Alex & Venera's Wedding

Boy, I have so many things spinning around in my head right now, I'm not sure where to start! Alex married Venera on Saturday, and I am just so happy and so excited for them! Yep, I'm so sad that Alex no longer lives here (wow, that was hard to type), but there is so much joy that outweighs the sadness!

• Joy that this is right and good! God has made it so clear to us that He's the one that brought Alex and Venera together. They are absolutely the picture of God's children that He has held in His hand since He created them. What a great place to be! And what an honor it is to be the mom/mom-in-law in this unfolding tapestry.

• Joy because the wedding was beautiful! Perfect! (http://katiehardin.blogspot.com/2008/12/where-do-we-go-from-here.html)

• Joy because our family is so tight that we miss him so much already! So blessed to be sad because our family is so close, rather than not sad if our family was not close. Not sure if that makes sense, but it does in my head!

• Joy because Venera is in our family now! Venera is wonderful, beautiful, sweet, lovely, kind, etc., etc.! Everything a mom could ask for for her son!

• Joy because they are walking with Jesus. "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." 3 John 1:4 Really, nothing else matters!

• Joy because this is just the beginning, and we can't wait to see where God leads this family - all of us!

Terri

Vacation 2007

"OK, this a little goofy. It's almost 2009, and I'm writing about our 2007 summer vacation. Here's the deal. Last summer we took an awesome 2 week vacation just driving all over the souteast part of the country. I intended to blog to keep our family updated while we were gone, but quite honestly, was just too lazy. Sooo.... after we got home, we sat around and made a list of all the things we did so we wouldn't forget. Now, a year-and-a-half later, I decided it was time to at least put my notes on the blog to make it official. Whatever that means. So here goes:

On the Way

• Pictures in front of Superman in Metropolis

Nashville, TN

• Red Robin in Murfreesboro
• Hard Rock Cafe
• Shopped for boots
• The Opry Mills Mall (Gibson Guitar, cookies, pretzels and cork guns that almost got us thrown out)
• Cooter's Dukes of Hazzard Museum
• Jack Daniels Distillery
• Belmont University
• LaQuinta Hotel

Gatlinburg

• Horseback riding
• Carriage ride
• Fed the horses
• Drove through Pigeon Forge
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Rainbow Falls in the Smoky Mountains - Hike to the waterfall, Scott and Bill falling, Good water, Scott's knees hurting, lots of salamanders, Terri, Anna & Emma's very close encounter with a very large snake and one smaller one, Terri, Anna & Emma doing the Scooby Doo run the rest of the way down the mountain, Scott, Bill, Alex, Katie & Rianne hearing a bear, Alex running down the mountain to save Terri, Anna & Emma from said bear.
• Saw a bear on the mountain
• Hard Rock Cafe - saw ""Luv Addict"" video. Much excitement.
• Good Mexican food
• Ober Gatlinburg tram
• Alpine Slide
• Chinese restaurant - Rianne left her new purchases there. Went back and got them.
• "Warren Peace" - can't remember what that means
• Fairfield Hotel - swimming, smelled like garbage, fun slide
• Couldn't find Gold Bond powder. Don't ask
• Sonic withdrawal

Augusta, GA

• Anna peed in her pants in the gas station
• City not quite the same as the golf course!
• Saw the outside of Augusta Golf Club
• Sonic
• Homewood Suites
• Alex left his phone at the hotel

Toccoa, GA

• Climbed Currahee (well, OK, I slept in the van, Anna & Emma watched a movie in the van, and everyone ELSE climbed Currahee)
• Got cool poster

Savannah, GA

• Homewood Suites
• Next to Air Force Base
• Chuchhill's for dinner
• River Street - Candy Shop, The Cotton Exchange restaurant
• LOTS of rain and flooding
• Emma got a cigarette stuck in her shoe
• The Crab Shack - alligators
• Tybee Island - Dolphin Tour - awesome!
• Forest Gump steeple
• Trolley tour
• Mighty 8th Air Museum
• Nature preserve - snake, gators
• Fort Pulaski
• Cool bridge
• Laundromat
• Alex screamed ""I'm Gay!"". Still don't know why. Lady laughed.

Charleston, SC

• Residence Inn - swimming
• Bourne Ultimatum
• Carriage ride in the rain
• Magnolia Plantation - dissappointment
• Drove around the city
• Watched the Patriot
• Paulo's Gelato
• Patriot's Point - ate meatball subs on the USS Yorktown
• Rainbow Row
• We think we saw Fort Sumter
• Alex receives lost phone

Mytrtle Beach, SC

• Avista Resort
• Alex ran on beach
• Swam in the ocean
• Alex the shark slayer picked up dead hammerhead shark, attracting a huge crowd!
• Hard Rock Cafe - pyramid
• HOT!!!!!!!!!!
• Barefoot Landing - Anna & Emma went on merry-go-round, ate at cheeseburger place
• Bourne Ultimatum again - power out in the first theater
• False fire alarm at the hotel
• Drove around for hours looking for a new hotel the first night

Ashville, NC

• Springhill Suites - got free M&Ms
• Saw the entrance to Biltmore. Too cheap to go in.
• Chinease restaurant - freaks (can't remember what that means either!)
• Katie and Alex swam

Cininnati, OH

• Creation Museum
• Residence Inn
• Good pizza
• Red Robin on our way home

That pretty much sums it up! It was a busy couple weeks, with GREAT family memories! We are so blessed indeed!"

Litany of Humility

You know how every once in a while you hear something that you KNOW was meant just for you at that moment? Well, this is one of those things:

Litany of Humility

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

I hope it blesses you like it is blessing me!


Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Terri

Weddings, college, driver's ed., and the Little Mermaid

So much to think about, and so much to be thankful for these days! When I stop to "ponder" my life at the moment, I just have to smile at the unbelievable course it has taken. How did I ever find myself in the position of sending one son off to college 800 miles from home, planning a wedding for another son, finding a college for one daughter, teaching another daughter how to drive, and sharing the excitement of Little Mermaid 3 with two other daughters - all at the same time! God has been so good to me. Even the sadness of sending off two sons has somehow been filled with peace. Sure can't explain that one apart from God! And to top that off, I got the compliment of a lifetime last night when a very sweet friend asked me what I did to keep my family so close! She said whenever she sees a Hardin, there's always another Hardin not too far behind. If I've accomplished that, I am a happy mama!

Be Blessed!

Terri

Jeremiah

Wow, I just read a verse in Jeremiah that made so much sense! Every time I give up on God, and tell him I quit, I'm finished, etc., I can only stay in that place a short time before He brings me back to Him. No matter how hard I try, I just can't stay in that pit! Jeremiah 20:9 says, "But if I say, 'I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,' his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in: indeed, I cannot." I guess that explains it! :)

Be Blessed!

Terri

Too sad to say much

Well, I'm gonna be honest - this really stinks. We left Bill in Virginia on Saturday morning, and there is definitely something missing at home now. Thank goodness for email, video messaging, cell phones, etc. I know we'll be fine, but I don't like it.

On the upside, the rest of us did have a real nice time Saturday night. We pulled in to Louisville at about 6:00PM, went to Lynn's Paradise Cafe for dinner (funky little place Katie and I had gone to last spring), drove past Southeast Christian Church so Katie and I could show everyone the immense girth of the place, went to Graeters for ice cream, swam at the hotel, and made it back into our room just in time to settle in and watch Michael Phelps win his 8th gold medal of the 2008 olympics. All in all a good night!

Till next time,

Terri

Liberty photos

Well, we ended up scrapping the Buffalo Wild Wings plans last night, and went to this really cool place called the Depot Grille, in the downtown historical district. Very neat place in, go figure, an old train depot. As per typical Hardin vacation, we spent plenty of time today sleeping and eating. We slept right through breakfast, and then met Bill at Doc's Diner for lunch. (named after Dr. Jerry Falwell). After that, we just kind of hung out picking up a few more things for Bill's dorm, grabbing some snacks, and taking some pictures. I just posted a bunch of pictures below from around the campus. (and one from yesterday at the golf course.) Don't forget to click on the pictures to make them biggerl. Bill's eating with the guys from his building again, then meeting us for dinner #2, and then playing some pick-up hockey at the LaHaye center. Thank you Tim Lahaye for your amazing generosity!
Enjoy the pictures!










Till next time,

Terri

Dorm Life

Yesterday everything was official - Bill got his Liberty ID, and got checked into his dorm. We met his roommate (Gary), and several other guys from his building while we dropped all his stuff off in his room. They all seem really nice and Bill had a great time with them already last night. All the guys from his building had dinner together in the dining hall, played frisbee golf, and then a little sand volleyball. We picked him up afterward at around 9:00, went to Sonic for ice cream (right at the bottom of the hill - again - not feeling too bad for him!) , and had him back to his dorm for 10:00 curfew. (I think the curfew gets a little later once school starts)

This morning Bill had some orientation stuff to go to, and then we picked him up so he could golf with Scott and Alex. The girls and I went to CiCi's pizza for lunch (yum), and drove around the historical district a little before we headed back to the golf course to pick them up so Bill could be back to his dorm in time for the Chancellor's cookout. We decided this would be a good time to pick up his and Alex's books since all the students would be at the cookout. (Actually that was Rianne's idea - thanks Rianne!) Good plan - the bookstore was empty, compared to the line that was snaked all the way around the store yesterday. Anyway, we are broke now - just a bit too much Liberty U. swag!

OK, I think we're off to Buffalo Wild Wings for more food. Hopefully we'll get to see Bill again later tonight, and then catch a little more Michael Phelps record breaking.

Bill's Dorm (just kidding - I'll try to post real pictures tomorrow!)

Till next time,

Terri

Liberty U.

Tuesday night we arrived in Lynchburg just in time for a beautiful sunset! Bill will be with us at the hotel tonight, but tomorrow he'll get checked into his dorm and will be staying there the rest of the time we are here. Well, actually until May. Oh dear that seems like a long time! Below are pictures of the huge "LU" on Liberty Mountain, and the amazing sunset that will actually be the view from Bill's dorm for the next 9 months! I'm feeling sorry for myself, but I can't say I'm feeling too bad for Bill!


Lynchburg Sunsets


Liberty Mountain

Till next time,

Terri

Off to Liberty!

Well, it's a sad day, but an exciting day. We headed out the door to Virginia to bring Bill out to Liberty University for his junior year of college. I'm so sad to see him go, but I'm so excited for this time of his life!

Today we actually drove to Louisville to spend the night. What a nice city! We ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe so Bill could work on his Hard Rock "City Shirt" collection.


Louisville Hard Rock Cafe


Downtown Louisville

Till next time,

Terri