from disney to heaven

So... we had a great time at Disney. the smells and sounds were all familiar, but sweetened by the shared experience with our children. unlike me, the collins children enjoy the dressed up characters and were diligent to stand in line for autographs all over the park.
some highlights were when mom, dad, quint, jax and kavi stayed late at the magic kingdom and rode the thunder mountain roller coaster... when we ate kavi's birthday dinner at tony's (the Lady and the Tramp restaurant)... when Blaikie got down at the Bear and the Big blue house show... there are so many good memories, too many to count.
the aerosmith rockin' roller coaster was a bit intense, but daddy and quint got to ride on it twice.
grandmama and granddaddy were troopers the whole time and rode with us, took pictures of us, played with us... and made it home safely with us.

we had a sad detour to Birmingham for Mimi's funeral... but we are excited for her that she is in heaven now. she has missed her husband for 32 years and now she gets to be with him. her body had decided to quit working. Kavi asked, " why did Mimi have to die?" to which I replied, "Because Jesus was ready to have her with Him. It was time." Jackson said, "Oh, he must be done with her crown, you know, with the jewels and everything." "Yes, honey, that's probably it." Quint wanted to make sure I knew that she was going to be in heaven. He asked, "How do you know she'll be in heaven? Did you ask her? Did she know Jesus?" Fortunately I could tell him that yes, she knows Jesus, she asked him to be in her heart, and so she is in heaven with him now.... He's already started praying for Blaikie, since she hasn't had the opportunity yet to make the choice.

thought this was going to be short and pithy, but instead, it's humbly grateful... and thoughtful.

thanks for reading.

oh baby, i've got good news

davis james beard is home from the hospital. if you prayed for him, thank you. it means everything. his family has seen a "yes" from God and for this we are eternally grateful. hope you will be blessed for your part in the answer.

wonderful world of disney

so, the family is gearing up for a big amazing trip to walt disney world in orlando, fl. 20 hours each way... two vans... 4 kids... 4 adults... WOW! but, oh how i anticipate the memories we will create. as i excavated the disney site, and the corresponding "mommy" tips and links i began to get more and more excited. i can literally smell the place. i can feel the intensity of entering the crisp air of the monorail after sweltering on the loading dock. my senses are alive as i recall the feeling of standing in the first official kodak picture spot, looking over cinderella's castle, the ducks, the pond. my nostrils are literally flaring with the smells of the candy shop, ice cream shoppe, the tomorrow land restaurant... oh man, if these kids have half as much fun as i think they're going to have, they will be out of their minds. the bustle of the emporium as you pore over the souvenir options in a last minute rush to choose the best item. the intensity of actually getting concerned and tense in the line for the not so haunted mansion. knots in my stomach before boarding space mountain. singing along to the pirates... yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me... does it get any better than the magic of disney world? i love it. i can't wait to show those collins kids what it's all about. if anyone has any tips i might not have discovered in my google search... send them on.

the "not so hard" drive

Well... my nice big fancy new laptop... CRASH ah ah (sounds like Flash Gordon theme song)yes, folks, it got injured, injured bad.

would you believe that my new G4 is in the shop for 5-7 long days to get a new hard drive. it's abominable. why didn't i back up my files? why am i going to have to spend more time reshooting photos that were really great to begin with? not being prepared...

guess what this makes me think of... that's right, Christ. do i want to get caught off guard, or unprepared when He returns? am i storing up anything on my la cie external hard drive? there is no excuse not to. it's all spelled out for me so beautifully in my Bible, God's word to me.... I will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against Him. that's my hard drive.

what are you storing up in yours?

peter peter pumpkin eater

...kids so cute you wanna eat her (and her and her and him)

wow! what fun the photo taking is, and this is definitely the season. as i gear up for christmas family portrait season... and hope for "client" i am reminded how blessed we are to have a Savior who loved us enough to die for us.... Makes life worthwhile.

truly grateful for each and every day... and that eternity is secure.

life with four kids is a festival

so, of course our kids went candy hopping last night... and adorable, they were
the sheer number of pieces of chocolate in our home are enough to put me into a sugar coma for weeks...
but, that's not the point. the point is we were able to keep up the tradition that was started four years ago. trick or treating with friends.
that leads me to a conversation about the importance of friends and how we can teach our children how important friends are...
hey, even Jesus had friends.

last night our church had a fall festival... let me share about that for a moment... because it certainly opened my eyes.
first of all, our church is diligent to be prayerful about everything... we walked the church in a prayer walk, we prayed allowed as a group, we were fortified by the prayers of pastors.... suffice it to say, I believe satan was bound from this place because of the prayers of God's people.
i watched ministers and volunteers toil tirelessly to ensure that every little kid had candy to eat, games to play and places to bounce their little heads off.
i saw sooo many people i did not know. the heart of the church is outreach and never is it more evident than the fall festival.
it reminded me of how when someone comes to your house and you either chat at the door, or you invite them in to play in your playroom, rest in your bedroom, eat at your table... after this you have an intimacy and commitment level to the relationship...
that's what prestonwood now has with all those from our community that donned the doors last night. what an honor to entertain the lost. what a privilege to represent Christ to those who've never even heard His name.
I have never been so proud to be a member of Prestonwood than I was on Oct. 31.

truly... wow