Phil's 23rd Birthday!

Today is Phil's 23rd Birthday! Yesterday for lunch, I took him to a Mexican place with some friends, and I asked the guy if they did anything for birthday's cause it was Phils. He said very seriously, "no mam". Phil was very happy needless to say... Well, about 5 minutes went by, and they brought out a dessert with about 6-7 guys and sang Happy Birthday in Spanish (or at least I think that's what they sang). Phil blushed like crazy, and couldn't stop smiling. It was great.

So without further ado... Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband! I hope you have a wonderful day! Your the best, and I love you very muchly!

- Your Bride -

My Weekend!

Besides being ill to my stomach all weekend, we were able to get me out of the house to walk around the fair! You see, Phil knows that above all else... this reminds me of being with my family the most.

I have some awesome memories as a kid, going to the Tractor Pulls and I wanted to share them with you. I thought it was cool when Mike and Matt got jobs... they would buy us drinks :) My favorite used to be the Lemonade drink. I couldn't stay very long, we weren't there even an hour, and I was ready to go home. You see, sometimes I get so homesick for my family, I have to get my mind off of it because the devil knows that this is a good way to get to me... But in other ways, I just wanted to sit there and cry, because I could picture my family around me and could hear Dad reminding Nom and I to keep our ears plugged, and our mouth open just a little bit... This too was a good time to wear my cap... Opey would always "shape" the bill for me and I can remember being so proud that I had a cap just like my brothers. I know, I was a dork. :)

Here's a few that I thought were really cool... Good 'ole camera phone :)
Here is my hubby and I. I look horrible, I look like I've been sick! But it was such a good thing to get to spend time with my hubby. He tries so hard to make me happy. God has truly blessed me with him.
This was a huge freakin' pile of sand!!!!!! They had different things carved into it... this is part of it! It was really neat!
Anyone know who this is? Bettcha can't guess! This is Uncle Kracker. I am by no means promoting him, or his music... I think I know maybe 2? He's known for the song, "Follow me" we heard him singing, so I went to try to get a picture. He's the big white blob in the front :) I thought it was neat to be this close! Oh, and by the way... he doens't look anything like his pictures.

So that was my weekend. We got free tickets, so we are going back this weekend. We heard one rumour of elephant ears (my favorite, not served in the south) and the petting zoo :) I'll have more pictures then! :)

~Cute Kids~

Last night, I was in the nursery at Temple Baptist Church... I was supposed to be in the newborns... but a worker didn't show up, so I got put in the younger two's. They were so cute... I just had to take some pictures, and they just loved having their picture taken! :) Here we have Tori. She wouldn't smile, so I scrunched up my face in a huge smile, and this is what I got in return. lol I made the mistake of telling the kids to "chill" and Tori walked around the rest of the night going... "chill, chill, chill" It was quite humorous.
This is Sarah Grace. She had this face all evening. Once in a while, huge tears would well up in her eyes, and just spill over... she's very cute though. She was a little mama to lots of little doll babies. She would say things like "where's my baby" "baby lost" "button baby up!" LOL
This is Seth. He's huge. Like seriously... I grunted when picked him up. He wanted to be in every picture I took. He would get so excited that he could see himself in the front of my phone.
And this is alot of the kids over with Amy enjoying her blowing bubles in their faces... It was a good night. Just wanted to share...

Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!!!!!

Yup, yup... today is my 23rd Birthday!!!!
Leave me a comment! Let's Partay!

It's officially one day until my birthday!!!!!!!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!

It's only one more day until my birthday...

I got roses this morning from Lisa,

and wanted to share!

They are white with pink tips.

Very Beautiful! :)

The joys of living by the city...

So... I got stuck in traffic this morning. Really bad. I was like 20 minutes late for work! I took a picture of it and wanted to share... This is the scenic part of my drive, right around the curve is Knoxville. I never got over 10 miles per hour this morning until I got about 3 miles from work. It was very aggrivating... So, here's my pic of the day:
This picture really doesn't do it justice...

Peekin out....

So, If you have seen the movie "The Benchwarmers"... I feel like the brother who is afraid of the sun, and never comes out of his house! I am at work all day, then I run home to get stuff done around the house... then bed. And we normally aren't in bed until about 11:30!

Just so you know... I have been trying to post, for oh, about three weeks. I had to wait until we moved, so I could find the pictures I needed... but when I went to put them up, there is like 50 pictures, so I was going to make one of those movie things... But for some, dadgum reason... it won't paste into a blog! (If anyone knows how to do this... please let me know!)

So I'm going to TRY to post a couple of my favorite pictures from our trip home.

This is me, of course... enjoying a day spent with Phil and his dad fishing! We had a blast, and I got really sunburnt! We also got to experience the flying fish! They were litterally flying into our boat! I actually have pictures of this...

This is so precious to me... I got to go for lots of 4-wheeler rides with the boys... They are getting so big! The Lord has truly blessed me with some awesome nieces and nephews....I also got to spend time with my Papa. We went ridin on the motorcycle... I took this picture while we were driving, isn't it cool???? I love you Papa!

And now, pictures from the family reunion... like I said, I have what seems like 40 million pictures... but here are my some of my favorites. The picture above is really special to me. I'm so glad that I still have my Grandpa. We have been going through alot with him, and if you know anything about it, you will understand what I mean...

It won't let me post anymore pictures! arugh! I'm gettin really fed up with blogger! Maybe I'll try to make a new post... love -eh

So, don't kill me since it's been forever...

So, I go home to the Rowell Family Reunion and I'm all like, "check my blog! I change it all the time, and I'll have pictures too!" And it's been one heck of a time since I've gotten home! Here are just some of the "bigger" things that have happened since I last blogged - (sidebar: my camera is packed, so no pictures. ((explained later))

~ "Ginger" has joined our family. She is a three month old Lhasa Apsos. She's so adorable... and I can't tell you how neat it is to know that someone is waiting for me to get home. Usually, Phil is already gone to work, and I come home to an empty house. But now, I have someone that needs me to take care of them. It's awesome.

~ We got to spend a great deal of time with our imediate family. Lord have mercy was it awesome. We got to go fishing with Phil's dad, and experience the "jumping fish". Yes, they literally jump in your boat. I can't count on both hands how many times I almost peed my pants. It was one of the scariest things ever! Phil and Dad had a good laugh over it though.... It was just really neat to be able to stay a while, and see family and church family. Oh, and speaking of church family... I got to play the piano for 2 services when we went home! Speaking of awesome... This was like I was in a dream. See, I LOVE to play the piano, but I also love the piano at Bethel. It was seriously so neat. Thanks Daddy.

~We are moving!!! Which is the biggest reason I have been so scarce on here... It's been crazy at my house! Everything is in boxes, and we are set to move on the 8th of August. We found a 3 bedroom house that is only a little more on rent. It will be so neat! And I'll have a full extra bedroom for guests (hint, hint) for anyone who wants to come! Oh, and I also have a dining room! Where we are now, if we have two people over, it's tight... but now we can have game night at my house! :) So please, pray for us that everything will go smoothly.

~Work has been crazy! We were gone while all of my monthly and quarterly reports were due... it was horrible to come back to! I also had a few meetings that I had to get things ready for... it was just absolultely insane. It was so insane for the staff that they bought us lunch on the company because of it. LOL

So those were the major things... hopefully after we move and get things settled I'll have pictures to put on here also. I hope everyone is doing well... Love ya!

Ponderings...

It's been a while since I just wrote things on here, and didn't share a million pictures.... :) so I just wanted to update on some things that are happening right now in the lives of Phil and Em.

~On June 26th, we will celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. Doesn't seem possible sometimes, and sometimes it feels like it's been 10 years! ;) All in All, it has been wonderful, and the best two years of my life. Funny, when I had one of my showers, my siblings all wrote notes to me. Mike, my eldest brother, wrote not to expect Phil to know what I'm thinking. I have thought of that almost everyday. Becuase it is so true. No matter how much Phil knows me, or thinks he knows me... he can't read my mind. I've learned that communication is a huge part of being married. Which was/is a big lesson for me to learn. I wasn't used to talking, or someone wanting my opinion on things. Phil has been awesome with this. He truly is my soulmate. God overly blessed me when He gave Phil to me. I remember as a kid, praying for my future mate. I would pray and ask God to keep him safe that day, or to just give him a wonderful day, and to let him know that I was praying for him. I can see now, how that has helped me now... I pray for him constantly. He is always on my mind. I love you hottie!

~This past Sunday, was my sister Naomi's 25th Birthday! I wanted so bad to be there to celebrate with her. Hopefully I will make it up by spending some time together in July... :0) Happy Birthday Chick! Love ya!

~About two weeks ago, my brother Opey, opened Yeager Machinery Store... I prolly don't have that right, but it's the gist. Congrats, Op. I'm so proud of you and Nae.

~About a week ago, my mom came to visit me!!!! She was here about five days. I was so encouraged by her being here... she'll never know what it meant for her to be here during that time. God really just knows when you need some "help" and Mama came to my rescue. Thanks Marmy, for everything you do. I miss you, and love you very much!

~This past Sunday was also Fathers Day!!! I called all of the men in my life that are fathers... I'm so proud of my brothers for the Dad's they have become. I can't wait till God gives Phil the opportunity also. God has truly blessed me with an awesome Papa, and Father-in-law. Also to all the Future Fathers... God has a special plan and I know that you will be great dad's.

~WE GET TO GO HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so freakin excited! We are leaving the evening of June 30th, and staying almost two days with my brother, Mike... Then heading to Illinois until the 9th of July! God so worked this out... I only had to use 3 vacation days to get the week off, so all we have to do is work around Phil being off, as I will get paid as usual. What is even cooler, is that my Aunt Deanne is coming from California for a visit!!! Tia, and Kyle and Aden are coming too! I was extremely excited when I found this out. I haven't seen Tia and Kyle since '01. And it will be really nice to get to see some family for more than a few hours. God has truly answered a prayer...

~Work is going good. It's difficult some days, and some days it's a blast. I'm thankful for the benefits too, again... another answer to prayer. I also get vacation days and such, so I'm really happy.

~Phil is off of school for the summer, but he will start full blast again in August. I'm in shock though, this time next year, we will be moving back to Illinois. Sometimes it's hard to think about it. Because this is where Phil and I have grown together so much. This is where we started our family. We have so many great memories here... But, it will be fun to make new ones wherever God puts us. We will always look back on these days in Tennessee as days that we remember God being with us. There have been so many times that God showed himself to us so strongly. We will never forget. Thank you, Lord for your blessings on me. I love you because you first loved me.

~I have a huge unspoken request... that has been heavily on my heart. God knows, and He knows my heart and the desires of my heart. But please pray for Phil and I as we wait on God. That isn't always the easiest thing to do, our flesh gets in the way (particularly mine) and wants it different. But as it says in Psalms, Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Expecting Possums... Got a cat.

So, Phil is in a habit of checking the live trap that stays on our deck every morning, in hopes of finding the Possums that have been populating the land that we live on. Phil check it this morning, and just started laughing. He said, guess what we got.... when he said a cat, I was very surprised. LOL we had a good laugh over it though... So of course, I had to have him take pictures so that I could tell all my blog peeps about it. He was really mean though... hissin and pouncing at Phil... I stayed in the house. Not that I'm a wimp, I had to get ready for work of course! :)

~My Weekend~

So, I have to tell a funny thing about my husband... These last couple weeks he has been all into fishing in the creek by our house. So he's got the fishing line and all of that stuff, well on Friday of this last week, he was down by the creek and texting me. Yup, you guessed it, he dropped the phone... only to see it fall within inches of the creek. So he manuvers down the hill do get it, and slips and falls... only to land on the phone with his foot therefore, shoving the phone into mud, and water. By the way, he fell all the way in the creek, it came up to his waist. :) Isn't that hilarious? Not really that funny, when you have to pay 50.00 for a replacement phone... :)

Onto the good stuff... We woke up Saturday morning, and went to an auction! We had great fun there... Then, one thing that Phil and I enjoy doing is just driving. It was a beautiful day, so we had the windows down, and were just talking. And enjoying being together... Here was the view... this is the very far away look at the Smoky Mountains.

So not really realizing it, we ended up in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg and there we went to the new Bass Pro Shop. Here are some pics from that... I love how they have all the real animals that have been stuffed. This bear is huge, this is the view from the second floor.

And this is me with the huge Moose! this thing was huge, and Phil enjoyed pretending to pick his nose. I wanted to get a picture but for some reason he wouldn't let me...

And finally, Sunday night we had our church service out at the camp. The picture is blurry, I'm sorry... but you get the idea! (That is Bob & Kelly (Chamberlain)Radank and Julie Alcorn who's backs you see)It was great fun, and we had a beautiful day for it. Afterwards we went to Applebees for thier amazing Blondie... mmm... so good.

So this is what I did on my wekend. I'm so thankful that I got to see my husband! God blessed us with some great "together" time this weekend... now back to reality! To work and to interums!

Opey & Renee Rowell

This is my brother, and his wife Renee... aren't they sweet?

Opey is prolly one of the most encouraging people in our life right now. He gives awesome hugs. He's great friends with Phil, although they never get to spend time together. :) They have the same favorite hobby, golfing. And Renee and I have the same favorite hobby, SHOPPING!!! Just ask our husbands! I also love it that they come and visit us. In competition with my mom, they have came and visited us the most. You guys have no idea what an encouragement that is.

If you are around them for any period of time, this is what you will see. They love to smooch. And you could record it, it's so loud. :) They taught Phil and I all we know ;) I learned alot while chaperoning!
Here is Renee being herself...
And Opey... "Hey babe, do you think I'm a hottie now?" And in honor of Opey, here is a tribute to his favorite restraunt... one of the reasons he comes to visit so often!!! :)

~~I hope you guys know how much Phil and I love you! We can't wait to see you!~~

Goodbye, Chris.

Yes, the sadest thing happened last night... The hottest guy that has ever been on AI is gone... Chris Daughtry was voted off of American Idol. This is seriously the worst day in the history of American Idol. In memory of Chris... here is some pictures of us to remember him by. Meghan and I will mourn this loss for a long time... lol My vote is now on Taylor!!!

~Several Posts 2~

Mike & Kristy Rowell & Family This is my brother Mike, and his wife Kristy.
Mike is now the proud pastor at Oaklandon Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. This is my brother's dream. Phil and I are so proud and happy for them!
This is my new baby niece! Her name is Audrey Joan. This is my first time to see her, so I have a million and one pictures of her. If you want to see more, just email me.
This is the onery one... Derek. Isn't his smile even onery? lol He's adorable!

This is Trey and Gracie... Emmy got them some toys, and we went outside to play with them! I loved spending time with them. I hardly get to see them anymore so this was a very precious time for me.

~Several Posts~

I have several different things to post about, so make sure you scroll all the way down. I have lots of pictures to put on here, but I want them seperated... so here goes!

NATALIE TAILBY - Natalie came from Corby, England to stay with us for 17 days. We had a blast getting to know her even more. We met Natalie when Phil and I went to England last summer. Here are some pics so you can get to know her a little! Here she is at our family Easter dinner... She got a new dress, isn't the color awesome on her? On Saturday, the church had a bowling activity... she loved it. This was a great time for the church to get to know her better also.
This is her man, Jonathan V. He goes to Crown College with Phil. Jonathan showed up at the airport in Cincinnati to surprise her with a promise ring and a necklace. She screamed so loud, and I was standing right next to her when she saw him. The people at working at the airport were ready to push the "red button" that something was wrong. LOL It was a blast. Congrats to Jonathan and Natalie... we love you both, and pray that God stays in the middle of your relationship and that everything you do, will glorify Him.
One of the things Nat is great doing, is working with kids. By the end of the bowling banquet Nathan had taught them German 1-10 and she had taught them French 1-10. It was great, and very sweet to see her interact with them. This is how we were used to seeing Nat by the time she left. On the phone with Jonathan. LOL Great times. We miss you Nat! We are praying for you, and can't wait to see you again! x-x-x

The McRae's

So, I have a new favorite song and a new favorite Southern Gospel group... Here's some info.

Interesting Fact:Free and McRae Announce Engagement Ricky Free, of the popular quartet Brian Free & Assurance and Kelly McRae, half of sister duo the McRaes are pleased to announce their engagement. Ricky popped the question on Wednesday, September 28th in Nashville, Tennessee. Ricky said, "God sent me an angel and I just knew that I couldn't let this one go.” Kelly added, “Why God chose to bless me with someone 10 times greater than the person I've prayed for, I will never know…but I thank Him for it!" A private ceremony will be held on May 31st, 2006. Ricky and Kelly will reside in Nashville, TN.
Favorite Song: "He knows my name"
Words and Music by Annie McRae

Verse 1 - He counts the stars one and all
He knows how much sand is on the shores
He sees every sparrow that falls
He made the mountains and the seas
He's in control of everything
Of all creatures great and small
Chorus -
And He knows my name
Every step that I take
Every move that I make
Every tear that I cry
He knows my name
When I'm overwhelmed by the pain
And can't see the light of day
I know I'll be just fine 'Cause He knows my name
Verse 2 - I don't know what tomorrow will bring
I can't tell you what's in store
I don't know a lot of things
I don't have all the answers
To the questions of life
But I know in whom I have believed
Chorus
He knew who I was when He carried my cross
He knew that I would fail Him but He took the loss
Chorus -
Every step that I take
Every move that I make
Every tear that I cry

Isn't that precious? God knows my name!!!! Praise the Lord!
If you would like more info about the McRae's, here's thier web site

My Parents are Flying!!!!

My phone is on picture overload! :) This is the first picture I recieved this morning... Probably of thier flight from Peoria to Chicago... I'm thinking my Mama is lookin pretty dang good! She was really worried about flying...

This is Bro. Rick, he went on the trip with Mom and Dad too. He's just like a big brother... he's with our family alot. And we like it that way... he ALWAYS is with us on 4th of July... He's cool. Oh yeah, and he went to school with my dad... so he remembers him from the "old days" :)I'm thinking this is on thier flight to New York, Mom had a caption that she chose the window seat! Huge step for her, because she is afraid of heights... just like her father. So, I got this picture last evening... Daddy called me and they were sitting in the airport in New York waiting to board thier flight to Israel. Mama seemed much better now that they were with the "group" that they were traveling with. Here they are sportin their tickets!There might be more to come! Just thought this was cool... Thanks for all of you who are praying for thier safe flights. I will post here when I know for sure that they are there.

Sunshine has moved in!!!

Sunshine is his name... and playing is his game! :) Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to entroduce you to Sunshine the yellow fish. Electric Yellow Mbuna Cichlid Labidochromis Caeruleus is his official "kind". Isn't he pretty?We had to take him out of our other tank becuase he kept eating all the other fish! He is very territorial. He can pick up almost anything in the tank and move it... He is now on my desk at work, in his own little tank all to himself. :)

Happy 51st Birthday Aunt Sandy!!!!

So, today was my Aunt Sandy's 51st Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Auntie Sandy... Happy Birthday to you!!!!This is the Rice Crispie/Fruity Pebbles Cake I made for her... :) She was surprised!!!
My Uncle Dan and Aunt Chris came to Tennessee to visit... I was so happy to see them!My Aunt Sandy and Me!!! Being with them made me miss my Mama so much... These are her sisters! The people at work couldn't believe how much I looked like them!
Look at the love birds! And Uncle Dan advertising for Subway... by the way, Uncle Dan and I came to the conclusion that the New HoneyHam Sandwich is awesome! :)