Thanksgiving recap/Prayer request

Thanksgiving 2011 was such a hard time for the Dillon community. I received some dreadful news on Wednesday morning that Jake David, my 17 year old neighbor in Dillon, was involved in a fatal car accident. I was absolutely devastated and heartbroken for his parents. I will never forget the little boy next door with the red curly hair. The hundreds of people that attended his visitation and funeral are proof that he and his family were and are so loved. I was reminded that we were gathered not to mourn but to celebrate Jake's eternal life. As it was said during the service, Jake had a personal relationship with the Lord. This is the reason he is in Heaven. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father except through me." Some may argue that parts of the Bible can be interpreted in different ways, but this particular verse is as clear as day. Life can be taken in an instant. If you do not know Jesus, please get to know Him before it is too late. This is not a subject to be taken lightly. I am not saying this for my own benefit at all but because I love and care about you and want your eternity to be secure.

Now, I am asking a favor. Not for myself but for Jake's dear parents, Stephanie and Jay. I want you to stop reading and pray for them. Lift them up and pray that they would have the strength of eagles (Isaiah 40:31). Please make yourself a note or reminder to pray for them as many times as they come to mind. My heart ached every day during Thanksgiving and still hurts so much. I believe that shared joy is double joy, but shared sorrow is half the sorrow. Pray that their load of sorrow will be lifted until the day when they see Jake again. Through their grief they are the epitome of strength and grace.

Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."



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I thank God every day for many of his blessings, one of which is Ryan. We had two big meals for our first married Thanksgiving. The first was at the Johnson's house. Here is our lunch in pictures.














As usual, football is the top priority. Now if only people could go HUNTING in football gear, what a perfect world it would be- ha!









Next up, Thanksgiving dinner at the Carlson household:



It's not a formal dinner if you're not wearing a Minnie Mouse shirt. I'm not sure why I decided to change into PJs right before the meal, but that is completely unimportant in the scheme of things. I was SO thrilled to have Jay home; I hadn't seen him since August! Surely his past three months were a little more peaceful because of this.





On Friday night Mesha came to town. She, Jay, and I headed to the Dillon wildcat lower state football game. It was played in Jake's honor.





I have such fond memories of cheerleading during Dillon Wildcat football games. I remember having the whole squad come to my parents' house once a week to paint signs, going to the concession stand to get boiled peanuts, and throwing footballs during halftime (whatever happened to those?). I actually hit a woman in the head once with one of those footballs, looked innocently at the girl beside me and then RAN. Shall we go down memory lane...








Karen has always been supportive of her Dad, Coach Reeves. He is awesome!




Saturday was a King's lunch/decorate the house for Christmas/USC Clemson football kind of day.



Nothing says fun quite like an evening at the Lewis's house. Making monster cookies?? An added bonus! I love all these guys so much!!! Hanging out with them is an absolute B.L.A.S.T.



The focus at church on Sunday was "International Missions." I did not know this before arriving Sunday morning. The evening before Joy and I were taking a walk, and I told her how much it pains me to think about some people not knowing Jesus and how I wanted to help spread the message. She said, "Well, maybe mission work is what God is calling you to do." It is unbelievable how God works. His message to you may come right out of your best friend's mouth. Pray for me in this area.

As Christmas rapidly approaches I pray that mine and your heart will stay focused on Him. Please remember the Davids in your prayers today and always. Prayer is so powerful. Let's use it to strengthen our brothers and sisters in Christ.

It's Thanksgiving week!!!!

I. am. SOOOO. busy!!! Seriously. It never stops. I go 100 MPH at all times. What's been going on recently? Besides random crises like me forgetting my work laptop, leaving my debit card in Dillon for a week, losing keys, having someone get a hold of my bank account number and charge random things, etc. Oh, and there was this one fun time when a dear customer of mine was low on toner and needed to print a job that evening. I, out of the goodness of my heart, decided to travel across town at 5:00 (sacrificing my own time and gas to do so). On the way home from that little outing I got a nail in my tire and ruined it. A $230 favor for my customer!!!

A couple of weeks ago Joy came to stay with us for a couple of days for a conference that she had. I don't think we took any pictures, but we did have a fun time watching the CMAs and eating at (where else?) Hudson's BBQ. It is absolutely. DELICIOUS. One of my favorite places ever!!! Joy, please schedule as many more conferences as you please. I love it when you come stay!

My parents came to stay with us recently, also, and Ryan and I made a delicious meal one Saturday afternoon. My grandparents came along, too. It is always SO HILARIOUS when they visit. Ryan grilled pork chops and broccoli for us (his grilled broccoli is THE BEST- it's like Outback's or Longhorn's), I made my "famous" cut up seasoned potatoes and then heated up some other vegetables (out of the can still counts as homemade, right?), and cooked some rolls. We had a wonderful time.



We used our china! See, Ryan, I told you that it would get used. Soon I'll be taking out the Christmas pattern!




What's a good meal without a good dessert?? Ghirardelli brownies and double chocolate milkshake ice cream!




Then during the plethora of football games that afternoon one of our toilets got stopped up, so my sweet mother took me to Home Depot to get a "snake." I thought those were just slithery reptiles, but apparently they can unclog toilets, too. It's quite a disgusting apparatus if you ask me, but I digress. We spent no less than a solid hour fighting with that snake and the toilet. At one point water went EVERYWHERE and I was nominated to clean it up. I'm sure you can picture that I was not a happy camper, but alas, it is my house (and Ryan's, too, of course), and therefore I have to be responsible...blah! As my mother was swirling her heart out while operating the snake, I thought it was just too funny not to document on camera. She immediately yelled, "If you put this on FACEBOOK, I will KILL YOU!!!" "Ok, Mom, you have my word. No Facebook." But I didn't say anything about my blog.... : )

For your enjoyment:


Nanny looks on in amusement.


My darling grandparents : )


May I present to you: my husband, Ryan Moody, the ultimate multi-tasker. Manning two football games simultaneously is quite the feat, but Ryan passes the test with flying colors.




It wasn't long before Papa and Daddy decided to partake in Ryan's afternoon agenda.



On to other things, I have also been buried deep in Christmas projects. Of all kinds. From music to crafts to decorations, etc.

On the way home from Florence this past Saturday night I got a call from Meagan and found out that her sister, Taylor, was competing in the Miss DHS pageant. I went last year and really enjoyed it, and Taylor is a senior, so I just HAD to go! Ok, so let me put this in perspective. I left 2nd Loop Road in Florence at 5:20 on a busy Saturday afternoon to make it to the pageant at the Dillon Theater by 6:00. My darling mother/pseudo personal assistant was kind enough to meet me in the PARKING LOT with a change of clothes so that I could make it to the pageant in time. Always rushing. Always under the gun. BUT- I literally made it JUST before it started. Taylor did a great job, and we were all so proud of her. I'll never forget carrying her around when she was just a baby. I loved that little girl so much and still do! When the pageant got over we were all starving, so we (all 16 of us) walked in King's at about 8:30. We had a blast. I love Meagan and her extended family so much!!! They are so welcoming to everyone, and I am definitely one of the gang : )

Sweet Anna!



Jordan guzzling Sprite!


Little Dawson calling it a night...in a booth, at that!


I can't WAIT to spend Thanksgiving with my family and have a few MUCH needed days off of work! It has been absolutely crazy lately, but I am so thankful that things are going very well. Jay had a little conundrum with his plane ticket, but he will still be in Dillon with us for the festivities : ) There are so many friends that will be in town that I can hardly WAIT to see and hang out with. It's going to be a blast.

Most importantly, what am I thankful for? First and foremost, my Salvation for which Jesus paid my price, and yours, too. Next, I am so thankful for my family and friends and for what they mean to me. I am so thankful for Ryan. As I've heard people say once you get married, you love the other person more each day. It's true. He may not like it if I leave shoes and other unnecessary items around the house (including but not limited to: cups, plates, boxes of candy, pillows, hair products, Wii games, etc.) but we have always been able to laugh at each other despite our sometimes opposing views. I am INCREDIBLY thankful for my childhood. I reflect on it constantly and am so grateful for the way in which I was raised. I am thankful for my little brother who has forever imprinted my heart since I first held him in 1987...and he screamed. To this day, he still screams when he sees me... I am thankful that my Dad has made it through a rough time with his health since April and is doing much better. He had a pinched nerve in April and literally woke up one day and couldn't lift one of his arms. After rehabilitation (that was delayed after we found out he had to have triple bypass surgery) he can now lift his arm completely- something that we all would probably take for granted until we no longer had the capability. I went to Dillon one weekend and my Mom said, "Look what Daddy can do!" and he lifted both arms up. I texted Jay a picture, to which he responded, "Good to see! I expect clapping pushups by Thanksgiving." That's Jay, the ever sarcastic optimist. I am thankful for my Mom, who would literally do ANYthing for me. (And Daddy, too, for the record). I am thankful for my job. It is going very well despite the tough economy, and I am in a great place. I love the people I work with and the customers that I get to see each and every day. I do business with companies of all kinds- from churches to manufacturing plants to law firms, etc. Aside from being a fresh face for my company and focusing on doing my best every day, my ultimate job is being a light to everyone that I come in contact with. I fully believe that as Christians, we may be the only Bible that some people will ever read. I may not be able to "preach" to anyone during a sales meeting, but I am responsible for setting myself apart by being ethical and showing Jesus to everyone I see.

Within the past month I have heard of several unfortunate events that have happened to people I know. Those individuals have been bathed in prayer and while I will never understand why some people have to hurt, I do know that the Lord works for the good of his children. Each and every instance is a test of our faith, and while some tests may be much more difficult than others, the Lord promises never to leave us or forsake us. This is the LORD, the creator of the Universe. He promises to never leave or forsake us! What a promise.

I hope that you and your family have a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving filled with blessings!

With love,