The Great Debate

It feels great to be writing on this again. While I am so happy that everyone was able to get a daily report from Drew in the Ukraine, I am ready to take the reins from him again and blog on our daily lives! As a short update on Drew being gone-the 4 of us girls made it just fine here, no boo-boos, no house disasters(except for the dishwasher leaking a bit) and no intruders at night(although I laid awake many of those nights in my super-paranoid self fearing that very thing!). The bottom line-I'm so glad Drew got to go, but we all missed him badly, and are glad he's back.

Last night, Drew and O went to Oxford to watch the debate from the square on the big screen. He said that, surprisingly, O watched the debate some. Mimi and the cousins were also there, so it helps to do these "not so exciting" things in numbers. When Drew and I discussed him taking her, we knew it would not be the first thing she'd choose to do. However, this thing was historic! and she needed to be present for it! I think one day she'll be glad she went. Here's a picture of her on the square watching it.




Before the debate even started, they all walked the square and went into some stores. They apparantly went into a greek sorority/fraternity store, and O came upon this:


Here's my little Kappa, should she choose to follow in my footsteps.

More notes & pics

Here is a link to some more notes and pics from the Ukraine trip.

http://www.tracecrossing.org/default.aspx?pid=98

Bugs!

I am a little alarmed. E had a friend over today, and she came downstairs with a little container. She says, "guess what? I added another bug to my collection!" Uh. Okay. "Um, where'd you get it?"(I start getting nervous.) "Up in your playroom!"
At least it was dead!

Glad I was wrong

Fri, Sept 19 @ 2:30pm -

As we began our long trek back home today, I try to process this trip in my mind but it really can't be done. The only place is the heart. And there are many things on each of our hearts.

Here is an attempt to capture a bit what I saw, heard, experienced, how I will be changed,

- SLOW DOWN - When we break away from our normal day to day activities, we are able to see what it is that we do from a distance. We are a busy people. Our culture, work, etc all drive us that way. Hopefully this has been recalibrated in me for at least a short time on my return. Continue to invest in those around me.

- BE THANKFUL - So many things come so easy to us in the US. It is already a challenge for me today to instill this in my children. We want them to have and experience the better things in life but be grateful at the same time. Jenn and I talk about this all the time. Some of my own unthankfulness was exposed this trip.
- I was reminded again of our call to Acts 1:8. I know we can't all go on foreign mission trips. But we are called to participate in spreading the Gospel in each of these three areas in some way: locally, nationally, and to the ends of the earth.

- Families on Mission - Jenn and I saw this in Peru but I witnessed it again this week. What power there is in taking your children on missions with you. (or even just you and your spouse) They need to see how big the God is that we worship. Perspective changes perception.

- Children are God's gift to us.

- My heart grew stronger. Not in a bodybuilding sort of way. But rather it was made even more vulnerable and I discoverd areas of it that I didn't know existed.

- GOD IS LOVE.

- There were times this week where I didn't feel very smart. Some of the people we hung out with and met knew some things about my own country that I didn't even know.

- Driving in Ukraine is quite different than back home. A "yellow light" gets you ready to GO! You basically pass others whenever you desire and often park wherever you want. Let's just say I "flinched" at on coming traffic more than once.

- McDonalds taste can be replicated from US to Ukraine. We ate there today for lunch. If you were to cover your ears and close your eyes you would have thought we were on sitting on corner of W Main and Thomas St.

- I was challenged on many fronts this week. I hope I can retain just a bit of it upon my return.

Two years ago after our trip to Peru, the seed was planted in my heart for international missions. So when the Ukraine trip came up it made sense. I was able to make it work financially, taking off from work, Jenn supported the decision, etc. I got here pretty easy you could say. As the trip got closer, I struggled in my mind to explain to others what we would be doing and what impact we could make. There wasn't a lot of fanfare around this trip like my previous one. There wasn't any of the big mission trip words associated with this trip such as - church planting, door to door evangelism, working in underground church, etc. There was only 8 of us. But as I doubted Him, I once again was proven wrong. The call was simple, to go love on the kids and let His light shine. We went and He did show up. There is no trip that is to small for him.

Glad I was wrong !!!

Thanks for your support and prayers,

- Drew

Psalm 23

Thur, Sept 18 @ - 11:30pm

Psalm 23 A psalm of David.  
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,  3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

This passage was read by a young boy at the last orphanage today during their presentation to us. Do not be in want? Lie down? He restores me? Do not fear? My cup overflows? When we you think where he has been and where he is going it must be difficult for Him to consider this Psalm from David.
Today was a fast day and almost a blur. We visited three orphanages today. We were also given a tour of Alexander's church and medical mission building. All eight orphanages we visited were each a bit different. The kids today were calmer. Highlight of the day came from our last stop when the kids performed for us. This included singing, dancing, and even a bit of gymnastics. It was a good day to finish up the time. We had a good group time tonight. A lot was on everyone's heart tonight. We all got here on different journeys and had to overcome different challenges. But in the end we all made here to the same place, all eight of us. I will try to process and then post some of my thoughts tomorrow on the way home. Please pray for our safe travel tomorrow. We leave out for Kiev tomorrow morning. We will spend the night in Kiev and then fly out early Sat morning. I think we are set to arrive in Memphis at around 4:30pm.

- Drew

Building the Ark

Wed, Sept 17 @ 11:00pm -

During the one hour drive to our first orphanage this morning, Victor D. shared his story about working with the orphanages in his local area. He is one of Ian's local contacts when working with the orphanages & internats. He has been with us all week. He is really the connection between us and a lot of these orphanages. When he walks up to a number of the places we visit and the kids come running out saying, "papa , papa". There is really no term from our language (even slang) to describe what he does here in the orphanages. He serves on his church's staff as the childrens minister, he's part social worker, he's part father, etc. But there is something from above that describes him very well - he is the hands and feet of Jesus. Healing, restoring, ministering, loving, and caring in his own way. He has taught SS in a basement when it wasn't allowed to be taught. He was handed the role of SS teacher since he had the greatest # of children. And he used that opportunity to get experience working with kids. He has taught in a railway car. He accounts for all of the money he spends all the way down to a pair of ballet shoes for a little girl. He told a funny story of the frame of mind many of these kids are in - one time in an orphanage he asked, "Why do think it took over 100 yrs to build the Ark ? A kid raised his hand and answered, "Because people kept stealing Noah's wood & supplies".
We had another grey and overcast day today. Everyone seemed to be very tired. We visited two orphanages today. The kids at both were a bit rowdy as compared to the others we have been to thus far. They were just a bit more difficult to maintain control over during the program. We are going to tweak a couple of things for tomorrow. The orphanage from this morning contained primarily those that are mentally handicapped. Had about 60-70 kids. We then came back through Kirovograd and ate at the "Potato House" - Ukraine's attempt at mexican food. I had a beef burrito if you can call it that. Definitely not Las Margaritas. We then headed back out for another hour drive in opposite direction from town. This facility had about 80-90 kids. They were looking out the windows when we drove up. When we got through they had a gym where we were able to play some volleyball, basketball, and even throw around the football. Several of the kids did not want us to leave.
Victor, the gentleman I was describing earlier, hosted us at his home for dinner tonight. We got to meet his brother Alexander, who is also active in the church and with medical missions. Alexander discussed with us his ministry. He had just gotten back from a Christian Medical Conf in Austria. Leean (sp?), who has been driving us around all week is also one of their brothers. Those three are all pretty amazing. Just the simple fact of watching them serve, hearing each of their stories and hearts is more than enough to stir the heart.
Tomorrow is our last day at the orphanages. We will actually be visiting three tomorrow. They are all very close in town so there want be much driving and is the reason we can get to that many in a day. We will also be stopping by to have Alexander give us a tour of his medical mission's facility. Kevin, told us at tonight's meeting to try and soak up as much as we can tomorrow. Pray for a good nights rest and for renewed strength as we wrap up the week tomorrow.

Good night,

- Drew

Ravens

Tues, Sept 17 @ 11:30pm -



The first word to describe today for me is "paralyzing". So much hurt, so much pain, but so few of us - 8 to be exact. It is almost overwhelming. I question myself, are we making an impact?, will they remember?, the list goes on. I overheard Ian telling a story today about how several years ago someone commented on his ministry as that of a "Raven", meaning a little bit here and a little bit there. In fact, we are all "Ravens" or are called to be "Ravens", doing what we can here and there to spread and point to His name. It may not look like much now, but it will add up over time. And if you add up all the "Ravens"? I think you get the picture. I am also reminded of Gal 6:9 - "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Today was a very rainy, grey and cool day. This morning we went to a boy's correctional home. There were about twenty boys there today. The ages ranged from 10 - 12. The boys are sent there from the courts as a result of some wrong doing. During there time there they will study, learn a trade and maybe enter society again. They have about 70 acres they farm. We were very impressed with the director. He has been there for 33 yrs and really acts as a father to the boys. Their number also fluctuates from month to month. Before our program they performed several songs for us. They were very talented and had boy that could really sing.

We had pizza for lunch and headed out for our afternoon stop. The afternoon was spent at a orphanage that housed those that are physically handicapped. Some of the ailments were obvious while others were not. The program seemed to be well received again. Each program we close with the Gospel in a way they can understand and visualize. Ian had done the last couple of stops but Kevin W did it this time. I think a number of the kids got it, listened and responded. (Got a picture of it that I will show you later.) It is such a difficult message to convey that what has happened to them is not by God's design, but that He actually intended for something else. That where they are at in most cases is not their fault. They had no control over it. Yet, we are all in bondage and need Jesus Christ to set us free. I shared the following quote in my sermon earlier in the week about explaining the new heavens to kids, "There will be a day when you will run with cheetahs and swim with dolphins." (I sound like a preacher and couldn't be further from that.) I can't even fathom what these kids will be doing and experiencing in Heaven some day. And that is the hope we carry around with us each day.

We closed the day with dinner. Believe or not we found a place with french fries and steak. The steak was more like "minute steak". Can't remember if I have mentioned this or not, but we try to close each evening with a time of prayer as well as to process what we each experienced that particular day. There was a lot of thoughts, emotions and feelings expressed. Very good stuff. God has knitted together this team so neatly. Everyone compliments each other so well. I have rambled way to much. We are scheduled for two more orphanages tomorrow. One will be for the mentally handicapped. Then on Thur we are scheduled for three different stops. We will head out for Kiev on Fri morning to start the journey back home and fly out on Sat for home.



Good Night,



- Drew

98

Mon, Sept. 15 @ - 11:30am



There are exactly 98 rescue shelters in Ukraine. We visited and performed our program at the one in Kirovograd this afternoon. The rescue shelters are temporary places for the kids until their future is determined. The kids arrive at the shelters in one of three ways - from the police, social services, or the kids bring themselves in. Kids ranged in ages from 3 to 18. There were about a total of 40 kids at this shelter today. The number changes daily as they are brought in and shipped out. The Church at Brookhills was here early this year and ran a week long camp for the kids. An impact was made as they were still talking about it. After we did our program they sang us a song. We then created a line the kids had to go through before they left and this is when we showered them with hugs, hand shakes, high-fives, etc. There was a lot of smiling and laughing. The director did comment on how he is seeing the use of foster homes pick-up. We were given a tour of the facility before leaving. The facility has gotten better support recently. Supposedly the wife of the current president has an interest in helping the orphanages while previous leadership hasn't. We again had another opportunity to interact with the kids but within their age groups. We are in a new hotel tonight and will be here until we leave for Kiev on Fri AM. Food was good tonight. Had chocolate ice-cream for dessert. We are scheduled for two stops tomorrow. The first will be an older boys only orphanage with about 20 teenage boys and the afternoon will be a handicap orphanage with about 170.



Good Night,



- Drew

Can I get an Amen?

Sun, Sept 9 @ 10:15pm -

Church, church, and more church. That was today's theme. The next theme was food, food, and more food. We split up into two teams this morning and attended different churches. Our service lasted about 1 hour 45 min. Preaching went ok, I think. Nobody got up and left at least. We ate pizza for lunch at a local restaurant. No PaPa Johns, but it was still pretty good. We then headed to a Harvest Thanksgiving for the afternoon. The event brought several area churches together. A lot of singing from different groups. All Ukrainians can sing. (Jenn, they now know you sing and have requested you come next time.) We have struggled a bit in the singing dept :-) Kevin delivered a good message on "true servanthood", it was well received and very interactive for the people. After the Harvest Thanksgiving, we then headed over to the host pastor's home for some food & fellowship. There was a lot of singing, laughing, and good discussion about the church. We leave in the morning for Kirovograd. We will first visit a rescue shelter and then to another orphanage. This will be our first chance to run our program. Looking forward to it as we will be in orphanages going forward for the rest of the week.

Much Love,

- Drew

Hospitality

Sat, Sept 13 @ 10:50pm -

Had another great day today. Just finished up dinner at a church member's home. We talk about southern hospitality in the South but we may have met our match in this Ukranian household. This family opened up their home and family like no other I have seen. Great food, fellowship and entertainment (their 9 year old daughter played the piano & sang for us). We are all very tired after today and feeling the effects of the long travel over here. Pray for a good night's rest. This morning went well. We were working at a school (no orphanages until Mon) in the area where a new church was just planted. We took the kids through a Bible lesson and craft. We then played some games with them. The headmaster of this school has been very receptive to the new church and let us use their facility. After lunch, we came back to the same school again. This time if the kids brought their parents back they got a surprise. So the parents that showed up met with Kevin and the church's pastor for a Bible study around the subject of parenting. We kept the kids outside and played with them during this time. I got the boys and tried to teach them our style of football. Let's just say Ole Miss or State will not be recruiting for any future prospects here. We then had kabobs for lunch. Our afternoon session was back at our host church for a youth service - singing, games and lesson. We found out right before that we would need to be prepared to sing two songs as a group. We scurried around and found two songs on Kevin's ipod. We then pulled sort of a "Milli Vanilli" with the ipod playing in the background. We had two youth make decisions for Christ tonight. So He can work through bad singing. Let's also hope that isn't their only taste of live american singing. Gotta get some sleep. I am preaching at one church in morning and Daniel at the other. We will be at churches all day and doing a lot of eating I imagine also. - Drew

Safe & Sound

Fri, Sept 12 @ 11pm -



We arrived here safe & sound !!! Thank you for your many many prayers thus far. As I type, I lay here in my bed in eager anticipation of laying my head down for the night. Our hotel room for the next two nights is not bad at all . Though we do have a techno club next door and we can hear the music. (I have been told they will not shut down until 3am.) Did not get much sleep on either of the flights. We had a very uneventful trip over which was good. We were met at the airport by Ian, the local pastor, and our translators. They are very excited and eager to get going. We had about a 2hr drive from airport to our first destination - Knauff. We will be here for Sat and Sun. Tomorrow is a very packed day. In the AM, part of the team will be leading leadership/discipleship classes for about 10 pastors in training while the other part travels about 20 min to put on a kids camp for about 75 children. The camp will include a Bible lesson, crafts, and games. We will we meet back up in the afternoon for a session with the children's parents and with the youth. We had dinner at the church tonight and it wasn't bad. Had what I would describe as "country fried steak" Ukrainian style. You can already see God at work as the plans for tomorrow and Sunday come together. Got to talk with Ian on the ride over and he is a very neat guy with a definite heart for those in need. The translators are also going to be fun to work with. I remember this being one of mine and Jen's highlights from our Peru trip.



Much love and Goodnight ,



- Drew

My twelve names

This is pretty clever and funny! Copy and paste this and send it back to me! Funny thing, my real name could fit in many of these categories!
(By the way, don't forget to read Drew's post below on his trip to Ukraine)

Subject: Fwd: My Twelve Names
1. YOUR REAL NAME: Jennifer
2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle.) Jenizzle
3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color and favorite animal plus hair) Green Giraffehair
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name and street you live on/or neighborhood if it's a number) Anne Morningglory
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name) Lovje
6. SUPERHERO/CRIMINAL NAME: (Your 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) Blue Dr.Pepper
7. YOUR IRAQI NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, 1st letter of your last name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of your dads name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, and a last letter of your moms first name) Evloena
8. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (parents middle names)Joyce Murdock
9. YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets) Black Oliver
10. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet's name and current street name) Dixie Morningglory
11. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your mom's side, your favorite candy) Aletha Hot Tamale
12. YOUR "FLY GIRL/GUY" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your middle name) JAnn
Now copy, paste, and send on to all your crazy friends including the one who sent it to you.

Prayer for Ukraine Mission Trip (Sept 11 - 20)

Friends & Family -

As many of you know, I leave this Thursday for a mission trip to the Ukraine. Many have asked what we will be doing and how can we pray for you all. So I thought I would drop you all a note and provide some of this info. There will be 8 of us traveling from here at The Church at Trace Crossing (http://www.tracecrossing.org/).

Most of our time in Ukraine will be spent ministering in the local orphanages. Consider the following orphan statistics for Ukraine -

• Ukraine has over 100,000 orphans.
• Only 10% of these are orphaned due to death of a parent; the rest are social orphans – due to alcoholism, abandonment, or imprisonment of parents.
• Every year, more than 2,000 mothers abandon their babies in maternity hospitals. Between 6 and 7 thousand more are abandoned at an older age or removed from home due to crime or neglect.
• Many social orphans have experienced abuse and violence from parents who were drug addicts or alcoholics.
• Orphans typically grow up in large state-run homes, which may house over 200 children.
• Many children run away from these homes, preferring to live on the street.
• Children usually graduate from these institutions between 15 and 16 years old and are turned out, unprepared for life outside the home.
• About 10% of them will commit suicide after leaving the orphanage before their 18th birthday.
• 60% of the girls will end up in prostitution. Those who run prostitution rings target orphaned girls, who are especially vulnerable due to their lack of options and lack of people who care what happens to them. Though promised good jobs, they end up on the streets and brothels of cities across Europe.
• 70% of the boys will enter a life of crime. Many of these will die young of violence or end up in prison.
• Ukraine is now encouraging long-term foster care in private homes as an alternative to large state-run orphanages.

Our primary goal(s) there, love the children, love the children and then love them some more. All along the way we will be telling them about Jesus through games, Bible stories, and the plan of salvation. Pray for clarity through all of this. Pray for our strength, wisdom, and courage as we encounter many stories of abandonment, loss, abuse, and many other problems. Pray for kids to smile that haven't smiled before, to dance that haven't danced before, and to laugh that haven't laughed before. Pray for our goodbyes, many will not understand when we leave to come home and for many this may be their last earthly experience of what it means to be loved.

James 1:27 says "religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world". Pray that we have the opportunity to make that a reality this week.

We will be partnering with Ian Thompson on this trip. You can read more about Ian's ministry at http://www.bringinggoodnews.org/.

Jennifer has also graciously allowed me time on "her" blog - free of cost I might add. So if I can get internet connectivity, I plan to post during our time in Ukraine. Jennifer's blog address is http://www.thelovesinms.blogspot.com/.

Here is our itinerary at a high-level so when you are pray for us you know what we are doing -

Thur, Sept 11 & Fri, Sept 12 - travel
Sat, Sept 13 & Sun, Sept 14 - spending time in local churches, partnering with "Schools without Walls" (preaching & teaching)
Mon, Sept 15 - Fri, Sept 19 - orphanages
Sat, Sept 20 - travel

Thanks again for your support and many prayers,

- Drew

Birds On My Hat

I just had to share this little story about E today. As many of you know, she's in her own little world much of the time. One of the things I love so much about her is her awesome imagination. She can make somethin' outta nothin'!! No kidding. I can always count on her creativity. So, in E fashion, today she was determined to refill our bird feeder. After filling the bird feeder, she wasn't satisfied that the activity was exciting enough. I think she had Disney princess visions of birds flocking to us, and feeding out of our hands (see Snow White and Cinderella for illustration). So, she heads inside, and comes back out with a glamorous black hat on her head. (Yes, Jenney, this is your long lost hat I haven't returned!) She scoops birdseed out of the bag, and sprinkles it in the top of her hat, and stands in the driveway waiting for the birds.

Priceless. Just a typical day in the life of E, I kid you not.

A Most Unusual Feast

"The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." Psalm 145:15-16

This is today's scripture passage, and it is very fitting of our evening. I feel so full, in many ways...my stomach, my home, my soul...
Drew is traveling to the Ukraine next week for 10 days to minister to orphans there. His team of 8 came over tonight, and we ate a traditional Ukrainian meal. O's old violin teacher, Tetyana, prepared all of it. It was an absolute feast!
You might wonder...even balk...at a Ukrainian meal. Well, I must admit, so did I. But as we all dug in, I think we all were pleasantly surprised. I intended on taking pictures of it all, but never got the time, so I'll run through the dishes. We began with an open-faced typed sandwich with a garlic-cottage cheese spread, salami, tomato, and grated egg. We drank a drink that's called "fruit compote." I'm not a big fan. After that, we feasted on Borscht(sp?) which is basically like beef stew with beets in it. It looked pretty gross, but tasted pretty good. It was really red because of the beets. We ate crepes stuffed with a beefy mushroom mixture(the crepes were handmade by Tetyana!), cucumber, radish, tomato, and green onion salad, and stuffed cabbage leaves. For dessert, we had a fruity thing. Wasn't that big of a fan of that, either. But you know what??I am one of the pickest eaters you'll ever meet...and I really liked most of the food! Maybe it had to do with being blessed to be among friends from different cultures and backgrounds, from learning about people/places from another part of the world. Tonight we feasted, we fellowshiped, and we shared our faith. That's what life is all about! God is not only present in our Bible Studies, and our churches, or prayer meetings...He is SO amazingly present in the sweet meals shared among friends, new and old.

Here is a list put forth by the National Endowment for the Arts in the U.S., courtesy of my friend Nikki. (http://www.jackamo-thebestintentions.blogspot.com) It lists the top 1oo books and asks how many you've actually read. Join in by posting this list for yourself, and bolding the books that you have read, and italicizing the books you would like to read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy(tried it, couldn't do it)
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy(gotten halfway through it)
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (Why is this on here if the Chronicles are also on here?)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins (It is on my “Up Next List”)
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56.The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (I despise this book and HAD to read it 3 times...so wrong.)
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables-Victor Hugo

I've read 49! (Nikki, I SO tried to beat you! Shoot!) Head on over to Goodreads.com and sign up. It's sort of a facebook type site where you share your reviews on books. Look me up by name, I'm there!

The people Jesus loved

I get a daily email from something called inward/outward. They are daily writings/thoughts from people about their faith, God, Jesus, etc. This one hit me hard this morning. I just thought I'd share it. I must admit, when I run into some people out at Wal-mart, the gas station, etc, I can be so uptight. I forget that Jesus loves them so much! I pray to have a more passionate heart for these. That's what Jesus does.

The people Jesus loved were shopping at the Star Market yesterday.An old lead-colored man standing next to me at the checkout breathed so heavily I had to step back a few steps.Even after his bags were packed he still stood, breathing hard and hawking into his hand. The feeble, the lame, I could hardly look at them:shuffling through the aisles, they smelled of decay, as if the Star Market had declared a day off for the able-bodied, and I had wandered in with the rest of them: sour milk, bad meat:looking for cereal and spring water. Jesus must have been a saint, I said to myself, looking for my lost car in the parking lot later, stumbling among the people who would have been lowered into rooms by ropes, who would have crept out of caves or crawled from the corners of public baths on their hands and knees begging for mercy.If I touch only the hem of his garment, one woman thought, I will be healed.Could I bear the look on his face when he wheels around?

E and M's First Day of Preschool 2008

E and M went to preschool on Tuesday. E is growing up so fast! She just acted like a big girl.

M, on the other hand...well, let's just say, she pretty much looked like this the whole day.

My poor baby. Breaks my heart.

First Ole Miss Game 2008

One of the obvious bonuses of moving back to Mississippi has been that we get to be true Ole Miss Rebels again. When I talked to a friend in Bham last night, and listened to her brag on and on about Alabama football, it made me so dang thankful I don't have to listen to all that mess anymore. (Sorry friends, but it's the truth! Love ya!) I prefer to root for my Rebels, be they good or be they bad. And they be bad much of the time!! This year, though, we've got high hopes in our new coach, and we're pretty fired up after seeing the game this past weekend.
It was a fantastic weekend. Friday night, my mom and dad had a block party with my aunt and uncle and some friends in Oxford, and we and all of the kids had a blast. Oh...and also....wanna know how to rate a party? It's REALLY good when the cops show up. Twice. (probably the first time my parents have had that happen at a party!!) Good times.
The older girls went to Nana's and Papa's on Saturday, and M stayed with Drew and I and went to the game. That girl is adaptable! She lasted almost the entire game! We've also got her singing "Dixie with Love." She tears up everytime she hears it, just like Mimi and PopPop.

Some of the cousins on Mimi's front porch swing.

Our own personal "Zaps" picture. Notice the red solo cup in Rodney's hand. Classic.

My two little rebels.

"look away, look away, look awaaay, Dixieland..." (Watching/listening to the band in the Grove)

Checking out the stadium before it fills up.
Enjoying a lemon ice. She was the hit of the game!
Dad and I cheering on the Rebels!