Jordan and Camille's wedding shower was this past Saturday and here are some pictures from it. It was a casual drop-in type of shower and these are just the folks that were there the same time as me. I know other people were there before. I know there are a few pictures with a glare, because of my camera, but I hope they aren't too bad to enjoy a little. I just need to work on learning my settings a little more. I've been having trouble with it lately. Enjoy!

Just a quick note from me. Monday will be 90 days on my new job. Everything is going great. I am still working every Saturday at the Hayden post office. I don't know how long I will continue to work 6 days a week. Man, it is tiring. I have moved up the food chain to number 2. If two of the old ladies decide to give it up I will have a F/T job opportunity there. But for now I like what I'm doing. I played Guitar Hero for the first time last Saturday night when my friend since 7th grade (Shanan) came over with his girlfriend Tiffany and brought it. Shanan has been to church about three times. He has been borrowing Apostolic spiritual books when he comes over. So say a prayer for this hungry couple. As for G.H. 3 , WOW!!! For any of you who have the slightest interest in video games or music, this game is amazing. I felt like a clumsy doofus for the first few songs then I started to get the hang of pressing the 5 colored keys while strumming the the guitar. Soon, I was a Rock Legend. I had the game running through my stereo at deafening levels. I was swaying and kicking like an 80's hair band rocker. Don't even get me started on the whammy bar! Madison and Elijah were laughing and later both got a turn. Gotta' get one of those things.... see ya'll...Anthony

I know I haven't posted in a while and I really need to put something up here for all of you to read so you don't stop visiting my blog :) I keep thinking that, but I just haven't really had anything in particular on my mind. I thought I could just post some spiritual thought or tell about our journey with Elijah...but I did want it to mean something. Well, seriously, yesterday I was reading my Bible in Deuteronomy and something just kind of struck me. Not like a huge revelation, but just a thought. Bro. Jeremy keeps reading us this passage from Deuteronomy over the pulpit about the blessings God wants to pour out on us and it always fires me up! Just to know that the blessing is there just waiting on us to follow a few principles and God will just blow our minds! Well, for starters, the passage Bro. Jeremy keeps reading is from Deuteronomy 28 - go read it, it's great! BUT, the passage I read was in chapter 9, but I thought I was reading 8 - so just go read them all! (that's because I just remembered part of it and after reading a while I realized it wasn't the same chapter I was looking for and then remembered "oh, yeah, it was 28!") OK! On to the verses... Let me say, before I share this that when I went back to read it again in doing this post, I'm not even sure I understand the meaning correctly now. BUT since I've already started and I don't have anything else to say I will proceed. So everyone reading this has homework to do: read the passage I am talking about and tell me if I am understanding this correctly. Here it is: Dueteronomy 9:1-6, more specifically vs. 4,5, and 6. ( 4) Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee. (5) Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (6) Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people. The thing that confused me is in verse 4 when it says..."Speak not in thine heart..." I thought that applied to the first part of the verse and the last part of the verse was the explanation. I first thought that it meant that it's not because of our righteousness, but because God is using us to drive out the wickedness from our land. But because it said "speak not" and all of that is included in the verse, maybe I am misunderstanding it. It goes on to repeat it two more times, so I thought maybe I am right in understanding. I guess I need to fast and pray about it and God will give me REAL Revelation! The reason I thought this passage was really neat was because it has been preached a lot lately that "it's not about us" and, if I understand this correctly, this will help us to understand why. It is so easy to get caught up in thinking that there is something special about me/us and that's why God is blessing us, but that's not really the case. God is just using us. We are just the vessel He is using to push darkness back. Well, I think I will probably regret posting this, since I don't really know what I'm talking about, but I would kind of like to hear your thoughts on it, just for the fun of it. This is an interactive blog, so interact with me! Haha! Just say a prayer for me that God will open my eyes and my understanding! ~Kristy

We had two AWESOME services yesterday! WOW! Bro. Wilbanks made a comment from the pulpit last night that it feels like we are already at the "new place." Anthony and I were discussing this on the way home last night and we both agree! Anthony was telling me that as we prayed at the new church Tuesday night it just felt different and it was kind of hard to explain, but when Bro. Wilbanks made that comment last night, that is when he really realized what it was he was feeling! If I had to describe what we were feeling yesterday, I would say a sweet, worshipful, glorious spirit was in the house! That probably doesn't quite give it justice, but I never have claimed to be good with words :) ! It all started in the morning service, Bro. Jeremy didn't even preach. I ended up in the nursery yesterday, so I missed out on the actual service, but I could tell something good was going on. When I came out there was a group of ladies at the altar praying for Sis. Wilbanks and you could just feel the power as they prayed. There were a few other ladies like me that missed the service, due to Sunday School, but we didn't want to be left out so we eventually just joined in! Sis. Wilbanks and Sis. JoAnn Miller ended up praying and anointing every lady there and praying specific prayers for us all! I really didn't want to leave! I could see us all staying there and praying until we just passed out! But at the end Sis. Holly shared a vision God had given her and Sis. Bridget shared that she had a similar vision just before Sis. Holly shared hers! God has a neat way of confirming things, doesn't He? Sis. Christy Best shared a testimony with us about God taking bitterness away and loving where there used to be hate and anger! Before God showed this to her she didn't even realize it was there, but when she surrendured to Him, He lifted the burden off of her! He gave her such a revelation about the situation! It really is Awesome! Now on to the evening service...It all started like a normal service (if you can call any of our services normal! Haha!), but when the choir sang a song about "the name of Jesus" such a sweet, worshipful, spirit came into the room, again, and all I can say is WOW! Bro. Isaacson had been teaching the praise singers this new song, but felt the choir needed to sing it last night due to what had happened that morning. Sis Von de Leigh sang the solo and did a fabulous job! She is just so talented with her voice and music, but she has such a purity about her that when she sings you can feel the anointing pouring out of her! It truly is more than just the fact that she sounds good, but that she loves God and allows Him to use her! Then when it was time for the preaching of THE WORD, Bro. Wilbanks preached about "Divine Revelation." I truly want God to reveal Himself to me! Do you? ~Kristy

I just wanted to tell everybody that's in this area to make sure you stop by Cornerstone Deli in Arab, right next to Black's furniture! It is owned by (Bro. and Sis.) Grant and Kimi Wisener. We had the privilege of eating there for lunch today and it was really good. They have done a great job with the interior of the restaurant and the food was delicious! The kids had a hot dog and a grilled cheese sandwich, I had a grilled chicken sandwich with a side of potato salad (yum...). I also got to sample the chicken salad and pasta salad. They were good, as well! We'll have to back soon when Anthony is not at work! ~Kristy

Hey Everybody! I guess I need to FINALLY update my blog! I have tons of pictures I was gonna put on here way before now from the Sunday School picnic and some other miscellaneous stuff. I probably will still do that later. Now I don't have a whole lot of time. It is early and I'm about to leave to go to Hobby Lobby for a class. I have one today and in two weeks. As for what's been going on with us...not much, it's summer! Anthony takes my Jeep to work everyday now to save on gas, so we usually just sit at the house all day! He gets Friday's off sometimes and that's nice. Also on Friday's, I've been taking Madison to the library for the Summer Reading Program. She is really enjoying that! There is a contest where you write down all the books you've read and I'm hoping she will win, because she's been reading up a storm! You should see the amount of books we checked out! Elijah's been pretty good lately. One of his Sunday School teachers was telling me this week how much better he's doing in class. When he first got on all that medicine it seemed to make him a little slow to understand and follow instructions. That, and being new to this class took him a little while to get the hang of it, but now he really pays attention, gets in on the activities, and interacts with the story. I thank God for all of the progress! He has a Dr. Appt. this Monday, so please say a prayer for a good report! Anthony enjoys his new job pretty well, but really needs a raise! Ya'll please pray for his boss :) I EXPECT.....!!! Well, I guess that's all for now! Gotta go see if I can round up some stampers! Only two signed up and when I called them last night one of them said she couldn't make it after all :( The other one wasn't home, so I hope she still shows up! If not, I am going to go stalk people in th scrapbooking section! Maybe I'll get a few takers!! Have A Good Weekend! ~Kristy

Thursday was the last of school for the year and Sunday was graduation for Danny Bittler (Senior) and Nathan Morgan, T.C. Best, Grant Pullen, and Jordan Johnson ( Kindergarten). Congratulations and good luck to them and to Amber Taylor and Paul Caruso, who graduated from area public schools! Every year each grade gets up and does a little something special to show what they learned during the year and it is always fun to watch. Most classes quote a whole chapter from the Bible together-it is really impressive! Some quoted the Gettysburg Address, the Rights of Americans, poems etc...They all did such a good job. Bro. Pullen was the speaker and he had a great word for the graduate (really, his message would apply to anyone) ..."Achievement." Well, here are some pictures from the ceremony. I know some pics look a little funny because it was dark in the room and my flash is weird, but I hope you enjoy them anyway!

Back in April the Keepers and Contenders group went to Hurricane Creek Park and went on a hike! It was really fun and the kids did an awesome job! They were climbing like pros. Even Elijah kept up with everyone. We ended up hiking a total of three miles! Wow! Madison stayed in the very front with all of the little girls, they were the leaders of the pack! We went up and down some steep steps, went through and extremely dark and narrow tunnel, squeezed between rocks, enjoyed the beautiful view of a waterfall, then later cooled off underneath a waterfall, relaxed in a huge cave, walked over narrow bridges, and had a blast! I really enjoyed it! We went at the perfect time of year, too. The weather was warm and breezy, not too hot or humid yet ! I thought how pretty it would be to go again in the fall when all the trees are changing colors....wouldn't that be gorgeous! Well here are tons of pictures. Hope you enjoy! ~Kristy

Hey everybody! It has been so long since I've updated the blog...now I have tons of stuff to put on here. Mostly a bunch of pictures of the past month or so...I thought about just putting them all under one post, but I think there are way too many. So just keep checking back as I add new stuff! I thought I would start out with these pictures of Madison. She fell off of a swing and scraped up her face really bad one day at the end of school. When asking her how it happened I just assumed she was swinging really high like she usually tries to do. She told me that she was on one of the shortest swings and wasn't swinging at all, just sitting there! Somehow her hand slipped off of the chain and she landed face first in the dirt! Ouch! I couldn't believe how fat her lip was! I guess she's just trying to keep up with Elijah and all his boo boos! :) This happened about two weeks ago and is still not completely healed up, almost though. ~ Kristy

Well, as some of you might know, I have started a new job. I am working with Stephens Heating and Cooling at the Alabama Power Miller Steam Plant in West Jefferson. I would like to thank my uncle, Rick Alexander, for the good word. (and Bo) I go in a little after 6:00am and work on various HVAC units. We mostly change filters in very large units. Some of them take 50 filters per change. This job is Monday through Friday day shift mostly, but on occasion I will have to work at night or evening to do special projects. Most of the readers of this blog know my Uncle Rick. He can be a bit stoic, but has a big heart. 3 years ago, he was on his way to work one day and was hit by a kid, head on, while traveling on highway 160 in Hayden. On this day his life changed. He went from having a super job with Alabama Power to fighting to heal from a major accident. He has had a few surgeries to repair his leg since then and has walked with a cane. This, after months in a hospital bed and wheelchair. When I think of this, it reminds me how quickly your life can change. In the blink of an eye, through no fault of your own, you can have your life as you know it taken away. Everyone out at the plant says "Oh, you're Big Rick's nephew?". Everybody at the plant likes him and has only good words to say about him. They all ask how he is and if he will get to return to work one day. It is nice that I immediately have a connection with a ton of people through him. I have seen him be used in the gifts of the Spirit a few times and I know God has given him favor in his life. I'm not sure why accidents like his happen to the people of God sometimes, but I know that it is all for good. I am praying for his physical restoration, but above that I pray that he will be able to use his tremendous influence for the kingdom of God. With so many people thinking so highly of him, I know he could make a huge difference in a lot of lives. Please, if you would, take a moment upon reading this to say a small prayer for his healing. And pray that God will use this man in the future even more than his past....Anthony

It seems like Elijah can go from playing and being fine to having some gash on his head/face in no time. If this is how it is with boys, I don't think I'll ever get used to it! He's busted his lip two times really close together (like a week apart), busted his chin wide open on the dining room table (thought I was gonna have to have stitches there for a minute, but thanks to Michelle, we just bandaged him up-sometimes it pays to have a nurse as a friend!), bumps his head all the time (or gets it bumped with some help from his friends), and now this week.....scratches himself right under the eye with the buckle on daddy's belt! Well, through it all, he's a pretty tough guy! AND you can hardly notice the boo boo with his blue eyes shining so bright! ~Kristy

Jason and Heather at their post-wedding reception this past Sunday.

It is always nice to set aside a day to just hang out and have fun with friends! Anthony and I got to do that this past Friday when we went to Atlanta with several other couples! Check out the pics...

WOW! We had such an awesome service last night! I didn't get in bed till 11:00 p.m. The Holy Ghost was so powerful! I am so excited about what God is doing! Especially knowing that He is using ME, NOW, not sometime in the future. I say it like that because, you know, a lot of times we talk about having a move of God and we know it will happen, but in our minds it is sometime in the future. Maybe next month, next year, or even in a few years. But this time it's NOW!! It's time to "Go Forward" and have a "Breakthrough at Harvest Time!" I believe it is happening and we are going to see opportunities open up to us that will astound us! I get so fired up every time Bro. Ken and Sis. Holly get up and testify about the doors that are being opened up to our church. I believe that God is showing us that if we just walk with Him, He will take care of the rest. I am also really excited about the new areas of outreach that we are starting to do. I have been feeling God calling me in this area, so I know this will be a great opportunity to get out and touch people's lives. As we were driving home last night, Anthony and I were talking and he asked me if I saw Elijah praying for people. I didn't, so he told me a little about it. He said my dad was holding him in the altar area and he would point to someone he wanted to pray for and my dad would take him over to them. He would lay hands on them and pray for them and when he was done he would point to someone else.....Somehow he ended up in Josh Bittler's arms and Josh was the one helping him pray. I thought that was neat! In response to something Madison said, Elijah said " Josh already healed me!" Isn't it funny how kids think! Madison went on to argue that it was God that healed him, not Josh! Well, we tried to explain to her that although the power comes from God, He has given it to us to go heal the sick...So really, we can heal the sick...In Jesus' Name! There have been other times Elijah has prayed for people like that and it always touches my heart because I believe in the faith of a little child! It really fires me up to think about what these children can do for God! I absolutely believe that God is going to use Madison and Elijah in a powerful way. I just pray that He will give me the wisdom to give them the direction they need. I know God will! One last thing, and it's totally off subject......I've lost 20 lbs.!! WooHoo! I haven't done as good on my diet lately, so I was getting frustrated and discouraged and didn't even weigh last week. I decided to face the truth and deal with it! I was glad to see I had lost a couple more pounds since the last time! I am so excited and getting back into the swing of things! I guess I better get off of this computer and go "Walk Away the Pounds" with Leslie Sansone! Hahaha! ~Kristy

I am so glad that Madison loves reading! She's always been good at it and now that she's getting older, she is reading more and more. About a week and a half ago Nonna sent some books to Madison. There were two of them and they were chapter books. They weren't very long, maybe about 4-6 chapters, but she read them in no time. So, the next Sunday (which was this past Sunday) she told PawPaw to tell Nonna that she needed some more! The next day Anthony brought home a whole set of books! They are A-Z mystery books, so there's one for every letter of the alphabet. They are written by Ron Roy and they are really cute! Just right for her! She's already read several of them, I don't know how many for sure since she's not even going in order, but she really likes them. I can hardly get her to set them down! She even took four to school with her yesterday so the other four kids in her class had something to read too! We also have a few other sets like "Little House on the Prairie," and then a couple different sets of classic stories, as well. I used to read the "Little House on the Prairie" books to her a long time ago. They were a gift to me from my grandparents, on my Dad's side, when I was probably about nine years old. They are actually really interesting! As far as the classic stories go, she read a couple of those all by herself several months ago! I know one was "The Wizard of Oz." I thought that was really neat. I am so proud of her. I always hoped she would be a good reader, you know...a long time ago when she was a baby! I started reading to her before she was ever born! Maybe it really does make a difference! :) Well, whether or not it makes a difference, I really don't know. I just know she is incredibly smart and probably can be whatever she wants to be when she "grows up!" ~Kristy

....just decided to go to sleep exactly wherever you happened to be at that moment??? Well, on this particular day, Elijah did! This doesn't happen very often, so he must have been pretty sleepy! I usually have to coax him into taking a nap, but not this time. I thought it was very cute! This has happened one other time and I just happen to have a picture of it, as well. He was quite a bit younger - and fatter! In the more recent picture he just laid down in the middle of the living room floor and in the older picture he fell asleep in the big black chair eating a cookie! If you look closely you can see it in his left hand! You know a kid is sleepy when he can't even finish his cookie! ~Kristy

This would have been perfect for Christmas morning! But it's a little late for that now- it's March! I was up early this morning so I took a few pictures of the snow here! I bet my family in Michigan would get a big kick out of us making a big deal about this snow! Well, down here in Alabama 1-2 inches is really something special! I bet the stores are all out of bread and milk! I hope not - I have to go to the store later. I don't know if it's because I am from Michigan or just because snow is so stinkin' pretty, but I do dream of a white Christmas. It just looks so pretty in all my Martha Stewart magazines! Hahaha! What's even funnier is a couple weeks ago I saw somebody in Wal Mart wearing shorts and a tank top and now it's snowing! Winter weather in Alabama is very crazy, isn't it? Well, hope you all enjoy the weather wherever you are! ~Kristy

Hey to all the ladies out there! Check out my new blog devoted totally to stamping....www.itsastampthing.blogspot.com! This is going to take the place of my Stampin' Up! demo site. I'm just getting it started, so check back soon for more! ~Kristy