This Weekend = a blurrrrrrrr

So first and foremost i just want to thank all of you who have kept my family and I in your prayers with the recently loss of my great grandfather! I do believe that prayers have been heard and they are very much appreciated! Saturday (yesterday) my family and I gathered to celebrate the life and remember the Pa we love so dearly!!! Its now been 4 days since he has been gone and I dont think I could ever be anymore thankful to have been apart of his life the more I think about him! We all have our moments... one min i am happy and others i selfishly cry wishing he didnt have to go.... but its something we all have to go through.. and in return i am so glad that it all  went as it did! ..... yesterday was hard!!! some days will be eaiser than others... and i am sure ill have many moments of crying soon to come to... they will come and go also as life goes on! But the love he showed towards us and his big happy smile will be etched in my heart forever, and the sound of his voice and all the thing he said will continously replay throughout my life!

Late afternoon yesterday my family and I arrived in Oxford to go GROVIN with some of our close friends... it was by far one of the most enjoyable "grove" games we have had!!! Bc it sure wasnt an enjoyable football game! I got to see many of my STATE friends, and that I was happy about! I was also able to get back to all my sisters in Oxford who all greated me with huge hugs and lots of love, which i needed!!! Since the football was so pathetic I really dont have much to say besides... Maybe next year??? I still love the Rebels so much!!!! as hard as they make it for us to love them!!!!

Maidee Parker and I with one of our Besties Jordan ! She came to visit from State!!!

Today was a typical lazy Sunday!!! Napped and prepared for this week!!.....We had our First night of Big/Lil!!! So  I am hoping she loved all of her SPA stuff tonight!!!! I am sure trying to get back on a regular schedule this week will be hard, but I am praying for Gods grace to be with me and my family as we go about this!!! Thanks once again to all who have been there for me through this time!!.. I love yall!

"A joyful heart makes a cheerful face"- Proverbs 15:13

Richard William Ivy

Today my Pa went to be with our Lord after 86 wonderful years. To know him was to love him. He had the biggest heart and all the love in the world to spread around. He had a zest for life that was so undescribable.. and his family was his biggest asset. He loved his family beyond words and he was loved in return by the wonderful family he started. As I think about the long and wonderful life that he lived I cant help but to cry tears of joy, and then I cant help but to stop in my tracks and thank God for blessing me so much by putting one of the greatest men ill ever know in my life.

I asked and prayed to God so many times that if anything, I could see him before he decided to take him home to be with him.. God answered that prayer x10! I was so very thankful that I could be able to spend his last few moments here with us next to him! and thats what I did every time i was with him i held his hand and told him how much he was loved and when able to he would always say "I love you too hun"!........ You see all of our hearts are hurting right now but we have to remember that life is a puzzle.. a puzzle that God puts together and he has the whole picture of our life puzzle where as we only get one piece at a time.... Pa had a huge puzzle filled with so many memories with his wife of 69 years, his 3 children, 9 grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren. The last piece of his puzzle was put in today.... and i am so thankful i was there! Today as i was outside swinging on Ma and Pa's swing on their front porch i thought about the puzzle piece he first started with on September 12, 1924 when he was born.. to the puzzle where he met his sweetheart and lifelong partner that fit together next to piece on the day they got married. The puzzle pieces he had all throughout his time as he served in the Navy in WWII. All 4 pieces of his puzzle of all the babies he had along with his first son that they lost at birth... that soon followed all of his grandchildren to great grandchildren... and all the pieces that fall in between of fishing memories with his son and grandchildren,and all the puzzle pieces of the memories he made with Ma talking out in their yard that they enjoyed so much together and watching their family grow.  Even though his puzzle is now completed and he is up in heaven being an amazing new guardian angel to all of us I speak for myself and I know i am  safe to speak for my family when i say so many of our puzzle pieces that have already been put together contain so many memories with Pa in them  and that big ole smile that would melt your heart.

 My Ma is so extremely strong and one heck of a woman...As she sat there and said her goodbyes to him this morning she looked up and said " I had always prayed he would go first so i could take care of him, because there is no way i could ever repay him for taking care of me the way he has all these years". Pa did just that he never let her worry about a thing, he loved her unconditionally, and wanted nothing more than to make her happy!

 For many of you that know me.. yall know that Lady Antabellum is my all time favorite country group... My favorite song of theirs is "When you got a good thing"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3Juxpf4_v0, a song i ve always thought I would want played at my own wedding because i always said it would describe just how me and the future husband that God has in store for me will be.. tonight as I driving alone in my car the song came on... I looked at it in a whole diffrent way... It describes my Ma and Pa to a T everything the lyrics say paint a perfect picture of their relationshp! Seeing the way they had such a GOOD THING only makes me look forward to the man God has in store for me.  How he treated, loved, and adored my Ma... shows me excatly what i deserve in my future! Him and Ma had so much to offer to one another and that they did! She loved him back just as much! He was her heart... She was his heart and  thats the way it will always be!

As the day went on and we continued to cook and go on with Thanksgiving as we normally would of as hard as it was, we knew Pa wouldnt have wanted it any other way. See before I would of believed that him passing on Thanksgiving wouldnt of been much of a memorable Thanksgiving but as i sat by his side... God spoke to me and said "This is what you have to be Thankful for" I think this was Gods way of showing all of us how precious life is! And how we should celebrate and rejoice in the fact that he was called home with his family all surrounding him! The family he loved so much and loved him in return! His hospice nurse wrote on his chart that he had one of the best nurturing,warming,and loving families she has ever seen for a patient. When i saw her today i said yep! thats right.... just as he always was to us!

On this Thanksgiving day the world,my family, and I lost one great fishermen,a devout rebel fan, a hard working father and husband, a Navy WWII veteran, and one of the sweetest hearts and kindest husband, father, uncle, grandfather,and great grandfather ANYONE COULD ASK FOR! BUT heaven sure did gain one amazing and handsome Angel that will now and forever dwell in the house of our Lord watching over us until we all arrive home too. and i can only imagine that when my day comes or anyone else in my family he will greet us as he always did by saying " Well heyyyy there sugar pie...come on in.. we sure have missed you and love you so much"!

So thanks Pa for the amazing example you were to me and all the inspiration you gave me... and for all those puzzle pieces in my life that you have made so memorable, and Thank you God for giving me such a wonderful great grandfather i could call "My Pa"

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

The Club Cant Handle Me......

I am dedicating this post to one of my best friends in the whole wide world... Maidee Parker! Maidee is one of those girls that ummm... lets say quite unique! her sweet little smile and silly self make me grin from ear to ear every time i am around her!!! There are so many memories i have made with MPD that i could talk for hours about them . Well last Thursday was no different for me and Maidee parker with the company of about 5 other girls!We decided we were going to Roosters to celebrate the night before Thanksgiving break??? I know your thinking WTH?? right?? yeah we didnt really know either!!
Well let me just tell you, it was one hell of thanksgiving celebration alright!! and its one of those memories ill remember forever with maidee-p! Maidee messaged me today and we shared stories of what we could recall!!! Later on after talking to her  I was in my car and this song came on ... and i caught myself lmao to this song because it remineded so much of maidee and I and how we use to dance to this like fools when it came on our rush video and perfectly described us at  Roosters last Thursday!! So Maidee Parker this song is for you!!!! Thanks for giving me such a good laugh when i needed it bestie! ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgM3r8xKfGE

Because I knew you.... I have been changed for the better

Candace Lee Tindall, my cousin would of have been 29 today...which is so hard for me to grasp! On July 12, 2004 she died in a fatal car accident at the age of 22 on her way back to Ole Miss! Candace was a senior at Ole Miss and a devout Rebel fan! She had a zest for life that was contagious! Everyone that was around her knew she didnt mix words much and always cut the chase when it came to the truth! She was always so fun to be around and normally had comments that were always real timely. I looked up to Candace and always had a blast when I was around her! She is someone that changed my life for the better.

When Candace left that Monday morning on her way back to school we had plans for me to accompany her! Plans fell through... and around 12 that afternoon we had all gotten a call that Candace has passed away in the accident ... you see even though she had passed away Candace still lives on! I have often caught myself wishing she could be here to see all the many things that have happened since she left us. I wish that she could see how far I have come along with so many others in my family... i wish she could see how beautiful her little niece and nephew are and how much they would of loved her if she were here.... but then i remind myself that Candace is still with us... she sees everything! She is spending eternity in a place that it is so amazing that no one could put into words!I find myself at family functions capturing moments in my head that I wish she could see! Candace would be so proud!.... but she sees them... and she is one heck of a guardian angel while watching...

There is not a day that I do not wake up and think about her, listen to a John Mayer song come on the radio ( her favorite) or see her cross on the side of the highway on my way to Oxford,or drive into an apartment complex of my friends and pass hers on the way, and since the first day that I ve been a student at Ole Miss there has not been a day I've not walked out on to campus and thought of her, or walked into a class room and wondered if she once sat in the same room! Tailgating is when i think of her the most.. besides her sport she devoted so much time to,Tailgating in the Grove was one of her favorite pass times!

I am a better person because I knew her! I think everyone could agree with that statement for their own personal relationships with Candace also!
So sweet angel above us this song is for you! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_m0B7J9cx4&feature=related
... I love you, Happy Birthday, and Hotty Toddy!

Sunflowers......

so... i am trying to figure out why i like these little fellas so much and i have decided.......

No flower can lift spirits quite like sunflowers can. Bright and cheery, bold yet comfortable, the sunflower is a warm and caring gift. With brilliant yellow petals that surround the flower's center, sunflowers have an unmistakable sun-like appearance that has made them a passionate flower choice for many.

If your like me flowers are my favorite... i love to walk in a room and see a vase of flowers, although when i see sunflowers it brightens my day 10x more. I share the love of sunflowers with one of my all time best friends Ellen! Ellen and I are so much alike! She is a friend that loves me unconditionally, and has always been there for  me no matter where we are or what time it is! God blessed me so much when he brought her into my life!



Ellen has seen me at my low points and at my best .. and has always loved me for who Iam. She knows my strengths and my weaknesses! and she is always the one to tell me the truth when it comes to both! ;) Ellen to me is how i view a sunflower.. always bright and cheers me up when i need it! She is a positive influence and a great best friend. She is very bold and stands up for everything she believes in! She is also a very Godly woman that stands firm in her Faith... and i am so lucky to have a friend like Ellen to confide in spirtually!

I have absolutely no idea what I would do without this girl!!! So to all you others who have a friend just like that.. considered yourself blessed! And give the gift that she has given to you **Friendship**

Proverbs 17:17 - A friend loves at all times

My "me" time

So, I  asked myself...Why blog? Why do I even have one of these things?? It wasnt until recently that I started to think to myself... I wonder what i was doing,thinking,feeling this time last year ?or even this time last week.????.. as a college student its so hard to keep up with everything.. from what paper you have to write, the next test you have, to what was said in Chapter last Monday! Even though once you get to college and you have your own time, your own place, and for most of us our own "ways" we have developed of doing things outside of how our parents do it ( although i find myself doing things just the way my mom does them no matter how weird i thought they were growing up) anyways back to my point ..we realize that life sometimes gets difficult, scary, and sometimes through out those dark scary days we feel uneasy..naturally!
I ve decided to blog for several different reasons! One being that I feel as if it is important for everyone to have their own "me" time and be able to reflect on their day ... So besides running this is my way of doing so. Everyone has a different way of going about that.. for my best friend.. she loves bubble baths.. for a mother it may be to enjoy watching her children sleep, for a father it maybe taking his little boy fishing or hunting and enjoying the silence of nature or even throwing the ball back and forth, and for an athlete it may be doing what they love best.. their sport! Also I ve decided to blog to be able to look back on all the memories, silly moments, tears and laughs that have been made!

So as I sit here today I reflect on the past semester as a whole .... goodness is there a lot to tell! There are so many people that influence my life... and there are also people that God has brought into my life that i will always be eternally thankful for! First comes first My God... he has blessed me beyond belief and has forgiven me, loved me, and taking me in at my lowest points and never sees my any differently than his Daughter that he died for! My God is an Awesome God! and will never be behind me or infront of me but always right next to me! 2nd -- My parents.. my mother and father have influenced me to have an amazing work ethic and have shown me how it feels to get something you have worked so hard for! My parents are my best friends.. they are there for me whenever i need them either a phone call away or next door in the living room! My mother and I have a unconditional bond that can never be broken. My dad is my hero! Always there to mend a broken heart or shoot the shit with if i am in the mood for that or need a laugh! ;) pretty cool dad i must say!  My little Brother..is my heart... 99 % of the time he is a pain but for the most part i find myself thinking about his future and all the things i can protect him from when hard times come his way... he is so into girls.... girls.girls.girls...oh and maybe some football and baseball in between... but i know his first little heart break is coming! My family is my biggest asset!
3rd-- My friends and Sisters. Delta Gamma has impacted my life more than I ever thought it would! I have girls all around me to love! I love to Love!! I love to have personal relationships with people that i can talk to laugh with cry with and pray with! Thats what I have with my sisters and best friends! They are my get way car most of the time when i need to get out or have a crying sholder or even a beer to relax from a hectic day! they are there alright... whether it be with a tissue, a tub of ice cream and a movie, or even a six pack! ;)                       

                                                       Mom and I when I was 2 yrs old

                                                           Dad, Austin, and I

                                                                     My sisters

You see God has shown me all about several different people this semester. Their hardships, struggles, strong points, talents, and way of life. As I visited my Great Grandfather Saturday I realized I live life in the fast lane... where in the Ivy house hold things go slow.. they soak up every moment they have with one another! ( which i recently posted in one of my last blogs) But it as inspired me to do the same! I have sat back most of the past 3 days and just thought about everyone that has come in and out of my life... and one of the ones that God has brought to me to inspire me! My great grandparents are two of those people! They love unconditionally and live to serve our God. I pray and hope that one day i will have great grand children, and that i can be just an asset to them as much as mine have been to me! They are two people who are so affectionate  and love nothing more than to hear the voices of their family! and wow what a family have they made!! I am so proud to say that i have that strong southern Ivy heritage!
                                                             My Great Grandparents
                                                                         My Ma
                                      
                                                                 Eating a cupcake

     There is also someone else who God has brought to my life that has impacted me more than I think he knows. This person is someone who I hold dear to my heart, Kyle Barbeck! Kyle and I met and the end of last semester going into the summer! Sadly, we never got the chance to hang out as much as we has hoped! Kyle was a former Ole Miss baseball player.. and I am a Diamond Girl which is how we came to know one another.. Kyle had told me at the end of the season that he would not be returning to Ole Miss! Broke my heart! because at this point we had gotten to know each other pretty well.. and he was someone i considered no longer a acquaintace but a friend! Kyle is someone that I know for a fact God has put into my life for several different reasons. How do i know? Because after Kyle left Oxford our relationship didnt end.. if anything it just got stronger.. We have since then keep contact almost everyday! He went to North Carolina to play Summer ball and we talked everyday throughout the summer. Whether it be through text messaging or phone calls I have gotten to know  KB very well! Kyle is someone who has inspired me to never give up! Kyle has been through so much just within the past year to two years. His mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer... which she has now conqured and is cancer free! What a strong woman she is! He loves and adores her so much! (Just the other day he told me he was doing laundry ...so she didnt have to! So thoughtful and sweet!) Kyle also had to deal with leaving Ole Miss! It wasnt a decesion he made himself but one that life threw at him ... and boy has he sured rolled with the punches and shown just how strong he is! He is currently at a ju -co in Texas and just signed with MIZZOU and will be back in D1 baseball next spring! I am so extremely proud of him!

He is back on the mound doing what he loves best,to the best of his ability,and using the talent God gave him to shine! All of his hard work to climb back up to the top has paid off.. and has been such an influence to me to never quit even when others around you or life seems to sometimes be telling you to! He has also recently lost one of his grandfathers and his other one has just recently become ill also! He gets to see his other grandfather tomorrow ( so i hope he has a wonderful day with him)! I am so very blessed and thankful that God has brought someone as special as Kyle to my life for me to enjoy talking with and  laughing with, he is even someone who here recently has seen my tears and been there for me through such a difficult time in my life these past couple of weeks! He is someone I have enjoyed gettting to know and becoming so close with and has made his way into my heart and has touched my life tremendously with his determination! I am so excited to see where God takes him with his talents! So i must say a Special thanks to KB for being such an inspiration to me! ;)
                                     
                                        Kyle and I @ Ole Miss football game this season

So as you can see this is why i ve decided to blog!!!! and I hope for any of  you out there who have considered to do so to try it... and use it as a time to reflect and remember such special or even hard times in life.. and use it as your "me" time!!!! Because I have def learned that God has blessed me in so many ways and its time that I start slowing down in life to realize it!

Thanksgiving Break.... Woot Woot

 Yesterday went well!! my lazy day!!! Woke up at 1030 watched a movie with mom Sweet Home Alabama ...one of my all time favorites! btw (How Do We Know... new movie of Reeses thats coming out!!! very excited to see..) Went on a bike ride... that i soon realized was not my bike anymore. I left my bike here at home when i went back to Oxford and my little brother has claimed it! hmmmm? ha we went to his football game...which was quite intresting for a 10yr old! and btw my little brother is such a bad ass for a 10yr old football player!!! quite proud big sister if i must say so myself! ;) then i headed over to a friends house! we watched the NY giants game!! quite a good game accompianed with good conversation!!! I got to see Marcus! Good friend of mind who is going to NC in Jan for special forces training!! Good Luck to him!!!  
Its Monday ... my official first day of Thanksgiving break! I wish i could say that i didnt wake early like i normally do on mondays but sadly i did for my doctors appt. The news went well he said i was released and cancer free! yippppeee! that within the next 6 months you wont even be able to see my scars! .... Afterwards i went over to visit some co- workers from the Summer! We had salads from Primos...one of my favs! ...Nap time soon followed  afterwards!! I ve really got to break myself of them...but i dont feel as guilty seeing as this is my Thanksgiving Break ;) !!!! I hope everyone is having a good Monday!

Wanna talk about memories.....

going through old photo files on my computer!!!! good times with a ton of great friends God blessed me with!! I am sure am one lucky girl!!!

My Great Grandfather..... A man to truly look up to!

Everyone needs Inspiration.... I am so blessed to say that my family has done just that for me! IF not more today than EVER! My great grandparents have been married 69 years at the end of this month..that within itself is so amazing to me! God brought two people together that had known each other only 3 weeks before they knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lifes together... and that they have done! Just recently as i mentioned in my last post my g-grandfather was diagnosed with renial failure! Seeing him today in his condition was very hard but as i sat with him i reminisced on the memories i had of him and i can honeslty say that 1. i am so very blessed to be able to call Richard William Ivy my grandfather and 2. that this man will defineitly leave a legacy that says "I was Here"!  Him and my grandmother are two individuals that love each other more than any two people i know! and they are a great example of what any young girl my age should look foward to! Earlier today it was mentioned how my grandmother is such a care free person and its because my grandfather never let her worry about anything, he has taking care of her just as a perfect southern gentlemen should with their wife! He loves and adores her so much!
    Although today was hard on everyone in our family that loves this man we call "Pa" i am so very thankful that i had this day to spend with him! I was able to help him drink his water, to giving him his medicine, or simply holding his hand when he wanted one to hold! He said to me today " Sugar, if you knew how tired i was you would give me a hug", as then i properly gave him a hug and told him how much i loved and as he followed to say "i love you too sweet doll" He sure has his way with word and always has!! nothing makes you feel more special than walking into their house all through my child hood years to now to hear Pa say "hey my sweet doll", "hey sugar pie", or even "Well theres that sweet ole Melissa, Sleepy head" as i had woken up to breakfast on the table that he had fixed us everytime we visited! He has a huge heart!

Even though he was asleep most of the day he said to me and my grandmother "i love the sound of our family here" he couldnt speak much but didnt want to just loved hearing all of our voices! Me and my grandmother  sat there rocking in her chairs most of the day talking about R.W Ivy and everything he means to us... we sat and looked a baby pictures of all of us with the two of them and all the memories captured in the photos! .... i realized today that people my age get caught of in the busy motion of what we call life... i reflect on even this past week or month for me vs their week or month! things at the Ivy house move slow.... and they soak up every moment of it! rather than let them pass it by which is something i am guility of doing! not anymore i think is about time to soak up and enjoy every single of bit of life and love unconditionally because this is something that my Ma and Pa have done and will continue to do... and something they have both inspired me to do!

Hola Brandon,MS!!!

I finally arrived Home!! Hello Thanksgiving Break! woo hoo!  I anxiously can not wait to get to Baton Rouge tomorrow and wrap my arms around my great grandfather who was recently diagnosed with Renial Failure... btw thanks to all of you that have kept my family and I in your prayers! Prayers have been answered and I truely believe its the only communication we can have with our Wonderful God! Things should be intresting tomorrow! All my family from TX and LA will be there. They are huge LSU fans.. The rebels opponent for Tomorrow!!! Atleast my Pa is a devout Rebel fan ;) we can cheer them on together! On the other hand i cant wait to see my family from out of state! its been way to long! Mom and I are headed out early at 8am! On another note I will be missing my sweet little cousin, Travis' 10th Birthday party tomorrow! Mario is his new obession so thats the theme of his Party!! So this picture is for him!;)Happy Birthday Travis! I will keep everyone updated on my Grandfather and how the Trip goes.... and lets hope we will be coming home with a Rebel win!!!!! Regardless Baseball season needs to get here quick!!! I hope everyone got home safely from Oxford... to my starkville friends...to bad you have school till Tuesday!  ;)