Show Us Your Life--Your Church

I am excited about this Show Us Your Life from Kelly's Korner. If you're anyone in the blog world you've visited Kelly's Korner. She just had her baby girl, Hollis, who is absolutely adorable. What a beautiful baby girl! Her big sister is gorgeous too! :) So if you haven't visited Kelly's Korner, go right now! Now, onto my church... We attend First United Methodist Church in West Plains, MO. I wasn't really raised going to church every Sunday. My Dad grew up Baptist and my Mom Methodist and we did attend the Baptist church for awhile. We started going to FUMC when I was in high school and didn't attend regularly until I was in college. I was Baptised and joined the church in 2008. We got married there in 2009 and I struggled with Kody not wanting to go with me, but he completely changed his mind and in the beginning of 2010 he started going. Our life, marriage, and future changed immediately. We have really gotten involved and I am in love with my church. Sundays are my favorite days of the week because we get to worship and see our friends! First United Methodist Church has everything we wanted in a church. My idea was to be involved in a church before kids so we could raise them there, done. FUMC offers an extensive youth program, children's sermon, children's church, children's Sunday School, a HUGE Vacation Bible School, after school programs, the best private pre-school in town (seriously), and a daycare. You name it, they've got it. We added on several years ago and built a Christian Life Center with classrooms, a huge gym, big kitchen, etc.

Christian Life Center, a side view from just after it was built. There's not a playground on the back side fenced in and a prayer garden up close to the original building.

We then added a connection to the CLC and the main church so you could go from one to the other. We also added an upstairs chapel that is used for Wednesday night services and other small worship events.

FUMC is BIG on evangelism and reaching out to those in the community. It's incredible how many missions are constantly going on at FUMC. Here are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head: Lunch Bunch (weekly lunch for Missouri State University-West Plains students)

Stephen's Ministry (ministry services for military families, etc.)

West Plains Christian Clinic (free medical clinic for underprivileged people)

Yearly Jamaican mission trips to Falmouth, Jamaica for medical missions.

Hispanic Reach-Out (ministering with those from the local Mexican restaurants in town)

Christ's Kitchen

Christ's Closet

VBS--last year it was 275 children worshiping Jesus!

and there are SEVERAL more....

Kody and I attend the first (early) service at 8:15. It's a contemporary, come as you are, service with a praise band that we love! We have 2 pastors, Senior Pastor Mark Mildren and Associate Pastor Todd Holman. Todd preaches the last Sunday of the month. Kody and I love both of them. They aren't the intimidating type of pastor, both are so easy to talk to. I can go up to either and start a conversation, ask a question, facebook/email, etc with them and always get a great, quick response. They know us by name and know about our lives. Both have visited me at work, that always makes me feel special! During our service the children have a special time with the pastor and get a quick sermon and then go away for Children's Church. After our service we all gather in the Christian Life Center for coffee and breakfast and then go to Sunday School at 9:30. There's a 10:45 traditional service with a choir and at our 2nd location there's a 11:00 service that is very relaxed with visitors in mind. There's a Wednesday night Praise & Prayer Worship service in the chapel at 6.

We love our Sunday School class! We've gotten to know several of the couples in there and are good friends with them. We've figured out even though they're a little older than us we have a lot in common and enjoy each other! We're an open class and I'm never afraid to make a comment or ask a question. We get together on some weekends and have different outings. There's a Sunday School class for everyone though and I believe that has only helped our relationship with our church grow and prosper.

I've gotten pretty involved with church and Kody is beginning to as well. I serve on the Pastor Parish Relations Committee and just started a committee, Christ's Communicators, to help with communication about FUMC and the community. We are constantly trying to reach the community and invite them to church!

From our website here are the things we believe... •God is bigger and better and closer than we can imagine. •The Bible is God’s perfect guidebook for living. •Jesus is God showing himself to us. •Through His Holy Spirit, God lives in and through us now. •Nothing in creation “just happened.” God made it all. •Grace is the only way to have a relationship with God. •God wants to have a relationship with you! •Faith is the only way to grow in our relationship with God. •God has allowed evil to provide us with a choice, God can bring good even out of evil events and God promises victory over evil to those who choose him. •Heaven and hell are real places. Death is a beginning, not the end. •The church is to serve people like Jesus served people. •Jesus is coming again. •We can become more like Jesus

(sorry the spacing is all weird, I've had trouble with Blogger lately...)

I have found and Kody too that you can have fun at church. You can hang out and be normal with people from church...it's just a really great fit for us.

If you live in the West Plains area and are interested in our church, please talk with me or visit the website at http://www.fumcwestplains.com/. You can contact the church office at 417-256-6167. Come visit and see what I'm talking about. If anything you will fall in love with how beautiful and serene the sanctuary is. I love it! Just like home!

Say a Prayer for our New Nephew!

Baby Boy Thompson was born this afternoon just before 3! He weighed in at 6lbs and 15oz! Erica, my SIL, was induced this morning early and had a pretty quick delivery considering induction.

Baby doesn't have a name yet, but they have 2 picked out. He had a rough entrance and had gone to the bathroom twice, had the cord wrapped around his neck, and was faced the wrong way. They tried using the forceps and since he was faced the wrong way that didn't work. They had to quickly suction him out with the vacuum and take him to the NICU. His coloring was off and will spend the night in there for sure. He's on oxygen and nobody can hold him. Erica hasn't even seen him yet!!! She has to wait until her epidural wears off, hopefully that is soon. Kyle (Kody's brother) has gotten to touch him and that's it. My MIL said he's a poor little sight, has a boo-boo on his head from his rough entrance and is all hooked up to monitors.

Say a prayer that he is well enough to get out of the NICU tomorrow and Erica can see him tonight! Oh and that they choose the name tonight. Kody and I are about to go crazy! They wanted to see him first and I totally understand.

***Update, as of tonight Baby is named Drake Ryan Thompson. Kody said he's going to call him Doc...(DR) haha. We love it. Drake & Drew!***

What's Wrong with the Sky??

I'm not sure what's going on outside...the sky has turned blue and there is a really bright ray of light out???? Could it be the sun? I really can't remember the last time I saw the sun...sometime last week I think. It's been SO nasty here lately! Cold and dreary!! I'm ready for the trees to bloom (other than the ones that have already bloomed) and ready to plant the garden. Last night I cleaned up some of the house and made up my Easter apothecary jars. They look pretty cute, at least I think so. I got some eggs & stuffing at Hobby Lobby and went to town. Kody made dinner again...he grilled chicken and made a sweet/spicy rub to put on it. He also grilled green beans and they were heavenly! I made dinner the night before, Greek Turkey Meatballs, but that was the first time I had cooked in no telling how long. We started our homework on Week 3 of FPU...let me say, this was not easy. It was a complete cash flow budget taking your money and paying it to a category until all money was spent. It wouldn't have been that bad if my 5-year old kid, oh wait I mean husband wouldn't have asked 1000000 questions. He questioned everything..."What if I'm working in the yard and my shovel breaks and I need one right then and you have the money envelopes or we don't have a category for broken shovels?" ETC, ETC, ETC. I finally told him to shut up and we'd figure it out as we went. I'm hoping any of you who have taken this class can ease his mind and mine too. Ashley Pollock??? ;) Afterwards he ran his 3 miles and I played on the computer and watched tv. He makes me feel lazy when he runs at night, but I get my workouts in during the day. I was sleepy yesterday and wasn't wanting to do mine, but was so glad after I did. I had energy the rest of the day! My SIL, Erica, is in the hospital right now. They checked in at 5 this morning and the doctor started Pitocin. Teresa emailed and said labor has started but isn't regular yet. Hopefully it will work and she won't be sent home. Erica said he could be born any day, just not April 1st...everyone would always think he's joking when he says it's his birthday...I figure he'll be born shortly after midnight on April 1st. Drew was born on July 4th, the one day she didn't want. :) We're anxiously awaiting updates! I can't wait to see pictures...it'll probably be next weekend before we get to see him though. I have a Tourism Board Retreat today at a cafe in town. It will make for a long day, but oh well. Yesterday & tomorrow are the only full days I've been at work this week! :) Happy Thursday!

Weekend in J-Town

I like to pretend I’m a local and call Jackson J-Town. They all do, so I can too! We had a really good trip! We got to Jackson about 6 on Saturday evening and changed headed to Cape with Kaci and Luke. Kody’s best friend (and the reason Kody and I are together) is getting married and we attended a couples shower in their honor. Aaron Randolph is one person I never thought would get married, but we are so glad he’s found someone that has so much in common with him and someone who fits perfectly with him. He’s also changed tremendously, but he’s the same ole’ Aaron and is such a great friend to both of us. I love Aaron just as much as Kody does.

The shower was at his brother & sister-in-law’s house and was more of just a mingling event. Kody enjoyed catching up with old buds and it’s always entertaining watching him and Aaron together. Here they are posing with Aaron’s fake mustache.

I might also add that Kody has lost 30 lbs since the middle of February. Yes, 30 lbs!! Who cares about my 15? haha!! He is running and eating better and I’m really proud of him. I didn’t put it on here before because I wanted his mom to be surprised. She was! Everyone was and said he was hard to recognize. The shirt he’s wearing is from 6 years ago (obviously wasn’t worn much, looked new) and he has to wear that because his other shirts were like tents on him!

We snacked and the guys had a beer tasting with all different kinds of beer that I would gag when I smelled! Eww!

We made Aaron & Jess (his bride-to-be) a last name picture and took things from West Plains, Jackson, and Cape to make the letters. Aaron used to live in West Plains and then moved to Jackson. His last house was in Cape. He was actually visiting grandparents and brought Kody along one weekend and that’s how we met. So, West Plains was easy and had to be part of it! Kody had a bet that Aaron would cry when he opened it, I really didn’t think he would but he did! They both did and LOVED it! I’m so glad, we worked hard on it and wanted it to be perfect. We attached a note to them on the back and then a piece that said where each letter came from.

We had not had a photo taken together since Christmas and Kody was dressed like Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation and I didn’t post those much….we did get a couple of new ones.

Sunday we got going early because my mother-in-law made lunch for everyone since Kaci and Luke had to leave early. We celebrated John (FIL) and Kody’s Uncle Desi’s birthdays and grilled burgers and hot dogs. Aaron and Jess came over and had lunch so we could see them one more time. Everyone was there, including Drew! Notice the cute picture of Grandma and her neighbor friend Marion dressed alike…accidently.

Mommy’s only boy for a few more days!

Sunday afternoon Erica and I shopped around trying to get her to go into labor. We walked laps in the mall and my legs were nearly about to fall off! It didn’t work though. We had dinner with John, Teresa, Kyle, Erica, and Drew Sunday and then hung out with Drew for a little while longer. I gave him a bath and he was such a good boy. We sang Twinkle Twinkle, Wheels on the Bus, etc. He calls Kody Ko-Ko and I told him to say Kotex. (Yes, I am mean.) He was running around the house yelling HEY KOTEX, HEY KOTEX….looking for Kody who was in the basement helping Kyle. I was dying laughing….I’m not a very nice aunt I guess! I finally said OK, say Ko-Ko again and he did. He is definitely in that stage where he repeats anything and everything. We really enjoyed seeing them, last time before he’s a big brother!

Erica was supposed to be induced tonight, but they were out of beds. She’s to call in the morning and hopefully they will have a bed for her, if not she will have to either go into labor or wait until next week when her doctor is on call to be induced. Her due date is Monday though.

That was our weekend! Yesterday I toured a neighboring town with my EXCEL class and had a retirement party in the morning for work. Tomorrow I will be gone to my tourism board retreat most of the day. I will have only worked 2 full days this week. Nice!! I’m looking forward to this weekend because it’s supposed to be warm…this cold and dreary weather has me tired!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed my pictures of Drew!

Day 30: LAST POST!!

Day 30: Picture from today & 5 good things that have happened since this challenge.

This picture was taken Saturday night (3/26/11) so it's close enough. And no, it's not just me, but oh well.

Five good things that have happened since this challenge started:

1. I've lost over 10 lbs!! I lost some before March 1st, so total it's close to 15!

2. I started Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University....on a path to planning for our future!

3. I started a leadership class through the Missouri Extension office, so far it's been a great experience.

4. The time changed!! It's light outside much later, it helps getting things done!

5. I had a great experience at my new doctor, I'm so thankful!

Bonus: I never missed a day on this challenge! GO ME!

Day 29: 3 Wishes

Day 29: 3 Wishes I thought long and hard about this and came up with 3 wishes that would mean a lot to me! 1. People only die from old age....which in turn means a CURE to all sicknesses. 2. Have our families live in ONE place. 3. Build our dream house on about 500 acres and live debt free. Leave me a comment with your 3 wishes if you want to play along!

Day 28: Pet Peeves

Day 28: Pet Peeves I wonder if this is bad to start out the post by saving I have several pet peeves? Oh well, it is what it is. I can't stand... -Slow drivers -People who do not use their turn signals -People who continue to have babies that SHOULD NOT -Bratty kids....which leads to the next -Parents who do not discipline children -Barking dogs -Gas prices -Fake people (do not call me honey, sweetie, sis, etc. if we are the same age...) -Ignorant people -People who talk about their problems and want you to listen, but don't have the time to listen to yours. -People who are on power trips.........................I could go on and on about this -Trying to get Kody to leave places (it's always drawn out...right Kaci?) -Hypocrites -Poor grammar. Cannot stand this. You did not SEEN anything you saw it...or I ain't never seen her before. WHAT? Seriously! It's not that hard. I seriously could go on and on. I will stop though!

Weekend Plans!

So glad the weekend is here! It was another busy week! This has been the busiest spring ever! I took off early Thursday to judge high school cheerleading tryouts! It was such a fun time! I had always wanted to judge. The girls did really well for the most part. I remember the old cheerleading days. Sorry I can't share any pictures with you all....hahaha!! I was a cheerleader my freshman and sophomore year. I didn't tryout for junior year because the older girls were just plain mean!

Friday I was off and went to the doctor. I woke up yesterday before 6 am and could hear it thundering and could see lightning. I hate driving in the rain, but hoped it would stop. Well what I did not know what that it was 31 degrees outside and there was ice on the trees, just thankfully not on the roads. It stayed that way all day. I picked up Mom about 7:15 and we were on our way. Kody is only off on Sunday & Mondays and it's extremely hard for him to get off work. He is taking his vacation time during the summer when we go on our beach trips, so I didn't want him to waste a day with me. Plus I wanted to shop and he never wants to do that! ;) The rain didn't last the whole trip and we were there around 9.

My appointment went better than I could have imagined. My new doctor, Dr. Williams, said he is not certain that it is PCOS because I do not fit all the critera for it, but he did not say it wasn't. It left me feeling positive. I still believe I do have it, but he did not act like that would effect anything we are currently working on. He did just as I wanted him to and sent me on my way. I was so happy!

After the doctor we headed to shop. We found this awesome store and spent an hour and a half in there and I got 3 new jackets for work and 3 new tops, 2 pairs of dress capris, a pair of shoes and a necklace! I was pumped! We had a good lunch, shopped awhile at the mall, hit up Bed, Bath & Beyond, Marshalls, and headed home. We had a really good day and I was so pleased with my doctor appointment.

Last night Kody and I had dinner at Ruby Tuesday and worked on Aaron & Jess's wedding shower gift. Kody's best friend, Aaron, is the reason we met....but he's also getting married in August and we're heading to Jackson tonight for their wedding shower. We made them a last name picture spelling out RANDOLPH and had it framed. It looks so cool. The neat thing is we used letters from Jackson, Cape, and West Plains because he has lived in all those places!

I'm anxious to see everyone at the shower and Kody's family. I am also VERY hopeful that this weekend we have a new nephew! Erica is having contractions and is dilated a little. We would LOVE to meet the baby this weekend. If not, we'll enjoy spending time with Drew!

I'll have plenty of pictures when I get back. You all have a greet weekend!

Day 26: Dream Wedding

Day 26: My Dream Wedding...


This is easy! I had my dream wedding! I show a lot of our wedding pictures still to this day, but I love them so much and cherish them soooo much! It was such a FUN day. Literally the prettiest day of the year and I think it was safe to say Kody and I just had a lot of fun.

A few details about our special day...
Our wedding was at 5 p.m. on October 24, 2009. The reception followed immediately after at 6.

Pictures began at 2 and Kody and I had a special moment where it was just us (and the photographer) in the church and saw each other for the first time. I HIGHLY recommend that. We were able to calm nerves and walking down the aisle I was smiling ear to ear. :) We took pictures inside and outside together for about an hour and then added the family and wedding party. After we said I DO we were able to immediately get ready for the reception, which was nice. There were no pictures...just those of us running down the street to the Opera House where the reception was.

The ceremony was at First United Methodist Church, our church, in WP. It was a full house, which was really exciting to see everyone we love and who love us all together in one room. Our ceremony was quick, about 30 minutes. We had 6 bridesmaids/groomsmen and 2 candlelighters/ushers. We had 2 soloists, piano player, organ player, and trumpet player. The trumpet played as we went down the aisle to and from. Loved that.

Our reception was a complete blast. We had a sit down dinner and then cake, watched our slide show, had great toasts, danced the night away, etc. It was over sometime after midnight!

Here is just a small sneak peak at the best day of our lives.......

and they lived happily ever after.