What next?

So, it is my day to do a blog again (this is Hayley, by the way), and it's not been a good day, so I hope you don't mind if I ramble for a minute.....or two.

This year God has really been teaching me about trust and faith. When I was young I used to always hear people talking about "casting your cares upon Jesus" and "giving it to God". I never really understood how to do that until this year.

In January my dad lost his job for the 3rd time in a year. It was devasting, not only financially, but emotionally, for him and my mom. Now, I knew that God would take care of them, I knew that they would make it through, but I just couldn't see any purpose in it. I asked God "Why? Why my dad? Why a man with a work ethic like I have never seen before? Why a man that would do anything for anyone?" The months past and still no job and no prospects. His spirits were at an all time low, my mom was a wreck, and I was starting to get really worried. It just didn't make any sense. During this time he was doing taxes to make ends meet. You see, my grandparents own a tax business that is run out of their house. So, he was getting to spend a lot of time with his parents and his family. Then, in April, we found out that my grandfather was sick and they said that what he had would kill him. It wasn't a matter of if, but when. During this time, my dad was able to spend time with my grandparents. He was able to take care of my grandfather, take him to doctor's appointments and his treatments. He was able to help finish projects around their house that my grandfather had started but couldn't finish. He was able to establish a real relationship with his father, that he had not had in years. It was a blessing in the midst of all this turmoil! My grandfather passed away in June. After 5 months of job searching, my dad finally found a job, and he started only 3 days before my grandfather passed away. 5 months of "Why's?" were answered in one moment. If it wasn't for my dad losing his job, and not being able to find another, he would have missed it all. He would have been able to do very little for my grandfather and spend very little time with him in those last months. He wouldn't have taken that back for anything, even if it meant never having lost his job. The most amazing part is that during this time, their money just strecthed, seemed to go on and on. They never really struggled financially, even though their income had been cut in half. That's impossible.......accept for the One who makes all things possible. Wow! Isn't that amazing?

All that to say God is teaching me that He is in control of everything. We may not see the reasons, or where our roads are leading, but He DOES. He knows it all. He never promised us that it would be easy, in fact sometimes it may be harder. His promise is that He will always be there, not only walking with us as we go, but waiting at the end of our roads too. How awesome is that? How much less stressful is life to go through knowing that? It almost makes worrying seem so silly.

So, this brings me to today. On the way home from work today, my car broke down.....in the middle of the road. Now my car is about 10 years old, and it's been through a lot. If you have seen it, you know that one side is completely smashed in. It also has about 150,000 miles on it. So, I just have this nagging feeling that whatever is wrong is not going to be fixable or is going to cost more than the car is worth to fix. Add to that, Jason and I have no money at this moment. Literally, $25 in the bank. What the heck are we going to do? I don't know.....but God does. I am so thankful for this year, I am so thankful for these things that keep happening, because it reminds me that God is so in control. I have no control, nor do I want it. It's like He keeps taking the control away from me (I might prefer He do this in other ways ;)), but I am certainly not going to fight it.

So, If there is something you are going through that seems too big for you to handle, or even if it's small enough that you think you can handle it on your own, DON'T. Give it to God, there is nothing too big or too small for Him to handle. If you are like I used to be, and you are not sure how to "Give it to God" or "Cast all your cares", let me know, I will be glad to walk you through it :)

Please be praying for us as we figure out (i.e. God figures out) what the heck we are going to do about our car. Oh, and if you happen to have an extra car or an extra $10,000 lying around, we would be happy to take it off your hands ;)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

What's wrong with this picture?

Happy Friday!!

(This is another example of what happens when you forget your day to post a blog)

JUST ME!!!!!!

Hi everyone

This is my first time blogging and you have to forgive me if I break the rules..lol, I was told there were rules....I forgot to post something back in July and thanks to the reminder in my phone and Emily's email(thanks Em...) I remembered to post something today.

OK here we go...My name is Pam and I am the RT for Chattanooga and all the East TN locations. As I begin to type I realize that I have been with the TLC family for two years... wow I can not believe that it's been that long. I have had the best two years of my working experience here at TLC and I will not trade it for anything.

I am not married, have no kids and no pets(lol....boring I know). In the picture I was trying to look cute and getting ready to go out with my two best friends, and I also posted it for the benefit of everyone I used to see almost everyday in Franklin and Nashville in case you all have forgotten how I look . I travel and hang out with my friends a lot when I am not at work and I just try to enjoy life and thank God for it everyday. I hope the next time I post I will have a lot more interesting things to write about. I will have pictures of the Atlanta half marathon I will be participating in.It's going to be on Thanksgiving and it's going to be 13miles. This is my first half Marathon and please pray for me so I can finish it with no injuries. Gosh!!.. when I work out I ask myself what I signed up for because it hurts, but it's for a good cause and I have always wanted to run a marathon and hopefully next year I will be able to run the full marathon.

I don't have much more to write but I will leave you with this little saying that I truly live my life on....."ALWAYS TELL THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE THAT YOU LOVE THEM"

He that rises late must trot all day.

I just received an email from the Race for the Cure....

If anyone is still interested in being a part of Team TLC, it's not too late:
"Everyone must be registered by Friday, September 19th at 11:59 PM to be counted as part of your team!! There is a $10.00 late fee added on - which means $10 more will go to help find a cure :) "

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzR0Y6qG_Po&feature=related

Good Morning, it's me again, Heather. I thought I would add a little more to my background, I met my husband at the local watering hole in Hendersonville, N.C. through his sister who was anything but happy about Shane introducing himself, but I didn't get the typical pick up line with him trying to hit on me instead he spent the first hour or so trying to set me up with his brother and then when that didn't happen he asked me out and I told him yes but he would have to get my phone # from his sister who I also worked with. I was smart enough (I think) to realize that he was not going to remember my number if I just told it to him and then like a week later he asked me out, 2 weeks later he told me he loved me and I hung up on him twice and a year after that we were married. Three years later our beautiful child was born. Katie-bug is just over 9 months and into everything. The day before she turned 8 months she started crawling and got her 2nd tooth. She has her bottom 2 front teeth and it's so cute when she smiles. Like I said she is crawling and into everything and I can't wait to see what's next with her. The days are over of just watching her roll around on the floor or laying on the couch, now it's what is she getting into or what is laying around that she could do some damage with. We have had a few bumps and falls but I figure there are many more to come if she is going to be anything like me, I tend to be a little clumsy and accident prone and I hope she isn't going to follow in my footsteps. We took her to the Wilson County Fair and she loved it, she didn't want to miss a thing, her favorite thing was the chickens and ducks and of course daddy had to put her on the tractor. We all had a blast and we are next looking forward to her first zoo trip and her first halloween, she's going to be so cute in a little costum.

Last week to sign up for the RACE.

Hey everyone!

Yes, Drason is right...we wrote his blog for him and yes, we found it kind of humorous. :)
Don't forget to sign up for the Race for the Cure!:) This is your last week to do so (to be on the Team TLC team).

I want to share with you all a few of my favorite things...
This is a picture at my roommate from college/best friend's wedding. It was two weeks ago in Richmond, Virginia. Everyone in the office knew how excited I was for it--so I figured I should post a picture of it for everyone to see :D I love weddings.

College football is here!! There is nothing like spending your Saturday afternoon with 107,000 of your closet friends. Even though we had a rough start...I like being the underdog!! :) There is nothing...and I mean NOTHING like being in Neyland Stadium. It truly is an experience that I believe everyone should do once in their lifetime :)
GO VOLS!!

I traveled to Greece about two years ago on an alternative Spring Break.
It was an eye opening experience and I can't wait to go back sometime. Here is a picture of my favorite mountain. We had just gotten done working at an Orthodox monastery for the day and I saw this mountain off in the distance and I fell in love with it. Something about it immediately brings peace to my heart:) Just looking at this picture can take me back to Greece and the wonderful memories I have from the trip.

I hope you all have a blessed week and remember to be thankful for all that you have :)

THIS IS THE DAY WHICH THE LORD HAS MADE. LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT. I'll leave you with a quote I love from St. Macarius on the Heart. The heart itself is but a small vessel, yet dragons are there, and there are also lions; there are poisonous beasts and all the treasures of evil. But there too is God, the angels, the life and the kingdom, the light and the apostles, the heavenly cities and the treasuries of grace—all things are there.

The Real Bullwinkle

Hello everyone. It's my first post here on the TLC blog. Let me first apologize for the rookie billing/ insurance verification girls (Jenny & Teresa...not naming any names) who said I had to post by their specified deadline. When I didn't, they took the opportunity to blog for me... which ended up being not so favorable for me. Anyway, so please let me start over from scratch here.....

Hello. My name is Drason A. Beasley. I believe I have worked with about everyone in the company at some point. During my days as tech, salesman, Medisend, MED task force, and now the only male in the billing department. Oh how i love that! Around there I'm known as Bullwinkle. Now, let me introduce you to my sweet daughter in the photo above. Her name is Olivia Drae Beasley. She is the new love of my life. She is 6 months old now and her personality is really developing. It is so much fun to watch her experience new things. Even below in this picture she is experiencing a flower for the first time. The first love of my life is Sonya Gay Stokes-Beasley. During the next blog, I will give you the full story of how we became BFF (best friends forever... dorky, I know.)


Recently, we took Livi camping for the first time at Montgomery Bell Park. Here she is enjoying the trees on a hike. Our subdivision, in Spring Hill, is fairly new with mostly very small trees. So, Livi thought the park was wonderful.

This is one of my favorite things to do.... having lunch with my daughter when I can. I don't know but I think she definitely looks like her dad in this photo.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Livi and Sonya. In this picture Livi is about 2 1/2 months old and on the beach. She came back with a tan and she loved the beach! This is a photo that I keep in my wallet and in my truck to keep me focused on being grateful for the opportunity God has given me as a father and as a husband.

This last photo is my wonderful mother-in-law, Peggy Stokes (AKA Mad Dog/ Queen of Stokes Hill) that allows us to use their camper anytime. How sweet they are to us.

My Web Blog

Last night I attached my personal blog (and those of other employees) to our TLC Blog. Instead of doing an additional blog today, I ask that you please just visit my blog.

Thanks,
Joey

Something to remember

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go, only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly! "The power of one sentence! God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favor. God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close. Have a blessed day and remember to be a blessing...

Prayer Request

Please keep Joyce, Tom and Jennifer in your prayers through out the coming days. We received word today that Joyce's sister-in-law passed away this morning. As I'm sure we all know, losing a close family member is never easy. Please call on the Lord to be with this family and show them peace and mercy that only He can give.

A National Holiday

Morning folks, Jenny here, I hope everyone enjoyed their day off yesterday. I know I sure did. Some of you know yesterday as the National Holiday known as Labor Day. For me and my family, it's a much more important holiday....opening day of dove season. Yup, that's right all you animal rights activist, I am a hunter and have been since I can remember. Growing up, my sister and I would be the first ones awake opening morning, even though you can't hunt til after lunch. Daddy would pack up everything: guns, ammo, sunscreen, bug spray, Dr Pepper, water, dog, etc. (Traveling with two girls required a bit more than he was used to.) By 10:00 we were itching to get out the door and on to the field. Memories of those hunts will always be some of our family favorites.

Nowadays, my hunting partner has changed but the love of the sport has not. Opening day now consists of my dear hubby waking me up bouncing off the walls like a kid at Christmas. You see, this is the one time of year that we equally share a passion for the same sport. We've been dove hunting together longer long before we ever started dating. Yesterday, bright and early, we were off to Cracker Barrell with our friends the Wilsons and then off to Kentucky for a huge hunt up there. (We just happen to run in to Nate, Tiff and the boys at the mighty Cracker Barrell, getting ready to send Nate off on a hunt of his own.)

Here's a picture of our harvest from yesterday. Between the four of us, we all managed to kill our limits (and then some, but don't tell the game warden). More importantly, Karly and I managed to impress all the old men on the field who still seem to think that hunting is just for boys.