This is what I cooked last night for our dinner. It's Artichoke, feta and thyme stuff chicken, Tomato/Shallot salad and Corn with Feta, Walnuts and Jalapenos. I love cooking FRESH, CHEAP, easy and seasonally, and this fit ALL four of those. Seasonally meaning you are cooking with produce that is in season, which means it will be very fresh and less expensive because it's in large supply. Tomatos and corn are both fully in season right now, so that was perfect! The meal cost me approx. $7 to make, and that's for both of us, with leftovers. And I think it took me all of 20-25 minutes from start to finish. So, I was pretty darn excited about that last night. I have some other things on my mind, but I must work today, so no time for that right now. I'll save it for a later date!!

Tonight: Homemade turkey burgers and salad!

Can I even explain to you how tired I am this morning? Not tired as in "not-enough-rest" tired, but tired from, "I just worked out so hard I could throw up" tired. You see, a couple of weeks ago, Jordan developed a circuit workout for me. If any of you have seen Jordan lately, you know that he is super in shape right now. He picked back up doing his "circuits" about 8 months ago, in addition to all the frisbee he's been playing and coaching, and basketball that he does every other week or so, the man is fit!! Well, about 3 weeks ago, the Lord really started convicting me on how I was not caring well for my body. I got out of the habit of consistent work-outs about 3 years ago, and have been sporadic, to say the least, since then. Well, at 27, my body doesn't respond exactly the same as it did 10 years ago at 17, and I know it will only get harder and harder 10 years from now at 37. And especially since I am going to be having kids a little later in life than I had planned, I want to make sure I am doing ALL that I can to keep my body and energy where it needs to be. So all that to say, I am now on a workout plan that my dear husband designed and it KICKS MY BUTT!! It takes me only about 35 minutes to do, and that includes "warm-up" time (of course, I am sweating profusely after just that) and the full workout, but I am more tired from this than I would be if I just ran 4 miles. And the muscles it is working is amazing. It works abs, back, arms, legs, heart, etc. etc.!!

So I decided to start this week off right, woke up early, got in some good reading, then had time for a workout before work....almost threw up, but I made it through and I know I am the better for it. So, thanks honey- for pushing me and helping me get on track!

FRISBEE!!

If you are in the Nashville area and don't have anything to do tomorrow (or even if you do have things to do but you'd rather play/watch frisbee) then come on out to an amazing frisbee extraordinaire! It's going to be amazing. Click HERE for details and let me know if you have any questions!

Heartless

So I guess I am definitely happy Kris made it through on American Idol- I think his performance of "Heartless" was pretty much the best AI performance I've ever seen. Just hoping that Danny's fans vote for Kris next week! Would love to see him win. If you didn't see it Tuesday, click HERE and watch it! It's awesome. And by the way, the song that starts when you click on my blog is the original by Kanye West- in case you haven't heard that either

American Idol...truly...

Okay, so I typically don't blog about pop culture stuff, (in fact, the last p.c. blog I did was over a year ago about another AI contestant: Melinda Doolittle) but after watching American Idol last night...I just can't help myself! :-) It's obvious the judges LOVE Adam Lambert, and I do believe he has one of the best voice to ever grace that stage, no doubt about it. But I just don't enjoy hearing him sing.....AT ALL! Now when he started his first song last night, U2's "One," Jordan and I were like, "wow! Beautiful tone- this is a nice side of Adam and we're enjoying it." But it wasn't too long before he reverted into his 1st soprano screaming stuff and just lost me!

What do you guys think? I saw this article and thought it was interesting. After reading it- it totally makes sense to me. I guess they could see Adam being much more marketable in ALL kinds of media outlets than the other two contestants, but as far as singing....he's totally losing me.

And then again- it doensn't really matter at all in the end! :-)

(Oh and check out my playlist at the bottom. I just found this artist: Natalie Walker, and I am so excited about getting her album. Take a listen!)

What does it mean to believe?

We have recently started a new series at church titled "That You May Believe." It's based on the book of John, with the central verse, so to speak, being John 20:30,31

"The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life by the power of His name."

We talked Sunday about believing Jesus in everything. He is the source! Our text was John 4- the story of the Woman at the well, and the Nobleman's son. We talked about how believing what He says (his words) must come before believing what he shows. (his works) John 4:48 "Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?" It's a question Jesus asks the crowd in Capernaum. It's so easy to want proof BEFORE we choose to truly believe something, but he tells us to first believe what he says and THEN we will see the proof of it.

Jordan and I have had a lot going on this year. Many things we never expected, and many things that have been difficult to navigate. We've had many opportunities for our faith to waiver, even completely die, but as I sit here typing this, my faith has not died, but is stronger than it's ever been. We are on the brink of some incredible things, in our city, in our nation, in our world. How can I say that even though news reports and cynics would say otherwise? It's because I believe! I really, truly do! I believe that we are about to see an incredible partnership in the city of Spring Hill b/w pastors and churches, and that it will produce incredible fruit. I believe the same for the greater city of Nashville. And you know what- we are actually starting to SEE a little of it.

God is so faithful! He is amazing! He is working wonders in and around me every day. And I am challenged like never before to believe what He says, and to do the things that He has asked me to do.

My Favorite Nurse

May 6-12, 2009 have been the dates for National Nurses Week, with May 6th being dubbed Nurses Day. Now, I know there is just about a day to celebrate anything and everything in America. (May 13th is National Apple Pie Day- weird.) But, when I found out that this has been National Nurses Week, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to highlight my favorite nurse and I think probably one of the best out there right now: my sister, Ferris Owen!



Ferris graduated in 2006 from UT with a nursing degree and has been working in the Trauma Unit at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, TN. It is the ONLY Level 1 Trauma Unit in Middle Tennessee- to put it in perspective- EVERY SINGLE PATIENT Ferris deals with is facing a life or death situation. EVERY SINGLE ONE! The leading causes of trauma are car accidents, falls and assaults. Trauma is the leading cause of death for Americans under 44 years of age. It's easy for me to forget what she deals with on a daily basis, but when I stop to think about it- it's a bit overwhelming.

Ferris was made for this! Although it's unlikely that she'll stay in the trauma unit for years to come, (she's currently working on her Nurse Practitioner's degree from Vanerbilt as well) I know her impact over three years of working there has been enormous, and will continue to be for as long as she stays at VMC. I am SO proud of her, and in awe of the strength the Lord has given her to withstand tremendous pressure and to deal with the most intense situations and emotions that anyone can face in their life- all on a daily basis.

Ferris, I love you! I am so proud of you! I pray you feel celebrated and thanked for all that you do, but I know that more than anything, the Lord is so pleased with you and your faithfulness to the things He's called you to!

I haven't had time to post, and don't really now, but please, in the time being, click here and check out my incredible, adorable, beautiful, wonderful, hilarious and entertaining niece. She is just ridiculous she's so cute and I lover her so much and can't wait to see her again! Happy Mom's Day!

You know you're a dork when cleaning products make you really happy and really excited!! So, I am a dork! This is what I received yesterday in the mail as a wonderful gift from someone!!

These are Shaklee "Get Clean" products.I had heard about these from several people over the last year, and pretty much everyone who uses them loves them. Jordan and I had already talked about the need for more natural cleaning stuff, but I haven't wanted to pay the money for products like Seventh Generation. And frankly, some of the organic cleaning stuff out there is just not that great. We had determined that we were just going to make our own, but I am really excited about this alternative.

Everything is natural, and it cleans really, really well. I tested out several things last night! I have everything from dish soap and hand wash to laundry detergent and fabric softener. I am really excited about it, and I think it's a great option for us! You can check out more info here!

Baby Updates!

Well, Erin demanded it so here it is! haha! My long awaited return to posting. Just kidding, I really don't have time right now to go into everything. April was a crazy month!! :-) BUT, for all of you who were watching my little baby tickers to the right, ETHAN AIMERY KELLUMS was born on April 20! He is adorable and awesome and precious and I love him SO much! Here are a few pics to enjoy.

They are all doing great and he's just amazing! Also, in other HUGE baby news, my niece Hope started crawling! It's AWESOME! Click HERE to check it out. It's SO cute! I love her.

Okay, more later. Have a great day!

RiDICulously cute!

Conditional Obedience

Deuteronomy 6:6-9,25 "And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.....For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us."

I've found something in my life, and I've coined the phrase, "conditional obedience." Conditional means "subject to, or depending on a condition or conditions; not absolute; made or allowed on certain terms." Obedience means "dutiful or submissive compliance" The two words are kind of a paradox, but unfortunately, I've noticed it in my life lately.

I say I have a desire to be obedient to the Lord, but how often do my words truly match my actions? If our behavior is a true indication of what we believe, then I must take note of and analyze my behavior to get a true read on my beliefs.

I'm not saying I've been horribly disobedient and selfish, although maybe I have?! I guess it depends on the scale to which I am comparing myself. And aren't we called to hold ourselves up to the measuring stick of righteousness, which is Jesus Christ? I guess if that's my standard, I'm doing pretty poorly!

I'm also reading through the book of Luke, and what we see in Luke is a man in Jesus who was FULLY obedient, moving and saying ONLY what the Father God and the Holy Spirit led Him to. So, coming back to conditional obedience...

There are too many "feelings" in my life. Seriously- "I feel tired." "I feel sad." "I feel happy." "I feel depressed." "I feel upset." There are so many things that can happen throughout a day, that the way we align our thoughts must depend on more than conditions and emotions. The older I get, and the more life I experience, the more and more I realize this. I have heard children complain when they are disciplined for disobedience, "but I didn't know I wasn't supposed to do that," or "you didn't say it like that." God tells us in His word basically that there are no excuses. It is our responsibility to know the scriptures and it is our duty, our command to follow them precisely.

What I love about this passage in Deuteronomy is that is says to me that God knew how many things were going to compete for our attention and brain-space. (Brain space is what I call the amount of information any one of us can store at a given time. For some it's more, for me it's less- haha!) In our culture, there are SO many things competing for our brain space. But that's why God tells us to make His commands a part of daily conversations. Talk about it in the morning and at night, with our children, our friends, our co-workers. Talk about them at Starbuck's, at Publix, at home or at the neighbor's house. Put them on notecards and carry them in your purse, your car, your pocket. He knows we can't read it or hear it once and retain it. In order to be obedient, we must know the commands.

So, what am I commiting to? First of all: to know the commands of the Lord! No excuses. I must read it, pray it, talk it, live it! And second of all: not to be dictated by my emotions or circumstances when it comes to obeying them. I am asking the Holy Spirit to reveal the areas of conditional obedience, and show me how to get rid of them, once and for all!

Sharing my Heart

There is a song that has been really ministering to me in the past week: "In Christ Alone," by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend. I LOVE singing this song- it's more than words, it's more than a worship song, it's truly an anthem for me, and a story of what God is doing in my life right now! So I decided to record it- VERY ROUGHLY- on Garage band last night. I apologize for the quality (and the rough "punch-in" haha), but I thought I'd share it with you. Sometimes singing is better than talking (or writing) for me. Here are the words:

Click HERE for the song.

In Christ alone, my hope is found
He is my light my strength my song
This Cornerstone this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love what depths of peace
When fears are stilled when strivings cease
My comforter my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life no fear in death
This is the pow'r of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No pow'r of hell no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand

Hopie- My dollbaby!

I realized I haven't posted any recent pictures of my favorite 6 month old....MISS Hopie Rhodes Herrenbruck. Erin sent me some the other day and this one is my new computer desktop!! I'm LOVIN' IT!

March Madness: Sweet Sixteen

March Madness update: 14 out of the Sweet Sixteen picked correctly! (Dylan, aren't you proud?) My second part of the Second round wasn't near as good as the first, but it didn't seem to matter TOO much for the Sweet Sixteen. The only two I didn't pick in the 16 were 12 seeded Arizona to push past Wake and Utah, and Xavier, although I considered it.

So- there ya have it!

March Madness: Round 1

March Madness

For some, that phrase invokes many emotions, feelings of excitement and passion, expectancy about how their team will do or what the major upsets will be this year! Not so much for me. But, since I consider myself a fairly serious sport's fan (at least for basketball, golf & tennis- for football, I'm definitely an AVID fan), I need to keep up with what's happening in all of the major sports, and last night, the first round of games began for 2009's NCAA Basketball Tournament.

This means a bracket is in order.

Jordan laughed at me a couple of nights ago when I was filling out my bracket. "You aren't even keeping up with basketball," he said. "I know," I acknowledged, "but you just HAVE to fill out a bracket."

And so I did, and found myself cheering for Michigan to hold onto that 2 point lead last night against Clemson in the final seconds of the game. Do I know ANYTHING about those teams this year? Nope- don't need to! I just picked Michigan to win and by golly- I wanted them to win! And win they did!

So all that said, I have added my bracket to the right (click for a larger view) And from the first round of games: I got all but 2 right! Today might not be so hot, but right now, I'm 14 out of 16!! Good luck with yours, and have a great weekend!!

I am thankful!

I was sitting and reading this morning, and thinking about how many things I have to be thankful for, and just within eyesight, I saw so many things- big and small that make me happy and that I am blessed to have! So, I am sharing a few with you:



I LOVE books, and I am so blessed to have so many right at my fingertips for re-reading or referencing! So wonderful!



Fresh flowers. $5 at Kroger, and they will last for over a week. Such a nice splash of color and beauty- I couldn't pass it up!



THESE flowers for .33 cents at Home Depot and with the weather getting warmer, it is planting time! I'm excited to start our floral landscaping this weekend and watch everything grow! What a beautiful picture!



I love my tea. Nuf said.



I am SO blessed to have my treadmill (Thank you, Honey!) That is so convenient and so nice to have....now to just get into a normal and regular routine of using it! :-)



And then last, but certainly NOT least, our new (used) washer & dryer!! YAY!! After being without a dryer for over three weeks now, laundry is super exciting to me!! HAHA. Praise the Lord for His provision for that!

So there's mine- what are you thankful for?!

Weekend & Frisbee in the rain...

Our God is so faithful!! I just have to say that! Despite trials and tribulations He brings great joy and enlarges our perspective. I am so thankful for what He's doing and thankful for the amazing people Jordan and I have in our lives. We had an excellent weekend. Friday night my honey and I got a date night- YAY!! Felt like it had been a while. We went up to Green Hills to CPK (Thanks Erin & Dan!) and split a Chipotle Ckn Pizza and a BBQ ckn Salad-MMM,MMM,MMM!!! We picked up a few things at Trader Joe's and then read for a quick bit before seeing "Slumdog Millionaire." It was a GREAT movie and I HIGHLY recommend it. One of the best we've seen in a long while!

Saturday was rainy and a little cold, but the IHS boys played frisbee despite the weather. Stacee came out and watched the game with me, and we had fun sitting on the sideline all bundled up with our umbrellas and our Starbucks. (We have it so tough, don't we!) After that Stacee and I spent a little time together and then I finished the chicken and dumplin's for the Clingers and that's when I got to see precious Rinah.

Sunday we had a wonderful, wonderful church service and then Kyle, Janelle, Jordan and I took their niece Taylor(4) and a girl from church, Addie (7) to see Beauty and the Beast at Brentwood High School! It was SO fun taking the little girls with us. They just had the time of their lives and LOVED it. Of course we had to spend time afterwards getting "autographs" from Belle, the Beast, Gaston and pretty much everyone else up there. So cute!! I took a couple of pictures, but alas, they are on Jordan's phone, so I can't post them.

But, you can enjoy a little snippet of the frisbee game on Saturday. This is a taste of what it was like!

Rinah Joy Picture

So Exciting! I got the privilege to see precious Rinah today, and HERE SHE IS!! So pretty and so precious, and I thought you would enjoy a little sneak peak. Mom & Baby are doing very well!! Praise the Lord.

Rinah Joy Clinger

BABY RINAH JOY IS HERE!!! YAY!!!

Poor Sarah, this has to be one of the worst labor stories I've heard in a long time, but she is such a trooper. Her water broke around 1:30am on Tuesday morning and she and husband Mike headed to the hospital. She then proceeded to be in (natural) labor for 19 hours. Yes, that is not a typo- 19!! She pushed for a FULL 3 hours before they finally decided to C-section her. They then proceeded to hook her up for the epidural which DIDN'T WORK! So, final result was Sarah being put under FULLY and she delivered via C-section that way.

I am SO proud of her, and hate that she had to go through that, but happy that Rinah and Mommy are happy and healthy. Rinah was 7'15oz and apparently looks just like Sarah!

They're pretty exhausted, so they're asking for only immediate family to come to the hospital, but I know we're all excited about getting to see the precious Clinger family soon!