Party Like A Rockstar!

We had a birthday party for Chris with our family and friends over the weekend. We had a great time! Everyone came over to our house for pizza and cake and then we headed to the bowling alley (where we proceeded to get our butts kicked!). I made Paula Deen's Butterfinger cake for Chris b/c that's his favorite candy bar. It was quite yummy! Here are some pics from our party!

And the Love Continues . . .

Saturday morning, we woke up and I fixed Chris a special Vday breakfast (heart-shaped pancakes). We then packed up the car, dropped the girls off at the kennel, and headed towards Mebane. Chris' mom, Debbie, owns a vineyard and winery and was putting ason a special event for all the lovers in the area last night. It was called a 'Wine, Roses, & Romance" dinner. She had a catered 4-course meal (very much unlike what we had the night before!), a live musician, and dancing. It was a blast! We went to together as a family and had so much fun together!

Valentine's morning breakfast :)

Chris' sister, Dana, anad her husband Josh. They are currently 18 weeks preggers with a baby boy! YAY!


We found a little corner of the room beside our table that was perfect for some intimate dancing :)


Havin' some fun!


Debbie and Gene, Chris' parents and owners of the winery.

Enjoying a glass of "Dixie Dawn" - mmm, yummy!

The Harrell's and the Herman's

long-stemmed roses for the ladies at the dinner :)

the guests were all having such a great time!

mom and son

mom and daughter-in-law

A quick photo-opp before dinner was served

Love is a Mystery

Last night Chris and I attended the Love is a Mystery dinner hosted by our Sunday School class. We weren't really sure what to expect. All we were told was to show up at 7:00 for a 4 course meal. So, that's what we did. The atmosphere was adorned with reds and pinks, hearts and candles, etc. There was soft music playing in the background and a 5-star wait staff ready to serve our every need. We were seated by couple according to our place cards, 3 at each table. Everything as was anticipated and expected, and then we were handed our menus. Hmm, I'd never seen a menu quite like this before. The food choices were as follows:
Nature's Plug
Snow on the mountain
Cupid's arrow
A chip off the old block
Popeye's delight
Heart strings
Chris Harrell's past time (yes, my notorious husband actually made the list!)
A small raise
A roman mix-up
"Are you ready for the summer?"
A square soda
Jack and mac
Seedy character
Lover's delight
Exotic blubber with a twist
Sticks and stones
We were then instructed to write down on the opposite side of our menu the order in which we would like to be served (4 items per course, 4 courses). The funny thing is, our utensils were included in this cryptic list, so we had to be very careful and methodical about our choices; otherwise, we would be left with no utensils to eat our food with. AND, you weren't allowed to carry any items over into the next course. So, if you were given more than one utensil at a time, you were screwed :) This, of course, happened to me on my second course. I was given a knife, a fork, cubed cheese, and olives. Hmm . . . at this point, I'm thinking that I haven't eaten anything that required utensils yet, so 2 more courses left and somewhere in there are entree type foods. To ease the suspense, my 4-course meal went as follows: Course 1 - spoon, peanuts and carrots, Caesar salad, meatballs; Course 2 - knife, fork, cubed cheese, olives; Course 3 - bread, crackers, sliced pickles, toothpick; Course 4 - spaghetti with meat sauce, chocolate brownie with whip cream, jello, Hershey kisses. If you'll notice, that lat course did not include ANY utensils. It was very interesting. We had LOADS of fun with our friends. A small food fight even broke out between tables - to be expected with our crowd :) Anyways, the atmosphere was pleasant, the company was terrific, the service was extraordinary, and the food . . . well, the food was . . . interesting :) I was able to steal a few snapshots in between all our fun. Hope you enjoy them.

I Have Seen the Light

Chris and I went to Lowes over the weekend and bought a new dining room light! We were so very excited to be getting rid of the tacky gold light that has been there since we moved in. Our new light matches our dining room perfectly and also goes very well with the lights we have in our kitchen (that are very similar in nature). Here are some snapshots of our new addition.


In other news, I received a phone call from Cannon School yesterday informing me that they offered the job to another candidate and that person has accepted. Now this was very sad news for me to hear because I really wanted THIS job :( I've never had to compete for a job before and I've never been turned down for one either. I had a great interview, a high recommendation from my old boss (who incidentally is a close friend of the family with whom I interviewed), 3 stellar letters of recommendation, and my easy and outgoing personality. I thought for sure I had it in the bag. They affirmed all the same things on the phone with me yesterday, but the candidate that they chose had one thing I did not . . . experience in the college counseling field. While I know this would have been something I could have learned quickly, their immediate need was to find someone who could just step right in with little hands-on training. They have assured me that they were very pleased with me and that my resume will remain on file in case other jobs open up at the school. I'll be very honest . . . I was heartbroken. I've never wanted a particular job so bad in all my life. This one seemed SO perfect. But there's peace in knowing that if this wasn't the job for me, then there's something out there even better. It's difficult for me to imagine that right now, but it is true. Ever since my lay-off in December, our prayer has been that the Lord would bring me the perfect job (for me). When I say "perfect", I don't mean monetarily, I mean a job that is ideal for my qualifications and passions. One that I will enjoy going to every day. One that will enrich my life and fill me with a sense of pride and success. One where I would be valued. So, no we're back to playing the waiting game. Waiting on God to present to me the right opportunity at the right time. He will provide! "Lord, not my will, but YOURS be done."

How Much Is Your Marriage Worth?

As previously mentioned, Chris is reading "The Love Dare" with the guys in his accountability group. Each day has been something new and wonderful that we've been able to experience together. It starts out with simple dares such as tell her something encouraging or thoughtful today, or call her just to say hello and tell her you love her. Then, as each day progresses and you get further into the book, the dares become a little more exposed and poignant. One day, Chris was dared to ask me what 3 things are about him that frustrate me the most. He was also challenged to compile a list of the positive and negative attributes about me and do something very specific with each list. Each day he is challenged (and held accountable) to build on the previous days dare. For example, one day he might be asked to find a distinct way to compliment me throughout my day. Then the next day he is dared to do the same thing in addition to a new dare. The point here, obviously, is to become so familiar with this kind of treatment towards your spouse that it literally becomes second nature to always honor your spouse each day with this type of behavior. I would like to be the first to attest to the transforming power of this book in our marriage. Those who know us well know that we have been down some difficult roads over the last 6 years. We've had to go through things that you would never wish on anyone. And as a result of all that, we've had to work really hard at our marriage. But we've never been in such a great place as we are right now. Now, I will certainly attribute much of that to the fact that Chris' new job allows him to be home a lot more. But this book has added a whole new dimension to our relationship. Nowadays, Chris calls several times a day just to check in with me and see how my day is going, or will say "I Love You" countless times for no obvious reason, and (my personal favorite) will spend extra time each day just snuggling with me in the bed at the beginning and end of our days while giving me back rubs until I fall asleep. Hello personal attention!!! This is amazing! There are many ways that we give and receive love, but these last few weeks, it seems as if Chris has been a student of my love languages and has filled my "lovin' tank on a daily basis. How would this kind of attention NOT revolutionize your marriage? And, of course, as a result I aim to be more respectful and submissive to him in response to his treatment of me. It's a new found rhythm that we're operating on and I can't believe that it's taken us this long to understand how a successful, functioning marriage is supposed to be. At least we're here now and I encourage you to take the leap and read this book as well. After all, we have committed the rest of our lives to our spouses (that incidentally God ordained just for us), so why not do all we can to remind that person of exactly how and why we love them so much. So the real question is, how much are you willing to invest in your marriage? Is it worth your time and efforts to revolutionize your relationship? Even if you've failed in the past (and we all have), there's no reason why you can't begin now. I "dare" you to take the leap and watch where God takes you together.

Back In The Old Days . . .

While cleaning off an old computer, we stumbled across some old photos. Here are some pics of us pre-2003 . . . Enjoy!

Blessings

Sometimes I am amazed at just how well my husband knows me. Last Friday, he and some of our guy friends began reading "The Love Dare". This book accompanies the film "Fireproof" that came out several months ago and is all about building a better, more solid, marriage. Well, literally, each day for 40 days, the reader is challenged with a dare that they are prompted to fulfill. The dare, of course, goes hand in hand with the chapter that you read each day. Well, yesterday's "dare" was to give a unexpected and completely selfless gift to your spouse and then write about their reaction to this gift in the journal provided. Chris, in all his wonderfulness, gave me a gift certificate for an "interview manicure." By this I mean that he is allowing me to use our limited finances to get a manicure before my interview (which happens to be tomorrow). Now, this is amazing for several reasons: 1. I've been talking myself into (or out of) painting my own nails for a week in preparation for this interview. I HATE doing my own nails, which is why getting a gift like this is so great! Plus, I never even mentioned to him that this was something I felt I needed to do before my interview - he just knew it about me! 2. He knows me well enough to realize that I am nervous about making a good first impression during my interview tomorrow (in front of a panel of 10 school administrators) and that looking great and feeling great are very important to me. He even told me today that he'd help me pick out the perfect outfit! And 3. Given that our finances have been limited since I lost my job in December, there has been no "frivolous" spending of any kind. So for him to let go of the TIGHT budgetary constraints we have set for ourselves and allow me this one pleasure means so much to me. Well I got my manicure today and it looks great! I feel that my hands, at least, are 100% prepared for tomorrow's interview :) Now, what to wear . . .

Stay tuned for more on "The Love Dare" as I am sure I will be "wowed" and blessed in so many ways that I'll just HAVE to share it all with you!

My Life As A Rockstar

Well, as a rockstar's girlfriend at least. A friend of ours sent us some old photos of when Chris was in a Christian band called "Trademark". We were only dating at the time, but I knew I was gonna marry him! He was so adorable as a rockstar (as you can see for yourself in the pictures below).

It's been a while since we last blogged, so I though I should catch you up on these last few weeks. After 2 weeks, I have finally nailed down a phone interview with the Director of College Counseling at the Cannon School in Concord. I am interviewing for the job as Administrative Assistant to that Department. It sounds like a lot of responsibility, but for the most part, it's all stuff I've done before (with slight alterations), so I think I could be great at this job! I get the impression that this department is quite overwhelmed right now, so she's asked if we could do a phone interview over the weekend. This is certainly not my first choice, but it seems to be what works best for her (and it's all about pleasing her at this stage in the process). My "interview" is at 1:30 today. The school is less than 5 miles from my house and is directly in between our house and Chris' office. Not to mention that it's across the interstate from my "regular" shopping center, so I could tend to all my errands after work without any inconvenience. I'm LOVING the idea of a school schedule as well - 7:00 - 3:00 M-F / ALL federal holidays off/spring break, summer vacation, etc. This still allows me to work on my sewing projects on the side! This could be great for us! I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much b/c I don't know many specifics of the job yet, but from a distance, it seems perfect.

Secondly, Chris' birthday is in 3 weeks! He'll turn the big 3-0!!!! This is a big birthday in someone's life and we are definately celebrating!!! We're still working out the details, but we're thinking about having a small party at our house (just Chris' close friends) and then go bowling!!! His favorite candy bar is Butterfinger, and I have a recipe for Butterfinger cake, so that's what he's requested I make for the party! I'm working on a special gift for him (that I obviously cannot disclose yet), and I really hope he likes it! YAY for birthdays! They're my favorite days of the year!!!

Last week I started a new Bible Study with the beautiful ladies in my Sunday School Class called "No Other Gods" by Kelly Minter. Basically, it's all about acknowledging what other gods we worship in some way everyday and learning to put them aside for the glory of our Heavenly Father. Some idols can be small (like media, food, etc.) while others can be huge (like infertility, spouses, etc.). This will be a good study for me as I am always struggling with inadvertently making pregnancy/babies/family my idols.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Hope ya'll have a wonderful weekend! Until next time . . .

Our Church

Below is a short clip of our Church's worship service. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful Music Pastor! Thanks for all you do, Jason!

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=237571

Merry Christmas!!!

It's finally here! Chris and I always share our Christmas morning together on Christmas Eve since we have to travel to visit our families. We have a couple of traditions . . . 1) We pick out a new snow globe each year to commemorate that Christmas together, 2) We always have sausage pinwheels and coffee for Christmas breakfast (a Strong family tradition), 3) and this year's newest tradition, new Christmas pajamas!!! Chris doesn't particularly like wearing "pajamas", and he couldn't find anything he liked this year, so he opted to sit out on our first year with this tradition. But I found some GREAT new PJ's and I LOVE them!!! Enjoy our pictures from this year's Harrell family Christmas!

Our Weekend

Chris and I enjoyed a wonderful Saturday together. We were surprised with a WONDERFUL visit from my BFF, Corrine. She was near Charlotte visiting her boyfriend's family and decided to grace us with her presence. We enjoyed a cup of tea together and caught up on all that's going on in each other's lives. Then Chris and I headed to our Sunday School Class Christmas Party then off to the Operation Christmas Child Distribution Center to sort through the shoe boxes and prep them to be shipped off to Iraq, Ukraine, and Morocco.

Full Update on the Harrell's

Okay, so I realize that it's been a while since I actually wrote about the important things in our life. SO I thought it was about time that I caught everyone up. First, there's our jobs. Chris is still doing fantastically (don't think that's actually a word) at Granite Contracting. Fortunately, his job is not in jeopardy so far during this "economic downturn" - they're still doing fairly well given the circumstances. My job, however, is not so secure. While I thought we were doing fine, I was told otherwise last week. It seems that there are so many companies that we have done work for that our struggling financially right now and cannot pay us for the jobs that have been done. Our accounts receivables are in the red by approx. $700,000 to date. This means many things for our office. In light of our industry being hit hard during this "recession", the Partners of our firm do not foresee it getting any better for us in the near future (we're talking potentially 3rd quarter of 2009). Therefore, as a means of maintaining staff and not being forced to lay off employees (especially at the holidays), the managerial staff made the decision to cut back hours/salaries by 10% beginning this week. In addition, we cannot count on our annual holiday bonus or salary raises next year. YIKES!!! It's an adjustment for us all. So, my new schedule at work will be a 4 day work week alternating between taking off Monday's and Friday's. Now, I know this seems quite nice - having an extended weekend every weekend - but it also means that, as a result of everyone having to change their schedules, I'll be required to take back on a lot more responsibility that is currently distributed across my whole team to ensure that all staff are covered by an admin at all times. So, not only will I continue on with my current rsponsibilities (that are so numerous I can't even begin to write them all down), but I'll resume team work and reception duties as well - all in a condensed work week. I do not see this going well for us, me especially, but if I want to keep my job, it's something that I HAVE to do. Ugghhh!!! The super good news is, every 2 weeks I'll actually have Friday AND Monday off!!!

Now, on to the "juicy" stuff :) We have completed 3 rounds of fertility treatments (intra-uterine insemination) and sadly, none have been successful. No one can tell us why it's not working. Every time we go in for the procedure they tell us both that we're looking really good and everything is in place for a successful insemination. We have one last try beginning this week. Many of our friends who have gone through the same procedures have had success on their last try. This, by no means, ensures that we will experience that same success - but we are hopeful. We have already begun receiving the paperwork and portfolio's from many local adoption agencies in case our last round of treatment does not work. My doctor will meet with us at the conclusion of our treaments to discuss where to go from there. Per my discussion with a nurs on Friday, we still are several steops away from In Vitro, which only means that there are still other options for us to explore if we are willing. 2 options that she briefly mentioned were taking another type of fertility drugs or we could proceed on to another kind of fertility shots. So, we'll know in about 4 weeks if this is an avenue we'll be walking down or not. While Chris and I are both extremely open to the idea of adoption (either domestic OR foreign), it can cost anywhere from $16,000 - $50,000 per child and that's the part we are most fearful of. Not to mention how long the process can take. If we were to adopt, it is highly likely that we will not be placed with a child while it is a newborn . . . we will miss out on those firsts few precious months of life. That makes me sad, but I can move forward from that. In all honesty, one of the things I am most fearful of is that this adopted child will not be as loved or accepted in our families as would a biological child. This is a common fear for all prospective adopting parents - but it's also a very legitimate one. We feel the prssure from our families to have a child of our own, but sometimes that's just not the Lord's plan. And my biggest desire is that our families will grow to love and accept our adopted baby just as if it were our biological offspring. If you ask us, adopted chidren are sometime more special than biological children. It will be such a privilege for us to have the opportunity to embrace and raise a child that was otherwise be discarded from someone else who would not be able love them like we would. After all, we are called to look after the widows and the orphans in this life. We know it would please God for us to accept this calling.

We are looking forward to the holidays. It's been a while since we spent any real time with our families and we are certainly anxious to get away and do just that. For the first time in a long time, I am actually excited about Christmas! I've already got the Christmas music going and the "spirit" in our house (much to Chris' demise). I'm sure it will be lovely holiday season for us this year (despite all the items mentioned above).

2008 Halloween Social/Costume Party

Chris and I spent the evening at our Sunday School Class Halloween Social tonight. As mentioned in an earlier post, we decided to go as Ron Burgandy and Veronica Corningstone this year. Here are some pics from our night! P.S. - we won top prize for "Best Couple Costume" - YES! Victory!!!

"Mmm - I look good. Real good. Hey everyone, come and see how good I look!"

introducing Ron Burgandy and Veronica Corningstone

"I love scotch - scotchy, scotch, scotch!"

Me (Veronica) and Valerie (Dorothy)

Chris (Ron) and Rob (Big Bad Wolf)

Me (Veronica) and Kelly (Little Red Riding Hood)

Wii bowling - my "strike" pose :)