Life These Days...

Giant Blanket Fort

2012-02-18T18:49:00.001-05:00

Here are some more views of the giant blanket fort I made for Valentine's Day. I was originally inspired by a picture I saw on Pinterest, but the picture didn't link to anything, so I had to let my imagination run wild. It took every bit of 3 hours to figure out how to rig this tent, but I was very pleased with my work afterwards, and now refuse to take it down (for a while anyway)!

View from the doorway

View from inside...against the couch. I had a friend help me get the television down on the floor from on top of a dresser. While a tv in a fort is certainly not a necessity, it has been so much fun for watching movies together.

Another angle...the lights are being held up by clothespins

A view from the other side of the playroom

I attached the sheets however I could...all involved orange string and clothespins- those were then hung by the fan or to removable hooks on the wall.

While this type of hook was sturdy, it did not work so well on sloped ceilings. This particular string slid off the hook when touched too hard.

This type of hook, however is fantastic!!! I would definitely buy a lot more of these next time I try this. They hang from anywhere and the hooks "dangles" down so that the strings easily stay attached.

A view of the pallet I made on the inside- basically every unused sleeping bag and blanket that we own are stacked on each other. By the way- the hanging lights make the tent surprisingly warm inside!

Another view of the inside

Valentine's Gifts

2012-02-18T18:39:00.002-05:00

Berkley was busy stacking his Valentine stickers, and all of a sudden he appeared beside me, saying "Happy Valentine's Day, Momma" while putting this beautiful stack on my hand. What a beautiful gift!

Stephen and I decided on a low-key evening in for Valentine's, so we ordered some really yummy sushi!

I made Stephen a chocolate chip cookie cake- his favorite. He reminded me to take a picture right after he'd eaten a slice or two!

After dinner, I took Berkley & Stephen up to the playroom to present my gift to the two of them....
A huge blanket fort!! We had so much fun playing all together in the fort, and the only thing I had to purchase were a few extra hooks and the lights I strung around the inside. The fort was a huge hit and made for a really fantastic Valentine's Day!

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Lauren Visits!

2012-02-17T20:04:00.000-05:00

Last week, my sweet friend Lauren came for a quick visit. This summer she and her family moved to Missouri for her husband to pursue his Ph.D (in theatre!). Hooray for them...sad for me.
Lauren and her little boy Jeffrey came to NC last week and spent a couple of days with us We were able to enjoy being together with our boys, and even got an evening to go out to dinner by ourselves...with a bedtime of 10pm (much earlier than our pre-baby days when our evenings ended around 1am)!
What a joy it is to be with good friends. So many of my closest friends live so far away, so I am always thrilled to spend any amount of time with one of them! What a gift Lauren is to me.

Friends

2012-02-04T10:27:00.000-05:00

Although these photos are all from the fall, I found them on my friends' Facebook pages, and wanted to save them here! I am so thankful for each of these special folks!

After officiating my oldest friend, Jessica's wedding in New Orleans in September...

My sweet friends Christina & Jamie at our church's fall festival

My dear friend Rhiannon

The leadership team for my MOPS group at our Christmas dinner.

Work Fun

2012-02-04T10:10:00.000-05:00

I did get to have a bit of fun during my week of work for Faith in 3D!

Upon arrival at Disney, I had a few hours to myself before any meetings began, so I spent some time at the pool (notice the waterslide behind me). I seriously love a pool with a waterslide.

I enjoyed a beverage out by the water at the convention center

I got to catch up with Jenny- she directed the camp I coordinated this past summer...what an awesome gal!

I got to visit with Mickey & Minnie

Sunday morning I had some free time, and got to go with a friend to Hollywood Studios where we rode all of the "adult rides" before our families arrived later that day. We rode the Tower of Terror & the Rockin' Roller Coaster a few times each!

ImagiNations

2012-02-04T09:57:00.001-05:00

At Faith in 3D, my primary responsibility was the education portion. On Saturday morning of the event, our participants entered backstage of Epcot 2 hours before the park opened and participated in ImagiNations. Church groups were assigned an "itinerary" of 3 countries to visit & they did a different activity in each country. We partnered with the Disney YES (Youth Education Series) to provide an experience that explored cultural diversity around the world.

Here's a VERY simplified explanation of what the morning entailed:
Each church group would go to one country pavilion and meet with a YES rep. who would teach a lesson, then they would meet with a missionary who would speak to them about ministry in that country.
Next, they would go to a second country, meet with a YES rep., and do a scavenger hunt in that country pavilion.
Finally, they would go to a third country, meet with a YES rep., and meet with a cultural representative- a person from that country who would talk about the culture of that country.

We ended with a huge lunch for everyone just as the park started to fill with people. This project took a lot of work, a lot of details, and a lot of volunteers to make it happen. Thankfully, I can say that it really went well, and I think the youth learned a lot & had fun.
At the end of the morning, I walked into the lunch, breathed a huge sigh of relief and shed a couple of tears that things had gone so well (and that I had nothing else to stress about!).

We started with a very early morning- while the moon was still shining bright!

I had an amazing group of volunteers (mostly college students) without whom the morning could not have happened. We rode over to Epcot in the cold, dark morning (on the Florida Gators' team bus!).

Walking out into the American pavilion before anyone else arrived. So still & quiet.

Looking across the water at an empty Epcot.

The cultural representatives from China, speaking to students about culture and life there.

My amazing "education teammate" Susan & I walking around Epcot, making sure everything was going smoothly. This woman is seriously amazing and helped me make this all happen.

Students entering the building for lunch while I looked on with relief & a touch of pride after a great morning!

Faith in 3D

2012-02-04T09:23:00.002-05:00

Two weeks ago I had the amazing privilege of working for the Faith in 3D event at Disney World. I've been on the planning team for this event for about 16 months now, and it was so great to see everything come to fruition! This large ecumenical youth conference required a lot of logistical preparation, and also a lot of prayer. What a gift to feel God's blessing on this event, and sense God's presence among the 1500 folks who attended.

Although the event officially began on Friday, January 13, I arrived earlier that week (Tuesday) to tend to last minute details, and help prepare for registration. We worked hard in those few days, but also enjoyed each other's company & the calm before the storm.

Here was the "office" I set up for myself at the convention center.

The first two nights we had opening celebration & worship at Epcot. We've been wandering around this large blank space for a while now, so it was quite something to see everything in place, and to see it filled with people!

My colleague, Susan (representing the Cumberland Presbyterian Church) helped me with the education piece of Faith in 3D (more on that in another post). I couldn't have done it without this amazing woman! I am so thankful to now have her in my life!

My fantastic friends, the Fisher-Ingrams worshiping with their sweet daughter.

Our final morning of worship (MLK Jr. Day) was held back at the conference center with Rev. Jerry Cannon (pictured below) bringing the message, and concluding with communion.

This week was truly one of my favorite weeks of work of all time. I am so grateful to Passport & CBF for entrusting me with such an incredible professional opportunity.

Art

2011-12-28T13:47:00.000-05:00

Recently I've tried my hand at painting a couple of canvases...both ideas I found on Pinterest.

The first was scripture to hang above Berkley's bed- Micah 6:8. We sing this song to him every night before bed, and it's such a fantastic scripture to live by. For my first canvas, this was a huge undertaking, but I learned a lot from it, and ended up liking the result.

The second canvas was a Christmas gift for my mother (who loves football more than any other woman in the world). I thought it turned out well & I will probably give more canvas paintings a try soon!

Christmas Card Secret

2011-12-28T13:35:00.000-05:00

Each year I've gotten a little bit more sneaky (and a lot more cheap) about the Christmas cards we send. However, I'm going to give away my secret to getting 150 (amazing quality) Christmas cards for about $20.
I've discovered that the trick is to use the same picture, but to buy cards from multiple companies. I use coupons and Groupons to get 20 cards for free here, and 30 cards for $5 there. As long as you're okay sending out different cards, and have the picture ready fairly early (prices are often better before December) it's simple to get lots of cards for not a lot of money.
So, if you received a card from us, you are probably one of 20 or so folks who got that card style! When I tell people about my method, they think it's a bit strange, but to me it's all worth it. I don't mind folks getting different styles of cards, since they are all great quality, all have the same picture, and we save a ton of money in the process!

Christmas

2011-12-28T12:52:00.000-05:00

December has been such a wonderful month this year! We celebrated Christmas the whole month long starting with hosting a cocktail party at the beginning of the month, attending several Christmas parties throughout the month, and ending with a Christmas Eve Drop-In we hosted.
Once again I was reminded of how faithful God has been in blessing us with new friendships in our first year living in Greensboro (my greatest [and perhaps only] prayer when we moved here).
Here are a couple of random photos from the season...

Our "theme" this year...red and lime green. The gift tags were simply monograms- I saw this idea on Pinterest and I LOVED it! It was a bit more time consuming than just writing a name on a piece of paper (I cut each letter free-handed, then covered them with contact paper so they'd last), but it was definitely fun to make them and I loved the result.

The table for the Drop-In (and for Christmas Day as well)

Friends

2011-12-27T13:51:00.000-05:00

I just love this photo my dad took at church last week...
In the foreground is my friend Cassidy & her daughter Lilly- my dad didn't even realize he was getting them in the photo too, but I love that he did. I love that Cassidy & I are laughing at completely separate things, but laughing in much the same manner.
I am so thankful for this sweet friend.

Heavenly

2011-12-20T15:22:00.000-05:00

On this cold, cloudy day, I have a sweet boy napping well upstairs & I'm working on the list for our Christmas Eve drop-in & family Christmas day menus.
All while drinking Christmas punch from my favorite cup, with the room only lit by candles, the Christmas tree, and White Christmas playing for the umpteenth time this season.
This is my idea of a heavenly Christmas afternoon!

Food & Decorations

2011-12-05T09:20:00.001-05:00

I love throwing a party.
Seriously- I love it.
I love cooking & making creative foods and decorating the house.
So, maybe our Christmas party was just an excuse for me to do all of those things!

Here are a few photos from the food & decorations on Friday night. My one regret is that I didn't take a picture of the outside of our house- we had luminaries lining the driveway, and I imagine it was probably beautiful (Stephen lit them, so I never really saw them)!

Christmas Party

2011-12-05T09:09:00.000-05:00

Friday night we hosted the most fun Christmas Party- cocktails & desserts. About 35 or 40 of our new friends from Greensboro came and we had a very fun, very loud evening!
Berkley spent Friday & Saturday in Wake Forest (Thanks, Buddy & Kathy!), so I had all day Friday to get ready for the party (and even some special mani/pedi time). Thankfully, with Stephen out of town all last week I spent most nights & nap times cooking and decorating for the party, so there wasn't too much to do on Friday other than put together finishing touches (Oh! And my house was cleaned on Friday...a HUGE special treat!)
I have been so incredibly grateful for the friends we have made in Greensboro over the last year. That was my prayer when we moved here, and it has been answered in spades! Friends from church and MOPS and Stephen's work graced us with their presence for a party that helped kick of the Christmas season.
Unfortunately, I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked (as a matter of fact, my friend Cassidy grabbed my camera and took all of these) since I was busy hosting and socializing. But, I assure you that a good time was had by all!

Christmas Ribbon Wreath

2011-11-28T15:33:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I completed my Christmas ribbon wreath. I believe it may be my favorite so far! I made my first ribbon wreath back in March, and I just love making them now.
It's a creative craft, but not too tough; it's relaxing and fun and super-cute when it's complete!

Here's the link to the tutorial I did back in March...in case you're interested in making one of your own!

Christmas Planner Party

2011-11-28T15:25:00.000-05:00

Last year I learned about creating Christmas planners and blogged about it here.
It was such an incredible help to me last year, that I could hardly wait to get started on it this year!
So, I made my planner and have delighted in filling out the sections for to-do lists, calendars and Christmas cards, and gluing down ideas for decorations, crafts & recipes.

I was talking about my planner with a friend or two earlier in the month, and one gal suggested that a few friends from church come over and make Christmas planners one night. What a fun idea! Buying the supplies to make my own Christmas planner left me with tons of extras to share. So, we only had to make sure each person had a composition notebook & we were ready to go!

So Cassidy, Mary & Mariah came over a couple of weeks ago and we crafted for 4 and 1/2 hours!! We talked and laughed and enjoyed yummy snacks. It was such a fun evening, and I'd love to do this again.

I Should Say

2011-11-28T14:54:00.000-05:00

I am just not up for typing out a long story, but I do feel like I should say that these last two months have been two of the toughest I've experienced in quite some time.
Stephen's concussion really took a lot out of us in October. It affected him (and us) in ways neither of us could have imagined. It was a hard month. Really hard.
And then in November his company approached the biggest project in their history...and guess who was in charge. Stephen worked for 25 days straight, was off on Thanksgiving Day, then headed back to work. He slept on the floor of his office several nights in November, and the nights he was home he slept only a few hours from having so much on his mind.
This week he is speaking at a huge conference in Chicago- my prayer is that it will actually be a time of relief for him- some time away from the day-to-day. Some time to sleep in a comfortable hotel bed and eat good food and relax for more than 5 seconds.
Despite the difficulties over the last couple of months, we are truly in such a good place. Through many late night talks and chatting whenever we get a few minutes together, God has brought us to a fantastic place as a family. We're not quite sure what that looks like, or how that might change things (or not), but we know it feels good. So, in many ways I am exhausted (although not nearly as exhausted as Stephen) from these growing pains, but mostly I am grateful....for my husband, for "us" as a family, and for the God who is constantly reminding us & growing us into who we are called to be.

90th

2011-11-27T07:07:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, my sweet Gramps turned 90 years old. He is quite a man- still walking several miles every. single. day.- still tending to a huge garden throughout the warmer months- still attending monthly meetings for the company from which he retired- still going to church and Sunday School every week-still caring for my Granny whose physical abilities are not what they once were. He is thriving at 90 years old.
Last weekend there was a small party given in my Gramps's honor in the fellowship hall of this church. My dad, aunt & uncle were there with their spouses, and so many family and friends came by to celebrate my Gramps.
I am so fortunate to have my grandfather in my life for this long...with no signs of going anywhere anytime soon! He has blessed me and inspired me. Most of all, he has loved me.

Gramps with my dad, aunt Pat and uncle Hank

A nice gathering of folks

Gramps & my dad

Me & my dad

Gramps and my great-aunt Avanell- his sister

My dad and my great-uncle Wallce- Gramps's brother

My Granny

Blurry, but I love it so much...My aunt Pat sharing a few words about Gramps

I'm Back!

2011-11-08T15:39:00.000-05:00

Whew! The last month has been really crazy around here. I haven't had any extra time to blog, and am finally getting around to catching up. So, this blog and Berkley's blog will gradually be filled with the goings-on of the last month.

Here's why I've been MIA for the last month...

The first week of October I went down to Disney for work on Faith in 3D. I came home late that Friday evening, excited to see my guys & enjoy a weekend together. Saturday morning, I decided to take Berkley to the Children's Museum (The Curious George character was arriving that day), and Stephen went out for a good bike ride.

While watching Berkley play with trains at the museum, I looked down at my purse & realized I had a missed call and message from a number I didn't recognize. I listened to the message from a stranger saying that a group of folks were with Stephen and he had been found unconscious, face down on the trail.

Of course, I snatched up Berkley (who did NOT want to leave from seeing Curious George at the museum and screamed), ran to the car, and called the lady back. Evidently Stephen was towards the beginning of a trail he has ridden over and over again, and the folks who found him had called an ambulance to come get him. He was conscious by that point, but thought he was in our house (even though he was in the middle of the woods) and was very confused.

As I talked to the strange lady (who had found my number in Stephen's bag) I just drove north...either toward the trail or home or something...I just drove. The stranger and I agreed that I should just meet the ambulance at the hospital. The ambulance arrived, got him out of the woods and to the hospital by the time I had dropped off Berkley with a friend and made it to the hospital myself. In the meantime, another gracious stranger had called and arranged to take Stephen's bike & car back to our house.

At the hospital, my phone was dying so I called my dad & relayed everything to him, and asked him to call Stephen's parents with the story & updates. I was able to see a very confused, disoriented Stephen as he tried to figure out why he was in the hospital- even though he was still on the board with a neck brace. His shirts had to be cut off in order to fully examine his chest, shoulders and next.

My dear friend, Cassidy appeared with my phone charger and a bag of goodies- 'cause I had no idea the extent of Stephen's injuries, or how long we might be at the hospital. Seeing her was one of the most blessed moments of that day- being able to just hug and cry and be scared- God truly gifted me with her presence.

Thankfully a couple of the doctors (radiologists) Stephen works with were on call when he arrived and they were able to talk with me and were able to expedite his stay in the ER. All of his x-rays and scans came back clear, but I was assured he had suffered a pretty serious concussion, and that it would take a while for him to get back to normal. That afternoon I was able to take him home, and then Berkley went to stay with grandparents for a couple of days so I could take care of Stephen.

Over the next week he improved. The first 5 days or so were really awful. He was in so much pain and cognitively he was struggling. He is the type of person who really relies on his brain & intellect for everything, so not being able to recall things or say the right word was really tough for him. However, as the weeks went on, his pain dwindled and his memory & cognition improved drastically. He's been back at work, and gets headaches and is tired, but he's doing well.

I just had no idea a concussion could affect someone so greatly. Everything he has dealt with have been "normal' symptoms of a concussion, but they have not been fun. So, it's taken a lot out of us as a family, but I am so grateful for my husband- for the minor injuries he suffered, when it really could have been much worse.

We still do not know exactly what happened & we probably never will. Stephen's helmet has a dent in it, and when he arrived at the hospital, his face had tree bark stuck in one side, and there were rocks stuck in his hands and knees. Currently, we're working on thanking all of the folks who helped us in those first couple of weeks...the hospital staff, the strangers (whose numbers I still have in my phone), and the great friends who brought meals and groceries and whatever else we needed.

So....there you go. I've been unable to blog because I've been taking care of my husband who had a concussion....and switching my child to a big boy bed...and dealing with my own bronchitis....and trying to get some work accomplished...and celebrating Halloween. But those are stories for different posts!!

Finally!

2011-10-01T07:55:00.000-04:00

When we first moved into this house, the one thing I just did not like was the paint in our dining room. Above the chair rail was the same khaki color that covers most of the space in our home...that color was fine. However, below the chair rail was some kind of faux finish khaki/silver/gray combo that I really, really did not like.
But for whatever reason, in the year we've lived here, painting just didn't become a priority. I haven't gotten around to painting the dining room until this week when I finally did it!
Since I do have a deep love for color on my walls, after consulting my dear friend Kara for some interior design advice, I decided on navy blue above the chair rail & khaki below. I love the navy, and if the mood strikes at some point, I might go ahead and paint that color below the chair rail as well. But for now, I'm excited about the room & much happier with the colors than I was before.

New Orleans

2011-09-21T13:32:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I had the honor of traveling to New Orleans to officiate the wedding of my oldest friend, Jessica. Jessica and I grew up going to the beach together every summer of our lives and we developed such a special relationship. I named my childhood baby doll after her, and I even spent nearly a month with her family one summer in high school.
She and Bryan decided to have an incredibly intimate wedding in her parents' backyard in New Orleans, and they graciously asked me to be the minister who officiated. So, Friday morning I flew down to spend the weekend in New Orleans with Jessica, Bryan & their families.
I enjoyed some great food, some refreshing time to myself, and some fun time reconnecting with Jessica & her family. What a blessing it was to serve in such a special way.

The Columns Hotel where we all stayed. We had the entire second floor of this old house-turned hotel, so we had access to an excellent porch on the second level.

Friday evening was a lovely rehearsal dinner celebrating Jessica & Bryan

Saturday I spent some time exploring and took a trolley ride around town.

No trip to New Orleans is complete without eating lots of good food. So I had some beignets & I enjoyed some chargrilled oysters (yum, yum, yum) and an Abita.

Saturday night, Jessica & Bryan's families joined together as the two were married! What a beautiful and special evening!

Labor Day

2011-09-14T16:34:00.000-04:00

We spent Labor Day weekend in Knoxville visiting our good friends the Patersons. We also got to spend a good chunk of time with our other friends the Crosses. These two families are "life-long-friend" type of people. We can all be honest and real with each other. We love being together and we love the qualities that make up each individual. They are such a gift to us.
These two couples were members of my first church out of seminary, Lee was a groomsman in our wedding, Lori was my closest friend in Knoxville, and they all helped me surprise Stephen for his 30th birthday with an amazing cruise on which they all appeared at our cabin door!
These two couples fill our hearts and make us laugh unlike anyone else. Seriously- I laugh harder with these folks than I do anyone else in the world. They are so good for my soul!
We are so grateful whenever we are able to spend time together and Labor Day weekend was no exception.
On Friday night we were able to have dinner at Lori & Tommy's house (where we were staying) with Jennifer & Lee. Saturday, Stephen & the guys tailgated at the UT game, and on Sunday we joined the Crosses for church & lunch, then the six of us got babysitters that night and went out for a fun dinner.
What a special weekend with wonderful friends!

Beautiful

2011-09-01T08:26:00.000-04:00

There's just something about a beautiful sky that makes me more conscious of God's presence...

National Anthem

2011-08-30T13:49:00.001-04:00

Saturday night I was invited to sing the National Anthem at the Winston-Salem Dash baseball game. I always have a fun time singing the Anthem, and Stephen and I enjoyed a date night out together.

Stephen took a few photos, but he was pretty far from where I was standing, and I've also learned that I don't have very attractive facial expressions when I sing...at least not when they're magnified on the video board!

Big Change

2011-08-18T09:29:00.000-04:00

While I often like to have all of my ducks in a row, I can also be a bit spontaneous and impulsive (I think being married to SW brought out this trait in me). So last night I decided that the time had come....to cut my hair!

I enjoy having long hair, but it's just gotten out of control. Since I had Berkley it's gotten weird waves in it that I never had before, and if i don't blow dry (and sometimes even straighten) my hair, it just doesn't look good. Since I'm a pretty low-maintenance gal, this means that my hair often ends up in a ponytail, or just looking kind of ragged.

So, I couldn't think of a reason not to go ahead and get my hair cut! I decided I was going to donate my hair to Locks of Love, so that meant I had to get a lot of hair cut off! So, I found a salon that had time to cut my hair last night, and told the gal she'd be cutting off most of my hair!

I really like the length...a lot. I especially like the view of the front. However, the back is "stacked"- which I'm just not sure I'm crazy about. However, it'll either grow on me, or the hair will grow back- whichever comes first!

SW's Race

2011-08-18T09:07:00.000-04:00

This Sunday, Stephen competed in a local mountain bike race, so Berkley and I headed to the finish line after church to see if we could cheer on Stephen as he crossed. I had no idea what a great mountain biker he is! He won 2nd place! Now, he'll tell you that he only won 2nd in his age group (30-39)....but still!

I am so proud of him for all of his hard work and the courage it takes to do what he does! I figure that there has to be some level of fearlessness one must have in order to mountain bike fast, and I really admire that!

Passport Kids! West

2011-08-18T08:51:00.001-04:00

At the end of July, I flew to Austin, TX to then drive to Camp Buckner to visit my Passport Kids! team during their last week of camp. I am so grateful that my first year as a coordinator went so smoothly. My trips to work with these amazing college & seminary students were fulfilling, energizing and fun!

I am so thankful that Passport offered me this opportunity to serve in ministry as well as stay home with my son! The best of both worlds!

The last week of camp was full of conducting exit interviews, meeting children's ministers, and evaluating camp. In the hot Texas sun (It was 109 one day!), we celebrated a fantastic summer of ministry together!

On our last night, I took the team to dinner at a great restaurant in Marble Falls, TX- it was right on the water & a band played the night we were there! What a great way to end the summer!
By the way...for more information on what exactly I do for my job- click on this link and go to page 3.

Herbs

2011-07-29T09:33:00.000-04:00

Back in the spring, Stephen & I planted a few herbs by our house. I've watered them a handful of times, but have mostly left them to themselves (I'm really just not a gardener.). However, despite my black thumb we have herbs galore!

Specifically, our basil and mint plants are amazing! Since I would like to put basil in nearly everything I eat, this is working out really well for me! I'm not sure what to do with this much mint, though...we can't possibly drink this many mint juleps or mojitos!

CWB

2011-07-16T15:01:00.000-04:00

Before leaving for the beach I found out that the Craig Woolard Band (CWB) would be playing in North Myrtle Beach the Sunday night that we were there. My mom and I thought it might be fun for everyone to take an outing to see the band play (and maybe I'd get to sing along with Craig as I have in the past). There really is nothing like a good beach music band playing on a beautiful summer night!

Craig is such a wonderful entertainer and he was incredibly gracious and invited me up on the stage to sing. I can't tell you how much fun it is to sing with a live band! My friend Catherine took a video of me singing, but we didn't get any photos. Oops!

However, I did get a few fun photos of the night!

Me & my mom and then my friend Catherine & her mom, Jean enjoying the sun, a cold drink, and great music

Our good friend Mike's dad, Charles lives in the area and showed up that night. It was so much fun to shag with him while Craig sang!

Some of my mom's friends who were there for the show!

SW & JSJ and then me with my mom & Jean after dancing and sweating and having a great time!

The CWB themselves

Vacation Memories

2011-07-16T14:27:00.001-04:00

Here are some fun pictures to capture our week at the beach...
There are about a gazillion posts on Berkley's blog as well!

My mom's friend Terry decided to make a man in the sand, and it ended up resembling someone awfully familiar!

My friend Kelly & I on the porch one night

Holding hands with SW

Dinner was always so great. With so many of us, we had to divide into three different rooms to share meals. There may or may not have been an excellent food fight on Saturday night!

My sweet Momma enjoying the beach

Nearly every night ended with the ladies playing a round of cards. They mostly play a game called "Shanghai" that I don't like, so I just enjoy listening to them & watching while they play.

Vacation

2011-07-16T14:07:00.000-04:00

Wednesday we returned from our annual vacation to Myrtle Beach with my mom, her childhood friends, and their families. This year we had 35 people there, including 8 grandchildren! I am so thankful for such an incredible tradition that my mom & her friends began over 35 years ago!
It was such a great week of relaxation, laughter, and lots of good food! I'm already counting down the days until next year!

Birthday Dinner

2011-07-13T15:10:00.000-04:00

On July 3rd we celebrated Buddy's 60th birthday in Wake Forest! After a golf tournament in which Stephen played, I joined the whole crew of family and friends at Shucker's (a fantastic local seafood place). We celebrated Buddy with lots of love and laughter. Oh...and I ate two dozen oysters- one of my favorite things in the world...YUM!

Love Her

2011-07-06T07:42:00.000-04:00

I can't even say how much I love this girl...

My dear friend Kara.

We met when I was 16 and she was living in Italy where her parents are missionaries. My parents and I were on vacation in Rome, and my youth minister told me that I should meet his niece, Kara, while we were there.

I am so thankful for that initial meeting, and for the incredible friendship God has blessed us with for over half of my life.
This past weekend I got to see Kara three times and loved every precious moment!

Storm

2011-06-30T22:05:00.000-04:00

Stephen took this beautiful photo during a storm at our house on Wednesday night. It looks like we live somewhere in the Pacific Northwest!

After the storm, this little frog found refuge on our back door!

New Camera

2011-06-30T22:03:00.000-04:00

Hooray! I finally got a new camera!

I saved up money since my birthday, and then recently got a final "extra gift" from my thoughtful mother-in-law, Susan. At first, I had a hard time deciding exactly which camera to get. I discovered that folks who have Nikons love Nikons and folks who have Canons love Canons. So, I just went with my gut and with what I've known.

I had a nice Canon pre-digital camera days and really liked it. Also, my favorite point and shoot cameras have been Canons. So, I went with the Canon Rebel. I didn't get anything insanely expensive or nice, because truthfully, I don't yet know how to use all of the fancy features to justify having anything different from this!

Even the first few photos I've taken with it have been so much more crisp and clear than my old point and shoot. So, despite my lack of knowledge, the pictures are already better, and that's exactly what I was looking for! It may take a while, but eventually I will learn to take advantage of all of the fancy features on my camera, but until then I'm excited just to have such a great camera!

Tree Down

2011-06-30T21:58:00.000-04:00

Last week some rough storms went through the Southeast. Unfortunately, that led to a big tree falling at my mom's house. I am so grateful that the tree hit her side porch, and didn't fall any closer to the main part of her house. As awful as it was, it could have been much worse.
My mom didn't have power for a while, and she said for two days folks would drive by just to look at it! The first picture below was featured on the front page of her local newspaper, and the second is one she took with her phone.

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Passport

2011-06-30T21:52:00.000-04:00

One of the reasons I've been so behind in blogging this past month is that work is now in full swing. My work for Passport really got going with training week at Wingate University at the beginning of June. Then, last week I went down to Mercer University in Macon, GA to see my team in action! I am the coordinator of the PassportKids West team, and I am so proud of the amazing work they are doing.

This time, I got to experience camp from a new perspective. I got to watch my staff lead these children through Bible studies, worship, recreation and so much more. I got to listen to the children as they sang worship songs they'd never heard as if they sang them every day. (I got teary eyed more than a couple of times while hearing them sing.) The way children grow and learn and play and pray is inspiring and challenging. Watching my staff with them was too.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to work with these amazing college and seminary students.

I love a rec. party. Pit balls are the best!

On a side note...I did have a little bit of free time to grab some amazing wings, sweet tea and fried pickles at a local restaurant- Francar's. The wing sauce is made right there by a husband and wife team, and as the couple took my order and served the delicious food they talked with me about everything from books to "pickle sauce" (which I'd never heard of, but was delish!). It made my trip to Macon even more fun!

Hallway

2011-06-30T21:40:00.000-04:00

Two Saturdays ago we went to Charlotte for the day so we could see our good friends, the Patersons. They went to Charlotte from Knoxville for Thomas's soccer tournament, and we thought it would be fun to visit with them since they were so close by!
Of course, this did involve navigating around Berkley's nap time, and the Paterson's were gracious enough to let us use their hotel room for Berkley's nap. While Stephen went to Thomas's second game with the family, Berkley took a nap and I hung out in the hallway and read a book! I did have the monitor out there with me so I could peek and see how he was doing. I got a couple of strange looks, but it was worth it for Berkley to get in a good nap.

How Do They Do It?

2011-06-30T21:34:00.000-04:00

I have had the pleasure of babysitting baby Emmeline a couple of times recently. A couple of weeks ago I kept her one day so Turner could go into work for a couple of hours.

Then, one night that week we kept her so Rob & Turner could go on a date! I popped her in the baby Bjorn and we took a lovely walk around the neighborhood. I remembered how much I loved baby-wearing with Berkley!

Although it was fun to keep sweet Emmeline (she is an amazing baby), and I'm more than happy to do it any time, I have no idea how people do it in real life. How do they have a toddler and a newborn? How do they manage that and a house and a job? I am now even more amazed by the families I know who do just that!

Running

2011-06-30T21:29:00.000-04:00

I've been keeping up with my running pretty well lately. I still can't run all that far, or all that fast, but I am fairly consistent. There's something to be said for that, right?

Right now I can consistently run 2 miles (a big victory for me considering a year ago I couldn't run one mile!) and can even run up some hills (if I have to!)

I recently went for a run at a park in town and saw a fox- just like when I ran past my grandmother's old house in SC back in May. If I believed in reincarnation I'd be inclined to say that my Nanna has come back as a fox to cheer me on as I run!

Memorial Day

2011-06-30T21:25:00.000-04:00

Since we moved to our house back in the fall, we haven't met a ton of folks in our neighborhood. So, we decided the best way to fix that would be to throw a party!
We put flyers in all of the neighborhood boxes inviting folks to a Memorial Day potluck at our house. We didn't require an RSVP, and since it was a holiday weekend, we had no idea what to expect. We had several families show up, and we had a great afternoon getting to know them. It was nice to have a smaller crowd and feel like we got to have real conversations with folks.
It was really hot that day, and even our normally comfortable backyard was really quite warm, so we put up tents, provided lots of cold drinks, and had a great time!

I made these yummy skewers...angel food cake, strawberries and blueberries. Simple & delicious!

Bike Polo

2011-06-23T16:47:00.000-04:00

Stephen really enjoys mountain biking and probably gets to ride at least 4 or 5 times a week. Recently some of his biking buddies introduced him to the world of bike polo- like regular polo, but with bikes instead of horses. I haven't been able to make it to a match yet, but someone did take these pictures of him the last time he played. Hopefully Berkley and I will get to watch him play soon and see it for ourselves!

Weekend with Stix

2011-06-23T16:41:00.000-04:00

Back in May when I officiated the wedding in South Carolina, I got to spend an entire weekend with my mom. Berkley & Stephen stayed home, so it was just the two of us.

When I arrived in Fort Mill that Friday, she hadn't gotten off work yet, so I was able to hang out at Starbucks and spend some time outside.

My mom was my "date" to the rehearsal dinner on Friday night, then on Saturday morning I went for a run in Fort Mill, and ran past my Nanna's grave in the cemetery and her old house. It was a little emotional, but I was quickly brought back to reality when I saw a fox on my Nanna's street...right there in the middle of town! It just stared at me as I ran past, and it never really moved.

After my run, Momma and I went to get mani/pedis- what a fun treat!

That afternoon, my mom took a rest and I found an awesome roof-top bar where I enjoyed a beverage and the sunshine!

That evening we headed to the wedding (at a beautiful outdoor venue) which was followed by a fun party!

Before heading home Sunday morning, we went to church at my Momma's church, and had a really great worship experience there.

It really was a fabulous weekend.

Ikea

2011-06-23T16:23:00.000-04:00

In May I traveled to South Carolina to officiate a wedding. On my way, I decided to take some time to stop at Ikea in Charlotte. I'm not a huge shopper, but this was a really nice way to spend some time. I checked out the cool products, grabbed a few fun things (mostly for Berkley's birthday), and got lots of great ideas for our house in the future. Most of all, it was kind of nice to be in a store, and even eat lunch all by myself without a toddler in tow!

How cool is this bed (and the bedding too? First, it starts low to the ground...

...And then it can be flipped upside down to make a loft with a play space underneath! So many possibilities!!

Here I Am!

2011-06-23T16:19:00.000-04:00

Slowly but surely I'm getting back into blogging. I've got lots to catch up on with this blog and Berkley's, but eventually I'll get it all written and posted.

Most of the pictures I have right now were taken with my phone over the last month or so. Bleh. So, they aren't great quality, but they're better than nothing.

I'm getting ready to purchase a new nice camera and my dad just lent me his point and shoot in the mean time, so soon I will have more presentable photos!

I'll Be Back

2011-06-03T07:18:00.000-04:00

I will be back. I will get back into a regular blogging routine.

But for now...

I'm off to work!

My job for Passport begins this week, so I'm off to Wingate University for training week. We will train all of the teams of students who will make Passport this happen this summer, and I'm so excited!

Berkley will stay with Susan & Terry next week, and I'll return on Thursday. I'm going to miss my guys so much, but I'm also thankful for the opportunity to be involved in such a great ministry.

Hopefully upon my return I can get a little bit of blogging in.

Aside from work, my camera is DEAD. Seriously- it just gradually quit working on me, and now it does nothing. I hate it.

I have been saving up for a nice camera, but was hoping to keep my little point and shoot as well. Now I'm not sure if I should continue saving, or if I should go ahead and buy another point and shoot, then save again. Ugh.

So- the blogs I will have to post will be full of pictures taken with my phone...not so great, but at least it's something, right?!

Okay- I'm off to work! But I'll be back!

7th Anniversary

2011-05-25T16:08:00.001-04:00

On Sunday, Stephen and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. We had such a lovely date night with a sushi dinner and a movie.

I love this man so much, and couldn't be more grateful and honored to be his wife. I am so thankful for our marriage, and for the family we have together.

I am one lucky gal!

Parade

2011-05-25T15:17:00.000-04:00

After the 5K, there was a parade that proceeded into the Children's Museum. Everyone was supposed to grab a puppet (cardboard animals on big sticks) or a mask, and join the parade. Stephen took this challenge very seriously and found this head and two arms, and willingly joined the parade. I was a bit nervous that Berkley would be afraid of him, but Berkley couldn't have cared less, and rode in Stephen's arms down the street to the museum!

I Was Running...

2011-05-25T14:16:00.000-04:00

I've been running a lot more lately, and getting more confident in my abilities. It's still hard for me, but it's gradually getting better and more enjoyable.

Stephen's company helped sponsor a 5K for the Children's Museum, so I thought it might be a fun family event if I could run the 1 mile "fun run" before Stephen took off on the 5K. Usually, Stephen runs 5K's and I just take his t-shirt afterward. I figured this would be a good way for me to earn my own t-shirt for a change!

All last week Stephen was trying to convince me to do the 5K instead of the 1 mile, but I just didn't feel confident about that. I knew I could run the 1 mile without walking, but I really didn't believe I could do the 5K without walking. It was important to me that I be able to say I ran the entire thing, and not just that I ran & walked.

On Saturday morning I got ready to run the 1 mile- with mostly kids and a few other folks who were planning on doing that and the 5K (it was only slightly embarrassing). I ran into a friend from church (Mary) who was going to run behind two of her children and push the other two in a stroller and then run the 5K (super woman, I tell you). I told her what a big deal it was for me just to be running the 1 mile, and she was so encouraging and supportive. We ended up running most of the 1 mile together, and she spent most of the mile trying to convince me to try the 5K.

I finished the 1 mile and was so proud of myself. I know it's not much to most folks, but it was a very big deal to me. I then hung out with Stephen & Berkley as we waited for the 5K to start. Mary kept coming up to me encouraging me to run the 5K, and Stephen was still insisting that I could do it. And something in my head just clicked. Now that I had run the 1 mile and finished it well, I didn't care if I had to walk part of the 5K. So, I decided to run what I could of the 5K, and let myself walk when I needed to.

The run began and I ran for about a little over 1 mile before the course went up a pretty steep hill. At that point, I knew I needed to walk, and I did for a little less than 1 mile. Then, I picked up the pace, and ran the remainder of the 5K. As I approached the finish line, I actually couldn't believe what I had done. I started to cry- which is hard to do when you're breathing really hard. I was just so exhausted and full of emotions. It was a really big deal. Although I didn't run the entire thing, I had already run 1 mile before I started, so I felt good about that.

Although the run was really hard, I felt like I'd done something I never, ever thought I could do, and now I feel encouraged to try it again. So, my new goal is to run an entire 5K in the fall (once it's a little cooler again). I really think I'll be able to do it.

Check out Berkley's blog for his part in the morning of running!

Stephen took photos of me finishing the 1 mile, and he took a video of me finishing the 5K.

Finishing the 1 mile, and awfully proud!

Our family in the group shot for Stephen's company

Ants

2011-05-25T07:57:00.000-04:00

One day last week Berkley & I were playing in the front yard, and I saw this enormous amount of ants on our driveway. Honestly, I was fascinated, and after further inspection I determined that they were paired off & were either mating or eating each other. Awesome.

Painting

2011-05-24T14:26:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that I love color on my walls. Our last house had blue, green, orange, pink and brown walls and I loved being in that colorful space. It truly does something to my spirit to be surrounded by those hues. In our house now, the colors are all very plain and bland (minus a crazy neon-green in one bathroom). They're fine, but they don't fill me with joy the way other colors do.

I decided it was high time that at least one of our rooms get a paint job, so last weekend I decided to paint our bedroom. Before it was really white. The walls were white, the blinds were white, our furniture is white, our comforter was white. I didn't find myself wanting to spend significant time in that room, and that was discouraging. Here's the before picture:

So I picked out a gorgeous blue/aqua color that I absolutely love and (along with Stephen's help), I painted our bedroom two Saturdays ago. The pictures don't do it justice, but I assure you it is a beautiful color. I also got a nice yellow bedspread (we needed one badly) that goes well with the blue, and will soon add some curtains to finish the look. The color is a little more aqua then it appears in the pictures.

I now find myself going in the bedroom, just to sit and enjoy being in there. I want to read in bed more. I want to relax more. Now, if I can just get around to painting more rooms!

Work Day

2011-05-24T14:03:00.000-04:00

So far, my job for Passport hasn't require a ton of hard-core work while I'm at home (that's getting ready to change in about a week!) But, a couple of weeks ago I had a to be conference-called in to the national office for a meeting. Since my desk is right outside Berkley's room & I didn't want to disturb his nap, I decided to make the kitchen table my office. Here's what my work day looked like...

National Anthem Take 2

2011-05-19T07:44:00.000-04:00

Last Monday, as I was feeding Berkley lunch, I got a phone call from the Greensboro Grasshoppers. The person who was slated to sing the National Anthem had to cancel, so they called me in as a last minute replacement.

Although I'm sad the original singer couldn't have the experience, I was excited to have a second opportunity to sing. After I sang the anthem, I walked up the stairs to the concourse where I was greeted by a man with his hand outstretched to shake mine. He introduced himself as one of the team's owners, and thanked me profusely for the way I sang the anthem. He went on and on for some time about how much he enjoyed my singing and they way I carried myself. It was truly some of the nicest words I've ever heard about my singing of the Anthem. He has since e-mailed me to offer that Stephen and join him in his box for another game this summer. How fun is that?!

One of our fabulous babysitters offered to come over for the evening, so Stephen & I ended up making a date night out of it. With $1 beers and $1 hot dogs, perfect weather and a good baseball game, it couldn't have been a better evening!

I Love This Man

2011-05-19T07:36:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day

2011-05-19T07:35:00.000-04:00

We spent Mother's Day weekend in Wake Forest for Mary Kathryn's graduation, so Stephen decided to give me my Mother's Day gift on Friday before we left. This was the awesome gift he gave me!

It's a video camera that is no bigger than my cell phone! It is great for taking quick videos when I don't have our bigger camera close at hand. It's also super-easy to upload from this camera to the computer, so hopefully I can start sharing videos with our friends and family! Perhaps the greatest part of this camera is that it's water-proof!!! That'll make it easy to take along to the pool and the beach in the summer! How fun!

Thankfully, my mom was also able to join us for Mother's Day in Wake Forest. I loved having her with us, and it was nice to be in once place and celebrate all of our mothers.

Sunday morning we went to church at Grace Haven where I sang in worship. I sang He's Always Been Faithful by Sara Groves- a song I've heard sung before, but haven't sung myself. I'm pretty much in love with that song, and was so grateful for the opportunity to sing it.

After church we headed back to Susan & Terry's house where we enjoyed a fabulous feast of Olive Garden take-out. What a fabulous Mother's Day lunch idea! No one had to cook. There was minimal clean-up, and it was food that my mom and I both love!

Cemetery

2011-05-09T08:40:00.000-04:00

After Mary Kathryn's graduation on Saturday, we stopped by the Raleigh National Cemetery to put flowers on the grave of Stephen's grandmother & grandfather. Henry & Naomi are buried together in one plot and share a simple, white gravestone. I'd never seen this cemetery before and it was really quite beautiful.

Graduation

2011-05-09T08:12:00.001-04:00

This weekend, we headed to Wake Forest/Raleigh for Mary Kathryn's graduation from Peace College. The weather couldn't have been more perfect, and it was a really nice ceremony. The graduation speaker was excellent- charging the women with the keys to a happy, successful life- including being financially self-sufficient (or at least capable of being) and traveling whenever possible. I hope the young graduates heard her words and take them to heart.

MK walking in at the beginning of the ceremony...

The whole family...

Since chairs were limited, our family opted to stand & sit along the sides. It was a nice day to sit in the grass in the sunshine, and celebrate MK!

The Willises hosted a graduation party for Mary Kathryn on Saturday evening. She had some great friends and family show up to celebrate her! Hooray for my sweet sister-in-law!

IV

2011-05-05T15:39:00.000-04:00

In college I was really involved with Elon's chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IV). Our staff-worker, Ray had a great influence on my life, and on my call. As a freshman at Elon, he saw my calling to leadership in ministry, and fairly quickly offered me leadership positions and encouraged me throughout my college career. He taught me a lot about being a servant leader, about humility, and about the importance of intentionally asking for forgiveness when it's needed.

This Tuesday was his final large group (the weekly chapter-wide worship/teaching event) at Elon, as he has felt God calling him in a different vocational direction. So Tuesday night's large group was dedicated to celebrating his ministry. A few alums showed up to support Ray, and there was an open mic time to share how Elon IV and Ray had impacted our lives. He has touched the lives of many who have been part of IV at Elon, and has served humbly, and graciously for 19 years.

My friend Anna & I with Ray

Along with a very nice evening of celebrating Ray, perhaps one of the most special moments for me, happened right before I was about to head home. During the open mic. time I shared several things, but mentioned that Ray had encouraged me to start the first freshman girls' small group. Before I could leave, a large group of beautiful, chipper, high-pitched, squealing young women rushed up to me. They explained that they all met last year in their freshman girls' group, and are now sophomores, and are best friends. They told me how much that group has meant to them, and they thanked me over and over for taking the initiative to make that happen almost 15 years ago. They told me how much they love each other, and how much they have meant to each other. It was incredibly encouraging and so sweet of them to go out of their way to talk to me (being the old woman that I am).

I asked to take their picture so that I could share that story with my small group gals. It's amazing how God uses us years and years after we make a seemingly small decision. Most times we don't get to see the legacy our obedience might leave, but every once in a while, we do!

Here's our small group in '97 and the gals who were in the freshman girls' group last year. (A lot has changed since then, but perhaps nothing as much as the quality of cameras!)

The Godfather

2011-05-04T19:11:00.000-04:00

Last week Stephen and I headed over to visit baby Emmeline on her first day at home.

Shoes

2011-05-04T16:54:00.000-04:00

I very rarely buy shoes.

I pretty much wear the same flip flops every day and have had the same tennis shoes for about 5 years now.

I do enjoy wearing high heels, but rarely have the reason to do so.

And yet, last week I acquired two new awesome pairs of shoes!

So, if you see me over the next 5 years ('cause that's about how often I buy new shoes), you're probably going to see me in flip flops, tennis shoes, or one of these two new pairs!

For years now, I've wanted a pair of TOMS shoes. I think they're pretty cute, and obviously it's an amazing company based on giving back (don't know the story- click on their site here). I don't know why I haven't bought them before- I guess I felt like I didn't need them or didn't like the pairs I saw for sale at Whole Foods. But, I recently discovered the myriad of colors these fabulous shoes come in and got a little more excited about them. So, when my dad asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I told him I'd like money toward a pair of TOMS shoes. After lots of hemming and hawing and debating the color, I settled on an ordinary navy blue pair that I knew I'd wear all the time. (Perhaps my next pair...and there will be a next pair...will be a little more adventurous design or color.) I received the shoes in the mail last week, and as predicted, I love them!

As Easter approached, I also saw the need for some new nice heels to wear. My very favorite, comfy, go-with-anything heels are really starting to show some wear & tear, so I set out to find a similar pair before Easter. I had a gift card to DSW and found this exciting pair of shoes fairly quickly into my trip. I seriously love high heels and these are a little bit funky, yet just neutral enough that I can wear them with just about anything...and I intend to.

Baby Emmeline

2011-05-04T14:24:00.000-04:00

For a while, our dear friends Rob & Turner had anxiously been anticipating the arrival of their baby girl. With a due date of April 25, they thought she might end up being an Easter baby. However, her due date arrived (last Monday), and around 8pm that evening, I got the call (via text)...

It's time.

The plan was for me to then head to High Point where I would be present for Turner's labor, and then slip out when it came time for the actual delivery. I quickly packed a backpack with my camera, wallet and a sweater, told Stephen goodbye, and headed out the door. I stopped at a convenience store along the way to get some Coke Zeros for Rob and some Diet. Mtn. Dews for me. I thought we might need the caffeine over the next few hours.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Turner had already gotten her epidural and was in a relatively pain-free labor. Smart girl! I handed Rob his Cokes and we chatted a while and visited as her parents arrived.

Turner with her sweet parents- early on in the evening...

Now...Turner's labor & delivery story is hers to tell, so I won't go into details here. But I will say the following things occurred:

* Turner didn't start pushing until the following morning & we stayed awake the entire night.

* I ended up being present for the pushing.

* The pushing didn't so much work, and Emmeline was delivered via c-section around 11:15 Tuesday morning.

* I went to bed on Tuesday night around 8:30pm...so I was up for over 36 hours...pretty sure I've never done that before. ever. And it was worth every moment!

Emmeline Leila Ayock arrived as a 9lb 11 oz. baby, and she is so incredibly precious.

Turner & Rob have already been doing such a great job as her parents, and I'm thrilled to get to know this little girl as she grows.

The new Daddy and his little girl...

Holding this sweet baby girl...

Dedication

2011-04-30T14:47:00.000-04:00

I really do enjoy mowing our lawn now that I have a fun lawn mower to use!

On Easter Sunday afternoon, I even mowed the front yard in my Easter dress & new high heels!

That's some serious dedication!

Easter

2011-04-30T14:40:00.000-04:00

We had a nice Easter as a family. We headed to church first thing in the morning, then came home to get ready for lunch with the Willises.

We somehow managed to get this photograph with the timer on my camera- what a miracle!

Trampoline!

2011-04-20T18:20:00.000-04:00

Stephen started putting my trampoline together after work last night, and he came home at lunch today to finish it up! (For the record, the pads and the net around the edges are being put on as I type this.)

I was so excited to start jumping!

It really is so much fun, and such great exercise!

I can never overstate my love for a trampoline!

I feel like this photo deserves a little zooming in...just so you can see the sheer joy on my face with those first jumps!

It's Here!

2011-04-19T16:19:00.000-04:00

Family Photo

2011-04-19T14:20:00.000-04:00

We have so few photos of our entire family. Thankfully, this photo was taken at our church egg hunt on Sunday and it turned out great, so I "stole" it from the gal who took the picture!

(And yes, my child is drinking a Capri-Sun...obviously it was a very special occasion!)

Grasshoppers

2011-04-19T14:05:00.000-04:00

Saturday night I sang the National Anthem at the Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball game.

We took Berkley to the game, knowing that he probably wouldn't last very long. We'd had awful storms that day (although not nearly as bad as they were once they got toward Raleigh), and the video board wasn't working. Evidently when I started singing, Berkley recognized my voice, and kept looking around for me, but couldn't figure out where I was!

Since Stephen was holding Berkley the whole time, he only managed to get a picture of me on the field before I sang. And since it was very windy and pretty chilly, & Berkley had his fill pretty quickly, we headed home shortly after I sang.

The singing went just fine, but it was a pretty uneventful trip to the ball park.

We did teach Berkley to say "ball game" that night, so perhaps that was the biggest success.

Children of Eden

2011-04-19T14:00:00.000-04:00

Lauren performed in Children of Eden at Twin City Stage (formerly Winston-Salem Little Theatre). It is one of my very favorite shows, and I loved being able to watch her in it. I was so proud to see her perform (and even see Brad & Jeffrey make cameos a couple of times).

That show makes me cry like a baby...every. time. It's such an amazing story of God's grace and now that I'm a parent & it makes me understand God's love for me in a much more profound way. So, compound my love of the show's themes with my love for Lauren, and there I was...a blubbering mess.

After the show, I went backstage to see Lauren & caught baby Jeffrey giving Bobby (our beloved director from Jekyll & Hyde three years ago) a good head rub!

Cristen's Birthday

2011-04-18T08:07:00.001-04:00

Our friend Cristen celebrated her 30th birthday a couple of weekends ago. We were invited to join her at a Brazilian steakhouse here in town. Yum! The meat just kept on coming...on skewers...it was awesome. The pictures are a little dark, but we had a great time with friends and celebrating Cristen!

Turner choosing her meat off a skewer

Turner & Rob

The birthday girl- Cristen!

Faith in 3D

2011-04-18T08:05:00.001-04:00

Along with my new job with Passport, I'm also serving on the planning team for Faith in 3D. Faith in 3D is a large ecumenical youth conference that takes place at Disney World every 3 years during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. I'm considered the CBF (Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) representative, and while we are partnering with the PCUSA and Cumberland Presbyterians, youth of any denomination are invited to the event.

Two weeks ago, I traveled to Disney for my second planning meeting (I also went back in October). It was an intense week of hard work, but I'm now excited and hopeful about the work that needs to happen between now and January.

I am the leader of the "education team", which means my primary responsibility is to plan for a morning the youth will spend in Epcot- learning about religions of the world, and learning from missionaries who serve in the countries represented in Epcot. I spent Thursday of my trip working towards creating a scavenger hunt in several countries. What fun!

This event is really going to be incredible, and has the potential to really reach and teach youth about the Christ's teachings of equality, unity and grace.

Passport

2011-04-18T08:00:00.008-04:00

I have been given a great opportunity to work for an organization I love- Passport. I'm going to be a camp coordinator for the PassportKids! west team. That means, from now through August I'm working for Passport, and throughout this summer I'll travel to camp for a few weeks- to make sure things are going well & be a connection between the summer staff & the national office.

Three weekends ago we gathered in Birmingham (all of the other coordinators live there & work at the national office) to train this summer's program directors (directors, assistant directors, worship coordinators, rec. coordinators, etc.).

Essentially each camp works because college and seminary students (and some teachers with summers off) make it happen each summer. So, we spent a weekend training the folks who will be "in charge" of their teams this summer.

The long weekend was packed with meetings and worship and getting to know each other. I feel so blessed to be part of this ministry, and I'm excited for the summer ahead!

Explaining a relay for the Rec. party

My awesome team for the summer!

While squeezing the air out of a beach ball, I saw this lizard on the ground. At first I thought it was real, but when we realized it wasn't, Colleen (the photographer of this picture) put it on my face!

Final Snow

2011-04-17T22:15:00.001-04:00

Honestly, now I can't remember if it was Monday, March 21 or March 28, but out of the blue, it snowed that morning! It was fun to watch it fall, and a little bit even stuck to the ground. Although it wasn't much, I enjoyed seeing the final snow of the season.

Shower

2011-04-17T22:06:00.001-04:00

Right before Hap's funeral on the 27th, I went to a shower for Turner in Youngsville. I wasn't able to stay long, but I was able to celebrate her for a little while & watch her receive 5 pink baby bath tubs at one shower!!

Hap

2011-04-17T21:53:00.002-04:00

Kathy's dad, Hap passed away early Friday morning, March 25th after a down-hill battle with his health. He was quite the character, but had not quite been the same since his wife, Marie passed away about a 1.5 years ago.
We headed to Wake Forest for the weekend to be with Stephen's family, and I was also the officiant at the funeral...a nice service on Sunday afternoon.
Hap's sense of humor & love for his family will be missed.

Here is his obituary from the Raleigh New & Observer...C.S. "Hap" Barnes, Jr.
Wake Forest
Clarence Spurgeon "Hap" Barnes, Jr., 86, died Friday morning, March 25, 2011 at his home.
He was born in Wake Forest, the son of the late Kate Saintsing Barnes and Clarence S. Barnes, Sr. He was married to Marie Johnson Barnes who preceded him in death after 61 years of marriage, and was retired from the NC Employment Security Commission after 38 years of service.
Funeral service will be held at 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon, March 27, 2011 in the Chapel of Bright Funeral Home with the Rev. Courtney Willis officiating. Burial will follow in Wake Forest Cemetery.
Mr. Barnes is survived by his daughters, Anne Marie Barnes of Raleigh and Kathy Barnes Willis and husband, Buddy of Wake Forest; son, Clarence "Bo" Barnes, III of Warrenton; close friend, Pam Medlin Keith and husband, Clifton of Wake Forest; grandchildren, Stephen Willis and wife, Courtney, Mary Kathryn Willis Kimray and husband, Joe, and Joshua, Eric and Katie Barnes; 1 great-grandchild, Berkley Stephen Willis.
The family would like to express special thanks to Hospice of Wake County and to caregivers Anna & Richard Daoust, Sandy Negrete, Angie Jones and Donna Bland.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Wake County, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607-6372.
Friends may visit with the family from 6-8 Saturday evening at Bright Funeral Home and at the home of Kathy & Buddy Willis at other times.

Go Backwards

2011-04-17T21:45:00.000-04:00

It's time to go backwards.

I'm now getting around to writing some posts about what I've been up to the last several weeks. I thought about back-dating them, but that's just too much trouble. So, most of these things have happened over the last three weeks or so, and hopefully I'll catch up to the present-day pretty soon.

Awesome

2011-04-15T07:55:00.000-04:00

I feel a little bad about my pitiful post on Tuesday (thanks to all of you who were so sweet to comment or share concern)...

Because of course my birthday on Wednesday was awesome!

Unbeknown to me, Stephen had already taken off from work on Wednesday morning so we could celebrate.

So, he surprised me by staying home and taking me & Berkley out for Breakfast.

After breakfast, the three of us headed to a nearby park and spent some good family time together on the playground.

And then Stephen took me to pick out my birthday present!

We drove across town to Sports Authority to "look around", and as we made our way to the back of the store, Stephen showed me a sign and said "Pick out which one you want."

And this happy girl couldn't believe my eyes as I saw a poster full of trampolines!

That's right! I'm finally getting a trampoline! (If you've read this blog for long, you know about my desire for a trampoline for years and years now.)

The trampoline has been ordered, and will arrive at my house sometime next week! So, hopefully by Easter weekend I'll be bouncing away!

We came back home and Stephen did have to head back to work.

Just as he was getting ready to leave, our doorbell rang (at 11am...weird).

I walked to the front door to find a dear friend (who doesn't live close by), who had come to spend the afternoon with me! What a wonderful surprise!

Wednesday night I treated myself to free wings (I had a "birthday coupon") and was surprised again when Stephen came home from his business dinner with pink lemonade cake that some friends had delivered to him for me!

It couldn't have been a better birthday.

Bleh

2011-04-12T14:39:00.000-04:00

I have a TON of blogging to catch up on. The last three weeks of my life been an absolute whirlwind (a funeral, two trips out of town without my guys, etc.), so I have lots of blog posts swirling around in my head, and lots of photos filling my camera memory card.

Yet, before I get to those, I need to confess my "bleh" feeling.

And yes, I know this post is going to sound ridiculous and whiny and superficial. But it's how I feel...

Tomorrow is my birthday.

I'll be 33.

I'm not looking forward to it.

It's not the age part. It's the birthday part.

I've always looked forward to my birthday. My mom's birthday is exactly two weeks before mine, and as soon as I finish acknowledging hers, I know it's time to start the exciting countdown to my own!

But then last year hit.

It was a little disappointing. It wasn't a lack of gifts or cards or facebook messages...I felt so loved through my family remembering me in such kind ways.

It was a lack of people on my actual birthday.

For the first time in Idon'tknowhowlong, I was by myself on my birthday. I've always been at school, or work, or with friends/family on the weekend. But this year my birthday is in the middle of the work week while everyone is at work and I'm at home with my son in a town where we have yet to make a ton of new friends.

Last year Berkley was with me, but he was 8 months old...and now he's 20 months old...still not quite the ideal birthday companion.

And, as I think about tomorrow, I'm nervous of feeling alone again.

I know it'll be a great day, and I'll be just fine, but it's just different than it once was.

I've never before been nervous the day before my birthday...just excited about the day ahead.

So, I'm going to work on getting my attitude in check.

I'm going to figure out a way to enjoy my day tomorrow and not worry about feeling lonely.

Okay...pity party over!

Preachin'

2011-03-28T15:56:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, I traveled to Wingate University to preach at their weekly chapel service. My friend Dane is the chaplain there, and for the last several years he has asked me to come speak at chapel. It's so much fun to prepare for a different audience than "normal". College kids have different things on their minds than your ordinary church-goer, so it was exciting and challenging to incorporate some of that into the thoughts I shared.

I took Berkley with me, and he behaved remarkably well while a college student cared for him during chapel. I told the student that basically he just had to let Berkley run around and explore and he'd be content. I think he took my advice, and the two of them got along famously.

It was a blessing to have the opportunity to share at Wingate. I preached specifically about the story of Hannah (she's one of my favorite Biblical characters) and the amazing risk she took in praying for a child that she would ultimately offer right back to God (Read the story in 1 Samuel 1-2...it's a good one.). I challenged the students to take those kinds of risks...not to get through college simply to find jobs that are easy or comfortable, but to really consider where God might be calling them, and what action they may be called to take...even incredibly risky ones.

At Wingate, students must attend a certain number of religious life functions. So, there were certainly some students there who were not engaged in the worship experience. The back row of the auditorium was filled with students who had their phones out- probably playing Angry Birds, or texting, or looking at Facebook or something way cooler than listening to that preacher-lady up at the front.

But every once in a while, one of those students would look up.

Something I had said had caught their attention.

God was speaking to them in a new way.

Being a conduit for God's story and God's grace is one of the most amazing things, and I'm grateful for moments like that...when I see God reaching into someone's heart and they are renewed or encouraged or challenged or led to know God is a deeper way.

Tired

2011-03-27T20:36:00.000-04:00

Over the last three days...

Stephen's grandfather (Kathy's dad, Hap) passed away on Friday morning.

So...we cancelled our date plans for Friday night (going to see one of my bff's in Children of Eden at Twin City Stage) and headed to Wake Forest.

In the mean time, Berkley & I both came down with a yucky cold. Seriously. Not fun.

I was asked to officiate the funeral (which was today).

I went to a friend's baby shower which also happened to be in WF today.

Everything's fine.

I'm getting over my cold (and Berkley is too).

But I'm just plain tired!

World Water Day

2011-03-22T14:45:00.000-04:00

Fabric Buckets

2011-03-22T14:33:00.000-04:00

I also got this idea from She's {kinda} Crafty. These fabric-covered buckets are so cute, and incredibly useful. I made these specifically for the party we hosted, but they're obviously reusable, and when I think about making more, the fabric options are endless.

I found the smaller buckets in the $1 section at Target, and I also have some bigger buckets that I plan on covering to use for containing Berkley's toys.

When picking fabrics, it's probably good to pick one that doesn't have a specific "direction" it needs to go. I bought some striped fabric, and am hesitant to cover a bucket with it because I'm worried about getting the stripes to run horizontally and not haphazardly. Flowers, polka dots and other prints are a little more forgiving.

SUPPLIES

metal bucket

scissors

pencil

fabric (amount depends on size of bucket...about 1/4 yard covered a small bucket or two)

exact-o knife

spray adhesive

INSTRUCTIONS

Lay the fabric on the ground (colored side down)

Put your pencil at the bottom of the bucket, and as you roll the bucket along the fabric, trace the arc the bottom is making.

Line the bottom up with the line you just made and repeat this step with the top of the bucket.

Cut out the top line of the bucket.

Add about an inch onto the bottom arc, and cut out that line.

Make sure there is at least an inch extra on one side as well.

Take the fabric outside and spray a healthy amount of adhesive all over it.

I might change this step in the future. I might spray the bucket instead next time & see if that makes a difference. I'm thinking either option will work well, it's just tough to deal with the fabric if there's any kind of breeze outside.

Pick a place on the bucket to be where the seam is and place the fabric there. (I chose one of the sides where a handle connects, but I think next time I will just make one part of the bucket the "back", so that the seam can face the wall.)

Make sure the top of the bucket is lined up with the top arc of the fabric, so that the excess fabric is along the bottom of the bucket.

Start wrapping the fabric around the bucket, pressing out air bubbles along the way.

The great thing about spray adhesive is that it is forgiving, and you can pull the fabric up and down a few times if adjustments are needed.

Use a little spray adhesive to overlap the final edge of fabric.

Pull the extra bottom fabric over the bottom of the bucket and press down to seal.

I also cut out an extra circle of fabric to cover the hole on the bottom...definitely not a necessary step, but easy to do if it's important to you.

Use an exact-o knife to deal with any frayed or weird edges. You can cut them off or tuck them into the lip of the bucket.

Also use the knife to cut out any needed holes for handles.

Next time I may use a little ribbon around the top of the bucket- for decoration and to cover any frayed edges I couldn't tuck in.

When I get around to covering the larger buckets I already bought, I'll post more photos of the finished product...it'll probably be April before that happens, though.

Ribbon Wreath

2011-03-22T08:29:00.000-04:00

This just may be my new favorite craft of all time. It is so easy and fun to make, and it can be used with a variety of color schemes for different holidays, seasons and themes.

I first saw this project here at She's {kinda} Crafty (which, by the way, is a wonderful site with very practical, easy craft projects). This gal actually sells them, but I figured they couldn't be too hard to make, so I clicked on a few of her links and googled a couple of others, to come up with a combination of instructions that seemed to make the most sense to me (These were some of the most helpful instructions.).

If you want to make this yourself, you can follow the instructions below, or click on any of the links above.

Also, if you're not particularly crafty, but would like a wreath- if you'll buy the ribbon, I'd be happy to make one for you!

Notes Before You Begin:

Buy more ribbon than you think you'll need. It takes a lot of ribbon. I'd say to plan on about 10 spools of ribbons (including at least 4-5 spools of the widest ribbon).

It's possible to do this by sewing, but since I can't sew, I use hot glue.

What You Need:

* Styrofoam wreath form (the larger the form, the more ribbon you'll need)

* One spool of wide ribbon for wrapping the wreath form

* 10+ spools of grosgrain ribbon for decorating

* Hot glue gun & lots of glue

* Scissors

* Ruler

* Pencil

Instructions:

Wrap the wreath form in wide ribbon. This doesn't have to look good since it will mostly be covered by the other ribbons. But, it makes for a good platform for the glue & ribbons and covers up any stray styrofoam.

I simply wrapped the ribbon and then secured it with a couple of pins at the end (I'm sure hot glue would work just as well.)

Cut ribbons into 4.5-5 inch strips. I measured the first few of each spool of ribbon and then eye-balled the rest. They definitely don't have to be exact.

Place a bit of hot glue on one end of each strip- leaving about 1/2 inch at the bottom. (I found that I could put glue across 3 or 4 strips and still have time to deal with them before the glue got cold.)

Fold each strip over onto itself, creating a loop of ribbon.

Do this with every spool of ribbon until you have piles of ribbon loops.

Now the fun begins! Spread open the bottom of each loop. Put a little glue on that part and stick it down on the wreath form!

I started with the wider ribbons and made my way around the wreath. That way, I could fill in later with smaller ribbons.

On the inside and outside of the wreath forms, just glue down the loops along the sides.

If you look closely you can see that I glued the bulk of the ribbon facing in one direction.

Then I added some more of the smaller ribbons going all different directions. And I also glued some of the smaller ribbons on the inside & outside of the wreath.

I discovered that the more ribbon I used, the better the wreath looked.
So, pick a few colors you like, buy a bunch of ribbon and have fun crafting

Grasshoppers

2011-03-21T16:28:00.000-04:00

Saturday afternoon, I went to the Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball stadium to audition to sing the National Anthem at one of this year's games. It was a gorgeous afternoon, and I enjoyed sitting in the sun (and getting a little sunburned) while waiting for my turn to audition.

It's amazing how many varied renditions there are of the National Anthem. I'm sure the judges were tired of hearing that song by the end of the day!

I will find out in two weeks if I've been picked to sing. If not, that's just fine- I had a great time singing in the sun on Saturday!

Chicks, Ducks & Bunnies

2011-03-21T16:22:00.000-04:00

I don't eat a ton of candy, but every Easter I keep these tasty treats around my house. I have loved these Sweet Tart creations since I was a little girl, and although they used to include different colors (I believe yellow & green were previously involved), I can't complain about today's pink, purple and blue candies. Yum!

Appreciation

2011-03-21T16:14:00.000-04:00

This may not be the most exciting of posts, but I just need to say how grateful I am for my husband. He had a big ol' pile of mulch delivered to our house last weekend, and he spent a lot of time filling the wheelbarrow, pushing it to the backyard, and making our backyard look pretty and ready for spring. I have no desire to do such chores, and while it may not be on his list of fun things either, I have so much appreciation for his willingness to do it anyway!

Flat Stanley

2011-03-21T14:49:00.000-04:00

Over the last month, I've also been busy hanging out with Flat Stanley. Our dear friends the Paterson's daughter, Ainsley asked me to take photos of him spending time with me over the last few weeks. I was happy to oblige, and may have been a bit of an over-achiever in the Flat Stanley department. I'm pretty sure Stanley had a great visit with the Willises!

Here are just a few examples of our adventures...

Baby Shower

2011-03-21T14:00:00.007-04:00

Our great friends Turner & Rob are expecting their baby girl- Emmeline Leila- at the end of April (we hope she waits that long, anyway!), so we thought it would be fun to celebrate them with a party!

I had so much fun preparing for the party and it gave me an excuse to make lots of fun crafts (I'll post individually about the major crafts later.). We settled on a pink & orange theme and invited folks over for dessert & drinks (including a candy buffet). Stephen had the great idea to put one of our televisions outside so folks could watch the NCAA tournament games. So we opened gifts, watched the games, and even made smores over the fire pit. The party was a lot of fun, and Rob & Turner received some fun gifts to help them prepare for their sweet baby.

Here are some of the decorations...
I made the banner, fabric covered buckets & wreath. (I stole the ideas from She's {kinda} Crafty.)
I got the lanterns, colored bottles, polka dot cupcake paper cups, cupcake tower, pinwheels, milk bottles and straws from Polka Dot Market (Go to that website and you will find a reason to throw a party!)

Here are some view of the food & candy table...

We had lots of candy for folks to scoop into a bag for snacking on at the party, and to take home.

I ordered this cake from a bakery nearby. It was so incredibly tasty. I'm not usually a fan of icing, but this stuff was amazing.

My sweet friend Jenilee made the marshmallow pops, chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate cupcakes. She is amazing! If you need someone to help out with a party, she's your gal!

I made a couple of kinds of popcorn...rosemary, parmesan, pepper and browned butter with lemon. The rosemary, parmesan, pepper popcorn was the biggest hit and I'll be making it a lot more (I'll post the recipe on my food blog soon.). I covered these containers (and the smaller ones filled with candy) with fabric, and they turned out to be really cute!

Along with wine & beer, we had a non-alcoholic punch in these cute glass milk bottles with paper straws.

Turner & Rob had some wonderful friends show up to celebrate them and their baby girl.

Turner with her fun friend, Kellie

Stephen with our friends Rob, Geoff & Mike.

Me with friends Cristen & Kiera

Turner and Rob

Where I've Been

2011-03-21T13:09:00.003-04:00

I know I've been MIA from blogging for a while now. That's because most of my free time over the last couple of weeks has been spent in preparation for a couples' shower we hosted at our house Saturday night.

Here are a few glimpses of the preparation for that...

Giving Up

2011-03-07T16:42:00.000-05:00

For the last 18 months or so I have been steadily incorporating Diet Mtn. Dew into my daily life. I had the goal of giving up this tasty no-calorie treat 6 months ago- around Berkley's birthday, but failed to do so. In fact, I think my intake picked up significantly.

Over the last few months I have been drinking an obscene amount of Diet Mtn. Dew each day- usually 4 or 5.

Each. Day.

I would carry cases with me when I went out of town.

I knew which stores had the best deals- when cases were "Buy 2 get 3 free" at Harris Teeter, or when they were 3 for $10 at Target. (There's a rotation among the stores, in case you've never had to scope out the cheapest option for your own soda addiction.)

I took 2 cans in my bag with me when I went to Bible Study, and even walked into church on Sundays with a can or two in tow (they have a coffee bar in the worship space, so I figured my drink was welcome too).

Two weekends ago I traveled to "middle-of-nowhere-Texas" where sodas weren't even an option. Not only could I not have Diet Mtn. Dew, but I had no soda alternative at all.

That's what did it. After a couple of days of a pretty nasty caffeine-withdrawal headache, I felt great!

I came home and vowed to turn away from my addiction...

And I have!

Over the last two weeks I have probably had 4 or 5 Diet Mtn. Dews....TOTAL!

I've allowed myself to finish up the case in our garage, but I won't be buying any more cases.

I'll drink Diet Mtn. Dew occasionally, but it won't be the crutch & addiction that it once was.

After giving it up, I realized that my primary reason for drinking it was habit and boredom. I would routinely drink a can, and grab a new one almost before the first was finished...just out of habit. How crazy is that?!

In those moments I think about wanting a Diet. Dew, I consider why I want it, and usually end up getting some water or sugar-free lemonade or nothing at all.

As I type this post, I am sipping from the very last can of Diet Mtn. Dew in our house...

As a side note...during my trip to South Carolina last weekend, I stopped at a gas station & picked up this lovely drink. It's a favorite of mine, but I've only ever seen it in South Carolina stores! This is definitely a "once-in-a-while" treat, but it is oh-so-good!!

Singing Photos

2011-03-03T14:44:00.001-05:00

My friend Cristen took some photos when I sang with the Craig Woolard Band last month. She recently passed them along, and I wanted to post them here.

I will probably back date this entry soon & move it closer to the original post.

Sullivans Island

2011-03-02T14:41:00.000-05:00

This weekend Berkley and I went to Sullivans Island, SC with my mom, her friends, their daughters, and grandchildren. We had a lovely time together at my mom's friend Kaye's beautiful home. This is the same group of women who we go to the beach with each summer, and this is a nice weekend to spend together in the middle of the year.

Hawk

2011-02-28T17:08:00.001-05:00

This bird was in my front yard last Thursday.

I assume it's some kind of hawk, and it's the second one I've seen hanging out in my neighborhood in a week.

Tornado

2011-02-28T16:15:00.001-05:00

I have a few posts to write, but before I do, I'd like to be brave an post a photo of the condition of my home right now.

The weather forecast says we have storms headed our way this evening...

...but obviously a tornado already hit my house!

This picture doesn't do it justice, but as I peered down after putting Berkley in the crib for a nap, I realized the disarray my whole house is in...mostly thanks to a certain little person in my home!

Remembering Nanna

2011-02-22T15:54:00.000-05:00

On February 22, 2010, my sweet Nanna passed away. I have missed her so much over the last year, but I am so thankful that she was not sick for an extended period of time.

I thought it might be nice to honor Nanna on the anniversary of that day, so I decided to make some of Nanna's favorite dishes. She was no great cook, so this is done a little bit tongue-in-cheek, but I think it's highly appropriate.

I loved my Nanna's spaghetti sauce (which includes an entire container of ketchup),her white bread toast, her Rice Krispies treats, and a special treat of lime sherbet and ginger ale (or as she called it "ging ale"). None of these dishes is a culinary masterpiece, but they remind me of her, and I believe we'll celebrate this way on February 22 from now on!

Recipe in Nanna's handwriting

Spaghetti & Toast

Rice Krispies treats

Lime Sherbet and "Ging Ale" (best served with a straw & my Nanna's long tea-spoons)

This post is back-dated, to coincide with the anniversary.

Doing Good Well

2011-02-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

I'm hesitant to write this post because I feel like words can't do justice to the amazing weekend I just experienced. But, I'll try to write just a bit...

In the fall, I was invited to attend a retreat/conference through CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts) called Doing Good Well. Now, I am not a visual artist, but do have a deep, deep appreciation for the arts, and feel especially called to incorporate arts in worship, and educate congregations & individuals about including the arts into faith.

This retreat was created for women under 40 who are leaders in faith & the arts. I was the only truly "non-artist" attender among a group of visual artists, museum & gallery curators, and art professors & historians. It was a truly phenomenal group of women with whom I felt honored and humbled to be included.

The retreat was at Laity Lodge in Leakey, Texas (amazing place, & I'd love to return for another retreat there...and I'm trying to convince SW that we should go to family camp there...I'm all about us going to family camp when Berk is bigger...but I digress). The accommodations and food were excellent, the program was fascinating and informative. The interaction with the other women was encouraging and insightful. The time I got to spend with God was restoring and healing. I couldn't have asked for more.

I flew into San Antonio on Thursday and rode to Leakey (about 2 hours away) where we literally had to drive through a river (with a limestone bottom) to enter the camp. I met some amazing women & made friends from Canada, NYC, and some nomads who move from artist residency to residency. The women all shared their artwork (which was outstanding) and how they make a living.

I spent a lot of time outside...canoeing, walking, hiking. The river is a beautiful green color, and the landscape is so foreign, yet so beautiful. In many ways it reminded me of Kenya...which made my heart soar.

The music leader for the weekend was Ashley Cleveland. I've listened to her since I was 15 or 16. (I literally played my Songs From The Loft cassette tape until it broke). It was such a joy to meet her and worship with her. On Friday, several gals planned to hike up the nearby mountain, and Ashley (who is a frequent visitor to the Lodge) offered to lead us on a couple of trails. Somehow I ended up directly behind her with the other girls pretty far behind us, and she and I talked and talked for at least an hour. We talked about motherhood and music and calling and so much more. It was an incredible blessing to hear her stories, and to get encouragement from her...this woman I've admired from afar for half of my life!

By the way...Ashley is an exercise rock-star and hiked up that mountain so quickly! There was no way I was going to let on that I wasn't as in shape as she, so I hoofed it up the mountain right behind her. Before I knew it, we were at the top! She was really inspiring.

On Sunday morning I led worship for the group- preaching for the first time in quite a while. This experience was affirming and encouraging- being reminded of my gifts, and being able to share them with others.

This experience was one of those that I didn't know how badly I needed it until I had it. I'm so grateful that God met me there...God gave me time to process, to pray, to read, to share. I came home renewed and thankful for what has gotten me to this place, and excited for what lies ahead.

Our lodge is the building in the center at the far end of the river. That's the starting point of our hike..and I had no idea we had gone that far!

The water was a gorgeous teal-green color and it as filled with fish. I went canoeing one afternoon, but was nervous about taking my camera, so I didn't, and I regret that now.

Along the beautiful river were these amazing rock walls.

Cars literally had to drive through the river to get to the camp. Such a fun and different experience!

I got in the water to take photos of our car...the first one is blurry, but I can't get enough of it...seems like it captures me just right!

In Mid Air

2011-02-17T13:07:00.000-05:00

I am currently blogging in mid air while on a flight to San Antonio. Evidently Delta now lets you have internet access on select flights (well...for a small fee anyway). What a great way to pass the time!

Valentine Date #2

2011-02-15T15:41:00.000-05:00

On Friday, as I was putting the final touches on my Valentine surprise for Stephen, I got a message from him saying that he had arranged a babysitter for us to go on a date Sunday night. I certainly couldn't blow my surprise and tell him we already had a date planned, so I figured it couldn't hurt to have two Valentine's dates!

So, Sunday evening, our sweet babysitter, Kate came over to keep Berkley and Stephen treated me to dinner and a movie. We went to Lucky 32 for dinner (yum), and then went to see The King's Speech.

This is only the second movie we've seen in the theater since Berkley was born (the other being Robin Hood on our anniversary- what's up with us seeing movies with British & Australian actors?). It was a good movie, but it had been talked up a lot by friends, and I don't think it quite lived up to that hype. It could also be that we went to the 9:45 pm showing, and I had to watch the movie while Stephen occasionally snored beside me!

We really had a nice evening together, but I think from now on we'll for go dinner and go to the 7pm movies!

Valentine's Surprise

2011-02-13T14:49:00.001-05:00

I am a little bit proud of myself right now. I successfully pulled of a surprise Valentine's date with Stephen on Friday night. My sweet husband is neither easily surprise nor easily impressed, so accomplishing both was quite a feat!

I didn't even tell Stephen we were going out on Friday night, I just had my mom show up at the door and I exclaimed "Look! A free babysitter!"

I then proceeded to give him a series of envelopes with instructions for the evening. I created a scavenger hunt (complete with rhyming clues) that led him from place to place throughout the evening, and he willingly played along! He took his own car and opened each envelope once he had completed the previous instructions. It was a fun night!

We had dinner at a sushi restaurant we had not been to before. Aside from it being delicious, we are thrilled to learn that they deliver to our house (we'll have to try that soon)!

Stephen had a few more instructions in between (dessert, drinks, etc.) and ultimately ended up at our final destination- The Proximity Hotel! This hotel is a green & eco-friendly hotel here in Greensboro that we'd been curious about since it was built.

It was so nice, and we had a wonderful room on the top floor...I even took photos from our room of Stephen arriving at the hotel.

We enjoyed a lovely evening together, treated ourselves to breakfast in bed Saturday morning, and returned home to find my mom and Berkley giggling and playing together.

I'm so proud that I could plan this fun surprise and time for us to get away together, and that Stephen really enjoyed himself too!

Singing Again

2011-02-12T15:24:00.001-05:00

Last Friday night I had the privilege of singing with The Craig Woolard Band again. They were performing a concert in Wake Forest, and invited me to join them on a couple of songs! Several hometown friends showed up to cheer me on and enjoy an evening together. It was so great to catch up with them, and so much fun to sing with the band!

Craig was incredibly gracious and kind to me. First, I sang At Last again like I did at Mary Kathryn's wedding (which was much better this time now that I've sung it with the band before), and then (although we hadn't practiced together and the beginning of the song was a little rocky) we sang Need You Now as a duet. I had such a great time, and was so grateful for the opportunity to do something so fun!

Stephen posted the songs on YouTube if you're interested:

At Last

Need You Now

Me with Craig...what a nice guy!

Sweet Corinne...we grew up dancing & in church youth group together

Jennifer is one of my oldest and dearest friends from Youngsville. What a precious friend.

Stephen dancing the night away...

Blurry, but cute.

Whew!

2011-02-01T16:03:00.001-05:00

My posts here and on Berkley's blog have been a little down lately- mostly because we had a tough week around here last week, and I feel like we're all finally in recovery.

First, Berkley got sick with a cold and stomach bug (the first he's ever had), then I got the cold, then Stephen got the stomach bug!

My cold was definitely the least of our problems, but it didn't leave me as well equipped for the other two being sick as I might have liked.

Friday night Stephen and I had plans to go on a date, and I was so excited!

He picked up our sweet babysitter, Kate, and we headed out.

With about an hour to kill before the movie we were going to see, we decided to visit a very cool bar near our house- a "sofa" bar full of cozy sofas and love seats to enjoy while having a drink. As we sat and I tried my hardest at making conversation, I realized that Stephen was not with me mentally. I finally got him to admit that he didn't feel well, and after a little prodding, convinced him that it was okay for us to just end the date (30 minutes in) and head home.

By the time I got back home from taking the babysitter back to her dorm, Stephen was super-sick.

I will not go into details, but I will say that Berkley and I stayed away from him entirely until Sunday after church. It was a pitiful situation.
I spent a large portion of the last four days praying that I wouldn't get the stomach bug curse. So far, so good...I think I'm safe now (knock on wood).

So, we're all back on the mends and I feel like I have a lot to catch up on (just the laundry alone seems insurmountable) now.

With that, I promise that the negative posts are going to be few and far between!

Everyone around here is much happier and easier to get along with.