Our Second Christmas

Here are a few pics of our christmas decorations this year. We have one big tree inside, with this year's new additions being lights with GREEN wire (a huge step up I must say), some green and blue wooden flowers, rafia bows, and the wheat stalks at the top. I was going for a natural theme. I think my favorite decoration is the butterfly we got from Callaway Gardens. My plan is to get two more for next year. Chris decorated our little artificial plant and it was so gaudy but it was really cute, and then we had the outdoor tree with big colored bulbs. We inadvertently got led lights which gave a neon feel to the lights (you can see our outdoor lights from 20 houses down).

We took Emory with us to Low's to get Christmas decor, etc. She was quite the hit at the store, but we could only bring her in if she stayed in the cart :)

Emory in action

I was kind of bored tonight and missing Chris so I took this video :)

Friday Night

Last night Chris and I had a super fun date night to an Atlanta Thrashers game. The game was really exciting. We were sitting on the fourth row from the ice (we did not pay full price for these tickets, don't worry, we scalped them, now you might be worried about something else, but that's what we did). Anyway, the game was really exciting. The thrashers scored 4 goals in one minute, and things got really heated. Shortly thereafter, a huge fight erupted involving every person on the rink at that time. Can't say that I enjoyed that very much, but everyone else seemed to. We took MARTA (public transportation) to the game, so getting there and back was an adventure in and of itself, and as always, very entertaining. When we got home I crashed on the bed with Emory... a great way to end a great evening!

Harding Homecoming

I got to go back to Harding this year for homecoming weekend, and I got to spend time with two of my best friends, Lindsay Trotter and Kim Tomlinson. I LOVE being with old friends, and it's even more fun when we get to spend time together at the place we have the most of our memories-Harding! It was so fun to walk around and reminisce our good conversations at Midnight oil, the spot where I was egged while riding a bike, our favorite lunch place. Lenny's, our glory days, etc. I was also blessed to spend time with the Trotter family. They are so much fun to be with and always make me feel like part of the family. Lindsay has an adorable niece and nephew. Since we were there during halloween, we got to see them in their costumes- fairy and train conductor (they were ADORABLE).

What brought me to Searcy this weekend was an invitation to give a talk to the Biology department about the work I've been doing in grad school. Lindsay's parents (Jay and Shelly Trotter) both came to hear me speak, as did my wonderful Aunt Cheri, this made me feel really special. I got to catch up with family (grandma and grandpa, aunt cheri, uncle scott, cousin claire, grams) and this was really wonderful. I love my family so much! I also had some special time to catch up with all my Harding teachers. This was a hugely uplifting time for me. They made me feel like a celebrity! Every once in a while, we all need a little confidence boost :)

Bumble dog

This is us at the church's Trunk'n'treat event. Maybe next year we can dress up a real child :) Don't get excited people, we're not pregnant. Some of the cute little girls got the biggest kick out of calling her bumbledog... pretty creative.



One of our friends was the "discount" girl from progressive. We thought that was a really good idea. She just went around saying "discount!" Wish I would have thought of that;)

Weekend away

Chris and I just spent a wonderful weekend away at a friend's lake house. (Thank you so much for those people who so generously share what they have with us). It was a much needed escape. We cooked together, baked cookies, watched TV, walked outside in the crisp fall weather, took naps, studied the Bible, and watched a movie. Doesn't that sound awesome? I could have handled about a week more, but I'll take what I can get;) I want to express how thankful I am for the blessings God has given me. We have had a rough year in terms of witnessing suffering in people we love dearly, but I know that I have so much to be thankful for. First, we have Chris's mom and she continues to recover... praise God. I am endlessly grateful for Chris. He is an amazing husband and he teaches me so much about how to love others and how to love God, and mostly how God loves me! Thank you Lord!

This sounds silly, but this weekend I was also really thankful for Emory. She is so much fun and always gives us something to laugh about. This morning Chris and I were waking up (actually how it happened was that I woke up to the sound of Chris calling my name in progressively louder tone until I responded and he asked if I was awake). When I opened my eyes, he was looking right back at me, and as I was laughing about that, a third face appeared, also checking on the status of "wakefulness" of me. Emory just looked back and forth with her face about one inch from each of ours as if she was asking, so what are we going to do today? huh? huh? huh? Later, Chris took a deer head off the wall to show it to her and she became so terrified... I've never heard her bark and growl so viciously... she might be a good protecter after all. Even when Chris put it back she kept looking at it and barking. In the other room she wouldn't stop looking up as if she know thought wild animals sprung down from ceilings. Poor thing. But it was really funny.

Dance party with the Strines

We've been getting to spend more time with Amanda, Daisy, and Grant lately and LOVING it. Amanda is an awesome sister-in -law, and the kids are so much fun... they keep us laughing non-stop. The first couple pictures are of a dance party we had at our house with the kids. Daisy Strine can really break it down (so can Daisy Jones- they would make quite the dance team, those two). Then we had some fun time at the dog park. As a side note, if you are thinking about taking small children with you to a dog park, make sure they finish their ice cream cones BEFORE getting out of the car (they were quite a hit with the dogs :)

The next night Emory had some girl time at the park together, and I was feeling sorry for myself because I was missing Chris, so I took pictures of me and Emory like I would have of me and Chris if he was there. The result was pretty funny. My lab friends think she looks like big bird in that picture. She is pretty big!

Here is a little teaser to peak your interest in our next post: Last night, Chris came home with a bumble bee halloween costume for Emory. She looks ADORABLE in it! Pictures to come!