To God Be the Glory!

There are so many milestones to celebrate in life.....weddings, births, birthdays, but one of the greatest of those moments for a Christ following parent is when your child accepts Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior. The summer of last year, Molly accepted Jesus into her heart and was baptized at Germantown Baptist Church in Germantown, Tennessee this past spring. What a glorious day as the angels were singing in heaven!! Thanks to Pastor Steve for being an instrumental part of this special day! To God Be the Glory!!

Nine Weeks and Counting

Boy, what a road!! After almost 12 years of medical school, residency and fellowships, this LONG road is about to take a turn! As I sit and write this, I have to admit, I am writing with cautious excitement. Simply put, it is hard to believe. It is hard to believe that we have been married for 13 of those years, had 3 precious children, walked down roads of hope, disappointments, excitements, and some pretty eventful times. We have made friendships that will last a lifetime. We have found faith that will last beyond. We have laughed, rejoiced, cried, and yes, sometimes screamed! But in each and every moment, we have been surrounded by love, kindness, and prayers. If I took time to sit down and write about every single person God has placed in our lives, and how that person completely changed us for the better, I would be writing for years! From the very beginning to the completion of this "training" road, I just can't express how God's provision has been upon us.

But I guess the one experience that "grew" us the most was moving to Memphis. When the decision was made for the Groves to move to Memphis, it was exciting at first. A new adventure, a new place to be, a new experience. But as the moving date drew closer, it was met with a lot of anxieties. Moving from family, friends, our church. All the things that helped to sustain us, we were leaving. I knew this was all part of God's plan for us, but it sure felt like we were being dropped in the middle of some strange town, with none of our "comforts" of home. I can remember a few months after the "newness" had worn off, I just sat in a hot bath, doors closed, everyone asleep, and cried.

Soon after that, I realized I had a choice. I could choose to bury myself in my loneliness, or I could choose to embrace where God had planted me. I choose to embrace it!! It was at that moment, God picked me up and showed me the way. It wasn't about how far God had brought me from home, but how much I was going to take away from this experience.

Memphis has been home to us. After three years, we have made friendships to last a lifetime. Our kids have grown up so much here. We have put down roots here, roots that will always run deep. We have been through many "growing" experiences in Memphis. God has been with us through some pretty dark times, but has brought us into the light of His unending faithfulness every time! When the time comes to say good bye to the good ol' Bluff City, it will be a goodbye filled with tears! We love Memphis and the Memphians that are a part of our "family" now and forever!

My Top Ten Favorite Things About Memphis

1. BAR B QUE!!!!!!!

2. Elvis, who can't love Elvis??

3. Memphis Zoo

4. Blues

5. Gorgeous sunsets over the Mississippi River

6. The fact that in less than 10 minutes, I can go to 3 states.

7. One or two good snows a year.

8. Memphis in May

9. Peabody Ducks

and most importantly

10. some of the greatest friends and "family" in the world!

White as Snow!

Just when we thought we had seen the last of our Memphis snow days, we had a late winter snow! And what a snow we have had!! As I write, we already have about 4 inches and it is STILL snowing!!

The kids have had so much fun playing outside in the snow! From making a snowman to having snow ball fights (with mom being the target!), they have really enjoyed the cold white stuff!

As I look outside this morning at our gorgeous winter wonderland, the snow is so white it is blinding! I literally had to put my sunglasses on to be able to see. Bright, bright snow. God tells us in Isaiah that "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow", Isaiah 1:18. As I look outside at this beautiful, white, clean snow, I am ever more thankful that is how my Jesus sees me. My scarlet sins have been forgiven, and I am washed white as snow! That is GRACE!!

Of course, by the end of the week, the temperatures here in Memphis will be in the lower 70"s!!! Gotta love the mid-south weather!!!!! BRING ON SPRING ALREADY!!!!!!

Improvised snow sledding!!!

Tennis Balls and Good Friends!

Our sweet friends Matt and Allyson were gracious enough to invite us, along with our other precious friends, Paul and Kelli, to the CellularSouth Cup.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  All I knew was that the 3 amigos (aka Pam, Kelli and Allyson) were going to have to be quite while sitting together.  That, I knew, was going to be near to impossible!!!! But thanks to text messaging, we were able to bear it!!  Plus, we did have Andy Roddick to stare at!!

This was the first professional tennis match I have ever been to.  It was really amazing.  We were sitting pretty close to the court, so our eyes had to be fixed on that court, looking out for some pretty fast flying tennis balls (Andy Roddick's were up to 135 mph)!  Good thing we were accompanied by a plastic surgeon, eye doctor, and an attorney!!  I think we could have covered all of our bases!!

Not only were we witness to an outstanding tennis match with some of the world's leading tennis players, we were also blessed to witness a miracle!  After about 30 minutes of play, one of the spectators stood and yelled "stop play, we have an emergency".  Only about 3 rows behind us, a man had a heart attack!  So, immediately, everyone who was able, responded.  God has an amazing way of orchestrating all things!  Sitting within a few rows of this man was an internist, a surgeon (my sweet), a cardiologist, and 2 ER nurses!!  If he was going to have a medical emergency, he was certainly in the right place!  After several minutes of CPR and a few shocks, this man, who was blue with no pulse, came back to life.  After a moment of prayer requested by the RaquetClub, we were notified that he was in ICU and appeared to be doing much better.  Praise the Lord!!!  How precious life is!

What a wonderful night of great friends and great tennis, and of course, a miracle!!!!

The Repolles Come to Memphis!

Me and Michelle at Graceland

Michelle (and her twin sister Dawn) and I have been friends for 30 years!!!!  We started our first day of kindergarten together and eventually graduated college together.  We have shared so much of our lives!!!  From sleepovers to birthday parties and all sorts of milestones in between!  What a privilege it is to have those in your life like Dawn and Michelle!

After graduating from college in 96', Michelle felt God's calling to join the ministry of Campus Outreach.  She then moved to Brazil where she ministers to college students on a campus there.  Just over a year ago, she became Mrs. Anselmo Repolles!  

We were so excited to have Michelle and Anselmo come visit us in Memphis while they have been here in the States.   It was great to see Michelle again after several years and to meet Anselmo for the first time!  The kids thought it was so cool!!!  Of course, the Brazilian candy really helped to win them over!!!!

Anselmo and Michelle even took time out of their schedules in Memphis to speak to Molly and Mary Kate's classes at FACS!  The kids were thrilled to be able to share their "new friends".  Anselmo taught the kids all about Brazil and shared with them what it meant to be a missionary there.  He shared with them about being the "feet" of Jesus.  

Anselmo, James, Mary Kate and Michelle

Anselmo, Molly and Michelle

Getting Back In the Groove!

So, I have been quite absent from the blog world lately.  It seems as though life sometimes just gets so crazy and so busy and so out of control!  And that has been where I have been!!  CRAZY TOWN!  But after feeling pretty guilty after looking at other friends' blogs (you know who you are....Allison!!), I am feeling pretty inspired again.  So, hopefully, I will be a little better about keeping up to date with all the happenings with the GROOVIN GROVES!!!!  See you soon!!!!

Old friends and good times!

A friend once said "A true friendship is when friends are separated by time and distance, but when you reunite, it is as if there was no time or distance." I have been so very blessed to have great friends, old and new. And I am convinced that the new friends will become the old friends as well! But this past summer, some of my "old" friends came to Memphis for a visit. Even though the "passe", as Josh refers to us, as a whole wasn't here (there are 5 of us), Cori and Diedra did get to come! As soon as I picked them up from the airport, the laughs began and didn't let up until the trip back to the airport! We laughed about times past and present!! Old boyfriends, bad hairstyles, high school happenings and more!! But the awesome thing about this group of friends is that even though we have shared many tears of laughter, we have also shared many tears of joy and sadness. We have been through it all together. We have stood the test of time!! How blessed I am to have such precious women in my life!! We missed you Wendy and Heather!!!

Back to School!

Well, the summer was over and August had finally approached way to quickly. The kids were so excited to start school. Meeting new friends, seeing old friends, field trips and pep rally's were just some of the fun awaiting them!

We have been so blessed at our school home in Memphis. FACS (First Assembly Christian School) has been a great place to be! The kids have loved their teachers this year!! Once again, we have been grateful to have Godly teachers who love our kids.

Molly began 2nd grade this year and loves English. Mary Kate is in Sr. Kindergarden and her favorite subject is reading, and socializing of course!! James is still in the same MDO program and loves Mrs. Carol and Mrs. Monica!

Summertime, Summertime!

I can't believe that August is here and school is about to start! Where has the summer gone? We have had a very busy June and July and wanted to let you know what we have been up to. Here is a BRIEF overview!

The summer started with Molly going to C3Camp. This is a wonderful day camp that was held at our church. It is sponsored and presented by Camp Winshape, which is a part of Berry College. Needless to say, Josh and I were thrilled that Molly was able to get a taste of the Berry experience (our alma mater)! Molly had so much fun with soccer, gymnastics, and painting! It was an amazing time of growth for her, hiding God's word in her heart and applying that to her everyday interests! I highly recommend this camp if ever you have the chance!

And then on June 28th, our little girl turned 8! We were supposed to celebrate at the Sprinkler Park, but the threat of rain moved us to an alternate location.......the ever tride, the ever true.....Chuck E. Cheese!! Yes, this is the 4th or 5th party we have had there. We should buy stock!!!! But the kids always have the most fun! It was a great day celebrating our sweet Molly! How can it be that she is 8? It seems like yesterday my little girl was celebrating her 1st birthday with ladybugs! This time, the more Hannah Montana she got, the better! And she has even begun to roll her eyes at me on my "very lame" attempts to make her laugh!!

In July, Josh and I were blessed to have a little "break". My parents were gracious enough to keep the kids while we took a "mini vacation" to Chicago. Josh was there for a course and I decided to tag along. We always love visiting Chicago and this time was no exception. It was great to enjoy dinner together without having to break up fights at the table!

Then back to Georgia for a visit. Me and the kids spent more time there with my family, visiting my parents, my sister and her family, and my precious Grandma Fannie. It is nice to come home and enjoy the familiarity of it. There is something about sitting in my parents living room watching Andy Griffith with my daddy that makes all other things seem trivial! We were even able to see the Morgans on a little mini trip south! The Groves and the Morgan had way too much fun!! (And the kids had fun too!!) We are so thankful to be blessed with wonderful friends and family!

I hope you all had a wonderful summer as well and that fall is a smooth transition for each of you! I love this time of year. Yet another time of renewal. Not to mention getting back on schedule!! Be blessed!!

Sunsets and Symphonies

One of our favorite events of Memphis in May is the Sunset Symphony. For the last two years, we have packed our picnic supper and headed to the Mississippi to watch the sun disappear through beautiful rays of pink, yellow and purple while listening to the Memphis Symphony.

Watching the sun set over the Mighty Mississippi is really a beautiful sight. Looking at the setting sun reminds me of God's glory. Beautiful, bright, majestic, powerful. There have been times in our lives when I have felt like I was just past dusk. Without the light in my life, I couldn't see what was ahead. But just as the sun always rises in the morning and brings light to all the darkness, so Jesus always rises to meet me at dawn! Just when the darkness and uncertainty seems to have blanketed our lives, God rises with full splendor to reveal all He wants to show us. God is faithful to meet us when we need his dawning power!

End of the Year.....Hooray!!

Well, it has been a while since I last posted, but for due reason!! The end of the school year always brings busy days (and nights). The month of May started off with Molly's Spring Musical. It was so wonderful and she sang beautifully......of course, I am a little partial. They even ended the Musical with "It's Summertime" from High School Musical. She was just sooo cool!!! Reflecting back on her year at FACS, we have been so very blessed! God placed her with amazing teachers and it is such a loving environment. There was no doubt when I dropped her off in the mornings that we were where we should be. She has met so many sweet friends and has really done well academically....(once again, I am a little partial).

Mary Kate ended the school year with her Jr.K Graduation. I wasn't really prepared for this precious little program. I sort of thought they would sing a song or two and be done and then we could call it a day. Boy was I wrong! Once again, God placed MK with unbelievable teachers!! These sweet teachers prepared a program that had every parent in the room leaving with puffy, tear stained eyes! My sweet, energetic, entertaining MK had transformed from a preschooler to a "big" kid!! It just seems like it happened in the blink of an eye! Her favorite subject in class is French. Yes, I said French. She sings songs and counts to 20 in French and all I can do is say "great" and assume she is right!!

And then poor little James is just hauled around to every event like a little rag doll!! He normally started the events off on a pretty good note, but by the end, is "brought" out for a little heart to heart. He has many years ahead filled with musicals, programs, dance recitals, and gymnastics competitions!!

SCHOOL'S OUT!! HAPPY SUMMER!!

OUR BALLERINA

Well, it was year two of the ballet recitals! Mary Kate just loves being a ballerina. Our "miss priss" can't wait to put on her ballet and tap shoes and be the center of attention! The day started off with a little role reversal. James really wanted to wear the pink tutu, but daddy quickly took it off of him. (And I wasn't even allowed a picture of it!!) But then the hair was up, the makeup on, and the tutu in place for the big event!! We sat (and I use the term loosely) through 29 numbers. Can you multiply that times 13 more years??? Now I know exactly how my parents felt!! But it was all worth it for her 15 minutes of fame!

RIBS, PULLED PORK, AND GOOD FRIENDS!!

One of the things we love most about Memphis is, of course, the bar-b-que!! And the weekend to enjoy it was this this past weekend at the Memphis in May Bar-B-Que Fest!! We have been lucky enough to get invited to one of the tents by our good friends Jeff and Carmen. The ribs, pulled pork and baked beans were flowing freely!! And they were delicious! GOOD FOOD, GOOD FRIENDS, AND GOOD TIMES!! Come join us next year!!!!!

Home Sweet Home!

We just got back from a week in the good ol' peach state. Even though we have really loved our time here in Memphis, there is no other place in the world that screams home like grandparents, humidity, pine trees, and of course, mama's Sunday roast!!

We started the week off in Thomasville with Paca Rick and Grammy Suzie. We had a great time playing at the park, visiting and playing with Georgia and Sugar (the dogs). We even got to visit with Mrs. Louise and Mr. Jim (Duke).

We then headed north (slightly) to Albany to visit with our friends the Morgans. The kids had so much fun catching up with their friends! (And mom and dad had a great time too!!)

And then north again to Milan to visit with my family. The girls (all 7 of us) had a mother/daughter luncheon at Antioch. It was a lot of fun to see so many of my "extended family" that I had not seen in a while. And my precious grandmother, Grandma Fannie, was even able to be there. The next day, Mother's Day, we were able to go to church with my family. And then, what better way to top off the trip, but with my mama's Sunday roast. Pure heaven!!

After a slightly stressful flight, (3 kids on a plane with no nap), we arrived back in Memphis in one piece. These trips tend to be an awful lot of work, but certainly worth the effort. There is nothing like a trip home to help you put all of life into perspective!! There is really "no place like home"!

Sweet Baby James, Baby No More!

Three years ago tonight, Josh and I were looking over our sweet baby James in amazment, once again, that we had created such a precious little human being. Now, as I am typing this, he is sitting on the floor with his daddy and sisters crashing cars into each other! My, how time flies!! We celebrated James' birthday on Saturday with a party at the park! After lots of rain the night before, it turned out to be a beautiful day! James had a blast playing with his friends and eating cake and ice cream. Ohhhh, the sugar high he was on!!

Happy 3rd Birthday James!!

\

CATEPILLARS!!!!

Well, the catepillars are back. We never noticed this in Georgia, but this time of year, we are invaded by hundreds of the little fuzzy creatures. The kids have been waiting for their arrival with hesitant anticipation. They love them, but normally at a distance. However, this year, by some miracle (if you know my children) they decided to catch them all and save as "pets". So, here we go, gathering up multiples of the nasty little creatures (I am not a fan of any insect in multiples with lots of legs!!!). We have decided to TRY and keep them alive until they build a cocoon and become butterflies. Not sure how well that will go, but at least we can try!!

It reminds me of how we are born into this world.....as creepy little nasty things. Then, by God's grace, we are transformed through metamorphisis into God's image. It seems so complicated for a mere worm to become a butterfly. But the great thing about being a child of God is that it is not complicated at all. We give our lives to Him, accept Him and serve Him. It is just that easy!! And then, we become a beautiful butterfly, glorifying God with our colors!!

A Thank You

There are so many days where I think "Where is my salary??" The jobs a mom performs are countless. By days end, I am thinking to myself how in the world am I going to last even 30 more minutes. And then something happens that makes every exhausting moment worth it all. That moment happened today.

After the morning hussle of getting everyone ready for school, the hustle and bustle had finally slowed down a bit. Mary Kate and James were looking for trouble and Molly was quietly coloring at the table as they waited for carpool. A few minutes later, Molly came to me with a "thank you" note she had been working on. It reads as follows:

Your the best mom,

we thank you for what you have dune for me, Mary Kate, and James, and of corse daddy,

we love you so much and everone elce.

thank you

I am sereus.

THANK YOU

For all you moms out there, they do notice what we do!! How precious it is to be reminded of that!!

Daddy's Little Helper

Well, the sun finally came out and we had a beautiful weekend! So outside we went. I snapped this picture of the two men in my life. I looked up and saw that Josh's shadow was hard at work as well! James had a great time "mowing" the lawn with daddy. And then we woke up this morning to freezing temperatures and a forecast of possible snow tonight!! Happy Spring!

BGSOUND SRC="bring the rain.xml"

April Showers

With springtime, came rain! We have had lots of rain here in Memphis over the last month. It seems as if everything is water logged. We rode downtown this past weekend just to take a look at the Mississippi River. As some of you may know, the river is not that wide through the city. But as flood waters have risen, the river has decided to take on its name of "Mighty Mississippi"! But eventually, the waters will recede and the grass will become green once again. This reminds me of the seasons of our lives. Over our "little journey" through Josh's training, med school, residency, fellowship, another fellowship, all the while raising 3 kids, it seems as if our flood waters have risen and receded more times than I care to count. But I am reminded that this is just a season. Eventually, the grass will become green again, and we will be all the more thankful for the sunshine!! I wish I had time to list all of the blessings that have come out of our difficult times. From moving to Memphis and gaining wonderful lifetime friendships, to wondering how the bills will get paid and seeing God's faithfulness to provide! Just as the April showers lead to May flowers, so our trials lead to blessings.

"You are sunrise,

You are blue skies.

How would I know the morning

If I knew not midnight."

Nicole Nordeman

God is always good!!