Winter Storm Octavian

Boy, the last few weeks have been a blur! Since Valentines Day, we have been "snowed in" at least 4-5 times. I say snowed in but I really mean 5-6" of snow at the most. In Tennessee, that is a lot! And the road conditions are always terrible since no one is really used to the snow. There are also not enough snow plows to take care of the entire city of Knoxville. So the list of endless excuse for our over dramatic flip-out about the snow continues. Freezing rain then a few blizzards put Kyle and I both out of work for several days. Kyle worked from home a little bit, and I....did not. I watched Gilmore Girls and basically wasted my life away. It was great!

After the first winter storm, Kyle and I went for a little walk around the neighborhood. You know, cause eventually you get tired of watching TV or reading and just want to get out of the house! I am so looking forward to when it warms up so we can take more walks together at the little park down the street from us. But for this walk, we tip-toed on a thick layer of ice and tried not to fall. It was so peaceful it was almost creepy.

 

"weeping" under a Weeping Willow Tree

Life is returning to normal (although we're supposed to have another snow storm tonight. eek!) whatever normal is. We are busy with work, church, and everything else once again. I almost kind of miss the whole "stay-at-home-in-my-pajamas" kind of days. It made me realize how much I like routine and how much I dislike it too. I needed to learn to relax a little, not work so hard. Take things in stride. Even on the days I did go into work a little later than usual, I had to tell myself "How many snow days are you going to get? Enjoy it!"

So we did.

The Great Smokey Moutains

This was our second year at the Great Smokey Mountains Couple Retreat hosted by Faith for the Family and Temple Baptist Church. You would think only being married not quite two years we wouldn't need a get-away because we are still newlyweds, but even newlyweds need a "tune up" in the area of marriage.

We had planned on attending the retreat but decided it would be a wiser decision financially for us to commute to the meetings, savings us money on a hotel. We went to the meeting on Thursday night a little discouraged. It was not really very relaxing commuting back and forth. But we were going to try to make the best of it. Fortunately, we didn't have to be back in Gatlinburg (which is at least a 50 minute drive) until 10am the next morning. So we got some sleep that night and planned on leaving about 8am. Of course, I was running a bit late (bad hair day). I was just finishing up and said "Ok, I'm ready!" and Kyle said "Wait!" while looking at his phone. He had received a text from someone about a reservation, get this, being given away.

Turns out the man and his wife were from South Dakota. They got snowed in and weren't able to come. So the reservation was up for grabs to anyone who wanted it. A friend of ours put our name on it. So we snatched our overnight bags and quickly packed and rushed out the door so we wouldn't be late!

It was the hugest blessing! (and just in the nick of time too!) The suite was the size of a small 1 bedroom apartment and had a balcony with the most beautiful view of the mountains! We were stunned by how amazingly God worked it out for us to be there.

It really changed the entire retreat for us. It made our time together so much sweeter. God really does care for small things like that. How could we not thank Him?

The by far greatest gift and blessing God ever gave me is my faithful and godly husband. There were many things that I was reminded of during this particular couples retreat. How this man would see my every fault but still chose to love me and stay by my side. He is the one God chose for me. The foundation of our marriage is based upon the Lord. We would desperately fail if it was not for Him. We hope that the refreshing reminders of how much we must guard our marriage and keep it close to our hearts, not take it for granted, put each other before ourselves, all the things Christ did for us, will last us more than a year until the next retreat. We are always learning, always growing. Still, we need the Holy Spirit to guide us. We must discard our own selfishness, ask Christ to help us, and  look at each other like we did when we first said our wedding vows.



 

Valentines Day Date

I don't think anyone in the world could beat my husband at being romantic, sweet and very, very, very sentimental. Seriously, he would flip if I got rid of his football cards or a random items from his childhood. I, on the other hand, didn't realize I was so cold hearted until I married my husband. I barely remember the dates we met, went on our first date, things like that, but he does. It's a good thing I married him. I do love Valentines Day because it was around this time of year we went on our first date. The Valentines Banquet 2012.

The most ironic things about this "first date" was that we did not know each other well. I won't get into all the gushy details of our story but it was a very sweet date. He didn't want to be too forward by giving me flowers so he gave me chocolates from my favorite coffee & chocolate shop. (and shall I mention he waited 20 minutes for me to finish getting ready. In the freezing cold)

Yep. He's a keeper.

Forgive me for reminiscing, but I can't help it. 

Thankfully, he's still as sweet as he was then, possibly more. 

 

This year's Valentines Day.....

.....he surprised me by making me breakfast in bed. 

He even did the dishes...

He worked diligently on this little hutch we bought at a yard sale. I wanted a back piece on it so what did he do? Mr. Fix-it put a back piece on it.

Isn't it charming?

As if he hadn't already out-did himself, he made the evening extra special by telling me to put on a dress and heals (which I love doing) and taking me out to dinner.

He even washed the car for this little outing. ;-)

After a wonderful steak dinner, he faked "going to the men's room" and came back with a gift bag. He said "I've never gotten you one of these before". I'm thinking oh boy, what is it. 

A necklace. >>insert awwwwww<<

That's right folks, I've got a keeper. 

Holidays

Still making an effort to catch up to the current date. We have been so busy the last few weeks. Kyle took a Systematic Theology class in December and has been studying quite a bit. We have also had quite a bit going on at church and of course life and work keep us busy enough. Just want to share a little about our holidays.

First, for Thanksgiving, we went to Florida to visit Kyle's family. It was sort of a last minute decision as we had just made a trip there in September after not seeing them for 9 months. But we were *thankful* to be able to go and spend some time with Kyle's Nonna (Italian for Grandmother) who just turned 81 years old. She's still a spunky lady!

We really enjoy any length of time we get to spend with our family. When you live so far away, for as long as we have, you learn to really cherish these memories together.

Whitney and the beautiful arrangement my mother-in-law made. 

Kyle and Kara putting away the delicious food. 

Whitney with her Uncle Kyle and Aunt Kristy

Hanging out, watching football (Clint is gunna kill me if he sees this) 

These two are crazy! 

These two are crazier!! (she gets it from Clint)

***Christmas***

Holidays are always kind of a blur. It took us a while to get our tree but it finally went up first week in December. We're those wait-until-after-thanksgiving Christmas decorating kind of people. :-)

Kyle putting on the star.

-Ice skating-

Kyle made a wreath all by himself. Isn't it nice? You'll never guess what it's made out of, other than the Christmas tree branches. Leave a comment and guess!

So then we went to Virginia to visit my folks for Christmas, which has always been a special time for my family. Of course it is for everyone. We had a great time. We spent a whole whopping 4 days there. For us, that's a long time. 

*Gift wrapping*

Trying to get a good picture.....

There we go. :-) 

Walking with the family then taking a horrible selfie. 

Krista, Nathan and Caleb 

Us and the parentals 

Went to this awesome house of Christmas lights!! 

Our Christmas tree back home. 

We had a great Holiday Season. It was busy but getting to see both sides of the family was a huge blessing. We couldn't have asked for more. Now on to the new year!!! Oh wait, that already happened. Oops!!! ;-)

Dan the Mailman....

I love giving gifts! especially thoughtful ones! I guess you could say it's one of my "love languages" if you've ever read that book. So I had this bright idea to give something to our mailman. I made some cookies (which is rare) and put them in a pretty little tin and note that said "Thank you to our mailman." I thought it was the best idea ever!

As I tell Kyle about it he says, "Babe, really? he's not going to eat those cookies. That's just weird." Crushed, I realized he was probably right. You can't trust people anymore. It's like Halloween candy. So my thoughtful gift was kind of a joke. Oh well, it's the thought that counts.

A couple days later, I forgot about it until I checked the mail. There were several cards in there from grandparents and friends. Then I came read a card that was addressed to us, with a stamp, and said from "Dan the mailman". I smiled to myself and thought, no way. Dan the mailman can't be real!

Sure enough, "Dan the mailman" really enjoyed the "delicious cookies" and appreciated the note. His card was a legit Christmas card too. I was amazed! It really made my day! We actually have never met Dan the mailman in person because we are never home when he delivers the mail and our mailbox is 1 of 4 farther down the street, since we live in a duplex. But it was just so neat that he wrote us a card and wished us Merry Christmas. I felt like The Elf, spreading Christmas cheer.

So I think from now on I will make cookies for the mailmen that serve us. Whether he eats them or not!

P.S. No Kyle is not a scrooge. He put the Christmas card on our frig with everyone else's! ;-)

Time Flies When You're Having Fun....

Hello.

Long time no see. 

Again, making a point to blog our adventures has failed many times over. Finding the time to do it, let alone work, eat and sleep, is impossible! We will recap what we have done since.....June? *cringing* I know that's really sad. But hey! time flies when you're having fun!

Since our last post about our anniversary trip back in June (which was taken in May), much has happened. We finished our tour with the ladies trio in August and returned to TN. It was a great experience! We traveled all the way up to Ontario, Canada and visited places that most people spend their vacations! Mackinac Island and Niagara Falls were some of the highlights but we also went to Lake Superior and Lake Huron which were beautiful as well!

*Pictures*

Downtown Chicago 

Mackinac Island 

Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island 

Niagara Falls 

North Bay, Canada 

Lake Superior in Michigan 

Contrary to what the pictures convey, traveling non-stop for 2 1/2 months was not the easiest thing in the world. We can definitely say that God taught us much! One thing is for sure is God can use us despite our failures and mistakes. We are privileged to serve the Lord not "entitled". We visited over 50 churches. Traveled over 12,000 miles. Met more people than we can count. Learned more lessons than we can remember. Sang more songs than we can sing! And made more memories than we have ever made in our lives.

We owe that to the girls (we affectionately call them) we traveled with. Bethany, the red head, Joy, the tallest child, and Caitlin, the girl that every boy falls in love with. All three very different personalities. Bethany was our comic relief and probably doesn't have a bad-attitude-bone in her body or at least didn't show it; Joy who is compassionate, tenderhearted and very talented but doesn't realize it; and Caitlin, smart and beautiful no matter what she wears and a singing voice to be envious of. We couldn't have asked for more hardworking, more dedicated, and more fun people to spend our summer with. We had our moments, of course, of disagreements or tension. Kyle and I were only 4 years older and barely married a year. We had never done this before. We made so many mistakes it's embarrassing. It was kind of like raising children, only they were not children at all. It took time but we learned what was important which was unity within our group. The girls were sort of like sisters to me, even though they called us "Mom and Dad" for fun. We didn't mind. We were a team. What they were doing, giving up their summer to minister to people, was a great responsibility and big sacrifice. We respected them and appreciated them for that. For 2 1/2 months, we became a family. Naturally, we went everywhere together, but it was more than that. We finally learned, trial and error, it was not about us. It was about serving God. It was about leading the way despite what others were doing. It was about following your leaders when you don't understand why. It was about people and loving them like Jesus would. It was about being "used up" for God.

One event that happened that still gives me goose bumps was while we were with a pastor in Canada at a restaurant, Kyle asked the waitress a question about something on the menu. The Pastor asked the waitress "Do you get a lot of hard questions?" She said, "Yeah, I suppose so", referring to the menu. The pastor, wise man that he was, turned the conversation towards the Lord by asking "I want to ask you one of the hardest questions, and that is do you know for sure you have a home in heaven?" The waitress shrugged and said "I am not really sure". The pastor said "I'm sorry, I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but I'm a pastor and I would like to leave you something that would tell you how you can know and I would love for you to read it."

We ordered our food and finished our meal not thinking much of this conversation, as I've observed and been apart of them before. The pastor then asked if we could sing something for the waitress. We did this often actually so it was not an uncommon request. The girls insisted we do "We Will Glorify" which is a song we did all together in 4 part harmony. We sang and everyone clapped. It was received well. Even the manager came out to hear us.

We left the restaurant and later we returned to America but before we crossed the border the same pastor called my husband to tell him that he received an email from that same manager of the restaurant saying she had heard the young people singing about God and she saw the information the pastor had left at the restaurant. She said in her email that she had been searching for God in her life and had many questions and wanted to meet with the Pastor. The pastor did meet with her and she accepted Christ as her Savior a week later.

If it's one thing I've learned about last summer, it's that we are but a small, small part of God's amazing plan. He had somehow placed us in that restaurant, in that city, in that country at that particular time. And not that we did anything wonderful or great, we just sang for God's glory. Not realizing that a woman needed the Lord and had been searching for Him. We were used in small way but it was refreshing to know that God DID use us. And it made me feel more in awe of our God than ever before.

We finished our summer strong, and the last two days of our summer long journey, the AC went out. PRAISE THE LORD!! (you may think I'm crazy for saying that but we just went a whole summer without a single problem and a couple hours without AC was not that bad!!) We all went our separate ways, Kyle and I returned to our jobs (which is a whole other answer to prayer- more on that later) and the girls returned home for a visit and then back to school. We have many memories from our summer. I still want to make a scrapbook of the many post cards and pictures. We reminisce with the girls whenever we see them. We may forget the laughs and memories, but never could we forget that God gave us a great summer serving Him!! 

For now, it's back to normal life in good ole Tennessee. Until the next adventure!

First Anniversary

                 We celebrated our first anniversary! Of course, we are on the road with a ladies trio but since Kyle did most of the schedualing we were able to steal away for a couple days and went to St. Louis! It was a blast! 

We went up 615 ft. into the Gateway to the West! 

Went to The Hill, an Italian district, to eat at a nice resteraunt. 

It was a beautiful place! 

That night, we went on a carriage ride. 

The next day, we went to the St. Louis Zoo. So much fun!!! 

It has been quite a year. We've very much enjoyed our first year of marriage. We have learned much about each other but the wonder of marriage is one never learns everything about their spouse. Every day, I've learned somehing new or different about my husband. One thing I have learned is that it's not so much about "being in love" but about *choosing to love* regardless of your feelings. When they say "Marriage is a commitment", they ain't kidding! 

It's wonderful to know I have not only committed my life to Kyle, but we both have committed our lives to God together. 

Ephesians 3:17-19

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that he, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.