BIG Easter Thanks!

Where do I even begin to thank everyone who helped me over the Easter weekend?  Well, I think I'll start from the beginning.  My husband, mom and dad were involved from the get go!  They jumped on board with this picture I had in my mind of creating a full weekend of activities for Easter.  Little did they know how much work would be involved :)  The picture God had given us was a weekend to be "Immersed in His love".  I truly felt like I was immersed in His love all because of some wonderful people who stepped up to the plate.  My parents went above and beyond to make sure that we had everything we needed to make this a special weekend.  They were behind the scenes helping plan the events, making flyers, running errands, purchasing candy for the eggs, making the coffee, putting together decorations, watching my kids, oh the list could go on and on.  My husband spent every day before work getting the grounds beautiful- mowing the lawn, trimming bushes, removing ALL the cactus, setting up chairs/tables, and much more.  My brother was out in the FREEZING cold scrubbing down the chairs.  He spent practically his whole spring break out here helping us get rid of ALL the cactus.  His lawn mowing skills were put to the test as he mowed our lawn, which looked gorgeous.  Grandpa Gray spent countless hours digging holes for the ivy, trimming bushes and trees.  All of this to make Still Water Hollow absolutely perfect for the weekend.

Tim, Erin and their kids pulled in early Friday morning (3am to be exact).  As they all rolled out of their van and into their beds to finish the nights rest they all had smiles on their faces and excitement for the weekend ahead. Tim and Erin made the weekend so meaningful with their testimony and Tim's message on Easter Sunday was so inspiring!  Audrey and Savannah helped take care of my boys while I accomplished tasks throughout the weekend and Lily made my boys giggle while I was busy.  Savannah captured some beautiful moments on Easter Sunday that I am sure have brought many of you joy as you look through the photo's posted on Still Water Hollow.  Overall their entire family was such a blessing to many of us.  We so appreciate their willingness to drive all the way from Oregon encouraging us and teaching us more about God's amazing ways!

Jake VP, Jake Englehorn, Troy Ferguson and Nell Hill took time out of their Good Friday to use their amazing talents during our Worship Night.  We had so much fun practicing, eating chili together and using music to celebrate that wonderful day.  Heather Beam also came early on Good Friday to make sure everyone who walked into that little white chapel felt welcomed and loved!

Tausha and Mary helped me tremendously on Saturday.  There were many tasks to complete to make the Couple's Night a success and they put the pedal to the metal.  Mary also shared that she will be a "Still Water Bride" this summer during the Couple's Night, which is now my favorite phrase :).  It was such a blessing to get to know her better and I was so touched that she was willing to help us make this event so wonderful.  I also really appreciate Tausha, who found someone to watch her three kids, so that she could spend pretty much all day out here.  She took such a huge load off my shoulders!  Not to mention it's always more fun to work when you have someone right by your side.

Gabe & Michelle Dean....WOW! They made THE MOST delicious dinner for our Couple's Night.  I could have gone back to the buffet line until they had to roll me out of the reception hall.  They spent so much time, energy and love into making the meal incredible and I heard many raves about it Saturday Night.  I think I can speak for everyone when I say that was one of the best parts of the evening.  Tim used his talents that evening to make us laugh, encourage us in our marriages and challenge us to ask God for more.  It was wonderful to look around the room and see everyone enjoying their spouses as well as the company at their tables.

My Grandma, Robyn and the Forrest family all spent their Saturday evening helping me by watching my boys.  There's nothing like placing your children in the hands of people you trust when you have to be away from them.  I know how difficult it can be to watch two little ones who are only a year apart and it means the world to me that they all were so willing to do so.  They also did a great job of wearing them out because they slept for 6 hours straight- I desperately was needing that 6 hours!

On Sunday Joan came out to help hide all of the Easter eggs for us.  She has such a heart for childrean and I know the joy in those kids faces must have been rewarding for her.  This was quite the task considering there were over 400 eggs, I believe.  Kapree also came to help hide the eggs and she made a last minute trip for us to help keep the flies away :) Shelly, Rhonda, The Weathers, Gayle, my Grandma and many others brought yummy desserts.  I wish I knew who all brought desserts, but just know that I am so very thankful.

This weekend was very powerful for me.  I've felt this huge desire to have events out here that bring Glory to God and that bring joy to families.  To see all the smiling faces, all the laughter, the friendships made and the happiness that exuded from each and every one of you who attended was the biggest blessing to me!  I'm so thankful that God showed up this weekend.  He made a statement and I truly believe that He showed how deeply he loves us all in the beauty he blessed us with.  Thank you to each and every one of you who felt God calling you to be a part of this.  You have no idea how deeply touched I am that you would step up and go above and beyond to help make this last weekend so meaningful.

Easter Weekend Volunteers

I want to preface this by saying that there are many of you who have helped us immensely and we do not want you to feel we just continually ask for you to take time out of your family/work life to help us on our projects.  Equally, we want anyone who volunteers to be able to fully enjoy the events, so we are only going to "allow" you to volunteer for one thing, so we don't take advantage of anyone :)  Thank you for reading this and all the prayers and support we have already received.  God is doing great things with Still Water Hollow and I'm so excited to see how he continues to use this place to minister to others!


As many of you know Tyler and I are on a new business venture, and we’re excited to say it’s going well. This is a gorgeous place for weddings and we feel a great responsibility to help make Still Water Hollow weddings unforgettable and we pray that everyone who comes here will feel His presence.

But we want you to know the “rest of the story” when it comes to Still Water Hollow. From the moment we started writing up the business plan we sensed God had something more in mind, That He had great plans to use this place for His glory. We are continually praying that we will feel his nudge and hear His voice when it comes to glorifying His name with this beautiful piece of land that after all … belongs to Him.

We’ve been praying that God would lead us in creating wonderful opportunities to use this place as a ministry. Recently we’ve felt led to hold an entire weekend of events where the focus would be on Christ, His sacrifice, His grace, the freedom we find in Him and the calling we have as husbands, wives and families to build our foundation on God. We have decided to do this on Easter weekend. We want you to know all about it because first, we hope you’ll come and be a part and invite your friends (especially those seeking Christ) but also because we hope some of you will feel called to participate on an even deeper level. Let me tell you what we’re planning.

Our weekend will start with a special night of worship in the Still Water Chapel on Good Friday, April 6th. We are prayerfully designing an evening for families that will draw people to the cross and the love of Jesus mainly through music. This will be a free event.

That will be followed up with a Saturday evening event for couples. This will be a time of fun and fellowship with a delicious dinner created by our dear friends Gabe and Michelle Dean. Our special speaker will be Tim Bruce, our good friend and pastor who now lives in Oregon. He’s funny and relates especially well to men. We will charge for this Saturday evening event to cover the expenses. The night will be filled with inspiration, laughter, and encouragement.

Then to round out Easter weekend, we’ll invite families back on Sunday afternoon (after lunch - around 2pm) for a short message from Tim in the chapel (realizing many will have gone to their own churches in the morning) followed by an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids in the Still Water Hollow Village. We’ll have a potluck dessert spread in the shop with coffee and drinks so people can stay and visit if they want. This will also be a free event.

Throughout the weekend we plan to keep the chapel open for those who would like a quiet place to pray and just focus on Jesus.


I know many of you already volunteer in various ways, including your home churches, and Easter weekend could be a busy one for you. I’m just asking that you pray about this with me and if you feel led to volunteer for any of these events we would appreciate it so much. Our prayer is that the weekend will be filled with volunteers who are fervently praying for each person that steps foot on Still Water Hollow- that their hearts would be open to what God has to say whether it’s through music, teaching or fellowship and that each volunteer will do so because they sincerely feel God is asking them to be a part of this.

Once you’ve spent time in prayer and if you feel led to participate - here are the areas we need volunteers in.

Getting the word out- taking a few flyers and handing them out to family, friends, neighbors, letting your church know about the events, inviting people on Facebook and other media sources.

Greeters (Friday, Saturday & Sunday)
Direct parking (Friday & Sunday)
Set up crew on Friday at 6pm
Set up crew on Saturday at 3pm
Clean up crew Saturday evening (no more than 1 hour around 9pm)
Set up crew on Sunday at 12:30pm
Clean up on Sunday (no more than 1 hour)

Please let me know where you feel God is leading you, or if you just want to help out in any way at all … we are in need. Thank you for praying for this journey and that many will come to know His love and His grace through the events held at Still Water Hollow. We are very grateful for our many brothers and sisters in Christ!

Tyler & Brianne Gray
Brianne@stillwaterhollow.com
Tyler@stillwaterhollow.com

Daddy Vs. Mommy Scenario's

Why is it that my husband and I can do the same exact activities, but consistently have very different outcomes.  Such as bath time.  Without fail bath time goes very well when my husband has the children.  They'll spend hours in there without fail.  I used to love bath time with my kids (the first two times).  It gave me a good 30-45 minutes of pure joy.  No children crying, no one needed food, no one was pulling at my leg while the other was in my arms.   It was a little escape, without actually escaping.  The Honeymoon ended quickly though.  Now my bath time with the kids looks a little more like this.....
Splish, splash, happiness!
Titus poops.
HURRY- pull out Titus, wrap him in a towel, pull out Ryker and do the same.
Drain the bath
Fill up the bath
Put Ryker back in.  Put Titus back in.
HURRY- scrub the kids before anything else can go awry
Titus poops.
HURRY- pull out Titus, wrap him up.
BANG- Ryker falls in tub.
I RUSH, about to have a heart attack.
Grab my sopping wet toddler and try to console him.
He pees on me. I wipe him down.
Wrap Ryker in a towel.
Titus is screaming, so I attend to him.
Now Ryker is screaming, so I attempt to attend to both.
Titus pees on himself before getting the diaper on.
Sponge bath it is!
Diapers on- CHECK! Lotion on- CHECK! Clothes on-CHECK!
Whew..........
Me getting the chance to take a shower......no check

What I love about these scenario's is that about the time I finally get things in order, have Ryker happy with a bottle and kick up my feet to feed Titus, Ty walks in,  making it look like I've been lounging around all afternoon.  I think there is a conspiracy happening between my two children already.

Thumbs up for this Cosmetic line

Alright Ladies I am letting go of some insecurities for this blog post in hopes that it might help some of you, or someone you know.   I've always struggled with acne and it seems like I've spent most my life (and funds) trying to find solutions for it.   When I was in high school I took acutane after many attempts with topical creams, medication, different cosmetic lines, etc.  Thankfully the acutane cleared up my skin and I was able to feel some sort of freedom for a while.   Unfortunately, that only lasted a few years and pretty soon the acne was back.   It came back around the same time that I got married and because of the serious side effects of acutane if you become pregnant I just wasn't willing to take that risk.   So the hunt was on again for something that would work.   Lots of money was spent on face wash, spot treatments as well as laser treatments (hoping to get rid of the scarring too).  This last spring my aunt told me about a new line called Blackbox Cosmetics.   Since they were just getting off the ground they only had a face wash and lotions out at the time.   I tried those and while they did leave my skin feeling great and didn't seem to make the acne worse....it didn't get rid of my acne or my scarring.   Just a few months after using the product, Blackbox sent out an email looking for people who were willing to participate in a trial for their new acne line.   I sent them a photo of my skin and they sent me the product (face wash and treatment serum).  I was excited about the idea of trying something without loosing more money.   Right before they sent me the trial kit my skin actually began getting worse and worse.   A week after using the product I found out I was pregnant, so obviously my hormones were going crazy and that was making my issue even worse.   The trial kit lasted me 8 weeks and I've attached my before and after photo's.
I'm not a salesperson and I'm really not trying to sell anyone on this.   I understand everyone's skin is different, but coming from someone who has literally tried everything, I hope that if any of you are struggling with the same issue this might be the answer for you like it was for me.   Blackbox has just released this acne line called "Geniskin" and you can read more about it and/or purchase it from the link below.   There's some real positive things about this company:
1. You can purchase the "pretty" packaged product your first time, but each time after that you can just purchase the "refill" at a discounted price.   This way you aren't paying for the pretty packaging every time.  The refill just slips right into your old case.
2.  You honestly only have to use 1 pump of the wash and the serum to get the job done, so they last 6-8 weeks.
3. The masque and the scrub tend to last 10-12 weeks for me because I only use them 1-2 times per week.
4.  When I priced it out I am spending about the same as when I was buying the cheap stuff at Walgreens.

I really hope this info helps someone out!
Blackbox Cosmetics Geniskin Line

BEFORE

AFTER

My Perfect Boy is 1 Today!

His sweet smile. His infectious giggle. His go-with-the-flow demeanor. His perfect little hands and his perfect little toes. The way he says "baaaaa" no matter what animal he is looking at. The smile he gets when I enter the room and the way he reaches for me, wraps his arms around me and burry's his head in my shoulder. The happy go lucky attitude he has EVERY single morning. The no fear approach he takes as he crawls over our Great Dane and then makes his way to our German Shepherd's ball.   Everything about my little boy is perfect and the fact that I can call him MY little boy just takes my breath away.

What a blessing God handed us one year ago today. As we waited with anticipation by the phone last December 20th, we had no idea what joy this little boy would bring us. We didn't even know he was a boy yet! We got the phone call just after midnight that our baby boy had entered this world happy and healthy.   Our hearts welled up with excitement and the love that had already began to grow just tripled in size!

I think about Ryker's birth mom quite often this time of year.  What a blessing she is to us. She let God orchestrate such a beautiful family and was willing to let him work through her to bring Ryker to us. She gave him life. She chose his happiness over her own and she, along with her mother, chose to see the beautiful big picture that God was painting. They said over and over that, "We know God planned this baby for your family." And oh did he ever!  I see Tyler's personality shining through in Ryker. I can tell he will be goofy and fun loving. He's also as easy going as his daddy in almost every way. He loves music like I do.  In fact the only time he throws a fit is if the music is not loud enough in the car as we drive down the road. He wants to ROCK and so do I, so our times in the car are always fun.

This year has flown by so fast and I wish sometimes I could just slow it all down. I try to enjoy every moment with my sweet little man, but somehow I still feel like I have let time slip through my fingers. I love him with all of my heart.  Ryker is the greatest gift God could have ever blessed Tyler and I with. Someday, I pray, he will truly understand the love I have for him.  But as my mother always said, and I now truly understand, he most likely won't until the day he holds his little one in his hands for the first time.  This love I feel is beyond description, beyond understanding, and without a doubt God given!

Happy Birthday my sweet son!  I love you more each day and cherish you every moment.

Mommy

Where is Home

The last month has just been a whirlwind of crazy, unexpected blessings!  We are moved out of our old house and trying to get settled in our new place.  Although we have not slept there yet, not even once, we've had two events (NNU's Twirp and our Harvest Party).  We already have three weddings booked and two other special events booked out there.  My mind is just blown away at how faithful God has been to walk us through this fun journey.

Something I've noticed through all of this is how my definition of "Home" has been solitified.   From our old home on Choctaw to my parents house to Ty's parents house to our new house, I find myself calling them all home.  When and why?  When that's where I'll be with my husband and son.   I've said several times, "See you at home." or "We're on our way home."   Each time "Home" is a completely different location.   I love this.   I love that my heart instinctively thinks of home as a place where I am with my family.   I love my boys more than any girl could and am extremely thankful that God for some reason entrusted me as a wife and mother to them.  

New Home=New Business Venture

Well, things have certainly been exciting around our house lately.  About a year ago we started praying about a piece of land that we had only dreamed could one day become our home, our business and our mission.  In January 2008 we were engaged at 18120 Dean Lane in Nampa and if all goes accordingly on October 18th, 2011 we will be calling it our home.   We will also be calling it Still Water Hollow.   Throughout this whole process of writing a business plan, putting our house on the market, etc.  the verse Psalm 23:2 "He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters" has been our anthem.   It has reminded us to trust in His will and His timing.  We know that none of this could be possible if it weren't for God's incredible plan and we must give Him and only Him all the glory. 

Just a little information on the property, for those of you who are curious.  It's 5 acres of beauty!  There's a 700 sq. foot pond located right in the center with a gorgeous water fall.  The chapel, located at the back of the property was built in 1899 and originally located on McMillan.   The previous owners, the McKellips, moved this little white chapel onto the property and restored it.  The chapel holds approximately 160 people and has a vintage organ inside that just completes the feel.   There's also an adorable mining town with old shacks and a mint still that transports you to a simpler time.  In the front of the property there's a shop that we plan on turning into the perfect place to hold indoor events.  We went coffee shop hopping the other day and gleaned ideas that would help give it that rustic, yet cozy feel. 

Some insight into our plans for Still Water Hollow:
We obviously will love having weddings, family reunions, class reunions, birthday parties and other special events out there.  Our hope is that this will become a place families can come and make memories.   We all know this is a difficult time for families to find fun activities to enjoy together while staying on a budget.   I wish we could go to the movies every weekend, or Roaring Springs, but it costs an arm and a leg these days.   It's our goal to create fun events at Still Water Hollow that are affordable and sometimes even free for the community to come and enjoy themselves even while their on a budget.  Music is obviously a passion of mine, so it's my dream to create an atmosphere where great music can be enjoyed while being in such a gorgeous atmosphere.  We plan on having concerts and jam nights out there.  Remember Sunday's when you'd go to church, then come back home and enjoy a big dinner with great fellowship alongside family and friends?  Well, someday we'd like that tradition to turn into you all coming out to Still Water Hollow to enjoy food, fellowship and great teaching.   Just taking it back to basics where we learn, encourage and uplift one another.  Stripping aside the worries and politics we tend to get wrapped up in and reminding our selves what it's all about.

So, I hope this little post helps give everyone some insight into our plans and dreams for our soon to be home and business.  The biggest favor I could ever ask is for you all to spread the word.  It would mean so much to us if you'd tell all your friends and family members, especially those who may be looking for a place to hold their next event.   We now have a Facebook page and we are working on gathering all the marketing tools needed.   The website should be up soon.   We are still 2 weeks away from moving in, but we'd like to hit the ground running, starting with getting the word out! I hope we'll see some of you at the Harvest Party, or at one of our other events.  

Much Love!