Merry Christmas From the Caines!

Leigh Anne's Wedding and 6 month Anniversary

I had the joy to be in the wedding of my former cabin mate from camp. LeighAnne is one of those amazing people that you can talk to about anything. We had such an amazing summer together! Now, God has blessed her life with a FORMER CAMPER named Colton, who used to come with his Mom (a children's minister), Mrs. Bonnie. Granted, he is only about 2 years younger than her- but its still fun to say! I met 3 other wonderful camp ladies (michelle, stephanie, and erica) at the hotel Friday night and that began the great wedding weekend.

Their wedding was absolutely gorgeous!! I am so happy for the both of them. The day after their wedding was Josh and my 6 month anniversary. It was so great to celebrate their special day and cherish the memories of our own special day.

Prayers are Answered!

We are so thankful that God had provided a job for Josh! He is a new employee at Lifeway Christian Bookstore. I believe that this will be a great experience for Josh. He gets to work in a Christian environment and gets to share his passion.

This will change our plans for the upcoming holidays some... that is a little bit of a bummer. We will not get to spend as much time with family as we had originally plannned. However, our families our just as excited as we are for Josh's new ministry opportunity and job.

PRAISE GOD FOR ANSWERED PRAYERS!! :)

Welcome to the world Alden Davant Gregg!

My wonderful friend from CSU- Andrea Grant Gregg- welcomed her beautiful son, Alden Devant, into the world on October 4 at 7:00! He was 4 weeks early- but in perfect health! He is tiny but tough- and such a snuggler!








I am love being "Aunt Amanda" to this sweet little miracle! :)

Birthday Party and Baby Showers

I had a great saturday! Josh hung out at the Walleys so I could spend the day with some amazing friends and celebrating two awesome kids!!!

First was Cooper's sixth birthday party!! He is the son of one my MPP teacher friends, Alice. Her son is SO smart and so full of fun!! He gets over excited some time and is ALL boy! His birthday was great, with bubbles and baseball.







After the party I went to a Baby Shower for my wonderful friend Andrea Gregg and her son Alden! :) It was wonderful to see old friends from CSU and MPES (Now Pinehurst Elem). We got to eat some yummy food and decorate onesies for Baby Alden!

School begins....

After a great summer, school has begun! Getting used to waking up early and being away from my husabnd and puppy has been tough- but made so much better by the wonderful evironment at my school!! I have never been so happy at the beginning of a school year before. I was a little nervous about all the changes at MPPS.... we are now a primary school, only having cd-1st grades. We also have two new first grade teachers and a new principal. I moved classrooms into the building from the trailers. But those changes have proven to be excellent ones! A friend of mine mentioned to me last week- "You are glowing... Its easy to see how happy you are." And its true. I have a joy in my job and my personal life that hasnt seemed to shine before.
Not to say my students are perfect (by ANY stretch of the imagination)... but I am very clear in my expectiations, and have been from day one. If they do not follow them- they face the consequences. End of story. I have learned so much from the past three years, and am proud to say that I have a good handle on behavior in my room.

I also have been a little overwhelmed with the new reading program, Read Well. But now that we have gotten started and ready to split our classes up into groups- I am so excited! I think it will be great for my studnets- to truly meet them where they are, in terms of their reading ability on the Read Well Preassessment.
Heres a glimpse of the "School Life" :)





Unfortunately- My uncle chris lost his battle with cancer. My parents came down to visit Aunt Deb, Abby, Jessie, and Ivan. Then we went up for the funeral. It was good to see family- despite the circumstances.





And I have been getting home earlier and spending quality time with my husband/puppy! We have also been spending time with friends and enjoying it a great deal!

Summer Lovin

We have been having a great summer of married life. Our puppy Blaze is now home with us and we are adjusting to life together. We have continued to develop friendships with Momma Walley and the rest of the Walley clan.

Liz Walley and Me- Sisterly Love!


Mommy and Blazy


I was able to attend the wedding of a great friend of mine from CSU, Marley Beckham. It was so wonderful to see her and reconnect with the old crowd.

The Bridesmaids and the Bride!


Check out Marley's Hot Green Shoes!!


First dance as man and wife!


Both of the Newlyweds- Mrs. Cole and Mrs. Caines!


Summer seems to be flying by! But we are loving this time together before school starts.

How Teachers and Parents are Alike

Click the title to find out how parents and teachers are alike...

Blessings

Josh and I came down to visit his family a couple days early and surprised his mom! She was so excited that she screamed louder than Ive ever heard We are enjoying time with his family, including his nephews. I am so grateful to be blessed with such amazing inlaws.

Faith

Psalms 119: 105: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

God has really been challenging me lately in the area of faith. Getting married has been wonderful. I am so blessed to wake up every day to my best friend. However, figuring out all the logistical things and practical things (bank accounts, insurance, etc.) has been a challenge. Especially because Josh has not been able to find a job yet. He left a wonderful church in Georgia as youth minister to come to Charleston and start our life together, here where I already have a job.

So often in the past few days... God has showed me example after example of how important it is to trust in him and have faith!

Genesis 18: God promises a son to Sarah and Abraham, but we see Sarah's doubt in verse 12 "So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” But we see in chapter 21 that God kept his promise to them! "1 The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. 2 She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. 3 And Abraham named their son Isaac....6 And Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me. 7 Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!”
Despite her doubt... God delivered on his promise! And we see in teh next chapter, that Abraham's faith was tested as well. God called him and said "2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” His only son- the pride of his life- God called him to sacrifice! The amazing thing to me is that Abraham didn't bat an eye. He got the necessary materials and headed up the mountain. My study bible pointed out something very interesting in verse 5: “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.” Abraham said "WE" will come right back. Despite the fact that he knew God called him to sacrifice his son. I believe this shows us that Abraham trusted that God would save his son...

There are also so many examples of faith in the New Testament. Each time Jesus called a disciple, they dropped thier previous life and followed. No questions. (See Matthew 4:18-22, 9:9) In Matthew 14, one of the disciples faith is tested as Jesus walks on water. " Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

When we keep our eyes on Jesus- our faith is strong. But when we lose focus and pay more attention to the things around us in our life, those things that challenge us and make us doubt, our faith is shaken.

Scripture also uses the illustration of the mustard seed more than once. Wikipedia says: Mustard seeds of the various mustard plants are among the smallest of seeds. The seeds are about 3mm in diameter, and may be colored from yellowish white to black.

But Jesus tells us in Matthew 17 (when the disciples could not perform a healing) 20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.

He also says in Matthew 13 in a parable: 31 Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”

I found another blog in my reading which addresses this point as well (http://tngmasterpieces.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/faith-like-a-mustard-seed/): Many times we talk about having small faith, faith so small that it would move mountains. We’re not wrong… but God wants us to grow in our faith. God wants us to grow our faith in Him. A mustard seed is known to be one of the smallest seeds in the world, but when it grows, it grows into a huge tree, strong, with a large canopy. See, God wants us to exercise our faith. It’ll start small, but as we walk in faith with Him everyday, it will grow. It HAS TO grow. God will not increase our faith for us. Faith has to come from within us, only by knowing how good and faithful God is.Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. The more we fill ourselves with God’s Word, the stronger our faith will become, even more so when we recognize that our God is a BIG and AWESOME God who is capable of anything and everything.

And its through the MANY verses that God has shown me.... I must have faith in a God that knows much better than I do. He will grow my faith in him through circumstances such as these.

Praise God!! :)

Judgement?

Psalms 119: 105: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

I have been reading in Matthew during my quiet times and have been amazed how scripture reflects situations in my own personal life.

Recently someone in my life wanted to end our seven year friendship due to a conversation we had about life choices. I expressed my concern and worry for some of the things I observed in her life- as I had made similar mistakes in the past that led to a dangerous place for me and did not want her to end up where I did. I intended this conversation for positive- however it did not come across that way to her. She felt as though I was judging and condemning her- looking down on her for they way she chooses to live.

In reading Matthew, this dear friend was on my mind when I read Matt 7: 1-2 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged." I see how she was upset because of the challenging nature of where our lives have taken us. We both have grown in different ways over the past few years... But we both claim Christianity as our faith and Jesus Christ as our Savior. How could two people who claim to share the same core beliefs- make such DRASTICLY different choices?

My answer came as I continued to read in Matthew 7:16-20 "16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions." and AGAIN in Matthew 12: 33-37: " 33 “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

Does your life reflect what you claim to believe? I am not the judge and jury regarding ANYONE'S behavior or life, but God is. He even sees beyond our actions and into our hearts. I have to wonder, if our actions do not show honor to God and we are blatently obvious in those actions- then what does that say about our hearts?

We should not live to please others. This is clear as stated in Galatians 1:10: "10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant."

However, we are called to live in a way that honors God. We make mistakes and we sin- because we are not perfect. I know this situation and scripture has caused me to pray over some habits and things in my own life. I hope that you, whoever you may be, will question for yourself, what does MY life's fruit show about my heart?

A look back.... Friday June 11

Wanted to post thoughts and pictures from the important stuff these past two weeks.

Friday before the wedding was busy but wonderful! Breakfast with my bridemaids, mom and aunt. After the yummy breakfast, we went to get pedicures before the rehearsal dinner! We had a great time hanging out together!






After pampering, we went to Hopewell for the Rehearsal and Dinner! After a few practices, we enjoyed yummy BBQ and a great family time!

The Wedding and such...

It has been such a whirlwind the last few weeks! The stress of school ending and all the wedding preparations really left no time for serious contemplations and blogging. But it all went very well and I am an oh so happy newlywed! Josh and I are getting settled in our new life together in our townhouse. We are getting all those fun details taken care of including social security card and DMV.



THat was an adventure in itself! Let me just say, Ive never been a huge FAN of the DMV and its always backed with cRaZy people! In fact, one of these skeezy fat guys wearing a trucker hat, gray wife-beater tank, and sandals with socks... I know.
So this "southern gentleman" had been waiting (like we all were) and missed when they called his number. So, he comes back in and raises a HUGE stink that they never called his number. Umm, sir, they called it about twenty times and you weren't in here. He proceeded to scream at all the nice ladies behind the counter. I felt really bad for them. :( Eventually he calmed down and the rest of us could continue wiht our day.

More pics from the Rehearsal, Wedding, and Honeymoon to come soon....

Blessings- Amanda

Parents Meeting Weekend

Josh's parents and my parents all came up to Charleston for the weekend to get to know each other. We all hung out at my apartment Friday night for dinner. Saturday morning, the guys and I went to visit Fort Sumter. That afternoon we relaxed around the house- Josh and I cooked dinner for the parentals! Sunday morning we all went to church at Hopewell Baptist. Josh's parents got to see the church where we will be getting married- as well as meet Jared (who will be performing the ceremony).

Wonderful Wedding Shower!

The beautiful ladies of First Baptist Church Ludowici threw us a shower this past weekend.

Future Planning

I have been deep in prayer lately for the future. I know God tells us that he has a plan for us (Jer. 29:11) and to trust him (Prov 3:5-6) and not to worry (Phil 4:6-7). Its right there in scripture and in so many more examples than just those three... but I still find myself asking "How will it all come together?" and "Will it all be ok?" as far as money and descions for the wedding... as well as Josh and my life together. Choices about jobs and moving and school and babies and ministry... It's almost like I just wish I had a crystal ball with all the answers. :)

Luckily, I am blessed to have something better! My God not only knows all the answers to those questions (AND MORE) but he is also there for me, listening to my pain and confusion. He wraps his arms around me and wipes away my tears. Through my relationship in Christ, I have a Lord and Protector- always!!

God has also provided me with a wonderful fiance who has the patience of a saint, at times! I am so blessed and when things get stressful, I remind myself that- no matter what- GOD knows that he is doing. :)

My Theme Song regarding Wedding Plans....

Wedding Websites

I have been having so much fun looking at wedding websites! Oriental Trading (Wedding), Exclusively Weddings.com, JessicasWedding.com, DavidsBridal.com.... its never ending! But it is so much fun to look at and dream about (AND BUY!) the things that will shape one of the most important days of my life!

Josh and I have been talking a lot this week about the wedding and different things, its been so fun dreaming with him about our special day! And each day that goes by, we are one day closer!

Well, Here goes nothing....

I am just trying to get this blog thing started. It's fun to play around, add things and take away things. I am hoping that I can use this as a way to stay in touch with friends as well as post pics and things in the coming months. :)