A Birthday Reunion

In my last post I mentioned a friend of ours who was watching her father slowly fight his battle with cancer, on Christmas Eve Megan's Daddy went to be with the Lord, and she's right, what better day?

Megan, we love you so much, and we're here, praying along side you and your family.

~The Cooks

'tis the season to be jolly...

A recent post on a site I visit everyday really hit home this Holiday Season. It's an article by Jim Elliff and I highly suggest you take the time to read it! (its not too long) During the joy of the season we are surrounded by depression, hate, death, sickness, seperation, divorce, and the list goes on and on....
Teddy and I are experiencing this right now, personally, in the midst of the Christmas Season. We have friends who are watching their parents slowly die as we speak, or have gone to be with the Lord in the last couple of days, Teddy actually attended one of those funerals today.
We have friends who are battling for their marraiges, asking questions like, 'when did everything go wrong?', and the reality is, they will spend this Christmas apart from one another.
I pray that our joy isn't found in this Holiday, or any Holiday, or anything fading for that matter, but in Christ alone. The creator and sustainer of our lives....

http://www.ccwonline.org/jolly.html

Merry Christmas Everyone!
With Love,
Teddy and Teresa Cook

Open House Christmas Party!!!

THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, DECEMBER 16TH, FROM 7PM - 10PM WE WILL BE HOSTING A CITYCHURCH OPEN HOUSE PARTY!!
PLEASE STOP BY IF AND WHEN YOU CAN, AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS!
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE...

Teddy and Teresa Cook
1027 SW Tequesta St. Unit 1
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33312

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Faith like a child....

Well, the Holidays are definitely in full swing! Last night I joined the First United Methodist Church of Downtown Ft. Lauderdale for their very first Children's Christmas Pageant.
Skylar was a star! (actually, she was an angel) However, the true angels are the teachers that work with these children, and children everywhere! They deserve our praise!

::HAPPY THANKSGIVING::

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

Thankful Thursday...

.... At about 7am this morning I was thankful that Winn Dixie is open on Thanksgiving!! :)


Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Enjoy your families! Eat up!

Love,
Teddy and Teresa

Thankful FRIDAYS...

a little late...but still thankful!
(Stacey that video was adorable!!)

Im thankful for...

1. My new truck!
2. The unbelievable patience of my husbnd
3. The evident work of the Lord in our City and in our Church
4. The daily reminder that our stuff is just stuff, and that our treasure awaits us.
5. The favor of the Lord on my cousin, Amy.
6. Short work weeks...!!
7. Forgiveness

See you all next week!!

With a thankful heart~
Teresa

::Thankful Thursday's::

Some of mine and Teddy's great friends have started something on their blog called Thankful Thursday's, during the month of November, and, in honor of Thanksgiving! Ofcourse, Stacy and Brad, along with Teddy and I are thankful everyday...not just Thursdays!

So here it goes, my very first Thankful Thursday...

1. Im thankful to be alive.
2. Im thankful that my dad has two cars
3. Im thankful for puppies that don't "go" in the house!! ;)
4. Im thankful for friends that truly pray for me
5. Im thankful for a husband that loves me more than he loves himself
6. Im thankful for my job
7. Im thankful for our church body
8. Im thankful for Good Karma's at BREW!!
9. Im thankful for old friends. They're one of a kind.
10. Im thankful for awesome neighbors that are raising their kids in the heart of the city, while trusting our Savior.
11. Im thankful for little babies (and those little babies to come... ;)
12. Im thankful for pain killers (as awful as that sounds)

Until next Thursday....What are you thankful for....?

Teresa

the past month, the good, the bad, and...the ugly.

What a month...
I just noticed the date of my last post, September 27th. That seems like an eternity ago. So much as happened...

I quit my job at Gossett & Gossett. With the recent move to Ft. Lauderdale, the trip to Hollywood everyday was getting old. I wanted to be back in the hood.
My last day with Gossett & Gossett was October 18th, 4 days after our adorable little neice came into the world!
Avery Claire Grulich

Teddy and I took off to Tallahassee to meet little Avery that week.
After spending a night in Tallahassee we were back on the road the next morning, destination: Jackson, Miss.

Kevin and Julia finally got married ;) October 21, 2006.

Kevin and Julia

It was an absolutely beautiful wedding. The entire weekend was just perfect. Julia looked amazing and the reception was a home that looked like it was right out of the pages of a Southern Living magazine. With the southern Mississippi charm and all!

After returning home from Tallahassee/Mississippi, I started my new job with Johnson, Leiter & Belsky! And its awesome! I couldn't ask for a greater boss, or people that I work with! And its exactly a mile from the house, I could even take the scooter....yea right...that leads me to....the ugly...

This past Wednesday night, after picking some things up at the Target in Hollywood, I was heading home. Thats north on I-95 towards downtown Ft. Lauderdale. As I was coming up on the airport/entrance ramp on to 595, I was all the way in the left lane (HOV). I noticed a white car that was all the way in the right lane, exiting onto the 595 overpass. All of a sudden I guess he/she changed their minds and decided to stay on I-95, as they swerved back onto 95 they lost control of the car. Going at a 90 degree angle across 95 straight towards the median wall, right in front of me. At this point I slammed on my breaks realizing Im going to t-bone this person in a little white car, myself in an SUV, going about 70 on the highway. I swerved to the right to miss them, clipping the back end of their car. I then swerved back to the left and at that moment lost complete control of the car. I slammed into the wall on the drivers side and then flipped three times to the right (passenger side) clear across 95. It was only by the grace of God that no one else hit me as I was rolling across 95. Its also only by the grace of God that I am okay. At the time, I knew exactly what was happening, I was conscious the entire time. Now, thats been my biggest issue. Remembering the whole thing. It was definitely th scariest thing Ive ever been through. Im doing much better now. The day after the accident we took some pictures of the car at the junk yard before they totaled it.....

Top three questions re: the accident:

1. What is the brown/red stuff all over your chair? No, its not blood. Like I said, I had just come from Target. I had some box's of brownie mix in the car that exploded like bombs when the car rolled. I was absolutely covered in brownie mix. Could have been worse...like a can of soup flying into my head or something.

2. Did you have your seat belt on? Yes...thats why I was still in the car, unlike my stuff that was scatterd all over 95.

3. What happened to the person in the white car? They fled the scene. It was a hit and run.

And finally...the newest Cook. We had hm on hold two days before the accident and Teddy picked him up the day after. We thought the name "brownie" was perfect....

With LOVE and thanksgiving,

Teresa and Teddy Cook (and "brownie")

:::THE LONG AWAITED DEBUT:::

I have finally posted the pictures of our remodeling process up until this point...I will continue to post as we go....!!!

Its been a loooong 4 months...


Our second home during the last few months
(man do we hate this place!)















Our kitchen table!
(when we didn't have one)
















...the rest

ENJOY!!! ;)

Teddy and Teresa

God Fathers Palace...

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-creligionsep25,0,3909634.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines


pretty cool write-up on The God Father's Palace and other young 'worshipers'

(the picture in the right sidebar is of Andy!)

Just added...

...Kailee and David, the newest and hottest bloggers! ;)

Kevin and Julia!

This is the couple that got engaged on July 4th of this year on the Cook's sailboat. Check out their wedding website, it's so cute!

Congratulations Kevin and Julia, we can't wait to celebrate with you next month!!

Strongest Dad in the World...

This has been floating around the email world for some time now, so some of you may have seen it already. If not, grab the tissues people and make sure you watch the video at the end...


Strongest Dad in the World [From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]

Those of you that know me know that I strive to be an outstanding father. I give my kids mulligans, work to pay for their firewalks, and take them onthe road with me whenever I can. But compared with Dick Hoyt, I 'm lame.Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles inmarathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchairbut also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day. Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and oncehauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right? And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick wasstrangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs. `He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an institution.''But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followedthem around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boycommunicate."No way,'' Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain.'' "Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lotwas going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? `Go Bruins!''And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and theschool organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want to do that.'' Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker'' who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried."Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. "I was sore for two weeks.'' That day changed Rick's life. "Dad,'' he typed, "when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabledanymore!'' And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rickwere ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon ."No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive crowd and ran anyway,then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the followingyear. Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried. Now they've done212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be abuzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think? Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way,'' he says.Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with acantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together. This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than20,000 starters. Their best time'? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happensto be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time. ``No question about it,'' Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century.'' And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years agohe had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' one doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in away, Dick and Rick saved each other's life. Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston , and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland , Mass. , always find ways to be together. They givespeeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day. That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can neverbuy. "The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''I call this "never underestimate a fathers love" ~

Here's the video....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryCTIigaloQ

Check us Out!!

Fianlly up and running..... BREW urban cafe

::Birthday Boy::

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON

::FOR SALE::

PLEASE buy me

;)

Home Cookin' ...

...theres nothing like it! Our church has been so good to us, this is our first home cooked meal since we've been in our new place! (which has only been 3 days...) but we needed it!!
Special thanks to the Hunter Family!
The place is coming along. Kitchen is finished, 2 more weeks and we'll have counter tops and a sink!! Then we can actually start cooking ourselves! Hurricane windows are in and the washer/dryer is being installed today! This weekend the knock down will get done and then its time to paint...yea! Finally it's on to the bathrooms (one at a time ofcourse) and all of those little cosmetic things and then we're done! Coming down to home stretch...

We'll keep you updated, and post all of the pictures when we're finished!!


Teddy and Teresa

xoxo

Eli at 12 weeks!!

Baby Eli at 12 weeks

warning....ridiculously cute overload!!

More Mexico...

Lauren's pictures have finally made their public debut...some may look familiar, but theyre all worth looking at twice! ;)

::The grace of God::

As many of you know, we are in the process of renting our condo in Downtown Hollywood. Over the last 6 weeks have been advertising on craigslist.com; apartmentsforrent.com; etc. Recently we received an email from a guy by the name of 'Sean' stating that he was living in London, had just graduated from the London Institute of Design and was planning on moving to the states on July 10th to work for a modeling agency for a year. He was interested in renting our condo. After a few emails back and forth he explained that his company, this modeling agency, was going to be paying for all of his housing, including his food and travel expense to get here from London. He explained that they (the agency) would be sending us a cashiers check 'in excess' of the amount we required, first/last/security. Thinking this is kind of odd, I responded and asked him if he could please have his agency send us just the amount requested and send him the excess for his expenses...no response. We thought, mmm...this is a hoax and we will probably never see a check from this guy, nor will he show up on our door step on July 10th. Well, low and behold on July 3rd we received a check from London for almost $10,000.00. We deposited it immediately and everything looked kosher. Our bank informed us that even though it was a cashiers check it could take atleast 7 business days to clear. Now no way were Teddy and Teresa sending $5600.00 to London only have the cashier's check be fake and be out $5600.00 of our own....I dont think so my friend ;)
We corresponded with Sean over the next several days telling him that we did not have access to the money (we actually did, but wanted to play it safe and wait the 7 days). He sent us emails everyday, telling us we 'must' send the money today because he must purchase his ticket to come to the states... The 7th business day was yesterday. Sean began calling. We thought, mmm...if this was a scam Im not sure that the person would actually call, things began to seem a little lighter. We called the bank and a representative told us 'yep, all signs a go' the check is cleared in the money is yours! Amazing, we thought for sure this couldnt be true (everyone was telling us it was fraud!) Teddy went that day to send the balance Western Union (as requested by Sean) and was informed that he must come back with cash (we had no idea...we've never sent a Western Union before) So straight to the bank he went, while waiting in line inside, his paranoid wife calls to tell him "Teddy, something within me is just not right about this" He decided to seek the advice of one more bank employee and sat down with a personal banker, he pulled up all of the information, including a copy of the check, and confirmed, "yes, it has cleared, we have received the money from commerce bank" in the middle of his meeting with the personal banker yet another employee of the bank came over to the table, just to 'double check' that everything was kosher, and yes, it was! (now this is three people from Bank of America that gave us the OK) while they were finishing up, teddy ready to jump back in line to withdraw the $5600.00 cash to send to London, the banking center manager just 'happened' to walk by, we like to call her angel of God. She just said, whats going on!? After she was explained the stiuation she took two looks at the check, linked to the fraud department and said, "NO, this is absolutely fraud, this is a fake check!!" Saved....by the grace of God.
After more research the check has been withdrawn from our account and there is a fraud investigation pending....

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. Ps. 91:14

Humbly protected,
Teddy and Teresa

sign of life...

yes, yes, i'm here!

I've just been hanging out with Teddy while he wins us trips to the Bahamas at the 2nd annual South Beach Rum Punch Volleyball Tournament...

hosting proposals on the sailboat on the 4th of July... (Congratulations Kevin and Julia!!)

and hanging out in MEXICO with the girls...

missed you guys!! ;)

TC

Classic...

Article written by Kevin Sherrington with The Dallas News...June 12, 2006, right after game 2

Ahhhh...makes it even sweeter ;)


Finals will end in Miami
12:56 PM CDT on Monday, June 12, 2006

Attention, Mavs fans: In the NBA Finals ticket package you split with your business partner, here's hoping you didn't draw Games 6 and 7.
The only way the Mavs come back from Miami is on a float.
Map the parade route. Schedule the sick day.
Train the fire hoses on Mark Cuban.
Miami's chances of getting back here?
Good as a Shaq free throw.
What else are you supposed to think after the Mavs' incredibly easy 99-85 victory Sunday put the locals up 2-0?
Pat Riley knows what we'll say. He's heard the same in virtually each round of the playoffs.
"We were history," he said, chuckling at the media reaction. "I'm sure we're history right now."
Couldn't have said it better, actually.
Certainly Riley said it better than Shaquille O'Neal, who disappeared from this series long before he left American Airlines Center on Sunday without a word.
Never got off the bench in the fourth quarter. Came up with a career playoff-low 5 points on 2 of 5 shooting.
And that after Miami vowed to get him more touches than he had in Game 1.
Even when he got the ball, Shaq didn't exactly help himself. He's now 2-of-16 from the free throw line in the Finals, which pretty much sums up Miami's effort, too.
Correction: On behalf of my colleagues at SportsDay, I'd like to apologize for the half-dozen geniuses who picked the Heat to win the NBA Finals.
Geez. I feel guilty for picking the Mavs to win in six.
In pivotal Game 2, where an angry Shaq figured to wreak havoc after going ignored in the opener and Dwyane Wade was supposed to be close to getting over his cold, the so-called best 1-2 punch in the game was KO'd.
Question: How has the best set of NBA playoffs in memory come to this ugly end?
Answer: At least it ought to be quick. Not sure how merciful.
Think this series is still too early to call? Want to remind of the San Antonio series, when the Mavs went up 3-1 and needed a miracle three-point play from Dirk Nowitzki just to get into overtime in Game 7?
Forget it. San Antonio was a far more worthy opponent. Phoenix, too.
Even Memphis wasn't as grisly as Miami.
In these Finals, only Dallas beats Dallas.
Take Sunday's first half. Nowitzki and Josh Howard were a combined 3-of-10 in the first quarter, a continuation of Game 1's malaise. And their teammates weren't much better.
Shot 33.3 percent for the quarter.
Turned it over six times.
And still led by one.
Not until midway through the second quarter did the Mavs finally take off, specifically on the 3-point shooting of Jerry Stackhouse.
Otherwise, the Mavs' didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Nowitzki had his usual 26 points and 16 rebounds.
Dallas' depth, defense and versatility simply made the Heat look old and slow and confused and about two games short of summer vacation.
Who's going to beat the Mavs now? Not Wade. Not when he's going to have less time to recover between games.
Shaq? Not when he's taking half as many shots as Jason Williams took in the first half.
Antoine Walker had more shots, too, and seemed to think it was a good idea afterward.
Question: Who do you think gets booted first in the Miami Heat version of Survivor, Walker or Williams?
Come to think of it, maybe it wouldn't have mattered if Shaq had the ball any more. Any time the ball went into the post, and the Mavs moved in, Shaq simply passed out of the double team.
Note to the rest of the big, bad East: Do you think now it's a good idea to double Shaq?
"They know who to stay home on," Riley said of the Mavs' defense, "and who to leave open."
Give Avery Johnson credit. He and Del Harris have come up with another great game plan.
But don't forget the Heat's contribution. Riley hasn't.
"We'll obviously have to play a helluva lot better," he said, "than we played here."
And even that won't be good enough. Four games, maybe five, and that's it.
Question: Do they still make ticker tape?
E-mail ksherrington@dallasnews.com

KIDNAPED!!

My Husband kidnaped me this weekend and took me away for my birthday! He even called my boss and asked if I could have Thursday and Friday off for my surprise weekend! ;)
We went 'saaaaailing' in the keys for 3 days (well...some of us were sailing). It was awesome!

Thank you love for a great surprise weekend and Thanks Mom and Dad Cook for owning a sailboat!

pictures!!

Still swaying...

Teresa Cook

Good time....Great friends!

Teddy...June 5, 1981 Nick...June 15, 1981 Teresa...June 9, 1981 = TNT Birthday's!!

Cheers!!

::HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!::

so Im a day late.....I was way too busy at work yesterday to post this!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE!! Looking forward to growing old together ;)
And making you biscuits and gravy for years to come-

LOVE you-
Your wife

A whole year....

I have no idea where the time as gone... A year ago Raf was the bestman in our wedding, this year, May 20th, the roles were swapped and Teddy had the honor of being the bestman in his!
Congratulations Raf and Angie!! And, I love you Teddy...thanks for one amazing year!

pictures

Proudly,
Teresa Cook ;)

:: FOR SALE ::

http://sef.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=753977285&s=SEF&t=SEF

Still considering renting, but on the market for sale as well...
Please forward on to anyone that you may know that is looking to rent or purchase!

THANKS!!!

Baby Eli...

more pictures!!

Have a great weekend everyone, and Happy Mother's Day!

Love!!!

tc

The Evolution of Dance.....

funny stuff...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg

::It's a BOY::

Welcome to the world Baby John Elijah Ramey! Making his debut on May 4th, 2006 at 2:51p.m. (after mommy only pushing 15 times....what a trooper!!) weighing in at 7lbs 10 ounces and 20 inchs long...sounds perfect to me!

The picture above is my favorite, if I could put a blurb above his head it would read... "put me back in...its cold out here!!!"

God Bless this little miracle ;)

more pictures

In Aww,
Teresa Cook

Great article in last weeks Sun-Sentinel...

SPENDING SMART

Some take a faith-based view of finances

By Gregory Karp
Allentown Morning Call

April 23, 2006

Inspiration for handling money smarter stems from a variety of sources. Math and logic might inspire some people, while understanding emotional spending triggers provides an “Aha!’ moment for others.

Many people are turning toward spiritual guidance to get their financial lives on track. Its especially gaining attraction among Christians, who point to some 2,350 references to money in the Bible.

“People know that they’ve got personal struggles, said Howard Dayton, chief executive officer of Crown Financial Ministries and author of the new book “Free and Clear: God’s Road Map to Debt-Free Living” (Moody Publishers, $12.9~).

“People, I think, are really hungry to find answers,’ he said.

Crown Financial Ministries offers Bible-based financial advice at seminars in churches throughout the country. It says its radio programs reach 2 million listeners weekly.

Similarly, radio talk-show host Dave Ramsey, who wrote the best-selling book “The Total Money Makeover,” weaves common-sense personal finance with the Bible on his show, which also claims a weekly audience of 2 million. His class, Financial Peace University, is taught at churches and other organizations throughout the country.


Dayton said he’s aware that some people like to keep money and religion separate.

“Its totally understandable that many people partition handling money from their spiritual life and view it as secular,” he said. “What you see in scripture is there’s no partition at all. It’s, in fact, one of the key pieces in the puzzle in a person growing in their spiritual life.”


Dayton said 15 percent of everything Jesus says in the Bible is about money and possessions.

And how you handle money reflects your values, he said. “Its tangible. If you show me your calendar and your checkbook, I can tell you what’s really important to you,” he said. Christianity isn’t the only faith to acknowledge a link between money and religion.

For example, similar attitudes about overspending and debt are present in Judaism, and Islam forbids the charging or paying of interest.

But Christians celebrated Easter last week and 77 percent of adult Americans identify themselves as Christians, according to the Census Bureau, so here are Biblical notions about money and spending that might inspire you, whether or not you are religious:



-- Debt

“The borrower is servant to the lender’ (Proverbs 22:7). “That’s probably the key passage with respect to the heart of God when it comes to debt,” said Dayton, who said he had to dig his own way out of significant debt during the 1970s.

The Bible doesn’t address which types of debt might be more acceptable than others, but Dayton teaches that debt for a home, education and business are OK, although he does advocate paying off a home mortgage early.

“I can say from my own experience that once we had our own home paid for, we were able to give much more generously, and we were really able to increase our saving and investing significantly,” Dayton said.

The type of borrowing that is hurting many Americans is car loans, he said. “Car debt is, if not the biggest, then one of the biggest, inhibitors keeping people from being financially free,” he said.

Crown’s financial plan advocates keeping a car for at least three years after paying it off, but keep making the monthly payments to your bank account. That way, when you need another car, the trade-in value of your old car plus the saved money should be enough to pay cash for a decent used car.

-- Spending

“A mans life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).

Keeping up with the Joneses has been a persistent problem. The solution is to find contentment in what you already have. The word contentment appears seven times in the Bible, six of which are references to handling money and possessions, Dayton said.

One example: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation’ (Philippians 4:10-13).

Contentment allowed Dayton, for example, to drive what his kids called the “rotten Chiquita,” an ugly yellow station wagon, while the family was getting out of debt. “It didn’t bother me one bit,” he said.

-- Stewardship

“It is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).

Americans and the American Dream are tied to the concept of ownership. That perhaps makes more difficult an idea that people don’t own anything but are just handling money and possessions for God. “He’s the owner of everything, and we’re merely stewards, managers of what he entrusts to us,” Dayton said.

If nothing else, being God’s money manager “elevates all your financial decisions,” he said. “When you’re handling it for the creator of the universe, you want to do it his way.”

Gregory Karp is a personal finance writer for The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa., a Tribune Co. newspaper. E-mail him at yourmoney@tribune.com. For additional discussion on spending wisely, see the Spending Smart blog at http://blogs.mcall.com/spendingsmart/.

Copyright © 2006, The Morning Call



http:/Jwww.sun-sentinel.contlbusiness/sns-yourmoney-O423spending,Q221 841 3,printstor... 4/28/2006

Two Powerful Pictures...

These pictures were forwarded to me through an email....they are too powerful not to share....

Hope everyone has a great weekend ;) LOVE!!!


These are separate, but related pictures......
Here are two pictures that were awarded first and second place at the picture of the year international this year. Very very touching photos.

::First Place::

First PlaceTodd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News; When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived at the Reno Airport, Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac. During the arrival of another Marine's casket last year at Denver International Airport, Major Steve Beck described the scene as one of the most powerful in the process: "See the people in the windows? They'll sit right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what's going through their minds, knowing that they're on the plane that brought him home," he said. "They're going to remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. They're going to remember bringing that Marine home. An d they should."

::Second Place::

Second PlaceTodd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News; The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of 'Cat,' and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. "I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it," she said. "I think that's what he would have wanted. "

Reject The Lie: Part II

Teddy's poem for church this week.....


Reject The Lie: Part II

Reject the lie, because in Adam all die
But in Christ's resurrection we have been made alive
Alive to the extent that addictions aren't binding
Alive to the point that judging our neighbors isn't even an option
Alive to the culturally absurd state that selflessness is the norm
Alive to a spiritual world that can only perpetuate life

It sounds beautiful, I can almost see it
But then I open my eyes to the reality of my heart
I walk into rooms full of "brothers and sisters" tearing each others favorite toys apart
We sit in conversations that conveniently kill the inconvenient
I watch men pull themselves up by the legs of the throne
To sit in a seat created for the king and Him alone

I feel pressure for success driven and determined by the world
We us rulers marked in dollars and cents measuring all the we can unfurl
And we wake up useless to America like John Wayne Bobitt
So comfortable and content that our gag reflex is numb and we can't vomit
Because we've forgotten that the source of the power is the gospel
Not our consistency, our kindness, or how much we tithed to the local chapel

And there's a few that get it, and they live it
While most sit around apathetically saying "well, that's good for them, they're gifted"
And they are, but they're gifted with the same Holy Spirit that we claim
They've been made alive through the death of the only son with a perfect name
So it's not OK to walk through life enjoying the atrophy of apathy
And I will not sleep well at night ignoring all that I know I could, I know I should
Because ignorance is only bliss until the gavel strikes wood
So when I show up next week smile at you and tell you everything's just fine
Don't pacify my denial, pray that our Lord keeps me up at night connecting my heart to my spine

Reject the lie, reject the lie
Reject the lie that God is not good
Reject the lie that the gospel is powerless
Reject the lie that you're not justified
Reject the lie, because in Adam all die
But in Christ's resurrection we have been made alive
Alive to the ability to live for more than ourselves
Alive to the potential to live in power and freedom
Alive to the opportunity to perpetuate life
Alive to perpetuate life
ALIVE!

Happy Easter!!!

Easter pics are up!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Teresa ;)

Reject The Lie

The poem Teddy will be sharing in Church this Easter Sunday...

Last August my neighbors boyfriend got hooked on drugs again
In September she peed on a stick to realize that she had been impregnated by him
Two days after Our Lord revealed himself to them
Right now there's no fairy tale story ending, but the reason he only sleeps on the streets some nights
Is because she has faith that the God of creation bled for them so she wants to do what's right
Her due dates coming soon and he's still struggling with the pressures from her womb
But because a man died and was prophesied to be resurrected
Every aspect of life has been divinely affected

Now when I talk to him I see different looks in his eyes
On good days I see hopes glaze, on bad the haze of buying lies
Like two women approaching an open tomb
He too will be excited and confused with the vacancy of a womb
For nine months he's known what's coming
But there's no preparation for holding a child of grace so stunning
And all of humanity similarly should have known what was coming through prophecy
But we couldn't understand and now every aspect of life has been affected by one man

It's hard to wrap my mind around it but apparently that was Gods plan
To shatter the ridiculous with the miraculous
To give hope to the hopeless through the mysterious
To give redemption and reconciliation to all men through the sinless
So lay down the idol of the Christ you've resurrected
And go to the source to be permanently affected
With life everlasting, rejecting the lie, because in Adam all die
But in Christ's death we have been made alive
Reject the lie, because in Adam all die
But in Christ we have all thing's for Godliness and life
Reject the lie, because in Adam all die
But in Christ's death we have been made alive

...powerful.

SURPRISE!!!

The anticipation is finally over and I can talk about it now!! Three weeks ago I booked a flight to Oklahoma to surprise my friend Kathy for her Baby Shower, and my lack of self control when it comes to surprise's was killing me! But I kept shut and it was well worth it!
What an amazing (and quick...26 hours) weekend, surrounded by a family passionate for Jesus and a home filled with the Spirit and run, truly by the Lord. I have never experienced a family that has completely turned over the authority of their home to the Lord. With missionaries in and out of the home monthly, different friends and family members in need of a place, and a peaceful knowing that every person in the home has there day to fast each week! What an amazing dwelling place! The things that take place in that home have to be of the Lord, there is no way that it is humanly possible!
After a beautiful shower Saturday afternoon, Johnny and Kathy took me out for the 'Bartlesville Experience' and about 15 minutes later, that was over! (kidding...) We went out to there ranch to visit the horses, probably one of the most realxing things I've done in a long time!
After dinner that night in downtown Bartlesville, and breakfast the next morning, it was time to go home ;( It was super quick, but worth every minute!
There has been a baby web page created for baby Eli, visit it here.

Can't wait to meet baby Eli....

Teresa

more pictures

**Condo For Rent**

Please let everyone know! We are renting our 2/2 condo in Downtown Hollywood beginning July 1, 2006. One year lease agreement required. It is a really cute place in a great gated community. Very 'melrose place' like. Only 20 units. The unit is on the bottom level with the assigned parking spot right out front. There is a washer/dryer in the unit. All utilities included in rental price except for electric. $1400.00 a month.
Please call Teddy or Teresa at 954-873-4230. View more pictures here.

Thanks!!!
T and T ;)

All in one weekend!

What a weekend! We have been looking on and off for a few months for a new home, in several different locations. Recently over the past few weeks we have really decided that Ft. Laud. is where we are supposed to be, downtown specifically. We are attending CityChurch in downtown and just about everything else that we do is downtown, except work! ha! So we decided that this is where we were going to be! Within 2 days we found our new home! And I am so excited! It is in sail boat bend in Ft. Laud, just west of the downtown/Las Olas area! We will be gutting in and completely remodeling the entire place! So much fun! We have already started looking at kitchen and bathroom stuff and we haven't even closed on the place yet!! We will be taking tons of pictures of the whole process, before/during/after to keep everyone posted!
We will be renting our place in downtown Hollywood, I will post an 'ad' with some pictures later today! So if you know anyone that is looking for a place, let us know! It's great!

After the Sunday purchase of our new home we headed south for a few days, to Key West and to Marathon! I have posted some pictures here!

Hope everyone else had a great weekend!!

Teresa ;)

What will they try next....

You have got to watch this clip...over and over and over again! It is amazing! And the best part is (well, sort of) at the end, she has obviously wacked her head on the rim, and is in some pain, and the guys are so pumped that they did it they could totally care less about her concussion!

nothin' but net

Enjoy... ;)

TC

Ft. Lauderdale AVP Qualifier!

Pics from the tournament this weekend! And yes folks, there was a wedding going on smack in the middle of the tournament.... ;)

Teresa

A sea of green...

St. Paties day in downtown Ft. Laud...pics

OUCH!!!

Coach G would be proud....

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/sports/article.adp?id=20060305205609990018&ncid=NWS00010000000001

Cheers!

Teresa

Volleyball Pictures

This is a professional photographer on South Beach who, when he's not shooting models, loves to take pictures of the boys playing volleyball.
Check out his gallery here.
It can be kind of difficult to tell who is who in the action shots, so here is your clue: Teddy's mouth is always open! ha!!

Enjoy!!!

Calling all cooks...

This past Saturday Teddy and I spent the day at the South Beach Food & Wine Festival. If you ever get a chance to go to this (for free) GO!!! It is awesome! However, the tickets are $125.00 so, like I said, for free ;) As great as it was, Im not sure that its worth $125.00.

We walked around tasting all sorts of things from cheesecake, to duck, to raw tuna in an ice cream cone! The best part however were the live cooking shows from all of the Food Network chefs! So fun!

This is one of my favorite recipes from one of my favorite Food Network chef's, Rachael Ray, and it's super easy!

Almond-Orange-Apricot Crescent Rolls

1 package store bought crescent roll dough (recommended: Pilsbury brand)
1/4 cup apricot preserves or all fruit spread
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 egg
Splash of water
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 cup sliced almonds, 2-ounce sack from baking aisle

Preheat oven to package directions and roll out dough on a nonstick cookie sheet. Cut and separate dough into perforated triangles. Combine the apricot jam or fruit spread and the orange marmalade in a small bowl. Place bowl in microwave and cook on HIGH 15 seconds to loosen the preserves. Beat egg with water to thin it out a little for an egg wash. Use the back of a teaspoon to spread a thin layer of apricot-orange jam across each piece of dough. Roll crescents up, brush with a little egg wash and coat with sesame seeds and almonds. Bake to package directions until deep golden in color. Serve warm.

Yummy!! Enjoy...

Love,
The 'Cooks'

Boat Day!

Nothing like a little hepatitis...
We spent Monday, Presidents Day boating in South Lake off of the Intercoastal in Hollywood with Teddy's dad, his sister Bonnie and her boyfriend Brian. Even though I've heard some NASTY stuff about that water...it was an awesome day!

pictures

The Pro water-skier,
Teresa ;)

Congratulations Beckie!!

Congratulations Beckie and Dre! This weekend we celebrated the coming of baby Isabella Nikole Thomas! Beckie and Dre's first little one! She will be making her debut next month!! We can't wait to meet little Isabella, for now, we'll just shower her mommy with gifts! ;)

And I must admit, seeing all of these adorable little baby clothes was very tempting...

More pictures here

Love,
Teresa

'AMEN'

SAY "AMEN" because
You will see the invisible,
You will do the impossible...
Because you will touch the intangible
You will achieve the incredible.......
Because you will hear the inaudible,
You will have the unimaginable...........
Because of you, your family will not know poverty
You will go in and out of your house in peace,
Violence and crying of sorrow shall not be heard in your camp...
Because you are God's Idea and God cannot fail,
you shall not fail this year...
Favor shall overwhelm your endeavors
2006 will be your year of unlimited greatness
You shall not struggle to be recognized
Your gift shall announce you.
You are entitled to daily fruitfulness
Every darkness in your life shall give way to the light of God
All your lack will give way to abundance
You shall enjoy uncommon marital bliss in the year 2006
The rejected shall become the selected
People shall hear your testimonies and follow you to God
In everything you do, you will succeed...
What you have never done before for good...you will do in the new year...
By the time this 2006 ends, you will look back with joy
and ahead with great expectations....
You will take charge of your life as you master your time...
You will discover how to maximize your time and add value to it....
You will become the star of your family....
and the hope of your generation....
Because you know where you are going....
the whole world will step aside and follow u .....
May you find favor with God and men...
May you grow in wisdom and stature....
May you walk in dominion over every circumstance and situation....
May every day in the new year be for you, days of success and purpose....
In this new year never forget to
Act as if it were impossible to fail..
Because for people like you and me ...
the word failure does not exist.....
Your success is non-negotiable....
2006 will be the greatest year of your life and
the beginning of unprecedented success in your life!
Those who laughed at you before shall come to laugh with you.
However bad it has been with you till this point,
you shall from henceforth enter into the rest and
God shall take you to the place of your greatness and destiny.
You shall have
visions that are clear,
virtues that are right
and victory that is certain.
You are
blessed beyond curse,
raised above terror
and established beyond oppression.
You shall not lack counsel and ideas.
You shall have
eyes that see,
ears that hear
and a heart that understands.
In place of breakdown
you shall have breakthrough
In confusion, you shall be enlightened,
In weakness you shall be strengthened.
There shall be for you
beauty in place of ashes,
the oil of gladness in place of spirit of heaviness.
Every closed door against your
goodness, greatness and destiny
shall open of their own accord.
You shall be
instructed and illuminated
within by the Spirit of God.
You shall do the right thing at the right time.
You shall rise above every obstacle and be carried on the wings of eagle.
God will remember you for good.
You shall fulfil and not frustrate destiny.
Christ shall live in you.

All grown up...

From hiding behind her Mama's legs when she was 1...and shy, to all up in your face like the spazz that she is today...and not so shy! Not to mention all of the wonderful times in between, like, leading her high school volleyball team in kills, or were you leading the entire county? Or taking out her big brothers girlfriend in pool basketball...! Good thing she didn't kill me or I wouldn't be here today to wish her a HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY!!!

Click here for more pictures of the party! Stuffed shells...ice cream cake...and even that annoying game at the fair that is as addictive as crack! (atleast for my mother-in-law and I)

Have a great week everyone...
Teresa Cook

There's no place like home...

...it's true! Italy was is one word: freezing! I finally figured out how to get all of these pictures online for your viewing pleasure! They are backwards, we went to Florence first, then Rome and finally Venice! Enjoy!!

Love,
Teddy and Teresa

pictures

The Cook's take on Italy...

I can't believe it's actually here, tonight!!

We will be in Florence, Italy tomorrow morning!! On Wednesday we will head down to Rome for the day and on Friday we will head to Venice, Italy for the last 3 days of our trip!!

Pray for safe travel, HEALTH (we're both getting over colds), and good weather!!

When we get back I will try and figure out how to post all the pictures...

Buona giornata! Ciao!

~Teresa

Date night on Las Olas!! Our New Years
Resolution as a couple has been to have a
date night once a week! We take turns on the planning and it is always a surpirse
for the other person! This was date night
number 3! We've been very consistent on this one (a lot more that I have been on mine...to blog everyday....) We had dinner at Mark's on Las Olas (don't waste your money...) and then we went to Kilwins for ice cream and a walk to the coffee shop that our Pastor owns in downtown Ft. Laud. If you don't do this already, start! We look forward to it every week! Our date night this week will be in Venice, Italy!! WOOHOO!

Ten Dollars...??

The deal of a lifetime! As Teddy and I strolled the rows at the Baer's once-a-year warehouse sale this past Saturday looking for a new couch, we stumbled upon this table. "Ahh..this is the table of my dreams" I said, reminded me of North Carolina, Scrubby's BBQ and Teddy's Grandma's house all in one! We stopped and looked at it for a second, there were about 8 of the same tables in the section, all with SOLD tags on them, except this one. The price read $1700.00, knowing that the sale was 60-90% off we knew it still had to be atleast 300-400 dollars. We waived down a sales associate and asked her 'How much is this table?' She walked over to a few of the sold tables to double check and came back with the response 'ten dollars'; Teddy: 'reaching for his wallet to whip out a ten dollar bill!' Teresa: 'Ummm...we'll take it' Wait, whats the catch we asked? No catch, except that it doesn't come with chairs, but the table is ten dollars!!!! It was the last one and it was ours!!! We looked all over for chairs and finally found the two head chairs, not as cheap, but still a steal at $29.00 each! The following day I headed out to American Signature in sawgrass and found the final touch, two absolutely perfect benches that look like they were made for this table! The final price tag, $360.00 for the 'table of my dreams!'

Three things learned:
1. We went in for a couch and came out with a new dining room table set.
2. We now have a table that sits 8...mmm...time to make babies?! HA!
3. A table for ten dollars, seriously, just give me the dang thing...

5 days till Italy,
Teresa Cook ;)

IT'S A BOY...!!

Johnny and Kathy Ramey will be welcoming a baby boy this May!

Please visit her baby web site and leave some love! ;)

New Year's Resolution!

To blog everyday!! HA ;)

What's yours...?