I stepped right into my dreams.....a little peace of heaven on Earth.... Brave Girl Camp

Brave Girl Camp - Boise, Idaho

Last month I was able to attend Brave Girl Camp and 

feel as if I stepped into another world.  I have never

experienced anything like it in my 46 years of life.

When you think of putting 25 women in one small

building...each with different personalities and ideas..

from different walks of life...... different views.....

different socioeconomic status.... different proffessions...

well, lets be honest here... you would usually equate 

all of the above with "clicks" or "snobbery" or 

"leaving someone out" or "not feeling adequate" or

"not fitting in" or "fear of failure"..... and so many'

more things that usually are brought to mind

when that many women, who seem so different

are put together.... BUT NO.... at that magical 

place...NO ONE felt left out, every single person

felt cherished and loved and wanted and needed,

as each person became a spoke on that large wheel

called Brave Girl Club.... each person brought

her story, her talent, her gifts to the whole....

in a way that I have never seen before...

the wheel was able to do its job.... it turned

and had not ONE wobble.... from the start.

Melody and Kathy (and each Brave Sister

staff member) greeted us morning after 

morning with open arms....LITERALLY...

arms stretched wide ... with nothing but

love in their eyes....and sweet greetings from

their lips the moment we stepped off of

the Brave Girl Bus onto the Camp grounds.

I came home a better me....because each 

brave sister there made me see my 

strength....the gifts that I brought to 

the world..... to my family and friends...

to my new sisters...in the end....

THERE WAS NO END.... because we

left knowing that forever we would be

bound by this sisterhood called 

"Brave Girl Club".... we know that this

place.... was a place where we truly 

learned what our wings were born to

do.... not just flap furiously in effort to

get higher ...but to fly peacefully and 

along the way to be wrapped around

other brave sisters who we meet on

our journey home.  www.bravegirlsclub.com

If you've never visited the Brave Girl Club..

it would be SO worth a look-see! :) 

you will truly be blessed!! 

This is how we were greeted EACH morning as we arrived

on the Brave Girl Bus..............

Our first day there, Melody gave us bird seed to visualize being

our "worries from home"...we then threw our worries to the

birds..... because we were going to be HERE and ONLY here

this week.... and no worries were welcome because, as Melody

said, "Worries are for the birds!" ......... 

Precious sister bonds were formed with each brave girl there.....

There were words of affirmation sprinkled throughout

the property to remind us that WE indeed were worth

the time to "get away" and become BRAVER than

we ever knew we were...... we found just how ALIKE

we really are.... just little girls inside making our way

in a great big world.... daughters, mothers, sisters,

friends, grandmothers, wives, ......and oh so much more!

Mentor bonds were made with so many precious sisters..

Mrs. Pam's strength and resilience left me in awe of the

power and majesty of OUR LORD.... what a beautiful

testimony of strength and grace and mercy her life is...

what a blessing to know her....and walk this journey

with her ..... she taught us all what it means to be

strong yet gentle.... love just oozes from her!! 

 Alumni Brave Girls wrapping their sweet wings

around their NEW Brave Girl sisters...... Leigh and Mrs. Judy.

Jeni and Dawn (new Brave Girl being loved on by an alumni

Brave Girl.... nothing sweeter!)

Alumni Brave Girls wrapping their arms around their new

Brave Girl sisters..... momma bonds were MADE.... and

will forever remain..... :) Mrs. Annie and I.

Fall was in the air....and all over the camp grounds.......

 Jeni and I...two NEW Brave Girls!!

 Group time.... singing and sharing ..... priceless moments!

 Artsy Fartsy TIME.....endless art supplies right at our little fingertips!!

Trina... .another NEW Brave Girl sister.................... 

Our sisterhood will only grow stronger through the coming

years....and this I KNOW FOR SURE....... 

My sister gift (Leigh) and I with Melody on the last night of camp.

Me, Kathy and Leigh. :)

What I learned about myself at camp is that

God designed me to be free... His mercies are

new every SINGLE morning.... on this journey home!

God bless the makers in the world! For they are the true record keepers of our lives!

A lot of this going on.... 5 hour drive to Birmingham, AL

 from our little town of Summit, MS..... but worth it! 

Great medical staff and facility!

First, I can't believe it has been so long since my last post!

We will start with .... my health.  My RA hasn't 

gotten much better.  We are now at UAB in 

Birmingham.  My husband researched and found

the best RA group (closest) to us that he could 

find and got all of my records sent to UAB... it took

us about 7  months to get an appointment...but I

began this journey 4 weeks ago.  After ultrasounds

on my hands and Xrays on my neck, shoulders, feet,

ankles and wrists.... we learned that the bones

in my feet, toes, hands, fingers, wrists and neck

have begun fusing.  I will begin Rituxin infusion 

treatments in the near future and will be going

for my first visit with Dr. Sesser on Sept. 29. She 

is my new Pain Management doctor.  The staff at

UAB have been cRazy attentive, and methodically

thorough. We have been amazed at how effective

they are and how quickly they have gotten this

entire journey moving forward.  God's hand has

definitely been in this trek!!  THIS MAN..... is my rock!

I got to reconnect with a HOMETOWN friend from childhood

 after my first appointment and anticipate more time with 

her during our journey with UAB.

Isn't it neat how God

 can lead you on new journeys

 INSIDE another journey.... 

He is INDEED amazing!! 

Tiffany and I after 20+ years.... felt like it was yesterday!!

AS LONG AS MY HANDS CAN CREATE,

 RA WILL NOT STOP ME!!! 

I FIND THE MOST JOY WHEN I AM MAKING

SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL FOR OTHERS

 or HELPING OTHERS CREATE 

SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL!! 

I have this disease, it does NOT have me!

I am determined to use my hands until

 I can not use them any longer.

I do know that this disease is a waiting game...

as it fuses my bones and twists my joints, 

eventually the journey will lead to deformation...

BUT this just makes me MORE determined

 than EVER to get going NOW!

I am STILL loving the art of creating ANYTHING by

hand....the legacy leaving is very important to me.  I take

pride in seeing my sweet daughter, now 21, sharing her love

of art with her little 7 year old sister.  It is truly a breathtaking

sight to behold.  This world has become so "fast paced" so

"click a button and send a message", so "phone in hand at all

times, therefore NO time to MAKE time for CREATING 

together while connecting and growing lasting bonds" and

this is so very sad to me.  I'm hoping to make a change in 

our small community by starting Stamp N Chats at our home

again. Our first meeting will be on August 21 and I'm EXCITED!

At this first meeting of Stamp N Chat we are going

to do a few cards with this RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING

Stampin' Up! stamp set..... AND do our Paper Pumpkins

together........ if you live close and want to join....

YOU KNOW YOU ARE WELCOME TO!

 AND I will be showing you guys the Digital Scrapbooking 

Studio.... I am JUST learning this...but I LOVE how I 

can sit at my computer and upload my photos... of course

getting together and cutting and gluing and chatting and chewing

and loving and learning with other women is MY FIRST

SCRAPBOOKING LOVE..... but, this is a new and

neat way to do a few projects quickly, artfully and beautifully!

Since last November there have been 

other changes in our home, as well...

we have a new addition to the family!

Our empty nest isn't so empty anymore.... Frappe

now has a sister. Lexie, our Golden Doodle, was 

born in Tupelo, MS on January 10, 2014. She is

now 7 months old.  This puppy is HUGE....

but she thinks she is still a tiny PUP! It is so 

incredibly hilarious to watch her try to squeeze 

through little spots she was once, not so long

ago, able to get through with ease.  She has

brought so much joy into our lives....oh how

much I have loved our fur babies during this

new season at home.  I am smitten with her.

Here are a few pictures of our Lil Miss Stinkin Cute!

Lexie....

....and of course I have to add an updated picture

of our little guy, Frappe...

He is MY FIRST FURBABY LOVE!!

I can NOT end my update without letting you know

 how my HUMAN babies are doing.  Robbie graduated

 from MSU in December of 2013. He is now living in 

Cleveland, MS and is a Biological Engineer for Baxter

Medical.  He has purchased five acres and will 

begin his journey building his first home this year.  

It is SO incredibly amazing to watch your children

soar..... I miss him every waking moment of my life....

but I am super proud of him.  He is quite good at 

texting, calling and visiting too... PRAISE GOD!! 

LeeAnna accepted a practicum for her Child Life Specialist major at

Le Bonheur Children's Hospital this summer in Memphis, TN.  We 

were blessed that a friend took her in their home for her two weeks

there AND she got to spend time with my sister, who also lives in 

the Memphis area.  She is starting her senior year at MSU and will

be a Child Life Specialist before we know it.  I never imagined 

that this "growing up" stuff would happen so quickly..... 

WHY DID I BLINK?!

She had a great time with her Aunt Jamie "junkin" and eating at THE BEST BBQ PLACE IN

MEMPHIS.... GRIDLEY'S!! If you have never been....YOU SHOULD!!! 

My sister and brother-n-law are THE best at showing

TRUE SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY. 

Gridley's Bar-B-Q

6842 Stage Rd

Bartlett, TN 38134

901-377-8055