Countdown!

I am ready already!

So, I have been watching the Together DVD on the Gaither site for about 2 days now....It's not helping me be patient for September 16! I can't wait! Although I am excited I am also depressed. This will be our last concert for this year--number 8.
I have a feeling I will be forced to attend a Gaither Homecoming date just to curb my concert appetite....but it's just not the same :-(

Wow! What else can be said about such a night! First off, we left extremely early to stand outside in line in the 105 degree (no joke) heat. By the time we got inside we were on the verge of heat strokes. We RAN, not walked, RAN to claim our treasure…2^nd row seats! WooHoo! That made all the heat a little more bearable! After claiming our seats, we went back out to the product tables and graced the guys with our presence once again. We took a few pictures and talked with a couple of message boarders. Doug said “Man, it’s been a LONG time since we have seen you guys!” Haha…it’s only been 12 hours! All 5 of us wore our matching shirts so they really couldn’t miss us…we stuck out in a good way!

After the opening “concert” from Bill Gaither we all joined in the clapping chant for our SSQ! They ran out on stage and the fun began! They opened with “Someday” and went right into “Our Debts Will Be Paid”. “Glory to God in the Highest” came next and that’s when I lost the note pad….all it takes is one “jumping up and clapping fit” and I lose my note pad! I do apologize so very much for not having a “real” song list. I will try to make up for it!

Gordon sang his new song, “Don’t Let Me Miss The Glory” and I bought the CD just for that song. It’s wonderful! He sang a few more while the guys were taking a little break. He talked about his wife and the new arrival that is soon to join this world sometime in September. What a super guy…there are just no other words to describe him. I must give two thumb up to our crowd…we were very motivated! Gordon Mote came back from intermission in an Alabama Football jersey….we love our football here! The back of the jersey said “G. Mote”…too funny! Gordon was trying to explain to Ernie the love we all have for some good college football here in Alabama, which led to a new twist on an old joke from Ernie. The guys did a couple of songs with only Gordon playing…those were a nice surprise for us!

How could I not mention the “Happy Bear”? He made his big entrance and had the whole crowd singing along. I bought one of the bear’s last night and I love it! I have played it several times since then. It makes me feel like I am at a concert!

After Gordon sang another new song for us, Ernie’s stories of George’s neighbor brought tears to every eye in the crowd—including the ones on stage! George ‘loved him’ to Jesus….that is a great story! I will never get tired of hearing it!

After “I Pledge My Allegiance”, Ernie had all the veterans to remain standing—the thing about tonight that was different from any other concert I had been to was that Ernie had the guys passed out special made T-shirts for all the veterans. I cannot remember exactly what they said, but you should have seen the number of veterans that were there—Thank God for our troops! That particular part of the concert was very moving and Spirit filled….we applauded our veterans for what felt like an eternity. I still have glory bumps and if I could put in words what I saw on the faces of all the guys, you would cry. I am still wiping tears off my face.

As the concert progressed you could really tell that the Spirit was in Birmingham Alabama. This, by far, has been the best concert I have seen. There was not a dry eye in the house during Ernie’s stories and speeches. Doug’s tears brought tears to my eyes and from there on out we all needed a little Kleenex. This is the first time I had ever seen Ernie in tears—what a blessing to hear and see the love he has for his Lord and Savior.

During “He Made A Change”, I always love the part where Ernie and Doug sing together. There’s just something about those two voices together that I love. Gordon stepped up and helped out some on that one. I feel like that song was meant just for me….HE MADE A CHANGE!

During “Pray For Me”, we had a little surprise for all the guys that went over perfectly! I hate to give the story away because we talked it over with Ernie about doing it again at the Macon concert in September since we have front row seats. Ernie had a great suggestion about it….so, I won’t spoil the surprise. Those of you that saw it…you are sworn to secrecy…..All the guys loved it! Doug caught us coming out after the concert was over and he LOVED it! I wish I could have videoed it, but I was a part of it. Ryan’s exact words were…” You guys are CRAZY!” (That should be enough to keep your interests peaked!)

“John In the Jordan” always cracks me up! That Ryan…he is quite a sight to see! His grandmother was there for the show. She sat right behind us and she was a darling! She jumped up and cheered her grandbaby on during “Get Away Jordan”.

“I Then Shall Live” is the real tear jerker of the evening. I know I have said this before, but I am going to say it again….when the music is building up and they burst into “Your Kingdom come…” I could just leap out of my skin! I love that song and from the applause and tears, so did everyone else. Ernie was really feeling the Spirit by now. There are no words to express how genuine and wonderful this concert was. And on top of the heartfelt speech after, Ernie sang “Oh What A Savior”….he was just determined to keep us all crying, but in a good way.

After the concert, we got to spend some “quality” time with David and Ernie…what crazy guys! I love the pics we got with them. Thanks Ernie, for being so….You! Doug makes me smile no matter what he does, can’t help being drawn to his personality and smile. Ryan still amazes me…he used to be so shy….what happened to him!? Tim….what can you NOT say about Tim!

This has been the BEST concert I have seen! I hope that SSQ decides to come back next year! We were a full house, but more importantly, we left with the Spirit of God in our hearts and minds, and a sweet sweet sound in our ears! I love you guys! Thanks for all you do!

Fun Fun Fun

I am just gonna start at the beginning! We left our house pretty early—around 1:00. GA time is an hour ahead of us and I knew they would be doing road work, so better safe than sorry!!! We got to the church about 2 hours early so we rode around for about an hour just looking at stuff. They opened the doors early—thank goodness! It was so HOT out there!!!!!! When we first went in, we found our seats and tried to take a few pics and talk to the guys before the concert started. We got our pics taken with all of them including Gordon Mote. That was my first time meeting him and I must say, what a sweetheart! He is a very nice man. He was telling a lady standing near us that Kimberly is due in another 6 weeks or so. He was praying the baby could wait till then so he could be home for the delivery.

We made our way up to the tables to see the guys when all of a sudden a guy with a video camera comes our way. Lindsey and I part, thinking he just needs to walk past. Nope, he told us to get back together and he started asking us questions…”Why are you here, how many concerts have you been to, etc…” Well, we had no clue what the interview was about until after he had already videoed us making idiots of ourselves….he works with Muzik 3:16—we may possibly end up on EH&SS TV. Just a warning in advance…..we had no clue what he was up to, so we look like absolute morons talking to that camera!!! When we talked to the guys Ryan said, “Haven’t I seen you two lately?” We told him Ft. Worth was the most recent time that we graced them with our presence J He was a little shocked that we came from Alabama to Ft.Worth. We bought a bear—haha…I asked them to sign it and Doug laughingly said, “The only place there is to sign him is on his butt.” The facial expression that went along with the statement was priceless! In conversation with Doug, we were telling him we would be at the Birmingham concert also since we live right outside of Bham. He asked us all about Wright’s Music Hall—how big it is, where it’s at….that kind of stuff. He said they have been waiting all summer for the Birmingham venue…they were really looking forward to it. He graciously thanked us for “always showing up” hehee…we have turned into to groupies! Tim was so nice, as always. He also thanked us for coming….again! Ernie was hiding—we thought either Doug or Ryan may have given him the heads up that the “crazy camera girls” were here….hehee

As the concert started more people filled the church. The entire lower section was sold out and there were very few seats available in the balcony. I did not make a song list...bad Jennifer! We clapped and clapped and screamed and screamed! The night was perfect! Aside from being a little warm in the church—I could not have asked for a better trip! All my favorite songs were done, Gordon did a few songs, Ernie talked about some stuff…I know we have all heard it before, but I never get tired of hearing what he has to say. I will never get tired of the same jokes or stories—we have too much fun to get tired of it!

During intermission we looked for Ernie—still MIA—we were sure of it now…they DID rat us out! Gordon opened the show back up and the guys came in shortly afterwards. About another hour of clapping and clapping, screaming and screaming….fun fun fun! “I Then Shall Live” always gets me….that part where the music is building…then BOOM! “YOUR KINGDOM COME…..” Oohhh…glory bumps still!

After the concert we spotted the one the only—Ernie. We chatted for a brief minute or so and got him to sign our posters that we bought in Ft.Worth. He signed our bear and he told me to play it every day before I get out of bed to give me a good start for the morning…don’t worry, just be happy! He took a pic with me and my mom—that one is becoming my favorite pic. He thanked us for showing up—again! He gave us the official name—ROADIES! We have progressed to the roadie category. I guess by telling them we were coming to a concert the very next day didn’t help our cause….it’s OK to be a roadie….I like it!

I'm Baaack!

Wow! Where should I even start! Our flight left on time and we arrived in DFW at about 10:30 Saturday. We then proceeded to the "Fridays" at the airport. We had to waste some time until our check-in at the hotel. We rented a car...a PT Cruiser....man, that thing was U-G-L-Y!!! That was pretty much all there was left to choose from! After renting the car we checked into the hotel. This was by far the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at....I felt a little uneasy driving around DFW with only mapquest at my side, but it got us to the hotel so I guess I can't complain too much. When we got to the hotel, the two lazy folks took a nap while I tried to get all our stuff together for the concert. I took my photo album with all our concert pictures in it for the guys to sign. (I was hoping they wouldn't put out a restraining order on me after seeing ALL those pics). Good news, we only missed 2 turns on the way to the auditorium Saturday! :-)


As soon as we drove up into the parking lot, we got out and took a few pictures of the auditorium. We started to walk back to our car when what did I see.....Erniefan and her brother, Warren! I spotted Warren's red suspenders and then Erniefan's curly hair and I knew that had to be them....I hurried over to their truck and there it was.....instant hugs and laughs! We waited a while to actually get in the auditorium, so Erniefan, Warren, Lindsey, mom, and I just stood around talking for a while. Lindsey and I went in to find a restroom and we saw a few familiar faces. We took a peak inside the seating area but got run off by a "mean old lady" sitting in the back row eating popcorn...she was really rude! I guess she thought we were gonna steal a chair or something...LOL We DID have PERMISSION to be in there....anyway, when the doors officially opened, we found our seats....WAY up in the balcony, then went back down to take some pictures with the guys and MB'ers. I met sweet miss Hannah and her mom~such sweet smiling faces to remember! I met Janet...it was so nice to finally "see" the real person! Of course, long awaited hugs were exchanged and pictures were taken ***Janet, if you are reading this, don't forget to send me a copy of our picture together***


The funniest part of the Saturday show had to be when they sang "John In The Jordan". There are no words to describe how funny that was! After the concert, we went to Chili's and ate supper. I don't know if we got there really early or really late because we missed the MB table until we had already ordered....OOPS! After we ate, we went over and took some more pictures with the MB and talked for a while. I met several MB'ers~ Janet, Brayden, Kylan, Pam, Gran, Hannah, Diane, Kay, Warren, Aleisha, Misti, Ricks, Mitch...I may have left someone out. My memory is still fried from all those concert memories :-) After all that talking and eating, it was probably close to 12:30 AM before we got back to the hotel, so we were really tired.


Sunday, we got up late so we were rushing to get checked out on time. We left the hotel around 11:30 and ate "breakfast" at Denny's near the auditorium. Afterwards, we kept looking for a grocery store or department store of some kind to buy some sunglasses for Lindsey....no luck! We eventually parked at the auditorium about an hour before the doors opened. We got more pictures and more hugs from all the MB'ers there. I tried to get a poster signed, but Ernie was really hard to keep up with that night. I got the poster's signed by everybody but him....oh well...I will try again in Georgia. Thanks to a **MB angel**, we got the center section, 3rd row seats for Sunday's concert!!! That was so much better than sitting way up in the balcony! I loved every minute of the concert! "John In The Jordan" was even funnier sitting up close!


We had to leave the Sunday concert early because we had a plane to catch so we left around 5:30. We had to return the rental car and find our way to get our plane tickets and the correct gate. As luck would have it, our flight was delayed over 2 hours and switched gates 4 times! We could have stayed for the entire concert! Ahhh!!! We ended up getting home at 2:00 AM and I had to be back up at 4 for clinicals....I am still recuperating from the lack of sleep! I had such a wonderful time in Texas this weekend! A little sleep deprivation is a small price to pay for such a wonderful trip! I hope to do it again soon.....just maybe with a better airline experience and better directions! Being lost in a big city with a time limit is scary!!!!

What time is it?

It's almost concert time! Only 2 days and a few hours stand between me and a plane leaving for Texas! Can't wait to blog about it!

You can say that again...

“Experience is what you get when you do not get what you want.”
~Unknown

“When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.”
Helen Keller

“Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.”
~Unknown

“To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”
Elbert Hubbard

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
Eleanor Roosevelt

I have really been thinking about the quote that says "To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing." I kept thinking about Ernie's post on the MB about the "distractors" and I think that particular quote fits in well with the post. No matter what you say or do, there will always be someone there to critique what you are doing. Basically, to avoid criticism you must do nothing, say nothing.....BE nothing. What a way to live....

Only 10 more days....

Oh I can't wait any longer! Ft. Worth here we come :-)

I have not had the opportunity to fly anywhere in years, so this is going to be great! My niece will be experiencing her first flight encounter as we load up on the plane to Texas. I am hoping she does not have some sort of hypochondriac spell and think we are doomed to crash...nah, she is excited about it as well. I think she may actually already be packed! I am usually the first to do such craziness....packing a week early!

My mom is going to have a wonderful time I am sure of it! She really needs this break. I cannot wait for her to see a EH&SS SOLO concert!
In amidst all the excitement, I can't help but think of the worst....missing our flight home! I am on a very very tight schedule! Nursing school has no mercy over family issues, sickness, death, missed flights, etc...

On the other hand, I am so excited about meeting my message board family! There are so many great people that I cannot wait to meet. My camera will be full of so many great memories!!! This wonderful Ft. Worth weekend will be tucked away in my "memory chest" forever!

~Stop And Smell The Roses~

I feel like I have been going nonstop for so long....how do you adjust your 'breaks' on life when you have been speeding for so long? As most of you that read my blogs know, my step-father passed away last Friday after a long drawn out sickness. He had Alzheimer's and dementia along with the recurrence of cancer. My mom and I have been through a lot the past few years, so trying to get back into the swing of "normalcy" is going to be difficult for a while. After a LONG week behind me I start to wonder...."What would it feel like to stop and smell the roses?"

So, I did!

I made the first effort to "slow down" today after I got home from class. With the funeral just 2 days behind us, there are flowers everywhere at my house. I decided to fiddle around with my camera and try to relax. I took picture after picture of flowers, plants, and 'pretty things'.
Then (as always, I have enlightening moments when I least expect them) I thought about how much God loves us. Just think, these flowers are so beautiful and perfect....God made them just for us to enjoy....E-N-J-O-Y! When was the last time you really "enjoyed" something???? Yes, me too....it's been a while. So for now, I am sharing my moment of enjoyment with you. :-)

The Good Stuff

No explanation needed! :-)

On Our Independence Day

To be perfectly honest, the whole "4th of July" thing has never been a big deal at my house as far as the fireworks and cookouts go....I really started thinking about the 4th today on my way home from clinicals. Traffic is already a disaster in preparation for the upcoming holiday. I watched several cars go by with beach supplies, bags of ice, coolers, and fireworks hiding out in the back seats and I thought to myself, "Another family celebrating the 4th", but the 4th isn't all about cookouts and fireworks.
In passing all those going to the beaches, I also passed a SUV with a bumper sticker that said "I love my marine." That sticker is what sent the nuts and bolts turning in my tired head. I don't think we give enough credit to our soldiers....we get to sleep in our comfy beds while they have to sleep on the ground, we can sit around in our air-conditioned homes when it's hot, they have to be out in the heat all day, we can sit back and relax on the porch swing, they get no relaxation, we can come and go as we please while they are off fighting to keep it that way.
So in preparation for the 4th, go here: www.faithflashes.com/mpp.htm
Let's be sure to remember our military in our prayers not only on the 4th of July, but everyday!

**No exchanges or refunds**

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:38-39

Ah! Isn't that great to know! Once we accept Jesus Christ into our lives, NOTHING can take that away. It's our eternal gift that has already been paid for. God doesn't do "exchanges or refunds"....it's ours for the keeping!

No I'm not....Ok, so I am!

I checked my comments on myspace the other day and noticed one that had not really caught my eye to begin with. One of my nieces had left me a comment about my new pictures that I had posted from the Jackson, Tennessee Signature Sound concert. Contrary to popular belief from my niece, I am not *obsessed* with EH&SS. Obsessed is such a strong word....I prefer "gung ho" or maybe "fascinated by"~~ It doesn't have such a straight-jacket feel behind it! When asked "What is the big deal about them?" I just simply reply,

"I enjoy the harmony, joy, peace, smiles, laughs, tears, glory-bumps, chills, cries, delight, comfort, excitedness, exhilaration, liveliness, vivacity, rejoicing, blessedness, hopefulness, bounce, pep, zing, surprises, bliss, calmness, cheer, and just good ole' fellowship that comes with a concert setting. You can't find anything like it! There is no "music channel" or "top 20 countdown" that can give you what I receive every time I go to a concert. "

To give you a little insight into my happiness, picture two little ones~~Austin 6, and Lana 5. These two precious young'uns tugged at my heart strings when they were at my house and requested to hear "He Made A Change"~~My eyes watered the entire time they were singing along at the top of their lungs, never missing a word! THAT is the stuff that counts....who cares what MTV says....I have found the top 20 in my book!

~It Is Well With My Soul~

As a pianist, I find joy in learning the background for certain songs. I have heard this particular story many a time, and every time I play this song, I almost cry.

"....And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul..."

Even so, IT IS WELL with my soul!

This hymn was writ­ten af­ter two ma­jor trau­mas in Spaf­ford’s life. The first was the great Chi­ca­go Fire of Oc­to­ber 1871, which ru­ined him fi­nan­cial­ly (he had been a weal­thy bus­i­ness­man). Short­ly af­ter, while cross­ing the At­lan­tic, all four of Spaf­ford’s daugh­ters died in a col­li­sion with an­o­ther ship. Spaf­ford’s wife Anna sur­vived and sent him the now fa­mous tel­e­gram, “Saved alone.” Sev­er­al weeks lat­er, as Spaf­ford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daugh­ters died, the Ho­ly Spir­it in­spired these words. They speak to the eter­nal hope that all be­liev­ers have, no mat­ter what pain and grief be­fall them on earth.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

Excerpt above from www.cyberhymnal.org

~Everything will make perfect sense~

Don't you wish things were as easy to DO as they are to SAY?

Oh, I have been thinking here lately about all the things that are happening in my life. I feel sometimes like I have such a heavy load on me...between school, clinicals, home life, and my family, I just feel like I am running around in circles. Have you ever been swimming in a lake or ocean and had to "tread water" for a while waiting for the boat? I feel my life sometimes is a giant ocean and I am treading water....not making any progress.
I know that everything happens for a reason and that God has a plan for me. I just wish He would post it on a billboard or something :-) Hey, I am trying to go by my own advice....laugh at the confusion....it will all make sense later!

I am so tired

What a week so far! I am exhausted...I need one of those LONG relaxing vacations where I can just sit on the beach and watch the waves come in, see the bright blazing orange sunrise and the deep passionate red fading into indigo sunset, white sparkling sand between my toes, cool, crisp, salty breeze on my face, no sunburns, no sweating, fresh exotic fruit, beautiful soothing island music, grass skirts, sailboats, dolphins, seagulls, buoys clinging gently in the ocean waves, a lighthouse on the shoreline, palm trees as far as the eye can see, and a tan hottie to bring me ice water on demand! OK, now that I am back in reality, a good week free of studying would be just as appealing to me!

What A Sweet Sound

What an afternoon! I have spent several hours today playing feng shui with my bedroom furniture, which caused great fatigue! As I was cleaning up the last of my mess, I heard my phone ring. I checked the caller ID and was little weary of answering the "unknown" number. I answered the phone and heard this:

"Hello, who is this"......

"Jennifer who?"........

"Do you know who this is?"........

The name game continued for about another 30 seconds when that one of a kind laugh came through and a huge smile ran up my face.....Oh how wonderful it was to hear such a sweet voice! I had not really spoke much to Brian since our "split" about 2 years ago. We kept in touch every now and then, but I hadn't heard from him in months. An hour after he called, we were still talking about old times, new times, and keeping in touch. So much has happened with the both of us in the 2 years or so that we have been apart. Nothing like a sweet phone call to make a hectic day a good one.

Down in the dumps?

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. (Psalm 55:22)

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You heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help... Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. (Psalm 31:22,24)

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Look at the birds in the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they??? (Mathew 6:26)

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Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I'll lift up my soul. (Psalm 143:7-8)

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The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. (Psalms 9:9)

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The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. (Deuteronomy 33:27)

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You are my lamp O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light. (2 Samuel 22:29)

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A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. (Psalms 34:19)

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If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumbles, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. (Psalm 37:23-24)

Psalm 91:4

If This Is What God Says....

"If this is what God wants, If this is what God says, Then who am I to doubt and try to figure out the circumstance, If this is what God chose for me In all His Majesty, Surely I can trust and lean on what God says...."

You say: It’s impossible
God says: All things are possible

You say: I’m too tired
God says: I will give you rest

You say: Nobody really loves me
God says: I love you

You say: I can’t go on
God says: My grace is sufficient

You say: I can’t figure things out
God says: I will direct your steps

You say: I can’t do it
God says: You can do all things

You say: I’m not able
God says: I am able

You say: I’m not smart enough
God says: I give you wisdom

You say: I feel all alone
God says: I will never leave your or forsake you

You say: It’s not worth it
God says: It will be worth it

You say: I can’t forgive myself
God says: I forgive you

You say: I can’t manage
God says: I will supply all your needs

You say: I’m afraid
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear

You say: I’m always worried and frustrated
God says: Cast all your cares on me

(Chorus above from "If This Is What God Wants")