91 days left...here we go!

Wow! Where has the year gone? I know it has been a long time since I have updated, but a lot has been going on. More about that another post...
So I was looking at the calendar today and it hit me. Tomorrow starts October...October is always a fun month for Jon and me. We both celebrate our birthdays this month, I absolutely love FALL and all of the little trick or  treaters that visit, and of course our yearly trip to the Pumpkin patch! I feel a little giddy just thinking about all of it!

Jon and I were talking the other day about how busy the next 91 days are going to be for us...here are some of the events coming up:

1. 2nd Annual Skinner/Whitten Vacation (Beach Trip)
2. Birthdays (lots and lots of birthday and birthday parties)
3. Candy Apple Party
4. Pumpkin Patch
5. Trick or Treaters (making goody bags for trick or treaters)
6. Fall Festival
7. Pretty in Pink Party (SO EXCITING Side note: remember to get formal)
8. Royal Rangers Tech Event
9. MPact Fashion Show (I cannot wait for the girls to experience this...pictures...lots of pictures)
10. Thanksgiving (finally some family time...much needed might I add)
11. Black Friday (part of the new outlets will be open so watch out!)

...those are only a few of the things going on!
I know we will be having a blast as 2010 comes to a close, but there is also a part of me that thinks about some of the things we did not get accomplished this year and some of the things that are to come next year. I am not sure if I should be excited or nervous! The one thing I am sure of is that I am very blessed and I will certainly enjoy every moment of the next 3 months! Here's to Fun, Friends, and Family!

God has blessed me....

God has blessed me with a great job! I am currently employed as an account coordinator for a marketing firm. I am super excited. I am on the phone a lot, but I love the job. I started on Tuesday of last week.
There is so much more I want to say, but all I am can manage at the moment is that I am truly blessed indeed! God is good, and he hears our prayers!

Trusting God

God is teaching me to trust him now more than ever! I am learning to trust God with my family, friendships, finances, my future, and marriage. I have always been so quick to say that I trust God and I put my faith in him, but I am actually learning now that there is so much more to that! I am honestly learning to trust God with everything. I have so much joy now! It is hard to let go and totally let God, but the benefits are so great! I am not saying that I there yet, but I am learning. God is dealing with me, and I am giving it to him! I have always been a planner. My ducks had to always be in a row, and there was always plan to get things done! Well, my friends God has shown me that my plans are not always his plans! There are many things going on right now, but God is in control! Jonathan and I are right where we are suppose to be! Thank God for his love, mercy, and certainly his grace!
Jon and I have talked, and while I have been able to slow down some since I have been laid off; God has be totally revolutionizing my love for him and my relationship with him.
I am not perfect, and neither is Jon, but God is defiantly working on us. He is molding us! Praise God for that! He is so faithful! Praise him for what he is doing in us, through us, and for us!

Happy Valentine's Day

Hey Guys!
Happy Valentine's Day! I know a lot of people do not like Valentine's, but I love the holiday. I am very aware that we are to show the ones we love that we love them everyday, but I love having a holiday to show a little extra affection! So, I just wanted to say Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. Whether you are celebrating or not I hope you all know how much you are loved, and how much your creator loves you! So...relax and enjoy the day!

On the job front....still unemployed...I have sent my resume to so many places, but still no word. I did get a call from American Family Care this week asking me to come in right away to fill out an application and to interview, but the lady doing the interview got tied up and had to cancel. She said she would call to reschedule, but no word yet.
Jon and I are praying that God brings the right job, and we believe that he is our provider so he will meet our needs. He has been faithful thus far, and he will continue to be! We just count our blessing every day for all he has done for us. We are so fortunate, and he has richly blessed us. We hear stories all the time of families that have lost one or more of their incomes, in the process of losing their homes, and who are struggling to put food on the table! That is not us, and we are so grateful!
I trust the Lord, and I know that if he can provide for the birds of the air then he can certainly provided greatly for his children! If you are struggling right now with the economy or just in general, just remember that God loves you and he will always take care of you. He knows your every need, and he does not ever leave you or forget you! God is God, and he will provide!
It reminds me of the song "We are Blessed". It says,"We are blessed in the city, we are blessed in the field, we are blessed when we come and when we go! We cast down every stronghold; sickness and poverty must flee! For the devil is defeated....we are blessed!" Those words have been so powerful for me in the past couple weeks! No matter what happens....God remains the same!

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL weekend, and I will check back in Monday!

xoxox, Lisa

I'mmmmmmm back!

Well, it has been almost two months since I last updated, and a lot has changed! I never went on that Christmas vacation that I had been so excited about. It has been for the best, but a lot happened within a 15 minute time span the morning that we were leaving. Just a few...

• I got laid off from my job.
• Sarah Bear (our precious baby) was at the vet, and little did we know that she had been turned lose, hit by a truck, and was no where to be found! Thank God for keeping her safe because the vet had already told us the thought she was dead. She came home a week later bruised, but ok.
• Blue Cross cancelled my insurance due to a "glitch" in the system.....and so on....

A few other things happened, and so life goes on. I have been looking for a job. I have been putting in several resumes, and i have been on quite a few interviews, but everyone is saying the same thing....we just aren't hiring right now. So....how in a lot of ways things have never been better! Praise be to God!

Well, I just wanted to update everyone...I have not fallen off the face of the earth! Plus, Valentine's Day is coming up...I love that holiday because everything in PINK, and no one complains about it! I LOVE PINK!

So how have you all been? Please tell!

Christmas Vacation!!!

Jon and I leave tomorrow. (Woo Hoo!) We are heading to Nashville for a couple of days and then we are going to Clarksville. We will be back on Monday! We have a lot planned for our little trip, and we are both extremely excited because we really haven't been anywhere in a while so it should be nice. I always love all the Christmas stuff up there, and we have kind of made it our little family tradition to go every year in December. We just go and relax. This year these are the things we are planning on doing:

• We are going to go on the Jack Daniel's Distillery Tour. We have passed it several times heading to Nashville and Clarksville and it looks so interesting. The tours are free so that is always a plus!


• I have wanted to see the Parthenon in Downtown Nashville for a long time so we are going to go tour that and hopefully get some neat pictures. I've heard it is fabulous!


• I also want to go see the giant guitar in downtown Nashville too. So maybe we will grab lunch down there.


• We are also going to go to the Hermitage to see President Andrew Jackson's Home and take the historic tour there. Jon loves history so I thought that would be a super nice treat for him.


• Of course we have to go to the Gaylord Opry Hotel for all of the Christmas extravaganza they have: the little Christmas show that they put on, the fountain light show, the hall of trees, the huge outdoor Nativity scene, and we hope to take a carriage ride to see the outdoor lights if the weather permits and the wait is not horrible.


• Lastly, we plan to hit up the Opry Mills mall to do some good ole shopping. My favorite stores there are the Apple Barn and Old Navy. Jon loves all the Tennessee stores they have. He says it is God's country.

We plan to head to Clarksville Sunday morning to meet up with his family. We get to meet his dad's new girlfriend. I have already planned to visit the Winery before we leave to get my family some. They all love wine, and since Jon and I don't like it...it is nice to have someone to buy it for. The winery there is very pretty. We are staying the night there, and Monday we will take our time heading back to Birmingham. Jon said if we saw anywhere else we wanted to visit on the way back we could go...or if we don't finish all of our tours in Nashville we can go back on Monday. We got a super deal on our hotel, we are staying two night for $120! It is a nicehotel. They have a full fresh cooked breakfast in the morning, cocktails and refreshment party at night from 5-7, they have a free soda fountain and popcorn bar, indoor and outdoor pool, and the staff there is incredible. We stayed there last year and loved it! Oh, and it is in a awesome location!
We are both super excited to get away for a little alone time and just enjoy each others company. We see each other all the time, but there is something special about getting away from home, work, and the cell phones so we can just relax and be together!

Well alright, I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I promise to take some pictures and post them on here of the things we did. xoxox-The Whittens

Christmas Survey

A Christmas One (via Pink Lucy)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I love to wrap presents with wrapping paper. I only use gift bags if it is a last minute gift or I have no other way of wrapping it! I could wrap gift all day...it is so fun with all the ribbons and bows!

2.When do you put up the tree? Normally Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving, but we put it up about a week and half before.

3. When do you take the tree down? After the new year when I finally get the time.

4. Do you like eggnog? Yes, I like to have at least one cup each holiday season.

5. Favorite gift received as a child? My pink my buddy doll that my daddy gave to me

6. Hardest person to buy for? LOL, just about everyone, but this year defiantly my nephews.

7. Easiest person to buy for? Jon!

8. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, it is the one that my grandmother had that she had given to my mom. My mom gave it to me last Christmas.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? I totally mail my cards. I love getting them from others via US mail so that is how I send them.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Lets not go there!

11. Favorite Christmas Movie? Home Alone, and most recently This Christmas

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I usually start my shopping around the first of November. However, this year Jon and I have been on a roll and we have gotten almost everyone bought for!

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? no

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Oh, that is not fair. I can't have a favorite...I like to much of it.

15. Favorite Christmas song? Probably Country Christmas from Loretta Lynn or Santa Baby

16. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I have always traveled since we have such a large family with my parent being divorced and all especially since Jon and I have been together and his parents are divorced. This year we have talked about coming home Christmas eve night and spending the night at our house so we can have Christmas with "our" family.

17. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blizten. Maybe Prancer...Rudolph.....how many were there?

18. Angel on the tree top or a star? Bow...this year mine is red and gold!

19. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? We always open the ones with my mom Christmas eve, and then the ones with my dad Christmas morning.

20. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? All the stress of figuring out the holiday schedule and then the stress of trying to keep everyone happy! So this year Jon and I have vowed that we were only going to strive to keep us happy, and the rest will fall in to place. Our family first!

21. Favorite ornament theme or color? Jon and I always get at least one or two new ornaments a piece each year and then we fill in the rest of the tree with gold, red, and green balls.

22. Favorite for Christmas dinner? I like the way our family usually does kind of a unusual Christmas dinner. We have seafood instead of the traditional turkey and ham. It works well for us! I love the shrimp!