OK, so here are some pictures of my sweet little dogs after they got groomed today!

This one is Brownie. She's kinda camera shy! Dig their cute little Halloween bandanas?

This one is Daisy. I've had her for about 8 years now and she is a sweetheart!

Trying to get the both of them to sit still and take a picture together is like trying to pull teeth!!!

Now you can see how we know that it's time to have a baby. When you start posting blogs about your cute little dogs...that's a pretty good indicator!!!

Life In The Fast Lane!!!

Boy oh boy, have I been busy!!! I'm so sorry that I've waited so long to post but it's really been crazy around here. I guess I can't fuss at Jonathan anymore for not posting in a long time! LOL! Well, things have been going well on my end. Busy with work of course! I was so glad that I got to see Mom and Muddy a couple of weekends ago in Hebert. Man, I hope I have as much energy as Muddy does when I get her age! I know alot of that is God-given strength. I can't wait to see Mom again at Christmas (and Diddy, too!). It was so fun to get to go shop with my favorite shopping buddy again!!! I wanted to post a few pictures from the visit...

How blessed am I to be able to have both of my beautiful grandmother's in one place to visit with? I love them both so much!

Me and my favorite shopping buddy!!! I love you MOM!

Bill's been pretty busy getting his business off the ground. He's been working on several different projects simultaneously so even when he's not at the Sheriff's office working, he's at home working! And don't forget...somewhere in between all this work we're fitting in time to make a baby! No bun in the oven yet, but I know that God has it all under His control. I know I just have to have faith and be patient!!! Well, I'm off to pick up the dogs at the groomer. One last haircut before the cold weather sets in. They're always so cute right after they get groomed so I'll take a picture when I get back and post it. I have a testimony I need to tell you about anyway about one of my dogs (I know, sounds a little crazy but you'll see!).

toothsleuth

	My Flixster

Check Out This New Video!

I just had to pass this video along! It's beautiful!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NaSROohLzs
I'll post again soon!

Getting in the Fall Spirit!

It's finally my favorite time of the year! I love the fall weather and I especially love Thanksgiving. When you live in Louisiana, you don't get a very long time of fall weather. I definitely enjoy the few weeks that we have! I've been out decorating the house today for the season and I thought I'd share a few pictures with you!



I hope everyone has a great fall season!

I Love My Family!

Well, it's been a little while since my last post so I thought I'd check in. Another work week over and done. Praise the Lord for not only a good job, but the ability to work at that job! I'm excited about next weekend because mom and Muddy are coming to Louisiana to see Mamaw Stamper in Hebert. I'll be driving up to see them and I can't wait! I'm so thankful that I have a close relationship with my mom. She is my mother as well as my best friend. I hated to see mom and dad move to Tennesse a few years back, but I knew that it was God's will and that made it a little easier to accept. I do miss my shopping partner, though! LOL!! That's not to say that I don't miss my dad, too. It's been very difficult to find a home church that I feel comfortable with. I tend to compare every pastor to the only one I had for 28 years...my dad! There's just not another one like him. Having mom and dad here in Lake Charles with me and Bill was such a blessing. They really helped keep us strengthened spiritually and gave us a lot of guidance. I guess there comes a time when you have to grow up and do it on your own, though! Boy, I didn't know this post would end up being a homage to my parents!!!
I guess trying to have a baby has made me miss my family a little more. I remember growing up in a preacher's home. We moved around alot, which wasn't really so bad except that I didn't get to see extended family as much as I would've liked. I guess that's why I always looked forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas so much. I always sort of envied my cousins for getting to live so close to Muddy and Gepa (or Mamaw and Papaw). I pray that when I do have a child, God will make a way for me to be a little closer to some family. There's one for your prayer list! I know that God can make a way if it is His will.
Goodness, I didn't mean to get so deep for this post! I'll be sure that my next one is something uplifting!!! To all my family that reads this (immediate and extended) I love you guys and treasure the times that I get to visit with you. I hope there will be many more of those times to come!!!

Gettin' Ready For The Big 3-2!!!

Hello again! I've been thinking all day about tomorrow...my 32nd birthday! I guess after 30 they just become another day. God was merciful on my 30th. As crazy as it sounds, he sent Hurricane Rita and it took my mind off of the whole birthday thing. I told you it sounded crazy...Cat. 4 hurricane or 30th birthday??? At the time, I didn't know which was worse. I think maybe the whole age thing affects women more than men. All the men in my family age really well, so they don't have to worry about it! Not that the women in the family don't age well, but I've definitely bought my share of 'anti-aging' products since I turned 30. Isn't that crazy? I guess I should just be thankful for every day that the Lord has given me. It's one more day to thank Him for all He's done!

Since I mentioned the hurricane, I suppose I'll share my testimony about that for those who don't already know about it. Hope you're ready for a good one! On Sept. 24, 2005 Hurricane Rita hit southwest Louisiana with a vengeance. It was my first real experience with hurricanes, so I didn't really know what to expect. What I did know was that I had just seen the devestation of Katrina all over the television and it was only a Cat. 3 when it made landfall! Needless to say, I was a little scared! We evacuated to north Louisiana. We are blessed to have family members on both sides that live within 30 miles of each other. The storm hit on Saturday night and we didn't get to make the trek back to assess damages until the following Wednesday. This is what we pulled up to:

This was a huge pine tree that fell on our carport, storage building, master bedroom, master bathroom, and even clipped the edge of the neighbor's house. It was a massive tree! As you can see, the roots were so big that when it fell it buckled the concrete driveway.

When the carport fell, it narrowly missed my car. There was exactly 1 inch from the roof to the hood of the car! This was the first miracle that God did for us!

I don't know if this picture shows it clearly, but this was the view of the tree from the back side of the house. The little white building was the storage building and the brick was our master bedroom. The wood post in the foreground is where the privacy fence had been. There were no fences anywhere!!! However, this resulted in us meeting our neighbors and getting to know them very well. I don't know if we would have otherwise!

The crazy thing is, when we got home we had no chainsaw, no nothing! I was at a total loss as to what to do. Then off in the distance two houses down, I heard the buzz of chainsaws! I walked through the muddy yards and found a whole crew of men cutting a tree out of a neighbor's house. I asked them if they could come cut ours out. Come to find out, they were a volunteer group from a Baptist church in, get this...Pigeon Forge, TN!!! They told me that they could add me to the waiting list. When I told them that my husband was in a wheelchair, they immediately came over and began cutting away at the tree. It was such a miracle that they were there at that time! It was at that moment that an overwhelming peace came over me. I knew that no matter what came of this catastrophe, God would prevail! I knew His hands of protection were on us right then and there. Here's a picture of the volunteer crew that cut out the tree:

After the guys cut the tree out of the house, they all gathered in a circle around me and Bill and proceeded in a group prayer. I love it! As diddy would say, 'Ain't God good?'. Needless to say, we have fully recovered from the storm. Believe it or not, we actually look back on it as a hidden blessing. We were able to update the house, build a new, much bigger storage building, build a game room, and many other little things that I could go on and on about! I really hope that this testimony will encourage everyone who reads it. Just remember, no matter what 'storm' the devil tries to blow you over with, God is in control and ALL things work together for good to those that love the Lord!!! Amen, sister!

Well, it's Monday so that means back to work! I currently work as a dental hygienist at Oak Park Dental South in Lake Charles, LA. I really enjoy dentistry. I know, I know, I hear it all the time...how can you work in people's mouths all day? But honestly, it's a very fulfilling job. I get to build relationships with my patients because I get to see them every 6 months. For the ones who need more than just a routine cleaning, I get the satisfaction of seeing the healing that takes place between visits. The best part is when a patient finally starts to smile after being too embarrassed to for so long! The real truth is, I probably would never have thought to be a dental hygienist had it not been for a former uncle of mine who was a dentist. I guess being exposed to it, made me less afraid of it!

Anyway, before I got off on my ramble about how much I enjoy dentistry, I was going to make a point! Mondays bring a big groan to workers everywhere when that morning alarm clock goes off! There are so many people that I'll ask 'How was your weekend?'. The usual reply is 'Not long enough!' (or something along those lines). I know I always have so many things planned out that I want to do, but for whatever reason it never gets done. Lately, however, my outlook on the work week has changed. Perhaps it was the 3 weeks off work that I had after my surgery! I'm not sure, but I know that I'm beginning to look at my week as Monday-Sunday (not Monday-Thursday). I really think that this is how God would want it. Instead of rushing, rushing, rushing all week long to get to the weekend (and then feeling like we never really get done what we want to!), I think He wants us to view each day as a gift from Him. I'm beginning to enjoy my work week more. I'm learning to slow down!!! That's pretty big for me! Something that all of you prayer warriors out there can help me pray about.

Well, it's getting late and I've got work tomorrow, too. So, I guess that means I better sign off!

It's Lovebug Season Again!

If you don't live in the South, then you may not know about one of the biggest pests we have. It's the dreaded 'lovebug' and they only swarm for a few weeks out of the year. If you've never seen one, well here's a picture of it:

As you can see, they fly around attached to another one all the time, hence the name 'lovebug'. They wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that they swarm like crazy! They can't just fly around and look cute by themselves. Oh no, they have to fly around in packs with no seeming direction.

This is just a small 2'x2' section on my door! Unfortunately, I've had a few casualties...



Oh well, that's what they get for getting in my door jam! Anyway, no more complaining about the lovebugs. You know, as bothersome as those things are, it made me wonder how horrible it must have been to experience the plagues of the Old Testament. I'm so thankful that God is merciful enough to keep us from suffering through that today! Whenever I read that part of the Bible, I always think 'Man, I can't believe these people were so bull-headed. Surely those plagues would prove to them that God is real!'. But you know, there are so many things going on in the world that make me wonder the same exact thing about people today. The crazy weather patterns alone should make people open their eyes to the fact that the return of the Lord is so close! I can't wait until that time comes! What a wonderful day that will be!!!
Anyway, until next time...

My Life

OK, I'm going to give this blogging stuff a try. I've been encouraged by my dad and Aunt Donice, so here goes... For those of you who don't know me, let me just say that what you see is what you get! I'm pretty straight forward and don't like to beat around the bush about anything. I'm married to a wonderful man named William. Here 'a a picture of him...

As you can see from this picture, he is a real clown! He has a great sense of humor and never meets a stranger. He is currently working at the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office as a communications officer. He has been there for 6 years and is really good at what he does! (Of course, I could be a little biased!). He also has a degree in computer information technology. He does a lot of computer repairs on the side. His biggest accomplishment by far though, is the company that he recently started called Digital Memories. He creates personalized DVD presentations for special occasions such as weddings, funerals, graduations, etc. This is his company logo...

His website is http://www.digitalmemoriesdvd.net/. It's still under construction right now, but you should check it out every now and then. Hopefully it will be up and running fully by the end of the month. He has been so blessed with different opportunities for his business. One of the girls that I work with won a wedding on our local TV station. Bill offered to a wedding DVD for her for free. She was so impressed with his work that she encouraged the station to interview him for one of their local business slots! He is now working on a 10 year class reunion DVD for Sulphur High School. Please be praying that God will bless his business. He has opened so many doors for him already. We are so thankful to God for His goodness!

This year has really been flying by so fast! It's been a real roller coaster year for me and Bill. We decided after 8 years of marriage that it was time to add a baby to our crew. After several months of trying with no success, we decided that we better go to the doctor and get ourselves checked out. Now, we were both pretty sure that the problem was with Bill due to his accident in 1996. The doctor even told us back then that it was a strong possibility that he wouldn't be able to have kids. However, after all the tests came back, we discovered that all of his swimmers are in excellent condition! Praise the Lord! So this was great news, right? Well, yes, but I wasn't expecting there to be something wrong with me! Unfortunately, the doctor found that I had endometreosis and several cysts. After the initial shock sunk in, we scheduled a surgery for Thursday, August 2 to remove the endometreosis and drain the cysts.

Now, my doctor told me that this would be a simple laproscopic procedure that could be performed as a day surgery. I was supposed to be back to work on that following Monday, so no big deal right? WRONG! When I awoke from the anesthesia, I was informed that the endometreosis was much more extensive than was originally thought. It was attached to my uterus, bladder, and colon! So...this meant that they had to cut me open instead of using laproscopy. What was supposed to be a simple day surgery ended up putting out of work for 3 weeks!!! The good news is that the doctor feels like she was able to remove it all and that it was caught fairly early. They also removed a fibroid and drained the cysts. All of the tissue biopsies came back benign. Praise the Lord!

Our second big coaster ride came just 3 days after my surgery. We had known about a tumor that Bill had on his adrenal gland for about 4 years. It was biopsied back in 2003 and we knew that it was benign, so we really were just waiting until the doctor said it was time to remove it. Well, wouldn't you know it, the doctor called to tell Bill that his latest MRI showed that the tumor had started growing rapidly and needed to be removed. His surgery was scheduled for August 22. Here I was in my third week of recovery and I'm walking all over Houston's Medical Center! But you know, God always has a plan. That week really prepared me to have the strength to start back to work. Bill's surgery went even better that expected and is still recuperating now. The doctor said that his tumor was 7 inches!!! That's pretty huge for a tumor.

Now, I'm sure that most people would be really worried about losing 3 weeks of pay. I know that under normal circumstances I certainly would! But, I've just got to testify a little bit. Just 3 weeks prior to my surgery, the Lord blessed us with a large financial blessing! It was above and beyond anything we had expected. I couldn't imagine what we would need to use it for, but of course after 2 surgeries it became pretty clear. I just want to thank the Lord for providing us with the means to be able to pay for our part of both surgeries IN FULL!! Isn't God good? Even before we know what we need, He provides it!
Well, anyone that knows me and my family has probably already noticed that I tend to ramble on and on. I get that from my dad (affectionately known as Diddy). So instead of boring you with more details, I'd like to post a few pictures of me and my family for you to see..

This is a picture of me and Bill when we went to Cancun, Mexico last year. That was a great vacation!

For all of you who wonder why I haven't moved to Tennesse yet, this is it!!! Good ol' Louisiana crawfish. It just doesn't get any better than that!

This is a picture from our vaction in Las Vegas. This place is way overrated! Lots to do and see, but too many gamblers!!! (It's Vegas, what else should I expect?).

Well, due to the lack of good candidates to choose from, I'd like to announce that I'll be running for President! Ha,Ha! Wouldn't it be great to have a Brannen in the White House?

This is a picture of one of my dogs, Daisy. She is the best dog in the world!!!

Well, I guess I have to save a few pictures for my next post. Until then.....