starting to show

today we are 16 weeks. our baby is the size of an avocado and it shows – a little.

the search is over……

a little hole-in-the-wall, very authentic (forget tex-mex), mexican eatery carries it. and it happens to be just a few blocks from our house!

it was wonderful!

Ghana vs USA

This could be a really tough choice for me - I cannot quite decide who to cheer for in today’s game. There is nowhere else I’d rather be to watch today’s World Cup matchup than at the Village of Hope in Ghana, West Africa. 
  
Why would I rather be there? If only you knew. Beautiful people, and to think of their excitement piled around the television watching today’s game….oh, how grand that would be. 

For those of you who do not know about the Village of Hope. I’ll explain more later – it’s pretty much heaven on earth.

*notice what she is drinking? :)

going hunting

for “coke” like they serve in other countries – how unAmerican of me.
 
in glass bottles.
made with real cane sugar.
nothing here compares.  

i shall find it and it shall be blissful.

*if you are from the south, then you understand that “coke” pretty much covers any carbonated beverage. no pop or soda for this girl.

a little Memphis pride

i’ve never been shy talking about Memphis. when i was younger, i could think of nothing more than getting the heck out of here. i mean really, it isn’t the most glamorous place to live. it was recently ranked as the 4th most miserable city. whoa! but it definitely has its perks and I choose to focus on those. this place is FULL of history, especially of the music and civil war varieties. there are quirky celebrations and cultural festivals all year round. great little communities. and fun things to do all over.

along with the constant negative publicity about crime rates and poor education, we have recently seen in a surge in positive views of the  city.

did you know that Memphis the musical just won a Tony for Best Musical? I want to rush to NYC to see it on Broadway. Anyone want to buy me a ticket?
 

TLC has a new season of a previous show called Police Women of Memphis and let me tell you, these women are TOUGH! Truth be told, there are a lot of rough neighborhoods around here. Shoot, I teach in one of the worst neighborhoods. Just think back to The Blind Side. Yep, it’s really real. You should watch these ladies kick some booty on the streets of Memphis. You’ll be amazed.

And another show premieres tonight. I’m a little worried about how this show will fair, but I’ll take any quirky semi-positive view of Memphis they will put out there. Memphis Beat begins tonight on TNT starring Jason Lee. Playing an Elvis obsessed police investigator, the show apparently is a twist on the reality of police scenes around town. And just for fun, each of the 10 first season episodes are named after Elvis song titles. I think I’ll watch just for fun but cannot commit to loving it.


Then, of course, there was The Blind Side. For those of you completely removed from this realm of America, racism and subtle forms of segregation still reign supreme in some areas. It is not a practice that all Southerners prescribe to, however, it does occur. From both ends of the spectrum, might I add. The Blind Side was a reminder of what we are expected to do – love one another no matter what.



I think that is another reason I love this city – there are so many dark spots that need light and love. It is a haven for God’s people to constantly do His work and serve others.

Memphis – it’s home.

wedding weekend

This past weekend was spent in celebration of one of my favorite people and the love of her life. My best friend, Lindley, was married Saturday in a beautiful ceremony. She was gorgeous and just to show you a glimpse of how amazing she looked, here are her bridals portraits I took a couple of months ago. (Sorry, these will have to do because I have nearly no pictures of her from the wedding – it’s hard to be the matron of honor and be preggers and tote that camera around!)

She was even more beautiful at the wedding, if you can believe it. I’m sure you can since you probably know that look every bride and groom get – that “can’t stop smiling and glowing” look.

   

  


 
 


Lovely. Absolutely lovely.
















And about the only decent picture I have from the weekend. Me and the bestest at rehearsal dinner. (please excuse the rounding out and fattening of the preggo-face, i’ve only gained 6 lbs in 14.5 weeks, all in my face and neck)

Happy Father’s Day!

I miss my daddy! I cannot believe it has been two years since he passed from this life. I think about him every day, not just today.

It is not a sad day. It is a day of good remembrances. Like the Father’s day we spent the afternoon sneaking into new construction houses of the multi-million variety just to gawk. Or good memories like the one where Jacob and I took him to Zaxby’s and he said he was going to steal crepe myrtles from the Methodist church to propagate in his yard – he liked the color. He was a goofy man and I truly miss that about him. I quite liked that our Father’s Days the last few years of his life were mine and his day – circumstances just always led to that. It was good for us.

From now on, today will be a day to celebrate Jacob’s new role in life. I cannot wait. I know Daddy would be proud of us!

we’ve been in Belize

the last week, we have spent our time in another country helping to heal people both physically and spiritually. we made it safely back home today after a week of nearly 50 surgeries, nightly VBS sessions, and hours of riding from village to village (some in the rain forest) visiting patients. how wonderful is God’s love!

we are truly blessed to have had this opportunity. more details to come. just pictures for now though.   

 

 

Just FYI – that picture with the little boy asleep in Gordon’s arms is my FAVORITE!!!! His name was Raynel and he had an abundance of health issues. Gordon is one of the CRNA’s (nurse anesthetist) and Raynel had just come out of surgery and was not yet awake. Isn’t it sweet?

And the bread you see there, oh the bread, was made for use by one of the cleaning ladies, Lucy. She baked it over an open fire. Best bread ever!

More later.

a little bit of news

our little life is getting a bit bigger. “little bit” is scheduled to arrive december 14th!



i know all ultrasounds pictures look the same, but i just cannot get over that leg sticking straight up (or whichever way it really is)! wow, was that little bit busy and energetic last week.


we’re excited!

sunset symphony

our holiday weekend began with the ending celebration of Memphis in May, the sunset symphony, along the banks of the Mississippi River. This year the guest performer was KC and the Sunshine Band! we were able to go again this year with one of our favorite couples – it was their first night out post-newborn baby. there were several other families from church also. 

we endured an hour’s worth of raininess. but we were lucky to have trashbag ponchos and an air show to distract us.
       

once the rain went away, the music was a nice addition and i was ready to devour our picnic we had hauled down to the river. there wasn’t much of a sunset due to the clouds but there was plenty of symphony. just as dark really began to set in, KC and his crew took the stage, complete with feather boas and silvery clad back up dancers! we were all shaking our booties!
 
and there’s nothing like a good set of laughing pictures as a souvenir of a good night…..

i love these pictures!