Arkansas, and Oklahoma, and Kansas, oh my….

we spent quite a few hours in each of those states. we are now in colorado…..denver to be exact. 
we have been 1102 miles according to the GPS. our license plate game has left us with 9 states left to “see” – mostly new england states. can you believe we have seen license plates from hawaii and alaska?!?!? 

and now, scenes from a road trip.


 
just before getting lost because of a detour – NOT fun!
 
jacob got so bored he cleaned out my purse……seriously.
no worries, i still had my eyes on the road and there were no cars around.

 
a prairie storm. very intriguing and mesmerizing. truly a testament to God’s awesomeness.
 

the face i make because i hate serious pictures because they usually contain a double chin. yep.

it was a blast and not nearly as bad as i thought it would be. we are here now and enjoying our family.
wonderful weather, endless games, and tons of conversation. just the way things ought to be.

more to come later!

a family story

A little history on this bit…..I wrote this back in 2006 after finding out my sister was having another baby. 

“So, my sister is having a baby - yes, this is number three.  Funny thing is I was the first to find out; well, not that that is funny in and of itself. 

However, she told me and then made me wait for over a week before she would tell anyone else in our family.  If you know me, you know how difficult this was!  Then, she told my little (yeah 6'5" 230 lbs, little) brother - but she made him think that he was the only one to know!  Then, she thought this was pretty funny, so then she told my dad and stepmom and made them think they were the only ones to know also.  Now, I am the only one that knows that everyone else knows she is pregnant and that everyone else thinks they are the only ones that know. 

Or at least I think I am the only one that knows that!  Ha!”

We are going to see the little guy that stirred up this whole family situation. He’s almost four now and hilarious!
 
PLUS, he is being gracious enough to let our baby have all of his old nursery furniture that has been stored in the attic for a while.

patriotic pancakes and big butts

these have been a semi-tradition around here since we have married.

red, white, and blue pancakes to celebrate our country. yummy!

we may have started another tradition this year too. it involves big butts – butts that are meaty, juicy, and smokin’. no, i am not talking about sir mixalot here! (i couldn’t resist)

step one: rub your butts with dry rub, preferably Rendezvous seasoning (bought at Sam’s)
 
step two: fire up the smoker box on the grill

step three: wait

step four: wait

step five: wait some more

step six: find a luscious piece of meat charred in your backyard.



YUM!!!

barbeque is a way of life here in the south, especially for summer holidays. and you HAVE to eat slaw on your sandwich….have to.  

i like big butts…………….and i cannot lie. they are yummy!

farewell “black hole”

the walls are painted black. the crown molding and trim are dark grey. there are black, black-out curtains.

it houses a frumpy sectional sofa, a very large television, and all of the gaming equipment and cords.
the shelves are adorned with childhood  treasures and countless star wars memorabilia.
 
it is home to quirky nods to my husband’s eclectic personality.
 
yes, the “black hole” is jacob’s man-cave, or more specifically his star wars’ room.
and we have begun cleaning it out for transformation into a nursery.
a little sad, but mostly exciting.

 
to my wookiee, i love you so much and i am terribly thrilled about the changes our little life is undergoing.

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)