The Willingham Family

WHITE ENVELOPE (A story we could all use at Christmas!)

2008-12-20T09:22:00.002-05:00

A friend sent this to me via email and I had to share it with everyone. It really touched me, as I hope it does all of you!

It's just a small white envelope stuck among the
branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no
identification, no inscription. It has peeked through
the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas
--oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the
commercial aspects of it -- the overspending, the
frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie
for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma --
the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't
think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass
the usual shirts, sweaters, ties, and so forth. I
reached for something special just for Mike. The
inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin,
who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior
level at the school he attended.

Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match
against a team sponsored by an inner-city church.

These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that
shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them
together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in
their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new
wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed
to see that the other team was wrestling without
headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect
a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team
obviously could not afford.

Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight
class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat,
he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado,
a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, 'I wish
just one of them could have won,' he said. 'They have
a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart
right out of them.' Mike loved kids -- all kids -- and he
knew them, having coached little league football, baseball,
and lacrosse.

That's when the idea for his present came. That
afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and
bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes
and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.
On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree,
the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that
this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest
thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding
years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition
--one year sending a group of mentally handicapped
youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a
pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the
ground the week before Christmas, and on and on. The
envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was
always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and
our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand
with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the
envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.

As the children grew, the toys gave way to more
practical presents, but the envelope never lost its
allure. The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost
Mike last year due to cancer. When Christmas rolled
around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely
got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an
envelope on the tree, and in the morning it was joined
by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst
to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for
their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will
expand even further with our grandchildren standing
around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation
watching as their fathers take down the envelope.
Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always
be with us.

May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the
season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and
always.

God Bless! -- pass this along to those friends and
loved ones who you know are the givers who understand
the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Austin's Birthday Party

2008-12-14T10:03:00.005-05:00

Austin had a great party this year. We had the party at JJ's Movies, where the kids could eat pizza and watch the movie "Igor"!

They had a blast and couldn't believe it when Austin got a wakeboard from us!

What fun it would be to be a kid again!!

Happy Birthday our 11 year old!!

Christmas Chorus Concert

2008-12-14T09:45:00.002-05:00

Brittney's Chorus concert was great this year. I wanted to show you pics from that night. It's amazing how much the girls change each year!

The chorus was a lot bigger and better this year. I think their voices are not changing as much now!!
Closer pic of Britt, though it is really hard to get good pictures in the dark auditorium.

Brittney is a cheerleader again!

2008-11-30T15:51:00.003-05:00

Doesn't she look so cute in her uniform?

Christmas Decorations

2008-11-30T15:30:00.000-05:00

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Skyler

2008-11-30T15:03:00.001-05:00

Thought I would show everyone Britt boyfriend. What do you think?

Austin's team wins conference and county championship!

2008-11-30T14:23:00.000-05:00

The Forest Hill Huskies had a great season this year. All 3 teams went to the championships, with the PeeWees and the Mighty Mites winning!! Austin's team (the Mighty Mites) when all of their games, including preseason, for the first time in the history of our program. We are really proud of all of the boys, especially our #88.

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-30T14:14:00.003-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year with Jeff's dad, Bob and Pat! It was a little different, because we stayed home, but really enjoyable. Hope everyone had a great day!

Trying to get Christmas pictures is no easy task with Austin, hopefully we have a good one this year.

Our trip to Hawaii

2008-11-30T14:02:00.001-05:00

Jeff and I had a great trip to Hawaii! I wanted to share some of our favorite pictures from the trip! Hope you enjoy tham as much as we have!!

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Austin finally gets a haircut!!!

2008-11-30T12:53:00.002-05:00

Jeff couldn't stand it any more so he took Austin for a haircut!! The pics go backwards, so scroll down all the way to see from beginning to end. We could have made a pillow from all of the hair Dawn cut off!!

Camping with friends

2008-11-30T12:46:00.000-05:00

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Cathie

2008-11-30T12:38:00.003-05:00

Many of you know that my stepmom Cathy, passed away a little over a month ago. For those that didn't I wanted everyone to know. I also wanted to show the photos that we took last time we were with her. We will all miss her, especially my Dad. Please keep y our prayers and thoughts with him and Cathy's family.

Britt made the local paper!!!

2008-11-30T12:35:00.001-05:00

Walter R. Johnson Middle School girls' volleyball player Brittany Willingham, No. 14, bumps the ball during game one of Tuesday's home match against Heritage Middle. Margaret Avery, No. 9 looks on in the background I couldn't resist putting this on our blog as well! We are so proud of our star!!!

Halloween 08

2008-11-30T12:32:00.000-05:00

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Brittney and Volleyball

2008-11-30T12:22:00.003-05:00

Britt had a great season this year in Volleyball though they just couldn't seem to squeek out with many wins. I wanted to show off some of the great pics we got this season:

POSTING AGAIN!!!

2008-11-30T12:20:00.003-05:00

It has been a really long time since I have posted anything on our blog. I am really going to try to do better! It has been crazy busy, but I am going to make the additional time.

The posts that I am working on now may not be in order of time, but I wanted to make sure that they were shared with everyone who would enjoy them!!

Mountains to Coast Bike Ride

2008-09-28T14:27:00.003-04:00

We have enjoyed watching 100's of bike riders go by the house this afternoon in route to the coast. Morganton is the first stop on this long ride for about 1000 bikers. The kids went out back to say "Hi" and got this great picture to share.

Huskies beat Wolverines

2008-09-28T14:06:00.005-04:00

What a great game the FH Huskies had on Saturday as you can see by the final score of the game.
Everyone was having a great time, including Britt, Hannah, Jeff and Papa!
Even the fans in the stands were really into the game.
The boys worked hard for their 22 points, the wolverines didn't go down easy.
Austin is loving his new position at tight end. He's doing a great job with it!

Way to go boys!!!

Our New Baby

2008-09-27T09:43:00.001-04:00

This past weekend Brittney brought home something special. She brought home Ella, the baby. The eight grade children, as part of their health class, must bring home a "key" baby for the weekend. They must take care of them when they cry by holding a key in their back until they coo (which can be 1 to 30 minutes!) Believe me, they like to cry. Needless to say they couldn't go anywhere without them. Britt was so glad when the weekend was over that she gave the baby back as soon as school started on Monday. This first picture was Monday morning by the way.
I wanted to show you a picture of the girls (Britt and Lily) on the first morning at the football game. If only they new how the weekend world end they wouldn't be so happy!! HaHa!!
We found out (the parents I mean) that there are also real care babies that must have diapers changed, be fed, etc. I highly recommend if you have a middle school student you start this program, if they haven't already!

Forest Hill vs. Valdese

2008-09-27T09:32:00.005-04:00

The mighty mite team stays on a winning streak. Wanted to show you the boys as the game began. The final score FH over V 42-6!! Way to go boys!!!!

Brittney's first Volleyball game

2008-09-27T09:16:00.004-04:00

I wanted to show off pictures of Britt on the varsity volleyball team for Walter Johnson Middle. Their team is doing great this year. I love to watch her play, hope you enjoy this pics.

Football Season is underway

2008-09-27T08:45:00.005-04:00

Forest Hill has started the Mighty Might football season off great. Our first game, which I forgot my camera, was against our biggest rival Oak Hill. After a great game and 4 stressful quarters we pulled out then win!

Our second game, which was the first at home and our first conference game was against Glen Alpine. The game was great and we pulled out our second win. This time I had my camera.

And So It Begins...

2008-08-31T09:11:00.002-04:00

Austin started football with the East Burke Jamborre yesterday. All elementary teams participated in the large event. Though we were there all day, we had a blast. We are looking forward to a great year. (ps. I left the music playing with the slideshow, so you will want to stop the music on my blog when you watch)

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First Day Of School

2008-08-27T09:20:00.003-04:00

The first day of school has already come and gone. Can you believe it? I had to show the kids and the excitement (especially Austin's) on their faces. It is hard for me, knowing that my kids have grown up so fast. Britt is in 8th grade and Austin is in 5th this year. We don't have little ones anymore!!

A Couple more pictures before the concert!

2008-08-27T08:47:00.003-04:00

Brittney and her friends worked really hard on the "Go Green" contest posters to hopefully meet the Jonas Brothers. Which, as we now know, didn't happen! She still really wanted me to show everyone the good job the they all did on them, so it didn't go to waste!!

Visit with Pop and Granny Cathy

2008-08-26T21:01:00.002-04:00

Jeff, the kids and I went to visit with my Daddy and Cathy last week. Earnie and Joshua came too! We really enjoyed the time that we got to spend with them. I wanted to share so of the photos that we took while we were there. Here is my brother, the big kid~!~!~!
I had to get at least one picture of the kids all dressed up.

Austin, Dawson, Britt and Chasen couldn't wait for this picture to be taken. HaHa
All the kids with Pop
Austin, Cathy, Pop and Britt

Florida - Here We Come!!

2008-08-25T23:01:00.005-04:00

Florida didn't know what hit it when the kids went with my mom and Marvin to Florida a little over a week ago. Everyone was so excited, as is evident by the smiling faces!Disney World was, of course, one of the big stops of the trip. I love the pictures that Britt and Austin took while they were there.

Austin loves hats and had to get 3 new ones while he was gone, but I think Brittney secretly likes them too!!
Don't they look like they are having fun?
This is the largest McDonald's. Austin (and Britt) were really excited to go to eat and play. Needless to say, this was one of the hilites of Austin's trip!?!

Here are the kids in front of the Rockin' Roller Coaster! They had a ball on the ride.

Poppy must be behind the camera. We haven't seen much of him on the trip, but we know he was there!

Britt and Austin love to be goofs! Wasn't it fun being a kid?

It was really great for the kids to get to go on a great trip like this with their grandparents. They loved the experience and I am positive would love to do it again!! Thanks Mom and Marvin!!

Crosspoint Pictures

2008-08-25T22:41:00.003-04:00

What a wonderful camp Brittney and the other youth from our church went to this summer. I wanted to share the pictures of that week with all of you to show what a wonderful and moving camp it was. I can't wait for Austin to be able to attend it next year and Brittney to experience this again!!

JoBro Pics - finally!!

2008-08-25T18:37:00.011-04:00

Brittney, Lily, Maire Caitlin, and Olivia had a blast at the Jonas Brothers concert last month. I had to wait to show you the pictures, because Brittney didn't want to give them up!! :-) They were able to add to the grafitti on the bus (before their paint can was taken away!). But they did get their picture taken in front of the bus.
Once inside the arena, they coudn't wait for the concert to start. Here they are at the beginning and below are some of Britt's favorite pics of the night!

Bunco at Donna's

2008-08-14T22:08:00.001-04:00

Girls just want to have fun!!

2008-08-14T20:27:00.003-04:00

Britt and quite a few friends had a great summer day not too long ago. After eating lunch at the favorite spot in town, they all went to Emma's house for more fun. I love the fact that they are such good friends and enjoy being with each other.

Coming Soon - Jonas Brothers Concert

2008-08-14T20:25:00.001-04:00

I am waiting on Brittney to get me the photos from the JB concert. I will post them as soon as we get them. I know it's worth the wait!!

Alexis is 6

2008-08-14T20:12:00.001-04:00

What a great place to have a birthday party. Dina and Byron had Alexis' b-day party at Jellystone park in Marion. It comes complete with a waterslide, pool, picnic area, playground, pond full of fun and more. The kids had such a great time playing that day. I hope you enjoy the pics!

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Working with Dad!

2008-08-14T19:01:00.002-04:00

Brittney needed to make money for the Jonas Brothers concert, so she decided to work with Jeff in order to make some. Austin just went along for the ride (though I think he played more than worked)! The day was long and hot, but in the end Britt made the money she wated to for the concert. Can't wait to show you the pics of the girls there!!

Football has begun!!

2008-08-14T18:53:00.003-04:00

Football has started already for the season. The camp was great but really hot and the boys were worn out. This season is going to be a lot of fun, and we can't wait! Watch for posts of the first games on August 23rd.

Graduation Celebration

2008-08-04T21:48:00.000-04:00

Rich finish Grad school after many countless hours. We are so proud of him and enjoyed helping him celebrate! It's always fun!!

The Bunny "Tot"

2008-07-26T17:38:00.004-04:00

Jeff was working on a watergarden and found this baby bunny crying. He put it in a box and brought it home for us to feed it. Brittney fell in love with him and named him Tot. She babied the bunny for about 18 hours, until it figured out how to get away. Wild bunnies just weren't born to be tamed!

New Hair Do's

2008-07-26T17:16:00.003-04:00

We went the other day to get all of our hair done (with the exception of Jeff) and Britt talked her daddy into letting her get her hair hi-lited. We couldn't wait to take her picture in the cap, or at least Austin couldn't. He thought this was really funny. The end product looks really pretty and she is just very beside herself with her new hair.

Austin decided that day that he couldn't go with a buzz cut like he thought, so we left him about an inch all over. It looks really cute and it is much cooler for the football season!

Isn't this beautiful?

2008-07-20T20:05:00.002-04:00

I wanted to show you what beautiful work that Jeff just did. He competed a beautiful watergarden for a doctor here on the lake. The first picture shows Jeff with the guys that helped him on the project. The other pictures are different views of the watergarden. The project was so large that I couldn't get it in one picture!!

Crosspoint

2008-07-20T20:00:00.003-04:00

The youth group from FBC went to a great camp. It was at Converse College in Sparanburg, SC. The camp was called Crosspoint. Brittney and the other youth found this camp to be very uplifting. I have never seen over 30 kids come back with such enthusiasm about church and God. I can't wait to get the pictures to share with you of their experience while they were there. I recommend that everyone interested in finding a camp for their teen, look into this one.

Also, our older youth left this morning for Passport, a mission camp in Georgia. Please keep them in your prayers as they travel and spend time learning more about God's work.

Children's Music Camp at FBC

2008-07-20T19:43:00.002-04:00

Austin and a lot of children from our church and community participated in a great Music camp at our church this summer. I was not able to get any pictures of the camp to put on the blog, but I got some really cute ones of the icecream party afterwards.

Austin and Shelbi look really cute, though Austin doesn't want to be in the picture!Here is a lot of the group as they enjoy their refreshments and play time!!

Isn't this a great picture of Kim and Paul?
Jeff and Matt look entrenched in conversation. Wonder what they're talking about?
Just one more picture of the fun!!

Bunco at Riverblues

2008-07-20T19:38:00.001-04:00

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Last day with Belle

2008-07-20T18:07:00.003-04:00

We sold my horse Belle at the beginning of the month. It was realy hard on all of us to see her go, but after all of the other tragedies we have had with our horses, we couldn't bear another one. We sold her to a young girl who wil give her the attention and love that she deserves. We will really miss her though!

Our Visitor

2008-07-20T18:03:00.002-04:00

We had a visitor the other day. I thought this was pretty cool to get a picture of the groundhog up in the tree off of our front porch. He staryed for a really long time. Not sure what got him up there.

Re-doing Britt's Bedroom

2008-07-20T17:58:00.001-04:00

Recently we started re-doing Britt's bedroom. She was ready for it not to look so much like a "little" girl anymore. She wanted me to show the pictures of the doing and after of her dresser we worked so hard on. Doesn't it look great?

Kelly's Birthday

2008-07-20T17:51:00.001-04:00

Sorry it took me so long to get the pictures from Kelly's party posted to the blog. Summer has been crazy running around. We had a great time, hope everyone else did!

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Last day of vacation

2008-07-20T17:00:00.002-04:00

We had a really great vacation and the last day before heading back to work was fun just me, Jeff and the kids. Lasy days at the pool!!

Fireworks celebration

2008-07-20T16:59:00.001-04:00

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Fun on the Lake on the 4th of July

2008-07-20T16:38:00.000-04:00

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A New Tent

2008-07-12T15:28:00.000-04:00

The kids couldn't stand it. Jeff bought a new tent for us to go camping later this summer and they had to break it in, so over the week of the 4th this is where they stayed!!!

You gotta love it!

July 4th Week

2008-07-12T14:44:00.000-04:00

This year we had a great time on the lake. I wanted to put some of the pictures of the first day on the lake to show our fun!! More to come in the next few posts!

Lone Mountain

2008-07-12T13:54:00.003-04:00

I couldn't help but snap a shot on my camera on the last day of Lone Mountain camp for Austin. He loves this camp, it is all outside and everything a boy could want.

Fun day at Bouncin' Kids

2008-07-12T13:42:00.003-04:00

Austin and Ethan talked me in to taking them to Bouncin' Kids after their camp at Lone Mtn. a couple of weeks ago. I didn't have my camera, so I had to use the one on my phone which isn't the greatest, but I still thought they were fun!!

My Birthday

2008-06-21T14:01:00.000-04:00

This year was a different kind of birthday for me, but I had a good time. We had to celebrate without Brittney, she went to Carawinds with Huntley, though I did get to see her downtown later that evening. We only got a few pictures, here is the best.

Britt and KK

2008-06-11T22:17:00.000-04:00

Kaitlin came over to spend the night last night and they of course took lots of pictures!! I wanted to show a few that I thought were really cute!! Oh to be young and carefree again!!

I love this picture of the two girls. Aren't they beautiful?

Bunco in Linville

2008-06-11T22:01:00.000-04:00

What a great time we had this year at Linville. It was so nice to get together and it showed. I don't think we started playing bunco until at least 9pm. We did miss everyone that wasn't there and loved that Dorothy came for the first time!! Thanks again Kathy!

End of School Picnic

2008-06-11T21:29:00.001-04:00

Youth Car Wash

2008-06-11T20:24:00.001-04:00

Papa comes to visit for baseball

2008-06-10T20:40:00.002-04:00

Papa, Jeff's dad came to visit for one of Austin's baseball games. It was great to see him out and about and looking so good. We all went to Ham's afterwards for dinner and had a great time.

Field Day, Field Day, Field Day

2008-06-04T22:16:00.003-04:00

The 4th and 5th grades at Forest Hill had their field day today. They had such a great time! Austin's class had a blast, including Ms. Crawford who got into today as well.

All the Boys!!

2008-06-04T21:28:00.000-04:00

Here is a great picture of all of the boys that hang out together. They decided they were going to show their tough look in this picture. Aren't they great??? :-)

Austin's Awards Day

2008-06-04T21:24:00.000-04:00

Austin had a great day at the awards banquet this time. He made AB Honor Roll and also received a Terrific Kid Award, AR Award and the Presidential Athletic Award. We were so proud of him and all of his class, they are such a great group of kids.

Stars are Born!!!

2008-06-04T21:23:00.000-04:00

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Austin's End of the Year Party

2008-06-03T23:43:00.002-04:00

Austin's class had their end of the year party yesterday at Martha's Park in town. Ms. Crawford made sure that the kids had such a great time. You can tell by the pictures that the kids didn't miss a beat when it came to the water portion of the day, and I don't blame them, it was almost 90 degrees. Thanks Ms. crawford for making this such a great school year!!!

E-ma's Birthday was June 1st too

2008-06-03T23:15:00.002-04:00

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My nephew's first birthday

2008-06-03T23:14:00.000-04:00

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A few more pictures from Rocky Mount

2008-06-03T23:10:00.000-04:00

We had a great time this weekend in Rocky Mount and hate that our time was so short. We did get some great pictures while we were there and had some really good food. The kids also had a great time seeing my parents, Marvin, Earnie, Courtney and Joshua.

Here are the kids with my mom, Poppy and Joshua.

The kids love being goofy and Joshua fits right in with them.

Brittney, Austin and Joshua with my dad, Pop.

Brittney's New Haircut

2008-06-03T22:34:00.002-04:00

Brittney got a great new haircut. She is showing it off here wavy, but it is also really cute straight. It makes her look so much older and she loves it, of course!!

Fun on the Lake

2008-06-03T22:28:00.000-04:00

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Austin's Powerpoint Presentation

2008-06-03T21:53:00.000-04:00

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Something Funny!!

2008-06-03T20:47:00.002-04:00

When we went to the barn the other day, the first thing Brittney saw was Belle's halter this way. She couldn't quit laughing and had to get a picture!! I wanted to show all of you since she got so much enjoyment from something so small!

Spring Choral Concert

2008-06-01T20:34:00.000-04:00

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Mother's Day

2008-06-01T19:17:00.002-04:00

I had a wonderful Mother's Day this year. The kids and Jeff cooked me breakfast in bed and got me several wonderful gifts! They also did everything for me that day so that I could relax. What a wonderful family I have!!!

Caught in the Act!!

2008-06-01T19:07:00.002-04:00

Usually this would mean that I had caught one of my kids doing something they weren't supposed to be, but this time is was something very sweet. Austin loves to read and loves to read beside the watergarden. It is so nice to see him doing something productive near something so beautiful.

Twinkie had to get into the act too!!

Bunco in May

2008-06-01T18:56:00.002-04:00

I am so behind on making posts to my blog and appologize to everyone for the wait! Bunco was a lot of fun that night, though we missed a few of the regulars. It was really nice to play outside before the heat was so bad!!
See you all in June at Kathy's!!!

Long, But Worth Refreshing Our Minds

2008-05-10T10:18:00.002-04:00

We knew most of this, but this is all together in one message.

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY (TRY BEING THE KEY WORD) AND ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHN HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY .

Cancer Update from John Hopkins

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract, etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is eit her compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.
CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off s u gar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells.. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc. are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

b.. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soya milk cancer cells are being starved.
c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruit helps put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water: best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic; avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrified and leads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body's own ki ller cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like Vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT.CANCER UPDATE FROM JOHN HOPKINS HOSPITAL , US - PLEASE READ
1. No plastic containers in micro.
2. No water bottles in freezer.
3. No plastic wrap in microwave.

Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well.

Dioxin chemicals causes cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies.
Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.
Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body.

Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else.
Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons. Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead. This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life.

Something that everyone needs to know!!

2008-05-10T09:53:00.000-04:00

THIS IS IMPORTANT!

Pass this site on:
http://www.familywatchdog.us/

When you visit this site you can enter your address and a map will pop up with your house as a small icon of a house. There will be red, blue and green dots surrounding your entire neighborhood. When you click on these dots a picture of a criminal will appear with his or her home address and the description of the crime he or she has committed. The best thing is that you can show your children these pictures and see how close these people live to your home or school. This site was developed by John Walsh from Americas Most Wanted. This is another tool we can use to help us keep our kids safe. Please pass this on to everyone!!

Britt's Track Conference

2008-05-06T21:56:00.004-04:00

Today was the last day of the track season. What a better way to spend the day than with all of your buddys outside having fun!! Don't Olivia, Brittney and Emma look cute while they wait?

Here is the group of Shot Putters watching while the girls running hurdles race!

Britt, you have great form! We are really proud of you for participating in track this spring. You have done well!! Plus you made it to conference!! Way to go!!!

One more picture of Britt's event.

Look at Lily go! I would hurt myself if I even tried this! haha

Austin Places at the May Day!!!

2008-05-06T21:37:00.001-04:00

This past Saturday Austin ran in his 6th May Day Biathalon!! There were 14 kids in his age brackett and he placed 5th! Way to go Buddy!!!

You can see by the look on his face that this year wasn't as easy as he expected it to be. I love these pictures because they show the determination that he had to finish no matter how hard it was!! We are very proud of him!!!

The big winner!!!

I wanted to share a collage of many of the others that participated in the day. We all had so much fun, between the schools that made a showing, the groups that worked together to complete the task and the kids that worked hard to complete this alone!! Kudos to all that competed in the May Day!!

Happy Anniversary to us!!!!

2008-05-06T21:04:00.002-04:00

Jeff and I celebrated our 16th anniversary on May 2nd. It is wonderful to be married to such a great man!

THE BIG 4-0!!!

2008-05-06T20:58:00.003-04:00

Jeff turned 40 on May 1st. As you can see, he wanted a lot of desserts for his birthday. I was told to take pictures of them only!! The banana pudding was a gift from his buddy Rodney. He couldn't wait for the picture before he dug in!;-)
This is the dessert that he wanted from us. Yainni's restaurant in Morganton makes the best cheesecakes (it must have weighed 10lbs). It is Jeff's favorite, so of course he had to have it!! He had a great birthday which we intend to celebrate later this month with friends.

2008-04-30T22:27:00.000-04:00

Well-behaved women seldom make history. -Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

We are sad, Hal is leaving!!

2008-04-30T21:57:00.003-04:00

Hal Mitchell, our youth minister is leaving our church to go to work for his families business in Myrtle Beach. I put Brittney and Kaitlin in charge of the pictures for the evening, so they didn't come out as well as I would have liked for the blog (except, of course, the one's they took of themselves!!). Hal and his family will be greatly missed by all of us at FBC. It has been a pleasure for us and Brittney to have been a part of the church during his time there and we wish them all well in their new venture!

2008-04-30T21:45:00.002-04:00

This should be posted in all schools.

Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this!

To anyone with kids of any age, here's some good old fashioned, "like it really is"advice.

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6 : If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping y ou FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

If you agree, pass it on.

If you can read this - Thank a teacher!

If you are reading it in English -Thank a soldier !!!

Work Day at the Price's

2008-04-30T21:29:00.003-04:00

Brittney and some of the youth participated in another youth for hire project at the Price's house this past weekend. They helped in moving and sinking their trampoline and removing brush from around their home. Most of the pictures look as if it's only the adults working, but the kids really did do a great job that day.

Opening Night of Baseball

2008-04-30T20:56:00.006-04:00

This year the Rec Department did a great opener for the little leage ball teams. They had a big to do where the Mayor came out to introduce all of the teams and their sponsors before the first ballgames began. They fed everyone hotdogs for diner, what a great time at the ballpark! The pictures were cute so I wanted to share.

Here is Austin's Baseball team and coaches, the Masonic Lodge.

Here is Spencer's team. He is third from the right!

I know this picture shows up really small, but it was the only one that showed all of the teams for this year. I also thoought it looked pretty cool!!

Prayer

2008-04-30T20:50:00.002-04:00

I received the email recently and loved it. It is one that asks you to pass it on, so I wondered what better way than through our blog. I hope that if you feel the urge, you will pass this on as I have.

Paul Harvey and Prayer

Paul Harvey says: I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin , but I did n't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his Theory of Evolution.

Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire Book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.

But it's a Christian prayer, some will argue.Yes, and this is the United States of America , a country founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect -- somebody chanting Hare Krishna?

If I went to a football game in Jerusalem , I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer. If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad , I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer. If I went to a ping pong match in China , I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha. And I wouldn't be offended.

It wouldn't bother me one bit. When in Rome ...But what about the atheists? Is another argument. What about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer!

Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep.

Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying.

God, help us. And if that last sentence offends you. Well, just sue me.

The silent majority has been silent too long. It's time we tell that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard that the vast majority doesn't care what they want. It is time that the majority rules! It's time we tell them, "You don't have to pray; you don't have to say the pledge of allegiance; you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right; but by golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away. We are fighting back, and we WILL WIN!

God bless us one and all ... Especially those who denounce Him , God bless America, despite all her faults. She is still the greatest nation of all.

God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God.

Let's make 2008 the year the silent majority is heard and we put God back as the foundation of our families and institutions ... And our military forces come home from all the wars.

Keep looking up. If you agree with this, please pass it on. If not delete it. "AND THAT'S THE REST OF THE STORY"

Austin's first Baseball Scrimmage

2008-04-15T20:06:00.006-04:00

Austin's baseball team (The Masonic Lodge) had their first scrimmage today. They played Rotary and won 12 - 4. Austin as you can see is number 13 (his lucky number).

Here he is getting ready to go up to bat.

In the warm up area before batting.

Way to watch that ball Austin!!

Austin as he heads to 3rd base.

Look OUT!!

2008-04-13T14:19:00.002-04:00

I am not sure what Jeff was thinking, but look who is driving!! I am scared just looking at this! After they returned home safe and sound, it was reported that she dove very well and carefully.

Spring Cleaning at the Gym

2008-04-13T13:33:00.002-04:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

The ABC's of Me!

2008-04-12T10:04:00.003-04:00

ABC's of Me

I saw this on another friends blog and thought I would do it here. If you are reading this post and have a blog, I hope you will add this to yours.

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: Childhood Best Friend: Courtnae and Crystal Adult: Nina
C- Cake or Pie: Cheese Cake
D- Day of Choice: Saturday - when we get to play
E- Essential Item (s): Car and Cellphone (Sad isn't it?)
F- Flavor of ice cream: Chocolate Mint
G- Gummy Bears or Worms: Bears
H- Hometown: Rocky Mount, NC til 13, Rockingham, NC after that
I- Indulgence(s): The horses and other sports
J- January or July: July, when else
K- Kids: 2: Brittney - 13 and Austin - 10
L- Last movie seen in theaters/DVD: Theaters-NIght at the Museum (I think)
M- Marriage Date: May 2, 1992
N- Number of Siblings: One brother
O- Oranges or Apples: Apples
P- Phobias or Fears: Something bad happening to my husband or kids/being in small crowded places.
Q- Quote(s):I don't really have one, but I do like the one that Lisa posted: " To the world you may be somebody, but to somebody you may be the world."
R- Reason To Smile: I have a wounderful family, great friends, a roof over my head, we both have jobs and a great church - what more could we need.
S- Season: Spring/Summer
T- Tag others: Jenny, Lisa W. and anyone else that enjoys this
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I recently found out that I have Fibrocystic Ovarian Syndrome, which helps to explain numerous things that have been going on over the past few years.
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I just like food!
W- Worst Habit: Showing up somewhere right on time or late. (But I am working on it!)
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: I've had both and they don't bother me.
Y- Your Favorite Food: Chocolate!!
Z- Zodiac: Gemini

Pop came for a visit

2008-04-12T09:48:00.002-04:00

Pop (my daddy) came to visit this past Tuesday. It has been a while since he has been able to come to Morganton and the kids and I couldn't wait. We had a loaded afternoon for him that started with Britt's track meet. We somehow were pulled into helping with the entire portion of the Shot Put competition. Look at Britt's new form. Doesn't she look like a pro? She hurt her back really bad in Gatlinburg and we have just now gotten her back to normal, so practiceis out of the question. She placed 6th out of 12, so for no practice this week we think she did extremely well.

Here is Pop marking the spots of everyone in the competition. I think he enjoyed that he was included.

Of course, we know that Austin and Devan must get into the act too. They had to show how they could throw before we left. Good job guys!!

I wasn't able to get more pictures of the day, but we really enjoyed the visit. After the track meet Pop took Austin to baseball practice where he was able to see him play ball. Then we all went to New China for Chinese buffet dinner. We all missed Jeff (he was in Knoxville). Hopefully we can do this again soon.

Baby Naming

2008-04-12T09:37:00.003-04:00

Jeff and I attended the Baby naming for Greyson this past weekend. It was really neat to go through the ceremony in the Temple. We really enjoyed being part of the ritual.

Here is the proud father, Kenny cutting bread for the lunch after the ceremony.
Brooke and Janet (her mom) with baby all tuckered out.

Aren't Lily and Allie cute. Allie had to do her special pose.
Jeff with the proud mom and grandma.
Kenny's and Brooke's mom surround the happy mom and sleeping baby.
Jeff is posing with Ms. "Z" after the ceremony. She helped us out a lot with learning how the service worked. It was great to meet her.

Horsin' Around!!!

2008-04-12T09:36:00.000-04:00

Britt and Lily have such beautiful teeth that they couldn't resist showing them off at the barn the other day. It is kinda funny to see that the teeth they got out of the machine match their horses teeth!!

First Track Meet

2008-04-12T09:07:00.001-04:00

Britt has decided to do something this year that she has always hated, running!! She is very determined and is getting better by the day. She has decided that she is definitely not a sprinter, but does like running long distances. She did not run in the first meet, but did the Shot Put in the field events. I believe that this will be one of her best events. She is going to choose which running event/s she would like to participate in over the next few weeks, so I will keep you posted.

Brittney is on the Track Team!!

2008-04-12T09:02:00.003-04:00

The track team is such a great way to stay in shape, but also a great way to socialize. Britt and a lot of buddies are on the team. I couldn't resist showing these pictures of the girls (Olivia, Lily, Emma, MC, and Britt) off to everyone. The girls love being able to see their friends from other schools as well, ie Karen in the middle!

Way to go Heels!!

2008-03-30T22:00:00.001-04:00

The Tarheels have had a great season, and it's not over yet. They are on the way to SanAntonio. Go get 'em boys!! Thought I would share a few pics from las night at Dina and Byron's.

Gatlinburg Vacation

2008-03-30T21:39:00.000-04:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Working with Dad

2008-03-30T19:09:00.003-04:00

Austin and Jeff went up the mountain last week over Spring Break to do some work. When they got back I found these pictures. Looks like they were having more fun than working!!! :-)

Last Easter Post, Promise!!

2008-03-23T19:47:00.002-04:00

I love Easter. It is so nice to have our family all together, get dressed up in our new spring clothes and go to church. I especially love going to eat lunch at the club. It has become a tradition to do that for lunch and it is so nice and relaxing to spend that time enjoying each other. I wanted to show you one final picture of our day. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.