a fun day at the park

before all of the wonderful, green, yellow stuff appeared ALL OVER tennessee, ben and i enjoyed a picnic in the park with petey. we like to take him to north park in jackson to the soccer fields on sunday (when no one is there) and let him run loose. he ALMOST got away a couple of times, but he learned some new tricks that day, like lay down, and bring it to me. good times with the peter williams. :)



we also want to echo brian's congratulations for our great friend ben hickey! HE'S ENGAGED!!!!! (just in case you hadn't heard). he and Pepo will be married this summer in Ethopia with a reception/party in the states. we are SO excited for them and wish them the BEST!!!!
There's not a whole lot else going on. we did halfway finish our sunroom and i love to sit and talk to my friends, ben loves to read in there, and it's just nice. we painted it a cream yellow color. anytime you want to come and sit with us, feel free!

the virb

so, there's this new thing called virb.com. it's like myspace and facebook, only cooler. not spam-a-licious at all...very "mac-y"...very cool. you should check it out. good times, good times.

just for the fun of it.

this will take you way back and then also will take you possibly back just a few months ago. i think i've participated (or tried to participate) in most of these. you'll understand. turn up your speakers :)

what do you think?

i need some help on our template. it's not really us. any suggestions? thanks!

it's petey of course

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos
our dog's got mad skills.

thoughts

wow. ben and i have been thinking a lot about evangelism and how it relates to us, as we are surrounded by many, many Christians; we've also been thinking a lot about our lives and how encouraged we are in many different aspects. since my surgery (this is janie) SO many people have been more encouraging than i could ever imagine. after hearing from the doctor about a month ago that my endometriosis is back, my heart sank. through all of it, everyone that we come in contact with asks me how i'm feeling, i know that they pray for us daily, and are truly concerned. unconditionally concerned at that. even people who i don't talk to on a regular basis whatsoever ask me how i'm doing whenever i do get to talk to them. my friend has been in the hospital for a day with some other complications, called me last night to tell me that she WAS indeed in the hospital, and before we got off the phone, asked me how i was doing and feeling in the midst of her heartbreak for even being in the hospital. ben and i are EXTREMELY blessed! we don't understand it sometimes. the only only only way that we can describe is the shear fact that Christ is caring for His bride and He cares the utmost about His people. Matthew 5-7 is a familiar Bible passage titled "the sermon on the mount." here's what the scripture says...
26"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!"
I'm so glad that Christ cares SO much about the church and about His sons and daughters. He DOES take care of us even when we feel like all is coming down on top of us.
In the midst of all of this, we've had a lot of good times. we got to go to oklahoma to see family and friends there. we also have been able to support several friends in their upcoming marriages. we are SO excited about all the weddings that will take place this summer and pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you, make His face shine upon you, and give you peace. (i'm at work, so i would post some pictures, but it always messees up when i'm trying to post, so i won't do it.)
in conclusion, i have written all of this to say thank you to all of the people that have encouraged us over the last few months. we continue to covet your prayers for healing for my body, and a larger family (of course). we thank God for our friends and family. come see us soon!!!

IT SNOWED!!!!!

i know that this isn't much compared to a lot of our readers, however, i'm like a 5 year old ready to sled when it snows!!!! so, here's our pretty little house in the snow and i wish it would stay around forever. however, it's 4:45 on the same day and it's already gone...so sad. hope everyone is doing well!!!

what a wonderful world

well, i realize that it has been about a month since i've last posted. honestly there hasn't been a whole lot going on! which i guess is a good thing. ben and i had a wonderful Christmas...janie cooked a great Christmas dinner and it was complete with both sides of the family as well as friends from the neighborhood. we had a GREAT time!!!
ben also got janie a new bed (which is WAY better than the frame they were using) and janie got ben a new stereo complete with an ipod dock and a cd player. the perfect thing. :)
Janie then got to go to denver to see her friends leah and jackie. i had such a great time!!! talk about a wonderful girls' weekend where all we did was talk, shop, eat, and drink! it was great!!! i did miss ben a lot, which made it great to come back home. we hope for the best for leah and joe and for jackie and love them a lot!! we also wish that all of us lived closer! (boo hoo hoo)


on a serious note, we want to thank everyone for praying and thinking about us over the last few months. my surgery went well and we continue to covet your prayers as we long to make our family larger. it's our desire and we have such peace about what God is doing in our lives. thank you all for your encouragement (from some that i rarely even talk to) and for continuing to think and pray for us.
i think that's about it :). i hope everyone is doing well. we'd love to hear from you! love to all!!

one more thing

this is a crazy Christmas picture that i thought was just TOO funny to pass up. my dad wanted us to use it for our Christmas card, but of course, we opted not to. Merry Christmas to everyone!!

p.s. bill and mel (my brother and sister-in-law...ben's brother-in-law and sister-in-law...this is getting confusing!) are having a BOY!!!!! baby boy myatt is due on april 13!!!! there's almost too many babies to contain it! actually, i don't think that will ever be the case :)

is it going to work?

this post i've tried to get up here about 7 times...let's see if it works!!

well, this is my third time to try and post this. we'll see if it works this time...i hope it does!!
anyway, it has been a long time since i've updated and for that i'm sorry. we have been extremely busy and really just haven't had anything really good to write about. however, we do have some good news. we have a new nephew (who was born on my birthday)! his name is luke carter tankersley and he is just the most handsome little boy i've ever seen (besides michael tankersley. they're in competition over that one:P). the proud parents are my sister and brother-in-law, lee and lili tankersley. congrats are in order for them.



(can you tell that i love him and am so proud to be his aunt?!!)
there's not a whole lot else going on. we've been trying to get ready for Christmas for a long time now and we're only about a week away. my family is coming into town tonight (i'm sure you'll see pics) and then ben's family is coming into town next weekend. that's right...we're hosting Christmas and I have to cook a big Christmas meal. i hope it turns out well. i'm sure it will.
i guess that's about it. i hope everyone else has a great Christmas. may God bless you this holiday season and many more to come!!!

i've tried and i've tried.

i have tried multiple times to post, and i haven't been able to. but i ran across this and was proud of life. check it out and we wish everyone a great Christmas and happy 2007!!! love to all!! The Year in Pictures

post-surgery thoughts

i've had many minutes to think about life in the past few days. first of all, i'm so thankful for my family. (this might be a pretty cheesy post;)) my husband has taken the best car of me that anyone ever could. i have definitely been MILKIN' IT!!! and it's been fun. but, it just is such a reminder of Christ and the church. as ben represents Christ in our relationship as husband and wife...he's been so faithful to take care of me, been so concerned about the littlest things i might need, been concerned more about me than himself and such a servant, and just been a good reminder of what a great husband he is. and as for me as the church...well, i've seen myself serve him in the past. it's a give and take willingness. that's what i've decided marriage is all about. dying to yourself at different times. however, the husband and the wife must BOTH die to themselves at different times. if a couple does this, they WILL live happily ever after. just like a fairy tale.
now, i don't say that it's going to always be easy. i guess, as i contemplate that Christ was a real man (100% man and 100% God) i see that He had to die to himself at times as well. when we see Christ as human, it's somehow easier for us to die to ourselves and to understand why we go through pain and suffering. He died the ultimate death, but came as a peasant would come. i'm so thankful and pray that you see the joy in dying to yourself when it comes to relationships. happy thanksgiving.

oh, petey boy, oh, petey boy, why must you tear up our stuff? (to the tune of "Oh, Christmas Tree")

 

So, i came home from work on wednesday, and this is what i found. well, actually i found a chewed up dryer sheet in the middle of the living room floor, and then i walked into our bedroom, and this is what i found. petey was very excited to see me and began running around in circles on the bed. he loves us. (and he had a BLAST today while we were both at work). we love our dog!!!! 

the ultimate FEAST

well, this past weekend, we hosted "The Feast of St. Pookie". for those of you that don't know, pookie is brian denker (who ben used to live with) and a few years ago, ben, leah cashion, jenny johnson, ben hickey, and a few other people, wanted to throw brian a big birthday party. they decided to call it "Pookiefest" complete with iron-on t-shirts. they had a blast! the next year, ben was married, but pookie was still next on his mind. he decided to make it bigger than the year before. that year, it would be called "Pookiepalooza", complete with REAL t-shirts. It also doubled as a fal funfest for the kids. we had a good time, but now the preasure was on. EVERY YEAR, this thing has to get BIGGER!
As ben and janie were brainstorming, ben said "i think we need to have the feast of St. Pookie for Brian this year." janie loved the idea and the planning began. This year, we had a jumpy house for the kids, ben hickey so eloquently told how pookie became a saint, complete with 3 miracles: making a toasted cheese sandwich, pulling out a pop tart from thin air, and drawing a map of the Holy Lands (not in any specific order). We had a blast, and i just wanted pookie to know that we appreciate him and love him very much! get ready for next year...it might be as big as memphis in may!!!!

once again...

i just can't tell enough people about this great website. threadless.com has some of the GREATEST t-shirts!!! oh my word, i can't get over it. one of my favorites is this one
it's HILARIOUS!!! anyway, just remember that christmas and birthdays are coming...there are so many GREAT t-shirts on this website!!!! i LOVE it!

petey's happy halloween

here's petey's halloween costume! it's as good as we could get. love to everyone!
 
 
  

dog stuff

as many of you know, petey is our dog and we love him. he is crazy, but we love him. we wanted (or maybe just janie wanted) to get him a halloween costume. ben just laughed and was like, um ok. so, i asked our friend brian denker if he had found any good halloween costumes for dogs. this is what he sent me. go here. it's hilarious. i'll post a picture of petey with what we got him when i have one. until then, here's one...

who knows?

hello to everyone. i don't really know what to write today, but i felt like writing. i was reminded of some funny things this weekend. my best friend from college came into town (the fields) and we went to the big UU (that's union univeristy for those of you that don't know) and walked around to see what and who had changed. we came across some funny things that reminded us of our days at union and realized that we missed college but were VERY glad to be where we are now. we spent the day eating shake's frozen custard and then having pizza for dinner. good times and much much like college!
i also was reminded of some of my time being single. one thing in particular was a comment made by (at the time) a 5th grader whom i went to church with. i had just decided to move to colorado and work at orchards baptist. i told "mark" i was moving to ft. collins and he said "why you wanna move up noth (long o sound) fo?" (you MUST say it with the MOST southern accent possible) i laughed and instead of saying "well, colorado is actually west..." i said "because i want to right now!" anyway, it brightened my day and i hope it does yours as well. have a good monday, but not a "case of the mondays"

relief

thank you so much for everyone who has been concerned with ben and i since i last posted. (this is janie:)) many of you were so encouraging and i thank you so much!
a little word about what all is going on...
i'm doing fine. i have been in and out of the doctor for the past two weeks. they have determined that i might have endometriosis, and that i do have a cyst on my ovary. saying all of that means that there will be more tests done in the near future. we are waiting another month to do any of the tests, but my doctor is amazing (kudos to don wilson at the jackson clinic) and he wants to see me feel better QUICKLY!! he is willing to go over and beyond the expectations that i had. anyway, i could go into much more detail, but i'm not going to. feel free to call if you want to.
i know that God is powerful and His will is better for me than mine can ever be. i also know that God wants what is best for me. He has my best interest at heart and He knows my wants and needs and knows when the best timing is for everything to happen. thank you all for praying for me and for allowing me to spill my heart out. i guess sometimes it's easier when you're not looking someone in the face to be more vulnerable. that's good times. anyway, love to all of you and we can sing like U2 in "mysterious ways"

Johnny take a walk with your sister the moon
Let her pale light in to fill up your room
You've been living underground
Eating from a can
You've been running away
From what you don't understand...
Love

She's slippy
You're sliding down
She'll be there when you hit the ground

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways

Johnny take a dive with your sister in the rain
Let her talk about the things you can't explain
To touch is to heal
To hurt is to steal
If you want to kiss the sky
Better learn how to kneel

(on your knees boy)

She's the wave
She turns the tide
She sees the man inside the child

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
Lift my days, light up my nights

One day you will look...back
And you'll see...where
You were held...how
By this love...while
You could stand...there
You could move on this moment
Follow this feeling

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright

We move through miracle days
Spirit moves in mysterious ways
She moves with it
She moves with it
Lift my days, light up my nights

frustration

Usually our blog is very upbeat and not very sappy, but i'm having a sappy kinda day. i don't understand Christ a lot. there's a mystery there that is so intriguing to me, but sometimes it is very frustrating to not know everything. part of that mystery is God's timing. i know deep down that God knows what's best for me and for our family, but i also have a human will that i wish i could just turn off and on when i want it that way. all at that same time, it seems that what you want, everyone else has, and that you are the only one that doesn't have it. it's not true, it's just extrememly frustrating. i get frustrated with myself for not trusting and having enough faith to put the whole situation in God's hands; i get frustrated with other people who get what i want, and i want to be excited for them, but it is very hard. i also get frustrated with my jealousy and bitterness. i know these are wrong, but it's so hard not to be. i have such a hard time trying to figure out what i need to do and where i go for the comfort that is needed. i'm sorry that this is so depressing, it's just everything that's on my mind right now. SO, i do need to get back to work. if you think about it, just pray that i would have contentment and in that contentment, trust that God DOES know what He's doing, because i know He does. also pray that God would give me the desires of my heart and line up His desires with mine, becuase ultimately, His are all that matter. thanks.