Scriptures of Encouragement...

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33


'Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' Isaiah 41:10


'He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved.' Psalm 62:6

'Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.'
1 Peter 5:7

'For with God nothing will be impossible.' Luke 1:37

May you be filled with the peace of the Lord in whatever you are walking through this day and be encouraged that He does know ALL things!

Intercessors for America

If you have a few minutes, please watch this short video on praying for America. Jay Fesperman, who founded The Inn, was one of the founders of Intercessors for America, so we are very connected with this ministry. Throughout The Inn's history we have put major emphasis on praying for our nation, our leaders, those who are serving our country, etc. etc. etc. We set time aside every Wednesday night to do so.  I, myself, have learned it takes discipline in really praying for this country and I am still learning that. It's not so much that I don't ask the Lord to help this country, I do almost every day...that is a very simple prayer. But, to really get on my hands and knees and seek the Lord and cry out to him for our country is something I don't do enough of and know I need to and know that I should! This is an encouragement for us all to do so!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXOhLGLkUKg

Exciting News!

I had told you all the weekend we celebrated The Inn's 40th Anniversary was going to be exciting because my family was all coming in. My brother, Chan was bringing his girlfriend,Cameron and she was going to stay with Scotty and me for the weekend. I really love her...she comes quite often for a visit and I have really enjoyed getting to know her, so we were excited she was going to stay with us. That week (couple days prior to their arrival) I had taken my grandfather to Asheville for a doctor's appointment. I was sitting in the lobby and out of the blue I get this text from Chan with a picture of Cameron's engagement ring that said in a nutshell..."Nikki, I am going to do this. Don't you tell a soul or I'll kill you. I want to talk to Mom and Dad in person this weekend while I am home."  My reaction after I about fell off my seat was, "holy crap...and you are having her stay with me? I have to keep my mouth shut and walk in paranoia of saying something the whole weekend?...Are you insane?" But, I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. I was 100% sure Chan had already told Corby but wasn't sure if my sister had received the text. When we got in the car, I called Chan, congratulated him, found out more of the details. I was like, "Chan..you realize she is staying at my place this weekend and that makes me a little nervous." Chan was like, "I think it is great. This will allow me to spend some time with mom and dad and I won't have to worry about her being around the whole time so I can talk with them.  He told me to tell Scotty, so I immediately called him and his reaction, "Is your brother crazy for letting Cameron stay with you?" Oh gee, thanks for the confidence-ha! I, of course, found every way to defend myself! That night my sister called and ugh, I so wanted to ask her if Chan had been in touch with her, but I did not. At the end of the conversation Ellie said, "Can I ask you something? I said, yes. She said did Chan tell you the news?" Wow, I was so relieved that Chan had already told her so we were able to talk about it. Ellie was as nervious as I was about making sure we wouldn't let anything slip, but no one did. Chan talked to Mom and Dad on Saturday night, so we were able to talk about it when Cameron would go walk her dog or something. It was so hiliarious. I even had a super long conversation with Cameron about Chan and just played so ignorant. I kind of felt bad because I knew she was ready for this step but just acted ignorant to the fact. But, I really did want to know how she and Chan were doing, so this was just a fun way to ask : ) It was quite funny-
Anyway, to make a long story short...Chan proposed to Cameron last Friday in Charleston, SC. He had to fly to Honduras the following day, so we haven't heard when the big day is yet. I know it takes time planning these things, so we shall see. Think they are aiming for a Feb or March wedding. But, I am super excited about having a new sister-in-law. Cameron is a beautiful woman on the inside and out and we are thrilled she will be a part of our family! I wish I had a picture of them, but I do not. Actually, I do, but I have to scan it and don't have the scanner at home, so maybe I can do that soon and post a picture of the two of them!
So, congratulations to Chan and Cameron! We are all very excited!

Recap of this past week-

I am sitting here this morning trying to figure out how to describe the past couple of days...you know when something is so special it is hard to put into words how you truly feel. Right now, I find my heart filled with so much gratitude, appreciation, joy, love and no doubt hurting a bit (my sister and her kids left at the crack of dawn this morning and I always find my heart aching when they leave : (   The Inn's 40th Celebration was absolutely wonderful!  I can't begin to tell you how hard the staff worked to prepare for this event...the amount of work that was put into preparing The Inn in general was unbelievable. We are so blessed to have such a dedicated staff.  I wish I could go into detail about all that happened, but it would take forever for me to type it all. So to sum it up, it was just all around an incredible weekend...from the fundraiser on Friday night to seeing so many wonderful friends who have been a part of The Inn for the past 40 years...it is hard to express how joyful my heart was over the weekend. It was so much fun having my family home, always sad when they leave...you know, I don't care how old you are, when your family has to part seperate ways, it is always hard. We are all so spread out now that when we get together, I just find myself trying to grasp every second I can with my family because you know everyone is going to have to leave eventually, so I just try to take in every moment I can! I love my heritage and the atmosphere I grew up in. I know with out a doubt that I am very blessed and for whatever reason the Lord chose me to be in the family I am in and for that, I am very grateful.
So, now that this event has come to a close, I have another exciting event planned this weekend to see three of my closest friends.  The four of us girls have been the best of friends since highschool and like everyone else, our schedules don't allow us to see each other as much as we would like, but when we all get together, it is like we all just pick up where we left off. We are driving up to Blacksburg, VA to celebrate my friend Corie's 33 birthday. It will be just the 4 of us girls...I am looking forward to a weekend filled with so much laughter that when you see me next time my face will probably be stuck in a smiling position because Jennifer (Wiggins) Nelson has made us laugh so hard! That girl is a hoot...there is no one who can make you laugh like Jennifer! We all ran cross country together in high school and have remained the best of friends ever since. I love these girls-
My dear, precious husband continues to crank out hours and hours at the theatre. It is a good thing he loves what he does! It was so funny the other day I had this man walk up to me and he was talking to me about the theatre and said, "Well, I guess the theatre is Scotty's second home." Laughingly, I said, "No. Actually our home is his second home because he is at the theatre more than he is at home." It is true! I am very proud of him. We are working on Jekyll and Hyde and holy cow...you all better come! It is going to be quite the show. There is one song that lasts 7 minutes (it is a group number) and the amount of choreography/movement that this song has in unbelieveable! I just hope I can remember it all! But that is not the only song that requires such...it is so funny because I was dumbfounded at the number of people who have no idea that my husband has to come up with all the steps, movements, costumes, sets, etc. A lot of people ask me..."well, in the script doesn't it tell you how to do everything?" Um, NO! The script only gives you the words you say on the stage.  But, if you have never done a show before, how would you know? I love to brag on my husband. He is amazing and I am just so proud of him and thankful he is able to do what he loves to do!
Well, folks...that is all for now. I could share a zillion other things, but time is running out. I have to pick my 95 yr. old grandfather up and take him to the doctor and go for our weekly outing to Wal-Mart. No lie...I will be in Wal-Mart for 3 hours with him, so if you are in the area...feel free to stop by! We will be in one of the aisles.
May your week be filled with all the blessings in the world! Be encouraged!
Nikki

A little update...ok, maybe a long one!

I find myself not blogging nearly as much as I did when I first started this whole blogging thing. I knew it would end up this way. I had literally been on my couch sick for over a month and was about to go nuts, so this gave me a little venue during that time. Now that I am back in the "land of the living," I have slowed down, but that is ok. I am a woman with a lot of words to say (my husband can vouch for that :) So sometimes I find myself starting to type and it will go on and on and I will stop in the middle of the story and be like, who the heck wants to read all this? Not me. I don't think it is so much the length of the story sometimes, but I start writing at 11pm and then I get too exhausted and find myself rambling on when it is that late. Funny story about that. If know my husband and me, we are a bit of "opposites" when it comes to our hours of operation. I have, for the majority of my life, always been a person who goes to bed earlier (meaning 10:30ish) and I am and early riser. Scotty, however, is just getting his second wind at 11pm at night and he likes to sleep in in the mornings. Depending on what is taking place in our lives with the theatre...  , depending on rehearsals, concerts, things going on at The Inn, we sometimes don't get home till 10pm, 11pm midnight,  etc. I have had to force myself to become a night owl. Plus, sometimes the evenings after we get home from all this are the only times Scotty and I can catch up on life. Anyway, it works a little better for him, harder for me...especially in the during the summers when I would leave home at 6:30am to be at The Inn. I need my sleep or I can become very irritable. Plus, this past year, I have been averaging about 3 hrs of sleep a night. For some reason, every morning, I would wake up about 3am and never go back to sleep. So, in saying all this, there is no doubt why I keep getting sick. So, I am making some changes as we speak, to help my body get some rest and stop getting sick! Anyway, back to the point of this. When we were in Florida it was about 11:15pm and Scotty and I had just gotten back in our hotel room and I was yawning and he said, "Nikki, you are so funny. You get so tired this time of night." Laughingly, I said, "I'm sorry, doesn't everyone else in the world get tired at 11:15 at night?" He was like, "I'm just getting my second wind." I said, "Well, you go ahead and get your second wind, but this girl is going to bed!" I thought it was really funny!
Anyway, we celebrated my granfather's 95th birthday this past week. Yep! He is unbelievable and overall in incredible health! I started typing this whole blog about my grandfather last night and it turned into a book practically and it was too late when I was typing it so I just stopped. I will go back to it eventually. But, to explain my grandfather takes a lot of words and time. He has been a trememdous blessing in my life since I moved back to Franklin (he lives with my parents). Boy, I think with me telling you stories about my experiences with him would make you laugh hysterically. He is one of a kind!
The rest of my week has consisted of rehearsals for Jekyll and Hyde, which I am super excited about. This show has some of the most beautiful music. To be such a heavy show in the sense of the story, the music is unbelievable and I am super excited about it! I had to take my grandfather to several doctor appointments that took up a good majority of my day(s),  and the rest of the time I spent scanning tons and tons of pictures for The Inn's 40th Celebration next weekend. I am putting together a picture show and it will be the longest picture show ever. But, we are keeping it running the whole day. Good thing because if you were to sit down and watch it, you would stay in the same seat the whole time and I don't think anyone wants to do that! Ha! I really have enjoyed scanning pictures. It has brought back so many special memories. I really am so incredibly blessed to have been raised in such an incredible enviornment and to have met so many different people that have come from so many different walks of life. It truly is amazing!
I can 't tell you how excited I am about this event. People are coming from everywhere...people that have been a huge part of my life through the years, people that I haven't seen since I was little, etc. Plus my whole family (everyone except my sister-in-law...we will miss you, Annie) will be here. Corby is coming in from California, Chan and his girlfriend are coming, and of course, Ellie and her family.  Ellie's father-in-law, John Beckett will be our guest speaker. You can click on his name and read his bio. He is an outstanding man and we are so blessed he is coming to share with us! Thursday night our entire board of directors will come in, Friday they will be in meetings most of the day, then Friday night we are having a fundraiser/dinner at The Inn and then Saturday everyone comes in for the day. Super fun! I will for sure blog about it!
Scotty had to leave early this morning to be at the theatre, so I am finishing up some photos (after I blog) and heading over to The Inn for a little while then we have to go to Atlanta this afternoon for Scotty to get some last minute things for Tom Sawyer. This play opens Tuesday, so please come see it http://www.greatmountainmusic.com/.
I hope your weekend is filled with many blessings!  Thank you for taking the time to read this long, rambling blog! I leave you with this scripture as an encouragement “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) - whatever you might be going through, be encouraged that God designed your life and His plans will give you hope and a future-
Nikki

One of my favorite verses...

Isaiah 40:31 (King James Version)


But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Be encouraged!

Message

So I'm not fond of typing long messages from my phone, so my husband has done a lot of blogging from Florida...despite what you might think of our Disney extravaganza, we are having a wonderful time. He isn't running me through the ground like normal when we try to get everything in imagineable! We are relaxing and just really enjoying being together! Scotty's obsession is Vinyalmations, mine is food. I don't buy any Disney stuff because I'd rather buy those things when we have kids, so Scotty let's me pick where we eat, so it's a fair trade:) I love my food! So, if you would like to hear more about our trip, visit his blog!
On a more serious note, one of my very best friends! Jenn Setzer is leaving tomorrow for Haiti for a month. She works with campus crusade and I'm just so proud of her! Her site is posted on the side if you are interested in hearing her updates while she is there! Please pray for the Lord to give her much wisdom and safety.
Hope you all have a wonderful week and whatever you are facing, know God is in control! May you know His peace!
Nikki

This and that!

Kim's profile picture for Mrs. America

Wow, it has been awhile since I have posted anything! Life has been full as always, but very good.  I had a wonderful trip to Arizona to see my best friend from college compete in the Mrs. America Pageant. She was absolutley stunning and of course in my eyes, she should have won! But, it is all about the experience!  I have pictures but do not have my camera with me to download them, so I will try to post pictures at a later time. I had never been to Arizona, so for me it was a fun treat to venture into a new place, which I love.... not to mention I have heard that Arizona is the place to be if you are suffering from respiratory issues, which I have been and I am here to tell you, I felt so good while I was there : )
Kim and I competed in college together in the Miss Virginia Pageant.Yep, I aspired to be Miss America at one point of my life, but it didn't happen. It is amazing the amount of work it takes to compete in these things. I spent the last 2 years of college trying to acheive this goal and that is how Kim and I met. We had the same trainer. I would see her around campus prior thinking..."this girl looks like Elizabeth Taylor." Who knew we would become the best of friends. She and I have walked through so much together. Kim is the type of friend who just tells it like it is and then some. I have always known if I needed an honest opinion, she would give it to me. I always tell her it is because she is a yankee (all you southerners would appreciate that). I am super proud of Kim. I admire her tenacity and her willingness to fight through the obstacles of life, whatever they may bring! I get frustrated sometimes when I go to these pageants because you so want the judges to know and see who the individual is and what they are made of. Kim, without a doubt, would have made the best Mrs. America and although it wasn't meant to be, I know she will go on in her everyday life making a difference. I know if she reads this, she will think it is so cheesy, but I don't care : ) I am soooooo proud of you, Kimbo!
So moving on....Anne Frank was superb!  I am so incredibly proud of the cast!!! I watched every performance and cried every time! I feel everyone should have seen the play as a reminder of what people went through. We can't even began to imagine. It is a part of our history and heaven knows we are living in such shakey times, it is scary to think what might happen in the future! Bravo to the Anne Frank cast and of course to my husband, who in my eyes, can only do the very best because that is how he works : )
The Inn is getting ready for our 40th Anniversary Celebration October 9- it will be a fun, full and very special time of seeing people come who have been part of this special ministry for the past 40 years. I am super excited about the event and pray that the turnout will be incredible.

My sister-in-law, Annie Kate, along with Ali Landry were able to be a part of fashion week in NYC...we are talking the whole runway experience, etc. Check out her website at http://www.belleparish.com/.  She sent me pictures so here is one...

I realize this blog is so random and scattered, but it is something. I am not even going to look over to read it.  But, I am grateful for my husband, my family and for the very dearest friends ever! God is so good. Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Birthday Dad!

  Ok, so I am limited with my pictures while using my computer at home. All my pictures are stored on my computer at work. Anyway, this is a sweet picture of my parents that I took with my phone, not the clearest, but it gets the point across!

  Happy Birthday, Dad! You deserve the best and we pray this will be the very best year for you so far! Thank you for being the truest example of a Godly man and father! I love you very much-

Slumber Party

I'm pulling a "Scotty" tonight. It's almost 4am, I'm visiting my sister in Ohio and they are having a huge wind storm. Something must have hit the side of the house because I heard a loud thud and it woke me up and got my adrenaline going, so I started thinking too much and am wide awake...not to mention my 5 year old niece and I are having our tradional slumber party. We can see who pulled the all-nighter! We are sharing a king bed and I am currently claiming about 2 inches to my space before falling off. I also get an occassional arm in my face! She is out! I now know how my husband feels. He says there are some nights he has one leg in bed while bracing the other in the floor to keep me from making him fall out! Hahaha! Sorry about that, babe! Gracianna was so excited about our little slumber party! We celebrated her bday today (well one of her celebrations) so I could be a part of it! I love this kid! She is 5, going on 30!
I love being able to spend time with my sister and her fam! Every year, except one, since my sis has been married, it has been tradition for me to visit them over Labor Day weekend!
Sunday I am flying to Arizona to see my best friend from college compete in the Mrs America Pageant! So excited to get to see her and to be able to cheer her on! Ill try to blog if I can, but if not, ill post pics, etc when I get back!
Ok, my head is pounding! I need sleep! Goodnight, all!
Nikki

Lord Make Me An Instrument

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon:
where there is doubt, faith ;
where there is despair, hope
where there is darkness, light
where there is sadness, joy
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Identity Crisis!

Ok, so I am just going to be really honest here because it really has been eating away at me. About 2 weeks ago, Scotty and I went into Barnes and Nobles. I actually love going into that store. A lot of times, Scotty has to go to the music section and listen to a bunch of different tunes, so I find myself wondering around, familiarizing/educating myself on the latest books, magazines, journals, etc. There has been a number of times I will go in the store sit myself down in the floor of one of the aisles and pull out books on designing. I really enjoying looking at books that show you how to create something beautiful. Ok, so, 2 weeks ago when I went into Barnes and Nobles I all of the sudden had a major identity crisis. I found myself wanting to get a book, but didn't know what to buy. Not only that, I went to the magazine section and couldn't even decide what kind of magazine I wanted. Then, I stood in starbucks line and was so overwhelmed by the choices, I couldn't even decide what I wanted to drink. I found myself asking, " well, what if the book isn't good and I just wasted $20...or what if this new drink isn't good and I just wasted $5 on it..." I got so frustrated with myself. Sure, I  know what I enjoy reading/drinking but when I want to try something new, I don't want to waste the money to try it? Am I making any sense? So, Scotty and I get in the car and I said, "Barnes and Nobles makes me have an identity crisis..." He was like, "uh, what?" Then, the tears started coming...I mean, seriously, where did that come from? (ok, so I was being a total girl at the moment : ) I was like, I am just so frustrated because I don't even know what I like to read right now...I mean I do, but I don't. (You are probably reading this and are like poor girl...she really is confused). But, here is the thing...I am NOT confused! This is what has hit me...the same thing happens when I want to try new make-up...it's like you stand at the make-up counter and you look at the price and think, hmmmmm... so the commercial says it does all this amazing stuff, but does it really? So, you take the leap of faith and buy the it and you get home and you were right in the first place...it doesn't work like the make-up you have used for the past 10 years. And you can't take it back because you already put it on your face. Here is my conclusion to all this. It is the most incredible thing in the world that we live in a country that you are given amples to choose from...I mean seriously...there is no place like America! But, it can be quite overwhelming at the same time. I am actually a very quick decision maker at most things...I like to go, get it done and it is taken care of. However, I have noticed myself getting so bent out of shape over these silly things that mount up to nothing, but at the same time can cost! I find myself always going back to the same things I have always enjoyed reading, the same ol' drink at Starbucks, the same type of magazine, and the same mascara I have always used. I am all about trying new things...I think trying new things makes life so much more fun and exciting. I am all for it! But, in the smaller things that really don't make a difference, just stick to what you know : )

Happy Birthday, Annie Kate!

As you can see, we have a lot of birthdays to celebrate in the summer...especially August! Today is my sister-in-law, Annie Kate's, birthday. She and Corby live in LA, so we are, of course, celebrating with her in spirit! Wishing you the very best, AK for your 29th year! You are beautiful and we love you!!!

This past week...

Well, cheers to another week! I find myself every morning while driving to work, thanking the Lord for a new day, allowing me to be a part of it even though it may not go the way I always want it to, I consider it a great priveledge to be alive. Life is a gift.
Anyway, I am finally starting to feel normal again. That pneumonia stuff is for the birds, that is all I have to say. Although, Friday, I started coughing my lungs out again and it has been going on all weekend. I am calling the dr. in the morning to see if this is something I just have to walk out, or if she can once again give me some medicine. I am all for medicine if it helps. I am a true believer in healing without a doubt and have witnessed many people healed in my young age ; ), but if some medicine can help the process, I am all for it!
Amen!
The Blue Moon Musical Revue show ended this past week. Everyone did a great job. Kudos to my husband who is an absolute creative genius. He is amazing and I am ALWAYS amazed at the things he creates and the ideas he comes up with. He was born to do what he is doing and I owe God and some special people here in town a lifetime of thank you's for the opportunity he has given my husband. Scotty is probably the most driven person I have ever met. His brain is constantly creating (even in his sleep)- he doesn't stop moving. Oh the stories I have! But, the "behind the scenes" work it takes to do what he does....good gosh, he has more talent in his pinky than I could ever imagine in a lifetime. What comes out on stage that brings a smile to people's faces, is nothing but hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours of hard work. I am extremely proud to be married to him!
We had an incredible blessing at The Inn last week. A church out of Mocksville, NC came for the entire week and painted the whole Inn as their mission's trip. Is that not an unbelievable blessing? These people were some of the most incredible examples of servants I have ever met. The Inn is looking the best it has ever looked thanks to so many people who have prayed for years and years and who have so graciously given to help us get The Inn where it needs to be. You know, it really is so amazing how faithful the Lord is. I have experienced first hand the Lord's faithfulness. One of these days maybe I will write about what the Lord has taught and shown me these past 7 yrs. being back home and working full-time for ministry. I feel it is so much, but at the same time, it would be good to share because in many ways I know that I am a living example of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. We all are! So, why don't we all share ? : )
As many of you know, Sam Crabtree was in a bad car wreck right behind the theatre. I was gallovanting to the theatre to pick Scotty up for lunch and just pulled in when the ambulance arrived. I could barely tell if it was Sam's car, but I called Scotty right away and asked if Sam had left. I told Scotty that I was pretty sure it was Sam in the wreck and he needed to come out right away.  Scotty was cleaning the laundry room and ran out on the stage to see if Sam was still there and came running out of the theatre. Sure enough, it was Sam. That is never something you want to see. I don't care if you know the person or not, it is never good. My cousin who was born on the same day as me was killed in a car wreck when we were 13 yrs. old. I grieved so hard after her death that I did not celebrate my birthday on my birthday until after college. Isn't that crazy? About 5 yrs. ago my mom was in a horrible car accident. We were eating lunch at The Inn and I saw my dad running out to his car. Me, not knowing anything except that my mom was in a wreck, got in my car and started driving. It happened on the interstate right down the road. I remember seeing my mom's car and just wanting to throw-up when I saw her car, but all I wanted to know is that she was alive. Of course, she was! But, I had a similar fear when I saw Sam's car. Everett was there and came running up to tell us he was alive. I know in those situations you have to remain calm and be strong, so I think all my fear went to my knees. My knees started trembling...then Sam's mom arrived on the scene and I know you can't imagine what a mother feels when they see their child in that situation and she could do nothing but start weeping. Anyway, Scotty and I took her to the Franklin hospital and on our way found out that Sam was being flown to Asheville, but he was going to be ok! Sam, you scared the living daylights out of us all, but we are glad you are ok! Sam is still in the hospital (Scotty is over in Asheville as we speak)...I think he is going stir crazy because he text Scotty at 6am to see if he could come over today. Bless him. He still has a high fever, so they are taking it a day at a time. Please continue keeping him in your prayers-
Thursday night at the theater Steven C. Chapman performed an unbelievable concert. He used to be one of favorites in college and it was just so great to see him peform! I prayed for his family quite a bit when they tragically lost their little girl. It was such a testimony to hear him speak about it and he really did just perform a "raw" concert. By that I mean, it was mainly he and his guitar and him sharing about his love for the Lord and what his whole experience in him losing his daughter. I left there that evening feeling so touched and so blessed- To the other extreme Tim Hawkins the Christian comedian performed last night and it was so great to hear people literally laughing non-stop. I was working the merchandise table, so I didn't get to hear all of him, but the little bit I did...I was laughing so hard I was crying! So fun that we have this outlet in our little town!
Today we celebrated Scotty's grandmother's 80th birthday. Lots of food, fun and family. Someone had made these delicious chicken salad sandwiches (you know the little triangular sandwiches) I ate 10 of them. Yep. I am not even exaggerating or lying...they were so incredibly light and delicious, I couldn't contain myself. hmmmmmmmmm.
So, this is an incredibly lengthy blog, but just a recap. Here's to a new week! Wishing each of you all the blessings the Lord can give you during the week (sounds like a Christmas card) Just remember He is faithful and like my dear friend Melissa Lee once shared with me, "Nikki, the Lord hears the prayers you laugh at." Meaning, do you ever pray those prayers that seem so far out there that you laugh at them while you are praying for them because they just seem so impossible, but you thought you would ask anyway? Well folks, He hears them, so pray away!!!

Grocery shopping

So, today I took my 94 yr old grandfather for our "weekly" grocery shopping and had an interesting encounter while filling his cart up with his essentials. I kept passing this man in the aisles and he kept looking at me...not so much in a creepy way, but an interesting enough look where I was like, why does he keep looking at me? You know that feeling. So, I am putting things in my grandfather's cart and the man comes up to me and says, "May I ask you a question?" "Sure," I said with a smile on my face. He proceeded, "Is your name Michelle?" "No", I said, "my name is not Michelle." (I wasn't about to tell him my name). He snapped his finger and said, "Oh man. My mistake. You know you have an identical twin here in town." "I  do?"  "Yes!" he said. "I took my kid to school the other day and met a lady named Michelle who looks exactly like you." "Oh," I said. Then he said, "But, SHE WAS A LOT THINNER THAN YOU." "What??????????????????????????????????????????????"
Did you really just say that????????????????????  I mean, seriously, I am a complete stranger and even worse, I am a woman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just to let you all know I did laugh and I turned to my grandfather and asked him if he would buy me a dozen doughnuts! Ha!

Happy Birthday, Corby and Chan!

Happy Birthday to my baby brothers who are the big 33 today! Wow, we are getting old! Love you, Corby and Chan! So proud of you both! Celebrating with you in spirit!

Happy Birthday, Angel Girl!

Today is my niece, Gracianna's, birthday! She is the big 5 years old. I was talking to her on the phone the other day and said, "Gracianna, are you so excited about turning 5?" Her response, "Not really. My mommy said I have to get rid of my sippy cup when I am 5 and I am just not ready for that." Oh, she makes me laugh! I call her my "angel girl" cause that is what she is. My sister and her husband adopted Gracianna from Guatemala when she was 7 months old and she has been and is the biggest blessing! She is a true little, precious angel and I love the kid to death! Wish I could be with her to celebrate the big day, but I will be visiting them in a couple of weeks. Happy Birthday, Gracianna!

Aaahhhhh Summer!

I love summer! This is going to sound so cheesy, but I just had one of those "revert back to childhood" moments when I was walking my dog outside of our apartment. It had just rained, the sky was pink and the flowers (the vast majority that are planted around our complex) were smelling luscious tonight. It reminded me of those moments when my sister, brothers and I would be playing on the big front lawn at The Inn growing up. It's funny how just a simple smell can take you back 20 years. I think that is one of the reasons why I love being back home again and love living where I grew up. Sure we have changed, sure our town is growing, but there is still a sense of  "community" that only we can understand.  I love the fact that you can walk in the grocery store and someone comes up to you and asks how you are after hearing you haven't been feeling well. I love the fact that at most events that take place in our community, we still open with prayer. I love driving down the main strip and seeing that the stadium lights are on at 10 pm at the baseball field because there is a church softball tournament taking place. I love the fact that people defend this area because it is where their blood line begin. I love the fact that the Lord called my family here 30 years ago and that the ministry He called us to hasn't changed much. I love that "family" is the heartbeat of the ministry. I love the fact that we still begin every meal with a song and a blessing, that we begin each day with devotions and that every night you can still hear the laughter of children as they roll down the big hill, just as I did. I miss those days, but at the same time, they are still here and as real as ever. My prayer is that our children will be able to experience the same joy, the same "small town" memories as both Scotty and I have. How lucky we were and how lucky we are to grow up in such a special place!

Bless the Lord!

(Psalms 103:1-4) Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.

No patience sometimes

If you hang out with me long enough you will come to find out that there are areas in my life that I consider to have some patience, but standing in line and waiting on people to make up their minds is not one of them. Scotty and I just ran to Subway to grab a quick sandwich because he has to be at the theatre and when we walked in, we had beat the church crowd, which is a miracle on a Sunday here in Franklin. I walked in and was like, "How nice that we can just breeze through the line...there is only one person standing in front of us." Oh no...this lady was beyond ridiculous. Evidentally, her husband and son were in the restroom, which I would have to calculate just their time in the restroom was about 10 minutes because that is how long it took this lady to order 3 sandwiches. The kind lady behind the counter would ask, "What would you like," and the slow poke would just stand there and say, "well, um....hmmm, maybe I'll have some turkey. Oh, I don't know what kind of cheese I want today....hmmm, maybe some American." Mind you, for that one sandwich I calculated for those two simple decisions it took about 4 minutes. And then, she added, "my next sandwich, um, maybe I will just get a spicy italian...." "Would you like it toasted?"  "um,hmmmmm not sure, I guess so." Ok, so by this point I was about to just order her sandwiches for her. Can't stand it when people are so inconsiderate of those around them that the whole world revolves around what kind of sandwich they want and they take forever to decide! I mean, how do people get anything done?  And then, her husband and son walk out and her husband tells the lady behind the counter what he wants on his spicy italian sandwich and it took him another 10 minutes to tell what he wanted on his one sandwich! Guess they were meant for each other because their decision making was about the same speed. Then, the coke machine was low and the poor girl behind the counter was carrying the huge container of the carbonated drinks to replace the others and the husband is standing in front of the coke machine and no lie, he would click one of the drinks and take a sip and shake his head. Then he did this like 5 times. If he would have turned around and noticed the girl was trying to change out the drinks, it would have saved yet another 10 minutes of  this wasteful moment. I don't know why I don't take a chill pill in these moments. It is a definite area I need to work on in my life because it solves no problems for me, it just gets me in an absolute tizz. Scotty is so good in trying to help me out because when I get like this, it just eats away at me. So, I guess the moral of the story is, people, please have little bit of an idea of what you want when you are going to stand in a line when other people are around. It is ok not to know exactly what you want, but try to make a quick decisions, and for myself, get a grip and don't let the little things drive you nuts. Geeze!

Just to say...

This is just to say that SCOTTY CORBIN I think you are the most amazing man ever! I love you with all my heart and I am so proud of you! I hope your face is so red right now while you are reading this!We are so not mushy gushy : )

Yeah Mom!

So my precious mother sang in Mrs. Patti's Talent Show tonight and I am so proud of her. For the past several years, Mrs. Patti has put on this enormous talent show featuring all local talent to help raise money for missions. Every year, Mrs. Patti has asked the two of us to sing a duet together, which has been great fun and actually very special. Most of you all know my mom has been my biggest cheerleader through the years(and never once a "stage" mother in the process- I can honestly vouch for that :) so when we get an opportunity to sing together, we just have loads of fun. It has actually been an answer to prayer that (a) my mother and I have had opportunties to perform together and (b) we live in a town where we are given the opportunties to be able to perform (that is another whole story in itself that I will share one of these days).  Because I have been sick this week, I  had to back out and left mom singing solo...which, was probably the best thing! She sang "Broadway Baby" like only she can and was just fabulous! So proud of you, Mom!

p.s. I did try to take a picture with my camera phone to post, but it came out in a big blog. Oh well-

My sweet niece...

On vacation in June, my niece,Gracianna, and I sang songs out the wazoo. I don't know if any of you ever had those moments growing up when you would get out on the beach and because the waves are so loud and the wind is blowing so hard, you felt as though you could belt a song as loud as your lungs would allow without anyone hearing. I used to do that. I know that is hard to believe, but when I was like in middle school, um, and maybe high school and ok, a time or two in college, (haha!) I would get out in the ocean and make believe I was in a musical or something ridiculous and would sing songs at the top of my lungs! That is if my twin brothers weren't around trying to drown me. Come to think of it, I did get some rather odd looks from people.  Anyway, I got so cracked up at Gracianna this year because every evening our family would take a long walk on the beach and the two of us, along with my mom, (my dad actually joined in with some harmony. I was like...wow, dad!) sang our hearts out. Gracianna would start out so quiet and then after about the third Christmas song, she would be belting at the top of her lungs. It so reminded me of myself- One of the songs I taught her was "On Top of Ol' Smokey." I myself, don't think I remembered all the words to the song, so I kind of made it up. One day she will remind me that I completely had it all wrong, I am sure. But, we were in the car one day and I got her singing it on video- enjoy!

I live vicariously through HGTV

So, I pretty much keep HGTV on all the time. Well, at least in the past week while I have been on the couch, I have watched it non-stop. I love the House Hunter/House Hunter International shows. I love to see the options people have and try to figure out which house they will actually buy. Scotty says this show makes him feel depressed, but for some reason I love to watch it! I love to live vicariously through the people who have a budget of a million or more and they are buying a house in the Caribbean Islands....what really cracks me up though are the ladies who are like, "well, the shower isn't what I was hoping for." I'm like, oh please, you have a trillion dollars and can buy you a new shower for cryin out loud!" It  actually does make my stomach turn. I also love to watch the design shows...to watch these designers completely transform a room into something glorious is quite entertaining. I did secretly enter our names online for an HGTV drawing to win a vacation home in Arizona a couple of weeks ago. You could enter as many times as you would like up to a certain date to win. So I did, twice. Then started thinking..."Nikki, seriously, what makes you actually think you could keep up with a house in Arizona? Just the cost of the flights to get there would break you." So, I stopped entering. But it was a nice thought for the moment : ) I would rather win a house in the Carribeans.
To completely change the subject I go back to the doctor in the morning for a test to see if I may have pleurisy. I am feeling better, but I feel like my chest has needles constantly poking me. They took chest x-rays and they came back just fine, thankfully, but something is still not right. I really really really want to feel better! I haven't been able to rehearse for the Blue Moon show in a week and I am just praying I can do it, but I really don't know. We will have to make a decision by tomorrow. Thankfully, the Heroes programs have ended for the summer at The Inn, so I am not missing too much. We do have a group coming in for the week, next week, so I am hoping by then I will be able to be a part. I hate missing out on things, but obviously my body is telling me different. Scotty and I go non-stop (well, who doesn't anymore) but I have been to the doctor more this year than I have in my life and it is just time for that to stop! But, perhaps I just need to make some adjustments in my routine . We get home a lot of nights around 11pm or so and during the summer, I get to the Inn early in the mornings, so it makes for long days and short nights. I wouldn't have it any other way, but my sleeping patterns are not good, so I have got to figure out something where I am able to get some more sleep. Oh well, I have made up for it this past week and just obviously have to start making changes, even if they are small ones. This is such a random blog and shallow-

Blue Moon Musical Review Show

I would like to encourage you all to please get your tickets to see the Blue Moon Musical Revue Show August 9-10 and August 16-17. It is a very fun, high energetic show, which features music from the 50's and 60's. Scotty, as always, has put a lot of work into this show and you will be nothing but entertained! Check out this site for more information www.greatmountainmusic.com

Here we go...

Okay, so I never thought I would actually blog, but here I am! I have been on the couch for the past week with walking pneumonia and have had way too much time to think about life in general and thought, "hmmmmm...my husband and I do live a busy life and I find it quite interesting, so why not share?" He however is nervous, but we all know about his blog, so it's my turn! In all honesty, who knows how much I will blog or how often but, for our family and friends who live far away, maybe it will at least let them know what is going on in our lives. So, I am still trying to figure this all out and I am using my computer at home which has no pictures I can download, so until I am back on my laptop at work, this will have to do. Have fun reading...I know I will!