ashevillesloan

Buckets of Love

2012-01-22T09:56:00.001-05:00

My Grandmother Mimi died late last night. Hardly any of you knew her. But she was one of the single greatest influences on my life.
Whenever you hear someone says "my grandmother/grandfather just died" my tendency is to react to them as if they just said "my bunny just died." In a that's sweet but we all knew that was going to happen-way. Until it happens to you.
Then, it feels as if a light has gone out of your life.
Mimi was the kind of person who believed I could do anything I ever wanted to do. I think this is because Mimi did nearly everything she wanted to do. She was a became pilot at the age of 16. She flew planes during WWII WITH my grandfather who was Navy Pilot. Her curiosity knew no bounds and she explored it with fervor.
This made their home a place of vast imagination and exploration for me as a child. It always felt like Narnia when we would drive down their long spanish moss and oak covered driveway.
We would play a game where would try to navigate through their kitchen without letting our feet touch the floor. Which Mimi encouraged. Children sitting on top of her refrigerator was common.

We would stay at their home whenever we moved or were home for a season and I know that Mimi got more done before 8am than I will ever get done in a single day of my life. I can still hear her whistling "Onward Christian Soldiers" as she washed the pounds of blueberries she had picked all morning while I slept.

When I was in the fifth grade, Mimi and Bob flew to Korea, where we lived. They stayed for an extended visit since it was such a long trip. When they left, I returned to school and I was sitting in my classroom and I swear, I heard her voice. Mimi had a very distinctive voice due to a loss of part of her vocal cord. I heard her voice calling to me. I ran out of my classroom to go find her. I didn't ask my teacher or anything. I just ran. But she wasn't there. I just wanted her to be there so badly.

We didn't live near grandparents any part of my life and when we had Mimi and Bob nearby, I felt like a million dollars. I think because they made me think I could be a sky writer if I wanted to.
I know I'm not unusual in this feeling. Mimi made everyone in our family feel as though they were her favorites. But is am sure of this. I was her favorite. :) She told me I was just like her. I had a widows peak just like her. I had the same sense of adventure. And I always wanted to laugh and enjoy life like her.

Now, I simply want to love like she did. I want to make people feel as though they are "my favorite". It is really hard to lose someone who thinks that you are obviously the president of whatever it is that you are involved in. Or that you can do no wrong-ever. That is the role of a grandparent. No one else in your life ever feels that way about you. Certainly not your spouse, siblings or parent. Only your grandmother reserves the right to see past all your flaws and thinks "Owner and principle in chief" is not too lofty of a goal.

I will never be that same for the influence of my grandmother Muriel Pace Newcomb. She always signed her letters "Buckets of Love" which is exactly what she poured into my life.

Almost One Week In

2012-01-09T11:55:00.000-05:00

We are almost one week into the "Chubbiest Loser" and I am not going to lie, it's been tough.

It is always hard to take a look at your "food addictions" or let's just call them "habits" that have turned into a "lifestyle" that had creeped all over us. Without a major change, you never notice that every night you just sit down and watch TV for HOURS.

Or how often you reach for mindless snacks when you get stressed, hurt or frustrated. Instead of reaching for food, we now have to reach resolution. This is better in the long run, but sometimes a bit exhausting. :)

But the payoff?
Matt is down nearly 10 pounds.
I have lost 5.

WHAT?

In one week?
That seems crazy.

We have changed a lot around here.
But none of it has been terrible. Well, there was one terribly cranky day (Thanks Diet Coke for that addiction) but other than that. We are full, happy and have lots more energy. And are sleeping better at night. Matt isn't snoring anymore! YAY!

What have we been eating?
It has been a hybrid: Biggest Loser/Weight Watchers/Mediterranean Diet that I call: The Pinterest Diet.

If a recipe looks appetizing on Pinterest and is low in calories, carbs and high in fiber, I make it.
It has worked out fabulously.

Here are some of the recipes I have made:

Dijon Mustard Chicken Packs with Zucchini and Tomatoes

Source: eatingwell.com via Leslie on Pinterest

Grilled Feta Stuffed Turkey Burgers. These were amazing.

Source: pink-parsley.com via Leslie on Pinterest

Biggest Loser Oatmeal Pancakes. The kids and Matt loved these.

Source: biggest-loser-recipes.com via Leslie on Pinterest

Biggest Loser Turkey Chili. Winner All Around.

Source: weightwatchers-recipes.net via Leslie on Pinterest

Lemon Water. All Day. Love it.

Source: amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.com via Leslie on Pinterest

It hasn't been killer to make these changes.
Here has been the biggest change. Our mindset. If I am going to buy all this produce, then we are going to eat that food that is sitting on the counter or in the fridge OR ELSE. It is too expensive and time consuming to cut up fruit and have it rot out in the fridge. So, we have to eat it or it goes bad.

This is honestly, a big deal for us.
We are on the go a lot and we eat out more than most people.
This is taking serious discipline to plan and eat around being at home and going to the gym or the park.

The payoff is already rolling in. So that is more incentive to keep going!

Around Here

2012-01-03T16:26:00.000-05:00

Matt and around 60/70 Young Life associate men began today what is being called "Chubbiest Loser". These boys are all vying for the rights of chubbiest loser in the next three and half months.

I am not permitted to post the before picture nor the before weight.
But let's just say it looked something like this:

I kid. I kid.

He is not nearly that big.
But like most people who "meet" with people for a living, nearly every meeting is over a meal or has food somehow involved in it.
So he has a little extra "padding" these days. Who doesn't?

So he, and by he, I mean WE are doing this chubbiest loser project.
It should be something worth reporting on. If nothing else, to share the highs and lows of detoxing from the extra 3500 calories a day that we have been consuming over Christmas.

Already, its only Day 1 and we are STARVING and we have been eating all day long.
Just none of the food involves butter, peanut butter, chocolate chips, powdered sugar or icing. It has been a sad day. Except that we have worked out, eaten a healthy breakfast, vegetables, almonds, hummus, cottage cheese and WATER.

So this is the plan:
Drop soda.
Add exercise. Daily.
Walk Ranger. Daily.
Drink lots of water. Daily.
No more chips. Maybe pretzels if we are desperate. (potatoes make you more hungry after you eat them and leave you feeling less full. Drop the chips!)
If hungry, grab a handful of nuts or baggie of veggies.
Eat at home. No more eating out for dinner.

First weigh in is in two weeks.
The best part about doing this? You don't really want to sit around if you have nothing to eat.
We are getting stuff done!
Cleaned out the garage.
Laundry is done.
Met some people for work.
Dog is walked.
We have lots of more energy! Who knows how long this is going to last? PRAY FOR US! Join us.

I have started a pin board on pinterest with lots of recipes and inspiration to get you started:
Biggest Loser on Pinterest

Resolutions

2012-01-01T22:01:00.001-05:00

I told Asher and Lucy about the concept of New Year's Resolutions yesterday and unprompted, this is what they came up with:

Asher:
Eat healthier. "like more apples, bananas, and lemon glazed pound cake."
Ride my bike more.
I want to write better//more clearly. (this is always on his report card!)
Play with my friends more.
Shoot my BB gun more. (for the record, he does not have a bb gun. Clearly he is working the system.)

Lucy:
Do more crafts.
Recycle more. (completely hilarious)
Help mommy and daddy more. (yes please)
Hug and kiss mom and dad more.

I don't know that I could do ANY better crafting my own resolutions than they did.
In fact, if we all worked at these...our family might be a smooth running machine!

They really made me laugh at how "adult like" these resolutions are for a 6 and 5 year old. But I'll take it! And I'll help them achieve them.

This is going to be a good year.

Sweat Everyday

2011-12-31T16:46:00.002-05:00

Anybody adding "running" or "exercise" to their New Years Resolutions?

If so, here is a new playlist of songs to add to your ipod. Do it. You will love these.

I Got It from My Mama by will.i.am
Give Me Everything (feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer) by Pitbull
You Make Me Feel... (feat. Sabi) by Cobra Starship
Moves Like Jagger [feat. Christina Aguilera] by Maroon 5
More by Usher
Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO
We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris) by Rihanna
Without You (feat. Usher) by David Guetta & Usher
Good Life by OneRepublic
The Edge of Glory by Lady GaGa
I Wanna Go by Britney Spears

It is embarrassing to share these songs because I truthfully LOVE pop music really only when I run and classic rock or singer/songwriter ALL the rest of the time. But I need a beat I can run to when my lungs are dying. These songs will carry you through at least 30 minutes.

My new Lululemon mantra? Sweat everyday. Go do it!

Year End

2011-12-31T16:33:00.001-05:00

We made it through this year. Incredible.
Looking back at 2011, I knew it was going to be a tough one.

Last January, I declared it to be the "Year of the Marriage"

Matt and I have done some hard work on our marriage this year. The metaphor I feel comfortable using is it has been like having a knee scoped. The knee was working, but it hurt. And it wasn't doing what is what meant to do. It needed a surgeon to go in and dig out the old scar tissue, debris and other junk that was causing problems. Then once surgery was over, we needed physical therapy to relearn HOW to use the knee properly again.

We have been abusing our marriage and taking it for granted for so long that we needed a whole year to take stock in it and relearn how to slow down and love each other well.

As the very wise Buddy Odom has said, "We didn't have a bad marriage, we were being bad Christians. Who are married to each other."

People who are lazy in looking for opportunities to serve, care for and lay down their lives for another are going to have a difficult marriage.

This is us. Has been us. Will be us.
It is a daily struggle.

Thankfully we have been asked to pay attention to it and I am grateful for that.

Going to a marriage conference this year really helped to dig out the debris and to seek forgiveness for past hurts.

Going to France and the Sabbatical was learning how to be married without the distraction of needing to serve "others" within the context of the Young Life ministry work life.

Going back to work, sending kids to school and finding a loss of purpose set us up for a "new call to love one another" in a dark season for me. It was hard. But through encouragement, conversations and prayer, we found a new level of trust and understanding that would never have been there without the previous 6 months.

Now, we are heading in 2012 and the challenge continues. To not look back but to strive for deeper, more meaningful life and marriage together. It never ends!

Thankfully, I read this today from Oswald Chambers:

"You shall not go out with haste...for the Lord will go before you, and the God and Israel will be your rear guard." Isaiah 52:2

Security from Yesterday. “. . . God requires an account of what is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.

Security for Tomorrow. “. . . the Lord will go before you . . . .” This is a gracious revelation— that God will send His forces out where we have failed to do so. He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our “rear guard.” And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.

Security for Today. “You shall not go out with haste . . . .” As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness. But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us. Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.

Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.

And that is what I hope for in my marriage.

I would do this entire year over again. No problem.

Getting Older

2011-12-16T15:45:00.001-05:00

The last few months, at my ad agency we've been working with a new client "Tech RALLY for Seniors" It is an event group teaching senior adults at retirement communities how to use new technology like iPads and iPhones, Skype etc and they just shared this video on Facebook.

Working with this group has made me passionate about elder care and living joyfully all the days of my life.
I couldn't help myself. I had to share this fun video on here.

5 Years TODAY

2011-11-18T08:16:00.001-05:00

We've been blessed to have Lucy in our lives for five years and I can't believe how the time has gone. She is so much fun and is so beautiful. It is tremendous to be her mother. She challenges me daily in so many ways but lately in ways that she doesn't intend. She is curious so she has asked me to define words for her and they have given me much food for thought. Words like; yield, compensate, panic, healthy, ecstatic. Try for a minute to boil down the essence of these words and you will see what I mean. She is challenging and lovely. A personality treat in a small body. This transition from the fourth to the fifth year has been a blessing to me and I can't wait to see all the ways that she changes as she leaves preschool and goes to kindergarten (EEK!) this next year.
If you get a chance, you should spend some time around my daughter. She is the cherry on top of life.

Changes Can Be Good!

2011-11-04T09:14:00.001-05:00

Lucy and I started reading the American Girls Collection books this past week and started with the book "Meet Kit" about a little girl growing up in 1934 in the middle of the Great Depression.

Sounds fantastic for a nearly five year old right?

It actually is because a lot of the character traits that I am trying to instill in Lucy are what are being developed in the lead character Kit.

Kit loves to read books, write her own newspaper, play sports and wants to build her own treehouse.

She has a great sense of humor but more importantly has a strong sense of character and resolve within herself-especially when it has been revealed to her that she has acted rashly or her actions are selfishly motivated.

With the setting of the book being in the Great Depression, the family is obviously going to go through hard times and that includes Kit.

I often wonder what my own children would be like if we were living in another country or time and they were asked to do things like, I don't know-actual chores (like on a farm or village), and it has been fun to explore these topics with both Lucy and Asher through reading.

It is one of the reasons that I love to read to is explore my own fantasies through someone else's "reality" and to see my own children do that is like a dream come true.

In the last chapter of the book, Kit's mother says in order to overcome the Depression, "People will have to work hard. Use what they have. Face challenges. Stay hopeful...They'll have to make changes and realize that changes can be good."

This is particularly timely for us in our country as everyone needs to figure out finances, resourcefulness and figure out what is really important to them.

Now, who wants to help me with Kickstarter account to buy Lucy an American Girl doll?

Have you seen how expensive those suckers are?

Sheesh.

Order a Wreath-Send a Kid to Camp!

2011-11-02T13:44:00.002-05:00

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The Sloan Rangers

2011-11-02T13:43:00.002-05:00

Are we Spanish wrestlers or Power Rangers?

That is the question.

Adult Power Ranger costumes were not easy to come by, so we made our costumes this year.

I actually had the kids make paper mache masks with me.

Yes, this all looks like a hobby homemaker project--but its only one day a year.

And no, we saved no money. But it was SUPER fun.

The kids had a blast and Matt and I got to walk around in glorified pajamas all night.

That's not so bad.

The masks were ditched immediately. But look at the joy on this boys face.

CANDY!

This is generally how I feel about Halloween.

Show me the candy!

Sweet Marshall

2011-10-31T01:08:00.000-05:00

"I need to know my life,

as its meant to be..."

-Mumford and Sons

Marshall is senior and is reminds me about all that life had to offer..

She is ready to grab life by the horns and be the person she was meant to be.

You already are.

If you ever want to remember what is you were like in high school; hang out with a high school student.

Any of them.

The promise of the future, their fresh faces, the hope that is within them.

It sustains you, enlivens you and you literally want to breathe them in-they have SO MUCH LIFE in them.

Look over these pictures again!

Marshall is a girl that anyone would want to spend the afternoon with.

I can't wait to see what is next for her.

The Spirit of Tour de France Fans

2011-10-28T07:28:00.000-05:00

The new Tour de France route was release last week. There is no Alp d'Huez this year. Which gave me a sad face. How could race organizers not want more of this?! Yes, that is Matt and Kyle. The Spirit of Tour de France Fans

Pumpkin Lighting

2011-10-27T16:06:00.001-05:00

At our elementary school we have a fundraiser every year called "The Pumpkin Lighting Festival". It is not a joke.

Every grade picks a theme based on literature or pop culture. Then each class mom and teacher select a direction to move in within that theme.

Then you have three weeks to turn this puppy around.

Kindergarten was Smurfs.
First Grade was SkippyJon Jones.
Second Grade did If You Give A Miuse A ....books
Third, Angry Birds
Fourth: Lion King
Fifth: The Whipping Boy

These displays were impressive and I am not kidding when I say it took all my artsy craftsy skillz to pull this o e off. But I think it was accomplished. Take a look at these things!

We are walking out the door to head to the fundraiser now! I can't wait to see ALL the displays!

Fussbudget

2011-10-20T08:36:00.002-05:00

I am feeling this way today:

fuss·bud·get

noun \ˈfəs-ˌbə-jət\

Definition of FUSSBUDGET

: one who fusses or is fussy especially about trifles

— fuss·bud·gety adjective

See fussbudget defined for English-language learners »

Examples of FUSSBUDGET

fussbudget about wanting her food very hot>

First Known Use of FUSSBUDGET

circa 1904

Related to FUSSBUDGET

Synonyms: baby, bellyacher, complainer, crybaby, fusser,fusspot, griper, grumbler, kvetch, kvetcher, sniveler,whiner

Am I always going to be a fussbudget?
I sure hope not.
Lord have mercy on those around me.

Asheville

2011-10-18T09:02:00.000-05:00

If you watch/listen/read the news, then you've been hearing about Asheville in the last 24 hours because President Obama has been here talking about his jobs plan.

The creative director from my ad agency and his wife managed to snag tickets to go hear him and because of the nature of the gathering, this was the picture he snapped:

No matter your politics, it is always exciting when the President comes to town.

My kids have been asking lots of questions about the President. But #1, "Is President Obama in charge of the world?"

To which I answer AND I believe, "No. God is in charge of the world. Because He is sovereign. Right now, He has let President Obama help take care of our country."

Can everybody say "sovereign"?

noun

a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.

a person who has sovereign power or authority.

a group or body of persons or a state having sovereign authority.

Right Now

2011-10-17T00:50:00.000-05:00

Meet Hunter.

Senior in High School.

Playing Football.

Dating the Homecoming Queen.

Life is good.
As it should be in the best years of your life.

I was so excited for this photo shoot.
It was literally the most beautiful weekend of the year. No lie.

I am officially open for business.
:)
Shoot me a message if you would like to schedule a session!

This Happened

2011-10-12T22:08:00.001-05:00

This morning, Lucy got upset over what I had picked out for her to wear to school. No big deal. Pick out another cute outfit.
She wasn't happy about it but agreed after some convincing and I assure you she looked cute in her plaid dress, jeggings and cowboy boots. As cute as a college student.

So we get to her preschool, walk into the class and a table of four-year old girls sees her and one pipes up and says "eww. Lucy is wearing that dress again." And she said it in that voice that you've heard since you were in middle school.

Except this isn't middle school.
This is preschool.
4-year old preschool.

How is one supposed to battle this the rest of our days?

My job is to keep filling Lucy with he truth that our value does not rest in what other people think of us. But wow. This is a tough one for me to fight, I can't imagine the nature that will need to be within my daughter to grow up with these women and battle this on a daily basis.

The same voice that rang out at Lucy is the same dark voice that tells me that I'm not good enough, or smart enough, fun enough etc to belong to whatever clique or group I am longing to be a part of. Popularity is such a powerful tool and it is one that takes me down. I think that is why it hurt me so to hear it.

The truth?
I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
So is Lucy.
So are you.
No one can say anything different about that.
Your value is not measured in what others think about you.
It was measured on Calvary.

I have to remain there. And remind myself that daily. Now I have to add Lucy to the list of people to tell.

I Want to Be Cool About This

2011-10-11T07:17:00.001-05:00

cesspool of Sin Radio Spot

About a month ago, a state senator in NC referred to Asheville as the "cesspool of sin". It was very judgey and ridiculous. He made no real point except to alienate an entire city to whatever point of view he was trying to make and now my fair city has actually positioned itself as the "cesspool of sin" which is super fantastic.

Now my favorite station in town has just released a promotional campaign for a fundraiser by one of my favorite on air personalities, the host of "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" on NPR, Peter Segal has produced this spot for WCQS that actually says "stay demonic Asheville."

Sigh.

Why?
WHY.
It just continues the anger, the fight and has crafted a feeling of alienation by this bit of nonsense. I want to laugh and look past it. But my conscience is pricked by this and I dislike it. I think it is poor positioning and branding simply as an ad campaign. But moreoever, I would like to acknowledge that I am a sinner trying not to contribute to demonic activity. What choices does ts ad campaign leave me with? It sounds like 1. Don't fund the station & 2. Don't listen. Neither of which I want to do.

I can take a tongue in cheek poke of fun. I am all about irony. I get it. This just feels undermining and like someone got too loose with the copy at the end of the promo.
In fact, this actually feels like being poked with a stick. A really sharp one.

A Months Worth of Pictures

2011-10-09T13:44:00.000-05:00

With my camera lens having broken while we were in France, I haven't been very motivated to take any pictures. But that changed when I replaced it with an upgraded 50mm lens.

This glass is SOOO much better its unreal.

Example 1.

This is inside with no flash.

Example 2.

I have not been able to get pictures of Ranger because his coat is such a weird color it doesn't show up well in pictures. NOT ANY MORE!

Look at my beautiful dog.

This is a ridiculous picture of Lucy just to show you how much she's grown this summer.

This was a suit that fit her in June.

She insisted on wearing it.

I laughed the entire day.

Our prizes at the state fair.

Asher is now playing flag football.

I have always used the line "don't smile" to get him to smile.

So now that I am trying to get a picture of him being "tough" he can't help it, he has to produce the biggest grin you've ever seen.

Gah, I love this handsome boy.

Lucy is as silly as ever.

We were hiking and she got herself next to a rock and said "Mommy, this will be a good one."

Then struck this pose. No lie.

A boy and his dog.

I am so glad I captured Asher's expression here.

Priceless.

Sandwich Debate Update

2011-10-02T13:02:00.001-05:00

I caved.

While running last week, a moment of clarity came over me.

This is probably a "thing" like so many things that we have encountered with Asher that I beat my head against the wall about, spend months grinding my teeth over and then as soon as HE decides he wants to go along with my plans-everything goes smoothly.

So, I bought the Iron Kids white wheat bread. And I bought the bread that I like.

And today?
He ate the whole sandwich in about two minutes flat. With the crusts.

I'm going to take a nap and learn a lesson about grace.

Keeping House: Bedroom Edition

2011-09-30T09:15:00.001-05:00

In our house, the bedrooms are where all "things" go to disappear. I may clear the clutter from the living room, but it ends up in a basket or on a chair in my bedroom. Or on top of the dresser in my kids room.

But a clean room=a clean brain.
I know my mom is totally freaking out right now at that sentence because this is the total opposite of who I was in high school.

But I have changed. Haven't we all?
And if all of the "flat surfaces" in my room are cleaned off, I am at an unbelievable place of peace when going to bed.

So with that being said:

Everyday:
Make your bed. Take all drinks to the kitchen.

2x/week: clean the surfaces off, then dust them. (SWEET!)

1x/week: Tackle the floor. Vacuum, sweep. Whatever you have as far a floor surface goes. Get after it.
Get flowers for yourself and put one next to your bed. (I hardly ever do this, but it makes me really happy when I do)

1x/month or every 6 months or if an animal or child pukes:
Get under the bed and clean it out. Dust it. Clean it out and clean it up. You will be so happy you did. Put it in the calendar and do it.

Do the windows, walls and lights.

Clean out the closet and vacuum it. Dust the shelves and wipe down the doors.

Marble or Wine

2011-09-30T08:58:00.001-05:00

"If we are ever going to be made into wine, we will have to be crushed-you cannot drink grapes. Grapes become wine only when they have been squeezed.

I wonder what finger and thumb God has been using to squeeze you? Have you been hard as a marble and escaped? If you are not ripe yet, and if God had squeezed you anyway, the wine produced would have been remarkably bitter...We have to be placed into God and brought into agreement with Him before we can be broken bread in His hands."

My Utmost for His Highest

Oswald Chambers

September 30

Keeping House: Family Room edition

2011-09-25T14:14:00.001-05:00

Here it is, the family room edition of speed cleaning your house in a month!

This is the place you spend the most of your time and the place where clutter probably accumulates the most.

So on a daily basis, do your best to not leave the room without something on your hands that does not belong in that room.

If you have 3-5x a week/15 minutes:
Grab a laundry basket. Grab up all items that don't belong in that room and place them in the basket for redistribution after you leave the room.

Dust everything on eye level.

Fluff pillows and fold throw blankets.

That will make you feel like a million bucks right there.

If you have 1x a week/30 minutes:
Vacuum or dry-mop the floor

Every month/6months/when a dog or kids pukes on it:
Tackle upholstery and window treatments. Vacuum under sofa cushions and on them. Clean behind the couch. Flip over the cushions for even wear. Close curtains and vacuum. Wipe down blinds.

For spring/fall cleaning days:
Wash windows.
Spot clean the walls.
Roll back rugs and clean the floor.
Get after cobwebs in the corners.

The Great Sandwich Debate

2011-09-25T13:49:00.001-05:00

Every since we got back from France, Asher has refused to eat sandwiches made with whole wheat bread.

Only white bread sandwiches.
Why?
I have no idea.

He makes barf face and gagging noises the entire time he chokes down a sandwich.

This has now gone on for two months.
Yes, I have endured.

These are not new sandwiches. Or bread. Same as he's ever had. He just "doesn't like them now."

Today, I gave it one more try. I asked him to "beast it" and not give us a problem about the sandwich when he came out of his class at church saying he wasn't "hungry" for lunch-because he knew another whole wheat pb & j was going to get served up.

The day before, he went so far as to feed the dog the sandwich and pretend as it he had eaten it. That went over well.

So we came home today, fully expecting him to in fact "beast" the sandwich. But that did not happen.

Instead, he dragged it out and then on a bite that was followed by a swallow of water the whole thing came up.

This is now the third time that little trick has happened since our return as well.

There are a few questions here:
1) is this hilarious or maddening?

2) how can I get him to actually eat a sandwich without giving him white bread?
I refuse to bend on this matter. Which sounds annoying but he is one person and we are three others who will eat and enjoy the other bread. And he's 6.

3) how can I break his will on this thing without breaking him in the process?
I don't just want him to eat a sandwich. I want him to be obedient. And get over it. But I want him to remain strong-willed; just not incapable of following us as we ask him to eat what we prepare.

4) am I making a big deal out of nothing?
I think we make him eat he rest of the sandwich for dinner and the rest of this week until the point is made. But maybe that is going too far?

Maybe we should just call the whole thing off and just take this whole debate off the table? Just be full of grace-no more sandwiches for awhile?
Let him try then again in a few months?

Mountains out of molehills.
Man this parenting thing is HARD.

Any feedback would be tremendous!

Risky But Nice

2011-09-22T21:37:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4xUSjftm04&feature=youtube_gdata_player

You should go watch this but beware a little...
It will make you laugh. Inappropriately.

Keeping House

2011-09-22T15:45:00.001-05:00

I am not a wizard at house keeping. I want to be. I set very high standards at house keeping. But neither I nor Matt can live up to those standards, so what we have is usually a "problem" because I am chronically unhappy with the state of our house, but unmotivated to do anything about it. Then I get mad at everyone around me for failing to work hard at it.
Don't I sound like a joy to live with?

I have been looking for a solution and I am hoping that I have found one. Google calendar.

Each day I have a task that if I actually do it, by the end of the week//month my house will be deep cleaned.

Here is an example:
Kitchen:
Set aside 5x week/15 mins:
clean countertops and sink
Sweep the floor
Clean the fridge handle

Set aside 30 mins 1x/week
Wet mop the floor
Wipe down the appliances
Wash down the cabinet fronts

Kitchen deep cleaning 1x (or every 6 months...or if a dog/child throws up in or on these surfaces) a month activities:
Deep clean the fridge
Clean the oven
Vacuum the inside of drawers and cabinets

If Matt and I share a house cleaning calendar and these tasks are in there, this is much more likely to happen. Matt just doesn't even think about these things. While I think about them, but I am also thinking about 700 million other things too. We all need help to serve and love one another.

Tomorrow, I will give you an example of the calendar for the family room.

I am turning super nerdy on you aren't I!?
Why does this get me so excited?

Life is Revolutionized

2011-09-21T14:27:00.001-05:00

I am now the proud owner of an iPad! Super fun for work. Super fun for play. But where my life has been revolutionized has been in setting up my google email account on yet another location. I have finally figured out a way to incorporate ALL of my email in one location and once I have read it, I can move on.

To some, this is no big deal.
For me, I can leave for 30 minutes and have 40 emails pile up.

I am more excited than I probably should be.

Beautiful People Do Not Just Happen

2011-09-14T21:08:00.001-05:00

Empire State of Mind

2011-09-14T07:36:00.002-05:00

My daughters school sent this home on Monday as a 9/11 tribute.

It is supposed to be an image of how God has the whole world in His hands. But instead, it looks like the whole world is coming out of his butt.

Fantastic.
It's a pretty good representation of how people have felt since that day.

We didn't have Facebook back on 9/11 and many people I went to high school were either in the towers themselves or their parents, siblings or loved ones were. This past week was interesting as I got to see for the first time the depth of these stories and to read more about friends being on the Staten Island Ferry approaching the city as the planes hit. And knowing their twin sister was in the twin towers.

Crazy.
I remember every feeling I had those days. And the fatigue from worry and concern over my sister and her husband living and working on Wall Street for the years that followed.

Now that has numbed a bit.
It's why we need memorials and anniversaries.

Even if we get sick of them or jaded.

This week a commercial (yes. A commercial) was released by State Farm was released that put it all in perspective and is so sweet, it makes you feel united to New York.

Much more so than a giant butt pooping out the world.

Empire State of Mind Commercial on YouTube

Winter/Fall Shoes

2011-09-10T20:08:00.003-05:00

I struggle with shoes in the Fall.

1. I like to wear flip flops. A lot.
2. I think of my Toms as dress shoes.
3. I feel like a goof-ball in warmish weather in boots.

Also, I live in a town with a lot of women who generally:
1. like other women
2. like to wear flats
3. like wearing shoes that proclaim #1 or have the name Thom McAn inside it.

What is a girl (who likes cute shoes) to do who has to work and go to meetings? Just meetings?

Shop for shoes. Constantly.
Duh.

This is what I scrounged up this week.

I liked these. They had a cute little heel, came in different colors. Had a cute little bow on them. But, they still seemed in the manish category.

I know I said, "no boots" but these were the softest most amazing boots. They looked like they would just hug your foot.

I wanted to snuggle with them.

This gold color is way popular right now.

I am pretty sure that I will be heading back to pick up these babies at some point.

As soon as I find the "elusive" golden cardigan that matches.

I loved these shoes. All of them.

Color is tricky though.

And then I took the plunge!

Orange with brown and hints of white.

I have loads of this in my wardrobe AND it is very seasonal.

They look super cute on and have a little heel on them for my longer jeans.

Perfect!

They are $89 on Zappos, but not even close to that expensive at our local Tops for Shoes.

Come to Asheville! I'll shoe shop with you!

Lucy hilarity

2011-09-10T19:52:00.013-05:00

Lucy loves to take pictures and being that she is home a good deal more than Asher (since she is in preschool) I have more material to work with. Enjoy the glory that is a 4 year old girl.

She hit a "little" growth spurt this summer. I think this was the last hurrah for this suit.

Heading off to preschool.

Our favorite part of the day is lunch (which we get to eat together)

and on Friday's we make a special treat for Asher coming home from school.

Lemonade Cake

Lemon Puppy Show

And the little man who we have raised to love all things lemon related.

He is quite happy to be the recipient of these good gifts.

Yes. If you click on the names of those treats, there are recipe links. You are welcome. They are delicious. For serious.

First Day of School

2011-09-10T19:48:00.001-05:00

We made it. Through the summer. Sabbatical is over. The kids are back at school. Matt is off and running and now I'm lonely.
Not a real surprise but somehow it has caught me by total surprise nonetheless.
I was totally unprepared to feel at such a loss for purpose when those around me regained theirs.
I am sure this is typical of mothers everywhere but this was a first for me because I am used to being on the go and with an extended fullness to my plate-but not this year.
The Lord has crafted a bit of a "sabbatical" season for me. It's bittersweet right now. I'm trying to taste the sweet but the loneliness makes it fairly bitter.
Even with these adorable ones to love on, I am just finding it hard to grip the ground beneath me in this season. Thankfully the Lord is patient and kind and helping me to find joy in the quiet but it is hard fought.

My Kids View of Life

2011-09-10T19:47:00.001-05:00

The six and four year version of our daily lives

Kick Drum Heart

2011-08-29T00:45:00.005-05:00

Saturday morning, I dropped off Amy Noll at the airport in Atlanta for her to go study abroad a year in Spain.

I have been in a bit of a rotten mood for the last few weeks in anticipation of this day and I realized that I had been working so hard at holding it together, not letting the emotion of her departure get to me that I have not been a lot of fun to be around.

The last 18 months with Amy have not been the easiest to walk through since her brother died and I have not been paying any attention to that. At least not until Amy walked through the doors of the Atlanta airport.

Then, I drove about an hour down the road and started crying.
I realized what a friend she has been.
What a leader in other's lives she has been.
And how different our lives will be without her around.

None of this will be easy.
It really was like dropping my child off at college.
I have been praying like crazy for her and am so hopeful for many many things that will come her way in the next year.
But there is this space. This space that she took up (quite often) in our lives that is empty and now I have to figure out what is next.

While I was driving and feeling sorry for myself, I started listening to an NPR podcast called "All Songs Considered" and they asked the question: What Songs Make You Feel Good?
This was answered by their listeners and they had to explain why the particular song made them feel good, put a smile on their face or changed their mood.

It got me rolling again.
And thinking about my own songs. So here we go:

Ooh La La: by The Faces

This is super early Rod Stewart. Which means nothing, except it is crazy to hear his voice. I love this song because I think the lament fits at every stage of life "I wish I knew what I know now, when I was younger." "You have to learn and that's all there is to say..."

Vineyard: Jackopierce

Vineyard by JACKOPIERCE
Click on the button to go hear the song. This makes me think of college and I can't help but smile every single time I hear this song. It is actually impossible for me to 1) skip this song and 2) not sing it at the top of my lungs

Fat Bottomed Girl: Queen

Sue me. It gets me. I am hammering my steering wheel or pounding out the miles to the song on my ipod. I can't help it. I LOVE THIS SONG. Hard. I have since I can't remember when.

Dog Days Are Over: Florence and the Machine

This was part of the show I was listening to and it really has been one of my favorite songs for a year or so.
I love the idea that the Dog Days are Over. And there is no time to look back. It is so biblical in that approach to embrace today and not at the sadness that was. It is my wish for Amy Noll and my own wish for myself.
It strikes a nerve. And it has a killer drum beat.

Speaking of drum beat:

Kick Drum Heart: Avett Brothers

This explanation might sound dramatic, but whatever. Coming off of Matt's sabbatical, I know that we have been called to this ministry and to being in relationships with people-whatever form that might take. What happens in the middle of that sometimes is you end up getting kicked emotionally, but sometimes you find gold among the rocks. And I love the line where he says "it's not the chase I love, it's me following you." That is how I feel about this calling to people. I don't love chasing people for Jesus. I love following Jesus as he leads me and Matt and other Young Life leaders to hurting people to share with them how Jesus fits into their hurt and leads them to wholeness.

My life is like a kick drum. My heart gets so excited that it about pops out of my chest. But also, it hurts because sometimes it ends up getting kicked.

It is the give and take. And when you have to say good-bye to someone you love for either good or bad reasons, you take it . And the hurt has to be nursed for a little while. Not too long, but long enough to want to be healed.

So, I'm hurting. How could I not? Look at all of this life we've had with Amy:

And I'm excited.

There is a lot coming up for this little heart of mine.

J'taime Paris

2011-08-16T13:59:00.000-05:00

Maybe I shouldn't explain the Paris pictures?

I think they speak for themselves...

Well occasionally I will interject.

So we went on the bike riding tour of Paris with Fat Tire Bike Tours and we walked over to get our bikes and this girl looks at Matt and says, "Were you at Frontier Ranch last summer?"

He answered yes and she started crying.

Her husband and her took off for the summer to work in Paris and she was missing the trip with her girls to Wilderness. She couldn't believe that we were there. We couldn't believe that SHE was there.

The world gets SMALLER.

Look at that handsome man on his manly bike.

We can't say enough about this tour. It was so fun! Wild really to ride bikes with 20 strangers around round abouts and down crazy busy streets. But we loved it. And it gave us the confidence to rent bikes and ride them the rest of our trip. It was a really fun way to see Paris.

We didn't make it to the Louvre. We just rode bikes on the grounds. It was closed on Monday. Which blew my mind. But we got to see it. It was pretty. So yeah. Moving on.

We rode bikes on the Champs Elysee. Again, bucket list material. This is the little Arc d'triomphe...not the giant one. But it made me laugh to ride through it.

More bikes. We really liked them.

The next day we went to watch the final stage of the Tour de France. On the left hand side of this picture you can see Cadel Evans in yellow. That's about as good a shot as we could manage. It was incredible to be a part of. I would probably not do it again...but I loved seeing it in Paris. Tres cool.

Then we were up for some sightseeing!

Sacre Couer

Notre Dame

Saint Chapelle

Eiffel Tower again.

It was an amazing trip.
I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
Really.
We loved it. We loved going with another couple. We loved everywhere we stayed and all that we got to see and eat.
I don't think there was anything that we did that we thought, huh-never again!
Which is a great way to end a vacation.

Coming home, the lessons are just now starting to manifest themselves.
But initially-our first thoughts were:
1) Americans eat a LOT of fast food. Ourselves included. That probably needs to stop. Slow down. Enjoy your meal. Enjoy your company. It will be okay. Stop scheduling everything right up to a meal so you can't enjoy it.

2) We all have huge yards, but no gardens or fresh food to show for it. The French are obsessed with freshness. With where their food comes from. Almost everyone that has a home in America could have a little kitchen garden, but hardly anyone wants to because they "don't have the time". Take the time. It will be healthy for you, your heart and your body. But also, it tastes amazing.

3) We are a temporary culture. We all know this but going somewhere that buildings have been standing since 1200 really makes you sit up a bit. Even their young buildings were placed there in the 1800's. We consider those to be our oldest and most revered historical landmarks. Everything else is temporary. What if we started to value the long-term and not the short run?

4) The French tax their residents $117/year for each television they own in their home. The result? A very quiet, well-read country. I can tell you, if we did that in America, our tv(s) would be OUT.

More to come. Don't you worry :)

Alp d'Huez

2011-08-16T13:32:00.000-05:00

If you cycle, watch the Tour or spend any time around us then you are familiar with Alp d'Huez.

Alp d'Huez is the reason for the entire trip that we planned to France.
All four of us wanted to see it, smell it, walk it, yell on it and be crazy for one day in our lives.

Call it bucket list.
Call it what it you will.

It was all of the above.

The Alps in one word: HUGE.

I can't summarize this part of the trip for you enough.

But we felt like it was a time of high adventure.

For us to get to Alp d'Huez, we managed to get tickets from our resort on a bus, to another resort Alsuice (?) maybe and then board a lift (those you see above) and then ride these INSANE lifts across three mountains to the resorts town of Alp d'Huez. It worked out so perfectly, I have no idea why people would do anything else. We walked straight down the mountain, past the barricades and secured a perfect picnic spot with all of the people who had been camping all week. Suckers.

These guys were there. Fantastique.

We made it!

These were some American's from Portland that we met at our resort. They gave us the scoop on the bus tickets to get over to Alp d'Huez. Traveling Mercies. Trail Magic. Portland Trailblazers.

They were a gift to everyone on the mountain that day. Trust me.

Even bicyclingmag.com wanted their opinion.

That my friends, is Alberto Contador.

And Sammy Sanchez. And Rolland. These guys wore the polka dot jersey and white jersey by the end of the day. Super fun. The green jersey guy went on to win the stage. We never would have guessed that.

This is Frank Schleck. And in the left hand corner is Cadel Evans. He won the yellow jersey the next day and was the eventual winner of the tour. It was chaos trying to photograph this and not get hit by the cars, the riders and the other spectators. I did my best.

There.is.the.maillot.jaune. Thomas Voeckler

This is a caravan car. The caravan comes around an hour prior the riders and throws out all kinds of free stuff from the tour sponsors. This is a sausage sponsor. We ate lots of sausage while were there. No cochonou. But we loved their ads and their car was crazy cute.

This is Jenn and me after the Etape sponsor threw us buffs. Don't we look cute?

Once the riders passed us by, we hung around for a little bit...but then we had to get a move on.

We had been on the mountain for a solid 10 hours. We needed to get back to our apartment. So we go back on the insane lifts that made us scared for our lives. These lifts were so fast, we were white knuckling it the entire way, but I did manage to snap one picture so you could see the view we were entertained with while we dictated our last will and testament to each other.

We had an amazing time.

We were thrilled beyond what could have been expected and we couldn't wait for more.

The next day, we encountered crazy traffic on the way into Grenoble as all the people left the area and were trying to follow the tour some more. We were trying to catch our train to Paris, so we were a little stressed, but had no real problems as we left with plenty of time.

So we managed to get to Paris in a few hours on the TGV.

Wine Safari

2011-08-02T14:02:00.001-05:00

On our first Monday in France, we engaged the services of Mike's Wine Safari. This personal tour came highly recommended from Rick Steve's and we rolled the dice on an entire day to devote to craft of wine making and tasting. It was entirely worth it. And obviously we drew some spiritual parallels all day thanks to the book "Scouting the Divine" and the multitude of scripture that directly speaks to wine and wine making.

Mike is not only an incredible sommelier, but he knows this region inside and out. He took us to several towns and gave us a great tour and history of the region that we would never have had on our own.

Our first stop was in the town of Gordes. This is the home of some very famous people and the film "The Good Year" was filmed here. We had some cafe (to which I am now addicted) and visited the local sites for a bit.

This picture shows why I rented the lens (24-70mm) from borrowlenses.com. The wide angle in low light would never have been captured on any lens I have in my kit. You can rent lenses for any camera you have, you can even rent a camera! I loved having this lens, but I probably wouldn't buy it. It was huge, heavy and I was super scared to break it all the time. But, I loved having it for this trip and it was a fun treat to rent it.

Down the road we saw a beautiful Cistern Abby that houses monks living in complete silence and have since the 12th century.

Lavender at the abby.

Next, we went to Tara Domain Vineyard.

Here is Mike. Imparting all of his wisdom to us.

Here are the highlights about wine from the Luberon region in the Cote de Rhone.

wine started in the Luberon region when Bordeaux wines were suffering due to imperfections.
The government created a standard for the specific regions (the AOC) to highlight those winery's that hit the "standard mark" set forth. So Bordeaux wines taste specifically different than a Chateneuf de Pape, than a Cote de Rhone etc.
The Cote de Rhone-Luberon AOC wines have to be 80% Grenache grape, 20% syrah. Otherwise they are a table wine or Vin de Pays on the label.

The SOIL is the most important aspect when it comes to wine production, not grapes. The poorer the soil, the better. If it is good, easy soil, the grape vines get lazy and you have grapes that are tasteless, devoid of flavor.
Hard, tough, rocky soil in a drought produces a rich, full of flavor wine because those grapes had to fight for life and nutrients.
Once pollination takes place, the vintner calls it "100 days of war" because they can do nothing but wait for the fruit. Their lives revolve around the weather conditions and pests.
The soil in the Cote de Rhone, is almost ALL composed of rocks and there was a severe drought in place. Take note of the 2011 wines. This is predicted to be a very good year for wine.

At this vineyard, only three people maintain all of these grapes. During the picking season, they obviously hire more people. But their job during the year is to prune and maintain the fields-noting insects, disease and weather conditions.
If they see a bad vine, they must remove all traces of the bad vine and leave the field fallow for seven years.
Mike shared with us, the quickest way to go lose money is go into the wine making business. If you plant a new field, you can not take the grapes to bottle for 4 years. That is the rule in France.
He said, 10 years before you can really get anything going. 20 before you have a reputation. Maybe.

We loved everything they offered here.

Of particular note was the Rose.

None of us was a fan prior to our Wine Safari day. After that, we found out how to pick out a bottle and what to look for.

Wine Cave Sign.

Syrah grapes at La Citadelle Domain. Another full scale vineyard and winery that we visited outside of Menerbes. We loved their wines-especially their more expensive ones.

Our haul from the day.

In addition to his 1/2 day and full-day tours, Mike offers a week long tour throughout the south of France where he takes you to vineyards and introduces your palate to varying wines PLUS the food to pair it with properly each evening which he prepares. He happens to be a chef as well.

Look for this to be an excursion that I blog about sometime in the next 20 years.

Lavender Fields

2011-08-02T11:21:00.000-05:00

We went for a drive down the "Lavender Road" on the afternoon after the morning of the market in Apt.

Lavender has to be harvested when the flower is at its peak in color which happens to be in late July, early August depending on elevation. Our trip was in perfect timing!

Every afternoon we had to take a break in cafe to watch the Tour de France.

It was hilarious to have to find a cafe and to sit there for an hour or two.

But quite necessary as since we never ate dinner before 9pm!

We were all relaxed as we could be by the end of the day since the air was filled with lavender.

It was like floating through a bubble bath in a car-it truly was amazing to see.

Provence

2011-08-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

The town of Apt. We loved it. Romanesque architecture. Deserted streets. Super quiet and lovely. I couldn't photograph it enough.

The sea town of Cassis. It is to the west of Marseille by about 40 minutes. It is known as a "poor man's Nice." That sounds about right to us.

We loved this town. It was beautiful, lots of people-but we had the Rick Steve's Provence guide book to help us find great restaurants and sites. We did them all!

I highly suggest picking up one of his books next time you travel ANYWHERE. We used it like a Bible.

The water was the most amazing blue color.

These white rocks are called Calanques. And the rock here was used for the base of the Statue of Liberty. Fancy that!

Super pebbly beach with the usual topless Europeans and men in small trunks.

Market Day in Apt

Saturday morning is the weekly market in Apt, one of the largest in the region.

We were so excited for it and planned to spend the whole morning here.

It was well worth it. The food stalls, clothing and sights were tremendous.

France Overview

2011-08-02T10:28:00.002-05:00

Our trip to France was super francetastic.

This is how the trip went day by day:

July 10, drove from Asheville to DC. Stayed overnight in DC and on

July 11 went running to try to burn off some energy before flying for 9 hours. Flight was at 8pm. We landed in Iceland on

July 12 at 7am their time, 3am our time. Took off at 8:30am, landing in Paris at 1pm their time, 7am our time. Wow. We had a TGV train booked to take us to Avignon and we picked up our rental car. At dinner in Avignon and then headed to our apartment in Apt. Here is a link to check out the apartment and to book it for yourself: Marston House

Enough can not be said about this apartment. Location, price, beauty. It was fantastic and super awesome. We loved it and the town of Apt like crazy. More on this later.

July 13-20 - stayed in Apt. While there we have visited Avignon, Cassis, Uzes, Sault, Gordes, Rousillon, Lacoste, Menirbes, and Aix-en-Provence. We took a wine safari tour one day and learned about how they make wines in the different regions of Cote du Rhone, and we sampled...lots. Here is the website for the wine safari: Mike's Wine Safari This was seriously our favorite. Mike was amazing as a tour guide and we loved the whole day.

July 20-23 - In the Alps. Watch the tour on stage 19 on Alp d'huez on the 22nd. We stayed in Les Deux Alps. It was a small ski apartment. Pretty basic but PERFECTLY located for Alp d'Huez. And cheap. Which is crucial. And if we had more time, we could have seriously done some summer glacier skiing and mountain biking, which would have been awesome. Les Deux Alps

July 23 - traveled from Alps to Paris through Grenoble.
on July 23, we landed in Paris and took a fantastic bike tour with Fat Tire Bike Tours. More on this later.
We stayed at Hotel Muguet in Paris. It was perfectly located in Rue Cler and had great rooms, very good service and we loved our stay.

July 24-Final day of the Tour de France in Paris! We watched it on the Champs Elysee. Amazing.

July 25 - Sightseeing in Paris.

July 26 - Leave Paris and fly back to DC

:(

Now the pictures will begin to make sense if you know where we've been and what we've done in the last two weeks!

Updates are coming!

Family

2011-08-01T09:04:00.000-05:00

I know it has been a few weeks since I have updated.
We've been a little busy, what with being international travelers and all.

Before we left, we spent the weekend with our extended family at Matt's parent's lake house and had a fabulous time. I was frantically trying to edit the pictures before we left for France but was unable to make it happen.

I managed to get them ALL done today and pull together a little slide show to hold you over until I got to my France pictures.
Hold onto your hat for those things.

I will tell you this about France, everyone should just stay home.
Don't go.
It will ruin it for the rest of us.
It was perfectly lovely and we will be moving there one day.
:)

So here you go, video times:

Let the Madness Begin

2011-07-07T14:23:00.000-05:00

We are heading to France in just a few days.

The excitement is welling up within me because le Tour is freaking amazing this year.

The winner is not even close to a foregone conclusion and we are going to get a front row seat to the days that will decide the winner. I can't wait.

Before we go, we are throwing a birthday party for our 6 year old.

I can't believe he is going to be six.

And we have about a million little details to go over.

Like packing our kids for two weeks.

Ourselves for FRANCE for two weeks.

Getting Amy Noll set to dog sit for two weeks.

And making sure that everything is in order for my job while I'm gone.

Little things like that.

No wonder I am waking up at 5:30-6 in the morning in cold sweats.

It is going to all work out.

Seriously.

All I can think about is doing things like:

the Wine Safari

Fat Tire Bike Tours in Paris

visiting Cassis

Aix en Provence

Lavender Fields

Bastille Day

Alp d'Huez

Champs Elysees

Totally worth it.

Cynicism or Joy

2011-06-15T07:20:00.000-05:00

"For me it is amazing to experience the daily radical difference between cynicism and joy. Cynics seek darkness wherever they go. They point always to approaching dangers, impure motives, and hidden schemes. They call trust naive, care romantic, and forgiveness sentimental. They sneer at enthusiasm, ridicule spiritual fervor, and despise charismatic behavior. They consider themselves realists who see reality for what it truly is and who are not deceived by "escapist emotions." But in belittling God's joy, their darkness only calls forth more darkness.

People who have come to know the joy of God do not deny the darkness, but they choose not to live in it. They claim that the light that shines in the darkness can be trusted more than the darkness itself and that a little bit of light can dispel a lot of darkness. They point each other to flashes of light here and there and remind each other that they reveal the hidden but real presence of God. They discover that there are people who heal each other's wounds, forgive each other's offenses, share their possessions, foster the spirit of community, celebrate the gifts they have received, and live in constant anticipation of God's glory.

Every moment of the day I have the chance to choose between cynicism and joy. Every thought I have can cynical or joyful. Every word I speak can be cynical or joyful. Every action can cynical or joyful. Increasingly I am aware of all these possible choices, and increasingly I discover that every choice of joy in turn reveals more joy and offers more reason to make life a true celebration in the house of the Father."

Return of the Prodigal Son

Henri Nouwen

p. 109

I followed a blog for a long time called "The Happiness Project" and the book about the project has recently been published in paperback where a Gretchen Rubin pursued all the ways that one can make herself happy. In a semi-healthy way.

She came upon this truth along the way: "I'm not happy unless I think I'm happy."

What does that mean?

It means, it is a choice.

We can do all things. With Christ.

Today.

You can choose to be joyful. Full of life.

Or you can be dark, lonely, annoyed and overwhelmed.

This is my push and pull that I deal with.

Today, I am going to do my best to be joyful.

How about you?

Summer Fun Bucket List

2011-06-07T15:04:00.000-05:00

Here it is people.

A free-for-all, bucket list for you and your kids summer bucket list.

Matt has been on Sabbatical for only three weeks and we already are frustrated at how quickly the time has passed.

We need a little list like this to keep us moving to do the fun things while are kids WANT to play with us.

JOY!

summer fun.jpg - Google Docs

Kids Party Playlist for Playlist Friday

2011-05-27T16:09:00.000-05:00

Maybe you are having a party this Memorial Day weekend.
Perhaps you have to spend some time around the elementary school set at some point this summer.
You NEED kid-friendly dance party music.

Thanks to Matt and I dj-ing the school dance at Asher's elementary school two weeks ago, I am here to save the day.
Two songs I want to point out to you:
1. Hamster Dance
2. Do you like waffles?

Both are required to COMPLETELY change the mood of any morning around our house.

Here we go:

Just Dance: Lady Gaga
Don't Stop the Music: Rihanna
Top of the World: Mitchel Musso
The Hamster Dance Song: Hampton the Hamster (seriously-dumb)
I like to Move It: Crazy Frog

Group Dance Section:
Limbo Rock (Reggae Rock): Chubby C and OD
Hot! Hot! Hot!: Go Diego Go!
Hokey Pokey: Starsound Orchestra
The Chicken Dance: The Hit Crew
The Macarena: Los Del Rio
Born to Hand Jive: Sha-Na-Na
YMCA: Village People
Cupid Shuffle: Cupid
Tonto (Jump on It)
Casper Slide
Hoedown Throwdown: Miley Cyrus

Musical Interlude:
Hey Ya: Outkast

Back to Dance Party Times:
Baby: Justin Bieber
Firework: Katy Perry
Dynamite: Kidz Bop (I hate kidz bop, but some songs have slightly questionable content but popular to dance to when you have to play them in group settings are just safer. AND the elementary set are used to bad sounding songs. So it's not a reflection on you.)
Just the Way You Are: Bruno Mars *not a winner
Fire Burning: Sean Kingston
Forever: Chris Brown
Party in the USA: Miley Cyrus
Pool Party: Aquabats (from Yo Gabba Gabba)
Kung Fu Fighting: Air Fighters
Who Let the Dogs Out: Baja Men
Life is a Highway: Rascal Flatts

Fun Extra Music:
Crazy in Love: Beyonce
Gitchee Gitchee Goo: Phineas and Ferb Soundtrack
Peanut Butter Jelly Time: Chip Man and the Buckwheat Boyz
Do you like Waffles?: Parry Gripp
You Belong with Me: Taylor Swift
Replay: Iyaz
Airplanes: B.o.B
That's Not My Name: The Ting Tings
Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go): Dierks Bently
Eenie Meenie: Sean Kingston and Justin Bieber
Love Me: Justin Bieber

Our kids had a blast at the dance and their friends keep walking up to us and saying, "HEY DJ!" It's hilarious. Matt did a great job leading the group and keeping them actually dancing. Because all they really wanted to do was run laps around the gym. It was something special. Trust me.

Happy Anniversary!

2011-05-26T11:33:00.003-05:00

Matt and I are celebrating 10 years of being married today!
I can not believe that it has been 10 FREAKING YEARS.

That.is.a.long.time.
But it really doesn't feel like it.

Maybe because of moments like these:

Life is a little easier when you are married to your best friend.

Not easy. Just easier.

And yes, we laugh. A lot.

That helps too.

Only 40 more years to go.

Just a small explanation on that video:
We were hiking at Carolina Point, a Young Life property in development and they have a wildlife camera set up to see what kinds of game are present on the property. Matt and Asher used the opportunity to do what they do best. I am so proud.

Lucy Video Monday

2011-05-16T10:34:00.001-05:00

I have a series of videos that I have taken of Lucy lately that really make me laugh. There are several reasons for this.
1) she is really funny.
2) she is in preschool, so she is around the house more than anyone else in my world.
3) she is just like me.
4) Thus, she is really funny.

This was after her fourth soccer goal (be still my heart) and yes, that referee is wearing no shoes. Welcome to Asheville everyone.

Asher was trying to mess up Lucy singing the song, she when she got tripped up she had to get through the whole song really quickly to make up for the mistake. This gift is from her father, not from me.

This is at 8am. But you can hear this training going on at 6:30am as well. It is much cuter at a reasonable hour.

well, what can you say about this? Sometimes you just have to be insane.

Raising a Family

2011-05-10T08:59:00.000-05:00

When working for a ministry, one of the things that many people give to you when you have kids...is children's Bibles.
When your kids start getting older, one of the things that you struggle to figure out-is how to actually READ those Bibles and to help make them relate to your children's current reality.
This is not unique to those of us in full-time ministry-this is all of us who love Jesus.
However, we have been given a multitude of Bibles. I would say, in quantities above the average family.

And yet, we like most families have struggled over the years to make reading the Bible with our kids a habit.

When Matt and I went to the Marriage Conference in March, there was a section of the conference dedicated to "parenting" and it was facilitated by David and Kelli Pritchard. It was absolutely fantastic.

One piece of real encouragement that they gave us was to make reading the Bible together as a family a daily habit.
In their family, they read five Psalms and a Proverb every morning before school with their school aged kids.

In our family, our kids are close in age and one has just started school.
So we opted to try reading the Jesus StoryBook Bible daily before school.

Have you read this Bible?
We were gifted it several years ago by our friend Luke Davis and it has been one of the greatest gifts to our family that we have received.

It is written from the perspective that God has written in our hearts the greatest Love Story of all time and it mirrors many children's books of the princess waiting for her prince to come and rescue her. Every story in this Bible points to the prince who is never stopping, never giving up, always and forever love. I choke up nearly every time I read it.

The illustrations really grab my kids attention and the perspective is so much fun. In different stories, you have to change the way you read the book from horizontal to vertical, which makes the Bible much more interactive than a typical children's book, let alone a Bible.

We love this Bible.

Reading it daily with our kids has been a real gift to us and our kids.

Now every morning, they ask: Can we read the Bible before we go to school?

YES.

It has become a treasured time.

My favorite encouragement from the Pritchards on this topic was this:

I asked if we need to explain the Bible or lead a Bible study type of time with our kids. It was stressing me out.

Kelli answered:

Let the Holy Spirit do the work in your kids. Your job is to place Scripture inside their hearts.

His job is melt their hearts for his purposes.

It has taken such a load off our shoulders to feel like we need to do "family devotions" on a daily basis.

Not our jobs. We love our kids and lead them to the Lord in Scripture showing them what we think is truly important.

We make this a priority now. I love that.

You can get the Jesus StoryBook Bible here.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-06T12:29:00.003-05:00

Asher made me a super sweet book for Mother's Day in kindergarten and as they are working on their writing skills (and Asher's are *cough* in development), this was sent home yesterday.

For those of you who can't read what it says:

Mom is as pretty as: she can be

She smells like: potion

Her hair looks like: yellow

Her voice sounds like: an angel

Mom makes me feel like: love.

Melting.

On another page, it said: If I had a $100, I would buy my mom: a bed. And he drew a bed.

Does this kid know me or what?

(and that picture? So obviously me. Except for the whole blue witches hat thing.)

One thought I will leave you with:

IF my voice indeed sounds like an angels-heaven is seriously going to mess you people up.

No Mormon Tabenacle choir sound, just a whole bunch of off-key Leslie's sing Holy Holy Holy.

That's going to be awesome.

Happy Mother's Day ya'll!

Hedge of Protection

2011-05-03T13:42:00.000-05:00

How many times have I used this phrase when praying?

Laughing my head off:

And more:

Start stacking chairs! Come back when you're ready...
Hilarious.

Quote of the Day

2011-05-02T16:25:00.000-05:00

"The new rebel is a skeptic, and will not trust anything...but therefore he can never be really revolutionary. For all denunciation implies a moral doctrine of some kind...Therefore the modern man in revolt has become practically useless for all purposes of revolt. By rebelling against everything, he has lost the right to rebel against anything...there is a thought that stops thought. That is the only thought that ought to be stopped."
GK Chesterton

May Masthead

2011-05-01T21:59:00.000-05:00

If you actually visit this blog and don't just use a reader service, you may be asking what in the world is the deal with my masthead? That's the thing with all of the pictures at the top of this blog. FYI.

We had the class pet, Marlow visit our home this weekend and we had to take the stuffed animal everywhere that we went. The last time we did this, Asher got seriously ill and missed school for half-a-week. So you can imagine the excitement when he was presented back in the backpack for this past weekend.

But took Marlow around and he had quite an adventure to tell. Thankfully, I used the collage making pages at picnik.com to help me actually complete the project because you don't think that a kindergartner knows how to upload pictures, write paragraphs and layout scrapbook pages do you? Nope. This is my project.
Again.
So, I am taking you all along for our little journey.
Here are the pictures from the weekend that I had to capture. Enjoy.

Asher is thrilled to have Marlow come home again.

Marlow in the hammock.

Marlow playing soccer.

Marlow helping me coach soccer.

Marlow on the monkey bars.

Marlow got beasted on the slide.

Can you feel the love?

Asher serenading the neigh-borhood. Get it? "Neigh"

Marlow at church. Yes, I took this picture. Yes, the people next to me moved a little further away from me when I did. Like I might think this horse is real.

The pigs in downtown Asheville at the Big Love Fest.

We had Big Love for Marlow. Why not?

Marlow at a Pig Pickin' for YL. The irony was not lost on him.

Wide Open Spaces with Marlow.

Now Marlow is sitting on my kitchen table waiting to get packed up to go back to elementary school tomorrow.

Tell me I don't have to do 700 more school projects like this.

Tell me that this is not setting me up to do 700 more projects like this.

Bulldoze my Yard

2011-04-26T15:25:00.000-05:00

I know I have asked you before, but the whole contest thingy ends on May 2. I really want to have the most views on the video and the highest rating possible.

If you have already voted, you can clear your history and maybe vote again? Give it a try!

AMDL 2011 - Detail

Baby Bird

2011-04-22T07:10:00.001-05:00

Just over a week ago, we had a nesting bird hatch four baby birds on front porch in a very convenient location for us to watch the whole thing unfold.

It was very exciting and much anticipated.

On Sunday, the baby birds were chirping super loud and the kids wanted to "take a peek" so we lifted them up to look inside the nest. The birds were so small and so cute.

We gave a stern warning about no touching and headed inside to get ready for the day.

That lasted approximately 30 minutes.

While I was getting ready, Asher grabbed one his little chairs and headed onto the front porch for further investigation.

He comes back inside with a big, triumphant smile on his face and declares, "I just touched the birds!"

The looks on our faces must have conveyed how displeased we were because immediately he started crying, followed by leading us to the scene of the crime.

We had no idea what would happen to them. But had a pretty good idea.

We left for a couple of hours only to return and find three featherless, baby birds gasping for breath on our front porch and sidewalk.

Awesome.

Teachable moment #4056 of Asher's life.

I googled what to do and google said, put the birds back and leave the nest well alone.

We all complied.

And have been nervously watching over the nest ever since and the Momma bird just resumed feeding the birds as if she hadn't given them the boot just hours before.

And she feeds them all day every day ever since. I love watching it.

So now, all day long-I hear the birds chirping, calling for their momma to come and feed them. Totally dependent on her for everything and it reminds me.

It calls me.

It has set within me the reminder that this is how I am with God. I am dependent on him for my everything. Every bit wisdom. Every bit of depth, gentleness, goodness, self-control. Anything good or worthy has been hand-delivered to my soul by him. Through him. Through Jesus. On the cross.

And he watches over me.

When I throw myself out of the nest, he lovingly puts me back.

And watches over me as I feed again.

As if nothing ever happened.

And get nourished.

And grow.

What a picture of grace.

Tina Fey's Prayer for her Daughter

2011-04-21T13:17:00.001-05:00

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Crap. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

Asher or Anakin?

2011-04-13T15:31:00.000-05:00

Bulldoze My Yard

2011-04-09T07:58:00.001-05:00

My yard has been a disaster for years. We all know that. To borrow a quote from Bill Goans, "we are raising kids, not plants."

But, in part of the Sabbatical plans we would like to do something about the yard. However, that usually involves a lot of what we don't typically have.

Time.
Money.

This summer we have the time. Just not the money.
So I entered us to win the DIY Networks $20,000 Landscape Makeover.

This is not really a social networking contest where you see how many views or votes you can get on your video or pictures. But I am sure that it doesn't hurt.

So, do you mind clicking on this here link and clicking that my video gets 5 stars? (cause you know that it does) and do that a few times between now and May 2?

It would be super fun to win.

Super fun. And if we WON, then we wouldn't be spending the whole summer working on our yard (see previous post) we would be able to enjoy our yard. See how this thing works together? Hmmm. I think it is meant to be...

Sabbatical Preparations

2011-04-08T16:15:00.000-05:00

One of the reasons why I have not been blogging lately is that we are one month away from Matt's sabbatical beginning.

That might sound like it is nothing much to prepare for. After all, it's just time off!

But when you step away from it, you begin to realize that you don't really want to spend your whole time 1) working on your house. 2) getting organized to figure out what you want to do or 3) end up doing nothing.

As Henri Nouwen says "Aren't you, like me, hoping that some person, thing, or event will come along to give you that final feeling of inner well-being you desire? Don't you often hope: 'May this book, idea, course, trip, job, country or relationship fulfill my deepest desire.' But as long as you are waiting for that mysterious moment you will go on running helter-skelter, always anxious and restless, always lustful and angry, never fully satisfied. You know that this is the compulsiveness that keeps us going and busy, but at the same time makes us wonder whether we are getting anywhere in the long run. This is the way to spiritual exhaustion and burn-out. This is the way to spiritual death."

we are trying to steer away spiritual death of more busyness but it is really intimidating to step away from life. To turn off your cell phone. To be "unavailable" to others. This is going to be a season of familial solitude for Matt. And as Nouwen says solitude is a "furnace for your soul".

I want Matt to have the kind of environment where he is free to explore the things that he always thought he "might" love but has never had the time to find out. Which is also intimidating.

Why is solitude so intimidating?

Nouwen:

"As soon as we are alone,...inner chaos opens up in us. This chaos can be so disturbing and so confusing that we can hardly wait to get busy again. Entering a private room and shutting the door, therefore, does not mean that we immediatel;y shut ou all our iner doubts, anxieities, fears, bad memories, unresolved conflicts, angry feelings and impulsive desires. On the contrary, when we have removed our outer distraction, we often find that our inner distraction manifest themselves to us in full force. We often use the outer distractions to shield ourselves from the interior noises. This makes the discipline of solitude all the more important."

If you really think about a person who trades in relationships, placing them on hold for a period of three months-it is really difficult. Please pray for us. It is going to be hard on Matt. It is going to be hard on me. But I know there is going to be tremendous growth from going through the deep, difficult discipline of leaving relevancy in others eyes behind for period.

Another Nouwen quote: "As long as we continue to live as if we are what we do, what we have, and what other people think about us, we will remain filled with judgments, opinions, evaluations, and condemnations. We will remain addicted to putting people and things in their 'right' place."

We have to do this, there is no "doing it right" but I want there to be fruit in our marriage and family and in the ministry of Young Life to come from this time. So we are trying to ensure that we setting ourselves up in the best manner that we possibly can.

I will be blogging along the way, so don't lose hope! Just be patient with me :)

Puppy Love Pictures

2011-03-29T15:24:00.000-05:00

We are loving our puppy Ranger.
He has been a delight to add to our lives and we are so glad to have him. Even hearing Lucy shriek, "Ranger! Ranger! Ranger!" about 700 times a day is cute...sometimes.

He is adorable and funny and he has even given new life to Slappy. She steals all of his toys-with a growl and a bark. It turns out our old wiener dog is a bit of a bully. Who knew?

He extremely talented at fetching and retrieving and biting. He bit Matt's ear and drew blood this week and has managed to decimate a cell phone and ipod charging cord all in the same day.
Talent.

But we love him. He is so definitely ours and we are smitten.
How could you not love something as cute as him?

Braids

2011-03-04T10:11:00.001-05:00

When I was little, my mom braided my hair on a daily basis.

She would braid my hair so tightly, that it would curl on the ends like Pippi Longstocking.

One day, my kindergarten teacher asked me how she got my hair to do that.

I told her, "My mommy wakes me up at 5am, braids my hair and hangs me in the closet by my hair until it is time to go to school."

She called my mom that afternoon to ask her if it was true.

I was THAT CONVINCING.

Or my teacher was a complete idiot.

I have bred a child cut from the same cloth.

See the resemblance?

Check out my awesome kindergarten eyebrows.

It's no wonder I have a bi-weekly waxing appointment.

Green Eggs and Ham

2011-03-02T08:54:00.000-05:00

I've always shared my birthday with Dr. Seuss.
I am very okay with this since it makes the day much like Halloween in elementary school but with a central theme.
Nerdy much?
Asher has been sick all weekend and today was the first day he got to go back to school.

Think he was excited about it being Dr. Seuss's birthday?

And with it being my birthday: We wouldn't be able to celebrate without something electronic coming into my life:

And I love it.

So so much.

It completely lives up to the hype.

Believe it.

Spreadable Disappointment

2011-02-24T09:44:00.001-05:00

Have you seen the new Miracle Whip commercials?
Brilliance in 45 seconds is what I call it.

When we went to visit my parents this weekend, all they had in their fridge was Miracle Whip. And the line in the commercial that says, "Who wants to eat a sweet lotion sandwich?" pretty much sums up my sentiments exactly.

Where do my loyalties lie?
Duke's Mayonnaise. Just like every good Southern woman's should.

You can not make egg salad, chicken salad or have a decent roast beef sandwich with anything like Miracle Whip.

BUT, being that I grew up with Miracle Whip...there is nothing like a peanut butter, banana and Miracle Whip sandwich. Just like Elvis did. (I know he used real mayo-but let's just say he used Miracle Whip for argument's sake hmmm? Caliente!!!)
Which side are you on?

Fish in a Barrel

2011-02-22T10:10:00.000-05:00

Buncombe County Young Life is hosting a Shooting Clay's Fundraiser this spring at the Biltmore Estate here in Asheville on April 2nd. This is an incredible opportunity to raise money for Young Life, shoot guns, visit the Biltmore Estate in an unprecedented manner (since they have only had a handful of events on this range) and have a great time with a group of your friends!

The cost is $200 per shooter but the entry fee IS tax deductible (how bout them apples?) and you get an amazing day out of it.
That's called cheap entertainment my friends.

Go to this website to learn more and register. Help us to raise money for the area and to keep Young Life going in Asheville/Buncombe County. It is going to be a fantastic day!

Family Weekend

2011-02-21T15:42:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, my sister and her kids, my brother and our family went to visit my parents in our family town of Albany, Georgia.

I love the homes here for more than just the family that inhabit them. They actually hold memories. Mine, my mothers, my grandmothers.

It is so fun to bring my husband and kids here to make their own memories.

Lucy and my niece Sarah. They were two peas in a pod.

All of the great-grandchildren with my grandmother.

Our "Olan Mills" pose

Reasons why I love my grandparents house:

Not bought at Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware.

Their clothesline. Why does it look like a gas pump?

I don't know. But I like it.

My grandfather's barn.

If I was more brave, I would go inside it.

But I am scared a den of rattlesnakes live there.

Have been since I was born.

Not scared.

Never.

You don't get old oak trees with Spanish Moss hanging down ANYWHERE near Asheville.

There is something super mystical, serene and very peaceful to be around it.

The swaying moss just lulls you to somewhere peaceful.
It's either that or the gin and tonics that flow like water round here.

Through that window is the room where I stayed every summer.

My things are still in the dresser upstairs.

I firmly remember playing rounds and rounds of spades, hearts, Othello, calling 1-900 numbers for ghost stories, raising frogs and swimming until everyone was sure that I sprouted gills here.

No other place compares.

I hope my kids have memories of places like this one day.

Introducing: Ranger Sloan

2011-02-21T14:42:00.001-05:00

There is nothing like a puppy to bring a family together.

Sigh No More

2011-02-15T23:28:00.000-05:00

The band Mumford and Sons music (who performed at the Grammy's with the Avett Brothers and Bob Dylan) have been an organizing theme for our Work Crew Training this year.

One of the songs, more than others has meant so much to me because the words contained within the music I believe communicate the entirety of the Gospel.

I was searching for a video using "Sigh No More" and came across this one.
I love it so much.
I thought you would too.

[sigh no more | a reflection of beauty] from JJ Starr on Vimeo.

Dog Name Vote Time

2011-02-15T16:29:00.000-05:00

A little background on the dog names:
Comet: The kids choice. They want a dog named after one of Santa's reindeer.
Levi: We are trying to build our own personal "Tribes of Israel" with Asher and Levi. But it kind of rough and tumble name. Sounds good over water and doesn't get confused with other commands like "fetch" or "stay"Next up? More pets or children named Zebulon and Gad.
Ranger: Matt was called "Sloan Ranger" a lot in college.

So what say you?

Vote for our next dog name!
Comet
Levi
Ranger

View Results

Create a MySpace Poll

Not that we are going to go by the results of this silly poll. It's just fun to have a vote on something. "Democrazy" in action.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-02-14T14:08:00.000-05:00

That's what Lucy calls Valentines Day.
Which I really like.

It's about the same thing don't you think?
Time to call, write and remember why you love those in your life and tell them.
Don't be lonely, be thankful today!

Laundry Day

2011-02-11T14:08:00.001-05:00

Little known fact: I hate doing laundry.

I have always disliked doing laundry.

I was never properly trained to find the joy in laundry.

What I do find joy in?

Completed tasks.

So, laundry can be a solid enterprise for me.

But when you have babies and a giant of a husband, it seems as though this is the worst of the mundane tasks around your household.

Also, I severely dislike clutter.

And laundry looks an awful lot like clutter to me.

So it gives me a complex every time I see it sitting around.

Life must be very difficult for me mustn't it?

However: I have found a way to live with myself!

The best thing about being in a Young Life family and getting going to go on assignments every summer is the lessons you learn about yourself when living amongst 15 other families.

You have to basically die to you own "musts" and "have to's" and learn to get along with others.

It is difficult but fantastic.

AND since you live there for so long, whenever you come home, you basically get a "do over" in you own life.

So this summer, we were at Frontier Ranch and they only had one laundry room for the 10 families that needed to use it. We had to sign up for our 1/2 day shift to do our laundry and it simply had to get done. Every evening it would be open if there was an emergency like someone got sick, wet the bed or you really needed your jeans washed. But overall, Tuesday morning was my morning to get my whole families laundry done for the week AT CAMP.

It was a tall order and the laundry would pile up, but I found rest in it because I knew I couldn't do anything about it. I just had to wait.

And then I would be serious about it. Do my laundry. Fold it in front of the dryer. I didn't have time to keep fluffing it until I felt like folding it. It had to be done THEN.

Then I would walk it back to my cabin and be put away, that afternoon.

5 hours. All done.

So we came home and I went back to my old ways of doing laundry whenever I felt like it.

And the chaos of that system slowly got to me and I felt like my house and household tasks were always choking me. I never felt "done." I never had those moments of just being able to look at a pile of laundry and relaxing because it was going to get done, I felt like I was ALWAYS doing it.

I made a change.

Wednesday is now our laundry day.

All of it gets brought down in the morning and it has to be done by that evening.

I try to have it put it away as fast as possible.

Everyone knows that it is not going to get done another time in the week.

Wednesday is a good day for us because it gets us ready for whatever we have going on in the weekend and cleans up whatever happened last weekend.

Also, I don't want my weekend dominated by dumb laundry.

I like Saturdays.

I like Sundays.

I don't like laundry.

Remember?

If people bother me about it:

this is what happens to them.

Just kidding. It doesn't happen. The whole family has adjusted.

They know! They like it!

Because they like me when I don't hate them for wearing clothes.

(It's been known to happen)

Give it a try!

You don't have to leave for a month to start something new!

Just do it!

Nobody will hate you. They will question you, but hate? Nah.

Work Crew

2011-02-07T08:39:00.002-05:00

I've been leading Work Crew training in our area for the last two weeks and it has been like a breath of fresh air for my soul.
I get to be around high school students and leaders.
I get to teach them about Jesus.
The Lord speaks to me loudly about me and then about them and how loved we are.
And how much he wants to use us in his service if we are willing.
And I get to tell them that.
It is so much fun.

And then this weekend, I was searching for videos on YouTube that could show these high school kids how Young Life camp is one of the many ways that God chooses to use people. And I found these videos.

This is a video from Saranac Village from this past summer where the work crew and summer staff created a group dance and would "perform" the dance every meal. Just for fun.

One night, the president of Young Life happened to be there.

In the kitchen. This is the night:

This video is a time-lapse capture of "Western Night" at Frontier Ranch. In the same 300 square foot area; a Western Tableau, a carnival and a square dance take place in just three hours. There are other events that happen that night, but this video captures how much work is performed by volunteers and staff for this one night. I love this video so much because it captures this night in about 30 seconds.

I can't believe that we aren't going to be on an assignment this summer.
But getting to be a part of high school students going to serve is about the greatest.

I am super passionate about Work Crew and how high school students will never be the same after one month away from home and being used by God for his glory.
It could be for Young Life or in a mission organization. Any time you say "no" to your life and "yes" to what God would have for you, there is going to be greatness at hand. It so happens that I have seen firsthand for 14 years what Young Life has done in the lives of high school students.
And I love it still.
How amazing is that?

Addiction

2011-02-02T22:48:00.000-05:00

I was watching Oprah yesterday (I know, eye roll).
But, she and all of her staff were going vegan for the week and one of her staffers had a super hard time with it. This video shows the interaction that she had during the time:
Click here to watch the video

It got me thinking about the level of addiction that I have in my life.
Not just food.
Yes, I am addicted to bad food and drinks. HELLO DIET COKE.

But also, the noise and busyness level that I have in my life.
I am addicted to the need to be needed and stay relevant. Rather than the need to be quiet and be still.

I am missing the point of life. To have my heart and soul filled with the voice of the one who made me instead of those who would take that from me.

Have mercy.
I am trying to create more space for all of the above.

Puppy

2011-02-02T22:36:00.001-05:00

We are getting a puppy.

We have just three weeks until the dog comes home to live.

And our world gets turned upside down.

We made the decision to let this happen rather than let a baby happen.

For now.

We still really struggled with getting a dog and letting our chaotic life become even more chaotic with the addition of a puppy.

So a dog seems much safer than a baby.

We have no names right now that fit.

The dog is a Boykin Spaniel.

A great retriever, family dog, hunting buddy and pretty dang adorable.

Give us your best names.

We promise to maybe use it.

EDIT: For assistance, we are getting a MALE boykin spaniel. Does this make a difference? Maybe. Maybe not.

France trip

2011-01-30T21:55:00.002-05:00

The plans for our France trip are more or less coming together.

It may seem early, but we are actually a fair bit behind when it comes to book accommodations for the Tour de France. The tour typically visits teeny tiny towns throughout France in order to give these towns a "tourism infusion" and the best rooms in the towns are booked the very same day that the Tour route is announced. The legs of the tour that we are wanting to see are the most popular and so the pressure was on immediately to begin booking rooms.

Day 1/2: Fly out of DC, via Iceland into Paris.

Day 2: Land in Paris and immediately head to the south of France.

Day 2-9: In Apt France. We hope to visit Arles, Avignon, Aix en Provence, Marseille, and Nice. It won't be time wasted nor will there be any ugly pictures from these days. I am positive of it. We have booked an apartment through vrbo.com and since we are splitting the apartment with our travel partner's the Murphy's, it is incredibly affordable. We had also looked at villas and apartments on homeaway.com. I think this is the way to book accommodations if your stay in any location worldwide is more than three days long. We do hope to still book a hotel for a one night get-away during this period. This way we won't be spending every night with the Murphy's and them us.

I am getting a daily groupon email from several cities in this region hoping to score a cool deal for an experience in the region that we wouldn't otherwise be able to afford. Fingers crossed! (It's also very fun to get a daily email-in French from Aix en Provence offering me a coupon for somewhere delicious to eat or get my haircut etc.)

After our week in the south of France (I really like saying that):

Days 9-11: French Alps.

We have to get into the Alps several days before the pinnacle stage of Alp d-Huez.

This year Alp d' Huez stage is not setting itself up to be quite as epic as in years past. In fact, the day BEFORE Alp d' Huez, many are predicting is supposed to be the breakout day of the Tour. So we will be quite happy to watch that in a local pub.

For this stage, yhe streets get shut off for days prior to this stage while people with campers are on the mountain for up to a week prior. We thought about camping on the mountain and realized that we aren't quite that hardy.

So we are set up in an apartment on Les Deux Alps which is about 30 minutes away. We will have to make some arrangements to make sure to be on the mountain on the day of the stage, but we are quite sure that we can do it.

In the meantime, we will be in a resort that we can go glacier skiing, ride the gondola to the top of the mountain or rent bikes and actually ride Alp d'Huez should we be that adventurous.

Day 11-14: Paris.

The morning after Alp d'Huez, there is an individual time trial in Grenoble and we have to catch a train there to get to Paris. So we will probably try to watch some of the time trial stage. Then we are off to Paris for three days!

Day 11: Travel day

Day 12: Champ Elysees. The final stage of the 2011 Tour de France. I can not wait to see the riders approach this section of the race, drink champagne and ride on the cobblestones. It is going to be amazing. Once it is over, we will move on to the business of enjoying the rest of Paris.

Day 13: Full day in Paris. Who knows! I am getting a daily Groupon from Paris and hoping for something amazing on daily basis.

Day 14: Morning in Paris and we fly out in the afternoon. Au revoir France!

But while in France, I plan to eat lots of:

These are DEEP bowls of olives.
Matt is going to have to develop a taste for these, but I will probably eat my body weight before it is all said and done. Provence is known it's olive production. Pure delish.

Now that the itinerary is semi in place, the fun part can begin!

Research research research.

Lonely Planet. Rick Steves, etc.

Anyone have a hot tip I need to know about?

Busy Is What We All Have

2011-01-28T11:39:00.000-05:00

Busy is not an excuse but a reason that I have strayed from my blogging. I have kept up with my twitter account because-well that is easy.

This is not hard but I have relocated my computer so that I am not occupied by the screen all the time and instead can focus "some" of my time on my kid, husband, vacation planning and JOB.

My job has sort of taken over for the last few weeks out of necessity and hopefully things will slow back down soon.

But I wanted to let you all know that we are safe, kind, responsible type people that love you very much. And, you can expect to see and hear more about this upcoming trip to France very soon. Feast your eyes for a moment and drift away:

This is really why I am busy! Planning a trip to le Tour de France is hard work but the details are coming together and I will share them all with you this weekend!
Stay tuned!

Seeking Definition

2011-01-12T11:16:00.001-05:00

"The farther I run away from the place where God dwells, the less I am able to hear the voice that calls me the Beloved, and the less I hear that voice, the more entangled I become in the manipulations and power games of the world.

It goes somewhat like this: I am not so sure anymore that I have a safe home, and I observe other people who seem to be better off than I. I wonder how I can get to where they are. I try hard to please, to achieve success, to be recognized. When I fail, I feel jealous or resentful of others. When I succeed, I worry that others will be jealous or resentful of me. I become suspicious or defensie and increasingly afraid that I won't get what I o much desire or will lose what I already have. Caught in this tangle of needs and wants, I no longer know my own motivations. I feel victimized by my surroundings and distrustful of what others are doing or saying. always on my guards, I lose my inner freedom and start dividing my world into those who are for me and those who are against me. I wonder if anyone really cares. I start looking for validations of my distrust. And wherever I go, I see them, and I say: "No one can be trusted." And then I wonder whether anyone really loved me. The world around me becomes dark. My heart grows heavy. My body is filled with sorrows. My life loses meaning. I have become a lost soul."

Henri Nouwen

-Return of the Prodigal

p. 47

Typically for me, this is when I get grabby hands.

Looking for anything and everything that will satisfy.

Wanting to shove down the feelings of loneliness and the ache within and instead rush towards busyness and noise and distractions-just so I don't notice the lack of clarity and meaning within and the heaviness of my heart.

As soon as I do notice, I linger a bit.

Not for the pain, but because admitting I was astray in a place I never meant to be is never a fun activity. So I stay on a little longer but it doesn't get better.

I start to do inventory and realize the voice of the Beloved is waiting with open arms and there is a feast of goodness if all I will do is return.

Why not start back immediately?

Why do I go after life that will not lead me to His table?

Henri Nouwen summarizes it best again:

"Often, I am like a small boat on the ocean, completely at the mercy of it waves. All the time and energy I spend in keeping some kind of balance and preventing myself from being tipped over and drowning show that my life is mostly a struggle for survival: not a holy struggle, but an anxious struggle resulting from the mistaken idea that it is the world that defines me." (p. 42)

My friends Drew and Ellie Holcomb have covered the song "Heart of the Matter" by Don Henley and I heard it yesterday and it made my soul go "POP!" when I heard it.

The song has not been released, but Indie Arie did a great version of it as well and this YouTube video has the lyrics written within it which I think are so powerful.

Even if I'm not loved anymore by others, it is still about forgiveness.

Solid.

Awful Sad

2011-01-08T22:14:00.000-05:00

How sad is it when you see these decals on cars that are smashed up on the back of tow trucks?
Why is it that all of the sudden I find my mind wandering to wanting to know ALL of the gory details about their wreck and if they are okay and if the kids are okay and the dog and cat are taken care of...and then I hear the ......thwaaccckkk thwacckkkkkkk of the guard thingy that lets you know you are heading into the guard rail and are close to being on the back of one of those tow trucks if you don't get your mind together.

I hate these decals.
Please refrain from using them on your car.
My public service announcement to you.

While we're at it:

Can we all agree that these decals IN PARTICULAR are a bad idea?

Promises Promises

2011-01-05T08:47:00.002-05:00

Not to be morbid AND critical, but I was on Facebook (like you do) and I saw that someone from my high school died. I clicked on the link to the obituary and they used the persons high school graduation picture.

Now, I definitely don't know this person anymore.
But it is really hard to believe that there was not one single picture that anyone could use in the last 12 years that more clearly defined them than one they took in July when they were 18.

I need you all to promise that whenever I die, whether it is tomorrow or 40 years from now...you will not use my high school graduation picture in my obit.

Are we cool?
I said, ARE WE COOL?

Good.

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