If You Don't Believe......

I am sitting here tonight and thinking about my life and one phrase keeps running through my mind....... Do you believe? See, I have realized that people will only exert energy or spend time on things they believe in, when they have a choice. So, I thought I would list a few things I believe in;

1. I believe I am blessed. All I have to do is look to my left as I write this and that is evident. I love you Kristin. I get to enjoy my little girl every day (it is never enough time but I would not trade it for the world). I am thankfull for all of my family and if I don't tell you very often know I love you all.

2. I believe my brother and sisters know I love them and they love me even if we don't get to be together very often

3. I believe you sould not make excuses in life. Who you are and what you are your responsiblility. It is no one elses fault if you don't like what you have or who you are... Every Day is a new day. You may not like the limitations or obstacles in your life that you did not put there, but only you can choose what you do with them.

4. I believe God has a plan for me and I hope I am strong enough to do what he wants me to do.

5. I believe that wether you like the election results or not, tomorrow we will wake up in the greatest country in the world, so be thankful!

6. I believe Amen and Sorry are two of the most powerful words in the English language.

7. I believe the best job in the world is being someones Dad.

8. I believe Jesus died for me and He changed my life on May 22, 1988. If you don't believe or understand that, ask me some time and I will explain it to you.

Long Time No Blog....

Ok, Ok, I know it has been forever, and I also know I need a new picture for my page. I have not forgotten this blog, I simply have let other things get in the way of time to post here. And my wife has done a great job of keeping everyone informed. Anyway, I had a good weekend and I thought I would blog about it......

Kyndal and I left here Friday afternoon to go to Kingston and see Nana and Papa Kennedy. Mom was nice enough to let me use her ticket to the UT - UAB game. We made it in time Friday to see Chris play for the Roane County High School team. I have been out of high school so long it seemed strange to be there. It was fun to see some high school football. Although I wish they would throw the ball every once in a while. Even Pee Wee's throw the ball sometimes..... Kyndal was great, she sat in our laps and actually seemed to have a good time. When we got home she went to bed easily and slept all night. I was concerned about her being away from home without mommy but she did great.

The next morning she woke up and we went to breakfast with nana and papa. Then they drove me to the game and dropped me off. It was fun to be there by myself for a while and walk around to take in the tailgating and the smells of all the food. Finally, game time. I got to spend the afternoon with my great aunt Doris watching the Vols, it was a lot of fun. The first half was rather boring and it was very hot, but the second half was better. The important thing was we won. Kyndal did great without me and everyone was nice enough to come back and pick me up. Thanks Mom and John for taking the time to do that..... The last leg of the trip was to drive back home. I was worried Kyndal would be restless, but she actually slept all the way home. Everything went great! Now back to work for the week.

THEN vacation Whoo Hoo! We have not had a vacation in about 2 and a half years, so we are really looking forward to an entire week together. We decided last night to go to Charleston for the week. We are going to spend a few days in Folly Beach and explore Charleston and Savannah. I will just be glad to spend some time with my girls. I can not wait, stay tooned!

One House Family Again....

It has been a loooooong time since I had some time to post here. We have been very busy. We have been in our new house now for several weeks and have been trying to sell our other house in the interim. There were days when we felt like it was never going to sell. Thankful our realtor and friend Virginia was a voice of reason assuring us that it would sell. She was right...... we closed on the sale of our other house today and it is a great feeling to know we are back to one mortgage and one house to take care of.

We have learned a lot during this process. First, we are very blessed. So much is said about how bad the real estate market is right now and we worried that it may be months before our house sold. God has really taken care of us. We stepped out in faith and made this move that normally would have been against every logical plan we could have had. But we both felt like it was time to move and that God would take care of us. I will admit there were nights that I wondered if we were doing the right thing but all has worked out to this point and we have no reason to believe that will not continue.

Second, children are very resilient. One of the things that we worried about was Kyndal being able to adapt to the new house and how she would handle the move. She has done great. She loves the new house and her new room. I think she has adjusted better than we have. Our favorite part of the new house is early in the morning we can hear the pitter-patter of her little feet crossing the hard wood floor on the way to our bedroom. She comes into the bedroom each morning calling for mommy and daddy it is so cute!

Three, moving is stressfull. but it has been worth it.

To all of you who have been concerned and prayed for us. Thank You! We love you all very much.

I know..... I am a bad blogger.

Ok, I know it has been a LONG time in the blogger world since I have posted something. It has been a very busy month of April. We managed to find and make an offer on a new house, and agree to terms with the seller. In fact, we close on our new house tomorrow. It feels really strange to be leaving this home, but we know it is the best thing for our family and we get more excited each day. Here is a picture


Now if we can just find a buyer for our house it will be great to not have to worry about selling this house anymore. So, if anyone would pray for us (me, Kristin handles all of this better than I do) We would appreciate it!

It has been pretty busy at work as well. I have finally been able to find a new person to fill my open position and I am hopeful that he will work out well. It has been stressful to try to keep up with all of the work while short staffed but I have learned a lot! I always feel like I am struggling to do a good job but I know that is more my perception than reality.

It has been nice this month to have a little fun, we went to the air show here in Smyrna and saw the Blue Angels. That was really fun.


We were also able to spend time with our family and see Uncle Mike (Uncle Gyke! as Kyndal would say), Aunt Dee, and Cousin Bo. Baby Kyndal says Hi! Most of the time we feel really removed from our family but it was great to see them. It is also really cool that we have a web cam and a skype account now so we can see Gradma and Grandpa Aune and Katherine! If anyone else wants to video call us, feel free!

We are looking forward to what the rest of the year will bring. We will be happy when the weather turns warmer for good.

I hope this finds everyone well! We love you all.

--Bret

Easter and Flying

We had a very fun Easter weekend. We went to Texas to visit Grandma and Grandpa Aune and aunt Katherine. Kyndal took her first airplane rides and she did great! We were nervous about putting her on a plane for the first time, not quite sure what she would think or how her ears would be. She really seemed to enjoy the "Airpane!" She was definitely the star of the flights. Everyone smiled and asked how old she was and commented how good she was. We were lucky enough to be in the first row of coach on both flights so we had a little extra room in front of us for Kyndal to move around and we did not have worry about her kicking the seat in front of us. She is such a good little girl, we could not ask for any better.

I also got a treat while we were there. Dad, Katherine and I took a flight in a B-24 liberator. This is the only B-24 still operational. We got to sit where the rear gunners would have sat during WWII and once in the air we got to move all through the plane and see where the tail gunner, navigation officer, and pilots flew. We also got to see a P-51 up close as it flew by our side during the 30 minute flight. Before we knew it the flight was over and we were back on the ground but it was amazing!





We also got to see Aunt Linda, Jim, Kristen, Zack, Rachel, Paul and Justin. Kyndal and Justin were so cute together. We had a great time!




And finally here is one of Kyndal just for good measure.



I hope everyone is well. We love you all!

--Bret

Ever Feel Like You are being Tested?

I hope this finds everyone well. It has been a very interesting week. We knew that it was going to be stressful and busy since Kristin had several sessions last weekend and she has been working the consignment sale all week. It has been quite a change to our daily routine. On the positive side, it has been some great daddy daughter time. I feel closer to Kyndal than ever. I think it has helped me pay more attention to her and she seems to be changing every day.

So, Monday night we were talking about how bad our cat shadow looked and that she was not even able to get around on her own. We started to realize that she was not going to make it much longer. Little did we know that would be last day. Early Tuesday morning I found her. At least now she is not suffering anymore. We tried to tell Kyndal her kitty went bye bye tonight but I guess it is good that she is not old enough to really understand.

Finally, just to top off my week, one of my guys resigned today. So, just as I get my team back to full strength and things are getting smoother, I have to go back through the process of finding another person. It may not be all that bad, it may actually be a good thing for everyone in the long run but I always feel a lot of pressure to find the right person.

I feel like God is testing me/us but I know that it is only to make us stronger! All things happen for a reason.

--Bret

What kid does not like snow?

We actually got some snow last night. About two inches, I think. So, mommy had a maternity session this morning and I thought I would take Kyndal out to play in the snow. We went out in the front yard and I put her down in the snow. She stood there for a moment, not knowing what to think. Then she tried to take one step. She did not know what to think. She lost her balance and put both hands down to balance herself. I tried to take pictures but ....... as soon as her hands got wet she EXPLODED! She does not like the snow.

Out new Super Target opened this week so I took Kyndal and browsed a while. She was find as long as she did not think I was going to put her down in the snow. BTW, is it just me or does it make anyone else mad when 47 different people ask if they can help you when you are in a store? I understand that they are trained to do that... but give me a break. I got so tired of saying "no thanks I am just looking."

Here is a picture of me and Kyndal that mommy took this morning.

--Bret

March Already??

Well, sorry it has been so long since I posted some new thoughts. If you have read Kristin and Kyndal's blogs you know we went to the zoo yesterday. That got me thinking.... I can not wait for spring. Having some 70 degree weather was great, even if it was for just a day. It is supposed to snow tomorrow night. I look forward to taking Kyndal to the park and to the sounds games again.

The nice weather, also got me thinking about how we need a vacation. I know that most of you that read these can sympathize. We have been thinking about places to go for a few days this year, but we have not made any decisions.

We are going to Texas over Easter weekend and we are looking forward to it. One of the reasons we are going is so I can fly in a B-17 bomber (I think that is the right one??). Here is a picture of one.

I am excited and nervous at the same time.

As a final note, I want to say that I love you all. It has been one of the more frustrating days that I have had in a long time, but I came home and I see my wife and daughter, I think about my family, our extended family and all of the people that are a blessing in our lives and it helps to put everything in perspective.

I hope this finds everyone well and please know that you are all in our thoughts and prayers.

--Bret

Thankful

I want to take a moment and thank everyone for the comments and encouragement. I have to say today was a good day. We were able accomplish a lot today around the house and spend some time with Kyndal. We also went to the hospital to see friends who just had a baby on Thursday. I think we had forgotten how small Kyndal was....... and no Mom it was not a sign to have another child.

I was also able to go to a singing with my Grandfather tonight. I really enjoyed it. I don't get enogh time to spend with him and it was great to just sit beside him tonight and enjoy myself. My grandparents have meant a lot to me and I hope they know how much I love them. For that matter all of my family means a lot to me and I hope they (you) all know how much I love you.

--Bret

Not to complain but... what next?

Kristin and I were talking tonight about all of the things that have happened in our family this year. It seems like every week it is something. In just six weeks we have had;

• Two visits to the ER with Kyndal. Neither was a major issue but it is never easy regardless.
• A terrible stomach flu for all of us that lasted almost a week
• John's Mom has been in and out of the hospital
• My grandmother has several issues including broken vertabra and a cancer diagnosis
• A minor wreck in the truck (dealing with insurance.... agh!)
• A speeding ticket
• And today A flat tire
  

Now, don't get me wrong, we know that we are truly blessed. It just seems that lately, there seems to be something every week.

Sorry, just had to vent a little. I hope everyone is doing well.





So, I thought I would share this picture, because it is still one of my favorites and makes me smile.

Bret

Prayer Requests and Random Thoughts 2

Ok, so my wife doesn't want me to be "one of those" that means, your blog is only as good as the new content. So, I have a few thoughts and prayer requests.

First, please pray for our family. There are several people that have not been feeling well for some time. Please pray for them and that they would feel beter very soon. We love them all very much! It has been a crazy start to 2008 for all of us and I hope that things will slow down and get back to normal soon.

Second, please pray for Kristin and her business. It is growing quickly and we may have to make some decisions soon about new/additional space. We have been blessed that things have progressed at a steady pace. If we are lucky enough things will continue to progress.

Now for some random thoughts......

Why has no one told us about IKEA before. We visited this store for the first time in Atlanta last weekend. IT was awesome. Who knoew you could get breakfast and everything you could ever think of for your house in one place.

How can it already be the middle of February? This has been the fastest year! Just reminds us that we should appreciate our family and all that we have every day.

Finally, I know we have been busy and have not had much time to spend with family and those that we care about but we will try to do that more in the near future.

I love you all!

Bret

Random Thoughts

It has been a few days since I have had a chance to post a new blog. I don't know that I have one topic today, more like a series of random thoughts.

First, it has been a crazy start to the new year..... 2 visits to the ER with Kyndal and the stomach flu for all of us. I hope things are calm for a while.

Second, it seems I am busier than I have been in a long time. The days go by so fast and before we know it the weeks are gone, and it is already the middle of January! Kyndal is getting up about the time I go to work and she is usually asleep when I can come home for lunch so, that only leaves a few hours at night to spend with her. I try to get out of work at 5:00 but that never seems to happen, so I have even less time. We are trying to make time for me to spend some time with her by myself on the weekends and at least one night a week. I miss my girls so much, but Kristin is so good with Kyndal and takes such good care of her. It is great that she can be home with her.

As I mentioned work has been crazy and I am trying to juggle more than ever. So, I have not had much time to talk to family either. We hope that as year goes on, things will settle down and we will have time to spend more time with family.

I love you all!

--Bret

Out with the old in with the new.

What a Week.....

It has been a crazy week. Monday we bought a new car. If any of you know much about us, we do not spend money easily, so that was quite an investment for us. We have talked about replacing the Infinity for a year but we have held off until now.



We have loved having a new car. So, then we put our car on Craig's List Wednesday morning and we had several people call or e-mail about it. We had one couple come by and I thought they were going to buy it, but they didn't. SO, we reposted it and had someone e-mail and come by to see it tonight... and they bought it! Our trusty car for over seven years is gone.

Other than the car, it was a long week even though it was a holiday week. I worked every day but New Years Day and it felt like forever. Tomorrow is our first day at church without our pastor. He is moving to Buford SC.

I hope this finds everyone well. We miss and love you all! I hope you have a great 2008.

--Bret

New Year, New Blog

Happy New Year,

I thought I would get in on the family hobby..... since my wife and daughter both have blogs... I thought I would give it a try.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

2007 was a great year and full of changes for our family. Kyndal has grown so much... from 4 months to 16 months, what a change. She is growing so fast. I can not believe it. Being a Dad is great! Why didn't someone let me in on the secret earlier? Of course, I say that because Kristin does most of the work, so my part is easy. We were able to pay off both of our cars and our house last year! It was a great year for Kristin's business as well. She was able to exceed all of her goals for the year. I am so proud of her. It was a good year for me as well. I was promoted to Manager of Merchandising and Marketing IT systems. I never thought I would be a manager. It is more challenging that I ever thought it would be, but I am doing the best I can and for the most part I am enjoying it.

I hope 2008 finds you all well and I wish all of you a great new year. I am excited to see what God has in store for this year. I hope that we can spend more time with all of our family. We love you all very much!