End of the Beginning

Easter is one of the most glorious times of the year for me. It forces me to remember the details of what I celebrate each day, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each year I try to read the last week of Christ from the gospels from Palm Sunday until Easter so I am ready for Easter! Reading through the crucifixion always just sickens me, but that's not the end! I will never forget one Easter Sunday at Grace Baptist Church (in Knoxville, TN) when our choir sang "End of the Beginning." The congregation walked into a dark sanctuary and the music to the song began. It stayed dark until we sang, "Three days later, three days later, three days later. . ." They showed the video of the stone rolling away and then all the lights came up so bright and we sang "He Rose." Imagine 300 voices singing, "He ROSE!" on Easter Sunday. The crowd errupted with applause, cheers, tears, and celebration. Now, imagine how much greater it will be in heaven. Enjoy the song, but more importantly celebrate the message!

Addie's First Soccer Game!

Well, we have tried gymnastics, swimming, and done several outdoor things with Addie, but never an organized sport. Addie was sick for her first practice, got rained out of another practice and game, and the coach was out of town for the other practice. We showed up at the field having no training in soccer, other than last summer's soccer camp and Justin's kicking it around with her. This was a recipe for a difficult game. I discovered lots of things about Addie and myself at this first soccer game.

1. I am very competitive, and it hurts a little to see your child running 20 feet away from the ball with no idea what to do.

2. Addie knows how to kick the ball, but it is a completely different thing to add 8 other people trying to kick the same ball and expect her to kick it too.

3. As much as you think you have shown your child how to play, there is no teacher as good as experience.

4. Peacemakers don't make the best soccer players. But, I'll take the peacemaker any day of the week.

5. I found myself wishing my parents had let me play soccer at age 5, but knowing then what I know now (how to play soccer). Wow, I could really be good if that happened!

6. I need to be very careful to enjoy the time, and let go of any frustration I might feel. It's not the Olympics after all!

All in all, it was a fun day and we saw great improvement in the hour she played. We look forward to many more soccer games and are so proud of her. If ever you are feeling down, I highly recommend watching a little league soccer game. It is quite amusing, and you'll be surprised at what you learn.

Wilderness at the Smokies

This past weekend was the start of a week long vacation for Justin. We were supposed to be getting the house ready to be put on the market. Since we decided not to sell, we went to the Wilderness at the Smokies with Justin's family. It is a new resort in Sevierville, just before you hit the craziness of Pigeon Forge, that has an indoor and soon outdoor water park. There is a baby/toddler area that has slides, teeter totter, and swings. Next is a hot tub pool, that is very relaxing. Our nephews enjoyed the surf area, where you ride a boogie board and it simulates surfing. The pictures at the bottom show the wave pool, and the climbing area. My favorite part was the water slides! There was one slide unlike any I have ever been on. It was a 4 person slide with a HUGE drop into a 2 story funnel. You just swirled around the sides until you eventually slid down to the bottom. It was GREAT! (The 7 flights of stairs to it were not as great.) Even with a fever, Addie enjoyed the time very much! The only trouble we had at the resort was keeping track of everyone!

New Decision

After much soul searching and sleepless nights, we have finally decided to stay in our home. Addie will be attending Christ Pres. Academy in the Fall for Kindergarten. We found we were accepted into the school last week. We have visited the school several times and are very pleased with the school, the education they provide, and the spiritual emphasis they make in every subject. This was not an easy decision, but one we feel good about. Christ Pres. needed to know a permanent answer by May 1, which did not give us enough time to sell our home. Finally settling on our decision was difficult for us since we both went to public schools, but now we feel great about it!

A New Home

Well, we've decided we need to put our home on the market. We live in Davidson County schools which are not the best and Addie starts Kindergarten this Fall. The school we are zoned for is failing math and science, as well as it has disciplinary problems. Sending Addie there would feel like feeding her to the wolves. We are left with only 2 choices, stay in our home and do private school or move to Williamson County schools. We will find out if Addie was accepted into Christ Pres. Academy on Monday. It's a terrible time to sell a house, so we are concerned. We need to make at least enough out of our home to buy another one. We are praying for God's blessing. It just all stinks. We love our home, and to find one in Williamson County with everything we have would cost $60,000-$100,000 more than we paid. OUCH! Our other issue, Addie and I are terrible with change. We really want to stay where we are, but we aren't sure if private school is a good fit. We also have no idea if we move, what area of town would be better for us. We'd like to move closer to friends, but this would make Justin's commute more difficult. If we stay in the area we are in, we still don't have many friends around. Please pray for us, as we seek God's direction in this area.

My Valentines Beginnings. . .

It started in the Fall of 1995, when Justin and I met at Belmont University. We met through a mutual friend. We started spending a little time together and the more time we spent, the more time we wanted to spend. We were out into the wee hours of the morning driving around Nashville and talking and laughing almost every night. (We somehow made it to our 8:00am classes.) After hanging out non-stop for almost 2 weeks, it was time for Fall Break. Justin went home to Knoxville and I flew to hang out with a friend in San Antonio, TX. Justin asked my friend Kari to let him drive me to the airport, which I was very excited about. That 4 days away from him felt like an eternity for me. I could not wait to get back to Belmont to see him again! My friend Jayna was supposed to pick me up at the airport on Sunday afternoon and much to my surprise Justin was waiting for me when I got off the plane. This picture was taken at the very moment we saw each other! (Thanks Jayna!) It was the first time I knew I loved him. . .








In the Fall of 2003, we welcomed our little valentine into the world. Addie has been the greatest gift I could have ever asked for. She was our surprise and continues to surprise us every day. I love her more than I could ever express. . .



Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

Addie-tude

I know I can be sarcastic and say things with attitude, but it always sounds different coming out of my 5 year old's mouth. On the way to school the other day, she was angry with us for making her wear her coat in the car seat. (She hates to wear her coat in the car seat because she can't move.) She said, "Does my face look happy to you?" Last night on the way home from church, she said "We didn't even get to play on the indoor playground! I was like "Helloooo!" It's always hard not to laugh and yet I really don't want to encourage attitude. Finding the balance between allowing for a personality and keeping her respectful is difficult. I am wondering if boys have attitude too, or if it's a girl thing. . .