish every day could be Sunday.

Hope you all find good rest tonight and have a blessed and marvelous Monday.

to be continued...

Good Stuff

2008-06-25T11:57:00.000-05:00

**For those of you who haven't noticed, I have Chad Hambrick on my "best of the best" list. He is an awesome man of God and I love hearing Him speak, you should check out his link, he always has inspiring things to say. On facebook I am in two of his groups that are about encouragement and today I got two messages that really speak volumes and I hope that they help you in whatever you might be struggling with.

Message #1

But I want you to know, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. (Philippians 1:12)

There are two ways to look at every situation: How it will affect you, and how it will affect God’s kingdom. The apostle Paul was always concerned with how his circumstances might aid the spreading of the Gospel. When he was unjustly imprisoned, he immediately looked to see how his imprisonment might provide God’s salvation to others (Phil. 1:13; Acts 16:19–34). When he was assailed by an angry mob, he used the opportunity to preach the Gospel (Acts 22:1–21). When Paul’s criminal proceedings took him before the king, his thoughts were on sharing his faith with the king! (Acts 26:1–32). Even when Paul was shipwrecked on an island, he used that opportunity to share the gospel there. Regardless of his circumstance, Paul’s concern was how he could use his current situation to tell others of God’s good news of salvation.

Often when we encounter a new situation, our first thoughts are not about God’s kingdom . When we face a crisis, we can become angry or fearful for our own well-being, rather than looking to see what God intends to do through our circumstances. If we remain self-centered we will miss so much of what God could do through our experiences, both for us and for those around us.

Ask God to make you aware of how He could use your present circumstances to bless others. Perhaps someone around you needs to see the difference Christ’s presence makes in your life. Are you willing for God to use your circumstances to demonstrate His saving power to those around you?

Experiencing God

Message #2

Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow

. . . what shall I say? ’Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ’Father, glorify Your name’ —John 12:27-28

As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.

We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.

Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.

Oswald Chambers

**wow huh?!?! really makes you think doesn't it?
Thank you Chad for sending my those so that I could share them with my readers. I hope you don't mind? lol

hope you all have a blessed day

Summer school and all its glories

2008-06-24T17:23:00.000-05:00

Summer school is not all it's cracked up to be. Every day there is a new quiz or a test or a notebook check. Every day there is tons of notes to be taken and hours to be listening. Every day you hear the same voice from the same teacher, every day. But on the brighter side, every day you are closer and closer to being done. I have one week of summer session 1 left and i can hardly wait to be done. I am saddened that I will probably not end up with an A, which wont hurt me, but i was really hoping i would boost my gpa to get higher honors than what i already have. oh well, I am finishing up my college years in four years so I am proud to say I did that. You can't have it all right?!?! Summer session 2 will probably be a busier one than summer 1 because i will have another class and that will make most of my days full with only 10 minutes break in between classes.

It's tough, but this time next year guess what I wont be doing? SCHOOL!!!! I will be a college graduate living in the real world. WooHoo!! :) My lovely amazing husband has told me that I do not have to get a job right away so that is definitely something that has been on my mind. I have been in school for 16 out of the 21 yrs of my life, it's time for a much needed break. I am looking forward to the end of the tunnel, the light is finally in my view and I'm pressing on strong to finish it up.

If any of you have ever taken summer school, you feel my pain. Please pray that summer 2 goes by quickly...cuz time flys when you are having fun right?!? yea right. lol. OK, so I have homework to do, just thought I would share what is on my mind right now....school...school...and school.

I am looking forward to a wonderful dinner tonight with my handsome husband and some great friends of ours. Hope you all have a blessed evening.

"O HAPPY DAY"

2008-06-17T13:17:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to wish you all a happy happy day and I pray that many blessings come your way! To my awesome friends, Thank you for being so awesome, I thank God for you every day. I also want to give a shout out to my cousin Becky, congrats on being a new mommy, well, soon enough and I also ask that y'all would pray for her and the baby as they continue to grow together and that i would have a healthy new cousin in February! Thanks again for your continual support in life, God will bless you without a doubt. love you all

"A friend loves at ALL times"
-Proverbs 17:17

For my sister Shelbi

2008-06-13T23:58:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone, This message is for those of you who know my little sister Shelbi. Or if you just want to be nice, then this is for you too :) My little sister Shelbi is 12yrs old, a wonderful little lady and struggles with a rare disease that the doc said would put her in a wheel chair at the age of 10. Well, she is not in a wheel chair and although nothing has progressed it has not worsened either. Shelbi had the opportunity to try-out for Jr. high cheerleader this year, something we thought she would never get to do. Well, SHE MADE IT! SHE IS GOING TO BE A CHEERLEADER THIS YEAR!!! WE give all the glory to God because we know it is only because of Him that she is able to do this:). Some of my friends are also friends of my sisters and let me tell you she loves you all and talks about you every time i am with her and always asks about you. ( if you are one of those, you know who you are).

Now i want to ask something of you...Shelbi is doing only one fundraiser to raise money so she can participate in camp and pay for uniforms and it is so cool. It is called buck-a-cheer. What happens is you write a sweet message to Shelbi and it will be placed on her own personal page to go in the football program and you can donate any amount of money that you think would help Shelbi even a little bit. Or, if you can't, you do not have to donate anything, but the sweet message can still be put there for Shelbi's encouragement and support. Shelbi does not know that i am doing this for her so if you send anything at all it will be a surprise.

If you want to help, reply to this note about your message to Shelbi and tell me you want to participate and i will get in contact with you on how you can send your message and donation to Shelbi personally :) Oh. and after the programs are made during the start of the football season, Shelbi will mail you one that has her page in it to show you what it looks like and that will be her way of thanking you...she will prolly write a little note too. Who knows? she is always full of little surprises.I hope you all have a blessed day and that many smiles and laughter surround you this father's day weekend! Thanks for your time and for caring for my little sister.

"I'll see you real soon"

2008-06-13T23:58:00.000-05:00

So tonight my mom, little sister and i dropped my dad off at the airport in Houston because today marked the end of his 14day trip home from Iraq. Although he will be returning in six short months to see me graduate from college(woohoo) it is still hard to say goodbye. Instead of telling him goodbye, we agreed that we would see each other real soon :). I love my daddy and wish he was home all of the time where i could call him anytime or see him when i want to, but he is not and that is something that i have to accept. He always has a good way of making me laugh or smile. Preciate it dad!!

Something I find awesome is that even though my earthly daddy is across the whole world from me, my heavenly daddy is with me all of the time. God is right there with me in all that i do guiding each step when i allow him to. He too also has a good way of making me laugh or smile. Like, when i worry about finances and He proves me wrong time after time and i have nothing to do but laugh at myself for not fully relying. Or when i see the state bird picking on a squirrel(yes, i saw it on campus the other day, hilarious.lol). God is so good, all of the time. And all of the time, God is so good. I am so thankful that I have two wonderful daddy's who only want the best for me and give me the world if i let them, not to mention, love me unconditionally. There is no limit to a father's love for his daughter. I just happen to be a "daddy's girl" and i miss my dad very much right now, but i know i will see him real soon:)

If you think about it, could you say a prayer of safety for my dad as he travels for several days. Also could you be in prayer for my family in this time of distance. Thanks. I pray you sleep soundly, I know I will, tylenol sinus pm here i come :) ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz

"What kind of BS is this...you probably wrote that comment to yourself to make you look good"-a paraphrased version of the cruel anon. comment i got

2008-06-12T12:53:00.000-05:00

Ok. have you ever heard the saying, "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all?" well, i have and a time or two, i have listened to that and there are other times that i spoke out in anger or whatever and caused pain to others and guilt came over me and apologies came out. But seriously, if you cannot say something nice, it is probably best if you leave it unspoken. In my opinion posting anonomously on someone's blog is being cowardly. Once again, this is my opinion, my blog and if you do not have anything nice to say...get over it, leave my blog site and keep your hateful words to yourself. Neither I, nor anyone in their right mind wants to read anonymous comments that are cruel. You, whoever you are that leaves anonymous comments, yes you, are a sad person and I do pray that one day you find happiness and that you surround yourself with people who bring you up and not tear you down. I do realize the only reason you leave such harsh anonymous comments is because you are hurting and want to make yourself feel better by tearing someone else down. I know there are some anonymous comments that i have been sent, but that person actually emailed me and told me they would rather leave their name out of it for reasons i need not explain. How dumb would it be for me, the writer of this blog, to comment on my own stuff. Really? Are we 10 here? Anyways, this is my rant about RUDE ANONYMOUS COMMENTS and my final thoughts on this subject are and always will be..."IF YOU CANNOT SAY ANYTHING NICE, THEN DO NOT SAY ANYTHING AT ALL." You, mr. or mrs. anonymous cruel comment writer, have a nice day. Oh, and if you don't like what you read, please go elsewhere.

To those who leave good, encouraging, helpful comments:

Thank you for being so kind with your words and showing you care and take interest in what i have to say. Thank you for sharing with me when one of my blogs touches your life and makes you rethink some things. Sharing these comments with me lets me know that there are people out there that do read this and do take some of it to heart. You are awesome and i commend you for your kindness and thoughtfulness. It really does mean a lot, especially when you get cruel comments and the last one you read is positive. Thank you, again and I hope you revisit my blog anytime you like.

p.s. If you have some comments, mr. or mrs. cruel anonymous commenter, please direct them to my personal yahoo mail account... khellums@yahoo.com ...and we can discuss why you feel the way you feel and what i might can do to help you. That is, if you aren't too much of a coward to let me know who you are.

What kind of footprints are you leaving behind?

2008-06-03T12:35:00.000-05:00

I am currently wasting time before my next class and i was browsing through my email, facebook, the typical online stuff and a thought came to my mind. Throughout this past year of being married to the love of my life, there have been many people come in and out of our life.
Old friends have left, MANY new friends have come.

Some hurt us, some love us, some call us and some don't, some reconcile situations and move on, some hold grudges and forget about it, some call us names, some lift us up, some tear us down, some encourage us, some think we should have never been married, some return phone calls, some don't, some are there for you anytime you need them, some could care less of your needs, some are fun to go to dinner with, some are fun to laugh with, some are friends forever, some are only friends when it's a convenience, some friends enjoy reading scripture about friendships, some think you are pointing fingers at them...the list could go on and on...

Everyone of us have friends like these, but the real question is, what kind of friend are you? do you encourage your friends to walk in the way Christ has laid out for them? do you love them unconditionally as Christ loves you? Or are you the type that holds grudges and never forgives? Do you talk bad about your brother/sister in Christ and tear them down?

**As i type this blog do not think that i am pointing any fingers. The reason for me to blog about this is merely to bring it into the light and be a vessel for God to use me in any way possible, even through reading/writing a blog. God can use Christians in any shape or fashion that He chooses. If my thoughts touch even one person that reads this, then that was the reason it was written. If you are easily offended by things that are brought up that might measure up to the type of friend you are then that is something you should take up with the Lord.**

Some friends come and go, but it is those friends that leave footprints on your heart that really matter. Do you leave behind footprints on your friends heart? Or do you stomp on them because they might have done you wrong? Whatever the case, God's word tells us that we should never put ourselves before others, that we should serve one another with gladness and love unconditionally. Maybe you have some friends that you need to call today just to say hello. maybe you have old friends that need to be forgiven and start a new clean slate....maybe you could care less and will never be the first one to say "I'm sorry" or "will you forgive me?" Whatever you choose to do with your friends is completely up to you, but i do pray that if you are a Christian, that you would live like it and treat others around you the way God says to. Daily Jeremy and I find ourselves praying for our friends both old and new, even the people that do not want our friendship. Some might say I'm boasting about my spiritual life or just putting on a front, but I say it's God speaking through me to share what is on my heart.

Some of this might make sense to you or all of it might not make any sense. Take these words however you want to or forget about them and not take any of it to heart. I believe that if we, as Christians, are out to reach the world, then we need to stop living like the world. We need to set ourselves apart and not only stand out, but stand up for what we know to be the Christlike image that we are called to be.

It's all about LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE...at then end of the day, could you say to yourself that you were as loving as you possibly could have been.

Okay, these are my thoughts, hope you are all having a BLESSED day and I pray that God shows you something about friendship and love and all the things He wants for you.
Proverbs 17:17

To write or not to write...

2008-06-01T18:34:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone

To all who might read this, im considering taking on this blog thing to keep those who care informed and involved in my thoughts, my life, etc...There are a lot of new things happening in my life right now. One of those being summer school!! YAY school's out for the summer, well, not so much. For the first time in my life of school, i have to attend summer school. I am not happy about it, but not sad either because this is it, I am 9 hrs away from being done with school. Atleast until i go back and get my masters...or more. :) All of which will be decided by our wonderful creator. After the summer, i start student teaching in the fall and graduate in december!!!Life is good. Summer school is only 9 weeks long(yes, im taking both sessions) and then im done with summer school for the REST OF MY LIFE. Thank you Lord for leading me to this profession where my summers, weekends and holidays will be filled doing your work and spending family time.

After a year of amazing wedded bliss, i am looking forward to 100 years more. I am so in love with my husband and enjoy every day knowing we have an eternity together! Married life rocks!!!

One question that has been popping up by lots recently is "are you having kids soon?" This is a question that im sure will be asked more and more, but the answer is just this...When God is ready for us to have kids, we will have them. Are we planning them? NO. Do we want a kid now? NO. Most things that happen in our lives happen when we are not planning...the moment we take the wheel and try to do it on our own, God shows us otherwise. Jeremy and I are enjoying each other and the lazy days we get to lounge and not worry about anything but ourselves and our dogs. :) We do LOVE playing with our nephew, he is awesome. It is so much fun being an aunt....cuz you get to give him to his mommy when ur done playing.

We are spending the next week with my family( Dad is home from work for a little while), so i am going to go hang with them, since this is my last day of freedom. I hope this info finds you all well and doing great. Have a blessed day everyone!!