Well, it's about time!

Since the last time we chatted our church had a huge fall festival!! I baked three cakes for the cake walk!! The one pictured (if I can ever get it to upload) is a double decker white chocolate cake, the same recipe as our wedding cake!! I also made a cheesecake with a warm fudge filling and a chocolate sheath cake... I really don't know and have wondered my whole life whether it was sheath cake or sheet cake... people say it so fast I can never tell. I have no clue what a sheath is and since it's a long flat cake maybe sheet would work... but I still lean towards sheath... any light on this is appreciated!





This semester of school was probably the hardest semester of my entire life. I am not just saying that. I have evaluated the statement and found it to be truthful. I didn't think this second sinus surgery would be such a big deal but it really did throw a kink in my system. It took me so long to recover that I started thinking life with an intense sharp pain in my brain was normal and wondered if I would ever remember headache-less living. However, I am headache free now and so thankful! By the time I was better there were massive research papers to be written, Greek to be tested and translated and papers to be written for that too and then finals. I felt like I was in a whirlwind for three weeks straight. However, I felt certain that the correct response to all of this would not be to worry my head off and stress out myself and my husband. So I really tried to rely on the Lord every step of the way and I can testify that He is Faithful! When I would think there was no way to get something done I would just pray for the right attitude and priorities. I would pray that I would have the humility to ask for an extension if that was the answer or that I would work quickly but most of all that I would maintain a godly attitude. Drew can tell you a better perspective than I can but I can say that I made a huge improvement and that in each of those moments something spectacular happened. My boss gave me a day off unexpectedly, a class was cancelled, my back got pulled giving me plenty of couch study time etc etc. I just began to laugh at how awesome God is and was to me each time!
The best breath of fresh air we had during this time was Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's all the good stuff of Christmas (besides Christ of course) but no pressure or stress about presents. I am starting to hate presents. I hate trying so hard to get people things they like and then being disappointed, I hate disappointing people by not appreciating their gifts as well (I know I am sinful!). I hate seeing the materialism that has soaked through Christianity and the lameness that is Christmas in so many churches. So, to keep off my soap box it will suffice to say I love thanksgiving. However, since living in Kentucky we have not been able to go home for Thanksgiving. This year we were so blessed to be able to have around 13 wonderful friends over to our house and feast and enjoy the wonderful community God has provided for us in only one year! One year in Kentucky and we have a church family unlike any other. We get to serve in an awesome and CHRIST centered church and have challenging godly friends!! Bethan Rogers and I attempted our first turkey with raving success (we were so shocked we could not stop unintentionally bragging about the awesome turkey!) I also made homemade bread and dressing and we were not short of anything with all the goodies every one brought! We spent most of the day together laughing and catching up and didn't think a moment about school! We ended the day with our dear dear dear friends the Rogers by watching the first Christmas movie of the season, Elf. I firmly believe stupid comedy is much much funnier with Drew Lewis and Brandon Rogers in the room. Bethan and I are easily amused! We love these neighbors.



With school being out I had a few very high priorities. 1. Make a Christmas wreath for our door 2. Make Willy Wonka Peanut Butter Balls 3. Sleep. I can happily say that as of yesterday I had accomplished all three of my very lofty goals. I made a fun wreath for less that $10 and made two batches of Willy Wonka balls and slept in every morning! I think I could get used to being out of school if it was always like this!





In recent news we slept in a tent a couple of nights ago right in the middle of our living room! We have been talking about going camping for a year now and the right weekend just never seems to present itself... and now it's cold. So we decided to have a practice run at it and sleep in the living room. The next morning Drew lovingly asked me how I liked sleeping in a tent... I said... uncomfortable. I don't think either of us slept half of the night with all the tossing and turning... but it's still a fun memory! We even read in our sleeping bags with head lamps before we went to sleep!

I can't wait for Christmas and going home to Texas! Our church is preaching on gender roles and singing Christmas songs through out Advent and it is awesome! I am really praying through the "already/ no yet" (as our church phrases it) of Christ's coming and coming... if you get my drift... (he already came and is coming!). We really want this season to be all about Him and focusing on what his birth means for us today. I pray this would be a Christmas like no other for us where we adore Christ more and learn more about Him and draw closer to Him. I pray He will teach us and challenge us and grow us in this season.

Getting Cold

This picture pretty adequately shows where I have been for the past three weeks. I had another unexpected surgery a few weeks ago and it was quite a difficult recovery.
I went to the doctor about a month ago for a check up from my surgery in June. To check my healing he has to stick this scope thing up my nose (attractive and fun let me tell you!)... well I have a deviated septum from my first set up pollups that were so strong they bend my bone inside my nose! It hasn't been a problem and it isn't noticeable like some people's so we left it be. Well, it has continued to bend itself and my nose was having to do some pretty weird things to compensate.. long story. Anyways, he couldn't get the scope up the left side without a lot of pain and bleeding and thus he said he thought it might be a good idea to go ahead and fix the septum. My first reaction was, ummm did I mention (and I know I did) that I am a NEWLY WED STUDENT...we are not made of money!
However, thanks to a very lovely lady that works in his office, I discovered that we had already met all our deductibles and this magical thing called "out of pocket". So the surgery was going to be completely FREE!! All we had to pay was co-pays and prescriptions! So, we agreed to have it done. He assured me the recovery would be comprable to my last surgery... this would have meant that I would come home and snoozed the day away on pain meds and then taken another day or two to fully get the meds and stuff out of my head and then back to life... no big deal.
So, I scheduled the surgery for two weeks later, so that it would be enough time that I could catch back up in school before all my papers and finals hit me hard. So, about three weeks ago I had the surgery. I even had some of the same nurses as last time! I am becoming a hospital pro!
Well, I woke up from the surgery and felt about the same as last time, except this time I wasn't terrified and panicked about all the stuf suffocating me. I knew I had tampons up my nose and a mask for oxygen and an icepack on my eyes. The first time this happened I freaked out b/c I didn't know what all this stuff was on my face and I could hear the nurses close by but couldn't show them I was awake and needed something to drink!! So this time I knew and was much calmer.
So they wheeled me in this recliner wheel chair to the recovery room where my sweet hubby fed me sprite and graham crackers. As I ate the crackers there was this strange thing happening... they weren't dissolving and going down... they were turning into gum balls in my moth and grit in my teeth...weird. Well after many attempts we realized I had NO SPIT.. zero, none. But the nurse would not give me any pain medicine until I ate that cracker... but it would not be eaten... So Drew had to give me a bite of cracker with a piece of ice so I could process it in my mouth... it was kind of terrifying to realize how much you need your spit and not being able to get it. I didn't have dry mouth I had no spit!
Well we got home and I felt a lot more awake than before so we just lounged around and Drew made me chicken broth since I couldn't have anything not liquid b/c I couldn't process it. I began to panic hours later that I wouldn't ever have spit again! The pharmacist assured us it would return and until then Drew searched all over Louisville for potato soup for his bride.
Well, that night the pain hit and it hit hard! I didn't have to take a single pain pill with the other surgery and with this one I had to take one every 4 hours or sooner... and the meds made me like a drunk. The room would spin and I would either laugh or cry depending on the pain and conk out completely. I was out for a week with severe head aches, vomiting and insomnia. Once I got off the prescripts I went to ibprofen and didn't sleep for 3 days... and then the headaches came with a vengeance. As of last Sunday I was jack-hammer free but I am still having regular headaches and some vision problems... blurry-ness etc... but work and school must go on!
Please pray that I will be diligent through out head aches and all because I have two HUGE papers due in the next week or two! seriously, I need help!



Now my wonderful caretaker has come down with a cold. It's funny because we have the exact same symptoms yet I am not sick and he is. Weird. My symptoms are from surgery and his are from icky germs (probably from Bethan germs, she is always nice to share!!). So pray for him because he is such a champ and never complains even when I yell "BLOW not SNIFF" from every room of the house...hehe. He is full of zicam and airborne and so hopefully he'll get over this quick! His job is still going very well. He sold 8 or so cars last month, which is his record so far... hurray! He is such a great provider. He has also gotten to do some marketing and discovered that he really enjoys that aspect of sales, so who knows where he will end up next! He is also meeting with a couple of other men about starting up a camp, which has always been a tiny dream in the back of our heads. We dont know where it will all lead but we are open to the Lord's leading and all possibilities. I think it is good for him to talk camp again because he does have such a love for that area of ministry... even if they don't start their own.
We are still leading a college community group and are constantly humbled and reminded of how much we cannot do anything but how Christ has to move through us and move them... he is all knowledge, love and passion... with out him we are just a really disfunctional group of humans talking!
We are really passionate about the gospel and sharing it. We are convicted about giving to the church sacrificially and not just our 10%. We are convinced humans play so many games and are committed to being real with each other, ourselves and others as much as possible. We are still growing and learning to love each other... but it's a fun adventure.
We'd love to hear from you if you are reading!!

Happy Reformation Day

The Reformation Polka

by Robert Gebel

[Sung to the tune of "Supercalifragilistic-expialidocious"]

When I was just ein junger Mann I studied canon law
While Erfurt was a challenge, it was just to please my Pa.
Then came the storm, the lightning struck, I called upon Saint Anne,
I shaved my head, I took my vows, an Augustinian!
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

When Tetzel came near Wittenberg, St. Peter's profits soared,
I wrote a little notice for the All Saints' Bull'tin board:
"You cannot purchase merits, for we're justified by grace!
Here's 95 more reasons, Brother Tetzel, in your face!"
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

They loved my tracts, adored my wit, all were exempleror;
The Pope, however, hauled me up before the Emperor.
"Are these your books? Do you recant?" King Charles did demand,
"I will not change my Diet, Sir, God help me here I stand!"
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

Duke Frederick took the Wise approach, responding to my words,
By knighting "George" as hostage in the Kingdom of the Birds.
Use Brother Martin's model if the languages you seek,
Stay locked inside a castle with your Hebrew and your Greek!
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

Let's raise our steins and Concord Books while gathered in this place,
And spread the word that 'catholic' is spelled with lower case;
The Word remains unfettered when the Spirit gets his chance,
So come on, Katy, drop your lute, and join us in our dance!
Oh...

Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

Falling for Fall

Well, it has been quite the while since we last posted here. Don't worry, we're alive... just so busy!

School is in full swing, though this is fall break and I still haven't had a minute to lose. Drew is still working at selling cars and doing great. We are leading a college community group for our church and just finished leading the guys and girls retreat.

Drew surpirsed me a few weekends ago and wisked me off to Nashville to celebrate our FIRST ANNIVERSARY! We were both gone and seperated on our actual anniversary for the retreats so I figured we would celebrate the next weekend. Nope!
My wonderful husband packed our bags and made RESERVATIONS at the Opry Land Hotel/Resort in Nashville! We had a wonderful time. We ate at a nice restaurant and then got cheesecake to go and ate it in the room. We got to rent a movie and sleep late and ate a huge breakfast!! (that's the PG version at least!)
Drew also gave me two very thoughtful gifts, an ipod thingy that lets you listen to it on the radio since I don't have a CD player after it being stolen 3 times! He also bought me a really cool winter coat that I really wanted and probably needed that I had pointed out MONTHS AGO! What a man!



We also went yesterday and picked apples at a local farm! They have this HUGE farm with almost every type of fruit you can imagine! We went specifically for the apples because we are addicted and they were 99cents a pound if you pick them yourself! So when Drew had the day off we went and got apples and a pumkin! Yay Kentucky! (even though the farm is technically in Indiana).








And there were pumpkins!!!




Please be in prayer for Drew's family because they are going through a lot of testing right now especially in their health. His dad is still recovering and needing healing from his heart attack this summer and his mom just had some emergency female surgery and is still recovering. All of this and they still have a book store to run with little help. Please pray!

Texas Stop Sign No More

Well this post has been brewing for a while, since we took a road trip to Nashville in order to pick up Drew's brother and also visit the closest REI. So.. I love taking road trips... my family always drove to every vacation destination...most of which were to Colorado or other very distant places. I love reading and singing and eating and sleeping in the car all day long!! So I am ready. I have our snack sack full of salty and sweet and a few healthy items. We have waterbottles and I have a soda ready to go. We have a frisbee just in case and lots of tunes.
First thing you have to do on a road trip is make a stop for a beverage of something to eat. There are many favorites to choose from but they have to be quick, something you would not eat normally and definitely not good for you! Top choices usually include Chic Fil A (though we do eat there a lot), Sonic or.... Dairy Queen.
Dairy Queen is known in Texas as the Texas Stop sign. They are going out of business in many major cities but are all too prominent on every deserted high way and small town! I love Dairy Queen. I would never dream of going there unless on a road trip.
My first memorable stop there was with my nana and papa on the way back from a family reunion. We would fight over who got to ride with them b/c you got the whole back seat to yourself and....be with nana and papa! Well, papa insisted that we stop at DQ for lunch on this trip b/c they had "real food" i think... he helped me select my order... a hungerbuster and a real cherry coke... mmmm. What a savory lunch!
My next most cherished memory of this place is driving between Fort Worth and College Station and stopping right before/after Waco is Itasca or something where there was on old DQ. If I wasn't looking forward to returning to school or needed a coke for the exciting journey ahead I would stop and get a real cherry coke. MMM love it
Then we moved to Louisville. A nice big city... but with many DQs... I should've known something was up. These places are not real DQ... they do not say Texas Stop Sign and they are build of brick and stone...nice looking...not DQ... so I have stood aloof from these imposters until our road trip....
We didn't really have time to go out of the way to Sonic and we had recently had Chic Fil A so we decided it would be the perfect time to try a DQ... I mean it is a ROAD TRIP! So we go.... and I am sad to say that some one should sue these people or something because they are not DAIRY QUEEN... no... they are some other fast food chain wanna be Mc Donalds... tear.
First of all... they DO NOT HAVE A HUNGERBUSTER!! no... I know it's unbelievable...they just have cheeseburger...ugh...
Second of all... they do not put their drinks in styrophome cups. I know, I love to save the earth. I ride my bike and buy whole foods and all that jazz when I can... but I can't help loving my condensation free, ice-not-melting cup. (blame sonic if you need to)... I do however save all my styrophome cups and reuse.
Next... they treated me like crazy when ordering a cherry coke
They put mayonaise on my burger... obviously NOT FROM TEXAS! (sorry sick mayo lovers)
They did not give Drew his TEXAS toast with his chicken basket....
All in all..... we left with a sense of adulthood looming over our heads as one more piece of childhood melted away... (so dramatic...sigh)
So long Dairy Queen.... hungerbuster.... mustard only and authentic cherry coke... we did love you!
Okay, I am cracking myself up here... but for real it was a little sad!!!

So here's the deal... if you made it to the end of this you have a mission... all of my Texas peeps... go to the so called Dairy Queen near you and see if they have the hungerbuster....there might still be hope
(ps. they didn't even turn our blizzard upside down!)

still naive...

SO the whole reason I update my allergy information is I found a really funny charlie brown comic saying something about him being allergic to girls. Well.... I uploaded it to my blog and THANKFULLY reread my blog before leaving and realized it was about something TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE!! This happens to me ALL THE TIME!! (But not as much as it has happened to Bethan... you should ask her!)...
So, sorry for the wealth of information without a picture!

aaaaachooooooo

I'm not sure if I posted earlier about my great allergy episode but here's a recap. I finally got allergy tested in hopes that allergy shots will prevent me from having sinus surgery a third time. I was really excited to see what I was really allergic to. They test you for a weak version of 36 different things, all of which I tested positive for almost immediately. Even the doctor was blown away.
Those of you who know me can rest assure I AM allergic to cats after all... on a scale of 1-10 in size and color the doctor rated me a 13 within the first 5 minutes of the 20 minute waiting period. I am also allergic to ragweed (who isn't... but did you know that mint, basil, oregano, rosemary and the like are brother, sister and cousin to the ragweed and can increase your symptoms?!) I'm allergic to every tree, grass and moss here in Kentucky along wiht roaches and animals and dust mites! CRAZY! I had so many severe allergies that they had to make two vials for my treatment instead of just one!
Well, last week I have my first go on the shots. They injected two shots into me of everything that I am allergic to. I didn't react immediately but since then I have had an allergy attack almost everyday of varying degrees! This is a major negative.
So I am on the 2-5yr recovery plan they say.
Atleast this all gives me new credibility for being deathly afraid of roaches! Can't you picture it?....

Me: AAAAHHHHH (blood curdling scream)
Drew: (from the other room) What?!
Me: A BUG... no... A ROACH!
Drew: (very matter of factly and calm) Kill it
Me: I can't, I'm ALLERGIC!!!
Drew: (plods down the hall and kills bug)....
Me: HURRAY, you are my hero and true champion!

sounds great to me!

Taking Off

The Lewisi are taking off, the race has begun, no turning back. Today Drew finally, officially started his new job in car sales. If you need to buy a gently used automobile, he is your guy! It's amazing how fast the job came up and Drew applied and got the job... yet not so amazing how many months it has taken for them to put him in the job. He has done such a great job keeping a good attitude while still at the rental office because he knew that this promotion was from God and not from him and thus that he'd get it in due time. And today was that day, HURRAY!! He got to sleep in until after 7!
I also got started with school today. I woke up bright (though it was dark) and early (before Drew actually) to get going to Systematic Theology I class with Dr. Russell Moore, VP of the school and Dean of Theology (as he introduced himself). Dr. Moore is a great man of God and I admire him a lot, and he never does anything half way. Many professors will look over the syllabus and give an overview and then what the heck, they'll let you leave early. Not Dr. Russell D. Moore, we stayed and he lectured the full three hours! But I am hear to say that it was a great way to spend three hours. I took at least 10 pages of notes and felt like I'd learned years of information in just those few hours. And tomorrow I get to do it all again with Church History bright and early followed by Greek Exegesis, which is eating my lunch already and I haven't even started!!
Yesterday I also got to sing for the first time in our church Praise Band. I have been intimidated by this group for months because of their skill and love for the Lord and it knocked my socks off to get to be a part of them this Sunday. I previously blogged about being a part of serving communion and how meaningful that was... well this blew me away even further. We did a light set of mostly redone hymns during the night service, which is the most packed service of all. It was such a blessing to hear all of these people, God's people, brothers and sisters singing their hearts out in unison to the One True God! When I finally put away my nerves and fear it gave me chill bumps all over. There were a few times where they stopped the music and sang the last verse accapella.... wow. I know churches do this all over the globe but to stand with voice and hands raises in unison with 500 other voices is just an experience I hope I never forget.
This Tuesday is also our first college community group at our house. We will be going over the sermon, which was Jesus in the garden of Gethsemene. I am pumped and humbled about this opportunity. This would definitely be something I would appreciate prayers about this week!!
We truly are feeling overwhelmed with all the blessings God in his grace has lavished on us all at once. He doesn't have to do these things but he does because he really is a loving God that delights in his children. Christ already drank the cup of wrath to the last drop and now, for those who believe, there is only more grace. Praise God. We are blessed to have spent a week with my family here in KY, to be able to work part time to go to school, for Drew's raise and how his new job will free us up in many areas of life and for all the people we have met here and connected with at our church. I didn't know if I'd ever see a body like my old Church in college station but I am blessed to say that the Lord has provided not only an awesome church but a community here as well.
PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!

Back to School...

Well, summer was not what we quite expected. Summer just isn't summer without summer vacation. The Lewisi are wrapping up our first summer in the real world and have decided that we don't approve. Since we aren't working to get rich or make it big in the corporate world, it is hard to understand the lifestyle there. It doesn't make any sense to us why you wouldn't give people time off in the summer and at Christmas. I have rarely met a person who didn't want atleast a little time off in the summer. However, when you are at the bottom there are no days off.
I'm actually really looking forward to the starting of school because I will get to go back to working part time and going to school. I love being a full time student but the more I work full time the more I realize that I was not created for that. I love working in the home and learning and teaching. I love working in the church and helping others all day long. It's not that I want to sleep all day (though right now that sounds nice)... I just hate working in the real world. I feel misunderstood and don't get to use my talents and gifts. The only perk has been being able to serve people (that's what you do in food service) and love on them and trust the Bible where Christ says that when we love and feed others that we are loving and feeding him. So I hope that my service to them can be as unto Christ. That's often the only thing that keeps me from grabbing Drew's ankles and begging him not to make me go to work in the morning! So school is actually a welcome relief!
Drew and I are also going back to school because we are not community group leaders for the new and upcoming college group at our church. They are finally getting some college stuff set up and we have been blessed by being asked and able to serve alongside a few others as we start this up. I'm really pumped because I know that this is an area where God has really worked through Drew in the past. Just last summer at Pine Cove he was over several college students every week and I never heard the end of all the blessings those people received at his hands/mouth/life... he was great with them and so I'm excited for him to get to be able to teach and lead again in service to the Lord. I also received the most amazing "mentorship" through a Bible study that I attended my senior year. I learned more in this one class than in all the three previous years combined. If it wasn't for this one faithful servant of the Lord, who I still stalk and admire online..hehe... I wouldn't be married to the marvelous man I am nor would I have many of the passions for Biblical womanhood that I have. She really encouraged me and my life goal is to be just like her because she shows me Christ and how Christ is glorified in a wife, mother and woman. So now I am so thrilled with the opportunity to pass on that love and mentorship to other college girls and help them to see past all the lies that they have bought into and show them the truth and love of Christ. So together we are really pumped about this group... sign ups are tomorrow and our first meeting is in a week and a half! Please pray!
So we will now be fans of Texas A&M and University of Louisville to support our group... I'm sure that will be interesting in the upcoming season! (atleast when A&M is losing we'll have one team to cheer for still)
Drew is also starting his new job next week if all turns out as expected so he'll be going through more training as he gets his feet wet in car sales.
Good thing we like to learn!

Haus.

Today is a beautiful day in Kentucky. It has been cloudy and/or screaming hot this week, which is not my favorite type of weather. In general I feel that if it is going to be hot, you should at least be able to get attractive skin cancer from it!! Today however the clouds rolled out about 1030am, just in time for a break from Greek and I realized... there was no way I could sit in a classroom all day when the weather was so perfect. Clear, sunny and 75 degrees! So at the lunch break I high-tailed it out of class with the intent to go work out... then I realized working out inside would defeat the whole point of enjoying the outdoors. So I snuck a pair of my husband’s shorts and geared up for a run outside. If you know me well, your jaw should be dropping. Most people know I HATE to run... it's pointless... that's why I bike. However, lately I have felt the urge to run and today was suitable to do so. So I moseyed on over to our nearest park, parked the car and began to dash. With Caedmon's Call, Share the Well, blasting in my ears I was good to go. All I wanted was to do one lap around this park and I didn't even know how much one lap was. I figured it was about 1/4 to 1/2 a mile and thus to not even do one lap would be pretty sad. This CD is amazing. I was full out lip singing the entire run, which did make for some funny looks, AND if no one was around for one of my favorite songs I would sing it out loud! Cooky but it kept my mind off my burning shins and thighs. I am proud to say that I made that lap and during my next power-walking lap I saw a sign that said one lap was 1.2 miles long!!! You cannot imagine my joy! I went on to run 2.5 miles and walk 2.5 miles total. You might be thinking, "well that's nothing" or something along those lines and I have just one thing (not one word) to say to you, "You are completely sick and need professional help because that is a LONGGGG WAY!" I was already getting sore before I got to my car!!! Ok ok so maybe I'm a wimp but it was sooo fun! I felt like I was jogging in Colorado because it was so bright and clear and yet cool despite the noon hour. Then I realized of course I would be running in Colorado, because every one knows every one in Colorado runs and is hyper athletic... so I'm starting to think I should move there b/c I'd fit in so well! haha, well at least I would enjoy the weather!
I'm departing to go to a women’s dinner at church. I am overcoming my fears of rejection and the feeling of middle school that often overcomes me. I am promising to laugh at my own brain farts and diarrhea of the mouth and then run home and hide behind a good book!

Return of the Y

You may have been asking yourself, "Where has the male half of the Lewisi been over the past few months?" and an appropriate answer to this question would be, "Working and biking but mainly working." My wife has already addressed the biking a few times so I will not bore you with more details, but know that the TdK and MS150 were beautiful rides, both fun and challenging.

However, I don't think Lindsey has said much about my work so if you are interested, buckle up.... I have spent the last (almost) six months working for Enterprise Rent-A-Car (ERAC), and yes, we will pick you up. It has been an up and down adventure for me, struggling through whether or not I will stick around, if the pay is worth the effort, and any number of other things that happen with the job. Through it all my High School teachers would have been proud of me though. Do you remember when they told you that when making a decision you should write out all the pros in one column and the cons in another and the side with more entries should make your decision for you? Well I have done that, dozens of times, in my head and the annoying thing is that it has always come out dead even. Fun huh? Oddly enough, through all of this I have still consistently blown away almost everyone in the city (two or three people rival my numbers) every month since I have been there. Now you might be saying, "Drew do we need to have a discussion about pride in your life?" and I would say that, "No we do not at all because I know I am not a salesman, but somehow I can sell." Basically, the Lord has been listening when Lindsey has been asking that He grant me favor at work.

At work there are multiple different departments, Fleet, Remarketing, Loss Control, Car Sales, etc. I have been eying the Car Sales department since a month or two after I started at ERAC and last month a spot finally came open. Enterprise is all about putting a ladder out there for everyone to climb so I was expecting that this job would be open only for Assistant Managers (two promotions above my current position) and higher. However, they put no restrictions on who could apply, so I asked just to make sure and submitted my formal interest in the position the next day. A couple weeks later I finally got to interview (last Tuesday) and I left feeling like the interview went pretty well. I had to wait until Friday because one of the other four candidates interviewed on Thursday so by the time I found out I was getting pretty antsy. To wrap up this story, I got the job, which is amazing. Me against four people that have more experience and way more buy in with ERAC than me plus the fact they have already been promoted, which can be hard to do in this company, and somehow I ended up on top.... “somehow” can and should be translated here into, through the Lord's amazing grace and blessing, for the sake of accuracy. So starting on the 1st of August I will now be selling cars and no longer renting them up here in Louisville, KY. I guess if you have been looking for an excuse to come visit I just found you another option, you can now buy a car from me too!

The Lord has show us his mercy and grace since we have made the move up here to Kentucky. We had been married two weeks and new basically no one and somehow have gotten plugged into a church that points to Christ in everything it does and been blessed amazingly with jobs and friends. We still miss and friends and family back home like crazy though! Oh, and with my new job I will be working an average of 10 hours less a week so maybe I will find more time to blog on this thing (but don't count on it).

Sinus Story

Well I searched and searched for an interesting picture for this blog and let's just face it... there really isn't anything that fits. I could upload the actual pictures of the inside of my nose that our dear doctor gave us but then you might never visit this blog, or me, again!! It's gross.
If you are one of those people that have to experience everything for yourself and probably thus life life the hard way I will give you a visual to get you on your way.... chunky peanutbutter.
So, Wednesday morning I had my surgery. I was farely confident and mostly relieved the day was here. I don't remember much pain from my previous surgery and it took less than an hour to complete and it was much more severe, so this surgery seemed like a breeze.
First of all, adult hospitals are not near as nice as children's hospitals and they are not as good at putting in IVs and they are LOUD! I was stuck in this little section of a crowded and busy room for hours as they preped me and waited for my doctor, who apparently was in a pretty important meeting. I decided to charge the doctor the same rates that he was charging me minute by minute... so now according to our calculations I have a large credit with this man! If only that were true. Finally he did come and did at least try to be nice to Drew and I... then I lost all consciousness.
Over two hours later I awoke with an oxygen mask on my face, cotton up my nose and an icepack over my eyes.... talk about disoriented. I couldn't talk from having a tube down my throat for hours so I simply raised my hand until I nurse came to me... it wasn't quick. Then they weren't allowed to give me a drink but I did finally convince them for a few ice chips... I think they felt bad b/c I started crying immediately when they refused me a drink. I was in some serious pain.
My face felt like some one had taken a meat malet and gone to town on my face all over. It was a weird tightening and squeezing sensation... so more morphine it was.
Finally they moved me to a little recliner chair on wheels and moved me to recovery where they informed me my husband was not there but would arrive shortly. Luckily I did remember that he had work and that a longer surgery probably meant he had to run home to put on his suit but it was still really lonely and scarey to be at this big hospital in all this pain and not know a single soul! The nurses finally brought me a drink and something to eat and then I started to throw up and was able to catch a nurse (these gals are slippery to catch!) and she gave me some more meds that kept it from coming out!
Finally my prince came and I felt much better having him there. I could barely keep my eyes open.
A friend came and took me home and I have done little else but sleep the past two days away. I just haven't been able to keep my eyes open until today... and I have only taken one nap so far! My nose is already full of junk again, which makes me so frustrated, because I am not allowed to blow my nose. I am on tons of horse pills but yet my DR gave us little direction about what to do! SO FRUSTRATING! So we are just hoping for the best until my check up next week! You'd think after surgery everything will be great but really that is just the first step in kicking this thing!!!
So... that's the story. We're still alive and kickin... but I'm doin a lot of sleeping!

Thanks for everyone who has been praying for Drew's dad... he is recovering though still very tired. The meds he is on keeps his blood pressure super low so energy is lacking. He is also workin on his new diet and excercise plan. We're not sure how much more chicken Susan can pump into him until he starts to crow! Keep him in your prayers and their business as well!!

Lifetime Accomplishments!

Over the past week I have accomplished two lifetime achievements!! First of all, my handsome husband and I participated in the MS 150. If you have been keeping up with the hubby this is just a petty ride for him since he did 700 miles in one week for MS just a few weeks before. However, my longest ride consisted of 25 miles and maybe 3 mediocre hills. But nonetheless I jumped headlong into a 150 mile ride from Georgetown, KY to Danville, KY. It was the hardest thing I quite possibly have ever done. We took the "short route" which consisted of a little under 60 miles the first day. I am not joking you when I tell you that the first 30 of those miles did not include a single space of flat ground. It was constant uphill and downhill...somtimes multiple uphills for merely one downhill. By the first rest stop I thought I might die. But a peanut butter sandwich and some gatorade got me back on that silly bike.


(bike fix #1)

About the next mile we realized that maybe the hills were soooo hard for me because I couldn't shift into my easiest ring that would give me a whole new set of easier gears to play with on the hills. So we pulled over and the amazing bike shop Schellers had vans going up and down the course to help out bikers. The lovely gentleman fixed my bike in no time and the ride became MUCH more enjoyable after that. Many miles and even more hills later we realized that I had a leak in one of my tires....luckily we were at another rest stop (which were every 15 miles or so). So the nice Scheller man gave me a new one for free and we went merily on our way again!!


(bike fix #2)


(right before the huge hill... and look how high we already have climbed... this picture shows you some of the hills!)


Then there was a HUGE hill we had to climb for a few miles that tested my endurance for sure... and yes there was shedding of tears. Then we stopped for lunch only to find my new tire completely flat.. so the nice Scheller man gave me yet another one and did some nifty repairs to the wheel to keep that from happening again. The last 20 miles were still very hilly but thankfully they were mostly less steep and we did get in about 5 miles of flat land in farm country that was breath taking!!


(bike fix #3)

The Lord was so gracious to me because not only did he give me the body to get through this physical trial but he answered my prayers about the weather. It's a silly request but it was cool and cloudy but never dropped rain on us, which really helped me to keep going... if I had been overheated it would've been all over! Also the people at the rest stops were amazing and so encouraging. The best snack by far was a type of s'more. Two grahm crackers with crunchy peanutbutter and marshmellow cream oozing in the middle! Why hadn't I thought of this sooner... it was probably my favorite part of the whole ride!!!


(during the flat land... I was a happy camper!)

However, after the ride I was whiped out and by the time dinner and speeches were over I couldn't barely move my legs. Usually people don't get sore until a day or two after their work out.... I was practically immobile after a few hours... it even woke me up during the night I was so sore and tired. So, after much debate and a need to get back quickly Sunday to teach Sunday school we opted to celebrate my lifetime achievement and leave the second day of riding to be a goal for next year. Drew and our friend Matt rode it in half the time it took me the previous day! It was great though and I am still very proud of my small achievement. It's funny that I was ashamed for not completing the 150 miles but then I got to work on Monday and was talking about weekend stuff with my co workers and they were amazed that I did 60 miles and have gone on and on about it all week...So that has helped me really realize that I can be proud and thankful for what I did do and look forward to an even bigger challenge next year if the Lord permits me to participate again!!

Speaking of jobs... I just got a new job and tomorrow I will have been there for a week. This is a lifetime achievement in many manys ways. First of all this is the first job that I have had that I actually liked . A girl at church works there and got me the job because she is leaving to be a volunteer at an orphanage in Mexico in a month! Its this little sandwich and coffee cafe in the LGE building downtown (a few blocks from my sweet hubby). The owners are SO fun and nice and the costumers are mostly regulars who like to chat and are always friendly. It's busy but it's the best job I've had. Also, I have worked my first ever 8 hour day!!! TA DA! I have never worked 5 8hour days in a week before this week and it is tiring but yet a small accomplishment for my life!! The closest I came to this was working at a summer camp where you are working all the time and none of the time! It's been really nice to see the Lord provide this extra income that we are able to save up for next semester's seminary!
So that's life in the Lewisi right now

On a more serious note, please pray for Drew's parents. His dad had a heartattack this past weekend while we were on the ride and it has taken every one by surprise. He had bronchitis and then suddently felt odd and eventually got diagnosed as a heartattack and immediately taken into surgery. He has to lay off work for a month to recover which is difficult since they own their own business... so please pray for his health and recovery. Also this is a huge deal for Susan, his wife, because she is not store owner, wife, nurse, mom and woman! I know her emotions are so strained right now and she could use the tender mercies of the family of God right now!!
Thank you to all of you who I know really will pray!

Pictures from Tour de Kentucky!

From Start to Finish

Tour de Sinuses

Hurray for husbands!! Many of you got the daily reports from Drew while he was one his bicycle ride and thus you know all the details. However, for those of you who do not... my husband is amazing!! (well other than the fact that he left me for over a week!) Drew just participated in an 8 day ride around Kentucky (see map above) to raise money, support and awareness for MS. Our first and only contact in Louisville when we moved here were Bill and LeeAnn Turner. Bill works for UPS and LeeAnn is a talented musician and also has MS. These two have hosted us for dinner, provided a job for Drew when we first moved (Drew built their deck), let us do laundry and introduced us to our church and many of our closest friends! Bill organized this whole ride and in the process we decided that we should change the slogan "Go Big or Go Home" to "Go Bill or Go Home". Bill does everything top notch and to the extreme and this ride is a perfect example. Drew had minor problems with his knee towards the end but still ended up biking over 700 miles! WOW! So I am very grateful to have my man back and have a mouth to feed and clothes to wash and some one to snuggle with at the end of the day! You can check his ride out by googling Tour De Kentucky or I think visiting whyiride.com that's just an educated guess...




In other news, many of you also know I have severe sinus issues. It's so strange how this just popped up in my life and hasn't left me with any peace since!! During my spell with Bronchitis I went to the ear,nose and throat doctor for a check up and he revealed that I needed to have sinus surgery again! He said that I actually have severe pollup disease and sinusitis. Since I had issues with the interior wall of my sinuses before he deemed it best, after another appointment today, to have the surgery as soon as possible followed by major allergy testing and shots. It's expensive and a pain but it'll be nice to breath again and I have always thought that perhaps I should get my allergies tested instead of self diagnosing based on when and where my allergy attacks occur. So it will be nice, though painfully expensive, to get the shots and have a chance to improve my finnicky nose!! If you look at the picture... my entire right sinus... that's the big hole by the nose and above the nose is clogged. In a CAT scan bone is white and air is black and my left sinus is completely black and my right sinus is completely grey, as in NO AIR GETTING IN OR OUT! eek. So here we go on another newly wed adventure... surgery. It's always something not budgetted for coming up and freaking me out. However, I realize that this is actually good because those are the times that Drew leads the best and I get to follow him b/c he is soo laid back and trusting of the Lord and he leads me to that same mindset! It's great! So this time, for example, when I went to the doctor I did not break down into tears or snot all over anyone or have a total breakdown! Progress!

This week has been soo beautiful and it's getting HOT, I hope everyone gets out and enjoys it a little!!

Here, There, Everywhere!

Well, we haven't blogged in ages and that's because we've barely been able to sit still long enough to collect our thoughts!
I am officially finished with my first full semester of seminary! It was tough. I've never worked so hard in my entire life! I made mostly A's but my Philosophy test that I just took turned out to be quite unfair and knocked me down to a B! oh well. I really didn't like that class and I tried my hardest!
Many crazy things have happened in the life of the Lewisi over the past months. In April I came down with major insomnia and some sort of cold, which turned out to be bronchititis and a severe sinus infection. After several doctor's appointments and wonderful antibiotics I was told that I would once again have to have sinus surgery. This surgery was a huge deal the first time I had it because no one knew what was really wrong and there were really severe things that could've happened.... this instance isn't like that. It's just a huge pollup b/c I have severe pollup disease apparently. (ps. I found all this out while the doctor was dictating into his recording device, not actually to me). This was a shock because doctors and sickness cost lost of money. I always knew that my parents had great insurance and so I never worried about costs of those things. Well we have great insurance too through Drew's work, but I found out to my horror that insurance doesn't cover everything. They don't cover the weird proceedure they do to find the pollup or the cat scan that they then have to do to determine the magnitude of the pollup they found and then they barely cover the hospital bills for a 20 minute surgery. This just seems so wrong. Don't they know we only make enough money to live month to month. It was amazing to see the doctors and nurses look at me with strange wonder as I asked over and over how much each of these things would cost. It was like it had been so long since they ever had to question the price of something that they were stunned that I would do such a thing. Doesn't everyone make 6 digits? no.
Then I finished up finals in a whirlwind and Drew is not off on a 8 day ride around the state of Kentucky to raise money for MS. This is the first time we have been away from each other for more than a day... and the first time we've ever ever been apart since married where we weren't with family etc... I am fortunate to have friends close by to take care of me when I'm scared but it just isn't the same as a husband. I love my husband and miss him soooo bad.
I did get to go see him yesterday at this awesome state park in Indiana for his rest day. We just chilled the whole time and it was a beautiful park with great views from the inn.
We are also riding in the MS 150 in Louisville in two weeks with our friends, which will be the longest ride that I have ever done by FAR! I am so excited for a physical challenge though. (I have emotional ones often enough already)
I also got to go home for Mother's Day since Drew was gone and surprise my mom. We thought she was going to have a heart attack when we surprised her at work witha coffee and ME. It was a great weekend split between my family and Drew's family. I also got to see my life long friend Erin and she is always a breath of fresh air. She is one of those friends that you could just talk for hours and have good conversation. It's the conversations that make you forget how you could ever have those awkward friend chats that happen when you see a long lost friend unexpectedly. Anyways.... I hated to leave.
Now I am back in Louisville for good and looking for a new job. My tutoring job just isn't going to work out with my mid-summer Greek review. So I'm going to look at retail and Starbucks to see if I can get a more flexible job. This is a big scare b/c I HATE working. I've never really had a job that I liked.
So there are many changes in the Lewisi life happening and coming up. Please keep us in your prayers. This is our first summer to not be free students and it's actually pretty hard... all we want to do when it's warm is play outside and I know it will be especially hard for Drew to put that suit on morning after morning with the weather so wonderful!
That's the update. Sorry it's not too creative but there's just too much!

Saver or Savor?

"I save them because I want to savor them!"

It recently dawned on me that these two words that sound very similary are indeed very similar.

A person who would be deemed a "saver" is some one who likes to hold on to things. Maybe, "save them for later" or put away as a "keep sake"... any of this ringing a bell to you?

A person who likes to "savor" is some one who likes to hold on to a taste, moment or feeling and let it linger so that they can experience it for as long as possible.

A few examples of the two...

Example 1. My mom, my mom is the best "savorer" in the world. I remember when I was little I would watch her eat ice cream and she can make one spoon full go a longggg way. She is also always the last to finish her dinner... why? Because she, unlike the rest of us, actually wants to taste each bite on it's way down. She wants to soak up every spice and juice on her plate and when she is done there is nothing worth tasting left on that plate. When I was younger I didn't understand this at all because my goal was always to secretly see if I could be the first one done with my food.. I knew I was a champion when I could even beat dad through a meal. I still eat mostly what I want but there are a few things that I will not rush through now a days because you never know when that guilty pleasure will be allowed again. Examples to follow...

Example 2. My mom is also a great "saver". I remember one day I found a cabinet where she had kept art projects and the like and I'm pretty sure they dated back to kindergarden! Even this Christmas my mom had up my sister and I's white doves that we made out of clothes pins and spray painted in Elementary school. Pretty sturdy birds if you ask me! If you still don't believe me just go to the house... count the number of coffee cups and pieces of furniture and you will be convinced for sure! My mom is a saver- and we love her for it (and many other things!)

Example 3. I myself am a saver. When I get money or gift cards I might go and peruse the isles of the local stores but it is rare that I will buy something on the first go. I usually look and if it's super nifty I will try it on, but I always put it back on the rack. "I need to think about it" If I really want it, it will come to me at odd hours of the day and night and then I will know that that is a worthy purchase. I will keep Christmas money and birthday money until late Spring knowing that I will desire spring and summer clothes more than winter clothes and that there will be no more Christmases and birthdays left to supply that demand.
Also, when I get something that I really enjoy such as a DP or vitamin water I don't chug it down right away..oh no no no. I let it linger. If I am really thirsty I'll drink water with it. I am not going to waste a $1.39 in five minutes. If I only drink a 3rd of it then I can have the wonderful experience of vitamin water for three days instead of one. When I eat popcorn, I want to eat it one kernal at a time. This is mostly due to the fact that I got my hand slapped once by my dad for shovelling popcorn. My little sister and I would get in a frenzy eating faster and faster trying to get more popcorn than the other afraid that with each bite the other sister would render the bowl empty! So my dad made us eat it one kernal at a time with the promise of making more if we wanted it later. So now it drives me up the wall when people don't eat it one at a time... point and case (I don't care if you think that phrase is backwards... obviously you have to make a really great point to end the case!) my husband will grab handfuls of popcorn and half the bag is gone. He doesn't eat one jelly bean at a time... no no... a whole handful... that's five individual experiences down the drain! Also, when he takes a sip... it's a whole serving of my drink... that could've lasted me a day! So many a time I have gawked at this fact and have come to understand that alas, my way isn't always the absolutely right way. It is probably the better way.. haha.. but I get over it. Plus, he's so cute who could care about a little thing like that? right....? The real deal is, it's teaching me to consider him better than myself. And I have to say, I am a food scarfer... I haven't gotten that savor thing quite to a T just yet! But there are times when I get something special like thin mint cookies (which I still have one left from a box at christmas) or anything else chocolate and I will wait for the perfect moment to eat it, for the perfect craving and then I will eat it slow. With the thin mints I would only eat one at a time and days apart to make them last. Silly, but hey we have a budget people!

Example 4. my little sister. My sister NEVER spends HER OWN money! She played my parent's wallets for years! She would ask for money to go here or there and they'd give it to her b/c she didn't have a job or anything... little did they know the chunk she had in the bank or hidden in some remote place in the closet only to be found yeeeeaaarrrrrssss later!
To this day she or I will be cleaning her room and find a hundred dollars in quarters and fifty dollars in ones and a twenty here or there in a random pocket or nook. I will give her credit though, she pays for a lot of her own stuff now.. she is growing up beautifully! And she was always generous to her big sister, especially when I was broke!

Then you have your typical non savers who are typically men but hey they have their strong points! My husband saved us loads and loads of loading and unloading by helping me pack up my house in college station. I would say "what should I do with this" and he'd say "throw it away" and it was like I needed permission or something and so I would. I donated over HALF my closet to good will and threw away papers and things from HIGH SCHOOL. There are still more things to get rid of I'm sure but it's nice to have some one to walk around behind you unstuffing drawers and throwing that junk away... you won't remember... I don't! Also, it's nice when my husband scarfs down his food because it means he likes it. I would hate for him to eat little bites or push his food around on the plate... that is never a good sign. And the faster he eats that candy lying around the house the faster it is not a temptation to me anymore!

So I guess that's one of those reasons why God made us different... to save our closets and cabinets from over stuff-ation and yet to have enough memories to pass down to your kids. It makes one person really care about how the food tastes, which usually means the other person will like it too. It keeps us from going over budget and prevents stingyness when you have a saver and a nonsaver. So thank the Lord (no really I do!) that He made savers and nonsavers, savorers and nonsavorers... which one are you?

Worth the Stink

Over the past few weeks I have discovered what my very least favorite smell is... mulch. It even sounds gross. It is gross. Mulch has the kind of smell that seeps into your nose and then gets trapped up there and you smell it in your brain for the rest of the day.
Well, Louisville likes to mulch. Apparently it's the price they pay for all the greenness.
However, something began to change....
When I walk around all the flower beds on the Seminary campus, instead of feeling repulsed by the smell of mulch at 8am I am seeing something bright, something yellow, budding from the aforesaid grossness....
DAFFODILS!! HURRAY

I love daffodils! Coming from Texas they are rather rare... or atleast rare in my world. I remember my mom used to always plant daffodils and we would take our pictures on Easter morning with the daffodils trumpetting the risen Lord behind us!
That's what's so great about daffodils... they trumpet! Here all the daffodils lean slightly forward with their little noses, or whatever you call that middle part, stuck out to the sky.
In my mind they are worshipping. They are thanking God for the sunshine and warm weather and even the mulch that helps them grow. They are asking him to be glorified by their beauty and praising him through it. They are obviously happy, anything THAT yellow has to be happy. I want to be like a daffodil.
Also, Daffodils tell me something about God. God is so specific and careful. A god who merely throws a universe together and rules it with an iron fist would never, ever, ever create daffodils. They are so intricate... I mean they have a little trumpet budding out the middle! Also, God gave me the daffodils to reflect on him, as a sign of love and care and purpose in this world. God's not waiting to love us when we get in heaven... he loves us now, just like he loves his son!
I know what you're thinking... how does this girl get this much from a daffodil... well, lucky for you, this is how God made my mind... COMPLEX! (ask my husband! haha)
Also I was thinking... Daffodil is a really really weird word. There's not many words like it... so I began to think of words that might be like it that some one would present to me to prove this theory wrong... the only good one I could think of was Daffy Duck... lots of Ds, two Fs and an A... then I thought... why on earth is Daffy's love interest/wife (who ever knows what their relationship is anyways?!) named DAISY?! Those cartoonists must have been pretty silly to not see that the flower that best goes with Daffy Duck is OBVIOUSLY Daffodil Duck. So from now on I will refer to this female duck cartoon as Daffodil Duck and in years to come I will teach my children that and chuckle when other kids emphatically correct them... and my children will very plainly state the obvious. hahah
It's nice to have a Friday where I actually have time to think about these things.
And yes, I did well on my Greek test and actually finished all the homework (it was a toss up this week)

In other news for those of you who are neglecting many other things to actually have read down this far.... we are having a BIRTHDAY PARTY for DREW tonight at our apartment... it is totally last minute due to conflict of birthdays within our group of friends but tonight is the night! We are having fried chicken, sauteed green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, bread and sweet tea... it doesn't get much better than that! Then we are going to finish the white chocolate cake I made for him and our community group yesterday and eat it with BLUE BELL ICECREAM.... that we now have in Louisville... it's a big deal!
So you are invited, come one come all... celebrate the wonder that is Drew and the wonderful God that made him and has loaned him to me very temporarily to love and cherish!!

Ecstacy!

No I am not on drugs or thinking of trying drugs....
However, the feeling that I am feeling right now might be better than any drug out there!! I have been studying, literally, nonstop for atleast a week... or ever since I found out that I not only had a Systematic Theology III Midterm but the next day I was going to have a Greek midterm. Well, those tests were yesterday and today and it is such a relief to have them over with. The Systematic Test could've gone better, but I did know all the material.. I just had a hard time getting my thoughts on the paper b/c the questions were so elaborate and confusing! However, I swam off that test and started hitting it hard for Greek. I cannot express adequately the benefit of keeping up with vocabulary and the like in a language class. I got sick last night with some sort of brain overload or something and had to go to bed way earlier than I had planned.. however, I had studied all day and with a little review this morning I think I aced this test! I know I missed a couple of points here and there... but I also got some extra credit... so I'm hoping for the best!
Then as if that weren't enough to praise Jesus for, it is such an amazing day! It is 70+ degrees outside and not a cloud in sight. I did a little homework outside and ate a grilled cheese and then had an apple. Can you say perfect? Well, it gets better.... I decided to go for a little bike ride before work and discovered that my usual pre-wednesday philosophy quiz doesn't exist this week! I don't know why, but I don't mind! Oh and I got a nap! (It was on accident, which almost makes it better!)
Now I'm headed to work but I just thought the world should hear that I am doing well right now and could stand for this to be my situation all the time! No tests, fun in the sun and food that reminds me of being 5 (pre going to school!).
Hope every one is having a wonderful day too!

Hello World...I'm Working on a Better Title

So, when I was playing a game of Catch Phrase tonight I was thinking about some things. For starters, why was my team getting beaten so badly and a close second to that, how is it that my team is not picking up my slack since I am terrible at the game. After I got past that I started to reflect on life and all that has been going on these past few months (not really but it sounds like a good transition right?) and this is what I came up with.....
If anyone ever tells you that getting married, moving to a new state where you know almost no one, finding a brand new job (perhaps your first full time job ever), your spouse starting grad school and working part time, and trying to find and get involved in a new church all within a couple months of each other is easy, slap them in the face and call them a liar. Seriously though, I never would have thought that working full time in a secular job would be as hard as it has been. Let alone all the other crazy stuff going on...like marriage, which, for the record, is way more awesome and life changing and growing than any little ol job will ever be. I just think I had it drilled in to my head a bit more about what marriage would look like. My wife is amazing and I totally don't deserve to have someone who loves me so much, cooks such great meals, cleans the house up all nice, learns tons of cool stuff that she shares with me, and on top of it all remembers daylight saving time (thats right people it is not savingS).
Speaking of daylight saving time, I don't feel like it is really saving me time at all, but more like robbing me of an hour of sleep my body is going to miss dearly. I already get up entirely too early and now my body will feel like it is an hour earlier, which until last night was the case. Weird...did you notice that the word weird does not follow the i before e rule?
Life is great. The Lord is teaching us tons, and I hope and pray that I would be humble enough to listen to His voice and He leads us. My wife is wonderful, as previously mentioned, and challenges me daily to be a better man. The job is a job, but it is such a provision from the Lord. So all in all, the guy you slap might not be too far off if you are going to listen to the Lord's leading.

Too Easy To Complain!

With life whizzing past it's so easy to focus on all the hard things that are going on or all the things you wish had gone different... so I'm taking this moment to celebrate the good things!

1. The fact that I'm able to blog shows I am done with my Greek homework
2. It has been clear and sunny this whole week
3. I got to work out last night
4. I've had a coke everyday this week
5. I can have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or a grilled cheese every day if I want
6. We can afford groceries and all our bills
7. I am married to a man that loves me all the time... and if you know me, you know how amazing that is!
8. I slept through the entire night on Tuesday night
9. I have really warm fuzzy slippers
10. I have a job that let's me not only teach school but teach Jesus to teenagers

There are so many more littler things I could think of, and want to think of more. The main thing is... no matter how crummy or overwhelmed I feel and no matter how much our paycheck says, we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and that from now on God calls me his heir and loves me as his own child. No matter how I act or what my grades are he is changing me from one glory to another and listens to my cries and answers them. He is a good God, He is the only God and that is enough to make my Spirit say HURRAY!

Think about the good when all you feel is bad!

Happy Birthday MOM!!!

Our first picture together! Isn't she beautiful?!



In one of her favorite places, the Sea Grill in NYC




Now THIS is MY MOM!!
This picture pretty much says it all!
She's spunky, she's fun, she's beautiful and so much more.... and we love her!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!