recent happenings

i do intend to blog more often than once every six weeks or so...it has been a busy fall for us between weekends away for football games, church activities, christopher under a work deadline right now, and me trying to finish my professional license before the baby comes.

i think "nesting" has begun as i started to realize that there are many projects i would like to get done to my house over the next few months. one thing that was long overdue (mostly because i took my time deciding what i wanted!) was finding some kind of window treatment for our master bedroom. i finally settled on thick white (faux-)wood blinds. i have to commend my sweet husband for installing these the same day we bought them, despite his having to work 60+ hour weeks lately.
i also picked a paint color for our guest bedroom. it is called easy green and is sort of seafoamy. i just liked the shade but loved it even more when i realized it goes perfectly with a great picture my photographer friend liz took at a random (defunct) gas station somewhere in the SC countryside. my picture doesn't do it justice, but it hopefully shows how the wall color brings out the photo color.
i had been waiting to start thinking about the nursery until we found out the baby's gender...we are having a girl!!! so i'd like to do the walls in a shade of brown and the room in pink and green, since i was inspired by this precious bedding.

so far i have only had one intense food craving: for fried chicken. on the bone. nothing else would satisfy, so fortunately chris had no problem with us getting bojangles that night.here is my most recent "belly shot" around the end of 18 weeks. this past weekend was a special one since christopher was ordained as a deacon in our church. both sets of parents came for the ceremony, and we had a great time as a family.here are the men: and us:

flashback

last weekend our sunday school class had an 80s & 90s party. we collected music from those decades to listen to at the party, and we all dressed up. i had a great time looking through my cds from the 90s. some highlights include early alanis morissette, ace of base, coolio, and the one-hit-wonder preconfigured-dance-move favorite: the macarena.
a few weeks ago, i was telling a (50-year-old) coworker about our party, and she let me borrow some great 80s songs she had on record (or lp, or whatever they used back then) from when she was my age! what i really love about the 80s style are the bright colors- purple and teal are some of my favorites. amazingly, i already had almost everything i needed in my closet for my outfit. i did buy a t-shirt and some cheap jewelry. but, i didn't buy anything i won't be wearing again. you can't really tell in the picture, but i wore the hot pink floret earrings. i really enjoy having these in so many colors!as much as i wanted us to go as an 80s couple, it is very difficult to create a boy's outfit from the 80s. props to brandon who was able to do this (two pictures below, second from the left). his wife lori (the one i mentioned in my previous post makes jewelry ) made him a clip on earring. for chris' 90s look, we found a nirvana t-shirt at target, and he wore an unbuttoned flannel shirt over that. when he paired it with his boots (which may actually be from the 90s!) and cargo shorts, he was ready with his grunge band look. most of the girls decided to dress 80s. i really love lori's walkman accessory (she's to the right of me below). she said she found it at home in her nightstand!the guys are a mix of the two decades. here is what we called their band "album cover" shot! it was a great night, and it got me wondering: what styles will we laugh at from the 2000s in ten years?

upward

chris started coaching basketball last winter with the upward program at our church. this year, he is coaching with liz's boyfriend scott. what a great help scott is, since he actually played basketball in high school! yesterday liz & i went to their game to cheer them on. miss leah came along, too and was so sweet, waving to her daddy and clapping. we had a good time and the kids were so cute! they don't keep score at this age (1st & 2nd graders), but they seemed to have fun. so this is where christopher is every saturday during january & february!

christmas table decor

i'm catching up on my posts and did two at one time, so if you missed the other one about our holiday activities so far just scroll down...or go here. this year i hosted a table for the women's ministry christmas dinner at our church. it involved decorating with a centerpiece, using your china, and providing placecards/favors.christopher helped me out greatly with the creation of the placecard holders. first of all, i have to thank chris' cousin pam for letting me take some pecans from her yard at thanksgiving! i was in their front yard walking eva and noticed how pretty some of the fallen pecans were. anyway, christopher was so sweet to drill slots in the pecans and hollow them out with his dremel. (good excuse to use the man tools, huh?)then i painted them with some shiny acrylic paint.and added the placecards.i actually used the same centerpiece i used last year but changed it up by spray painting some of the pinecones with silver & gold paint. i also added some of the gold pecans i didn't use from the placecards. i was trying to mix the silvers & golds so that my gilded dishes (i really just wanted to use the word gilded!) would blend better with the silver tray & flatware. thanks to my mom for letting me borrow her fine flatware, as i don't have enough of my own! for the favors, i stuck with the pecan theme. i made my grandmother's sugared pecans (which she always has at christmastime!) and put them in some tiny (and therefore cute!) chinese takeout-looking boxes. i really had fun with this project and was pleased with how everything turned out.

holidays so far

it's been a while since our last post, so i'll catch you up on our holidays goings-on...we went to the farm in south georgia (chris' mom's side) for thanksgiving. we had a baked turkey and a fried turkey. christopher was in charged of the fried one, and it was delicious! i've already decided that in 30 years or so, whenever i'm responsible for taking over holiday meal preparation, i'm going to let him fry it up! it's so much faster and equally delicious. the next day while the boys were doing something with beef brisket (smoking, maybe?), i stayed inside with the girls and we made christmas mice- an idea mrs. cathy got from her friend. at the beginning of december, we had a christmas party with christopher's work at the very lovely westin poinsett. these are some friends that we actually know through church, lori & brandon, but the husband also works at ge. this month we also had a christmas party with our sunday school class. the boys didn't want a picture, but here is one of the girls: and finally, last weekend we did christmas with the golden side of the family. here is a picture of us: christopher, his two brothers, and his parents. kevin, his middle brother, just got engaged this month and this is his fiancee, andra! i have always wanted a sister!

missions

october is missions month at our church. a couple weeks ago we had an amazing multilingual service and shared the Lord's supper with Christian believers of other cultures in the area. we've been learning about some of the conditions around the world, and some of the financial statistics are eye-opening. for example, if you sold everything you owned and could come up with $2,200, you would be in the wealthiest 50% of the world. if you did the same and could come up with $61,000, you are in the wealthiest 10% of the world. (for most of us young people, it will only be a matter of time before we can achieve the latter.)

by nature, i enjoy things- clothes, going out to eat, taking trips, other luxuries. i pray that i won't be materialistic or ever love these things more than i love the Lord. lately God has been showing me that i have SO MUCH and have been blessed in so many ways. i am so thankful for this fresh perspective and feel content with what i have, knowing that it is really more than i need. a year ago, i was impatiently wondering, "when will we ever pay off my student loans so we can buy a house?" now that we are debt-free, i feel God challenging me to ask, "how can i use what i have to be a blessing to others? how can i glorify Him?"

i am touched by recent reports from some of our friends. a couple we know left this month to be full-time missionaries in a middle-eastern country, trusting God to compel other believers to give enough monthly to fund their efforts. our dear college ministers from GT, jamey and mary, are continuing to minister to college students in louisiana but more recently have been taking steps to adopt a child from uganda to be a little brother to their three sons. (check out their adoption blog.) they are stepping out in faith, knowing that God will provide for that which He ordains. this is God's love in action, and i want to be a part of it! i'm not exactly sure how God is calling us to respond, but i want to be prepared to say YES!

today in the mail, we got a christmas gift catalog from samaritan's purse, a ministry founded by billy graham's son whose mission (quoted from their website) is to "follow Christ's command [in Luke 10:30-37] by going to the aid of the world's poor, sick, and suffering." please check out the catalog here. i love the format, as it reminds me of a department store catalog. i couldn't help but cry as i read what different amounts will buy for those around the world- such as $75 to rescue a child from exploitation or $9 to feed a hungry baby for a week. not your typical christmas presents!

our praise band sang a worship song sunday that vocalizes what i'm feeling:

You said, Ask and you will receive
Whatever you need
You said, Pray and I'll hear from heaven
And I'll heal your land

You said Your glory will fill the earth
Like water the sea
You said, Lift up your eyes
The harvest is here, the kingdom is near

You said, Ask and I'll give the nations to you
O Lord, that's the cry of my heart
Distant shores and the islands will see
Your light, as it rises on us

O Lord, I ask for the nations (repeat)

[music from hillsong]

fall so far

fall is definitely here! last weekend we went apple picking at sky top orchard with liz and scott- and little miss leah, of course!it was very picturesque, walking around filling our baskets with handpicked apples of every kind. i am thankful for my tall husband whose reach far outstretches mine! i love how the rows of trees were labeled with the type of apple. we had to pose here, for obvious reasons:this week i made apple streusel muffins and apple crisp. i also sliced up winesap apples- the kind my grandmother picks from her backyard for her fried apple pies. they freeze well, and i will be making some pies of my own soon. for saturday's game, we are taking apples & brickle dip (among other things). speaking of games, here's some photos of the gt season so far. first game: this is the dress christopher picked out for me in chicago. here i am with the girls, linda & katherine:christopher's whole family ended up coming for the white-out game. we're not sure of the last time the four golden men were together at a football game!a few weeks ago, we had a church picnic with our newlywed sunday school class (and the teachers & their kids): the class is actually a lot bigger than this. we recently split into two classes because it was growing so much. so sadly, christopher and i are no longer newlyweds!

weekend with the goldens

chris' parents came to visit us in greenville for the first time last weekend. on friday night, we showed them around downtown and went to dinner at the lazy goat.on saturday, we went to the biltmore - mr. chris & mrs. cathy got to see it for the first time, and christopher & i enjoyed one last use of our annual passes before they expired. we decided to take a specialty tour and got to explore some balconies and rooftop terraces.
the gardens are always exquisite, and the weather was gorgeous. i can't imagine a family calling all of this home.our last stop on the estate was the farm, where mrs. cathy & i held baby chicks at the petting zoo.
the goldens came to church with us on sunday and left in the afternoon. it was a wonderful visit!

fun week

this week has been filled with fun events so far. on monday night, i went to chris' softball game. they are doing really well this season and won their game this week. there is another wife, kim, that always goes and keeps the score. we have a lot in common, and i am enjoying getting to know her. maybe she will rub off on me, and i'll start paying more attention to what's going on during the games!

on tuesday, piedmont women's center had a cowboy-themed potluck dinner for all the volunteers & staff. chris came with me, and it was great to get to introduce him to some of the ladies i volunteer with. they also unveiled some expansions they are planning for their primary center downtown, which is exciting.

today, lori and i planned a picnic in the park with our dogs. it was the most beautiful day of the week so far - bright sunshine and not a cloud in the sky! we had chicken salad on croissants, chips & salsa, and these awesome puff pastries lori made with whipped cream and chocolate sauce - delicious! her dog, spencer, is a year-and-a-half-old yellow lab, and he & eva had a great time playing. here's a picture of spence in the car on the way - just begging to be let into the front with us. lori is also looking for a job right now, and we decided it would be fun to make picnic lunches together a regular thing until we find jobs.

tonight was the last meeting of our "greenhouse" class at church - basically brushy creek's wednesday night bible studies. our class had a party, and we enjoyed a lot of good food. chris wanted to bring stuffed jalapenos, and i wanted to bring apples & brickle dip (joy's recipe). so we compromised, and i made a half recipe of each.

we're looking forward to going to chris' grandparents' farm house in south georgia for the long weekend. everyone have a great memorial day!

october updates: church

a few weeks ago we joined the church we've been visiting. we also started going on wednesday nights and are in a class about discovering your identity in christ, which is a study of the book of ephesians. we've enjoyed getting to know the couples in our sunday school class and have gotten to do some fun things with them. we went out with the class for miniature golf & go-cart racing. we also carved pumpkins with brandon & lori, who made a tradition of doing that each year. it was my first pumpkin carving! lori is an interior designer, so i am thrilled to have found an art buddy in greenville! she & i went downtown to greenville's open studios last weekend, which is an annual event where you can interact with local artists at work in their studios. we decided we need to find an art class in greenville & take it together!

church update

after spending all summer visiting a lot of churches in greenville, chris and i are thrilled to start attending one regularly: brushy creek baptist church. they have a great newlyweds sunday school class we've been going to. though we feel like we've been married long enough not to be considered newlyweds anymore (we're pros at this now right??), the other couples are closer to our age and typically stay about 3 years before moving up to the young marrieds class. it doesn't hurt that the teacher went to georgia tech, and he & his wife are big gt football fans! last weekend we went with them to see the movie fireproof, and it was great! we're looking forward to becoming more involved there and getting to know people better. everybody we've met so far has been so loving and inclusive, and we're grateful that God has led us there.