Just A Few More...

These were taken on Sunday, Nov 23...the day Callie and Stephanie came home.

Mom & Mamawgran made the linens and covering for the bassinet. This bassinet was used with me and my siblings, my cousins Stacy & Ashley and now Callie.

BABY PICTURES!

Here she is...Callie Rivers Sullivan

BABY GIRL IS HERE!

CALLIE RIVERS SULLIVAN
was born on Nov 22 at 12:11a.m. at River Oaks Hospital. She weighed 7lbs and was 19.75". Mom and Baby Girl are doing great!

Mike Huckabee

Here lately it seems that I have had a lot of exposure to authors. As of late, I have been mesmerized by politics and have gained somewhat of an interest in them. Mike Huckabee has been on my radar since I first moved to Arkansas. He was the Governor for 10 years and people in this state LOVE him. So, it is no surprise that when he authored his latest book, he paid his respects to his neighbors and constituents. Tonight, I got to meet him, shake his hand and have several copies of his latest book signed. He is every bit as personable in person as he appears on TV. He looks much younger in person, also. There is kindness about him that just radiates. Here are a few pics....

Baby Girl

Baby Girl is on her way....Stephanie's contractions just started. Pray that it is not too long of a night ;)

The Elf Dance

For those of you who know my friend, Gina, you know that she is just always full of something....today, she was full of creativity. The link below is something she created on JibJab for me and our other friend, Melissa. (We used to do Triathlons together and have remained friends all these years).

I needed a good belly laugh today and Gina pulled through! Hope you enjoy....

The Elf Dance

I have been "blog tagged" by my friend, Haley, so I'm playing along! The rules are as follows:
1. Link to the person who tagged you. (Haley is already there!)
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random thoughts about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know he or she has been tagged.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

Here are my 6 random thoughts...
1. I cannot wait to learn to use my new "real" camera...anyone have advice?
2. I am very interested in politics....Sarah Palin inspires me. Maybe one day this Corporate American girl will be in office.
3. Life is too short to live with regrets. I need to try harder to do better.
4. I don't eat eggs. I have learned this weekend that some people think that is wierd?
5. I need to get an exercise routine underway...the cold weather makes it quite difficult for me to get motivated!
6. I never leave the house without the bed made, dishes put away or in the dishwasher or my cell phone in hand.

I tag anyone who wants to participate.

Cycles & Sandi

Cycles....seems that my life is made up of cycles. Right now it seems that my life is in the cycle of dealing with change. Change is the one constant in life, but isn't it nice when things stay the same for a little while? Just when I get used to something, it changes. Just when I make a really good friend, he/she moves. Just when I think that I am on the right track, I'm not. Just when I think everything is "as it should be", I realize that I am living in a dream. In the midst of all this impending change right now, my soul thirsts for something calm, comforting and familiar. The unknown is sometimes more daunting than it should be...especially when you're a Christian and have faith that everything is okay. It's hard to keep focus of that. As I see people around me moving into different stages of their lives and how mine may or may not compare (yes, I know we are not supposed to compare ourselves with others...). But, it's almost impossible not to take a hard, honest look at yourself when everyone and everything around you seems to be changing. For me, It has been in the last couple of weeks that I have thirsted for the ever-comforting familiar. Music always gets me back there...don't know why, but it does. It goes directly to my soul and strikes a chord like no other. Whether is an old country song or a hymn, music is the channel of the familiar.

All of my life it seems that I have been drawn to the music of GOOD Christian artists. In particular, Sandi Patty. For whatever reason I ran across the Sandi Patty website the other day. Did you know that she has released a new album AND a new book? I enjoyed her book, Broken in the Back Row, but I haven't enjoyed her last few projects all that much. After listening to the sample player, I realized that the "old Sandi" has returned in this latest project. PayPal had a hard time keeping up with how quickly I ordered the new release! UPS delivered my order last night and when I loaded the CD player this morning, you should have seen me wailing in the car...the drivers of the passing cars must've thought I was crazy. It is really good stuff!! It's Beethoven meets John Williams good. It's been a while since Sandi put out such a great record. Click here for a sample of Songs for the Journey. I hope that you enjoy it half as much as I did.

In the end, all that matters in life is that we followed Jesus to the best of our ability. May each of us have faith and never lose the connections in our souls of the familiar in this ultimate life-changing journey.

Tozer Quote

I ran across this today and it just slapped me silly across the face. The more I sit and actually think about this, the deeper the analysis. I haven't been pleased with what I have found, either. May you have better insight...

Whatever comes into your heart and mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.' -- A.W. Tozer

Christmas Music

Christmas music and Halloween weekend typically do not go hand-in-hand, but last week when I was in Wal-Mart I passed the Christmas music display. I love good Christmas music. It's my favorite season of the year and I wish it lasted more than just 3.5 weeks. As I was standing in front of the display, I picked up FOUR Christmas albums that I knew were to be "winners". I purchased them (rather impulsively, I might add) and immediately loaded the CD changer in my car...in the parking lot! Did I mention that the date was Oct 29...right before Halloween?? Crazy, I know. On Oct 30, I was driving down to Mississippi (9.5 hour road trip) and the thought of listening to my FOUR new Christmas albums just got me all excited about the time on the road. Now, I've trekked this trip many times over the last 2.5 yrs that I've lived in Arkansas and have gotten pretty creative on how to keep myself entertained. But on this trip, I listened to my FOUR albums the entire time, specifically the Casting Crowns Christmas Album, Peace on Earth. If you do not have it, BUY IT! It's the best $13 you'll spend this year on Christmas music. Here are the links to my Four albums:

Casting Crowns Christmas - Peace on Earth (favorite)
Faith Hill - Joy To The World
Brian Setzer - Christmas Rocks
Amy Grant - Christmas Collection

One thing I realized after the 20 hours of road-time Christmas Music Fest: this music lifts my spririts and brings an immediate peace over me. Maybe it's my hectic, stressful, fast-paced lifestyle that desires something calm, or maybe it's that I truly understand why this music exists. Either way, "It's the most wonderful time of the year" and I hope that you are getting into the spirit, too.

Merry early Christmas!

The Morning After

For many people, last night was devastating. (God knows that Facebook was a livewire of emotion!) For many others, it was a time for celebration and the anticipation of "change." I am not one that enjoys debating politics, but I do find myself playing devils advocate in many conversations. Both presidential candidates understood that "change" was needed in Washington. Both brought their best action plans forward to obtain it. Only 1 walked away the winner. As with any race, there is a winner and a loser. How we embrace our wins and losses determines our attitude and is ultimately a reflection of our character. With that said, I wish I could tell you that our Christian communities and friends have responded to this Republican defeat with grace and dignity. Surprisingly, it's quite the opposite. With responses like this across the country, we should stop and pray for ourselves. If you voted, then you did your part. If you did not vote, then what right do you have to complain about who was elected?

Below is an article I found on msnbc.com this afternoon. I found it "spot-on" with today's high emotions. Starting right now, may we embrace the change that is coming to us and learn from our mistakes so that we will not make them again.

The good news is that God has been/IS/will continue to be bigger than anyone or anything. Have faith that His will was done last night...even though we may not understand it right now.

May each of us begin to recover and move forward as united Americans.

Weathering the post election storm

VOTE '08

Here is the voting line that I stood in for well over an hour before making it to the front door. This picture was taken at 7:15a.m. this morning (doors opened at 7:30). Totally worth the wait. We each should take pride (and patience) in exercising our civic duty.

Around About the Meadville Way

Those of you who know me well, know that when I go home to Mississippi, it is a whirlwind and every single minute is jammed packed...lots of early mornings and late nights. And for the last 2 years, every trip home has been for an "event" and not "just because." This trip was no exception! The purpose of this trip was for a Grandparents Shower for my Mom and Dad. Baby Girl Sullivan will be born the week of Thanksgiving (parents: Chris & Stephanie). My sister and I decided to give a Grandparents Shower for Mom and Dad, but because it was such a "different" event, we kept it to just a few close friends and family. However, after the fact, we should have invited so many more people because it was SO MUCH FUN!!! More on that later...

Bonus' of the weekend included: quality time with my cousin Jasmine running errands in Jackson, a very "beneficial" trip to Gail Pittman, lunch with my Mamaw Sullivan to celebrate her birthday, a trip to MUMC Annual Bazaar that included West Side Burgers by the infamous Mark West, and the triple added bonus was seeing Ms. Anna after many years of her living on the East Coast!! (Check out this site for more on the MUMC Bazaar as you will want to make plans to attend next year!) I also got to spend quality time with Ben and Cindy in which I was gifted with a Homochitto Wompas Cats Cycling Cap that was monogrammed with my name on it!!! Serious motivation for getting in shape for the MS Ride next year (150 miles...)

Here are a few pics from the weekend:

I am "powering up" for the shopping adventure in Gail Pittman

(and ultimately a VERY full day ahead)

Ms. Anna just arriving to MUMC...isn't she beautiful???

Yes, I made this cake....

Mom and Dad trying to unscramble baby words at the Shower

Look at the concentration on Mom's face...

Aunt Edna, Uncle Earlie, Mamawgran & Grandaddy doing their best to name baby items for each letter of the alphabet

Sharyn, Cindy, Judy and Mamaw Sullivan reciting Nursery Rhymes

No telling what is transpiring among these 4:
Lisa, Sarah, Elliot, and Chris

The "Big Bottle Prize" Winners: Dale and David Cox
They won 2 out of the 4 word games
("Big Bottle" was a calf bottle filled with candy...yes, the one used in the Children's Sermon on Sunday at MUMC)

Family Group Pic:
Uncle Earlie, Dad, Grandaddy, Mom, Mamawgran, and Aunt Edna

Seriously....putting together a Pack-n-Play is NO easy task these days...
It took Joddie and I over an hour to assemble this piece of work!!! This is one mack-daddy of a Pack-n-Play, though. It will sing, rock, vibrate, give off a light show, and entertain baby in one place.
My cycling cap...wasn't it nice of Ben to have my name put on it??? Guess I am committed to the MS Ride next October....aye, aye, aye!