A Year Ago Today - 4/14/2012

1 Corinthians 13 

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

For we know in part and prophesy is part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

When I was a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. 

But the greatest of these is love.

I am so blessed and continuously amazed by God's gift of marriage.   

Happy 1st Anniversary Alan Tyler Cease! Your'e the best thing that has ever happened to me and I love you with all my heart! 

Hippity Hoppity 2013

Easter came and went way too fast as we did our "hopping" around to visit with our families.  We have been extremely blessed that Alan's schedule has allowed us to go home for every holiday since he began his residency.  I do believe that I prayed this into existence and I do thank God for making this transition away from home much sweeter allowing us to spend more time than expected with our families and friends! 

Our first stop was at my sister and brother-in-law's new (beautiful) house to drop off Easter goodies to this sweet baby BIG girl! 

Then we were off to enjoy a delicious dinner at the Ceases'.  Mrs. Cease never disappoints when it comes to anything involving food.  I never have a hard time cleaning my plate! 

After our visit with them, we were off to Arab!  We had such a fun time dying and decorating Easter eggs with Anna Scott. 

Then it was off to church for a wonderful Easter service! 

And then we hurried back to Birmingham for the Easter buffet at Shoal Creek Country Club! 

Hope you had a happy Easter celebrating the true meaning of this season- Jesus' resurrection. How thankful I am that He did that for me!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead" 1 Peter 1:3

Alan turns 27 + Special Visitors

 The past two weekends have been full of love.  Two weekends ago we celebrated my wonderful husband's 27th birthday! His parents were able to come to Madison and celebrate with us which made his birthday extra special. He had a very happy day, getting off work early (whoo-hoo), eating a delicious meal cooked by yours truly (with a lil help from the MIL) and opening ALL his presents!  Thank you, Lisbeth and Larry, for all the love and support you give us. We love you both! 

Alan's mom surprised us with these beautifully framed diplomas.  Officially all grown-up! 

This past weekend my family came in town to visit. My sister had a few days off and so she, Scott, and Anna Scott joined my mom and dad for a wonderful weekend trip.  My grandmother and Aunt Tracy also were able to drive down and stay one night which was SO much fun to have everyone here at once!  At one point we had eight adults, one toddler, and three dogs all under one roof! That's what I like to call "crazy fun!" We filled our time with shopping, eating, playing, and sleeping.  What more could you ask for?? 

Here are a few pics from the weekend.....

               

And this little girl is as precious as they come!  

Birthdays + Friends

The past few weekends were spent celebrating, laughing, shopping, and dining with some of my favorite people! I'll start from the top.....

Three weekends ago two of my best friends from college, Robin and Courtney, came to Jackson to visit me! Courtney's birthday was January 12th, so we had a little celebration for her at our house.  It's a rare occasion when we are able to all get together for a weekend so I soaked up every minute with these gals. We spent the weekend with Casey and Dana (Robin's sister) who are also Samford alums that live here in Jackson.  It was so good to have some girl time just like the good ole' college days. It is hard to believe that this coming May will be FOUR years since we graduated. Time surely does fly. I am so thankful for the friendship I have with these girls and look forward to sharing many more wonderful memories with them in the years to come.

 (excuse the poor quality of the photos due to i-phone) 

I got brave and baked Courtney a birthday cake from scratch. It was edible, and I was happy!

Happy Birthday, CC! I love you with all my heart.  Thank you for being my best friend.

Lunch at Primos! 

Dinner at Bablou!

Lunch after church at Beagle Bagel!

The next weekend, we headed to Birmingham to celebrate my sister's birthday! We had a yummy family dinner at Firebirds topped with Mary Catherine's favorite dessert, Granny's homemade chocolate cake!  Doesn't get much sweeter than this picture of MC and ASL...

Birthday Girl! So thankful for you her.

My babe.

With our favorite niece! She keeps us laughing! 

Love that smile! Loved spending the day with her.

While in Birmingham, I took advantage of being close to Arab and was able to have a much needed dinner date with some my best high-school friends! I love that no matter how long we go without seeing each other, when we all get together it's like we never missed a beat. We had such a great time catching up! 

Sweet, sweet friends.....All grown up and married! 

Yummy dinner at Cocina!

So incredibly happy for this mommy-to-be :) :) :)

Also got to see this little "all grown up" girl while in Birmingham! I started baby-sitting Lowery when she was in Kindergarden and I was a sophomore at Samford. Now she is a beautiful, smart, precious 5th grader who is one of my best friends! I love her dearly and can't wait until she can babysit my kids one day!

And lastly, this past weekend I traveled to Memphis for another weekend with my college friends. Alan was working all weekend and so I decided to get out of town and have some fun! It makes me one happy gal that I was able to see these friends twice in one month!


 Fun night in Memphis! (Robin is taking the picture)  Robin is a nurse at St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis. It was her dream all throughout nursing school to be a pediatric oncology nurse. I am so incredibly proud of her for the dedication and passion she has for her job. While in Memphis, she took Courtney and me on a tour of St. Jude. Walking the halls and seeing what these precious children are challenged with daily sure did change my perspective on life. It takes one special person to be able to work day after day with children who have cancer and I know Robin has been blessed with the gift to give those children the love and hope that they need to make it through each day.






This art work was done by a 14 yo boy who has cancer. What a testament of his faith. Makes me realize how much bigger God is than our problems, no matter how big or small they may seem. 

I love how happy and colorful the walls are....I'm sure the kids are amazed by this!   

In the picture above, they are throwing a "No More Chemo" party for this precious little girl. Robin said that after the patient receives their last chemo treatment they will throw a huge party with balloons, confetti, etc. to celebrate! I thought that was just the coolest thing!

"When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."  Mark 10:14