Well we had an amazing time in Kiawah. It was such a perfect combination of rest, activity, time with the fam and time with my husband, I just loved it!! And of course...loved being with Hopie, my niece. We got to see Dylan and Meaghan (and Meaghan's fam) on the way back in, spent the night and a quick breakfast with them, and then got home just in time for a really BUSY BUSY Saturday and Sunday, that ended with the new Transformers movie, which unfortunately had way too much language and sexual humor for me. Disappointing! Today is a normal Monday work day, except that Jordan's parents are here shopping and decorating their new condo, which is beautiful! We'll meet up with them in a little while when I am finished with work and help them pick out a few more things, and then wait for their washer/dryer to be delivered.

More to come- exciting week ahead!!

Hey everyone!! Well it's been an amazing week so far at Kiawah. Right now Hopie is napping and Erin & I are getting ready to go shopping. The rest of the clan: Hope, Steve, Jordan and Dan are playing golf and we will meet up with them in a bit.

If you want details....go to my sis-in-law's blog: www.herrenbruck.blogspot.com because she has lots and lots of great pics and details on there.

Have a great rest of the week!

We have had a great week so far! It's been busy. We spent some time working on the church: painting, reorganizing and cleaning, but it was well worth it and things are looking good! We have also had many events going on this week: small groups, cookouts, dinners with friends, etc, but all has been wonderful and well worth it.

We are getting ready to take off for Kiawah in South Carolina with Jordan's side of the family. Which, by the way, today is his mom's birthday!!! I need to give a HUGE HUGE HUGE Happy Birthday to Hope!



She is an amazing wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and everything else!! I love her with all of my heart and am so thankful to have her in my life! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to an amazing woman!

Hope & Steve took off driving yesterday, Erin, Dan & Hopie will take off today, and Jordan and I will take off on Sunday right after church. We all have about a 10 hour drive ahead of us, which I am actually looking forward to. I LOVE long drives with my husband. No one else to interrupt (except those stinkin' cell phones- haha) and just me and him- chatting, listening to music....I cherish these times before there are kids in the backseat....we all know that will change things immensely!! :-) But, nonetheless, we are thrilled to get to see them and very much looking forward to it.

In the meantime we have a busy weekend ahead of us until we take off, so we'll be buckling down and getting things done until then.

LOVING the new Hillsong United album: Across the Earth. We got it a couple of week ago before leaving for camp, but I am just now, this week, getting a chance to listen to it. I added three of my favorite songs to my music player below, so if you have some time, give them a listen and GO BUY THE ALBUM if you haven't already!!

One reason I love to cook...

Turning that...



...into this:

Fungus....eww GROSS!!!

So, we've been having a problem out in our front flower beds the past couple of months.....FUNGUS!!! It's disgusting and I was kind of worried about it when it first started. The first kind that I saw that was just CRAZY was this:



It looks like something from an Alien movie- I was completely grossed out. Jordan and I removed it and then a few weeks later we start dealing with this fungus that looks like yellow curdled mustard (I know, this post is not for the faint of heart) and then turns to a more solid, pizza-dough looking substance, like this:




...and then finally turns black and hardens and almost blends in with the mulch. I did some research and found out it's a type of fungus known as slime mold. Most of the time it's brought in with your mulch, which makes sense because we had just re-mulched about a week before I saw the first funky one! The particular one we are dealing with is nicknamed Dog Vomit fungus.

Isn't that horrible?

It's the weirdest stuff and SO hard to get rid of. I clean up like 3 patches and then the next day it's appeared in two more, completely different places! The good news is that it's not harmful to plants, animlas or people....and it certainly hasn't harmed any of my plants despite growing on the undersides of some of them.

It's just weird and disgusting!! Unfortunately, there's not much you can do about it...just remove it, and you can try and spray an anti-fungal thing, which I think we will do...but it's just crazy, and I figured I would amuse you today (or completely gross you out) and share our struggle with you!

I hope none of you have to deal with it!

Who needs Starbuck's.....

...when you have your own espresso machine and learn how to make decaf, non-fat mocha's.

When our coffee maker busted a couple of weeks ago....my husband bought (off Craigslist, of course) a dual coffee/espresso maker, and Sunday night we purchased some espresso beans, and have tried to figure out how to make different drinks. My favorites are Americano's, but I made a yummy cappuccino for my mom last night, and then I thought I would try my hand at a mocha for an afternoon snack.

So here ya have it! Not too shabby, eh?!

So it's been almost a month since I posted and yes- a lot has happened!! (Hence the lack of posting) Here's a quick (VERY quick) rundown:

We had graduation weekend, where all the public (and some private) high schools in Williamson County are having their graduations. Typically Jordan and I average about 4 each year, but thankfully this year, the only graduation we went to was Independance High School's. We filled up the rest of our weekend with graduation parties and open houses. Here are a couple of pictures:




Hope and Steve were also in town for a couple of days, headed to Evansville....then came back through for a couple of nights. We had a great time with them in the midst of the graduations and camp prep.

The next week was spent getting ready for camp! We had activities team meetings, worship rehearsal, scheduling, etc, all in the midst of our normal work/church schedules. It was busy, but wonderful!! Somewhere in there, Barry & Shannon O'Neal had their 2nd baby girl: Eleanor and she is BEAUTIFUL!!



Then last Sunday, we took off for camp! What an incredible week!! First off, here are a few pictures:









As always, camp included many memorable and enjoyable times: not-so-wonderful food, an eventful bus ride down and back, a lively dorm full of 9th/10th grade girls, hilarious morning activities, exciting team competitions and even me and JT taking a trip to the emergency room with one of our campers who busted open his knee!

There was also incredible transformation. While I would say last year's camp was marked with significant breakthrough for the students in regards to specific strongholds and addictions they were facing, this year was marked by significant growth and deepening of their relationships with the Lord and each other. I believe the fruit that will be produced from this week will be consistency in their intimacy with Jesus, and increased faith to see the Holy Spirit use them in amazing ways. I myself was prayed for (by Laurel) for healing this week and received it immediately! We are encouraged and determined to see more miracles in our lives and for the Holy Spirit to use each of us daily in the ways that the Bible instructs us to expect. I am so proud of all of the students, and so enjoyed the time with them...I honestly wasn't ready for it to end. I am excited though about what this summer and next year holds for all of them. I truly believe that we will see some amazing things in each of their lives!

Jordan and I had an opportunity to rest on Saturday, which was wonderful and much needed. Sunday we had a wonderful service and connection times, and then got to celebrate a dear friend and mentor's birthday in the afternoon.



We ended the evening with a movie and a great night's sleep! I am so excited about what God is doing. There are a lot of changes ahead, but I can honestly say that I now embrace and look forward to change! It is the very thing that keeps me pressing into God to hear the smallest whisper, His commands and His voice as we walk out the life He has blessed us with!

Praise the Lord for His guidance and love in our lives.

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!