Sam got a new "big boy" haircut yesterday and was sporting the faux hawk. He was so proud of it! He's getting so big!
Sheryl made a birthday cape for special occasions. It's really cool! Ella was modeling it for us last night.
We had a great night at Arrington Vineyards with Ryan and Sarah Williamson. http://www.arringtonvineyards.com/ Ryan and I have been friends for more than 20 years. Sarah and Sheryl lived together while at ACU. Our daughters, Maddie and Sydney, are the same age and best friends. Their friendship is the fiercest of loyalties...and they've already informed us all that they have plans to room together at ACU (they're only going into 2nd grade).
It was a beautiful night. I have been in a tremendous amount of pain with my back (having an MRI this week) but being out there was a nice distraction. We are all going back out there in September for the Loggins/ Messina concert. I am SO EXCITED about that! http://www.logginsandmessina.com/
If you go out to Arrington, be sure to do the wine tasting. 
Sunset...gorgeous night! 
Tonight Ben and Eve English brought over some dinner and their cute little kitties. Bless their hearts (the kittens). Our kids had to have almost given them a stroke. Serious sensory overload! We are blessed by our dear friends. Blessed and thankful.First things first...Sheryl has some new pics of her work up now as well as some great links for cakes and photography. Check it out... http://www.sherylthomasflorals.blogspot.com/
Secondly, I wasn't able to post the pictures I wanted to of Rome...just haven't had time to go through them. And, Ryan Hunt sent a DVD full of pictures from our day there that I loved so I'm adding some of those too.
We got up super early that morning and headed to the bus that would take us to the train into Rome...
Ryan and Tiffini on the train
Breakfast is still important...good thing I packed a nutritious one! :)
The Vatican--coming into the square there was overwhelming. It is all so massive it's hard to really capture it in pictures.
The entry way to the cathedral is covered in ornate gold design...this is a close up of one of the squares...squares like this covered the entire ceiling of the entry way. 
Pieta (Michelangelo 1498-1500)
All the Popes had a sculpture of some sort built in their honor...some of them were really amazing
inside one of the domes 
Main alter
Another beautiful monument outside the entrance to the cathedral 
After being hot and tired we happened upon an outdoor market...with some really awesome dried fruit.
LUNCH!
Originally a temple for all pagan gods, the temple was converted into a church in 609. The Pantheon contains the tombs of Raphael and of several Italian Kings.
Trevi is also famous for tossing in a coin for good luck---and inspired the song "Three Coins in a Fountain"
The Column of Marcus Aurelius was built between AD 180 and AD 196 as a gift by the Senate and the people of Rome and erected near the emperor's own temple, the Temple of the Deified Marcus.
The one landmark dominating Piazza Venezia is Il Vittoriano, a monument dedicated to king Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of Italy.
The Forum Romanum was the center of life in imperial Rome, evidenced by the many remains of triumphal arches, temples and basilicas.
THE COLOSSEUM--Emperor Vespasian, founder of the Flavian Dynasty, started construction of the Colosseum in AD 72. It was completed in AD 80, the year after Vespasian's death.
Last week we rode the train into Florence one day. It was a fun experience just riding the train--THERE (the return trip was just too hot). This picture was taken in the train station.
Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence (one of only six bridges in all of Italy spared by the retreating German army)
David rubs the boar for luck
taken on Ponte Vecchio bridge
Ponte Vecchio
this was taken outside where the real "David" used to stand (it's now stored inside and this replica stands in its place)
Ryan took this shot...I think it's so cool
David Loudermilk (one of the dancers)
Duomo
Tiffini, Jamie, David and me
Meanwhile, that night back on the ship we had a cast dinner. Everyone was there except Hannah who was sick.
Cannes, France--home of the infamous international film festival--the biggest events had just happened a couple of weeks before this
This was in a park right down from the theater in Cannes on the beach. I thought it was cool that it was a double decker.
Cannes
We were in Cannes with the NCL Jade. We also produce the shows on the Jade (I've put clips on my blog before...Smokey Joe's Cafe, Shout, etc)
Adrienne, Kwame, Megan, Jamie and me
The third show out on the Gem is called "World Beat" It's another collaboration between Dave Patton and Gary Musick and is a GMP original production. The sets look awesome and the cast does a great job on this show too. It was an extremely rocky night (the ship was really moving).
The show begins with a very cool section from Spain and then moves through several other regions...
"Cielito/ Vamos Bailar" 
"Cielito/ Vamos Bailar"
"Tell Me Something Good/ Lean on Me" (NY section)
"Getcha Head in the Game"
NY percussion break
"I Wish"
"I Wish"
"I Wish"
"Golden Pearl"
"Golden Pearl"
"Naruto"
"Naruto"
"Naruto"
""Never on a Sunday" (Greece Section)
"Opa, Opa"
"Opa, Opa"
"Africa"
"Cotton Eyed Joe"
"All Jacked Up"
"You raise Me Up"
"Riverdance"
"Riverdance"Ella calls this the mirror song. :) Jamie sings "Reflection" from Mulan in the Asian secftion of the show.
Jamie and Kwame sings "I Wish" in the NYC section of the show
Ryan sings "Getcha Head in the Game" (NY section). The ship was REALLY rocking...you can see the set piece up there swinging and Ryan being careful for balance. It's amazing how the dancers do their thing when it's rocky. Sometimes the dance captain will make the call and take out special tricks and other things for safety.
Jamie singing "Cotton Eyed Joe". I love the country set for this show. It's way cool!
"Opa, Opa" The Greece section
"Africa" There's really no way to capture just how cool this section really is in person and I LOVE this song and TOTO.
a little more of the Asia section that I meant to post up there :)
"You Raise Me Up" (Irish section)
"Riverdance"
One of my favorite shows on the Gem is called "Get Down Tonight" and it's all 70's music. It's so fun! This is an original Gary Musick Productions show. Dave Patton did a great job on this one as well.
The cast rocks this show! Ryan Hunt let me borrow his way cool Nikon camera to take pictures. I LOVED IT! I'm thinking...birthday? It's a big birthday this time, ya know.
Kwame does a little James Brown :)
"School's Out For Summer"
"Still the One"
"C'mon Get Happy"
"Our Way" (Lavern & Shirley)
The band rocks out there!
"Reunited"
Did I mention that I am adding a camera like this to my birthday wish list? (actually with this on the list...the list would be more like one item)
I love this shot! :)
Finale
"Higher"
"Boogie Wonderland"
"American Band"
"Still the One"
The following few clips are from the 70's TV show portion (which I LOVE!)
"C'mon Get Happy" (Partridge Family)
"Those Were the Days" (All in the Family)
"Brady Bunch"
"Funky Town"
"That's the Way"
I am going to try and post some pics from the shows last week. The first one is called "Colorz". It's a really cool show and a great collaboration by Gary and Dave. And Dave did an awesome job orchestrating and arranging the show. It's cool to see initial concepts and then see it up and running out there and looking great! All the numberrs have something to do with a color of some sort.
Here are some pics in random order...
Ryan Hunt and Tiffini Dodson--Ebony and Ivory 
Ryan-- Band of Gold
Ryan-- Band of Gold
Jamie Godfrey-- Pink Cadillac
Ryan-- Hey There Little Red Riding Hood
Ryan-- Red Hot Mama
Ryan-- Blue Suede Shoes
Tiffini, Jamie and Kwame Remy-- Orange Colored Sky
Ryan- Yellow Brick Road
Ryan, David, Beetle, and Igor play the Beatles singing "Yellow Submarine" (Hannah and Lynnea dancing)
Jamie-- Goldfinger
Kwame sings "Blue Monday"
Tiffini, Jamie and Kwame sing "Orange Colored Sky"
Kwame and Jamie sing "Black or White" and "Men in Black"
"Goldfinger" (I love the last note. Jamie rocks it!)
Jamie sings "Pink Cadillac"
"Purple Haze"
Kwame and Tiffini sing "Color Of My Love".
Simon and Elena dance beautifully!
Ryan, Kwame, Tiffini and Jamie sing "Old Black Magic"
No internet time to write...just wanted to send a peek for the fam back home . Rome was incredible today. We all walked at least 30 miles and saw just about everything. It was the one day, double shot of espresso, kind of victory. My emotions were all over the map today. I wept in St. Peter's. I was so moved at the Pantheon. But walking down the street of ruins into the Coliseum at the end of that street...that was awesome too.
I'll post more later...here are a few
The Vatican in the background
Ruins of Ancient Rome
therre were soldiers standing outside the Coliseum
Coliseum
Trevi...this is the fountain sung about in the old song "Three Coins in a Fountain"
The Vatican St. Peter's Basilica. Weep inducing, magnificent house of worship.
Tiffany, BST, Kwame, and Jamie
Today we were in Malta. I have no idea where to even begin. Malta was unbelievable. It dates back to 5000 BC for one thing. Yes…5000. So, it has an ancient world feel. St. John’s Cathedral is really beautiful. We toured it and then had lunch at a pasta place across the street and upstairs that looked out over it. We had to be back on the ship by 2pm so we walked pretty quickly (my feet are SO TIRED!) By the way--Paul had a missionary journey here...parts of Malta look just as they would have when he was there.
As we sailed away from Malta…on the other island there is a large section that Hollywood studios own. This where they make every movie that was supposed to be set in ancient times…Gladiator, Troy, etc. You can see why. They even added to the section a fake reproduction of the coliseum. Everything else is real, but that was constructed. It’s where they filmed Gladiator.
Everyone tried to prepare me for the heat—they all said, “it’s a different kind of hot.” It was like the hottest day in Arizona. Microwave oven hot.
I took a LOT of pictures...here are just a few.
Inside St. John's Cathedral
I was so excited that we could take pictures inside!
I love this!
I like taking random pictures that just give you a feel of how things look.
Ryan, Kwame and me in front of St. John's
Here's the entrance to where we had lunch...
then up these stairs to pasta heaven!
This is the view from our table of St. John's
On one of the balconies of the restaurant
I love pictures of doors. This might be one of my favorite yet. You can see the Maltese cross on each door.
LOTS of walking!
Ryan, Kwame and Jamie
Wonder whose yacht that is?? It's huge! (and a slight bit tacky if you ask me...kind of spoils the beauty)
As we were walking back to the Gem, this Clipper ship sailed in. TOO COOL! 
another door...Jamie commented that those Bougainvillea (sp?) look like they were painted by God. Beautiful!
On sail away, Ryan and I went up to the top deck and took these pictures. You can get a real sense of the ancient feel.
This is the section where they filmed Gladiator and Troy
Bye bye, Malta!
There were islands on either side of the ship and both had identical light housesThe ship is at sea today. It's extremely windy! We're on our way to Malta. Be there tomorrow. Tonight is the first production show..."Colorz". The tech run this afternoon went really well. It's a great show. Dave did a really wonderful job writing and arranging it. Ryan is doing a fantastic job of stepping right into the shows. The singers are sounding incredible!
Ryan and the dancers
Tiffany and Kwame sing "Color Of My Love"
David is doing a little James Bond back there while Ryan sings "Band of Gold"
Jamie, Tiffany and Kwame run through"Orange Colored Sky"
My flight arrived safely in Barcelona this morning and I had a pretty easy embarkation process on the ship. Jamie Godfrey took me around some of the market and vendor streets and it was fun to brows around. I found some cool stuff for Sheryl and the girls.
The guy up there is Christopher Columbus!
Old Port House
The inside of the theater is quite nice
The Gem also has bowling!
looking up...this is the main lobby
The Gem singers and me.
Ella wanted me to take her picture inside next to this poster. :)
It was SO HARD not to pick these!!!
Kevin and Kiki
Maddie
Ella Thomas and Ellis Berry
Sheryl and me
Jeff and Ellis Berry
Anna and Parker Berry
Sam and Ellis Berry 
Parker Berry cracks me up. He has this "Hulk" act that kills me. He wouldn't do it in its entirety for me tonight but I captured a bit of it here. And...you can see the amazing beauty of Arrington in this short video clip.
Some of you know about my back and neck issues I've been dealing with for the last two months. I started really being bothered by it at the end of May when I was on the NCL Majesty. It has been gradually getting worse. Things like being in the studio for three weeks at night didn't help. (if you look at those pics or videos while we were recording, you can tell I was hurting.) While we were on vacation I had some pretty unbearable moments. It's just gotten worse from there.
I've seen a Chiropractor, family doctor, and now also a physical therapist at STAR in Nashville. Honestly, I have been miserable. Yesterday was probably my worst day. I was in tears last night.
I covet your prayers. I'm working hard to get it under control and trying hard not to exacerbate the issue. However, I have a very long flight on Saturday and I am praying it will be ok. I'm flying to get on a ship for a week...in Barcelona. I am excited about being in Spain (I'll also get to see Rome and Malta) but am dreading the flight.
I hate to be a downer, I just haven't even wanted to mention it in blog posts. I am to a point now where I just need it to be different. Have any of you tried acupuncture? I ever thought I'd EVER hear that word cross my lips, but I'm actually considering it.
Ultimately, we know where healing is found. I covet your prayers. Thanks, blog fam.
I've added a new link over there to my friend Pete Wilson's blog. (A different Peter Wilson than the ZOE Petey boy). Pete is doing an amazing work here in Nashville and I am thankful he's here. His recent post about Patriotism in church is something I really resonated with. I've written similar posts here...not extremely popular posts. I encourage you to read his writing. Also, if you tweet, check him out on Twitter. His Twitter handle is "pwilson".
To get to his blog in the future, click the link over to the right. But, for today, I'll make it super easy! :) Click here http://www.withoutwax.tv/
My mom took Maddie shopping for her birthday to "Justice". Maddie was so excited about her new clothes.
Maddie and Ella
Maddie and some of her birthday buddies
Sheryl helps with the birthday craft--ribbon covered flip flops
Maddie models her flip flops
Aunt Kiki gave Maddie a lava lamp! She was SO excited!
Maddie and her best buddy, Sydney. They've been friends since birth and have already informed us that they plan to room together at ACU.
Darcy visits the face painting station
Sam the monster cat!
CAKE!
cheeeeeeseHappy Birthday, dear Maddie!
I love the little girl squeals as they open birthday presents. I know these won't last forever. I love them!
The last couple of days have been full of family fun. Sheryl's sister and her family are here and our kids LOVE being with their cousins...
One of the highlights of being with Uncle Chris is hearing his bedtime stories. Our kids can't wait for bedtime when Uncle Chris is here.
Tonight we went out to Nolensville for the 4th of July festivities. We ended up getting rained out but had a lot of fun until then. Here's a picture of baby Gracie in a cute outfit that Sheryl gave her today.
Daddy and Sam
a small snippet of story time with Uncle Chris
We are home now but still relishing our days in Sandestin. What a beautiful place! Here are some pictured from the rest of our time there...
Baytowne Wharf
the fam and my mom
Baytowne Wharf
Kiki, Gracie and Kevin
The kids play at Baytowne Wharf
Maddie took this picture of the ducks outside the condo.
Sam asked Maddie if she was "digging to China". Totally cracked me up!
Dig, Maddie, DIG!
Gracie and Sam
My goofballs
The kids play in the fountains
Thomas FamilyBouncing Ella
Road trip home
