Camping in the SUMMER!

Last week we decided to go on a bit of an adventure! We were both off of work and decided that we would take a trip and go camping! We also decided to take our new dog (a puggle) Maja with us. We had purchased Maja the following Saturday and she has been a great addition to the family ever since. About our camping trip, it was a great time to just sit back relax and enjoy God's creation. It was also good for us to just kick back and spend time in the Word. We really enjoyed camping together. There was only one slight problem, the day we went camping happened to be one of the hottest days so far this summer so we did not stay as long as expected. We just stayed one night and left the next day. Here are some pictures of our great time camping. Oh and if you decide to go camping, go in the fall or early spring! Way to HOT!

Wrestling with Maja

The Turners laying out by the lake.

I love you! Mwah!

Our Set Up!

Our Tent

Daddy and Maja take an afternoon snooze!

Scooter time!!! loved it! Lem was a terrific driver!

Lem and Tobey

The Turner Clan

The whole GANG

Us before dinner one night

trying to be strong---this was taken at one of the many lighthouses in Bermuda

UU Nursing class of 2008!!

One of my Bestest!!

Julie, Tobey and Darri

We are college graduates!!!

Well we are finally able to post some new news and pictures!! So sorry that it has been so long- after graduation, life happened and we have barely had time to breath:)
Tobey graduated on May 17th from Union University with a BS in Nursing. She was very excited and is now working at LeBonheur Children's Medical Center in Memphis, TN. She loved every minute of it and cannot imagine being anywhere else. The kids are amazing and her fellow co-workers are so kind and helpful.
Lem has been busy working this summer, but his time at UPS is coming to an end (praise the Lord!!). He is going back to school in August full-time, so he will hopefully graduate in May. Lems parents and youngest brother are currently in the US, so we have been able to see them a couple of times. Lems brother, Monty, is staying with us for the summer. He is working at Ruby Tuesday here in Jackson. We are so happy he is here. He has been able to keep Lem company while Tobey is away in Memphis.
Tobey's parents will return to the US in August. We are all very ready for them to be back! It's so nice to have them be just a phone call away. A phone call that doesn't cost $50 for 5 minutes:). We recently got back from a week long trip to Bermuda. Lems family all went so it was nice to see everyone. We had a great time, and it was VERY hard to leave! But we got lots of sun, sand and salt water ( since bermuda does have the 3rd saltiest ocean in the world!!).
Our summer trips are over. Just working and trying to get settled into our new apt. We will post pics of that soon, as well as our new washer and dryer!! We are still putting stuff away so it's kinda messy at the moment. But pictures soon---we promise!!!

At the Movies!

Doug, Candace, Ernest and Lem hanging out!

Us!!

Lem, Tobey and Ernest in Columbia, MO enjoying hotdogs and brats!

The Month of March

This past weekend, we went to Missouri, to see Lem's family. It was nice to get out of Jackson for the weekend, and relax for a bit. Tobey had to study all weekend, while everyone else went shopping, but it was still fun!
School is back in full swing and our daily schedules are hectic. Since we were out for 2 wks after the tornado, classes have been put into acceleration mode. Everyday is a whirlwind. Graduation will still be May 17th, and Tobey is sooo excited! Nursing school is tougher than ever, but the fact that graduation is in 76 days, keeps her going!
Lem's classes are going well too. He is working at UPS, and cannot wait until Tobey gets a full-time job so he can focus more on classes.

It's a New Day...

Well, 2008 did not start out quite like we had hoped. February 5, Union was hit by a devastating tornado. It hit almost every building on campus, and destroyed to main dormitories. We were very blessed to not have any damage to our house or our cars. God was definitely looking out for us. It is still amazing to look back and see how great our God is. No one was seriously injured, and hundreds of students walked away piles of rubble. God stood by and kept everyone safe. And we continued to praise him through our storm. So many people were helpful and super hospitable, so we thank you all for everything. We were able to stay in Memphis for a few days with Tobey's family, and were finally able to get back into our house after a few days.
The campus is still not the same, and will never be. It is crazy to look out our back door and see flat ground. But they are busy rebuilding and Union hopes to have the new dorms ready to go by next fall. Please continue to pray for Union during this time.
February 21st started off like a normal Thursday. Tobey had nursing classes and Lem went to work and then to class. But around 12:45, Tobey got a devastating phone call. It was from her sister, Sarah, and all she could hear was terror...
Jonathan Stonecipher, went home to be with the Lord that Thursday. He had been suffering from depression for a while, and it finally became too much for him to handle. But, he is now resting in the place of the most High! He worries no more, and is continually in the presence of God.
Sarah and Andrew (their 6 month old sweet baby!!) are handling this tragic news amazingly! Sarah has relied fully on God, and it has been amazing to see her strength. She is a terrific sister, great mom, and was a wonderful wife. She loved her husband in a way that I admired so much. She fought for him during his last days, while he struggled with a disease we will never understand. She is such an inspiration to me and I can only hope I'm half the wife to Lem as she was to Jon.
Please continue to pray for Sarah and Andrew, as we know the next few days, weeks, and months will be very hard. Pray that God will continue to be Sarah's ROCK and that she will find the peace that passes all understanding! The visitation and funeral were truly amazing works of God. There were 600+ people at the visitation. That is just such a testimony of how many lives Jon and Sarah touched! There have already been numerous people who have come to know the Lord or rededicate their lives because of Jon's funeral. And this is exactly what he would have wanted. His lived was sold out for God. His goal everyday was to further the Kingdom of Heaven.
Tobey's parents were able to get a flight out of Kenya, and have been by Sarah's side every since arriving. It has been very nice having them here. And they are loving spending loads of time with Andrew, and spoiling him every minute!

Tobey and Avery before work!

Lems family at Christmas in South Africa. His brother, Monty, went back to SA for the holidays and had a great time. It was great to see him once he got back and get all the amazing goodies:).

Lem being his "goofy" self at Little Tokyo in Gatlinburg.

At the hotel for our anniversary!! In Gatlinburg

The fam at Red Lobster

Tobey and Andrew

The Mann girls

Sweet Avery!!

Tobey's mom, brother and sister-in-law and niece- Avery

Tobey and her mom at a Christmas parade

The Winter Months...

Well it's January, and the last time we posted anything was in September! Pretty sad! But not much has changed since then. Tobey is about to start her last semester of nursing school!! Graduation is May 17, and we are both sooo extremely excited! Lem is still working at UPS, and has an on campus job in the pool and wellness center. Our first Christmas together as, Mr and Mrs Turner was really great. Tobey's mom was here for the holidays so we spent the day at Tobeys brothers house in Memphis. It was too fun! Then Tobeys mom left the day after Christmas, so that was hard. But they spent a lot of time together while she was here, and shopped way to much! They got to keep Andrew and Avery (our neice and nephew) quite a few times too!
Lem's dad is flying to the states around the beginning of February so we are looking forward to spending some good time with him as well. Hopefully we can get a family photo of some sort to put up!:).
We are both busy with church activities, jobs and just life in general. But we made it our new years resolution to update this at least once a month:). I'm trying to talk Lem into getting a cat, so maybe that would give us something to take pictures of and talk about.