Then we went to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg.  Had a blast!  Here is a view from our cabin:

We mainly shopped and ate.  Anytime Jennifer and I go on vacation the prevailing question is "Where do you want to eat?"

By far our favorite place is Cherokee Grill at the end of the strip.  Get the ‘Prosperity Steak’.  And be sure to get the spicy spinach mac and cheese.  Holy cow.

Also ate at The Peddler.  They actually roll out a big slab of meat and custom cut your steak.  Plus there are smoke oysters on the bar.

And no Gatlinburg trip is complete without a trip to the Pancake Pantry.  Yumm!  All the cooks are Papaws and all the waitresses are Mamaws.  You know they know how to make some darn good pancakes.

Up next…The Game!!!

Then we went to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg.  Had a blast!  Here is a view from our cabin:

We mainly shopped and ate.  Anytime Jennifer and I go on vacation the prevailing question is "Where do you want to eat?"

By far our favorite place is Cherokee Grill at the end of the strip.  Get the ‘Prosperity Steak’.  And be sure to get the spicy spinach mac and cheese.  Holy cow.

Also ate at The Peddler.  They actually roll out a big slab of meat and custom cut your steak.  Plus there are smoke oysters on the bar.

And no Gatlinburg trip is complete without a trip to the Pancake Pantry.  Yumm!  All the cooks are Papaws and all the waitresses are Mamaws.  You know they know how to make some darn good pancakes.

Up next…The Game!!!

So as not to overwhelm you all at once, I’ll break up my vacation into a couple of parts.

First, got to see my dad before his surgery.  Thank you all for praying for him!  He did great and is back at home as of yesterday.  He is still in a lot of pain and has quite of bit of healing to do.  Pray that the surgery was a success!  They fused 3 vertebrae!

Sunday – Tuesday: Visit with my family and be with my dad during surgery
Tuesday – Friday: Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, shopping, Dollywood with Christmas Lights, and good food…can we say Pancake Pantry?
Friday-Sunday: Knoxville to visit with my brother and go to a TN game!  I am so pumped!  AND NO GARY WE ARE NOT GOING TO CHOKE. 

At least I hope not..

My dad has cats….3 of them.  Blah.  Actually one of them is really incredible looking and has fur…which means no shedding.  I can handle that.

Anyway my stepmom was drying clothes – closed the door – and began folding laundry.  I walked into the kitchen and asked if she was drying tennis shoes….CLANK CLANK CLANK.   Then a look of horror.  "OH MY BABY!!!"

Open the door and out jumps….actually out stumbles and very dazed and confused cat. 

It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.  I’m so bad.

Just got in to Kingsport, TN – my hometown – to surprise my dad.  Tomorrow he has major back surgery to fuse some disks together.  We bolted as soon as church was over and hauled it down here baby and all.  Please pray for him tomorrow morning!

Some pics from Wyatt’s baby dedication.  Man he’s a good lookin’ kid.

Dear everybody,

Wasn’t quite sure how to greet you all, so I hope that works.

Most
of you know, and some of you don’t, that Jennifer and I have had a
trying couple of days.  I will try to sum up what has happened.

Jennifer
and I have been trying to have a child since January.  Those of you who
know us best, know how private we are.  So we’ve kept this a secret
pretty well.  Until now!  After much prayer, we chose to pursue
fertility treatments.  November 2 we found out that we were indeed
pregnant!  To God be the glory!  Late Monday night, Jennifer started
experiencing some pain, which subsided as she fell asleep.  The pain
then intensified Tuesday morning enough for us to rush to the ER.  Upon
an ultra sound, the Dr’s realized that she had a tubal pregnancy that
ruptured.  They rushed her into surgery and stopped the bleeding but of
course that child was lost.  The good news is there is a healthy 3 1/2
week old baby right where it is supposed to be!  We were even able to
see the heart beat at such an early age!

We
are now finally home and trying to get some much needed rest.
Jennifer’s parent’s traveled here to Fredericksburg to help us out
during this time.  I am asking all to please be in prayer for Jennifer
and the baby.  Also please help us to protect our little bit of privacy
we have.  Thankfully, we have a loving church family, a wonderful small
group, and close friends and family to help us through this time.  And
that is what the family of Christ is here for – to do life together!

I
will ask for prayer Sunday at church, so this is not really a secret.
We simply are trying to find a balance between healthy church &
family support and needed personal space.  Thank you all for you
understanding, love, and prayers!  In 9 months you will see the fruit!

In HIS Grip
Jeremy Pickwell
Worship & Arts Pastor
Lighthouse Church