pray.trust.live

Forever Changed...

2011-07-06T16:47:00.002-04:00

Pretty Colors

2009-06-05T15:36:00.009-04:00

Enough said...

Mother's Day

2009-05-08T16:31:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Another Great Giveaway

2009-05-04T10:54:00.005-04:00

Head over to http://sherbetblossom.blogspot.com/ for another great giveaway! This time it's jewelry. LOVE IT!!! You can also click the sherbetblossom button over on the left to get there.

One of these days I'm actually going to win one of these things...

Leo's Newest Trick

2009-04-14T15:15:00.002-04:00

I love GIVEAWAYS!

2009-04-14T10:07:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I LOVE a good giveaway and I found a GREAT one today at sherbet blossom! For a few weeks I've been following a blog here. I've always enjoyed writing and journaling but often find it difficult to know WHAT I want to write about. This site has been AWESOME because the prompts make it easy to come up with new ideas and write, write, write. SO, if you'd like to enter a cool give away visit Hannah at sherbet blossom (you can click the link or the button on my page) and if you want some inspiration head on over to Marta's site. Enjoy and good luck!!

p.s. Easter post to come soon!

Stupid Human Tricks

2009-04-02T11:46:00.005-04:00

Ok, so here's the set up: A couple of weeks ago at youth group Matt told the youth that it was impossible to swallow a teaspoon of cinnamon. I'm not exactly sure how things escalated from there but I DO remember hearing the words "I bet you can't do it" being said (and if I'm not mistaken they came from the lips of my husband) and from there it was on. Now, I'm a rule follower (for the most part) so if someone tells me that I should do something or there are specific instructions, signs, directions (ie-arrows in a parking lot) then I'm fine, you won't hear any rebuttal from me. HOWEVER, when I hear the words "You CAN'T do that", as in, "You don't have the ability", well then, sister let me tell you it is on...like Gonkey Kong (according to Brooke Simmons). So, once the words were out the challenge had been issued and I accepted. SO, after our youth lesson, including wonderful words of spiritual wisdom from said challenge issuing husband, I began the search for the cinnamon. We (Matt, 10 youth, and I) headed to the front yard where I was CONVINCED that I would be proving Matt VERY WRONG. I mean after all it was just tiny teaspoon of cinnamon...right?

The following is a visual sample of how it all went down...

I guess I don't need to explain to you that I lost the challenge and that it is, in fact, not possible to swallow cinnamon. Why? Well, because when cinnamon gets wet it clumps (a fact that I as one who does a lot of cooking/baking had somehow forgotten). I clearly remember praying that the Lord would not let me choke to death at youth group in front of the pastor's house.

So...Matt was right.

Maybe I should just stick to following the arrows in the parking lot...

(Just a quick disclaimer: this really isn't a very safe trick. Once the cinnamon is in your mouth you really do start to choke. So put this one under the "do not try this at home (OR youth camp)" file.) : )

Quotable Quotes

2009-04-02T10:14:00.002-04:00

We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned,

so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
―Joseph Campbell

Cute Joke

2009-02-16T15:56:00.003-05:00

What did zero say to eight?

"Nice belt!" : )

Tag...I'm it.

2009-01-19T12:42:00.007-05:00

My friend Tracy is hilarious, fun, beautiful, and real. Matt and I feel very blessed that God has given us so many amazing friends since moving to Indy. Tracy is in my ladies' Bible study group. She says "Y'all" all the time and I LOVE IT!! She lovingly tagged me in her last blog so here we go:

Go to your picture files, pick the fourth folder and the fourth picture in that folder and explain it!

This picture of Matt and I was taken a couple of years ago when we went to visit our friends Gary and Jess in Virginia. I think it was actually our first real vacation as a married couple. We spent the week hanging out, going to Virginia Beach and eating at lots of fun places. I'm glad we did that. I'm pretty sure our next few years won't include any real vacations. But that's a whole other story that noone wants to hear. : )

Just for the fun of it here a couple more oldies but goodies. Enjoy!

Leo's first night at home, almost a year ago.

Matt and Leo playing.

So now, It's my turn to tag: Mom and Erin--YOU'RE IT! : )

SHOES!!!

2008-12-08T12:03:00.002-05:00

What could be a better giveaway than SHOES??? And believe me these are some GREAT shoes. Head over to THIS site to enter to win or you can click on the Sherbet Blossom Holiday Giveaway Button to the right! Good luck!! (But here's to secretly hoping that I will be the winner.) : ) I want THIS pair:

Giveaways!

2008-12-08T11:47:00.002-05:00

I LOVE giveaways!! Do you?? If so check out THIS link for some AWESOME ones!! (For a quick link see button on right side.)

My Sweet Man

2008-11-24T12:48:00.004-05:00

Ok, for starters, I'm not sure why blogger is so fickle but I'm happy that I was finally able to change my background. Hopefully it won't give me that much trouble when I decide to change it again. Oh well...

It's been a few days...weeks...since I last posted. We've been so busy and quite frankly life hasn't been uber exciting. Its just been the normal everyday life stuff.

Tuesday (the 18th) was our 2nd wedding anniversary. Some moments it is hard to believe we've been married that long and other moments it seems like much longer. NOT IN A BAD WAY...don't get me wrong. It's more that I have a hard time remembering what my life was like when I wasn't married to Matt. Seriously...what was that like??

Anyway, we had tickets to the Pacers vs. Hawks game on Tuesday night. Heath was in town and staying with us so we three ventured into downtown to Conseco Fieldhouse for the event. Our seats were great and we also had access to the Locker Room Restaurant. Unbeknownst to me, Larry Bird is the GM for the Pacers. "WHAT??? Did she just say Larry Bird??" Yes, that would be THE Larry Bird. Now I'm not a huge NBA fan but even I can appreciate and recognize the greatness that Mr. Bird represents. So, because of our access and where Larry was sitting (right by the tunnel to the restaurant) we were able to get his autograph. I'm pretty sure Heath was overwhelmed and I'm completely sure that he was sweating profusely in his Contanza puffy coat. Matt tells the story that he MET Larry Bird. I don't think that "Thank you." and "You're welcome." REALLY constitute as a meeting (quite sure that names need to be involved to label it that, but who am I to spoil the fun?? : ) We then decided to get some food as the game wrapped up. (Yay Pacers for winning!!) We were able to watch the team head to the locker room and a few even came into the restaurant (and of course Heath got more autographs. Honestly, the more time I spend with him the more I wonder if they actually adapted the George character after him.) We and another big group of people ended up leaving the restaurant at about the same time and as we were about the step onto the elevator two of the men in the group started to argue. Now, if you know me well you know that I'm terrified of conflict and even more so if it has the potential to get physical. Well, these two were on the threshold of recreating a scene from Rocky and I was not about to be anywhere near that. I hid behind some stranger. The group got on the elevator. We got on another elevator. When we got to the main lobby sure enough Mr. Bigshot and The Punk (as I've now dubbed them) were outside trading punches...really mature, but that's what alcohol and arrogance will do for you. Of course Matt and Heath wanted to follow the action. By this time security guards were sprinting past us to break up the malay. You can also go HERE to read Heath's version of the story. Needless to say, I won't soon forget what we did on our 2nd anniversary. : )

Since our actual anniversary was on a Tuesday we had decided to celebrate the weekend after. Matt had been sneaking around making plans to which I was COMPLETELY clueless. I knew we were having dinner at the Melting Pot (LOVE that place) but after that I didn't know what our plans were. As it turns out he had booked us a room at Hotel Indigo. It's an amazing place. We had a great time just relaxing and not worrying about ONE SINGLE THING. He took care of every little detail and made it a wonderful little getaway. He gave me THIS and THIS and THESE. I gotta say my man knows the way to my heart...football and chocolate. : ) So, Matty I just have to say THANK YOU for EVERYTHING!! You made me fall even more in love with you. I pray we have a lifetime of those moments.

I'll post some pics from the game and dinner soon!

Thank you President Bush

2008-11-05T15:53:00.002-05:00

I really appreciated THIS article that I read today. I'm not going to blog about the election. I'm just not in a place where I feel that it is necessary or that I could write it with grace so I'm choosing silence on the issue for now. Besides I think the web has seen enough post election blogs for one day. : )

Bowden Gets Booted!!

2008-10-13T12:25:00.004-04:00

So FINALLY someone wised up and did what we Tiger fans have been wanting for a while now. Maybe now we can get somewhere. C-L-E-M-S-O-N T-I-G-E-R-S!!!!

Had a bad day...

2008-10-10T14:51:00.002-04:00

The last 18 hours of our lives have been quite the adventure. On Thursday evenings I go to a ladies’ Bible study. I look forward to this every week because it is such a refreshing and refueling time for me. Our group of ladies is amazing and they have been such an encouragement to me over the last few months. So last night, being Thursday, Matt dropped me and another lady off at the house where we meet. He was going over to our friends, Jeff and Tessa’s house to watch their kids so Tessa could come to Bible study. About 10 minutes after Matt dropped us off my phone rang.

Matt: “Hey, listen, I’ve been in an accident.”
Me: “Are you serious?”
Matt: “Yeah.”
Me: “Is the car totaled?”
Matt: “I don’t know. It’s pretty bad.”

My initial reaction was nausea. We only have one car. How are we going to get to work? How are we going to get ANYWHERE? How much is this going to cost us? How bad does my car (which isn’t paid off yet) look? Why did this have to happen now, we were finally starting to break even? Sadly, my initial reaction was not to trust God. I am not proud of how I reacted at first.

One of the ladies drove me to the scene so I could be with Matt. We got things taken care of there. They towed the car. We went to the ER because Matt was in some pain with his hand/thumb and we wanted to make sure he was ok. Our pastor, Brad, picked us up from the ER and took us home around 9:30. (As a side note here I LOVE our pastor and his family!!! They have been SO good to us!!) (As another side note: they gave Matt two Vicodin at the ER and I literally saw his eyes glaze over. The giggling was totally worth the time in the ER.)
Thankfully we have a really good insurance policy which is going to cover for us to have a rental until we get the car back. Hopefully it’s not totaled and can be fixed.

All of that to say that God’s hand has already been so evident in this thing. First and foremost, Matt was not seriously injured. Considering that it was a truck that hit him it could have been MUCH worse. Our insurance people have been amazingly helpful and friendly. (We’ll see how much that’s gonna cost us when our premium is reassessed.)

I told Matt last night that I was going to have to put feet to my words. The book we’ve been reading for Bible study is all about letting go of fear and learning to trust God. These are the moments in our lives where we must walk what we talk.

On top of that Matt has a sinus infection which he went to the doctor for yesterday morning and the dog had some nasty stomach issues at 5:00 this morning. Cleaning up poo that early in the morning is just not fun. So now we get the clean our carpet this weekend. : )

My motto through this whole thing has been: “I will not be moved.” My foundation is firm. My God is faithful, yesterday, today, and forever more.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2008-10-08T11:45:00.005-04:00

I tried this recipe last weekend and these things are YUMMY!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
1 2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.

3. Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon**, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

5. Spread** the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.

**I used my Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator to form the cookies since the batter is very runny. I also used it for the filling. It made things much easier. : )

(Recipe taken from Every Day with Rachael Ray)

Common Sense Plan

2008-10-01T08:36:00.003-04:00

If you're not on board with the $700 billion bail out go to www.daveramsey.com, click on URGENT! 3 Steps to Fix Our Nation's Economy and follow the instructions!!

Why I miss Huck and Quoteable Quotes 2

2008-09-26T09:04:00.003-04:00

Check out this link to Mike Huckabee's blog on the $700 billion bail out. Seriously, WHY did we let this man go from the Presidential ticket???

Also, as a compliment to the blog here is installment #2 of Quoteable Quotes. This too I borrow from Heath Mullikin. (If I keep this up I may have to rename my blog from "pray.trust.live" to "The Heath Mullikin Ego Booster Blog").

"Blame is always about the past. Blame doesn't change the future. Bravery does. Bravery to move past the impulse to pass blame and instead discuss solutions to our shared problems."

Speaking of bail outs...is anyone going to bail me out of my debt? You know the students loans I accrued during the 4 years I spent in college trying to better myself by getting an education. Oh wait, that's right I'm just an average person not a CEO of a multimillion dollar corporation that knowing made billion dollar mistakes, so the standard is different...no bail outs for me. The big dogs get to live without responsibility and consequences. I'll take my shaky credit and strong morals over a bail out any day.

Quoteable Quotes--First Installment

2008-09-25T11:34:00.002-04:00

I've been hearing alot of quotes lately that are just too good to not share. So today I will share the first of what will be many quoteable quotes. This one is courtsey of my wonderfully hilarious and though provoking friend Heath Mullikin.

On why our schools are "failing":
Personally, I think we need to train our children to TAKE back their country through 4 simple lessons:

Turn off the TV
Accept authority
Keep your pants on
Excellence in everything you do

Fun Giveaways! Click the links below and enter!!

2008-09-24T08:42:00.002-04:00

Free Amazon Card @ financiallearn.com

Cool Jewelry @ centsiblemommy

The Lastest

2008-09-19T13:22:00.002-04:00

So, I finally got the issues with blogger worked out. I still don't know what happened but at least now I have a pretty background again...and we all know how important that is.

Life has been crazy as usual in the Rhodes household. Between work, church, the dog and of course, our ever evolving social calendar : ) we're always on the go it seems.

This past weekend we were in Nashville for a wedding. Matt was the Best Man for his friend TJ. Matt and T have been friends since their freshman year of high school. TJ married an AMAZING girl named Amber. I love her and we've become great friends. After the wedding we drove to Clarksville, TN to stay with my bff Jess for the night. It was great to spend time with her since I don't get to see her very often.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas and seeing my family. I've really missed them this week. Some days this long distance thing is just awful...BUT I know I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

I'll post some pictures soon. That's all for now. Nothing profound or even interesting. Just an update to say we're still here and still thinking about you all.

Win a Flip Camcorder

2008-09-02T08:52:00.004-04:00

Found a GREAT contest to win a flip camcorder. Check it out here! I'm really hoping I win one. These things are just too cool! Be sure to enter! Good luck!

Issues

2008-08-27T11:59:00.001-04:00

I'm having blogger issues...oh well. While I try to find a pretty background enjoy THIS really cool post on how to make a skirt without a sewing machine.

CVS Giveaway

2008-08-26T09:00:00.006-04:00

So every now and then I stumble across a blog with a great giveaway or deal. Today I found a link to a blog that is giving away a $25.00 gift card to CVS, which if you know how to work the CVS system this card will go a LONG way.

Check out the blog to enter: Here

Great Deal from Blockbuster

2008-08-12T14:07:00.004-04:00

I found a great deal today.

1. Go to Blockbuster.com and sign up for the free trial of their Total Access program.
2. Go to the "Buy" tab and search the Previously Viewed movies
3. Choose your movie and check out

When checking out use the Promotional Code "augappreciation" and receive $10.00 off an order of $10.00 or more. When you buy previously viewed movies shipping is free!!

I just got 27 Dresses for $3.70. Now that's what I call a GREAT DEAL.

You can go to this blog for details:
http://alccoupons.blogspot.com/2008/08/blockbuster-deal.html

If I could...

2008-07-30T16:10:00.002-04:00

If I could do anything...I'd stay home and bake all day. I'd come up with new recipes so that when I open my bakery one day I'll have many, many unique desserts too choose from. If I could...

Look alike

2008-07-30T09:48:00.003-04:00

It is just me or is Brad Pitt REALLY starting to look like Robert Redford???

26

2008-07-14T11:03:00.005-04:00

Well, I finally hit it. That point where birthdays are just another day and only mean you're closer to one of the big ones. In my case the big 3-0. It makes me sad. I've always loved celebrating my birthday but this one just kinda came and then fizzled out. No fanfare, no party, no cake with candles, no bows and ribbons. It kinda makes me look forward to having kids though. Those celebrations are sure to be lots of fun. Until then I guess I'll just be getting older.

I did get to do some fun things though. Last Thursday our office went to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate the 4 birthdays in July. Friday my wonderful boss, Jill, took me to McAlister's Deli and we had brownies and ice cream at the office. Saturday Matt and I went to a Japanese Steakhouse with some friends. So basically I ate a LOT. Oh, and I also now share a birthday with Knox and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt.

So, here's to 26...

Opinions and Twisters

2008-06-13T13:09:00.005-04:00

The past week and a half have been full of activity. It started on Wednesday when Leah and Aidan were born. Our friends Matt and Ashley are now the proud parents of two of the MOST BEAUTIFUL babies I've EVER seen. You can see more info here. They went through a LOT to get those sweet angles here. Aidan was finally able to go home yesterday after a stay in the NICU.

Last Friday after work Matt and I went to the Colt's Fan Fest in Anderson, IN. It was lots of fun until THIS blew in...

There was an outdoor concert going on and just as Jon McLaughlin sang the last chorus the tornado sirens began to go off. Needless to say people began running to their cars. We are not familiar with the area, its about 35 minutes from where we live. So we got in the car and pulled out the GPS to try to find a place where we could go inside and be a little more safe. We pulled into the mall parking lot only to find out that they EVACUATE the mall when there's a storm. That's a GREAT idea!! Leave people outside to be swooped up by a giant funnel cloud. Thankfully, we were able to hide out in the Big Lots across the street. Many thanks go out to HANK for praying for us through the ordeal. We found THIS...

It's called the "Cuddler" and we want it! It's basically a recliner for two. May end up being a Christmas present to ourselves. Matt has a recliner right now. I hate it with a deep passion for many reasons...plus it's broken.

Then Saturday morning we flew to Orlando for General Conference. It was quite interesing to see how the church functions from that side of things. There'll be more to come on this later. For now let's just say that opinions are like...well I'll just let you finish it. : )

Florida Bound

2008-06-06T12:29:00.008-04:00

Tomorrow Matt and I will be headed to Orlando for THIS event. Matt will be working with Spiritual Formation and I'll be with WIF. Should be an interesting next few days. Be in prayer for the Wesleyan Church as big decisions will be made in the coming days.

I am definitely looking forward to this...

And also excited about hanging out what my wonderfully hysterical friend Amanda and this sweet little doodlebug.

Isn't he PRECIOUS??? So, there will be no blogging until the end of next week. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and I'll post again soon! Love to all!

Sick Sad World

2008-06-06T09:15:00.001-04:00

THIS just TICKS me off!!! What is WRONG with people????

Let me re-phrase that

2008-06-05T10:59:00.004-04:00

I think my previous blog about the weather has been mis-understood by a few. I wasn't referring to the heat as an issue. I grew up in the South and lived in Texas for 4 years so I can handle the heat. What I was talking about was the continual state of rain/cloudy-ness/tornado watches/warnings day after day. Believe me I'll take the heat over sitting in my kitchen floor without power praying my house doesn't blow away ANY day.

Why do I live here??

2008-06-03T10:22:00.002-04:00

Our weather forecast for this week...

Numb-huh??

2008-06-02T11:38:00.001-04:00

Absolutely hysterical video from the spelling bee.

Do you see what I see?

2008-05-29T10:45:00.008-04:00

So Matt and I were watching CSI last night and all of the sudden it hit me...

Do you see the resemblance??

There and back again...

2008-05-27T14:38:00.003-04:00

Well, we are back in Indiana. I would say that we are "home" but I realized while we were in SC this past weekend that Indiana is where I reside but SC is my HOME! It was so good to be there for a few days. I can't begin to describe how great it felt to be with the people I love the most in this world again. It was a whirlwind but I loved every minute of it.

Mom's surgery went well and she's home recovering. The wedding was BEAUTIFUL and we had a great time. Time spent eating and hanging out with family and friends was irreplaceable. I'll post some pics soon.

So, now it's all over and we are back in the place where we reside, but my heart continues to be in the South...my home.

Chew on this...

2008-05-20T12:13:00.001-04:00

Just found this quote from Perry Noble on Tony Morgan's blog:

“We’re trying to save the planet while the people on it are dying and going to Hell.”

Where to start?

2008-05-20T11:28:00.001-04:00

I read THIS story today. It's hard to describe how I feel after reading it. There a lot of things swirling around in my mind: guilt, thankfulness, burdened, James 1:27. I should be doing more. I'm SURROUNDED by this kind of stuff. I don't want to float through life choosing to be "oblivious" to the pain and needs around me.

Nostalgia

2008-05-16T15:19:00.001-04:00

My inner child is LOVING this!

Ready for a laugh?

2008-05-16T10:12:00.005-04:00

If you're wondering what Matt's most embarrassing moment is go here to find out.

These are my boots that he was referring to.

Yesterday was Vet Day for Leo. He now weighs in at 32.2 lbs. That's a big 4 month old. GOOD NEWS...they DO make a doggie sedative...and we now have a bottle of them. Should make the trip a little easier.

As we were leaving the vet we saw the following and of course according to Matt we HAD to stop. It's not everyday you pass by a Storm Trooper standing on the sidewalk. Apparently Barnes & Noble was having some sort of book signing.

Busy Little Bee

2008-05-15T11:43:00.007-04:00

The next few weeks/month are going to be really busy for us. This time next week we'll be in SC getting ready for the wedding, hanging out with family, and eating at our favorite restaurants. Then we're back in Indy for about a week and a half before we head to Orlando for General Conference for 5 days. Back to Indy for another week and a half and Matt heads to NC East for camp. At the end of June I'll be back in SC for my cousin's wedding. I'm looking forward to all of it though. I'm ready to see my family, eat at Joe's and Zaxby's, meet up with some friends and stand by my sister (in-law) as she marries the man of her dreams. Good days ahead.

Here are a few new pics of Leo. He goes for his 4th round of shots today...this thing is a money sucker. But at least he won't get sick and kill over. We're hoping they make some sort of doggie sedative that we can give him for the trip.

He climbed up in the back window of the car all by himself.

This is when he's at his cutest.

Wedgie Free

2008-05-15T08:34:00.002-04:00

For all you girls out there, if you're anything like me then you like free stuff. Hanes is giving away their new Wedgie-Free Panties at THIS website. Check it out and maybe you'll end up with a free pair of panties. : )

Sigh of relief...

2008-05-13T16:01:00.003-04:00

1-The move is OVER! As of today we are officially checked out of the old apartment. We spent the whole weekend finishing up the packing, moving, and dodging rain. Last night we had to go over and prime the walls we had painted and clean the carpet at the old place. Matt went over today and turned in the keys. It was an insane weekend, but I'm so happy to be in McCordsville. We have more room and are now driving 6 minutes to church and 10 to work...much better than the 30-40 minutes we were doing EVERY SINGLE DAY!

2-One of the top 3 reasons we decided to move is that our church, Harvest, has focused it's ministry on the McCordsville/Fortville area. Knowing that we want to be as involved with the ministry there as we can be the move to this area just made sense. So, now it's time to start the relationship building. : )

3-I'm in love with McAlister's Deli. I know we have them in SC but I'd never eaten at one until we moved to Indy. Their sweet tea is the closest thing I've found to home since we moved...God takes good care of me.

4-Exactly one week from this very moment I will be minutes away from beginning the trip HOME!! I can hardly wait to see my family. This is the longest I've ever gone without seeing them and I don't like it! I'm super excited about Hank and Kristie's wedding. Reception + Dancing = 1 happy Wesleyan girl. : ) (Will that get me in trouble???) Joe's here I come!!!!!!

5-Got my pictures from Artscow yesterday. They turned out really great! Very thankful to Stevan for the heads up on that one. Turns out they come from Hong Kong.

6-Very nervous about traveling 9+ hours with a 4 month old puppy. At least with a kid you can strap it into a car seat...it's gonna be interesting. I'm sure I'll be washing the windows several times next week.

7-Once again I'm so thankful for the amazing people God has brought into my life here in Indy. I wouldn't be able to survive here without them.

8-Having Mullikin and Smith withdrawals. Gonna need to see my nieces and nephew soon, very excited about meeting Aidan and Lean in a few weeks.

9-Big day tomorrow...will post pics. : )

FREE PICTURES?!?!?!?!

2008-04-29T08:55:00.003-04:00

I visit several blogs on a daily basis and today I found a nice little web treat. There's a site called ArtsCow that is offering 400 FREE PRINTS to new users. If you sign up through the referral link here then I'll be able to earn extra prints as well. It's a win win for all! Be sure to do it soon. This is a limited time offer so HURRY and enjoy!! Thanks to Stevan for sharing!!

Dax Flame...real or just a show??

2008-04-28T15:07:00.001-04:00

Ok, so Matt has been watching these videos on YouTube of this kid..."Dax Flame" who supposedly is really named Bernice. Basically he does this crazy video diary. I've seen a few of these videos myself and some of them are HYSTERICAL. So Matt and I have been debating on whether or not this kid is for real. Sometimes it seems like he's really just off his rocker but some of the things are so extreme that you have to wonder if he's just ACTING like he's loco. So my question is what do YOU think? Is it real or is it all just an act?

Shake it like an earthquake...

2008-04-18T12:41:00.003-04:00

So, our day started off in an interesting way. At about 5:40 this morning I woke up and it felt like the bed was shaking and I thought that I heard some things in the closet rattling. Being that I was much closer to sleep than awakeness I just rolled over and went back to sleep so I could get that last 45 minutes in before I had to get up. As Matt and I were getting ready I mentioned to him that I thought I had felt the bed moving. When he said, "ME TOO!" I thought he was making fun of me...cause we all know that's what he does. So I went in the living room and turned on the news. Sure enough it was everywhere...we'd experienced an earthquake. Originally they were saying it was 5.4 at the epicenter, but now I think they've dropped it to 5.2. Of course when I got to work that's what everybody was talking about. Around 11:15 I was sitting at my desk and all of the sudden I felt shaking again. Aftershocks.... I have to say that I much prefer the earthquake experience when I'm half asleep and laying down. The aftershock (4.5) made me dizzy and a little nauseous. Don't think I'll be moving to Cali any time soon. However, I will say that I'll take an earthquake over a tornado ANY day...not at all looking forward to tornado season...especially living in an apartment.

The rest of the update is that Leo is growing like a weed. He's starting to get into EVERYTHING!
The Hanson concert was a bit of a let down...I wasn't too thrilled when one of them announced, "You guys are (insert bad word here) awesome!" The acoustic version of MMMBop was actually very good. The only thing I was really ticked about was that they said I had to take my camera back to the car because it's considered a "professional" camera...totally false, but because of that I have no good pics.
We move three weeks from tomorrow...if you'd like to help we won't refuse the extra hands. : )

Finally, I must give a super special birthday shout out to Heath. Hope your birthday is AWESOME!!

Hangin' Tough...

2008-04-09T09:30:00.002-04:00

I will gladly accept the ridicule and unrelenting taunting that I will receive from this post. Yesterday Matt told me that NKOTB had reunited. Oh, how thrilled I was to hear that it was true. I promise you this...if they go on tour I WILL BE THERE. I missed it when I was 7 I will NOT miss it again.

Funny Funny Stuff

2008-04-04T16:11:00.003-04:00

This is quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life. I was in tears!

Heaven Help Us..

2008-04-04T13:28:00.001-04:00

It's official I'm done with Oprah. This is just scary.

Flutter

2008-04-03T12:46:00.003-04:00

My husband made my heart flutter today. I received a special delivery: An Edible Arrangement of chocolate covered strawberries with a teddy bear and an "I love you" balloon. It always makes a girl's day when her husband refers to her as his "ray of hope". Love that boy!!

I've been tagged...

2008-03-28T11:44:00.003-04:00

I've been tagged by my friend Lori, whom I miss very much, not only because she helped keep me and my students well, but mainly because she let me be my neurotic self without making me feel like I had to explain it. : ) Thanks Lori!! (And I totally think you should have another baby!)

Here are the rules:
•When tagged place the name of the person that tagged you and URL on your blog.
•Write 7 random facts about yourself.
•Name 7 bloggers that you are tagging

1. I never really understood homesickness before I moved to Indiana...I totally get it now.
2. I'm not really a dog person...
3. I cut up all of my credit cards on Wednesday. We're on our way to being debt free. Thank you Dave Ramsey.
4. I'm terrified of becoming a parent.
5. I really love food.
6. I want to own a house one day with a library in it.
7. Bodies of water scare me.

I'm tagging Matt (I know he won't do it though), Christi Neff, Heath (who also will refuse to participate, I'm sure), Hank-A-Roo, and Jenny. I realize that's not 7, but I also realize that no one really cares. : )

Free jeans anyone??

2008-03-28T10:42:00.004-04:00

Check out this website, leave a comment, and you could win a $200.00 pair of jeans designed to fit YOU!

I'll (not) be home for Easter

2008-03-20T16:19:00.004-04:00

Easter has always been a big deal in my family. We always go to my grandparents and have a big meal together. This will be one of the very few Easters that I've missed over the years. We'll be very busy this weekend, but in the back of my mind there will be a huge part of me that will be wishing I was home with my family. I love you guys and miss you so much! I hope your weekend is great. I'll be missing you!

~Love, Deb

All I Want For Christmas...

2008-03-14T09:01:00.000-04:00

is this...

http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=events&id=1293

Proud parents and a Wii related injury

2008-03-10T14:13:00.005-04:00

We're parents. Well, I guess we're not ACTUALLY parents but it feels a lot like parenting. We got a dog this weekend. We'd been talking about it and it was in the plans for the future but the future came a little sooner than I was expecting. Friday night we were out running some errands and such and were on our way to the Oberweis Dairy to get milk. Just our luck there is a pet store just behind the dairy and we decided to stop in and "look" as we've done on several other occasions. Little did we know that this would be THE visit. We went in and Matt was looking at another dog and I decided to see what else they had and there he was. The Charmin commercial puppy. That was pretty much it. We were done. We're probably the only people I know who could go out for milk and end up with a dog.... So this is our new addition...

His name is Leonidas...yes, like King Leonidas the great king of Sparta. We call him Leo. So far having Leo is a lot like having a kid. And yes, I've been a paranoid "mom" the last couple of days. But anyhow. He's a cutie. I mean look at him! Can you resist that face??? So, yeah, I'm a softie and I caved I admit it.

Also this weekend our friends Jeff and Tessa were out of town (in SC, and I was jealous) and we were in charge of letting their dog, Carolina-LOVE the name, out while they were gone. They also have a Nintendo Wii and on Saturday we spent some time over there and I SERIOUSLY have the worst sore arm ever. I was trying to beat my bowling score and achieve Pro-Level status. I succeeded but my success had a price. I've had to put my right arm in my coat first this weekend because I could lift it. I know...I'm a super dork.

Do you ever...

2008-03-06T09:45:00.001-05:00

have one of those days where you just feel like you'd rather be under a rock?? I'm having one of those days today.

Still Alive...and Still COLD

2008-03-04T11:08:00.003-05:00

Nature is toying with my emotions. Sunday was probably the most beautiful day we've had since we moved to Indiana. I opened the sunroof and enjoyed the mild weather and sunshine. I didn't have to bundle up like the Michelin Tire Man to go outside. It was AMAZING! And then came the rains. It's been raining since yesterday morning. I've said it before and I'll say it again...I hate the weather here.

On a happier note I've been feeling very much at "home" here the past few weeks. That's not to be miscontrued in any way. SC will ALWAYS be my home in my heart. But choosing not to accept Indy as my current home would only make being away from my family that much harder. Matty and I have found a groove...not to mention two great jobs, an awesome church, and some GREAT friends. God has blessed us HUGELY and I'm aware of and thankful for that every day. There are days, however, like today when I'd give anything just to be able to go home concidering that as I write this my grandpa (aka Poppies) is in recovery after his 3rd heart cath in 4 months.

In other news a bunch of ladies that I go to church with and I went to Hebron, Kentucky to the Gap Clearance Outlet...jeans for $1.99...you can't beat that. We had a great time. It was about an hour and 45 minute drive but it was totally worth it to get some great deals. Along with the jeans I got Matt some shirts for $0.99 and $1.99 and some totally cute baby outfits for friends who are expecting.

Found out today that Brett Favre is retiring. This is sad news for me because I absolutely LOVE watching that man play football...maybe even more than Peyton. DID I JUST SAY THAT?!?!!?! : ) This is the very reason that the off-season is my least favorite time of year. You just don't know what the teams are going to look like in the Fall.

And for those who are interested Steve-O from the popular (though I don't know why) show Jackass was arrested for harrassing his neighbor. I don't understand people sometimes. There's a video on YouTube for those who are interested in seeing him cuss out the neighbor and knock a hole in the wall between their apartments.

Ok, duty calls. Love to all!!

Winter Storm Advisory...nothing new

2008-02-21T14:43:00.007-05:00

So, we have another Winter Storm Advisory in effect for the next 24 hours. I think this makes the 3rd one in 3 weeks. Yeah, Southern weather is so much better than this...stuff. Funny thing is the last two didn't really dump much on our area. The first one was all north of us and the second landed just south. I'm hoping this one will do the same. Guess we'll see in a few hours. Anyhow, enough with the weather.

In latest news...we're MOVING! Yep, that's right moving. We found some apartments that are owned by the same company as the one we are currently in and we are transferring our lease. Its a LOT closer to work and church so it will cut our commute in half. So if you're not doing anything in early May come help us move. : )

So, riddle me this? For those of you who have been watching American Idol this season how is this girl

still on the show when this girl
is a MUCH better singer???!?!??!?!?!??! I really like Amanda's personality and I think she's a fun person, but she CAN'T sing. She sounds like she's been smoking for 50 years and the judges still love her. I don't get it. Angela was a GREAT singer and I still can't believe they cut her in Hollywood and let Amanda go on. Just my opinion.

What a Good Day

2008-02-15T09:40:00.007-05:00

This is what I woke up to yesterday morning. My wonderful, thoughtful husband made me breakfast and I got to eat it in bed. His alarm went off at 6 AM and I couldn't figure out why. I dozed off to sleep again and he woke me up a little later with toast, grits, scrambled eggs w/ cheese, juice, and coffee. It was the perfect way to start off Valentine's Day. Then it was a great day at work. There are definitely some perks here that I love and I pretty much never want to leave this job. Its just great!

Then, Matt brought me these beautiful flowers. I know a lot of women don't like getting flowers because they die, and most of the time I feel the same way. But this year that was the only thing I really wanted. I think it may be because everything outside is dead right now and I just wanted to have something pretty to look at. Can you tell I'm dying for Spring to get here??

After work we had supper at O'Charley's courtsey of gift cards we got for Christmas and then we went to see 27 Dresses, also courtsey of gift cards. We went out for V-Day and only spent money for tip. : ) It was a very fun day and the best part was that I got to spend it with my amazing husband.

Life in 3D

2008-02-13T14:53:00.005-05:00

Well, we've been super busy up here in the cold Mid-West. It's been snowing for a couple of days so there's a pretty white layer on everything, which will be ugly brown sludge tomorrow. We've become quite the babysitters since our move. Friday night we watched 4 kids, 3 girls and 1 boy. We ate with some friends from work/church on Saturday evening at their home...they have a Wii so we had LOTS of fun. Sunday we have an awesome service. It was a great time of prayer and the moving of the Spirit. For lunch we met with our small group for a "get-to-know-you" time of fellowship. Like I said, we've been busy. But we are loving it because it's relationship building and it's good for us.

Last night we went with several people from church to the IMAX theater to see U2-3D. It was really cool and so much better than being at a crowded concert. They are such an amazing band. And of course we had to take a pic with the goofy glasses on. : )

Also, just so you know I am now an award-winning baker! Yesterday the publishing department had a chili cook-off/bake-off. I made "Orange Blondies", a recipe I got from Jenny Richardson. They won me 1st place along with a giant Hershey Kiss and a $25.00 gift card to The Cheesecake Factory. Thanks Jenny! I owe you some cheesecake. ; )

SWEET Victory!

2008-02-04T14:49:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure which picture makes me happier...

...I'm just THRILLED that 18-1 was the result. : ) Go Mannings!

Ode To My Husband...

2008-02-01T12:52:00.000-05:00

Our journey over the last 5 months has taught me so many things. It never ceases to amazes me how God uses everything in our lives to teach us something. I love that so much about Him. I’ve heard it said that God doesn’t waste our heartaches, and I’ve found this to be so true. The awesome thing it that He doesn’t waste ANYTHING…heartaches, joys, fears, dreams.
One of the biggest things that God has shown me over the course of the last few months is that I have an amazing husband. When Matt and I got married I knew that it wouldn’t always be easy, that there would be compromise and sacrifices along the way…what I didn’t know was how early in our marriage we would face these things. Moving was the hardest, scariest thing I had ever done and to be really honest I didn’t want to. But I knew that it was the right thing for us. Yesterday as we were driving home from work…because we now work in the same building…and we were joking around and picking on one another and I realized how incredibly blessed I am. I honestly would not have made it through this transition if he had not been there every step of the way. This transition has brought us closer together. I learn new things about him everyday and I’m blown away by this incredible man who loves God more than anything in this world, including me and I’m so thankful for that. He’s talented, smart, hilarious, and is always coming up with some kind of idea. He loves my cooking, which makes me feel like a rock star. Every morning he asks me if I slept well and every evening he asks me how my day was. He opens my car door…every time. And he has REALLY good taste. There are still days when we drive each other crazy. I know this will always be true. But I say all of that, not to be mushy, but to say that I’m so thankful I followed God’s plan for my life. I know without any doubt that I married the right man. I see and talk to so many girls and even some guys who seem almost frantic to get married and I just want to shake them and tell them that if they will just be patient it will be worth it. I think that we as Christians too often say that we trust God with our lives, but we live so impatiently. We want it now and God just works to slowly. We’d probably never say it out loud but we think it…I know I have in the past.
So, anyhow, Matty, I love you with all my heart and I’m so glad I’m on this journey with you. Here’s to the unknown!

A case of the homesicks...

2008-01-28T10:16:00.000-05:00

Some days I feel so disconnected from everything. I think it’s because in a lot of ways I am. Since Matt and I moved we’ve come to realize that the people we love the most in the world know nothing about our lives any more. Matt’s mom and sister have seen some of our lives here, but not everything. We now have a church and have made a lot of new friends, which has helped so much. But it’s still a very separate world from what we’ve known all our lives.
I think this is why I’ve been so homesick the past couple of days. It’s so hard for me when I know my family is together and I can’t be there too…hence the disconnected feeling. I know I’m going to miss birthdays, Mother’s and Father’s Day, weddings, 50th wedding anniversaries…and it makes me ache. I know that this is all part of the moving process and I get that, but it’s just hard when you want to go home for a few days and you can’t. Do I sound like I’m whining?? I’m sorry. I don’t mean to. I really am happy here, but I miss my fam.

In A Nutshell

2008-01-16T09:09:00.000-05:00

So, its been too long since I've blogged but we still don't have internet at our apartment so its kind of hard to stay on top of the blogging. I don't have a lot of time to type so I'm just going to put it all in a brief overview. Here goes...

Home for Christmas was AMAZING and I did NOT want to leave. Miss the family SO much! Traveling for the holidays...not on my list of favorite things. SetApart...ROCKED!! It was an honor to be on the flip side of things and be a part of the process. Hanging out with people I love did my heart more good than they'll ever know. Sea World with Heath, Karen and the nieces was so much fun...a childhood dream come true for me. The return to Indiana meant a new job at WIF...I'm loving it. Normal routine, work, home, work @ home, eat, sleep, start all over. But, we're building some awesome relationships and its starting to become more comfortable. We picked a church. Matt had bronchitis, I think I have some blood sugar issues. I owe Heath comic books. Lots of babies to be born in the next few months (not to us), good year ahead.

Resolutions: Get out of debt, move closer to where we work, get organized.

So there you go. The highlights. Hopefully there'll be pics soon! Love to all!

Workin for the Weekend

2007-12-10T10:17:00.000-05:00

Matt and I had a very relaxing weekend. Friday night we had the Christmas dinner for the department that Matt works in. They took us to the Weber Grill downtown. I think they only have 4 locations and the Indy one is the only one outside of Illinois. It was SO good. We had this as an appetizer: Weber Sampler--Rib Fingers, Beer Can Chicken Tenders, Steak Skewers and BBQ Shrimp. Matt got Filet Mignon and I had "Roadhouse Chicken" which was so yummy. Then we got this: Trio of Classic American Desserts--Mini Versions of Our Apple Cobbler, Chocolate Cake and Key Lime Cheesecake for dessert. Now if you have ever been out to eat with me then you know that I always look at the dessert menu before ordering my meal. That way I know if I should eat light or not and save room for a sugary treat. It has always been my opinion that restaurants should ALWAYS do a dessert sampler plate. They do it for appetizers, so why do dessert lovers get the shaft on getting to taste a little bit of everything?? So, I was pretty pleased that the Weber Grill had a dessert sampler.

Saturday was a lazy day. We haven't had very many of these lately so we took this one without guilt. We slept in, lounged around in our Pj's all day and watched movies. Plus, I wasn't feeling well...think I've got a sinus infection...so I was OK with doing nothing. A few weeks ago the Sci-Fi channel aired a mini-series called "Tin Man" which was not a re-telling of the Wizard of Oz, which I've never seen by the way, but more of a future addition. It was pretty good. That ate up about 6 hours of the day. Then we watched the Illusionist...if you haven't seen it yet you need to. It came out around the same time as The Prestige but didn't get the same amount of hype. Personally though I think it should have.

Sunday I was feeling even worse and opted to stay home and Matt went to Harvest. I couldn't go back to sleep because I couldn't breathe. Matt came home to find me in the bed trying to sing along with Grease surrounded by a mountain of Kleenex. Last night we ventured out to Scott and Kelsie's to watch the Colts game in HD. Thank goodness they looked more like the Colts I know and love. I think though that I over did it because I woke up feeling awful. But I made myself get out of bed. I can NOT afford to miss any more work.

So that was our weekend. Nothing profound just movies and football and blowing my nose a LOT. There's still snow on the ground...not as much, but still we're not used to snow being around for nearly a week. In SC it does this and then goes away within a day or two. We're in all new territory. By the way for those of you who spent the weekend in 70-80 degree weather...I don't like you.

One more thing...if anyone knows how to do that thing where you make a word the link to a website please tell me. Like I wanted to put a link to the Weber Grill site where clicking on "Weber Grill" would take you there...no clue how to do that though. Thanks!!

Prince Caspian

2007-12-07T09:55:00.001-05:00

I just discovered the trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia 2: Prince Caspian (May 2008). It looks so good!! Check it out here: http://www.narniaweb.com/news.asp?id=1355&dl=14478175

Let It Snow, Let It Snow

2007-12-07T08:06:00.001-05:00

Well, it did it again. Matt and I woke up to about another 2 inches of snow this morning. Poor thing, he had to go defrost and desnow the car. At least the other day the sun was shining. Today it is gray and they are now calling for sleet/freezing rain tonight and tomorrow. Welcome to Indiana.... Is it time to go to SC yet?????

The Christmas Spirit

2007-12-06T13:03:00.001-05:00

All this snow (and we're supposed to be getting more tonight) has really put me in the Christmas mood. On my way to work today I started thinking about some of my favorite Christmas songs, old and new, and decided that today I would post my favorites and share why I love them so. So here goes...in no particular order:

1) O Holy Night--I've always loved this song, but it's my mom's favorite and whenever I hear it I think of her. My favorite version the one Maria Carey sings.
2) All I Want For Christmas Is A Real Good Tan--This if from Kenny Chesney's Christmas Album, mock me if you must (Heath) but it's just a fun song with a Caribbean feel and it makes me smile.
3) All I Want For Christmas Is You--Another from Mariah Carey. This is the one I sing along with in the car at the top of my lungs and off key ('cause who other than her can actually hit those notes) and also the one that I dance around to when I'm at home by myself. : )
4) Christmas in Dixie--Classic Alabama Christmas. This is a natural fave due to my Southern upbringing.
5) I Only Want You For Christmas--Alan Jackson--Another fun one
6)Let There Be Peace On Earth--Vince Gill did this one with his daughter. I love the words--"Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me."
7) Carol of the Bells--I LOVE the music for this. I think that if we had gotten married at Christmas time I would have walked down the aisle to this one.
8) The First Noel--I always get a mental picture of the night Christ was born when I sing this one.
9) O Come, O Come Emmanuel--I don't hear this one enough at Christmas but I love it.
10) Winter Wonderland--This one is just plain fun to sing along with.

So those are the top ten. What are your favorites??

Let It Snow

2007-12-05T13:30:00.000-05:00

Being from the South I'm used to hearing the weather man predict snow that never comes, but they're playing a different ball game here in the Mid-West. Yesterday they said that it was going to start snowing last night around 10 pm and that it would last through the night. I didn't put much stock into it...being from the South and all. Plus, the fridge wasn't stocked with milk and we only had 1 loaf of bread. : )

Just before we crawled into bed Matt looked out the window...it was snowing. At 6 am the phone rang letting us know that school was on a 2-hour delay. So we decided to let the girls sleep...and get a few extra Zs ourselves. Funny thing was that Kayla, the oldest, woke up and saw that it was after 8 and got dressed and woke up Emily and told her to get dressed. I guess they thought we were leaving them to their own devices. When we got up to tell them they didn't have to be at school until later they were so excited. So we had breakfast...I tried a receipe for French Toast Souffle...really good--I'll post it for you later.

So, it's been a fun day. The snow is absolutely gorgeous! And surprisingly it's not that hard to drive in. I was pretty unsure about that part. I did see some interesting sights on the way to work though. I saw someone using a snow-blower...that was a new one for me. And now I've seen two...as I was typing this I looked up and saw Randy, our maintenance guy here at work using one outside. Then I saw several pick up trucks with snow plows on the front. I told my mom that in the South they have gun racks...in Indiana they have snow plows. I also learned that high heel boots are not compatible with snow/ice and walking...nearly busted it on multiple occasions, hot apple cider and snow days are the perfect complement, and you shouldn't pump gas in this kind of weather...I thought I was going to die of hypothermia in a 5 minute time period.

Welcome to Indy! Let it snow!

One More Thing

2007-12-04T12:37:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for a GOOD laugh you have to visit Jenny Richardson's blog. The link is under my list of "Blogs I Read". She works with mentally ill people...trust me, it's worth the read!

Parenting??

2007-12-04T12:15:00.000-05:00

Matt and I have been "parenting" since Saturday. Kelsie's father passed away on Friday and Matt and I got the privilege of taking care of the 3 Simmons girls: Kayla-9, Emily-6, and Brook (aka Brookie)-3. We're staying with them until Scott and Kelsie get back tomorrow afternoon. It's been very interesting. Oddly enough though we've been on time for everything so far--church, school, choir, Bee Movie. Now if you know Matt and me at all you know that on our own we're never on time. Amazingly you throw in 3 kids and we're on time...not quite sure how that works yet. Saturday we took the girls to Chick-Fil-A and then to see Bee Movie, which they really liked and I must steal a quote from the Quote King (Heath) here: "Bee Movie, See Movie". Sunday we managed to get to church 10 minutes early with all of us fed and actually presentable in appearance. Sunday evening I went to a ladies' dessert fellowship with Jenny and Matt and Nathan took the girls to look at Christmas lights. Then at 4:15 AM Kayla came in to tell us that she had thrown up: we're trying to pack in as much of the experience as we possibly can.... I remembered that when I was in school we couldn't go if we had thrown up in a 24 hour period...same rules still apply, so I got to stay at home with Kayla yesterday. But we've managed to hold down the fort with minimal mutiny. We've been playing a pretty good zone defense. Matt has taken school drop off and pick up, entertainment, nightmares, major meltdowns and poop, while I got meals, laundry, bathing, wardrobe, and puke. Thankfully we actually made it through last night with no one getting up, which was AWESOME. So while I have no children of my own I do now have some experience and a LOT of appreciation my mom and dad who rock for actually letting me live while I was growing up. Thanks you guys! I know it wasn't always easy and that we drove you crazy but I get it now.

One of the funny things about being married is that you find out new things about your spouse all the time. The newest discovery: I married the love child of Mr. Grinch and Ebenezer Scrooge. Matt is such a holiday nazi. He hates Christmas carols and doesn't want to even think about the holidays until about Dec. 20th. While everyone and everything is in high gear he's complaining about the tacky lights and decorating. This makes me so sad because I LOVE Christmas. So for the past few days I've been making fun of him and have now dubbed him Mr. Ebenezer Grinch Scrooge. I even serenaded him with "you're a mean one, Mr. Grinch" the other day. Funny thing about the past few days is that all the girls have wanted to listen to is Christmas music...I call it poetic justice. : )

I know I promised apt. pics last week but we were a little thrown off with the babysitting situation so they'll be up some time next week. Sorry.

Funny Thought

2007-11-28T15:54:00.000-05:00

The other day Matt and I were talking about names that we won't be able to give our children given our last name. This all started one night when we were watching Man vs. Wild. We had a pretty good laugh.

Bear Rhodes...this came from Bear Grylls on Man v. Wild
Dusty Rhodes...been done and he's legendary
Gravel Rhodes...not that we would, but it's still funny
Stone Rhodes...Stone Phillips works, but not for us
Abbey Rhodes...Hello John, Paul, George, and Ringo!
Country Rhodes...take me home John Denver

So those are a few. Have you got any to add to the list?

Way Down...Up In Kokomo...

2007-11-28T10:48:00.000-05:00

I have so much catching up to do blog-wise. If we had the net at home it would be much easier...soon, hopefully. Anyhow, so we didn't have to spend Thanksgiving alone. We weren't exactly sure what we were going to end up doing and I was actually trying to see which restaurants were going to be open that day. But we ended up with an invite to go to Kokomo...Indiana...not the warm, sunny one. It's just a little North of us. Our friends Nathan and Jenny were gracious enough to ask us to join them at Jenny's aunt and uncle's house for the day. Now, I've thought a lot about how to describe this day...I think I'm going to go with "interesting". For starters the food was awesome and Jenny's mom made a KILLER sweet potato souffle...love that stuff! When we got there and got out of the car it was snowing...not a lot and just small flakes but it was pretty steady for about an hour or so. It was actually pretty cool. After we had been there for about 20 minutes and done all of the awkward introductions someone said something about going downstairs to watch the football game. We had no clue what we were about to experience. As I turned the corner to go down the steps I looked up and staring me in the face was a Peyton Manning fathead (For those who don't know what that is, its basically a huge life-sized sticker that you put on the wall.) So of course I'm loving this place more by the minute. Then at the bottom of the steps was a case that had a football signed by the team and the ticket stubs from the 2006 AFC championship game against the Pats. THEN as I turned the corner there was a 74" tv surrounded by over 2000 DVDs with a Bose surround sound system...Matt and I were pretty impressed and I think Matt was considering asking them if they were interested in renting the basement out. There was also a HUGE fish tank and I'm pretty sure every fish from Finding Nemo was in there. We were probably acting like poor street children who had never seen such amazing things. So we stuffed our faces and watched football all day with a bunch of strangers, but it was AWESOME! We were really glad that we were able to spend the day with family...it wasn't our own but they welcomed us and made us feel at home.

Then Friday came and that was the day we had been excited about for WEEKS!! Matt's mom Dana, sister Kristie, and Jacob a student from the E1 youth group came to visit. Matt and I worked all morning finishing the cleaning and preparation for them to get here. Matt was so sweet and kept saying, "My mommy's coming today!" We did some shopping and took them downtown. The weather was nasty the day we went to Indy so we ended up at the mall, but it was still fun. I hated Monday morning when they left. But it was SO good to see them and spend a few days with some of the people I love the most on this planet. Good news is that Christmas is almost here and we get to go home soon!!!!

The biggest frustration for me this week has been trying to find health insurance. Word to the wise...NEVER NEVER EVER fill out an online request for an insurance quote. People have been hounding me to death all week. They nearly made me lose my mind. One guy was so rude to me that I actually reported him to a supervisor and I NEVER do stuff like that. There's so much information...co-pay, deductible, out-of-pocket. I HATE it! So if you have any good advice on insurance I could really use your help. I have no clue what I'm doing.

I got a call from my mom today that my grandpa is in the hospital. He was having some chest pains so they took him to the hospital last night and are doing a heart cath today. If you think about it please pray for him. I hate it that I'm not there to do what I can to help he and my grandma out right now...so I'm pretty frustrated today.

Well, I think that sums up all the latest. Love and miss everyone! The apartment pics will be up by the end of the week!!!

Celebrations

2007-11-21T08:53:00.000-05:00

There have been a lot of celebrations over the past week. Saturday evening Matt and I went to the Melting Pot to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. I still can't believe it's been a year already. We got to the restaurant and there was a rose on the table and a card from The Melting Pot staff. We had 4 courses of AMAZING food. First we had the spinach and artichoke cheese fondue that we dipped bread, veggies, and apples in. Then we had Caesar salads...Matt's favorite. The 3rd part was the meats and veggies. The bring you a pot with broth and then flavor it with what you ordered right there at the table. We had the Mojo...so good!! It had orange and lime juice and Caribbean spices...appropriate since we spent our Honeymoon in the Caribbean. The give you a platter of different meats and you cook it yourself in the broth. Amazing! And then, the BEST part! The chocolate fondue!! We ordered the Flaming Turtle which has pecans and carmel and they flambee it...so cool. Into that we dipped strawberries, brownie, marshmallows rolled in oreo and graham cracker crumbs, bananas, pound cake and cheese cake. Needless to say we were stuffed. They also brought us a bottle of sparkling grape juice b/c Matt had told them earlier that we're not drinkers. It was so sweet. I'm sad that we don't have any pics of it.

Then on Sunday, which was our actual anniversary we went to the COLTS GAME!!! Matt gave me the tickets the night before at the restaurant...which was hard b/c I couldn't scream or make a scene and show how excited I was. So, we got to go to the game and it was so awesome! There are more pics on my Facebook, check them out.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It will be 2 in a row that we haven't been with family...last year we were on the Carnival Valor. This year we'll be in gray Indiana, not the sunny Caribbean. We'er not sure what we're doing yet. All I know is that I'll be thinking about my mom's dressing all day an wishing I was stuffing my face with it. But, FRIDAY will be much better because Matt's mom, sister and Jacob are coming up!!! I'm really excited about them being here. Just wish my mom, daddy, and bubby could be here too. But Christmas Times a coming!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Don't take your families for granted! Be glad you're with them, you may not always be.

Daddy, Mom, Bubby, Poppies, and Grandma--I love and miss you with all my heart!! Eat some dressing for me!

Taking a page out of the Heath Mullikin Book

2007-11-16T08:54:00.000-05:00

This is going to be pretty random. First of all this guy was on the radio this morning--cracking me up. Some of you have no clue who he is but I know some of you know exactly who he is. Matt and I got a good laugh out of listening to him blabbering on the morning talk show and we did some reminscing.

This is the match-up for Sunday. If the Colts lose this one I'm just gonna...well, I don't know but I just hope they win. I would be so unhappy if they lost on my anniversary, and I don't think poor Matt could handle another one either. Three in a row would be unbearable. Game time set for 1:00 pm!

Going to see this on December 21st with Heath! Should be a fun time. We used to go see movies with Heath all the time so it will be good to get to do that again.

Final thought for today...I miss this group of people with ALL of my heart! I need a Christi Neff hug, a Monique laugh, a "Can I wear your shoes?", a "Hey there hot mama!", and a Kevin DeRossett pitiful excuse for an English/Australian accent. Love you guys!!

Bringing Sexy Back???

2007-11-14T14:38:00.000-05:00

I found these pictures on my phone and just had to post them. I took these a few weeks ago when we were at SuperTarget. We ended up in the Halloween stuff and Matt found these fun hair-styles and just had to try them on. This boy totally cracks me up! Love him!

When his hair gets too long it looks a lot like this.

The Things We Think About

2007-11-13T08:51:00.000-05:00

This morning Matt and I were getting ready for work and I heard him singing "Carolina Girls" in the shower. Of course my self-centered line of thinking was, "Aw, how sweet! He's singing about his 'sweet Carolina girl'." So I said something about it and he proceeded to explain to me that he was actually thinking about what people who live in each state are called. This of course led to an entire discussion about what the names of the residents for each state really are. So, I started to wonder myself. After a few internet searches I found a complete list. So for those of you who are now wondering yourself, here you go:

Alabama
Alabamian, Alabaman
Alaska
Alaskan
Arizona
Arizonan, Arizonian
Arkansas
Arkansan
California
Californian
Colorado
Coloradan, Coloradoan
Connecticut
Connecticuter; Nutmegger
Delaware
Delawarean
Florida
Floridian, Floridan
Georgia
Georgian
Hawaii
Hawaiian, also kamaaina (native-born nonethnic Hawaiian), malihini (newcomer)
Idaho
Idahoan
Illinois
Illinoisan
Indiana
Indianan, Indianian, Hoosier
Iowa
Iowan
Kansas
Kansan
Kentucky
Kentuckian
Louisiana
Louisianan, Louisianian
Maine
Mainer
Maryland
Marylander
Massachusetts
Bay Stater
Michigan
Michigander, Michiganian, Michiganite
Minnesota
Minnesotan
Mississippi
Mississippian
Missouri
Missourian
Montana
Montanan
Nebraska
Nebraskan
Nevada
Nevadan, Nevadian
New Hampshire
New Hampshirite
New Jersey
New Jerseyite, New Jerseyan
New Mexico
New Mexican
New York
New Yorker
North Carolina
North Carolinian
North Dakota
North Dakotan
Ohio
Ohioan
Oklahoma
Oklahoman
Oregon
Oregonian
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvanian
Rhode Island
Rhode Islander
South Carolina
South Carolinian
South Dakota
South Dakotan
Tennessee
Tennessean, Tennesseean
Texas
Texan
Utah
Utahan, Utahn
Vermont
Vermonter
Virginia
Virginian
Washington
Washingtonian
West Virginia
West Virginian
Wisconsin
Wisconsinite
Wyoming
Wyomingite

So there you go. Some useless knowledge for your Tuesday.

My Precious Hubby

2007-11-12T15:25:00.000-05:00

My husband is so sweet! This afternoon I was so cold in the office and he brought me a mocha to warm me up. Thanks baby! You're the best! I love you!

Bummed

2007-11-12T11:38:00.000-05:00

I've been a little bummed for the past couple of days. Not totally sure why. It may have something to do with the fact that it's pitch black outside at 5:30 in the evening and by 7:30 I'm ready to go to bed. Plus, I haven't been feeling the best. I think I'm fighting a cold. So, in the midst of my "bummed-dom", (pretty sure I just made that word up), today at work I heard this song on the radio by Casting Crowns:

Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness. The chains of yesterday surround me. I yearn for peace and rest. I don't want to end up where You found me. And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight. I know You've cast my sin as far as the east is from the west. And I stand before You now as though I've never sinned. But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way. Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west 'cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again. In the arms of Your mercy I find rest 'cause You know just how far the east is from the west. From one scarred hand to the other. I start the day, the war begins, endless reminding of my sin. Time and time again Your truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in.Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this wayI know You've washed me white, turned my darkness into light. I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night. I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals. I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me, You're holding on to me.

It's a really powerful song and it just reminded me of how unworthy I am and that even though I am constantly messing up He's always there telling me that I've been forgiven. And I really needed that today.

This weekend we went to a holiday arts and crafts thing at the Fair Grounds with Scott, Kelsie, and the girls. We had a good time. I bought the MOST AMAZING fudge I've ever tasted, Arndt's Fudgery, go here-->http://www.fudgery.com. I got two flavors, Pumpkin Pie and Carmel Apple Pie. It's the best I've ever eaten.

We also did some painting in the apartment. I'm hoping to get pictures up soon. Hopefully we can finish hanging some pictures in the apartment this week. Our anniversary is this coming Sunday and then the next weekend Matt's mom and sister are coming up so we have a lot to get done before then.

That's all for now. Love and miss you all!

Pics From the Game

2007-11-05T14:47:00.000-05:00

Matty and I sporting our Colts gear.

Bitter rivals! Nathan Richardson and Matt.

Jenny and Nathan. Jenny doesn't really care.
She wore the shirt out of pity for Nathan. He wasn't a very popular guy
wearing that shirt around Indy.

Admissions and Convictions

2007-11-05T09:32:00.000-05:00

So the Colts lost yesterday and since then I've been doing a lot of thinking about the game. First of all let me start by saying that we got to watch the game at this really cool place called Cinema Grill (http://www.cinemagrillonline.net/). It was so much fun getting to watch the game with about 80 other Colts fans...and sadly two Pats fans. It was so awesome that I could yell and not be the only one yelling. I fit right in. So, in regards to the game itself I have some personal admissions and convictions. I'll start with the admissions.

1. It was a good match-up. Defensively BOTH teams played very well. (This is me giving some credit to the Pats...this will not happen often.)

2. Randy Moss is a good receiver.

3. There were a couple of times when Peyton tried to pass the ball when he should have run it.

Convictions

1. Overall the Colts played better.

2. The Pats won because the Colts were unable to capitalize on a couple of good drives early in the game...see admission #1.

3. Brady getting SACKED like a middle school girl on his opening drive...AWESOME!

4. Tom Brady sucks as a person.

5. Bill...aka-The Cheater...worst coach ever. He totally snubbed Tony Dungy after the game which was completely uncalled for.

6. The allegations that the Colts cheated by pumping more sound into the stadium when the Pats were on offense is absurd.

7. The Colts, though now 7-1, are still the best team in the league.

Enough said.

Grow Where You Are Planted

2007-11-02T08:46:00.000-04:00

So, I'm kinda sad today. I was on Facebook looking at pics from SWU and the Halloween activities and it just sucks not being able to do those fun things anymore. I knew before we left that I would feel this way. I've been trying to keep myself too busy to think about it and so far its worked but looking at those pics made me miss home so much. There's tons of fun things to do here, but its not about the what, its about the who. I miss the people so much I can't stand it.

Matt and I were talking this morning about some stuff and he said something that really made me think. He said that he just had to grow where he has been planted. As common sense as this is it really made me think about the depth of that statement. God puts us in all kinds of places and its up to us whether or not we decide to grow. Sometimes we need new soil in order to grow the way God wants us to. So, I'm just hoping I'll be able to get all that He wants me to out of the "soil" I'm in right now.

The big game is this weekend: Colts and Pats. Monday could be a really good day or a really pooey one...we'll have to wait and see!

Chiropractic Assistant

2007-10-26T16:02:00.000-04:00

GOOD NEWS!! I got a JOB!! I begin Monday morning at 9:00. I'm going to be working at a chiropractor's office. I'm very excited to finally have a job. The doctor is a very strong Chrisitan which is so awesome. One of the best perks is that Matt and I will get our adjustments free of charge. YAY! Thank you all for praying! Hopefully this means we'll get internet at the house soon!!

Settling In

2007-10-24T15:56:00.000-04:00

Finally, I have a chance to blog. Today I tagged along with Matt and I've spent the day at Headquarters, aka HQ, so that I could work on some things for the convention. I'm managing the SetApart Zone. It's pretty cool. It will be a lot like Crossing the Line was at C3. Basically a cool place where people at the convention can come and commit to be set apart for Christ. So since I need the internet to do some searching I had to come to the place where the internet is...sadly my apartment is not that place. I'm hoping we'll get internet soon though. I didn't realize how dependent I was on it until I no longer had it. I feel pretty disconnected without it.

Anyhow, there's not a whole lot to tell right now. We're just trying to find a new rhythm for our lives. It's crazy how I always thought that moving would be no big deal, but now I have a different point of view. It's not easy finding a place where you feel totally at home. You take for granted that you go to church on Sunday morning and spend time worshipping with people you're really connected to. I think I miss that the most. When you're from the SC district you know people no matter where you go. Ok, that was a bit of a ramble, sorry.

I've been job "shopping" for the last 2 weeks. I decided to refer to it as that so I would feel a bit better about it...hasn't really helped. It is by far my LEAST favorite kind of shopping. After filling out applications for everything from Starbucks to doctor's offices and sending my resume to a dozen places I finally got a call yesterday and I have an interview tomorrow morning at 9:30. It's at a chiropractor's office. Help me pray that it goes well. I'm starting to get bored.

Matt's mom and sister are coming up the day after Thanksgiving and spending the weekend with us. I am SOOO looking forward to that. It will be nice to have them here for a couple of days.

Matt is loving his job, which is good since that's the reason we moved up here in the first place. : ) He's doing an awesome job and he's so good at it. I'm so glad God provided something for him that he is passionate about. It makes a big difference when you enjoy going to work everyday.

Of course I can't blog without giving major props to my Colts who mangled the Jags on Monday night. 6-0!!! I love being undefeated. Monday afternoon I went to the Super Target, YES I said Super Target...It's SO fun, and there were people EVERYWHERE with Manning jerseys on. Good days.

So I guess that's pretty much it. It's not too cold yet. Getting cooler everyday but not unbearable...though I'm sure in a few weeks I'll be more than ready to transfer back home. I hate being cold.

Ok, well that's all for now. I miss you all and think about you all the time! Hope you're doing well!

NUMBERS

2007-10-08T20:16:00.000-04:00

Here are a few numbers that will tell you how our move to Indy went...

ZERO--How many times Amanda rode with me on the drive
ONE-way trip---I think this one explains itself
TWO--The number of times we had to put the car (that won't start) back on the towing device
THREE--The number of times I sang "A Whole New World" LOUDLY
THIRTEEN hours on the road
FIFTY-FIVE miles per hour...the WHOLE trip
ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND...the numbers of cars that passed us...this MIGHT be an exaggeration

Pics of the new apartment to come soon!

CUTEST KID IN THE WORLD

2007-09-28T16:32:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I HAD to post this picture of my "nephew", Drake, aka THE Drake. Personally I think he's got the coolest name ever. Technically he's not REALLY my nephew but Heath and Karen love me enough to let me pretend and call him that. Plus I get to be Aunt Deborah, which I love! Couldn't you just eat him up???

I Love Ice Cream

2007-09-25T17:07:00.000-04:00

I came across this picture today and had to post it. There's a very funny story behind this gigantic ice cream cone. Amanda (she's sitting on my left enjoying a NORMAL-sized ice cream cone) used to work at Chick-Fil-A. Everyone knows that she can make the best ice cream cones. So one day last year we were all eating in the caf and about 4 or 5 people had asked Amanda to make a cone for them. She did so willingly and made the perfect cone. So after I had finished my lunch I asked the same favor of Amanda...I asked very sweetly I might add. Well, I guess Amanda was tired of being asked to get up and make so many ice cream cones. While I wasn't looking she proceded to make the LARGEST ice cream cone I've ever seen. I had my back to her and when she walked up and handed it to me I nearly fell out of my seat. Of course everyone else at the table had seen her coming and they were already laughing. It was pretty funny...and I still give Amanda props for being so creative...but she STILL hasn't mastered the verbal come back. : ) I somehow managed to eat that whole stupid thing. Anyhow, just one of the many many fun SWU memories I have. I'm really going to miss this place, but I'll never again ask Amanda to get my ice cream cone.

Anxiety and Anticipation...and an Apartment

2007-09-20T17:42:00.000-04:00

Well, I think the news is pretty much out that Matt and I are moving to Indiana. It's so crazy to me that 3 1/2 weeks ago I was starting to settle into the routine for another school year here at SWU and now I'm packing. I've gone through so many emotions about this whole thing...just ask Matt. Poor guy! I love him SO much though and he has been so patient and loving with me through all the downs...and trust me there have been many.

We did find an apartment in Noblesville...

The lower level one is ours. Its a 2 bed, 2 bath, very roomy and cozy. We have a screened-in porch and the kitchen...well, let's just say that after living in StuB for 2 years I feel like I'm moving into a penthouse suite. I have a FULL size stove and a DISHWASHER!! I HATE doing dishes...come to think of it there's a sink full that I should probably be doing right now instead of blogging. Oh well. So anyhow, it's a great place and I'm really excited about moving in, not so much about paying rent though. I'm so spoiled at SWU.

So, in 16 short days I will say goodbye to the place that has been home for me for the last 7 years and start a new adventure. Its wonderful and scary and exciting all at the same time.

The biggest thing in all of this is that I am learning how to REALLY trust God. We still don't have the answers for some things...like where I'm going to work...but I KNOW that God knows and that He has just the right place for me. So I'm trying not to worry, which is hard for me. And I'm leaning on the assurance that my God who loves and has always provided will do so again. Until then...I pray and trust and live.