Harvells in the House!!

kjdfla

2009-05-25T12:26:00.001-04:00

lajdlk

Israel

2009-05-15T08:58:00.002-04:00

So just to let you know...we will probably be letting this blog die out...a) because we never type on it anymore and b) because we will be starting another one to cover our trip to Israel...I'll post that sites addy on here as soon as it is up and running.
We will be in Israel from June 15th to July 17th.

just call me a slacker...

2009-01-09T13:38:00.003-05:00

I haven't written on here in almost a month. I think I forgot that we even had a blog. Oh well. We had a very eventful holiday break. We took off to Alabama for 12 whole days and the best part is that Adam only had to use 3 vacation days for it...whew hew! We pretty much saw everyone of our family members and a lot of old friends. I felt like we were on a constant schedule though and I think we need a vacation from our vacation :).
I am in my last week of working....which is good and bad. Its good b/c God has allowed me to quit three jobs and just focus on student teaching this semester. Its bad b/c I want to contribute to our income and I feel awful guilty. I am a little upset too at the fact that student teachers not only have to pay tuition to "teach", but we also have to teach for 40 hours a week without pay..and some of us (not me) have to drive like 45 minutes away. That doesn't seem right...at all. Why has no one ever spoken up about this....I can't see why anyone would want to go 5 months without an income and then pay a school thousands of dollars to "let" them do it. Anyways, I checked for scholarships for student teachers but alas almost 95% of them are for undergraduates or for those wanting to teach math. Art is important right?, and graduate students are not filthy rich right? Anyways, like I said Praise God for the finances to allow us to pay right out for school without loans.
One of my favorite things about going home was being able to see my grandparents. My mom's dad is still up to no good and loves to pick at us. My mom's mom is a sweetheart and gives great hugs. My dad's dad is a different sort of grandparent..not bad, but he shows his love differently. Anyways, I am so glad that I got to see him b/c he had a stroke this morning and although the doctors say he will be ok with some physical therapy, his health problems are becoming more and more and his hospital trips are becoming frequent. I ask that you if remember too, pray for him and his heart. He is not a christian ( from what I know and can see). He doesn't tolerate that kind of talk....I think I know why but that is another blog.
Otherwise, I am excited to start teaching next week. My mentor teacher is amazing and I am teaching in a district that allows the faculty to wear....duh duh duh duh ...JEANS....YAY!!!! I love to get all dressed up and be girly but we all know that heels and dress pants gets OLD !
Hope everyone had a great holiday break and Happy Late 2009.

This past week

2008-12-11T08:17:00.002-05:00

Well, this definitely hasn't been the best week of my life, but not the worst either. It all started Sunday morning when I was getting ready for church. Adam was already at church since he had to work the sound. I was joyful, well as joyful as you can be trying to dodge two cats while brushing your teeth (they like to drink from the sink and rub on me while I get ready...every morning). Then I started to clean my ears..like I do every 3 or 4 days, and have done every 3 or 4 days for the past 24 years when something weird happened. I stuck the q-tip into my right ear and pulled out just an empty stick. I immediately lost hearing in my ear and immediately started to panic. It's not like I slammed the qtip down my ear and forced it around...i just wet it, stuck it in and pulled back out. I called Adam and he told me to use a bobby pin to get it out....BAD IDEA BUDDY. I however listened b/c a)i like to hear and b) i know he is smarter than me. I started digging with the bobby pin but only got blood and wax. So i called him back (with a louder, more panicky voice) and he said ok, pour hydrogen peroxide in your ear and it will moisten the fibers and hopefully come out. Well, that is easier said then done. I would hold a mirror behind my head while pouring in the peroxide, hoping that I would see the qtip rise up to the top of my ear and I could grab it. Wrong again. I ended up drinking a lot of the peroxide and my ear begin to sting b/c it was so scratched up inside. So I vowed not to call Adam again :) and headed to Walgreens....2 seconds away. On the way to Walgreens I was thinking some pretty weird things...like hmmm..at least I have one good ear, maybe we can sue Q-tip and get a lot of money, or well, I have always wanted to learn sign language, but what if Adam's cant?, or this may help my teaching career since I won't be able to hear all of those noisy children. Anyways, the pharmicist there made me buy one of those baby nose syringes thingies and stuck this long flexible tube on the end. Then I laid in her lap (remember i dont know her from adam..haha) for about 20-25 minutes while she pumped this little syringe back and forth and dropped ointment into my ear. She was saying things like " honey, if i dont get this out, you will have to go to the ER, and I've heard of people busting thier ear drums while trying to get these things out". She finally started to get some of the fibers out and then all of a sudden the whole thing came out...i could instantly hear!!!!
Lesson learned- don't use q-tips. I was researching on the internet and there are tons of stories where people get them lodged in thier ear and suffer temporary and in some cases permanent hearing loss. I am going to use a washcloth and whatever I can get with that is going to suffice.

The next day (monday) I woke up and immediately was nautious and my stomach cramped. So i attempted to go to my GA but had to get up and ran out. I spent the entire rest of the day at home, flat on my back. We were hosting bible study at our house that night so I laid upstairs in bed while Adam led bible study downstairs. We thought I had food poisoning....from the church dinner on Sunday night...nothing bad to say about the dinner, it was fantastic, but that is just the first thing we thought off. Tuesday I woke up with ever worse stomach cramps so I went to the doctor. Turns out I have something that starts with a G and ends with itis. Its where my body is flushing out the lining of my intestines...great, who needs that anyways? So I have to take these pills full of bacteria that will latch on and start to rebuild the lining. I also can't drink dairy-which if you know me, you know that is horrible. I have at least 2 cups of milk a day and some yogurt for breakfast. Let me also add that I am lactose intolerant and therefore I crave the thing that hurts me. Oh well, as of today (thursday) I am feeling well, no nausea and my stomach has only cramped a couple of times.

The only other down side of the week has been my cooking. I LOVE TO COOK. Last night I was making a lemon cheesecake and tiramisu for some(3) parties we have this weekend and I had 6 egg whites left over. Being the savvy cook that I am I thought " hmm, i will make macaroons"...so I beat the eggs until they were fluffy ( thanks to my new standing mixer) and then added cocoa, vanilla and some sugar. Well when they came out of the oven they looked beautiful, and then 5 minutes later they had shriveled up and looked gross. Apparently I should have got out my cookbook and added the flour and confectioner sugar as well. Serves me right, thinking that I had reached diva chef level and no longer needed the aid of my cookbook. Adam still thinks they are good, but I'm not surprised...he ate my salt pie.

2008-12-09T09:09:00.003-05:00

My Papa is on a roll..he is scanning in old photos and sending 3 or 4 to me every other day. This one is of Christmas...the women on the left is my beautiful nana with 3 of her 5 children. The little girl is my mom..nice glasses :). My mom thinks that my grandmother and I look similar...maybe? I love old photos!!

My mom - back in the day

2008-12-02T08:25:00.002-05:00

Thanks Papa!! He just keeps on providing me with good stuff to blog about! He sent me this picture today and asked if I recognized the kids. The girl is my mom...probably about 7 or 8..the other two boys are her brothers Jeff and Ricki. They were in a car accident with my grandmother when they were 7 and 5 and were killed. There are pictures of them all over my grandparents house but I like this one the best. They were in Vent Hill, VA fishing during the summer while my papa was stationed there. They were re-located to Germany after the boys died..my mom stayed there until her senior year of high school!!

Just call us the "Handy Harvells"

2008-11-24T09:16:00.002-05:00

I'm not to sure if Adam and I comprehend the idea of a "weekend". We definitely did not take two days off!! We are having Thanksgiving at our home this year so we have 7 people coming in tomorrow night (Tuesday) and staying through Sunday. This was the perfect excuse to finally get some things done around the house. We already have all of the Christmas decor up, but there were some little projects that I wanted to get done. First, we painted our coffee table to match our bookshelves...the green wood look ( LOVE IT). Next, we put a fresh paint of white enamel paint on our dining room table...we got the set for free and there were some black scuff marks on it. Next, we cleaned up the kitchen and in the process remembered that there was some paint on the bottom of the fridge. As I cleaned it off I discovered why...there were some rust spot...about the size of pieces of rice. So, we headed to Lowe's to get some paint for the fridge. Yes, they do make it!! We chose to paint it glossy white and it looks like a brand new appliance....love it. Finally, we got all the towels and bedsheets washed, both guest bedrooms cleaned and some christmas presents wrapped. Today I am going to tackle the 3 bathrooms (ugh) and vacuam!!!! Sounds like a lot huh...but so worth it. I am so excited for my parents to see our home and for Adam's parents to see all of the things we have re-done or painted or fixed!!!

P.S.- Priscilla did not help any this weekend. He peed twice outside of the litter box...and both times we caught him. We are going to watch and make sure that he doesn't have a bladder infection. Adam is pretty sure that he is stressed out...Elvis is not the nicest brother to him. So for now we are talking in very soothing voices to him and praising him when he uses the litter box.

Nordstrom Make Up Sale

2008-11-19T08:29:00.003-05:00

Ok. Here's the deal. My sweet sweet mother in law just sent me an email with this website attatched. Nordstrom's is repackaging all of their make-up so therefore they are selling their old stuff for $1 a peice...thats right $1!!! It would make great stocking stuffers or a good Christmas present for yourself!!!! HAVE FUN!!!!

ITS ONLY MY FAVORITE MOVIE EVER

2008-11-13T08:41:00.006-05:00

My mom sent me these pictures of the actors and actresses who played the 7 VonTrapp children in the movie SOUND OF MUSIC!!! They are still adorable and I want them to make a reunion video or something.
The house where the movie was filmed in Vienna will be mine and Adam's first stop when we go to Europe!!!!!
ENJOY!!

A Slow Fade

2008-11-12T09:32:00.002-05:00

Ok. I know you all have heard this song" its a slow fade, when you give yourself away, its a slow fade, when black and white turn to gray"....its on all the time. And that is fine with me, I'm not complaining, it's kinda become my internal song (weird huh). Anyways, its so true of my life. I can look back and remember when I wouldn't say the word Crap, and now its one of my most used words. I also remember when my college pastor told me during my sophomore year that I saw things black and white, no gray area. He was complimenting me. I am afraid now my vision is a little more blurred and I might see gray. For example, I just used to know without a shadow of a doubt that MTV was bad for my spirit, my talk, my walk, everything. It seems however that I have formed an appetite for The Hills though that must be met weekly. I know these are silly examples but I bet if you stop and think about it you can think of things that you have slowly let creep into your life.
I have tons of other examples that I don't wish to publicize but I will tell you of a praise.
I have a real hard time with money. I have hard time tithing like I should. I will be the first one to donate my time, but my money is a whole other story. Thankfully the Lord gave me a husband who isn't phased by it. Adam could give his whole pay check and not flinch..isn't that awesome? I have really been praying that I would be less concerned with money and the Lord constantly reminds me that he takes care of the birds and he will take care of me. So the praise is that lately I have been remembering to bring the checkbook, write the check and put it in the offering plate....doesn't sound like such a huge thing huh? BUT IT IS. I really do want to give God what is His, really I do. It's just one more way that God is working in my life.

2 Cor 9: ⁶Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

P.S.- what are your thoughts on tithing? Do you think that giving of your time counts as a tithe? I have heard people say that they don't tithe b/c they give time to the church..I've looked at scripture and after the resurrection I think the idea of tithing changed a little.

Veterans Day 11-11-08

2008-11-11T08:05:00.001-05:00

Happy Veterans Day...I was listening to the radio as people called in to honor veterans in their lives. Take time today to thank God for those who fought for our freedom!!
My Papa sent me this picture this morning. The second soldier from the left is my younger cousin Chelsea. She is in the drama club at her middle school. Thought I would share.

READ THIS

2008-11-03T08:36:00.003-05:00

This is the sermon that my pastor preached yesterday. It provides scriptural evidence of what our country is facing and currently going through. I feel very blessed to be under a pastor who is willing to stand in the pulpit and proclaim these truths.
I was definitely more caught up in the election then I should have been but after hearing this and re-examining my current relationship with the Lord I realized that there is never anything that can take me from his hands. Not government, not a new president, not a bad economy.

Sermon before Election

Speaking of scary things

2008-10-27T08:29:00.005-04:00

So when I got on the internet this morning I had an email from my Papa with a link to see some pictures. All he wrote in the email was " Sorry I didn't invite you to my barbeque". These pictures were attached.

My heart sank. These are pictures taken of my great grandma's old barn and the trailer that sat behind it. The trailer was my Uncle's but now he has moved and it was deserted. No one was injured but still it breaks my heart. I know I have lots of memories of the barn and I am sure that my Papa does too.
The first pictures is my Papa and Uncle Mark looking at the trailer..to the right you can see my Nana who is rushing over to see what happened. She was at church when it started. She actually just had knee surgery so I sent an email back telling her to sit down and get off that knee!!!
The second picture is what gets me. It just my papa standing in front of all his burned memories. These are from the Enon Newspaper in Florida. I am glad that my Papa had a sense of humor about it all but it was definitely a shock to wake up to.

P.s.- I just love that all of the recent pictures I have of my Papa are of him in coveralls.
P.P.s- this is on Kinzie Lane.

Scary Things

2008-10-26T18:27:00.002-04:00

So, as I was sitting in the library (where lots of thinking is done) I got to thinking about Halloween and all the things I am scared of. I don't watch scary movies. I started to realize that they really did get into my mind and so I just said goodbye to them all. Adam watches them...he's tough. I don't even watch previews b/c sure enough the minute I watch one I will find myself at home alone and Satan will pop an image into my head that takes a phone call to adam and some ice cream to get out!!! So anyways, here is what I am afraid of...in no particular order.
1. Adam dying first...no really, I rewrote our wedding vows so we didn't say "til death do us part" b/c that is just a sad concept to me. I know he will be in Heaven but it still scares me.
2. The dark...who knows what crazies could be in there.
3. Caves, no make that anywhere underground, no make that anywhere confining.
4. Bees, Yellow-jackets, Hornets-their only mission in life is to make me squirm
5. No Friends- I remember moving to JC and crying for weeks b/c we didn't have any friends...now we have so many that we are gone almost every night of the week and I LOVE IT!!!
6. My little brother driving-not his driving but the fact that he is out there on the road with the crazies.
7. Captain D's - fish from a fast food place just can't be right
8. The upcoming election- I am just scared of the changes that could happen...either way God is control
9. Having (adopting) children and being a horrible mother
10. Those big trucks with the big rims that look like they extend 4 ft into your lane.
11. Snakes- been there, done that
12. Needles,blood,anything that has to do with the internal part of your body...SICK OUT
13. Balding- I know it probably won't happen but there is always that chance.
14. Orks- from Lord of the Rings..if I ever saw one coming at me I would just lose it
15. Public speaking-not in front of the classroom, but like to crowds of 30 or more..I'm sweating already
16. Tornadoes- I have been through several hurricanes where tornadoes touched down all around my house, but I have never physically been in one.

October 08

2008-10-24T08:45:00.003-04:00

Even though we (and by we I mean me) have not posted anything lately does not mean that there aren't stellar things going on in our life :). Ha...ok, maybe not. We really both have been busy. We are about 97% done with the kicthen and I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!! We have 60 inches of new cabinets and countertop space, the painting is completed, and the floor looks beautiful. We are still working on shoe molding and I am painting a window to hang above the new countertops. I will post pictures soon.
Adam has not been a happy camper lately though..his Auburn Tigers have lost 4 straight games in a row. I have quit watching games with him.....I don't like it when he gets mad :). So, while he is watching football I have resorted to knitting ( I taught myself) and scrapbooking. I have almost all of my homemade Christmas presents done...and the last couple should be finished over the weekend.
Elvis (the cat) has become quite a little terror lately. He stuck his head in my glass of milk, got it stuck and when he pulled it out took the whole glass of milk with him. The milk went everywhere and came within inches of our brand new laptop.....I could have skinned him!!! He and Priscilla have also got in the habit of waking us up after the alarm has gone off...Here is the procedure. Alarm goes off at 7, Adam hits snooze, 2 seconds later the cats are on top of us, purring like crazy (they are soo loud) and licking any inch of skin that we leave out from under the covers....it sounds cute, but becomes annoying after 2 solid weeks. Then they follow us into the bathrooms and play with the shower curtains and whine as if they are starving (which they never are, they are tubby). However, if not for them I am pretty sure that Adam and I would both sleep in and be late daily.
This semester is flying by..i have 6 weeks of class left before student teaching. I have never been so ready to get on with something then right now. It could be b/c I have a teacher who gave me a C for being an overachiever...no really. She said that I was asking my art students to think to much, and that they probably wouldn't be that interested in art or art history. I told her that I don't do C work. That sounds cocky..but its the truth. I give everything 110% (well everything academically :). So I redid the dumb project, made it "easier" and put the initial project in my portfolio to show off some day soon :)!!
Other than that I am loving my job at Woodland and enjoying the kids there. My last day at the Medical Bookstore is Dec. 4th-a day that I have been looking forward to for over a year now. I really do enjoy the people there, and have made good relationships but you try being stuck in a basement, where you can't control the temperature and working in a field that honestly makes you sick to your stomach. Just ask Adam, the mention of the word needles can make me upchuck.
I'm SUPER SUPER SUPER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!( those are for you Angela :)) excited about Thanksgiving. Both of our families are heading up here for 5 whole days. My parents have not been able to see our house yet and neither one of them have met our church family!!!! They will get here Wednesday and leave Sunday after church. I am also excited that we will have enough room to sleep them all. My brother will be in the small guest bedroom, adam's parents in the guest bedroom, my parents in our bed, Adam and I downstairs on the sectional (where we sleep a lot anyways) and if Jason (adam's brother) comes he will have a blow up mattress downstairs.
I also get to make my first Turkey ( i think I will stow some ham in the fridge just in case). That Saturday is the Auburn vs. Alabama game and even though Auburn is having a crummy season it should be a good game. We have alabama fans coming and i think it will be great party. I won some catering from Main St. about a month ago and they are going to provide the food for that night.
Also, my mom is bringing up my wedding dress so that Brittany, Whitney and I can do trash the dress photos around Johnson City...I'm super excited...We are going to get our hair did and go crazy. I think my mom wants some more "good shots" though before trashing it...haha, lets just hope I can still fit in the thing!!!!
Ok, enough rambling...just thought I should give our blog a little attention.
Peace Out- and don't forget to vote early if you can!!!!

4 Day Hike

2008-10-10T08:34:00.002-04:00

So today we are leaving for a 4 day hike on the AT with our good friends Whitney and Morgan (a married couple, morgan is the boy). Adam has already hiked almost all of the AT (they had to stop when his brother got lyme disease) and he has a 4 day route planned for us that will take us about 30 miles. We are leaving tonight and hiking about a mile in the dark to camp. Then we will get up Saturday and hike about 8 miles to where we are meeting two other couples from church to camp that night. Our camp site is about 2 miles from that meeting point. The next day we are getting up and having our own church service out in God's creation (this is what I am looking forward to the most). When I worked at Camp Rockmont in Black Mtn, NC we would get up every Sunday and meet on the pier in the middle of the lake and physically worship God as the sun came up. We would do certain moves to show gratitude, humility, forgiveness and other things...it sounds weird but it was very powerful and our worship can be physical!! Anyways, after that the two couples are going home and Adam, myself, Whitney and Morgan are continuing on for another 11 miles to our camping site for Sunday night. Monday we will have about 8 miles left to go til we reach our destination. I think all of us, minus Adam, have never been on a trip like this and we are very excited. Its been a lot of planning with packing foods, sealing foods, packing clothes, sleeping bags, tents, hygiene stuff ( a small amount) and arranging for a car to be at the end destination. I just know we will have a wonderful time and enjoy God's creation. Last night we took Whitney's car to leave at our last stop and decided to hike a little bit of the trail just to see where we would be ending up...it was breathtaking. The leaves are changing, the weather is perfect, and Whitney and I jumped twice in our little 500 yd walk at the site of bugs. Sounds like we are going to have a blast!

The VP Debate

2008-10-03T12:30:00.003-04:00

Last night I watched the VP Debate. Someone asked me "why?, don't you already have your mind made up as to who you are going to vote for?". Well, No I didn't. And No, I never once considered voting for Obama. I just was not 100% for the Republican ticket yet..I guess that would have left me voting for Nader....or just not voting...which is another conversation for another blog. Anyways, I was very proud of Palin last night. I have been really troubled about how I felt with a women being in a "authoratative role" over the country and how that relates to men being our spiritual leaders. I have grown up Southern Baptist and I agree with thier doctrine that women should not lead over men. However, here I am thinking that on Nov. 4th I will more than likely vote for the Republican ticket....its a pickle isn't it? I mean I can't and WILL NOT vote Democratic, and voting Independantly would not suite me either. So what to do? Trust that God can work through her? Trust that God has a reason for her to be in this position...such as Ester? I know that God can and will work through imperfect people but there are places in the bible where He puts women in high ranking positions and they do make judgment calls over groups with men present. Its funny isn't. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Like I said though, I was very pleased with Palin's performance. She is a very likable candidate and I think she was very poised. She did not come off as a " unqualified, unintelligent, unknowing" person as the tabloids would lead us to believe. I do beleive that she is not your normal politican and not going to stand for those ways. I do believe that although she and McCain disagree on certain issues that she has our interests at heart.
My heart started to sink a little more with every word that both candidates said about Isreal, Iran and Pakistan. They said " wipe Isreal off the face of the planet", "have missles pointed at Isreal", "unstable governments with nuclear weapons at thier disposal". With so much uncertainty, my excitment over our upcoming move was definitely not increased. I just started thinking the worse...which by the way if that was a job I would be rolling in the dough. I just wonder how the situation in Isreal, especially Jerusalem will be next May/June. I know that God will take care of us, but we are not garunteed safety. I was talking to a mom at Educare, who adopted one of her sons from Isreal, about our trip and she kept saying " God's blessing is on that place, He will take care of you, He will bless you". And you know what, she is right!! God will take care of us, but I'm going to need His help in declaring that. Hopefully after the election in November some concrete interventions will be made in the Middle East and the government will be more stable than what it is now. If not though, God could still choose to send us there and I ask that you pray for us to be confident and bold. I ask that you pray for me to stop worrying. I also ask that you begin to pray for God to put Isreali people in our path that need to know Him, that need to meet Him. I'm thinking of sending IMB a letter to see what kind of missions that have avaliable over there. That would be a great ministry/ job for me while we are over there.
P.S.- you should see this kid that the lady from Educare adopted. His name is Noah and he has the most beautiful skin, dark red/brown hair and big brown eyes. He sees me in the afternoons and takes off running with his arms already open, yelling "Mrs. Kinzie"..When he gets excited, he grabs the hand of the closest person and invites them to jump up and down in joy with him....He has a little brother from gautemala and they hug each other in the afternoons b/c they have been seperated all day long and immediately talk about what they are going to do when they see thier dad.....melts my heart. WATCH OUT..we may bring some kiddos back with us!!

W A R E A G L E

2008-09-29T09:06:00.005-04:00

This is in front of Samford Hall...one of the spots Adam sent me too during the scavenger hunt he came up with to propose to me.
Me and my best friend Virginia....in the new student center...with our AU tattoos on.
The next picture is of us right after we beat TN!! This is Toomer's corner and after every Auburn win the fans race down here to roll all the trees and cheer!

Heritage Softball Team

2008-09-23T09:33:00.003-04:00

From left to right its (back row) Corrine ( my new bff :)), Adam, Me, Matt Deakins, Amy, Dave, Terra, Heather, Don. (front row) Abby, Justin, Jay, Chico and in the very front is Dawn!!
These are some pictures of the Heritage Softball team from this fall. This is right after we won the last double header of the season. It was a lot of fun and I think Adam and I will probably play again in the spring. Adam was nicknamed "Sweet Feet" after the speed he showed last night. He also batted 100% during the two games. We start tournament next week and then we are done for the season.
Here we are holding up our #1 (for the night, not for the season :)!!!!

Almost

2008-09-22T09:08:00.003-04:00

So this weekend was lots of fun. Great weather...perfect for camping..which is what we did. We spent the night right beside a creek at Laurel Falls. We went with Morgan and Whitney and had a lot of fun. Then we went to Jerri's soccer game on Saturday which she won 2-0. Then we went to Best Buy where we found an awesome deal on a laptop, so we bought it..YAY. Then we went home so that Adam could yell at the TV during the AU vs. LSU game. It started out great...auburn got the first touchdown. I thought I was safe..I laid down beside Adam on the couch and went to sleep (my favorite activity during a football game). However, around 10:30 I was woken up to Adam yelling and doing the guy thing. LSU scored a touchdown in the last 2 minutes of the game and WON. I decided that I would just go onto bed and let him deal with this loss privately :). When he came to bed about 20 minutes later he leaned over and said " we almost had it". As we talked we both realized that God must think that about his people quite often " they almost had it"...and his sadness must be compounded. Lately, we have been in Genesis and there are several people and circumstances where we could say "they almost had it". For example Sarah and Abraham... In Genesis 15

But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit ^[c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." 4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Only one chapter later we see Sarah and Abraham forgetting what the Lord has promised and forging ahead with thier own desires.

Genesis 16:

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me."

6 "Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

If they only knew that God already had Isaac on his mind. If they would have only let Him be God instead of doing things thier own way. Thus we have Hagar and Ishmael come into the picture and the beginnings of the Muslim belief system. It might be a bit much to compare almost winning a football game to almost following God's perfect plan but He can certainly work through our worldly activities to reveal things to us.

Educare

2008-09-18T08:26:00.003-04:00

So I'm pretty sure that I am going to love this job. I could just have had a really good first day but let me remind you that this wasn't the kids or the programs first day. When I got there I met the guy that will be training me and about 10 minutes into our conversation we were laughing and I felt very at ease. Then we went through all the different procedures of checking kids in, how to collect money from their parents (auditers are picky), and how I will be paid (thats an important part). I also got Educare polo shirts...there is a different color for every day...even though yesterday all 4 of the directors had on different colors ??.
The kids arrived and immediately were interested in the new girl. He introduced me and pretty soon I was holding hands with one little girl who stuck by me the rest of the afternoon. Her name was Katelyn and boy can she tell a lie. She was trying to convince me that her teacher wanted her to color a white piece of paper blue, then use white out to write Cat in the Hat on it. Now, she had colored construction paper in her bag andI told her to use a blue piece of paper instead. She insisted that she had to color it...so she started coloring it, with a marker, that bled. Well then she saw me with a hole punch and insisted that her teacher wanted her to punch holes all over the paper saying "just like every other book". In a very sweet voice, I asked her if she had a paper with the directions on it and she said no and told me that if i didn't give her the hole punch then she was going to "make a zero on her homework". About 10 minutes later her mom came and she immediately balled up her "homework", threw it in the trash and skipped out. What an angel :).
It's also really weird what kinda stuff I pick up on now that I have had child development classes, child psychology classes and teaching methods. When all of my kids (3rd-5th) had left I went over to the younger group to see what was going on. They were in the gym playing with balls and hoola hoops. There is a boy with down syndrome in that group and he was walking around the border of the gym by himself. He was very responsive though and interested in what the other children were doing. As I sat down to play with one little girl I heard the other worker say "Kinzie, your mom is here". I of course turned around and noticed two other little girls running towards the door. The worker then said which Kinzie it was and she left. I got up and asked the other Kinzie how she spelled her name....Mackenzie. I told her what my name was and we were instant friends. We played roll the ball, bounce the ball and when I told her how I spelled my name she said "you spell yours wrong". When I asked her if we should invite Willie (the boy with down syndrome) to play with us she said "no, he won't want to". I said "he looks like he may" and she said " no, he doesn't play with us". I told Adam that its crazy, that this little kindergartner was already conditioned to notice differences and either be scared of them or discriminatory against them. None of the kids wanted to play with him actually. They already had labeled him and decided that they wouldn't include him. It was sad...but something I am going to work on...well when I get the time.
Other than that everything was fine, I got to leave early and we still get paid til 6. AWESOME.

As of today...

2008-09-17T09:17:00.002-04:00

As of today I am a Woodland Elementary employee. The job is with Educare which is an after school program that is considered the best in Johnson City. Its put together so that students spend time in organized centers/activities...think Montesorri style. I am responsible for coming up with games, art lessons, cooking lessons and helping them with homework. I interviewed last Monday and wanted the job immediately. Yesterday I got a call at 10 and was asked to start work today. I went and met with my boss and she said "we will stay with you through next week and then you are in charge"....my stomach turned but I smiled and said "great". This is my 3rd job..I know, I know. I am an overachiever. However, let me break down my schedule for you. I work 8-10 every morning at my GA position (where i am writing this) which pays for my tuition and gives me a monthly stipend. Then I head to the bookstore where I work from 10-2 (only MWF). On tuesday and thursday I head to class from 11-12:30. Then from now on I will go to Woodland from 3-6 daily. See..its not that bad...I only have 3 classes and one is online..the other meets on Monday night. The Woodland job has great pay and I know it will be good experience and look great on my resume. Adam and I both agree that this will be the only time in my life where I will have 3 jobs....when its all compiled I only work 37 hours a week...have about 5 hours of class and work the occassional weekend for my GA. I will also get to keep my Educare job throughout my student teaching and since Woodland is a year round school there will be extra hours during thier two week breaks between semesters. God really did bless me with this job. They have a very focused education philosophy there...which is good...kids need consistency and will thrive when the teacher is consistent in thier discipline. They are also huge on bullying and sarcasm...its just not allowed. They even told me that if we don't move this summer that I have a position there waiting for me.
Adam and I are looking foward to this next weekend as we are going camping at Laurel Falls with some friends from church. Then the next weekend we will be heading to Auburn for the AU/ TN game....I can't wait to see my friends and AU family there!! I just hope that gas goes back down by then..key word "hope".
Other exciting news is that our friend Cassie's mom got her test back and she does not have cancer. Cassie was worried b/c there is a strong history of cancer in her mother's family. Luckily the mass is benign and the other masses are from arthritis. Another praise is that our friend's Tiffany and Dave had to take thier 6 month old to Vanderbilt for open heart surgery last Thursday. Ethan, was born with down syndrome and needed to have the surgery soon. He had to be placed on a feeding tube during the weeks leading up to the surgery so that he could gain weight. The surgery went well and Ethan is doing great...they are watching him to make sure he doesn't develop phuenomia but other than that he is on the road to recovery. Can I just tell you that he is the cutest head full of bright red hair!!!
OH YEAH- I almost forgot. I went to this party with my friend Brittany at a photography studio. They have a girls night out once a year where they give out prizes and invite you to look at everything they offer. We met Anna there and the three of us walked around the studio (an old historic home) and oohhhhedd and ahhheedd. We ate really good food too! At the end of the night they gave away prizes.....I won a party for 20 catered by the same people who were catering that night...I am thinking we will use it for our AU/AL party and whatever is leftover for Thanksgiving (they are usually close). Brittany won an hour long massage....LUCKY!!

I've been bored for over 5 minutes now.

2008-09-08T08:52:00.004-04:00

So, since my life is pretty full right now...and thats a good thing...i haven't had a chance to be bored lately. Therefore, I haven't been blogging b/c I blog when I am bored. So here are some refreshing thoughts (ha, thats comical).
A. If we still lived in the hunter-gatherer era I would be the most awesome gatherer. Last weekend we went camping and before everyone else woke up I was outside gathering fire wood to cook our breakfast. I also collected blue and blackberries from around our camp site for breakfast. I'm pretty sure it was the best breakfast ever too... hard boiled eggs (yes on a campfire), bacon, smores (with reese cups), water and bananas.
B. Having long fingernails is not as great as you think. I'm pretty sure the cons out weight the pros (which is only one that I can think of - its pretty). I can't button my pants without stabbing my stomach, I can't pop the top of a coke can, I can't type well ( i am hitting two keys almost every time) and Im so concerned with breaking them that I have neglected other things.
C. Moving on- Ever since Pastor Reggie gave us the assignment to find an atheist and ask them why they believe that way (yes atheism is a belief) I have only been able to find christians wanting to tell me their views. THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM...just ironic. In the gym the other day this guy walked up, read my shirt and started a conversation with me about how much he loved the Lord, how we are the minority, how much he trusts God with his future and then as he was leaving he said "Nice to meet you Sister". Then in the line at Food City ( i went there b/c i had coupons, not b/c I have forgiven them for the video fiasco) I met a girl named Laura who was also using coupons and we got to chatting. She works for Campus Crusade and was inviting me to come to thier meetings. Then I went out to eat with my friends from school (point D) and for the first time we invited our husbands to join us. At one point Adam went riding in one of the husband's new cars and the girls were left alone to chat. Before you know it we were talking politics ( you weren't surprised huh?) and that led to Christ. The two girls I was talking to are Christians but admitted that they hadn't been to church in years. They were both interested in why I choose to live my life the way I do (with imperfection) and very interested in Heritage. Especially when I told them that our church is culturally relevant in the fact that we have what evereyone is looking for...CHRIST...we have what today's cultures wants...UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. We aren't putting on a concert every Sunday hoping that someone will be more entertained with church than with the re-runs they may find on TV at home. So anyways, God has really been showing himself to me this week and making my search for an atheist pretty hard!!
D. I have more friends from my graduate program than I ever had from Auburn. Isn't that weird? I mean I spent 4 years with the same group in the same building day after day and when I left there I only kept in contact with like 3 of them. All of my friends came from church. This is good and bad. It means I wasn't reaching out, but in the same sense I was spending my time with people who would bring me up, rather than pull me down. Just the opposite though has happened here at ETSU. I have only been in the program for a little over a year and I have about 10 really good friendships with people from class. There is a group of 5 girls that get together about every 3 weeks for dinner, and we just started inviting our husbands. I love growing these relationships outside of the classroom.
E. Wipeout has got to be the funniest show on TV. Seriously, on Tuesdays at 8 you will find Jerri, Adam and I in front of the TV laughing so hard that we are either holding our stomachs (adam), on the floor (Jerri) or slobbering (my attractive feature). It's not just the people falling and flipping that is funny, but the commentary is ridiculous. So here is my commerical for it....beware though it will crack you up!!!! If you get bored and want to watch it online, go to ABC, then their full episode player and then wipeout......you won't be dissapointed!!!

Sarah Palin

2008-09-04T08:54:00.002-04:00

Did anyone listen to Palin's speech last night? I couldn't because I took my migraine medicine and was dead to the world. However, first thing this morning I googled it and WOWZER!!!! I have to say that I think she touched on every point that has been made against her. I think she also did a great job representing McCain. I believe her to be someone who is truly looking out for what is good for America, not her own interest. She doesn't want to be fussed over as Vice President with unnecessary spending. As govenor she got rid of the private jet plane and personal chef...she prefers to drive herself to work. I was also very glad that she pointed out the "fine print" of Obama's tax increases. Following this post will be an attatched chart of who is raising what followed by some websights that confirm these figures.
The one thing that I was dissapointed in last night was Rudy Giuliana's speech before Palin. He was almost mocking Obama, which is just unneccessary. Let's just stick to the facts.
Here are some highlights from Palin's speech (for you Caroline).
***(Palin)To the families of special needs -- (cheers, applause) -- to the families of special needs children all across this country, I have a message for you. For years, you've sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. And I pledge to you that if we're elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House
***(Palin)To confront the threat that Iran might seek to cut off nearly a fifth of the world's energy supplies, or that terrorists might strike again at the Abqaiq facility in Saudi Arabia, or that Venezuela might shut off its oil discoveries and its deliveries of that source, Americans -- need to produce more of our own oil and gas. (Cheers, applause.) And take it from a gal who knows the North Slope of Alaska; we've got lots of both. (Cheers, applause, chanting.)Our opponents say again and again that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems, as if we didn't know that already. (Laughter.) But the fact -- the fact that drilling, though, won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all. (Cheers, applause.)
***(Palin on Obama)Government is too big. He wants to grow it.Congress spends too much money. He promises more. Taxes are too high, and he wants to raise them.His tax increase are the fine print in his economic plan. And let me be specific. The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes and raise payroll taxes and raise investment income taxes -- (boos) -- and raise the death tax -- (boos) -- and raise business taxes -- (boos) -- and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars. (Boos.)
***And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change. (Cheers, applause.)They are the ones whose names appear on laws and landmark reforms, not just on buttons and banners or on self-designed presidential seals.

2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE COMPARISON TALKING POINTS

ISSUE		JOHN McCAIN	BARAK OBAMA
Favors new drilling offshore U S		Yes	No
Will appoint judges who interpret the law not make it		Yes	No
Served in the US Armed Forces		Yes	0A No
Amount of time served in the US Senate		22 YEARS	173 DAYS
Will institute a socialized national health care plan		No	Yes
Supports abortion throughout the pregnancy		No	Yes
Would pull troops out of Iraq immediately		No	Yes
Supports gun ownership rights		Yes	No
Supports homosexual marriage		No	Yes
Proposed programs will mean a huge tax increase		No	Yes
Voted against making English the official language		No	Yes
Voted to give Social Security benefits to illegals		No	Yes
CAPITAL GAINS TAX
MCCAIN	0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples). McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.
OBAMA	28% on profit from ALL home sales. (How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income.)
DIVIDEND TAX
MCCAIN	15% (no change)
OBAMA	39.6% - (How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.')
INCOME TAX
MCCAIN (no changes)	Single making 30K - tax $4,500 Single making 50K - tax $12,500 Single making 75K - tax $18,750 Married making 60K- tax $9,000 Married making 75K - tax $18,750 Married making 125K - tax $31,250
OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)	Single making 30K - tax $8,400 Single making 50K - tax $14,000 Single making 75K - tax $23,250 Married making 60K - tax $16,800 Married making 75K - tax $21,000 Married making 125K - tax $38,750 Under Obama, your taxes could almost double!
INHERITANCE TAX
MCCAIN	- 0% (No chan ge, Bush repealed this tax)
OBAMA	Restore the inheritance tax Many families have lost businesses, farms, ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes.
NEW TAXES PROPOSED BY OBAMA
New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet. New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already) New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity) New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not least....New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!!!
		& nbsp;

You can verify the above at the following web sites:

http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/election/2008/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.taxes.html

http://elections.foxnews.com/?s=proposed+tax es

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/politics/articles/mccain_obama_offer_different_visions_on_taxes.html

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/barack_obama/

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/john_mccain/

CAUTION....this could be classified as my soapbox.

2008-09-02T09:01:00.002-04:00

So, this weekend we headed off to camp, hike, play frisbee golf and enjoy the weather. However, this has taken me away from the computer for 3 whole days (gasp)....days in which I have been thinking and discussing politics with any and everyone I can. While I was talking to someone about Obama's view of abortion they said "well that isn't so big that it would keep me from voting for him".....HELLO!!!! In my mind, the way he deals with abortion says a lot about his character. He is saying that if you get yourself into trouble, but don't want to deal with the consequences then just get rid of the problem...even if the problem is an unborn child. He is saying that there are not consequences for our actions, and that the answer is not to be more responsible but to give people the option of facing that responsibility. I am well aware that there are "unwanted pregnancies". My cousin was raped at a party, gave birth to a beautiful little girl and then died 2 years later from AIDS ( which she got from the rapist). That was an unwanted pregnancy but not an unwanted child. If you are on the fence about the seriousness of abortion let me show you scripture that might change your mind. The book of Amos (which is what my community group is studying -good job Morgan) is set up as different war oracles to 6 different territories surrounding Isreal. Amos is setting up the wickedness that occured in all the places and the destruction that God sent to show Isreal its fallen ways and the punishment they also deserved.
In Amos 1: 13 This is what the LORD says:
"For three sins of Ammon,
even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}.
Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead
in order to extend his borders,
If anyone else gasped (as did Brittany and I) while reading this then you get the picture. The Ammonites not only killed the people of Gilead but ripped open the women and killed what would be the next generation. Sounds a lot like abortion huh?This is the punishment that God promised to Ammon.

14 I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah
that will consume her fortresses
amid war cries on the day of battle,
amid violent winds on a stormy day.

15 Her king ^[g] will go into exile,
he and his officials together,"
says the LORD.

He promises to destroy thier own boundaries, take away thier military headquarters, send violent winds and last but not least send all authority figures into exile. Which brings up another good point. As my friend Brittany pointed out last night, you can not take a back seat when it comes to this election. We are given authority to vote for a leader who will represent our nation. Therefore, we are just as responsible for the actions of America as they are.

I know that some people don't like to discuss politics or just don't care but I think you should count yourself lucky that you live where you are given the right to care!!

Barack vs. Bush

2008-08-29T09:25:00.003-04:00

So, Adam and I decided to watch Obama give his acceptance speech last night since we were informed that if we didn't we would miss history in the making. Since it came on at 10 ( quite late for us) we napped from about 6:30-8ish.
When everyone else (democratic senators and Al Gore) who hates "the last 8 years" got done talking, Obama walked out and said "thank you" a million times before the crowd got quiet enough for him to speak. I have to admit that he is a good speaker, and I like 75% of what he said.
I do think that college tuition is ridiculous and if you are like me you will leave college with some amount of loans to pay back. He said that he will make it to where if you promise to stay and work in the community you will get your college paid for. Well this is already the case..if you have government loans and work in a Title 1 school, then each year they will forgive a portion of your loans. So nothing new.
I also agree that we should promote the education system and encourage science and technology...HELLO..heard of a little thing called NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND?...and by the way if you are going to slam it as not being productive then just know that the last Democrat "Clinton" was the one who got the program going again, Bush just renamed it.
What I didn't like was the way that Obama seemed to be running against Bush....and talking about how we can't repeat the last 8 years. Well, as much as people dislike Bush, let's see if you could do a better job. I don't know why he felt he had to slam Bush..since McCain is who he is running against.
AND PLEASE OH PLEASE don't bring up the fact that you have the upmost respect for McCain for serving in the military and fighting for us.....pause to let everyone clap...and then say "Its not that McCain doesn't care, he just doesn't get it". That is not showing respect. If anything, say you have respect and show it, or don't say you have respect just to pay lip service.
He also said that McCain said we could just muddle through Afghanistan. Well as Adam recalled, McCain has said that he thinks we could have handled things differently, and maybe not have gone to war....its all how you twist things.
In the end this is what gets me the most. As he was wrapping up his speech he says this "We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country"....YOU ARE RIGHT OBAMA....we dont agree on Abortion, because you think its OK...and we know that is not the truth. Are you asking us to compromise?...Are you asking us to turn the other way so that people can get rid of thier responsibilities?
Finally, you have this picture of an African American family that includes two adorable little girls, holding hands with a white family (the Bidens) waving to you from the podium. If this doesn't win over America, I don't know what will. I am almost positive that he will win this election b/c America is ready to have an African American president, so ready that it will overlook all of the new taxes he will enforce, all of the gay relationships he will endorse and all of the innocent babies he will let die.

Let me just note that I am very aware that each party has flaws...however, abortion and gay marriage is not something I am willing to compromise on.
McCain has not secured my vote just yet either.

The Last Lecture

2008-08-21T11:27:00.002-04:00

Well I just spent the last 45 minutes trying to keep my composure as I watched an ABC special about Randy Pausch who wrote "The Last Lecture". You have probably heard about this guy...he was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was already a mentor to many of his students and gave motivational speeches, but when he found out about the cancer he wrote his "last lecture" for his kids. It is full of advice on life and stories from his childhood. Some that stick out are "tell the truth, all the time", "a bad apology is better than no apology" and "wait to marry until you find someone that you care more about thier happiness than your own". He waited til he was 39 to marry and they have two boys and a girl..ages 6, 4 and 2. The thing that got me the most was that during his interview with Diane Sawyer he stopped her from ending the show and said "you forgot to ask me one question"..she said "what is that". He said "are they going to make my life into a movie"..and he said the answer was "No, because there isn't an actress out there pretty enough to play my wife"....talk about heartbreak. During the whole interview he and his wife kept looking at each other trying to savor each and every moment. They decided not to tell thier kids that daddy was sick until he was laying on his deathbed. That way they would match the word sick with how thier dad looked and they would understand it better. He wrote the last lecture for them, made videotapes for them all and left behind letters to be opened later on in each one of thier lives. He lived until May which was 6 months past the doctors expectations. In April he gave the commencement speech at Carnegie Mellon and at the end he wished everyone would find a love like he had...then he walked across stage and gave his wife a huge kiss...and picked her up and carried her off stage...one month away from dying, with fluid in his lungs and a failed kidney. On her last birthday with him alive his wife says she whispered in his ear "please don't die, because you will take all the magic with you". This is one of the best inspirational stories I have heard. I think we can learn alot about finding satisfaction in our lives, especially when things don't seem fair. The one thing that they didn't touch on was his religion...he wanted to keep that private. I wish that either (A) if he was a Christian he woud have talked about it and given a testimony that would have been so well recieved after watching his life and death or (B) that he would had left the message of Christ with his kids..since that is the most important thing a parent can pass on to thier kids. If you want to watch this special go to ABC.com...go to full episodes and then to "The Last Lecture: A Celebration of Life". I have to warn you though, get your kleenex out.

My week at home.

2008-08-18T14:16:00.002-04:00

So, I came back to work today...after having 9 glorious days off from all 3 jobs and class!!! It felt weird to be apart from Adam for 6 of those days and I think we both agree that these times apart should not be a frequent thing. I got real upset when it was time to tell Adam bye...and I felt really stupid with everyone watching. I didn't know I would be that emotional..honestly. Anyways, some highlights from my week at home were as follows.
Saturday-watching the opening of the Olympic games with my parents, adam's parents, my brother, adam's brother jason and his girlfriend Ashley and then kicking thier butt in Settlers of Caatan!!!
Sunday night-my dad rubbed my head while watching TV....he did this everynight when I was growing up..and now Adam does it... .... me, spoiled?, what?
Monday-working out with Virg at the gym, dinner at Olive Garden with my Papa, Aunt Robin and brother
Tuesday-Eating at a Thai restaurant in Tuscaloosa with my mom and Jason, Adam's brother...it was soooo good..we got edamame for an appetizer and Thai Teas (coconut milk + creamy goodness).
Wednesday-Starbucks in Tuscaloosa (b/c it was free) and going to my old church for youth group meeting that night. I got to talk to my friend Allison too!
Thursday-PENSACOLA BEACH WITH STEPH AND VIRG!!!! CAN"T BEAT THAT!!!
Friday- Time with my Nana and Papa and Goat (their new baby deer)..i will post pictures of him soon...I hadn't been there in sooo long...since they always come to my house to see me.
Saturday-Seeing my hubby for the first time in 6 days...he laughed at me for being so sunburnt but then planted a big one on me....can't say I blame him. Then we went to IKEA and loaded up..I LOVE THAT PLACE...and the finale was seeing my 2 kids (cats) at home....what a good week!

Countertops

2008-08-08T08:17:00.006-04:00

Here are the before and after of our weekend project. We decided to do a green venetian plaster backsplash instead of a jungle green kitchen. The color was pretty but would have been overwhelming. The plaster is buffed and burnished and feels like glass....we actually had some left over from one of our clients in Auburn so it cost us nothing.

What we have done so far:
Put down tile floors
New countertops
New backsplash
Painted Dining room

Left to do:
Shoe molding in kitchen
Paint kitchen-Beige
Tile entry way
Tile bathrooms (maybe)
Paint stairwell and upstairs hallway

We will see how far we get in the year we have left before moving off to Jerusalem!!
On the other side of the kitchen is where the 5 new feet of countertop space will go...we just have to install cabinetry underneath!!

Kitchen before-pink countertops, linoleum floors
Kitchen After-tile floors, new countertops and backsplash

Close up of venetian plaster after it was buffed and burnished

Seriously?

2008-08-07T09:32:00.009-04:00

Obama the Patriot-Removes American Flag From His Plane
Barack Obama recently finished a $500,000 total overhaul of his 757. And as part of the new design, he decided to remove the American flag from the tail...What American running for President of the United States would remove the symbol of his country? And worse, he replaced the flag with his own symbol.

Adam and I just registered to vote in Tennessee so I was doing a little research on who I wanted to vote for. I have heard a lot of negative ideas coming from both sides, however, this scares me. I know who I won't be voting for.

August 5th

2008-08-05T10:18:00.003-04:00

So the Harvell house has been pretty busy lately. We spent almost all of our weekend in the kitchen, putting in new countertops and a backsplash. We had pink countertops-when our townhouse was built they put in pink countertops...why?, don't ask me!! Adam did a great job installing the new ones that are tan (dark and light) with some green in them ...there was a lot more work that had to be done than I had originally thought. They look great and in the end we were able to add almost 5 more ft of counterspace. Then we decided to use venetian plaster as our backsplash....a faux finish. Its a deep green and we burnished it to look like stone..its beautiful and I am very pleased with our new little kitchen. It has come so far from the nasty linoleum floors and pink countertops. I will post before and after pictures tomorrow.
Also, we have been scrambling to get me a plane ticket. I have 9 whole days off starting this Friday at 10!!!! For some odd reason all 3 of my jobs gave me that week off and my class ended today!! So we are going to Huntsville this weekend to stay with Adam's family. My family is driving up on Saturday to hang out as well and then I will go home with them. I plan on visiting both sets of grandparents, my aunt, my BEST FRIEND VIRG!!, lots of hanging out with my brother (i miss him) and parents and hitting the beach at least 3 days. I am stoked. Then I will fly back to atlanta on Saturday where Adam is going to meet me for a nice day spent at Ikea and the Aquarium before coming home that night. I have never flown by myself before but I think I will manage. I am much more saddened by the thought of being away from Adam for a whole week....I know, I know...its just a week. But still, I will miss that weirdo!!
As much as we have been busy, we know a lot of people who have been busier with new babies this week!!! Let me just list them all to you. Sunday night Adam's boss had thier baby, a boy Brendan, Tuesday our friend Stephanie had her baby, a girl Lara Dale, Friday Carlyn had her baby girl, Pearl Carolee, Saturday our friend Angela had her baby girl, Hannah Elizabeth and Sunday night my boss's daughter had her baby, a girl Molly Elizabeth. I mean that is a lot of babies!!! We were talking about how crazy it is too that some of them were actually born on thier due date...GO FIGURE!!! SO CONGRATULATIONS to all of you new moms and dads!!
Other than that we have been eating a lot of veggies lately since we have a friend who brings me organic zucchini, squash, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant and herbs. I have made a ton of zucchini break which is OH SO GOOD, eggplant parmesan, veggie lasagna, veggie pizza and some veggie soup(which was gross). YUM

Men and Summer

2008-08-01T15:47:00.004-04:00

Just because you tuck your tank top in does not give you the right to wear it out of your house.

I saw two men today with pastel colored tank top shirts on. They were confident that their khaki pants and sock-less shoes were merely an addition to the beautiful piece of fabric(hardly any piece) that hung from their shoulders and slipped carelessly under their belts. Thankfully they wore belts. I am not one for fashion, just ask Kinzie, but cut-offs and anything to show those pythons off is just not appropriate for the public sector.

Don't tuck it in please.....it takes away from the ambiance of the entire outfit.
thank you

BUGS=ANNOYING

2008-07-29T09:32:00.002-04:00

I'm not kidding at all when I say that BUGS (any kind) really ANNOY me!! I went for a run yesterday at Willow Springs and although I have already been out there 3 times to pick blackberries I saw some huge ones that I could not resist. However, the bugs found this prize patch too. They are very territorial, those june bugs and yellow jackets. I mean I would have to run up, snatch one and run away as they threw themselves at me like a suicide bomber!!! I hate the sounds that June Bugs make too.... It sounds like an amped up version of that symphony song Flight of the Bumblebee...which is nerve wracking anyways. Adam thinks I'm crazy but I promise that when he is with me that can smell MAN and they don't attack as much. I know the people at Willow Springs think I am a nutcase, darting in and our of bushes, screaming and flailing my arms. I took Jerri with me last week and talk about CRAZINESS....we scared each other more than the bugs scared us....people probably thought we were beating on each other as much as we screamed. In the end I have collected a freezer bag worth of blackberries. You couldn't pay me a 100 bucks for that bag since blood, sweat and tears have gone into it. So far I have made a blackberry cobbler and 5 jars of blackberry jam..YUMMY. I was thinking that should invent a temporary bug bomb...that just puts the bugs into a deep sleep for like 10 minutes, just long enough for you to grab all the berries and high tail it out there before the bugs wake up. Oh AND...the bugs have totally ruined the country, down home, warm, grandparent memories I have while picking blackberries. When you think of berries, cobblers, june bugs and summer you think of grandparents...well I do. Now, that the bugs have become my sworn enemies I think of nothing but survival while out in the battlefield called Willow Springs Park!!!!!

July 26th..really?

2008-07-26T15:09:00.002-04:00

So my brain is a like a slushie right now....like a big Powerade slushie from Sonic...this gives me physical pains to once again be in the passenger seat of Chief with Virginia, downing our slushies after a grueling match of tennis in Auburn. Anyways, I just finished a book by Karen Kingsbury called Divine. Adam's mom gave it to me centuries ago and I just now got into it. However, after page one I was addicted and read it in two 2 hour settings. That is the story of my life with books. I probably won't read another book until say November but when I do it will be fast and furious and then I will reflect on it for another 3 months. This book is a modern day Mary Magdelene story set in D.C. That is what hooked me, the minute I read Washington D.C. I thought "yes, i was just there and I will know everything she is talking about". Wrong. It really had nothing to do with D.C. and everything to do with the Divine power of Christ, hence the name. One thing that I wanted to share thought was a scripture used in this story from Joel 2 :25 " 25And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you." Let me set this up for you without giving the whole story away. Mary Madison (clever huh) and her grandmother have been seperated for years, despite the fact that they both are looking for one another. When Mary voices sadness over the years that they lost her grandmother quotes this scripture to her. It immediately struck me as a verse that I felt as if I should cry out to God. God, Im so sorry for all of my wasted years here on earth, let me make it up to you, let me serve you longer and better and more faithfully to make up for those years when I turned my back on you, for the years that the locust ate!!! Just a thought. That verse could probably apply to several other areas in our lives as well.

Acts 9

2008-07-23T09:52:00.002-04:00

So if you haven't ever read Acts 9 you should do so. I am studying it for Adam's lesson on Sunday and WHEW, what an awesome adventure!! I want to comment on it but I'll have to do so later...so read it and tell me what you think!!!
P.S.- read acts 1-9 to really get the jist of what is going on before Saul's conversion!!!
So this chapter is proof that the Bible is soo not boring. HELLO..have you ever been sent down in a basket because people were on your tail for preaching Christ?
AND to add to Angela's comment...(paraphrasing Adam) Aninias walked into to see Saul and spouted off a reason to kill him " The Lord Jesus came to me"...he is saying that he is a Christ follower to the very man who is known for killing christians. What faith!!
It also makes me think about my past. Saul was known for hating christians but once he began to speak and the disciples saw his countenance they knew that he was genuine in his transformation. As I think back to college and high school I wonder if my transformation would be considered genuine. I was a Christian then, yet my life did not support that claim. Sometimes I wonder what I could do or say to show people Christ at my high school reunion and whether or not people would blow it off as they remember my past. I think we have to push through our past sin and recognize Christs strength....wasn't that last Sunday's sermon on sanctification. To be miserable in our weakness but rejoice in Christs strength. To use the laws to show us where we fall short and invite Christ to come in and make up for it? To allow Him to glory in our bad habits, evil lifestyles, horrible faults and pleasures of the flesh?
Just some thoughts that were provoked after reading Acts 9.
Our friend, Joel Sasnett, found this article online about What the Tomb and Calvary actually looked like...from an archaeologist perspective..its pretty neat...check it out.
http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/07/what-did-calvary-look-like-interview.html
http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/07/what-did-jesus-tomb-look-like-interview.html

Traditions

2008-07-17T11:32:00.002-04:00

So, I thought this would be neat to see what people leave me!!
Do you have any speical traditions within your family or with friends?
For my immediate family we always call the person whose birthday it is and sing to them Happy Birthday regardless of how bad we sound. Needless to say I was greeted with my dad, mom and brother's voices at 8 o'clock this morning.
My immediate family also does a money routine on Christmas that my dad's parents started when he was little. The children get however old they are in 1 dollar bills. Needless to say my dad is racking up. Chris and I always count ours just to make sure we dont get jipped! :)
For Adam's family they always open one present on Christmas Eve.
For my bigger family we get together every two years for a reunion back in florida where most of them live.
For my friends from Auburn we have started a tradition of getting together every other 4th of July at someone's house. Two years ago we went to St. Louis , and this year we went to D.C.
As for Adam and I , well he started one this morning. He got up at the crack of dawn and made me pancakes with blackberry syrup. So sweet..i mean this guy never wakes up a minute before he has too and he had them ready for me so that I could still be at work by 8 o'clock.

So what are your traditions with your families/ friends?

Too Busy

2008-07-15T11:01:00.003-04:00

If you are too busy for God than you just too busy.

Lately I have had a thirst, a real physical thirst for scripture. Its something I have been praying for. Its a great desire to have and I hope to never quench it. However, my days are just soo busy. I have 3 jobs....this is not a complaint :). I have 3 jobs that pay and that is wonderful. But, these three jobs and my grad classes can get quite overwhelming and my bible continues to go unread even though I carry it around in hopes that I will have a 10-15 minute break throughout the day. I have to admit that I could wake up at 6:30 instead of 7...I could read from 10-11 instead of watching tv to lull me to sleep. I think that I need to re prioritize (spelling?) my time. So sorry Jon and Kate- I may watch one less episode of you and your sweet kids this week. Sorry Elvis and Priscilla, I may start treating you like cats instead of children a little more often. Sorry to my 3 bosses, I may not volunteer to work those extra hours anymore. Sorry to my 2 blankets that I still have at least 2 days worth of crocheting left to do. Sorry Adam the house may be a little less clean and there may be some laundry and dishes that pile up. Otherwise I will be really sorry for ignoring my Savior and this thirst that He has given me.

2 John 5 :3
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

First year of marriage

2008-07-10T09:39:00.003-04:00

Its a coming!!! On July 21st Adam and I will celebrate one year of being hitched! I just have to say this......it makes me laugh to think how stupid I was coming into it. I mean, you take two nasty ragamuffins (to use angela's word) and expect them to fuse their entire lives...and they better do it with smiles as they skip and hold hands through dandelions and clouds. GAG. Marriage is so much more than that. I think I can safely speak for both of us when I say that our love for each other has deepened so much in the past year....and its not a dandelion and cloud love either. It's a respectful, I know you, I know your faults, I know your weaknesses, I want to spur you on to Christ love. I am so glad that we went to pre-marital counseling...because we have experienced almost everything that our pastor warned us of. Communication, Money, Our new families and add on Graduate school...i mean without God we wouldn't have a chance. I'm just going to be honest and say that there have been times when we have let our problems get the best of us...its hard to live off of one income, support each others hobbies (i just dont like disc golf and he will never understand scrapbooking) make a whole new set of friends, and figure out what career we both want. Now, with saying all of this when I think back over our last year of marriage and our 1 year of dating and engagement the sweetest memories I have are the times when we were focused on God and excited to serve Him. There is no greater responsibility that a husband and wife share than encouraging the other onto being faithful and deepening thier dependance on Christ. It only makes sense that Christ would allow us to enter into this relationship, so that we can see a glimpse (and that is probably to big) of His love for His Bride. Just as I want to be beautiful and blemish free in Adam's eyes, so much more does Christ make us clean when presenting us to God. To make each other spotless Adam and I must keep each other accountable for our shortcomings and find joy and satisfaction in Christ. I can't help but think that this one year of marraige and all of its newness and excitement is nothing when compared to the eternity that we will spend in Heaven. Its wonderful to know that as great of a life that God has provided me on earth that I better keep my fork, because something better is coming.
Love you Adam.....Thank you for being attentive to God as you seek out a future for us.

A Food Journal

2008-07-07T08:36:00.011-04:00

So if you were cheering me on in my food journal quest THANKS, however its not working. Its not working because frankly I already eat a pretty good diet and my love for sweets is not something that can be tamed with a journal. Therefore instead of wasting precious room (:)) on our blog space with names of food I think I am just going to exercise more. So there.....life is too short to write down every morsel i put into my body. Although, after doing a food journal for about 3 weeks I must say that I think long and hard about having that 2nd helping!!

I've Been Thinking

2008-07-01T21:10:00.002-04:00

So...here are some random thoughts .
A-I think that there should be an "extra emergency" brake in standard vehicles. I say this b/c I almost took out 12 cars...no joke. Adam and I have traded vehicles since he drives longer to work than I do and my car gets better mileage than his. One of the first days after our switch I pulled into ETSU gym and was thinking about everything except for the dumb truck. So I am almost inside the gym and I hear a "THUD". I turn around and see a white truck out in the middle of the road up on the median. I think "wow, someone just drove right into that median". This guy that was walking in behind me said "Isn't that your vehicle?". I was like "OH CRAP, THAT IS MY HUSBAND'S TRUCK"..I literally ran all the way to the truck in this horrible panic. I have to say that God was truly watching out for us that day because my truck could have hit at least 5 nice cars and 7 others. Luckily, when I parked I left the wheels turned all the way to the left, so the truck rolled back down the hill and went in a complete circle, out in to the middle of the main road and up onto the median, where it sat waiting for me!!!!! The guy that told me it was my vehicle ran with me and had a hard time not laughing. I mean seriously, he probably think I fell off the tater truck yesterday. I just had not driven Adam's truck long enough to recognize it. You can ask him this, but if it weren't for my AU sticker on my car I would walk right past it. I just dont pay attention to cars that much. So, therefore I say that standard vehicles should have an automatic emergency brake that clicks into gear when you park.
B- I don't think that cats have any control over thier tails. Well at least not our two. We have a low coffee table that Adam built in our living room. When we eat in front of the tv we have to watch our plates when the cats come around. Their tail flails about and inevitably land in our food....GROSS. Also, when I am brushing my teeth and they sit on the sink to admire themselves I always end up spitting on thier tail since 99% of the time some part of it is in the sink. I guess I always thought of their tail as a 5th ummm....leg? I don't know..I just wish that they would watch where their tail is at!
C-I wish that they would make lactose free milk that tastes as good as the real deal...and by the real deal I mean skim. I am a sucker for milk....I mean I crave it...in big batches. However, I am also lactose intolerant and suffer bad stomachaches and other nastiness from it. I have tried organic milk, soy milk and powdered milk....give me a break..I don't buy it! It all tastes like a fake! So I guess I either have to get going on a milk like liquid minus the milk, or just drink something else....I think I'll do neither and guzzle down another cup before bed!!!!
D-They should make a fat free, sugar free, cheesecake flavored yogurt.
E-I have decided that I will wear sunscreen daily. I have been putting 50 on face everyday before going outside. I have just read and heard too many horror stories about young girls dying of skin cancer. I think I will just slather on some of that nasty smelling self tanner from now on and call it day. I have to admit that I could lay in the sun all day long...but now I will just do it with a thick layer of sunscreen between me and Mr. Sun. I also think that maybe one day when I am older I will thank myself for wearing sunscreen. Who knows...maybe I won't wrinkle up so bad either!!!
Thats it...just some random current thoughts to put down. We are heading to D.C. for the 4th to hang out with Joel, Caroline, Virg, Brenna, Shane, Baby KEWL, Adam B and his new girlfriend! I SO CANT WAIT!! There is nothing like meeting up with your college buddies and catching up. I get all warm and tingly just thinking about!

A Time for Prayer

2008-06-26T13:59:00.002-04:00

I asked my friend if I could share this and she said "yes, I need prayer warriors on my side".

My friend Beth is 21 and was just served divorce papers yesterday. She met her husband last year while visiting her aunt. They were completely smitten with each other and Beth says that God was a very real part of thier relationship. Her husband, we will call him Mr. Man, was already in the army and knew that he would be going to Japan for a while and then off to Iraq. They dated for about 2 weeks before he left for Japan and continued to talk online and through letters. Mr. Man actually proposed online to Beth after 3 months of dating and they decided to get married when he came home for Christmas. That is when things started going downhill. Beth sought after God for confirmation on this fast moving relationship. She was in the middle of school, planning a wedding and finding a new home. She and Mr. Man began to fight and eventually she went to a counselor. That seemed to help and they decided that Christmas was the right time. They planned a small ceremony with only the immediate family present and then a larger reception. Let me also say that Beth became extremely close to Mr. Man's family while he was gone to Japan...she called them constantly, stayed the night at thier home and fit right in. Anyways, they went on a cruise for thier honeymoon and then spent 2 more weeks together before he had to go back to Japan. Beth planned to go spend 3 weeks with her new husband before he got shipped to Iraq. She flew to Japan by herself and everything went downhill. When she got there she learned of some strongholds that her husband had not yet dealt with. She was also told that she was not good enough for him and not what he wanted anymore. They spent the whole time in Japan arguing and he threatened to divorce her several times. Beth came back to the states very depressed and not knowing what was going to happen next. Since then she has not talked to her husband...this was back in April. He was shipped to Iraq and has refused to talk to her. He changed his status on facebook to single, took away all the pictures of them together and got started on a divorce. His family backs his decision to divorce-beth says that in his family its not a big deal and there isn't a lot of couples still on thier first marriage for him to look to as an example. She has begged with her in laws to talk to her, to accept her apologies, to think of her as family still. She has tried to contact Mr. Man and has had no luck. She has been going to a doctor and was diagnosed as being "biploar" and depressed. She told me that she doesn't eat, can't sleep and spends every waking moment reading books on How to pray for your husband, How to have a Godly marriage, How to be a better person. She is trying so hard to become a wife that someone would want (even though she knows that perfection does not exist). Yesterday when she got home from being with family for the weekend she was greeted by the divorce papers. Her husband has given his mother power of attorney and she has signed them. Now Beth has to decide whether or not to sign them or to hold out. Mr. Man will not be back until November so nothing will be finalized til then. It breaks my heart to hear her talk about all of this. She is 21 and way to young (in my mind) to be dealing with this. During our conversation I told her how sorry I was for not keeping up with her as much as I should have, I just couldn't seem to find words. She turned it right around and said that she was also sorry for not keeping up with our friendship but it was hard for her to think about me and adam. She told me that she was jealous of our relationship, that we were the ideal couple and lately when her mom would mention me she would have to ask her to refrain. This made me realize two things. A- I really do have a great husband, one who is willing to work things out with me and who has his eyes set on Heaven. B- That like my friend I need to be willing to be more transparent with my life. I told her that yes, Adam and I are happy, but also that we are far from perfect and not worthy of idealizing. Of course we post fun pictures and good things b/c I personally do not wish to showcase our arguments or rough days. However, when I said that her response was that she "wanted people to know and witness someone worshipping and glorifying God through a horrible time in thier life". Isn't that awesome? If we were all a little more honest with each other I think we would all be better able to lift one another up and stay accountable. I beg of you to pray for my friend Beth. She is truly seeking God's will out and knows that He still has great big plans for her future. She is an open book and is inspiring to talk too. Please pray for her husband as well. Pray that his heart would be softened to God and that his families past would not influence his future. This is such a great oppurtunity for God to show his power in both of thier lives and for anyone who is watching them.

Christianity For Sale

2008-06-25T16:08:00.002-04:00

preaching Biblically and not letting the church look like the rest of the world".That is the end of a commentary on a book called "The Courage to be a Prostetant" by Dr. Wells. Our pastor, Reggie Weems, is reading it and commenting about it on his blog. I have been really torn lately between what seems to be two different agendas in the church. I know where my heart stands and that is what makes it difficult to see where others believe they are justified. We have had 3 pastors that have resigned in the last month. One isn't quite sure where God is leading him, one is leaving to go to Florida and the other is leaving to start another church in Johnson City(please let me add that I am not speaking for these men, their personal doctrine or thier integrity. In fact I respect all three of thier decisions to leave and pray that God will bless them tremondously in thier new ministries. I do not know any one of these pastors well enough to know where they stand and why they feel like now is a good time to leave. I do not want to assume anything but I am going to talk about what I have seen).
I have seen and felt tension about the ways we "market" our church. I do not personally know why we need to glam up, spice up, adorn or modernize the gospel. This seems like a big punch in the stomach....you know, like what we know as the Truth isn't good enough. I will be the first to admit that I enjoy a good song with loud instruments and clapping. I also enjoy metaphors in the preaching that give me a visual for certain ideas presented.However, we have to draw the line somewhere. The church is not a comedy club where you will laugh until you wet your pants. It is not the local theater where you should sit and stare aimlessly while being entertained. The church is not the local school where you are graded on your knowledge and expected to keep up (socially,academically) with everyone else. The church is not a country club where your membership dues allow you to surround yourself with others just like you who want to "hang out". In other words the church should not look like the rest of the world.It is set apart. The ministry of the church is to first glorify Christ. This can be done in several ways but as christians we should be concerned with the truth...the BIBLE. When we start diluting it, skipping over it and adding to it for the sake of making it a more consumer friendly book, then we have failed.As far as ministering to children goes, I think there is a point where they need to be less entertained and encouraged to desire something better, something deeper. I am all for VBS and Disciple Now (that is where I gave my heart to Christ). BUT, when those things are simply done for the mere sake of getting our numbers higher and to have a good time we are missing the point. Children are so impressionable, which is even more reason to teach them the truth of the gospel, gory parts and all!I don't want to come off as having a nasty attitude towards people who market thier church but I do want to voice my opinon on what I feel is a dangerous road to take. When we start treating members as consumers, we are only going to offer them the things they want....which excludes punishment for sins, the real presence of satan, the wrath of our God and the wickedness we are clothed in. We all need to be presented with and challenged with God's word. Why else would we exist after conversion? If the point was to accept Christ then we would be taken up in a cloud after our profession. Instead we are to live out our lives in a way that produces fruit, evangelizing our world (our own small world too) and sharpening ourself to mirror the image of Christ.I would love to hear what other people think about this. I do not wish to impose my beliefs on anyone, but in turn I will never not speak up in fear that I will offend someone. Please keep Heritage in your prayers as we go through this transition period. Please remember Adam and I as well as we take over the Newlywed Community Group....we want to be very sensitive to our groups needs and to the direction God is taking us all in.

I took this blog down for a day or two because of some comments made. I wanted to think about what I was saying and what I was implying. Adam encouraged me to put it back up, as well as several others. I only wish to find out where God stands on this issue.

My Biggest Fan

2008-06-24T14:57:00.004-04:00

So, last night Adam gave me an early birthday present....23 days early to be exact. It was a shirt that said "I'd rather be watching Jon & Kate plus 8" PRICELESS!!! I mean who doesn't like those people. A-they are christians and have made it clear that God has a place in thier home. B-They are good parents....who attempts to take 8 children under the age of 9 skiing? C-Those are some cute little chilren (thats right chilren). I know that these comments don't exactly fit with my ideas of not having any biological children but if I had to I would want 6 little asian babies! So obviously I am a fan of that show AND obviously my husband pays attention to me and knew that the shirt would make my day. He is my biggest fan!!! LOVE YOU SUGARPANTS!!

Sweetness

2008-06-06T15:57:00.003-04:00

My grandpa makes me smile. He has been calling me lately at the weirdest timea just to say "hey" and that he "was thinking about me" and "loves me". Last night at 11 my phone rang and it was him. He said "did i wake u up?" and when i replied no, he said "well then its no fun". He quickly asked why i sounded so tired and then said " I was just calling to say Hey and that i love you". That was it. Short and sweet. This is the 2nd time in the past month he has called me just to say that. It makes me tear up. About 3 months ago he had cancer removed from his nose for the 2nd time. This was never life threatening but it was a big deal. He and my grandma have been together for over 50 years and they love to tease each other. Every time we get together (u can ask Adam) we all end up laughing hysterically at the stories they both share about being newlyweds with 5 younger kids (2 of my mom's brothers died when they were 4 and 5 from a car wreck). I can probably repeat the stories to you word for word but I'd much rather hear it coming from them.
I have to admit that the first time my Papa called it really freaked me out. He has never been one to call anyone..he lets my grandma call and after we get done talking he'll grab the phone, say Hi and Bye and get off. So when he called and just said " i love you" i called my mom frantically thinking that something was wrong or that he had just found out some horrible news. She called him and he said that he had just been thinking about his grandkids lately and wanted to call me.
When I was younger I spent every summer with my grandparents on their farm in Florida. My parents both worked and they would leave me up there from the day I got out of school til about a week before I went back. This meant that I spent a large amount of time helping my grandpa with their 2 horses. When I turned 5 they bought me my own horse and I named it "Tweety". Tweety was way too big for me to handle so they traded Tweety in and got me "Shadow"- a pony. I rode Shadow almost every day during that summer and my Papa trained us both :). One weekend when my parents came up to visit I decided it was time for my papa to let go of the reins and let me show my parents what I had learned. However, during my little show, someone forgot to lock Dolly and Shotgun (the other two horses) up in the other field and they came bolting at Shadow-which freaked her out. Needless to say she started bucking and threw me into the electric wire that surrounded the riding pen. I don't know who was more concerned..my parents or my grandpa. I dont remember even being bruised by that but I became very scared of horses and only got back on one in 10th grade to ride Shotgun for a show at my grandma's country themed VBS. Anyways, that whole story was just one of the memories I have with my grandpa.
Living up there during the summer also meant that I got to spend a ton of time with my great grandma, who died only 5 years ago. We would pick butterbeans, make tomatoes and rice and eat ice cream. She was Pentacostal and never cut her hair, wore make-up, shaved her legs, wore jewelry or wore pants. She didn't own a TV and loved to listen to the radio. At Christmas time we would catch her watching the TV at our house..i think Animal Planet fascinated her!
My great grandma, grandparents and cousins all live on the same dirt road, Kinzie Lane, named after the first grandchild (and probably favorite :) ME. So summer's were also spent with all of my cousins, which is why we are all still close. Most people don't get the chance to become close to their extended family but I now realize how lucky I was. It was very important to me that every single one of my cousins were in my wedding, since I literally grew up with them.
I really just wanted to write this blog about my grandparents and how much they mean to me. I just started remembering stories and got sidetracked. I actually just sent my grandpa a long email and some pictures. He is pretty good on the computer and sends me updated pictures of my cousins and pictures of his pet deer. I am so fortunate to have such a good relationship with them. I will never get tired of their 11 o'clock phone calls just to say "I love you"
This is a picture from my wedding. Left to right -Nana, Mom, Me, Brother, Dad, Papa

I want you to touch.

2008-06-05T13:59:00.003-04:00

TO be honest....I don't want you to touch. I just realized that I touch hundreds of peoples hands every week. Not just by touching monies, but I actually touch their physical hands. With the exchange of change comes the touching of cupped hands to ensure a clean disbursement of coins....."that is gross" you might be thinking. Well it is actually. Millions of germs flow from the bathroom, which is right around the corner from the gift shop, to my hands and to the money and items in the gift shop. I haven't even started talking about the candy that is just sitting there collecting dust-dead skin cells and grime from the floor. Now that I have your attention.

Enough grotesque images or maybe not. We are traveling this weekend and you know what that means. GAS PRICES!!!!!!! That's right, we are going to spend close to $100 smackers just to get from point A to point B. Kinzie could tell you that I do not enjoy grocery shopping for the main reason that I don't like to spend money on food. What a waste. I just eat it then it is gone, just like paying monthly for things I don't even use or use completely (phone bills, INSURANCE, home warranties, power). "So, what's the big deal Adam" you might be saying. Well the big deal is that not only is everyone around the earth paying great sums of money to fuel their autos, but we are destroying the natural things that exist on it. We were commissioned to take care of what God gave us and unless a drastic event were to occur there would be nothing done to realize the atrocity that bestows us. I have a really strong feeling that a major event will happen within the next 5 years. Something that will affect the life Americans are leading. This feeling is followed by a knowledge of a God that has supreme control over these situations and has predicted the world's demise from the introduction of sin into his perfect creation.

I will be writing a blog about church discipline after we are finished with our series on Sunday nights. Just something to look forward to. I personally never grasped the whole concept, but it has more to do with our personal walks with Christ then just being a leader or keeping order in church.

Names

2008-05-30T09:40:00.002-04:00

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

2008-05-28T09:31:00.002-04:00

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

2008-05-27T11:41:00.002-04:00

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

2008-05-25T16:18:00.002-04:00

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

2008-05-01T13:34:00.002-04:00

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.

Satan is with us every step!

2008-04-07T11:10:00.004-04:00

I realized something after I read Caroline's post about the gospel counterfeits. SATAN IS WITH US ALWAYS. I remember in church yesterday that I was questioning a lot that has been stressing Kinzie and I out about the community group we are in and just the absolute heartless "Christians" in church. It makes me so heart broken to see the state of the congregation today. As I continued to think after receiving brash comments during our Sunday morning class, Satan took the situation to bring up questions of the church. I guess I figured that Satan would just attack outside the building walls, but NO!!!! he has a foot in the door of my mind. We have to be constantly aware that even in times where we feel we can let down our guard that he will take that moment to break our spirits. We are vulnerable every second we are awake and asleep. Take your thoughts as windows into the spiritual realm. They can either be God leading you into His will or they can be uncomfortable thoughts and feelings of Satan persuading us into sin.

I also think it is amazing how God gently molds our lives together from experiences that we believe don't matter, or have no worth, into a lifetime goal. This has recently been the case since finding out what plans he has for Kinzie and I. Some people have a definite plan of what they should be and God opens doors for them to achieve their goals. Others have what seems to be a scattered life that has no definite goal. What beauty I see in God when I hear the stories of life and know He works in mine.
To be honest I have failed God a lot. I break His heart every day that I don't discipline myself to wake up early and study His word. I don't deserve this life that he has guided me through. I think knowing that has fashioned me into a cheerful giver. I thank God for that ability. Mark you recently traveled abroad. Those cultures are incredibly fascinating how they seem to harmonize. I can't wait to spend that eternity where we will all have harmony with the God that has Loved us enough to let us choose our lives. I challenge you to Live every day for Christ, breaking the world's heart instead of God's.
Peace, I'm out!

Gee Whiz

2008-03-18T12:31:00.002-04:00

So, if ever the saying that God can work through anything holds true, it has to be now for Adam and I. Over the weekend Adam went camping with a buddy from Auburn. They met in the smoky mountains and hiked 12 miles over two days. He was able to tell him about all the things God has been doing in our lives and how we are seeking Him for the "next move". I stayed at home and worked on tons of schoolwork but really had a hard time without adam there at night. I will admit that I am a pansy but nothing makes me feel safer than having Adam with me. That night I didn't get much sleep and was in a horrible mood by the time he got home. Plus, he didnt have service the whole weekend and with bad weather coming thier way I made myself sick with worry ( a talent i have). So needless to say when he got home we had words and were not in the best of moods when we arrived at church the next morning. However, God had a sermon planned just for us. Reggie preached on the miracles that happened through Christ's ressurection...which is a whole other blog. Through the entire message Reggie was giving historical secular evidence of Christs ressurection and the unexplained physical events that happened. Also in Sunday school, our leader told us how he has learned that God reveals things that he is seeking through his wife. He said that women are just a little better at being intuitive (i whole heartedly agree) and that sometimes he will pray "God, if you dont reveal to me what you want, please reveal it to my wife". I mean we are a couple for a reason, right? So anyways, back to the sermon....at the end of the sermon I was really overwhelmed by A-the message and awesome ways that God somehow makes every little bit of his word cohesive and B-the need i felt to tell adam that i really did think God was calling him to do biblical archaeology. So flipping back through my 3 huge pages of notes I found a blank spot and wrote " I think you should do biblical archeaology and passed it to Adam. He immediately started crying (i hope its ok that i am telling people this honey) and started praying. He told me that God had really been working on him while hiking and that I had just confirmed alot of things that he had been asking God to answer. So, now Adam is in the process of applying and getting information to go to grad school and get his PhD in biblical archeaology..i mean what better way to spend your life than showing a secular world secular proof of a loving God that came to earth to pay a debt for people who didn't accept him. I am sooo excited for Adam, we have been praying that God would reveal the next step to him for a while. This is my own opinon but I think that in order to know that you want to spend your life proclaming Jesus as Lord you have to be walking with him-and Adam has really been growing by leaps and bounds in his relationship. I also think that God had to do a little convincing on my part so that I would 100% supportive of Adam since this will require some sacrifice. The sacrifice is that now I am "busting" it to get done with grad school a semester early. I am pretty sure I can pull it off but it means 3 more semesters (summer, fall and spring ) of 15 hours of class and full time work. This also means that we will be moving in one year and therefore have decided to call off our house hunt, which in turn means renting for another year, which is not the most desirable choice. The sacrificies though are so small when compared to the rich life that I believe God has planned for us if we keep following Him. I ask for prayer for Adam and for God to give us the finances for yet another 3 years of grad school. I know that God will continue to watch over us (we haven't gone hungry yet!!..and neither have our cats!!!). Thank you God for working through a weekend that wasn't so newlywedish and turning it into a weekend of promise and fulfillment in life with you.

well its about time

2008-03-12T09:30:00.003-04:00

So...adam figured out what our username and password was...since i am horrible with those and i decided it was time for us to post on here. Ill start with the most current news...we are househunting!! We have been for about a month now and although we are extremely picky (we aren't settling) we are sure that God has the perfect first house for us. It helps that our best friends up here are realtors...so we go like almost everyday. Its fun to imagine living in different spaces and how you could change it. We are also beginning to discover more and more each day about why God moved us up here. We have become very attatched to our church family and finding more ways to serve there. We have found about 3 couples that we adore and spend most of our time with..and some singles too :). I feel bad that I have latched on to so many people up here, b/c to be honest I have noticed that i call old friends less. I really do miss my time at Auburn and the friends I had but I know that life is full of changes and holding on to those times is standing still..not growing. Adam and I are also in the middle of a time of prayer for his future. He is in between going back to get his PhD and moving around some this summer to work at different digs...not that he can't choose both but that both decisions require some sort of sacrifice. I am eager to see what is in the future for Adam, b/c as we all know you can't find a more genuine person that loves to serve. I am in my second semester as a graduate student and even though working during the day and going to school at night isn't my first choice I know that in 3 semesters I will accomplish the goal that I have had for about 7-8 years now. I love being in the high schools, especially the clay classes. I am also getting my ESL certification, so I can use that in missions. Other news is that my dad got a motorcycle...now this may not seem significant enough but it overwhelms me. My dad has also been a work horse, never allowing himself to reap any reward or get time off.....he feels guilty when he has spare time or buys things for himself. He recently found a motorcyle that he liked and went home to discuss it with my mom. She told that he "wasn't getting any younger and that he deserved it"....So he went back the next weekend and bought it, along with, in his words, a "steller helmet", luggage rack and something else that flew over my head. His doctor advised him against it since he has bad neck problems but my dad says he wont let that keep him from it. He seriously rides the motorcycle every day!!! He even jumped at the chance to work nights so that he could ride his motorcylce more during the day..that was just for 2 weeks but still. He has also managed to lose his cell phone while on it. A man called my mom from my dads cell phone # and told her that he saw the phone fly out of a man pocket who was riding a motorcycle...hilarious. He is so happy and he sooo deserves it!! So anyways, enough of that....we will start posting more frequently.....we promise!! A thought to leave you with...... Your talk talks and your walk talks, but does your talk talk louder than your walk talks? (from a disciple now we did 2 weekends ago...it sounds elementary but really stop and think about)

Will repented sin be brought up in Heaven as "paid in full?"

2007-11-20T09:50:00.000-05:00

So this is a question I know that many of us have thought about and to be honest I thought that i knew the answer too. I remember going to a different (i dont want to put the denomination) church with a friend when i was in 5th grade and hearing about the repercussions of our sin...how if i sinned then my children would suffer for it and when i got to heaven that God would show me my sin (they claimed that God would show me the faces of all of those that I didn't share with that ended up in hell). So when our pastor was asked this by one of our church members he decided to preach on this topic. He titled his sermon "Thank God for the Cross: God is Satisfied!" This was a very emotional sermon for him to preach for obvious reasons....the realization that our sin is paid in full should bring you to tears of thankfulness. I know adam and I were overwhelmed with a feeling of love for our God and this was one of those sermons that we actually talked about over lunch with our friends (joel, you know what i mean). So here it is....in my words. First of all, the church member told our pastor that she just kept going back to her salvation and wondering if she would ever see her sin again.
He responded with Romans 8:38-39 " For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to seperate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord".
In other words God's love for us is final and secure. To prove this even more, we looked at Genesis 12:2-3 which is God's covenant with Abraham GET READY, THIS IS GOOD STUFF!!! "

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you And I will curse him who curses you. And in you all families of the earth shall be blessed".
So we learn that that from Abraham there will be many people who will form a nation that God will bless. But, in Genesis 15: we learn that Abraham and Sarah are not able to have kids and Abraham is worried that Eliezer, the son of one of the servants of thier household will be the heir of Abraham. God comforts him and says
" This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body will be your heir"- vs. 4
God tells him that the # of offspring that will come from him will be like the # of stars in the heavens . Abraham asks God how he can know these things are true and here is where the covenant is made. Abraham is commanded to bring a heifer, a goat, a ram, a turtledove and a pigeon and to cut them in two, except for the birds. In ancient covenants the two who were making the covenant would walk between the cut carcasses, affirming that the same should happen to them if they broke the covenant. God had different plans for the covenant between he and Abraham though. While Abraham was waiting for the next move from God, God caused him to fall into a deep sleep where he revealed to Abraham that he would not see the promise of this blessed nation played out in his lifetime. He would die before the blessed nation would reach the promised land. God put Abraham to sleep because the covenant did not involve any promise on His part. He would not walk through the peices as a pledge.When Abraham woke up he saw a burning lamp and a smoking oven passing between the two peices of the carcasses. The burning lamp is Jesus-he is called the light of the world and the smoking oven is God-when an offering is completely done all that is left is smoke....the smoke symbolized the satisfaction of God. Therefore instead of God making this covenant with Abraham he made the covenant with himself. Instead of God and Abraham walking through the carcasses, God and Jesus walked through them...the covenant was that Jesus would die for our sin and God would be satisfied with it. God promised in this covenant that Abrahams descendents would be heirs of this promise.....WE are the HEIRS OF THAT PROMISE....OUR sin has been taken care of because of the covenant between Jesus and God. God knew that Abraham couldn't keep this covenant with him....Abraham is human and would die, and b/c of that his part of the covenant would be conditional. We see that this is true in Hebrews 6 vs. 13
" For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself......vs. 15 " And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise". vs. 17 (this is the GOOD PART) Thus God, determing to show more abundantly to His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.
The two immutable things are God's promise and the fulfillment of it.....the oath of cofirmation that is the end of all strife, GOD IS SATISFIED.
Isaiah 53:10-11 tells us this " Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grieft. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be SATISFIED. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their inquities.
Isn't that powerful, to know that our salvation doesn't rest in God's commitment to us, but in His commitment to Himself? Therefore we can rest in the sacrifice of Christ, and God's ability to keep his promise. We were judged as sinners at Calvary. We are judged as sons now. We will be judged as servants at the Judgement Seat. Don't let the sin in your past burden you. Don't allow Satan to tell you that your salvation can be taken from you. GOD IS SATISFIED.

MAKE IT WORK

2007-11-15T10:14:00.000-05:00

So my love for Brenna Glasgow grew so much that it overfloweth my cup last night when she called to tell me that in 5 minutes THE SHOW would be coming on. Project Runway has been a staple in our friendship for a long time and this season she and her husband have graciously allowed us to enter thier friendly competition. The four of us will each pick two people that we think have a chance at winning....individual couples decide on the reward should one of thier people win. Here are some comments from last night though.....First of all I think one of the requirements to be a contestant this season was to have ridiculously bad hair...hair that is either asymmetrical, from the 80's or should only belong to a bird of paradise. Secondly, the fact that there is a women named Sweet P who designs motorcycle club wear and has an alter ego named Mean P leaves me speechless. However, based on what we saw last night, here are our two picks....Adam-Christian and Kevin.....He likes Christian's attention to detail and i think he picked Kevin b/c he is the only straight man contestant. If Adam's picks dont hold out very long I will take full blame since he missed about 5 minutes of the show spooning me up a HUGE BOWL of fudge ripple ice cream. My picks are Kit and Rami.......suprising even myself, I loved Kit's red and black dress...its different and she seems focusesd. I picked Rami before he won,(i yelled it in adam's face so he wouldn't pick him as well) because of his draping and favorite choice.....i would definitely choose him to make my runway dress....if and when the public discovers my talent. Ok, thats all...can't wait to read the glasgow's thoughts. Peace out!!!

The Heavenly Life

2007-11-01T15:10:00.000-04:00

Alright...this is my first post. I'll attempt to keep this short and I will try to get everything out and still make sense.
Well......I have been reading a wonderful book about heaven. God has opened up a new perspective on reading the Bible and thinking about our lives here on Earth.
We are all sinful creatures. It is a SIN that the first man and woman made by disobeying God's one rule. Now we are subjected to following a different rule amongst utter chaos (it is crazy out there people). That rule is to Love. I don't mean just hug your friend or pat your teammate on the bottom. I mean true love. It breaks my heart to hear about the struggles and turmoil occurring in our world today. Jesus came to show us that "Love" and to lead a sinless life in one of the most corrupt ages. That is why I accept Him as my Lord and Savior so that I might be able to live as one church in Heaven.
I guess that is why this book hit me smack in the face. I never considered how much more of a witness I could be by understanding where we all will end up. Let me start by asking a single question....What do you imagine heaven to be like? think about it......the details people. Ok, I thought we would be disembodied spirits hovering and living in glass houses while constantly praising God!
What could be better? Has it encouraged your spiritual evangelism to have this picture of heaven looming in the back of your mind? Have you ever imagined what Earth would be like if it were perfect? Well....that is what God made in the beginning! What makes you think that he will just give up his creation to the devil and sin! Exactly, many verses in the Bible (Revelation 21:1, Isaiah 65:17) suggest that Heaven is a New Earth and the New Jerusalem, where God lives currently in Heaven, will be brought down and He will live with His believers after sin is eradicated. He did not make our spiritual body then force the spirit into this disgusting sinful flesh. No, He created man in His image with spirit and flesh together to create a living being.
That is also why Jesus came to save us and the Earth. Jesus came as God in flesh and therefore to become the new Adam and pardon the universe from sin. From the beginning to the end the alpha and omega. Since God cannot be around sin He has sent His Spirit to live with us and Guide our life on this Earth. How amazing are those quiet times alone with God. Just imagine all of God together living on a physical Earth and being able to walk with Him for eternity. Don't you want to be a part of this amazing plan!?
I am too excited! I want you to ask questions and search through the Bible. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Respectable Sin

2007-10-28T14:36:00.000-04:00

So we have found a really great church home and in all honesty have become more involved there than we were at Parkway. I guess thats good since we prayed that God would use us while we dont have children and therefore have less responsibility. Anyways, our preacher is Calvanist and preaches strong biblical truths....like I have never heard before. The first Sunday that we were there he spoke about Christ as our witness. He summed up the sermon with putting up a picture from the Holocaust. The picture was black and white except for the jacket of a small girl that was red. Its a very famous picture and you may have seen it. Anyways he went on to say that during the Holocaust the Nazi's had this one method of killing the different families in groups..so children would see thier parents die right in front of thier faces. This in itself is horrible...but then you think How can anyone shoot a mother right in front of thier childs face? Our preacher pointed out that the Nazi's knew that there wouldn't be any witnesses because right after killing the parents they would move on to the children and eventually the entire jewish race. The Nazis believed that in the end there would be no one to stand up to testify on the behalf of the jews. Then he reminded us of how Christ came and was put to death and 3 days later rose again...to be our witness. How awesome is that...we have someone who is willing to testify for us, against our sin and give an account on our behalf. It gives us a whole new look into the many titles that our Lord occupies. He will be there at the judgement and the good news is that He is on our side...they couldn't kill Him, they couldn't get rid of our witness. ( I am picturing myself , along with Mark Murphy, yelling Amen and Hallelujah about now). That gets me excited......now on to respectable sin.
I have to preface this with some current news in Johnson City. There is a park, about 5 mins from where we live that has frisbee golf courses, soccer fields and a baseball park. A couple of weeks ago a undercover cop was there and was approached by a man who invited him to come to the mancave. The Mancave turns out to be a meeting spot in the woods of this park where over 40 local men have been meeting and participating in homosexual activity. Obviously, there were other things going on b/c all 40 men were taken to jail. Whats worse is that the next Sunday, the Johnson City Press put pictures of all 40 men on the front page of the paper...exposing thier sin. Two of these men were pastors and one was a deacon from various churches around here. Our preacher was deeply affected about this article and knew some of the men. That Sunday morning he was quick to respond and told our congregation that the only difference between them and us was the fact that our sin just hadn't been exposed to the world. Our church decided to reach out to these men by writing letters and offereing them a church family that would take them in and love them through this time and despite their sin. One man however committed suicide the very next day. Another one called our church and weeped to our pastor about how his wife had died 6 years earlier and now everyone that he knew had turned against him...he will be attending our church after all of his court hearings are over. Another man has called and asked us to take in his 18 year old son who has just announced his homosexuality. I believe that our church is really acting like the church in these situations and taken in the people that society is marking as sinners and the unloveable. Todays sermon was called Respectable Sin and our pastor quoted several men on this topic. One is by Jerry Bridges who wrote a book on sin and he says " We have become so preoccupied with the well-known sins of society that we have lost sight of the need to deal with our own more "refined" or subtle sins". Another quote is by sociologist Martha Witten "the concept of sin has been accommodated to fit secular sensibilities...the language frequently cushions the listeners from their impact...". Our pastor went on to say that in the church we tag our sins as "undesirable habits" or "problem areas" in our life. Isn't that true?....I know that I myself have trouble calling my sin, SIN. I instead ask for prayer about my small problems and then remind myself that I am human...like that is an excuse. He urged us to start our judging on ourselves and remind ourselves that admitting we were a sinner is how we received salvation. I was really hit strong by this sermon, not because I have so much sin in my life...and i do, but because of the way I play it down, not realizing how much I water down the crucifixtion when doing so. So to tie up all of this deep stuff...well deep for me that is, our pastor introduced me to a new verse today...one that i will cling to when enveloped in my own sin and looking for God's righteousness to restore me. Psalm 85: 9-10 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed.
I took this verse to mean that those who renounce their sinful nature and put trust in Christ will receive salvation and participate in the future kingdom, and there mercy, truth, righteousness and peace will all be in perfect harmony in an intimate setting....I can't wait!!!

Something Creative

2007-10-26T15:41:00.000-04:00

I couldn't think of anything great to name my first posting .....but, I have a lot of stuff to put on here. Im not sure how witty or creative these blogs are suppost (yeah, shane, joel and virg...i used it again) be. I just wanted to start with a nice little lesson on the importance of chewing your food. I have been choking a lot lately. In class the other night I swallowed a peanut m & m WHOLE!! I then proceeded to give myself the hemleich (spelling ?). Then the whole class became concerned and I was escorted to the nearest water fountain where I coughed up everything but the stupid peice of melt in your mouth chocolate. Then my good friend Aaron showed me how to do the hymlick (spelling) to yourself over the back of the chair, in case i should ever swallow another whole peanut m & m. Therefore I am committed to chewing my food more. Laura Edgar told me one time that the reason she is such a slow eater is b/c she chews her food more, so it will be smaller, and her body will digest it quicker and wont keep so much of it around to store. I dont know if I believe her, I really dont think she believed herself, but its a good theory. I also found out that if you chew on a peice of lettuce past the point of being able to swallow it then the nothingness that is normally the flavor of lettuce will somehow gain a whole new flavor of gross. I am just rambling now...thats what i do best...especially at work. I work in basement (until Jan 2nd..whew hew) and not only is it either freezing or super duper hot, there are a bunch of stray cats around here and when it rains all of thier poop washes up at our door...GROSS. I always am afraid that I will carry that smell to church with me. Anyways, I am now going to send Adam our blog name and password so he can get on and add his two cents...by the way that reminds me..I saw a guy...who will remain nameless...spell the word nonsense like this noncince.....now I know that i previously spelled highmlych wrong but come on....that word is super easy. Ok. Peace Out. And, dont make fun of the title of our blog.....there aren't a lot of kewl words that start with H...we will work on it!