Mike and Liz

2009-06-04T07:02:00.001-07:00

Baby Bear shoes has officially started!

I gave six pairs of my shoes to my friend to put in her store yesterday. I have named the company Baby Bear, by suggestion of my Father in honor of our nicknames :). The new ones will all have the bear paw symbol on the side but the first 4 I made do not have them. I am really excited about this opportunity and have even gotten a request for a monogrammed pair already. Here are the first six. I will be making another 6 to put at their other store and we will see how it all goes.

There is also a picture of the curtains I made for Mikes office. They don't look quite like I want them to, but I still love the fabric and the fringe

2009-04-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

Girls Weekend in Kentucky
This past weekend my 3 best friends from college came up for a visit. It was so great to see them and to catch up on life. Its crazy to think we have been out of college for 3 years now and I miss all the fun times we had together. I really appreciated them making the drive up here and enjoyed getting to show them around Lexington and taking them to the horse races at Keeneland. Unfortunately I dont have any pics of them from their visit but they all love taking pictures so I am going to get some of theirs. I do have some great pics of Mike and I, since Rebecca is starting up a photography business and she so willingly did a session for Mike and I while she was here. We went to a historic house in our neighborhood, Ashland (the Henry Clay estate) to take the pictures. They turned out so great and I think I am going to get a little book made of them. It is nice to have some of this stage in our life at the half way point of our stay in Kentucky and after a couple years of marriage. Here are just a few of them.

2009-03-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

The furniture has arrived and I absolutely love it. I think the rug just tied in better than I thought and the paint colors look great also. It is amazing what paint does to a room. I am hoping to get the dining room curtains done this weekend and they really help pull the rooms together. It still needs some work done, like I want to paint the little yellow table black and it needs some pictures and other odds and ends but I couldnt be happier with how it turned out. Here are a few pics but you all need to come visit and see it in person :)

2009-02-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

I have lately been having the itch to sew and have found that when I have a project I am really enjoying sewing. These are just a few pictures of the shoes and purse that I have made, My sister always finds these awesome sights and so I stole the pattern from her for the baby shoes (Thanks Becca). I am really excited about how they turned out and can't wait to let me mom use her monogram machine to make some look even cuter. On Sunday I made a purse for myself but my sister is going to help me find some directions for a smaller clutch which I am excited about making. I have used the uphostery fabric from work to make these items and I am hoping to find more projects to use it for.

There is also a picture of my finished curtains, pardon the mess in the guest room I was working on the bed skirt and just had to move the mattresses out of the way. The other picture is my fabrics, yay! I cannont wait for my furniture to get here, 2 weeks. Sorry that i dont have much to write about. Mike and I are going to a semi-formal dinner tom night for ASDA and I am excited about getting dressed up and meeting some of his friends and their spouses/ girlfriends. Hopefully I will actually take some pics and post those also

2009-01-28T08:40:00.000-08:00

Ice Storm in Kentucky

Well for those of you who have been watching the weather, Kentucky got a nice dose of ice and snow these past 2 days. We have fortunately not lost power yet, but as you cant tell from one of these pictures there is an omnious branch hanging over the power line that comes into our house. The crews are already out checking on things and cutting the branches that have fallen down. I have been watching the news and realizing just how bad it is in Lexington. There have been multiple fires from downed power lines and MANY people are without power. There are saying it can take up to a week to bring power back to some people so please be praying for them and us. The sun has started to come out so I am hoping this will help melt things. Thankfully I got called off from work right as I was getting into my car and Mike does not have school today. I excitedly thought this meant Mike and I could have a fun snow day, but he is in dental school so he has headed off to campus to study. How I long for the free time we had with RUF, but four years and then it will be much better, at least I think. I am planning on spending my day catching up on my scrapbooking and just enjoying being home.

One nice thing about yesterday at work was that absolutely NO ONE came in (which in my opinion it was kinda crazy we were at work anyways) and the new fabrics from Wesley Hall did so I spent about 3 hours picking out my fabrics and finalizing everything so we should be ordering some new furniture by the end of this week! I am very excited about it and think it is going to look great when it comes in. The picture shows the 4 fabrics we are using. The blue one will be on the chairs, the gold on the sofa and the red and pattern on the pillows.

On Sunday I made my first set of curtains by myself. I was a little nervous but I think they turned out great. I applied the green stripe down them because I thought it added a little something extra. They are not quite done because i am going to put grommit rings (like the pottery barn curtains) on them, but I am waiting for a coupon to Hobby Lobby to buy them. I thought this picture would give you all an idea of what they look like in the room.

We overall are staying pretty busy with school and work, and trying to hang out with friends and fix up our new place. Mikes school has definately picked up this semester, so he was glad to have today to kinda catch up on some things. Also I just had to post a picture of my amaryllis because I am so proud that it finally bloomed, a month after Christmas.

2009-01-11T16:54:00.000-08:00

So here are a few more pics of our place for those of you who care to see it. I am definately learning I am not very good at taking pictures or writing about our lives, hopefully I will get better when we have children otherwise I think our family will kill us. If my sister or sister-in-law would also like to tell me how I can get my blog looking as great as theres I would appreciate it. My account does not seem to have all the options to change templates as y'alls do.

Life has been going pretty well here as we are adjusting back to work and school after a very short and brief break, but we really enjoyed seeing our family and meeting my new niece, Tess (you can see her pictures on my sisters blog), and getting excited about a new niece on the other side of the family.

I am very excited about the guest bedding I found on clearance at Macy's in Greenville, SC. I kind of stumbled on to it when I was shopping with Rebecca Perkins (one of my best friends from college). It was the green I was looking for and came with everything, except I do not like there curtains so I am currently looking for fabric. Mike was about to kill me when I came to the car with it (we were loaded down from Christmas) but when I told him what a great deal I got for it he was a little better with it. I am really enjoying setting up our place and slowly hanging up pictures and panting and yes I painted our bathroom purple and I thought I was crazy at first but I absolutely love it and the towel my mom monagrammed with her awesome new machine.

2008-11-19T17:39:00.000-08:00

2008-11-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

Moving

So we moved this past weekend and let me just say how much I LOVE our new place but hated the moving process! Although I will admit that having 10 college guys help on friday nite made it super easy and fast. We had all the major furniture moved friday night and so on Saturday our couple friends did not have too much to do except lots of small boxes and we were done by noon. This left us with the mountains of boxes and let me just say it felt a bit overwhelming so I left for 30 minutes to get some items at Walmart and felt much better when I got home.

I am enjoying having the extra space and Mike and I each have our own closet which is nice. It feels weird to be in a "grown up home" (dinig room, porch, guest room, ceilings that arent super short). I am hoping to post pictures soon so you can get some idea of what it looks like but I forgot to bring my camera cord to download them at work. I am not that proud of it right now because it needs alot of work, painting, decorating, etc. But I am looking forward to putting it all together and making curtains, with my mothers help of course.

Checkers has adjusted well though and he has not been scared at all which is good. I was afraid the adjustment would be bad because he did not do well at all when we visited my parents this summer but he did great and I think he is enjoying all of the new and plentiful windows to look out of.

2008-06-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

The couple in the middle just got engaged last night

If you look you will see Mike (the girls refused to ride on this because none of us just liked feeling our stomach drop)

A little wind blown

Chelsey and Anne

Cincinnati Road Trips

Last Thursday Mike and I went with 2 other couples to Kings Island. One of the people had gotten discounted tickets through work and organized for us all to go. We had a blast but were exhausted by the time we got home. Mike had been pumped about this trip for the past month and I was glad to find out that I still enjoyed roller coasters. I was a little nervous because I wanted to enjoy them as much as he does.

Yesterday, Wednesday, I got a call at work about the James Taylor concert in Cinn (He sings Fire and Rain, I've got Carolina on my mind, along with some other great stuff. It was a family from our church that was going and they had bought tickets for their whole family but then one son and son-in-law couldn't go. So I went with their daughter and one other friend. It was such a fun roadtrip and I felt like I was in college again going with the girls (the rest of the family had driven up earlier). It was outside on the river and was the most beautiful night. One of the girls is also going to be an intern and so it was fun to talk to her about that and the excitement as she is getting ready to start

Mike and I are both staying busy with work right now, but he likes his job and I am enjoying Starbucks. I should hopefully be finished with my training by the end of this and will officially be a Barista. I still don't like coffee after tasting 10 different kinds and they still all taste gross just in varying degrees. Next week I should start working at the furniture store. I hope this will be something I really enjoy.

2008-04-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

Mike is officially in the air Force! Yesterday (Monday) Mike was commissioned in the 332D Recruiting Squadron as a 2nd Ltn. It was a fun and exciting event and there was a lot more to it than we originally thought. We had to pin him and then he received a coin (to do challenges with) and a nice writing pin as a personal gift from Sgt Dickey (the recruiter). We are very excited as God takes us into this new stage of life, but definately sad to be finishing our time with RUF.

Sorry there are no pics, I am out of time and they are not uploading for some reason, but I will play more with it tom.

We had a dear older couple in our church (Joe and Shirley) do the the ceremony. They have been such a blessing to us since we got to know them in January through a program in our church called dinners for 8. They have been so kind to us and really taken an interest in our lives. Joe was in the Air Force for his entire career and was excited to commission Mike. He did Air Force ROTC at UK after he retired. If it had not been for them, the day would not have been as special as it was. It felt like we had family here as they acted so proud of us and told us how special we were. Shirley baked a cake to celebrate and took pictures of everything (which I am so thankful for). She also showed me her special Air Force wives pin. Joe also kept us laughing and reminds me so much of Papa in his joking, loving demeanor.

I realize it has been forever since we have blogged, but without a good working camera we have not had to much to put up. Hopefully we will get one soon. I will try to put up more pics or update you on life a little more often. Please be praying for us as we transition out of RUF and for me a job and for Mike and hopefully going to training.

2008-01-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

Sara Jane, Marte, Mary Ann (She lives in Tuscaloosa now but they came back for the party, it was great to see her and catch up)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
We hope everyone had a great new years eve. Mike and I went over to a family in the church's house (the Lee's). They are in our married couples Bible study as one of the mentor couples and we have really enjoyed getting to know them over the past year and a half. For the past 10 years or so they have always done a new years eve party so they were well prepared, even having their own custom built dance floor (they built themselves). I really enjoyed dancing and getting to know people from the church in a different environment. Mike is not much of a dancer and I think I got asked 10 times why he wasnt out there with me. But next year Christ (Lee) said he wouldnt let Mike come if he wouldn't dance but somehow I highly doubt that will happen. But you never know as my friend Sara Jane's husband was dancing alot and she said he was just like Mike until 2 years ago.
Mike and I did not get there until 10:30 as we stayed in the Zaxby's an hour past closing time to try and watch as much of the Clemson game as possible, only to get to the Lee's and see it was on there. Oh well it was quite hilarious at Zaxbys because the manager was so nice to us and just kept letting us stay there as the employees mopped the floor. And when we went to finally leave he was like ya'll can stay we are still in the back doing things. Needless to say we love Zaxby's even more now. Also we were the only people eating in Zaxby's the entire 3 hours we were there! It must not be a popular new years eve place.
Mike and I are glad to be back in KY but not so glad about the weather as the snow is coming and it is in the teens outside. We are planning on seeing National Treasure 2 this afternoon and then watching some of the games this evening. Checkers is his normal wild self and I think he is having trouble adjusting back to less people and a smaller space but we let him play in the real attic (not our apt) and I think he enjoyed that. We used to not let him go back there, but we decided that maybe it wouldn't be so bad. There are also a few pictures of our Christmas at the Caldwells and the Adams (sorry they are not in order for those people that have blogger thoroughly figured out, I am not sure how to get them in order)

2007-12-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

This Wednesday we had our married couples Christmas party. We have really enjoyed getting together with these 6 couples the past year and a half and it has helped in making us feel like we have friends in our own stage of life. I realized I had never taken any pics of this group this past week so I took my camera on weds. We had dinner and then a "dirty Santa" party where we each brought gifts that were from our house that had been given to us that we didnt want. Neither Mike nor I got a good gift but fortunately somebody stole Mikes so he stole these really cute Christmas hand towels for me. They have little ornaments on them and are really thick so they will be great for drying dishes. I was really excited as I have been looking for some.
Most of you know by now that Mike was accepted to UKs dental school last friday. He was very excited and I felt like he was on cloud nine all day. We received the paper work saying he had been accepted on weds. so I took a picture of him with it.
I made Checkers a stocking last weekend. I dont know if I will put anything in it but it looks cute. I was glad it turned out okay.
We also got new computers this week. RUF approved us both getting computers if we kept it under the original budget. It was great to get them and felt kinda like Christmas because we could never have gotten them if RUF hadnt allowed it. Mine is the green one and Mikes is the blue one.
These past 2 weeks have been really busy with Ministry and with Mike and dental school. Mike is going to do the Airforce to pay for school and all the paperwork needs to be turned in ASAP! It has been crazy getting everything we needed done but thankfully I think it is all in and hopefully they will accept us before they convene to accept the last people. He had an interview on thursday and then he went to Louisville to spend the night and get a physical this morning. To make sure his bad eyesight is caused by just bad eyes and not other things we had to find an optomologist that could see him today. It was crazy and definately made me think have to stop and remind myself of God's sovereignty and goodness. God provided an appt at 2 today and all turned out well.
We also had cooking baking at our house today and then the Christmas party. I will try and take pictures of the party tonight. It will be fun but I am tired and ready for life to slow down a little but I dont think that will happen until after Christmas.

2007-11-18T13:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Mike and Reeves (it is kinda crazy my parents 2 son-in-laws have the same bday)

Well because of Sat and Sun nights being busy with RUF things, Mike and I have his bday dinner on friday night. Mike grilled out steak and I made rolls, twice baked potatoes, brocolli, and dirt cake (Mikes fav). I also gave him his bday gifts. He knew what one of them was (a grill kit) but I suprised him with another grill tool that he wanted. It is a thing you stick in the meat and it tells you what temp that meat is and how long you have been cooking it and beeps when it is done. Because our grill is 3 stories down from us I thought this would be great as it also has a pager that you can take with you and so Mike can come inside with me and know what is going on with the meat downstairs. He seemed really excited about it so I was glad.

Saturday night we had an RUF movie night at our apt and borrowed the projector from the church to put the movie on the wall. We completely rearranged the den so that all the sofas were on one side. Checkers was quite fascinated with the projector and looked at it for about 30 minutes not know whether to attack it or not.

2007-11-05T11:49:00.000-08:00

The whole RUF group

Erica, Tori, me, and Claire
Mike, Eric, and Jeremy at lunch

Mike and I at the aquarium (sorry its a little blury)
The real live black bear

This past weekend we were in Gatlinburg for the church's college retreat. There were about 60 students from UK, EKU, Asbury, and Georgetown. It was a perfect weekend as the leaves were gorgeous and the weather was perfect. We got in around 8:30 on friday night and had a short meeting and then went to our cabins. The cabins were great as they had a bed for each person, a living area, a kitchen, and then a porch with a hot tub. There were only 5 to 8 people in a cabin so it was really nice. Saturday we had a big breakfast and then our first meeting. The meetings were neat because each campus ministry represented (campus outreach, RUF, and campus crusade) spoke at one meeting on how to reach our campus for Christ (each took a different topic- prayer, holiness, and love).

After the first meeting we went to lunch at Applewood farm and has some good homecooking and apple butter. We then had free time to go to the Auarium or the mirrer maze and then just walk around Gatlinburg. I have decided that Gatlinburg is the Myrtle Beach of the mountians. It wasn't quite as bad but it had all the tackiness and tourist attractions that Myrtle has. It was still fun to walk around though. Later that night we had another meeting and then dinner and group time (seperating into our different campuses). This was a great time of fellowship and good time to hear the students thoughts on what they saw as problems on the campus and in their own lives and how to address these things. After this we went back to our own cabins and just hung out. I got a phone call at about 10 from Mike though that there was a big bear behind their cabin. Me and 3 girls went running over to see it. It was awesome to be that close to a bear but very safe. Needless to say many other people came over to see it and it was a very exciting night.

Sunday we had a meeting and then basically left. Mike and I stayed around for a little while longer to go to the outlets because they have my formal and everyday china outlets up there. We ended up getting 2 more settings of our everyday because I was running out of plates when students have been coming over for dinner. It was a long a weekend but overall it was a great trip.

2007-10-31T19:47:00.000-07:00

Checkers making sure the pumpkin has been thoroughly cleaned out
Checkers fell asleep in Mikes hood one day when he was working on his Bible study

Mike and Jay working on the storm trooper
Megan and Tori carving the cat

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! Well this is a little late as halloween is almost over but it was still what we did for halloween. After RUF last night (tuesday) we had a pumpkin carving contest with the opportunity to dress up if you wanted to. We had a great turn out and it was alot of fun seeing how creative everyone is. I was really impressed with our students ability to carve pumpkins. We even had a Cinderella carriage carved out. I unfortunately did not get a picture of it. Mike and Jay carved a storm trooper pumpkin. Jay is part of some national group that dresses up like Star Wars figures and goes to schools and such to put on shows for people.

I have to admit my favorite pumpkin was the one Tori and Megan did for Checkers. It was a cat face and they carved a C on the back for Checkers. Mike and I put it on our front porch and lit it for tonight. We also tried to get checkers to take his picture with it but he was more interested in climbing in it.

There was also some great costumes with the Cat in the Hat, Indiana Jones, House (from the TV show), and even the football coach Billy Gillespie. The night was a late one as we did not get home until one a clock and then had to unwind for about an hour before we went to sleep. The party was a great success though and I think everyone had a great time with some students even showing off their dancing skills to Michael Jacksons "Thriller". Hope everyone is doing well. We have a busy weekend with the college retreat being in Gallatin friday thru Sunday. Two of our students that arent going are going to come house (mainly cat) sit for us. We really appreciate it and hope Checkers is well behaved.

2007-10-21T16:31:00.000-07:00

Blakely and Mike in their matching shirts

Hello all! Mike and I have had a crazy weekend since we had 2 RUF activies. On Friday night we had our Barn Dance. We had this last year and the students really enjoyed it. It was a great turn out and the weather was perfect, not too cold and not too hot. I made white chili and two types of cornbread (one plain and the other brocolli)which turned out delicious. I am glad because now I have two good recipes to use. Mike and I both really enjoy square dancing and I think it helped everyone get to know each other better and be more comfortable.

We woke up early saturday morning since we were throwing a tailgate. It was quite crazy trying to get all the food ready and cornhole and other games together. We are beginning to wonder what Brad is going to do w/out us next year as we bring alot of things to activies, but hopefully leadership from the students will step up. Mike also got to use his cornhole boards for the first time. They look really good white but he will put something on them as soon as he decideds what. He put alot of work into them and they are really smooth. We finally got home last night at 9 exhausted. I was quite annoyed with how dirty our small apt was so I got a second wind and cleaned until 10:45. Mike offered to help or do it but Checkers had been home all day by himself and someone needed to play with him, so I told Mike too since I was the one that was soo annoyed by the apt.

Today was relaxing and we feel a little ready to start a new week. We are beginning to have students over every monday night for dinner which is alot of fun but it takes about 3 hours of cooking because I try to do a homemade meal. I am experimenting with lots of casserole dishes though as those are easier with only one dish to clean up after the meal. We had 9 boys here last monday night and wow can they eat. We are having girls tom so I am not preparing quite as much food.

I made Checkers a bed for his cage today and I am proud of how it turned out. It looks a little like a baby bed but thats okay. He already likes it though as I caught him cat napping on it this afternoon while I was finishing sewing the other piece. I am excited he likes it and I think it will be great for when we travel.

2007-10-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

At Buffulo Wings watching the Alabama game
Trying to be strong while I get the shot
Dad and Mike at the place where we picked up the kitten
The kitten by his water bowl in the kitchen

This past weekend, my parents (Liz) came to visit and they brought all our cat supplies because we got a kitten! On Friday we went to Sams and then came home and fried chicken- Mike was very excited because he got fried chicken, rolls, roast, brown rice, and cookies- all things he loves but I dont make very much.

Saturday we went and got free flu shots. It was crazy how many people were out there. I did not really care to go (for any of you who know my normal reaction to shots), but it was good to get it and well it saved 60 dollars. The rest of the day was mainly spent watching football and eating bbq. We also worked a little bit on putting Mikes stocking together as I have finishedit =o). Clemson and Alabama both played frustrating games but at least Alabama pulled it out.

Sunday we went to church and then played cards. At 2 we met the adoption lady in Southern Kentucky to pick up the kitten (he doesnt have a name yet- we are open to suggestions). From there my parents headed back to SC and mike and I headed back to Lexington with the new addition to our household. He is very cute, small, and fuzzy. He is much more shy than Oscar was and it is taking him a little while to get adjusted and explore. We figure this is a good thing though in that he will hopefully be very happy staying indoors with us. We are both very excited and looking forward to raising him.

2007-10-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

RUF Girls Night....So sorry it has been forever since I have last blogged, but we do have some exciting news since then so it is going to have to take up 2 posts. First we had our girls and guys nights on Sept 28. The girls had an Audrey Hepburn themed night. We had soup and salad and then a chocolate fountain for dessert. It was very delicious and I think everyone had a good night. Later that evening we had a competition to see who could dress up a girl on their team the best as Audrey. They had to use a roll of toilet paper, a scarf, and a flower. This was a very funny endeavor and created alot of laughs.

There are no pics of guys night since I had the camera, but they grilled out and played pocker and had a cornhole tournament. They had a great turn out with some of the guys Mike has been establishing relationships with the past year, who havent ever been to RUF coming. This was great and it seems like they all had a fun time.

2007-09-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from the stuff we had going on first week with RUF. Mike and I are pretty exhausted and have felt pretty busy with having stuff most nights of the week and at least one day of the weekend. It has been fun to have the students back though and we are anticipating the rest of the semester. I really have not done very well at taking pictures so sorry I dont have more.

On a whim Saturday morning, Mike and I decided to go garage saleing (I dont know if thats a word, but I hope ur okay with it) and we found a beautiful table like one I had looked at earlier this year and almost bought. Since our current table is a loner from a family in the church, I have always been keeping my eyes open for a good deal. It took a while to decide but we finally decided to buy the table and we would just shop around for chairs to go with it. The table is in excellent condition and was refinished about 2-3 years ago. I am not quite sure if the woman knew what she was thinking as she gave it to us for 25 dollars and I have seen tables exactly like this selling for 225 and they werent in as good condition.

We found these chairs at an antique place in Versailles (a town over from Lexington) today. We liked them because we thought they did not look too dressy like some antique chairs can and they are really comfortable (they are also a good size-- older chairs tend to be smaller). I dont particularly care for the fabric on the chairs, but yet again another project for another year. I think this will be the last of our furniture buying since we spent the last of our Christmas money, but we both feel very satisfied with our furniture and how our place looks. Although the table looks a little out of place in a more white accented kitchen. Hope to talk to each of you soon!

2007-08-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

The Craigslist find....I had seen these chairs a couple of weeks ago on craigslist and thought they were pretty but he was asking to much for a used chair, but then he came down so Mike and I decided to go check them out yesterday. They guys was very nice and he even came down more in price for us (I think he felt bad for us because we are a young, poor married couple) and then I asked him ab the antique harp table because he hadnt advertised it yet on craigslist and he basically gave it to us, so I was super excited and Mike and I are both glad we got it because we think it looks better between the chairs than the round table I was going to put there. The chairs need recovering but I think we will tackle that in another yr or so once we are more settled. I was afraid they would look to dressy but I think we will be able to make them still look welcoming and they are comfy.

Mike and I went to an Arts and Crafts fair at a park down the street from us this past sat and enjoyed walking around and seeing everything. We got this little painted Scarecrow gourd to have around the house because we thought he was cute.

My mom also sent the new yellow skirt for out table and I put that pic up because it looks much better than the khaki colored skirt (thanks mom =o). I am also in process of making another horse pillow to go on the new chairs.

2007-08-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

From the top of some famous statue in B-ham (sorry I cant remember the name rt now)

I didnt realize it but I had these few pics from Scott and Jessica's wedding the weekend of the 11th. We had alot of fun this weekend and really enjoyed being back together with our old friends and hanging out. It was a busy weekend but at the same time refreshing. I got to go shopping with girl friends and Mike had 2 guys nights and played some poker. Rob and Tiff were nice enough to open up their house for us and let us stay for 5 nights, even though they barely saw us except to sleep. We did get to see them on Sunday though and really appreciated their hospitality.

2007-08-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

The new microwave
The new pillows =o)

This will eventually have a yellow skirt underneath it

Playing boche ball
Rob and Tiff on the new boat
Mike Sking
My extened realtives from Cal and Col (we saw them in atl)

So after almost a month away from Kentucky we are finally back! We really enjoyed our time away though and got to spend sometime at the beach and the lake with my family, at the Caldwells house and celebrating their 50th bday, in Atlanta for training, in clemson visiting friends, and some good old support raising. I am not posting many pics though because I dont really take any when we are with our families because our siblings/ parents also are taking care of it. If you want to see more pics of the lake check out Tallons blog as it has a ton.

We did buy a new microwave this week. I have been searching about a month now for the perfect microwave and we finally found it at home depot...it was my last stop before I gave up looking in a store and just ordering off of the internet. It was a great deal and is big enough to rotate a whole 9x13 if we ever wanted to. It was great and I am really enjoying being able to just fit a pyrex measuring cup in it!

I, thanks to my mom and her awesome find of fabric, have been recovering the pillows and small table (and I changer the lamp fabric) in our living room this weekend while Mike has been studying hard for the DAT. I have really enjoyed doing this and I am getting much faster and better at sewing things. The colors really brighten the room and just update the look. I am one pillow short of being done and probably would be right now if it wasn't for my freak accident with the sewing machine (the needle hit my finger instead of the material--I am okay just a little pulsing of the finger and probably a week or so to heal and thankfully the needle did not break off so I didnt have to go to the ER, but it did penetrate through my finger nail--please dont ask me how I did this I am not sure) I am hoping this will be the end of terrible things that happen to me since this is the third in a month period (poisin ivy-which I am highly allergic too, I still have it and I got it 3 1/2 weeks ago, a scorpin sting while trying to go to bed, and now the needle incident).

Well that is all I have for you now, but please be praying for Mike as he will be taking the DAT on weds from 12-4 and also as we are just figuring out what God wants Mike to do.

2007-06-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

View from the Hancock building
Dessert at Ghiradellis (sp?)
The water tower we had a view of the first night (except we were like 4 stories up)

Eating a Chicago style hot dog
The yummy chocolate lounge
Dinner at the Italian restuarant
Mike cleaning windows (we needed a little extra money =o) J/K

Free, live music in Grant Park
Dinner on Sat night
Riding bikes (notice my pink bike)
Navy Pier (well actually beside it)

Doesn't this look like it could be in a movie!

Looking out the periscope, you could see outside
Mike and I in front of the submarine

Chicago

Mike and I went to Chicago from Friday to Monday this past week. We have both realized how much we enjoy traveling together and seeing new sites and since RUF is all over we have people that are usually willing to give us a bed. It was not to far of a drive and this was the only weekend we could go, so we went and stayed with the campus minister and his wife at Northwestern, Jason and Ashley Harris. Ashley is an intern with Mike and I and I have always gotten along with her really well. We really appreciated them opening up their home to us and showing us around the city. Friday we arrived at about 5 and headed straight to downtown, we parked and walked around for a while until the Harris met us for dinner at Pizzeria Uno (the first place Chicago style pizza was made). Dinner was really good and then we headed to this really cool bar type place downtown. It was very cozy and upscale with sofas and a great view of the water tower. Saturday we got up and headed on the "L" (subway system for Chicago) to the Museum of Science and Industry. We didn't realize how much in the bad part of town we were until I walked into a KFC to go to the bathroom. There was bulletproof glass from the floor to the ceiling and little things like they have in banks to put the food through. It was quite funny but thankfully God protected us and nothing happened. There were so many neat exhibits there, but not enough time to see them all. We did go to the genetics, U-505 (Real German submarine captured in WW2), the fairy castle, old time city, circus, farm, and rode(sp?) segways. I think there were a couple of others we quickly went through but I cant remember them right now. Then we headed back downtown and walked around Michigan Avenue and State street. I needed more time than we had here. Most stores were at least 3 stories and had a ton of clothes. Mikes feet got tired after I spent an hour and a half in the first store. We then headed to Grant Park where they had free live music and dancing. We danced for a bit then went dinner. After dinner we tried to make it to the Navy Pier to see the fireworks, but missed most of them sadly, thanks to public transportation. I have decided that the Subway system in NY is much better done.

Sunday we went to Jason and Ashley's church. We enjoyed their service and we met a girl that was invovled with RUF and UNC. After this we drove downtown and yet again got an amazingly good parking spot for free!!! I woulod have to say this next thing was probably my favorite thing we did. We rented bikes and took them all throughout the parks in Chicago (not all but the main ones). We stopped for lunch at the Navy Pier and found a Christmas ornament there (My mom always got Christmas ornaments from the places they visited and I loved looking at them as a child so I thought this would be a neat thing for us to do). We always went to a fancy street near Lincoln Park and stopped in the little boutiques. There was an actual Chocolate store there that had comfy sofas to sit in and eat chocolate. Talk about an Adams family heaven (since Tiff says we all like Chocolate so much =o). You could also try in truffle form any of the chocolates you were interested in. Mike at first didnt want any but then I gave him some and we were both hooked and had to buy some. Later that night we went to dinner at this fabulous Italian restuarants. It is rated one of the top 15 Pasta restuarants in America but suprisingly cost the same price as Olive Garden. The food was so good and Mike said it was the best lasagna he had ever had. After dinner we went up the John Hancock building and saw all the lights and then went to Ghiradelli for more dessert.

Overall we had a great trip but were alittle worn out afterwards. I think I am such a checklist person that we both just go and go so we can see everything people tell us to see. We are glad we were able to go and are hoping to maybe go back again next summer for the taste of Chicago and be able to stay downtown.

2007-06-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

Brittany and Seths Wedding was a blast yesterday. Mike and I really enjoyed seeing several of our friends from church and our students in a relaxed setting. We left our house at 2:45 and did not return until 10, needless to say it was a long day. I enjoyed dancing but I couldnt persuade Mike on the dance floor too much, he enjoyed taking pictures of everyone else and hanging out with some of the other non-dancing guys. The reception was beautiful with all of the tables having unique flower arrangements and the delicious food from an Italian restuarant here. It was at the Brides parents house which could basically be called a wild animal farm with there being a zebra, alpacha, buffulo, longhorns, and miniature horses all in one pen together. I figure they are probably some extremely confused animals. The kids loved it though and I did try to pet the zebra but he would not come to me. We had a great time though and I hope you enjoy the pics.

2007-06-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

Mike and I went to Nashville this past weekend to keep my cousins. They were alot of fun and I really enjoyed seeing their new baby kittens. I wanted so bad to have Oscar living with me again, but another time. We were able to go to the pool the first day and I forgot that when you go to the pool as a kid you dont just lay, read, and sleep, but you spend all your time in the water. It was fun but Mike and I were exhausted after 2 hours. The next day we found out Lauren (the oldest) had the chicken pox. She did great with it though and had the best attitude and never complained, I almost forgot she had them. The rest of the weekend was spent at home so that we did not expose other people to the virus, but we still had fun and watched movies, played games, and played outside. We really enjoyed being able to spend time with them just hanging out and relaxing and hope to get to see them again soon.

2007-06-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day...so I know this is a little late but I decided to post it anyways. We went strawberry picking with Karen and Lee, who are in our married couples Bible study and we have been hanging out with more. I was really excited because I didnt think that people grew fresh strawberries in Kentucky. They were really good and I was able to freeze up some for smoothies. There is also a picture of our new little cutting board cabinet that we got from Blake and MaryAnn Johnson when they moved back to Tuscaloosa, Al. I have really enjoyed having it as it has given me more space to put things and to cut up things. I will post pictures sometime next week from our trip to Nashville.

2007-05-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

UK Students... these pics are from the week when our students were there. It was alot of fun having them with us, but it was alot different from being a student. Needless to say we stayed so busy that I did not get one nap on the beach and when we left Saturday I did not want to leave the beach yet. Mike played lots of volleyball and basketball with the students and they got pretty far in the competition. Everyone had a good time though and seemed to learn alot from their seminars and from our main speaker.

2007-05-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

Summer Conference...Mike and I have been at the beach for the past 2 and a half weeks and had a great time. We really enjoyed getting to hang out with our fellow interns and see how much all of us have grown since we last met in Dallas. I do not have to many pictures because I am terrible at remembering my camere, but this few are from when we went on our dinner cruise (dont get to excited, it reminded me all to well of Junior year jr sr at florence Christian, but the food was much better). Mike was sick this night so that is why there are no pictures of him.

2007-04-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

We had ourend of the year Bible study and RUF party on thursday and friday nights. I made Mac and Cheese, green beans, rolls, and fried chicken for our Bible study. They really enjoyed having some homemade food and I like being able to cook things that I do not make a bunch. Our Bible study has really grown alot closer since we started in January. My girls are so comfortable around each other and enjoy doing things together. They are even making a point of all the freshman girls riding together (in multiple cars) to Summer Conference which is great because all of my girls are dating people and I am glad to see they are not haivng to ride with their boyfriend. It has been neat for Mike and I to see their relationships develop.

RUF end of the year party was alot of fun also and we had a good turnout despite it being 50 degrees and rainy. We cooked out and played cornhole (a norther game which is actually pretty fun and requires no talent whatsoever). I think everyone had a good time but it was sad telling some of the students goodbye knowing that I wont see them for a while if they arent going to summer conference.

Saturday morning Mike and I went garage saleing (sp?). We picked up a few odds and ends for cheap and had a good time hanging out together. I got this lamp which I thought was really pretty and the cat picture to go over my bakers rake. For a while I had been looking for something to go over it and I thought this fit perfectly.

2007-04-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

2007-04-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

Pictures from the past week... Last Sunday we had Easter lunch with Blake and Mary Ann, couple from Alabama that were involved with RUF there and new my bro and sis-in-law. Blake has been pursuing a masters degree in Greek here at UK and will graduate in May. We have really enjoyed getting to know them over the past year and we are sad they are moving back to Alabama in May but excited they will be back near their family and friends.

These other pictures are from our couples Bible study that meets on weds nights. We had a cookout this week just to take a break and have a hang out night. I did not get everybody in the pictures but tried to. We have really enjoyed our Bible study and it has helped us to feel like we know some people in our own stage of life, not in college.

Friday RUF took a trip to Keeneland (the big horse racing place in KY). It is a non profit place so it only cost 3 dollars to get into the field section. It was really fun and I enjoyed being able to get dressed up. The races were really exciting and Mike and I went in with some of the students and placed 2 dollar bets. We didnt win anything but we figured we had to try it at least once. It was a really interesting people watching place as it was everything from the millionaires to the poorest of the poor. I would like to go back again when it gets warm

2007-04-07T06:22:00.000-07:00

Easter Egg dyeing. On weds some of the girls came over to Rachels house and we dyed (sp?) Easter eggs. It was very interesting to me because many of the girls had never done it before. Rachel and I were shocked that people could grow up in America and never have dyed Easter eggs. They all seemed to really enjoy it so I think we are going to do it again next year, but we are going to plan it more in advance because many of the girls could not come because of previous plans or work schedules. I enjoyed it because usually my mom and I dye Easter eggs together but this year we are too far apart =o(. I did not want to dye Easter eggs by myself and I did not think I was going to get Mike to into it so it was nice to have group to do it with.

There is also a picture of the snow we had yesterday (friday). You can imagine just how excited I was about that. So we are going to be all bundled up for Easter Sunday which I am not to thrilled about to say the least.

We hope you all have a great Easter and wish we could be there to celebrate it with yall =o)

2007-04-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

The new desk. Well we bought it on Saturday at a consignment furniture store on a big sale. Evidently it is an old type writer desk but I think it works just wonderfully for a laptop. The bottom right corner is one large drawer so we can file things which is very nice instead of all those little file folders we were using. It is so nice to just be able to close it, have more desk space and hide clutter quickly if we need to. Since we didnt need the plastic drawers anymore I moved them over to my sewing machine and have quickly filled them with scrap fabric, needles, scissors, and other sewing items. I am enjoying that alot because I did just have all my stuff randomly put in places or in bags. Sorry I dont have any pictures of Mike playing frisbee I brought the camera but completely forgot, but they won the whole thing so he was excited.

2007-03-31T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of stuff I have done around the apartment for Easter. I made the pillow and handtowel and am pleased with how they turned out. Although my sewing is making me realize just how good my mother is because she can do much more intricate and harder things, but hopefully with practice I will inherit some of her ability. I am thinking about doing hand towels nicer than these with peoples initials on them to give away as gifts, but we will see how they turn out.

It has been beautiful here for the past week. It has felt like we are back in South Carolina and I am loving it! Next week it is supposed to get back into the thirties and fifties so I am not looking forward to that, but it is supposed to be 75 on my birthday so that is exciting. I will probably be putting some more pictures up this weekend because Mike has intramural frisbee this afternoon and we bought a new desk. It is an antique desk that went on sale for 75 percent off and I had been checking it out for the past couple of times I had been in the store. We are supposed to pick it up today so I will try and post pics tom.

2007-02-25T13:05:00.000-08:00

My parents came to visit this past weekend adn were nice enough to bring my cat 8 hours down the road with them. We had alot of fun and they suprised me with an early birthday gifts of a sewing machine and table. I was very excited as I have been wanting to take up sewing more. It has been fun learning all the different stitches it can do and thinking of all the fun projects I can do on it.

We played alot of cards but also went to the history museum and to see the movie Amazing Grace. The museum was really interesting and we all enjoyed learning more about Lexington and what happened here. Amazing Grace was also good and had a good message about Gods redeeming work in slavery.

Oscar seemed to have a good time to and did not behave to badly in the car. I was very tempted to keep him but I knew he would be unhappy here since he wouldnt be able to really go outside much. He kept wanting to get into the attic and kept us amused most of the weekend.

Brad and Rachels little boy was also born this past thursday. He is a very cute baby and I really enjoyed holding him. Brad is taking off the next week so Mike and I are having to take over his normal responsibilities that we help him with. I am sorry but I do not have any pictures of him to put up yet but as soon as I get them I will post them.

2007-02-05T14:56:00.000-08:00

Cold and snowy winter....Hi all Mike and I are having an extremely cold winter as we woke up this morning to a -10 degree world (yes that is a negative sign in front of the 10). Its ridiculously cold here and I would seriously considering moving if I was not afraid that God would come after me like he did Jonah. I do not have any pictures up of the snow, I am sorry I did not do a good job taking any and to be honest I do not want to take the time to stand outside in the cold just to take a picture, I am always trucking it to the car. It looks beautiful but it is reaching the point where I want it to just leave and be warm again (and by warm I mean just abouve 30 at least) We have also learned that hoods and scarves have a very real purpose besides blocking rain or just looking cute, they help to keep you slightly warm. Mike and I also have a leak in our bathroom window somewhere which has caused ice to form on the inside of our window, hence you can just image how cold the bathtub is before the warm water gets to it.

We took off 2 days this past week and went and checked out Louisville. The Louisville slugger museum was fun and we got a free little bat at the end which was pretty cool. We also just walked around downtown and found a few more museums that we want to check out next time when it is warmer. Later that night we had dinner with some of my brothers old friends from Alabama. It was alot of fun and both Mike and I enjoyed being around them which is a definate plus (they also really love RUF so it is nice to know some people here who feel that way and understand why we think it is so wonderful)

The other pictures on here are from our freshman Bible study on thursday nights. It was one of the girls bdays so we made a cake and sang to her. I hope to talk to all of you soon.

2007-01-13T12:42:00.000-08:00

This past month has been extremely busy with Mike and I going to my brothers wedding in Birmingham, training in Dallas, NYC, both our parents houses, and then to a wedding in Clemson and then finally coming home. We are excited to be back and see all the students again. It has been busy though since all the students can hang out right now and we are having to jump back into the study program and administrative work. It has been fun to catch up and hear what is going on but I am realizing more and more how much God is in control and I must rest on him for any change brought to the students lives and my own.

Since most of the peopel that look at this know what we have been doing (ie family), I am just mainly putting up pictures of NY and my friends wedding in Clemson. We had alot of fun and it made Mike and I realize how much we miss having such close friends that we are comfortable with. We would appreciate your prayers as we are trying to cultivate new close friendships here.

I also realize this blog does not look near as good as my sisters but I am not as technologically advanved as she is and I have not quite figured out how to make my pictures look as nice as hers, please try to excuse mine and enjoy them anyways, thank you.

2006-12-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Barn Party
RUF had a square dance party on friday night with a real "caller" and everything. Mike and I really enjoyed dancing as it reminded us of when we were at Clemson. The students also seemed to really enjoy getting out there and doing something new. We had just the right amount of people there so that it wasnt too crowded but yet people felt included and one student told me it was one of the best socials we had ever done. We also did smores and had a hayride which was fun except that it was 30 degrees outside, needless to say I (Elizabeth) took one HOT bath when we got home.
The students have been pretty busy this week as they are preparing for finals so they have been hard to get in touch with so please be praying for them (especially the freshman) and that they would not get too stressed out.
Mike and I are going to a Christmas chorus production that UK puts on tonight. A couple of our students are in it and one of the girls that I have gotten to know really well has a solo. We have heard it is really good and I am very excited about it.

2006-11-02T16:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween....well its a little late but I am finally getting our halloween pictures up. We still had RUF tues night even though it was Halloween but Brad spoke about where Halloween came from and the Reformation. It was a good reminder of what really went on during the Reformation and the truths of the Bible that were rediscovered. It seems like lately it has always been good to hear about God's grace and how God loved me enough to pursue me and still continues to do that today no matter if I "feel" like I am living perfectly or not. There was a Halloween party afterward at some of the sophomore girls house. It was alot of fun and we got to meet some of their friends that do not come out to RUF. Mike and I dressed up like a cowboy and cowgirl, I know it is not very creative, but most of our good costume materials we had still left in SC. The girls had talked to me earlier that day and were soo afraid they were not going to have enough good but they had plenty.

2006-10-29T13:09:00.000-08:00

Mike and I went to Frankfurt (the state capital) on Saturday for Pumpkin Fest. We thought we were going to get into a museum for free but it turned out to just be an old house that was open for kids to do old timey activities. Mike and I still enjoyed seeing the houses and the kids dressed up, but we decided to walk down town and see what else was going on. We walked into several of the stores and alot of the vendors were out on the streets doing things or giving away stuff. It was funny that the state capital was so such a small town, but it was fun to be in. It was really neat because alot of the houses and buildings were from the 1800s and had stories behind them about past American fathers who loved or did things in the buildings. We also found this really cool table at an antique store that was going out of business. I was very excited about it and I am hoping to paint it black and put it on a porch one day with some really cute chairs.

2006-10-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

This past Friday night RUF had a dinner party at one of our students parents house. It was a beautiful historic house that evidently Mary Todd Lincoln used to come and spend her summers at, and is also the home to the oldest toilet in Kentucky (Southern Living did an article on it). We had chili and cornbread and played some games. We had planned to do alot outside but because of the rain we had to keep everything inside but it ended up being a lot of fun and the house was huge so we had plenty of space.
It was a really neat house to see because all of the furniture was antiques in really good condition and the house and beautiful woodworking details

2006-10-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

Mike and I went to Nashville this past weekend to babysit and visit my cousins. We had such a fun visit and enjoyed playing hide and go seek, running around the neighborhood, or going to the park. I felt like a kid again in some ways. Fortunately, the trip was not near as exhausting as everyone said it would be. The kids are old enough now where they basically take care of themselves and the oldest is very good with the younger siblings. We also got to go to Bills soccer game which I was glad we got to see him play, he may be a future soccer star like Robert.
About 6 weeks ago they had gone on vacation only to come back and see a pipe had burst in their kitchen and it had basically been like that for 5 days while they were gone, so the damage was pretty extensive. The picture with no one in it is the kitchen they are using (it is just in the play room) Everything else in their kitchen had to be packed away so they have to eat out alot which gets old even from us just being there a weekend.
The other good news from the weekend was I got to go shopping and found an outfit for my brothers rehearsal dinnerso that was exciting

2006-10-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

2006-10-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

2006-10-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

St. Louis

Mike and I went to St Louis this past weekend with Brad and Rachel for a conference about eating disorders at Covenant Seminary. We drove up on thursday night so that we could actually get to see some of the city on friday before we had our friday night meeting. Mike and I stayed with some friends from CLemson that are at Covenant right now. Covenant was pretty but much smaller than I had thought it to be because of the huge reputation it has in PCA circles, I guess that is what makes the community so great at it.
We got in late on thursday night so Mike and I both slept in on friday. Later Brad showed us around and we got to see some extremely beautiful neighborhoods and all of the fun free activities you can do there. (Rachel was hanging out with one of her good girlfriends and Addie spent the first full weekend with her grandparents) We went to the zoo and of course we went to the Arch. There is a park in downtown St Louis that is bigger than the Central Park and has million things to do for free and this was where the zoo was. Unfortunaly we didnt get to go to the Science, Art, or history museum which would have been interesting I think. There is also a huge amphitheatre that has plays every weekend in the summer with some of the best broadway shows. The trip seemed really quick as we left Saturday afternoon after the conference, but it is nice to have Sunday to recoperate before this next week gets started.

2006-09-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

On friday night Mike and I went over to our new friends, Chelsea and Wehan's (pronounced Vion, he is South African) house. They had a pasta maker and Mike and I had so much fun. I unfortunately did not take my camera but Chelsea took some pictures and she is supposed to be sending them to me. Like always, I had flour all over me. The guys thought they were the best pasta makers ever and kept correcting me until Chelsea and I just let them take over and they were quite amused for some itme. We decided that this would be a great activity to do with other couples or when we had students over, so we are going to keep a lookout for one at the thrift stores.
Mike and I are leaving tom (thurs) to go to St Louis for the weekend for a conference at Covenant that all the RUF campus ministers and interns were invited to. We are riding down there with Brad and Rachel and we are excited about getting to spend some time with them that is not completely consummed by RUF stuff. We are staying with 2 Clemson alums (Will and Christy Spink) and are so excited about getting to see them and the city. I will be sure to take some pictures and will probable post them some time Sunday.

2006-09-19T05:45:00.000-07:00

My parents came this past weekend for the first stop on their quick trip to visit all of my siblings and move my sister back to Florence. We had a great time and really appreciated all they did. We hung lots of pictures and they helped us decide where things looked the best and what pictures to put where. As you can tell it looks alot more homey (sp?) now that it has pictures on the wall. They also brought us our beautiful monogrammed pillows on our bed and our curtains, I am still looking for something to pull the curtains back with but who knows when I will have time to do that, and the pillows that are on the bench in the kitchen. I meant to take more pictures of us together but as you know I am terrible at taking them. We went out friday night to a local restuarant here with Brad and Rachel and it was really neat because it was in an old church turned into an Italian restuarant.
Since I am not posting this til tuesday I also have to say Happy Birthday to my mom and I wish I could have been there to celebrate with everybody in Birmingham unfortunately KY is not that close though. Thanks again for everything.
Thanks also to the Caldwells for sending up the rest of our stuff and the chocolate chips, they will definately come in handy.

2006-09-11T15:28:00.000-07:00

Float Trip....After only getting 5 hours of sleep I had to get moving along with alot of the girls and head to the student center to go on the float trip. We went down to the KY TENN border on a river and got tubes to float down. It took abnout 2 1/1 hours to get there and was ab a 2 hour float. Needless to say Mike and I did not get back home until 6 o'clock on Saturday. It was a very long weekend for both of us (he had a poker tournament with some of the guys on friday night while I was at the sleepover- dont worry there wasn't any gambling invovled) and we were so glad to finally be home. Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun on the river though and we had a good mixture of age and new and old students.

2006-09-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Slumber party!!! Friday night was so much fun and I was so excited. We had about 25- 30 girls show up throughout the night. Everyone seemed to have a good time and many of the new girls got to know each other and some of the other RUF girls. We basically just talked and ate the whole night but we did spend an hour going around and telling what our family dinners were like growing up. It was amazing how much you really get to know about someone by hearing this. You knew how many family members they had, what their parents personalities were like and what their personality was like, and a little bit of what made them what they are like today. The girls seemed to really enjoy it and I was so thankful how much fund everyone had and all the new friends they made.

2006-09-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

Alright so we had our 3rd RUF of the semester last night and yet again I was overwhelmed by the new freshman girls that showed up, but I am very excited about it. We have had ab 60 students the past couple of weeks which is great for an RUF only in its 3rd year. The girl in the pic with me is Laura she is a soph and lives in the house we are having the girls sleepover at on friday night. She is alot of fun as are the other 9 girls that live in the house. Pray for Mike and I as we continue to try to reach out to the new students but are feelling a little overwhelmed by it.

2006-09-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

So I am already discovering that I am terrible at remembering to take pictures at things Mike and I go to...and I dont like to post anything unless I have a picture to go with it but I will try and get better at remembering to take pictures. Mike and I joined a fantasy football league on Sunday with 8 other couples in our church. It was a lot of fun because we were invited by the host couple (Chelsea and Wehan) but didnt know any of the others so we enjoyed making some new friends in Lexington. It was alot of fun to see how the guys were all into it but the girls ended up having the better teams by the end of the draft because most of us just asked our husbands who to pick and they gave us the better players. We have become good friends with Chelsea and Wehan (he is from South Africa) and are really enjoying when we get to hang out with them. Chelsea is also very crafty so I am trying to learn some things from her in the decorating area. Alright well here are a few pictures of our apartment and the curtains my mom maid for the kitchen I think they look really cute and I was very excited about them. I also got this tray to put my makeup on at a second hand store for a great deal the other day.

2006-08-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

Rachel and Addie (sorry no pics of Brad quite yet)
Alright so here are a few pictures of our campus minister's wife, Rachel, and their little girl, Addie. These were taken when we first came to visit Lexington. Addie is the most adorable little 2 year old in the world and Mike and I have fallen in love with her. She is so energetic, she has already basically stopped taking naps because she will just talk to herself the whole 2 hours she is supposed to be sleeping. We have gotten to keep her a couple of times and she always has us laughing because of her funny comments or actions

2006-08-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone so Mike and I are finally trying out this whole blog thing. My sis told me that it would be a great way to keep up with family but I dont know if we will be near as interesting as her blog because it has my *adorable* nephew on it and we just cant compete with that. Anyways I am going to give it a shot though and see if I can keep it updated with how we are doing and whats going with RUF here. Here is a picture with me and that welcome to Ky sign because I was super excited to be here. I will post more pics of our apartment later.