My life in the Faulkner Family

To say the least, I have become a member of the Faulkner Family. I am very
blessed to have this opportunity, not many people have the opportunity to know
Davis, Campbell, and Rachel, let alone be a active part of their everyday life.
This year has been full of exciting and sad moments in our "Faulkner Family". I
began sitting for Blair and Rachel when Davis was just a little baby, and have
been around all of sweet little Campbell's life. This year in itself has been a
year of bittersweetness. Other than being able to know Rachel and her two
beautiful babies. I knew Blair. I am so excited I can say that. You see Blair
loved his children, his wife, and most importantly God. One of the last
memories I have of Blair is from this past spring, just a few weeks before he
passed away, I was over babysitting the kids and Rachel went to a pilgrimage
here in Columbus. Campbell was so sick and Davis was not feeling well either.
Rachel said she would be home at 4:30... well needless to say, she did not make
it home by 4:30 and Blair arrived first. By the time he got home Campbell had
102 fever and Blair was freaking out. He didn't know what to do, and not being
able to get a hold of Rachel was not helping. He thought he should take baby
Campbell to the ER but unfortunately had no car seats (they were with Rachel).
After multiple times of trying to reach Rachel, Blair called the hospital to
see if maybe she had a wreck and was there, she wasn't. Then he was looking up
the number to the police when she peeped in. Boy, was he upset. I will never
forget him and his love, passion, and concern for his children and his
beautiful wife. Blair is greatly missed in our "Faulkner Family" and throughout
the world.
I say all that to say... My life here with Rachel is so amazing! I could not
ask for a better role model (other than Christ). She has lost two husbands and
is raising two beautiful children. Just this year, Blair passed away, Campbell
started crawling and even walking, Davis is potty trained (Praise God, this
helps so much), Davis turned 3 and Campbell turned 1, they went to Disney over
Thanksgiving, and Rachel has gotten to witness to so many men, women, and
children. Why? Because God is a great God and never fails to be who HE says HE
will be. Something Rachel told me about 2 weeks after loosing Blair has stuck
with me and I will never forget it... she said "I have a choice to make every
morning when I wake up, I can choose to Praise God for who He is and continue
living how He wants me to, or I can choose to sit in my sorrow and morn. I
simply choose to live for Christ."... I was blown away then when those words
first came out of her mouth and I am blown away every time I am reminded of
those words.

This year will be a year that I never forget. I have watched Davis and Campbell
grow up and continue to watch them grow. It is so hard to see how fast time
really flies. I can not believe that they are as old as they are, and that time
goes ever faster the longer I am alive. I can not express how much God has blessed me this past year and continues to bless me every minute I am alive by simply providing the air I breathe. I have felt the Saviors steadfast love for me and seen Him move in my life, and others around me. I will be forever appreciative for being able to share in the memory making of the Faulkner Family. I hold great pride knowing that I can help Davis and Campbell know how much their daddy loved them and continues to love them even though they can not see him. I take even greater pride in knowing I can help teach Christ love to both of them.

Rachel, if you read this post, please know I am so grateful for you and your two beautiful children. I love you all so much! I know that Blair is watching you from Heaven and is so proud of the way you are choosing Christ over sorrow. I know that he loved you more than himself and that he is enjoying his life with Christ "To live is Christ, but to die is gain". Blair sure has gained a lot, and through his life we have received a blessing. I love you Rach, and would be lost without you sharing your amazing life with me. You are such a sweet encourager and I appreciate everything you do for not only me, but Dusty and everyone around you.

Love, Becca

Latest potery painted...

These are the newest pictures of things I have recently painted. I love each of them.

Happy Birthday Bella and Bama

I almost forgot to mention that our Chihuahua's turned 3 YEARS old on December 1st. We love them and spoil them often. Enjoy their pictures! I even sang Happy Birthday to them!!

EXCITED!

Yay, Thanks to the help of Jenna Lile I now have a better than boring blog! I am so excited to know some of the tricks to having a cute blog. So thank you Jenna! Some more exciting news is that Dusty has received an email asking him to take the ATC test in January! I am really excited about this. I think more so than he is! I have been waiting for this for a while. Please pray that God would allow him to pass so we can start fresh somewhere. We love our life here where we are but I think sometimes you just know when it is nearing the "time to move on" stage. And I feel as though we are really close to this point. I am yet another semester down in college! Just one year left! I am not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel...yet, but can feel its warmth. I have been thinking a lot about life and how Great God is and He is just AMAZING... what is more amazing is that He knows exactly what is going to happen to me and Dusty tomorrow and in 10 years from now. He also knows exactly who you are and that you would be reading this many, many, many years ago. Isn't that amazing! oh, oh, I almost forgot... we got a new camera! We are more than excited about it. We have never had a camera that belonged to "us" although we took over Al and Laney's for a long time we finally have one of our own. I love you and I love life. If you read this before December 10th, please pray that my grandpa goes through surgery okay, and everything turns out great! Love you all!!!

Thanksgiving already?

It is so hard to believe that it is already Thanksgiving. I can not believe how quickly the year has flown by. I have enjoyed life this year. Besides having another year behind me for college I have been given the opportunity to live. Sometime I feel as though we forget that living is a gift. We forget that the air we breathe it a gift, the food we eat is gift, the house we live in is a gift, the family we have is a gift. The Creator of EVERYTHING is a gift. Having the opportunity to serve the Creator is a gift and the opportunity to live with Him forever is a gift. I pray that this year you will not let the "gets" of life cover the "gifts" of life. I want everyone to know that I am so thankful for the gifts in my life. The first gift I would be thankful for is the love of Christ Jesus! It is only by Him, that I am where I am today. The next gift I am thankful for is my amazing husband! I love him with my whole heart! Someone said the other day "you are obsessed with him" and my response was I hope that I always will be. It is so nice going to bed at night and waking up in the morning with the one that I love with all my heart. The one that makes me smile, the one that will do anything that he thinks I need. Dusty is the very best husband, friend anyone could ever ask for. I love you so much! I would then be thankful for my family! Both sides The Williams side and the Wise side. Both have very different personalities but both are tons of fun to be around. I am thankful for all my friends, I have gone through so much with so many of them, and wouldn't take anything for any of them. I am just thankful for everything life has to offer, the good and the bad. I love life, I love people, I love God! So to you, this Thanksgiving remember what you are thankful for!!! May God Bless you abundantly!

Buy some!!

Dusty and I, as most of you know, are trying to raise money for our mission trip to Reunion Island. We are now selling platters, cups, chip and dip sets, etc. custom painted just for you. If you are interested in buying any please let me know. Here are a few pictures to show you how big they are... REMEMBER these are unpainted and have not been fired yet, so they look dull. Once they are glazed the two that are painted will be bright and beautiful. Please buy as many as you would like. Just email me if you need prices... the prices really depend on the details of the request. My email is rdw@muw.edu

Thanks!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Chirstmas Tree

Well, we are ready! Here are some pictures of our trees! The small tree holds ornaments from when I went to Africa.

Our big tree is non other than ALABAMA!!! ROLL TIDE!!! All of the Alabama ornaments my mother-in-law painted!

Well not this one...

Yes, this elephant is the BEST!! My mother in law painted it last year! It is the biggest ornament on our tree and hangs at the top! We love it!

Our beautiful tree!!!

Christmas so soon?

Well, our Christmas tree is up! I can't believe I have already put it up but my mother in law is going to put hers up and I wanted them to be up at the same time. That was a lot of ups. Anyway, Dusty and I are really excited about Christmas this year. Not only is it our second Christmas as a married couple we have decided that we are not by any means giving each other presents. I feel as though you get what you need and most of the time what you want all throughout the year why spend money that you don't have on stuff that you don't need? Well, we are not doing that this year, or any year after this. It is important to us that we remember and once children come along that they are reminded that Christmas is NOT about if you got everything on your Chirstmas list or not but that Christ is the only, true Christmas gift. I think people find themselves so wrapped up in getting, getting, getting, giving, giving, giving, that they miss the meaning of Christmas all together. So I urge you this Christmas to lay aside the wants and focus on our need... CHRIST.
I love you all! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
~Rebecca

Frustration

Tonight I am purely frustrated. I am frustrated that life does not go smoothly all the time, I am frustrated that Christians are okay with sitting on the sidelines of life. I am frustrated that people allow people to control how they act and respond to situations. But what I am the most frustrated about is that people miss the whole picture that God is still God no matter what.....

Why Wait?!?!?

Well, today makes two years since my grandmother passed away. So it has been a day of remembering the good and remembering the sad (I have NO bad memories, Praise God). My grandmother was the very best thing that I was ever given. She always was interested in what was going on in my life and wanted to know my everything. She was my number one supporter and encourager. My grandmother gave life her very all. Even in her dying days she lived life in such a way that you would have thought she felt perfect. You see what made my grandmother different was the love that she had for Christ. She loved Him and served him with her whole heart. She spent time with Him, and fully understood that this life here on earth is just a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow. I feel so blessed to have been able to have her for the 19 years that I did. Oh, how I wish it would have been longer, but that is the human side of me. I wanted and thought I needed her more than Christ needed her. Christ gave her to me and she was His to take whenever He thought was good. Throughout her dying days, she would have such a bad day that I would say, "Okay, Lord I am ready to let go" then with the next breath I would say, "I was only kidding, I am not ready yet". Well when November 2nd, 2006 came, I was NOT ready. I thought I would get married and have children all before Christ decided to take her home. I wanted so badly to change places with her. I did not want to live without her... I wanted her healed. Well, November 2, 2006 God healed her. He called her home, she was ready I was not. I was not ready to let go of my best friend, but it is through her death that I have learned who God is and that no matter what He is still on the throne. He still loves me and needs me to show His love to the people here on earth. He wants me to use what I learned from my grandmother to show others the way to Christ. I read the book "Wait" during this time for strength. I wanted her healed to live here on earth with me but God was saying "Wait" I WILL heal her... just "wait".

God NEVER gives us more than we can bare. Sometimes, through the pain and the mist of everything we feel as though we have been given way too much, But we must remember God will never give us more than we can bare.

On a different note do you ever remember when you were a little child and you asked your parents for something and they told you, "NO!" or "wait"? Like when you wanted a new bike and your mom said wait and see what Santa brings, or you wanted that bag of candy and your dad said not until you eat your dinner. Well, I have had several of those moments throughout my life, and believe it or not, God is like that too. Sometimes He tells us either "NO" or simply wait. I have asked for something and God has openly said this is not your time... and unfortunately I have no other choice but to be 100% satisfied with the fact that God knows exactly what he is doing. And as was said by my friend, Paula Britt, sometimes it takes situations to fully see who God is and what He is doing in your life. Let me tell you... God is amazing, He never ceases to amaze me. When I wake up in the morning I am reminded that it is God who allowed me to wake up and get out of bed, and it is God that I am to Praise for that. It is God that knows the stars by name, and it is God that knows the whole story of my life, He not only has already read my life story book from beginning to end, it is GOD that wrote my life story book. He knows what will happen in the next 2 minutes and the next 200 years. Now that is amazing! So in the mist of my waiting period I am once again reminded of the book entitled "Wait" by Russell Kelfer. This book is the reminder that I need when God tells me to wait. Here is the book.....

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried; quietly, patiently, loving, God replied. I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate... and the Master so gently said, "Wait." "Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply. "Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!" Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard? By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word. My future and all to which I relate hangs in the balance, and you tell me to Wait?" I'm needing a 'yes,' a go-ahead sign. Or even a 'no,' to which I'll resign. You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe, We need but to ask, and we shall receive. Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry: I'm weary of asking! I need a reply. Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate, as my Master replied again, "Wait." So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut, and grumbled to God, "So I'm waiting... FOR WHAT?" He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine... and He tenderly said "I could give you a sign. I could shake the heavens and darken the sun. I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run. I could give all you seek and pleased you would be. You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know ME. You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint. You'd not know the power that I give to the faint. You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair; you'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there. You'd not know the joy of resting in Me when darkness and silence are all you can see. You'd never experience the fullness of love when the peace of My spirit descends like a dove. You would know that I give, and I save, for a start, But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart. The glow of My comfort late into the night, the faith that I give when you walk without sight. The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask from an infinite God who makes what you have last. You'd never know should your pain quickly flee, what it means that My grace is sufficient for thee. Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true, but, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you. So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see that the greatest of gifts is to truly know me. And though oft My answers seems terribly late, My most precious answer of all is still.... Wait"

Random!

Life lately has been wonderful! God is always so amazing but really HE has been showing himself to me more lately (really my eyes are just more open). These are some pictures from this past summer!

This picture is how Dusty and I feel most of the time! Ha
My wonderful Aunt Leigh
My oh so sweet baby girl (Campbell)
God's wonderful design!
Me and the best male that God has ever created!
My lovely family except my sister:(

Two of my most favorite little men... Parker Casano and Davis Faulkner

If I have not told you I LOVE MY LIFE!!!

Kitchen Pictures!!!!

A new microwave!!

It took a while for Laney to open her eyes
Al so excited!
The whole gang, except Angie Reeves, that helped with the remodeling
Laney so surprised and crying
The table has chairs that look great, but they were not complete when this picture was taken.
The hutch
A tile back splash for sink, and tin around the rest.

THE Kitchen

Well, PRAISE THE LORD!!!! THE KITCHEN IS DONE!!! We finished it just as Al and Laney were pulling into the subdivision. It looks amazing but what was more amazing than that is the fact that Laney and Al BOTH were so excited and liked it so much that they BOTH cried! It was so sweet. There is no other couple that is so deserving as these two are. They do so much for so many people and never ask anything in return. It took forever for Laney to open her eyes, she was so nervous about how it turned out. She thought we were going to do black cabinets with green walls. It was so fun to watch thier reactions. You too can watch the video by going to youtube.com and in the search bar type in Al and Laney's Kitchen. Watch it and I hope that it brings a smile to your face!
We love you!!

Where in the World did September?

So September went by really fast, I sorta feel as though it never happened. We are so busy with every new and exciting thing that is going on around here. The first of the month we visited Tennessee and had a Hudson Family reunion at my grandpa's house. He was so excited to have all of us together that he cried. It was such a blessing to be together.

We have also been busy trying to get yard sale items together for next weekend to raise money for our mission trip. God is so good, and has blessed us with so many nice things to sell. Please keep praying that they will sell!

On top of yard sale stuff, we are totally in the process of redoing Al and Laney's (Dusty's Parents) kitchen. They are out of town and have no clue as to what we are doing. It is so great! We are loving it. We have had several friends come over to help. Thanks to Patrick, Leslie, Megan, Jenna, Richard, Mac, Angie, and whoever else has come over. They will be so pleased with the end result. (If we can hurry and get it done before they get home! haha)

Another thing that we have started is Bible study on Tuesday nights! We LOVE it! Dusty is in one called Bromance, which I believe is the quest for authentic man-hood. I have started "The 66 club" which is studying the whole Bible, hints the 66 for the 66 books in the Bible. I have also taken on the responsibility of teaching the senior high girls Bible study at our church. I am so excited about being asked to do this! This coming Sunday will be my first night, I just pray that these girls really see my heart and not the outward, worldly Rebecca. Dusty is still loving teaching his boys, and they are loving him. I feel as though they are our kids! We just love being around them.


School is going good for me, I am so thankful that it is not extremely busy right now. Fall break is next Monday and Tuesday! Lord knows I need a break!

Another exciting thing in my life is being able to spend my week with Rachel, Davis, and Campbell! They are a highlight of my week. Truely love them from the bottom of my heart! Campbell is changing so much and is oh so ready to walk. I just know it will be any day now. Davis has been so sweet lately and so loving towards Campbell. I love to watch them together. At the same time it makes me so sad that they are growing up so fast because it is a simple reminder that live is just a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow.

I would like to challenge you to live you life as if you are going to die tomorrow. You never know what exactly tomorrow will hold, just be ready to face each day with Christ, knowing that He is the creator of that day and He is the one that causes the sun to rise every morning! A really wonderful Christian friend of mine told me once after my grand mother passed away that "The sun will rise tomorrow". No matter how bad your life seems, no matter how horrible you think you have screwed up you can always be certain that Christ loves you enough to give you another chance, to give you another outlook on life.

We love you!

Thank God for the CRAZINESS!!!!

Dusty and I are leading a mission team to Reunion Island next March. We are so excited about it, but in the process of trying to raise money to support us and the team members we are hard at work collecting items for a yard sale on October 11th. We have had so many awesome people donate so many nice things, I pray that God will send the people to come a buy these nice things.. haha. But really, We will NEVER be able to thank the donors enough for all their generosity. If you are reading this blog and you donated please know that your love and support for us and sending us on this trip are greatly appreciated. I will post some pictures as soon as possible!
The latest found love.... COFFEE!!!!! I love it! I am at Rachel's right now and she is gone with Davis to a birthday party, Campbell is asleep, so I thought I would fix a pot of coffee... to say the least... I LOVE IT!!! I mean I have waited almost 22 years to start liking coffee...What? Yeah, so glad I tried it! Now, I can have coffee talks with my girlfriends. Thanks Rachel for taking Davis to the birthday party! You do so much more for me than you will ever be able to image! I love you so much!
Dusty is still loving teaching the senior boys at church! I love it for him. He gets so into it, it is awesome to watch. I am praying about being the girls leader! I would love to do it and I am willing only if that is where God wants me to be. School for me is going great right now, I have had a wild little bump, but God is so great and so good that I know the bump will work out for good also! Well, thats all for now! We love you!
~Rebecca

Well, lately we have been extremely busy. We had some previous exchange students come stay with us for a week. We had a wonderful visit with them. Now, we are planning planning planning for Reunion Island. Please keep us in your prayers. There is so much to be done and we have no idea as to where we should start. Dusty started this past week with leading a Bible study for high school seniors. He said it went really well. He is very excited about this opportunity. I have been doing school! And that is a job in itself. This semester has been the best so far. I love everything about it. We are doing great, and love you. If you would like to come visit we would love for you too.

The newest Additions to our family!

This is Princess
This is Izzy
Proud Momma with new babies


We went today (Labor day) to Tuscaloosa for a Harris family cookout! And this is what we left with. They are so SO so cute. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Feeding the baby calf

This is me feeding cow #401 to me Her name is Betsie. So Fun!

Farm Days

Today was a wonderful day! Besides Alabama winning against Clemson last night (ROLL TIDE) we went this morning to church then came home ate lunch and watched a movie. After our movie was over we went and spent the afternoon with Mac (one of our friends). We had a blast! We chased cows, went "muddin", rode ALL over some property, and I even got to feed a new born cow from a bottle. It was awesome! I love the farm life! I named the baby cow Betsie, really she is known as #401 but to me she will always be Betsie. Our life is going great right now. We have so much to be thankful for. I have a test on Tuesday and posting on here gives me a reason not to study!! So thank you Blog! I will post some pictures of our day today once I get the cord for the camera! Have a good one! We love you!
~Rebecca

Life

I have started another school semester! I believe I will stay a bit busy this year until graduation. I am still wanting to get into dental hygiene after I finish this round of school. I am not sure when I get do that though. Dusty is trying to get into Air Traffic Control School!!! I am so excited! He received an email about a job in Hawaii, but that is WAY too far away and we would have to pay out of pocket to move. So thats not happening.
This past weekend we went to Tennessee for a Family Force 5 concert! We had a blast! Since Dusty doesn't get off until 5pm we were only about 1 hour and 40 minutes late, but we enjoyed every second. We even survived going trough the hood in Memphis, PRAISE GOD!
Saturday we had a family reunion in Fayette, AL. (this is Al's side of the fam.) We enjoyed ourselves there as well. Life is just happening, and we are holding on for the ride. May you have a blessed week! We love you all!!!
~Rebecca

I am sitting here thinking back to my freshman year in college. It is so hard to believe that graduation is coming up. I can hardly believe that these past 4 years have passed so quickly. I can not believe that God has given me such a wonderful life. I can not believe that He loves such an undeserving woman like myself. I can not believe that He would die simply for me to live. I am thankful for all the memories I have collected over the past 4 short years. Dated 4 different guys, ended up with a package from Heaven (Dusty). Traveled to Mexico, Africa, Brazil, and the Bahamas. Lost my best friend (my Mamaw), made new friends, learned what true love is all about. Learned to love myself. I miss some things I have lost over the past few years and love everything I have gained. I am so grateful for another day to live and proclaim Christ name!!

On a different note, graduation is coming up but by golly its not coming fast enough. Another day of school starts tomorrow. Ugh, but you know what God is so great that I know that no matter how boring or hard the class may be or become I will survive. I hope to make Dean's list or better this semester. Over and out for the night. Good night!
~Rebecca

Never Left Alone

This is us on our Mexico Mission Trip in 2006
At an Alabama game 2006 ROLL TIDE
Leaving Miami on a Cruise 2007
On our honeymoon 2007

Sometimes when life is going slow and you are physically alone, do you ever feel "ALL" alone? I do. Tonight as I sit in front of my computer thinking about the blessing I have in Dusty and trying to stay up until I just can not stay up any longer (Dusty is gone on trip with the youth), I want to write and let everyone know what a blessing I have. Dusty does so much for and with me and I never give him enough credit. Yes, sometimes he drives me up the wall but never the less through it all I know that he loves me, he wants the best for me and he is faithful to me and to Christ. Knowing these things is an amazing feeling. As I have told many people before when I first met Dusty I was NOT in the least bit interested in him. I had told God what I wanted my "man" to look like, and before me was Dusty, yeah right, I was not going to marry him. But oh the mistake I would have made had I turned him away. Dusty has the biggest heart of anyone I know. He breaks for the broken, he loves children, he is my encourager, supporter, and most of all my very best friend. I am at a lost for words when it comes to trying to seize up the most wonderful husband that was given to such an undeserving woman. My original point before getting off on Dusty was that whenever I feel alone I am reminded that God is still here, He is still alive, He is still in control of everything, HE is the Great I AM! GOD IS GREAT! I am so blessed to have the life I have, the family I have, and the undeserved Grace of God that I have. Always remember, "He will never leave nor forsake you".

~Rebecca