What a Wonderful World... :)

It has been a month and a half since I last sat down to write anything for you all. And in that time, God has done incredible things! :) He truly is an awesome God! And He knows me like no other! :)

I'm pretty sure I told you about the youth trip in the last update, but just in case I didn't - know I'm not going to take the time to go back and read to see if I did or not... :) - the church was incredible enough to provide for us to take the youth on a retreat - "Spring Renewal" - to Gatlinburg, Tennessee the first weekend in June. We had 16 youth and 6 chaperones - yes, our ratio was pretty good! :) Heath, Brandy, Aaron, Ryan, Mama and I were the ones blessed enough to get to attend the weekend.

Thursday night, before we left on Friday, Nanny was wonderful enough to give up the majority of her evening to me, and helped me in gathering all the groceries for the weekend. We closed Ingles down that night. :) We wound up with 3 carts FILLED with everything imaginable! And Papa, bless his heart, waited out in the van for her the entire time! (In our defense, we thought he had gone on home...but in the end, it was really good he stayed, because Nanny would have had to hang off the hood or something if I was going to take her home... My car was PACKED!!! :P )

We all (but Mama and 3 of the boys that had to work until 5ish) met at the church 12ish on Friday. We filled them with pizza, and then loaded up! Heath and Brandy took the first 13 youth on the van (they're the only ones of us old enough to drive the van...but my time is coming up quickly... :) ). Aaron, Ryan and I followed in Aaron's car - he was gracious enough to drive up the incredibly long mountain - I may be incorrect, but I'm fairly certain it took us almost 5 hours to make it from Habersham to Gatlinburg... It might be that I'm just used to riding with Mama... :) ...but I don't think it has EVER taken us that long to make the trek to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. But the ride was fun...and very entertaining, so it really didn't seem like very long at all! :)

We made it to the our beautiful cabin (that I am only realizing now that I didn't take any pictures of...sad day...) and began the unloading process. It's amazing how quickly things get done when you have that many people helping! :) The kids wanted to head straight down to the pool, of course, so Brandy and Heath offered to stay back and start grilling the burgers, while Aaron, Ryan and I accompanied the kids to the pool. I went fully clothed, with no intention of getting wet, and just sat on the edge with my feet in. (Of course, I got soaked... :P ) But as I was sitting there, watching the kids, Brandy came running up wielding her camera, and almost out of breath. Turns out, she and Heath had started the grills up (we had two going), and she went to go in the house to get the meat. When she went to go up on the porch, she saw a bear statue standing by the driveway, and thought to herself, "I don't remember seeing that when we got here..." About the time that sentence ran through her head, the "statue's" head moved, and she realized it was not a statue... :) She ran back to Heath, and they jumped inside the van and waited him out. He went and sniffed all around the grills, but thankfully the meat wasn't out there yet, and he went on his way. So she had jumped in Aaron's car and come down to the pool to tell us to be careful walking back! :) We never saw the bear anymore, but everyone stayed on alert the rest of our stay! :)

We eventually got dinner to the table, and all piled into the kitchen/dining room for a filling meal - to the belly, and the heart. I loved just standing back and watching the kids interact with one another. I love those guys! :) When we finished, everybody just kind of hung out. We had some playing cards, some listening to music, some watching a movie in the theater (yes, we had a 14 seat theater in the cabin! :) ), and some of us just sitting around Aaron and his guitar, singing praise and worship songs, and some older hymns. It was just an incredibly relaxing evening! :) And I enjoyed every moment of it!

Mama and the three other boys arrived 10ish, and we promptly started our evening service. We had a great time of worship, and sharing, then we headed into the kitchen for smore's (we made them over the stove top... :) works like a charm!) As we were standing around in the kitchen, I was talking to some of the girls, and asked if they'd ever played "Chubby Bunny." A few answered in the affirmative, and a few others had no idea what we were talking about, so I showed them... And got something started. :) Before we knew it, we had an all out competition going on! We played Friday and Saturday night, and we wound up with a girl champion (Brandy) that got 12 marshmallows in (they were the jumbo ones, by the way), and a guy champion (Harley) with 13! It was terribly disgusting, but extremely funny! :)

The next day was a pretty great day. We had given the kids a challenge Friday night to offer their life to God, to ask him to break us, and rebuild us into what he would have us be. We had tea cups/coffee mugs double bagged in ziploc baggies, and I asked them to think and pray about it overnight, and told them that we would break them the next morning, if they so chose to. However, we stressed to them that we did not want them to break it unless they were absolutely certain they were ready for God to do His will in their lives. Some came and got their mugs that night, others waited until the morning. But several of them took markers, and wrote things that God was hilighting for them, that He wanted to break away. I was so proud of them for taking it a step further! :) So, on Saturday morning, we gave them an opportunity to go out in the driveway, and smash their cups. And smash they did! :) After that, we broke up. The guys went outside, and the girls piled into the theater for a time of open communication. We wound up staying upstairs for over an hour, I do believe, and it was INCREDIBLE!!! God is definitely moving in these girls!

Saturday night, we gathered outside around the fire pit for service. We had put out a "question box" Saturday morning, and asked the kids to write down any questions they might have, put them in the box, and we would answer them that night. And we had all kinds! :) We had worship first, and it was wonderful. To hear all the voices lifting up, into the heavens, as we stood outside under the stars... What a moment! :) We had the Q&A time, and we wound up being out there for a few hours. But it was great! :) We ended our time together in a linked up (hooking arms instead of holding hands - hands sweat, but elbows don't! Well...not as bad as hands do, anyway! :D ) prayer. It was just an incredibly sweet time of family and fellowship.

After our Saturday evening game of Chubby Bunny, the kids all headed to their mutual corners, with Aaron and Ryan headed down for bed as well. Heath, Brandy, Mama and I stayed in the kitchen and talked for a while (turned into a couple of hours... :) ). However, in the middle of our conversation, Ryan came upstairs announcing that there was a "Stage Four Bear Alert." The boys were downstairs claiming that there was a bear throwing rocks at the cabin. And Ryan was on it to check it out. Long story short, the "bear" was the girls... Our cabin was three stories, girls on top, boys on the bottom (with Aaron and Ryan) and Heath, Brandy, Mama and I blocking off the middle. :) The girls were out on their balcony, breaking the little hotel bars of soap into very small pieces, and throwing them down to the boys deck! Aaron and Ryan were the ones that finally figured out what was going on, after doing a bit of undercover work - all this only lasted about 20 minutes, but it was hilarious while it was going on! :) For those of us on the middle floor, anyway... :) At one point Ryan was out walking around the perimeter of the cabin, by the woods, trying to track down the bear - or prove the lack of one... :) Once the girls were busted, things quieted down, and sleep came over the house. :)

Sunday morning, we prepared breakfast, packed up and headed into Pigeon Forge. We spent all afternoon just piddling around - some rode go karts, some played mini-golf, and a ton of them got airbrushed t-shirts.

This was (boy)Nikki's t-shirt. It is absolutely awesome! :)

Then we headed back into Gatlinburg, and ate at Hard Rock. Then headed back down the mountain. In the middle of a pretty rough storm. I was sooooo thankful that I wasn't driving! We made it back to the church around 9...I think... We unloaded, got the kids off on their way, and then headed on our way.

I went and picked Chalupa up from Marcia - who was amazing enough to keep him while we were gone! :) He loves his aunt Marcia! :) And his cousin Shado! :) He thoroughly enjoyed his spend the night party, but I was very glad to see him when I got back! :) I sure had missed the little guy! :) Then I headed home, and crawled into bed, to sleep until 10:30 the next morning...I was bushed! :) But it was all completely worth it! :)

God has been moving all in and around these kids... I just can't wait to see what happens when they finally totally give up, and let Him have their lives completely! :) It's gonna rock their world - and will have such an impact on the worlds in which they live! It's gonna ROCK!!! :D

So...I had to update you on the trip...but now I have to update you on one other key thing that's happened since the last time I wrote... :)

God has blessed me greatly, and using a weekend in the mountains, He has begun to bind my heart with the one He has always intended for me to be with. :)

In a mere 18 days, my world has turned upside down - in a wonderful way! :) I have spent so many years dreaming of what this time would be like...and my dreams pale in comparison to everything that is happening! God has so richly blessed me! Everything that I have always needed and desired in a counterpart, He has provided in him. I am the happiest I have ever been! My heart is smiling like crazy, ALL the time! :) And it tends to spill over onto my face! :)

It is so true that his timing is always perfect. Never early. Never late. Always right on time. If this had happened a few months ago, I would have turned tail and ran. I wanted and desired a love like this, but I was not ready for it. But in His infinite wisdom, mercy and grace, He brought everything about in His perfect timing. :) And I couldn't be happier! :)

So, who is he? He's Ryan. The chaperone from the trip to Tennessee. The bear hunter. My pastor's nephew. :) And apparently, my pastor has thought for some time (even while I was in Texas), that Ryan and I would hit it off if we ever had the chance to meet. And, boy, was he ever right about that! :) The only glitch...he lives 3 hours away in LaFayette. But we have been able to be together both weekends since we've gotten back from Tennessee (last weekend I accompanied his momma and his brother's girlfriend up to LaFayette to attend a wedding in which Ryan and John - the brother - were a part of the wedding party.) and this weekend, he came up to Habersham.

His family is incredible, and I already feel very much a part of them. They have welcomed me right in, and for that I am so thankful! :) Things are going full speed ahead, and everyone around us have been so incredibly supportive. He gets to meet my family this Friday! :) He's coming back up to attend Friday night family date night (AKA: "Batson Mania")! :)

God is definitely leading, and I'm more than happy to follow. For the first time in my life... :) It's amazing what happens when you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has sent you the man he has always intended you to be with.

I'll share this story, and then I'll wrap up this incredibly long update! :)

Back in July '09, God and I sat down and had a long talk about this whole future husband business. We made a list of the things that He had put in my future husband, things that I could look for and pray for. And then I requested not to date. :) I told Him that I had many other things I wanted to be doing, and did not care anything about spending my time dating lots of men to find the one for me. I asked Him to please let the next man that came into my life, be the one He had for me.

So, the Monday or Tuesday after our weekend in TN, when I came to the realization that there seemed to be something more than friendship here, I asked God for a sign. I asked him for a pink Gerber Daisy. I asked him to provide it through Ryan, if this was truly who He had intended for me. In my mind, I was thinking a bouquet of them, or something to that affect. So, I threw that out there, and waited. Went to LaFayette for the wedding, arrived at the wedding with Connie (Ryan's momma), and Leslie (John's girlfriend) a little early, while the wedding party was still taking pictures. And would you like to guess what flower was used as the boutonniere? Yep. Pink Gerber Daisies... :)

Anyway, at the current moment, I don't have any pictures of the two of us, but hope to take care of that Friday when he's here with me again. :) And then, I will share them with you all. :)

And, for those of you that already knew all of this information, and you're hearing it again for the 1,000th time...I'm sorry I've been gushing so much over the past 18 days... But you're support, encouragement, and willingness to listen means more to me than I could ever hope to express with the limited words I have. Thank you for loving me. :)

And to Ryan, my prince - thank you for being you. Thank you for being such a strong man of God. Thank you for listening first and foremost to Him, and for following his prompting and leading. Thank you for coming on the trip to TN, even though it didn't sound particularly appealing at the time. :) And thank you for the past 18 days. They have been among the best of my life...and as incredible as they have been, I know our journey is only just beginning. :) I love you. Forever.