Reflecting on 2008

So, I'm just sitting here reflecting on 2008. I can't believe another year has come and gone. I hope and pray that 2009 will be a much better year than this past year. This year has brought many happy times and many times of sorrow and tears. The year started off in sorrow as my dad was recovering from getting a pacemaker (I'm glad he made it through!). Around the same time I lost my grandma here in Kansas City and 2 weeks later I lost my grandma in Louisiana. I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined that I would have to bury both of my sweet grandmas within 2 weeks of each other. Towards the end of this year I lost a cousin (who was more of an uncle to me) and my mom's best friend (who was more of an aunt to me). You know, things happen in life sometimes that we don't quite understand but I know that God always has a reason behind things. And we have to remind ourselves of that.
This year has also brought many laughs, much needed vacations, lots of memories, hanging out with friends...and family, and laughing until we couldn't laugh anymore. I was able to see several of my very best friends whom I hadn't seen in a while...and I treasure those every moments. A few of the greatest trips I got to take this year brings lots of good memories, such as Memphis to the singles conference (Memphis will never be the same lol)...Janelle, Raemi, Sarah, and Shannon...can I get a witness? lol, going to Maryville Tennessee to visit one of my best friends Jennifer, her husband Brady and their sweet baby Bradyn...and also getting to hang out with Shannon....great times! He still hasn't talked me into getting in the lake water next time! LOL I got to visit Los Angeles and stay with Debbie and Steve Saiz....fun times (LA will never be the same either!)!!! Seeing one of my best friends, Lori, while I was in Louisiana for Thanksgiving...There have been so many fun times...its hard to name them all!

Overall, among the sadness of losing my sweet loved ones, it's been a pretty good year. I can't complain. I still have a job, I have a roof over my head, I have an amazing church and Pastor, amazing friends who I know will always be there for me, sweet family, and the list could go on and on.

I do, however, look forward to starting a new year. I trust this year will be different...better...possibly change...who knows what will happen. My prayer is that God will continue to bless us all and give us all the desires of our hearts.

I love you all and thank you for everything that you've done for me. You're the greatest!

Love, Kris

A Moment of Silence for....Yahtzee...

So our family has always loved the game of Yahtzee. In fact, I think we have had this particular game of Yahtzee since before we were born. lol Last night when my sister Robyn and I were out shopping we saw that Yahtzee was on sale so we bought our dad another game. So, on this sad December day, we had to have a moment of silence as we laid the old game to rest. What a sad day in the Ford household. LOL
This is Dad and Ashlyn having a moment of silence. LOL

This is Todd, Darla, Katelyn, and Jeff saying a prayer. LOL

This is Todd and Darla crying that we were burying Yahtzee. LOL

Things you see at Target...

So, tonight my sister Robyn and I were out shopping at Target seeing what kind of deals we could find. lol When we were leaving, I looked up and was like "what in the world?" lol The ENTIRE dashboard was completely FILLED with McDonald's toys! haha We laughed so hard and just had to take a picture! LOL

Happy Birthday, Bubba!

Happy Birthday, Bubs!!! My nephew Todd turned 11 today!! He is getting so grown up! We've been having a blast hanging out this week! I love you Bubs!

Adopt-a-Family 2008

This year C-Squared decided that we wanted to adopt a family for the Holidays! We all pitched in some money as as previously posted we went on a Wednesday night during Life Night to purchase and wrap the gifts that we got. A couple of us went on Tuesday night (Christmas Eve Eve lol) to deliver the gifts to our family. When we got to their house we were welcomed with big smiling faces! They were SO excited and SO grateful that we came! We told them MERRY CHRISTMAS!! And the mom (Julie) kept telling us over and over how thankful she was. She told us, "We usually put the tree up every year, but we never are able to have any presents under it." I wanted to cry but at the same time I was so excited because it felt so good to know that we were helping this family out in their time of need!

Merry Christmas!!!

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MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone!!!!! I hope you all have a very merry christmas and are enjoying your family and friends!!! Hope Santa was good to you! LOL I have enjoyed having a WHITE Christmas this year! Although it's only partially white! haha But we still have SNOW on this wonderful Christmas day! LOL This year we only did presents for the kids, but it was so much fun to watch them open the presents. Dad fixed french toast for breakfast, then the kids opened the presents. This year we had a non-traditional Christmas dinner. We had stuffed cheesy meatloaf, manicotti, twice baked potatoes, beanie weenies, cheesy rotel corn, salad, rolls, mixed veggies, and strawberry nut salad. For dessert we had coconut pie, banana pie, peanut butter balls, fudge, and blackberry cake. We usually have like Turkey and ham. But it was SOOO good. Anyways, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas day! Love you all!

Happy Birthday, Bethany!!

Happy Birthday, Bethany!!! Yesterday on Christmas Eve was Bethany's 18th birthday! We all went out for dinner at Buca di Beppo's on The Plaza! It was so good! Bethany, you are very special to me and I can't wait to see how your life continues to unfold! Love you bunches!!

Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the NYC Rockettes!!

Last Friday, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular was in Kansas City, featuring The Rockettes!!! Venita, Sarah, and I went to the Sprint Center and saw them!!! It was sooo much fun and they were amazing!!! It really set me in the Christmas spirit and it was amazing how in sync they were with their dances. It was awesome! They changed into about 13 different outfits and they had so many cool backgrounds and stuff. It was amazing!!

Well...

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the Sanders moving. The time has come and they leave in the morning for Minnesota. I won't give much details, but lets just say it has been VERY emotional this entire weekend. I've been helping them alot doing whatever I can, but mostly watching Declynn. I am going to miss them SOOOO much. It's bittersweet. I am excited for them, but at the same time, I don't want them to leave. On that note, I'll be living at their house indefinitely. Anyways, hope everyone had a good weekend...I'll blog more later...

The Season of GIVING!!

This year C-Squared (College and Career Ministry) decided to adopt a family. We’ve been talking about doing this for quite some time but we actual took the step and adopted a family this year, through the Don Bosco Center. When I called and told them that we wanted a family of 4 or 5, she was SO excited because she had a family of 5 that still needed to be adopted for the Holidays. Our family is a single parent home with four children. The mom, Julie, is going to school full time and working through a temp agency. There are four children; one girl, Carhmah-Age 3 and three boys; Wallace-Age 6, Wallace-Age 8, and Wallace-age 15. I have been very excited about this but at the same time just a little unsure, since I've never done anything like this before. This past Wednesday for Life Group, Ragen and I were trying to figure out a way for everyone in C-Squared to be involved. We decided that we were going to load up and head to Wal-Mart. I was nervous how everyone would respond, but everyone was SO excited about getting presents for our "family"!!! We all loaded up and headed out to WalMart to find gifts! Everyone was scurrying around the place all excited about trying to find things! It warmed my heart and made me feel so good that people were excited about GIVING to others!! After we finished at WalMart, we headed back to the church and we wrapped the gifts!

Last night, I called Julie (the mom of our "family"). I was nervous at first because I didn't know what to say and I was secretly hoping that it would be a family that would be grateful. I told her who I was and that I was with The Life Church and that we had adopted her family for the Holidays. She instantly was SOOO estatic!!!!!! She kept telling me over and over and over how excited and thankful she was that we adopted them!! She kept telling me that times were just tough and she couldn't do it. I knew from the moment I spoke to her how grateful she was.

I can't explain to you what that did to my heart. It felt so GOOD!!! It felt so amazing that we were helping someone that was in NEED. Sometimes we forget all the real importance in life. It's not about the things we receive but its about helping others. Helping others that have greater needs than ourselves.

I know this is getting to be a long post, but we will be delivering the gifts to Julie's home the first part of next week! Stay tuned!

My Birthday!

Well, today is my 28th birthday! Wow!! Only 2 years until the big 3-0!! Yikes!! I love birthdays, tho!! It makes you thankful to be alive yet another year. You're reminded just how many people really do love you and think of you on your special day. I woke up on this cold winter day, with the windchill below 0! I looked out the window to see that it was SNOWING!!!! It is absolutely beautiful!!!!! I LOVE having white birthdays!!!! I have gotten several cards, phone calls, lots of emails, texts, and comments on facebook and myspace, and my sister and neices and nephew called and sang Happy Birthday to me this morning!!! I am so thankful for so many AMAZING friends and family!!! You all are SO wonderful to me!!!! I love you all SO much!!! Thank You for making my day very special and very memorable for me!!! :)

One Cold Winter Day

I woke up this morning to -13 degree windchill!!! BRRRRR!!!!! Even though it's FREEZING outside, I can't imagine being in the Christmas season and not having cold winter and snowy season. We are supposed to get more snow tonight, so we'll see if it happens or not. lol I got to work this morning, and we are having treats this week. Everyday they are doing something different. This morning we had a pancake and sausage breakfast!!! It was so yummy! This company that does it, will flip your pancakes to you and you have to catch them! LOL It's pretty hilarious! Here is a video off of youtube about Chris Cakes!

After we ate breakfast our work surprised us and brought in Professional Christmas Carolers! They were SO good! Their dress (they looked like real carolers), the choriograph, and everything was awesome!

Now, I'm all cozy in a big ole sweatshirt, in a big cozy/fuzzy blanket, and about to go enjoy the lights on the Christmas tree! :) Good Night!

Another Loved One...

We received a call this morning that yet another loved one has passed away. She has gone to meet Jesus. One of my mom's best friends, we call her Aunt Ellen. This woman has gone through so much in her life, but she was a fighter. She was a STRONG woman! Of course, we all loved her dearly. I won't go into any detail about what this lady has gone through in her life, but I will say that she did not deserve all that she did go through. Several years ago, she came down with Parkinson's disease. It has been so sad to see this disease take over her body. My mom was priveledged to get to see her just a couple of weeks ago, which I am so grateful for.
Although I don't really understand why we have had so many deaths of loved ones that have been so near and dear to our hearts this year, I am so thankful that Aunt Ellen has been in our life. Aunt Ellen, we miss you and love you.

Happy Birthday Jen!!

I didn't get to blog this yesterday. But yesterday was one of my best friends' birthday!!! She is a wonderful person and has a wonderful family!! We met several years ago through some mutual friends and we clicked right away! We hung out as much as we could when she still lived in Missouri! It was a sad day when she moved back to Tennessee, but I am so happy for her. Jen, you have been and are such a wonderful friend to me, and I thank God for you! God placed you in my life for a very special reason and I wouldn't trade your friendship for anything in the world! I love you so much!! I'm glad you had a wonderful birthday!! :) Love ya!!!
(This picture is of Jen and her baby boy, Bradyn!)

Snow!!

So, it has snowed hard core all day today!!! It was so beautiful coming down. Winter is definitely here, and I just am not ready for it yet. lol But it is here, nonetheless. lol It is FREEZING outside!!! Yesterday it warmed up to 55. Today it was 22 with a windchill of 12!!! Go figure! lol It was so intense driving home tonight, it took me over an hour to get home when it usually only takes 25-30 minutes. But the roads were pretty slick and there were lots of cars in the ditch! Anyways, just glad to have made it home safe and sound! :) Our neighbor is wonderful though. He is outside right now snow blowing everyone's driveways. He always mows our yard and stuff too when he needs it. He just enjoys doing it! What a blessing! I am listening to him snow blow right now, in fact. lol Ok, I'm rambling, so I'll be done! Have a good night!

It's a sad day...

It's a sad day for me today. A day full of tears. I found out this weekend (and Pastor also announced it at church today) that Tim and Trish Sanders are moving to Minnesota in a few weeks. I am SO very excited for them to see what God is doing, but yet I am SO sad they are leaving. :( I have adopted them as my family, as they have me to them, and I just don't want to see them go. It's not like we'll never see each other again, because we WILL but I want to be selfish and keep them here. They have taken a church as Pastor in Minnesota and I am excited to hear what God is doing there.
Tim, Trish, Owen, & Declynn: I will miss you SOOOOO much, but rest assured, you'll have some company before long! :) haha Love you guys so much!!

So Blessed...

Dear Friends: So, I'm sitting here trying to work and I keep thinking of how blessed I am to have you as a friend. I was just showing my coworker some pictures from when Lori and Jessy came to see me at Thanksgiving...as I always show them pictures from every time I go somewhere. So my coworkers know who you ALL are! :) And she made the statement, "Krista, you have a lot of GOOD friends." I responded with, "I am very BLESSED." I just wanted to tell yall how thankful I am for your friendship. Life may get busy and I know I don't express myself as often as I should. Although miles may separate some of us, I know that yall will be forever in my life. We have shared so many good times, so many memories, laughs, heart to heart talks, cries, we've been there for each other, and I am so thankful. When I think about all the good times we share, I just have to smile and thank God for every moment he has blessed me with to be with yall. I thank God that he has blessed me more than abundantly to have a friend like you! I love you all!!!!!
Forever, Kris

Thanksgiving-Louisiana 2008

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving week!!!! As in an earlier post, I ended up leaving a day earlier so that I could be at the funeral for my uncle (actually my cousin). We had a great time being with family and I think I met a gazillion more cousins (3rds and 4ths) that I didn't know existed. lol But it was great fun getting to meet them all! The church that the family dinner was at for the funeral put on a HUGE spread. I've never seen so much food at one place. Seriously. They had at least 4 LONG tables packed FULL of food and they had about 25 different desserts. It was crazy! But it was sooo good...you can't beat that good ole southern cookin'! Thanksgiving day was wonderful with the food and being with family. We usually have 60+ people there but we only had about 40 this year. Not everyone was able to make it in. All the cousins that were there pulled out an intense game of SPOONS!!! It was SO much fun!!! On Friday morning, I was able to go to Shreveport and copy one of my Mammaw's cookbooks. That meant so much to me. It was wierd with Mammaw not being with us this Thanksgiving. At breakfast on Thanksgiving morning, I had pictured her sitting in her recliner chair sipping on her cup of hot tea, asking us if we needed anything or if we wanted some orange juice. It was SO vivid in my mind I thought she was there. It made me sad when I realized she wasn't there. I was also able to meet up with a few cousins for lunch on Friday afternoon, from my Mom's side of the family. Friday evening, one of my best friends, Lori and her husband Jessy came to see me from New Orleans!!! I was SO excited that they came up to see me!!! We had a blast together!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! This is always a great time of year! Thinking about how blessed and thankful we are. I am so thankful for all of my friends and family! You all mean the world to me. I cherish every moment we have spent together and all the memories we share! I am so blessed to have so many friends and family to love and laugh with. It brings a smile to my face! I love you all!!

The passing of a Loved One...

Well, I just found out this weekend that my Uncle Eldon (he is technically my cousin, but him and his wife have been more of an aunt/uncle to me) has not been given long to live. Him and his wife JoAnn are some of the sweetest people you will ever meet. We got a call this morning on the way to church that the Dr had only given him a few minutes to 1 hour to live. That was 6 hours ago and he is still hanging on. He has been opening his eyes some but you can tell he isn't really "here".

As of right now, I am planning on leaving for Louisiana Tuesday night (for Thanksgiving), unless something changes with my uncles status, there is a possibility that I will be leaving sooner. I will keep you posted.


8:30pm Well, my Dad just got a phone call that Uncle Eldon passed away this evening around 6:00-6:30. Please say a prayer for his wife and immediate family that God would comfort them. It's hard to loose anyone you love but especially around the holidays.

Bowling...

So last night we went to a party at the Harveys, for a little bit. Then Jonathon and I decided to go bowling. We got stuck by a whole bunch of "young" kids that were really obnoxious. So we moved down the bowling lane and were able to at least have room to move. So we are just bowling, having fun, and not paying attention to much of anything. For some reason last night we were having trouble finding the right size for the bowling balls. And we couldn't really find one that we liked. I think I went through every size that they had. lol Finally towards the end of our 4th game, I decided to get a lighter one. So, I go up to roll the ball down the lane and I swing my hand back to throw it and the ball FLEW out of my hand, backwards and bounced on the floor! LOL It was SO FUNNY!!! These random people behind us busted out laughing! LOL Oh gotta love the fun times! I think that was the best and most memorable moment of the night! :)

Fun with the Kids!!

This morning, my sister and I took the kids out to the Ice Skating Rink at Crown Center, to take their Christmas pictures. It was so much fun and the kids had a blast!! It was 35 degrees out and SNOWing!!! It was FREEZING outside and the wind was crazy strong!! But, it was a blast even tho we were numb! lol The kids were adorable!!!

Happy Birthday to Trish!!

Happy Birthday Trish!!! Wow, where do I start? We go way back! When I first started going to TLC, I came from a church that had NO young people, and being 14 years old, I needed that in my life. Tim and Trish were my youth leaders growing up. I've always been close to them, and through the years we have developed a great friendship. She has always been there for me and I don't know what I would do without her. I am so thankful that God has placed Trish (and Tim) in my life. We share a lot of memories, a lot of tears, a lot of happiness, a lot of heart to heart talks, a lot of hugs, a lot of encouragement and advice, and the list could go on and on. Trish, I love you so much and thank God for you everyday! Happy Birthday!!!

Where does the time go?

I can't believe it is already near the middle of November. I was looking at the calendar today at work and realized that Thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away!!! I can't believe it! However, I am VERY excited about Thanksgiving!!!! We are making our annual trip to Louisiana, for Thanksgiving, at my Granddaddy's house. Although it will be much different this year with Mammaw not being with us, but it will still be good to be with my family. I am also very excited because one of my best friends and her husband (Lori and Jessy) are coming to see me!!! So I am super stoked about that!!!
Christmas is also just around the corner. Our Christmas Radio stations are now in full force, the weather has turned cold and raining with talks of snow in the forecast, the traffic has gotten heavier with shoppers in full swing for the Christmas season. It won't be long and we will be welcoming in another year!

Big Mommy

Happy Birthday Big Mommy! Today is a very special day of rememberance for me and my family. Our dear and precious Big Mommy would have been 90 years old today if she were still alive. Earlier this year, she went to be with Big Daddy and Jesus. We miss her terribly. But today we can remember all the good things and be thankful for the heritage her and Big Daddy gave us. WE love you, Big Mom!

Caedyn's Birthday

Caedyn's birthday was on Friday and he turned 3 years old! We celebrated on Saturday! It was Thomas the Train theme...too cute. He got lots of Thomas the Train stuff and he had a blast!! Happy Birthday, Caedyn!!

My view on the Election '08

Well first of all, this was my first year to vote (ever). And yes, I did vote for McCain/Palin. On the day of Election I thought all the hype was finally going to be over. I am so tired of hearing and seeing and feeling all the friction between the two candidates. But I am wrong. It only seems like it is getting worse. There have been so many racial comments flying around from people’s mouths. And although I did NOT vote for Obama, it doesn’t mean that we are racial. Speaking of, Why has this turned into a racial thing? It’s NOT about the color of his skin!!!! I have heard so many people that automatically think you are racial because you did not vote for Obama. WHY?!?! This is not the issue people!!! The issue is this…
America voted in a President with NO morals.
America voted in a President who does NOT like AMERICA.
America voted in a President who does NOT stand on what this country was founded on.
America voted in a President who will NOT give Oath to Office on the BIBLE.
America voted in a President who will NOT even Salute our American FLAG!
What is this country coming to? It’s not about the color of one’s skin. It’s about what they believe in!!! I am so sick of hearing people just assuming you are prejudice. Come on people!! Think about it!! Think about where this Country is headed! We have got to PRAY for this Country like never before!! We need to pray that the morals this country was founded on will be allowed back.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!! THE HOME OF THE FREE AND THE LAND OF THE BRAVE!!!!!

All I can say is...

Thank You Jesus!!! I am LOVING having gas so cheap these days!!!


Update 11-09-08 Gas is now $1.65!!! Woohoo!!!! I hope and pray it keeps coming on down!!!! :)

I Voted...Did You?!

SO...I voted today for the FIRST time!!! Yes, I am almost 28 and just now voting. LOL It was quite the experience! Of course, I voted for McCain/Palin!! Besides that I didn't even know anything else about the ballot, how sad is that? lol I had no idea who the other state officials were much less any of the judges. LOL And yeah, I admit that...I'm not much into politics and couldn't tell you much about it. But, I voted....does that count?! Hey, I got that nice little round, red/white/blue sticker that says, "I voted today, did you?" I mean come on...whats better than that? LOL

One Foggy Night

It has been really foggy out this weekend. Saturday night on the way home, it was SOO foggy you couldn't even see hardly 5 feet in front of you. But thank God I made it home safe!

Friday Night Boredom

So, Friday night Jon and I were hanging out and we were bored, so we decided to go bowling lol. We ended up having fun and just hanging out, then went to get something to eat afterwards...

Church Hayride 08

Trunk or Treat '08

We had Trunk or Treat at church this week for the kids. They were so cute and many of them had alot of cute outfits. We even had McCain/Palin there! LOL It was awesome! Here are a few pics...

Mantle Conference '08

TLC (The Life Church) just had our annual Mantle Conference with Bro. Stoneking! It was awesome!!! God is just doing so many great things!! I'm sure there was more, but I know of one healing that took place. There was a guy there that had never been able to see out of his left eye. God healed him!! He started naming colors and stuff that he was seeing for the first time!!! Although it wasn't completely clear, we know that the healing process is still taking place! But God is so awesome!!!
I didn't take very many pictures at Mantle this year. I didn't get any of the actual services, and we hung out alot with friends after church every night. I think I was too tired to pull the camera out. lol But here are the few that I did take.

General Conference '08!!

I just got back from General Conference, in Greensboro, North Carolina!!! We had a BLAST!! :) Our hotel was sweet!!! It was like a mini apartment which was wonderful since we were there for several days! :) We got to see so many friends!!! And I got to see some people that I haven't seen for a long time! God did some awesome stuff at the Crusade on Sunday night! I am so glad that we were able to go and experience this first hand! There were over 375 people that got the Holy Ghost!! Over 111 people that was baptized! (They were still baptizing people when we left). There were so many healings that took place! There was a lady that walked out of her wheel chair!!! I'm not sure if she was walking completely on her own or not, but that is still a miracle!! There was someone that got healed of asthma! A lady that was crippled in her left leg was completely healed and walked out normal! She was jumping around praising God for what He had done for her! It was so awesome!!! There was a missionaries 13 year old boy that had had minengitus (sp?) and had been at death's door. He was completely deaf in his left ear, and God healed him!!!!! After they prayed for him, he kept snapping in his ear, and at one point he said he could hear!!!!!!!! It was SOOO awesome to experience so many healings in one service! God is AWESOME!!! Anyways, I had a BLAST hanging out with all my awesome friends!!! You guys are the best!!

Weekend with the kiddos!

A couple of weeks ago the kids came to visit us for the weekend! We had alot of fun with them! I can't believe how big they are getting!! Ashlyn turned 13 in August, Todd will be 11, and Katelyn will be 9 (both in December). We took them to a couple of different parks that was a lot of fun!!