next chapter... kentucky.

That's right blogland... next stop... Louisville, KY. Lance and I are making the big move early August... which I keep reminding myself is not very far from now. (Note to self: start collecting boxes for the move).

So, some of you might be wondering, "Why Kentucky? Why Louisville?" Simple. One word... Seminary. Yep, you heard right... Lance will be attending The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) in the fall. This decision has been something Lance has gone back and forth on for years now. He is such a gifted speaker and so passionate about teaching that sometimes seminary just seems to be the next logical step... but then Lance would always seem to talk himself out of it. But God continued to put it in front of us, eventually to where we couldn't ignore it anymore.

So, at the beginning of August, we will pack up the big U-haul and drive 6+ hours to our new home. Now, I have only been to Louisville once in my entire life, and that was just a month ago for the one weekend that Lance and I went to check out the seminary campus. From what I can tell, I think I will really love Louisville... it has the small town feel with a young eclectic urban twist. Think Nashville-meets-Birmingham.

In two weeks we will make the trip to Louisville again... this time to hopefully find an adorable (yet very affordable) 2BR rental in one of the trendy neighborhoods near campus. This might pose as a potential challenge... as we will definitely be downsizing, and have an extremely tight budget... but yet, we (as in I) still seem to have expensive taste. Our budget really seems to say 1BR, but since I will be working from home all flippin' day I would really like to have some type of office space (hence, the 2BR). In all reality, the 2BR is probably crucial to my sanity... as will be lunches out of the house. I will keep you all posted on the 'perfect rental search.'

This new chapter will mark the first time that Lance and I will live in a city without any family nearby. For the first 6 years of our marriage, we have always lived close by to all of Lance's family... this definitely has it's advantages (delicious homemade meals), but I have to say there is a part of me that is looking forward to it just being us... just us two... figuring it all out on our own. However, there is also a part of me that is absolutely terrified by this idea. Lance and I have some of the most incredible friends here... friends that are irreplaceable. And to be quite honest, I'm not sure if we can make it without them... which means everyone better start planning their trips to the Kentucky Derby :)

So, in the near future you can expect to see this blog evolve into... my thoughts on a new city... my failures as a 'seminary wife'... and the joys of new adventures. Hang on blogland, it's going to be a wild ride.

thankful thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) Kindred Spirits. I just love when you have that instant connection with someone. Someone that you don't know very well or didn't necessarily think you would connect with. The girl you meet through her ex-boyfriend, or the woman you sit next to on a 3 hour flight, or the girl you went to college with, but connect over blogland. I love that.


2) My job. Specifically that fact that I get to keep it. As some of you already know, Lance and I will be making a big move in the next couple of months... new city, new home, new friends... but SAME JOB! This is a huge answer to prayer. My company has agreed to allow me to work remotely from my new location, making monthly visits back to the Atlanta office. This is a big deal guys.

3) Mini Dr. Pepper cans. For whatever reason, I find all miniature items super cute. A miniature pony, miniature ketchup bottles, miniature cupcakes... you get the idea. But miniature Dr. Pepper cans??? This is not only super cute, but it's stinkin' filled with Dr. Pepper! I am borderline addicted to this stuff, but somehow I feel justified drinking it out of a miniature can... regardless of how many I drink :)

look what i did...

Yep, so you remember in yesterday's post when I talked about mine and Lance's oh-so-romantic anniversary weekend?? How we spent the day in Atlanta... and crossed something off of my 30 by 30 list?? Well... that 'something' just happened to be #13, "get my second tattoo."

So romantic, right? While I thought about getting Lance's name scripted in a heart on my arm, or tally marks for the number of years we have been married... I decided it would be best to just go with my original plan. I have been thinking about this tat for a while now. It reads, "Quaere Verum." And just in case you're not fluent in Latin, this translates to "Seek the Truth." I love this. I love that it is a constant reminder to myself... a reminder to seek the Truth of God's word... a reminder to seek His plan over my own.

I realize that this post will probably generate a few comments from the good ol' parental units, but like my dad said... "You can get whatever tattoos you want... when you're paying for it." (He did not however say the same thing when I got my nose pierced in college).

My tattoo artist, Brian, helping me to decide where the permanent marking should go...

Transfer is on... ready to start with the ink...

That folks, is a look of concentration... Tattoos hurt. Don't let anyone tell you any different.

The finished product... Still a little red around the edges, but overall, she's healing quite nicely.

happy anniversary to us!!

So, this past Saturday Lance and I celebrated 6 years of marriage. Yep, I'm pretty sure we've got this whole marriage thing all figured out... nothin' to it... 6 years, and we're pros. We celebrated our 6 year anniversary by spending the day in Atlanta, eating dinner with good friends, and crossing something off my 30 by 30 list (more on that later).

Lance and I realized that we have known each other almost 11 years... now, that is crazy. 11 whole flippin' years. But I guess that would explain why he knows me better than anyone. He is my best friend and makes me laugh almost every day. It's crazy to think that we have known each other for so long now, but really... I can't imagine my life without him. I was crazy about him from the first time I met him (well, actually the second time... but after that I was hooked)...

1999

boy meets girl...

2000

boy & girl conveniently attend the same campus events...

2001

boy asks girl out on date...

2002

boy & girl are super cool...

2003

boy returns from a year overseas...

2004

boy proposes to girl...

2005

boy & girl enjoy their first year of marriage...

2006

girl gets smarter...

2007

boy & girl share a romantic week in Paris...

2008

boy & girl shake it on the dance floor...

2009

boy grows massively large (yet fairly impressive) beard...

2010

boy & girl are still crazy about each other...

Happy Anniversary babe... I love you!

anyone interested??

That's right blogland, I'm selling my Canon 55-250mm telephoto lens. This lens is like brand new... seriously. It is not even a year old... comes in the box... with the manual. For all you camera geeks out there, here are the specifications...

Canon EF-S 55-250mm

f/4-5.6

Image Stabilizer

Selling for $200

You can see more details and read consumer reviews here. This is really a fantastic lens... perfect for sporting events, graduations, spying on people... wait, what? :) If you (or anyone you know) might be interested, let me know!

thankful thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) Holiday weekends. No work. More rest. Extended playtime. Cookouts. Time with friends. Sunshine. Need I say more... really?

2) Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. This is my new mid-morning snack.... Some Cedar's roasted red pepper hummus with the Pepperidge Farm pretzel thins. Yum... so good. And for some reason, I equate hummus with healthiness. Is that accurate?

3) My marriage. My marriage that is going on 6 whole years this Saturday. Sometimes it's hard to believe that we've been married 6 years, and have known each other over 10 years now. We have both grown a lot since then, but so has our love for one another. Thank you Lance for a fabulous 6 years... I love you.

fun in the sun

We spent this past weekend at the lake with friends and family. It was oh-so-fabulous and MUCH needed. There is just something about good company... it soothes the soul. The weather turned out perfect and the sun came out just in time...

the great trashbag debate...

There are some things that you just don't skimp on... toilet paper, milk, my favorite oatmeal (fruit & cream, in case you were wondering)... and apparently trash bags. I, for one, never considered trash bags to be one of these items, but my husband apparently does. Which brings me to the great trash bag debate...

You see, one day while working from home, I received a phone call from the Mobile Association for the Blind. They were selling various household/business products that blind people have produced. Now, typically I don't have much patience for sales calls, regardless of the group or foundation, mostly because I think all of these calls are scams... but on this particular day, I was a softie and gave in.

Once the sales rep told me I didn't have to pay for anything until after I received it, I agreed to listen to the list of products... hand brooms, oven mitts, dust mops, trash bags... Trash bags. Everyone uses trash bags, right? Sounds like a good choice to me. Comes in a box of 175. Perfect. After I ordered, I immediately googled the Mobile Association for the Blind, just to make sure I didn't get scammed. I didn't. They exist. See for yourself.

Lance was a little leery when he came home and I greeted him with, "Hi honey... I just ordered 175 trash bags from blind people today." But he didn't say anything, just kind of shook his head in a "bless her heart" kind of way. Well, our trash bags arrived, and I must say, I was quite impressed. They were the typical standard office-type trash bags... you know, the clear kind mostly used in schools and businesses. Well, now we have 175 of our own.

It wasn't a big deal at first... But you may remember from the little birthday list I posted for Lance the other day, according to # 29, Lance always takes out the trash. So about half way through the 175 clear trash bags, Lance informs me that he is not a fan of these things. He misses the yellow pull ties on our old trash bags, and hates trying to tie a dang little knot in the clear trash bags. And I can't really blame him. It is rather difficult to tie up the clear trash bags, and usually something ends up poking a hole in the bag, and it's just a big mess. BUT WE HAVE 175.

So, trash bag by trash bag, eventually we go through all 175 bags... and finally we graduate back to the yellow-pull-tie-bags. It was a day of great celebration in our house. Very exciting times. I think next time the Mobile Association for the Blind calls, I will just order a broom.

i found harry...

Everyone can rest easy now. Don't worry, everything is under control... I found Harry.

Mr. Potter was hiding out under the passenger side seat of my car. And luckily, about once a month, I do actually drive my little Prius to the car wash. And lo' and behold, I recovered Harry. He and I spent some quality time together this weekend at the lake... but more on that later.

happy birthday to you, love.

Today my man turns 31, so I wanted to dedicate a little birthday list just for him today...

Lance, 31 things I love about you...

1) That you always kiss me goodbye in the morning if you leave the house first.

2) That you hate flying, but love to travel.

3) That you will always break it down on the dance floor.

4) That you won a limbo contest on our honeymoon.

5) That you know my exact order at practically every fast food restaurant.

6) That you have choreographed moves to "You're the Best Around."

7) That you cook me dinner and never complain.

8) That you have a passion for adventure.

9) That you can fix practically anything... without directions.

10) That you tell me I'm beautiful (even in my over-sized sweatshirt).

11) That you could watch the History Channel and Discovery Channel all day.

12) That despite #11, you will almost always watch HGTV with me.

13) That you love Little Cat as much as I do. (don't deny it)

14) That you write me love notes on the bathroom mirror.

15) That you care more about investing in young men's lives than winning football games.

16) That you worry about the ones you love.

17) That you have the best laugh in a crowded movie theatre.

18) That you eat a bag of popcorn with me almost every night.

19) That you always find me the tallest Christmas tree.

20) That you can suck down a Coke Icee in record time.

21) That you teach me something new every day.

22) That you have a passion to share Christ's love around the world.

23) That you cherish family.

24) That you support all of my random hobbies.

25) That you are a walking encyclopedia... a wealth of knowledge.

26) That you take me on dates.

27) That you will always be 2 years older than me.

28) That you encourage me to be creative.

29) That you always take out the garbage.

30) That you trust the Lord with our marriage.

31) That YOU are MINE.

Happy birthday babe. I love you.