Names

The other night...around 11ish I'd say, while Adam was trying to go to sleep I started a conversation about names. I think it started when we both couldn't remember a friend's brother's name. His name is Michael, and its weird that we couldn't remember it since that is Adam's middle name. However, as I boldly pointed out to Adam, Michael does not fit him at all!!!! I guess I have attached certain names with certain stigmas and personalities....and Micheal makes me think of a guy in tight jeans wearing a wife beater..i dont know where that comes from but its definitely the opposite of my Adam. So then I suggested some more fitting middle names for him, such as dirt, or earth or grog..you know something that reminds you of being outdoors. I mean why can't we use those words as names? So then since Adam thought my names were dumb I asked him for suggestions for me and he said Kinzie Blair....now i like the name blair but he totally did not get the point. I would have picked SEQUIN or SAPHHIRE...you know something flashy and fun!! Now if this is making you laugh, don't worry I was having a hard time keeping a straight face while trying to persuade Adam that anything could be a name. I actually do like my middle name, Marie...all the girls in my family share it as a middle name. However, I'm afraid that Adam and I have decided to break that tradition. When we adopt, if we get to pick a name I have picked out 3 girl names.....they are a little different but Adam approves of the first two. The first is Tipton Pearl.....Tipton so that we can call her Tip and Pearl b/c it was my grandma's middle name and I love it! The second is Piper Selke...Piper b/c ITS ADORABLE and Selke because it was my grandma's maiden name and I love it! The third is Saylor....just b/c its different..i haven't decided on a middle name, maybe I'll let Adam pick it out....or maybe we could keep Marie for at least one of them. As far as boys go I used to really like the name "Guy" or "Nathaniel" but I think I have grown out of them. We were told by our good friend Mark Murphy ( before we were even dating ) that if we had kids we should name our boy "clay"...b/c Adam means "from the earth" and Kinzie means "roots"....so sticking with earthy names is a definite..and we actually like Clay.
Ok..back to the real reason why I wrote this blog...names. When my parents were picking out names they were almost settled on Margot (with a silent t)....PRAISE THE LORD that they changed their mind. I am aware that there are plenty of nice, pleasant women named Margot, but all I can think of is Anne Frank's sister, and everything that goes along with that story. They heard of McKenzie and kinda went from there. In preschool I decided that I wanted to be named Dasha.....grew out of that pretty fast. I do remember having a babysitter or something who called my Candy..not sure why, or why I answered to it but I'm glad it didn't stick as a nickname. Here are some names and what they remind me of...you are more than welcome to comment on them, and please dont get offended by anything I say....its just my opinion.
Caroline-is probably one of my top 10 favorite girl names, its very sweet and southern and my favorite camper at Greystone was Caroline
Joel-I have three friends named Joel and all of them are smart so . I also associate a very good relationship with that name since all three of my Joel friends have become close friends to me and Adam.
Chelsea- For some reason I have never liked this name, UNTIL my beautiful cousin Chelsea came along...she is sooo smart and competes in pageants.
Pearl-a very classy woman, very confident
Peter-a red headed freckly boy who chases sheep
Caleb-a very shy, pale kid
Candy- a stripper (except for Adam's aunt Candy-she's a doll)
Micheal-a guy wearing tight jeans and a wife beater
Guy- a man smoking a cigar with spiky gelled hair
Jessica-a cheerleader
Jennifer-the head cheerleader
like I said these are just images that come to my mind for certain names....did you know that Andrew and Emily are the top names for 2007 ?

Ugly Day

Its ugly outside today....It looks like its 8:50 pm instead of 9:30 am. Anyways, I have been reading alot about finances since we bought our condo and I have really learned a lot from this site getrichslowly.org....it sounds cheesy but the guy who writes it is very honest about his own struggle with debt and how he erased it all. Adam and I are pretty good at saving..I mean we were able to save up a down payment in under a year of marriage and with only one full time income. I know it sounds crazy..but we can do more...i admit that i freak out when we dont save money every month and my idea of living paycheck to paycheck is when we can't put 1/2 of what we make into savings but I am just very aware of what can happen when you aren't savvy with your money. Plus, with Adam starting a private christian college next June I don't want any "marital problems" stemming from our finances. When we were in pre-marital counseling with Dick Bagwell he told us that finances, communication and in-laws were among the top 3 things that caused couples to fight and even divorce. So anyways, one of the tips that the site suggests is to keep a list of things you are doing correctly to encourage yourself to keep you motivated.
Here is our good list:

1. Make my own coffee-for me this is a huge savings even though McDonalds 87 cent coffee is pretty darn good.
2. Adam and I take our own lunch EVERYDAY...i can probably count on one hand the # of eat out lunches I have had since we have been married...its probably less for him since he rarely gets an actual lunch break.
3. We eat out once every week-after church on Sunday-and we try to always spend less than $15 which sometimes means sharing a meal (healthy and cost-effective)
4. We never go to the theaters to see movies....we rent movies occasionally but most of our movie watching comes from the T.V. ( we dont really have time for movies anyways)
5. New clothes are just not an option right now...and besides that we both accumulated enough new clothes during college to last us a while. We haven't done laundry since we moved in (about a month now) and we are ok.....that is a pretty good indication that we are good to go with clothes. I must admit though that I am an avid window shopper...my favorite saturday outing is going by myself to T.J. Maxx and Target and just walking around....its therapeutic and since I dont take my purse in I know I won't impulse buy.
6. We eat healthy foods...I have started to only shop the outside aisles at the grocery store....the only reason to go into the other aisles are for cereal and condiments. Other than that we eat a lot of fruit, veggies, chicken, yogurt and sandwiches....we have come up with pretty good recipes too so we dont get bored.
7. We have a lot of game nights with friends....cheap and easy...and potluck is so much fun!
8. When we do make a purchase (like our new dressers, or our trip to Charleston) we consider that our presents for an upcoming celebration. Our trip to Charleston was our birthday present to each other. For Christmas we only spent money on our family...and even then we gave them homemade presents such as my pottery or personalized photo albums. I have to admit that getting married in July and being showered with presents really didn't leave much to be desired in the way of Christmas presents but agreeing to not buy each other gifts that would probably end up in the back of closet was a good save....Adam broke the rule though and bought me a wall calender (my favorite $3 gift thus far).
9. We are going to drive our cars into the ground. My car is 11 years old and Adam's is 10. However, with older cars come lower insurance..much lower. Also, we both drive fuel efficient cars-mine gets almost 40 miles a gallon and Adam's truck is right behind it. We thought about buying a new car right before we got married but God literally spoke to us through some old friends and we ended up keeping our "paid -off" cars. What a blessing in disguise. When we do buy we have already decided to get a hybrid....and to be honest it will be hard to part with Toya.
10. These three little things can be combined as one. (a) we sleep with our windows open and have yet to turn on the air in our condo.....i am sure that living in the mountains of TN, with a master bedroom on the 2nd floor makes this an easier adjustment than most but i had to list it....(b) We turn off lights if we dont need them...granted we have a ton of light coming into our condo but who doesn't?..just open your blinds, push back your curtains and enjoy the extra couple of sunlight hours we get during the summer...and (c) we do things ourselves-we made our own bed, coffee table, bookshelves, headboard and home decor......and it looks FANTASTIC!!!
11. Our biggest financial blessing has been the fact that we tithe. I will be the first to admit that I am not always a cheerful giver...but that is one of my husbands' strengths. We know that our money is not ours....and we are blessed to be able to afford the things we have and continue our education. I am in no way trying to pat my own back but I do know that giving to God what is already His has become the best way we could ever use our money.
Matthew 6:20-21
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

LISTEN

So today my boss asked me to call every department here at ETSU and ask them some stuff. So on like my 250th phone call I said " Hi Professor Brown, this is Kinzie calling from ETSU"....she said "Hi Sandy, how are you today"....seriously? Kinzie does not sound like SANDY.....what?

Lessons from Marriage

So..as i sit here (the ETSU library) on a very slow Sunday from 2-6 (but its worth getting off the entire 4th of July weekend) I was thinking about some things that marriage has taught me. This list is in random order.

1-I am a perfectionist .....i liked the bed made a certain way....I am not saying that I like things to be clean but that if they are they need to be cleaned to perfection :).

2-I am a hard worker.....now this could be taken as you thinking that I found this out after comparing myself to adam, but I am in no way implying that. I have realized this because of adam's comments and the amount of time I devote to getting things done. I have also realized this because since being married I have learned to relax-its so easy to nap when your husband is holding you.

3-I like peanut butter and jelly-I could not ever remembering eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich EVER. But, now I enjoy an occasional PB&J (strawberry only).

4- I am very motherly-TO EVERYONE-anything that breathes-except roaches. I mean, there has never been a time when I have not talked to my cats without first upping my voice and dumbing down my words. I also love to take care of adam- it makes me feel good when i know he has a lunch packed for the next day or that he is full from a good supper. Now, i always knew that i liked to take care of people but marriage has made me become a little OCD in this department.

5-With that said, I have not really learned but have reaffirmed my choice to adopt. I am so lucky to have a husband who sees the need I have always been aware of. We both feel strongly about adopting kids who our society labels unlovable. I would love to take in a family whose parents were either deceased or couldn't take care of them. We would love to take on the challenge of adopting older children who would otherwise probably drift from home to home in the foster care system. We are really open to anything and from anywhere..just waiting on God to speak to our hearts on an area where He has already given us both a direction. I have been mentoring a 9 yr old girl for about 5 months now. Both of her parents have been imprisoned for drugs at one time and her dad is still in. She is soooo honest about her life and loves God. She has been such a blessing to Adam and I and the love that I have developed for her has only reaffirmed the choice to adopt.

6-I have good, no Great in-laws. Now, without naming names or pointing fingers let me just say that I know of several situations where that is not the case. My in-laws and I have been close from day 1 ( in adam's opinon that would be in November of 20o5, in my mind January 06). I have always been able to talk to them, share my feelings with them and love on them. I have never felt this close to another non-related persons parents-well besides Dick and Jana-. I rarely go a week without calling up my mother in law to chat and share stories and my father in law is always there for good advice. They (along with my parents) are our biggest cheerleaders. I am almost 100% sure that Adam would say the exact same about my parents.
P.S.-my brother thinks that Adam is a saint-he has been such a good role model

7-I don't know anything about cars. I already knew this but having Adam around to laugh at me just reaffirms it.

8- I am a very touchy person. I am not shy about touching people when I get to know them. That last sentence should never be read by itself. Anyways, I am the girl who touches peoples arms during conversation or give people side hugs when I am leaving. If you have experienced this personally and don't like it just let me know, otherwise I am going to keep on touching (hmm..this sounds bad). I just like to be hands-on, even worse, hmmmm...I dont have a personal bubble so therefore I dont mind intruding on everyone elses.

9-I am the reigning Queen of Awkward. I think that somehow I never received the life manual on questions that you shouldn't ask, or situations that you should never put yourself in. I somehow always push the limit and since I like to ask questions ( i could be an investigator) it just seems that at any given time I can kill a conversation or cause everyone to look around anxiously but never make eye contact with anyone else. I promise its not a lack of manners, just wanting to become your best friend the first time i meet you.

10-Men and Women are different....shocking right? They just are. Adam does not understand why the colors in different rooms need to somewhat go together. Or why he just can't wear his brown dress shoes (AND THEY ARE BROWN) with his black suit. I on the other hand spend 30 minutes every Sunday morning trying on clothes that are just right.
Also (and this is not true of every man) Adam is a HUMAN GPS. He knew the ins and outs of Johnson City before I ever knew that no, we were not a coastal state. He says its like "being above everything"...i just know that I am always lost.
Another notable difference is the amount of sleep we both require in order to function. On a good weekend Adam can sleep in til 11ish on Saturday, go to bed around 10 that night, take a 4 hour nap inbetween church and never once feel as if he got enough sleep. I, on the other hand would just die if i ever slept that much ....i mean, there are so many other things that I could be doing. Just ask Adam, I am up with the sun on Saturdays, cleaning, cooking, yardsaling, grocery shopping, watching tv, scrapbooking, working on the house or my most favorite ENJOYING THE DAY. I have to admit though that Sundays naps are becoming addictive but I will never succumb to Adam's sleeping pattern.

enough already....one more thing, Marriage is good and is from God.

Our new home

YAY...we are moved in....and when I say moved in, we are surrounded by boxes, and scattered peices of furniture but at least all of our possessions are in the same place we are. It took us 2 days (4 hours each) which is impressive since we worked during the day and then loaded from like 5-9. We were both pretty tired. Good thing we have some awesome friends who were willing to help out. So here are the top five reasons why I love our first home. 5-Its all brick and I feel swanky 4-There are community cats who wonder up to our storm door and flirt with our cats 3- it has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths-i am particularly fond of the half bath downstairs, 2-the bubbling brook that runs right behind our fenced in patio and the sound it makes and 1-its all ours. Adam and I can't stop saying how blessed we are and how much God had to do with this move. We had our hearts set on a condo before this one and we lost that contract. However, within a week we found this one, put in an offer and were on our way to being homeowners. This condo is situated in a little secluded community on a dead end street with a brook behind us and a huge field of cows to the left. We are probably the youngest people in our little community and i love it. I feel safe. There are pets that sit in the windows and doors and stare at you..there are some that follow you into the condo. We couldn't have asked for more storage and space, and the location is ideal. It takes me 11 minutes to drive from my house to school, get(find) a parking space and walk to my office....11 minutes!!!!! We are also closer to downtown and Kroger-which i have taken a liking too!!! We are going to post pictures as soon as we unpack our camera cord and have time to sit down and play on the computer. This place has also allowed us to have some more romantic times (please keep reading, i won't gross you out)....last night adam and sat in our papa san chair together in the floor, ate ramen, watched tv, shared the rest of the ice cream-straight from the container and couldn't move one inch to our right or left because of all the boxes piled around us...it was great though..no lights on and just spending time together in our new home. Its also wonderful for the cats...they get a lot more exercise and i think its funny to watch them play on the stairs. They aren't used to having a back sliding door, a front storm door and tons of windows to look out though...back at our apartment we would get onto them for getting behind the curtains to look out since we were not supposed to have them. However, here we encourage it and want them to sit and stare....so when we approach them as they lay there they whine or bolt off. They will get used to it though. So the whole point of this was to say Thanks God for providing once again and guiding our decisions.
If anyone wants to come up for a visit please do, we can now accomodate more than one person at a time .
Oh, did i mention that we are nestled between two mountains and that the drive into it is on windy mountain roads with great views...yah!
Peace Out.