A Miracle!

We have been truly blessed! I (I being, Holly, the only person who actually contributes to this little blog!) am again in the great state of North Carolina, getting our baby back! I know, crazy huh! Have I mentioned how maddening March has been?!? Fortunately for us, the birth mom had a change of heart and decided she did want us to adopt her baby. Words cannot describe how incredibly grateful we are for this miracle! It is an answer to many prayers! It feels sooo good to have this beautiful baby back in my arms!! Baby Lula (we are still working on a middle name) was born early on the morning of March 16th weighing 6lbs 4oz. She is a dream! I send my love and thanks to all our amazing family and friends! Greg and I could not have made it through this with out you! Not sure how long I'll be stuck in N.C. but I hope to see you all soon! Lula and I are both missing her daddy very much!

The Madness of March

Lately the term “March Madness” seems to apply not only to the NCAA basketball tournament but also to our normally boring life….youth conference, funerals, birthdays, and last minute flights...oh the madness of it all! In that madness, I spaced one of my very dear friend’s birthday. So Happy (very belated) Birthday T-Money! You don’t look a day over 25!



Spending a weekend with the local fourteen to eighteen year-olds isn’t exactly the most joyous thing in the world but we survived it. Thankfully the teenage angst and drama were kept to a minimum.

YOUTH CONFERENCE 2009

My dear Grandma passed away at the ripe old age of 94. At the viewing, small laminated copies of her favorite sugar cookie recipe were given out to all the guests. The cookies may not be gourmet but the memories associated with them are worth millions!

Grandma Payne’s Cookies
2 cups sugar
¼ cup butter/margerine
½ cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 cups flour
Bake at 350 for 8 to10 minutes




We jetted off to North Carolina in hopes of adopting a beautiful baby girl. Unfortunately things didn’t work out. We want to thank all of our wonderful family and friends and the support they have given us. Also, a special thanks to Charlotte at Humble Mill Pottery for putting us up in her whimsical 1920’s home.

so precious...so close...so frustrating...





While in North Carolina, Greg’s dream of visiting Duke University was fulfilled. However, he was pretty bummed out when we learned that the doors were locked to Cameron Indoor Stadium. Good thing we are sneaky sneaky! There are some glass doors on the side of the Stadium and if you jiggle them just right…

Flippin' Sweet Photo Intro

We are calling this feature Flippin' Sweet Photo or FSP for all you abbreviation fans out there. In hopes of keeping this blog somewhat interesting, we will randomly post a Flippin' Sweet Photo/FSP from our past. We'll even throw in a little info about the FSP. We hope you will find this feature as amusing as we do! Laugh it up!

WHAT: We were dating and this is the first vacation we took together.

WHEN: September 1997

WHERE: Seattle, Washington

WHAT THE?!?: Sweet cowboy boots, too bad they are no longer in style. Oh wait, that's right, they never were!