Memorials

Today our Pastor talked about building memorials.  Memorials help us remember things that have happened in the past.  You can look at a picture and remember the people that were there and how you felt at that moment. 

We should be memorializing God and remembering all the great and good things He has done in our lives.  When we look at pictures of the milestones and blessings in our lives we should remember the One who makes it all possible, the One who abundantly blesses us with every good thing. 

That is what the Masterpiece is all about.  It has Peyton’s initials on it, but it wasn’t built as a monument to him.  It is our reminder of how far Tom and I have come since January 12, 2008.  Every time I look out the window and see the pavilion standing there, I will remember how God carried us.  I will remember the people He sent to love on us and pray for us.  I can sit and think about God’s grace and how He showered it on us and continues to shower us with it.  I could tell story after story, but I’ve already told them throughout this blog. 

What benefit is there in remembering the past?  It builds our faith in the plans God has for us for our future.  We’ve been blessed in our past and we will be blessed in the future.

Every gathering that takes place under the pavilion will be a celebration of how much God loves us. God will be glorified and memorialized there. 

I love the fact that we were able to break ground on this project on the 5th anniversary of Peyton going to Heaven.  God is into details. 

I hope this post encourages you to reflect on a regular basis on the things God has done in your life.

Now for some pictures of the first celebration at the pavilion!

Lots of chairs for lots of guests!!

MEMORIAL PICTURES!!  My heart overflowed when the Bride asked for a picture of Peyton to be included.

Having some fun

The wedding party

Funny boys men.

Love this!!

First dance

Jacksons & Shepherds!!

Jacksons & Shepherds (aka The Peanuts)

I know when the bride and groom look at their pictures they will remember all the love and happiness of that day.

Thanks for reading

The Masterpiece

In my last post I said we were breaking ground for a pavilion.  We did and it is amazing.  This post is going to be mainly pictures of the construction process, but I had to tell you about the confirmation from the Lord I got about building this awesome structure.  As I was driving down the interstate, I was praying about the pavilion and for my husband.  I knew this was a big project and it was weighing on Tom’s mind.  He wanted to do a good job and  wasn’t sure how to do it.  We didn’t know anyone that had built a pavilion.  So I was praying about the construction process and that Tom wouldn’t feel like he was doing this all by himself.  Then I got the Word, “It’s going to be a Masterpiece”.  As soon as I heard that in my heart, I knew it was going to be a Masterpiece because it was being built by THE MASTER.  OMGoodness!  I knew Tom wasn’t going to feel alone.  He wasn’t doing this project in his own strength.  The Lord would be instructing him the whole time!!!  Our God is amazing and He loves us so much.  He wants to be involved and consulted in our everyday.  God also provided FREE LABOR AND EQUIPMENT for this project.  I’ll point those out with the pics.

The building site for the pavilion is pretty much where my blog header picture was taken.

Now for the pictures!

The dirt work was provided by a good friend for a minimal cost. 
What he charged us might have paid for his fuel.

 

 



Digging holes for the posts.  Making sure everything is level.
 

The steel posts are set!!

This is Burke cutting off the tops of the posts so they are
the same height. 

The concrete was poured and STAMPED while I was at
work so I don't have pics of that process. 
It has since been stained and it looks AMAZING!

 

The rafters going up.  Again, the Lord provided the equipment.

Tom and some great helpers

All the rafters are up!!!

Putting up the ceiling

Lots of helpers and use of a tractor from my uncle.
I don't know how safe this was, but it worked!

Getting the job done

There it is, the FIREPLACE!

Holy Moly, it looks good even with only concrete blocks!

Progress on the rock work

Peyton is always on our minds.

Ceiling fans and lights.  Burke and Tom did the wiring.
Tom & Peanut installed the ceiling fans and lights.
We have electrical outlets too!!

It couldn't have turned out better!

What it looks like from the house.
Thank you Lord!

Lots of hard work and love went into this construction project.  As always, we are extremely grateful to our friends for their help and dedication.  We love you guys! 
Now...........Let's have a PARTY!!!

On a side note - I went back and used blogger to write this post instead of LiveWriter.  I had a terrible time getting pictures placed where I wanted them.  I don't think it was me, so I will go back to LiveWriter.  Here is a picture I couldn't leave out, but I couldn't get it where I wanted it.  So forgive the inconsistency in my picture timeline of progress.

Our property is rocky, so this machine saved lots of time and hard work.
It was provided at NO COST by a great friend.

Thanks for reading :)