Fine!.............

Dear friends and family,
Fine.......That was all it took to get a loved one to call me back.  Time passes with some as there was no yesterday and all is picked back up as though it was never lost and others, well.... time interupts and changes things.  Sometimes when you don't hear from someone it is for a reason and it may be when they need you the most.  Call your loved ones, do whatever it takes to make a difference and show them you care. 

Tonight we have Blessings in a Backpack and what a difference that makes in the lives of children.  We send home over 7 items for the weekend for them to eat and enjoy which will get them to school on Monday where they have an opportunity to eat breakfast.  Hard to believe that some children don't eat any or not much from Friday to Monday.  We are so blessed that we may not have the choices we want but there is always enough.  Please pray for the over 950 children that will recieve a blessing this weekend and every weekend until school is out.  We still need about 400 sponsors that are willing to donate $80 a year for the program. 

Tomorrow night Atlee and I will go on a journey together at the Secret Keeper Girls Live event in Huntsville.  Way cool!  I can't wait for her to like me better.....If you get a chance to find an adventure for your children, please do.  They only have one today.  We don't get a second chance at today but you can make a better tomorrow.

Ian is doing great and still has a girlfriend.  Ariel is her name and he has said that she "love likes" him.  He has already asked her to the prom.  WOW!  What can I expect next?  We are teaching our children to give instead of share and short of his LEGOS, he has given her his everything. 

Brody, well that another story......this morning he had a fit getting on the bus.  We stopped and took a minute to pray.  Boy did that make a difference.  He stops crying and listens to the prayer. So sweet.  I try not to let yucky mornings shape my day and pray them away for Brody.  We ask that you include us all in  your daily prayers. 

God is good ALL the time, if you let him.  Don't let go of his hand in your life or the hold he has on your heart to be self seeking.  We do a better job with him at our side. 

Blessings to you this week,
Wendy

Whew! Life is an adventure with the Griffins....

Dear friends and family,

Bubba and I are enjoying working together at Curls and Pearls. We are closed on Sunday and Monday and work Tuesday through Saturday mostly from 8:00-5:30. We don't have posted hours. If we need to get Brody from school or plan an event around Ian and Atlee we can. I work by appointment and Bubba is making jewelry all day. We have Lucky Buck Jewelry in two other store fronts than our own now. He is an amazing artist and I am always glad to get the prototypes. Right now he is using a lot of copper and also making bracelets with old flatware. Really cool....

Ian is making good grades in school and had the first and only fortune cookie last week. He said, "I hope there is a girlfriend inside!". He also wished for one for Valentine's Day. He is a sweet child and will someday make a wonderful husband. He is a lover and a fighter. That should be interesting....

Atlee is making good grades in school as well. They are in the same classroom and so the only competition is who finishes their homework first. It has worked out beautifully for us. She is finished with all of her extracurricular activities and Ian only has one more week. Atlee is independent and growing up fast. She loves her friends and has many. They both love to read and we are very happy about that. She enjoys riding her bike and singing. She wants to write and sing her own music someday and Ian wants to make "legos". Maybe they will make a fortune on both.....

Bubba has a show tomorrow at the elementary school and we are very excited! This will kick off our show season and also buy me some tires on my van. Woo Hoo! I need them badly. The next show will be Art on the Lake here in Guntersville in April. In May, we go to Homestead Hollow in Springville, AL. Make plans to come see us. I am so proud to call Bubba an artist. You should see his stuff.. AMAZING.

Me, well I am loving life and all that goes with it. The only thing I would change is my 12-15 loads of laundry a week. God has been amazing to all of us and held our hand along the way of our new adventures. Happiness is wanting what you already have......

We are very involved with Blessings in a Backpack each week and will do that during the school year. We are still in need of a babysitter each Thursday night for us to go and volunteer. We also need volunteers each week at 5:45 at the Guntersville Church of Christ. We are packing over 700 backpacks a week.

Thanks for letting me share my family with you.

Blessings,

Wendy

Brody's School Play....

Dear friends,
It was one of those Fragile X days where you are so proud that Brody is your son for just clapping his hands at the right time. He was precious and everyone complimented us on his behavior. What an event the GES had! We enjoyed watching Brody react so happy to everyone singing and clapping.
We are enjoying our new business and loving working together. Life is good....at Curls and Pearls. Lucky Buck Jewelry is really successful and it is such a blessing.
Atlee, Brody and Ian are doing awesome and we are raising three great kids. Today was electronic day at school in the afternoon program and that was a little hectic. It may not be "electronic" day for the Griffins.
My friend Susan is coming for the weekend and I couldn't be more excited. She is an excellent designer and I want her to see Curls and Pearls and give me her opinion. Come see us at the shop.
We had over $1380.00 raised last night at Blessings in a Backpack. It is really a wonderful event and you should come join us on Thursday nights at Church of Christ in Guntersville at 6:00. Don't be late or you will miss the fun. In fact, most everyone comes early.
Blessings,
Wendy

Curls & Pearls

Dear friends and family,

We are so excited about the first two days of our adventure with Curls & Pearls, our new business. We had such a good time working together. Bubba is in the back making jewelry and I am up front doing hair. The space is just perfect and "we are better together"! We were blessed with four green plants that make our new home comfortable. Come by anytime and get a cup of coffee with us and check out our new inventory of Lucky Buck Jewelry.

We will be packing 700 backpacks for Blessings in a Backpack tonight. We will be moving our efforts to Church of Christ around back on the second floor. They have created a space for us and we are ever so grateful. We are adding to GES, Cherokee, Asbury and Claysville. We are expecting new volunteers tonight and I need for CALG to make a good showing.

God bless,

Wendy and Bubba

Curls and Pearls....

Dear friends,
As we leave to go paint at the new shop, I am reminded about how blessed we are. My last day at Darlene's Salon and Day Spa is Thursday of next week. It has been a wonderful journey there and I am grateful to Darlene for the opportunity to build my business while there. Our building is for sale and she hopes to work part-time and spend more time with her grandson.
Bubba and I will begin Curls and Pearls on January 3rd with the Chris Todd family as they make their final preparations to minister to the people from Beirut, Lebanon. They will leave the following day and be gone for three years. Our prayers go with them.
We begin yet another Griffin Adventure.......Merry Christmas and God Bless You.
Bubba and Wendy

Wow, it's December already!

Dear friends and family,
I am so sorry to have skipped November. Whew, the time flies. We are well on our way to opening Curls & Pearls in January. Tomorrow is painting day. We are making several ideas come to life and I hope you like them as well as we do. Bubba just finished his shows for the season and he has a home show next week. His jewelry goes to a new store tomorrow and we are excited about that. That will make Lucky Buck Jewelry available in three places; Baker's on Main, Brindley Family Pharmacy and Darlene's Salon and Day Spa (until December 22nd). My last day there is the 22nd and then we will open Curls and Pearls on January 3rd.
Pray for us as we make these life changing decisions and go on another adventure.
Love,
Wendy

October.....my favorite month of the year!

Dear friends and family,

This month is going by so fast. We just spent a long weekend with our Amish friends and the kids had a blast. We had so much good food and fun with Ken and Colleen. They have six children now and they own a party supply business. Good times to be had with all.

Shipshewana, Indiana is a breath of fresh air and good for the soul. No electricity, no TV and no Internet for awhile was refreshing. We tried all of Colleen's great recipes and even ate out a couple of times. The kids played on the wiggle racers, roller blades and took the pony and cart for a ride.

I have developed something called Uticaria over the last several weeks and I would ask for your prayers. It has been difficult with my eyes swelling to see and function 100%. I am on Prednisone, Pepcid and Zyrtec. I went to a doctor that only sees patients without insurance and for $58 I had an office visit and left with three prescriptions. It was so easy and unexpected. I usually have to pay $125 up front just to see the Dr. I may have to drive back to Shipshewana again! I am so much better but still not able to stop taking the medication.

Two of the sweetest things happened this weekend......last night Brody covered me up with his Toy Story blanket and tonight he tapped the bed for Ian to come sleep with him. Sweet child he is.

Curls and Pearls will open on January 3rd at 502 Blount Ave., Guntersville, AL 35976. Our new number will be 256.960.1575. We are so excited about getting to work together and look forward to meeting so many new people. Let the Griffin Adventures begin......