Well, what can I say? I've made it through my first year of teaching at school! Wow! Elijah will be in Kindergarten next year and Madison in 3rd grade. This past Sunday was the Graduation ceremony and all of the students got to show off things they've learned in school this year. Honestly, there for a little while, I was concerned about some of my students and whether or not they would actually say someting in the microphone, but thank the Lord they did it! The prize I promised them may have given them a little motivation, but I don't care, I was so proud of them. And of course Madison's class quoted eight passages of scripture! Wow! These kids are so smart. Well, here are a few very random pictures I took. Enjoy! Kristy

Not long ago, Madison went running around on some errands with her daddy and came home with this cool new bike! One of the errands had something to do with meeting Pawpaw and he gave her some money to buy a bicycle. She was so excited! She had been wanting one for a while now since she had outgrown her other bike long ago. She had to try out her new bike as soon as possible, of course, in spite of the rain that day. Not the best day to try out a bike when the only place in the yard to ride a bike is, well, in the yard. Haha! She had just learned how to ride a bike from some friends and was still a little nervous at times, but she was so cute when she did something and was so proud of herself. I was proud of her too! After they bought the bike there was just enough money left to get Elijah a little something too...a new Diego toy! Kristy

Roscoe was given to us by a guy at my work. Any ideas on Roscoe's breed?

Here are the three little rascals in my preschool class this year.

Click on the here to watch a very interesting sermon about the importance of a woman's hair! Kristy

Hey guys! I am finally updating my blog! I know it's been forever! Does anyone even stop by here anymore??? Haha! I volunteered to teach preschool this year at our church school, so I have actually been busy instead of sitting around the the house all day doing nothing (and stamping)! I really do enjoy it, but I don't always like having every moment planned out for me. I am sort of a spontaneous type of person and I am fighting the fact that I can't just do what I want all the time. After all, little people are depending on me to learn their ABC's! Elijah is in my class and he can be a little bit of a handle sometimes. He is really doing good overall, though. He tends to be really silly and a cut up! I don't know where he gets it! I was a really good kid in school, must be Anthony........... On another note, this month is the kids' birthdays! Elijah is five now (Oct. 10) and Madison will be 8 on the 25th, which is the same day as Anthony's grandpa (Peeps) and our Harvest Festival at church! Busy day. Congrats to Bo and Amy! There lives are about to be changed forever.....They are going to have a baby! I am so happy for them. I can tell they are excited, too! Well, that's all for now, folks! See ya later! ~Kristy

I had the opportunity to see Ted this week. It has been a while since our last time to get together. Ted had me to make notes to update the blog with some of his thoughts. (Ted) Well, hello blog reading people I don't know. Anthony wanted me to give him something to post so here goes. I am considering moving from the "Compound". My dog Roscoe wants to move to the country. I am considering either Cullman or Winston county. The only thing is I'm not sure I can sell my old place in Roebuck with all the accouterments I have added. The "Bunker" can be used as a storm shelter but the razor wire around all the windows seems to turn off the family crowd. But, I think I can convince people that the machine gun nest has something to do with paintball. I have heard that Winston county is pretty rural, so I kind of lean that way. I don't like many visitors. And very few people feel comfortable with the standard strip and cavity searches that are a mainstay at the "Compound". As for Roscoe, I think that I need to get him away from my neighbors new dog. It's a Pekingese. I'm pretty sure it's a spy. (Note from Anthony, see Sinophobia) Roscoe has a lot of information about my ops around here, so that is a threat. I have had Roscoe a long while but even Doberman's can be susceptible to espionage. Anyway, if anyone knows of some very rural land, preferably with no road access, let Anthony know. I need it to be surrounded by water on at least 3 sides or have a standard 18 foot wide moat. Also, if anyone knows a paramilitary group needing a new Ops center with close airport access. please contact Anthony. I don't give out my personal information and only talk to strangers through a third party. (Anthony) Well, I'm glad I got another post up of Ted. Please leave a comment to tell him what you think or have real estate info.....Thx, see ya'll later....Anthony

Here are some pictures of Madison praying in the altar a couple of weeks ago. Michelle was nice enough to snap a few shots with her phone :) She was so close to getting the Holy Ghost! It won't be long! ~Kristy

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

Abigail Nicole is our new little neice! Actually, she's our very first neice on either side of our family! She was born yesterday to Andrea and Chris, weighing in at 6 lbs. 7 oz. Here are a few pictures from the hospital just hours after she was born. ~Kristy

My youngest brother, Jordan, is officially engaged! He proposed to Camille in San Francisco this weekend. They were out in California for Jason's wedding....how romantic! I wouldn't have even known if it weren't for the Wiseners! They are so excited! Sis. Kimi was walking around telling everyone at church last night! I can tell she's really gonna have fun planning this wedding. I think my parents and Jordan are coming home from CA tonight, so I'm sure I'll hear more about it soon! Good Luck Jordan and Camille! P.S. I don't know what to think about a blonde in the family! :)

Hey ya'll... everyone stop a minute and take the new poll. See what superhero your personality is most like. I was Iron Man...(yesssss) And by-the-way, no one can see your answers!...Anthony

Congratulations to Jason and Heather! They are getting married this weekend out in California! Tons of people from our church are going to be there and I bet it will be lots of fun! Wish I could've gone, I bet it will be really pretty! Jason has been prophesied to several times in the past year or two, so I know God is about to do something great in their lives.

I have gotten some response on Elijah's condition in our comments. When we began this journey with Elijah having seizures we prayerfully and with our pastor's advice started him on an anti-seizure drug. We took this VERY seriously. We knew that starting him on this medicine meant that our child would have to daily take this drug. None of us are on any kind of regular medicine and we didn't like the idea. But, our pastor is a diabetic and we understood that sometimes God allows things like this for reasons we don't always understand. We got a comment here on our blog seeming to ask if we allowed treatment from doctors or if we were only using prayer. We believe that God sometimes uses doctors and drugs for healing, and sometimes it's miraculous and instantaneous. But either way without God the healing doesn't occur. I have personally had God intervene in my body to heal me. About 3 years ago I started having migraine headaches. For those of you that haven't had one, they are not just more intense regular headaches. It started during a time of great stress for me. One day, I lost my peripheral vision. I couldn't read. I recognized letters but no words made sense. I took a pile of different pills to get the pain to lessen, but got no relief. I could only bury my head under a pillow in a dark room and wait for it to pass. I thought I must have a brain tumor or something! I went and got scanned but they found nothing and told me it was a migraine. I continued to work and would feel one coming on. It would incapacitate me. After a couple weeks of these events, I was at church doing the sound on the platform and my pastor was coming up to the platform to preach. I had my back to him and had my hands lifted praising God. Bro. Wilbanks came up behind me and placed both hands on the sides of my head. I literally felt like I was struck by a lightning bolt! My wife said I spun around like a tornado and then went down. A few minutes later Bro. Wilbanks asked me if something happened to me. I said "OH YEAH". That was the last time I ever had a migraine. Also, I had been taking Prilosec for a stomach ulcer that went away the same moment. The ulcer had gotten so bad that I had even starting having blood in my stool. (sorry) He didn't even know about the ulcer. So with all that said, yes we do believe in both kinds of healing. Elijah has been on about 8 different kinds of medicine, and up to 5 of them at once. None of them stopped the seizures. He has had a pile of all kinds of tests to check for tumors or anything else, all coming back negative. The only relief he has gotten is when we started limiting his white sugar, white flour and dairy. Since then we have only looked forward to the time when God ends this. In one service, three different people came up to us and said that God told them the work was done. So we know God has healed him. And maybe this blog is a way that God can get the glory when this healing is manifested. So, I would like to tell all of you that I thank God for Elijah's healing. I haven't seen it in our time yet but I know in eternity "It is finished".....Anthony

I know that in the Old Testament memorials were made at significant times in peoples lives. As of right now, I haven't really studied it or anything, I just remember it from preaching, etc... That is going to be a goal of mine, though. The reason I am bringing this up is because a year and almost five months ago Elijah had his first seizure. It was probably the scariest thing in the world for me. I have been blessed to be a part of a pretty healthy family. I was always thankful that Madison had never even had an ear infection. For some reason that always meant a lot to me. Maybe it was because Bro. Wilbanks prayed for her health at her baby dedication. I know he prayed about other things, as well, but, that has always stood out in my mind. She did have a cold or two and strep a few times, but that was as bad as it got. Isn't God great! So, when Elijah came, I expected the same thing. On a few occasions, I even thought when I saw someone who's child had health problems, that I was so glad I didn't have to deal with that. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like as a mother to go through some of the things people are faced with. But now, I have a small taste of that feeling. In mid-September 2006, during that first seizure, I had no idea what to do. My mom and I were crying out to God, laying hands on him, and panicking all at the same time. There was even a space of time that I really thought I may be loosing a child. I was preparing myself, in my mind, all in about the space of a few seconds probably, and I knew in that moment that God was in control and He would help me through even the toughest of situations. Thankfully, it didn't come to that conclusion. Have you ever had a terrible fear that you would be put in a certain situation (you fill in the blank) and not react the way that God would want you to because of that fear or lack of knowledge? I am reminded of a sermon preached at our church by Bro. Mark Morgan. I think the message was titled "His Grace Is Sufficient For Thee." If that's not the title, it was one of his main points. In it he told the story of a missionary overseas that caught a bullet with his teeth when fired upon by a gunman. That is one of the main things I remember from his message because I felt like God was speaking to me and telling me that He will take care of me in the most difficult of times, not to worry about what lies ahead. God proved himself to me that day and many times over since then. Even in that instance when I thought Elijah might die, I knew God was there with me. I am very thankful that Elijah did not die, and in fact, I believe that we have a promise from God that everything is going to be all right. God is going to use Elijah in a very special way and for that I give Him all the praise! This is just the beginning of my story. I want to share other memorials with you soon. I believe God is allowing us to go through this trial for a reason. I also believe that He is bringing us to a certain place in Him that is beyond our wildest imagination. I can see a change in myself, my husband, and in my children. Our faith is increased, our trust in God is greater than it was before, and I am more hungry for Him than I have ever been. I am nowhere near where I need to be, but I am not satisfied with where I am, either. God is totally getting me out of my comfort zone! Sometimes it is scary, but I am really excited about where God is leading me!

Several years ago, I think it was not long after I got married, Sis. Kim Biscotto introduced Stampin' Up! to all of us! She signed up and started parties and I immediately loved it. (For those of you who don't know, Stampin' Up! is a direct sales company similar to Home Interior, Pampered Chef, and Avon. They sell rubber stamps and all paper and accessories to go with it for making scrapbook pages, cards, and all kinds of other projects! It's so much fun! Check it out at stampinup.com!) Now here we are in 2008 and I am have been a demo for two and a half years, and I really enjoy it! It's like coloring and crafts for grown-ups! HaHa! I know Anthony thinks I'm crazy, but he has his video games! Well, for the last couple of years we have had a little club going and everyone takes their turn at getting some free stuff and it's been lots of fun. I also started doing Stamp Classes lately (for a small fee) and they come and do a 2-pg layout and a card. I've done it twice now and both times have went well. One of the ladies that attended my first class called and asked if I would come do the same thing at a hotel tomorrow where her and seven or eight friends are getting together to scrapbook all day! Doesn't that sound fun?! So, I am really excited to do this. I think they will really like the page we are going to do too! I will probably post a picture of it later. The one I am doing tomorrow is the same as the one I did with my class last weekend, I am just going to change the colors, because I ran out of the color of paper we used last week. I'll talk more about it when I post the pics, though :). The scrapbook page featured here is one that Morgan (my sis-in-law) and I did together a while back. It is just the one page, for now, but I do have an idea for a second page to go along with it....Just keep checking back...and I hope you enjoy it!! ~Kristy

Hey Everyone! I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted. I have several things I want to talk about still so keep coming back! Were any of you out there ever Brownies, Girl Scouts, or Boy Scouts? I know I was for a short time. I don't remember everything, but I do have a few fond memories of it. I remember going to meetings and getting pins and badges for my accomplishments and there was some ceremony where we had to walk over a bridge and graduate from Brownies to Girl Scouts. I also remember that we always had some fun activity to do and one in particular was also a contest. We had to get these little plastic dolls and make an outfit for them. Whoever had the best/most creative outfit won the prize. My mom, who sewed a lot back then, made this cute little frilly dress with different colors of pastel lace and I knew for sure I was going to win. I was so disappointed when they announced that the doll with the dress made of leaves was the winner. How could they think that was better than frilly ruffles?! Well, I guess I got over it pretty quickly! I don't even remember who owned the doll with the leaf dress. I think programs like that are fun for kids and teach them skills and they also get a sense of accomplishment when they earn their badges. Sis. Kimi Wisener has started up a similar group with the kids at our church. She actually did this with her oldest daughter, Camille, several years ago and is now continuing it with her other children, as well. She has been kind enough to let all of us join in and be apart of it too! I have had lots of fun and I know Madison has too! She loves getting a new badge or pin. We call it Keepers and Contenders. The girls are Keepers of the Home and the Boys are Contenders of the Faith. Bro. Grant has begun teaching the boys and you can tell they really enjoy that. Like I said before, this is really similar to Girl/Boy Scouts, only it is more focused on biblical principles as well as learning life skills. I don't pay as close attention to the boys as I have the girls because I am usually over helping with the girls and it's so much fun! I do know the boys have collected different types of leaves, an experiment with electricity and tying knots with rope! The girls have learned some sewing skills, rubber stamping, candle making, stenciling, letter writing, and last night we did watercolor painting! Those are just what come to mind right now. I'm sure there's more... Anyway, I enjoy it just as much as Madison does and we get to be together a little bit without the boys :) It's good mommy/daughter time. Well, if any of you out there have any Girl/Boy Scout memories give us a holler! It would be fun to hear them! ~Kristy

Ladies and gentlemen, I have stumbled upon a true treasure. If you are anywhere near my age, you remember the days of the original Nintendo, Gameboy, Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. Well, I have a gift for you this day, www.everyvideogame.com. This site has about 1100 old school games, from Mike Tysons punch out to Tecmo Bowl and everything in between. You can play all 1100 games with no registration. They are the same games you remember, not cheap rip offs. So please do yourself a favor and enjoy. Put on your slap bracelets, tie those bandannas around your pants leg and yell SIKE!!!...Anthony

Elijah gets a lot of attention these days it seems, so I am going to take a minute to brag on his big sister, Madison. She brought her second report card of the year home yesterday and she had all A's on it! I am so proud of her! I looked at it first, then told her to take it to her daddy. When she came back up she was so excited... she remembers Anthony telling her he would take her to Chuck E. Cheese if she got all A's for the year or something like that! (She remembers more than us sometimes, if you know what I mean!) ~Kristy

Lexy turned 7 last week and here are some pics from her party.

Hooray for Anthony! He finally solved our comments problem! Now you can see the post link under each post! I am soooo glad. It was really driving me crazy. ~Kristy

There has been a tremendous outcry to learn more about Ted. It seems he has become a minor celebrity. I hope to post a pic of Ted soon. He is really happy that his articles has been received so well. Maybe, I can even get him to come to church sometime. More later...Anthony

My mom started a blog, as well, and had the idea to post recipe ideas. I think that would be fun! Check out her blog www.blessedinbama.blogspot.com! She is featuring a Coca Cola cake. I think it would be fun for any of you ladies out there to share your favorite recipe here, too! I will start with one of my favorites and I hope some of you will join in! Today I will share a recipe that I got from my Grandma Fitzgerald several years ago. At Thanksgiving and Christmas she has a counter full of goodies and it's hard not to eat something everytime you just walk in the kitchen, even if you weren't even hungry! She mostly has tons of pies, fudge, and seasoned pecans that she does herself! One of the pies she had out this particular year was "The Cherry Cheese Pie." I normally would go for the chocolate instead of the fruit, but it looked good, so I thought I would try it, and now it's one of my faves! Here it is: Cherry Cheese Pie

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• regular size tub of Cool Whip
• 1 C. sugar (opt. - I have seen similar recipes that call for 1/3 C. and recently I made this pie and totally left out the sugar and everyone thought it was good! Because of the sweetness of the Cool Whip you can get away with it!)
• dash of vanilla or almond extract
• can of cherry pie filling (Of course, you can substitute any pie filling you want. Anthony likes blueberry the best, but I prefer the cherry!)
• graham cracker crust

Seems like everyone is excited about blogs the last couple weeks. Sis Von you have really started something. It's kind of therapeutic for me to post. We are really enjoying all the feedback we are getting. Please leave us a comment by clicking on the time stamp right under each post. Our hit counter is running up faster than I would have expected. Everyone check back often for more posts. Ted is excited about the positive feedback for his portion. (Elijah Update) Elijah hit a rough couple of days but seems to be coming out of it fast. He had a few seizures but seems to not have bottomed out. (Gamer Update) I received notice that my Xbox 360 is repaired, and on its way back. I just have to have Kristy home to sign for it. Intel is supposed to be releasing a new processor that they have spent a billion dollars developing. It is supposed to be faster and run cooler that any chip on the market to date. This should push them past AMD in the processor race. Also, I haven't had much input on the contest yet so get it in Star Wars nerdz. (Ted Update) It was good getting back to the compound this week. Vacations are fun, but it is always good to get home. After reviewing the surveillance tapes seems like one guy was peeping through the fence when Roscoe scared the stuff out of him. I love that. Roscoe is my Doberman. Living in a bad part of town means having a good security plan. Since 'Nam I have been tinkering with the right set up for optimal security. Trip wires are very efficient but you have to remember that you have pets around. (what a mess) Also, the local boys in blue don't like to hear explosions or gunfire. East Roebuck used to be a very nice area, but now I have to be very diligent about keeping a safe environment. Even though it's just me here (and Roscoe) I live very happily cleaning my guns and watching QVC. I also like reality shows like Dancing with the Stars and Lost. I spend most of my off time in the Bunker. Especially in the summer time, it's much cooler. (Anthony) Well, I hope to post more of Ted's email soon. Hope ya'll enjoy it so far....Anthony

The following is a short excerpt from an email sent to me from Ted Blotsky. He is a long time friend from Birmingham. I met him years ago when I worked in Woodlawn. He is a postal employee at the Woodlawn Post Office. Ted is about 57 and lives in the heart of Birmingham in an old area. I have only been to his house twice. It is an older home but has upgraded the landscaping and security. Ted will be sending me correspondence for me to post. -Anthony- -Ted- I just got back from my vacation to Disney World. It is a little troubling to see all the people dressed up as animals. I have spent most of my life as an avid hunter and feel like this is some type of revenge. Also I have Sinophobia (look it up) so most trips to amusement parks leave me troubled. The trip down was like a Creek Indian death march. A 19 hour bus ride isn't any fun even watching snuff films and filling out Mad Libs. Some old lady kept looking at me. And my continual use of wet wipes seemed to disturb the driver. -Anthony- That is only a short excerpt but as you can see Ted sees the world a little different. I hope to update soon with more of his email...bye for now...Anthony

I have been working on the blog tonight, and I got a counter going. Also you can now leave comments by clicking on the time link just under each posting. Or you can click on the mail icon to send the post straight to us through email. I hope to have it more clear with a little work. I had a long day at the post office today. But, I hope to have my friend Ted from the Woodlawn Post Office leave a post here or there on the blog to help me out. Ted is a little eccentric, but I think everyone will find his insights fascinating. More to come on that front. Elijah has had a great couple days. He still seems a little shaky, but I think it is the Phenobarb causing that. I would like to thank all the folks that have been praying for us. It really strengthens us to have your support. We need that connection to each other. No update on the fate of my Xbox 360 yet, but it has made it to Texas for repair. I borrowed Bo's old Xbox to get me through. (heh heh) I hope to be leaving tips for console gaming, computer repair/upkeep, and general geek knowledge. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask away, I love that stuff. To this end, I would like to throw down the gauntlet. I would like to see who can name the most Star Wars planets. This was a topic at our friends house, while playing Rook, that caused a stir. Please no internet searches, lets play fair. I can crank out about 20. Well, enough rambling for now. Peace Out...Anthony

We are still trying to figure out what we did wrong with the settings for you to be able to post a comment. It is very frustrating, since we really want to hear from you all! So, for now contact us via email, please. You can find the link by clicking on view full profile. When that page opens up you will see the email link. Thanks!

If you read my last post (from today, as well), I mentioned that there was more I wanted to tell....Here's the other story: As most of you know, we have gone through a very difficult time dealing with our son, Elijah. He started having seizures back in September 2006. I don't want to dwell on the negative aspects, but as you can imagine, it has been the most difficult thing we have had to face. I praise God that through it all He has shown us time and again that He is here with us, He hears us and answers us when we cry out to Him. From the beginning the saints of God from our church and others have continued to lift us up in prayer and with encouraging words and faith. So, even though it has been very stressful at times, I feel our family has grown so much and God is using this trial/test to bring us to a place in Him. I believe that God has promised us Elijah's complete healing and look forward to the day that we see the full result! One of the things that have been spoken to us was that God was going to use Elijah to reach someone. I believe that we have met at least one someone! One Monday evening a few months ago, I went to the gas station up the road to get us something to eat. I was having a hard time trying to find something for Elijah that didn't have white flour or white sugar in it. (I believe that God has allowed us to see that if we keep these foods away from him, he doesn't have any seizures unless he gets sick!) I began to explain to her a little bit about his situation and she said, "Really! I have seizures too!" I have always felt like we were going through this for a reason and felt that I needed to share our faith of his healing. When I told her that we believed God was healing him, I looked up and noticed the emotion in her eyes. So, I spoke faith to her, as well. I said, "If God can heal my son, He can heal you too!" and tears began to roll down her cheeks! I told her my name and where I lived and two days later we received a card from her to our family and one special letter to Elijah asking if we could be prayer buddies! Our family was so excited! We have been exchanging letters ever since! On Christmas Eve I had an emotional day worrying about a particular situation with him and was really upset. I was in the WalMart parking lot praying in the backseat for him while he slept. I looked up and saw Sis. B. coming out and called her over, told her what was going on and asked her if she would pray with us. My mom had been inside and now joined us in prayer. I left encouraged and just trusting God for Elijah. When I got home I found a gift on my front porch wrapped and with Elijah's name on it. It was from our prayer buddy! I was so touched that I went and got her something and took it to her house. Elijah got to meet his prayer buddy for the first time. It was really neat! At home that night, I felt so much more blessed and encouraged than before! Last week we got another letter from her. In it she said that a couple days after Christmas she had a check-up with her neurologist and during that she told her Dr. that her best Christmas gift was Elijah! She said that as she told her Dr. about Elijah tears came to his eyes. There was more in here letter that I won't get into right now, but I think it is really neat how God works. He is connecting us to people that we would never have met if it were not for this circumstance. Our prayer buddy's name is Janna. I believe that she will be healed and much more! So, please help us lift her and her husband, Rob, up in prayer! This is just the beginning! We are turning the tables on Satan! God, I trust you! Lord, you are Right!!!!! ~ Kristy

Actually, I have a couple of things I wanted to mention today that I am really excited about. A couple of weeks ago we had one of those crazy, awesome services (again!) and Sis. Kyle from FL was there. Bro. Wilbanks called her up and prayed for a financial blessing for their church. They are in a building program, too. Well, while the church was praying for her I felt the Holy Ghost urging me to give her the $50 bill I had tucked away in my billfold. (It was birthday money that I hadn't spent yet :) ) In my mind I was struggling because $50 doesn't seem like a lot when we are talking about a building fund, but I decided to trust God and see what happened. After church I gave it to her and spoke faith. She thanked me and told me that she would take it home and put it in the building fund. Last night at church, Sis. Becky, who is her mother, told me that you would've thought I gave her a million dollars! She was so excited, which makes me excited! The next Sunday at her church the entire church prayed over that money and by the next Sunday someone gave them a check for $10,000!!!!! She said she was able to do so much with that money, including helping a family who just got evicted from their house! God is so Awesome, isn't He!!!!

Well, I finally got my Xbox 360 sent off for repair. After a little research, turns out that the big problem with them is the lead free solder . It doesn't hold in high temperature situations. With the triple processor you get a load of heat. Also, I found out you should never use a surge protector with a 360. It causes a power drain on the processors that also add to the heat. One more tip, the after market fans you can get only make the power drain problem worse. And it sounds like the Blu Ray is gonna beat out HD-DVD. So in a while, Microsoft will probably go to this format. Good day at the post office, got home early and crashed for an hour. I feel pretty good now. Elijah is watching the Incredibles. He has had a pretty good day today and no waking up last night with seizures. The girl that Kristy met working at a gas station has sent us another letter. She seems super nice and some people I work with know her and her family. She has similar problems as Elijah. I'll let Kristy blog the details. While working at Smith Lake the other day, I saw a deer swim across the lake to get away from some dogs. Pretty cool. I guess I'm out for now....Anthony

Hey Everyone! I sent an email out to several people today inviting them to come visit, so if you are one of those people, thanks for stopping by! As I mentioned in the email, we can't seem to find a setting to allow comments. We have scoured the settings pages over and over, but can't figure out what we are missing. So, if you have an idea, please let us know. You can just email me :) Like I mentioned in the very first posting, we have never done this before and I hope we don't sound too silly, but we will probably just talk about whatever is on our minds from day to day. We may even let the kids leave messages, as well. I would like to keep putting pictures on here to keep everyone updated with the kids, too. I guess that means that I will actually have to use my camera! My camera is one of those gadgets that you've got to have, but when you get it, you hardly ever use it! Maybe that will change now. Thanks to VondeLeigh for giving me the idea to even start a blog. I, personally, am not too computer savvy, it's Anthony who is the geek. Surprisingly, this was super easy to set up and I am really excited! I am really big on the feed back. I really want to hear from you all! This could be lots of fun! Don't forget to check out my new Stampin' Up! website, too! It's one of the links in Places to Visit. It's a brand new site, too. So, check often, just-in-case I actually add new content! -Kristy

Well this is my first post on a blog. I'm just getting into listening to podcasts on my MP3 player. I mostly listen to it while delivering mail. I'm kind of a tech geek. Also, my new Xbox 360 died after just one week. Microsoft is sending me a box to ship it back to them in. I like to play PC games also but don't have much time for all this stuff. My 4 year old son, Elijah, had a not so good day today. He woke me up this morning having a seizure. Then, about once an hour for 4 hours. I'll be glad when all this is over. The doctors don't seem to have the answers, so we will just endure till God says it is time. Well I guess I'll be posting more later.... Anthony

Hello Friends!