Blake's Birthday, Valentine's Day Party, and Thank Goodness I Don't Have It All Together

Most of the material for this post comes from my camera... and then if you stick with me to the end, a little of what the Lord is teaching me these days.

I went home last weekend for the baby boy's birthday! Precious Blakester turned 18!!!!!! I still can't believe it. My parents threw him a fabulous little party, complete with themed tables. Blake is practically an only child these days and is able to reap all benefits pertaining there too. It is so ridiculous! Anyways... back to the subject at hand... My mom collected items that represented his past 17 birthdays. For example, fire engine stickers from his 2nd birthday at the fire station, Thomas the Tank Engines, blue bubble gum cigars they brought Trey and I when he was born, etc. You get the picture! So thoughtful, and something an 18 year-old boy really could have cared less about, but the girls enjoyed it and Blake was thankful for Mom's thoughtfulness. We hosted a slew of seniors, for the most delicious ribs, birthday cake and present opening. I am so glad I was able to go home!

On Saturday, I hosted a little Valentine's Party for the beau-less (single and geographically single.) Fondue, wine and You've Got Mail made for a wonderful evening. It was a great time of fellowship and spending time with some of my favorite people.



Recently, my walk with the Lord has been very one sided. It has been all about me. I have struggled in prayer, struggled in my time in the word, and struggled to grasp the gospel. After a very fitful night of sleep, it was made very clear to me "Alley you don't have it all together!" Finally... peace. I don't have to have it all together, I don't have to make sense of it all. He makes sense of it all. He will light my path, He already knows! My time in the word doesn't have to be all about me, He thought about me and cared about me long ago. He asks that I seek and serve. Seek His will and serve His people. Freedom from life through His grace. Daily submit, and He will guide. I have loved getting up in the morning knowing I am not in control, He is!

"Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." - Habakkuk 1:5

YouTube... HA HA HA

Ok, so Christian (my student worker) and I have been alone in the office today... bad news... we have done nothing but goof off. Today is my Friday, because I am taking tommorrow off. I will be a one-time Flowerbuds employee, delivering for the next two days. Maybe I will see you, if you live in B'ham, and your significant other buys you flowers. It is so much fun to see people's reactions. Ok... back to the post... so we have been hitting up You Tube and making our neigbors in Samford a little angry with our loud laughter.

I thought I would post our favorite... I really want to meet Gladys. She sounds like she is a riot. This will just make your day and if not, well then, too bad.





I also, am a huge fan pf the E*Trade Babies! My dad and I will rewind them on the T.V. several times and still think it is as funny, as the first time we watched it. The golfing baby is my favorite, but who doesn't like, "Girl can I hit you back!" AHHHHHH!!! So Funny!



Hope you are all having a blessed day! What a BEAUTIFUL day to play outside... or play on YouTube!

I am never bored at work...

Today is a monumental day... I am bored at work! I am trying to enjoy it because I know it is short lived, but now I know why the Lord has blessed me with fast paced jobs. I do not do well with idleness. So, join me as I ramble about the things that are running through my head. Beware... some of you might not want to continue reading.

First of all, some of my very closest friends welcomed their first child on January 10, 2009 at 6:18 p.m. He weighed 7 lbs. and 12 ounces and to quote his mother, "He is as cute as can be. He is 100% Hal!"

Upon my meeting John Harris, I immediately told him that I would be one of his favorite people. He doesn't really know that yet, due to his age of course, but I will be, I am almost positive. I agree with Jess he is so cute, more accurately, he is beautiful! Mom, Dad, and JH are finally home and I am looking forward to an extended visit and a photo session with JH. John Harris is a perfect example of the Lord's faithfulness!



The Inauguration... well, I have been hooked to the T.V. all weekend watching the coverage leading to today. I witnessed Jill Biden's mistake on Oprah. She makes me never want to be a politicians wife. In the middle of taping, she blurted out information she was not supposed too... her word vomit was followed by her husband shushing her and then hugging her realizing they were on national television and his wife had just seriously messed up. I felt for her. She is a teacher whose husband is now second to the President, I am almost positive this will not be her last word vomit. I was much more pleased that the Obama's children were dressed as children today instead of little adults, as they normally are dressed. Enough of that... it doesn't really matter. I told you to beware.

Well, I now have work to do... I'll be back with more thoughts.

PS... I love the drudgereport.com (fast, easy, and informative)

Hare Avenue

I have taken up residence in a new home! I absolutely love it! Here are a few pictures of my new place... Come visit!

Thinking Back and Looking Ahead

I have been harassed again by Lacey to update and have been feeling the pressure of an empty blog for sometime, so here I go. I apologize for my absence but a lot has kept me busy, also known as Christmas. A friendly blogger whose site I frequently visit talked of her efforts this time of year, "In a frantic last-ditch effort to tack a little Jesus on to the pagan parade of materialistic magic season." I think she hit the nail on the head. I told a friend, I looked up a few days after Christmas and realized I had basically run through the last month without stopping to really enjoy any of what was going on around me. 

 

This crazy season began with Black Tie White Christmas in Birmingham. It was great to spend time with friends and attend a party instead of host one, quite a change in my life. I love this group of friends and really enjoyed some one on one time with Lauren. It was quite a little throw down. I raced back to Auburn to start the Christmas madness. 

The Gogue's hosted six parties in eight days and in between we had an open house for two days, from there we sprinted right into graduation. My mom came down to Angel Tree shop with me and gave me a night of reprieve from work. It was truly the first time I shopped and two weeks before Christmas. I stuck around Auburn for a couple of days to attend a few more parties, as a guest, thank goodness!!! 

We celebrated Allie and Christopher's engagement and welcomed several of the Lupton crew into town for a night. I then started the journey home with a quick stop in Montgomery to witness the dedication of Kim and Jonathan's youngest. Anne Gait looked absolutely beautiful in her gown. It was such sweet time with friends and the last time I will probably see Hal and Jess before John Harris comes. 

I then finally made my arrival in Birmingham. The break was absolutely wonderful and much needed! I ate dinner and spent time with lots of different friends. I thoroughly enjoyed catching up on life and not through a phone. I love listening and seeing how the Lord is moving and working though my friends. I spent some time thanking the Lord for blessing me with such gracious friends and loving family. I stayed close to home for Christmas and enjoyed some good family time and continued to see friends before leaving on Tuesday for Park City, Utah! I love to ski and jumped on the opportunity to go with a great group of people for a little New Year's vacation. It was beautiful weather and even better company. I arrived home last night and am sorely depressed that my playing has now come to an end. Back to the real world. 

I will say that over the course of the past few weeks at home I have spent some time thinking about what I will leave behind in 2008 and what I will carry with me into 2009. 2008 held a roller coaster of emotions and many, many blessings but I have vowed to leave some of it where it belongs, in the past. The Lord offers new blessings with each morning and I feel the same way about a new year. Oh the places i'll go...

My Bible Study girls and I are walking through Philippians and Joshua. I can't wait to see what the Lord will teach us through the study of both of these texts. I will spend my first Spring in Auburn as an adult. I always LOVED spring as a student and I think it will bring a calm pace and easy life style; something a fall in Auburn does not offer. I am blessed to return to Auburn with both of my best friends. AM, Katherine, and I will have the rare opportunity of living in the same town as adults. I recognize this is unique and will most likely be the last time we will all live in one place. I can't even begin to imagine how great it will be to walk hand in hand together in the same town, no more phones! Several sweet friends will get married this summer and starting in January, my Montgomery parents will welcome their first child. These are the things I know but there are so many more unknowns; however, I know the Lord will not disappoint. He will continue to unveil the glorious path He has created for me. 

I have no New Year's revolutions... I never keep them anyway. I simply want to grow more intimately with my Lord and Savior. I want to live radically and love more deeply. 

"He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Happy New Years! Below is a Christmas pic Mom required one night before we bolted out the door our separate ways. Because it was never sent.... Here is to you and yours! 

Love, The Jackson's (Stony and Janet - Blake, Alley, and Trey)

Georgia Elizabeth

A little update about Georgia Elizabeth from her Mom's blog...

The Lord continues to amaze us as Georgia Elizabeth's numbers continue to improve! Her white blood count is now almost to the normal range, her kidney function is great, and she gets to have her catheter removed today. We also get moved out of the Special Care Unit to a regular room! Please continue to pray for GE's low grade fever, her abdominal discomfort and that she would continue to sleep as well as she has the last two days. Both our surgeons said this morning to stay the course- keep on keeping on. Two to three weeks of antibiotics is such a better alternative to major surgery.

GE's highlight from yesterday was the bath time with Miss Ella. She is such a sweet person and her voice is so soothing for these babies (Greg nearly fell asleep too!). She is so gentle in carefully washing each little finger without creating any additional discomfort. We know how GE is all into her beauty routine, so Miss Ella let her rub lotion all over and put 'lipstick' on.

Faith without Fear

I have been absent from my posting, much to Lacey's dismay, and am hopefully back now that football season is almost over. Courtney and I discussed this morning how we have been lacking in our blogging, but as I came back to it tonight it made me very sad to see a "1" by the month of October. I began to think about the past month and all that it held and realized I had much to blog about but no time to do it.

Here is a brief re-cap of the last month:

Work, work, and more work... okay that is just par for the course these days, but other than work... I stayed with Emily and the Guthries her last weekend in Nashville before moving to ATL. It was precious time with she and her family, I love Franklin and the Guthries. We went to a piano bar Friday night that I will gladly go back to again and then on Saturday we went to a most depressing game that need not be discussed. Post Nashville I had my mouth surgery, which BTW (by the way), they don't tell you has a FOREVER long recovery. Still no biting for another three weeks, but then hopefully all will be well. The lisp will also hopefully fully disappear then. If you haven't had the pleasure of hearing my lovely speech, then catch me late at night, sure to bring a good laugh. Immediately following surgery, Katherine and I scooted up to NYC to visit the host of friends we have there, and to help George and Brit wish the the city farewell. We half-surprised B and were able to spend their last weekend in New York with them. We were also able to see Kate and Vaughan and spend some much needed time catching up on life. It was a great end to a crummy week! From there, I spent my first weekend in Auburn with nothing to do; I thought it was time to step up to the plate and act like a grown adult/citizen of Auburn. I spent most of the day at work on Friday wondering what in the heck I was going to do. Good news... Max was plundering the same thing, so, we spent a great evening at 8th and Rail. Followed by a completely down day around the house on Saturday, and a bonfire with the Corner House girls after their return from Dothan. I am able to say with much confidence it was one of the highlights of my time back in AU thus far. I wrapped up the month with another road trip to Oxford. It was great to see Bubba, Stephen and Kathleen and catch up with friends. I dipped out of the game early to eat and shop. Lauren, KC, Cathryn and I spent a little girl time cruising around Oxford. Note: If you want a fountain drink in that town you have to stop at multiple gas stations. Ridiculous. Matthew and I rode down with a future Auburn/ MLB player. Slade this shout out is for you in the hopes you are famous. Loved Oxford and yet again another disappointing game that need not be discussed. In conclusion, if you had asked any one of my friends my thoughts on the month of October, they would have told you it was a sore subject of mine. I was not looking forward to it, for a number of reasons, but as always the Lord came through and I was immensely blessed with time seeing friends and my travels. I do love the fall!

As for my post this evening, I have been desperately trying to grasp the concept of faith. One of the 8 definitions of faith on dictionary.com is: faith - the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.
The scriptures and promises I have clung to recently can be found in the book of Philippians, specifically the fourth chapter. It is here that I have been pondering the Lord's call to be faithful.

"4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Per the definition, we are faithful by trusting the Lord through His promises in scripture. In the fourth chapter of Philippians, Paul calls us to do that in a number of ways.

1. Rejoicing: Paul begins the passage asking us to Rejoice! I will be the first to tell you that when things don't go my way or I begin to doubt the Lord's plan for my life, it is in this time that I find much difficultly in rejoicing. The heart ache of this world gives me little reason to rejoice, but here we are called to do it ALWAYS. It is in these times, that I have come to realize He doesn't ask me to do it alone, He simply asks that I come to Him seeking the desire to rejoice, for through His power and grace I am able.

2. Gentleness: I am not a naturally gentle person. I have always wanted to be that person that everyone always says, upon hearing her name, "She is so sweet." Yup, that is not me, however, I know that this is something He is calling me to be, a more gentle and kind person. One of these days...

3. Do not be anxious about anything...: Bahahahahaha. I am a naturally anxious person. I am a worrier, and always have been. I don't like risks and would rather not get close to the side of a cliff to see the pretty terrain. However, this is the meat of being faithful, letting go. I do not understand how to have faith without fear. I want to freely and openly allow the Lord to work and move in my life, yet so many times I am gripped by the fear of the unknown.

4. BUT, in everything, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God.: It is in the BUT that we are told how to let go! Not just in what we choose to give up, but in everything we are to come before the Lord. For me, there is one more hard part, like rejoicing, we are to be thankful. I question the Lord on this point daily. "You want me to be thankful this precious baby is sick, you want me to be thankful that Doodah died, you want me to be thankful that I am single, you want me to be thankful... the list goes on and He says YES to them all, so I resort to mumbling my thanksgiving. One day I hope to understand this part enough to be shouting my thanksgiving.... until then it will be a whispered and sometimes heart wrenching thanks! I will come before Him. He reminds me, we all have to start some where.

5. Peace: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." The end result is His peace. His glorious peace. Why would I not want to experience all that He has to offer? Yet so often I reject Him in the face spouting my ways are better, but I know they are not. On the off chance I follow His commands, I am always met square in the face with more than I could have possibly dreamed or imagined.

One day I will hang on the side of the cliff, instead of cowering back. I am working at leaving the fear out of the faith. If you have read my rambling to the end, thank you for joining me.

Also, I have sweet friends whose child is in the Special Care Unit at Children's. Georgia Elizabeth's (2 years-old) appendix ruptured and she has a small bowel obstruction... she is septic and until the infection decreases, they can not remove her appendix.

Here are a few specific prayer requests from her mother's blog: 3 specific prayer requests so that she can go to the OR asap- 1. Her white blood count would decrease enough 2. her urine output would increase and 3. her hydration status would improve. Also pay for her pain relief. She is on morphine every 2 hours without much relief or ability to be still.