Yesterday, my office had it's annual Christmas lunch at PFChangs. We all had a great lunch and a good time! One of the "activities" during lunch actually required some pre-work on all of our parts. The activity was to describe in a couple words or a sentence every person in the office. It was tough to find a few extra minutes to jot down a few thoughts about my co-workers as we are all so busy right now, but we all participated and found that it was worth the effort. I just had to share some of the descriptions of me...

1 - Willing to go the extra mile
2 - Delightful
3 - Southern Charm
4 - Southern Firecracker
5 - Dedicated
6 - Fun-loving, Very Smart, Kind-hearted
7 - Energetic
8 - Professional (seriously??)
9 - World Traveler, Good Southern Girl, Involved in Community
10 - Organized, Quietly funny (me? funny?...an oxymoron)
11 - Mississippi Mafia (this is one that made me laugh out loud several times!)
12 - Southern through and through
13 - Vertically challenged (no duh!)
14 - Focused and Energetic
15 - Giving

What this activity taught me was that when you work with people day in and day out, it's very easy to forget to encourage them and tell them what you like about them. I (along with a lot of others) work in an environment where it's more common to focus on what you don't do or didn't do correctly, than the positives. We all had a good time laughing together and enjoying the positive words. I encourage you to exercise an activity of telling others what you like about them!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Season!

Merry Christmas everyone! As I look back over the year, it's hard to believe all that has happened in the last 12 months! Our family has had a very active year and is one that we'll never forget. We've been blessed beyond what we deserve. This time last year, we were overjoyed with the birth of the first granddaughter, Callie. This year, we are so happy to have another baby to celebrate over, granddaughter #2, Emma. Having babies around really make the Christmas season more alive and fun. During Thanksgiving, Mom decided that she wanted to send picture Christmas cards with her Granddaughters on them (only...). So, we dressed them up and staged a set. We (the adults) had so much fun! Callie is such a funny little girl...she's always laughing and is such a ham! Her personality is in full swing. Emma is just 2 months old, but she is full of personality already! This girl knows what she likes and isn't afraid to let you know.

Here are a couple of shots of our Christmas photo shoot:

Callie loves playing and making other laugh with her. In this picture she is trying to dance on a bench outside. There was music playing and she just couldn't sit still!

Emma is a girl that knows what she likes! In this picture, she was telling us that she did NOT like the hat (even though we thought it completed her outfit and that she needed to wear it....in the end, she won)

Callie is already entertaining Emma. Emma isn't quite sure what to think of her cousin, but she's trying to keep up...

I had NOT A CLUE how difficult it was to get a good picture of 2 babies! At the end of the hour long photo shoot, there were 2 pictures that we were pleased with enough to feel like we were successful. So...here's little Sue and little Elliott:

Good picture #1:

Good picture #2:

This is an ornament on Sarah's tree. I just liked it and the way this picture turned out.

Every year my Grandaddy Joseph's side of the family goes to Lake Bruin for Thanksgiving. We (the entire Joseph family) has been doing this for 12 years! We all look forward to it every year. If we do not get to see each other throughout the year, we are guaranteed to catch up over Thanksgiving. The house is old and big. The women sleep on one side and the men on the other. Kids just fall where they may. On Thursday evening as the sun started to set, we were outside by the bonfire. I noticed how pretty the sun had made the horizon over the water and old boat houses. I happened to have my camera and snapped this picture. I love it...I've watched the sun set for years, but never had taken a picture of it...

Here is the Joseph family that was at the lake this year. We are always missing a few, but we've learned that you have to get the picture when MOST everyone is available! It's so fun to go back through the years and see the SAME picture year after year. Kids grow up, the "young'uns" are now the "old'uns" and some have even gone to meet Jesus. Family. What a journey!

Emma Claire, et al...

This past weekend I met my new niece, Emma Claire. She is so sweet and tiny! It's easy to forget how small newborns are, but it's hard not to fall head over heels in love with Miss Emma! Below are a few pictures (of the 200+) that I took this weekend.

Emma LOVES her swing. She would rather sleep in it than her own bed!

Talk about relaxed...

Emma's hands are always around her mouth! Wonder if she'll be a thumb sucker???

Attitude! She didn't appreciate the photo shoot as much as I did...

On October 27, my sweet Mamaw Sullivan will turn 86! Since I won't be in Meadville for her birthday, I made her an early Halloween/Birthday cake. Mamaw loves Halloween and she has always dressed in costume and made it as fun as possible for us growing up. Growing up, I remember her recording "scary" sounds with her own voice on a cassette player so that she could play it when we were walking up to her house! I don't think there has been a Halloween that has gone by that she has not worn her best witches hat and switched out all the lights...even at 86! So...in celebration of her birthday AND Halloween, I made her a witches hat cake. She absolutely LOVED the red velvet cake with black chocolate icing.

On my way out of town, I stopped in Jackson and met my brother and niece, Callie, for lunch. (Stephanie had to work and was missed!) Callie is 11 months old and is FULL of tricks and personality. When I first got there and held her, she immediately gave me a hug...it was THE BEST! She is such a sweet little girl...cannot wait until she can talk and we can hang out more! Below she is demonstrating her best rendition of "Patty Cake." Chris and I both were laughing histerically and she was loving every minute of it!

Callie will be interested in photography OR she's just really into "bling"...Or maybe she just wanted her favorite aunt :0) Either way, she REALLY wanted my camera.

EMMA CLAIRE STEBBINS

EMMA CLAIRE STEBBINS

born on October 6, 2009

8:10 p.m.

6lbs 15oz

19.75 inches

Time

Time...it has been a long while since my last blog post. I promise you that it is NOT due to lack of topics, but rather lack of t-i-m-e! These last couple of months has been one big blur...filled with travel, work, work, and work! I promise that the next post will be filled with really exciting and BIG news...stay tuned!

Couple things before I have to scurry off:
1 - God is good...all the time!
2 - You must read the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. It will change your life.
3 - Yes, the rumor is true: my house IS on the market, but I am NOT moving out of town. Just trying to be faithful to God and reach a few goals.
4 - It's official...I'm going back to Honduras in February. Mailed my check today. Please start praying for this trip. Lots of political unrest down there right now...

Stay tuned...more to come! (and it will be worth it...)

~SS

Junior League New Member Retreat

For many people, August is "back to school" time. For me, it's "Junior League New Member Retreat" time. This year, I am a New Member Trainer and I am so excited! I normally do not request an In-League placement, but this year I was ready to lead our new members and feed off of their excitement and energy. I need it. This past year marked my 7th year anniversary with the Junior League and I have/had hit somewhat of a 7-year itch. However, if rejuvination is what I was in need of, I certainly found more than my fair share of it with the GREEN group! These ladies are absolutely FAN-TAS-TIC! They are extremely community focused and highly motivated to help others in need...no reservations. Just these women alone can move mountains others never thought possible. I am anxious to see what is in store for them over the next few years...

The Queenly GREEN Group...L-R

Back: Amanda, Shelly, Acacia, Christin, Amanda, Beth, Leslie

Front: Shannon, Lesley, Megan, Steph, Amber

The crazy, fearless Trainers
Cara, Steph, Shay, Christin

One cool thing that each trainer gets to do is decorate their table with a theme in their color. The four of us worked to coordinate our colors so that we all could work together a common theme throughout the year. We quickly settled on the jewel tones. Each one of us is the color of a precious gem: emerald, ruby, sapphire, & amethyst. By the end of the year, the ladies will all become diamonds.

Being from Mississippi, I found a golden opportunity to become the "queen" of something, so I took it...my table was inspired by the Sweet Potato Queens. Each lady was given a white satin sash, shiny green star with their name on it, a HUGE diamond ring, green beads, green star sunglasses and a margarita glass...and, of course, their green Junior League t-shirt.

Here are a the other tables:

Cara's BLUE team - all decked out in the Hawaiian Luau complete with blue lei's and goblets

Christal (Purple team) went the wine/goddess route. These ladies were complete with their own personalized wine glass and olive leaf headdresses

Shay took the Hollywood Starlight Theme (Red Team)

The ladies worked very hard during their New Member Project. They did a lot of grunt work, but their efforts will enable the That's My Bag Committee to do their job much easier and more efficiently. The TMB committee functions out of a storage unit. Their purpose is to provide overnight bags to kids (ages birth-17yrs) who are removed from a situation and are entered into foster care. Most of these kids are removed due to a drug infested home or abuse. They are often removed with nothing more than the clothes they are wearing. In the bags that the Junior League provides, each child receives a full set of clothes, toiletries, a book, stuffed animal and anything else that is available in our storage unit. Due to the overwhelming generosity of others, the storage unit had gotten overcrowded and impossible to find anything. The efforts of these New Members will allow the TMB committee to spend their time delivering bags instead of digging through the treasure hunt of a storage unit. Here are some "action shots"

All 44 new members (and their trainers) after a job well done!

A Weekend of Surprises

Wow! Where has the summer gone?? Life is busy as ever and the days keep rolling on...

Last weekend was a very special weekend. What started out being just an "ordinary" visit with my family, quickly turned into extra special! I love sweet surprises.

The weekend started with my eventfilled drive down to Mississippi last Thursday. Rain had not fallen from the skies in a while and, of course, the day that I plan to drive South the floodgates of Heaven literally opened up and poured down heavily! By the time I reached Memphis, tornado warnings/sightings were everywhere and the Weather Service was strongly ordering motorist to get off the road. I had already planned to stop in Southaven, but as the weather worsened, Dad happened to call and advise that I stay the night with my Aunt & Uncle in Germantown. So, I called them both at home and on their cell phones. No answer. Odd. Original plan resumed...stop in Southaven. Wow(!) is all I can say. By the time I made it across the bridge, through the construction, the rain was raining like a hurricane. Crossing the Mississippi state line, I could not see the hood of my car! By the merciful, gracefilled provision of God, I made it to the Drury Inn in Southaven. It seemed that every other motorist on I-55 had the same plan...The lobby TV was turned to the local new station and the meteorologist was covering the severe weather. As I familiarized myself with the map, I realized that the tornadoes that he was talking about were in Collierville! Had I started driving out to Germantown when I wanted to, I would have been IN the tornado! Thank goodness God intervened and drove me to Southaven instead! I did finally talk to my Aunt and Mom talked to my Uncle and they were fine, so that was a huge relief. After waiting out the tornado for about 45 minutes, the storm finally passed and I was able to get back on the road and head South. *Sidenote: Facebook is something amazing! I had weather updates coming into my FB page faster than I could hear it from the weather man on TV! A big shoutout to Kevin VanNorman for keeping me updated all the way to Canton that Thursday night!

I left Arkansas about noon that day so that I could have dinner with Chris, Stephanie, and Callie. The storms and heavy rain had diminished my hope that I would make it. But, again, God is faithful. By the time I arrived to their house, they had just gotten their power back. Dinner was cooking in the oven and we were able to eat dinner together! I didn't get to see Callie that night, but that's okay as I would have her all to myself the next day :)

On Friday, my Uncle Robert was discharged from University Rehab in Jackson! A literal walking miracle. And, yes, he walked out of there. Life for him is going to be hard in the coming months, but each day is a new day and one day all will be well again.

Friday night, Mom, Stephanie, and I went to the Natchez Food & Wine Festival. All I can say about that is WOW! It was a fantastic event! There were restaurants there from all up and down the Mississippi River. Great food, great wine, great fun! You will definitely want to go next year!

On Saturday, my Mom's family all went to Mamawgran and Grandaddy's to help get their house settled with Robert's arrival and lifestyle. We (and when I say "we", I really mean Tom, Dad, Chris, & Elliott) moved all the wood working machines out of the shop and set up the "gym" that Robert will be using for his physical therapy at the house. We also celebrated Mamawgran's 75th birthday and Mamawgran & Grandaddy's Anniversary. LOTS to celebrate that weekend and we are ALL very aware of just how blessed we are. I wish I had pictures, but I forgot my camera in Meadville...

After we got back to Meadville on Saturday night, we were admiring all the work that Sarah and Elliott have done on their new house when Trae walked over to say hi. He was beaming from ear to ear and as excited as a kid! We asked what was up and he replied that "Kamryn is being baptized tomorrow at Bude FBC." We all joined in the excitement and are so proud! Trae has prayed for a solid year that Kamryn would accept Jesus and come into a real relationship with Him. (Last year Kelsey was baptized and Trae rededicated his life and was also rebaptized the same Sunday). It is amazing to see how God has worked in their lives. Amazing Grace! So...given the unexpected event, I HAD to stay and bear witness to this life-changing profession of faith. Below is a picture. I am proud to say that Kamryn's family took up THREE pews at Bude FBC...she knew we were there and represented well!




Of course what blog of mine would be complete without a couple pictures of Miss Callie. Below's picture shows her 2 bright and shiny teeth.


This picture is of Callie crawling. She pulls with her right arm and pushes with her left foot. She is actually taking a photo op break in this picture below, but if ever we wondered who she looks like, the below pic will tell you...

EUREKA!

Last Sunday, my friend Jazmin and I were sitting at lunch after church. During the conversation we were asking what the other was doing for the rest of the day...neither had any plans that were too exciting. SO, we decided to hit the road...didn't really have a plan, just loaded up and started driving...should we go hiking? Eureka Springs? Branson Outlet Malls? Oh the options were endless. As we were sorting through the pros and cons, we decided to go to Eureka Springs as she had never been there before. So, off to Eureka Springs we went. We drove an hour literally over the river, through the woods, and around the mountains. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon! Here are a few pics of the day...

Christ of the Ozarks. It was hand carved by the same architect that carved Mt Rushmore. This statue is on the grounds of the Great Passion Play and overlooks the city of Eureka Springs.

This is Jazmin. She just bought a "fancy' camera (the same one as I have) and she was practicing. She took a good shot and was celebrating a little here...

One of the streets in downtown Eureka Springs (also known as little Switzerland)

This is the window display of a shop downtown...notice that it was a Christian clothing store! Check out "Jesus is my BFF"

The BEST place in Eureka to practice taking pictures is The Crescent Hotel. It is has beautiful grounds and a very full, colorful history. Check it out here.

Jazmin and her husband, Eric, adopted a little boy in 2007. We took Tommy along with us for this trip and we enjoyed him so much! He turned out to be a good subject for photographing...you can tell he's very camera shy...lol!

These are some of my favorite stills...

Last week was one for the books. You've heard of the "raging hormonal witch"? Imagine that x100 and you get the idea...by Friday, I was at the very end of my rope. There wasn't anything that I could do to pull me out of my bad attitude(!)...until Jaz called. She was pulling together a few friends to head to the lake. I told her I couldn't go because of my workload that needed to be finished, but she reminded me that there was a reason that I get off work at noon on Friday's in the summer..."it would be alright" to take a few hours off and go to the lake. And how right she was! The lake was just the attitude adjustment I needed....here are a few action shots...

Eric pulling the Melissa on the tube with the other girls along for the ride

"Spotter" Will

Francene and her twin girls, Emily and Elizabeth

The girls patiently waiting on the tube for their turn in the water (didn't want the boys to get to the tube before them!)

Eric having "Eric time" after the kids were completely worn out!