New Discovery!

While my Aunt was here over the Thanksgiving holidays, she made mention that she'd had a blueberry doughnut earlier in the week. Being someone that loves blueberry muffins, I told her how good that sounded and she said that I absolutely MUST try one. So, Kimberly brought me one the next day before we all set out for Black Friday shopping.....

OH. MY. GOODNESS. Blueberry doughnut, where have you been all my life?! I LOVED it!

And of course, I HAD to stop and get one on the way to work this morning!

Dear Blog

I haven't forgotten to blog, I haven't run out of things to blog about, it just seems that when I have time to sit down for an uninterrupted length of time to WRITE a blog, (usually at night) I just don't feel like going into the details of everything.

There has been a topic on my mind lately, but when I think about writing it all down, I just get tired. LOL!

All that to say, Thanks for sticking with me and this blog. I'm still here and shall return....Very soon! :)

Please Pray For April

I received an e-mail from one of my close friends Julie late this week about April, a precious four year old friend of hers that she says is as close to her niece as possible without being blood related. April diagnosed with Leukemia earlier this week.

April has been complaining of leg pain and when her parents took her to the doctor, blood was drawn and that's when the Leukemia was discovered. She had surgery Thursday to insert a port for "chemo stuff" and had a spinal tap done as well. She began chemo the next day.

If there is any good news to come from this diagnosis, it's the fact that doctors have said April has the most common, most treatable type of Leukemia so everyone is very hopeful that she can and will be treated successfully.

Early reports indicate no cancer was found in the spinal cord from the spinal tap, which is a HUGE praise and so far, April is tolerating chemo well.

Please join me in praying for April as she travels this journey. Pray that her chemo treatments continue to go well and that her side effects and pain will be minimal. Pray for her parents as they care for her and for peace as they watch their daughter have to endure this, and pray for April's eight year old brother, Aaron and that he feels loved and cared for during this time as well.

Also, please pray for Julie as well. I know how much she loves this family. Pray for her as she cares for them in the ways that she is able.

Thanks in advance for praying with me for this family! I will keep you posted!

He's Four!

Picture taken in 2008

I said I would NEVER fall in love with a boy at first sight! I was doing great with that goal until 2006, then Austin Russell arrived and my resolve was shattered in half a second. Yes, I fell head over heels in love....With my new nephew! And today, he's FOUR!

I was worried when I heard he was going to join our family, because I couldn't imagine loving another person as fully and completely as I loved Alexis. God designed our hearts to expand and when Austin did arrive, my heart did just that, and I knew I would have no problem loving him just as much as I did his big sister!

He teaches me so much about innocence, and total trust, and he's just so sure that I'm going to walk without my walker when I "get bigger." Oh, to have the rock solid, simple faith of a child! We have a bond that only the "babies" of the families can share, and when he pouts over the fact that Lexi gets to do something that he can't yet because "he's too little..." I get it. And I think he knows I get it.

He melts my heart every single day and I thank God that out of all the little boys in the world, I get to call Austin MY nephew!

Happy Birthday, Prince Charming! I love you SO much!

Seven Years Ago...

Picture taken at my college graduation party in 2007.

Seven years ago today, I became an Aunt for the first time! It was by far one of the best days of my life!

I remember studying with a friend when I got the phone call from my Mom telling (while crying) that it was time and she was on her way to pick me up! I threw all of my books in my backpack and raced back to my dorm as fast as my scooter could get me there (and on this day, it felt like it was moving at a snail's pace).

We then made the thirty minute drive to Conroe (which also seemed to take forever) and got to see and talk to a very calm Kimberly and Justin. After awhile, we got kicked out and that's when we waited, paced, prayed, and waited for several hours. FINALLY, at 10:09 p.m. Alexis Marie arrived...And grabbed my heart the instant I saw her! It's been an amazing time ever since!

I am SO blessed, thankful, and humbled, that God chose ME to be her Aunt! I knew He gave me a great responsibility and it really hit home when she told me not so long ago that she wanted to be just like me! It's a responsibility that I promise, I don't take lightly!

"Lord, I wanna be just like You, cause she wants to be just like me. I wanna be a holy example, for her innocent eyes to see. Help me be a living Bible, Lord, that my little girl can read. I wanna be just like You, cause she wants to be like me." ~I Want To Be Just Like You-Phillips, Craig, and Dean~

Happy Birthday, Ladybug! I love you so much!

Happy 3rd Birthday Kyle!

For those of you that don't know Kyle Sherrill's story, here it is in a nutshell: Kyle was born at 23 weeks (approx 4 months early) with a less than 1 percent chance of survival.

Today, Kyle Sherrill turns three years old and is perfectly healthy!!!

I've talked about him A LOT on this blog and I've said before that I have never prayed for ANYTHING or ANYONE as consistently as I prayed for Kyle during the first weeks and months of his life. He's INCREDIBLY special to me and is without question, a miracle!

Happy third birthday, sweet Kyle! Love and hugs to you!

A Moment With Michael W. Smith

This story REALLY started when I was 11 and Michael’s song “Secret Ambition” lead me to ask Jesus Christ into my life as my Lord and Savior. Since that time, I’ve prayed for a chance to meet him. I came VERY close years ago at a KSBJ Full Power concert MWS gave, when he was shaking hands with fans afterward, I was ONE PERSON away from shaking his hand when he was whisked away in his limo. I’ve been to countless concerts and while each and every concert was amazing, I always left them a bit down because I wanted SO BADLY to meet him. While I still prayed (though not as consistently) for the chance to meet him, I slowly resigned myself to the fact that it may not be God’s will for us to meet this side of Heaven.

Move ahead YEARS later to last Friday morning. I had just gotten to my Friday volunteer job at the church. As usual, I turned on the computer and went to the ksbj homepage to turn on their live streaming radio while I worked. Shortly after I did, I noticed the dates for Michael’s Christmas tour were up so, I started an e-mail to my MWS buddies (the family I go to all the MWS concerts with) and gave them the info. As I was finishing, I heard Susan O’Donnell say that Michael was coming to town on Monday October 18th. I didn’t know anything else about it but just mentioned it in the e-mail not thinking much of it since it was such short notice, and I didn’t have any other details. All I was really expecting was a yay or nay on the December concert. I sent it off and didn’t give it much thought.

Sunday after church I checked my e-mail and saw that Warren (my friend) had responded. He said that they couldn’t make the December concert but that Mary (Warren’s wife) had called Lifeway and gotten details on Michael’s visit. He would be meeting fans and signing his new CD there in Humble from 4:30 until 6 O’clock. They told Mary he had a flight to catch and absolutely HAD to be gone by 6. Mary was also told that a huge crowd was expected. Warren told me that it may or may not work, but that if I wanted to make an attempt to meet Michael, they were ready and willing!

I’d had plans scheduled for weeks and wasn’t sure if I should just cancel them or not, once I told my Mom what was going on she emphatically encouraged me to “Go! Meet Michael….Everything else will be here later!” I quickly sent an e-mail saying I was on board!

I was giddy, but every time I got too excited or too nervous as to whether or not I would actually meet him, I found myself praying, “Lord, I want this…But Your Will is what I want more so I give it to You…” It was a strange kind of tug of war all day Sunday wanting this so badly, but then saying “Help me be okay, if it doesn’t happen Lord.” I knew with the crowd expected, and the time constraints, it sounded as if a miracle was going to have to happen for Michael and I to actually meet each other! So, I asked people to pray for one!

Warren picked me up this afternoon and we headed to the high school (where he and his wife teach, and his two sons go to school) to pick up Mary, Matt, and John. Mary and Warren had gotten someone to cover the last ten minutes of their classes, and Matt and John had gotten permission to leave ten minutes early so we could beat the high school traffic and begin the hour and 15 minute trip down to Humble. By 3:2O we were on the road!

For the most part, I was quite calm on the way down there. I really think I was in a state of shock and didn’t really think we would be able to meet him. I got antsy when we got to the Woodlands and began looking at my watch every five minutes praying constantly, “Put this van on wings of Angels, Lord and help us get there! Whatever happens, Your Will be done!” At one point, I looked at my watch and this Voice inside my head said, “Stop looking at your watch! I’ve got you covered, I’ll get you there!” To which I mumbled, “Yes Lord…” And stared straight ahead at the road that seemed to stretch miles and miles with no Lifeway in sight!

Finally making it to Humble, we hit only ONE read light and then we could see LifeWay on the other side of the interstate! It was 4:25. I was calm, believe it or not…Until I heard the voice of my friend (and afternoon KSBJ dj ) Liz Jordan come on and say, “Just moments from now, Michael W. Smith will be starting a Meet and Greet with fans at the Lifeway book store and Humble! This is your chance to get up close and personal with Michael and say hello!” It was then that I was like, “Okay Lord, we’re SO close I can SEE it…I REALLY REALLY want this to happen now so please let it be Your Will!”

We pulled up to the parking lot and I kept envisioning this long line wrapping around the building and us having to wait in the heat! Only to have them come out and say, Michael’s time is up! Sorry he couldn’t greet all of you….” What I ACTUALLY saw however was nothing like that. No line outside the store and a parking place close to the door. We all piled out and I started shaking with excitement and nerves. I got settled in my wheelchair and we went in expecting to see chaos…Again, all was calm. Michael was nowhere in sight and we were directed to the line. It was 4:35. Mary went and bought two of Michael’s CD’s for him to sign, one for me and one for their family. Matt went to find the men’s room and Warren, John and I held everybody’s spot in line. The staff there was SO friendly! The lady that showed us the line that was sectioned off by those ropes you see at theatres told me, “Michael’s going to come out in just a minute, if you want to turn your chair around, he’s going to walk right by you!” So I said okay and quickly turned getting out my cell phone. Matt had returned from the men’s room and said, “I just ran into Michael in the restroom!” All of us stared at him with our mouths open! Before we could say anything else, the nice lady that had suggested I turn my chair around said, “Here he comes…” And there he was indeed…He was walking at a fast pace so between that and my shaking hands, my picture turned out to be a blur of bookshelves but he was indeed in the building!

We only had about 30 people ahead of us and had more than an hour before his time would be up…I was probably very poor company for my friends but I couldn’t stop thinking about how God had lead me to this moment and how He had provided for us all day long. This had been years in the making! When we rounded the final corner where Michael was set up it was then that it hit me…It’s GOING to happen….In just MOMENTS I was going to meet the man who God had put into my life so many years ago to speak to me through his God given talents and helped me make the most important (and best) decision of my entire life! I took a deep breath and willed myself not to cry. We finally got up to the blue line that signified we were next (Michael was still talking to the people in front of us) and another staff member asked me if I was going to want my picture taken, I said yes and took my phone out of my purse. He handed it to another staff member who promised she would take a good one of us and I asked if I could also get my CD signed as well and was told to just hand it to Michael when I was ready. Then it was my turn.

Michael looked at me as Warren wheeled me over to him and said, “Hi there!” I said “Hi Michael! How are you?” He replied that he was great and stood up to come over and shake my hand. He asked my name and I told him and he said, “Natalie, great to meet you!” And I said how great it was to meet HIM! At this point they let Mary, Warren, Matt, and John come up and Mary told Michael I was his biggest fan! He looked at me for confirmation and I said, “It’s true! I’ve been to countless concerts, I follow you on Facebook and twitter….” To which he looked at me and said, “Ya know, I never thought I’d be one that would twitter. I got talked into it.” I told him I loved his updates and he said he hadn’t tweeted in a few days. I said, “You really should!” Then he said, “Well, I tell ya what why don’t you and I do a tweet right now?” I was like, “Okay!” He called one of his staffers to come over with what I assumed was his phone and said, “Could you take a picture of Natalie and me for my twitter page?” They gladly agreed and he knelt down as they snapped our picture! He said, “I’ll put that up when I leave here so look for it tonight, okay?” I said I would and the girl with my phone asked if he would take one more with me. He said sure and we snapped another one together! I had just gotten TWO pictures taken with Michael W. Smith! I was getting ready to wrap it up (I didn’t want anyone to have to TELL me to wrap it up) when Michael said, did you want me to sign your CD?” I’d forgotten all about it! I said “Oh yes, please!” And as he did so he asked if I had heard the album yet, when I said, “Of course!” He said, “You’re my biggest fan, I guess you have!” LOL! I thanked him for everything and as I was walking off (or rolling off, rather) he squeezed my shoulder and said “Don’t forget to look for our tweet later!” I promised I would and waited while John and Matt met him and got a quick picture with John’s phone. As Michael was shaking Matt’s hand he said, “We meet again!” referring to their earlier run-in in the men’s room! Everybody got a kick out of that one!

As I basically floated toward the door, I noticed a familiar face coming toward me. It was DK, Liz Jordan’s husband! I had no idea he was even there! He scored major brownie points with me because I’d only met him one other time which happened to be on his wedding day. I got to meet him just moments after he and Liz had said, “I do!” and I really doubted his mind was on anything but his amazing wife at that moment, but I must be memorable because he definitely remembered me! He told me he had gotten some video footage of my meeting with Michael! I already adored DK because I adore Liz and I love the way he adores Liz (did that make sense? LOL!) but to hear that he got VIDEO of me meeting Michael…Now, I REALLY adored him! LOL! I don’t know if I’ll ever get to see it, but it’s there for SOMEONE to see and that makes me happy!

The whole day was just surreal. It’s hard for me to really express just HOW much meeting Michael meant to me. It’s a moment I never thought would happen and now, it’s a moment I’ll never ever forget. Looking I’m AMAZED at how calm I was, and how natural it felt talking to him. He’s SO down to earth and genuine that you can’t help but feel at ease. It was incredible and something that I know had to be from God because I so desperately wanted to be IN the moment and not let it be one of those times where my nerves took over to a point where I barely remembered the whole experience. It was truly a God filled moment because I remember it so clearly!

Once we were in the car, John pulled out their CD to see what was written on it. It had been signed, “For you! –Michael W. Smith” I didn’t give mine much thought assuming he signed them all the same for the sake of simplicity. When I opened mine however, it said, “Natalie, Your Friend, Michael W. Smith” He actually PERSONALIZED it?! With MY NAME?! Mini freak out moment right there in the car in the Lifeway parking lot! Another more major freak out occurred on the road home when I checked twitter to find that just two minutes prior to me logging on, Michael had indeed posted our picture on his twitter page! With the caption, “Me and Natalie at Lifeway in Houston today.” I squealed and everybody in the car cracked up! That pic is now my Facebook profile picture!

It was an amazing day! A day that’s been in the works since that very night Michael became such an incredible part of my testimony. A day that I saw God’s Hand print more than once and a day that was filled totally with His presence. It happened because God moved mountains and gave me a miracle and in that miracle gave me a moment with Michael W. Smith that I’ll remember for the rest of my life!

Yes, dreams DO come true. Yes, mountains DO move. And yes, miracles DO happen….Just believe.