Prom take 2

Spring Valley High School had their prom this past weekend so we went to watch our students take pictures! I also attended the Southern Savers workshop at our church this weekend to learn how to be an extreme couponer :) More on that another day!

Matthew's Angels ;)

Just joining in on the fun :)

The Neal's

Love these students!!!

Holley's Junior Prom

Pictures of Holley and Grant from prom today! And just for good measure... a blast from the past. :)

Our Junior Prom

Our Senior Prom... ridiculous plants and all!

Cheerleading Tryouts

The Davis girls have been trying out for Lexington cheerleading ever since I was entering the 7^th grade. I fell in love with Shannon “Coach” Canady while taking Creative Dance at LMS and knew instantly I wanted to be one of HER cheerleaders. I made c-team in  7^th grade and cheered until I graduated. I can honestly say that cheerleading helped me SANELY get through high school. When I think of high school: I think of cheerleading. When I think of my best friend: I think of cheerleading. When I think of my sweet Ryan playing football: I think of cheerleading. When I think of the Davis family of four at their best: I think of cheerleading. When I think of going to get a physical at the high school the week after making the team (arriving late and having to go in with the boys): I think of Jessica Weeks Yelton. And cheerleading.  :)

Fast forward a few years… Now my amazing baby sister decides she, too, wants to cheer. So what did we do (in our parent’s apartment in Houston, no doubt)? Learned the Ltown cheers and band dances, worked on jumps and perfected her tumbling. She made the team in 7^th grade and I became the c-team cheerleading coach. The.Best.Of.Both.Worlds. Teaching what I love to the little sis I love. Needless to say, my life has been surrounded with all things competitive cheer for the past 13 years. This brings me to the point of my post… this week Holley Girl tries out for cheerleading for her SENIOR YEAR… The VERY LAST TIME! Her talent, grace and love for the sport have astounded me over the past several years. I have loved every minute of watching her cheer and compete and will savor every moment of her upcoming senior year. 

Good luck this week, Holley!! I am so proud of who you are inside and out!! ENJOY your last week ever of cheerleading tryouts! I love you! :)

Easter at SVBC

We had such a wonderful Easter Sunday! We enjoyed a great service this morning, ate lunch with my mom and Holley, then spent the day on the lake and ate a yummy steak dinner with Phil and Cheryl. We are truly blessed. I am thankful for the Resurrection and a beautiful Easter weekend. Praise God From Whom all Blessings Flow!

Hope, Christie and Kelsey before Sunday school :)

A few girls in my Sunday school class!

Harley and Lauren

He is Risen!

I have reflected a great deal on Holy Week as we lead up to Easter Sunday. Tomorrow, Good Friday, acknowledges the day Christ was crucified on the cross for our sins. Not just mine... Ours. 1 John 2:2 claims, "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." It was on Good Friday just a few years ago that my Dad found out that not just one of his brothers was a bone marrow match, but BOTH of them were. I still stand amazed at that blessing and miracle. It indeed was and always will be a Good Friday.

Easter Sunday revealed an empty tomb: Our Risen King! I marvel at and cling to the Easter story for several reasons: it is the basis on which we can live victorious Christian lives AND it is a promise that I will see my Dad again one day. Jesus defeated death. He was nailed to the cross. He shed his blood as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (Romans 3:25). We have hope in this world because our faithful God gave us His greatest gift... He died so we could LIVE.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)

 “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 

(Luke 24:1-8: Resurrection)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!  

Spring Fever

We took a mini vacation to Myrtle Beach this past weekend for a change of scenery and to spend some time with the Hitchcock's! We shopped, golfed, and celebrated with Rayne at her 3rd birthday party: princess style!

Happy Birthday, Rayne!

 

My two favorite people :)

DNOW 2012

We had Disciple Now this past weekend at church for our middle and high school students... and what a blast it was!! We had 52 students come and learn more about what it means to not simply be a fan of Christ, but to be a COMPLETELY COMMITTED FOLLOWER. Lives and hearts were transformed and our awesome students took steps toward a more devoted commitment to our glorious God. 

The weekend was full of worship, great messages from Tyler Crosson, lots of food (mostly pizza and sugar), serving at Harvest Hope and the Ronald McDonald House and precious time with our faith family. So thankful for these students and fantastic adults (like Ann and Jason) that we get to do life with. 

One of the most rewarding parts of the weekend for me was watching my sweet husband serve the Lord and the church. He has a servant's heart and finds so much joy in what he does. It is not just a job to him- it's a passion. It was touching to see his tenderness and compassion for our students as he watched them grow closer to our King. I was blessed by it and can only imagine what a wonderful father he will one day be to our children. It spurs me on in my relationship with the Lord to see how he is constantly growing in his. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! 

Some of the high school girls

Unfortunately, the only picture we took all weekend was the most awkward one :/

Minute to Win It

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

((Romans 8:38-39))

My Valentine

The best way to spend Valentine's Day is married :) So blessed to have been able to do that this year!! Every day with Ryan is fun and exciting. I am so thankful for him. We celebrated Valentine's by going to dinner and a movie. Nothing extravagant, just simple and sweet.

The only picture we took!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. LOVE NEVER FAILS.

Wistful Wednesday

On this very day... ((Feb. 8, 2007)) at the John Mayer concert.
My Christmas gift to him was tickets for the two of us! :)

Miss Wildcat

Holley competed in Miss Wildcat yesterday and looked stunning!! Hard to believe she's a junior already ;) She did such a fabulous job and I could not be more proud of her! She is beautiful on the inside and out.

Holley with her bff, Caylee

GORGEOUS dress. GORGEOUS girl!

Holley and Grant

Ryan's 6th Miss Wildcat pageant :) What a good sport!!! We love you!

A throwback to my Miss Wildcat days with the fam :) Look how tiny Holley was!! 

Happy Birthday J-Bird!

Today is my dear friend Jessica's 25th birthday. Jess and I are like sisters. I love her dearly. In honor of her 25 years of life, I'd like to take a trip down memory lane and share with you a few pictures from past birthdays. Thankful to have shared so many birthdays with you, Jess! Praying we'll be able to celebrate many more together :) 

Jessica's 19th

Jessica's 20th

Jessica's 21st

Jessica's 22nd (sorry for the random crop job ;)

And just for good measure... this is us on her wedding day :)

 

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Jessica Yelton!! I love you :)

The only thing that’s constant is change

I have never liked change. It doesn’t much like me either. I tremble at the thought of it and am nearly paralyzed by taking a leap into the unknown. I enjoy routines and consistency. Surprises scare me. As an introverted extrovert; I thrive on predictability. (However, I do LOVE surprising Ryan and the art of romantic spontaneity in marriage. You must keep things exciting :). That’s the only anomaly!)

A few notable examples of my relationship with change: losing my dad and navigating a life without someone who was (without a doubt) the closest person to me; resuming my senior year of college after living at home with my sister by ourselves for a year; my best friend moving to Greenville after having closely shared most of life, good.bad.ugly, with her since the 5^th grade (I realize she did not move to GreenLAND, just GreenVILLE—still hard!);  leaving my home church of 23 years to follow my husband’s call in ministry; exploring new opportunities for my life and greater good in general.

I have learned that while change can be scary, it is almost always rewarding. In the past couple of weeks the Lord has been working on me in this area. When faced with a situation last week, I could hardly move because I was so afraid of the unknown. And the Lord whispered to me, “Shelley, your worry and anxiousness is sin. It says that you do not trust Me to guide and provide for you.” I kept recalling 2 Corinthians 12:9, “His power is made perfect in my weakness” and reminded myself that I don't have to be dependent on my own strength or understanding. I don’t have to love change. I don’t have to pretend that I’m comfortable with it. But I DO have to put all of my trust in my Savior to direct me.

While I love my life and am thankful for the blessings I have been given, there is no denying that life can be hard. In a world that is demanding, exhausting, and ever-changing…  I must rely on the One True God who does not change. EVER.

He wants me (and has been URGING me lately) to trust Him in the big things and in the small things. I must LIVE OUT my life verse of Proverbs 3:5-6 and trust Him to lead me down the path He would have me walk.

Is it hard? Indeed. But our faith will be proved of greater worth than gold after being refined by fire. (1 Peter 1:7)

Poppy's 90th Birthday

Family and friends from all over came to town this past weekend to celebrate Poppy and the 90 years God has blessed him with! We had a weekend fullllll of festivities. It was so nice to spend quality time with family... especially those we don't get to see very often.

Doing "The Amy"  :)

Poppy's grandkids

Sweet Amy :)

Thankful for Poppy and a weekend of fun!

Resolutions

It’s hard to believe the door is closing on 2011 and we are entering a new year! I must say that 2011 has been my best year on record! So many wonderful things happened this past year, but the best of all took place on June 11, 2011 when I married my best friend. Hoping this upcoming year will be just as great. In order to make the most of this new year, here are my light-hearted goals for 2012. I'll save my deeper, more spiritual goals for another day ;)

I resolve to...

1. Stop drinking diet soft drinks. I do not drink regular soda. Never have. Unfortunately, I’ve just always been addicted to Diet Coke. But knowing the ingredients (aspartame!), acidity, carcinogens, etc. I just can’t keep doing it. I started drinking 100 ounces of water every day about a year and a half ago and it definitely curbed my craving for soda and cut my intake in half. Here's to drinking more water! ;)

2. Read at least one book each month. First up: Jesus+Nothing=Everything by CIU’s very own, Tullian Tchividjian.

3. Possibly run half marathon #4?

4. And as always: wake up earlier :)

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

Revelation 21:5

Happy New Year!!