We are back to work today. It's actually kind of nice to be back to work and get back to some stucture. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the time off, but anyway......you get the point.

We've had a great Christmas vacation thus far. I say thus far because we still have a nice low-key weekend in store and New Year's day off on Tuesday. We had a great trip to Florida, and have had some wonderful times with my family.

We arrived back in TN and headed straight down for our Christmas Eve service in Spring Hill, which turned out wonderfully! We spent Christmas Eve night and Christmas night at my parent's house in Brentwood and had so much fun hanging out, eating, watching movies, playing games and just chillin' all day. I don't even know if any of us left the house all day :-) Oh wait- yes we did, we went to see Mark & Marcie Hayes in Spring Hill for a little while as a family.

The last few days have also been wonderful- did a little shopping for Christmas wrapping for next year and things like that. Last night we had a wonderful dinner at Carrabba's and played a rousing game of "Boxers or Briefs." Tonight we are throwing a birthday party for Jordan Fenton, the guy who lives with us, as his 20th birthday was the 26th. I will soon have some more pictures to upload for you all to see, but for now- Happy Friday!

Pictures from Christmas 2007: Part 1

We are loving our time in Florida. We've been doing a little work, a little play and enjoying the beautiful weather! Here's the rundown:



Tuesday: arrived late afternoon and went to the office for a Sales meeting. That evening, we ate at a beautiful restaurant called Brio at Waterside shops and watched the finale of Biggest Loser at Hope & Steve's.



Wednesday: we worked, and then got to see the Chalkers: Caity, Will & Auntie Anne, and meet Dick (Auntie Anne's boyfriend) over dinner at Hope & Steve's: DELISH Salmon...my fave! We chatted and enjoyed the time together

Thursday: We worked during the day and were treated to dinner that evening (by Dick-thank you!) in downtown Naples at Cambiello's (probably butchering that spelling) Long, late night, but fun.

Friday: Hope took me to Ft. Myers to purchase a couple very small last minute things that could only be found there and of course had to make a quick trip to Teavana where I literally begged the guy there to make me some tea. (they had a sign posted saying their beverage service wasn't available due to holiday traffic...that did NOT work for me) I left with a wonderful cup of Mango Green...mmm.mmmmm. Afterwards, she dropped me off at the office where Kate, Matt and I were the only ones for the afternoon and got slammed!!! It was fun, though very busy and the afternoon flew by as we all worked as late as we could before heading to the office Christmas party. We had a great time at olde Cypress Club for the office Christmas party that evening.

Saturday: this was our "Christmas Day" and we started out by playing Hope & Steve in tennis (and beating them- I might add) then Dan, Erin & Grandpa came over for gifts, stockings, and yummy breakfast. I satisifed the request made of me to make Bertie's biscuits again....My favorite gift of the day: the red gloves from What's in Store!! SO FUN (they are in the picture at the top of the blog) I am still up far too late right now (that little bit of caffeine in the green tea I drank must be kicking in) am about to go to bed but I needed to set my Fantasy team for the LAST time- it's our Superbowl this weekend, and yes folks..I am in it :-)

Tomorrow is our final day before we head back to TN. We will be going to church with Erin & Dan, and just spending time as a family. I'll post some pics before too long and then we're headed to TN for round two! it's been wonderful so far!

Merry Christmas

Last night we got to spend some time with the beautiful little girls that live next door. Our neighbors Josh & Elizabeth were going to a dinner and so Jordan and I watched the kids for them. Well, we really just saw Kaitlyn, baby Isabelle was asleep when we walked next door. We had a fun time: making snowflakes, playing all the classic games, from Don't Break the Ice to Whack a Mole (my personal favorite) It was a lot of fun! Isabelle is 4 months and Kaitlyn is 5 years.

They don't call it "Dirty Santa" for nothing! Also known as "White Elephant," we played this last night at our Life Group Christmas party. And as usual, Jordan and I were the conniving ones of the bunch. In our comparatively small amount of Christmases together, Jordan and I have become surprisingly good at working together get what we want and strike deals to make the game work for us. Last night was funny!

It all started pretty light. There were 15 people and rounds 1-6 went smoothly, noone stealing any previously opened gifts. I was # 7, and I chose not to steal as well, but only because I knew that the purple bag Chantel had brought held a nice assortment of Aveda products that I had my eye on. I snatched it up quickly. The first steal of the night wasn't until my husband, round #12, when he snatched up the Cadoo game, and then what followed was a mayhem of thievery- Cassy stealing my Aveda, me stealing the scarf that Melody so desperately wanted (and that I had brought) We ended up switching gifts several times and created quite the mayhem, but in the end, everyone went home happy. I had sympathy on Courtney and traded her my Aveda stuff (that I ended up with) for the red gloves that I had also brought.

I think we taught a few people a whole new element in playing that game. Happy gift exchanging!

Fantasy Football update: I play Robby this weekend in the first round of our playoffs. I'm the #2 seed and he's #3. Everyone say this with me now: "Stop that run! Stop that run!" It is going to be tough- he has a pretty stellar team (Romo, Peterson, Westbrook) but hey- stranger things have happened :-)

Karaoke....such a funny word. It's something I had never been introduced to much before, Jordan's family takes it to a whole new level, which I love, but when a few people on our Spring Hill leadership team had the idea to get a DJ to come do karaoke for our Volunteer Appreciation dinner I had my doubts.

They were silenced last night.

It was hilarious AND so much fun. Aaron & Jenny Rudd began the night with the Faith/Tim duet, "It' your love," and Jenny was such a trooper. Then (and I WISH I had a video- I think Garner may have one)my dad brought the house down with Bob Dylan "Like a Rolling Stone." HILARIOUS!!! Some other highlights were Olivia & Martha's "I Will Survive," Jordan's "Footloose," and Mom & Tami Lyken's, "I Feel the Earth Move Under my Feet." It was a wonderful time honoring people who deserve it, and enjoying fun and laughs with family.

I'm thinking about food right now, which is why you are getting this post:

BETHANY's TOP TEN FOODS OR DISHES

#10
Spinach Artichoke Dip
(I've rarely met one I didn't like...in fact, I've never met one I didn't like)







#9
Chocolate Fondue with Bananas
(go for the Turtle's Fondue at the Melting Pot- delish!)










#8
Oats
(Whether for no-bakes, granola, or plain- you can't beat 'em)






#7
Water
(Where would I be without it. I sip it all day)









#6
Cranberry Walnut Salad w/Feta Cheese
(Combination of three faves: cranberries, walnuts and FETA....mmmmm!)






#5
Hummus
(Spicy Red Pepper is my favorite, which leads me to number 4...)






#4
Bell Peppers
(ANY color, I love the rainbow packs at Costco, but RED are definitely the best)







#3
Black Beans
(Anyone who knows me well knew this was comin')









#2
Cheese
(Any kind, any way- except for baked brie...bad experience once)







AND #1
TEA!!!


ARE YOU HUNGRY YET??

DO YOU KNOW THESE MEN?





WANTED:

- ideas for fun gifts for both for Christmas

We love both of them dearly, but I declare- they are hard to shop for. What have you gotten your dads?

These are a little late- but as they say- better late than never, right! :-)

Pictures from Thanksgiving

I think Jordan and I need to purchase some new Christmas music this year. It's been a while since I updated our collection and I know there are some really good things out there this year. Does anyone have any good recommendations they would like to share? We have the "standards:" Michael w. Smith, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Amy Grant, etc. but I'm looking for some new sounds. I like pretty traditional, no Black Eyed Peas Christmas or anything :-) But I am looking for some suggestions.

One of my favorite parts of the day is my morning time. I wake up, put on the water for some tea, turn on the lamps and recently, have been plugging in all the Christmas lights as well. This morning I lit a fire, and I tell ya, every morning it just brings a smile to my face.

I wonder what it is about the red and green and white lights that we all love so much?! I sure do enjoy it, though!

We had a great small group meeting last night. We talked about Walking in Wisdom and there were some things that really hit home for me. The word for wisdom that is used sometimes in the Bible is "sophia," which is defined as the application of knowledge. We, so many times, think of wisdom as head knowledge or "smarts," but really, as Christians, it is the application of what the Lord has shown us, or what has been revealed to us. Another way to phrase it is how well we steward what God has given us, and the understanding He's given. That encourages me- I may not be the smartest person in the world, but I can walk and apply the things God's given me!

We saw a movie over Thanksgiving which probably most of you have seen or at least heard about by now. Click here for all sorts of information. The movie's called August Rush and I cannot wait to see it again.

If you get the chance- go see it! It will be well worth your 9 bucks. (Even though that's crazy to pay for a movie)

Happy Wednesday!

This is Steve enjoying a little massage in front of Old Navy in the Evansville mall on Black Friday :-) We had a lot of fun shopping! Some highlights of the weekend:

* Being comPLETELY packed into the minivan. It's amazing how much luggage 7 people can produce for 2 days!

* A fun game of "murder" on Wednesday night...Jordan got it twice!

* Lazy Thursday morning

* Wonderful meal with wonderful people

* Watching the Colts beat up on the Falcons

* Catchphrase!

* Kemps!

* Shopping fun on Friday

* Being with family and dear friends! Always wonderful...

More pics to come...

Happy Thanksgiving!! We are sitting here in a beautiful cabin in Southern Indiana, and my day already feels complete because I have all my family (Mom, Dad, Jordan, Dylan, Hope, Steve, Erin, Dan and Trish) here with me. We are missing Ferris though which is VERY sad, but I got to talk to her this morning. She's working hard at the hospital! She said she as surprised by the number of injuries that came in last night.


Jordan and I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and pray that you feel blessed by the things God's done and the people surrounding you. We love you!

Oh and in other news, more congratulations are due to:

* Mark Munden & Natalie Cressy on their recent engagement!! (YAY!)

* Scott & Courtney Ray on their pregnancy- we can't wait for little baby Ray :-)

It's going to be a GREAT week!

It started off with an incredible and fun church service yesterday morning. We had some baptisms, and Thanksgiving testimonies about things God's done in people's lives this past year, and we just rejoiced together as a family over God's faithfulness.

Kyle Cooper & Ian came over for lunch after church and I made Thai cashew chicken. Mmm....I've been buying the packs of rainbow peppers from Costco because they are DELISH and I put them in everything. So I added some peppers and broccoli to the dish- it was yummy! Afterwards, I cleaned up and the boys rested a bit. Then they pitched in and helped Jordan put the tree up. We decorated super early this year so our family from out of town can see it. They were a funny spectacle putting that tree together. Of course anything Kyle, Jordan and Ian do together is funny! I made them some no-bakes cookies and we watched a little football.

Kyle had to leave about 5, and I took off to get a few more things for the home-made pizza I was making, and to pick up 2 more strands of lights. Most of ours worked but you're always going to have a few go out. Oh well! We finished the tree, watched a little of the Patriot's massacre the Bills (side note: Randy Moss: 42 points for me in FF) watched a little American Music Awards, finished decorating, made the pizza and turned on "The Santa Clause." It was a top-notch evening! I told them I felt like I spent all day in the kitchen though, b/w lunch, cleaning up lunch, making no bakes, cleaning up no bakes, deep-cleaning the kitchen, making dinner, cleaning up dinner, but I shouldn't complain, b/c I love it.

This morning I woke up early and turned on the Christmas lights- beautiful! I made yummy eggs with peppers, red onion, mushrooms, spinach and feta for me and my husband and a bowl of oatmeal w/ walnuts and cranberries for him. We have a full work day ahead of us, drs appt, meeting and then we get to see family! They all fly in tonight- so we are pumped. I'm telling you, it's going to be a wonderful week!!!

We want to extend a HUGE congratulations to Nathan & Bethany. I told Jordan yesterday I "knew" it would be a girl. The Gaddis' make too beautiful of babies for them to not have a girl :-)

We love the name and can't wait to see you guys in December.

What I'm currently listening to on repeat:




I hope we can start doing this at church! Can't wait....

I love my husband!!

He surprised me last night with a fun time to go to Old Time Pottery in Murfreesboro and dinner out at Demos'. We had a great time AND got some GREAT deals out at Old Time Pottery- we are READY for Christmas decorating! Yay! And we had a great dinner.

AND- to top it off I won my fantasy football matchup that I wasn't expecting to at all b/c of bad bye weeks.

Current rank: 2 of 10 (the women are leading the league!)

It's baby time in Tennessee. No! Not for Jordan and me, but I found out about two of my friends who are pregnant...one on Saturday and one on Sunday! It's just super exciting and fun! I am absolutely loving this season of our lives....the BABY time! :-) What an incredible miracle and joy it is. And Jordan and I look forward to the day when we too step into that season.

God is so good!

In my reading this morning, and because of some things I was praying about, God led me Galatians 3, and verse 3 just jumped off the page. Here it is in NKJV,

"Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?"

I also love how it reads in New Living Translation, which is,

"Have you lost your senses? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?"

As I was asking and praying for help in certain areas of my life, and increased faith in things or increased passion, I was reminded that it's only by the Holy Spirit that I can truly accomplish what God's called me to, and fulfill His purpose for my life.

So now, my prayer is not to revive my passion or my focus, but for Him to reveal areas of my life I am trying to do on my own. Areas that I am trying to get by on "what I know" or "what I'm accustomed to"

It is only by stepping out in faith and hearing the guiding of the Holy Spirit that I can live life to the fullest!

I am encouraged!

Currently Listening to:

It's definitely ooey-gooey girl/boy music, but it's SO catchy and just generally fun. Wish I'd found it in the summer. It's definitely summer music. Everyone will have heard the majorly-played "Bubbly" but one of my faves is "The Little Things." SO catchy, and very smart writing.

We saw an incredible movie this weekend. It's called "Bella" and it is the story of a young woman, and the choices she has to make, and the love that is found in that. It's an amazing story and we completely endorse it. It's only playing at the Green Hill's Cinema in the Nashville area for those of you who live here but totally worth the drive!!!

What a beautiful picture:

...sitting here, seeing the slightest sunrise beginning, and as I continue to sit and to wait before the Lord- I look out and the sun is now fully up, and it is day- there is no longer night.

All I did was wait.

Saw this on another blog- thought it was good. Kicked me in the butt a little....but what can I saw? I like that!

When I am uncomfortable...

• I'm intentional; not casual.
• I'm confident in God; not me.
• I'm hungry to learn; not content where I am.
• I'm making decisions on purpose; not by accident.
• Life's a little bit harder; not a little bit easier.
• My faith is a little bit bigger; not a little bit smaller.
• I think a little more about others; not a little more about me.

Couldn't pass this up...got this from one of my friends! Happy Oct. 29th!

We're currently sitting in the Orlando airport. We finally discovered a great little table right next to an outlet where we can sit and do things we need to on our computers. We are headed back to Tennessee after a wonderful work week in Florida.We had a great time last night watching old home movies and just hangin' out...and we'll see them in a short 3 weeks for Thanksgiving-which is going to be so much fun. I get BOTH sides of the family! :-) Super wonderful.

Jordan's all excited because it looks like "true" fall weather has finally hit Tennessee! I'm pretty stoked too- actually might use the fireplace and put my summer clothes away...fun, fun!

We are here in wonderful Florida (it's so hot!) working this week. We worked a full day yesterday and then got sushi with the family beforing watching "The Biggest Loser" and hittin' the sack. We watched that show once when we were here last month...we only catch it when we're in Florida. I was SO annoyed watching it last night (If you watch it, you know why) This guy pulled the worst thing ever and got one of the other guys voted off. It was dirty and mean! Not fun. Other than the meanie Neil- I really enjoy that show.

Can't believe the wildfires in CA. It's crazy, but I heard a little of the news this morning and it sounds like they're starting to get contained. It's so interesting how almost every area has their worry of natural disasters. Here in Florida it's the hurricanes, in Oklahoma it's the tornados and our west it's the fires. I guess Tennessee's pretty safe other than the occasional tornado.

Well be blessed today! I hear back home we've been getting lots of rain- GO grass! (We reseeded our lawn a couple of weekends ago so I'm all for the rain)

Have a great day!

I've been very bothered by some things I've been hearing and reading lately. Stories from across our nation that I just cannot ignore, and things that are happening that greatly bother me. One such thing I read this morning: A MIDDLE school (that's grades 6-8) has ok'ed a new law that allows students to obtain birth control pills and patches at their student health center. They must have written permisson from parents but under state law such treatment is confidential and the student decides whether or not to tell their parents. What? This same school has provided free condoms for students since 2002. (Read about it here)

This bothers me, not simply because of what they're doing, because I know that the people behind this are coming from a completely different perspective than me, and are trying to prevent STDs and teen pregnancys, and are not looking at it from a biblical perspective. It bothers me because it is continuing to support what Gregg Johnson talks about that our kids are growing up faster but staying young longer- meaning that they are being exposed to things before their time....coming into contact with decisions, concepts and things that God never designed us to worry or think about at such a young age. But, they're staying younger longer, not knowing how to grow up, think for themselves or be adults in our society. (putting away childish things)

We are robbing our kids of childhood without giving them the tools to succeed as adults, and that's what saddens me. Lord, help us as the church to learn to not only teach but to parent an un-parented generation.

This middle school is trying to put a band-aid over a greater problem.

I worked out this morning....woohoo! This seriously has been such a challenge for me to get in the swing of things the past year and get myself in the habit of working out. I always feel so good when I do, but my biggest thing has been my loss of motivation over the past year. It's been hard to muster up the energy to "get going" especially in the morning. But this morning I did it and of course it was so worth it!

We're continuing to water our grass, although it is apparently "supposed" to rain according to weather.com. It had better! I want that rain whenever we can get it!

We had a great night last night...got to have the Borst girls over for dinner and to watch a movie. I made some chicken enchiladas and mexican rice and then some "Jordan-friendly" (no yeast, no refined sugar, and whole wheat flour) cookies that got inhaled-seriously! We watched the newest "Pink Panther" movie which is SO funny. It was a lot of fun.

Oh, and I did move up to 2nd place in our Fantasy Football league. Patsy is number one-which I love- the two ladies are leading it! Alright!

So we begin...the Roe's vs. their front yard. Jordan and I had set aside this past Saturday to tackle our issue of having no grass in the front yard. Some of you who have seen our house might argue that, but in reality it was mainly crab grass, which is tons of fun.

So we mowed, and raked and thatched and bagged and seeded and fertilized and layed down straw and watered, and watered....and continue to water....

And now we pray it grows!!

The temperatures are beautiful right now- and I'm prayin' for rain.

Fantasy Football rank: 3 of 10 (but all of that should change after tonight)

Last night we helped pack up the dear Borst family for their move to St. Louis. Frank & Wendy and their girls (and Josiah) have been in our lives for over a year now, but a year has seemed like much longer- they have become SO dear to our hearts. Last night, as we were working and loading, the only way to keep from crying was to not really think about what we were doing. Their oldest girl, Chantel (on the end) is staying in the area, so we'll still get to see her, but we are saying goodbye for now to Janel and Laurel.

I am so thankful to the Lord who brings people in our lives, and though it may not be incredibly long, they can leave such marks on us. I know that our relationship is not over with this family, and we are believing God's best for this new season in their lives!

Dylan came home this weekend, which is so exciting! AND- he came down and hung out with Jordan and me last night at home, so we got a good chance to talk and catch up with him, which is always wonderful. I am always so thankful for my siblings...we've just always had such great relationships, and that's something I treasure dearly.

Jordan's been a little under-the-weather for a while now, so we're trying to take it as easy as possible this weekend. He made omelets for us for breakfast this morning (my attempt was a disaster- never been good at that) and we're doing some reading now. We have a meeting at 1:00 up in Cool Springs and U-turn (youth group) tonight. We'll be able to take it easy tomorrow- I'm going to spend some time with my mom and we'll all have dinner together up there at Mom & Dad's.

have a blessed weekend and enjoy your weather- whatever kind it may be :-)

We had a great time at Fall Festival. We got home yesterday afternoon just in time for our Leadership Meeting for New Song. We were able to spend the weekend with Hope & Steve, Jerry & Cindy Lamar, Grandma Carol and other family, and Zach & Joy Griepenstroh. I wish I had more time to write, but I'll try to catch up later on the actual events of the trip. I have a lot of catch up to do with work. Blessings to ya,


Fantasy Football update: beat Dylan this past weekend. Current rank: 2 of 10

**Ferris is rockin' out the other league in first place! Go sis!

This has been an incredible weekend so far. Last night, I got to hang out with my mom, mom-in-law, my husband and a dear friend, Cindy Lamar. We went shopping-minus Jordan- I found some jeans I love, and ended up for dinner at Basil. mmm, mmm, mmm! Always a smash!

Today has been pretty near perfect so far! This morning we woke up and went to downtown Franklin for breakfast at the Mercantile. I had an egg-white omelette with spinach, feta, red onions and turkey. It was delish!! After bfast, Hope & Cindy headed back to E'ville and Jordan and I set off to walk and talk. We chatted and strolled up and down the quaint streets of Franklin for several hours, in the gorgeous, soft Fall-ish weather. We ended up in 5-pts Starbucks with our books and a wonderful iced coffee before heading home. It was such a relaxing fun day and there's no one I'd rather have spent it with than my dear husband!

We are now back at the house. I just did some worship prep for tomorrow (I'll be at New Song Woodbine) and vaccuumed and cleaned the car. Jordan is doing a quick workout before all the kiddos, or teenagers rather, get over here for Merge. We're heading up to E'ville tomorrow after church! We actually get to go to Fall Festival this year and we're excited.

Mom & Dad- you'll have to come next year!

Blessed Saturday!

Fantasy football: big matchup with the Dyl-buddy this weekend: Watchout!

What a great morning! I woke up to it raining hard outside this morning- I don't know why I love it so much when it rains. Maybe simply because I know I won't have to water my plants, but for whatever reason- it always makes me smile.

I chose my ginger-peach apricot tea this morning. Actually finished it off b/c I needed that tin to put my new Masala Chai into. MMmmm, it was good though! We had Life Group here at the house last night and it was amazing! SUCH a great time and we were so thankful, ARE so thankful for what God's doing in people's lives. There are good things happening...changes, which are hard in some ways but at the same time, change is an opportunity for God to show Himself to us in a new way, and that excites me!

I'm out of time for the morning. Gotta get people set up with insurance! Have a blessed day!

I keep meaning to post...sorry for the forgetfulness! We've had a good couple of weeks, been to Florida and back, all sorts of fun stuff!

We were in Naples working last week! It was a fun week, got to see Erin & Dan, everyone in the office, Grandpa Chalker and of course Hope & Steve. The week flew by and now we find ourselves back in Tennessee.

I can hardly believe it's almost October! Where did September go??? My goodness...I am really looking forward to October though. I'm believin' for wonderful fall weather! I know it can get there. We're actually going to get to go to Fall Festival in Evansville this year. We're heading up there on Sunday for one or two nights- we're pretty excited about it. We'll also be heading to the Lakehouse in a few weeks and then back to Florida the last week of October. Traveling definitely keeps us on our toes...having to stay up to speed on different things which takes a little more work, but it's totally worth it.

Got to see Merari & Ian a little bit last night which was wonderful. I was at a few meetings at the Buchanan's and needed a ride home b/c Jordan had dropped me off, so Merari was kind enough to bring me home. Ian was here with Jordan, so the 4 of us chatted a while, made some cookies, and watched a little of the game before they left and we went to bed too late- oh well.

I actually woke up very refreshed this morning despite having less sleep than normal, so I got my shoes on and went for a morning run. So glad I did- it was beautiful and well worth it!

Alright- gotta go- have a great Tuesday!

Fantasy Football rank: 3 of 10 (lost by 1 stinkin' point this week)

Ahhhh!

Eli's out for a month.

Dang.

Alright!!

Fantasy season is off to a booming start. (For those who don't know, I am lovingly referring to Fantasy Football, which I'm in my second season of playing) Don't worry, I had my doubts as well before beginning. My previous arguments of, "it takes away team allegience," and "no one cares about the teams anymore," still stand to a certain degree. But I do have to say- it was great watching Eli Manning hit up Plaxico not once, or twice but three times in the end zone last night in a game I usually wouldn't care anything about. A glorious 34 points for my dear Manning's little bro!

Another big surprise that many thought was a huge risk on my part was Randy Moss and his connection with Brady for a surprising 27 points. Brady and Peyton both took a respectful 29 points with Tony Romo and Roethlisburger's CRAZY unexpected starts! I thought they were crazy for picking those guys.

Some disappointments of the weekend (though not on my team) were Drew Brees and a measly 2 points (ouch!) Steven Jackson (BIG surprise) getting a big fat goose egg (0) and Rex Grossman with 3 (although I'm not sure anyone REALLY expected much more from him)

Tonight should be good- we'll see how Frank Gore does for me, but the football madness continues with not just one, but 2 Monday night games.

Football is back in full swing and I LOVE IT!

How 'bout them Colts?!


Last night we had the Clingers and Robby & Ferris over for dinner, which was so much fun! It's so great to spend time with friends like that. After everyone left, Jordan and I turned on the Colts & Saints NFL season opener. When we turned it on it was half time and they were tied 10 to 10.

From that point forward- the Colts ran away with it- literally. With weapons such as Reggie Wayne, Joseph Addai and near-perfection from Peyton Manning, the Colts proved that they weren't some onetime winning team. They are a force to be reckoned with.

Oh the joyous days of football have returned, and I am LOVING it!

Yesterday was a really fun day. The weather has finally mellowed out a bit, highs of 90 insead of 105 make for some nice days! We took it easy (very easy) in the morning and just chilled around they house- I accomplished some random tasks that I never have time for during the regular week (such as touching up paint in spots in the house) We took off to go play frisbee about 3:00 and had about 14 people out to play. It was so much fun and I was glad for the exercise. We spent the rest of the evening grilling out at Mom & Dad's and then playin' a little Trivial Pursuit, which Robby & Ferris dominated, despite coming in late and finishing early.

It was all in all, a GREAT (non) labor day :-)

Football is back!! So exciting! College ball started on Saturday with a few crazy upsets (excuse me, who is Appalachian State again?) and my dear Vols and their sad excuse for a defense losing out to Cal. NFL isn't quite here yet, but coming and last Sunday night we drafted our Fantasy Football teams. My league consists of Robby, Jordan, myself, Tres Winn, Chris Maple, Dylan, Jim & Brendan Fraser, Nate Sallie and Patsy Bass. Draft was stressful and it started off on a bad note as I didn't get any of my prized Colt's players in the first round. Last year I was lucky enough to get Peyton and Marvin, and really, it just doesn't do it for me if I don't have ANY of my faves....but, we'll see.

My top pick went to Frank Gore, which I'm a little nervous about, so we'll just have to see. My first victim is Tres' team, "Royal Flush" so everyone better wish him luck- he's going to need it.

Ferris is playing this year (Yeah Reese) and Robby and Dad coached her along pretty well on who to take. She ended up with a stellar team. Her league consists of Kelsey Shockey, Mark Mumford, Dad, Ernie, Christin Moore, Brian Elliot, Becky Crowell, Jason Gill, Dustin Whitney, and her. It'll be interesting. Dad won the whole league last year, but there's no way we'll let him get a repeat.

Alright, we're off to play some frisbee!

It really was a great week! It was full, but not too busy. I'm trying to remember some of the details of the week, but they're escaping my memory. I know Tuesday we thought we had a meeting but it ended up being cancelled, which gave us a free evening we weren't expecting. Wednesday we had Life Group, which was really, really good! I made hamburgers and made the patties way too small- they were midget burgers, but oh well- they tasted good and there was plenty to go around. Don Ramsey brought some amazing desserts from Panera- SO good!! Thursday I got to hang out with Trish which was SO great. I hadn't gotten to spend time with her in WAY too long, so it was much overdo. We had a great time just talking and laughing and catching up. And I got to see the house she is building which is SOOOOOO amazing! I'm so excited for her.

Last night we ventured out for the first game of the High School football season to see the Independence Eagles play the Brentwood Academy Eagles. IHS wasn't doing the best when about 10 minutes before half time the lightening started striking pretty regularly and they ended up calling the game a few minutes into half time. It was a good thing too, because by the time we got to our car and started to pull out, a full out HUGE storm was upon us. I seriously haven't seen lightening that bad and consistent in a while! It was crazy. After dropping Brad Oliver off at home and getting through all the weather- we crashed when we made got back.

Today is my mom's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I LOVE YOU! I am going to get to spend some time with her this afternoon before U-turn tonight, which I am looking forward to. So on that note, I am going to leave you to go read and do a few things before heading up "north." Have a blessed weekend! I'm sure I'll have much to report after this weekend: tomorrow is our Fantaasy Football draft!!! Woohoo!

Great weekend!

Friday, Jordan and I got some time at Saxby's and then decided to go out to eat. We drove around a few Spring Hill restaurants and then landed on one of our favorites, The Sultan Table- Mediterranean food. I got the standard: gyro platter and hummus- SO good. Jordan tried to grape leaves, which were good, but he liked mine better :-)
Ferris came over late after Frontline and spent the night with us.

Saturday I woke up early and ran over to the grocery to grab a few things for breakfast. I made whole wheat pancakes and turkey sausage. We all ate breakfast together and then Jordan took off for a couple of meetings and to see Robby while Ferris and I got some really good "sister" time together in. So wonderful. She then ran a few errands with me and I bought a wheelbarrow and shovel at Home Depot. How exciting, right?! The joys of being a home-owner.

Saturday evening was our U-turn Gathering, and man, was it EVER strong! Kyle Cooper led worship, we had a bunch of new kids come up from Spring Hill with us....Jordan taught and the students were laughing, having an awesome time, praising with passion and listening intently. I really am expectant about what God has planned for this group this year. I think it will be an incredible year!

Sunday we had a wonderful service and then had a quick lunch with the Kellums over at our house and then headed down to the William's for a pool party. They have an AMAZING place in Green Hills- absolutely beautiful and the students of course loved it. We ended the evening watching "deja vu" with the Pearson's over here at our house. Awesome weekend!

This week has been wonderful getting to see Dylan. We got to spend time with him and the entire family on Monday and Tuesday nights this week, and then myself, Ferris and Dylan got some time together yesterday during the day. I took a half day off work so that we could spend a little time together since he's back out on his way today to head to Lee. We have several others (Reagan, JP, Erika and Robert to name a few) that are on their way as well. The campus will be jumping with New Song families this weekend! It will be exciting.

The BEST part of yesterday was that Dylan wanted to go to Teavana and I of course had NO problem with that. I had to stock up on a few teas (it was my black tea day: Darjeeling, English Bfast, Earl Grey) so we all headed down to Green Hills and walked around there for a while (the iPhones really are THAT cool!)and popped into Teavana for a while.

Dylan left with a 16 oz. tea steeper and a couple of teas: Raspberry Black and Rooibos Peach. Since my dad has been drinking his Rooibos the past month, Dylan was the last member of my family for me to get into drinking tea. (Ferris isn't sold out yet, but we'll get her there!) So, it was a wonderful time. We'll certainly miss Dylan, but it's amazing to see all that God's doing in his life. Pretty cool stuff!

Have an awesome weekend!

It's been a good week. We had a great time the rest of the week in Florida. We worked hard, and enjoyed time with Erin & Dan in the evenings. We got to see "The Bourne Ultimatum" on Friday night, which was AWESOME! I highly recommend it, although if it's been a while since you've seen the first two, I would encourage you to brush up on those first.

Since we got back on Saturday, we've been hittin' it hard. We had Senior Night on Saturday evening for those students who graduated in May- it was their last night at youth group. It's always so fun, and sad to see them go. It's just an amazing thing to be with students for 5 or 6 years and watch them grow up!

The big exciting thing this week is that Dylan is home!! YEAH! He got here yesterday late afternoon and he'll be here until Friday. So we had dinner with just family last night and tonight Phil & Heather Joel are joining us because they wanted to see Dylan as well. I am hoping to take a little time off work so I can see him a bit more but we'll see.

Currently drinking: water, with a cup of Rooibos Rose Garden brewing :-)

Gotta get back to work- hope everyone is doing well!

We had an amazing weekend! We took off Friday about 5:00 to head to Centerhill lake to spend time with our Leadership Team from New Song Spring Hill, which consisted of the Lyken's, Robby, myself & Jordan, the Varni's, Corley's and Gee's, all 86 kids except for little 9 month old Samuel Varni who is SO cute!!

We stayed at the new lakehouse that a few of the families we know recently purchased. It is BEAUTIFUL!!! It's perfectly decorated and has all these little bells and whistles that make it so nice.

We got home late Saturday night, and had a busy Sunday morning and then flew out at 6:15 from Nashville. Erin and Dan picked us up from the airport at like 11:00- they were so sweet to come and get us so late!

Jordan and I have been working- we're in the office this week. I'm looking forward to hanging out with some of Dan & Erin's friends tonight- it'll be great AND we get to go to an amazing pizza restuarant. I don't eat pizza much, but if I'm going to eat it, I want it to be good!

That's all the time I have for now! Have a great Tuesday

Jordan got a new phone last night. Pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. It blows the Treo and Blackberry's out of the water. Robby introduced it to us a few weeks ago after he got his, and Jordan was pretty impressed. Although I've always thought my husband would be the last person to have a PDA-type phone, as his responsibilites have increased in all sorts of different arenas, the need has incresed for him to have an all-in-one scheduling/emailing, etc. device. I think it will be very handy for him. The Mogul is pretty much Sprint's answer to the iPhone, and although I'm sure the iPhone has a few shinier bells & whistles, I think the Mogul will do just fine :-)

I love going to Border's! Any bookstore for that matter, but Border's is usually the choice of the Roe's. We love to go and sit for a while and just READ! Reading has always been a passion of mine. In high school my favorite academic classes were always English, even at the AP level. And in college I LOVED my Literature and English classes. I came across a box of old books the other day, classics by everyone from Jane Austen and John Milton to Shakespeare and Ernest Hemingway. Books are an amazing thing and there is such a power to words that cannot be replicated in a digital form.

Last night, the book I chose to peruse through was called, "My Name is Iran." It's a memoir about a girl born in America, but compelled by her Iranian heritage. It peaked my interest because beneath the descriptions of longing for a homeland, it seemed to me that she was just a girl trying to find herself her own way, and seeing God as she wanted to see Him, on her own terms. I just skimmed through the book for about an hour, but the things I read confirmed my speculations. It has been a sad life that she's led, and although in the end she's seemingly found her freedom and victory, I wonder if she's found true peace. I was struck by how common each human's struggles are, no matter the culture, language or upbringing. It all comes back to us being willing to humble ourselves and trust God with our lives.


On another note, the other book I looked through was all about making bread in bread machines. It totally got me in the mood for bread, which I set to make to be ready this morning. When I woke up and came out of our room, the smell of freshly baked bread greeted me! It was delicious although the loaf is probably 10 lbs. due to the fact that I decided to dissolve the yeast in the water before pouring it in, and this kept it from fully rising the way it should have. Oh well!

Happy Wednesday!

We got to celebrate one of our dearest friend's birthdays last night. Several of us gathered at Mark & Penny Mumford's home to celebrate Robby turning 26! We love you Robby!! We love your funny faces, especially the one when you're trying really hard to process something or figure it out. We love what happens to you when you drink even the tiniest ounce of caffeine. We love your marathon naps! We love your desire to organize Fantasy Football leagues. We love your refusal to partake of anything containing a grain of sugar. We love your extreme attention to detail and your love of Nacho Libre..



...in all seriousness, we really do honor you and treasure you as a friend, brother, leader and fellow worker in the Kingdom! Happy (late) Birthday.

Jordan and I were just discussing how happy we've been with our recent Sundays. With the schedule we have right now in life, most of the time we don't have a full "off" day. We work M-F, and have U-turn (youth group) every Saturday, as well as various church activities several times per month, and then Sunday (at least the first half of the day) is like a work day with service stuff. I typically get up earlier on Sundays than any other day of the week. We love it though and wouldn't have it any other way!

But after services on Sunday. we typically are able to relax the rest of the day. There's just something about relaxing when you don't have anywhere to be the rest of the day, and we've been able to do some fun things the past few weeks. Last week we played Ultimate Frisbee and then hung out with several of our favorite people that night, and yesterday was just an all-around awesome day.

We had our first Sunday Celebration Service in our new facility, which despite all the kinks to yet be worked out, was awesome! We were there for quite a while, but finally got to sit down to lunch at Asuka Japanese restaurant with Ben & Michele Christy, Ferris, Rob & Tami, Dad & Robby. We had so much fun sitting at the low table on the ground and eating sushi & edamame. We were able to get in naps, grocery shopping (for me), some good reading time at Saxby's (where Kelsey & Chris joined us) and a little movie action (Nacho Libre, which I'm still not sure how I feel about that one) It was an excellent and very restful and purposeful day. I love it!

There is absolutely no purpose to this picture other than the fact I was thinking we don't put enough pictures on here....this one is from like 3 or 4 months ago, but oh well! Just a little something to brighten your day...or not :-)

One thing I wanted to tell you ALL about was my amazing discovery yesterday. I had a meeting at Saxby's b/w work and our Leadership Team meeting, and I had just swung through the gym to run a quick couple of miles so I wasn't sure what kind of coffee or tea I was in the mood for. I was waiting and reading about some new drink they have and I noticed that it was made with real matcha powder.

We were introduced to matcha by the most adorable sales girl at where else- Teavana a few months ago. It's a very interesting and acquired taste but I really like it. Anyway, I asked the lady at Saxby's if she could make me a matcha soy latte and it was SOOO delish! Jordan tasted it and liked it too. So, if you get the opportunity- I highly recommend a Matcha latte- without soy would be better for you (I just didn't want all that milk on my stomach yesterday)

It is yummy!!

You can tell this is a little busier of a week with my not-as-frequent blogging. It's been a great week though. Monday evening was our night to be at home, and I was able to plant some flowers/bushes I had gotten, some from Mom which I am so enjoying! Jordan and I spent the evening reading, worshipping, and having an all-around wonderful time. Tuesday was full of worship arts things..I had a director's meeting at 4:30 and then we had a network worship leader's meeting following that. It was SO good to hear Jeff speak about things on his heart and what the Lord has been showing Him. We will be having a network-wide WA community gathering in August so he'll be able to download to the whole group, which will be great! Last night was Life Group, and it was so good! I've missed our Life Group, because the last time it was a LG week, we had the Kid's VBS and were helping out with that. It was great having everyone in our home again and getting to connect. Tonight is our Leadership Team meeting, which will be packed I'm sure, with details about the "move" on Saturday to the new facility.

YEAH!

That's all I have for now! I've run out of time...

We changed our plans and ended up NOT going to Borders on Friday night. Jordan realized it was the release of Harry Potter and the place would be swarming with little wizards and whatever else Harry Potter is about (I have no clue about any of the books/movies) so we ran some errands and ended up at Saxby's in Spring Hill for a while. It was still wonderful and restful.

Saturday Ferris and I went to work getting ready for the shower at 10:00. Thankfully, Brian had to drop Tammy Gee off early, and I was so glad, b/c she helped us finish things we probably wouldn't have. We had exactly the amount of ladies I predicted and Natasha had an amazing time! I was very pleased with how everything went. By the time we finished cleaning, had a bite of lunch, and I went over to give my neighbor a baby gift and play with her daughter for a bit, it was time to go up to Cool Springs to get the van. U-turn was AWESOME on Saturday night. We had a U-turn Worship Arts' camp all last week that about 40 students participated in. They each selected two areas that ranged from graphic design to worship leading to specific instruments like bass and drums to drama. It was so strong, and so well-organized. They presented various elements on Saturday night and we talked about what worship is and who you worship.

Sunday, Jordan led worship at Cool Springs and I was at Spring Hill. We met up at the Ultimate Frisbee field at 2:00 with about 45 other people to play a few hours of Ultimate. It was hot, but so fun, even though my team lost overall...oh well...I just couldn't keep up with Ferris to save my life.

The weekend ended with a relaxing dinner at Mom & Dad's with Ian, Robby, Jordan, Mom & Ferris. I was hoping to get to see Radiance, Chris's new niece, but Camille, Chris and Cara didn't pull in until about 10:30, and we had to go before that. I will have to enjoy the pictures from afar! She is beautiful though.

So do you have big weekend plans? I think it's funny how our culture has become so revolved around the weekend, and many regard it as the only truly fun and relaxing time in their week. While I certainly love weekends, I am just as big of a fan of our weeks- the week days, the week nights, as well as the revered Fri-Sun time. It definitely is a time where you're able to take trips and have more parties, because of the time off work, but thank the Lord that there are many times all throughout the week to look forward to and to enjoy.

This weekend, Jordan and I do have a few things going on. Frontline, which is our college-age ministry at church has their small groups tonight, and one of the girl's groups is meeting here at our home. We aren't involved in it, but we're letting them use the house. Jordan and I will probably spend the evening relaxing, maybe make it up to Border's to do some reading- we've been really enjoying that lately!

Tomorrow morning I am hosting a shower for one of the girl's in our church who is getting married in a couple of weeks. I'm excited about that. Ferris is giving it with me, so she'll probably spend the night tonight to be here and help me get ready in the morning. We'll have U-turn tomorrow night, which will be wonderfu!! And then service on Sunday: Jordan will be leading worship at our Cool Springs campus and I'll be leading at Spring Hill. And we have Ultimate Frisbee on Sunday so I'm praying for a cool front :-)

Whatever your weekend holds- may it be full with the Lord's perfect plans!

**currently drinking: rooibos chai

Time is so interesting. It's something that has always stayed the same- we always have the same amount of it and it never goes faster or slower...it just is! When you think about the order of the world, how the sun sets and rises, and the moon provides light at the nighttime, and the earth rotates on it's axis....all these amazing things that God set into place to keep an order and a rhythm to our days and our months and our years.

We all have the same amount of it too. While almost everything else in our lives is variable: finances, relationships, locations, culture, food, etc, everyone has the same time! It's such an interesting thing to think about, when you really get down to it.

The big question is: how do you spend yours? How do you approach your time? We all hear the oft-quoted mantra, "I just don't have enough time," or "I ran out of time." Really, that's not true!

The Lord is challenging me that there is ALWAYS enough time to do what HE has called me to. There is not enough time to do all the other things. I am continuously challenged to press in more and more to the Holy Spirit for His direction on my time. I know it's there. I know it can be done. Not through my own striving but through His guidance and power.

Be encouraged! There is grace sufficient for our times of need- but if you're finding yourself stressed because of a lack of time, ask those questions? Am I putting my hand exactly to things that God has called me to, or am I filling my time with "good" but non-purposeful things. A rich, full, and fulfilling life is each of our destiny in the Lord, and He will provide the time for everything!

**currently drinking: coffee (I needed more of a pick-me-up this morning)

Last night was fun....Jordan met up with Janelle at 4:30 to discuss some youth stuff and then I met them at Saxby's at 5:30 and finished up. Then Janelle and I took off and spent the evening with her just hanging out and talking at her new house- it looks so great! We picked up some salads and chips and salsa (with ranch of course) from Chilis. Jordan spend the evening with our "new son" Jphen and grilled some chicken for them for dinner. It was a nice relaxing night and I was able to get in bed at a good time. I love getting a good night's sleep! Today we're just working away and getting stuff done here- not too much going on. Ferris and I are throwing a bridal shower on Saturday here at the house, so we have a little bit to do to get ready for that.

Just a little mid-week update for ya! Have a great day!

currently drinking: water (seems to be the drink of choice)

So this morning- my husband had organized a big breakfast for the junior high and high school students who live in Spring Hill. We met at 7:00 at this old diner called "Poplar House," it's the oldest restaurant in Spring Hill. It was definitely your classic small-town diner, and we really invaded the place with about 20 students, but it was a lot of fun and I know the kids really enjoyed it :-) I jetted off at 5 'til 8 to "open up" the office. It's great to see these youth in Spring Hill really connecting and building relationships with each other.

Here are FINALLY some pics from Florida. Mom came over for dinner last night, so I got them from her camera.

**currently drinking: water

great weekend! Yesterday I led worship at our Cool Springs campus- it was so good to be there. We have three Newsong campuses, the one Jordan and I are primarily involved in is the one in Spring Hill, but as a worship leader, we all rotate between all the campuses. Jordan will be at Cool Springs leading next week, and I'll be back at Spring Hill. It's really a neat dynamic, and something I love doing. It keeps it so fresh and interesting, as every worship leader brings something amazing to the table.

After service (which is pretty much a work day - leave the house at 6:30am, finish at 1:30pm after 2nd service!) I went over to Mom & Dad's to grab a bite to eat. After lunch we (myself, Jordan, Jphen, Mom, Dad, Ian, Chris & Ferris) all headed over to Crockett Park to play some tennis. We had a great time and it was so good to get out and play.

Ferris, Ian, Jordan and me finished up at Border's just chillin' and reading, and Jordan and I had a simple dinner at home while working on some finance stuff before going to bed (too late!)

It was a great weekend, and full of great fellowship, community, worship, fun, and all sorts of blessings from the Lord. I am so thankful!!

**currently drinking: water

So far, GREAT weekend. Last night Jordan and I visited the new-to-Cool Springs, Saltgrass Steakhouse. Jordan has been raving about it ever since we heard from Nathan that it was in the area, so we finally got to try it last night, and I must say, it was wonderful!!

Today has been so great too. I made whole-grain waffles this morning and turkey sausage, and then took off to hang out with my dear friend Kelly, and head down to Green Hills for a trip to Teavana. Kelly, as I knew she would be, fell in love with it, especially all the teapots. I restocked my Haute Chocolate and got some much anticipated Azteca Fire and Rooibos Rose Garden. Mmm, mmm....

I have some free time to finish preparing for worship tomorrow and get a few things done around the house before U-turn tonight. I am, so thankful for the Lord's grace on our lives- giving us the time and grace for everything!

Blessings to you and may the rest of your weekend be filled with grace!

**Currently drinking: Azteca Fire mixed with Haute Chocolate

There are some amazing things happening that I am just so excited about! For the past few months, Jordan and I have been walking through a very difficult time in ministry with many, many families that we go to church with. It just seemed that every time we turned around, someone within our direct area of influence was pretty much at rock bottom, and that was a hard thing for a young couple in ministry to walk through (knowing there are many more to come) But it's amazing to see these very same families beginning to see the rainbows in the middle of their storms. We're seeing sons returned, families walking out of depression into hope, financial situations that seemed impossible are turning around, engagements happening, babies conceived, amazing amazing things.

My sister in law, Erin, wrote a post the other day about trusting God, and it's very true that it's simple to trust Him when the risk isn't costly for us, or the stakes aren't too high. But what about when it's your family, or your marriage, or your financial status, or when it goes against EVERY FIBER of your being. Having the ability to trust, and really trust Him in those times is when it counts, and it's amazing to see God showing up, although the timing was different that we would predict.

One of my favorite verses, Isaiah 43:19, " Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth: shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

Repentance Walk

...walking down Church Street in Nashville at 7:00am on 7.07.07...pretty amazing!! It was like this for a long way behind us as well...

Kid's Summer Celebration

Last night was the first of three that we are helping out with Kid's Summer Celebration, our Vacation Bible School at church. This year's theme is "Avalanche Ranch: taking kids on a wild ride through God's word." Jordan is leading worship for them, and I'm helping, but Jordan is hilarious! He does such a good job of being goofy and engaging the kids! It's great.

These kids are so funny! I loved the little guy who I was talking with when we were eating dinner, who after I mentioned something about what could happen if you put too many red hots in your mouth at one time, looks at me, nodding and very serious and says," You have a point." Or the adorable little toddlers running around screaming for me to help them catch "light bugs!" Or the little guy, thinking that Jordan was Phil Joel because he was leading one of his songs told him, "I heard you on the radio!"

Kids are amazing. I'm sure all of you parents could tell me funny story after funny story, and all of the things you've learned from your children.....I love the simplicity & honesty of children, yet it also breaks my heart to see young ones that are already tainted by something, most likely instability or perversion at home.

I can't wait until tonight- we serve an awesome God who longs to move mightily in all of us- even a little 5 year old boy who swears up and down that his Kool-aid is poisonous dragon blood! :-)

Call

Well, I still haven't gotten any pictures from our Florida trip. I unfortunately didn't take any myself, I let my mom take them all, so I still need to get those from her. But another week has come and gone, and it's been a pretty big one.

We had a young man, Jordan Fenton, move in with us on Monday. He's been one of Dylan's (my brother) closest friend for a long time and it was something God was putting on both mine and Jordan's heart. It's funny having two Jordan's in the house...I just have to call him by his nickname: JPhen, so if I refer to Jphen, that's who I am talking about. But it's exciting and Jordan and I feel blessed to be a part of the amazing call God has on his life.

We had quite the eventful weekend. The Call came to Nashville and it was unbelievable. Click on the link to find out more about what this is. We were down at Centennial Park in Nashville at 6:15am, and we left the stadium to come home about 6:45pm. It was about repentance in the church, and crying out to the Lord for the sins that we have committed. How can you have moral authority to speak to something if you're not walking in it yourself? And that's the plague that has infiltrated our church in America- it is a mess! We preach against infidelity and anger, and deception and jealousy, but so many of us as Christians are guilty of those very things. It was an incredible thing, that I believe wasn't just another "event," but something that can spur us on to greater things God has called us to in our nation.

So, we're hitting it hard again on this Monday. I think I'm going to make a pizza tonight...I made a whole wheat crust earlier (mmmm,mmm) but we're still trying to determine exactly what we need to do.

Have a wonderful Monday evening!

Wonderful Restful Week

We have returned from an awesome trip to North West Florida: Fort Walton Beach. It was so peaceful and wonderful. I'll post some pictures soon and tell more about it, but we're here and we're back!

My favorite things....

We have a friend who is looking to start up an Organization business where they go in and help people organize rooms, files, anything really- even their entire house. It made me realize, as I told Jordan last night, that if I could be doing anything in the world everyday, it would be Event Planning and Organizing! He said it's too boring, but I couldn't disagree more. There's something wonderful about cleaning thigns out, throwing away junk and knowing things are nice and in order. It made me want to get the couple of drawers I have that have "junk" in them and organize them. Since we just moved in November, that's really all I have now that needs organizing, other than a little more in the upstairs storage. That's the problem with organizing....once you've done it, if you stick to it, you don't need to do it anymore. So if anyone wants me to help them- let me know!

Moving Fun...

Last night we helped Kyle & Janelle with packing up their apartment. They closed on their new home last week and are beginning the fun moving process. They've already been working on painting everything, which looks amazing! Tonight is the "big" moving night, lifting furniture, boxes etc. Not that I'll have to do too much of that. I'll try to get some good pictures! We're very excited for them!!

(this pic is obviously not of us moving...but of them at their wedding last year)

Happy Father's Day

Didn't get a chance to post this yesterday so I wanted to take a moment to honor all the men who are fathers to us. We have been blessed with some pretty amazing fathers, beginning of course with my dad- Dave and Jordan's dad- Steve. Both are awesome men of God who love their families beyond description and support their wives and children in everything. They lead with strength and humility and are amazing examples. We also have wonderful legacies in our grandfathers: Beda, Grandpa Chalker, Grandpa Bob & Grandpa Fred (I couldn't find pictures for all of them!). These are all wonderful men and Jordan and I are so blessed to have them all in our lives. We love them dearly.

In addition, we've also had the privilege of having many Spiritual fathers in our lives. The Bible speaks of the Lord placing the solitary in families and of giving us a spiritual heritage of children and legacies. Not that Jordan and I are "solitary" but the Lord has blessed us with men such as Scott Weaver, Dale Evrist, Rob Lykens, Coury Adams, Phil Breeden- men who have sown into us in countless ways over the years and continue to pour into us. We are so thankful and grateful to the Lord for all of the wisdom we have access to.

Blessings to all of you on this (day after) Father's Day. We honor you for all that you do and most importantly, what you teach us about being people after God's heart!

Pictures from Lake Tahoe!!!

Hey everyone- finally- here you go....some pictures from Lake Tahoe. (only a month later) OH well, better late than never right? If you ever get the chance to go, take it! It's one of the most beautiful places I've seen.

Big thanks to Hope and Steve for allowing us to take this trip! It was amazing!

I haven't moved, died, left the building or gone AWOL....

I promise I'm still alive- I actually have so many things I want to blog about, but alas- time escapes me and I'm left with no choice but to not blog.

I want to tell you all about our trip to Lake Tahoe and share some of our beautiful pictures....and about Dylan being home for a little while and how fun that is, or about the awesome Ultimate Frisbee tournament we had on Memorial Day, or about my in-laws visiting and having a great time with them, or about camp preparations and all the things we've been working on with the activities, or about how I wasn't going to camp at all, but I couldn't stand it so now I'm going tomorrow, or about my 2 new tea flavors and how wonderful they are, BUT I haven't had the chance. :-)

Please be patient with me as I update everyone on our life. There have been so many wonderful things happening, but my entire work day is definitely full and there is almost no time for even the smallest blog.

Pictures to come soon- promise!

VOTE FOR TRISH

Here's a water bottle one of my friend's designed. She's a super talented designer, so if you get the time, stop by this site: www.mysigg.com/siggart and scroll down to find her water bottle and give it 5 stars to vote! :-) Thanks!

Update on week in Florida

Well, I returned Saturday at 3ish, minus one husband from Florida. No, no, nothing bad happened :-) We just determined that it would be best for Jordan to stay one more week to do some more insurance training and be in the office with his dad. So, we got some things covered for the weekend, made some switches, changed his flight from Saturday to this Friday, and I came home by myself.

The trip was great, but mostly consisted of a lot of work. We found ourselves in the office late pretty much each night, but were still able to squeeze in some family time, some Jack Bauer time and some American idol time. I am SO wanting Melinda to win. She has the most incredible voice I think I've ever heard as well as being a person who truly loves Jesus, and it shows all over her. And I think that's amazing. Lots of people claim to be "Christians" but there are few in the entertainment biz on whom it really shows. I'm totally behind her!

Of course I had to go to Teavana, even though we have our own in Nashville now, it's very out of my way and very difficult for me to find time to get to Green Hills. I guess it's a good thing I no longer work in Maryland Farms, because I would be finding a way to get down there several times a week. I bought a couple new teas: Apple Lemon Pomegranate and Vermont Maple and they are both SO SO SO good. And I restocked my Rooibos Chai & Rooibois Sweet Amore.

It was a great trip- very productive, and now I am back gome and thick in the swing of things, preparing for camp and travel,etc.

Only a week and a few days until our big Lake Tahoe trip! Woohoo- can't wait!

Brooke Fraser

I haven't bought a non-worship cd in a loooonnng time. Jordan got a Johnny Lang Cd for his birthday from Ferris in January but that is the last one I think we got. I came across Brooke's cd when I was ordering the new Hillsong United cd- she's one of thei main writers and as I was searching around, I came across this cd and her website and Myspace Music page.

I was absolutely hooked.

She reminds me of the last female singer that I totally fell in love with: KT Tunstall (thnx Trish!) except better, because she loves the Lord. Her writing is so good: biblical, fresh and creative and the melodies are amazing!! If you get a chance, check it out. I had to pay a little more for the cd since I had to order it from New Zealand, but it is totally worth it!!

Wedding Weekend

Jordan and I were in a wedding this weekend. The connection is a funny one, because it's a guy I went to Brentwood High with, but Jordan met a few years ago through business, since he is a Mortgage Broker and this other guy is a realtor.

My mom actually met his older sister, also a realtor, in line to vote or the 2004 Prez elections several years ago. Random, or God, which is what I know it was!

So, Nick & Kathryn got married this week. I could kick myself for forgetting my camera *again* but I think I'll let myself off the hook. We weren't in the wedding party, but were a part of the music...let me re-phrase that..we WERE the music. Really, more so Jordan, who played the Prelude music, the seating of grand/mothers, Bridesmaids, and Bridal Processional. I sang "Feels Like Home." It was a beautiful rehearsal dinner, ceremony and reception, and we were excited to be a part of it.

In other Roe news- this week is crazy as weeks come! Tonight is our only night to be at home and "prepare" for the week ahead. I have a bunch of church things to work on, not to mention yard and cleaning endeavors as well. Only by God's grace will I accomplish what's ahead :-) And it doesn't look like "24" will make the cut again this week. Too bad, I do want to know if Prez Palmer's okay and if Jack has rescued his love, but we'll have to wait and figure it out when we watch it next week- most likely...

That being said...I must get back to work. This was my 25 minute lunch break. (dont worry, I wasn't writing this the whole time..that would be sad if it took me that long to write this much) Nope, this was the past 4 minutes, so blessings on your Monday.

Horrible...

I cannot get past what I found out about 2 hours ago regarding the shootings at Virginia Tech. I cannot imagine what the students, faculty and family are going through. Please pray for this campus and what is happening right now.

Click here for more information.

Didn't expect this....

So how about this for a fine Thursday morning in April?

Spring Hill Weather Forecast and Conditions Tennessee (37174)


Yep- that's right. 42 degrees, but feels like 36. This morning, as I woke up to Jordan's really early alarm, my first thought was, "oh my word- you have to be kidding. It's FREEZING!" I did what any other normal woman would do and opted to snuggle deeper into the blanket rather than put on more clothes to keep me warm. When I got up 30 minutes later, it was still FREEZING. I checked our thermastat, which read 60- pretty cold for me for inside. I decided not to mess with it, thinking that the sunlight would warm the house up as the day progressed.

Not so

10:30am and still 60 degrees. I pulled up weather.com to find that the low tomorrow is 24 degrees. WHATEVER. I put the heat back on.

Thankfully I hadn't put my sweaters up yet, so here I am- working and wearing my nice pink christmas sweater and thick socks.

YAY for unpredictable middle Tennessee weather.