Brian & Emily

month by month

2012-01-22T18:26:00.000-08:00

While we've been pretty good at taking pictures of Boone since he arrived, I've been pretty lousy at posting them for anyone besides ourselves to oogle over.

Sooooo..... here's a quick pictorial re-cap of our "little dude" (Dad's favorite nickname for him) over the last quarter of a year -

Turned one month while living at Mimi's.

Turned two months while living at Gramma Beanie and Chip's.

House renovations were FINALLY finished and Boone spent his three month birthday at his own house. Here, we were also joyfully celebrating the end of the monster called colic.

Just for kicks, this is one of my most favorite 3 month-ish pics.

And at four months, seriously, could this guy get any cuter? Losing his newborn hair but gaining some much-awaited-by-mom chub. Can't wait to see what the five month shot will bring...

the sweetest sound

2012-01-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

With unseasonably mild weather in Kansas this winter, we've actually been able to spend some pleasant time outdoors - in January! It's a blessing I am soaking up.

For the past week or so, just before dusk, Boone and I have begun a simple ritual on the swing in our backyard's screened-in porch. Covering our laps with a blanket, we sit and swing and talk and sing through the last moments of the day's light. And it is beautiful.

We take the dogs with us. Part of the time they'll play outside in the grass, but when they come into the porch, Boone's eyes light up. And when they wrestle, he laughs, his joy unrestrained. Lord, thank you for sweet doggies who play. And thank you for the gift of a little boy who, at four months old, finds them funny.

4 months

2012-01-02T20:39:00.001-08:00

(One of your 3 month pictures, taken with love by your incredible Uncle Austin.)

Oh, mister Boone.

I never imagined I could love a baby this much.

Before you were born, I was pretty intimidated at the thought of hanging out with a newborn around the clock. Now that you're here, I can't imagine my life any differently. I'm so thankful I get to be your full-time mom.

You'll never grasp the turbulence of our lives throughout 2011, the year the Lord chose for your birth. He provided you to be our shining joy, a respite in the storm.

Now that you are four months old, I feel that I can finally catch my breath. Your colic is gone at last (thanks to the amazing Dr. Scharenberg). Your poor little tummy was a source of much angst for everyone who loves you. We praise the Lord for leading us to someone who could finally relieve you from your pain.

Ever since your stomach stopped hurting, you have been an absolute delight, somehow growing more fun every. single. day. I don't think it can get any better... but then I wake up to your sweet face again.

You've recently started laughing, and every time I hear it, I think love for you might make my heart explode. You chuckle most when I'm tickling your tummy, when you watch the dogs wrestle, or when I'm giving you a bath.

You are grasping things so well now, holding on to anything and everything and then trying to put it into your mouth. You've always had great head control and you do increasingly well during tummy time or when you're sitting in your bumbo seat. You've rolled from your tummy to your back several times, and once so far I've seen you roll from your back to your side.

Very quick to smile, you do so often. Huge, wide, gummy smiles that light up your whole face and literally melt my heart. You've also started smiling more at the people you recognize.

Baths continue to be one of your favorite activities. You kick and splash and smile and talk. It is always a highlight of my day as I watch your joy in the water, simple and true.

You also get a kick out of watching yourself in the mirror. If you're fussing, usually all I have to do is put you in front of a mirror and you'll quiet down. You also love when I dance around with you or fly you like an airplane.

You're eating every 2.5-3 hours during the days, waking between 6:30-7 am and then going to bed at 9 pm. You typically wake one to five times during the night, crying out for your pacifier or for us to cover your head with your blanket.* This has always been your preferred way of sleeping!

*lightweight and with holes in it, for any concerned parents who are wondering :)

Lately you've been waking up cooing (rather than crying). It tells me that everything is right in your little world. That's all I could want for you, my precious boy.

You are so very loved, my sweet baby Boone!

mini update

2011-06-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to confirm to anyone out there who still checks our blog that we are, in fact, alive and well! I've had to cut back on some non-essentials during this period of life and unfortunately, blogging (for me) falls into that category. :(

Not sure when I'll be able to pick it up regularly again - hopefully shortly after our move in 25 days. I may sporadically be able to post a few things between now and then, so keep me on your blogroll - I will be back!

In the meantime, here's one of the things that has been occupying our schedules for the past month (and the dream come true I referred to in my last post): we are buying a house! And not just any house. It's the house I was born in and lived in until I was 12 years old.

How crazy is that? We close July 1. Unreal.

And for anyone wondering, I am now 27 weeks and finally have a bump to show for it! I'll really try to post some pics soon. I'm feeling great and the baby is moving around like crazy! It is especially active at night (makes me wonder if it will be a creative night-owl like me) and also whenever it hears music. Hmmm...

Ok, better cut myself off there - I'll be back soon!

the flood

2011-04-21T09:00:00.001-07:00

Well, if you told me on Monday that this is the post I would be writing today, I would laugh. And laughing we have been. It has been a crazy, crazy week, in so many ways, some of which I can't even share with you yet. But now I'm rambling, let's get back to the post: the flood on Primrose Avenue.

This story actually began several months ago when we noticed that our basement shower would fill with water every time it rained or snowed. Water would come up through the drain, fill the shower basin and then overflow into the bathroom. A couple of times, there was so much that it leaked out into the bedroom next door. We reported this to our property management company, and while they sent some guys out to take a look, no action was ever taken to fix the problem.

Oh well, said we. It's not our house. We're moving in three months. They can deal with it later after we're gone.

Monday night brought a whopper of a rainstorm. Tuesday morning revealed a whopper of a flood. By the time Brian left for school, the water was at least an inch high throughout half of our basement, with more gushing out of the shower and a fountain gurgling up from the sump pump. Not good.

I left a message with the landlord and went to an ob appointment. (This was the bright spot of the day - getting to hear our baby's healthy heartbeat!) When I returned home an hour later, the water level had doubled. I started to move everything I could (I am 19 wks pregnant, mind you) to the far wall of the basement that was still somewhat dry. I called Brian to come home and help. By the time he got here, everything was sitting in water.

That's when everything in the basement had to be moved upstairs. To put it lightly, our house is a MESS.

Did I mention that on Wednesday, the next day, Brian was scheduled to take his board exam (basically the test that determines if he graduates or not). He's been preparing for months, but was hoping to have one quiet last day to focus and prepare. Quiet and focused day he did not receive. But isn't that the way life goes? :)

To spare you a complete recounting of the rest of the day's drama, here are the highlights:

- The water reached 5 inches high, in some places even higher.

- After sloshing around it all day, we discovered that the flood was technically "sewage water." The sump pump was illegally tied into the sewer lines and it was all flowing into the house. While there wasn't any poo visibly floating around, it is still disgusting. So gross.

- There was tons of mold behind the baseboards. All of them had to be ripped out. Any part of the drywall with mold on it has now been cut out.

- They had to install a new sump pump.

- The toilet upstairs had to be removed so that they could access the plumbing. This meant no toilet for a pregnant lady for 3 hours. That is a LONG TIME! The plumber reinstalled it incorrectly and then left at 9 pm. I realized after he was gone that water was leaking out of the bottom of it but at that point there was nothing we could do but mop it up every few hours until he came back the next afternoon.

- In the next few weeks, they are going to have to dig out the front yard to rework the sump pump and sewage system.

- There are now something like 10 commercial fans and 5 de-humidifiers going full force in our basement. After everything is thoroughly dried, they will replace the padding, carpet, dry wall and baseboards.

You can probably see the water best in this video:

Wow. Nothing like leaving this house with a bang!

BUT. As much of a nightmare as this day was, the following day (in which I struggled to get out of bed and greet the mess around me) held a dream come true. You will have to bear with me and be patient until I can fill you in.

And for those of you wondering, Brian's boards went well. They were hard and long and draining, but he feels that he did everything he could have to prepare. We won't get the results back for a month, so he's leaving it in the Lord's hands. I have a feeling that he did just fine. :)

All day long on Tuesday, these old Caedmon's Call lyrics kept coming to mind. I hope they'll lift your spirits today, whether you're having a fabulous or frustrating day:

This day's been crazy,

but everything's happened on schedule

From the rain and the cold

to the drink that I spilled on my shirt

Cause you knew You'd save me

before I fell dead in the garden

And you knew this day

long before You made me out of dirt

(Table for Two)

momentous

2011-04-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

... is the word I would use to describe the past month (or past 3 months, rather). I don't even know where to begin so I'm resorting to bullet points for now, with the best of intentions to fill in the blanks and connect the dots later.

So, here follows a very brief summary of life as of late:

- Guess this one should probably top the list: we're pregnant (17 weeks today), due Sept. 13.

- After keeping the secret since Jan. 5, we FINALLY got to tell our families a couple of weeks ago.

- I turned 30 on March 23.

- My dear friend, Christine, came to Indy to visit for my birthday.

- We spent Brian's spring break in Wichita, doing grown-up things like looking at houses, evaluating mortgage lenders and signing orthodontic job contracts. It's official, Brian's start date is Aug. 1!

- I got to participate in my very first, of hopefully very many, Gilmore Girls nights (more on this to come).

- I heard my baby's heartbeat twice.

- I am, praise the Lord, over the morning sickness. Why they call it "morning" I will never know, it was the worst for me at night. Due to the lack of nausea, I can finally stand to be in the kitchen again. This is HUGE.

- We are now 3 months out from graduation.

- My computer's logic board went out and I am now using Brian's computer until mine can be fixed. Hopefully in the next week or so I'll be reunited again with my pictures and I will write more then.

For the sake of the blog book I desperately hope to create at the end of this year, each bullet above should have an accompanying post within the coming weeks. Please hold me accountable to this! :)

good stuff

2011-03-09T09:09:00.001-08:00

Just a couple things to share today!

First, if you are someone interested in adoption (or even if you're not), please take a few minutes to watch this video by Third Day (thanks, Team Alexander, for sharing!). You've probably heard this song on the radio, but seeing the video puts new meaning behind the words they are singing. Even if you can guess what's coming in the video, it is so powerful. Bet your eyes won't be dry when it's over.

After watching the video, head over to the Cupcakes Divine site for an exciting update! We've been able to sponsor our first child and we are just THRILLED! Please keep us in mind for any future cupcake needs - we're more than halfway toward meeting the amount for a second sponsorship!

february

2011-02-20T14:40:00.000-08:00

I'm a bad, bad blogger. I haven't written for three weeks. I'm going to blame it on the cold Indiana winter for freezing my fingers and my brain (but in reality, I just haven't made the time).

Following are some totally unrelated happenings around our house. I'm hoping at the end of this year I'll finally create a blurb blog book, so I don't want to leave any of this out!

For Christmas my grandparents gave us one of the most ingenious gifts (in my opinion) we've ever received - a snowman kit! It includes everything to make a picture-perfect snowman: a carrot nose, pipe, hat, scarf , buttons and lots of coal for the eyes and mouth. I've been dying to use it since we opened it. So, while others were dreading the crazy storm that swept the nation, I actually looked forward to it, knowing it would dump enough snow for me to get to pull out my kit!

And this kit did not disappoint! Isn't our little guy adorable?

A couple of days later, we were privileged to attend a Purdue basketball game with some good friends from church, Matt and Abby Carroll. Matt used to play basketball for Purdue, so he got us awesome seats - on the floor - for a sold-out game! They played and ending up beating one of their biggest rivals, Indiana University. While I felt a teensy bit disloyal to my Baylor Bears for wearing a Purdue shirt (Abby was kind enough to loan it to me), :) it was such a fun game to experience!

And speaking of awesome seats, the weekend before Valentines Day, my sweet husband surprised me with THIRD ROW tickets to see Amy Grant in Chicago! Her concerts are always so great - every time I see her she always exceeds my expectations. For the last concert I went to, we had front row seats and I never dreamed I would get to experience that again!!! We were actually down in the orchestra pit for this one, so she sang only 10 to 15 feet from us. Michael W. Smith was also on the tour with her, so it was a real blast from the past when they pulled out their old classics (Place in this World, anyone?)! They even sang Agnus Dei together, which was a treat to hear live since I chose Amy's version for my bridal walk-down-the-aisle. Wonderful concert from a very thoughtful husband!

While February has been full of fun, I'll be first to say that I'm looking forward to its end, because it puts us that much closer to springtime! Hurry up sunshine and warm breezes!

iced in with a free book

2011-02-02T11:41:00.000-08:00

If you're reading this and you're in the USA, chances are you're also on day two of this crazy "snowmaggedon" or whatever they keep calling it on the news.

Truthfully, it hasn't been completely horrible for us here in Indy. We have two to three inches of solid ice covering EVERYTHING, but we've hardly had any snow accumulation. We haven't lost power... yet... and have been enjoying these days with cancelled activities and a little extra free time. One of the only downsides of working for yourself from home is that whenever all of the other business shut down, I really don't have to. :( I've been working a little but trying to take it easy and hang out with the hubs.

Right before the storm struck yesterday morning, Stryder had his teeth cleaned and a cist removed from his neck. He was pretty out of it from the anesthesia for most of the day, but today he seems back to normal, probably due to the extra attention we've been able to show him since we've been stuck inside.

On a completely different note, I found out this morning that a book at the top of my to-read list, Adopted for Life, is FREE as an audio-book during February! I wanted to pass it on in case anyone else wants to take a listen - it's been highly recommended to us by countless people and I can't wait to get started!

Hope everyone stays warm and safe out there!

cold no more

2011-01-22T14:25:00.000-08:00

It's been pretty quiet on the homefront around here - I don't truthfully have much new to write about. We're back in the swing of normal life after the holidays: Bible Study, Awana, Life Centers, Small Group... and trying to stay warm amidst FRIGID temperatures.

So, I thought I'd put in a plug for a new product I discovered last fall. I've now used it three times at the first symptoms of a cold, and every time, it's stopped my sickness in its tracks.

Zicam is a homeopathic concoction of zinc and other ingredients that my colds have not been able to stand up against! I've tried the oral mist and the pills, and much prefer the mist (the pills left a nasty flavor behind).

Anyways, just thought I'd share as we're in the middle of cold and flu season. Hope it can save someone else from a few down days!

tunes

2011-01-12T08:40:00.001-08:00

Buying new music is something I rarely do. I don't know why... I guess I would usually rather put the money toward other things. A little scared to commit to something that I can't return if I don't like it, I guess I figure the songs picked out by the DJs on the radio are good enough for me.

I've realized lately that for me, good music can be a healthy, highly beneficial, sometimes even necessary splurge. It can literally change my heart, my mind, and therefore, my attitude!

Since I was blessed to receive multiple itunes gift cards for Christmas, I decided to start the new year off by loading some fresh artists into my ipod! I'm so thankful I did. I didn't really know where to start... except that I wanted solid, worshipful, praise-filled songs. Red Mountain Church embodies these qualities to me, so I started exploring the "similar artists" on itunes. This search led me to the following albums which I can already whole-heartedly endorse.

Psalms, by Sovereign Grace Music

I am an avid reader of GirlTalk, the blog written by the wife and daughters of the founder of Sovereign Grace Ministries, but somehow I had NO IDEA that they had a worship ministry. So many great cds to choose from. I ended up picking Psalms, because how you can go wrong with a collection of songs that the Lord authored through David? It's been on repeat all week.

Come Weary Saints, by Sovereign Grace Music

This one's full of sound theology and encouragement for the believer facing struggles both big and small. It reminds me, over and over again, of God's sovereignty, of His lovingkindess toward His children and of the inextinguishable joy of our salvation. Highly recommend it.

A Hymn Project, by Shelly Moore Band

There are only six songs on this album, but they're all packed with a punch! Great arrangements, great heart, great voice, great truths.

Your Great Name, Single by Natalie Grant

While I didn't purchase Grant's entire album, I heard this single on the radio a few weeks ago and was so struck by its powerful, worship-filled lyrics. I discovered the acoustic version, available as a bonus track and single purchase on itunes, and that's the one I ended up choosing. You'll want to blast it to the highest volume and play it over and over and over. :)

I still have some itunes credit remaining... can anyone offer some tried-and-true suggestions for how I should spend the rest of it?

happy anniversary

2010-12-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

Five years ago today my life was forever changed for the better. I think the thing all guys never quite get over is the fact that she said ‘yes’. It is humbling. This is the feeling I had five years ago as Emily and I exchanged vows before the Lord, family and friends.

Em is so gifted in the way she communicates through writing. It is one of the many things I love about her. While this is not an area I excel in, I wanted to use her (our) blog to share my heart and love for her.

When I look back over the past five years I am amazed by the Lord’s faithfulness. He has grown the two of us together in ways I could never have imagined. Daily I become more acutely aware of how blessed I am in the gift He has given me in Em.

While it might be cliche, she is my best friend. She has been my biggest fan and supporter, loved me when I was unworthy of her love, forgiven me when I was unworthy of her forgiveness, shared in joys and sorrows, been an encourager and unconditionally loved me for who I am.

My love for her continually grows. I love how first and foremost she seeks to know the heart of our Father. How she has been open to His leading in her own life as well as that of our family. I love how she dreams big with me and how she has let go of dreams as she seeks Him. I love how she gives, unconditionally of herself to others, whether it is baking cupcakes to raise money to sponsor children in Africa, loving on the kids at her AWANA table or crying and praying with the girls that come to LifeCenters. I love her heart for adoption, the hurting and the broken and how her heart breaks for those in need. I love how she loves my family and all she has added to it to make it complete. I love her cold hands, feet and nose and how she tries to use me as a heater to get warm. I love her passion for baking and the way she loves me enough to cook things I would like, even at the expense of her not liking it. I love how she cheers Stryder on as he chases squirrels and then says a silent prayer of thanks when they make it up the tree. I love how she creates the perfect voice for both Stryder and Annabelle and that she loves them enough to walk them every day, regardless of the weather.

Thank you Em for the past five years. I am so grateful for them. I think it is only fitting to share with you again the vows I made to you five years ago today. They truly represent my heart, the depth of my love for our Lord, you, and our family. I love you.

Happy Anniversary!

I Brian, choose you Emily, as my best friend, confidant, and lover for life. With the help of our Heavenly Father, I vow to you above all things to be a man who humbly seeks to do the will of our Lord, leading us to Him in every season of life as our source of shelter and strength, petitioning Him for His wisdom and guidance, in times of hardship and prosperity, recognizing true joy is found in Him alone.

I vow to serve and defend you in every circumstance, striving to fulfill my God-given role as your husband and earthly provider. While life will not always be as perfect as it is at this moment, I promise to choose to love and honor you with effort that transcends feelings.

I vow to encourage you constantly as you seek to know the heart of Christ and are conformed to his likeness. I vow to support you always, continually learning to love you in ways that fulfill you and shape you into the woman Christ created you to be.

I vow to remain faithful and true in my love for you in mind, body and emotion, pledging to you alone my fidelity for life, giving you all of myself daily without reservation until I am called home to our Lord.

I recognize it is only with the help of our Heavenly Father that these vows can be fulfilled. So, because of the confidence I have in Christ, I promise I will never forsake you or these vows I have made.

five years

2010-12-30T11:18:00.000-08:00

To the glory of God, we're celebrating five years together today.

So thankful. So blessed. So excited for the next five.

Love you B - happy anniversary.

heat

2010-12-20T13:14:00.000-08:00

The time we've been ~~dreading~~ anticipating for the past year has arrived.

Our little girl is growing up.

Annabelle's in heat.

The week before Christmas. In the midst of an 11 hour drive to Wichita. In the company of two un-neutered male dogs (Stryder and his brother Junior, my parents' dog).

Truly, this COULD NOT have happened at a more un-opportune time.

My poor parents. Not only did they welcome their four kids back into their home this week, they have also opened their doors to three dogs in addition to the one they already have: my sister's, a diapered Annabelle and an anxious, hormonal Stryder. It has been utter chaos.

Heat lasts around three weeks for most dogs and happens every six months. Days 11-15 are her fertile time, and coincidentally, also the time when Annabelle is most "receptive" to guy dogs. Her hormones turn her into a little flirt and the boys are left drooling. Literally. Drool all over the place. We're on day 15 right now and praying the worst is almost over!

Surely next year, we'll look back on this week and laugh...

Annabelle's chastity belt - the PABS.

Snuggling with Stryder in her fashionable denim diaper. (This pic was taken at the beginning of heat before they both started going crazy.)

chicago

2010-12-09T18:54:00.001-08:00

Last weekend, B and I got to make the 2.5 hour trek north to Chicago for a little get away (a la his birthday present from his parents - thanks, Mom and Dad Smith)!

We both really enjoy Chicago and had been trying to go for a visit ever since we moved to Indy, so we were very thankful for this gift that forced us to just go! We rode the megabus (so we didn't have to drive and mess with parking in the city) and it was awesome! We started out watching a movie but both konked out a few minutes in. We're a little behind in our zzz's these days... anyway, it was nice to not have to drive ourselves!

We stayed right on Michigan Ave in a perfect location that was close to everything we wanted to see! Although it snowed almost the whole time we were there, the air wasn't completely frigid and it ended up feeling nice and Christmasy rather than miserable and freezing.

(I just uploaded our pics and realized that they all involve food... does that tell you something about what we find enjoyable when we leave town? Ha ha!)

We got in late Friday night and although we had already eaten dinner, we made a stop at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop for one of their amazing brownie fudge sundaes! Mmmhmm! (Said sundae was long gone before we remembered to take a picture.)

On Saturday, we headed over to Gino's East for lunch. We had to wait about 45 minutes to get inside, but the pizza was well worth the wait! Can't beat Chicago-style pie!

After lunch, we walked over to Sprinkles for a sweet treat. The highlight of my trip may have happened here. I'm a fan of Sprinkles on facebook, so in my daily news feed, I read about their free cupcake deals. Every day they put out a "magic word" on facebook, and the first 25 people to whisper it over the counter get a free cupcake! I tried the magic word at the Dallas Sprinkles, to no avail. Well, it was my lucky day in Chicago - I walked out with a red velvet that I didn't pay for! Not much tops a free cupcake from Sprinkles!!! We also tried their seasonal chocolate peppermint and it was very delicious.

The afternoon held window shopping and marveling at the THRONGS of people that were out on such a wintery day! Our last stop before dinner was the eight-story Macy's/Marshall Field's. We had a great time wandering around the gigantic store, viewing the two-story Christmas tree and just watching all of the shoppers. Oh, and I got 50% off on a down coat that will serve me well during the quickly approaching brutal winter!

Our five-year anniversary is less than a month away (crazy!) so we decided to celebrate during this trip since we won't be able to travel anywhere on Dec. 30 this year. Carmine's, a local Italian favorite, offered the perfect celebratory locale and we spent a great evening enjoying our favorite type of food and toasting to the next five!

And that's it! I warned you... it was pretty much all about food... but that's just us! :)

my favorite commercial

2010-12-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

With each year that passes, I realize more and more what an incredibly precious gift it is when families reunite. The togetherness of loved ones far surpasses any material presents given or received.

Maybe it's because I have a brother who spent half of this year in Africa...

... or maybe it's because I am growing sappy in my older age...

... whatever the case, this poignant commercial left me blindly grabbing for Kleenex!

Something pretty close to this scene has played out numerous times in my parents' kitchen. Regardless of whether you live near or far from your family, I bet you'll appreciate the sentiment.

hope for dube bute

2010-11-29T10:53:00.001-08:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving, Brian and I were privileged to attend an orthodontic conference in Dallas. We've gone to this meeting for the past three years, and our favorite part about it, hands down, is getting to spend time with the amazing Alexander family.

To boil down a long, incredible, providentially-ordained story... one year ago, Moody and Emily adopted a little boy named Eyasu from a remote village in Ethiopia called Dube Bute.

They have recently teamed up with A Glimmer of Hope to help transform this village of 4,200 HUMAN BEINGS who are currently living in extreme poverty that often results in death. They're building 18 clean water wells, a vet clinic, a medical clinic and several classrooms, among other important essentials.

On Thursday evening, we were blessed to attend an amazing fundraiser in their home.

The video below was shown there. Be inspired as you watch! It is overwhelming to realize how the Lord will work if His people are willing.

Hope For Dube Bute from Kurt Neale on Vimeo.

Can you imagine what these people thought as they saw Eyasu riding into their village? Many in the community loved him and certainly thought they were saying goodbye forever when he was adopted. Then a year later and out of the blue, they see him enter the village, bringing with him an army of help. Tears fill my eyes as I picture it! God is good.

ode to thirty

2010-11-25T16:16:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that I now have a thirty year old husband.

Seriously. That sounds so weird to say. I asked my seven year old cousin yesterday if she thought 30 was old. After thinking for a second, she responded with, "well... it IS middle aged!" Ha!

You're a blessing, B. Here are 30 more reasons that I'm thankful you were born this day, three long decades ago.

1. You never complain about what I make for dinner, even if it's not good.

2. Out of love for me and my easily upset stomach, you attempt to drive a bit more sanely than you used to.

3. You let us bring home our little Annabelle and while you love her like crazy, you make a point to show special attention to Stryder.

4. You don't get mad when I hit things with my car.

5. You watch Food Network with me.

6. When I can't decipher our ridiculous AT&T bill, you always call customer service to figure it out so that I don't have to do it.

7. You pick up the dog poo in our backyard.

8. You let me buy a steam mop.

9. You pray with me and for me.

10. You are quick to ask for forgiveness.

11. You still give awesome back rubs and foot rubs.

12. You dream big dreams with me.

13. You let God change the dreams you once had.

14. You could talk technology with Steve Jobs himself.

15. You can fix any computer problem that anyone has (and you graciously help others when they have issues).

16. You make a priority of talking with me weekly about our Bible studies.

17. Even though you could kill me every time in Mario Kart, you sometimes let me win.

18. You aren't afraid to cry.

19. You're committed to seeking truth.

20. You share my excitement and passion for adoption.

21. You truly love my family.

22. You make changes in your life when the Holy Spirit convicts you.

23. You let Stryder and Annabelle snuggle with us in bed.

24. You're a phenomenal Awana leader - you always go all out to make things special for the kids, and they love you for it.

25. You make me feel pretty.

26. You do a great job of sharing your day with me when you get home.

27. You take out the trash for me every week.

28. To save money, you change the oil in our cars rather than taking them to a shop.

29. You clean up the dishes after I bake cupcakes (even when it's an overwhelming mess).

30. You love me for who I am.

LOVE YOU!!!

surprise!

2010-11-15T11:46:00.001-08:00

For a really long time, I've been dying to throw a surprise party for Brian. My dream came true when we were able to pull one off while his parents were in town visiting last week. Oh wow, it was so fun! Although his 30th birthday isn't until Nov. 26, it worked out best for us to have it on Nov. 6, which is his dad's birthday! A double whammy celebration.

After blindfolding a very reluctant Brian at our house, we stuck him in the car and took off for our undisclosed destination.

When we walked into the restaurant, everything was just perfect! B was shocked and felt so loved by all of his friends who came to celebrate with us.

I picked Bub's Burgers as the location because of the great food and fun atmosphere. I had no idea of the entertainment that would also be provided for our party.

Entertainment in the form of a 22 ounce burger, otherwise known as "THE BIG UGLY."

If you can polish off one big ugly, Bub's takes a 4x6 picture of you holding your empty plate. They post it on the wall and you go down in the annals of burger eating history. If you eat two, you get an 8x10 image on the wall. If you eat THREE (and only a few have ever done this), you get a veritable poster on the wall in your honor.

The Travel Channel's show, Man vs Food, recently came up against this infamous burger. The guy was able to put down two before he called it quits.

Six of the nine males present at the party were up for the challenge (in case you're wondering, zero females even considered it). Five finished it. Two attempted a second burger. The infamous iron-stomached Mike Fanning (Brian's dear friend and classmate) was the only one who could pull the double off.

Brian eating his last bite...

Ryan's empty plate

Mike's empty plate -

Mike starting #2 -

Mike and his proud wife, Rachel

So, everyone who cleaned their plate got their picture on the wall. They are all terribly proud of these pictures, but especially Mike. They even let him autograph his.

We had such an awesome night - it was a celebration we'll never, ever forget! A huge thanks to Mom and Dad Smith for helping me pull it off - I couldn't have done it without them!

Happy birthday B! :)

election day perspective

2010-11-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you some wise words from a dear friend, Michael Bruce. He wrote the following before election day 2008. I think today, it's as poignant as ever.

Where does our hope come from?

Tomorrow is a big day. Tomorrow, the American voters will head to the ballot box and make a choice. America will pick between two flawed human beings to lead our great country for the next four years. Irrespective of the result, Wednesday morning roughly half of America will awake hopeful in the future whereas the other half will hang their heads in disdain hoping not too much damage can be done in four years. This stark contrast got me thinking. Where does our hope come from?

Is our hope in the world system of state governance? Can selfish, fallen, limited humans deliver on their promised vision of tomorrow? Can the state fix the brokenness we see all around us? Can eloquent, well-intentioned politicians transform greed into generosity? Can checks and balances eliminate corrupt hearts? Can the rule of law instill righteousness? Can more jobs bring satisfaction? Can prosperity deliver happiness? How about joy? Can expanded health care conquer death? Will the perfect foreign policy guarantee world peace? Can freedom ensure love?

I believe the answer to all of the above is "no." And yet, our hearts yearn for kept promises, healing, generosity, integrity, righteousness, satisfaction, happiness, joy, life, peace and love.

History teaches us that humans and human systems are limited to exerting influence over external behaviors. The law can encourage a husband to stay with his wife, but the law can't force a husband to love his wife. The law can harness greed through capitalism, but it can't instill a generous spirit. The law can punish injustice, but it can't guarantee justice.

Our hearts all yearn for a better tomorrow, but hope is not simply wishful thinking. Hope is "confident expectation." The beauty of the vision does not instill confidence. Confidence is rooted in the power and virtue of the benefactor. Only one person has over possessed the power to transform our wishes into confident expectation. Only one person perfectly walked his talk. Only one person offers fundamental renewal of the broken and bruised human heart. Only one person conquered death. Only Jesus can deliver the "life more abundantly."

eight years old

2010-11-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. Stryder's a dog.

But he's an amazing dog. And I don't have any kids. Therefore, I will write a post about his birthday.

You don't have to read it if you think it's silly.

Two puppies from his litter arrived on October 30 and the rest came on the 31st. We don't really know which debuted when. So Stryder gets a two-day celebration every year!

He was born in Wichita in 2002. I was at the Focus on the Family Institute in Colorado Springs, miles away. To say that I was excited would be an understatement. My parents e-mailed me a video of the entire newborn litter, which at the time was very high-tech - my roommates couldn't believe my parents had taken a video that I could actually watch on my computer. (Isn't it crazy how far technology has come in just eight years - now we're all skyping?!?!)

When I was finally able to spend time with the puppies a month later, choosing one was difficult. My parents were also keeping a male, so we narrowed it down to the darkest two, hoping that they would have the same handsome coat as Mannley (their dad and our family dog).

I ended up picking Stryder because he didn't whine in the car like his brother did. I needed a dog who would be a good travel companion. I brought him home on Christmas Eve. He was the best Christmas gift I'll ever get!

Loyal companion he has been, living with me in:

- two apartments in Waco

- my parents house in Wichita

- Steamboat Springs, CO

- Overland Park, KS

- with my parents, apart from Brian and me, for three months while we lived in Lancaster, PA

- our townhouse in Wichita

- now, our home in Indianapolis

What a trooper! A faithful constant in my life during a decade of change. I love him like crazy (like you couldn't already tell). And now Brian loves him too. :) Happy birthday buddy. I wish you many, many, MANY more.

Happy guy at the Three Dog Bakery down the street.

Birthday treats (he even shared with Annabelle). He got a s'more, in my honor.

funny frights

2010-10-29T14:16:00.001-07:00

I am not a huge advocate for Halloween, but this kind of scary I can handle. Enjoy! And Happy Reformation Day! :)

Watch for Taylor Swift, I think she's the funniest!

recent faves

2010-10-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

Following, find a few discoveries that I can endorse with enthusiasm!

1. The Shark Steam Pocket Mop

My number one despised household chore used to be mopping. I never felt like the floors got completely clean - most of the time it seemed I was just redistributing dirty water all over the place. Plus I had to push so hard that often I got blisters on my hands.

No more, friends, no more. This so-much-better-than-a-mop appliance first caught my eye when Target ran a great sale on it in the Sunday paper. Brian researched it online and after reading many favorable reviews, he approved the purchase. It was a little bit of an investment - definitely pricier than your average mop. But let me tell you why it is SO worth it.

- It uses steam alone to clean the floors. No solution and no chemicals. I will never have to buy a cleaning product for my floors again.

- It works on any sealed surface: wood, tile, laminate, etc. After you use it, the floors literally squeak they are so clean.

- It includes five microfiber cleaning pads: two rectangle, two triangle (for corners) and one with dusting loops on it. Each one is double-sided and machine washable.

- It's so fast! It heats up in just 30 seconds and you're ready to go. After using, the floors dry almost immediately, leaving no streaks and no footprints if I accidentally walk back over it.

Bottom line: overnight, this gadget turned my most dreaded chore into the one I now anticipate the most. It is simply awesome. (I think Bed Bath & Beyond carries them too... you could get it there with a coupon.)

2. It's a 10

Just might be the cheeziest product name ever, right? Well, this leave-in product can call itself whatever it wants and I will remain a loyal fan. My friend Carrie first told me about it last spring, but I had some other products I wanted to use up first so I just bought my first bottle a couple of weeks ago. I'm kicking myself for waiting so long!

It's named for the 10 things it claims to do, including repairing dry damaged hair, adding shine, smoothing and controlling frizz, detangling, enhancing body. Sound too good to be true? I thought so too. Until I tried it. With hair that is partly curly, partly wavy, partly straight with a little bit of frizz thrown in, I usually have to use a heavy conditioner and several products while styling. I worked up the courage to try the purple bottle solo and, no lie, my hair has never looked better.

Oh, and you can get it at the salon inside of Walmart!

3. Chase Mobile Banking Instant Deposit

This favorite has a couple limitations: you have to bank with Chase and you need to be an iPhone user. If you don't fit that criteria, skip this one.

This has to be one of my favorite apps. It allows me to deposit my checks (up to $1,000 per day) from home. All I have to do is use my phone to take a picture of the front and the back of my check. The deposit goes through immediately!

The other night, I made a deposit at midnight, just because I could. :)

4. The Vidalia Chop Wizard

Ok, I don't actually have this product yet, but it's on my must-get list. You may have seen it on an infomercial. Before your guard goes up, I have actually seen this used in real life by the woman who is hosting my Apples of Gold Bible Study. It REALLY WORKS!

In one whap, you can instantly chop onions or any other vegetable, fruit, cheese, chicken, really anything that can be diced. It comes with several different-sized cutting inserts. It's dishwasher safe. And the container where the chopped pieces fall doubles as a measuring cup. Cool! No more tears when chopping onions! I believe you can find these at BB&B as well.

If you decide to try any of these things (or maybe you discovered them long ago), let me know - you won't be sorry!

drink water to give water

2010-10-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

Today, Living Water kicks off a new campaign called 10 days. They've reached out with this challenge: drink only water (no purchased drinks) for 10 days and donate your savings toward clean water wells.

While their primary target is college kids who typically consume multiple beverages per day, it's a good reminder for me to evaluate any little expenditures that I could easily do without! Creative giving opportunities abound if I'll only take the time to think outside the box. A little saved here in the US can make a huge difference on the other side of the globe.

Oh, and my talented little bro shot and edited this piece. :)

24 hrs in houston

2010-10-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we were privileged to attend the wedding reception of our good friend, Cody Nath. Brian and I have known this guy since we were five years old (I looked for a kindergarten picture of us together, but I think our parents must have all of them)!

Cody got married this past summer in Grand Cayman. It was a beautiful time for their families to witness, but he and Christine also wanted to throw a party that all of their friends could attend.

Guess who had the honor of designing their invitations?

The reception was so fun! Especially because we got to reconnect with some other dear friends, Steven Reinemund and his lovely wife, Cristina. Although we only went to school with Steven for one year (fifth grade), over the years and the miles, he's remained a very special friend.

Cody and Steven were both in our wedding and Brian was a groomsman in Steven's wedding a few years ago. We feel so blessed by these lifelong friendships God has given us!

We flew down to Houston on Saturday morning and came back on Sunday afternoon. It was a pretty short trip, but we wouldn't have missed it for the world!

This was also the first time we have left the dogs in the care of someone other than family. The brother of a guy in our small group graciously agreed to spend the night and take care of them. I'll admit I was a little nervous to leave, since both dogs tend to suffer a bit of separation anxiety: Stryder's is manifested in upset stomachs and Annabelle's in eating non-edibles. I left two pages of notes (what kind of crazy mother am I going to be??) and I'm happy to report that both of them did just fine!

first date

2010-10-15T10:19:00.001-07:00

Look back six years ago tonight, and you'd find two nervous, excited friends driving down country roads toward a corn maze in rural Kansas. A couple of goo-goo-eyed 23-year-olds, completely unaware that in six years, they would be looking back on this date as the night it all began.

Awwww.... :) Read on, it gets better!

Six years ago, I was living in Wichita with my parents and Brian was in his second year of dental school in Kansas City. We had spent a lot of time together the previous summer, and while we both knew there were mutual feelings between us, nothing had officially been verbalized. Several weeks before October 15, B let me know he would be coming to Wichita and asked me to reserve the evening for a mystery date. He showed up that crisp, fall night with handwritten clues I had to solve that would lead us to our destinations.

The first one took us to Barn'rds (Wichita's yummiest sandwiches) for dinner. This may sound like a lame first date but seriously, they have the BEST sandwiches. I was not disappointed by this choice in the slightest, because my gracious date even bought me one of their sugar cookies with orange frosting and a candy corn on top. Is it pathetic that I remember the cookie I ate? :)

The next clues brought us to the Bergmann Family Corn Maze in Haysville, KS. This little country attraction is a fall wonderland. There's a pumpkin patch, hayrack rides, apple cider, popcorn, scary movies playing in the barn and of course, the infamous corn maze.

(For those of you who don't live near corn and have no concept of said maze, visualize 15 acres of corn taller than your head. Walking paths have been strategically cleared throughout it, and you have to find your way from one end to the other. In the dark.)

Thanks to the flashlights Eagle Scout Brian brought for us, we eventually made it safely through the maze, took advantage of some cider and popcorn, and snuggled under a blanket to watch The Ring (scary!) in the barn. No hand holding yet, but I do remember sitting awfully close. And I'm pretty sure I acted more terrified by the movie than I really was, just for the excuse to bury my face in his shoulder.

Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures together at the corn maze, but six years later I can still remember everything so clearly. Autumn time, especially October 15, will forever evoke memories of those sweet early days together. Happy first-date anniversary, B!

I just looked up all of our October 15's together since 2004 - how much can change in a year! Here's a sampling -

2005: 2.5 months out from our wedding, our lives were hectic but the future was bright.

2006: We were living in KC. I was in a job that was killing me. Brian planned a special weekend trip to Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, MO to lift my spirits.

2007: Still living in KC, now working for myself, B had graduated and was in his AEGD program. On the 15th we were once again in Branson to celebrate the wedding of a dear friend.

2008: On Oct. 15, we moved out of our apartment in Lancaster, PA. On Oct. 16, Brian flew to Indianapolis to interview for one of seven spots in their ortho program.

2009: Now living in Indianapolis and B was a first-year ortho resident. Praise the Lord. We hosted new friends in our home for dinner.

2010: We'll be packing our bags and going to bed early, more on this to come!

growing pains

2010-10-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

I'm A Good Girl I Am (Annabelle's fancy given name) still has some work to do before she can back her title up with her lifestyle. She's been a bit naughty over the past few weeks. I should have taken pictures along the way, but the one below will have to do.

Uh oh.

Bad girl, Annabelle, B.A.D.!!!!!!!!

It all started when we came home two weeks ago to find only traces (on her dog bed) of a medium sized cardboard box I had left near the front door. The contents, thank goodness, were in tact along with the protective plastic bubbles, but the box itself was nowhere to be found. Annabelle had a tasty cardboard snack that evening.

I came home a few days later to find bits and pieces of our mail strewn across the house. Every day the mailman puts our deliveries through a slot that falls into a box inside our wall, and then we open a little door in the wall to get it out. Well, the mail must have been heavy and fallen through the door onto the floor. Maybe Annabelle thought the envelopes were a predator trying to get into her home? Whatever she thought, she clearly took the victory over our mail that day. And we were left guessing on the totals of a few bills.

A couple of days later I went to Target. As often happens there, I went in for a birthday card and left with a birthday card AND a really cute jacket. I tried it on for Brian and then draped it over the back of a chair in our dining room. The hanging tags were just too much for a little girl dog to resist. The next day I found my coat in the living room, covered in dog hair and lying on top of Annabelle's bed. All of the tags, as well as the plastic bag housing the extra button, had been devoured. Brian convinced me that the button would pass (not that I wanted it back), so I checked her "passings" for days afterward... but I never did find it.

Lastly, the incident pictured above. Why, at nearly 11 months old, is she chewing on wood now? WHY?!?!?!? She has been SO good up until this point. We have no idea what is going through her little brain, except that she's going through some sort of hormonal phase. Or so we hope.

After hearing a terrifying story yesterday from a guy at Brian's school whose 6 mo. old golden died after eating a sock, we finally got out the crate last night. Back to confinement when we leave the house. We HATE putting her in there, but as our parents told us when they disciplined us, so we now tell her: "It hurts us more than it hurts you. We do it because we love you!" :)

a long-awaited visit

2010-10-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

Last week, my parents finally came for a visit! We've been trying to schedule a time for them to come ever since we moved, so we'd been looking forward to this for quite a while! My mom had been here once (she helped us moved in), but during that time the house was in disarray and we were using our GPS everywhere we went. We were SO excited to show Mom and Dad around and introduce them to some favorite places that we have discovered during the past year.

Our first morning started out with a bang. Literally. While backing out of the garage, I was blabbing about something and ran the front of my car into the edge of the garage door. Uh oh. Thankfully, the guy who was riding in my backseat is the ultimate fix-it man and the problem was resolved by the end of the day. Seriously, he can fix ANYTHING, even a huge dent and a big white paint smear on the side of a black jeep. And he did it with only a 2x4, some goo gone and a little bit of polish. Thanks, Dad. :)

Some highlights from their trip:

- Our first stop, which was the Fresh Market in our neighborhood. I know it's ridiculous that I take pretty much all of our visitors to a GROCERY STORE, but it's just an amazing place! It's so beautiful and relaxing (sadly, I rarely walk out with a purchase because their prices are pretty high, but it's still fun to look)!

- Bub's Burgers and Ice Cream. Friday night we enjoyed gorgeous weather as we sampled Bub's famous burgers and shakes on their outdoor patio. Mmmhhmmm...

- We spent all day Saturday at Ken Ham's Creation Museum, which is about 2 hours south of Indy. After hearing rave reviews since it opened a few years ago, we had high expectations for our visit. We were not disappointed! From the planetarium to the dinosaur models, to the recreation of the Garden of Eden and Noah's Ark, the museum was filled with top of the line exhibits and fascinating displays that gave glory to God, Creator and Designer of the Universe. We would recommend the museum to anyone (especially families with kids)!

- Ambrosia. Our FAVORITE restaurant in Indy, hands down. Authentic, old country Italian. The type of place where all of the dishes are secret family recipes and made from scratch (even the pasta). Chances are if you have visited us over the past year, we have taken you here. You might notice that our plates in these pictures are practically licked clean.

- Our tour of the Indianapolis Speedway. Coincidentally, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the racetrack that hosts the Indy 500 race every year! We got to drive the 2.5 mile track and visit a museum that houses many of the winning vehicles, some of which date back to the late 1800's! For my sweet Dad who was a bit obsessed with cars in his "BC days" (as he refers to his life before Christ), the museum was a special walk down memory lane. We loved hearing him tell stories from his childhood and provide unique insights into the development of racing cars.

- Riding bikes on the Monon. After hearing about this trail that runs straight through the entire city (with an entry point just a couple blocks from our house), my mom has been DYING to ride a bike on it. She finally got her wish! We were blessed with cool fall temps and spent several hours enjoying a peaceful ride. Now, Mom is on a mission to see that Wichita builds a trail just like it... :)

- BRICS (Broad Ripple Ice Cream Station). Oh wow, this neighborhood ice cream shop is good. It opened just a few months ago in a 100 year old railway station - it's right off the Monon, so close that we can walk to it any time that we want to. All of the ice cream is made in Indiana and it is simply delicious. So delicious that we had to visit twice. :)

- Zionsville (an adorable suburb of Indy). Note to self: don't visit here on a Monday. Everything is closed. Oh well. We have a memory, a very short one, that will make us smile and remind me to always check store hours before making plans.

- Our welcoming committee. Every time we came back to the house, Stryder and Annabelle were at the window, beyond anxious to greet us. As you can imagine, they were spoiled with love and attention by the grandparents. For days after my parents left, the dogs would run down to the guest room in the morning, to check and see if they were there. Awww.

Well, that probably sums up their visit pretty well! Thanks for the great memories, Mom and Dad! Love you!

cupcakes divine

2010-09-21T19:41:00.001-07:00

I am quite thrilled to FINALLY be able to let you in on the project I have been hinting at for the past couple of months. After much planning and preparation, I excitedly introduce you now to:

Here's the story in a nutshell:

I was talking this summer with a friend from my small group, Stephanie, about ways we could give more, especially to those around the world who live in desperate need. Steph just had her second baby and is a stay-at-home mom. I have a semi-flexible work schedule. We both love to bake.

Soooooo, we decided to attempt to capitalize on the cupcake craze and see if we could find some great recipes, sell some cupcakes and give 100% off the proceeds to orphans in Uganda.

Our goal is to raise $3,000. This money will sponsor ten orphans for a year through Amazima Ministries.

We have no idea if many orders will even come our way (although we have been very encouraged to have already filled four orders - one was for ONE HUNDRED cupcakes!), but we are officially getting the word out now and we'll see how it goes.

Please check out our web site for more info.

If you have any events coming up, or even if you just have a sweet tooth, we'd be so blessed to be able to provide cupcakes for you!

catching up

2010-09-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

Definitely a little behind in my blogging as of late. I'll now make a feeble attempt to reach back into my memory (this seems to get harder all the time) and catch you up on some highlights of the past month in the Smith household:

- Anyone remember doing Awana as a kid? Well, some lucky first graders (aka: Sparkies) at College Park have gotten Mr. Brian and Ms. Emily as their leaders this year. Most of the other leaders use their last names, going by such as Mr. Jones or Mrs. White. We simply aren't there yet. Does anyone else feel SO weird when kids call you by your last name? I don't know that I'll ever get used to it. We just completed our third night and slowly seem to be getting the hang of it. While 160 6-year olds in the same room is completely insane, it's also pretty hilarious. Lots of yelling, laughing, nosepicking and strange smells.

- I have logged nearly 20 dozen cupcakes out of my 30+ year old oven. Break it down, that's almost 240 (all frosted). Will provide more details on the reason behind this baking spree very soon. :)

- We've hosted two sets of overnight guests. One was a gal who works with my dad. She and her husband traveled all the way here from Wichita to pick up a puppy from Annabelle's breeder. So we got to hang out with them, and adorable little Toby, a few weekends ago. What a blast we had together! I forget how fun 8-week old puppies are.

- I completed three fairly large custom paper projects, all in the span of 10 days.

- 275 wedding invitations with 7 different layers and 2 rhinestones each.

- 160 wedding invitations with 4 layers each.

- 275 reception menus with 2 layers and 1 rhinestone each.

Each project was unrelated to the others, just happened to all be due at the same time!

I literally lived and breathed these pieces for a week straight! I averaged 3-4 hrs of sleep a night for more than a week until I shipped the last project out. I got so tired I was literally nauseous.

- Speaking of nauseous, we survived our first (and hopefully last) pregnancy scare with Annabelle.

From these two innocent creatures? Don't worry, she isn't. But she threw up for four straight mornings, and on the fourth, the unthinkable occurred to me. Could it be puppies? Frantic googling revealed that yes, mother dogs do in fact get morning sickness just like humans. After a trip to the vet, we were quite relieved to find it was just a bad case of reflux. Whew!

- I got a culinary torch! And I used it to make one of my new favorite recipes EVER, courtesy of the brilliant Smitten Kitchen. It's super easy. All you need is berries, Greek yogurt and brown sugar. If you don't have a torch, just stick it under the broiler. Hurry, before the last berries of the summer disappear!

- I completed these and several other baby knitting projects I have been working on for quite some time. If you've had a baby in the past 6 months and have not received a gift from me, please know that it should hopefully be arriving sometime soon!

Ok, that's all I can remember for now, and I'm sure that's all you want to read. This next month shouldn't be quite as crazy, so I will do my best to get back in the swing of posting!

alive

2010-09-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've gone this long without a post since I started this blog more than two years ago!

This season of life has been particularly hectic and some things just had to be set aside for a while. The blog was one of them.

I will be returning soon with an attempt to update on the past month of our lives. Until then, rest assured that we are very much alive and well (just very busy)... :)

day 85

2010-08-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

I'm staring my last week of P90X in the face.

I can't believe it's finally here! Sometimes 90 days seemed it would never arrive. FINALLY the end will come this Saturday.

I won't lie, I am so ready for it to be over! Here are some pros and cons for anyone who might be interested in tackling it themselves.

PROS:

- It was fun to do with Brian.

- It often makes us laugh.

- It was an exercise in self-discipline, which is always a good thing.

- I am now more flexible.

- I am now stronger.

- I can see a difference in definition in my arms (see picture below for what we basically look like now)

CONS:

- It takes A TON of time (1 hour minimum, 6 days a week) and then the time required for showering afterward

- I didn't lose ANY weight

- Even after 13 weeks, the workouts are still really hard

- I don't have six pack abs like the promo videos promised I would :(

Would I do it again? Hmmm... probably not. But I don't regret it. I'm glad we gave it a shot. If nothing else, it has conditioned us to more regular workouts and has convinced us of the importance of stretching.

Brian has missed a few days and he wants to get all 90 workouts in. He's planning to go a couple of weeks longer after I wave goodbye on Saturday.

Next Monday, my first Monday "off" since the end of May, you'll find me using a Groupon I've been sitting on for six months now, waiting for such a time as this. I'll be treating myself to a half-price hour-long celebratory massage at a local Aveda spa. And I can guarantee you that my over-worked muscles will be thanking me for every minute!

world cup, part 2

2010-08-09T08:51:00.000-07:00

Here's the second half of Austin's trip to the World Cup (if you missed the first video, scroll down).

Enjoy!

world cup, vicariously

2010-08-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

Five days before the World Cup began, my brother decided to pick up a couple of jobs that would take him over to South Africa for the games. One of the assignments was to video-document his adventure for Gadling (a travel blog).

Usually when Austin shoots a video, he's the one behind the camera. But in this rare instance, he's the guy in front of it! Enjoy watching a talented creative at work!

Wasn't that fun? I'm a little bit proud of him. :) This was Part 1 of 2 - I'll post the rest when he finishes it.

life worth celebrating

2010-08-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we've officially stepped into the phase of life where babies are charging into the world left and right! Born to dear friends in the past two weeks alone were:

- Ella Jocelyn Smith

- Lily Kate Evans

- Micah David Bingel

- Olivia Hope Rolph (on the same day as Micah!)

And in the past six months:

- Porter Lea Bailes

- Merrick Brugh Netzer

- William Gray Kadane

- Beau Thomas Kirby

- Brooklyn Spann

- Ava Grace and John Carter Niswanger

(Please forgive me if I left anyone out, I'm trying to remember these off the top of my head!)

This pic was taken by one of my proud mommy friends of two of her little ones. Isn't it priceless?

Now more than ever, I'm struck with the blessing, the gift, that each of these precious new lives are.

I've recently started volunteering as a Counselor for Life Centers of Indy (formerly Pregnancy Crisis Center). There, life isn't always viewed as such a gift. To a teenager, or to a single mom trying to support four kids already, a baby can seem a far greater burden than a blessing.

After completing a 21-hour training course for the Life Centers in June, I started volunteering several hours per week at Indy's downtown center. Despite all of my training so far, I'm still shadowing a more experienced Counselor - I'm not quite ready to step out on my own. It's such a weighty matter, truly an issue of life or death. I struggle with finding a way to meet these girls where they are - some on the streets, some with literally NO support from their families or from the baby's father... I can't even begin to imagine the stress they are under.

Yet I fall back to the truth of Scripture, Psalm 139, where God tells us that from the moment of conception, He knits each human together. We are perfectly and wonderfully made, created in HIS image. Each life is truly a miracle from Him! Even if it is conceived in less-than-ideal circumstances.

One of the things I admire most about the Life Centers is their aim to share the gospel with every single person who comes through the doors. Their number one goal is not to save babies. It's to proclaim the life-changing truth of Jesus' love. I'm not very good at sharing my faith, especially with complete strangers. So I welcome, albeit a bit timidly, this stretching opportunity to lovingly profess the power of the gospel.

If you ever think about it, I'd appreciate your prayers as I fight for life, both earthly and eternal of these babies and their mothers!

vacation

2010-07-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

Just wrapped up Brian's 5-day summer break. While one of his classmates headed to Hawaii, another escaped to the cooler climate of Albuquerque and the rest scattered to other hot spots across the country. Where, you wonder, did we choose to spend our treasured time off?

We hit the road and drove 11 hours through the night to the heartland. That's right, we vacationed last week in good old Wichita, Kansas, where temperatures soared to well over 100 degrees and the humidity was so thick you could hardly breathe.

And there was no place we'd have rather been. :)

Our vacation didn't include mountains, beaches or honestly, even much relaxation. Brian worked four days at his dad's office. And though that may not sound like much of a break, it was precious, because it was time spent with his dad.

Sometimes time spent with family is the most fulfilling vacation you could ask for! Our days were loaded with loved ones - we got to see grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. Even Austin and Lesley drove in to spend time with us.

Some highlights of our week:

- taking my little cousins, Carson and Carlie, out for a couple of hours in Dad's Jeep, sans roof and doors. Carson, whose birthday was the next day, shouting into the wind: "This is the BEST BIRTHDAY EVE EVER!" It's the little things sometimes.

- introducing Austin and Lesley to P90X. They braved the Kenpo (aka TaeBo or kickboxing) workout with us and suffered from soreness for days afterward!

- getting to spend time at my beloved Watermark Books with my dear friend and her little guy who just will not quit growing while I am away. Being called "Auntie Em" by this adorable little person melts my heart every time.

- Staying up until 5 a.m. talking with my brother. Ever since we were young, we've always had our best talks well past midnight. And this time was no exception. What a blessing to have a brother who sharpens me. By the time I see him next, he'll have moved to Ethiopia!

- attending a summer picnic with some of Brian's family who we don't get to see very often. Eating the best gourmet hot dogs ever.

- getting to have lunch with an old friend who is now a missionary for Campus Crusade. Hearing all that the Lord is doing in him and through him. At lunch, running into our high school headmaster who, because he is moving away, we will probably never see again this side of Heaven.

- noshing on these AMAZING cupcakes (Val, have you been to this place?) that my sister brought back for us. Seriously delicious and almost too beautiful too eat. Almost. (As you can see, two of the cupcakes in this pictures have already been, er, sampled!)

- watching Annabelle and her brother, Brinkley, play! (Can you tell who's who?)

- spending the afternoon at the new YMCA waterpark in Andover. This place is now the closest thing to the old FantaSea that Wichita has to offer. It has two slides and a lazy river - pretty fun on a hot summer day!

Lord willing, in 12 months the day will come when we won't vacation to Wichita anymore. Instead we'll call it home. But for now, a getaway to Kansas was just what we needed!

little things

2010-07-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's because the end of school is finally drawing near, but now more than ever before, Brian and I have been doing a lot of thinking, praying and talking about what following Jesus should look like in our lives. Practically speaking. Where we should spend the money God has entrusted to us to steward. What our concerns should be (and not be). Who we should be spending time with. How we should be using our gifts. What our goals should be, both long and short term.

Along the way, we've discovered a few neat giving/buying opportunities that I wanted to share with you. Ways that we've been able to help others which don't even require much change on our part! There are so many incredible options out there.

1. Coffee

I've become that girl who literally doesn't speak to her husband in the mornings if she hasn't had her wake-me-up cup. My a.m. routine, every single day, goes something like this: I get out of bed, let the dogs outside and immediately stumble to the coffee machine. I'm a little bit hooked.

A few months ago, we discovered Gobena coffee. Not only is it organic and available from Ethiopia, Columbia and Guatemela, it is fairly traded and fresh roasted. But the best part is, 100 PERCENT of the profits are being reinvested in the lives of orphans! 1 bag (at $11) feeds 1 orphan for a month. Loving orphans by drinking coffee... genius!

2. Ugandan Necklaces

Last month we were brainstorming ideas for a gift for Brian's mom's birthday and weren't quite sure what to get her. My friend, Christine, had just worn the cutest necklace and when I asked where she got it, was surprised to find that she had ordered it through Katie's blog (if you've never read this girl's story, please go spend some time at her site).

After looking these necklaces up online, we ordered one for Mom and she loves it! It goes with everything. Plus, whenever she wears it, she gets to tell others about the women in Uganda who made it.

Katie has taught these women to make the beads out of recycled magazines. Can you believe that? They sell the beads to Katie and then she sells them to us. Then she gives 50% of the profits BACK to the the women's children! It's sustainable income and a ministry at the same time! Awesome!

3. Pens for Kids

I don't know how it is at your house, but we seem to have a certain drawer that just accumulates pens. Whether we just don't like the way that they write, or the color of their ink... we seem to hang on to pens that we will never use but feel bad about throwing away.

Now you can finally clean out your drawer and provide children in Africa with school supplies that otherwise they would not be able to afford. All you have to do is box them up and ship them off! It's super easy!

4. Sseko Designs Shoes

You'd have to be living under a rock if you haven't heard of TOMS shoes, but Sseko Designs is a newer (and in my opinion, cuter) online sandals store that you may not have seen yet. My friend Megan just sent me the site and I was immediately hooked!

The soles of each type of sandal are the same; the straps make them unique. You can tie them in many different ways. Aren't they adorable?

Here's Sseko's story in a nutshell: In the Ugandan school system, there is nine-month gap between secondary school and university. This gap is intended to allow time for students to earn money for tuition for the university. Yet their society is impoverished and often males get the few jobs there are, so women must struggle to find any work.

SSeko hires a new set of women every nine months to live and work together, earning money that will fund their education and enable them, with God's help, to enact change in their country someday.

5. Cupcakes and Cookies for a Cause

Ha ha, I really have nothing to write here... yet! Just wanted to give you a teaser for a project I'm working on with a friend here in Indy. I'll keep you posted as we continue to move forward with our little adventure. :)

Have you run across any similar opportunities that you'd be willing to share? I just love supporting causes like these!

new faves

2010-07-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize that if you've checked our blog in the last two weeks, all you've seen is Tony Horton's face. Now you get a glimpse of our life right now - we feel like we're constantly looking at him too! Five weeks to go and we'll finally be finished. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Though we really don't have a whole lot going on right now, I wanted to share a couple of recipes we've recently tried and loved.

The first is a healthy salad dressing, adapted from the Whole Foods web site. It uses no oil and is great in the summer when you're trying to use up extra fruit.

1/3 cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts, cashews, almonds or pecans

1/2 cup fresh fruit, chopped, such as plums, peaches, blueberries or strawberries

1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk or fruit juice

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

Puree all ingredients in a food processor or high-powered blender until smooth.

Some delicious combos are:

- cashews, peaches, orange juice and white wine vinegar

- almonds, blueberries, soy milk and lime juice

- walnuts, plums, apple juice and lemon juice

- pecans, peaches, water and sherry vinegar

So, after you've saved yourself some calories by eating such a healthy salad dressing, you deserve to indulge in dessert, right? I recently caught an episode of The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network. One of the chefs described a Sea Salt Caramel Brownie that literally made me salivate. Is there anything better than a treat both sweet AND salty which also involves chocolate? I think not.

I wish I could show you a picture of these, but they were gone by the time I thought of it. You'll just have to employ your imagination. I used my mom's famous brownie recipe as the base and a basic sea salt caramel drizzle as the gooey in-between layer. Mmmmhhmmmm.....

BROWNIE:

1 cup butter, melted

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

3/4 cup cocoa

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

SEA SALT CARAMEL:

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup sour cream

Make the caramel first: In a small saucepan, combine the cream and the salt. Simmer over very low heat until the salt is dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and corn syrup carefully (they won't combine well until the sugar begins to melt). Cook over high heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 350 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes. Without a thermometer, just pull the sugar off the heat when it is medium goldish brown. Remove from heat and let cool for one minute.

Add the cream mixture and the vanilla to the sugar mixture. Whisk in the sour cream. Let the caramel cool to room temperature. While cooling, begin to make the brownie batter. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan.

Mix together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one a time, beating well after each addition. Add cocoa; beat until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat well.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle the caramel over the half-baked layer. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the caramel (optional, though highly recommended). Pour remaining brownie batter over the top of the caramel. Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

These will be super gooey while hot, so although it will test all of your willpower, try to let them cool a little before you cut into them. Enjoy!

p90xing

2010-06-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

We'd like to introduce you to a guy we've been spending a lot of time with over the past six weeks.

Meet our new trainer. His name is Tony Horton. He's FIFTY-ONE years old. And he's the creator of a little home fitness program you may have heard of - P90X.

Six days a week, you will find Brian and me in front of our TV, dripping in sweat as we attempt to beat our bodies into submission by mimicking Tony and his fit friends. The workouts range from 1 hour to 1.5 hours and they are HARD CORE.

P90 (the 90 stands for 90 days) operates on a principle called "muscle confusion." Tony constantly introduces us to new moves so that our bodies never plateau, and so that we never get "bored." Ha! Bored? I look longingly back to the days of boredom on my trusty elliptical. This so-called muscle confusion might be better explained as never-ending soreness. I now know it is indeed possible to feel constant pain throughout my body for 32 days straight.

As far as results go, I'll be honest, we were probably expecting a little more than we've seen so far. We both are definitely stronger. Yet for all we have endured, we have yet to lose much weight (I've noticed a small difference in Brian, but don't think I've lost a pound myself).

Anyways, I'll keep you posted. In 60 days, hopefully we'll be glad we stuck with it! In the words of Tony, BRING IT! :)

numbering our days

2010-06-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

Brian and I can hardly comprehend that have now lived in Indianapolis for a full year! Since moving in, we've been counting down the remaining months on a little chalkboard in our kitchen. We started at 26, which makes our current number 13 look pretty good!

While this can't-wait-until-the-end-of-school exercise is certainly exciting, last Sunday our worship pastor presented us with a countdown far more significant.

Though we all know that our time here won't last forever, thoughts about the end of life are rather vague. We know it's out there, but since we don't know when, it almost seems like it's not really going to happen. Most people, including myself, just hope that God will grant them a long life. And then we don't think about it much past that.

Let's say that God decides to bless you with 90 years before He calls you home. The following stats are 90 years broken down, from birth to death:

MONTHS: 1,080

WEEKS: 4,680

DAYS: 32,760

HOURS: 786,240

WAKING HOURS (if you factor 8 hrs of sleep a night): 524,160

Don't just glance at these numbers - look at them again. Look hard. Do they take your breath away like they do mine? 32,000 days - such a concrete number - sure doesn't seem like very many. And at 29 years old, I have already lived more than 10,000 of them.

Oh Father, may You find me faithful.

"Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.

You return man to dust and say, 'Return, O children of man!'

For a thousand years in Your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.

For we are brought to an end by Your anger; by Your wrath we are dismayed. You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.

For all our days pass away under Your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.

Who considers the power of Your anger, and Your wrath according to the fear of You?

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."

- Psalm 90: 1-12 (ESV)

progress in the garden

2010-06-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty happy to report that two months after planting, my little garden is doing great!

Overall, it hasn't been nearly as hard as I thought it would be. It really just takes a little bit of time, research, some good fertilizer and plenty of water.

ALREADY HARVESTED:

- romaine lettuce

- buttercrunch lettuce

- spinach

- cilantro

The lettuce was AWESOME! It was really low maintenance, which was great for this beginner. I CRAMMED it into a container and although it quadrupled in size, it did just fine. We ate salads from it every night for weeks! The recent heat caused it to bolt, but while it lasted, it did really well. The spinach also had a short lifespan but was very yummy. Plus, it was nice to not have to think about all of those e-coli spinach scares. The cilantro was also delicious - I'm now waiting for the coriander seeds to dry out so I can use them.

CURRENTLY HARVESTING:

- cherry tomatoes

- early girl and better boy tomatoes

- blueberries

- jalapeno peppers

- sweet, lemon and mammoth basil

- rosemary

- oregano

- sage

Cherry tomatoes

Sweet Basil

Lemon Basil and Mammoth Basil

Blueberries

Jalapeno peppers

Early Girl and Better Boy tomatoes

WAITING TO HARVEST:

- broccoli

- strawberries?

- green bell peppers

Strawberries

Green bell peppers

Broccoli

The broccoli has been a little testy, but I think it's doing ok. The plants are enormous! I'm not sure how to tell when it is ready to be picked... I think I'll wait for it to grow just a little more. Also, I learned that strawberry plants don't typically produce berries until their SECOND season. Boo. The green peppers are almost large enough to start harvesting.

We've got tons of green tomatoes just starting to turn red - I'm hoping to learn how to stew and can them so I can use them throughout winter. Any advice or good recipes? Please send if so! My kitchen will also be turning out lots of fresh pesto, basil oil and salsa.

It's been so rewarding to be able to grow our own food! Completely worth the effort, in my opinion. I'm officially addicted! :)

reason to read

2010-06-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

A quote by John Piper caught my eye today. It so wonderfully communicates the anticipation I feel every time I turn the first page of a new book.

"What I have learned from about twenty years of serious reading is this: It is sentences that change my life, not books. What changes my life is some new glimpse of truth, some powerful challenge, some resolution to a long-standing dilemma, and these usually come concentrated in a sentence or two. I do not remember 99% of what I read, but if the 1% of each book or article I do remember is a life-changing insight, then I don't begrudge the 99%."

This reality, the way God can use ONE sentence of truth to change a life, is what drives me to pick up book after book.

I haven't had much to write about on our blog lately - not a lot is happening between Brian's residency and my job. But in our hearts, it's a different story. Brian and I are changing. God is doing a transformational work in us. And I believe that this work has taken root through written words, both of His inspired Scripture and of others grounded in it.

If you're at all curious, the following books are on my reading list this summer. I hope to be finished with all of them by the end of August. The only thing I love more than reading is talking through a book with a friend, so please let me know if we have any of these books in common! I'd enjoy so much hearing from you.

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, by David Platt

When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty without Hurting the Poor... and Ourselves, by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert

The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, by Francis Chan

One Million Arrows: Raising Your Children to Change the World, by Julie Ferwerda

summer sale

2010-06-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

Brian and I are about to wrap up our study of James, so I just went to order the next book we'll be working through.

I was very excited to discover that Grace to You (MacArthur's ministry) is offering 25% off all of their resources, now through June 29!

This makes his Bible Study books only $4.90 each. We are stocking up!! I know I've mentioned these books before, but let me plug them again - they are THE BEST if you are looking for an intensive study of Scripture!

If you took me up on Radical, I could not suggest a better accompanying study than James. This daily study, that we "just happened to choose," was preparing our hearts for the truth of this sermon series even before we started listening to it. It is simply amazing to me to see how God often orchestrates the coinciding of lessons He wants us to learn - we hear the same message everywhere we turn!

the final frontier

2010-06-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

Some of you know that my brother, Austin, recently traveled to Ethiopia to capture video and images of the work of several ministries in Africa.

One of his projects there centered around the work of a couple of veterinarians in a very remote part of southwest Ethiopia (like so remote, the only way to these people is by helicopter). This husband-and-wife team are committed to sharing the gospel with the last three unreached people groups in Ethiopia. And they are using veterinary medicine as their ticket in.

Austin just completed a video (below) that tells their story. Not only is the piece extremely well-shot and edited, the message is powerfully shared. It is extremely exciting, and at the same time challenging, to catch a glimpse of how believers around the world are using their gifts to further the Kingdom to the glory of the Lord!

Enjoy watching a brother and sister in Christ do their thing!

The Final Frontier from Austin Mann on Vimeo.

s'more pie, please

2010-06-07T17:34:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in my previous post, one of my all-time favorite desserts, EVER, is s'mores. I seriously love them. Since I don't often have access to a campfire, I settle for the next best option and create them in our toaster oven. I do this quite a lot, as my husband will testify.

If I'm at a restaurant and see a s'mores themed dessert on the menu, I will ALWAYS order it. But usually I'm a bit disappointed, because it just never seems to taste as good as the real thing. For example, smores fondue at The Melting Pot, or the Mount Rushsmore custard concrete at Sheridan's - both excellent, just not the same.

Well, thanks to my fabulous friend, Val, I have FINALLY found a dessert that is just as good as the real thing and maybe even... dare I say .... better?!?! Val passed this recipe on to me last week and I made it right away. This pie is seriously amazing.

Thick graham cracker crust, creamy chocolate center covered by a homemade marshmallow topping. Oh my. Just before serving, you put the pie under a broiler to toast the top, which also makes the mallow and chocolate just a little bit melty and gooey.

I'll admit we polished off the pie in less than 24 hours. Granted, we had the help of another couple, but still. It was that good. Brian declared it one of his favorite desserts that I have ever made. This is a huge proclamation considering the number of desserts I have made for him during the past five years!

Make it yourself, and let me know what you think!

PS - Even if you don't like s'mores and aren't interested in this pie, you should still check out the smitten kitchen blog. She's got tons of really yummy recipes and pretty pictures to browse through.

happy birthday, tine

2010-06-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

As I do during every trip back to Kansas, I spent some revitalizing time with my lifelong friend, Christine, while staying in Wichita last month. Over tableside s'mores one night at Mike's Wine Dive, we realized that we rarely, if ever, feature one another on each other's blogs! It's not because we're not involved in each other's lives... rather, our friendship is so perpetual that we don't think about taking pictures together or writing about one another. She's just kind of a given in my life! Being together is simply the way it is, the way it always has been.

But that doesn't mean she should never have a presence in my online musings! So now, drumroll please... I proudly debut Christine on my blog!

We were around three years old in this picture - from left to right: Christine, Brian (now my husband), me and Greg Bailey. Check out her tie, I guarantee you that this is her favorite part of her outfit.

Here we are at Brian's birthday party - maybe his fourth? Christine is the one sucking her thumb (she did this up until kindergarten) and I am sitting to the left with an angry look on my face. I think we are wearing matching shoes. Brian is the handsome guy in the dashing yellow sweater.

I literally can't remember life without Christine, or Tine, as I nicknamed her when we were young. How else do you shorten her name? Certainly can't call her by the first syllable! :) We "met" when she was born and I was three months old - we lived on the same street, our houses a mere two blocks apart. Our parents were, and still are, the best of friends, which means we've gotten to spend A LOT of time together over the years. We've had pretty much everything in common since infancy, including our names (my middle is Christine).

Truly, we could write a book, a THICK book, chronicling the story of our friendship. There would be hilarious memories, growth in the Lord, tears, giggles, a little bit of anguish, but most of all joy and lots and lots of laughter.

Christine's birthday is tomorrow. I used to be so proud that I was three months older... now I'm the one wishing she had three months on me. :) So, to my dear bosom friend, happy birthday! Hope this year is your best one yet. Love you.

swimming lessons and pizza club

2010-06-01T16:30:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty low key Memorial holiday around here, and it was just what we needed! In my humble opinion, three day weekends should grace the calendar more often than they do.

We started Saturday off by taking the dogs to a nearby park. This particular park has gorgeous hiking trails, but our favorite part about it is a shallow creek that feeds into a river that runs throughout the city. It's very clean, crystal clear and not too cold. Perfect for doggie swimming lessons, we thought.

As we expected, and as you can witness below if you wish, Annabelle immediately loved the water. She is as impulsive as Stryder is cautious. Constantly making us laugh, we call her our little tank - truly, nothing scares this dog.

This was her very first time in the water, mind you.

Although she just wanted to jump around for a while, she quickly picked up the doggie paddle. The observation of Stryder's excellent swimming form couldn't have hurt. We walked at least a half mile up the middle of the creek, and by the end of the morning, she was swimming like an old pro.

We tossed around the idea of going to the Indy 500 this weekend. But eventually we decided against it - the crowd of FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND plus 90 degree heat and 95% humidity just weren't very appealing. But we have promised ourselves we'll be there next year. You can't live in Indy and not go at least once, right?

So, instead of braving the race, we spent a leisurely food-filled evening with friends. A couple of months ago, we started a Pizza Club with Mike and Ryan (Brian's classmates) and their wives. We're planning to visit as many local pizza joints as we can before we have to leave Indy. A year from now, hopefully we'll be able to tell you where you can find the best pizza in the city! Our latest stop was Greek's in Broad Ripple (the neighborhood we all live in). Overall, we scored it a 9.3. It's pretty awesome.

Mike, Ryan, Megan, Rachel, Me

See that scrumptious looking confection in the background? Rachel made it for us - a decadent Chocolate Brownie Cake - oh, it was so good. We feasted on it while playing Catch Phrase and watching highlights from the race.

I don't know about you, but we're already looking forward to Labor Day. :)

remembering

2010-05-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

This Memorial Day, may we not forget all of the men and women fighting the enemy on foreign soil. Sacrificing so much so we can live in freedom.

These brave soldiers, and their precious families, need our prayers until they all come home!

the sighting of half-pint and other adventures

2010-05-26T21:16:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Brian went to DC with his class for a week-long orthodontic convention. Since one of my least favorite things to do is stay at home by myself, I decided to hit the road and head back to Wichita while he was away. Besides great time spent with family, my time in Kansas also allowed me to make good headway on several big projects I'm working on with clients there.

Another important reason that I went to Kansas was so that I could drive down to Dallas with Lesley for a once-in-a-lifetime event. Let me back up just a minute before I move forward... If you know me at all, you probably know that when I was growing up, my family did not have cable TV. (In fact, my parents only got it about a year ago, after all the kids were out of the house!) One of the very few approved shows in our home was Little House on the Prairie. EVERY SINGLE DAY, we would tune into PBS Channel 8 at 5 pm to follow the exciting lives of the Ingalls family. You truly don't even want to know how many times Lesley, Austin and I have seen every single episode of Little House.

So, when Les and I heard that a new play, Little House the Musical, would be touring the country this year, we knew we had to go. Especially because THE Melissa Gilbert (who played Laura in the TV show) is playing Ma on stage. When else would we ever get to see our childhood idol in person?!? For some reason, our brother declined the opportunity to go with us. I cannot imagine why.

So, surrounded by small children and white-haired ladies, these two twenty-somethings got to watch Melissa Gilbert's stage debut in her now-grown-up-role as Ma. Let's just say that I think she makes a much better Laura, and that in the future, she should probably stick to acting, not singing. But she gave a valiant effort. Overall, the play was fun and an experience we'll always remember with a smile. :)

Unfortunately, my camera ran out of batteries when we tried to take a picture. So we had to use a flash-less iphone. Not the greatest picture, but at least it's proof that we were there!

After we got home, Austin took this better picture of us with our official playbills. We are officially Little House groupies. Hee hee. :)

We were in Texas for less than 24 hours, but I finally got a quick tour of my brother's world there. He's been basing in Dallas for more than a year, but I hadn't yet seen his apartment or his office. He gave me a tour of both and also let us make a quick stop at Sprinkles. I have THE BEST siblings - I love these two!

Now, back to Kansas... of course, every trip to Wichita now means a doggie reunion between the ever-growing Annabelle and her adorable brother Brinkley!

This may look vicious, but they aren't really fighting - this is how they play!

Sweet Brinkley giving Annabelle a kiss.

My brave and gracious mother agreed to host doggie daycare in her home - this picture was taken after a full day of frolicking in the backyard. Left to right: Junior, Stella, Annabelle, Stryder and Brinkley. Pure insanity!

This is random, but I thought it was so cool that I had to take a couple of pictures. My mom has a wreath on her front door that is made of sticks. A swallow has been building a nest in it, and while I was in Wichita, it laid four eggs (the white ones). My mom also happened to find a fallen robin's egg (the blue one) in their backyard. She put it in the swallow's nest and the mama bird accepted it! The morning I left to come back to Indy, we discovered that one of the eggs had hatched.

The little thing is kind of ugly, but a miracle nonetheless! :) What will prove interesting is when they start learning to fly from their home on my parents' front door!

preach it, Dad!

2010-05-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

Last week, a Wichita news station asked my dad to participate in a panel discussion among four world religions. My dad represented Protestant Christians and shared the floor with a Muslim, a Catholic and a Jew. They answered all kinds of questions, about "proven science" (evolution), the benefits of religion, worldviews and the truth, or non-truth, of each.

Is your temperature rising yet? :)

The forum lasted 1.5 hours and was condensed down into this 7-minute video.

KSN aired the segment last night and I could not be more proud of my dad! He spoke the truth loud and clear in love. My heart races and my hands get shaky as I watch this video - I can't even imagine being there and having to say what he says! But he stands firm to what Jesus says is truth.

"For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." - Matthew 7:14

radical

2010-05-15T07:13:00.000-07:00

I DARE you to listen to/watch this sermon series by David Platt, pastor of Brook Hills Church in Birmingham.

If you don't respond well to dares, I BEG you! :)

PLEASE invest an hour of your life to listen to a pastor, who, against the comfortable current of the contemporary American church, is boldly proclaiming the truth of what Jesus meant when He called us to follow Him.

There are eight hour-long messages in this series. It will only take one to change your life forever (you probably won't be able to listen to all eight fast enough).

Warning: don't listen if you want to stay the same!

book exchange

2010-05-04T13:51:00.001-07:00

My friend, Ashley, recently shared this awesome site with me.

It allows you to swap any gently-used book with any new gently-used book. All you have to do is create a free account and then post the book titles that you want to exchange. When someone requests a book that you have posted, you mail it to them (typical book postage is $2-3). You then receive a book credit toward any book that you want! When you use that credit by requesting a book from someone else, the sender will mail it to you at their cost.

And that's all you have to do!

Being in a book club, this is particularly valuable for me! And for anyone with kids who quickly outgrow their books, I would imagine it would be really beneficial too. There are so many books sitting on my shelf that I have read once but will most likely never look at again. How great to get new books out of them!

*You can also swap CDs and DVDs!

noah's ark

2010-04-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

Has anyone seen this in the news yesterday or today?

A team of evangelical explorers, searching for Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat, has uncovered and ventured inside a large wooden structure located 13,000 feet high on the mountain. The wooden remains have been carbon dated at 4,800 years old.

It's been preserved under the ice, and is supposedly still very solid and made of high quality wood.

What else could it be other than the Ark?

Here's a slideshow with more pictures of the interior.

How cool is that?!?!?

5 months

2010-04-24T09:36:00.001-07:00

Our sweet little Annabelle somehow turned 5 months old yesterday! It's already hard to remember what life was like without her.

Here's a video that shows how quickly she has grown!

She is happy all the time! And now that she's a little bigger, she and Stryder are the best of friends. What joy they bring to our lives!

container garden

2010-04-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

I have great aspirations when it comes to gardening. Yet at this point, my dreams far outweigh my skills! However, my great-grandmother, Nana, was a pro at flowers. My grandmother, Myma, is a pro at vegetables (especially tomatoes). And my mom is a pro at landscapes. So I'm hoping that the gardening gene has somehow been passed down to me!

It's been three years since we spent a consecutive spring and summer in one place. I'm so thankful for this year of non-moving that allows me to garden! Since we won't be at this house for much of the summer next year, I decided not to bother with creating a bed in the ground. I don't want to go to all of the hassle and then leave it behind when we move. I figure my only other option is container gardening!

Our little golden nugget is becoming quite the expert digger, so after planting all of my seedlings, I crammed the pots on top of the fire pit (we never use it) in our backyard. This way she won't be as tempted to ruin the plants. Plus, I figure that other pests won't be able to get into the containers as easily if they are elevated.

After checking out a few books at the library and starting some online research, I'm still trying to learn:

- when and how to harvest

- how much space to allow between plants

- when and how to prune

- when and how much to water

- how much light different plants need

- the best fertilizers to use (I bought some fish emulsion - PEWWW! It may be the most revolting smelling gunk I have ever encountered. It better work!)

If you're looking for helpful web sites, here are a couple I've found so far:

- Organic Gardening

- Guide to Growing Vegetables in Containers

Anthropologie is currently hosting FREE container gardening workshops in all of their stores nationwide - I can't wait for the one here in Indy tomorrow night. I need all the help I can get! Hopefully I'll walk away brimming with knowledge that will help me grow big, beautiful plants!

Following are pictures of the vegetables and fruit I have planted. I'm also growing rosemary, oregano, cilantro and basil (and the basil is the only one I'm attempting from seed). If you have any advice for me, PLEASE SHARE!

PS - I just read in The Gourmet Gardener that it's possible to grow coffee trees!! How awesome is that? Maybe next year...

Romaine Lettuce

Broccoli

Green Bell Peppers and a Jalapeno (just for Brian)

Left: Spinach, Right: Buttercrunch Lettuce

Ozark Beauty and Sequoia Strawberries

Early Girl and Better Boy Tomatoes (with Sweet 100 Tomatoes in the background)

I'm so desperate for hydrangeas that I planted one in a pot on our front porch. Can you even do that? Guess I'll find out!

Phlox

Also, just had to throw in a few pictures of our next door neighbor's Weeping Cherry tree. Isn't it just gorgeous!?!? I think it looks like a prom dress. And cotton candy. When the blooms fall, it's like pink snow. I want one. :)

putting off AND putting on

2010-04-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

God's been teaching me something lately. And as He often does with the lessons I need to learn, He is hammering this one into my thick head hard. It's painful. Humbling. So good for me.

Brian and I have been working through MacArthur's study guide on James. Last week, we examined the last part of James 1, and verse 22 particularly grabbed me:

"But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves..."

Growing up in a Christian school, as a pastor's daughter, the right answer was highly valued. It was advantageous to know a lot of Scripture and Bible stories. I took tests in Bible class, and the more I knew, the higher my grade.

So, being a high-achiever, I've always scored pretty well in knowledge. I've even scored ok in abstinence from "bad" things. But I am realizing that my score for good works, above and beyond learning and self-restraint, is pretty low. I've convinced myself that hearing, understanding, knowing is enough. I've always been on the defense against evil, but not so much on the offense.

Last week, I thought a lot about what it looks like to transform knowledge into zest-filled action. Practical ways I can force knowledge out of my head and into the world. I'd rather know just a couple of principles and act each one out then know many things but not take action with any of them.

Oh, how I want a high grade in faith-based actions, not just knowledge.

Our pastor is currently preaching through Matthew. Last Sunday (12:43-50), he expounded on the importance of continuing to move forward even after we put off our old selves. Scripture makes it clear that while getting rid of sin is essential, creating new behaviors is the crucial next step.

Here's a for instance. Let's say there's a gal who I really don't click with. She tends to be insensitive, and she's said some things that have really offended me. When she comes into the room, I cringe, and hope that I don't have to talk to her. If I truly want to follow Jesus's example, I won't just hold myself back from saying something mean to her. I'll do that AND go out of my way to say something kind and loving.

Our pastor used an example that has really stuck with me. "When does a liar stop being a liar?" he asked the congregation. "It's not when he stops telling lies. It's when he starts telling the truth."

In our bulletins was an insert that I have tucked inside my Bible so I will see it for the rest of my life. If you struggle with this concept like I do, take encouragement and accountability from this practical list of actions that flow from a changed heart!

stuff white people like

2010-04-14T07:24:00.001-07:00

I came across this site about a year ago. It's a blog devoted to expounding on the things that white people like. I find it sooo funny, probably because most of it is so true!

It highlights stereotypical things that are associated with white people. Stuff like:

- picking your own fruit

- moleskine notebooks

- sea salt

- ugly sweater parties

- pea coats

- girls with bangs

- unpaid internships

- scarves

- kitchen gadgets

- dogs

- vintage anything

- whole foods and grocery co-ops

- apple products

- netflix

- organic food

- farmer's markets

- coffee

The writer of these posts (which are also combined into a now-published book) is brilliant and hysterical. I guarantee you'll get a kick of how he captures the preferences of Caucasians, many of them probably your own!

15 minute recipes

2010-04-12T07:35:00.001-07:00

Although I love to cook and will gladly spend hours in the kitchen on occasion, sometimes I just need a recipe that comes together fast. And easy.

I recently discovered this Real Simple site that allows you to quickly select a recipe, based on your preferences and the ingredients you already have on hand. All of the recipes, supposedly, can be prepared in 15 minutes or less.

Sample recipe: Parmesan Pasta with Chicken and Rosemary

Happy cooking!

heaven

2010-04-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

"If there be so certain and glorious a rest for the saints, why is there no more industrious seeking after it? One would think, if a man did but once hear of such unspeakable glory to be obtained, and believed what he heard to be true, he should be transported with the vehemency of his desire after it, and should almost forget to eat and drink, and should care for nothing else, and speak of and inquire after nothing else, but how to get this treasure. And yet people who hear of it daily, and profess to believe it as a fundamental article of their faith, do as little mind it, or labor for it, as if they had never heard of such a thing, or did not believe one word they hear."

- Richard Baxter

I just turned the last page of Randy Alcorn's book, Heaven.

My heart is so full.

I love to read. I've read a lot of books - a lot of excellent books. Yet I have never read a book that the Lord has used to so transform my thinking as this one. I literally feel like I have a brand new perspective on the eternal destiny of those who are His. A 180 degree change. And I am beyond excited!

A place that I used to feel vague about, I now picture in a tangible, concrete, specific, beautiful, exciting way. A place that I used to feel guilty for being less-than-enthused toward, I now eagerly anticipate from the bottom of my heart.

I am motivated, like never before, to:

- share the gospel with those who don't believe

- set my heart on eternity, making decisions in this life that will carry on after my death

- invest in the only things that will last forever: my relationships with the Lord and people

If you've ever wondered...

What it will look like when the Curse is lifted. (Praise the Lord, that day IS coming!)

About the difference between the present Heaven and the eternal Heaven.

What the New Jerusalem and the rest of the New Earth, and the Universe, will be like.

If Heaven will have space, time, sun, moon, oceans, weather, animals, arts, entertainment, technology, crafts and sports.

What we will DO in Heaven. If we will have jobs. If we will play. If we will travel. If we will sleep. If we will laugh.

How we will relate to other believers in Heaven, including the people whom we have known and loved in this life.

... then this book is for you. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Read it so you can know for sure. Read it so you can answer questions from your kids in a specific way. Read it so you can be genuinely excited when you think about your forever home. Read it so you can praise our gracious Heavenly Father in a new way - for His ingenuity, creativity and lovingkindness toward His undeserving children.

"Christian, meditate much on heaven, it will help thee to press on, and to forget the toil of the way. This vale of tears is but the pathway to the better country: this world of woe is but the stepping-stone to a world of bliss. And, after death, what cometh? What wonderworld will open upon our astonished sight?"

- Charles Spurgeon

[Alcorn does an incredible job of presenting a thoroughly-researched, systematic approach to a believer's view of Heaven. While he substantiates ALL of his thoughts with Scripture, of course, as with any book written by a human, I cannot endorse his ideas as being absolute truth. And I don't think even Alcorn would claim that they are. The point is, he encourages believers to study God's Word and then start thinking. Start dreaming.

As John Piper says, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." He has created a wonderful-beyond-belief home for us, so it pleases Him when we are thankful and excited about it. Because when we are joyful about what He gives us, we are ultimately joyful in Him, the source of all good things.

The ability to truly set your heart on Heaven will affect every. single. aspect. of your life. Now what are you waiting for? Go read it! :) ]

spring break

2010-04-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

This will be my last post on traveling for a while, I promise.

A few weeks ago, we drove back to Wichita for Brian's spring break. The 11-hour doozy was Annabelle's first road trip... we weren't sure how it would go, but she did so well. We attribute a lot of that to Stryder's good influence. She basically does whatever he does, so since he is such a great dog, she is too.

It was really fun introducing Annabelle to Wichita. We also celebrated my birthday, spent great time with our families, saw friends and just relaxed. I caught a pretty horrible 24-hour flu bug - not so much fun - but other than that, it was a wonderful week.

One of the most fun parts of our visit was getting to see all FOUR of our family goldens together. Lesley was also on break for a few days while we were there, so it was the first time that all of the doggies had been together at once. As you can imagine, Annabelle was absolutely in heaven. She played so hard all day long, and quickly grew to adore her cousin Stella.

My mom with Junior, Brian with Stryder, Les with Stella and Em with Annabelle

Annabelle snuggling on the bed with the boys

We also got to reunite Annabelle with her brother, Brinkley. When we walked in the Buttner's door, the dogs went absolutely nuts. We're pretty sure they recognized each other, even though its been two months since they were together. We just love it that they will be able to grow up knowing each other!

The Smiths and the Buttners

springtime in austin

2010-03-31T14:31:00.000-07:00

What a whirlwind March has been! Probably due to my being away from home 19 out of the 31 days of the month... I truly can't believe tomorrow is April 1.

Last week I got to visit my dear friend, Carrie. She has a beautiful home in Austin and I timed my trip just right. Smack dab in the middle of bluebonnet season.

The Texas state flower grows rampant across the state this time of year, and it is just plain beautiful. Seeing fields of wild bluebonnets always takes me back to the Springs I spent at Baylor. Awwww.

Anyway, Carrie and I have seen each other a few times over the past few years, but we decided it was time for an extended weekend together. Southwest ran some great deals on tickets, so before I knew it, I was headed to Austin.

My first night there, we ate on the deck at The Oasis on Lake Travis. We truly couldn't have asked for a more magnificent sunset as we polished off our fajitas.

We planned to drive up to Waco to have lunch on Saturday with the Cunninghams (anyone remember Dr. Cunningham - Chaplain our freshman year? Carrie and I went on a missions trip to the Ukraine with them our sophomore year and they are now our official Waco grandparents). I was also scheming about a way to surprise my sister while we were in Waco. She had no idea that I was coming to Texas.

Well, on Friday morning, my mom called to inform me that Lesley was coming to Austin that afternoon for a fashion event. After some covert calls to her roomie, I figured out where she was eating lunch and casually dropped by her booth to say hello. I don't know if I've ever pulled off such a successful surprise! She was shocked! It was hilarious.

Les and Courtney ended up sticking around for the remainder of the afternoon to hang out with us. We did a little shopping, and then ended up at my favorite Austin restaurant, the Hula Hut. It was a gorgeous evening, the food was great, and we got to eat while watching the Baylor guys dominate St. Mary's! What more could you wish for?

Saturday morning we drove up good old I-35 to Waco to spend some time with the Cunninghams. Les met us at their house where we ate lunch and watched the Lady Bears beat Tennessee. It was such a fun afternoon. An unexpected bonus came when Dr. Packard (Physics professor at Baylor) dropped by for a visit. Carrie and I couldn't believe how much he looks the same as he did ten years ago when we were in his class. So cute!

Dr. Cunningham, Dr. Packard, Mrs. Cunningham

Before leaving Waco, we made a couple of absolutely necessary and pretty nostalgic pit-stops: Common Grounds (of course), the BU bookstore (which is now humongous) and Spice. Oh, Spice, how I will always love you!

Back in Austin we got to spend a few hours with Kristin (Gill) Storer (Carrie's Tri-Delt big), and although I had the best of intentions, I completely forgot to take a picture with her. Carrie and I also got the most amazing two-hour long pedicures... which relaxed us just in time for our nerves to go haywire throughout the Baylor game later that day. Although our guys didn't make it to the Final Four (and I was soooo hoping they would so I could watch them play here in Indy), they still had a great season. So proud of the Lady Bears, who are heading to San Antonio for the Final Four this weekend. Sic 'em, girls!

What a very special weekend with a precious friend. My visit was over way too soon! Times like these make me so thankful for the blessed hope of heaven, when one day we will be able to spend eternity with those we love.

Happily, it seems as if I've brought the 75-degree Austin weather home with me. I wore flip-flops and a short sleeve shirt when I walked the dogs today! Don't know about you, but after this winter, I don't know that I've ever been more excited for springtime.

SIC 'EM!

2010-03-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

For the first time in SIXTY years, Baylor men's bball is heading to the Elite Eight! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they've EVER made it to the Final Four.

After last night's 72-49 win, they're now just one game away from a chance to win the national championship. They play Duke (three-time champions) in Houston on Sunday afternoon.

And if they win... they're heading to Indianapolis! Our house is completely available to anyone who needs a place to stay.

Sic 'em Bears!

growing girl

2010-03-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few random pics of our little sweetie during the last two months. She's growing up so fast!

Annabelle has snuggled into Stryder since day one - she absolutely adores him!

Totally konked out!

My mom sent Annabelle this toy purse for Valentines Day and she LOVES it!

She's wearing the purse on her arm as she looks up at me! Ha! All girl.

Stretching on Stryder. He could care less.

liney cake

2010-03-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I got to make my very first kiddo birthday cake! Some good friends in our small group threw their newly two-year-old son a Madagascar-themed bash, and they asked if I could help with the cake.

Thank goodness my sister Lesley was in town visiting! She graciously pitched in on the project. And she was awesome! She's a fashion merchandising major hoping to do visual merchandising, so she's got a fantastic eye and sense for what looks right where. We had a blast sketching the cake out together (Ace of Cakes style) and then watching as our ideas came to life. It was seriously so much fun!

One of the hardest parts was getting the characters, especially the Lion (aka "Liney" to the birthday boy), to look just right. But in the end, I think they turned out ok. Les did the penguins and I just love those little guys.

Unfortunately, I have ZERO pictures of Les and I with our masterpiece. I am kicking myself that we didn't take one together! Oh well. We've definitely got some memories!

Along with polishing up on our decorating skills, Les and I fit some shopping, manicures, dirt-cake-eating (our FAVE) and lots of doggie time into her visit! We did so much, yet not a picture to show for it. I have got to get better about remembering to use my camera!

Side note: I have a new favorite cake recipe that I used for this cake. Kelly made it for us during our recent girls weekend and it was so yummy. Try it - you'll love it!

matt kutilek

2010-03-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

For any of my Wichita readers, specifically anyone who went to Trinity, I wanted to post an update on Matt Kutilek.

Last September, he was deployed as a Company Commander with the Marines to Afghanistan.

On March 4, he was leading his men around a corner during a firefight when he was shot in the leg by the enemy. The injury broke his tibia, severed an artery and caused extensive muscular and vascular damage. He lost a great amount of blood, but due to God's grace and the heroic efforts of his fellow Marines, his life was spared. He was medevaced to a field hospital for surgery, and went on to two more surgeries in Afghanistan, where he received nine units of blood and eight units of plasma. On March 12, he was flown to the United States and is now in a hospital in Maryland.

His caring bridge site states that Matt is very upset to be leaving his Marines behind.

He and his family are requesting prayer for the following:

- For Matt's wife, Andrea, is pregnant with their third daughter and due in May. They have two young daughters.

- For his foot to be spared.

- For our military that is involved in combat in Afghanistan, specifically for the 2nd Battalion 2nd Marines and for their new company Commander who will replace Matt.

- Safe trips for our friends and family traveling to visit him.

- Wisdom for the doctors and nurses who are treating him.

An update that was posted on his site afternoon says that he had a fairly extensive surgery this morning. Although he has only one artery remaining in his leg, his arterial system is already working to form new collateral. The doctors are very hopeful that his foot will be spared! Praise the Lord!

girl time

2010-03-10T10:17:00.000-08:00

Last week, I was privileged to spend a couple of days visiting my friend, Ashley, and her two sweet girls. We met at Focus and now live just a couple of hours from each other. She's pregnant with her third (a boy this time!) so I wanted to be able to spend some time with her before he arrives.

E is typically very smiley, we just didn't catch one in this picture.

I told Brian when I got home that it is always so beneficial for me to spend time with Ashley. She is one of those people who knows exactly why she does everything she does. Ask her why she has chosen a particular type of pacifier over another, and she'll tell you. Ask her why she reads one Bible translation over that one with her kids, and she'll tell you. She thinks through everything. And that sharpens me. After talking with her, I'm always motivated to be a lot more intentional, to have a reason why I do the things that I do (1 Peter 3:15).

Anyway, I've heard so much about her girls but had never been able to meet them in person yet. Ash and her husband have done an AMAZING job with them. They are huge advocates of Baby Wise and Growing Kids God's Way, and after spending some time with the girls, I can understand why. Her oldest is not even four but is the epitome of polite - everything was "Yes, Mrs. Smiff!" "Thank you, Mrs. Smiff!" And literally every time Ashley asked her to do something, even if she didn't want to do it, I heard "Yes, Mommy."

Wow.

Maybe Brian and I should start going through these studies now, before the kiddos start coming, to make sure the lessons stick. :)

We made sugar cookies one afternoon - E had never made them before, so it was a lot of fun. Especially since we got to decorate them in all girl colors!

What a blessing this sweet family is to me! Thanks for a great time, girls!

girls weekend 2010

2010-03-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I got to attend my annual girls weekend with some dear friends from college. We realized that this was the SEVENTH time we have met since graduating. How is that possible?!?!?

When I got to the airport, I had to wait for a couple of hours for Meredith and Em Tall to arrive so we could carpool to Kelly's. While sitting in the baggage claim, I was thrilled to bump into my roommate for three years at Baylor, Tracey (Jones) Shepperd! She was returning from Disneyworld with her husband and their three sons. I had never met her boys before (her oldest just turned five), so it was a special blessing to be able to visit with her sweet family for a while.

I love seeing old friends in unexpected places.

This year, Kelly Evans hosted all by herself in her beautiful home in Houston. Usually two or more girls take on the job - it's quite a feat to accomplish it by oneself! She thought through every single detail. She chose the theme "I've Never" for the weekend, so our days together were filled with activities that most of us have never done.

Side note: if you are confused by all the cupcake paraphernalia floating around these pictures, it's because we call ourselves "The Cupcakes." This began many years ago when we had a camping/girl scouts kind of theme for one of our weekends - we started joking around that we should be called Troop Cupcake. And the name stuck. We like to think that we have contributed to the current cupcake craze, trend-setters that we are, since we chose the name long before cupcakes were so wildly popular!

Thursday night: Eating breakfast for dinner. We each got to create our own unique pancake flavor as we arrived to Kelly's house. What a fun way to kick the good times off! One of the highlights of every weekend is always the opening of our welcome bags together. Since the theme is kept top secret, we are always very excited to open our bags and read through our itineraries so we can finally figure out what the weekend holds!

Friday morning: Touring the Blue Bell ice cream factory. The tour of this Brenham, TX-based creamery culminated with us getting to choose any ice cream flavor that we wanted to sample. I picked Candy Jar, which is caramel ice cream with peanut butter cups, chocolate chunks, peanut brittle, chunks of caramel and chocolate crisp pieces. YUM!

Friday afternoon: Self-defense lesson. Did you know that a sharpie, not mace or a taser, is the best way to take down a predator? This is just one of the many valuable tips we took away from this session. Bad guys, beware. There are now twelve more ladies in the world who are armed to attack against evil.

Friday night we went to dinner at a local wine bar with delicious food and a chic atmosphere. Nothing beats a night out with the girls!

Saturday morning: Crocheting lesson. Although I recently learned to crochet, it was good for me to get a quick refresher course from our resident expert, Meredith. We started on some cute pink and brown hats, which we plan to wear if we ever go skiing for Girls Weekend!

Saturday afternoon: Wine making and bottling. This activity was something that none of us had ever done before, and it turned out to be so much fun! There is a local shop that allows you to mix your own wine, and then bottle it, cork it and label it. We opted to choose some pre-mixed wine (since after mixing, wine takes at least 8 weeks to age properly), but we still got to sterilize and fill the bottles, cork and seal them, and then sticker each one with special labels designed with love by me. :)

Saturday night was our Awards Dinner, to which we all wore a bridesmaid dress for the second time. (Very few people have ever worn a bridesmaid dress twice, right?) Kelly's gracious aunt let us take over her house for the evening.

Before the weekend began, each of us had voted on a superlative that best represented each girl. After dinner, each girl received a delicious cupcake award for her distinctive attribute as chosen by the group. We even got to give acceptance speeches!

The awards table.

Kelly made these cupcake prizes - aren't they amazing? If you can believe it, they tasted even better than they look!

If anyone is curious, yours truly was honored to receive the "Kindest Cupcake" award, with honorable mentions for Best Smile, Most Creative, Most Beautiful and Best Behind. Ha!

After dinner, we gathered for our traditional sashes and patches picture (we add new patches for each activity that we complete).

Every time we're together, it's over way too soon! Already looking forward to next year - Alabama, here we come!

the toys are back in town

2010-03-02T06:06:00.000-08:00

I thought my Baylor friends might be interested to see the winning act from Sing this year.... Kappa Omega Tau with The Toys Are Back In Town! It's awesome.

(I couldn't seem to find Tri Delt's - I think it's something like Under the Sea... if you happen to find it, will you pass it on to me?)

purchasing pepsi

2010-03-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

For the first time since February 09, I picked up a 2-liter of Diet Pepsi and a bag of Baked Lays at the store last week. And I was pretty happy to do it, for more than one reason! First, Baked Lays are my favorite chips. And Pepsi is my second favorite soft drink. But more importantly, my purchases signify the end of a year-long boycott that actually worked!

PepsiCo has officially withdrawn its major financial contributions to some activist groups that Brian and I don't want to support. For anyone else who's been giving up your favorite foods along with us, your sacrifices sent a message, loud and clear!

our little snowball

2010-02-23T17:53:00.000-08:00

Except for the winter that I spent in Steamboat Springs, CO, I have never lived in continuous snow for as long as I now have during this first winter in Indy! The ground has literally been covered in white for the past two months.

I realized the other day that Annabelle has never known the world any differently! When the snow finally melts away, it's probably going to weird her out!

So, in honor of this very white season of our lives, following are a few snow/dog pictures.

Hee hee. Annabelle sporting the adorable fleece-lined jacket that our neighbor let her borrow. While I probably would never have purchased this for her myself... it is pretty cute.

My hard-working hubby clearing the driveway from more than a foot of snow.

The snow on the driveway had to go somewhere... lucky little Annabelle got a winter playground in her backyard!

Queen of the mountain!

Snow video #1

Snow video #2

the meaning behind your favorite colors

2010-02-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

Turns out that your favorite colors say more about you than you might think!

My dad discovered this scientifically-valid Color Career Test a few weeks ago. So far, its been pretty accurate for everyone we know who has taken it (except for maybe my sister, whom the test deemed to be an Organizer... laughingly, organized personality she is not).

I love tests like this that reveal things about myself that I might not have realized. Or tests that validate strengths or weaknesses that I already know I have. It's always fun to get to know your personality in a new way!

So go take the test - it's really fast and it's free! All you have to do is choose your favorite colors. And I'd really love to know what it unveils about you - please comment with your results!

If you're interested, here's what the test said about me:

Best Occupational Category: CREATOR

Expressive, Intuitive, Sensitive

These original types place a high value on aesthetic qualities and have a great-need for self-expression. They enjoy working independently, being creative, using their imagination and constantly learning something new. Fields of interest are art, drama, music and writing or places where they can express, assemble, or implement creative ideas.

Suggested careers: Web Designer, Interior Decorator, Librarian, Musician, Technical Writer, English Teacher, Photographer, Author, Editor, Package Designer

I'm A Good Girl I Am

2010-02-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

Stemming from great admiration for Audrey Hepburn, particularly the memorable hooligan-turned-lady she portrays in My Fair Lady, we have chosen "I'm a Good Girl I Am" for the name of our new little girl.

Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, the ruffian who insists, "Eeeewww! I'm a good girl I am!"

For those unfamiliar with the way that the dog world works, here's the scoop. There are so many dogs on record with the AKC that you can't register your dog as simply Fido or Rover. You have to pick a unique name or phrase to represent your pet; they allow up to 30 dogs with the same name before it is discontinued from use forever.

So in confident hope for our own little hooligan, we have dubbed her in faith of the magnificent lady we know she'll become.

Bear with me now - I have to share just a couple of stories...

When Annabelle first arrived, we put her crate in our dining room - about 10 steps from our bedroom. Every time we put her to bed for the first few nights, she would cry and cry. She'd literally cry herself to sleep. And then she'd wake up from her full bladder a few hours later, and the whole ordeal would start all over again. A few nights into this, Brian got up at 4 am to take her outside. After returning her to the crate, he shut our bedroom door to drown out the whimpers (this may sound heartless, but we were in desperate need of sleep)! When he got up for school at 7, he opened the door and tripped over a little ball of fluff lying right outside our door. He hadn't shut her door all the way, so she had escaped and come to sleep as close as she could get to us. Feeling like horrible parents, that next night we moved her crate into her room. And she hasn't whined at bedtime since. Doesn't that melt your heart?

Last week, on the snowiest day of the year so far, we got to make an emergency run to the vet. Poor little girl had woken us up at 3:30 a.m. crying. After taking her outside at least five times over the next two hours, she would not stop whining. We could not figure it out, so covering our heads with pillows, we finally fell back asleep. When I got up in the morning, her poor little ear flaps were swollen at least 1/2 inch thick (they should be 1/8 inch) and her face was swollen too. She shook her head all day and moaned until the vet could work her in. It turns out that she had an allergic reaction to something, but it's hard to know what, considering most plants are covered in snow and insects who might bite her aren't active in the dead of winter. The vet put her on benadryl and it worked like a charm! Good to know there is a $5 remedy that's usually stocked in our medicine cabinet, just in case it ever happens again!

Following are a few pictures and a video of Annabelle (aka: I'm A Good Girl I Am) as she has adjusted to life as a Smith.

Weekly pictures (taken next to her little golden toy for size reference):

And finally, here's a little tug-of-war video. Though the winner is predictable, its still pretty cute.

just in time for v-day...

2010-02-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

There are few things I enjoy more than finding a good deal. I am a bargain-hunter, a coupon-clipper, a great-buy junkie.

And I've recently discovered a deal that sounds too good to be true. Except that it isn't.

If you haven't heard of it already, go to restaurant.com. RIGHT NOW.

This site offers restaurant gift certificates at a fraction of the regular price. And when I say fraction, I mean fraction.

Yesterday, I purchased a $50 gift certificate to Plum's Upper Room, where Brian and I plan to enjoy a romantic Valentines dinner this weekend.

Want to know how much I paid for it? FOUR DOLLARS. Which means we'll be saving FORTY-SIX DOLLARS when we eat there.

This is how that makes me feel.

It's so quick and easy. Just enter your zip code and the site will bring up all the participating restaurants in your area. The deals are mind-blowing. Plus, you can search for discount codes online that allow you to save even more. For my steal yesterday, I used the code HEARTS for 80% off the already-low price of $20 for a $50 certificate.

As soon as you complete your purchase, you can instantly print the certificate so you have it, in hand, to use right away.

Dining out will never be the same.

There are a few stipulations on the certificates that vary by restaurant. Some require a minimum purchase of two entrees, some require a certain amount to be spent. So be sure to look over the details before you buy. Now go check it out!!!

going blue

2010-02-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge football fan. There are just too many terms and rules for me to keep track of - for some reason I have a really hard time grasping the game. However, Colts fever was pretty contagious this year, even for me. :) The hype was up all season long, but as the wins kept coming, the city-wide energy just kept growing.

So, as you might imagine, last week leading up to the Super Bowl was particulary insane! Everywhere you looked there was blue. Blue flags flew all over the place, from houses to business windows to government flagpoles. Many stores even offered special sales in honor of the coming game. What a fun time to live in Indy!

We watched the big game with our small group. I remembered to take my camera so I could get a picture of all of us together, but completely forgot about it once the game started. So, sadly, I only have pictures of the food I contributed to our party.

These cute little footballs are Oreo Truffles, Bakerella style. They were a huge hit and I would definitely make them again!

(It was funny - I got on facebook after the game was over and saw only ONE other friend rooting for the Colts. We were definitely in the minority! Everyone was pushing for the underdog, and really, we think its great that if the Colts had to lose to someone, it was the Saints. They played a great game.)

visitors

2010-02-08T16:29:00.000-08:00

Still playing catch up here - almost finished.

Just before Christmas, my dear friend Ashley flew out to stay with us for a couple of days. I met Ash when we were in Wichita last year - she and her husband, Matt, lived in the townhouse right across the street from ours. After discovering all that we had in common, we quickly grew to be close friends. We have definitely missed having the Braeuers as neighbors here in Indy, so it was a real treat when Ash came to visit! We reverted back to our neighbor days and spent hours on the couch talking and just hanging out. We did so much talking, in fact, that we hardly left the house (plus it was FREEZING outside while she was here), so we don't have very many pictures. But we have a ton of fun memories! :)

Sweet Aunt Ashley letting Stryder snuggle - on the couch! - with her.

Right after Christmas, my great friends Val (from Kansas City) and Em (from Denver) flew out to visit. Like Ashley, we didn't take very many pictures, but we fit lots of great girl time into the few days that they were here. (I apologize that the few pictures we do have are very random!)

In honor of their trip, I made a gigantic chocolate cake - the kind you only make once a year for a very special occasion. And the kind you only make for serious chocolate lovers. Chocolate mousse, and ganache, sandwiched between two layers of rich chocolate cake, smothered in chocolate buttercream and topped with one more layer of ganache. Woooaaahhh. Here's the recipe if you want to try it - but let me forewarn you, it is a bit complicated and time consuming. But oh so worth it!

Val is a registered dietician, and Em and I are both serious foodies, so much of our conversations centered around food and recipes. Consequently, I was really excited to take them to Fresh Market, a local grocery store that I find amazing (ha ha - probably doesn't sound like fun to very many people)! Turns out I know my friends pretty well - we stayed for more than an hour, walking the aisles, oohing and aahing over their gourmet foods and beautiful displays.

Cheezy pic of Val and I checking out Fresh Market's lollipop selection (Em FORCED us to pose for this). :)

We also did some shopping and dining in Zionsville, a neat area nearby, and then I took them to eat at Ambrosia, our favorite Italian restaurant (but we forgot to take pictures at both places). One really fun part of their trip was that Em and I got to teach Val how to knit! We went to a yarn shop and all bought the same yarn so we could knit the same scarf.

Nothing beats quality time with girlfriends! I am so blessed by these three ladies, and so honored that they would come visit me. Love you girls!

Williamsburg

2010-02-02T17:42:00.000-08:00

I've got a little bit of catching up to do.

Between our two-week visit to Wichita in December, houseguests and preparation for little Annabelle, I've gotten quite behind in my posts. I am determined to someday make a blog book, so even if the following happened two months ago, I just can't leave it out! I do apologize for the rewind.

For Christmas 2008, Brian's mom gave Abby (Brian's sister) and me a girls weekend getaway to Colonial Williamsburg. It's a quaint historical village in Virginia filled with homes, shops and government buildings preserved from America's early days. Every year at Christmastime, they have an old-fashioned Grand Illumination weekend that culminates in a fife-and-drum plus fireworks finale!

The special celebration this year fell during the first weekend of December. We all flew into Washington DC and spent one night with Renee, Roxie's sister, and her family. They live just outside of DC in Leesburg, VA, which is about 3 hours from Williamsburg.

We headed out early the next morning, and after stopping at a regional craft show, arrived at our beautiful hotel in Williamsburg. Even though it was cold and rainy the first day we were there, we still had a blast exploring the area together.

After dinner the first night, Abby and I opted to go back to our room and knit - it was freezing cold and nothing sounded better than sitting on our warm bed, watching Christmas movies and working on our scarves. It was wonderful!

The next morning, we were very happy to see sunshine and blue skies! We spent most of the day wandering around the Williamsburg square. Period-dressed actors walked throughout the crowds, either singing carols or acting out colonial skits.

These amazing fruit wreaths were hanging everywhere - they are Williamsburg's trademark, especially during the holidays (it's all real fruit)! Truly magnificent. I absolutely love magnolia (I used magnolia leaves everywhere in our wedding), so I was in awe of the thick garland drapings.

The last evening, we bundled up in our warmest gear and headed out to the Grand Illumination.

Thousands of people come in for this event every year, and after attending, I can understand why. It was pretty spectacular!

What special memories we got to make together - definitely a weekend we'll never forget!

latest addiction

2010-01-26T17:41:00.000-08:00

I've officially caught the knitting bug. I. can't. stop. Why didn't anyone ever tell me that twisting yarn would be this much fun?!?!?

After my friend Ashley taught me to crochet a couple of months ago, I decided that I also wanted to try my hand at knitting. Over Thanksgiving break, having not a clue the difference between a knit and a purl, I bought my first set of needles. Then I mustered up the courage to visit Twist, an adorable little knitting shop in Wichita.

Here's the first book that caught my eye:

After a friendly associate convinced me that I really could learn how to knit, I left Twist with this book and four skeins of yarn. And a teeny bit more confidence.

New Shapes turned out to be a book that is just perfect for beginners. In the back of the book are really specific instructions on each type of stitch. Although I had to refer to knittinghelp.com a few times, learning the stitches wasn't nearly as scary as I had imagined!

This scarf and hat are from the New Shapes book and were my first two projects.

Aren't the little bows cute? I think I made the one on the hat a bit large, but I like how they turned out on the scarf (the scarf tucks into itself behind the bows).

I quickly discovered that although there are thousands upon thousands of great knitting books, there are also a TON of patterns, many of them free, online. One of my favorite new resources for patterns is Ravelry, a site created especially for knitters and crocheters.

It was there that I found my next adorable project: a Marc Jacobs inspired scarf that I gave my sister for Christmas. I immediately fell in love with the ruffles (here's the pattern if you want to take a stab at it yourself).

I love it so much that I'm currently working on one for myself!

My last completed project was this Anthropologie-inspired scarflet, which I gave my cousin for Christmas. I made it so that she could remove the flower and wear it plain, or maybe with a brooch. It's hard to tell from this picture because the flower is hiding it, but at the criss-cross, the scarf tucks through itself (you can see how it works at the designer's blog).

Brian's mom also gave me a book for Christmas that has the cutest baby patterns I have ever seen! I'm keeping it secret for now, though, because I plan on using it quite frequently this year for gifts, as about 70 jillion of my friends are currently preggo! :)

Does anyone else out there knit? This newbie would love any advice, good knitting sites, books, etc.

real-life russell

2010-01-20T11:23:00.000-08:00

I just had to post this picture for anyone who's seen Up (the movie). If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will!

the newest Smith

2010-01-17T16:43:00.000-08:00

Our long-awaited little ball of fluff is finally here!!! Introducing our sweet little Annabelle.

Since we don't have a human baby to oogle over yet, please bear with me and let me tell you for just a second how excited we are about this puppy and the dog that she is going to become! Her great-grandma served after 9-11 as a rescue dog in the WTC rubble; in fact, she was chosen to be the poster dog for the NYC K-9 rescue squad during that time. Her grandpa is currently a K-9 office for the NYPD, and just last week, he sniffed out $250,000 worth of cocaine that was hidden within a metal lock box, which was in the middle of a rubbermaid container that had been filled with concrete. On top of that, Annabelle's parents are both champion show dogs AND certified working therapy dogs. Does this girl have good genes or what?

Some of our great friends from Wichita, Seth and Toni Buttner, drove up to Indianapolis this weekend to get a male from Annabelle's litter. It was so incredibly fun to share this experience with them! And, we're excited that our dogs will have the chance to be together once we move back to Wichita.

Annabelle's fun little personality is already starting to shine through! She is very attentive and patient and seems to learn really quickly. Although we haven't attempted to teach her the "sit" command yet, she naturally sits all the time, which isn't typical for such a young puppy. She'll walk a few steps and then sit for several minutes, like she's thinking about what to do next. We may be a little biased, but we think she is absolutely adorable.

We only had to get up once with her last night, which is really extraordinary for an 8-week old puppy! She is already going to the bathroom on command and has only had a couple of accidents inside the house.

Stryder is adjusting pretty well so far. We've given him a lot of love and attention, and will definitely continue taking him all by himself for his daily walks. He's even let Annabelle sleep on his bed several times - although he isn't looking for opportunities to be right next to her, he hasn't been mean to her. And she's definitely not scared of him. We looked down tonight and she had smooshed her little head right next to his and fallen fast asleep.

All in all, she's even better than we hoped she would be! If you want to see more pictures and videos of our weekend, feel free to check out this gallery .

from three to four

2010-01-06T21:29:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official... we're about to become a family of four! (Two people and two dogs, that is - no human babies yet!)

We picked our golden girl on Monday night, and here's a sneak peek. She's the one on the left (Brian's right). Isn't she just the cutest thing you've ever seen?

There were five females to choose from. It. was. not. easy. They were all adorable little balls of fluff. But something about this one stood out to us - she's mellow and snuggly, and she has the most beautiful eyes.

She'll come home with us in NINE days.

It feels like Christmas all over again. :)

PS. Sorry for the terrible lack of updates from the Smith household lately - more to come soon!