A Month in a Post...

Well, November has been quite a month for us! We packed up everything we owned...

Daniel started school in Maryland (and he picked a great week to start b/c his class got to go swimming everyday at the local college!!).....

And we packed up and went back to Dayton for Thanksgiving....

(You can see Lily had really missed her Uncle Mike...)

We packed back up and came back home to our new church....(Lily was in a mood in this picture)..

And now we are about to decorate for Christmas!!! But before we do, here's a few pics of our new house (I have just gotten it good and clean before I start putting out the holiday decor)...

And THIS......is our playroom, which is actually a loft that you access by ladder in Lily's room....what kid doesn't like getting to their toy room by a LADDER!!! :)

So there you have it! Our November in a nutshell!! Whew! It's been busy but it's been a BLAST! I honestly feel that we have enjoyed every bit of it! Maybe now that we're unpacked I can start blogging a little more frequently.....however December is a pretty big month for us with 2 birthdays and a major holiday, so we'll see. :)

Hello....I'm still here!!

Hello folks! It's been well over 2 weeks since I've blogged; but considering what's been going on in my life, I think that's understandable! We are finally here in Maryland trying to get settled into our new house...in our new community...in our new STATE!!! And it was quite a journey getting here I might add! We had always planned to go visit my family in Memphis for a few days in between the transition. However the original plan was to get our stuff up here before we went there. That didn't work out. So we just planned to go to Memphis...from Nov. 2nd - Nov. 6th....come back to Dayton...pack up our stuff...and be here in Oakland sometime that Tuesday (the 8th). Then life happened.

First off...my grandfather passed away. We knew he wasn't doing well at all; and we were actually surprised he made it as long as he did. But at around 3:30 AM Thursday (Nov. 3rd), he went home to be with the Lord after a long hard battle with alzheimer's. My heart aches for my grandmother (who also lost her dog that following Saturday). The funeral was Monday (going on 2 weeks ago). Let me side track for a minute to tell you about my grandfather. He was the sweetest man! He would do anything for anyone. But most of all; he was a godly man. My favorite thought about him was a memory my aunt shared about him at the funeral. She remembers as a little girl walking in while he was doing his quiet time in the early mornings. She said she would see him signing to the Lord in prayer (he was deaf). I just love to think about that....how he truly had a PERSONAL relationship with the Lord...how he talked with the Lord. It was sad to watch him at the end of his life. The alzheimer's really made him act different....he was not Papaw anymore. So in some ways...we are all so happy he is home. He has his mind...he can hear...and he is with my cousin Amber (who went to be with the Lord going on 4 years ago in January). So anyway...that is my Papaw...and he will be dearly missed.

So....after the funeral Monday we planned to leave to go back to Dayton. Long story short....we didn't leave til almost lunchtime Tuesday. We were exhausted. So we got almost packed up Wednesday and had planned to leave that afternoon and I got sick. (sidenote #2: a big thank you to the secretaries at FBC Dayton for the farewell lunch Wed. That was so sweet). So anyway....last Thursday at about 11:59pm we got into Oakland; and unloaded our Uhaul into our new house last Friday. So we've been here a week now. (It's snowed twice since we've been here btw). And as of today, we not only have internet, but WIRELESS internet. So here I am....blogging! Hopefully I'll get to keep up on here more now about our journeys in Maryland!

Lastly, I would like to take a little moment to thank all the members of our new church (Deep Creek Baptist Church). Thank you so much to all of you who stocked our pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. I cannot say enough how much of a blessing that was. Also, a huge thank you to all of you who worked so hard to make our house nice and clean for us to live in. I would also like to thank all of you who came to help us unload our Uhaul....and in the snow I might add!! And a big thank you to Pastor Ben for taking us around town; and to Mark and Debra for watching our kids one day and helping us get our fire going so we can have even more heat!! :) And to ALL the members of the church for such a warm welcome and making us feel so at home right away!! We are excited about ministering with you all.

Ok...that's all for now...more unpacking to do! Hopefully today will be it!! Whoop whoop!!

My Dayton Top 10!!

I've been thinking a lot about all the different places here that I'm going to miss when we move. So, here are my 10 favorite places unique to Dayton (and yes...quite a few of these are resturants) :)......

They have THE best tomato casserole I've ever had. Well actually, that's the only place I've ever had tomato casserole. Anyway...it's sooo good!

I have had a lot of different people cut my hair over the years. Cherri here at Dayton Styling Center is one of my favorites! She has curly hair too, so she knows just how to cut it!

It's an antique store, and they have the cutest tea cups, tea pots, and other antiques. I could spend a fortune in there.

We love our little trips to the library. :)

This is a coffee shop here in Dayton, and the man who owns it is a christian. He is super nice. Me and my college buddy (but she's not in college anymore....or in Dayton anymore) used to have weekly dates here. They have very very yummy coffee and specialty drinks. And I've recently started buying their coffee to brew at home. YUM...I may have to stock up on that when I visit!

This is my favorite Mexican place in town. They have the best chicken fajita nachos!

This is our Chinese resturant. The parents' of one of our youth owns this resturant. It is sooo good. And they've recently starting serving hibachi....I love me some hibachi chicken and veggies!

This, of course, is our church. We have had some good memories here. I know I've said it before...but the teenagers here are AWESOME....and there are others we've met here that we will never forget and will miss greatly!

This....would be where Lily takes ballet. I am in love with Christian Ballet. I could sit and watch the whole 2+ hour recital video over and over again. Of course, I love watching Lily the most; but I also love watching the other routines! They have some very talented ballerinas AND they do ALL their routines to christian music!! I just love it! Have I said how much I love it yet?

And, lastly, but most certainly NOT least....is my favorite resturant. Jacob Myers started out as a little deli downtown. And maybe a year ago-ish, they moved across the highway to a building on the little river. And then......oh my word. They have THE best kettle cooked chips, the best wraps, the best desserts, great french fries, wonderful sandwiches, awesome dinner entrees....you get the picture. They are GREAT! And they are only in Dayton, Tennessee. Sad. I will miss them (just a little). :)

So, there you have it. My top 10 Dayton places. (Because I know you were just dying to know!) :)

Say What?!

Ok, so if you asked me if I liked moving, I would probably say "no." I mean, I would love to live in the same town as both our families; and for Jason to be a minister in the same church forever and ever amen. But, God has obviously had different plans for us (which I am ok with, btw). Anyway, well, yesterday we spent the day not packing boxes and instead visited with some family and friends; and caught up on some other things we needed to do. And it was then that I discovered something about myself that I didn't know....there is a part of me (while initially it seems overwhelming) that likes the task moving! I even caught myself trying to tape up just a few more boxes before we left the apartment! I think this is why. See I LOVE to make lists....especially "to-do" lists. And I LOVE checking things off my lists. And well, since I'm a very visual person...how better to "check off a list" than converting this...

...into this.I know...I'm crazy! But I guess while God's given me the personality that gets really attached to people and doesn't like saying goodbye....He's also given me the personality to love the organization/"checking-off-a-to-do-list" part of moving! God is good! :) Oh...and it gives me an excuse to slip away a little from the mundane everyday house cleaning...(I mean, who can mop a floor covered in boxes). And I know there have been many challenges trying to pack up everything we own with a kindergartener, a preschooler, and a toddler; BUT this is what I LOVE about moving with little kids...

I love all their little doodles! Well, that's all for now! Have a great weekend!

WE'RE MOVING!!!!

Yep...you read it right! We are moving to Oakland, Maryland.....MARYLAND!! I can't believe it! Jason has accepted a position at Deep Creek Baptist Church in Oakland, Maryland! He will be the Associate Pastor of Family Ministries...basically he will be the youth minister and will also oversee the children's ministry.

We are super excited about the opportunity. Jason will be the first youth minister Deep Creek Baptist Church has ever had! There are 2 high schools in Garrett County, and neither one have FCA, Athletes in Action, or any christian clubs. There is very little ministering toward teenagers there at all. But God has been at work in the area over the last several years, and brought lots of children and teens to Deep Creek! So we are greatly looking forward to being able to minister to them and hopefully get some things going for them in their schools too! With that being said, we are also super sad to leave here. This will be the first time we haven't lived by at least one of our families....and the other has always been close. We will now be over 9 hours from Jason's family and 13 hours from mine! We love spending time with our families, so it will be hard for us to be so far away. Also, we are really going to miss the teenagers and their families that we have been so privileged to minister to over the last 22 months. They are awesome...no other way to put it...just awesome! So basically, I am excited, happy, sad, overwhelmed, anxious, and at peace all at the same time! It has been so neat though to watch those wonderful two verses from Philippians 4:6-7 work in my life over the last few weeks. Every time I start to feel anxious about all the change, I have just been quoting those verses..."Be anxious for nothing; but in everything, by prayer and supplication, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." And it's been amazing how He has given me that peace! So....with all that being said....this is now what our little apartment looks like...

Fun!! Can't imagine why I may be a little overwhelmed could you? And honestly...that's not the worst it's looked over this last week. Oh, yeah...and did I forget to mention that Garrett County Maryland gets somewhere around 200 inches of snow in the winter? And that most of their houses don't have air conditioning because they don't need it! Yeah....that may be a little bit of an adjustment for us....just a little. We may not be saying this in the dead middle of winter...but right now...the snow sounds kinda exciting! :) So anyway...that is our new big news!! We would greatly appreciate any prayers on our behalf as we make this transition....especially as we try to pack lots and lots of boxes with 3 energetic children who would love to climb to the top of every pile and jump from it, to the couch, to the ottoman, to the other couch....and so forth. So...lots of use of a mother's favorite word...NO! :) Really, they haven't been too bad. But anyway...happy Thursday!

Quick Visit

Happy Fall! My parents got to come in town for a quick visit earlier this week.

I love how when you try to get a cute picture, someone is always doing something funny. This is the best we got. Anyway, yesterday was Grandparent's Day at Daniel's school; and my parents got to come up for it. It was super cute. The sad thing about Grandparent's Day though, is that only grandparents can come....meaning I have no pictures of it. I did get to help do crafts though, so I at least got to be somewhat of a part of it.

They didn't get to stay for long; however we did make sure to make time to go to my favorite little antique store and buy some more tea cups and have some tea together. My sweet mom brought me some new tea...a more "fall-tasting" tea this time.....as well as those WONDERFUL tea-infused cookies you see pictured above. Oh. my. word.....they are sooooo good. I could eat the whole tin.....in about 2 minutes. Yum. Anyway...I love when family comes to visit!!

Puzzles and Sugary Goodness...Austin style.

Have I mentioned my youngest child in awhile....you remember, Conan?

(The helmet really belongs to the bear....he likes football). Anyway...well it's been a good couple of weeks since I've felt the need to blog about his mischieviousness. In other words...I was long overdue for a day like Wednesday. While I was taking just a few minutes on the computer, I look down and find this....

This would be almost every puzzle piece of every puzzle we own.....all poured out and mixed up together. That was fun. So, then while I am taking about an hour to sort every puzzle piece out.....basically having to work almost every puzzle to figure out what pieces go to what puzzle, I turn around to look in the kitchen and find this...

Yeah....that's sugar. The picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice. He had sugar in his hair, in his shoes, in his diaper (which btw...I think as of today we are finally out of..whoo hoo!)....and not to mention as you can see all over the counter and floor.

That almost grasps how much sugar we were dealing with here.....but still doesn't do it justice. That child is something else. It's a good thing he's so cute and funny!

And I just thought I'd throw this one in there from a couple of weeks ago, b/c its so funny. He loves him some football!!