Offended!

On December 23,2009, Elise, Joel and I went to a well known restaurant in Rock Hill. Lunch was great and the family time was priceless. When we got up to leave a waitress said, "Have a great Holiday Season." My simple reply was "Merry Christmas."

It offended me that in a little over 2000 years, Merry Christmas, has become politically incorrect. Well, I am a Christian and think that Happy Holidays is politically incorrect. If it was not for the birth of the WORLDS' Savior, Happy Holidays would not even exist. A Savior that came for not only me but for everyone!!! Why is it that other religions get more respect than the only true religion? HELLO!!!!! Jesus is the Reason for THIS season.

The Journey Begins

We mailed about 40 support letters for Elise's Dominican Republic trip. I think I should have taken out a second mortgage for just the stamps to mail all the letters. The first amount of money was due Dec. 15th and the next amount is Jan. 27th. Faith of a mustard seed, Faith that the money will come in.

Elise has also started a blog about her journey and how God is already preparing her to travel. If you would like to read her version of the story her blog site is eliseatwccs.blogspot.com. Become a follower!!!

ok, Ok, OK!!!!

I know it has been a very long time since the last time I blogged. I can't really say why. Maybe I just felt that there was nothing really note worthy to write about. Except that would be a down and out lie because even the little things that God does in our lives are worth noting.

I won't bore you with the things that have happened in the last 6 months. But we still are alive and kicking.

The new exciting news is that Elise has felt God's calling to go overseas on a mission trip. Even with my pleadings not to go. I can still say I am not completely at peace with her going BUT...God has told me on several occasions that Elise is His and that He loves her even more than I do. Which as I say that,sounds totally unreal. So...without much complaint from me, She will be traveling to the Dominican Republic from June 5-16th. And just in case you are wondering, No, I am not going. This is a school sponsored trip so she will be going with 30 other students and about 10-11 chaperones. During one of our very early conversations was of course about how much it will cost, she looked at me and said, "Mom, with the way I feel God has already paid for this trip." (Robbie if you are reading this...I know, God owns cattle on a thousand hills). I know my faith will grow along with Elise's during the preparations of this trip. So I just ask that you pray along with me for: 1. The big one MONEY to come in, 2. for safety for the whole team, and 3. that God will use this to help mold Elise into the person he wants her to become.(that is a whole other blog in itself). Stay tuned for what God is going to do.

Most of you know that I listen to the sermons of Perry Noble on the computer....on several occasions he has said "Hold onto you fork, the best is yet to come." So that is what I am going to say. "Hold onto your fork, the best is yet to come."

My Old Kentucky Home, Far away....

Last week we took a short trip to Kentucky for a visit. Joel's dad had knee surgery so we went to check on him. As much as we love living in the South we miss Kentucky greatly. We know that God has called us for this time to be here.It it is hard to go back and see the day to day scenery and not feel a tensh of regret that we are missing out with family and the beautiful land that God created.


These pictures are mostly of scenery around where Joel and I grew up. We didn't get to see everyone in our family but we did get to see a few.






The rolling green fields of the Kentucky Horse Farms.



The stone walls that Kentucky is famous for. They are found all around Versailles, Ky. They were not built by slaves. That is an old tale.






This castle is built on the side of a main street in Versailles, Ky. It was once owned by Lee Majors. He bought it for Farrah Facet. It has been seen alot of distruction. I think there were a few fires and different people that have owned it have made improvement. However, just recently it has been finished and people can stay the night there. The rates for a night stay ranges from $400-$1200. If anyone wants to visit let me know I can get the number for you.




Old Frankfort Pike




Yes, that is a tobacco field. When I was growing up tobacco fields were everywhere you turned. Now you have to hunt to find a field. It is a pretty plant if I do say so myself. I know it is bad for your health and that is why people that had tobacco fields are now running winerys. I am not sure which one is better.






Tyrone Bridge is a train tressel. Some of my crazy sister-in-laws have actually walked across this bridge. We are on the car bridge and as you can tell the Tyrone Bridge is even higher.



One of my brother-in-laws used to be a contractor. He developed some land right around his dairy farm. As he developed this subdivision he named streets after people in our family. I think he named this street after us because we believed we would live on Denney Drive one day. However, God had different plans and moved us over 500 miles away from Denney Drive.



Elise and the Ohio River. The bridges are Clark Memorial and a train bridge. The train bridge is going to be made into a walkway going from Louisville, Kentucky to Indiana.



My mom, dad,and Elise at Tumbleweed at the River.



My mom and dad.



The bridges that span the Ohio River.



Elise and Barkley at my parent's house.

Should I be Happy or Sad?

I know that this may seem very silly...but I am not sure I should be happy or sad about the end of my summer class. Let me say that at the very beginning way back in March, when we were meeting with the class on Super Saturday I can say I was really not liking the idea of being in class Monday-Thursday 8:30-3:30 starting June 9 through July 1.

Now, what I can say is those people in that picture are the people that I just spent 20 days or 90 hours of my precious summer with. Those 17 individuals probably don't know what they have meant to me. I am sad that all the time that I have spent with them has come to an end. My life because of the writing project has changed. The class is not just a class, by the end of the first week my classmates were some of my friends. The things we talked about pregnancies, miscarriages, pets, family, death,were very personal things. Our teacher, Chris, I think finally gave up trying to make us be quiet by the last week. We were always suppose to "write in the day" that is where the first 30 minutes and the last 15mins of each day we were to do nothing but write. Chris didn't know she had met her match, it was very hard for us to be quiet, you see we had to tell our friends about what happened the night before.

Not only has this class impacted me personally but my professional life has changed too. I sure hope that I can be the teacher I want to be next year. I can't wait for the year to begin. I love what I do with a passion.

It was sad to leave today, but most of us became friends on facebook and will probably keep up. But Bye for now- Tom,Eric,David,Susan,Lena,Lynn,Janet,Caroline, Kim, Shannon K., Shannon T., Laura, Laura Ann,Katie, Amber,and Lindsay. Thank you for allowing me to spend a few days of your summer with you. Thank you for teaching me to love what I do... and to like writing at least a little bit more.

God Bless, I will miss each one of you.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

This is my dad with Sophie, she was just a puppy then.



This is my dad with Elise when we were on our cruise in April.


Today is a day of mixed emotions. I feel so blessed by the dad that I have. However, my heart is heavy with sadness because I can't be there on Father's Day with him.

When I think back on my life growing up and even as an adult child my dad is such a part of who I am and what I believe. When I was growing up my dad worked hard and was not at home a lot of the time. He was usually at work. I don't remember a time when he went hunting, or just out with the guys. Although I know there were times that he did.

He was always around, but was hard for me to find sometimes. Now granted we did not always see eye to eye, especailly in my rebellious years. We did fight a lot but he is still the one I seek approval from.

My dad had his first heart attack in 1992, I think, It was at that time that the man I called my dad I barely knew. I was not going to let him pass without getting to know him. So I set out to get to know him. At first just observing who he was. I always thought my dad was lots of fun. He never met a stranger. He might not remember names very well but he was always friendly to everyone. Even today, he will scold me if I do not thank a waitor or waitress when they bring anything to the table.

He loved or should I say he loves the water, mostly lakes, but oceans are ok with him too. He was in the Navy and I am not sure if that is where he got the love from or not. He served in the Navy on submarines. He retrieved torpedos from the ocean. So he was a certified scuba diver, for a while. I never knew he dove until I was an adult and he would tell stories about his time in the Navy. Because of his love for the water, we always a boats of some sort....little johnboats, runabouts, cruiser, and even a houseboat. It is these times on the lake that hit me in my heart. We had lots of fun. But it never failed that when we went to the lake my mom and dad always had it out. That was not the times I like to remember. And yes I, would either end up in the emergency room or urgent care center. Dad used to tease me saying that I liked to check out everybody's health care facilities.

Back to the reason for the Blog. I want those of you who read my blog and have a dad close by you to visit on Father's Day to be very appreciative. My dad is far away and I could not make it home to him this year but you can bet your sweet beppy I will make it home next year.

Love Ya Pops!!!!!! See you soon.

Two Men and Me

Ok, this is a piece that I am working on for my writing class. Let me know what you think.

My Father

A man with few words to say,
but when he speaks I listen.

A man who loves people
but he might not remember your name.

A man who loves to work with his hands
his furniture fills our homes.

Man who loves the water
and passes it on to his children.

A man that fixes any problem
by rising early to begin his day.

A man with a garden
that he shares with his friends

A man who loves me
whether I deserve it or not



My Husband



A man that can bring laughter
with just his words.

A man who sees my flaw
but pretends they are not there at all.

A man who encourages me
his words fill my spirit so I can soar.

A man whom his daughter admires
whether he knows it or not.

A man that can bring tears
by giving just a look.

A man I share my life with
my happiness, my sadness, my all

A man who loves me
whether I deserve it or not

Holy Ghost It

Make your words sweet
You may have to eat them.

Denney's Est. 1990

Nineteen years ago today at 1:00pm at Christ Church United Methodist in Louisville, Kentucky Joel and I were married. We have been through a lot in our 19 years. Some good and some not so good. Some I would change some I would not. I guess all that we go through molds us into the people we are today. The one thing that Joel and I always do is put the Lord first. Sometimes that is hard because our own will gets in the way. We have made sacrifices but we have gained much.

Nineteen years in this day and time is something to be proud of. Here's to another year together.

All the Different Feelings of Summer

Actually, Summer starts tomorrow for me at 11:31AM. You see that is the time that school gets out for the last time for the 2008-2009 year.

These are the many feelings I have today. Tomorrow may change but for now...., I will leave it at that.

Excitement- That I am.
I am excited for the relaxed schedule of summer.
I want to spent time with Joel and Elise.
I also love reading during the summer. I have been known to stay up until wee hours of the morning just reading.
I am anxious about the upcoming school year.
I wonder about the children God will put in my care next year.
I am excited about developing second grade curriculum even further.

Regret- that may sound funny to you but regret always rears its ugly head at the end of the year.
I regret all the times I have failed to be the person God wants me to be.
I regret the relationships that have not developed the way in which I see they should have.
I regret missing all the little times that were available for me to show some one Christ, and I failed.

Sadness- This summer I am especially sad.
I have signed up for a summer class that meets Monday-Thursday from 8:30-3:30 starting June 9Th and does not end until the first week of July. Ouch. That really cuts into my pool time. I feel great sadness.


Happiness-
Happy that I have had such a loving class and parents that support me in my role as teacher.
And if I must admit it I am really excited to be finished with another year.

Love-
love for all 17 of my sweet little ones.
I also feel the love that they have for me.
Above all else, the love that God has for me.

Amazement- OK maybe that is not a feeling but WOW! Elise will be in high school next year. Am I really that old? No need to answer that, one look in the mirror and I will quickly know the answer.


As I wrap up another year, please pray with me for the students that are leaving my care and also for the students that will be in my room this coming year. Pray for the enrollment at school especially, in the second grade. Pray that God will reign above all else.

Pray for me as I begin the class that I will not be over anxious in the assignments that will be required of me and also that I will have an opened mind to hear what needs to be heard and to change what needs to be changed.

God Bless Everyone!

P.S. The class I have signed up for is the Writing Institute. Help I am not a writer.

Ok I Did IT!

I bought groceries for less than $150.00 a week that we usually spend. My cost was $57.66.

I have a couple of friends who are doing a coupon craze, and I decided to get on that boat too. I don't know all the secrets quite yet. But give me time I will. I actually just took a sales circular, from BiLo and went through it to find the sale items that I was interested in. I did have some coupons but not too many. I saved over $30.00.

I did have to make a trip to Walmart. That trip was not as successful as the BiLo trip was. I spent $99.00 on the items that I didn't want to get at BiLo. Dog Food was a big one.I did have a coupon for $3.50 off of Purina. But I had to buy cat food and Ink for the printer.

So without the money that I spent on the extras. I figured I spent about $100.00 on groceries this week. Not great but better than last week. I figure if I can cut my grocery bill by about 10 percent it will equal the amount that my paycheck will be cut next year.

Holy Ghost It

This is a sarcastic Holy Ghost it.

Atheism
A non-prophet group

The Storm Clouds Roll In

There is one thing in life that I can say I really love. That my friend is a good storm. The type of storms that when it thunders, it rocks our world and when it lightning, it lights up the sky. I love everything about a storm from the smell of the incoming storm to the distant rumbling of the thunder as it leaves my area. I even like the electricity to go out and I can pull out the ole camping lanterns.

Elise was never been afraid of storms probably because we would go out on the front porch and watch the storm come in and roll out. She now loves storms just like me.

The reason why I like storms is well I am not sure why. I may attribute it to the fact that when I was growing up we had a houseboat that had a cuddy cabin. That is a place to sleep in the haul of the boat. Whenever it rained, when we were at the lake it was nap time, and my favorite place to nap was in the cuddy cabin because I could hear the tink, tink, of the rain as it fell in the lake.

Got to go a storm is blowing in.

When I was young and in Kentucky

These ideas came to me during my writing class. We read the book "When I was Young and in the Mountains" by Cythia Ryland

Assignment: We were to write our version of the story

so here it goes:

When I was young and in Kentucky, my brothers and I would play outside until it was dark. As the daylight turned into dusk and dusk into darkness we would catch lightning bugs.

The game of chase would turn into a game of hide and seek. We would play until the day was nearly done and the sound of mom's voice would bring us home.

When I was young and in Kentucky, we would stretch a volleyball net across the street.

With the sound of a car, the playing would stop, the net lifted, the car would pass, playing resumed.

When I was young and in Kentucky, we would eat watermelon on the side porch. My mom would tell me not to spit seeds, but I did any way.

When I was young and in Kentucky, I would be awaken by the humming of a saw.
Soon my dad would appear covered in sawdust and smelling of musty wood.


When I was young and in Kentucky, we would travel to the lake on warm summer days. We would get so hot that the only time we got out of the water was to eat and then back in we would go.

When I was young an in Kentucky, we would camp out under the star filled skies.

The evenings were consumed with the sweet smell of roasting marshmallows, the sounds of ghost stories being told around the crackling fire.


When I was young and in Kentucky, my family would sit down to eat together. The conversations turned into laughter from the stories told of daily antics.

When I was young and in Kentucky, I never was worried or afraid for I knew I was safe.

Holy Ghost it

Think about this one:




Prayer
is the soil
in which forgiveness and healing grow best

Holy Ghost It -- Play? I don't think so

Over the last two weeks our lives have been very busy and tiring (if that is even a word). Many of you know that Elise was in a school play. Well, in my mind it started out as a play but in reality when I saw everything, and I mean everything that went into directing this play...it is no longer a play it is a production and I mean a production in so many ways.

Anyway, during the last two weeks sleep is not a thing that has been to easy to achieve. Yes, my body was willing but the time was not available. Elise had practice for the Beauty and the Beast every night from 5-9:30. Instead of coming home I decided to help create the scenes. What a job that is... I painted shutters,houses,made books and libraries out of cardboard. I painted castles and painted in the mortar lines. It was amazing to watch all of these details come to life.

God,as he always does, speaks to me in little subtle ways. He has never spoken to me in the wind, it is always in the little whispers. I guess I have to be still to hear him. In the mist of turmoil of the last two weeks I saw a Holy Ghost It that read:


Trade God your pieces
For His peace

You really have to understand my schedule was...It was basically school to teach, school to help out with the Beauty and the Beast. If we were lucky we were home by 11:00 up again at 5:00am.

When I passed that sign it did get a That's the truth. But after I sat and thought about it, how true that is.

My first thought was trade all of your possessions. His peace is still worth more. Then the second time I thought man my life is falling to pieces before my eyes. Is that the pieces He was talking about. Then I thought, boy my life has a lot of pieces to it....mom,wife,teacher,helper,coworker,friend. Maybe those are the pieces. After a few thoughts on this Holy Ghost It I decided that it means my all, my everything, all the above, and all that encompasses. All my pieces, possessions, time, talents, just me. And he will give me PEACE.

And sure to His word His Peace came. Yes our schedule was busy, yes I was tired and yes my whole body hurt. But you know what? I looked around at school and saw all of God's fingerprints on the students that he placed in my care, I saw the times he tried to work through me, sometimes I let Him sometimes I failed miserably. I know one thing, the students at Westminster Catawba warm my heart in a way that only I and God know. It is neat to see students that have left the elementary school who are now in high school, who care enough about the Lord and the school to give it their ALL. What great hands and feet God has at WCCS.:)

Cast of Beauty and the Beast Visits my campus

The main cast of Beauty and the Beast came to our campus the Wednesday before the performance. The sang Be our Guest and did a great job. My class was really excited!!!

Village Scene at Glen Cairn Gardens

Beauty and the Beast
Starring Elise Denney as a Silly Girl

Oh Yummy!!! A Chocolate Buffet Thursday Night

Caughtcha mom!
At 11:00 pm on Thursday night there was a chocolate buffet. The pictures are of some of the chocolate statues. Of course they were not edible but the chocolate that was on the buffet was. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me so these are Elise's pictures, and she didn't take any pictures of just the chocolate to
eat. But enjoy and hopefully your mouth will not water that much!!!

Egyptian Pyramids

Elise and a chocolate covered apple. We won't tell her she has something on her chin from the last treat.

Day 6- Florida

Day 6- We woke up pretty early and headed to the excursion desk. There we found out that we needed to leave to catch a bus to Disney World. Yes, we had to go to Disney to watch Beauty and the Beast. You know Elise is in the school preformance of the Beauty and the Beast. It was a pretty fun day, we went to see Beauty first. Then we headed to American Idol and a few other shows. We went to MGM Hollywood Studio.



Elise just can't get enough of Beauty and the Beast and the Silly Girls.






Can you tell what this is?.... It is a monkey hanging from our stateroom ceiling.

Day 5 Grande Bahama Island

Today was a very relaxing day, we shopped around the dock a little then we took a taxi to the village shops. The shops were a little upscale until we got to the end where there was more of a straw market. There we bought tshirts, towels,and Elise bought a Coach purse. I also bought Joel some souvenirs. Our taxi driver was named Zelder. She took us on a quick tour of downtown,we even picked up her son to take him to a dentist appointment.


And Elise had a snake in her bed.

Day 4- Nassau

Sunrise Tuesday Morning

Nassau Bahama is a very interesting place. Pretty sites to see.




We took a Harbor Cruise and then headed to Atlantis Resort. Atlantis has an aquarium,water park, and its own beach.


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Atlantis had massive glass sculptures in the casino. We couldn't take pictures until it was around the glass sculptures.



And
waiting for us back on the ship was a frog.