More Ukraine Information

Here is our flyer for our upcoming mission trip to Ukraine to help children with special needs. It has specifics regarding donation of supplies and financial contributions. If you would like to read about more background regarding this trip, please see my previous post here. Also, all financial contributions are tax deductible. Thank you!

Here's some pictures from previous trips that I had to share.







Looking at these sweet faces, breaks my heart. I can't wait to be there and hold them all in my arms!!!!

NYE and Liberty Bowl

We initially had intentions of a very low key NYE weekend. But when the Hogs announced they were Liberty Bowl bound...our plans changed. We spent the weekend in Memphis and enjoyed some good food and fun at the game with some friends.

The game was fun until I was frozen completely, and then I was just miserable. I was too cold to operate a camera, so Kati will have to email me some pics from the game (hint hint). The highlights of the weekend for me were definitely BBQ at Rendevous, eating at Big Foot and the paratroopers dropping into the Liberty Bowl!!

We had NYE dinner at Automatic Slim's downtown in Memphis. The service was super slow, but we had a good time. Afterwards we walked to Beale street to watch the guitar drop. Oh my, people watching at it's best! We made some friends from East Carolina and made a bee-line out of there after the guitar dropped. It helped that I had a Memphis police officer in full SWAT team attire following behind me walking out. People seemed to move out of the way for him. And I was just trying to keep moving as to not be in his way. HAHA. We then went to one of my other FAVE Memphis places...Big Foot...or as they call it now, the Kooky Kanuck. They had music and fried pickles. What more do you need? (We visited Big Foot several more times over the weekend for S'mores and giant chocolate chip cookies!)

While at Rendevous we had one of the oldest waiters, I say that because many of them have been there FOREVER. He told us how long he had worked there and it was something like 40 years. Serving BBQ for 40 years!! No wonder he doesn't write anything down when he takes an order. When I asked for a side that didn't come with my meal I though he seriously might kick me out. But he was charming, in an old and crazy way.

New Years Eve Dinner at Automatic Slim's

Bryan, myself and Johnny at Automatic Slim's

Waiting on a table at my favorite place Rendevous

Some of these fellas have been serving BBQ longer than I have been alive!

Insanity known as NYE on Beale. packed.

Boys and Beale

Going to Dinner!

Officially Ukraine Bound!

As of Friday we officially have our flight booked to travel to Ukraine to work with special needs children. Our group which is made up of mainly therapists (physical, occupational and speech therapists) will be traveling April 10-18th. We have LOTS of preparations to complete before we travel, and I couldn't be more excited! Please check back for more details and information about how you can help us, help these children. Please go here to Carmen's blog or here to Karen's blog to read about their trip to Ukraine from last year and the exciting progress that is being made. There are multiple entries on each, along with pictures.

The mission of our trip is to provide training and supplies to help special needs children. We will be working with orphans with special needs at orphanages, visiting a hospital with a NICU, helping families who have chosen to raise their children with special needs, and building customized equipment such as standers and corner chairs that can help children with physical impairments (I personally won't be building these...haha...but will definitely be assisting as much as possible). The hopes of our training and supply donations will be to keep as many children as possible out of institutions. At the age of four, special needs children are typically transferred to institutions...where the conditions are BEYOND bleak and the mortality rate is very high. The stories of these children have definitely touched me, and I can't wait to go and share my knowledge with caregivers and parents there (as well as love on as many kiddos as possible) in the hopes that we help give them a future.

For those of you who do not know, I am a Speech-Language Pathologist. Myself and the other half of the Ukraine Speech TEAM is my dear friend Carmen. We will be providing training and help in the areas of education in language development, facilitating language development, feeding and swallowing, and hopefully setting up some kind of communication system for any child who needs a way of communicating other than speech. I feel that we will in no way be prepared for every child we meet. But I know our actions will definitely be guided, because we will be in HIS hands......and that we will be able to roll with the punches...so to speak. :)

Please keep our group in your prayers while we prepare for this trip, specifically that our travels go smoothly and safely, that our information is well received, that our training and suggestions are carried over after we leave, and last but not least that we show God's love to everyone we meet as we work with these children.

I will post more information, detailed supply list that we will be collecting and background information about our trip later. But wanted to announce that I will be going and to please check back for updates on our preparations for the trip! Thank you! Amy


"No man stands as tall as when he stoops to help a child." -Abraham Lincoln

Your tire's all flat and junk....

This my absolute favorite commercial. I laugh so hard everytime I watch it...like really laugh and can't stop. Thought I would share, in case you are missing out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1pNPOZUf10

I have no idea how to upload a youtube video onto my post, so just click on the link, because I do know how to do that....

2009 Favorites

The year in pictures....

January 2009-
Ice Storm, Farmington, AR

"The Villa" at Chateau Aux Arc- Altus, AR

February 2009-

Horse Races with Jami, Greg and Linda, Hot Springs, AR

Family picture after church, Bryant, AR

March 2009
Horse races again- the weekend of my stomach bug.bleck. Hot Springs, AR

April 2009-
Linda's Graduation, St. Louis, MO

Mariellen, Erin and I, Nashville, TN

May 2009-
Aunt's and I at Eddie Haskell's Rogers, AR

June 2009-
"Friday night Mexican" Fayetteville, AR

Kati's birthday weekend and new hats for Lindsey's wedding, Kansas City, MO

July 2009-

The Love Family- Oksaloosa Island, FL

Lindsey's Wedding, Cancun, MX

"crazy eyes" The night we sported fake eyelashes-
Elizabeth's Bachelorette Party, Fort Smith, AR

August 2009-
Casey and Monica's Wedding- Mt. Magazine St. Park, Paris, AR

September 2009-
My bachelorette party, I love these girls- Nashville, TN

Riley's 2nd Birthday Party, Bradford, AR

October 2009-
Hadleigh's 1st Birthday, Fort Smith, AR

Wedding Party, October 17th- St. Catherine's at Bell Gable, Fayetteville, AR

November 2009-
Hadleigh at Thanksgiving, Ma's House, Cane Hill, AR

Riley at Cracker Barrel, Branson, MO

December 2009-

Debbie's 50th Birthday Party, Benton, AR

Snow in Central Park, New York City

I included the location of each picture because I feel like I have been all over the place this past year. And I have, and loved almost every minute of it! I am really excited for 2010!

Christmas Party

\We had our Christmas party last night! It was so fun. We have such a fun group of friends. We did a theme this year, and everybody was suppose to wear a Christmas hat! We voted on the best girls/guy hats and the BULLINGTON'S WON! :) Kati's hat was insanely good, and so was Johnny's...they won by a long shot. The rest of us just thought we were going to stand a chance.

My sweet girl said her aunt's name for the first time at he party! :)
Bryan made my hat and I made his...:)
Lindsey and Bryan, A to Z special hats! I love it. It's like a glittery Christmas ornament and then a Charlie Brown tree on Bryan's head...:)

Liz and Hadleigh's matching hats! So cute! :)
Kortney and James, Kortney didn't have a hat...so she borrowed Lindsey's! :)
Kristy brought John Lleyton by before the party got started to visit, he's just getting so big and even more handsome!!!! I think he might have been in Christmas overload at my house. He and Hadleigh hadn't seen each other since Hadleigh was a month old...my how they have changed! :)

Casey and Monica came from Fort Smith!
Leslie and Brice, of course her hats were so cute!
Sarah and Jessie, mistletoe hat and a reindeer! :)
Matt and Tiphany, Matt really went wild with those ornaments...and Tiphany was Mickey Mouse Christmas! :)

And saving the WINNERS and best for last:

Santa and his Sleigh and Kati's full blown gingerbread house in which she glued every single thing onto it herself!

I like the action shot! :)

Now I am going to start thinking up the theme for next year! :)