What an awesome weekend..

So we had a great but yet busy weekend. Friday night we joined some of our teens at Stone Mountain to watch this new awesome laser show. Lack to research led to us getting there and the lady telling us there was no laser show! WHAT?!?!? So we paid and went in and ate some yummy Little C pizza,boys played football,and girls talked and talked! :) It was a great night even without the laser show!

Saturday morning we finally got to sleep in. We haven't had a Saturday like that in awhile. It was so nice. So we finally got up around 10. Clays cousin Stephanie was getting married at 2:00...so we quickly ate breakfast and got ready to go. She was a stunning bride..a very pretty wedding and beautiful, in love couple. We caught up with my BFF H.H. Hardy and some of Clays family.Here are a few pics from the day!

Then...Saturday was also Sara's 3 year Cancer Free Anniversary. What a journey we have been on. Only through God's faithfulness did we make it this far. We thank God for Sara and all she has become. We also cant wait till Feb when little Butter bean arrives!!!

So we were all supposed to meet at FATZ in Winder at 6:30 to go out for her party. So me and Clay got there and walked around the corner and there were 20 people standing and said SURPRISE!!!! My wonderful,selfless sister had planned me a Surprise 21st Birthday party (2 weeks late).I was SHOCKED! It was awesome. As I have said in the past..I am all about my birthday. It was great getting to see everyone and almost reliving my birthday again!!!!!Here are a few pics from the party...

We had so much fun. I want to thank everyone for coming and everyone that celebrated TWICE!!

Overall it was a great weekend. Looking forward to a great week.

Also, we will be celebrating out 9 month wedding anniversary this coming up Sunday!!!!! WOW!!

Love,

Clay & Anna

Girls VS Boys!!!!

So the phrase GIRLS RULE BOYS DROOL...is so true! We have had a summer program going on with the kids at church. The past few weeks it has been a competition to see which could bring in the most money. Whichever team brought in the LEAST had to be SLIMED!!!! It was a head to head competition the whole time. The last week the BOYS ended up loosing. So therefore "Mr. Clay" and Pastor Julio had to be SLIMED! It was so much fun. Julio's wife ,Jeanne and myself decided that it was only fair if we slimed them since we were the girls that would have been slimed. So we do..here are a few pictures!!!!!!

Some of the kids and the teens that helped lead!!

Dedicated Husbands!!!!

We had a blast doing this! We are proud of the kids for raising so much money to help a family in our church!!!

Have a BLESSED weekend for we are NOT promised tomorrow!!!

Clay & Anna

Someone sent this to me and I HAD to share...

MARRIAGE



When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.


Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.


She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?


I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!


With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.


She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.


The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane.


When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.


In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.


She requested that every day for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.


I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.


My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.


On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.


On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me.


On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.


She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.


Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.


Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.


But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy.


I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind...I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.


She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.

Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.


At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.


That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead.


My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push thru with the divorce.-- At least, in the eyes of our son--- I'm a loving husband....


The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you.
If you do, you just might save a marriage.


Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.


A CHRIST-CENTERED MARRIAGE IS A MARRIAGE THAT IS SURE TO LAST A LIFETIME.


So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. Matthew 19:6


**Something we should ALL keep in mind everyday!! This is will make you even more thankful for your spouse!!**

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts. ~Author Unknown

Our trip to North Carolina was great!!! We didnt get headed to NC till 630 Friday night. So we got there about 1130 Friday night. So of course he hit the sacks as soon as we got there. Saturday morning we got up and had breakfast with my grandparents...good times! The me,mama,and grandma got dressed and headed SHOPPING! It brought back lots of memories. Even though we moved to GA when I was 6..I still had 6 years of great memories with everyone. My grandmother did pretty good..she had a good bit of energy. She walked everywhere we went until we got to Walmart..then we put her in the wheelchair. Her speech has worsened abut sicne we were up there last. We are just enoying the time we have with her while we have it.

Anyway..so while the girls shopped clay,papa,and daddy all went and had lunch..they also stopped by and saw the front of Kevin Harvicks house. They said it was pretty big!!!!

Then that night me,clay,and daddy headed to Bowman Grey stadium. Its a small "race track" that mama and daddy went to when they were little. Its been there a looooong time. Its like the hangout in Winston. Fun place to be. Its only $10 a person to get in and you get to watch like 5 races. Lots of fun. Last time we were in NC we tried to go and we got rained out...We thought that was gonna be the case this time too but it cleared off and had a great time.

My cousin, her husband,and their little boy Samuel joined us! Samuel is a TRUE fan!!!!!

Sunday we got up and went to where my granny ( dads mom) worked for 30+ years. K&W Cafeteria. Awesome food. Still not used to walking in there and Granny not being there. We still miss her. It was also weird going to my Aunt Billies house which lives right beside my granny..we went to Billies and didnt go down to grannys for obvious reasons. I know shes having a blast walking those streets of gold.

Then we headed back home to GA around 330ish..had a good trip home. Only had to sit in traffic for about an hour..not too bad. Great trip overall...sure do miss everything about NC.

Sidenote...Clay is getting slimmed tonight at church by the kids. I will FORSURE update some pictures!!!!

Packed and Heading Out...

Good Morning..! I am already obsessed with this blog. Anyway..we are all packed and ready to head back "home" this weekend. We are leaving tonight and driving to NC to visit the following...

(L-R) Anna,Betty(Grandma),Ralph (PaPa), Sneaker, Sara

My moms side of the family!!

We are especially going to see my grandmother. She was diagnosd with Lou gehrig's disease last month. It was definatly another battle placed in front of our family. As soon as we found out we looked up to God and told him it was in his hands. We are trusting God to handle the storm in our life. My grandmother is 73( I think)..to me shes still young. I never realized how precious grandparents are until my dads mom passed away July 09. They are gifts from God and take every moment you can with them. So therefore we( mama,daddy,me and Clay) are leaving tonight and coming back Sunday night. Please pray for our safety and a good visit with family!!!! I will update when we get back!!!!

Our Marriage {Thus Far} In A Nutshell!

I have been trying to sit down and get this started since the HONEYMOON. Just sitting down to do it was the hard thing. So here we go. Now where to start? With planning the wedding? Proposal? Wedding day? Ughh! We decided to make a list of the top things that has happened since we've been married! So here we go..hope you enjoy!!!!

1. Got married December 5, 2009 ( Obviously!)

2. We stayed the wedding night at Chateu Elan. Beautiful winery in Braselton, GA that I have always wanted to visit. It was amazing. They treated us like royalty ( especially when I walked in with my dress on and Clay in his tux). Sunday morning we loaded up and headed to Jacksonville, Fl to stay the night. Then Monday morning we loaded up AGAIN and boarded Carnival Facination cruise ship!!! The first for us both. Clay had been an awesome hubby and booked us a SUITE!!! Therefore we were considered VIP! We journeyed out to Key West, FL and Nassaua Bahamas for 6 days.

3.We returned and enjoyed out first Christmas together MARRIED!That morning we got up and had invited my parents over for breakfast. I was getting breakfast started and Clay got a phone call and had to leave and go to work..:(...Needless to say I was mad and just cried and cried. Our first Christmas and you have to work??? If that wouldnt have happened then we wouldnt have that memory to share. We we blessed by the whole family with gifts. We appreciated EVERY LAST ONE!

4. Then on December 30th we packed up and headed to Awanita with the youth group. We had a blast and God did wonders with our youth group. It was very strange being in this same youth group since 7th grade...becoming a leader.. and then GOING AS A MARRIED COUPLE!Just shows what God has done in our lives! It was beautiful when it snowed while we were there!!!

5.Then rolls around Clays 25th Birthday! Crazy! We met when he was 18!!! Wow..I surprised him with a ride along Richard Petty thingy! He loved it. My parents, Mike,Gail,Jo Jo, Tiffany,Justin, and Todd all came along for the show. Clay decided that he wanted to go to Talledega so we did. Then Todd( Clays brother) decided to purchase one and do it with Clay. After 5 or more loooong hours of waiting his time finally came!

6. Since we are the willing youth leaders we are. We voluntered our home for 15ish teen girls to come spend the night for 3 nights while they were on Spring Break. We had sooo much fun. We had girls everywhere. I would do it again tomorrow!!!We went roller skating on Thursday and Six Flags Friday! The best part of the whole "trip" was I was kissed by a cow!!!!

7. In May we continued our Annual Girls Weekend to Myrtle Beach. I did miss my new husband so bad, but it was good to be away for the weekend. Mama always said absence made the heart grow fonder!!We had so much fun!!! I was so happy to see my husband on Sunday though!!!!

8. June 21st we got the greatest news!!! We were going to be Aunt Anna and Uncle Clay AGAIN! Zach and Sara are preggers. We are so excited. Its a miracle from God and cant wait till Feburary for little butterbean to make his/her apperance!

9.July 4th my grandparents came down for the weekend. We had so much fun. My grandfather willingly brought the boat and all the accessories. We went to lake Oconee for the weekend..tubed..skiied..and cooked out! This is also when Clay jumped off the boat in the middle of the lake and came up and said " I lost my ring"...no one believed him..but he really did. I cried but got over it and we went and got him another!! Just one more memory in our book!

10. I started my new job July 19th. I am currently watching two precious babies. A girl from church that I have known a long time had two sweet twins girls. They were born at 29 1/2 weeks. Gods hand was on them while they were in the NICU for serveral weeks. Now at home and growing each and every day!!!

11. We celebrated my 21st birthday with my parents..and all the in laws! We have a really good time. We ate at my favorite resturant FATZ! I got all I asked for. It was a really good bday!!!

12. Last but not least..I feel like I have talked about me the whole time and left out my amazing husband!!!! Clay went through a first responder class with the fire department for about 2 months. Lots of studying and hard work. Lots of night away from me and lots of days he would work 8-10 hours with the City of Monroe and then go sit in a 3-5 hour class. Long days but it payed off. He ACED his test and is now a CERTIFIED FIRST RESPONDER! We are all so very proud of Clay and his accomplishments!!!! Way to gooo Clay!!! Here is a picture of him headed off to class one night..

We hope you all enjoy! It has been a CRAZY 8 months but amazing too. We learn to love each other more and more each day! We are excited to see what GOD has in store for the next 60 + years!!!! Keep in touch!!!