It has been a long time since I updated this blog so I thought it was about time. Over the past few weeks life has been a roller coaster! We spent several weeks just knowing that Chris was going to loose his job at Eastman. As the time drew closer for the "word" to come, our life went into panic mode. THANK THE LORD, Chris did not loose his job so now we feel like things are getting back to normal...at least a little bit anyway.

We completed the Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University last night. Dave really knows his stuff and his Baby Steps are transforming our lives. Can't wait to complete all of the baby steps and have true financial peace. It will be a while until we reach this goal but at least we are on the way.

It is hard to believe that in just a few short weeks, Nicole will be finished with kindergarten and Alison will be on her way to 6th Grade! Where does the time go??

Here are some pictures from the past few months:

Alison sang "Realize" at her talent show at school. Chris played for her. They both did such a good job!

A few weeks ago we went to Bays Mountain. We hadn't been there in a while. Everyone had a great time!

Alison got glasses a few months ago. I think she did a great job picking out just the perfect pair!

We went hiking with the Aubrey family. The weather was gorgeous and we all had a great time. Algie felt quite certain that Nicole would be the one to actually get in the water...sure enough when we got to the falls, Nicole fell in. It is a long hike back in wet shoes and socks!

The weather has been beautiful! This weekend we planted grass (which you can see in the background) and we planted this little tree. Hopefully one day it will provide some much needed shade to our front yard!

Today was the annual Bristol Christmas Parade. There was a big crowd at the parade despite the very cold weather. Alison and Nicole danced in the parade ALL THE WAY down State Street (they started at the Bristol Herald Courier). They both did a great job! When we met the girls at the end of the parade route, Nicole started to cry. When I asked her why she said it was because she couldn't feel her feet...ouch! Alison didn't complain at all - what a trooper! Here are a few pictures from today...

Alison and Nicole before the parade

Waiting for the parade to begin...

My niece Bonnie plays the saxophone in the Tennessee High Band!

The girls dancing in the parde...

Tomorrow is the big Bristol Christmas Parade. This is the first year that Alison and Nicole are going to be in the parade. They will both be dancing with their dance academy all along the parade route. They are super excited about getting to wear their new dance sweatshirts and their new gloves!! It is going to be so cold but they will have on several layers of clothing so maybe they will stay warm...I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Now that Halloween is officially over, I have to say that this was one of my favorites!! It all started when we carved the pumpkins. We just couldn't carve normal pumpkins this year. We had to get a little creative. Nicole and I did flowers on one pumpkin and Chris and Ali did a scared face on another one. Then on Thursday we met some friends from church for dinner and then we tried to go Trunk or Treat at Steele's Creek park..that didn't work out as planned but we still had a lot of fun. Then on Halloween, we stopped by mom's house and then went went Trunk or Treating at church. Alison went as a Rag Doll and Nicole decided to go as a bedtime girl. They both looked really cute and had a lot of fun! After going to the church we went to Mamaw and Papaw's and Mark and Karyn's. Then it was off to a Club 56 Event. We went to a bonfire at the Marcus' house. We roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. We drank hot chocolate and then went on a hay-less hay ride. I have never been on a hay ride at night before but I have to say that it was a lot of fun!!

Nicole loved getting the "guts" out of her pumpkin!

Today our family participated in the Susan G. Komen: Race for the Cure. If you have never been a part of one of these events I highly recommend it. We didn't do the timed race but we did complete the 3.2 mile walk. It was so neat to walk in this event with my mom who is a breast cancer SURVIVOR! There were over 3000 participants at this event and over $400,000 was raised to be used in the Tri-Cities area for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research. Here are a few pictures from the event...

The "Hart and Soles" team: Lorrie Smith, Amy Barnett, Debbie Garland, Karyn Garland, Patsy Smithson (the Survivor), Sherry Chambers, Nicole Chambers and Alison Chambers. Mark Garland and Chris Chambers also walked with us but they were the one taking pictures...thanks guys!!The crowd eagerly awaited the start of the Race...

We started walking down Eastman Road...all 3,000 of us!

I was so proud of Alison and Nicole! They both completed the race without complaining ONE time...that in itself is amazing!!

Here is my amazing mother waving to us from the finish line!!! Way to go MOM!! We love you!

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Last week we celebrated Reading Week at my school. On Friday, we had an assembly where all of the kids (and most of the teachers) came dressed as a storybook character. Alison dressed up as the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. Nicole was Hannah Montana (I know it is a stretch for this to be a storybook character but Hannah Montana does have some books out). I came dressed as Sister Berta...a nun from the Sound of Music. Again, not a storybook character but several of the teachers were in a skit based on the Sound of Music and I had to sing a portion of the song "How do you solve a problem like Maria?"....LOTS OF FUN!!!

Here is a link to a preview of our recent photo shoot with Julie Roberts...can't wait to see the rest.

http://www.julierobertsphoto.com/chambersfall2008