Dear John - Official Trailer

I LOVED this book! It is my second favorite Nicholas Sparks book and now it is a movie! I just REALLY hope I'm not disappointed with this movie adaptation as I was with "Nights in Rodanthe". So far, I think it looks pretty good. Though, no movie is ever as good as the book from which it was derived :)

Are You Kidding Me?

So I chose to watch the last 20 minutes of the Tyra Banks Show while folding the laundry today b/c the topic caught my interest. Today's show was on infertility. From what I gather, she had a specialist on the show answering questions and speaking to the audience about common issues and potential solutions for specific situations. This was pretty standard - nothing I haven't heard before (multiple times). What caught me off guard was her next guest - the founder of Conceive Magazine. First of all, I didn't even know there was such a thing! Secondly, she was there to speak on behalf of and shamelessly promote her new book:
Oh yes - you ARE reading that correctly! This book contains information on what foods will and will not affect your ability to conceive a child! She gave specific examples:

Which is the better choice for conception?

1. BLT or turkey burger? Turkey burger.
2. chocolate cheesecake or angel food cake? cheesecake.
3. steak/potato or pasta with asparagus? pasta.
4. pancakes or muffins? pancakes.

Every single choice she made has been the exact same choice I've made over the last 4 years - but did it help my chances of conceiving??? clearly not! I don't know if this lady and her "theories" are totally bogus? Or if my body is just that screwed up that it doesn't respond naturally the way it is designed to.

I should never have watched this show b/c it just sent me straight back to all those familiar feelings that infertility has brought on me over the years. Oh well, can't take it back now. For today, it's one step forward, two steps back.

"When Love Is Difficult"

Romans 12:9 commands "Love must be sincere." I don't know about you, but in my human nature, I do not always fulfill this command to the best of my ability. I have a hard time letting go of things that have hurt me in the past and it can honestly affect the way I love someone. I'm also easily offended by those friends who only choose friendship with me when it is convenient for them; those who are not dedicated or understanding of the meaning of friendship/love (these 2 ideas are synonymous in this rant). So when I read that my love must be sincere, not only does that challenge me to take a step back and evaluate my love towards current people in my life, but it also makes me evaluate the kinds of people I have allowed to BE a part of my life. In other words, am I making good decisions? Am I surrounding myself with others who understand this concept of sincere love? I'm speaking primarily of my close relationships - not mere acquaintances. However, as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we are commanded to love them all the same.

In today's lesson with Beth Moore, she writes:

You and I are called to the real thing. God already knew that commanding us to love others sincerely would force the issue of heart change in those who truly desire to obey and please Him. While loving others God places in our paths will never cease to be challenging, the key is learning to draw from the resource of God's own agapeo love rather than our own small and selfish supply of natural phileo love (or fondness). God's chief goal is to deepen each of our relationships with Him. He knows that if we don't see our need for Him, we will never understand how sufficient and wonderful He is. Therefore, He continually challenges us to live beyond our natural abilities. God knows that challenges like loving someone we find difficult will place the obedient in the position to come to Him constantly for a fresh supply of His love."

In response to today's lesson, I asked myself one question: "I expect people to love me sincerely, but do I sincerely love them FIRST (or in return)?"

Practice sincere love!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like . . . Autumn!

The candles are lit and the house smells of spiced cider! This is my favorite time of the year! The Fall decorating has begun! First, the inside of the house :)

The centerpiece of the living room - the fireplace!

A happy harvest greeting to welcome you into our home!
It's the little touches that count the most . . . especially when they're full of Halloween candy and chocolates!


Our small little table :) I forgot to put out the placemats so just imagine 2 wine colored velvet placemats with gold trimmings on it :)

Happy Fall everyone!

Love,

Chris, Melody, Autumn, & Sadie!

Happy (Early) Halloween!

In keeping with tradition, Chris and I attended our SS Class Costume Party last night! It was SUCH a blast! We have been SO blessed by the members of our new class. They are smart, witty, charming, generous, and they have such a heart for the Lord! We are making wonderful new friendships and couldn't be more excited about our futures together.

So, our costumes were a hit :) Chris' costume was a bit, well . . . controversial, at best. And completely homemade I might add! While it was certainly unorthodox, it was also completely original . . . and for that he took home first prize! Here are a few pics of our party!

Our Pumpkin! It didn't win the prize, but I'm still very proud of it!

Chris' prize for best costume was silly glasses/nose and bubba teeth!

We were trying on our new teeth :)

My Reading Nook

Ever since I was laid off from my job, I have become an avid reader. There are so many books that spark my interest that I typically have several going on at one time. And ever since I learned the joys of the public library and the Christian Book Outlet Store, it seems I just cannot keep away! Over dinner last night, I heard Chris tell Rob about how our home has turned into a library! Everywhere he looks there are stacks of books (hmm - it sounds like there's a little bit of Dr. Seuss coming out of me now!). So this morning, I decided that maybe I should condense my many piles into one area and designate it my "reading nook."


Here is my current stack of books. Some are fictional stories from beloved authors, some are biographical tales, and others are topical books by Christian authors (Tozer, Moore, Arthur, Terkeurst, etc.,)


If you look closely, on the left side of the picture is a beautiful Willow Tree plaque of two girls facing each other capturing the essence of deep friendship and communion with someone you love. No shock here, the title card that came with this plaque reads "Friendship: forever true, forever friends". Kelly gave this gift to me last night for my birthday. This gift is indescribable to me. For so long I have searched for a friend with whom I can completely be myself. One that will unconditionally love me and support me through life's up's and down's. Well, through a series of events over this last year, Kelly has most certainly become that friend to me - and I to her. We are very dear friends and I honestly wouldn't know how to live life without her anymore. She is so caring, supportive, fun-loving, and accepting of who I am and all that I want to be. She is special - beyond words. I thought it only appropriate to place this plaque in my reading nook for 2 reasons: 1. This nook is where I go to search the Word of God and learn from Him. I often find myself re-telling what I've learned that day to Kelly at some point :) And 2. This is also where I commune with God in prayer. And more often than not, Kelly is included in those prayers. So this is a wonderful reminder for me to share my knowledge of Christ with her to encourage her spiritually, and also to remember to pray for her often . . . especially in her current season of life.

Happy Birthday!

Well, today is my birthday! I have officially turned 28 years old. Wow! I can't say I'm where I thought I would be at this age - but that's okay. I'm in an entirely new place, one I didn't even know existed for me. I'm dreaming new dreams and experiencing new things that I never thought I'd be blessed to experience. It's great. My only hope is that 28 turns out to be a better year than 27 :)

My day has been fabulous! My sweet husband woke me up to balloons and Krispy Kreme doughnuts (is there a better way to wake up?).

Then I had the whole day to do whatever I wanted! My only stipulation (put on by myself) was that I wasn't going to do anything from my normal routine. This means no cleaning, running errands, folding laundry, etc. Instead, I treated myself to lunch at Panera, spent some time outdoors, watched an old Doris Day movie (a gift from my parents) and read some of my new bday books. Later on, we met our dear friends, Rob & Kelly, at a restaurant called Max's Ally for a celebratory dinner. It was such a beautiful night that we sat outside near the fire place.

Afterwards, Chris and I returned home to wrap up my birthday festivities with an old family tradition . . . ice cream cake! This weekend he plans to take me shopping for a new watch - something I've been "hinting" at for a long time :)

Today was a GREAT birthday and I feel so blessed! Let's get this party started, 28!!!

Our Mountain Escape

Chris and I enjoyed a few days away from our routine life and escaped to Cold Mountain, NC. It was perfect! The house was 3500 feet up the mountain and very secluded. It was cozy and comfortable and we will definitely go back! We spent Sunday in Historic Downtown Waynesville, then headed back to the cabin just as the rain came in, popped in a frozen pizza and curled up to watch our usual NFL Football game. On Sunday we drove through the Pisgah National Forest and one of our favorite antiquing towns - Brevard :) We slept in late everyday, enjoyed our morning java on the wrap-around porch, spent the afternoons exploring nearby towns, and roasted marshmallows in the fire pit (in the rain) :) We did everything and nothing at all - it was perfect! Here are some pictures from our trip!