Shots of the Fling Part 1

 

If you plan it , they will come!!! If you make the sgetti , they will eat it!!! :0) We filled both the upstairs and the downstairs of the VFW. Who needs to sell tickets ahead of time!!! Isn't God good!!! If you obey , He will provide!!!

Mom and her friend Debbie working in the kitchen.So thankful to my Mom and all she did to make this dinner happen. Debbie was so sweet to spend her night in the kitchen helping!!

 

This is my friend Val and her kiddos Quinnten and Quersti. What a blessing !! These guys along w/ their friend Whitney and Vals husband , Billy  were such a huge help. They shut the place down w/ us as well!! Thank you , Thank you!! 

Here are some more of my kitchen helpers! There is my Mother in law, the one who made that beautiful quilt!!:0)That man of mine was busy all day!! Running errands, setting up and cleaning up. He has been so supportive ! Did you know that he is taking a whole week off to be Mr. Mom while I am gone?? :0) I love you Guy David and appreciate all you do for me!!

Hey Bartender!!! Good thing he wasn't in the kitchen!! LOL Thank you Papa!!

 Here is my sister in law, Michelle and my nephew Jackson. Shell spent the night putting together a scrapbook for me along w/ other things. I love it!!! Here are some other shots I was able to get during the short time I used my camera. Thanks to all who came, made donations,prayed for me, baked goodies  etc. etc. God was so good and used so many of you to bring about the success of this event!!

I am blessed w/ great friends and family!!! I wish I got shots of all of them.

I love this one as I remember back in the day ,my mom and Aunt Helen teaching me how to do the bump.

 

I really have seen Gods Hand  all over this event and my trip in so many ways and so many people have been so generous but I feel led to share a story in particular. Because it shows how His timing is perfect and that he truly loves us and cares about the details of our lives!! As I shared in my last post, I really did start to get a little stressed as I was spending money on this dinner that I did not have.  There was one day  that I was having a really bad day and even shed some tears as I was praying. That afternoon when I went to the mailbox there was a very generous check from my Aunt Mougie and Uncle Johnny w/ a note that let me know I could use it however I needed whether to help w/ the dinner or for the trip. I felt so loved  at that moment and so blessed!! How awesome that that check was used for both!!! I look forward to all that God has in store for me and all that God will do through me  as I continue to prepare and travel to Africa.

With a Grateful Heart

WARNING!!!!

This may be a long post and one that is all over the place. My thoughts and emotions are all over the place but I need to share my heart with you!!!!!

Yesterday on my way to church I was really feeling bad about not publically thanking my Dad at the Spaghetti Spring Fling. Though he had not done anything for the dinner,he has blessed me in such a special way. I had in my head all I wanted to say when I got up there but totally forgot so much. I thanked my Mom and Ryan but forgot Terry ,who paid for the use of the VFW.My Mother in law made a beautiful quilt to auction off. My Father in law was willing to donate all of his time for a Horse and Wagon ride someone could have won in the silent auction for less than half the price. I have seen all that goes into that  and know what a huge sacrifice that was. Any way the list is huge. How in the world could I thank everyone? Ok, back to my dad a couple of weeks ago he asked me if I had enough money  to get my shots. I told him that I really didn't but I would do what I needed to and it would all work out. He then let me know that he would pay for all of my shots because this was my dream and he wanted it to come true w/ as little stress as possible. This is after he already gave me a very generous donation towards my trip. ** sigh** and tearing up as I write.  I am overwhelmed and feel this kind of support of wanting  to help make my dreams come true from all of my parents. I am grateful beyond  what  words can express. This same kind of support is coming from so many of my family and friends and I feel blessed!!

Once I got to church and stood up to sing and worship, I realized that I never mentioned a word about the Lord and all He has done for me so far for this trip. With out Him this wouldn't even be my desire to get on a plane and fly 13 hours to Africa and w/out Him it would not even be happening!! I am in awe of my Father in Heaven and how He wants to make my dreams come true!! There is noone who knows me better or loves me more. I just feel the need to brag about Him today!! For the past 5 years or so , I have seen Him bless me in so many ways. Well, he certainly always has but never have I felt a closer walk w/ Him and have truly believed that He loves me. I had the knowledge that he did but didn't fully believe. Quite honestly I was extremely depressed back then and just cried out to him.   I am not sure of all the reasons but here is one :  I have this huge desire to  to adopt. My heart has always broke for children who are abused or do not have the love of a mommy and daddy. I never really thought of adopting until I was blessed to be a part of the journey my friend Sarah and her husband got go on to adopt their daughter from China. I remember going to her house to pray for that little one. Then it was time to decide what we were going to do in memory of our first little girl, Alayna. I had always wanted to do something but could never figure out what. After learning more about the orphans of the world through Sarah and Bobs' adoption ,it hit me that our little girl received more love in her 2 weeks on this earth than what some of these children get in their lifetime.  Believe me , the more you become educated about the orphans of this world, there is no way that you canlook the other way and not feel like you need to do something.I ,then, knew that whatever we did to remember Alayna was going to help orphans. That is how our Pie Sale was started. Every year  around Alayna's Birthday  we have a Pie Sale and the money goes to sponsorships  and helping children in need in some way. This year we were able to donate to Smile Train and help 3 children receive cleft palate surgeries.  So , I have continued wanting to adopt and unfortuneately my husbad does not have this desire. I say this w/ great respect to my husband and in no way do I want in any way want to make him look bad. He is a very generous, kind and loving man. But I certainly have let this come between us in the past.  Not too long ago after many times giving it to the Lord and then taking it back, I finally left it all in His hands. I started praying that God would show me what to do w/ all that was in my heart. I was finally able to accept that adoption just may not be in the plans for us but I knew God had placed something in my heart for a reason.  It was soon after I prayed that prayer that I heard about this Missions Trip and felt the Lord calling me to go. This so out my comfort zone but I have a full trust and think about this verse often: Phillipians 1:6 being confident of this very thing,that He who has begun a good work in you  will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ 
 God has really been meeting my every need so far throughout this process and I know He will continue. Though, the road doesn't always feel smooth . That is for sure. I have to admit that I was very stressed as I was spending money on this event and not seeing a whole bunch of tickets sold. I was spending money I did not have and was very tired too. Saturday Morning , I was finishing an apron and Guy David took the kids to the VFW to start setting up. I had a wonderful time in prayer. I felt a peace wash over me and knew He would provide. So I say thankyou to God for all he has done for me and for loving me so much and for giving me the desires of my heart. He has blessed me w/ my familys and friends support  and has sent very generous people my way.

I thanked my Dad yesterday for saying the blessing and he said," I find if I think too much I am nervous but if I just speak from my heart it just flows." So I am here this morning speaking from my heart. My brother said something at the dinner that made me feel bad... Certainly not in a bad way ..he was blessing me...but he said in a joking way something like " me going on this trip made him feel like a smuck." I write all of this not to make anyone feel like a smuck. God calls us all to different things and has created us all unique and special w/ our own gifts and desires. The important thing is just to obey to whatever He calls you to. There is my heart and here are a few shots from the dinner. I was too busy to take the pics I wanted too. Oh well!! Ry and Shell made a scrapbook for me out of the shots from the photo booth!!! I have been having fun looking at that this morning!!! Actually i will post pics soon. I had uploaded 5 and then lost them and decided not to wait to post. :0) Thank you again to all of you !!

And the winner is.......

We did pick the winner yesterday at 6:00 pm but then I left to take my Mom out for Mother's Day. My assistant and I put all the names in a hat and then picked one.

Wish you all could have won but the one who did is .........


Drum roll please...........



And the winner of this adorable apron is...........


VALLEYGIRL!!!!!!



Congratualtions girl!!! It will look adorable on you!!!

Maybe she will wear it to the dinner. ;0)


And for those who did not win, there will actually be 2 at the dinner that will be auctioned off along w/ some other homemade goodies!!! So excited!!! 


Thank you all for visiting my blog and voting, etc. It was so fun for me to have my very first blog giveaway!!

I still am not sure what the second sauce will be. ***Sigh**** Still considering your votes and weighing the costs.Looking forward to seeing you there!!!

Spaghetti Spring Fling & Give Away

I am so excited!! On May 15th , we are having a Spaghetti Spring Fling to raise money for my journey to Africa. When I told my brother, Ryan that I would be going to Africa, he and his wife Michelle were so excited for me. What a blessing it was to me.Ryan was immediately thinking of ideas on how we could raise the support I would need. He offered to throw a party for me. He is a Wedding DJ . He does do other things but weddings are his speciality. People dream of marrying again to experience all that he has to offer. I am one of them . :0) One day I will renew my vows just so he can do my wedding. I must give him a plug ... check out his new website
http://rbombard.com/
Thanks Ry and Shell for all of your encouragement,help and support! I MUST give a shout out to my Mom and Terry. They have really jumped on board to help with this dinner. Without them it may have happened but it sure would have been whole lot harder. Than you so much!!! I love you!!!



So anyhoo,


                                                    Spaghetti Spring Fling
                                        Dinner and a PARTY!!!
                                                              May 15th 5pm -9pm
                                                                   Montrose VFW

Adults: $7

Children 5-12: $5

under 5 :free

You can leave a comment and let me know if you are interested in purchasing tickets.

We have so many fun things planned and I cannot wait!!!!  Music , dancing, trivia, American Idol Competition, games, Chinese and silent auction and so much more.

I have been receiveing so much support from this wonderful town we live in and the towns surrounding.  So many awesome items to auction off. I am overwhelmed with the generosity.

Oh by the way, I have had many requests about the Spaghetti... We will also have gluten free spaghetti and another sauce other than tomatoe. I would love to hear your thoughts!!! 

1.Alfredo

2.Pesto

3. Garlic and butter

4. Something with sundried tomatoes..hmmmm...will have to find a recipe

So here goes.... My very first Blog Give Away... Woo HOOO!!

Leave a comment letting me know your vote and your name will be put in a drawing on My 1st. My assistant ,Jonah will pick a name out of a hat.

 Oh I just had a thought....how fun.... If you leave  an order for tickets or a donation towards my trip I will put your name in another time for the drawing. So you have a chance to have your name entered twice.

Right, I have to tell you what you will win. LOL I almost forgot. You will win this apron that Livy and I made last Saturday you can read all about it and see a picture here http://jjsjoyfuljourney.blogspot.com/2010/04/sew-much-fun.html

Decided to put the picture here too! :0)

Hangin'out at Applebees

On April 20th, the Applebees in Vestal donated 10% of every check who received a voucher from Sarah and I to our trip. Here are some of the friendly faces I got to see throughout the day.

At lunchtime the boys and I got to visit with Aunt Cindy and Ben. I haven't been able to do that in so long so I was thrilled!!

 

My friend Gail came with her Red Hat girls. Sooo fun!!! I saw some other friendly faces during lunch hour as well and am kicking myself that I did not get  pics of them. My friends Ragen and Faith and their kids were there and I also got to meet in person a friend I made on Facebook, Marie.

Guy David and I were suppose to meet up w/ my friends Andy and Sarah and actually have a date night. Olivia was sick so I had to go solo and  leave him home with our girl.

I am soooo sad that this shot is blurry!!!!! This is my friend Val, her husband ,Billy ,daughter Madigan and her Mother and Father in law. What a treat to meet the rest of her family!! They are as wonderful as she describes them.

                             
My Kyle came!!!!! And of course his mom and my good friend Tammy!! I watched Kyle from the time he was 2 or 3 until he was too old to need a babysitter. Oh boy did I try not to lose him!!  I love this kid!! Well geez, I guess I have to say man now. Weird!! Oh and did you see Flat Stanley also came to Applebees?

Whlie visiting w/ some others Andy was able to finish those ribs. I was hoping to get a real good shot of him eating those ribs but I missed it! LOL

My Mom, Terry and  my brother Ryan came with a bunch of my favorite people.:0) They always add laughter , smiles and fun into my life!! I am quite fond of those little ones

 

What a crew , I tell ya!! Good thing I looked at this carefully and did not keep this one as a keeper.At first I did not realize that my brother was at it again.LOL Iam so grateful for the way he makes me laugh!!

Ok, that 's better!! He made everyone laugh!! I love these people!! I am so blessed and so grateful for their love and support!!

No words needed here!! It has been passed down through the generations!!

Poor Jackson! The funny thing is that he does this all of the time and Jackson just hangs there as happy as can be. I am so glad I finally captured this. It makes me laugh every time!!

This is my friend , Chris. We go way back. We were great friends in school and have recently got reconnected on FB after our reunion. She brought her mom,nephew and a bunch of her football team "The Spitfire Girls." It was so good to see them!

I can't tell you how overwhelmed I am at how God has been blessing me. Going to Africa is a huge step for me. I never thought I would get on a plane let alone travel to Africa. I truly feel led by Him to go and to have such support is just incredible. Thank you to you all!! I love and appreciate you!!

Another picture was suppose to be on here; A picture of the 3 of us who are going on this trp from this area. I had the WB wrong and being in front of a window..there was just no editing that would help. I am incredibly blessed to be going on this trip with 2 great friends. My friend Sarah and her Mom and my friend Marge . I am so excited to be able to share this journey with them!! Please pray for us as we prepare in so many ways to be ready to leave for Africa in July!!!

Africa in July

Thank you Nikki from Blogs for a Cause for helping me with this site!!! I wanted to have  a special place to share this journey. I love it!! For those who do not know, I will be going on a mission trip to Africa in July through Visiting Orphans. I still cannot believe it myself but I am so excited. Recently I started praying that the Lord would show me what he wanted me to do with all that is in my heart because I knew there was something. Oh how my heart breaks for the  children all around the world who do not have a home and a family to call their own.How, I would love to adopt but right now it looks as though that may not be in the plans.  So.... I pray. Soon after I started praying in this way I found out about this Crazy Missions Trip from a blog I follow and from talking to my friend Sarah. Right away I felt drawn and after some more prayer I felt called. This is a huge step for me and so out of my comfort zone so I cannot believe this is happening.  I flew for the first time in November and was terrified. Once I got in the air ,above the clouds I felt peace. Flying to Florida compared to flying to Africa is huge ,so I would appreciate your prayers in this way for me and of course in many other ways. I look forward to sharing this journey with you!!!!