Love Found Me

Advent Hymn

2011-12-04T17:07:00.001-05:00

For the majority of my life, I've spent every Advent season in United Methodist Churches. So when Advent would roll around, we would sing the same familiar hymns each year. Advent is perhaps my favorite time of year. And I love the songs of Advent.

For the past year and a half, however, we've been involved in the life of Hope Fellowship of Waco, which is not a United Methodist Church. This is our second Advent season with Hope Fellowship. During this season, I've missed some of the familiar (to me) songs of Advent, and singing from the United Methodist Hymnal (one of the best hymnals there is, if you ask me!).

But along the way, I've picked up some new favorites. Including this one, Hark The Glad Sound! This year's Advent theme at Hope Fellowship, is Jesus, Our Jubilee, with Isaiah 61 as our main text for these 4 weeks. It has been a meaningful time of growth and anticipation already, and I love this Advent hymn below, as it reminds us that Jesus is in fact, our jubilee.

Hark the Glad Sound!

Hark, the glad sound! the Savior comes,
The Savior promised long;
Let every heart prepare a throne,
And every voice a song.

On Him the Spirit, largely poured,
Exerts His sacred fire;
Wisdom and might, and zeal and love,
His holy breast inspire.

He comes the prisoners to release,
In Satan’s bondage held;
The gates of brass before Him burst,
The iron fetters yield.

He comes the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure;
And with the treasures of His grace
To enrich the humble poor.

His silver trumpets publish loud
The jub’lee of the Lord
Our debts are all remitted now
Our heritage restored.

Words: Philip Doddridge, December 28, 1735.

The Table

2011-09-19T02:27:00.000-04:00

We've lived in our house almost 6 months now, having moved in on April 9. A couple of days before we moved in, we invited the members of our small group over for a time of dedication and blessing over our home. Together, we walked through each room of the house, and said a prayer in each one. We used the House Blessing found in Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. It was lovely. We closed our time together with singing and worship, all sitting on the floor of the living room in our empty house. The echo of the hymns being sung in our house was moving.

There's a lot that could be said about these past 6 months. Our house feels like home now. A lot of days I'm still giddy as I pull into the driveway, and see our cute little green house. We've laughed (and cried) a lot here already, and last week we finally hung curtains in the living room. It's starting to really come together.

But one of the deepest desires that Billy and I share for our home, and one of the things we prayed when we dedicated it, is that it would be a place where hospitality is extended. We don't want our home to be just ours-- we don't want to not know our neighbors, and we don't want to live the kind of secluded and private lives Billy and I have tended to live, in other houses we've together called home. We want our home to be a place of kingdom in-breaking, and love-outpouring.

For the first 8 months that we lived in Waco, we lived with another family -- members of our church fellowship. We were the grateful recipients of their hospitality. And now, we have a home, and we get to share it with others. We don't know what it will look like over the years, just how our home will be shared.

But for now, one practice we have committed to, is once-per-week, inviting someone into our home for dinner. We have a regular night of the week that we invite someone over. We try as much as possible to protect that time, and to be faithful to it. For us, it is one small way in which we can intentionally share life in community. It's just once-per-week, so it is still easy to maintain our own boundaries for family time. I sometimes get so excited about an idea or a practice, that I find myself overextended. In theory, I'd like to have people over for dinner every night. In practice, that wouldn't be healthy for our family. So keeping it (for now) as a once-per-week commitment, helps me maintain a healthy pace of life.

We've enjoyed this weekly rhythm. My heart is truly full when there are others gathered around our dining room table and when kids are running circles through the house. Additionally, doing this as a regular practice has been transforming to me in some unexpected ways. I've always enjoyed cooking for others, but what I've found in cooking for these weekly dinners, is that on some level, part of my motivation has been to impress others. Over the past couple of weeks, however, that has shifted for me. I've been much less focused on what I'm cooking, and much more focused on why I'm cooking. As a result, I've found great joy in preparing these meals, and I look forward to the laughter and conversation that happens as we feast with others at the table.

Through this rhythm of love-outpouring, we have experienced the kingdom in-breaking.

I am grateful.

An Interview

2011-09-13T11:27:00.000-04:00

An interview with the 3-year-old version of my child. The plan is to ask her these same questions every year around her birthday. Here are the 3-year-old-answers to the questions:

My favorite food is: Pizza
My favorite game to play is: Baby & Mommy
The best TV show is: Yo Gabba Gabba
The coolest person I know is: God
My favorite thing to learn about in school is: Music
The thing I am the best at is: taking care of my babies
If I could go anywhere in the world, I'd go: Home
My favorite Color is: Purple
When I grow up I am going to be: a Ghost (??)
My favorite Song is: Jesus Loves Me
My Favorite Book is: The Kissing Hand (truly an excellent book!)
Three words that describe me: Eisley, Girl, Big Girl
When I was little I: talked like a baby
My favorite time of year is: Winter
My favorite Snack: Gummy Bunnies
One food I don't like: Tacos (what?!)
My best friend is: All my friends are my best friends (wise girl!)
My favorite memory is: My baby blanky
My favorite Place to Go: Lydia Blue's House
If I had one wish it would be: to wish on a star

Bedtime Prayer

2011-08-30T23:55:00.000-04:00

E's bedtime prayer tonight:

Thank you, God, for Chick-Fil-A. And for the whole world. And, God. You ARE my favorite God. And thank you for the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Yes. Amen.

Featured

2011-08-27T23:16:00.000-04:00

The Pajamas & Pancakes Party we did for E's 3rd birthday was featured recently on the Calligraphy, Etc. blog. Calligraphy, Etc. (based in Lubbock, TX) did the great invitations for the party. It was fun to see the little write-up about the party, but mostly I pass this along in case you're ever in need of custom invitations yourself. Calligraphy, Etc. always does an outstanding job... you won't be disappointed. Plus, they sell all kinds of great goodies besides invitations. Stop by their website if you're so inclined, and do a little bit of shopping.

Click here to see the feature on Eisley's party.

Enjoy!

My Secret Ambition

2011-08-24T17:28:00.000-04:00

I want to own or work in a bake shop. I'm not good enough/talented enough to actually do this right now. But maybe some day.

I find myself wanting to bake sweet things all the time. Mostly just cupcakes. I don't care to eat sweet things all of the time. In fact, I could take or leave them. But if I had to leave behind the actual baking of sweet things, I wouldn't be happy.

The cupcakes I baked for my birthday party this year

Chocolate-Coconut (front) & Peanut Butter (back)

Chocolate-Strawberry

Maple Cream

The sweetest cupcake of all.

Reading Again

2011-08-14T01:28:00.000-04:00

I'm reading again. I go through phases. Sometimes all I want to do is read. And other times I go weeks without picking up a book.

Last week I read all three books in The Hunger Games series. Loved them. Very captivating story (Thank you, Jessica, for loaning me the books!).

Yesterday I read The Catcher in the Rye. It was clearly an engaging story, as I couldn't put it down once I started. But at the end of it all I was, naturally, a little depressed. Certainly glad I read it, though.

What are your must-reads? I've started a list. I love a good book recommendation. And if you recommend something to me and it stinks, I promise not to judge.

3 Years, 4 pictures

2011-07-31T21:43:00.000-04:00


Birth Day August 1, 2008

One Year Old
2009

Two Years Old
2010

Three Years Old
2011

The Farm

2011-07-29T04:37:00.000-04:00

I work for World Hunger Relief, Inc. I've been there for six months now. I first learned about WHRI (the farm) in December 2009, when Billy and I first became interested in moving to Waco. We visited Waco that December in a whirlwind (less than 24 hours) trip during the Christmas holidays. We came to visit Hope Fellowship. Hope Fellowship supports the work of the farm and has a close relationship with the farm, so while we were in town, our hosts made arrangements for us to visit.

When we toured the farm, I remember thinking that, in theory, the farm was a good idea. But when it came down to it, I didn't want to have any part of the farm. For starters, the farm is a flush-free farm (we have composting toilets, not flushing ones). That grossed me out. The day we visited, the farm was muddy, some people I met smelled bad, and the food we ate wasn't all that good. I thought the farm was best-suited for hippies that didn't shave or shower, and who were a whole lot more "granola" than I.

Billy, however, saw the farm with a completely different set of eyes than I did. He loved everything about it. He was ready to move in that day and get to work. When he told me this, I rolled my eyes, and said, "Let's just go home."

And now I work at the farm. And I've loved every minute of it. The composting toilets aren't all that bad, and are a really good idea. Sometimes the people still smell bad (they work really hard!). And some days (though certainly not often!), I don't love what's served for lunch.

But here I am being transformed. I'm working alongside people of differing cultures, and learning a great deal from them. I am experiencing the joys and frustrations of eating seasonally. I'm learning how to manage people, and I find myself caring about things I never thought I'd care a bout. Six months ago, I couldn't have spoken to you intelligently about composting, or goats, or really anything on the farm. But now I can... sort of. I have a great deal to learn still... and that's the beauty of working at the farm! The farm is a place where I will continually learn new things.

Today I'm grateful for the farm. And feel privileged to be part of its staff.

A lovely moment

2011-06-29T18:01:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Eisley and I gave some new friends (when the trip started, we were strangers) a ride to the airport in Dallas. Two women from Haiti. They are the wife and daughter of the executive director of World Hunger Relief, Haiti. They were visiting the farm where I work (World Hunger Relief, Inc.), and were headed back home yesterday. Eisley and I were already going to Dallas for dinner with my cousin, so we ended up giving them a ride to the airport.

One of the women spoke only French. The other spoke mostly French, and some English as well. She rode in the back seat with Eisley. The ride to the airport (about an hour and a half) didn't involve a lot of conversation between us-- the two women spoke mostly to each other in French the whole time, and every once in a while Eisley would ask me a question, and then I would find Eisley staring at our new friends, mesmerized by the sounds (words) they were speaking.

In the background, one of Eisley's worship CDs was playing, and the song "Here I am to Worship" came on. Eisley said, "Mommy! This is the song about Jesus that I love!" And then the woman sitting in the backseat with Eisley said, "This is the song that I love, too! Can you turn the music louder?"

And Eisley and her new friend belted out together, the whole song. They were singing "Here I am to Worship" with all of their might and smiling at each other.

We dropped our friends off at the airport and Eisley said, "I like our new friends. I like that they don't speak English, and I like that we sang about Jesus together."

It was a lovely afternoon.

Jesus Stuff

2011-06-22T01:21:00.001-04:00

I didn't intend for this blog of mine to be a place where I only tell Eisley stories. Mostly I know that there aren't many of you out there reading, so it's mostly turned into a place for me to jot down these stories and "journal" about them in a sense, so that I won't forget them. And so that I won't forget to tell Eisley about them when she's older. I have such good intentions of journaling, but I never stick with it. I hate writing things by hand anymore. It makes my hands hurt, and my thoughts come faster than I can record them. When I type, I can keep up with my brain. Usually. I can't tell you how many unfinished journals I have in my closet right now. Some of them with 5 or so pages filled in, others with a few more than that, but mostly they all have a lot of empty pages. I sometimes think that getting new journals that are pretty and that I'm excited about will help me stick with it. It doesn't work.

So that's the preface. This little site has turned into a journal of sorts for me, and I think I'm okay with that. Most of the things I feel like writing down have to do with my child. So there you go.

This happened today...

Eisley loves to play "Mommy and Baby". Most of the time, she's the mommy and I'm the baby. Today I had the rare opportunity to play the role of the "big girl", while her stuffed animals played the roles of the babies in our family. She told me to take a nap and asked if there was anything I needed before bed. I told her I wanted her to tell me a bedtime story.

She said, "Okay, big girl. I'll tell you one about Jesus." And it went like this. This is pretty much her exact wording, as best I can remember it:

Well. FIRST, Jesus saw Bethlehem. And then he saw Jerusalem. He had his special friends and they traveled all around. Then, he washed all of his friends' stinky feet. And then he broke the bread. And then there were the soldiers that got really mad at him and he died on the cross. But then he comed back to life and everyone was real happy. Goodnight, big girl. I love you.

And then she gave me a kiss. I adore this child so much, and through her, God's kingdom is being revealed. To me and to many others that know her. She is such a gift, and my heart overflows with joy and love and richness because of her.

She got her story about Jesus right. In the right order (Okay, she failed to mention the part about how Jesus was present at Creation, but still...). And in the first place, it made my heart happy that when I asked her to tell me a bedtime story, the story she wanted to tell was Jesus' story. I love that at night, she wants to fall asleep with her CD of hymns and bible songs playing. My heart is happy when I hear her sing while she plays; the songs she sings are about God and his love. I love that when she makes up songs, they most always say something about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

Thank you God for this precious child.

My Approach to Cooking

2011-05-10T11:02:00.000-04:00

My approach to cooking is this: I know how to follow recipes, and I'm good at following recipes. I also know how to select good recipes. I menu-plan for the week, by finding recipes that look/sound good (I have a few "standard" places I check), and then buy what I need to make them.

The problem is that when I'm in the kitchen, if I don't have a recipe to follow, I'm sort of at a loss. It's like the recipe is my security blanket, and I can't cook without it. I don't like to experiment in the kitchen. What if I mess it up? What if all the time and energy (and ingredients) I put in to a meal don't pay off with a tasty product?

But since I've been working at the farm, I'm loosening my grip on the security blanket a little bit. Every day, the farm community eats lunch together, and lunch is cooked, on a rotating basis, by the Live-In Volunteers and Interns on the farm. They use what's available to them at the time-- whatever staples are on-hand, and whatever vegetables have been harvested from the garden that day or week. You don't always know ahead of time what's going to be available. But some really great meals have been served at the farm. These folks have inspired me.

I'm not quite "there" yet in my own cooking, but I'm working on it. Last night I stood in my kitchen at home, no idea what to cook for dinner. I hadn't been to the grocery store for the week, and I still had vegetables not yet used, from last Tuesday's CSA harvest (To read more about what a CSA is, click here: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ ... note, this is not our farm's website, just a site I found that gives a brief overview of how a CSA works). We pick up our CSA veggies every Tuesday, and knowing I would be getting more veggies the next day, made me determined to use up whatever we still hadn't used from last week.

So I didn't look up a recipe. I just started chopping. We had a little bit of bacon that needed to be used up, so I chopped it up, and put it in a skillet. I found some potatoes, so I chopped those up and added them in. We had all sorts of veggies from the CSA, so I started chopping those-- onions, greens, etc. We also had some head lettuce that needed to be used, as well as some radishes, and some spinach-- which combined together to make a beautiful and delicious salad.

When Billy came in the kitchen and asked what I was making, I said, "Oh, I don't know. I'm just putting stuff in the cast iron, and hoping it works out." He said, "Wow. You've been working at the farm a little too long. It's not like you to not have a plan for dinner."

And. Dinner was great! Nothing fancy. We just ate what we had on-hand, and everything we ate was in season and fresh. That's the way we're supposed to eat. I mean, I know everything is "in season" at the grocery store, but we really are trying to be more intentional about eating what's actually in season.

Now. I won't go so far as to say that not following a recipe yesterday was stress-free for me. It was kind of a risk for me, but it turned out well. To help with the seasonal eating, we've found that this cookbook is great. It's filled with simple recipes, and it's broken out by season. My friend Carrie gave it to me for my birthday, and we also sell it at the farm. It's a great resource.

She Thinks So Much

2011-05-08T15:22:00.000-04:00

My child is always thinking. The way her brain processes things is, to me, mind-boggling. This afternoon we were in the living room and I was relaying a story to my brother-in-law, Bryan. I said something about my grandmother who had died.

Eisley's ears perked up. She walked over to me with big eyes and said, "Your other grandmother DIED?" I said, "Yes. She died when I was when I was a teenager."

She said, "Well that's not FAIR. Jesus and your other grandmother died!" She seemed very surprised to hear that someone besides Jesus had died. I think she heard so much about Jesus dying on the cross before Easter (we read about it in her Storybook bible, she heard about it at school and in church), that Jesus' death is really the only one she knows anything about.

Her little face was so precious and her eyes were so big, as she asked me about my grandmother; I smiled at her for a second before I responded. Which of course she noticed, and said, "Mom. I'm NOT smiling. That's not FAIR."

So. There may be some tough conversations ahead with this kid. Conversations I thought we'd have with her when she was at least a couple of years older. Her mind is always working something out, and she asks questions that sometimes even I don't think to ask. And she certainly asks questions that I have sometimes failed to anticipate.

Prayers are appreciated as we have these very important conversations with our daughter.

80s Romance

2011-05-04T23:39:00.000-04:00

I was born in 1980. Depending on who you are, that either makes me seem really old, or makes me seem like I'm just a baby. I know that I am more a "child of the 90s" than a child of the 80s, in the sense that I was far too young to remember much of what happened in the 80s-- or to be in to the music or fashion of the 80s. But nonetheless, I have an affinity for the 80s, especially when it comes to the music. Thus, the purpose of this post. I give to you some of the best "romantic" songs of the 1980s. This list is given in no particular order. What would you add?

1. Lost in Love - Air Supply
2. Open Arms - Journey
3. Can't Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon
4. Never Tear Us Apart - INXS
5. Eternal Flame - The Bangles
6. Suddenly - Billy Ocean
7. Every Time You Go Away - Paul Young
8. Waiting for a Girl Like You - Foreigner

Who Helped Jesus Carry His Cross?

2011-05-04T13:39:00.000-04:00

Moments after the candy argument today, Eisley asked this question: "Mom, who helped Jesus carry his cross?"

I told her it was Simon from Cyrene. She said, "Hmm. I don't fink that was his name." I assured her that yes, it was (though, of course she had me doubting myself, so I had to go look it up to make sure).

I asked her why she was asking. She said, "I was just wondering. I fink his cross was real heavy, so it was good someone helped him."

Then she said, "You 'member when he died on the cross? Those sholdiers took his robe and that was real sad. But then he comed back to life, and his mom and everybody was SO happy!"

I like that Eisley is still pondering the events and mysteries of Easter. Sometimes even I forget to do that. I'm glad she helped me do that today.

Candy: Part 2

2011-05-04T09:56:00.000-04:00

Read yesterday's post if you get a chance, about Eisley and the candy. Here's today's edition.

After cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast, I found Eisley in my room again. Again, holding candy in her hands. This time it was Smarties (Side note: where does she keep getting this candy? I think she has a secret stash somewhere I don't know about), and this time she was still in the process of opening the candy.

I said, "Eisley! Do not open that candy." She said, "MOM. Somebody else already started opening it. I need to just finish opening it!" Which she of course did. So there she sat, with an opened pack of Smarties in her hand. I said to her, "Eisley. I asked you not to open that candy." To which she responded, "Just go take your shower." She muttered it under her breath, but I still heard it (In my mind, I was somewhat angered, somewhat humored, and mostly perplexed. The things she says to me constantly surprise and amaze me. It's the sass. Oh, the sass...).

So I of course said, "Eisley, what did you just say?" At which point she repeated herself, only she yelled it this time. "I SAID, JUST GO TAKE YOUR SHOWER!" We had a little conversation about talking to each other with respect and being kind, and then I asked her to give me the candy while I went to take a shower. She said, "No. I'll just hold on to it while you shower. I'll probably just eat ONE piece." (At least she's honest, and wasn't trying to tell me she had no plans to eat any of it.)

She kept trying to make her case for holding on to the candy, and just eating one piece. The argument was a weak one, though, so the candy now sits on top of the fridge. MAYBE she can have a piece later. Maybe.

So much excitement in our house already today. This all happened before 7:30 a.m.

I have to preserve this story

2011-05-03T11:31:00.000-04:00

I know I told this story on facebook, but I don't trust myself to remember to write it in an actual journal, so I'm posting it here so I won't forget it.

This morning I walked in to my bedroom to find Eisley with a piece of opened candy in each hand. Tootsie Rolls. I asked what she was doing and why she was eating candy without permission. We have this conversation more often than I'd like. She replied with, "Mom. I'm not EATING it. I'm just LICKING it to see if it's any good for when I eat it LATER."

She had that tone of, "DUH, Mom. I can't believe you think there's any OTHER explanation for what I'm doing."

I of course had to chuckle to myself. But certainly not out loud, and of course I couldn't let her keep licking the candy. This girl is a mess. If she's saying these kinds of things to me now, I can only imagine (though I don't really like to) what she'll be saying when she's 15...

Strangers No More

2011-04-29T17:40:00.002-04:00

I love hymns and I love hymnals. I love to read through hymnals and see what songs are there. I've loved getting acquainted with the hymnal from which we often sing in our new church-- the Mennonite Hymnal. In it are many songs I am already familiar with -- but I've also enjoyed learning new ones. This is one of mine and Billy's new favorites. It is called Strangers No More.

For we are strangers no more, but members of one family;
Strangers no more, but part of one humanity;
Strangers no more, we're neighbors to each other now;
Strangers no more, we're sisters and we're brothers now.

1. Come, walk with me, we'll praise the Lord together,
as we join song to song and prayer to prayer.
Come, take my hand, and we will work together
by lifting all the burdens we can share.

2. Where diff'ring culttures meet we'll serve together.
Where hatred rages we will strive for peace.
Come, take my hand, and we will pray together
that justice come and strife and warfare cease.

3. There is a love that binds the world together;
a love that seeks the last, the lost, the least.
One day that love will bring us all together
in Christ from south and north, from west and east.

Easter this Year

2011-04-24T22:45:00.000-04:00

For Easter, Hope Fellowship (our church) goes away on retreat together every year. It was a very different way to spend Easter. This is our first Easter with Hope Fellowship, and we didn't know what to expect for the Easter retreat. It was amazing. Such a great weekend with our church family! We retreated at the Three Mountain Retreat Center in Clifton, TX, which is about 45 minutes from Waco. It was beautiful.

We arrived on Friday evening in time for Good Friday service. This year, we had the Stations of the Cross, and it was very well done. The team in charge of it gathered artwork and images from various persons from the church to create the stations, and to say it was amazing is an understatement. It was emotive, moving, beautiful, and tragic. Billy and I decided we'd take Eisley with us as we walked through the stations, and are glad we did. We didn't know how she would react to some of the images of Jesus' crucifixion. She was engrossed in the experience and asked really good questions. Some of the images would have been difficult for a two-year-old to see, so we didn't linger on those for too long, but for the most part, the team that put everything together went through a lot of effort to make the experience family-friendly. For example, there was a coloring sheet available for the kids at each of the stations. When we got back to our cabin, Eisley said, "I liked the pictures we saw of Jesus tonight, even though they were really sad pictures." She talked about how Jesus' mommy must have been so sad to see him die, and she said she was really sad for Jesus that he had to be naked. She said, "I don't fink that was very fair, and I don't fink Jesus liked that very much." She asked if the people that were mad at Jesus and wanted him to die were the same people that were mad about Jesus coming as a baby. Then she asked if we were sure Jesus was going to come back to life. The spiritual insight and maturity of Eisley really amazes me on a regular basis.

Saturday was relaxed. We took walks, the youth (voluntarily!) led some organized activities with the little kids so that the parents could have a couple of hours to do whatever they wanted, we had lunch, and then a sharing and prayer service in the afternoon. Saturday night we ate dinner, and had a talent show. Sunday morning we had a worship service, and Billy and I were privileged to serve on the worship team that coordinated and planned Easter morning worship. Following worship, we had brunch, and then an Easter Egg Hunt. After the hunt, we cleaned up and went home. A great weekend! We loved being away from everything for a few days. We loved talking with our friends and letting Eisley run loose with her friends to play. We loved celebrating Easter in such a beautiful place, and we loved the authenticity of each of the worship experiences we shared together. Here are a few pictures:

The Easter Song Eisley Just Made Up

2011-04-21T19:52:00.000-04:00

I am helping Jesus!
Helping Him not die on the cross!
But he died anyway!
But then he camed back to life!
We were ALL surprised!

Now I am so happy!
I'm so happy in my heart!
Oh Jesus the Lord, It's Easter Sunday!

God Made Everyfing

2011-04-14T16:27:00.000-04:00

Today I picked Eisley up from school and noticed on her take-home sheet that today they talked about how "God made the grass".

So I said, "Eisley. Did you talk about how God made the grass, today at school?" She said, "Well, yeah. God DID make the grass. God makes the grass keep growing." I said, "Oh, it's true! Isn't it amazing how God takes care of our world?"

She said, "Well. God didn't make just the grass, Mom. Did you know that he made the flowers? And the peoples? And ALL the animals? He made the rainbows and the rain, and the sk...Mom, he just made EVERYFING!"

Thank you, God, for Eisley.

Yesterday, we bought our house.

2011-03-30T11:48:00.000-04:00

Done deal. Papers signed (lots of them). It's official. We are now the proud owners of our adorable green house. We move on April 9. I think I'll make a paper chain for the countdown.

we're buying a house.

2011-03-15T14:20:00.000-04:00

I'm whispering that blog post title, not yelling it. I'm squealing with excitement on the inside, but not quite ready to share that with the world yet. Why blog about it? Because I'm very very excited and feel the need to share our news. And since much fewer people read this blog than interact with me on facebook, my blog seems like a safer place to share the news. A smaller audience. I'm not ready to go super-public about the house yet, because somewhere deep inside I still feel like something could come up and it won't work out and we won't get the house. It's unlikely. But possible. We almost bought a different house in December, and it didn't work out, even though I was sure it would. It wasn't very much fun announcing to the world that we had decided not to buy what we had believed to be our "dream" house (turns out, it wasn't really a dream house after we saw the inspection report). But...

We're buying a house. It's here in Waco, in the same neighborhood as our church and most of our church people. We moved to Waco to be actively involved in this church, and now I guess it seems we plan to stick around for a while. We're glad about this. It feels right. We look forward to intentionally sharing life with Hope Fellowship for years to come. We look forward to opening up our home and inviting others in; we look forward to loving our neighbors and sharing life with them. The neighborhood isn't glamorous. In fact, it's pretty far from suburbia. But we love it!

Our house is simple. Old (built in 1915). Beautiful. And ours (almost). It is in the process of being completely rehabed. All of the projects are nearing completion, and our closing date is set for March 31. That's in 16 days. We went to check on things last night, and they were laying carpet in the bedrooms (all other flooring has already been done); there was sod in the driveway, waiting to find its home in our yard. Fence posts have gone up in the backyard, and appliances are now in the kitchen. It should be finished any day now.

And without further ado, here it is...

Isn't it fun? The front door hasn't yet been painted, but it will be red.

Here are the living/dining rooms prior to interior paint:

And here they are after...

More pictures to come later, once we get our stuff moved in. I will especially need to post pictures of the little one's oh-so-purple bedroom. She picked out the color herself, and it looks great!

90s Music

2011-03-08T15:31:00.000-05:00

Had a blast earlier today at work taking turns with some interns picking 90s music to play in the office as we worked. If you had to narrow it down, what are your top 5 favorite songs from the 90s? Not necessarily the top quintessential songs from the 90s... but your favorite songs from the 90s?

Miracle Match Relay

2011-01-30T17:23:00.000-05:00

Well. I never should have made my inaugural race, one from the Rock & Roll series of marathons. Last November, when I ran in the Rock & Roll San Antonio half marathon, the standard was forever set. That will always be the standard by which I measure all future races. Well, maybe not always, but for now it's all I've got. More on that in a moment.

Today I ran in Scott & White Healthcare's Miracle Match Marathon, as part of a 4-person relay team. The race was to raise awareness of the Be the Match Donor Registry program, as well as raise funds for it. Our team ran in honor of our friend and fellow church member, Alan Caruthers. Alan was diagnosed in 2006 with a rare bone marrow disorder, called Myelofibrosis. Over the past few years, he has tried several different experimental drug therapies through MD Anderson, and now (and it is really his last option), he is pursuing a bone marrow transplant. My cousin actually works for Be the Match, and she was telling me recently how rare it is for someone to actually be a perfect match for another person, for these transplants to be possible. So raising awareness is good-- it's important. The more people they can get registered, the better the chances for people like Alan to find a match. To keep living life. Today at the race, participants and spectators had the opportunity to get on the national bone marrow registry.

What I actually didn't know prior to registering for the race, is that Alan was selected as this year's Miracle Match Marathon's honorary race chair! So Alan (and his son Sammy) actually got to say "Go!" and blow the starting horn! It was very cool!

The first leg of the race for our team, was run by my friend Jessica. Leg 1 was around 5 and a half miles, and went primarily around and through the Baylor University Campus. Leg 2 (which is the section I did) was around 8 miles, and went through downtown, historic Austin Avenue (gorgeous!) and other residential areas in Waco. Leg 3 was around 6 miles, and was run by my friend Ruth, and it went along Lake Shore Drive and Lake Waco. The final leg was about 7 miles and our friend Joel did that one. It went through beautiful Cameron Park (and up and down its relentless hills!).

There's a lot that could be said about this race. And especially how it met (or didn't meet my expectations). Overall, it was a LOT of fun. I loved running on a team with my friends, and I loved running for Alan! The race route was quite beautiful, and the water stops were more than adequate. I wasn't sure they would be, once I realized how small the race was. I think there were 300 participants or so. Which may not seem small-- but compared to the 20,000 people in the San Antonio race, it was quite a change!

I was disappointed when I went to the race "expo" yesterday to pick up my packet and there was only a handful of vendors (which is actually fine, since it kept me from spending money). Mostly I was disappointed that there was a problem with our race bibs and I was forced to pick up my race packet on race day, since they were going to have to reprint the bibs (which, if you know me, you know I like to have everything laid out the night before, and I don't like to have to worry about doing things like picking up my race packet on the morning OF). I was disappointed that I didn't get my own timing chip (which may be normal for a relay team?), because that meant that no one on our team could get their split times. I was disappointed that the "reprinted" race bib was just a blank bib that they had stuck a new number on-- and the new number had been printed on an address label on somebody's home printer (Again, it was no big deal really-- it just didn't look as cool as other bibs do-- ha!).

I was SUPER disappointed in the level of community involvement as spectators! In San Antonio, there were people everywhere. People out on their front lawns, cheering for the runners as we ran through their neighborhoods. People crowded in front of the Alamo as we ran by it. Thousands of people lined up along the finish, cheering people on as they approached the finish line. There wasn't any of that today. No one was in their front yard, cheering for runners. No one was lined up along the downtown streets as we ran through. Hardly anyone was lined up at the finish line to cheer on the finishers. The only people out there cheering were the people manning the water stations. Again...it was fine. It just made for a very different racing atmosphere than I had previously experienced. And, while this didn't have anything to do with the race organizers, really, my least favorite part of the whole experience was the stray PIT BULL that was wandering around during one stretch of road. It made me very nervous. And because there were so few people out there, I felt oddly alone as I ran by that dog. I was hoping he'd leave me alone. And he did. But I get nervous anytime I see stray dogs while running. I love dogs... but you just never know about them sometimes!

But what I loved? I loved running the streets that I run everyday. The hills I ran today weren't new to me, and I knew when to anticipate them. While on the course itself, I actually LOVED that it was such a small race (other than the lack of spectators/cheerleaders, of course)! I didn't have to fight crowds. Didn't have to elbow my way through packs of people just to advance. I didn't have random people coming to a stop in the middle of the course, like happened in San Antonio. It was so...nice! It was a very relaxing run. I also loved that when I had one mile remaining, the youth from our church were out there, manning one of the water stations! They cheered for me, high-fived me, and gave me water. Just the extra boost I needed for that last mile. I loved that because the race was so small, it was SUPER easy for our team members to drive ourselves to our starting points for each leg of the relay. There was no real traffic to fight, so I actually got to leave my end point, then drive home for a quick shower, AND drive right up to Ruth's end point, and see her finish! Then it was no problem driving to the finish line to cheer on Joel as he crossed the finish line. This sort of thing would have been impossible in San Antonio (or any large race, really). I loved the free fajita lunch (oh so yummy) at the finish line, and above all, I loved the cause we were all supporting.

All in all, it was a very fun morning. It was good to be out racing again...now the countdown can officially begin for Dallas Rock & Roll in March!

Hymns & Eisley

2011-01-26T17:07:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to lie. I love hymns. Billy usually rolls his eyes when I say this. But I just can't help it. I love them. They just say so much. The theology is rich. And usually, they take me back to my childhood, and singing the hymns as a little girl.

So...it has given me great delight that Eisley is a musical child. I often find her singing, dancing, or humming to herself as she plays. For Christmas, we got her a collection of 3 CDs-- it contains classic kids Bible songs and an assortment of hymns. She ADORES this collection of music. It's all she wants to listen to. We enjoy listening to the songs together, and she doesn't just like the kids songs-- she really likes the hymns, too!

A couple of weeks ago, my favorite hymn, "And Can It Be" came on, and she declared, "This is one of my favorite songs, Mom!" This morning I heard her singing to herself, "Crown him with many crowns! The lamb upon his throne!"

It made me happy. It made me happy for lots of reasons. But mostly because the story of God has found its way into her heart through these songs (My friend Chad wrote a post on one of his blogs about the same thing not too long ago). These hymns are now embedded into her memory, and I suspect she won't forget them.

Another thing that we love in our home is The Jesus Storybook Bible. It's really fantastic, and if you don't have a copy, you should get one. I suppose it's technically a kids Bible, but the stories move me, too. When we read it together, I am often moved to tears. Gods' story does that to me, and the way Sally Lloyd-Jones tells it is simply beautiful. Plus, the artwork is amazing. Anyway, the other day we were reading from it, and Eisley said, "Oh! That's Zacchaeus! Like from the song about him!! Look at that! That must be Jesus walking by and telling him he's going to his house!" I liked seeing her making that connection.

Seven

2011-01-13T21:50:00.000-05:00

On Monday of last week, Billy and I celebrated 7 years of marriage. 7 years. I honestly can't believe it's been that long. We've had our share of ups and downs over the years. But all in all, it's been a great ride. Here is a list of my top highlight from each year of our marriage:

1. (2004) Our wedding day, of course! It was an absolutely wonderful day. One of the most fun days of my life. I loved everything about it, and am deeply grateful for all the people who made it possible.

2. (2005) Our January trip to Washington, DC. We had a blast!

3. (2006) Moving to Kentucky. We spent our first night in Kentucky on our 2nd wedding anniversary. It was a frightening and fun adventure to be there on our own, knowing no one, and having no one but each other (at first). We grew a lot, and I knew during those first days in Kentucky, that the Kentucky years would be transformational for us (Little did we know just how transformational they would be!).

4. (2007) Our summer trip to California. So. Much. Fun.

5. (2008) The birth of our daughter in August of that year! An absolutely thrilling (and exhausting) adventure.

6. (2009) Our trip to Chicago in the summer of 2009. We had a blast visiting my aunt and uncle, and we had a chance to visit our friends Josh and Candace, too. Our time with Josh & Candace launched a very important series of conversations and a period of discernment for Billy and I regarding our "next steps" once I graduated from seminary the following spring.

7. (2010) Starting our new life in Texas, as a part of the Hope Fellowship community in Waco. We really are very happy here in Waco, even though the initial transition was very difficult for us. We love our new church family and are already feeling quite at home here.

Thanks, Billy, for seven great years. I look forward to many more years together.

Life

2011-01-13T00:29:00.000-05:00

Life is incredibly busy yet incredibly rich for us right now. The rundown:

I have a job now... and I love it. I think it is going to be a very good fit for our family. I am excited about the job. I believe in the work of our organization. Also, I am delighted to have found part-time work. When we first moved here, I planned to seek full-time employment, but when we started thinking about what would be the best fit for our family, part-time work seemed ideal. I get to work-- which I very much enjoy. And I get to be at home some with Eisley-- which I very much enjoy. What's the job? I'm the Education Coordinator at World Hunger Relief, Inc. WHRI is both a working and teaching farm-- I'll obviously be involved with all-things-education at the farm, but mostly I'll be doing various things for/with the internship program at WHRI.

While I work, Eisley will spend one day each week with friends, and two days every week in a Parents Day Out program at a church near our house. I am very excited about her being in the Parents Day Out program. When we were in Kentucky, Eisley went to "school" at the daycare at the church where I worked. And she did very well in that environment. She is very social, loves learning, and pretty much constantly requires active engagement. I look forward to her being in "school" again. It's something she very much enjoys, and it is an environment in which she thrives. I went today to see her classroom and meet her teacher, and I think it will be a good fit. I was impressed by what I saw-- it isn't just a babysitting service. They work to provide a rich learning experience for the kids. She starts Tuesday!

Earlier this month, I got to teach at church one Sunday morning. It was a good experience, and I was grateful for the opportunity. I have preached a few times before, but this was my first time to teach here in our new church community. We don't do a traditional sermon on Sunday mornings, but instead do more of an interactive teaching time-- more like Sunday School, I guess, following our worship time. It was also my first time teaching with a translator (ours is a bilingual community - Spanish & English), so that was kind of fun and different to get used to. I taught on Anna & Simeon, and was glad to spend some time in their story.

I guess that's enough for now. I haven't really said much, but it does give you a bit of a glimpse of our day-to-day lives. I feel like I have much more to say, but that will have to come another day.

My Tot Clock : Get yours today!

2010-12-07T12:18:00.001-05:00

I don't want to jinx anything, of course. But I am excited to share with you, something that has revolutionized the way we sleep in our house (the past couple of weeks, anyway).

Eisley pretty much dictates how much sleep Billy and I get. She wakes up early... and when she's up, she's up. And she makes sure everyone knows it. There's no quietly laying in her bed until Mom or Dad goes in to get her up. She yells for us to come. Impatiently waiting for the rest of the house to wake up. Sometimes at 5:15 a.m!

So why does she wake up so early? I've tried to think of any and every explanation, but I think it really just comes down to her body clock.

For a while, Billy and I had mastered the art of sleeping through Eisley's cries of impatience. She at least stayed in her bed. Until a few weeks ago, when she discovered, "Hmm. There's nothing making me stay in bed. I'll just get up."

It was creepy. Several mornings, we wouldn't hear Eisley stir. She just eerily appeared beside our bed. Standing there. Staring at us. Willing us to wake up.

But our friend Lindsay told us about the Tot Clock. She purchased one for her daughter and had positive things to say about it and its potential (thank you, Lindsay!). It really is an amazing device. It's a clock, and it operates on a color system. We program Eisley's bedtime into the clock. When Eisley's bedtime rolls around, the face of the clock turns blue. And for as long as the clock is blue, Eisley is to stay in bed. We have also programmed Eisley's waking time. She isn't allowed to get out of bed until the clock turns yellow.

Same for nap time. I tell the clock the duration of Eisley's naptime, and the clock stays blue for that length of time. She isn't allowed to get out of bed until the clock turns yellow again.

There's a timeout option, too (red). And an option for encouraging good behavior/activities (green).

Eisley LOVES her clock. She loves to go check what color it is and report back to us. "It's still yellow, Mom! That means it's not bedtime yet!" Or, even stranger, "Mom! The clock is blue! That means I better get in bed! Goodnight!" (There's excitement in her voice over the clock being blue.)

The past several days, Billy has been woken up by his alarm clock in the mornings. Not by our child mysteriously appearing by our bed before his alarm goes off. Or by her screams from down the hall. She just patiently and quietly waits in her bed, staring at the clock. The second it turns yellow, we hear, "Hey guys! It's yellow! That means it's waking up time!"

So. I know the novelty of the clock could wear off for Eisley at any moment. Even if it does, I will always be grateful for these past few days of "sleeping in".

You can purchase the Tot Clock through various online retailers, but I got ours on Amazon since I had some gift cards (thank you, Swagbucks!) to use. It's pretty pricey as far as clocks go. But worth every penny and then some. You just can't put a price tag on sleep.

Oh Happy Day

2010-11-23T15:42:00.000-05:00

First off, I recognize the ridiculousness of the excitement behind this post. But I just can't help the excitement. Here goes:

I love a good grocery store. And nothing sends me over the edge than a bad one. Until yesterday, grocery shopping in Waco was the only thing I genuinely disliked about our town. I had tried out a couple of different stores-- they were either too crowded (all the time), poorly laid out, lacking in customer service, or didn't have what I needed. It was maddening. I never seemed to have an entirely successful trip to the store!

But yesterday, I found a Brookshire's near Waco. It's in Robinson, so it's an extra 2 minutes in the car than my other regular store was. It takes me just 8 minutes to get there. Brookshire's is the store I grew up going to. I haven't regularly shopped at Brookshire's in more than 12 years, as I haven't lived near one since I was 18. Brookshire's is a great grocery store chain, and I was reminded of that yesterday.

When I walked into the store, I was welcomed by the store manager, who said, "Welcome to Brookshire's." In the 30 minutes I was there, two employees asked me if they could help me find anything. The produce was beautiful and fresh, and the store was organized in a way that made sense. The store was clean and quiet, and it was just a very pleasant shopping experience. They didn't have one of the items I was looking for, and I asked what the process was to request that they stock that item. They took my name and said to give them about a week, and they would have it on their shelves. When I went to take my groceries to my car, I was stopped by another employee, who reminded me that at Brookshire's, the employees take the groceries out to the car. I explained that I was fully capable of doing it myself, and she responded with, "We're here to serve you, ma'am. It will be my pleasure to take them for you."

The only drawback-- they don't have a large selection of organic items, and no bulk items. They do have the basic organics-- milk, eggs, butter, and a few veggies. So I still may have to shop at some of the other stores for some of our groceries. But for the bulk of it, I'm headed to Brookshire's!

13.1 Miles: The Recap

2010-11-15T23:19:00.002-05:00

There are many things I could say about the trip to San Antonio this past weekend. And probably I should do separate posts for the race itself and for the trip. But you're getting one long post instead. Sorry.

We spent most of our time over the weekend with the McCuaigs, some of our favorite people in the world. They live in Lubbock, and we had not seen them since February. They came to Waco on Friday and spent the night, and on Saturday morning we headed to San Antonio. It was so good to be with them. Though we love our life here in Waco, a lot of our energy is spent doing the work of forming new friendships. And while it's fun and exciting, it's exhausting. If you've ever moved to a new place, started a new job or school, you know what I mean. It was nice to settle back into a wonderfully well-established friendship, and just be together. Talking and catching up. Cooking together and drinking hot cocoa, watching the kids play together, and laughing a lot. Here we all are together at lunch in San Antonio on Saturday:

We did the race thing together. Went to Expo together, shared a hotel suite, Billy and Kelly got to hang together during the race as spectators, and after the race, we did a lot of good celebratory eating together! Such a fun weekend with friends.

Here are a couple of photos from the Expo:

Just got my race packet!

I love this picture of me and my cousins!

And of course this silly one!

As for the race itself. It was one of the most fun things I have ever done in my life. Running a half marathon is a dream I've had for a long time. And on Sunday, that dream became reality. It was more fun than I even thought it would be!

Shannon and I got up at 5 a.m. on Sunday. I took a quick shower (yes, I know it seems silly to shower before running 13.1 miles), and ate breakfast. My usual long run breakfast- a banana and peanut butter toast. I got dressed (of course I had obsessively laid out my entire ensemble the night before) and went downstairs to meet everyone. My "coach" for the weekend was my cousin Jessica. This was her fifth half marathon, so she's past the "I'm so nervous/excited I might pee my pants!" point, and had said she would walk us to the start line, help us get to where we were supposed to be, etc.

The one thing that surprised me about the whole pre-race experience, is that I actually slept the night before. I honestly didn't expect to. I often have a hard time shutting my brain "off" at night, especially when I am nervous or excited. But I totally slept!

We picked a great spot to stay for the weekend. Our hotel was maybe a half a mile from the start, so we didn't have to deal with driving or parking, or even taking a shuttle. We just walked out the front door and followed the masses. Here are a couple of pre-race photos:

Me with all of my "people". Shannon, Christin, and Jessica

The family shot! The best cheerleaders ever!

Now headed to our corral. We were practically GIDDY!

Since Jessica was using this race as a training run for her full marathon in a few weeks, and since this was mine and Christin's first race, Jessica was able to take it easy and pace us for the race. We ran with Jessica and her friend Serene. SO much fun. We talked, laughed, and ran. They were the best running partners. I don't know if I have ever had that much fun running!

It was amazing how quickly the time went by... in the beginning, anyway. I was really impressed with how well-managed/produced the race was. Water stops were well-timed. They were long, too. Meaning, there were several tables and a lot of people at each of the stops, which meant they weren't too terribly crowded, and didn't slow us down too much. There were several bands all along the course whose music was fun to listen to. The course was pretty flat, except for a few hills, including a ridiculously intense one near the very end.

My only real complaint was the lack of consideration a lot of the walkers on the course showed. That sounds jerky, and I don't mean for it to. I think walking a half marathon is awesome and I think it's a huge accomplishment. I just wish the walkers would have stayed to the right, like they are encouraged to do. There were so many walkers in the middle of the street. People we almost ran in to. It was kind of hard to navigate.

I got to see Billy and Eisley at Miles 3 and 8. Luckily, Billy's pretty easy to spot. Here I am at Mile 3, having a blast.

Miles 1-10 were pretty good. They seemed to fly by, and they were fun. Somewhere between Mile 10 and 11, the whole thing became a lot less fun. My legs hurt. I was tired.

At Mile 11, I hit a wall. A big one. Instead of realizing that I had JUST two miles to go, I kept thinking, "I have TWO miles to go. That's so FAR." Deep down, even in the midst of the "wall", I knew I would finish. It just seemed I couldn't keep up at the pace that we had all been running up until that point. I was really frustrated with that, too. I had a suspicion that even that was all in my mind, and maybe I could have done it, but somehow I couldn't talk myself out of feeling defeated. I slowed way down. I watched my cousins and Serene go on ahead of me (which was totally fine! I was not upset that they had gone on. That's what they needed to do, and should have done!). I settled into a slower pace.

And then I saw Jessica's yellow shirt. She came back to finish with me. And at that point, I could have probably hyperventilated, because I was crying so much. Happy tears. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see another person than I was to see Jessica. She ran (painfully slow!) alongside me, encouraged me, and told me I could do it. And I did. Before too long, we had reached mile 12. And then mile 13.

And then we were in the chute, approaching the finish line. I was able to put a smile on my face and finish feeling proud! Serene and Christin finished 2 minutes before we did, and we found them pretty quickly in the family reunion area. Soon after that I found Billy and Eisley. Not too long after that, Shannon finished, and I met up with her. There were lots of grins after the race!

All in all, a fabulous day! My official finish time was 2:24:23. My goal was to finish under 2:30, so I am very happy with my time.

Tomorrow

2010-11-13T21:53:00.002-05:00

Race day is tomorrow. So excited!

The day after tomorrow: Toddlers!

2010-11-12T07:48:00.001-05:00

The race is the day after tomorrow!

I have thought all along, but this week I know it for sure, that training for a half marathon when you're a stay-at-home mom to a busy toddler is CRAZY. It's been challenging at times.

In the beginning, I was training in Kentucky, while I was still working and going to school, so the only time I could run was in the evenings. That meant missing Eisley's bedtime, or rushing out the door after dinner, to squeeze in a run and get back before she went to bed. Now that we're in Texas and I'm not working, I'm not having to miss as much family time to go run, as my friend Barbara usually keeps Eisley in the mornings while I go running. But none of this is the crazy part.

She's SO busy. If you've ever met my child, you know this is true. When she's awake , she's moving. The child is perpetual motion. Always into something, always exploring, always talking... at the end of the day, I'm exhausted. In the mornings, I'm often exhausted. And running often seems like the last thing I want to do. Oh yes-- I very much enjoy the "me" time I get when I go out for a run-- but sometimes I lack the energy! Truthfully, I think all of these things are wonderful-- I love that she's so curious and smart and full of life.

But this week. The one week I need my sleep to actually count, as I approach race day, my child has seemed to test my every limit. She's been extra energetic. Extra defiant. On Monday she skipped her nap. And for some reason, at night, she's had some trouble sleeping-- which means we have, too.

I have hope, though. Last night was a good night of rest for all of us (though, we had to leave our house at 9 p.m. when we were trying to go to bed because our storage unit had been broken into and we had to go file a police report). But besides dealing with that, and going to bed an hour later than we had planned, this morning I am feeling more rested.

Join me in praying for a good night's sleep tonight, won't you?

3 Days (2 Days?): I Almost Caught a Cold

2010-11-11T12:54:00.001-05:00

My cousin and I are having a little dispute about how you officially "count down" for a race. So whether the race (on Sunday morning, bright & early) is 3 days away, or 2 days away (I guess, it's 2 and a half at this exact moment), it's coming soon. :)

And I almost caught a cold. On Monday I started feeling yucky. I know my body well enough to know when something is trying to take over my system. I could tell. A cold was coming. What awful timing. I was really angry about it, too (you can ask Billy. I was grouchy). I just kept thinking, "Of ALL the weeks to catch a cold, why this one? Five months of training for this race, and I am going to be SICK?" So on Monday night I sent out a text to a few friends, asking them to pray that I would stay healthy. And I went to bed at 8:00.

During my waking hours, I took a multi-vitamin sort of thing, that was recommended (and given) to me by my friend Shannon. 3 pills every 3 hours. They stink to high heaven. And they're big. But they work. I rested as much as I could (which, of course, all depends on Eisley!), took the pills, and kept myself as hydrated as possible.

Even as recently as last night, I did not feel well. At small group last night, everyone could tell I didn't feel well, even though I was in a little bit of denial.

But this morning I woke up a new woman! I feel GREAT today. I'm still taking my vitamins and still keeping myself hydrated, but I feel like the battle of Me vs. Cold was won somewhere in the night last night-- and the cold lost.

Thanks, friends, for all of the prayers, encouragement, and ideas for how to beat a cold. I'm grateful.

Bring on the race!

4 Days: Billy & Eisley

2010-11-09T17:42:00.001-05:00

Billy has said to me more than once, "Running is the least fun sport ever." But he hasn't said it a single time since I started running again in May.

When I had this insane desire to start running again, after 8 years of not running, I talked to Billy about it. I told him that for Mother's Day, I wanted a new pair of running shoes. And something else. I told him that training for (and succeeding in training for) a half marathon was really important to me, but I couldn't do it without his support.

So I got my new pair of running shoes. And Billy has been nothing but encouraging since I got them. And even though I know that for him, running isn't fun, he hasn't mentioned a word of it these past few months, and has just been...great!

When I go out for my Saturday morning long runs, he stays behind with Eisley, and sends me out for my run with a, "I hope you have fun today." Or, "You're doing a good job. I'm proud of you." He has helped Eisley know how to encourage me, too, and she always asks whenever I come home from a run (long or short), "Mom, did you have fun running today?" or "Good job, Mommy!" A few weeks ago when I ran a 5K, I texted Billy to say that I had finished and was headed home. I immediately got a call from Eisley and she said, "Good job, Mommy! I'm so proud of you!" (this was Billy's prompting, of course, but I loved hearing those words.)

I run with my cell phone, and on most of my long runs, Billy sends me an encouraging text during my last couple of miles. They always make me happy!

So. I am thankful for Billy's encouragement these last few months, and I am really excited about seeing Billy and Eisley somewhere on the course cheering me on, and at the finish line for a great big family hug!

5 Days: The Trip

2010-11-08T14:34:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love San Antonio, TX? I haven't been to San Antonio in ages, and I am excited to be going this weekend. I mean, if you're going to run a race, you might as well run it in a really fun city, right?

We decided that we would spend two nights there. And we decided that instead of going down to San Antonio on Friday and coming home Sunday (race day), we would go Saturday morning, and come back Monday. This means that Sunday & Monday, after the race is over, we get to go have FUN with our friends. We get to eat whatever we want, wherever we want. We get to sleep in on Monday once all of the pre-race jitters have subsided (I say this, in complete denial that my toddler will wake us up early anyway). We get to enjoy a great city with great friends.

So... here's to a fun getaway in San Antonio!

6 Days: Family Reunion

2010-11-07T12:22:00.002-05:00

My family is large. There are a lot of us, pretty much on every side of the family, but particularly on my mom's side. She has 6 siblings. Many of them are married with kids, and their kids have kids now, too. One of the best things about my family is how intentional the family has always been about getting together, and knowing one another.

My childhood is filled with memories of family-- spending Christmas together, or the 4th of July, and ordinary Saturday afternoons. I remember making nature soup with my cousins, and climbing the tree in our grandmother's yard for hours-on-end. We had cousin sleepovers, played hide-and-go-seek in the dark in our grandmother's yard, built forts in her backyard, and went exploring in the alley that was behind her house. I was 16 when our grandmother died (none of the cousins had the chance to know our gradfather, as he passed away before any of us were born), and I wondered if I would still see my family again like we always did at our grandmother's house.

Yes. I still see my family on a regular basis. Even at age 30. We still spend Christmas together, celebrate birthdays together, visit the ones that live in other states, and we even have a family facebook group. We stay connected. Sure, it gets harder to do, as our family keeps expanding. But we somehow make it work. While certainly everyone in the family works hard to stay connected to one another, I think a large part of our connectedness over the years has been because of our aunt D. When our grandmother passed away, I'd say she became the established "matriarch" figure of the family. She organizes cousin dinners, plans (and largely funds) our Christmas gatherings every year, helps to maintain our family contact information and makes sure we're all in the loop, attends high school, college, and graduate school graduations, birthday parties for her great nieces & nephews, sends everyone in the family a card on their birthday (that often includes a little "fun money"), and makes sure we all know what's going on in one another's lives. Simply put: She's an amazing woman. She loves her family dearly-- and she is well-loved by us.

All that to say: there are 4 of us from my generation of cousins running this half-marathon next Sunday. There's me, Jessica, Christin, and Barrett. And I am excited about that. Excited because I can honestly say that these folks are more than just cousins-- they are my friends. They are my friends, because our family, through the years, has made an effort to know one another and take an active interest in one another's lives.

* [I could write an equally heartfelt and honest tribute like this, for all of my families, not just the Collinses. I could write one about the Efurds/Hendersons, the Floyds, and my newest families, the Lawsons and Hickmans. And probably someday I will.]

So. I am grateful also to have journeyed with these folks the past few months-- being jealous of Barrett and the insanely long distances he is able to run, and the ridiculous speed with which he has run them (while being genuinely excited for him at the same time!), being truly concerned and worried for one another over injuries, and encouraging one another when we're discouraged, and celebrating when one of us has run a longer distance than we ever have before!

I look forward to celebrating with you at the finish line, you guys! (Of course, Barrett will have had time to finish, eat, take a shower, and change clothes, before the rest of us make it there. We'll only be a little bit jealous.)

7 Days: Looking forward to seeing a Friend

2010-11-06T15:13:00.000-04:00

Perhaps the most exciting part of this race-training journey has been the fun of sharing it with a friend of mine. I've been training with a friend since the beginning. Except we haven't been training together-- she lives in Lubbock, and I live in Waco. She is a friend I knew in college, but really became close with during our seminary days. Shannon, Kelly, and their son August moved away from Wilmore in February of this year. That was the last time we saw them... and it's been far too long!

So. We decided to train together for this race, and have been holding each other accountable and encouraging each other along the way. We've kept a (private) blog together, to share about our trials, triumphs, frustrations, and victories. For each of us, this is our first half-marathon. And in less than ONE WEEK, we get to see each other! The McCuaigs are coming to Waco on Friday, and we are beyond excited!! We will all head to San Antonio on Saturday morning.

The McCuaigs are what I would call "heart" friends. Our friendship is a special one, and I know it will be a lasting one. So here's to old friends reuniting, and the excitement of sharing in this triumph together!

8 Days: The Fear

2010-11-05T14:00:00.029-04:00

8 Days! EIGHT Days! You can't hear me, but my voice sounds a little panicky at this point. I guess that means that today is as good a day as any to talk about my fears. Where do I start?

Sometimes I'm afraid I won't finish. Sometimes I'm afraid I'll get hurt. Sometimes I'm afraid I'll somehow blow all of my energy within the first 2 miles and have to crawl along the rest of the course. I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep the night before the race (this is a very real fear, that could actually be true) and will be so tired on race day, that I'll just be miserable the whole time and won't have it in me to do as well as I know I can do. Other times, I'm afraid I haven't prepared well enough, and on other days I'm afraid I'm too confident in my ability to finish, that I'm setting myself up for disappointment. The other day, on a 10 mile run, about the time I was doubting I could finish, I got a perfectly-timed text message from Billy, encouraging me to keep going. It was all I needed to keep at it-- so other times, I worry that I won't see Billy and Eisley anywhere along the course, and I'll be disappointed. And, I often try to convince myself that I'm faster than I really am... I'm not fast. So I worry that, even if I do the best I can do, I will somehow be disappointed in that.

I think all of my race-day fears can be summed up this way: I worry that the mental "game" of running, will somehow get the best of me. I never understood until recently, how much of the sport of running is MENTAL.

So... here's to positive thinking and putting away those fears!

9 Days: Expectations

2010-11-04T15:01:00.000-04:00

9 days to go. NINE days!!! Today I want to share with you my expectations for the race.

To be honest? I don't have many. I think because I have NO idea what to expect, I'm just sort of approaching the race with a "Hey, I'll just have fun and see what happens!" kind of attitude. Is that bad? I can't imagine standing at a starting line with 20,000 people lined up. I don't know what going through the water stops will be like. I don't know what the crowds on the course will be like, or what kind of pace I'll realistically be able to keep, since this is a distance I've not mastered before. Now, it's not like I'm going in completely blind, of course. I've figured out how to hydrate on my long training runs, I know about what I expect my pace to be, and I've run smaller races before-- but you can only prepare so much for a race of this size. Everything changes when you're talking about running with 20,000 people, in a town you've never run in before, on a course you've only read about.

So... my goal for this race? To finish! That may seem to be too simple a goal for a race I've been preparing for for months now. But for me, it's a good starting point. It will be my launching pad for improvement in all future races.

Since I don't really know what to expect, I may even find that I hate races. I doubt that will be the case, though. One other thing I do expect is that I will have fun. Even cheering on friends and family members at past races, I've learned this: something about the race atmosphere is just FUN. It gets me all hyped up! Now that I'm actually participating in a race, I fully expect it to be even more of a thrill!

So. This is my starting place. My expectation is to finish (I do have a goal time in mind, but I do not even know how realistic it is. It may be too ambitious a goal, or it may be too attainable for all I know) and to have fun in the process. I am going to run as hard as I can next Saturday, and do my best, and see where that gets me.

(I already have my sights set on another half marathon in March in Dallas. By then, I hope to have a little clearer idea of what to expect, based on my experiences in San Antonio next weekend.)

Let the Countdown Begin: Dreams

2010-11-03T22:19:00.000-04:00

10 Days. 10 days from now is Race Day! I am super excited! I am going to blog through my 10 day Countdown, on a few different topics that have been milling around in my head the past few days.

I am feeling a whole range of emotions right now-- mostly excitement at this point. Sure, there are moments when I think, "Oh crap! I have to run 13.1 miles in less than 2 weeks!", but right now I'm still in the excitement phase.

Today's topic of discussion: Dreams.

Everyone tells me that in the days and weeks leading up to race day, it's pretty common to have crazy dreams about the race-- getting lost on the course, the course shutting down before you finish, not being able to find your family after the race, breaking a leg, etc.

I haven't had these dreams yet, but I expect them to come any day now. The trick will be, of course, to not let them spook me too much. I pretty regularly have very vivid dreams. The bad ones really have a way of shaking me sometimes.

So... maybe I'll get lucky and won't have any crazy Race Day dreams in the next 10 days! But when I do, I'm hoping I can laugh about them, rather than panic.

Perfect 10

2010-10-23T19:10:00.000-04:00

Okay, so perfect is an extreme overstatement. But I did run 10 miles today and it felt pretty good!

There have been several times in the past few years I've said I'm going to commit to working out or running or some other physical activity. But unfortunately, I have a pattern of quitting when it gets tough. Not this time, though. This past summer I committed to training for this half marathon, and I've actually stuck with it. In the beginning, I know I stuck with it because I knew that my good friend Shannon, and several of my cousins were running that same race-- they would ask me how my running was going, and they held me accountable. But then I started to really enjoy myself, once I could finally run and not struggle to breathe!

So as cheesy as I know it is, I was grinning from ear to ear as I took the last steps of my run this morning, and was greeted by the members of my running club that had finished before me. I was really excited, and felt like I accomplished something really big today.

I'm still not as fast as I want to be. But even if I don't get faster, I'm really having a great time.

Theology of a Toddler

2010-10-19T22:21:00.000-04:00

Two things Eisley announced today while we were jumping on the trampoline together:

Eisley: I am God!

Me: Oh, really? How come you say that?

Eisley: Because I am Tinkerbell! And I can fly!

And then she yelled the following, at the top of her lungs:

God made me SPECIAL and he loves me VERY VERY much!

(This one I am totally on board with. Eisley being God and Tinkerbell, and God being like Tinkerbell, I'm just not so sure about. Besides. How does she even know who Tinkerbell is?)

Funnies from Eisley (From the past 2 days)

2010-10-14T22:11:00.003-04:00

Last night, while spending the night at my mom's house, Eisley took this little teddy bear to bed with her. It is an angel bear, and has wings. In the middle of the night, Eisley threw the bear out of her bed and yelled, "I don't like that Jesus bear!"

Yesterday, my sister said to Eisley, "Hey, E-Money!" Eisley grabbed Kat's face and said, "I am NOT E-Money!"

Last night, Eisley saw a book about Noah and the Ark at my mom's house. My mom was telling her about Noah and how the animals were saved. Eisley added, "Yeah, Noah and the Wonder Pets saved the animals from trouble."

Eisley asked Aunt Kat to stay with her and play. Kat said, "I can't, Eisley. I have to work." Eisley, in a dejected tone, sighed and said, "Well, I have to go to work, too." Kat said, "Where do you work?" Eisley said, "At my work."

Eisley was sitting at my mom's computer, and clicking things like crazy. Mimi said, "Eisley, let's not do that." Without skipping a beat, Eisley put her hand in the air and kept on clicking and said, "Hang on, Sister! I'm checking my email."

We took Eisley to the Rose Garden the other day and a lady there gave Eisley some roses. I told Eisley to smell the roses. So she did, and I asked her, "Does it smell good? What does that flower smell like?" She said, in a matter-of-fact tone, "It smells like poop." Ha!

7th Heaven (Do You Believe in Magic?)

2010-10-11T00:33:00.001-04:00

As the number of days until my half marathon gets smaller, the number of miles I am running gets larger. On Saturday I ran 7 miles. And I had a blast.

On Saturday, we were in the Dallas area visiting Billy's family, so I decided to drive up to McKinney on Saturday morning to run with my cousin Jessica and her Team in Training group. I knew that there was no way I could run 7 miles on my own. Well, maybe I could have, but it was a terrifying amount of miles to run, since I have not ever run that far before.

I went to bed at 8:30 the night before, and I was up at 5 a.m. on Saturday. I met Jessica at 6:30, and after a few group announcements, a woman named Tammy shared the story of her battle with cancer, and why she runs with Team in Training. Her story was truly inspiring, and really set the whole tone for the run. The Team in Training folks aren't just running to do something for themselves. They run to save lives. They do it one pledge, one donation, and one mile at a time.

Since Jessica was running a half marathon the following day, she ran just the first 4 miles with me before she stopped, and I ran the last 3 by myself. My last 3 miles were definitely my slowest. I really enjoyed running with Jessica, and with her friend Serene. We actually had things to talk about, and the time flew by. Before I realized it, we had completed 4 miles, and it wasn't until the very end of those 4 miles that I realized I was starting to hurt. Now, I know that for Jessica, those were a very slow 4 miles. She was taking it easy on Saturday because of Sunday's race. But for me, those 4 miles were actually quite a bit faster than I normally run when I'm by myself. And because I was enjoying the company and conversation, I hadn't even realized we were running at a slightly faster pace than I am used to running. It was a good feeling.

At the end of those 4 miles, I was starting to hurt, and the mind games started. I wanted to quit, and I probably could have thought of at least 20 excuses to talk myself into actually quitting. But I forged ahead, and not long after, something magical happened. The e-gel I had taken just a few minutes earlier, kicked in. And it worked. No more complaining. No more mind games. I just ran, and I felt good while doing it. Before I knew it, those last 3 miles were done, and I felt as though I had really accomplished something! What is e-gel? I'm glad you asked!

I had read about e-gel on Jessica's blog a couple of weeks ago, and to be honest, I wasn't sure I would ever try it. Not because I don't trust Jessica's opinion; I just doubted that it could really be that different than Gu. In my (limited) experience so far, all of the energy gels produce about the same result for me. But last weekend when I went to Fort Worth for my 5K, I stopped in at the Fort Worth Running Company, and spotted e-gel on the shelf there. I bought one packet just to try, and from there would decide whether or not to buy more. I am here to tell you, that I will never buy another packet of Gu, or any of the other energy gels. This stuff works. And it works well.

Rather than repeat the very things Jessica has already written on her blog, I have included an excerpt from her blog below. I am in complete agreement with her assessment of the product. And as Eisley's friend Plex would say, "Try it! You'll like it!" I have included a link with my referral code below, should you decide to give it a whirl. Without further ado, here's what Jessica has to say about it:

GU vs. E-Gel

Taste: Don't gag. I know GU is an acquired taste. Maybe not acquired. Maybe it's just something you learn to live with. I hate to say it but E-Gel is the same. Not better. Probably even a little worse. There are only 4 flavors available and of those 4, Vanilla Strawberry and Cherry Bomb made me gag the least. So those are my favorite.

Energy: I have been taking it for about a week now and I can honestly say I see a significant difference in my energy level. I was a little worried because E-Gel does not contain any caffeine but it hasn't seemed to matter. I am running stronger and faster than ever. And the no caffeine means I can take it in the evenings and not worry about being up all night.

Size: It's quiet a bit bigger than GU. I can't take the entire thing in one swallow which makes it more difficult to deal with while running. (Score one for GU)

Substance: E-Gel has everything you need and them some. See below.MarathonPR - If you use e-Gel in your marathon training and on race day, Crank Sports will guarantee that you'll run a personal record (PR) time. Check out the website for details.

If you order online, use my referral code 387752 and I get free product. Once you order, you will get a referral code for free product also. When I ordered under Jessica's referral code, not only did she get points, but because I was a referral, I got points as well-- enough points, in fact, to make my shipping cost $0.

You can also click here to order. My referral code is already there.

Thank you so much, Jessica, for the great tip! I am forever grateful!

Race Recap

2010-10-02T15:44:00.001-04:00

So I ran my 5K this morning. It was hard. Much harder than I think it should have been, to be honest! Some thoughts & observations:

* I am still sick. Today I feel worse than yesterday; I am feeling pretty congested, and can no longer breathe out of my nose. I stayed overnight at my cousin’s apartment last night, who lives in Fort Worth, about three blocks from where the race started (and finished). When I got winded going down the stairs to my car this morning, I knew it would be a tough run. But I ran. And I tried really hard not to do too much whining. :)

* It was good to be in the race atmosphere, and for what was a pretty small race, I felt it was done well. It was fun, there were lots of people around, lots of fruit and smoothies to sample, and there was good music playing. At the halfway point, there was a water station, and even for such a short race, they had mile markers set up. When I put my electronic chip on my shoe, I felt like a legitimate runner. Ha!

* The race was not entirely awesome, however. The starting line and finish line were at the same place, and the path leading in/out of it was very very narrow. It was frustrating. When the race started, there were of course a lot of people packed into this tiny space, and we were all trying to get around each other; I had forgotten what that was like. I can only imagine how it will be at the half marathon, when there are thousands of people lined up to start the race. There was a guy at the start that seemed to be trying his very best to annoy me, and did so with a lot of success! When I would go right to get around him, he would go right and cut me off. When I turned back to the left to go around him the other way, he turned back to the left and cut me off again. He didn't seem to hear me when I told him I was coming up on his right (or left) to pass. Oh well! Then, as I approached the finish line, there were three people in front of me running side by side. And because the trail was so narrow, there’s no way I could have gone around them, even though I wanted to. On either side of this little pathway was a big drop-off/steep hill.

* The race was NOT on a road, which is what I had expected. It wasn't a trail race, either. It was sort of somewhere in between. The race went through Trinity Park in Ft Worth, and it was more of a dirt/gravely kind of road. A walking trail, I guess. It wasn’t awful. Just softer than actual road is, and a different surface than I am used to running on. At one point we were running along the river on a concrete trail, and that was definitely the easiest part of the race. The race started and ended on a grassy hill. It felt like I was in high school cross country all over again. It smelled and felt the same.

* My official chip time was 32:53. My goal was to finish under 32, and of course I wonder if I could have, were I actually feeling my best. But of course, it is what it is. I ran as hard as I was able today, and I cannot worry about what "could have been". I will simply try to improve from here, and see what I can do at the next race.

All in all, it was a fun morning! I hope I am not down too long which whatever has me feeling yucky! I have a big training week ahead.

My First Race

2010-10-01T15:00:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow morning, I am running my first race in a very long time. Like, in 4 years. Before the 5K I ran 4 years ago, it had been 8 years since I had run a race.

Tomorrow I am running a 5K, as part of my half marathon training. In just a couple of weeks, I will run a 10K. And just 6 weeks from now, I'll actually be running my half marathon. I can't think about that right now, though. It panics me too much.

But the 5K. I am excited about it. Sort of.

This has been a really difficult training week. Every single run I've gone on, has been painful. My legs hurt, I can't breathe, and the hills? Well. Don't even talk to me about the hills. They make me want to cuss. [Don't tell anyone, but sometimes they do.]

Plus, I'm sick. Yesterday morning, I started to feel something coming on. A cold? A cough? It might as well be pneumonia as far as I'm concerned. I don't have time to be sick right now. Not even with a cold. There are far too many miles to run yet. Though I'd rather not get sick at all, I'd really prefer getting sick after November 14, Race Day.

I don't feel awful...yet. And maybe this will turn into nothing. But I know my body well enough to know when I'm getting sick. And I think it's coming.

I will still run my 5K tomorrow. And it will probably be difficult, since I don't feel my best. Maybe it will even cause me to get sicker, quicker. But I'm not missing this race.

Wish me luck.

The newest members of our family

2010-09-26T12:08:00.001-04:00

Meet Eisley's fish. Last night we were at a birthday party for a friend, and their son (who is about 9 years old) has a great fish tank full of fish. Apparently, one of his fish recently had babies, and his tank is a little full. So he said to me, "So, I am thinking that if Eisley wants a fish, she could probably have one. I have a little tank and everything."

So I let the idea sit with me for a while, and Billy and I talked about it, and we decided that would be just fine. We asked Eisley if she wanted a fish, and she was beyond excited. She jumped up and down, yelling, "I'm getting a fish! I'm getting a fish!!"

So she picked one out, and it went into her tank. She said, "Aww, where's her mommy and daddy? She's so sad."

And that's why we have three fish instead of one.

This morning, she told us that their names were (are you ready?): Dora, Boots, and Diego.

So at some point today or tomorrow, we need to beautify their tank with some rocks and plants.

A Victory

2010-09-25T16:26:00.001-04:00

A few months ago I posted that I was running again, and that I had registered for the San Antonio Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon on November 14.It was towards the end of May that I started running; I received my new running shoes for Mother's Day.

I remember the first mile that I ran. I remember it, because each and every step hurt. I couldn't actually run the entire distance. One mile. Really? I was so disappointed in myself, the physical condition I was in, and the fact that one mile was so very difficult for me. It took me 13 minutes to run that mile. 13 very painful minutes. But I kept going.

And though I've been running since May, if you asked me, I wouldn't have called myself a runner. I was running. But I wasn't a runner. Even if you had asked me yesterday if I was a runner, I would have told you no.

But today, I am a runner. What changed? Today I had the best run of my life. It wasn't fast. But it felt good. For 6 miles, I ran. And every step felt good. I felt like, for the first time, I knew my body well enough to know when to hydrate, to know when to push myself, and to know when to take it easy. And instead of trying to talk myself into quitting when it got hard, I talked myself into keeping at it. Because I was having fun. And oddly enough, at the end of my six miles, I not only felt like I was on top of the world-- I was disappointed that my run had come to an end.

So go ahead and ask me if I'm a runner. My answer will be "yes".

Up Next

2010-09-22T14:56:00.000-04:00

This isn't going to turn into a "What I'm Reading Now" blog. Except that I love reading again and I am excited.

What I'm Reading Now

2010-09-14T14:54:00.000-04:00

Has anyone read it before?

An Interview

2010-09-09T11:25:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I "interviewed" Eisley. She's got definite opinions about things, so I wanted to ask her about her favorite things, and write them down. Her favorite things seem to always be changing as she grows. But on September 8, 2010, these were Eisley's favorite things. I bet that the answers might even be different today, but here's what she said yesterday:

Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Food: Cookies
Favorite Vegetable: She first said, "I don't like veggies", but then changed her mind and said she liked Carrots
Favorite Drink: JUICE!
Favorite TV Show: Dora (I asked if she liked Dora better than Gabba, and I was shocked to hear her say "yes"!)
Favorite Game: Jumping on the Bed
Favorite Animal: Giraffe
Favorite clothes to wear: Yo Gabba Gabba big girl underwear
Favorite Fun Outing: the Museum here in Waco

Reading

2010-09-08T16:01:00.000-04:00

While I was in seminary, I forgot how much fun it really is to read. Don't get me wrong-- I thoroughly enjoyed many of my seminary texts-- but even if I enjoyed the book, as I read, I was always thinking about how I would integrate the text into my final paper, what I needed to incorporate into a book review, how I could critically analyze the text, etc.

Two weeks ago I finally completed seminary. While I participated in the May commencement ceremonies, I actually had 2 classes to complete over the summer before I could officially be called "graduate". I finished my final paper 2 Fridays ago at noon. And to celebrate, Billy took me to a bookstore, so that I could pick out my first post-seminary, read-for-pleasure-and-not-because-I-have-to-read-it book.

It was a tough choice. I walked up and down the aisles of the bookstores, doing what I always do-- judging each book by its cover (Sorry, but it's got to grab my attention!), and really struggling with which book to purchase. This was a momentous occasion-- my first post-seminary read! I had to choose something fantastic.

After a much-too-long period of deliberation, I selected my book-- a classic-- To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Yes, I had read this book once before. But I am pretty sure I was in the ninth grade, and I could barely remember anything about the book. The only two characters that came to mind were Atticus and Boo Radley and I thought I remembered it taking place in Alabama. I very proudly carried my new purchase home, and couldn't wait to settle in and read.

I devoured this book. The night I finished it, I literally sat on the edge of my seat, wishing I could read faster so that I could turn the page faster and find out what happened next. And when I finished the book, I was sad. Not because I didn't like the way the book ended-- but because it had come to an end.

I think I am going to really love this reading-for-pleasure thing. What are your "must read" novels? I'm hungry for another one.

Billy Got a Job

2010-09-07T14:38:00.000-04:00

Well in case you missed it on facebook, twitter, or the emails I sent out, Billy got a job! Today is his first day. We were all very excited this morning as he made his way out the door to go to work.

He's working for Summit Dental Lab here in Waco. He will get to do a wide variety of projects, use all kinds of cool tools, and get to work in what seems like a great working environment. Everyone there seems to enjoy their job, they have fun, and he can wear pretty much whatever he wants to work. Today he wore jeans, a comfortable shirt, and a brand new pair of Converse sneakers that he bought for the occasion. At his previous job he had to wear a uniform and boots. He looked much more comfortable today!

I am still looking for work, and trying not to get frustrated. I know something will come along. I just don't know what it is yet, and I am definitely ready to go to work. In the meantime, I am really enjoying the extra time with Eisley. Though, Eisley sometimes asks when she will get to to school again. I can tell she misses school-- she loved going to school when we lived in Kentucky. She felt so important and felt like such a big girl at school!

So. We're trying to figure it all out, and will keep everyone posted.

Legal Residents

2010-08-30T00:21:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow we have a long day ahead of us. Tomorrow we tackle state vehicle inspections, vehicle registrations, and Texas Drivers Licenses. It's much more complicated to get all of this stuff here in Texas than I remember it being when we switched all of it over in Kentucky 4 and a a half years ago.

I anticipate many long lines, lots of forms, and a splitting headache by the end of the day. And at the end of it all, we'll officially be Texans again.

I remember the day we got Kentucky drivers licenses. I cried, saying, "But I'm a Texan!" (You know those Texans and their state pride!) I probably won't cry when I surrender my Kentucky license tomorrow. But I'll be a little sentimental for sure.

Here's hoping for kind workers at all the places we will go tomorrow, short lines, correctly filled out forms, and a decent drivers license photo.

One Thing I Love About Texas

2010-08-26T11:32:00.002-04:00

In restaurants, you don't have to waste your time asking the question, "Do you have Coke, or Pepsi products here?"

The answer is always Coke. Which is always the right choice.

My Broken Record

2010-08-23T19:45:00.000-04:00

I can't stand the Texas heat. I can't stand the Texas heat. I can't stand the Texas heat.

I could say it all day long. And sometimes I do. I forgot how hot it gets in Texas. Why we chose to move here in August is beyond me. Since we've been here, it's been well over 100 degrees. Every. Single. Day. There has been a heat advisory in effect, you guessed it-- Every. Single. Day. It's awful. We've all got cabin fever, because let's face it. No one would venture out into this heat voluntarily.

So I'm pretending it's winter. No going outside. Just trying to think of fun things to do indoors. And holding out hope. Because once September gets here, we'll have great outdoor weather for a stretch of at least 4 months. Maybe more. Which I will love.

Our Life

2010-08-22T22:26:00.006-04:00

I haven't talked much on the blog about our life in Texas and what our day-to-day is like. That's mostly because it's often met with mixed reactions, and since a blog is a ONE-way conversation, and I can't enter into an actual conversation with whoever is reading, I've avoided writing about it altogether. I suppose that the reason we moved back to Texas, and specifically WHERE we moved in Texas, could seem kind of crazy if you haven't journeyed with us the past few months. But here I am. Wanting to write about my life. We're currently living in Waco, TX. Neither of us is from here and neither of us has lived here before. But here's a bullet point version of our life right now:

* We moved here to be a part of the Hope Fellowship Church/Community. Not in an employment situation. Simply to share life with the group of people that is Hope Fellowship. When we first heard about Hope Fellowship (from our friends Josh & Candace), we felt very drawn to this faith family, and wanted to scope it out and see if it might be a fit for our family. Getting here was a months-long discerning and praying process for us and we felt like God was drawing our hearts here. We arrived the first week of August.

* Neither of us has jobs yet. That's a little scary. But we are trusting God that something will happen. And we are hoping that it will happen soon.

* Since we arrived, we haven't actually spent too much time in Waco. We've been on a whirlwind tour of Texas to visit family-- weddings, birthday parties, and quiet visits with grandparents. We missed out on a lot of family time during our Kentucky years, and it feels good to be spending time with family again. We loved sitting at the breakfast table with my grandparents, drinking a cup of coffee with them. We loved celebrating Billy's cousin getting married, and laughing and talking during the reception. We loved getting to attend THREE birthday parties in ONE week on my mom's side of the family. We are now exhausted. But it's very very good to be so close to family again.

* We are currently living with another family here in Waco. They are a part of our new church, and they have been generous to us. We had only met them once (now you're probably seeing why a lot of this whole thing seems "crazy" to many of the people we know) prior to moving in with them, but we felt great about the situation. And still do. We are living with this family only temporarily-- this living arrangement eases the financial burden for our family while we search for jobs. It also allows us the opportunity to spend some time in Waco and with the Hope Fellowship community before we decide whether or not this is where we'll put down real roots, without the commitment of buying a house or signing a lease somewhere. It allows us the time to consider houses we might wish to buy, and to wait for the right one without rushing into buying something simply because we need a place to live now.

* Most of our stuff is in storage. Some days I miss our stuff. Living with other people has its ups and downs. Some days are fun and fabulous and full of laughter. Other days bring frustration. Like when I go to make dinner and I'm in an unfamiliar kitchen with tools and gadgets that aren't mine, that I don't know how to use. But we're figuring it out together and navigating this new way of life. We're talking a lot about it as we go along-- what's working? What's not working? We're figuring out how to carve out personal and family time in the midst of life in a full house. We are living with a family that consists of a mom, a dad, a daughter that is 14, and a daughter that is 10. Eisley loves her new companions. She wants to be one of the big girls, and the big girls are wonderful with Eisley. Yesterday Eisley got to participate in the 10 year old's fashion show. She's still talking about it today. And though the pictures are a little fuzzy, here are some pictures of Eisley on the "runway":

* We love our new church. Everyone has been so incredibly welcoming of our family. We are still figuring out what life in this community will be like, but so far it has been incredibly rich. We've shared dinners with many of the families in their homes, shared in a common meals with the church family, hung out with some of the kids from the church, and are getting plugged into a cell/small group. Sunday morning worship has been a tremendous blessing. I had so many questions about what it would be like before we moved here. Yes, we moved here to be a part of this church. But we moved here having never attended a single worship service (Again, crazy, I know...). I have absolutely loved Sunday morning worship. It's quite different from anything I have experienced before-- but still there is a certain level of comfort and familiarity.

* Waco itself isn't the greatest of towns. Well. Maybe that's not true. I'm just not used to it yet. The shopping certainly leaves something to be desired, but hey-- without a job, I don't need to be doing any shopping anyway! In reality, Billy and I are pretty committed to a very simple way of life. So the shopping isn't that huge a deal. It's just that I'll have to figure out all the best places to get things I need, and that is going to take time since a lot of my go-to stores don't have locations in Waco.

* I hate the grocery stores here. Sorry. I know H-E-B is supposed to be a really great company. But so far, the grocery store has only brought me headaches and stress. Of course, that may have something to do with the fact that the last time I went, I unknowingly went on Senior Discount Day and the place was a madhouse.

* Several months ago I posted about training for a half marathon. Yesterday I went on my first group run with the Waco Striders Running Club. I found them on the internet and emailed someone from the group. I know that if I am going to be committed to my training, I had to find others to run with. That was going to be essential, especially once my weekly mileage increases to mileage I've only ever dreamed of running. I had a GREAT experience with the group! I showed up to run with complete strangers, and they couldn't have been nicer or more encouraging to me. I look forward to spending my (very early) Saturday mornings with these folks in the coming weeks.

All in all, we're settling into a very comfortable way of life here in our new town. There are certainly days that my heart aches for Kentucky. There has been a definite time of grieving the loss of the community we found there and it has been harder on me than I even anticipated it being. But we are glad to be here, beginning a new adventure and finding out what God has in store for us.

I won't tell a sappy story...

2010-07-19T00:49:00.000-04:00

...but I will say that today marked the ending of a very significant chapter in my life. Today was my very last day at Versailles UMC, where I have served as the Children's Pastor for 4 and a half years. It's a very weird feeling to be finished with my work there. They were very rich years, and I am grateful for them. There's a lot that could be said about my time there, but no amount of words could really capture the whole experience.

This means of course, that I now officially unemployed. The last time I was unemployed was the one month period between leaving my job in Dallas to move to Kentucky, and getting the job at VUMC. The same feelings of uncertainty and anxiety I had then are hitting me now. But we are trusting God as we take these next steps. We are hoping that I will not be unemployed for long. I will keep you posted.

9 days until we leave for Texas!

Compassion

2010-07-07T08:04:00.000-04:00

Eisley doesn't watch much TV. We try to avoid it whenever possible. But Eisley does watch at least one episode of something every morning while I shower. It's the only thing that keeps her semi-out-of-trouble while I shower and she is left (for a short while!) to entertain herself.

This morning she was watching her favorite show, Yo Gabba Gabba. I was showering, and I heard Eisley enter the bathroom; she was whimpering. She said (VERY sadly), "Mommy. Muno hit Plex and he fell down. [whimper]. He fell down [whimper]." Muno and Plex are characters on YGG.

I said to her, "Oh no! Is Plex going to be okay? You better go check!" Off she went.

She came back moments later and was VERY excited. No more whimpering. Just laughter and joy. She said, "Mommy! Plex is all better!! He got up! Plex is okay!"

I loved this moment. She's so sweet and very aware of things like people getting physically hurt, or even when someone's feelings are hurt. I love that she was broken-hearted for Plex. I pray that she grows in her compassion for others in the coming years.

Sharing

2010-07-06T17:44:00.000-04:00

This morning we were driving to work/school, and I had on a shiny red bracelet. Eisley told me she wanted to wear the bracelet. I said, "No, Mommy's wearing it today. Doesn't it look pretty with what Mommy is wearing?"

Eisley said, "But I want to wear it."

I said, "How about I let you wear it until we get to school, and then you can give it back to Mommy. Okay?"

She said, "Okay!" I gave her the bracelet and then she said, "I yuv sharing with you, Mommy."

Translation: I like it when you give me your stuff, Mommy.

And even though I know that's what she meant by what she said, I couldn't help but think it was a very sweet moment.

VBS

2010-06-22T22:12:00.000-04:00

This is VBS week! We've had 3 great nights of VBS so far... 2 more to go! I'm sure I'll share some more highlights later... but tonight a highlight happened when I went down to the church nursery to peek in on Eisley. You have to be 3 years old to be a VBS participant, but we have a nursery available for the kids of our VBS staff. They do a craft and hear a short bible lesson and have snacktime and go to the park, too. Everyday Eisley asks, "I go to Bible School, now please?" Tonight she was so into her VBS craft, that I stood there for 3 whole minutes and she never even noticed I was there. I love it!

Maybe Later

2010-06-16T12:54:00.001-04:00

Eisley's response to everything I say "no" to these days is, "Maybe Yater." To her, everything is possible, and if I say "no", it's just because we can't do it at that moment. Most of the time it makes us laugh, because the answer is most definitely just "no". There's no "maybe later" about it. Here's a recap of some recent conversations:

Eisley: I go to park, Mommy, okay?
Me: Not right now. It's dinnertime.
Eisley: Maybe Yater.

In this instance "maybe later" works. We're all about trips to the park.

Eisley: I draw with this marker, okay? (as she held a brand new Sharpie in her hand and pulled off the cap)
Me (quickly grabbing the marker!): No. Let's not use that marker, Eisley.
Eisley: Maybe Yater.

Sure. If by "maybe later", she means 5-10 years from now.

Eisley: I go California and see Bella and Jeremiah and SeeLee (Lindsay)
Me: Well, we can't go today, sweetie. But I promise we'll go sometime.
Eisley: Maybe Yater

Sigh. If by "maybe later" she means next summer, then yes.

Eisley: I drive to school today, Mommy.
Me: No, Eisley. Mommy's going to drive.
Eisley: Maybe Yater.

Well. Not sure I'll EVER be ready to say "yes" to that one.

Maybe later.

Things I Look Forward to in Texas #2: Mexican Food

2010-06-15T11:30:00.001-04:00

4 and a half years without good Mexican food is a long time.

Let me phrase that differently: four and a half years without Tex-Mex is a long time. We've found a few spots here in Kentucky that we frequent for Mexican food, that we really enjoy. But it is definitely not Tex-Mex, and not always the flavors we want when we have a Mexican food craving.

So. I am most definitely looking forward to returning to the land of Tex-Mex. It's my favorite kind of food. I look forward to homemade tortillas and delicious Tex-Mex salsa. I look forward to orange cheese on top of every dish (here they use white cheese), and chile con carne on top of enchiladas and tamales (here it's queso or red sauce). I look forward to homemade guacamole and fresh sopapillas. To perfectly seasoned tacos and tortilla soup done right.

Though we're moving to a city neither of us has lived in before, I know that delicious Tex-Mex awaits us there. Can't wait to discover which spots will become my new favorites. Bring it on!

Things I Look Forward to in Texas

2010-06-14T11:30:00.000-04:00

I know I've spent a lot of time focusing on the things we will miss about Kentucky. I suppose you could read all of it and think, "Gosh, isn't she at ALL looking forward to moving back home to Texas?" Yes. Of course I am! If we weren't excited about it, and did we not believe that moving to Texas is the right next step for our family, chances are we probably wouldn't be doing it!

Goodbyes are just hard. And I think that at first, as we're settling in and getting readjusted to life as Texans, we will probably just need some space to feel however we feel. I know I'll be a ball of emotion. There will be a season of grieving for sure-- it's hard to say goodbye to the people and places that make a place your home. It's hard when your daily routine isn't really your daily routine anymore. It's hard to not know your way around a town, and it's even harder to move to a new place and not know anyone there. Building new relationships takes time, and so does reestablishing old ones. Everything will be different. The people we left behind 4 years ago aren't the same people they were then. And we certainly aren't the same people we were when we left.

But there are many things we look forward to about Texas. So I am interrupting the "Things I'll Miss" series for a "Things I Look Forward To" post or two. Starting with the number one thing I'm looking forward to: Family.

98% of our family is in Texas. Most of them in the DFW Metroplex or in East Texas. We've missed far too many birthday parties, baby showers, funerals, bridal showers, grandparent lunches, Thanksgivings, Easters, let's-get-together-just-for-the-heck-of-it dinners, dance recitals, baptisms, etc. over the years. There are nieces and nephews that have been born while we've been away. Missing out on being the kind of aunt I'd like to be has been hard.

And now we have a child of our own. We want her to know her grandparents and we want all of them to know her. We want her to be able to play with her cousins the way we were able to play with our cousins when we were kids. To this day, some of my cousins are some of my very best friends. We have kids the same age, and I long to be near them again. There's a certain limit to the extent to which you can know a person, when most of your interaction happens through a computer screen. Though I'm grateful for facebook, tokbox, and Skype-- there's just no real substitute for the kind of conversation that happens around the kitchen table! Family, we're coming!! And we are thrilled!

I look forward to more moments like these:

Things I Will Miss About Kentucky #6: Our Church

2010-06-13T14:06:00.000-04:00

It's been a weird week. An emotional one. Early Tuesday morning I got word that they have hired the new children's pastor at our church. I knew it was coming, knew they had been interviewing some high-quality candidates, and knew that any day they would be making an announcement that my "replacement" had been found. They found her. And she sounds wonderful.

This morning they announced it in church. They have not only hired the new children's pastor; they have also hired a new youth pastor. Joey, who has served as youth pastor at our church for the past 18 months is also leaving to pursue other ministry opportunities. Our last Sunday is July 18. I preach that day, and I can't help but wonder if anyone will be able to understand me through all of the sobbing.

Anything I could say about our Kentucky church family would only sound trite. No words could capture the love I have for these people, my friends and partners in ministry. They have become family to us-- and will no doubt remain that way. I am grateful for these past four and a half years. I am grateful that this church has given me the privilege of serving here.

As we say goodbye to VUMC, we know we'll soon be saying hello to our new church family in Texas. We look forward to that day and very much look forward to sharing life with this new family! But the years at VUMC will not be forgotten. This goodbye is one that is truly bittersweet.

Things I Will Miss About Kentucky #5: Close Proximity

2010-06-11T11:48:00.000-04:00

Living where we have, for the past 4 and a half years, we've been fortunate enough to visit several interesting places. I forget that not all states are as big as my beloved Texas, and you have easy access to other states. Though we didn't take advantage of this nearly as much as we would have liked (especially after Eisley was born and going places took actual planning!), I did get to visit a few fun places:

Cincinnati, OH is about an hour and a half away. I have been to a Reds Game, eaten at the Montgomery Inn, made several trips to the Newport Aquarium, and had other fun outings in Cinci. Here I am with some of the church staff at a Reds game. Yes. The seats were that empty. Yes, the Reds are that bad.

We also made several trips to Louisville. It's also about an hour and a half away. One weekend, I surprised Billy with an overnight getaway in Louisville. We had great food, stayed in a great hotel, and got to roam around Louisville. Downtown Louisville is a lot of fun. So is the Louisville Slugger Museum. I've been three times. I don't even enjoy baseball all that much, but somehow, the Slugger Museum and Factory is a great way to spend an afternoon. Just two weeks ago, we went with some friends to a great concert (The Swell Season) at the Brown Theater in Louisville and it was amazing. Here we are enjoying a pre-dinner feast at the Bluegrass Brewing Company downtown. They had a great patio:

Indianapolis, IN is only about 3 hours away. The second year we were here, Billy took me to Indianapolis to see my Dallas Mavericks play the Indiana Pacers. It was great. And the Mavs won in Double Overtime. :) It is a highlight of our time here.

St. Louis, MO is only about 5 hours away from here. Well. 6 with a baby in-tow. We took one weekend to drive to St. Louis and to meet some friends for a weekend of fun there. Very fun.

I also had the opportunity to go to Charleston, WV which is also about 5 hours away. I went as a chaperone on a youth mission trip and had a blast. We spent most of our time in Charleston working at different work sites-- but I definitely learned a true West Virginia art-- clogging! It was great fun.

Last summer we went to Chicago and stayed with my aunt and uncle for the 4th of July weekend. It was a 7-8 hour drive and it wasn't a bad drive at all. We also got to spend a day with our friends Josh and Candace that weekend. This whole trip is at the top of the highlights list for us. Lots of fun was had, and lots of great conversations were had that helped launch us into important conversations about life post-seminary.

Nashville, TN is just 2 and a half hours away, and it's a place we've made a a couple of trips to. We were able to go one year to cheer on lots of friends and my uncle Tony as they ran the Nashville Country Music Marathon & Half Marathon. I also went and met my mom, stepdad, and sister there one year that they were vacationing there.

There are also plenty of fun places here in Kentucky that we have visited. We have loved it! It's been a great place to live, that has allowed us opportunities to see other not-so-far-away places. That's not to say that living in Texas we won't have similar opportunities.... Texas itself is filled with MANY interesting places, many of which we have not yet explored. We look forward to doing that when we get there!

Things I Will Miss About Kentucky #4: Seasons

2010-06-09T15:59:00.002-04:00

In Texas, where I grew up, and where I'm headed again soon, Summer lasts pretty much year-round, with the exception of just a few days: Autumn lasts about a week, winter lasts maybe a day, and spring gets sort of lost in the shuffle. That's probably a slight exaggeration. But only slight. In Kentucky, there are actual seasons. Four of them. Each of them distinct. And I couldn't love it more. If I were forced to pick my favorite season, I simply couldn't do it. I've learned to appreciate much about each one of the four seasons; there is great beauty to be found in each one.

Starting around October, the colors of Autumn are none other than breath-taking. Just look at this. These are the leaves of the ginko trees that stand on the front lawn of the seminary. And every year, their beauty overwhelms me. It would you, too:

When we first moved here (January 2006), I was a little unsure of this thing called Winter. I was convinced I would freeze to death, and was terrified to drive in the snow. But I now think that Kentucky winters are near perfect. During our time here, we've made friends from places farther north, where winters are far longer and much colder than a Kentucky winter. I would never survive in those places. But in Kentucky, the beauty of winter is remarkable. The black barns and stone fences, rolling hills, and horse farms are impressive things of beauty against the backdrop of a Kentucky snow. Just when you're growing tired of winter, the snow seems to melt, revealing the colors of Spring. Not only is the snow beautiful, the snow is fun to play in!

Spring in Kentucky is just lovely. It's the kind of spring you read about in books or see on TV, if you haven't lived in a place that has an actual Spring season. The weather is comfortable-- not hot, not cold... just right. It is unbelievable how GREEN everything is here. Those once snow-covered rolling hills turn the brightest, richest, and most lush shades of green you could imagine. Baby horses are born, and it's delightful to see them running through the open fields. Leaves spring up on trees again, flowers are in full bloom, and when the wind blows white or pink blossoms down from the trees on a sunny day, you feel like you're in movie, and that at any moment, a Frank Sinatra tune is about to play. I love Spring in Kentucky.

Finally, Summer. I'm not going to lie. Kentucky summers are hot. But the heat only lasts for a while, and it seems that at least once a week, there's a rain shower that cools things off a bit. That makes it much more bearable. It doesn't start to get (what I would consider) really hot until late June. July & August are hot-- in the mid-upper 90s (but rarely over 100), and by September things start to cool off again. The thing I've most appreciated about the Kentucky summers is how green everything stays. Even through August-- everything is still green. Amazing!

Things I Will Miss About Kentucky #3: Small Town Charm

2010-06-07T12:39:00.000-04:00

I am really going to miss the City of Wilmore, KY. I am going to miss people waving to me as I drive down the street, strangers saying "Hello" and asking how my day is going. I'm going to miss the small town charm that I've grown quite accustomed to here. This is my best attempt at a snapshot into Wilmore life.

Wilmore is a town of about 4,000 people. 4,000 friendly people. It's picturesque, everyone knows their neighbors, and parents feel safe letting their kids ride their bikes all over the neighborhood. If you're inside your house, your windows and front doors are open, and when you're in your yard, you're guaranteed to see at least 10 people you know passing by on their evening walk. No one has fenced in back yards, so when you're standing in your yard, you can say hello to just about anyone on your street that also happens to be outside. Hardly anyone locks the door to their house, and if you're out of butter or sugar, you go ask your neighbor if they have some. You don't make a pointless trip to the grocery store, because you feel like you can't ask your neighbor for help. Wilmore is that kind of place.

Wilmore is also the home of Sim's Drugstore. This is the pharmacy we've used since we've lived here, and I LOVE that our pharmacist knows who we are as soon as we walk in the door. The pharmacy shares its space with Tastebuds Pizza-- which is oh-so-delicious. There are few things in life better than going to Sims/Tastebuds for a pizza and an Oreo shake (made with Blue Bell ice cream, of course). Here we are with the Lawsons, outside of Sims, when Eisley was just days old, and she made HER first trip there:

Every December, the City of Wilmore puts on its "Old Fashioned Christmas". It is held the first Saturday of December each year, and the whole town comes out for it. The event kicks off with the lighting of the Christmas tree (which, to be honest, isn't much to look at). All of the downtown shops-- from the Post Office to the Bed and Breakfast to the Barber Shop and the local restaurants (there are 2) open up their doors to the town and serve Christmas goodies. There's hot cocoa and cookies and fudge, and anything else you can imagine. All along the way, people are singing Christmas carols and saying hello to everyone they meet. It's one of those things that makes you ask, "Is this place real?" We spent every Wilmore's Old Fashioned Christmas celebration with the same friends, and every year, it was one of our highlights. Adding to the magic of it all, it seems the first REAL cold weather for the season sets in just in time for the festivities, and there are always a few snow flurries in the air, too.

Similarly, every Halloween, the City of Wilmore has what is called "Treats on Main". Whether you are one that typically participates in Halloween festivities or not, Treats on Main really is fun. All of the kids in town dress up in their costumes (and by the way, I can say I've never really seen a SCARY costume at Treats on Main), walk along the sidewalks of downtown, trick-or-treating at all of the local businesses. The real fun is that it's a chance to see everyone you know. All in one place. There are no haunted houses in Wilmore, and I quite honestly don't know anyone who trick-or-treats in the neighborhoods of Wilmore. And again, I usually ask myself, "Is this place real?" Here's Froggy Eisley making her first stop at Treats on Main:

On the 4th of July, the whole town is out again. This time for a parade, that includes the Lawnmower brigade and the Water Gun brigade. Following the parade, everyone goes out to the Wilmore Campground for 25-cent (yes, you read that right) hot dogs, 50-cent hamburgers, and cold watermelon slices for a dollar. Everyone picnics together, hangs out, and just enjoys being together as a community. Just in case you were wondering what the Lawnmower Brigade is, here's a picture of it from a couple of years ago. It's serious business:

Wilmore is a place I've loved calling "home". Wilmore has, in many ways, taught me a lot about what community is supposed to look like. I have been changed for the better by living in this unique and wonderful little town.

Things I Will Miss About Kentucky #2: Big Blue

2010-06-04T11:00:00.001-04:00

Yeah, I'll say it. I'll miss Kentucky sports. Rather, I'll miss the Kentucky sports fans. It's a bit absurd, really, the commitment these fans have to the Kentucky Wildcats. But I'll miss it, nonetheless. You may remember that a church member once taught my daughter how to say "Go Cats! Go Blue!" (If you need a refresher, I've included a video below, from when Eisley was just 18 months old). The Texas Tech Red Raider in me cringed. But the Bluegrass State-loving part of me smiled.

I really always thought no one took sports more seriously than a football fan in Texas. But that was, of course, before I had met a single Kentucky basketball fan. I don't know why I'll miss this about Kentucky. But I will. There's a certain energy in the air come basketball season that I haven't quite felt anywhere else. Everyone's happy, everyone's decked out in blue, and there's a certain connection and friendliness that people have with one other when it's Big Blue season. It's fun. You actually may think it's gross if you're not a sports fan. And maybe it is. But I can't lie and say I won't be saying "Go Big Blue!" from my living room in Texas next March.

(Go Cats.)

Things I Will Miss About Kentucky #1: Ale 8

2010-06-03T10:06:00.001-04:00

This list is in no particular order. I don't even know how many things will be ON this list. But I'm going for it: Things I Will Miss About Kentucky.

Our time here is pretty limited now. We're headed back to Texas in July, and I am quite sentimental these days. We're having so many lasts: last dinners with friends, last trips to the park, last meetings at church (who besides me would miss something like that?), etc. I'm living in the tension of being ready to get back to Texas, and ready for this season of transition to be complete, yet not quite being ready to leave Wilmore. It's been our home for 4 and a half years now. We've grown up so much since coming here. We've grown in our marriage, grown our family, and most certainly grown in our love for the Bluegrass State. How do you leave a place you've grown to love so much?

Without further ado, here's the first thing I'll miss:

Ale-8-1, or "A Late One"

This highly-caffeinated, high-sugar, high-quality soft drink is made and bottled in Winchester, KY. To say it is delicious is an understatement. It's a ginger ale-type drink, but has a much sweeter taste than your average ginger ale. It also has a bite to it that I've not experienced in any other beverage. I will miss it.

It is not distributed outside of Kentucky (that I am aware of), so I'm thinking we'll rent TWO moving trucks and fill one of them up with just Ale 8 (kidding). The thing is, I know that about two weeks after we get to Texas, I'll be craving something. And the only thing that will satisfy that craving, is a cold Ale 8. Looks like I'll be out of luck.

Jumping (Running) In, Feet First

2010-06-02T10:18:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post announcing that I was running again. Well, I'm still running, and I'm still loving it. What I didn't share then, is that the eventual goal was for me to run a half marathon. And maybe someday, a full. This has been a goal of mine for a very long time, and as I mentioned before, there have always been 1000 excuses I've used to keep me from going for it.

Well. I'm going for it. Today, in honor of National Running Day, I registered for my first Half Marathon! So I'm committed to it now. I'm in. And nowhere near ready. But I'm beyond excited! The race is on November 14 in San Antonio. So there's "plenty of time" to get prepared. When we move to Waco in late July, I plan to join up with the Waco, TX Running Club, and train with those folks for the race. I've already contacted them, and look forward to meeting some new people.

The REAL fun of the race is that there are some amazing ladies that will also be running that day. That day, I'll get to meet up with one of my very dearest friends (who left Wilmore for Lubbock, TX 5 months ago), Shannon, and run with her. My awesome cousins/friends, Jessica and Christin, are ALSO registered for the race, too! So. Bring it on!

I have to acknowledge the ladies who were the inspiration for this whole thing in the first place, and (without knowing it) helped me kick things into gear and go for it. So. Thank you Jessica, Lindsay, Angela, and Sarah! Today is a banner day.Thanks for being a very big part of it.

Mouth Off

2010-05-27T11:45:00.001-04:00

Well. I'm about to show you my judgmental and shallow side. I'm sorry. You may think I'm crazy. You may think I'm being ridiculous. I probably am.

Below are my least favorite actresses. To say I dislike them would be an understatement. They may be perfectly wonderful people, but I generally cannot watch a movie with any of these women in it. And since many of these ladies seem to be in practically every movie that's made these days, I just don't see many movies. I know. It's ridiculous. So without further ado, here they are (in no particular order):

Drew Barrymore

Angelina Jolie

Katie Holmes

Cameron Diaz

Joan Cusak

Now. I did at one point realize that these women have one thing in common- they have weird mouths. They either do something weird when they speak, they have weird-looking lips (I know, I told you. I'm judgmental and shallow.), or there's something strange and annoying about the way they talk. I began to think that that must be it. That must be the reason they annoy me.

But then I remembered Julia Roberts. She has a very unusual mouth shape. And I adore her. She is one of my very favorite actresses. So that means there's only one logical conclusion: the other ladies are just bad actresses. And that's reason enough to avoid movies in which they star. It has nothing to do with their quirky mannerisms or voices. I'm not that shallow, surely. They are simply overrated, mediocre at-best.

Don't judge me! Okay. Maybe I deserve to be judged on this one. But. I am willing to reconsider my opinion, if you can suggest a movie containing any of these women, that will change my mind about them. Go.

Talking

2010-05-27T10:58:00.002-04:00

Eisley has always been very vocal. Well. I say always, as though it's a long time. She's only 21 months old. But. She began talking at an early age, has an extensive vocabulary, and is already stringing some pretty complex sentences together. Well. Complex for her age anyway. Every day, I find it surprising when I hear her speaking in sentences. I guess it's surprising because she's still my little baby, and babies aren't supposed to speak in sentences.

But more than being surprised, I find it fascinating to discover the things she wants to talk about. You just never know what it's going to be. The other day she very seriously told me, "Mommy. My feet are SOOOO pretty." Yesterday she put a skillet on her head and said, "Oh, I SOOOO silly, Mommy!"

And this morning, she walked up to me and said, "Mommy. Daddy's at work. He's not here." She immediately followed that statement with, "Mommy? You need to poo poo?" No. I did not. But that's a question we often ask her, so I guess she figured everyone gets asked that question.

On the way to school, she told me about blowing bubbles with her daddy last night. She said, "I blow bubbles with Daddy. I blow bubbles tooooo close. Daddy helped me." (The "too close" statement refers to her practically putting the bubble wand in her mouth, instead of near it.)

When we got to the church parking lot, she got out of the car, and pointed to the car next to us. She said, "Mommy, that's Darlene's car." It was Miss Darlene's car. I don't know how she knew that was Darlene's car. We've never pointed that out to her.

I got a call today from our friend Nikki, who is in charge of the church nursery. I got off the phone, and Eisley said, "That's Nikki. Nikki's Lilly's mommy. Lilly's daddy is Jordan." Again. All true statements. And appropriately constructed.

I don't share this information to brag about how smart my kid is. I'm mostly just in awe of her and the One that created her. And I am thankful. I am thankful for my little girl who is now becoming a friend that I can talk to and have actual two-way conversations with. I look forward to many more in the coming years.

Another Important Class

2010-05-14T15:51:00.001-04:00

I did not forget about the series I was in the midst of a few weeks ago-- the one where I'm sharing about some of my favorite/top seminary classes. I didn't forget- the semester is quickly coming to an end, and the demands of it have ramped up a bit since then.

I can say with certainty, that I would not be who I am today without having taken Lester Ruth's History of Christian Worship class. I just took it this semester, but it has profoundly shaped me and my understanding of right worship.

This class was fun. The readings were excellent. Dr. Ruth was fantastic. And I learned. I learned why good worship matters for good theology. And vice versa. I learned the importance of Trinitarian worship and what that even means. I grew in my awe of, love for, understanding of, and appreciation for God the Father, Son, and Spirit, and how they all work together in their distinct roles. I became aware of how I often sideline one or two persons of the Trinity and show favoritism for one over the others, and how this has in some ways negatively affected the way I view God. I walk away with a new understanding of the role of the minister and musician and everyone else who participates in worship leading. I walk away with a profound awareness of why everything we do in worship matters-- not at all for me and and what I get out of it. But for a right orientation of worship- to the Father, through the Son, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Crafty.

2010-05-14T15:38:00.000-04:00

But not like Martha Stewart.

Our friend that keeps Eisley on Friday afternoons told me the following story about Eisley today. This afternoon, she put a very tired Eisley down for a nap, who used to have a very easy time falling to sleep on her own.

But one hour later, she was still awake. She wasn't upset. She was just being sneaky and deliberately not taking her nap. Eisley has figured out how to, while in it nonetheless, take the mattress (that Velcros down to the bottom) completely out of the pack & play. Our friend would hear a thump! coming from the room where Eisley was, so she would go back to check on Eisley, and as soon as the door would open, Eisley would plop herself down, close her eyes, and pretend like she was sleeping.

As soon as our friend would leave, she'd immediately hear the very familiar thump! again.

This happened about five times. Finally, our friend went in and said something like, "Eisley, I know you're awake. You need to go to sleep now."

So Eisley, who got her feelings hurt by this, started whimpering.

But eventually fell asleep.

I knew it.

2010-05-11T12:35:00.000-04:00

See my previous post, to shed a little more light on this conversation.

This morning I was getting Eisley dressed for the day. I said to her, "Are you my baby?"

She said, "Noooooooooo, Mommy!"

I said, "Are you my big girl?"

She said, "Yep!"

This was after a funny moment at the breakfast table. On Monday nights our friend Joe comes to stay with us. He is a student at the seminary that commutes from his home 1 1/2 hours away. He drives up for Monday night class, stays at our house, and then leaves Tuesday mornings for an 8 a.m. class. It was easier for him to find a place to stay in Wilmore on Monday nights than doing all of that back and forth driving. Billy, Eisley, and I all look forward to Joe's weekly visits.

This morning Joe walked out of his room and into the kitchen, where Eisley was sitting at the table. She said, "Hi Joe! I a big girl!"

This is apparently her new declaration to the world.

We love lentils

2010-05-11T00:07:00.000-04:00

First things first: tonight I made a killer lentil bean soup for dinner. It was delicious, and I was pretty impressed with myself, considering I made the whole thing up-- I'm not sure I could ever repeat it, but it was good. It was a "raid the pantry" kind of dinner, and it worked.

I fully anticipated that Eisley would hate it. I planned on it, actually. She's very picky about her beans, and the only other time I'd offered her lentils, she spit them out as fast as they went in. But I wanted lentil bean soup, so I made it anyway.

I was wrong. Eisley LOVED the soup. She insisted on feeding herself (which we encourage). But with soup, that means LOTS of drips and a great big mess. Her newest go-to phrase, that she uses in the event that she's even remotely frustrated is, "I need help!" I expected she would say that as she struggled to keep her soup in the spoon.

Instead, she uttered words I wasn't quite prepared to hear. She said, "I do it, Mommy. I a big girl!" She said it again, "Mommy, I a big girl. I do it." And then she screamed, "No help!" as I tried to force my help on her anyway. I retreated.

Now. I know she's a big girl. And now I know she thinks so, too. But I still think of her as a baby. I tell her, "I'm so glad you're my baby!" Now I wonder how much longer Eisley will allow it.

Here are some pics I snapped with my phone of the lentil bean soup adventure:

Today.

2010-05-09T19:53:00.001-04:00

I'm sitting here relaxing after a very long Mother's Day. Billy has gone out to get sushi-to-go from our favorite sushi place. Eisley is in bed, and I'm enjoying the first bit of quiet all day. Eisley doesn't quite get the concept of Mother's Day, so today has really been just like any other day in the life of a spunky toddler and her parents: exhausting! Even still, I LOVE that I get to be Eisley's mom. I must be the most blessed mom on the planet-- she is seriously fun and wonderful.

Today I got an adorable card, handmade by Billy and Eisley, and a whole bunch of flowers. My real gift came about three weeks ago, though. Here it is:

A fabulous new pair of running shoes. Many years ago I used to run. Not only did I run, but I actually enjoyed it. I've missed running the past few years, and there seem to be 1,000 things I let keep me from doing it. But that has come to an end. I'm running again, and I love it. I go running about 4 nights a week. And though I am in horrible physical condition right now, and some days I feel like I'm going to die at the end of a run, I love it. I have a couple of awesome ladies encouraging me along the way, and of course Billy and Eisley. Billy has been very encouraging, even though I know he thinks that running is the most boring sport ever. And when I come home from a run, he has taught Eisley to say, "Yea Mommy! Mommy ran fast!" It makes me forget all about the fact that I'm dripping with sweat and can barely breathe.

Mother's Day

2010-05-08T21:28:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!

To Mimi (my mom)

MeeMaw (my stepmom)

Grandmomma (My mother-in-law)

And to me, too! Glad to have joined the ranks of these three high-quality women. I am so blessed to be Mommy to this beautiful and full-of-life girl:

I don't want your food

2010-05-05T09:25:00.000-04:00

This morning I stepped out of the shower to see Eisley with a shampoo bottle in-hand. She was stirring it around in the toilet.

I said, "Eisley, no! What are you doing?"

She responded, "I cooking in the potty, Mommy!"

When Eisley "cooks", I usually pretend to eat whatever she serves. Not today.

It's a good thing I cleaned the toilets on Monday.

Sometimes You Just Have to Sing.

2010-05-04T00:13:00.000-04:00

This afternoon Eisley and I were on our way home from work/school. It was a great day for a drive through the gorgeous Kentucky landscape. The sun was shining, the sky was an amazing shade of blue, and the iPod was on shuffle. It's as if the iPod knew how gorgeous today was, and chose songs PERFECT for a day like today. And with music that good, under such conditions, you just can't help but belt it out and sing along. I mean, I was really singing today as we made our way home.

When of course I looked to the backseat to discover that Eisley had her hands over her ears, and she began saying (crying!!), "Noooo, Mommy! No singing!"

Ah. A dagger to the heart. I know I don't sing well. But I didn't know I was bad enough that my not-even-two-years-old daughter couldn't take it. :) Yikes! I wonder if they make Eisley-sized ear plugs?

The Final Push

2010-05-03T15:53:00.002-04:00

3 weeks (okay, less than 3 weeks) until graduation. I am most definitely in freak-out mode. A ridiculous amount of papers have yet to be written. I think I'll get it all done. I hope I'll get it all done. Join me in praying that it will all get done, won't you?

Short Eisley Stories from This Morning

2010-04-29T08:12:00.003-04:00

This morning Eisley grabbed a Whole Foods bag and walked to the door and said, "Bye, Mommy! I going shopping." I asked her what she was going shopping for and she said, "Food!" I asked her what kind of food she was going to buy and she said, "Tomaynos" (Tomatoes). I find this amusing because Eisley doesn't actually like tomatoes and typically won't eat them. Second, I love the way she says the word.

Also this morning, I realized the damage we may have done by insisting that Eisley always have a bow or a clip in her hair. She often wakes up in the morning and first thing, finds a bow to put in her hair. No joke. But this morning I had a small clip in my hair to hold it out of my face. It actually wasn't even one of her clips, but was one of my own. As soon as Eisley saw it she got pouty and started saying, "My clip, Mommy. My clip!" When I explained that it was actually Mommy's' clip, she started crying. Then she ripped it out of my hair and tried to put it in her own. So...sorry in advance if you or your kid ever has a clip or bow in your hair and Eisley tries to take it.

A few seconds later, Eisley went to her play kitchen, found a play knife, and came up to me and happily starting running the knife through my hair, saying, "Hair cut, Mommy! Hair cut!" I am not sure this is entirely unrelated to the clip incident.

Finally, she just was sitting next to me, and lightly kicked my computer screen. So I sternly said, "No, Eisley. Do NOT do that." She said, "I go time out." The girl is catching on!

Is it really only 8:19 a.m.?

Small Talk: A Pastoral Art

2010-04-28T16:37:00.005-04:00

From Eugene Peterson's, The Contemplative Pastor (emphasis mine):

The practice of manipulating conversation was widely used among people I respected in my college and seminary years, and I was much influenced by them. Their conviction was that every conversation could be turned, if we were sharp enough, into witness. A casual conversation on an airplane could be turned into an eternity-fraught conversation on the soul. A brief interchange with a filling-station attendant could yield the opening for "a word for Christ."

Such approaches to conversation left no room for small talk-- all small talk was manipulated into big talk: of Jesus, of salvation, of the soul's condition.

But however appropriate such verbal strategies are for certain instances of witness (and I think there are such instances), as habitual practice they are wrong. If we bully people into talking on our terms, if we manipulate them into responding to our agenda, we do not take them seriously where they are in the ordinary and the everyday.

Nor are we likely to become aware of the tiny shoots of green grace that the Lord is allowing to grow in the back yards of their lives. If we avoid small talk, we abandon the very field in which we have been assigned to work. Most of people's lives is not spent in crisis, not lived at the cutting edge of crucial issues. Most of us, most of the time, are engaged in simple, routine tasks, and small talk is the natural language. If pastors belittle it, we belittle what most people are doing most of the time, and the gospel is misrepresented.

I do not want to be misunderstood: pastoral conversation should not be bound along mindless clichés like gutter water. What I intend is that we simply be present and attentive to what is there conversationally, as respectful of the ordinary as we are of the critical. Some insights are only accessible while laughing. Others arrive only by indirection.

Night Class.

2010-04-27T20:46:00.000-04:00

I've just realized that many of my favorite seminary classes have been my Tuesday night classes. On occasion, I've had to take night classes, in order to accommodate my work or Eisley's childcare schedule. And all of my Tuesday night classes have made it in to the "Top Classes" list. Maybe I'm a night owl and learn better late at night.

At any rate, that brings me my next favorite class, SF502: Spiritual Life of the Minister

This class was simulcast from the Florida Asbury Campus, and was taught by Dr. Steve Harper.

This class is a great class to have taken in this, my last semester of seminary. It's all about exactly what its name suggests-- the spiritual life of the minister. Week after week, Dr. Harper offered true gems of wisdom to us. And most of all, this class has been restorative to my soul. Years of wearing so many hats in my life have really worn me down. I'm tired in a lot of ways. And this class has revived me. It's given me hope I didn't even know I needed. This class has been all about packing our backpacks for the long journey ahead-- departing from this place equipped to serve God and his people-- and in doing that, not letting our own souls end up in the desert. This class has definitely been a favorite.

If you ever get a chance to have a class with Dr. Harper, I highly recommend it. He's fantastic!

Nervous

2010-04-18T14:46:00.003-04:00

I was nervous about going to seminary after Billy & I had first made the decision to move to Kentucky. So nervous, in fact, that I put off registering for classes for as long as possible. I don't know what it was, why I was so nervous-- but I was. Excited. But nervous. I remember being in the spare bedroom of our Dallas apartment, sitting at the computer, when the phone rang. It was my Academic Advisor, calling from Kentucky. She said she'd noticed I hadn't yet registered for classes, even though I'd been accepted to ATS for a few weeks. She wanted to see how she could help me figure out what classes to take. I was grateful for her call. It helped get me past the nervousness. That very evening, I registered for classes. But because I had waited as long as I had, there weren't too many classes that still had open seats. I ended up pretty much just registering for whatever was available.

One of those classes was OT501, the introductory Biblical Hebrew course. When I would mention to people I was taking Hebrew, they would say things like, "You're taking Hebrew your first semester in seminary?" Well. Yes, I was. Not because I would have otherwise chosen to, but because it was one of only a few options. I took that class with Paul Cook. It was actually his last semester at ATS. He was a great teacher. I immediately fell in love with the Hebrew language. It made sense to me and I thoroughly enjoyed learning it. And even though it wasn't required for my degree plan, I took a second semester of Hebrew as one of my electives.

I don't have an incredibly deep reason for this being one of my favorite seminary classes. It just was. It was fun. Paul Cook made it fun. I made friends with a couple of folks in there that are still some of my all-time favorite people in the world. We had a blast learning Hebrew vocabulary words together and, okay, occasionally playing interactive games on our laptops in the back row. Don't judge us. We still learned.

I also group OT502, my second Hebrew class, in with this one and say that IT also was hands-down one of my favorite classes of seminary. This time, Christina Bosserman taught, and she was also a great teacher (Most folks at ATS are). We had fun translating the book of Jonah and learning more about Hebrew grammar. I have such fond memories of gathering with some amazing friends on the 3rd floor of the library, learning vocabulary words, translating Hebrew text, listening to great music, and playing our famous marker-toss game.

I'm going to miss Wilmore.

One Year Ago

2010-04-15T16:54:00.000-04:00

Then:

Today:

Snippets

2010-04-14T23:21:00.000-04:00

I am forever trying to determine the purpose of this blog. Is it to post serious and profound things (were I to ever have anything profound to say)? Is it to share stories about our family? Is it to share quotes, pictures, etc? It drives me crazy that I'm all over the place with this thing. I think the reason I'm having such a hard time figuring out what this blog is supposed to be about (Yes, after almost 4 years at it), is because I wear so many hats. I'm a wife, a mom, a children's pastor, student, friend, sister, daughter, etc. There's a lot that happens in my world. My world that is impossible to compartmentalize.

So what will happen from this point forward, is that I'm going to just share whatever the heck I want to share. And you can read the parts of it that interest you. I've tried having a separate, side-kick blog dedicated to my less-than-profound thoughts and experiences, but I have had a hard time deciding what goes where. So from now on, this where all of it will go. You'll get posts about theology, my own spiritual life, funny stories about my kid, sweet stories about my husband, photos, random thoughts, quotes, etc. I mean, that's sort of what's happened here on the blog anyway. But there have been periods of time where I just haven't posted anything, with the only reason being-- I haven't been sure if/how something fits here. So from here on out, I'm just posting whatever is on my heart.

With that said, I wanted to share a couple of recent Eisley stories. She's a funny one (At least to her parents)!

This Morning

This morning I went into Eisley's room to get her out of bed. She greeted me with her usual, "Hey-o (Hello), Mommy! Morning!" I gave her a good morning kiss, and we went through the normal morning routine of a diaper change. After I changed her diaper, off she went down the hall. I stayed behind to throw the diaper away and wash my hands. I then went to the kitchen where I found Eisley coming out of the pantry, Multigrain Cheerios in-hand. She handed me the box and said, "I eat cereal, okay?" She then climbed into her booster seat, and sat with her hands in her lap, looking at me. Well. Of course I got a bowl and poured the girl a bowl of cereal. She sat quietly at the table and ate her cereal. She didn't even ask me for help, which she sometimes does. Sure, a little milk dripped on to the table and a few cheerios hit the floor. But she did a great job eating her cereal by herself. She didn't speak much, which is unusual for Eisley. Maybe she was just in a contemplative mood today. She finished her bowl of cereal and looked at me and said, "More cereal. Okay?" So I poured a second bowl. Which she finished. Then she looked at me and said, "Okay. Done. I go pay (play)." I just sort of watched this whole thing happen, all the while thinking every cliche thought you could imagine. I wondered when she had become such a big girl. I wondered why time seems to fly by these days. I tried to remember how I spent my mornings before she was born. And then I got up from the table and joined my daughter in the living room, where she was feeding her baby dolls their breakfast. Milk, juice, and... chicken? Yep. She was feeding them chicken for breakfast.

Yesterday Morning

Our morning routine is pretty predictable: Billy wakes up (EARLY) and goes to work. Then Eisley wakes up (waking me up) and we get out of bed. We have breakfast together, say our morning prayers, Eisley comes to our bedroom to play, while I take my (very quick!) shower. I get myself ready while watching Eisley play, and then I get Eisley ready. After Eisley is dressed, she goes back to playing, while I gather up whatever she and I will need for the day. And then we're off. I go to work and Eisley goes to "school" -- the daycare at the church where I work. Yesterday morning we had done the routine, and Eisley was sitting on the couch looking at some books when it was time to go. I asked her, "Eisley, are you ready to go to school?" Her response was quick: "Nope. Can't." She looked at her book again. I then said, "Eisley. Don't you want to go to school? Do you want to go see your friends at school?" Her response was again, "Nope. Can't." So I said, "Well. We're going anyway, and I know you'll have fun when we get there." She put her books down, walked to the door, and turned around, and looked at the living room. She waved her hand and said, "Bye, Toys! See ya!"

Last Night

Last night Billy was at home with Eisley while I was in class. He told me that after she took her bath, she started asking to go "Night night". We've actually been having a few difficulties at bedtime with Eisley the past couple of weeks-- she is (unfortunately) like her mother, and doesn't want to go to bed for fear that she will miss out on something. So she's been protesting a bit lately, and bedtime just hasn't been very much fun. It's not horrible. Just not as easy as it once was. So it was unusual that she was asking to go to bed. We usually read books with Eisley before bedtime, so Billy asked if she wanted to read before bed. She said, "Yep!" and then picked out some books from her bookshelf. She gathered them all up and sat on the couch with them. She was "reading" them when Billy asked, "Eisley, would you like me to read those books to you?" Eisley said, "Nope. I read it. I read it." So she read her books. She flipped through them, intently looked at them, and then shut her last book, looked at Billy and said, "Okay. Night night." Then she got off the couch and walked down the hall to her room! And went to sleep without making a peep. I would love it if this were a new trend in our home.

It's Almost Time!

2010-04-14T10:58:00.000-04:00

Go Mavs!

Organizing My Closet

2010-04-13T20:41:00.000-04:00

Billy and I were supposed spend yesterday in Bowling Green, KY, meeting our new little friend Evangeline. But when Eisley woke up slightly ill, we decided to stay home, rather than exposing the newborn Evangeline to the germs of our toddler. Though we were beyond disappointed, we decided to make the best of the day anyway. I know it doesn't sound glamorous, but we spent the day organizing Eisley's closet and drawers. We sorted through clothes and toys, packed things away, made a "giveaway pile" and put together bags of clothes to take to the consignment store. We felt an amazing sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. It feels SO good to get organized. All seemed right with the world.

As I sat on the floor with Billy, organizing Eisley's closet, I was reminded of one of the best and most amazing experiences of my life so far: Dr. Sandra Richter's* Old Testament Introduction course. Yes. this was an amazing life experience. Not just an amazing academic one.

The class met once-weekly on Tuesday nights. And I clearly remember the first class session. Dr. Richter spoke truth that night (as she did every night). She said that for many, their Old Testament knowledge was like a disorganized closet. There were bits of information stored in their minds, that were just sort of sitting there, stacked on top of one another, dusty, and rarely accessed. These persons are not quite sure how everything fits together, they're not sure how it all connects. She said that we often hear very little preaching from the Old Testament because people's knowledge of it doesn't make sense. Or worse, they think that somehow, Jesus doesn't fit in to the Old Testament, so maybe they think it's not as important to preach from, like the New Testament. She said we tend to just sort of dig through the piles in our Old Testament closets, and pull something out, and use it as best we know how. Then we just throw it back in. She said, then, that she was there to help organize our closets. She was there to help us make sense of it all. She was there to help us see how everything in the Old Testament points to Jesus.

And then she gave her lecture on Covenant. Anyone who has had Dr. Richter before knows this one. She stood at the front of the class, speaking of this God of Covenant and his deep deep love for and pursuit of Israel, with tears streaming down her face, overwhelmed by his great Love. Tears were streaming down my face, too. This was a life-altering moment. As Dr. Richter unfolded the story of Redemptive History, something was ignited in my soul. There I sat, with a new hunger for God in my heart, and a new understanding of the significance of the sacrifice that was made by Jesus on the cross. And with a love I'd never before had for the Old Testament Scripture. I was blown away.

That class was a great adventure. And I have to say-- almost every class session was as life-altering as the first. I wish each one of you could have taken that class with me. It was amazing.

Since you could not take the class with me, I commend this book to you. It's Dr. Richter's Epic of Eden. It is in many ways, her Old Testament Introduction course in book form. Order it now. Though you won't have the benefit of hearing Dr. Richter in person, this book will help you get your Old Testament closet organized. And organizing your Old Testament closet is much more fun and worthwhile than organizing your earthly ones.

*Dr. Richter is now a part of the faculty at Wesley Biblical Seminary, and an adjunct professor here at ATS. This is why her profile comes from the WBS website, and not Asbury's. When I took her course 3.5 years ago, she was a part of the Asbury faculty.

Genesis

2010-04-12T22:35:00.004-04:00

genesis [ˈjenəsis] noun- the origin or mode of formation of something, source, root, beginning, start.

Next up in the review of my seminary career is Basic Christian Doctrine with Dr. Allan Coppedge.

Now, I know you may be thinking, "Wait. I thought this post was about Genesis". It is. Only, it's a different kind of genesis. This was my very first class at Asbury Seminary. It is where the journey began.

As I type this, I know my friend Jeremiah will wholeheartedly disagree with my assessment that this was a great class. I also know that my friend Jason will back me up on it. And with good reason. It was a great class (Sorry, Jeremiah).

It was four years ago that I sat in that classroom. I sat somewhere near the back-- I wasn't yet brave enough to sit on the front row like I do now. I remember Dr. Coppedge entering the room, and without warning, belting out an old Charles Wesley hymn. The class joined in. I sat up straight in my chair, closed my eyes, and thought, "Wow. This is happening. I'm here." I cried a little that day, too-- overwhelmed that God would call me to such a place and on such a journey.

Dr. Coppedge did frighten me a little. This was my first encounter with a seminary professor. I didn't know what to think and I didn't know how I was supposed to act. Was there some secret seminary classroom etiquette I wasn't aware of? Was it okay to raise my hand in class? Could everyone tell just by looking at me, how inadequate I felt that semester? I was sure everyone in my class was a genius and knew everything there was to know about seminary! (By the way, I never worked up the nerve to raise my hand and ask a question in this, my first-ever seminary class.)

Dr. Coppedge's class was a great starting place. The class laid a real foundation for me that has served me well these past four years. I learned about church history. I learned about all the Church Councils. I learned about Wesleyan-Armenian Theology and about Calvinism. I learned new words like harmartiology, soteriology, Christology, and Pneumatology. I learned about Trinitarian theology and what it means that God is a God of community within himself. I learned about the Roles of God and how those have been evidenced in Scripture, throughout history, and in even in my own personal life.

Yes. I spent 81.75 hours (That's an exact number!) over the course of that semester doing the required reading for the course. And I put together a notebook of notes from the reading and from class that is who-knows-how-long, and I pulled more than one all-nighter preparing for the midterm and final exams. But I reference that notebook several times a semester even now (it is filled with VERY useful information!), and sometimes I pull out my final exam just to see the grade of "A" written on it, and to read the comment, "Well done!" from Dr. Coppedge. It was not easily earned.

It's the End of the World As We Know It.

2010-04-11T15:15:00.001-04:00

Well. It's the end of the world as I know it. And the world isn't really ending. A whole new world is about to begin. But in just a few weeks, my seminary career is coming to an end. I'm quite emotional about it. These have been very important and transformational days for me. For our family. Since my days on the campus of Asbury Seminary are numbered, I'm feeling sentimental. So over the next few days and weeks, I'm going to share a little bit about my favorite classes at ATS. Granted, much of my growth has happened outside of the classroom, in chapel and in friendships and in conversations with peers. But the classroom has been a big part of the whole growth process, so that's where I'll start. I'm not really going in any particular order, except I kind of am. If I were doing a Top 10 list, then this first would be #10 on the list. Up there. But not all the way at the top. To give you an idea of how many classes I'm choosing from-- the Master of Divinity program at ATS is a 96 hour program. So approximately 35 (is that all?) total classes.

First up: Exegesis of Ephesians with Dr. Fred Long

exegesis: [ek-si-jee-sis] - noun. Critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, esp. of the Bible.

I cannot believe I just said that this was one of my top classes. The reason I can't believe it, is because in the midst of it, this class caused me more anxiety than any other. More time and energy were spent on the assignments for this class than any other. This class kept me in the library, and away from my family, more than any other. Well. That I can remember, anyway. My brain has gone a bit fuzzy these past 4.5 years.

Part of the reason that this class was so hard, is because this was a class I took post-Eisley. When Eisley came along, that changed everything-- including the time I had to devote to homework, the amount of energy I had to give to my homework, and quite honestly, the desire I had to do homework. Let's face it. I'd have rather been at home, adoring her, than in the library, pouring over the Greek Bible and New Testament commentaries! My final exegesis paper weighed in at 69 pages long. It was a paper written on just 6 verses of Scripture. It was beautiful. I felt as though I had really accomplished something when I turned it in.

But more great than the sense of accomplishment, was what I learned. Dr. Long taught us an incredible method of Biblical exegesis. It is a very thorough and usable method of exegesis, that allows for real interaction with and interpretation of the Biblical text, in a way that requires you maintain the integrity of the text. There was no room for lazy, sloppy, or poor exegesis. The standard was high (as it should be, when it comes to matters of Biblical interpretation), but the method itself was so thorough, that if you did it well, it was almost impossible for the result to be a poor interpretation of what the text was really saying.

I am grateful for the methods I learned. But I am also grateful for the experience of having been a student of Dr. Long's. This is because Dr. Long, while incredibly brilliant, has a pastor's heart. He wasn't so caught up in academia, that he was unable to relate in a real and personal way to his students. We began our class sessions with a time of intercessory prayer for one another and for others. Dr. Long had an amazing way of remembering what each of his students had been asking prayer for over the course of the semester, and always followed up. He took a real interest in the lives of his students. I appreciate that.

I would recommend this class to any student considering it. I will give a warning, however: If you take this class, you will have to work harder than you may want to. But it will all be worth it in the end.

Morning Stories

2010-04-09T08:14:00.004-04:00

Today Eisley and I were sitting at the breakfast table. Eisley pointed up and said, "Sky! Up!" She then pointed down and said, "Gound (Ground)! Down!" I then tried to affirm her genius (ha!), while also explaining that technically, since we were inside, she was really pointing to the ceiling and the floor. She looked at me as though I were completely insane, while she said very matter-of-factly, "No, Mommy. Sky. Gound."

Then we said our morning prayers. We thanked God for our food, we prayed that Daddy would have a good day at work, and we of course prayed for Riley. We prayed for a couple of other things and then said, "Amen." Eisley then very sweetly looked at me and said, "Pay Keela and Yogan, too?" Kayla and Logan are Eisley's first cousins-- who she VERY much adores and grew quite attached to on our last trip to Texas. I love that she remembers them and talks about them every day, and now even wants to include them in our prayers. In fact, this morning I was definitely brought to tears as we prayed for Kayla and Logan.

We talk about our Texas trip a lot, and everyone who lives there. It has of course been difficult living so far away from our families these past few years. Eisley doesn't know her family like we wish she did, and her family is missing out on so many wonderful things that Eisley is learning. However, on this recent trip to Texas, Eisley really learned who her family is and how it fits together- they made a lasting impression on her, and she talks about all of them frequently. Eisley has three sets of grandparents, and she even knows who goes together. Which is quite impressive, because sometimes I can't even keep them straight. She knows that MeeMaw goes with Papa, that Grandmomma and Granddaddy go together, and that Mimi and Beebaw are a pair. She asks about everyone in her family by name. And I have to admit, that Eisley now joining us in longing to be with family, is further confirmation for us that it is time to move back to Texas. Leaving Kentucky will be so very hard. But we are beyond excited about the possibility of being near our families once again.

Here are some pictures of Eisley with some of her family members:

The Collins Cousins

The Efurd Cousins:

The Lawson crew:

An Easter Smile

2010-04-06T14:41:00.000-04:00

2 Words/Phrases I'm beginning to hate...

2010-04-05T21:51:00.000-04:00

"Mine!"

and

"I can't"

These seem to be the most commonly used words in Eisley's vocabulary lately. Everything is "mine!". And if we ask her to do something she doesn't want to do, her immediate response is "I can't".

We are trying to do whatever we can to minimize the frequency of these particular words, but some days it's as though this is all we hear.

Any time another person or even Riley the dog gets near one of Eisley's toys, Eisley runs over and says (cries?), "No! It mine. No touch! Mine!"

Tonight we asked Eisley if she was ready to put on her pajamas. She said (whined?), "No. I can't."

I know sharing is a difficult concept. And it's hard to do things you don't want to do. Especially when you're 20 months old. But I'm hoping the days of sharing and cooperation aren't incredibly too far off. Apparently, I'm delusional.

See What a Morning

2010-04-04T21:56:00.001-04:00

To me, you absolutely cannot find hymns better than the ones we sing on Resurrection Day. I woke up this morning singing "Up From the Grave He Arose". By the time I got to church, I was singing Charles Wesley's "Christ the Lord is Risen Today". That one brings me to tears every time I sing it. Wesley tells the Resurrection story in such a beautiful and powerful way... and I'm overwhelmed.

But this year, I've added into the rotation a new Resurrection anthem. It's not an old hymn. It's relatively new. It's "Resurrection Hymn (See What a Morning)" and I close out this Easter Day by sharing its lyrics (Oh, and by the way, do you see how wonderfully this song speaks of the work of all three persons of the Godhead, and their roles in the work of salvation? It is definitely a new favorite! Thankful for a loving God and a RISEN Savior today!!)

See, what a morning, gloriously bright
with the dawning of hope in Jerusalem
Folded the grave clothes, tomb filled with light
As the angels announce Christ is risen!
See God's salvation plan, wrought in love,
Borne in pain, paid in sacrifice,

Fulfilled in Christ, the Man,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

See Mary weeping, "Where is he Laid"?
As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb;
Hears a voice speaking, calling her name;
It's the Master, the Lord raised to life again!
The voice that spans the years,
Speaking life, stirring hope, bringing peace to us,
Will sound till he appears,
For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead!

One with the Father, Ancient of Days,
Through the Spirit who clothes faith with certainty
Honour and blessing, glory and praise
To the King crowned with power and authority!
And we are raised with Him,
Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered;
And we shall reign with Him
For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead!

Take a Knee

2010-04-02T00:32:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, Eisley had a tiny (miniscule!) scratch on her left knee. She discovered it one day and pointed to it and said, "Ouch! It hurt. Aw, poor Eisee!" I thought the whole thing was hilarious and cute of course. Especially considering just how tiny the scratch was. But I responded with something like, "Oh, yes. Poor Eisley. Your knee must really hurt."

She pointed it out everytime she noticed it, and we would say something about the scratch on her knee.

Well. A few days ago she noticed she had a scratch on her wrist. Again, it was tiny. But she ran over to me, pointed at it and said (very dramatically!), "Oh no! A knee, Mommy! A knee!"

I guess she thought that "knee" meant "scratch". Funny girl. It's amazing to me to think about how the words we use and all the ways we say the things we do are shaping her understanding of the world.

Now would be a good time for me to get my road rage under control.

I Dominated Middle Earth

2010-04-01T22:39:00.000-04:00

Yes, you read that right. Tonight I played my first ever game of Risk. And won! Only it was the Lord of the Rings version of Risk, so instead of conquering the world, I conquered Middle Earth. Turns out, it's a fun game. I had never played because I was certain I would hate it. But tonight I gave it a whirl, and it is apparently a really enjoyable game for someone who has a competitive streak in them, like me. Of course, the game might have been much less enjoyable had I not won...

Fun Find

2010-04-01T14:43:00.001-04:00

How cute is this little doggy purse I found for Eisley's Easter basket? She will love it! She's very into bags and purses right now. She likes to grab one, walk to the door and say, "Bye, Mommy. Bye Daddy. See ya." I thought this one would be fun for her to actually take with her when we go out. I had a gift card to a little store in downtown Versailles, and have gone there off and on for a couple of months trying to find something for myself (since the gift card was a gift to me). I haven't had any luck finding anything I just had to have, but I've often thought that their kids stuff is really cute.

So today I went in to see if they had something fun I could use in Eisley's Easter basket-- and this is what I found. I love it! It was really inexpensive, too, so I was able to grab a couple of other fun goodies for the Easter basket...and still have 90 cents left on the giftcard.

I may or may not wish I had a doggy purse of my own.