Late Nite Social a huge success!

We had our first Late Nite Social this past Saturday and it was AWESOME! We ate GREAT food, watched a great video, heard great testimonies and statistics, gave out great awards to some great people, and had a GREAT time!!! Even though it took over 6 hours of set-up, lots of people stuck around after the party to help out and we got everything torn down and put away in just over one hour! Praise ye the Lord!!! We have such amazing leaders and volunteers who are willing to do whatever it takes- I love HPC people!! I love this church...........

Yay for Chick Day!

This weekend was so busy, but so fun! Chick Day was incredible. I know so many girls poured all their blood, sweat and tears into it and it definitely paid off. The food was great, the fashion show was the funniest thing I have ever seen, and the message April Simons brought was truly life-changing... the shopping was great, too. I got to hang out with my mom and we had a blast! I love my mom. She's really the greatest. She's definitely my very best friend besides Chris... I really can't say enough nice things about her. And yesterday I got to hang out with my daddy... He's the greatest, too. I've always been such a daddy's girl. It's truly a blessing to have such a strong relationship with my Father in Heaven AND get to have such amazing parents here on earth. It's something I do not take for granted. Plus I have the greatest husband, brother, and in-laws. I mean, what else does a girl need?

The devil tried really hard to steal my joy yesterday- like REALLY hard. And I did break down and cry a couple times, but after I was done, I was able to thank God for His blessings and put all my faith and trust in Him again. I know I have made progress in that area, and yet I still feel that I have so far to go. But to be honest, it's way better to just trust him and remember all the times He has come through instead of worrying and crying.

So Devil, just keep on trying. It only strengthens me. During this holiday season I am going to keep my eyes on the One who gave it all for me.

Staff Christmas Party

We had our annual staff Christmas party today at the Country Club of Louisiana. It was a great time of food, hanging out, laughing, and reflecting. It's so much fun seeing everyone all in one place!

The Year in Review video was once again HI-larious! Lance and his team did such a great job. I was crying I was laughing so hard. Six fellow staff members got up and spoke about their most memorable moments from the year. They had us both laughing and crying. It really has been a great year. I feel so incredibly blessed and honored to get to do life with these people. I have made the best friends I could ever ask for, met the man of my dreams, and I get to do what I love every single day. Life is grand, ain't it?

What this season is all about

I just wanted to let you all know of an opportunity to help the less fortunate this year. I know many of you give through projects at your churches or through other organizations… but there is a family that is very close to our heart that needs help. Through inner city ministry years ago, Sarah Haviland and I met this lady (Ms. Maude) who has over 20 grandchildren. They live in a very poor area of Baton Rouge and the children sleep 2-4 per bed. Their living conditions look like something out of a third world country.

We thought about just going through the HPC Christmas gift delivery, but because of the large number of kids and the low number of donations, we have decided to adopt them ourselves and make their Christmas as special as possible. We are going to do all the leg-work (gift buying, gift wrapping, gift delivering, etc.)… All we need are some donors that would be willing to give financially so that we can make this happen for these great kids. If you feel in your heart that this is something you would like to be a part of, please leave a comment, send an email or call me as soon as possible so we can work something out.

Here are some pictures from last year...

A phone call...

So, I have decided to terminate my advertising everyday what I am grateful for due to the fact that people who check our blog daily has dropped to half of what it used to be. Obviously, my blog watchers don't enjoy it, so I'll change it up a bit. However, I still intend on thinking constantly about what I am thankful for.

While I was watching the front desk for Stacey today at lunch, the sweetest lady called. Her name is Ms. Pauline and she can barely see. She was looking for John 9 in her bible and couldn't find it and was getting kind of upset. I figured out that she was looking in 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, so I talked her through it and got her back to the Gospel of John. Turns out, John 9 is the story about Jesus healing the blind man. She was so desperate to find that story about healing to help her keep the faith. She begged me to pray for her eyes to be healed, and she told me about her financial problems because she can't get a job with her vision, and she can't get a car until she gets a job. It just made me think about everything I have... which I know I have been blogging on for a couple weeks... Anyway, she totally made my day. She thanked me a hundred times. I just wanted to reach through the phone and give her a big hug. If you think about it today, please pray for her. She still believes in the power of God, and so do I.

Day 15 of gratitude

I love the holidays! I love the cool air and the Christmas parties and everything that comes with it! This week we have our staff party as well as the Chick Day. It's going to be super fun.

Also, as you have noticed by now, I switched up the blog template. I got bored of the other one and this one seemed more my style. Thank goodness for Dan Ohlerking who came to my blogging rescue. This template was missing some things I need and his geniusness added them for me.

Something else really cool happened today... I heard from a friend I haven't talked to in years, and we got to chat for a long time. She is having a hard time because her family just found out her dad has panchriatic cancer. He is going to M.D. Anderson this weekend for some tests... if it hasn't spread, they can go in for surgery and hopefully get it out. So, we're praying for that or just miraculous healing. If it spreads, this cancer is very deadly, so please keep Katie and her family in your prayers.

And here's a few more things I am grateful for...

A happy, healthy family.

Lots of free meals this week.

A job where people come before paperwork.

Holiday parties!

My really hot and amazing husband.

Cute shoes ( I mean maybe it's superficial, but at least I am grateful :)

All the great things organizations like Children's Cup do for the poor and the hurting.

Look at my other baby....

This is Wally... my cat. My original baby... who is treated like my child. He even has a stocking on our mantle and gets lots of Christmas presents. Luckily, he and Chris have grown to really love each other, too. (Good thing since he is the third body in our bed and takes up a LOT of space.)I felt the need to share something else I am SO grateful for!!!

Slumber Party!!

Today, I am grateful for all the Elevate girls who came over Friday night! We had so much fun!!! I loved having fun girl time to watch girlie movies, talk girlie talk, and eat lots of junk!Here are some fun pics...

(These are Kat's cool cat PJ's... oh yes, they're hot...GRRR!)


Oh, and props to my man for giving up his house so we could all have a night of "holiday frosting and girl bonding." :)

Cool quote for the weekend

Since the liklihood of my posting over the weekend is slim, I wanted to leave you with a cool quote. It's a Joel Osteen quote, but Brooke reminded me of it yesterday...

"Stop talking to God about how big your mountains are... and start talking to your mountains about how big your God is."

I LOVE IT!

It's gonna be a great month!

The month of December is my favorite month of the year... people are nicer, the weather is great, people actually talk about Jesus, we get to give and receive presents, and we get to have parties!! Tonight I am having a little Christmas slumber party for the girls in Elevate full-time.

I really felt that God wanted me to connect with these girls on another level, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to do it. They are all amazing women of Christ and challenge me all the time to grow and learn and be more on fire for Jesus. I can't wait for tonight!!

Tomorrow, Chris and I get to go have our pictures taken and our Christmas cards made! I am so excited that this is our first Christmas as a married couple! People have asked why we don't just get a wedding picture put on a card, but there are a couple reasons I decided against it. #1, this is a Christmas card, not a wedding card. #2, we wanted a card to commemorate our first holiday together to cherish for years to come. Anyway, I am really excited :)

Also, we played this video at church a couple months back and Pastor Dino has it on his blog- http://216.70.117.172/me_english.htm. Check it out- it might rock your world.

And here are some more things I am grateful for- day 11 of my new great habit!!!

I am thankful for the extra money God gave us so that I could put together this little party for some amazing girls and get some beautiful Christmas cards made.

I am thankful for cable TV so I can watch The Practice every morning and Without a Trace every night.

I am thankful for Children's Cup and the events they put on and the love they give those special kids in Africa who all have my heart.

I am thankful for friends who offer to cook for us.

I am thankful for a job I love to come to every day.

I am thankful for a husband who trusts God first, and me second with our finances.

I am thankful for all the recent campaigns to fight the tragedies in Africa.

Until next time....