gatlinburg

Last weekend we were able to meet some of my friends (Amanda and her family from Charleston and my friend Courtney and her family from Evansville, Indiana) in Gatilinburg.  We girls are good friends and we were so happy that our hubbys got along too!

We started our Saturday morning out right with a trip to the Pancake Pantry.  You know how Chris and I just love that place!  After that we went to the Aquarium.  Amanda has twin boys who are 15 months old and Courtney has a 9 month old boy.  The boys, both young and old, loved the Aquarium.  The girls did too. 
We had been to the Ripley's Aquarium at Myrtle Beach, but never the one in Gatlinburg.

After that we did what everyone does in Gatlinburg, shopped and walked the streets downtown.  And we managed to eat some candy too!  After all the food from the weekend, I feel like I gained 10 pounds!  I'm so glad we did all that walking!!

Sunday we went to the Apple Barn for breakfast with Courtney and her family.  Amanda and her family met us there later.  We had a lot of fun walking around looking in all the shops.

It was such a fun, fun weekend!  I'm so glad the three of us could all get together.

Here are some pics from the weekend.

i found this fun blog hop at and decided to join in on the fun. the rule is to show your SOOC (straight out of camera) shot and then your edited one. i decided to use a shot of my god-doggers from this past january.

here's the straight out of the camera before shot:

and here's the after:

i used picnik.com. i cropped and rotated the photo and then used the ortonish and then the vignette options.

the german and cowboy boots

One of the unique things about Chris' job is that it is truly an international ministry. When their new over seas staff members are hired they come to Nashville for training. And because of the distance and the intensity of the training, they are usually here for anywhere from eight twelve weeks. Since they are here without their families, different headquarters staff members host them for dinner.

This past Saturday and Sunday we were able to spend time with Daniel who is from Germany. Naturally he and Chris had lots to talk about since Chris has spent time in Germany. Daniel is also the tallest person I've ever met. He's six foot eight and had a hard time fitting into our car!

When we are hosting someone, we like to show them some things downtown. Lots of times they are in Nashville for weeks and are so busy they never get to see any sights. So we headed downtown on Saturday night with Daniel. We were a bit nuts for going there since the SEC basketball tournament was also downtown.

We had fun wandering around and showing Daniel some Nashville highlights. One thing that was a challenge for us was the fact that he really wanted some cowboy boots. Real cowboy boots. Have you ever shopped for cowboy boots for a six foot eight German??? Well it's definitely a challenge. We finally found some for him, but he passed on buying them since they were over $300.

After walking around we went to one of our favorite places to eat, Ted's Montana Grill. We love to go there because they offer buffalo on their menu. And boy is it good! We like taking visitors there because it's not every day that you can have a buffalo steak.

It really is a treat for us to meet and host the overseas staff. We get to learn a lot about their culture and how Christians are viewed in other societies. It's really an eye opener. And a blessing for us too.

blessed beyond measure

Every Tuesday night from November through April our church hosts Room in the Inn. This is a program that allows homeless people a warm place to sleep. Each church that participates hosts 14 people and they provide them with dinner and then breakfast the next morning as well as a bag lunch. Last week Chris volunteered us, with my knowledge, to be the Chaplains for a few Tuesdays this month.

So tonight I'm at home knitting and all cozy in my fleecy pj's when he calls me to ask where I was. (He was still at work at 6:30). I of course said I was at home, duh! : ) He reminded me that we were supposed to be at church at 7. I grumbled about having to leave the house on a rainy night, but changed and headed to church.

Even when I got there I was focused on myself. But that soon changed. Chris and I sat there and caught up with each other on the events of the day.

Then two ladies came into the chapel. They were there to ask us to pray for their friend T. T is also homeless and she was beaten severely. To the point that her life is hanging in the balance. These two precious ladies are concerned for their friend, but they are also concerned that the men who committed this crime are still out on the streets. And they are on the streets too.

As we were praying for their friend T, I was reminded that it's not about me. It's not about you. It's about God and the amazing work He can do in our lives when we let him.

We prayed for T. We prayed for these two ladies. We prayed for the other homeless women out there who might be in danger. And we prayed for the men who committed the crime. That their hearts would be changed.

Tonight I went to church focused on myself. I left focused on God and the blessings he has given me.

This is the passage of scripture Chris shared with them.

Hear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.

Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.
You are my God;
save your servant who trusts in you.

Have mercy on me,
O Lord, for I call to you all day long.

Bring joy to your servant, for to you,
O Lord, I lift up my soul.

~Psalm 86:1-4

perfect moments

Perfect moment Monday is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. perfect moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between.

I'm so glad to be posting on here again.

This past weekend we went to Bristol to celebrate Chris' parents 50th anniversary! Wow, 50 years! What a milestone and what a blessing.

Their actual anniversary was on Friday. They went out to dinner with the family to The Golden Corral. We had fun teasing Chris' Dad that he took Anne to The Golden Corral on their "golden" anniversary.

On Saturday night the four of us went to a really nice dinner at The Troutdale. This was an extra special moment. When Chris was a little boy his parents would take him with them when they went out to dinner to celebrate their anniversary. He would often tell people it was "their" anniversary, including himself in the "their" part.

It was perfect to be able to celebrate their anniversary with them in such a special way.

Here's a couple of pictures from the night.

Chris and me

the happy couple

I Capture Perfect Moments.

back again

I decided it was time to get posting on this blog again. It really is a good way to keep our family up-to-date with our life here in Nashville.

Hopefully you won't get bored reading about our everyday adventures.