12 Week Update

So we have made the big 12 week mark!! We are so blessed that we have reached this mark without any scares or complications. I am very much looking forward to the end of the first trimester sickness. The past week, I have had a hard time at nights having terrible nausea. Milk is my friend during this time, as well as Tums on occasion. One night this week I got sick twice. I am trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel, knowing that this is just a season. I just wish that the light would shine brightly at this very moment :)

About a week and a half ago, my sister-in-law found out that she is having her third daughter!! I was so excited to hear this news. She has two precious girls now, and I can't wait till this little one joins the cuteness! Because of this, I am thinking more and more that we will be having a boy. While it would be super cute if Nana and Poppy (Chris's parents) had four granddaughters, I cannot get a boy out of my head. I will be shocked if the technician tells us that she sees a girl.

We had our 12 week appointment yesterday. At our last appointment, we were scheduled to have an ultrasound. We get in the ultrasound room and the technician is starting to get ready. She asked us if this was our first ultrasound and I said that we had one last time. She looked confused, went out of the room, then came back to tell us that we didn't need one this week. She was afraid that if we got one, our insurance company would not back it up. We understood and then went to see the doctor. I was kind of disappointed. I was so excited to see another picture of my baby, but keeping our money is a good thing. I also felt bad because Chris's mom was with us and she wouldn't see her grandbaby.

So we went to see the doctor soon after. My doctor was out of town this week, so I had scheduled a different doctor. I was hoping that she would be nice, and I am so happy that she was. I felt very comfortable with her. She then went to find our baby's heartbeat. She had put the device on me and started to locate the heartbeat. It took a while to find it, and I was kind of getting nervous. Then I heard it and smiled. Our baby was fine! I looked over at Chris and he smiled. After she heard the heartbeat, there was a static noise. She said that what we heard was the baby kicking. How cool is that!! It's already moving around!

So as you can see from the picture, our baby is the length of a plum, which blows my mind! It has been growing so fast! I am starting to show a little bit, but not enough for me to post a picture. Maybe within the next couple of weeks I will put a picture up of what I look like. I cannot wait to start registering for fun baby things. Even more, I CANNOT WAIT to find out what this baby is. Mommy is getting impatient!!

I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends, always giving thanks for what our Father has done for us in the work of his Son. Blessings!

Meet Baby Garner - 8.5 Weeks

Today was our first appointment with my doctor. Before going in today, I was nervous. I hadn't had any symptoms for me to think that there was anything wrong, but I had heard of stories of woman like that who had found out they lost the baby at the appointment. Whatever was going to happen, I knew God was good. Having Chris with me was great and I hope that he can go to the other appointments.

Once we got into the office, I did the normal "doctor's visit" things. When the nurse was asking for informations, she asked if twins ran in my family. My mom's mother was a twin. That was another worry of mine. Oh no, what if we have twins! I told Chris what she said and said, "We are NOT having twins."

A few more minutes went by and I saw my doctor. I love my doctor. She is incredibly funny, easy-going, and helpful. She made sure everything was fine and saw that I was healthy and didn't have anything to worry about. She made Chris feel at ease, as well. He told me later that he really liked her. She informed me of possible shots in the future, but never told me that I needed to have any of them done. That is another great thing about her. She let me and Chris decide what is best for us.

The not fun part came next: the dreaded blood work. Since I was little, I have hated needles. I sat down and the lab technician proceeded to suck me like a vampire. I held Chris's and looked the other way. That was over and I was happy. After a few more stops, we went into the ultrasound room. We were finally going to see our baby!

We got into the ultrasound room and the technician proceeded to get her stuff ready. I laid down and watched the screen eagerly. The lights went off and the screen was on. She found the baby and zoomed in. Then she did the most incredible thing: she pulled up the heartbeat. It was pounding like crazy!! It was like music to my ears. She then measured it and made sure that everything else was fine. She said that the baby was healthy, were it needed to be, and that there was plenty of amniotic fluid for it. And most importantly, ONE baby :)

We walked out amazed at this little one and our Creator. This tiny, tiny speck on the screen was a human being with a fluttering heart. How could anyone take away these precious babies when their heartbeat races and flutters on the ultrasound screen? God creates life and creates it beautiful at the moment of conception. My baby is a BABY, not just a "fetus" or blob of tissues. I become more resolved to seek the end of the mass murder of innocent babies. I don't know if any woman who has received an ultrasound and seen a heartbeat could choose to abort.

So we are officially 8 weeks and 4 days pregnant and the due date is June 4. Today is Chris's birthday!! What a fun day to see our little one. My next appointment will be on my Dad's birthday and we should find out the sex of the baby just before my birthday. My brother's birthday is June 15, a day that I wish to already have my baby in my arms and out of my womb :)

Please continue praying for Baby Garner. Blessings!

I'M GOING TO BE A MOMMY!!!

So it has been a while since I've blogged. September came and went so quickly, probably because of everything that went on that month. We moved into our new apartment, which was a happy thing. We are so grateful for all of the space. But just a few days later my grandfather died. I went up to Michigan for the funeral and to be with family. It was especially hard because Chris was not able to come with me, since he already took time off for the move. When I came back, we still had items in the old apartment that we had to get out. So yeah...September 2010 was an extremely busy, hectic month and I am glad that it is over. Even though stress came with most of the month, we wouldn't trade the gift that we found when September ended.

Probably everyone reading this already knows the big news. But yes...I'm pregnant!!! I cannot wait to be a mommy and to hold this little one. Chris and I are still coming to terms with this exciting news and waiting expectantly to what will come next. I have my first doctor's appointment on Wednesday, which happens to be Chris's birthday! Needless to say, we can't wait to get there! Even though the pregnancy is not new news, many don't know how we found out.

I had just started attending Weight Watchers on Monday, September 20. I finally had the time to start eating better and becoming healthy. I was anticipating great results when I started this change. That weekend, Chris told me that he thought that I may be pregnant. I completely denied it, thinking that it couldn't be. Just to ease my mind, I told him that I was going to buy a pregnancy test. The next Monday, September 27, I went to my first weigh-in. I had lost 4 lbs!! I was so excited and thought that definitely there was no way that I was pregnant. I wasn't feeling anything and, after all, I had lost weight.

The next morning I needed to be at work early. I decided to take the pregnancy test before I went to work. I was about to get in the shower when I took the test. I put it aside and waited for the results, thinking that nothing would happen. When I looked down, I was SHOCKED!! The test said "Pregnant"....it didn't say "Not Pregnant". Chris was asleep, blissfully unaware what was going on. Because of our schedules that day, we wouldn't see each other until 9:30. There was no way that I was waiting over 12 hours to tell him what I just saw. The only option was to wake him up.

I went into bed and tried to wake him up gently. I told him that I needed to show him something and to turn on the light. Even though it was early, this didn't seem to phase him. When he turned around, I showed him the pregnancy test. He then proceeded to say, "Are you pregnant?". I said, "Look at it." Once he realized what was going on, he laughed and sighed in disbelief. He wasn't being unkind, he was just shocked. We laid there for a good 5-10 minutes in complete shock. We had agreed that we weren't going to tell anyone. On my way to work, the excitement kicked in. What I had always dreamed of was finally coming true! I'm going to be a mommy!

The poor guy felt bad and called me a couple hours later. He wanted to let me know that he was very excited to become a daddy. We then called my parents and told his parents that night, his sister the next day, his family that weekend, and our church that Sunday. I didn't tell anyone at work the first day...until someone had asked me to pick up heavy boxes. I decided that it was a good time to let them know :)

This news has brought lots of excitement to our friends and family. We are so blessed that those that we are dearest to cannot wait to meet this little one. We are especially excited because my sister-in-law is pregnant, as well. Our kids will be around 2 months apart. She is excited about taking belly pics together :)

So I have just entered my 8th week and feeling common symptoms of the first trimester. What first hit me was fatigue. I was EXHAUSTED for a good couple of weeks. I am no longer as tired, but I still like to sleep. I have been starting to get bits of morning sickness. I have become sick a handful of times, and struggle with nausea on occasion. I also have a terrible habit of gagging. I think that may be the most annoying part. I expected to get sick, but not wanting to gag several times a day. I have become hormonal, as well. I can cry and not stop for a while. I HATE IT!! I keep telling Chris that I don't want to do this. I am crying for no reason and I feel stupid. Hopefully, all of this means that our baby is growing well.

We would covet your prayers right now. Pray that we will have a productive visit to the doctor and that our baby would be healthy. Pray that I remember that this struggle with sickness is for the good of our child. Most importantly, we ask for prayers that, even now, this little one will come to know Jesus as King and to live to love Him. I will be updating as the pregnancy progresses.

Blessings to you!!

Life Is Back to Normal

It's been a long time since my last post, and August is almost over. So weird! This summer flew by so fast. The older I get, the more I realize how life goes by so quickly. Life is a vapor, just like Scripture says, and time is so important. I want to redeem the time that has been given to me and not waste it. But enough of my philosophical/spiritual musings :)

Now that the summer is over, school has begun. It is so weird for me to see everyone back on campus and not being in class with them. But I love seeing my friends back. They are so dear to me and I hate not seeing them during the summer. Chris is getting back in the swing of things and adjusting to classes. This is his first semester selling phones and doing school. He is pretty busy all the time. One of his classes calls him to read at least a book a week, and they are not easy books to read. I am so proud of his work ethic and his desire to do things well. He really is the provider for me and our future, and I am so blessed to be married to him.

Work is getting back to normal, also. With most of the students being gone for the summer, work was slow during the summer. Now that the semester has kicked in for both Boyce and Southern, the traffic has definitely picked up. Students are ordering lots of books online, and they are coming to us in piles. It seems like the packages never end!

A big thing is happening in a few weeks. Chris and I will be moving out of our tiny, 500 sq. ft. apartment into another apartment on campus. It will be close to double the size, have a real kitchen, and space to put a study area for Chris that is away from everything else. PLUS we got an apartment with a washer/dryer hookup!!! I have been waiting for this day for a long time. I am so excited to do laundry in my own apartment at anytime. Now if only it had a dishwasher :)

I am so excited about the changes that are coming. I hope that you look at the future with delight and not fear, knowing that the Lord is good and He loves His children.

Girls Gone Wise

So it has been a while since I last blogged. Nothing really big has happened since the last posting. Chris and I are just doing our regular routines. We recently saw "Inception". So good...go see it! Things will change once school starts in three weeks. Chris will be having a lot on his agenda. There will be lots of reading and working. I am so blessed that I get to call this amazing man my husband.

One thing that has happened since my last post is that I finished reading "Girls Gone Wise" by Mary Kassian. The author really wanted to contrast the life of the Proverbs 7 woman and the modern-day "Girl Gone Wild" with the life of a Girl Gone Wise, like the example from Proverbs 31. Kassian seeks to show the reader that the truths of Scripture are relative for today. The woman in Proverbs 7 is the same woman that modern-day society looks to as the norm and the acceptance.

This book has to be one of my new favorites. It is so practical for any woman in the church today. There are twenty different character qualities that Kassian contrasts, making it really useful for small group studies. This would be so great for high school girls. These young ladies are bombarded all the time with messages to be this Proverbs 7 woman, thinking that these qualities will bring ultimate happiness. Kassian shows that what ultimately brings joy is knowing Jesus and living for Him. Though it may be unpopular to be a Girl Gone Wise, it sure brings great peace and freedom for young women who live like that.

The author of this book, Mary Kassian, is a professor at Southern Seminary. She teaches the women of the school about biblical womanhood and how feminism has affected the church and the home. She has written or contributed to many books, and is a keynote speaker at the True Woman Conference. She is such a valuable resource to women of the church. She grew up in feminist thinking, so she knows many of the arguments that attack biblical womanhood.

There is a conference coming in November at Southern that will address some of the issues that she and others talk about. The W Conference is geared toward high school, college, and young women. Mary Kassian will be the speaker at this conference. I hope to be in attendance and learning even more about what it means to be a woman who seeks after the Lord in all areas of her life. For more information about this conference, check out Southern's website.

I hope to be blogging again soon. Until then, I hope that you enjoy the last half of the summer.

Too Much Patriotism?

I love being an American. I love all of the things that I can enjoy by being in this country. There are so many wonderful cities with lots of culture. There are many beautiful places for Americans to enjoy, whether it be the many white beaches or the lush Smokey Mountains of Tennessee (plug in for my Hubby's family!). Even though our history is short, there are countless stories of great people in this country doing amazing things for this country. Most of all, I love the USA for the opportunity to be free. So many others in this world do not have that blessing, suffering from totalitarian dictatorships where they cannot vote, are oppressed for their race, and cannot worship freely. This is truly a blessing that I never want to take for granted.

I believe in being a great citizen. Romans 13 shows us Christians how to act in the society that we live in. Because we live in a democratic republic, we can vote for people to help change our countries future. In a sense, the people are the authority in the United States. Because of this, Christians should vote. While we know that the culture can never be changed by votes, we do know that we should stand for what is right. I am passionate about the end to abortion because it defames the Creator, not to mention it harms society. James 1:27 calls us to seek to help the widow and the orphan. A Christian's theology should permeate in to how he or she reacts to the world.

I also believe that we should be proud of those men and women who sacrifice so much to give us the freedom that we have in this country. If we didn't have them, our country would look different, possibly like other freedom-restricting countries in the world. We should seek to look out for their good, praising them for their sacrifice. The ultimate way of showing love is to sacrifice your life for those you love. Many of them have paid that ultimate sacrifice. We should never take advantage of these men and women or the freedom that they so willingly fight and die for.

This weekend, we Americans celebrate Independence Day. It is a wonderful time to reflect on what happened over 200 years ago, and to celebrate our freedom with our families and friends. As I have said, I love being an American. But the United States is not my first priority. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. When my country becomes my focus rather than my Savior, I have made my country an idol. Sadly, I think this is a problem that many Christians have today.

I do feel like their is too much patriotism displayed by some believers. The fourth of July is on a Sunday this year. I am afraid that far too many churches will change their whole services around to speak about the United States. I do believe churches should have some acknowledgment of this holiday, but too many will make church all about the United States. The passion in our churches on Sunday will be for our country rather than our Savior.

A few months ago, Dr. David Platt, pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, wrote a book called "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream". In this book, Platt calls Christians to give up our American way of Christianity and focus on reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have been blessed with so much, and that has affected how we see what true Christianity is all about. We should seek to see the nations come to saving faith in Christ, giving God all the glory in His work.

I believe that this lack of passion can be seen in the way that many American Christians see their country. They are so happy being Americans that they forget that Christianity is not an American religion. Believers in Muslim countries are being persecuted every day because they do not see Muhammad as a true prophet. There is a huge underground church in China made up of people who see Jesus as their King, not the state. People from every tribe, nation, and tongue will worship Jesus as Lord.

We Americans become so consumed with ourselves that we don't see the needs of the world. Do we care about the racial/religious cleansing going on in the Sudan? Do we mourn knowing that there are millions of young girls around the world being sold into the sex industry, never knowing what being a little girl is like? Do we care about the women in many societies who are not seen as equals but as inferiors, even slaves? Do we seek to help out the millions of children who are orphaned and are living in poverty and have no clean water? Most importantly, do we seek to bring the gospel to the billions - yes, billions!- of people in the world that are not worshipers of Jesus Christ, many of them not even knowing His name?

I have been convicted of wanting to be comfortable all of the time. I have struggled with being a Christian and living in American society. I am continually reminded that Christianity is a global faith, and I have much to learn from other believers around the world. While it is good to have passion, I should be passionate about people coming to know Christ. I should be passionate about those in need, in America and throughout the world, and seeking to find ways to show the love of Jesus to the oppressed and the hungry.

This Independence Day, I will be proud to be an American. I will celebrate my heritage in this country. I will be grateful for those who have and are continuing to sacrifice for this country. I will be celebrating these things, but there are much greater things to celebrate. This Independence Day, as every day, I will be grateful for the parents that the Lord has given me, pointing me to Jesus when others do not even know His name. I will be grateful to worship in a wonderful church who knows what the gospel is and seeks to live it out. I will be grateful for a loving husband who treats me with respect. Most importantly, I will be thanking my Father for sending His Son to die for me, and for the Holy Spirit interceding on my half before the Father. I will be thankful for the freedom from sin that Christ has given me. I will be thankful that one day, I get to worship my Savior in a world without the sin that entangles me. I will be free from sorrow and tears, only being joyful in the presence of my Savior. There is much to be thankful for on this Independence Day.

Vacation

I recently came back from a wonderful vacation in Florida. It was a great thing to get away for a week and spend time with my family and friends. I want to take advantage of every opportunity that I have down there, knowing that we will not be seeing them on a regular basis because of the distance. I thought I would let you know what went on while we were in Florida from June 12 to June 20.

Saturday, June 12

Our flight for Florida left at 6:00 A.M. (yes...A.M.), so we were in for a long day. My in-laws were already planning on dropping us off at the airport...and we are glad that they did. Instead of waking up to our alarms, we woke up to Chris's mom calling. We rushed to get ready so that we wouldn't miss the plane. Even though we were running about 15 minutes late, we still got to the airport on time and made our flight. My mom picked us up in Jacksonville with my grandma and Andrew. We then ate lunch there and made our way down to Orlando for the Southern Baptist Convention and Pastor's Conference. We met Dad at the hotel and had dinner. After dinner, Chris and I decided to take advantage of the pool and hot tub at the hotel. It was a great, relaxing end to a crazy day. That Saturday was also our six month anniversary, and we enjoyed the spending that peaceful evening with each other....though the double bed that we slept in was not enjoyable :)

Sunday, June 13

That morning we went to First Baptist Church of Sweetwater, just 25 minutes from Orlando. Dr. Hershel York and Dr. Albert Mohler were preaching there that morning. Dr. York is a preaching professor at Southern and Dr. Mohler is the president. We heard Dr. York's sermon on the Prodigal and it was fantastic. We then went to lunch and relaxed until the Pastor's Conference began. The Pastor's Conference is the Sunday evening and all-day Monday before the SBC where pastors can be encouraged by other preachers' sermons. We enjoyed that evening and prepared for a busy Monday.

Monday, June 14

Monday was a very LONG day. We heard some amazing sermons that day from Dr. Mohler, Dr. Moore (Dean of Theology at Southern), Matt Chandler, C. J. Mahaney, Dr. Danny Akin, and David Platt. We also witnessed a wonderful event. Dr. Moore spoke on adoption, both physical and spiritual (he says that he cannot separate the two, which I agree). Dr. Moore and his wife, Maria, adopted two boys from Russia several years ago. Since this happening, he has been passionate about speaking, preaching, and writing on adoption. After his sermon, a video showed the story of a pastor and his wife adopting twin boys and speaking about the Pastor's Conference starting an adoption fund for pastors. The couple then came in front of the conference. Dr. Kevin Ezell, the Pastor's Conference president, then told them that the donors of the conference had paid the rest of their adoption. When he said that, there was not a dry eye in the house. I was crying like a baby. Adoption is an issue to which my heart is drawn to. They then took an offering for the adoption fund, telling us later that they had raised $26,000! That was something that I will never forget.

The last sermon was by David Platt, pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham. Yet again, he preached with great passion and humility. If you haven't heard him, I encourage you to find a sermon of his and listen. After the sermon, Chris and I went to 9 Marks at 9:00. This is an event put on by 9 Marks Ministries as a way for pastors to ask questions to and hear the hearts of men like Mark Dever and others associated with that ministry. It is a great ministry to the local church and I would encourage you to read some of their resources.

Tuesday, June 15

The most important thing that happened on June 15 was my brother, Andrew, turned 19!! I was so glad to be with him on his birthday and I loved spending time with him while we were down there. Tuesday was also the beginning of the Southern Baptist Convention. There was some motions that were made in the morning, including one co-written by my dad to have Baptist Press as a separate entity of the SBC instead of being under the Executive Committee (long story.. :D ). In the afternoon session, the Great Commission Resurgence report was given. After much deliberation and an amendment to the report, the GCR passed overwhelmingly, probably by 75 to 80 percent. It was a great day to be a Southern Baptist.

I wasn't the only one excited about the passing of the GCR. That night, my family (minus my dad) and some messengers from St. Augustine had dinner together. As we were praying, Dr. Joslin and some friends came in to eat, as well. Before we had ended the prayer, Dr. Joslin came behind Chris and shook his back. When the prayer was done, Chris and I looked at each other then looked to Dr. Joslin. We all had a big laugh. He explained that he was really excited (and he was..like a school girl!). It is moments like this that make the SBC so fun. That evening, we went to the second 9 Marks at 9:00. This time, Dr. Akin, Dr. Mohler, and David Platt talked with Mark Dever about the passing of the GCR. We also caught up with some dear family friends. All in all, it was a great day!

Wednesday, June 16

Wednesday started later than the others did. We went to the Southern Seminary luncheon at noon. This luncheon was an opportunity for those who are associated with the school to come together and find out what has been going on at Southern for the past year since the last luncheon. We had some great food and were encouraged by Dr. Mohler as to where the school was going. I again realized how blessed I am to have been a part of this amazing institution. The Lord has done so much with so many people through Southern, and I am blessed to be among that company.

We watched some World Cup that afternoon and had room service for dinner with my family. That evening, Chris and I went to a local putt-putt course. We had so much fun....and I won!! It was great to get out and do something with just each other. We went back to the hotel for the evening and packed up to leave Orlando the next day.

Thursday, June 17

Chris, Andrew, and I spent most of the day at Universal Orlando. We went to both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. We payed out the wazoo for a fast pass to the rides, and it turned out to be a great investment. We would not have been able to get to all of the rides in both parks at a decent time. It was my first time at Islands of Adventure and I really enjoyed it. I loved the Spiderman ride. It was so much fun! I do not like roller coasters, so I would wait for the boys so they could have their fun. Though Chris really enjoyed himself, he was so upset the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter had not opened yet. In fact, we came the day before it opened. Hogwarts Castle was very visible and teasing Chris the whole time. Poor guy :(

We went to Universal City Walk to have dinner at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. We enjoyed a great dinner. Chris was happy to get some shrimp. After dinner, we made our way back to St. Augustine, about a 2 hour drive from Orlando. When we got there, I was greeted by the sweet family beagle, Buddy. I love that do so much and I was so glad to see him!

Friday, June 18

We enjoyed a quiet Friday at the Smith house. We watched the USA/Slovenia game, cheering on ferociously for the red, white, and blue. That evening, we ate dinner at Sonny's with our friends Ethan and Anna Crowder. They were at Boyce the first semester that we were there. They went back to Florida to save some money so that they could start married life wisely. We have kept in contact for the past year and a half, and we loved having dinner with them. They were such an encouragement to us. It was great hearing from a couple who go through very similar things that we do. They will be coming up to Southern in a few years and we can't wait to spend more time with them when they are back in Louisville.

Saturday, June 19

Saturday was so much fun. Chris and I went to the beach for a couple of hours for lunch. The sun felt wonderful and I loved hearing the sound of the ocean again. When Chris lived in North Carolina, he went to the beach all of the time. It was great to see him loving being there. After we got back from the beach, we went to the outlet mall down the street from the house. Chris had to get a few things and we walked around for a little bit. I used to work in the Banana Republic Factory Store and my brother works at the Brooks Brother's Outlet. For dinner, my mom made ham, mashed potatoes, and green beans. It was super delicious. After dinner, my family (minus Andrew) went to see "Toy Story 3". Oh my goodness!! I love that movie!! It met and exceeded my expectations, making me love the Toy Story franchise even more.

Sunday, June 20

That morning, we went to my home church, GracePointe Baptist Church. It was great seeing some familiar faces and being with that sweet fellowship. The interm pastor asked one of our faithful members to pray for Chris and I. It meant so much to us, knowing that there are people who think of us and pray for us. We went out to lunch then went back to the house to pack. We then went to Jacksonville to catch our flight. Our connection in Atlanta was supposed to be 40 minutes after we would land. However, our flight from Jacksonville was delayed. We were prepared to find a new flight once we got there. When we landed, we found out from one of the passengers that our flight had not left yet and we had about 30 minutes to get there, going from Terminal A to Terminal E. We ran to the terminal and made it just in time for the final boarding call. We were so glad to be home after a crazy evening.

Even though I love being with my family, I am continually reminded that I have my own home. Chris and I are a family, and we value each other above anyone else besides Christ. We have made ourselves a place to find rest. I am continually challenged to make my home a place where my husband can relax from a busy day. I am also working at my attitude, so that the aroma of my home is pleasant and pleasing to my husband and to the Lord. I cannot wait for the future with Chris and to see how our home will grow.

Beyond my physical home, I am not really home yet. I am continually sojourning right now until the day when I meet my Savior and see the home that he has prepared for me to live in for eternity. I must remember always to hold things lose and to regard people more than temporal things. I cannot wait for the day when I will praise Jesus for giving me an eternal home.