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2009

It's a new year and maybe I will use this blog.....maybe.  The year 2008 went by fast with many changes and challenges such as....Zach transitioning into financial advising to have the markets crash and leaving with no income. I was working extra at the hospital where usually we have so many babies we need extra help and now full time people are taking days off because we are over staffed. God is faithful though! We are still making and have actually grown closer because I am home more. Back before christmas Zach was really sick (and had been off and on for a while) and no one could seem to figure out was wrong. His spleen was enlarged, his white count was off, his liver enzymes were elevated and we started leaning in the direction of lymphoma. We went  to the Mitchelle cancer institute and even those doctors felt sure we were looking at lymphoma and began the process of trying to find a lymph node to biopsy. However, after running more blood test and ct scans everything came back normal and they decide it must have been a virus (or answered prayers, thanks to all who prayed for us). We welcomed our niece also the first grandbaby in the family on Zach's 30th birthday, Ryland Cole Kelly. Zach is still hunting for a job and we are cutting out alot of things. I am excited to see what this year brings as we grow closer together, oh yeah we bought a house Aug. 8. 2008, 3 bed 2 bath! It's our new little (big) project.

Feelings of Guilt and Regret

I sit to write this my heart is heavy and my eyes are filled with tears. I found out today that a dear friend of mine, a woman of God that I looked to as a mentor and an ispiration passed away from cancer two days ago. I will go to her wake tonight and the funeral tomorrow. My heart is not heavy because she has died, but because of guilt for never telling her how much she ment to me and how much of an ispiration she is to me. I haven't seen or spoken to her in sevreal months. She was diagnosied with cancer in her knee only a couple of years ago. After batteling that cancer for sevral months she lost her leg. She was happy, vibrant, free of that pain and on track to recovery. Even though I knew loosing her leg was a tough time for her, she stayed strong. Not long ago I heard the cancer had come back and was in her lungs, and then just last week I heard it had spread all over her body and the doctors gave her less than two months, and today I heard the news of her death. I have tears because of the loss and because she has left behind a husband and a young daughter. In turn I know she is in heaven with Jesus and free of pain and much better off than the rest of us and for that I am glad. My heart is heavy because I put of so many times calling her and seeing her and telling her how much she ment to me. The feelings of regret and guilt overwhelm me and I wish I could change it.

American Idol (Shock and Amazement)

I really enjoyed American Idol gives back tonight. I love the fact that they go to countries and places all over the world and reach out to those hurting and in need, not for show, but out of true genuine care. They reach out to these people because they see the need, they don’t put them on display to make themselves look good or to have the spotlight in some way to say " look at me and how much I ’care’ ". No, you can see in their eyes and body language that they are doing this with a pure heart and truly desire to raise the finances to help these people in anyway they can. I belive the producers did a very good job of showing those hurting and in need in a true light and also showed that they too have dreams and ambitions, and just because they may be in poverty they arent beneath us.
I was highly impressed with the ending when the idols and the choir began singing Shout to the Lord. Wow! How awesome to hear that and see them singing praise to God and giving God credit and worshiping him! I was completly amazed! However, what was with Ben Stiler popping up in the end and droping the F bomb left and right? How do you worship God in such an amazing way and then do that? Did the producers know about this? Was this someones way of playing a sick joke? Were they trying to "lighten the blow" of worship to those who don’t belive and make it funny again? Or did some one else do this behind their back? I don’t get it. It doesn’t make good sense to me. I did not find it humorous in anyway, more likes offensive if anything. I mean come on now, really????????


If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:17-18 NIV

Our Story

We met on March 3rd 2007 at Zach's church and it was truly love at first sight. We talked every night on the phone that following week and had our first date on March 10th. I Erin recall being extremly nervous and full of butterflies waiting on Zach to pick me up. On our first date we went to a local church for a young adults service they where having. After the service we went to Outback for dinner. I remeber Zach was complaing about something and I told him he whined too much (he later told me how shocked he was knew that when I said that, that things would not work out at all, or that it would be great relationship, guess it was the latter). At that point I knew Zach would be a big part of my life but denying that we would actually get married. I went on a cruise with my family for spirng break that following Monday and talked to Zach all the way out to sea. We both missed each other like crazy. Talking to Zach and being with him was like being with someone I had always known and Zach felt the same way. Well, our relationship grew and things moved quickly and we knew we wanted to be together forever, so, om April 7th 2007 Zach and I decided to get marrried. We had alot of changes in our lives, from changing jobs, to no jobs, to me, Erin, being hospitalized only 2 weeks before our wedding with a severe kidney infection. Being the stubborn person I am had to trust my at the time future husband to help me move around. Though, it was only a few months we finally made it down the aisle to say I do and our wedding was wonderful. We both cried through our vows though we tried hard not to, it was the best day of our lives. Now, we are just enjoying married life, working out the kinks, planning for the future, and loving every minute we get to spend together.

Zach's story

Zach will do this soon

Erin's Story

I was raised in Birmingham, Al. I have two brothers, my older brother is Alan and my younger brother is Philip, I'm the only girl.
My parents

My brothers
I home schooled ffrom the 6th grade to the 12th. I took my 11th and 12th grade courses together and graduated Highschool at 16. I then went to school at Jefferson state and majored in pre-nursing. I the transferred to the University of South Alabama and majored in Nursing.

Graduation day
I now work at USA Children's and Women's Hospital in the Neonatal ICU. It is a challenging Job but I love it. I couldn't imagine working anywhere else. It's amazing to see something as small as 9oz fight so hard, and have such a strong will to live.

I had just got out of a relationship that was not good for me in anyway when I met Zach. I knew a few weeks before I met him that something was missing in my life. I prayed and asked God to help me fill this void that I felt. I began to seek his face more that ever. He never let me know what the void was that I felt but I knew as soon as I found it I would know. A friend of mine who is also a good friend of Zach's told me that she was coming down to help Zach out with a youth program at his church. I told her she could stay with me and that she came down I went and met her at Zach's church and as soon as I saw him the butterflies started. I talked to him on the phone the next day and all that week. It was truly love at first sight. I knew that first week that I was going to marry him even though I denied it like crazy. So, now the story of us begins!