Flip Flop!

So if there's anyone who actually reads my blog somewhat regularly, you've been exposed to my indecisiveness in the last week. I was toying around with different new blog designs and trying to find the perfect fit. I guess I'm back to my first choice now. It's a little cutesy, but it works.

I'm Famous... Almost

So besides all of your great blogs, there really are only a couple others that I check out daily, including my favorite semi-famous one: "This Young House."

Well, take a look at the posts for today and see if you notice anything familiar... Yep! That's my kitchen on the before-after shot! It was featured today and there may be another before-after from my house in the coming weeks! How fun is that?! This blog has been featured on HGTV and some design magazines... so it's kinda fun to have some of my amateur design alongside of theirs!

A Visit to Raleigh

Well, I took some pictures this weekend... but they were with Suzanne's camera, so I don't have any! You'll just have to check out her blog to see a few of Mike with Lily and more cute Lily moments. We really enjoyed spending an extended weekend with the Hortons and hope they got at least a little more sleep this weekend than usual. Lily is a little cuddle-bug and we really enjoyed being with her! Mike even got to babysit early on in the weekend - poor guy, we kinda sprung it on him quick and assured him Lily would sleep the whole time we were gone... instead she woke up hungry and her oxygen monitor alarm went a bit nuts. He did great though... after he got the alarm off and her out of the crib, he managed to get her settled and happy until we could make it back so she could eat. :) He was rewarded though with getting to go to an NC State football game with Aaron on Saturday... that couldn't have worked out better ~ college football always makes him happy!

Our birthday memories are bittersweet this year. We celebrated last Saturday at Northwest River Park. It was an amazingly beautiful day and we had so much fun with family, friends and furry ones. The next day, Uncle Moe passed away unexpectedly. He had spent the day with us at the park and we are all so thankful we had that day together. Life changes so quickly. I am reminded of how brief our time here on earth really is. And how often we spend so much time worrying about the things that don't really matter... we must be ready! God has us here for a purpose - to bring glory to His name and we do that by loving Him and loving others. I know that for me, it's so easy to spend time loving myself... looking after my own desires and needs... but I am grateful that God has made this life so much richer than that and that He allows me to look into the mirror and see things as they really are... and then He enables me to change. He is so good. Here are some pictures from our day at the park.

Barack Obama :)

No camping...but it was a great weekend! We were going to go camping with some friends from church, but the weather just didn't hold out... so instead, we drove up to Northern Virginia to visit Marie, John & Anna Friday night and Saturday, and then Brad & Rebekah Saturday night and Sunday! I think this was a much better plan!

We had lots of fun with the Childress family. We got to walk around Old Town Alexandria, eat lunch at a yummy spot in D.C. and Mike even got to watch some college football once the rain drove us back home. Marie tried to fatten us up with some yummy breakfast and she even got us a cheesecake birthday cake! Anna was lots of fun to read to and dress up and cuddle with. We got some good laughs when Mike asked Anna who she was going to vote for and she quickly answered "Barack Obama!" John, what a terrible thing to teach your innocent 2 year old! Haha! We had a great time and only wish we got to see them more often!

Then we headed over to Annandale to visit our friends Brad & Rebekah Rollins. This was the first couple we met at CCC (our church) and we really formed a quick friendship. They moved up to Northern VA in August so Brad could attend Marymount University, and we've definitely missed having them as part of our Care Group. Two other couples from our group (Nick & Debbie and Steve & Stephanie) met us up at the Rollins' new house and we had a great time making smores, playing Apples to Apples, Password & Cranium.

The drive home was BEAUTIFUL as all the leaves seemed to be at peak color. We of course stopped at Ikea (but I was good - I didn't buy anything!) and then at Famous Dave's BBQ in Richmond. Yumm! I love Fall weekends!

All Mine!

As of today, my car is PAID OFF! What a great feeling. And the even more amazing news... it's worth exactly as much today as what I paid for it 3 years ago!!! Not that I'll be selling it anytime soon... this has been the best car I've ever purchased. It's a 2005 Mazda 3 Special Edition and after 3 years, I still love to drive it! I searched high and low for this exact car, and ended up driving out to Roanoke to get this one because I found exactly what I wanted, with 8,000 miles and about $8000 less than a new one on the lot! Zoom-Zoom :)

October days...

Ooops! I haven't posted anything in almost 3 weeks! Lots going on... I'm excited that baby Lily is here! And I have been so excited that now in the second half of October, the Fall weather has finally shown up! I gladly busted out my sweaters & fleeces this weekend. I love the cool days!

It was a pretty yucky day on Saturday for the Race for the Cure, but I was reminded that morning of the thousands of women who get up and face a bleak outlook everyday as they battle cancer, and yet they get up, and they walk through it. Temperatures in the high 50's and misty, windy rain are nothing in comparison to the hardships that these women fight, and I was actually thankful for the tangible illustration that God gave me.

It was an honor to walk and raise support for them. I found myself unexpectedly choked up and emotional as I watched the survivors' parade. Suddenly I was overwhelmed with thoughts of my own grandmother who lost her battle to breast cancer at the age of 53 and a college friend who is battling it in her 20's. It was quite sobering. Fortunately, some teams had some crazy funny t-shirts and that brought some much needed humor and fun to the day! Let's just say that "Save the Ta-Ta's" was one of the more subtle slogans! So anyway... thanks to everyone who supported us!!! And please continue to pray for Dr. Datyner.

Race for the Cure

A good friend of Mike's family was diagnosed with cancer in June 2007 and we will be participating in this year's Race for the Cure on October 18th to support her. We'd really like to be a blessing to her and her family, so we're trying to raise as much support as we can. Would you consider sponsoring us? Even a small gift is a help and really appreciated! You can donate right here.

It was Self-Inflicted

Several months ago, a friend told me I should post pictures of my house on Rate My Space. My first thought was: "why would I want a bunch of strangers telling me whether or not they like my decorating? I like it, that's all that matters." But then I found myself checking out other posts on that site for design ideas... and last night, since I had cleaned my house from top to bottom for our Care Group to come over, I decided why not just take some pictures and try it out. Within 20 minutes, suddenly my house was open to the world. I'd had over 100 visitors and quite a few nice comments! How fun! So this morning, I couldn't wait to get to work so I could check my email and read more fun comments... well it rained on my parade. Bleh! Apparently in the wee hours of the night, all the mean people came out and decided to tell me each and everything they thought I should change about my spaces. One even said "I would like to see you do.... blah blah blah" as if I were decorating just for her! Seriously??

Well, my first reaction was to just delete the pages and stop this self-inflicted misery. But I guess there's a part of me that is still a bit intrigued... so we'll see...I think I'm a bit too easily offended, so maybe this will be good for me. It's rather humbling... even though I think the positive comments far outweighed the negative ones.

If you want to check out my living room, kitchen and master bedroom - take a look... just remember, I have wine taste on a beer budget... maybe even a water budget. :)

Where'd it go?

S E P T E M B E R

This month has probably been the fastest one I can remember! I've been pretty out-of-routine all month and I'm sure that's why I'm feeling like it just flew by. We started the month by packing for our trip to Vermont, only to be stopped by our A/C dying. We spent a few days camping out at my parents' old house to avoid the heat. Then, the day before our trip, an old friend of Mike's came over and after a few hot hours in the attic, they fixed it! (for FREE!) So that was the first week. Then we were on vacation the 5-14th. Meanwhile, Justine had decided to come home to visit the 13-20th, so when we got home, we spent every free hour we had after work with her. And on top of that Mike started a new part-time job. So then the day Justine left, I came down with a nasty cold and am still trying to fight it off... so here we are: September 24th, and my favorite month is almost over with not a single "normal" day so far! Oh well.. I guess that keeps life interesting!

Our First Anniversary

We're back from our first anniversary trip ~ lots of great memories!

• We outran Hurricane Hanna as we drove up to NYC. We stayed with an old friend from MWC (Tricia) and trudged through Manhattan for a couple hours in the intense muggy humidity before we gave up and just went to dinner at P.F. Changs in New Jersey while Hanna rained down on the Northeast.


• We had a beautiful drive up to Vermont, stopping in a few towns along the way.


• In Vermont (which is BEAUTIFUL), we went to the Cabot Cheese Factory, Ben & Jerry's Factory, an Apple Cider Mill and saw lots of beautiful scenery.


• We hiked Vermont's highest peak: Mt. Mansfield


• We drove into Canada, attempting to read the highway signs in French, and spent the day in Montreal - a city I highly recommend visiting!!


• We spent the day of our anniversary in Burlington, Vermont - along Lake Champlain and then had a wonderful dinner after seeing the beautiful sunset pictured above.

Here are the rest of our pictures!

Fun Fun Fun!

Take this design style test!!! So much fun! :)
My style came back: Family Modern.

Politics & Religion

I have been very interested in the upcoming elections, although I have yet to vow my support to either candidate. I have been trying to be open-minded as I wade through the drudge of political news and ads and speeches. If you haven't yet listened to the interviews that Rick Warren of Saddleback Church conducted with both Obama & McCain, take (a few hours) and listen here. Personally, I started out liking Obama... but that quickly faded as he stammered and did all but give a straight answer regarding Pastor Warren's question "At what point to babies become eligible for human rights?" (Which, by the way is one of the most poignant and thought-provoking ways I've heard someone address the issue of abortion.) Anyway... Erik's blog basically sums up my reaction to those interviews verbatim, so I'll save myself some typing and just send you to his page.

Nonetheless, I have been challenged in the last month as a good friend and I have passionately discussed and questioned and reconsidered our political differences. She, like myself, is a follower of Christ, and develops her political opinions out of her spiritual convictions. Yet she is a liberal, and on many issues I am conservative. I have been able to share with her honestly and to offer my humble, yet consistent convictions as I try to develop my own political opinions. I think my honesty and consistency have spurred her on to look at things with an open mind and not just through the eyes of a Democrat. At the core of my beliefs is the inerrant Word of God, given to us by an omniscient, wise and good God who speaks to us through the merciful and gracious life and death of His Son, Jesus Christ. God is consistent and He is ALWAYS good. His law and His ways can be trusted and should be submitted to. That is my foundation.

But as far as who I'll vote for in November, I have yet to determine. I'm having an easier time eliminating options than finding one.

Consistency...

So I listened to Michelle Obama's speech. Overall… I thought she did a beautiful job. It wasn't particularly deep or specific… but she presented herself very very well and if I could only believe that she & Barak were truly committed to what she said…(in ALL areas, not just the economy, education & health care), I would say that based on that speech alone, she would be a great example as a first lady. I appreciate her role as a mother and a wife first. I really keep trying to like the Obamas...

But here's my issue… direct quotes from her speech:

"Barack stood up that day, and spoke words that have stayed with me ever since. He talked about "The world as it is" and "The world as it should be." And he said that all too often, we accept the distance between the two, and settle for the world as it is - even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations. But he reminded us that we know what our world should look like. We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like. And he urged us to believe in ourselves - to find the strength within ourselves to strive for the world as it should be. And isn't that the great American story? It's the story of men and women gathered in churches and union halls, in town squares and high school gyms - people who stood up and marched and risked everything they had - refusing to settle, determined to mold our future into the shape of our ideals. "

"The world as it is just won't do. We have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be."

(referring to herself & Barak): "We listened to our hopes instead of our fears…We committed ourselves to building the world as it should be."

They ARE fighting for fairness in education, economy & healthcare. I respect that and I don't deny it. Her quotes are true IN THOSE AREAS, but when Barak says that
· He personally, but not politically is not pro-abortion, he isn't fighting for the world as it should be…
· He personally, but not politically practices same-sex marriage, he isn't fighting for the world as it should be…
· He is a follower of Christ personally, but he compromises and does not follow Christ in EVERY area of his political career,
then he is SETTLING for the world as it is, not FIGHTING for the world as he says he knows it SHOULD be.

My question is where does the Obamas' conviction come from as far as how the world "SHOULD BE?" Is it from a belief in Jesus Christ as the Creator of the world and the Supreme Authority on life, His Word being TRUTH, not suggestions? If so, then how do they fight for human rights in regards to economic equality, but take the cowardly route of settling without fighting for the human rights of unborn children? God's Word is not multiple choice. If you truly follow Him, you follow all of Him. You don't just pick the issues that everyone will agree with you on. You take a stand for those who don't have a voice. That's not just the poor single mom on welfare. That's her unborn baby too. So I believe that Obama should say: I am a Christian, but I don't agree with everything in God's Word. That would at least be honest. But don’t just say you're a Christian, and talk about being a family man and lean on your faith as credibility that you are a moral and decent person unless you're going to back it up with taking a stand on the things that are central to God's heart. All of them. I could probably write just as much about McCain just on different issues. I don't think you can defend just some of the weak. McCain might be more passionate about defending unborn children and less about minorities or the poor. But it has to be BOTH. But again, I'm not picking between McCain or Obama. I may not pick either - they have to EARN my vote. :) I just feel very strongly that saying you are a Christian is a responsibility, not a title. You are saying that you are FIRST a follower of Christ, then a Family man and finally a candidate for president (or whatever career you're in). I think politicians often say their family is first, then the presidency, then their faith.

So…. that's my political soapbox.

Is GREEN even my color?

I have to admit I have been quite slow to jump on the "Go Green" bandwagon. Sometimes it's simply easier to ignore than to change. And frankly, sometimes I'm downright skeptical of the commercialism aspect of "green" goods. Do I really need to switch to reusable sea sponge tampons?!! You've got to be kidding me! But even without going to the extremes, there seems to be an organic version of just about everything on the market! And I don't even know where to start! If I change all the lightbulbs in my house to eco-friendly bulbs and buy organic milk, but I still use plastic grocery bags and I use plain old Colgate toothpaste instead of the all-natural brands, am I really making a difference? I know I shouldn't ever ever microwave in plastic (although I still sometimes forget) and surely all those cell phone waves can't be good for us, but how do you radically change your lifestyle enough to really make a difference? This Young House has an interesting and informative post here and there is tons of helpful information on GreenYour.com. When I think about the future for my children one day and even for the longevity and health of Mike and I, I definitely want to start making some changes... ignorance in this department is not necessarily bliss. I'd love to hear your thoughts or any ways that you and your family have "Gone Green" without going crazy or too crunchy-granola! :)

Out of Excuses...

Am I the only one who finds it soooo hard to start exercising regularly? I come up with every excuse imaginable:

• a gym membership costs too much
• it's raining
• it's hot
• it's humid
• i'm tired
• it's that time of the month
• i feel bad exercising inside when i really should take Shelby for a walk
• i don't have time
• getting up earlier before work is too early

But I SOOOOOOO need to do something! I have gained 15 lbs since I got engaged last April, and while I haven't gained anything in the last 6 months... I haven't lost anything either. Any tips?

So Pretty!!

I want this room.

Harbor Light

Well... we couldn't wait for suggestions... so we just went out on our own and picked a color: Harbor Light. It's great! It's quite a bit lighter than it looks here on the sample, but we like it. And it should work great with our furniture and black & white bedding. So 1 borrowed ladder, 2 gallons of paint and 3 coats later...the room is transformed for just $35! Now we just need the finishing touches!

Design Ideas

This is basically what our master bedroom looks like now (except with modern B&W lamps & a black framed B&W picture above the bed). We'd like to redecorate our room, but the things we have to keep are the furniture (which is a bit traditional for my taste, but workable) and we have three bedding options: Solid White, White with black floral pattern (like picture) or Black bold with large white graphic lily.

Since we're trying to keep the budget minimal... things we're looking to change are PAINT, ACCESSORIES (wall art) and ACCENT PILLOWS.

Any ideas?? We want something modern, chic, luxurious feeling...

Play on Words

I guess I'm easily entertained... but how cute is this?













You can go to Wordle and create one of your own!