God gave me Heath's rib...

Heath and I have been married 10 years, 8 months, and 4 days. We dated for 4 years before we were married. We have known each other since we were 12 years old. We dated each others friends before we dated each other. We have been a part of each others lives since we were babies. Both of our parents went to Liberty Bible College where my grandfather was not only the founder of the college, but also a Pastor. Heath (three months old) and his parents were in a meeting where my grandfather was the speaker and the announcement was made that I had just been born.

I can not tell you enough how much Heath means to me. Nobody in this world understands me and accepts me for who I am like he does. Not only is he my husband and my best friend, he is also the one person I feel totally and completely safe and free with. He lets me be who I really am. He knows how to love me honestly and he knows how to love me tenderly when needed. He knows exactly when I need silly moments and when I need to be serious. He picks me up when I am down and he brings me down to earth when my head is in the clouds. He is my perfect soul mate. But above all of this, he is a true example of a Godly man. When I was a teenager I told God that I wanted to marry a man that had a pure heart for him. I felt at that time that God told me that he already had That man picked out for me, if I would just follow Him. When Heath and I started dating, I did not know that he was the one that God had hand picked just for me, but I knew that Heath had that heart that I was looking for.

Our marriage has not always been total bliss. We have been through some really hard times that most people don't even know about. We have been to the edge and back again. We have learned many hard lessons in these 10years. Marriage and love are not a sure thing, it takes hard work at times. We must always remember that this is not our Marriage, but God's marriage. He made us for each other and brought us together. This is not a marriage of two but of three. God is the bond that holds us together. Thank You, Lord for giving me the best part of you and the best one for me.

I love you Heath!

UPDATES....

Here is the latest emails I have recieved about Philamer Vincent and her family...

After 12 hours in the ER at Shand's Philamer was admitted Friday night
around 11:00... she was given an IV, double portion meals, pain meds for her headache & insulin (she had a drop in her blood sugar that they couldn't get up with food)... I came home early Saturday after meeting with the
neurosurgeon and I returning tonight (Sunday) around 3:00 a.m..... as of now she is scheduled for surgery Monday around 9:00 - 10:00 our time.... She had a CT at Shands and it confirmed the tumor to be about 1/4 of the size of her brain on the right side...99.9% sure is NOT malignant! Praise God!! She will have a neurosurgeon, ENT surgeon, general surgeon and 2-3 student doctors all operating on her .. said it was one of the largest tumors of this type they had ever seen .... if there are no unusual complications she will be in the hospital for about 3 days... any problems at all and she will be in 5-7 days ... primary concern is leaking of brain fluid into the base of the brain or into the spinal system... both can cause death or paralysis.... please be praying for protection for the two serious complications ... recovery time will be 2-4 months of rehab ... she will be
(according to the surgeons) deaf in that ear, no feeling on that side of her
head, face will appear to have had mild stroke and she will have to learn to
walk again ...

Philamer is out of surgery. It went very well. She may not have as much
Nerve damage as originally thought. She's not even going to ICU, but to an
Extended recovery room, she's doing so well.

Thank you so much to everyone that has been reading these updates and praying for this family. God has blessed them.

On a different note...

My boys will be burrying their dear friend Benvolio this afternoon. We discovered our Toad dead yesterday afternoon when we went to feed him again. It seems that he may have died in his sleep. We think it was from the trauma and injury that he recieved on that first day. We will miss Ole' Ben.

May I introduce...

Benvolio, we will just call him Ben for short. According to Shakespeare, Benvolio was a close friend to...
Romeo. While our Romeo has not yet met Ben we would like for them to be friends with one another. We would also like to take some liberties here with Shakespeares story and also say that Ben will be a friend of...

Juliette. While it is fun to name our pets according to Shakespeare, I do not expect that we will be needing any more of these names. I thought that two pets was our limit, but since our toad requires very little care, he then is our third and FINAL pet.
From what I have read about Toads, Ben will be sleeping throughout the day and awake through the night. The boys are outside right now rounding up worms, and other grub for him to hunt in his "habitat." While Toads are essentially frogs, they do difer from frogs in some ways. Toads are fatter and bumpier. Frogs are slimmer and smooth. Toads also will thrive in a dry area whereas frogs need to be close to water. The bigger Toads are the females and when they lay eggs (in the Springtime) they lay many many eggs. We may have to move him/her outside during the spring. I don't plan on raising all of her/his many babies. We don't know if this one is a he or a she, but we do know it is rather large.

So for now, our Shakespearen pets are doing well in our Goodson home.

Here's the story...

I recently blogged about our "organic" garden in our own backyard. In that blog I posted a picture of what we thought was zuchini...

Turns out that last October our neighbor dumped her old pumpkins right at the fence line. So this year comes around and now we have pumpkins growing in the backyard. The neighbor said that her dog crushed or ate any that were growing in her yard. We are all waiting for this one to turn orange so that it can be harvested. Maybe this year we will dump our pumpkins too.

These are some trees at Almond Marsh. My sister and I have taken to calling them Dr. Suess trees. I used to drive past this marsh everyday on my way to and from work and always wished everytime that I had my camera. So tonight I decided it was time to get me some pictures.

It amazes me how beautiful God made this earth for us to enjoy. But what really amazes me is that when God looks at his creation He sees that we are the Best and most beautiful part of it. In Luke 12 it says... 6Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies[a]? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

This is the newest of pets in our home. As Heath was cementing post into the ground for our new fence today, he came across this toad. Heath thought he may have accidently hurt the toad and so Karston became an immediate nurturer. He has taken the toad swimming in our little pool, he has tried to feed it crickets, leaves, grass and grapes, he also put it in an aquarium and fixed up a nice habitat for it. Tomorrow if the frog is still alive, I suppose we will have to give this little one a name.

Continue to pray...

Here is an update on the Vincent family. This update was sent out in an email from Philamer's husband's sister. Please continue to pray for them.

"I am taking her to Gainesville this FRIDAY instead of waiting until Monday .. she is not doing well (constantly dizzy, constant headache, vomiting, etc) and weaker every day so we are just going to the ER at Shands and pray they go ahead and admit her for surgery instead of making her wait so please be praying in that direction for us... boys will be moving in with my hubbie Friday & my girls will be rotating through at night to help with the gang until I get back so be praying for them as well!!! Blessings to each of you... "

It's all in the Shaker

This is my very special collection of Salt and Pepper Shakers. There is a total of 30 pairs in all. I would like to highlight just a few of them.
This Kangaroo and her little Joey is a set that Heath and the boys gave to me for Mother's Day

This is in honor of my Aunt Linda. (She had a serious collection of everything cow)

These my sister bought for me while she was living in England.

I keep them all in this special case that my grandfather built himself. Each set is unique in it's own way. Many of them were given to me by friends and family and that makes them even more unique and special.

He Is So GREAT!

The Splendor of a King, clothed in Majesty, Let all the earth rejoice, All the earth rejoice.
He wraps Himself in Light, and Darkness tries to hide, and trembles at His voice, trembles at His voice
How Great is our God, Sing with me How Great is Our God,

And all will see, How Great, How Great, is our God! - Chris Tomlin

I love that God loves us so much that he paints us such a grand picture in the skies every night as a message of that Love. When we were driving to dinner just the other night, I saw this magnificent proof of God's love displayed across the sky. I immediatley asked Heath to pull over the car so that I could get these pictures. As beautiful as they are, these pictures don't show you exactly how spectacular the scene in the sky that night actually was. As we continued to drive along this song by Chris Tomlin (How Great is our God) came on the radio and I thought if fit perfectly with the display of wonder that had been placed before us. I would ask that everyone take the time to look up and see HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!

I am passing along this prayer request for the Vincent family. They have touched the hearts of my family in many ways over the years. Please remember them in your thoughts and prayers as well. I will let you know when I get any updates on thier situation.

Please pray for Philamer and her boys. She was diagnosed yesterday with a large tumor in her brain. She is going to Gainesville for a major operation and the doctors are saying the prognosis isn't good.

Most of you know she has six boys and [her husband] has been in jail for about two years. (It is possible that he will be able to get out on work release before the end of the year.) Financially they have been struggling and she has been working two or three jobs and the older boys have been taking odd jobs from time to time to help with the finances. Now they have no income at all.

[Her husband's brother] has been helping financially but he is unable to now since he has not been able to work. He lost his lower left leg in a bush hog accident about a month ago. He doesn't have his prosthesis yet but they are prepping his stub for it.

[Her husband's sister] is moving the boys in with her and has been doing all she can financially. She will have to sell or rent her house that Philamer and the boys were living in as she can't afford two households.

This family really needs prayer and a miracle for Philamer as well as a financial miracle and good jobs for the older boys...

Please pass this on to any prayer chains you know of.

Lord, I come to you now with this request. I know that you are bigger than any Tumors and that it is not your will for this family to suffer. Please touch Philamer with a healing touch. We ask that you guide the surgeons hands and help them to make wise decisions. I am asking you now, to fill the hearts of this family with your Peace. That is a peace that is unmeasurable and beyond our own comprehension. I ask that you show your strength and compassion towards this family as they are going through this terrible time in their lives. We know that you are not taken by suprise that this has happened and so that means that you have a plan for each one of them. Be with them as they go through thier days and calm thier hearts and spirits to know that You are in control.

Amen

Organic Farming in the backyard

This is some wild Zuchini growing in our backyard. Most of them are small and have a flower on the end of them, but I couldn't resist taking a picture of the biggest one.
Apparently we also have a vineyard in our backyard. It has been said that these may be scuppernogs. From what I have read, they grow wild in the South and take very little care. The vines will be productive for 100 years.

This vine is wrapped around a tree at the end of our driveway that is on the corner of our property and three of our neighbors. The tree also produces blackberries in the Spring time. We look forward to seeing what else might come from this tree.

These are from the same vine as the white grapes. They might possibly be what is called the "Black Fry" or the "Black Beauty." Maybe one of our neighbors will know more about them. They are said to be very sweet and good for making jellies.

A very "Special" school project

The following is some papers sent home with Josiah from school...

We have always known that he is "Special"... Above is what he describes as a picture of his mommy hunting werewolves. It didn't show up on here, but the teacher wrote at the top of the page "given 20 min. [he] drew person + animal."

This last picture is funny only if you have seen the movie Multiplicity. My son resembles #4 in that movie.

Don't get me wrong, we love Josiah dearly and especially because he is a little more quirky than most kids. This is the same kid that gave himSELF the superhero name "Strange Man." Everyday I look forward to the wonderful and hilarious things that are to come from this very imaginative, extraordinary child of mine. He keeps this family continuously on the edge of our seats. I love it!!!

My son the amazing Evangelist

I have been so inspired by my oldest son. He has a friend in our neighborhood named Evan. Evan has told Karston that their family does not believe in God. Karston came home and was very upset. Our church has recently given the kids a big incentive to invite their friends to church. Karston decided that Evan was the perfect friend. He is not intimidated by the fact that Evan is several years older and has told him that he believes there is no God. Nope, that is actually what encouraged him even more to invite this particular friend. He really wants Evan to find out that there is a God and that He is so worth knowing. Evan did not want to go to "church" with Karston, but Karston still wants to keep inviting him another time.

Since the first day that I felt Karston moving inside of me, I knew that God had created him for a purpose. Karston has had so many difficult circumstances in his life. Heath and I tell him all the time that God has a special plan for him because of all that he has been through. Karston has a true passion for helping other people know God. When I was pregnant and trying to find the perfect name for my first son I heard the name Karston and liked the sound of it. Upon looking up it's meaning I found that it means "Annointed One." I truly believe he is annointed and will do incredible things for God's Kingdom.

Because of my son I have been so inspired. I have emailed a few friends around the nation about an online bible study that we can all do together. I now want to invite anyone and everyone that reads this message to also participate in this study. The link is http://www.lifeway.com/LBY. I would encourage everyone to be a part of this study. Beth Moore is an excellent teacher.

May you all be blessed in all that you do and I hope that this story of a brave and determined young boy inspires us all to not give up on our friends and loved ones that don't know the God of this Universe that loves us all.