What a Month!

So many exciting changes are happening in my life!  Change is scary, hard and uncomfortable at times, but I'm doing my very best to trust Him in all things.  When I do that, it sure makes for a more peaceful transition.  My house is going on the market this week and I can't wait to see how quickly it sells.  Trusting the Lord will bring a buyer right away!

We're also preparing for our annual "Family Beach Trip", which begins next week and I can't wait to be with my entire family, including my brother, sister, their kids and special friends too! It's always the highlight of our entire year when we get to be together for fun, fun, and more fun!

I apologize that I haven't written in a few weeks, but we've been incredibly busy!  For one, Kolby left for a week long camp in Louisiana, where her life was forever changed!  It was one of the greatest experiences she's ever had in her life and she's still talking about it.

I had the privilege of speaking at the camp on the last day to the high school campers and witnessed over 25 teens accept Jesus Christ as their Savior at the end of my message.  God is so good!  I am humbled how He continues to use me, in spite of myself.  I know I'm not worthy, but He sure is.

On the last day of camp, Kolby made the decision to be baptized!  I was honored that I could be there to witness her emersion into water proclaiming her love and desire to serve Jesus!  As a mother, there are no words to describe watching your child make the decision on her own to serve God with her life.  I was truly blessed.

If you're looking for a camp that's annointed and whose staff members and leaders are appointed by Him, I absolutely endorse and recommend Camp Ch-Yo-Ca in Calhoun, LA.  Kolby loved it so much, made lifelong friends and can't wait to go back next year!

After camp was over, Kolby and I were invited to stay as guests for several more days and spent time with some amazing, wonderful and generous people, the Howard and Robertson families. They treated Kolby and I like family and were gracious to us during our entire stay.  They made us feel so welcome. 

Our time with both of these families were some of the most comfortable, relaxed days I've had in a long time.  They opened up their beautiful homes to us and literally made us feel right at home.  We were invited and blessed to attend a really cool "Sweet 16" Party and it was a blast!  The gals at Junk Gypsy did all the decorating for her party and there is no way to describe how incredible this party was!  I've never seen anything like it in my entire life! If you want a unique, one-of-a-kind party, you want to check them out!  Kolby also went mud digging(?), tubing and even target shooting!  She had the time of her life!  Now, my little city girl is daily begging me to move to Louisiana! I think the Lord knew how much Kolby needed this trip.  He truly blessed her with special friendships and she misses all of her new friends very much.  We worshipped together on Sunday morning and were so blessed by their church service and family.  I even (unknowingly) ate crawfish for the first time and loved it!  I seriously can't write enough about our time there.  We made great, lifelong new friendships and are looking forward to our next visit.   Here are just a few pictures from our visit.  Good times with great people!

So much is coming in the next month alone! We'll be going on vacation, moving to a new place, Kolby's going on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic and I'm off to Missouri for a week long women's conference. Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it.  But, God is good and He sustains us.  Life may be busy right now, but it's also very exciting!

God has so much in store for all of us.  I hope you'll learn to completely trust Him with everything in your life.  This past year has been a crazy ride for the Koloff Family and it's probably going to get even crazier.  We are receiving more and more invitations to speak and there is nothing I'd rather do than share what God has done in my life with others.  Without Him, I don't know where I'd be.  I encourage you to stop whatever you're doing and ask God to reveal to you His plan for your own life.  If He doesn't show you right away, trust that He will in His time.  My life is not perfect by any means, but I do serve a perfect God.  He's there waiting for you too.  I still receive countless letters about how our little show is helping you or your family.  That blesses me more than anything.  I pray that one day soon through my travels, I'll have the opportunity to meet each one of you.  Until then, keep Him first and never forget that He's crazy about you!

So many of you are writing and asking about Season 2.  I wish I could tell you more, but I'm not at liberty to do that yet.  But, I'll say this, I think you're going to be very happy about what's coming!

I'll write again soon, but until then, Happy Summer PD Fans!  We miss you too!

A Night at the Fontanel

In the past six months, our lives have changed forever.  God has blessed us with many opportunities and we aren't taking them for granted.

Last night was another one of those times.  We were privileged to spend an entire evening at The Fontanel Mansion in Nashville, TN.  This is the former home of Barbara Mandrell and her family.  They built this amazing, 27,000 square foot log home in 1988 and lived there until they sold it in 2002.  The two music moguls who bought the home have turned it into a "museum" of sorts.  On the 130 acres, you can attend concerts, hike, bike, zip line, and tour the house.  The place is incredible and I highly recommend you make a trip there!  Your entire family will enjoy it. 

We not only ate dinner in the family kitchen, but sat at the family's original dinner table overlooking this magnificient property.  After dinner, the girl's and I got ready in Barbara's mirrored bathroom and had our make up and hair done in her dressing room.  I even used one of her toilets!  OK, maybe that was too much information!  It was a night of surreal moments.

We were there to celebrate an incredible event in our family, which you'll find out about soon:).  The girls and I were so blessed to hang with Jaime Dudney, Barbara's only daughter, who works on the property.  She gave us a personal tour and shared many stories of her mother.  At 13, Barbara toured with Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, George Jones and Patsy Cline!  For those of you too young to remember these legends, you'll want to youtube them.  These are the artists who've inspired people like Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney and so many more!

I personally enjoyed my time with Jaime so much.  We're already making plans to have dinner soon.  She was so sweet, real and normal and I appreciated that about her.  You'd never know she grew up so privileged, as there's nothing snobby or pretentious about her.  The owners are lucky to have her working there.  Who better to take you on a tour of Barbara Mandrells' home than Barbara Mandrell's daughter herself, who actually lived there for 15 years!  I'm grateful the Lord has brought another new friend into my life!

The staff and management at The Fontanel Mansion are second to none.  They were absolutely incredible.  If you've been looking for a place to get married, renew wedding vows, have an anniversary party or any family event, you've found it!  Our entire experience was beyond words.  This home has God's handprints everywhere you look.  The Mandrell/Dudney Family are a strong faith based, Christian family and you sense that as you walk the hallways of this magnificent home.  I can't say enough good things about our night.  The food was delicious, the ambiance soothing and you felt like you were at "home". 

As I looked out the window of the beautiful mansion, I stood in awe of all that God's done and is doing in my family.  Nikita and I are on friendly terms, the girls are thriving in their careers and school, my son-in-law's music school, Pro Music Academy, is exploding and my granddaughter, Salem?  Well, she's just my heart walking around!  I'm excited to take a front row seat to witness what He's going to do next!

Thank you Lord for my wonderful family and another amazing experience. I love you beyond words.

Happy Birthday Salem Sophia!

Four years ago today, the lives of me and my family changed forever.  It was the day that Teryn and Chad welcomed their daughter, my granddaughter, Salem Sophia, into the world.  I was blessed to have been asked to witness her birth and being in the room as my oldest daughter gave birth to her first child was beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

Since that day, my life has never been more full.  Even when I'm having a bad day, all I need to do is call that little girl and talk to her.  She tells me about her day or asks, "When are you coming over, Mimi?" 

She changed my relationship with Teryn and made it better.  She brought healing into our family that we needed at the time.  God's timing is perfect.  Grandchildren are God's rewards for parents to enjoy after experiencing the toddler and teenage years!

Happy Birthday, Salem Sophia.  Your Mimi loves you high as the sky, deep as the sea and all the air in between.

Now, let's go have that "Beach Pool Party" that you wanted!

I love you, my Lil Pooks:)