Living on Love

Growing, Growing, Everyday!

2010-11-30T20:01:00.004-05:00

This post is kinda random stuff all put together, so bear with me!If there's one thing I've learned so far as a parent, it's that children never stop growing! Imagine that! It seems like Carter is in a new phase everyday! He is still super cute (I'm sure I will always think so!) He is grabbing things all the time--on purpose now. He sits up in his bumbo pretty well. We've given him cereal a couple of times (I will post some pics of that later). He's just all around a great kiddo!

The Friday night after Thanksgiving, we got to spend some time with Jared's brother Jason, his wife Rachel and their son Caleb. Every time Carter and Caleb see each other, Caleb gets so excited. Carter still doesn't quite know what to think about it all.
We also recently had some pictures taken. Here are a few of my favs:

The family pic:
The sisters and kiddoes:
The Cousins:
And, here's our little reindeer! He absolutely loved wearing his antlers!
Thanks for checking in with us!

This One's for Kate!

2010-11-15T12:38:00.009-05:00

We recently made a quick trip back to Kentucky to get a few things at our house when we were gently reminded by some friends that we were terrible bloggers! So, this post is in honor of Kate...sorry it's been so long!!!

In the last two months a lot has happened! We celebrated Elli's 2nd birthday. As you can see, she got her own guitar and she was absolutely thrilled! She was so cute through the whole celebration. She really enjoyed her "Happy Birthday cake" and "Happy birthday presents."We also made a family trip to the pumpkin patch. It was the second week of October but it felt like the middle of July! So, we made our trip quick!

Today Carter is celebrating his 4 month birthday. I just got caught up on his baby book...I guess it was about time! Carter is the sweetest little boy you'll ever see! He is very smiley most of the time. We had a rough last month fighting congestion and a cough, which made it very hard (for all of us!) to sleep. He has put on the weight that the doctor wanted him to. He's about 14 lbs now. We go to the doctor tomorrow for his 4 month visit and more shots.

Carter is very ticklish all over and will just melt your heart every time he laughs. He is still very snuggley! He is able to reach out and grab things--sometimes on purpose, sometimes he's just lucky--and we are really working hard on sitting up! Most of all, we are reminded daily that we are truly and amazingly blessed to have this little boy in our lives!

By the way...we have a great house in Kentucky for sale if anyone is interested :)

Two Months Old!

2010-09-16T11:43:00.007-04:00

Well, yesterday Carter had his two month birthday! We celebrated by taking him to the doctor (lousy, I know!). Carter had to get a shot and we had him weighed and everything. We found out that Carter dropped to the 5th percentile for his weight. So we are working hard to get his weight back up using some supplements. I think our generation has this stigma about formula...some how we are lesser moms if we have to give our babies formula. But, I had to get over it and realize that my body wasn't providing what Carter needed. That's hard to swallow as a mom...that you can't give your child what he needs. But, since we have been supplementing Carter's meal times, we have noticed that he is sleeping better (and longer, yay!) and he is much happier when he is awake. All of those times I just thought we was "fussy" he was actually probably hungry. Makes me sad to know that I let him go 2 months without realizing what the problem was! Anyway, here's a pic from last night. He fell asleep on my mom's bed and we decided he must be playing air guitar in his dreams :)
Also, be in prayer for Jeremy and Amanda. They are en route to pick up their son in China. We can't wait to meet Ezra Jackson when they return! Check out their blog at www.norrisfamily.squarespace.com.

Visit to West Tennessee

2010-08-29T19:47:00.019-04:00

This past Friday we went on a trip to West Tennessee to visit with my grandparents. They live on a nice big farm west of Jackson, so it's a great place for kids to run and play! It has been awhile since I've posted anything about Elli. She is 22 months now and full of energy. Thankfully at Mawmaw and Pawpaw's house she had plenty of things to do to fill her time, like...

Checking out bugs...

Kissing baby Carter...

Swinging on a big girl swing (for the first time!)...

Tickling Carter's feet...

Swinging with Pawpaw...

Running up and down the wheelchair ramp (over and over again)...

And, of course, just being cute!

Here are some other pictures from our visit!

Elli, Carter and Pawpaw

Elli, Carter and Mawmaw

Yaya, me and Carter

Elli, my Uncle Bill and Carter

Grandad, Carter and Me

All in all we had a great visit in West Tennessee. It was great for everyone to get to meet Carter and Elli kept us entertained for the entire afternoon! This last picture is from the morning after our visit, but it was too cute not to share! Elli loves her cousin Carter and really wants to hold him and love on him all of the time. So, we make sure we have baby dolls on hand in case we need a distraction. Saturday morning was one of those days! I thought she was too cute holding her baby in my sling! So sweet!

Catching Up!

2010-08-29T19:32:00.008-04:00

Well, this post has a few things that I didn't have time to blog as they happened. Back before we moved, Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Amanda and Cousin Will came for a visit to meet Carter. They were also kind enough to stay with Carter while Jared and I attended our last church service at Simpsonville. Here are a few pics from their visit!

When Carter turned 2 weeks old, he was allowed to have his first paci! He loves it. When we first gave it to him, it was almost as big as his head!Then we moved to Yaya and Grandad's house and a few weeks later Carter had his one month birthday. Needless to say, he wasn't too cooperative for his one month pictures!
Whew, it's exhausting being a newborn!

One Month Old

2010-08-10T12:35:00.004-04:00

Well, Carter will be one month old on Thursday. It's hard to believe how fast time flies! Well, I feel like I need to give everyone an update on where we are in our lives right now. We've had a lot of changes in the last month. Of course, on July 15, Carter entered our world and turned it upside down from the get go! One week before Carter was born, we sent a letter to our church membership with Jared's resignation. Two weeks after Carter was born, we packed up the car and moved to Tennessee where we are currently living with YaYa and Grandad. Jared is now the children's minister at a church here in the Nashville area. So, if you're keeping tabs, in the last month Jared finished school, we had a baby, resigned from his job, started a new job and moved a two week old baby to Nashville. whew...we're tired!

Anyway, despite all of our life changes, things are going well. Carter seems to be adjusting to his new home pretty well and Jared and I are very lucky to have the help of my parents! Carter can already hold his head up on his own for about 10-15 seconds. He is sleeping most of the night...waking up only to eat once or twice. He has his fussy moments, but overall, we have the best baby in the world! He is pretty easy going during the day, but I think he gets bored with me sometimes!

Today I realized I hadn't had a quiet time since we brought Carter home. I can't imagine why not?!? So, today after we got our baths and got dressed, Carter and I sat down to have our first devotion together. We read in Luke about the Centurion that had such a great faith and then we prayed and sang some worship songs together......okay, I sang and Carter fell asleep, but it was still a sweet time together. I am so thankful that God has given me such an amazing son. I can't believe he was almost a month old before I took the time to slow down and read him God's word. I am ashamed! Keep me accountable and help me be the mommy Carter deserves! This should be happening everyday!

We Made it Home!

2010-07-24T12:27:00.010-04:00

Aren't I a handsome boy?! Well, we came home from the hospital last Sunday and have been having so much fun at home! We went to the doctor on Wednesday and found out that I am almost back to my birth weight, so we were excited about that!

This is our first family picture at our home.
Yaya helped us get home from the hospital and then got to stay with us until Tuesday! We were sad to see her go so soon, but then....
Grandaddy and Grandmommy got to come and stay for the rest of the week!
On Wednesday we got a surprise visit from my Great Uncle John and Great Aunt Jan!So, overall we have had a whirlwind of a week! I have gotten lots of cuddles and snuggles and might even sleep through the night if mommy would stop waking me up to feed me and change my diaper! Grandmommy and Grandaddy just left, so mommy and daddy are on their own! I hope they don't fall apart without anyone here to help them!!

Welcome Baby Carter!

2010-07-17T21:58:00.008-04:00

Here are a few pictures of Carter! Enjoy!

Elli, Carter's big cousin, holding him! She is a great big cousin!
Carter and his momma!
A closeup of the superstar! He weighed 8lbs 4oz and was 21 in long!

If all goes well, we should get to go home tomorrow (Sunday)! We can't wait!

Come on Carter!

2010-07-06T16:37:00.004-04:00

Well, we are going to be 39 weeks tomorrow and still no indication that Carter is anywhere near making his debut. Officially, a full term pregnancy is considered to be 37-41 weeks, which is all fine and well, except that at 37 weeks, we started thinking it could be "any day now." This could drive a person crazy! Every little pain, every movement....it makes you think...could this be it? So, far, it hasn't been it. Carter is pretty cozy in the womb and may never come out! And, scientifically, other than pitocin, there really is no way to get labor started.

But, just for fun (and to give us something to do while we wait!), we have decided to try every old wives tale that we can find for starting labor. So far these have included:

Walking-we do this every night anyway, but now we walk with meaning!

Swinging-Fun, but unproductive

Eating Spicy Food-I've tried, but I don't do spicy very well, so it has been minimal

Talking to the baby-Not sure how this one's supposed to work, but we've done it!

Consumption of Tropical Fruits-Mmmmm....Pineapple mango smoothie!

Massaging the Achilies tendon-yep, for real...didn't work!

Having a spa day-meant to relax the mommy...didn't work, but sure was fun!

Various methods of "Stimulation"-This is a PG blog, so I'm not going to elaborate, but let's just say that's not working either! At least Jared's enjoying it!

So, needless to say, none of these things have done the trick. One thing that is highly recommended is drinking castor oil, but it also comes with violent diarrhea and upset stomach. So, I'm gonna pass on that one! Let me know if you've got any other ideas that I should try!

Maternity Photos

2010-06-26T10:53:00.002-04:00

This week Jared and I went to have our maternity pictures done. Angela Wisley, a girl from our church, did our maternity session. She is 16 and just starting out in her business in the last year or so, but she did a phenomenal job! We didn't start until about 7:00 Thursday night but it was still so hot that we were all sweating! But we had a lot of fun. This is just one of the great pictures Angela got. Hop on over to her blog to see some more: http://angelawisley.wordpress.com/

Camp Survival!

2010-06-23T16:08:00.003-04:00

Well, we survived the week at Centri-Kid (all three of us!). Though people thought I was crazy to go to camp at 36 1/2 weeks pregnant, it was well worth it. The folks at Lifeway really do know how to do camp and Centri-Kid is very chaperone-friendly! The only challenge I had during the week was that it was so hot! We did have one mis-hap while we were at camp, which is now pretty funny, but at the time not so funny.

So, we were getting out of the adult gathering while the kids were at Bible Study. All of the adults were walking together from the chapel down to the rec field for what is called OMC (organized mass chaos). This is like the hi-light of Centri-kid and what everyone looks forward to. Anyway, we're walking and all of the sudden Jared trips over the uneven pavement and rolled his ankle (which is not uncommon for him). He falls completely down, rolls over groans a little bit and hops back up. Me and Jared and the others around us kind of laugh it off and keep going. Just a few seconds later I look back to check on him and notice he is staggering. I thought, wow, his ankle must be really hurt. As I was saying "Are you sure you're okay?" I happened to notice that Jared's face was sheet white and his lips were a nice shade of blueish/purple. And, he wasn't staggering from pain in his ankle...he was passing out. So, in the 2 or 3 seconds it took me to figure all this out, Jared had hit the ground. (Much thanks to Peter who helped Jared fall in the mulch rather than the pavement!)

Anyway, Jared was out cold! I immediately hit the ground and started patting Jared's cheeks and yelling his name. By this time, I was totally freaked out and crying, and we were creating quite the spectacle! Someone ran up to me and asked if we needed anything (Jared was still out cold). I said, "we need the nurse!" Apparently she thought I was the one with the troubles, because she came back with an OB nurse that was chaperoning for another group! Anyway, right before the nurse gets there, Jared opens his eyes and in the most peppy voice, asks, "Did I fall down again?!" then closes his eyes back. Anyway....in the end, he was fine. The ankle was fine. He simply passed out from the combination of the pain/dehydration/getting up too quickly after he fell. Then for good measure, he got stung by a wasp 2 hours later! It was quite the day, but we survived.

So for those of you who are wondering...yes, Jared did dislocate his shoulder 2 years ago at Centri-Kid doing cartwheels. And, yes, that's the only other year I've been to camp. So, I'm thinking maybe I just shouldn't go to camp anymore!

Columbus Zoo

2010-06-10T22:28:00.008-04:00

Well, last Friday was my last day at work. So, as a celebration of my first week "off," Sara and Elli came for a visit this week. One of the things we did was drive to Columbus, OH to go to the Columbus Zoo (which recently surpassed the San Diego Zoo as #1, thanks to it's new polar bear exhibit!). Sara and Elli, who are from Alabama, drove to meet me in Tennessee and then came to Kentucky with me. When we were half way to Columbus, Sara says, "Are we, like, in Canada, because it feels like we should be in Canada." I guess they had done a lot of driving! (**We later found out it would take 8 more hours to get to Toronto which is the closest place to crossing the border, however if we could jump across Lake Ontario it would be much quicker.)

Anyway, we called to invite Rebecca-a childhood friend from TN who lives in Columbus-and her son Ethan to go with us. She in turn invited us to stay with them. So we had a great visit with them. These pics are all pretty self-explanatory. Just know that we had a great time.

And by the way....when we asked Elli what animals she wanted to see at the zoo she said the "quack quacks" (ducks) and the "fishies." Luckily the zoo had both...unluckily, we almost drove to Canada for her to see some ducks and fish.Stylin' in her cool hat and sunglasses.

Me, Sara and Elli with Rebecca and Ethan.

A very cool turtle.

Thanks for checking in. Have fun reading all of the things I posted tonight. It's amazing what one can do with time!

Smyrna Shower

2010-06-10T22:09:00.011-04:00

This past weekend we had our baby shower in my hometown of Smyrna. It was so good to see old friends again. It is always fun to go showers in Smyrna because you get to see all the folks that you grew up with....all of the ladies that rocked you in the nursery at church...people who know more about you and your family than anyone else. It was a blast! The shower was a morning shower at Cason Trailhead Park. It was timed just right so as not to be too hot!

This, of course, is the beautiful Elli who was a champ at the shower. 3 hours is a long time to be somewhere with a lot of "No No's" but she did wonderful!

This is the fancy smancy watermelon baby carriage that Matt and Sara made for the shower.

Sister and hostess #1 Sara

Best friend and hostess #2 Bonnie

Other best friend and hostess #3 Nancy

All in all it was a great shower and so much fun. We truly got the final few things that we needed to prepare for Carter's arrival. Thanks to everyone for coming! (**On a side note...I somehow managed to go through this whole shower without taking ONE SINGLE PICTURE with my mom, which makes me very sad!)

Church Shower

2010-06-10T21:54:00.008-04:00

We were very blessed in this pregnancy by so many gracious people showering us with gifts for Carter. This shower was our church shower and it had a super cute jungle theme!

This is a really cute diaper cake. There is no telling how long it took to put this together!

Here's our cupcake tower. I think we all took home cupcakes there were so many!

This is a picture of us opening gifts. This cute little personalized stool was a very special gift handmade by the Clays.

And this is a picture of the gift table BEFORE people stared arriving. You can only imagine what it was like once everyone got there!

Thanks again to all who showered us with love and gifts!

Ballerinas Everywhere

2010-06-10T21:29:00.004-04:00

So now that I am officially "unemployed," I have decided it's time for me to catch up on my blogging. These two pics are from about 2 months ago. Mom and dad recently moved and we were going through LOTS of stuff when we came across old dance costumes. I think maybe we had a little too much fun with them!

In the end, most of these got thrown away thanks to the fact that they were falling apart, but some of them ended up in Elli's dress up clothes at home!

Meet Solly

2010-06-02T11:09:00.003-04:00

This is Solomon (or as Jared affectionately calls him...Solly). This is Jared's dog from before we got married. I think one of his ex-girlfriends gave it to him, but we won't dwell on that fact :) Solomon is a basset hound who lives on the family farm back in East Tennessee. Jared has asked me on many occasions if we could bring Solly to live with us. The answer has always been an absolute NO! The main reason being that he's lived his whole life roaming freely on the farm. What kind of life would it be for us to chain him up in our backyard? I am also not a huge fan of the gallons of slobber that he seems to hide in his droopy cheeks and then emits in a huge spray right when you are about to get in the car to go somewhere--Not cool! But the truth is, he's a pretty sweet boy and Jared's parents are lucky to have him.

Jared took this picture last time we were at his parents' house. It's a pretty cute picture and he begged me to put it on the blog. So, this one's for you baby (and you too Solly)!

Surgoinsville Baby Shower

2010-05-20T13:04:00.005-04:00

This past weekend we had our first baby shower in Surgoinsville, TN--Jared's hometown. Surgoinsville may be a pretty small church, but for what they lack in numbers, they make up in generosity! We had a full load of goodies take home with us and Jeremy and Amanda took a load to Nashville to store at mom and dad's until we can get our nursery situated.

And here's just a fun picture of the Norris women. The only way to become a Norris woman apparently is to marry into the family. We are all mommies of boys and I have decided that the Norris family is incapable of having girls! Let's hope I'm wrong!

Our next shower is this Sunday at our current church, Simpsonville Baptist. I am very excited...not because it means we get more "stuff." But, I have learned that baby showers seem to come right at the time when your anxiety about providing for your child is the highest! Right when we weren't sure how on earth we could afford this child, we had our first shower and the Lord reminded us that he would provide. It has also opened my mind about giving gifts at showers. Because often times we are rushing at the last minute to get something...feeling a little stressed. But it has taught me that giving that gift is so much more than I ever realized. It's being a tool that God will likely use to speak to a couple about his grace and his loving provision for their family. So thank you in advance for all the gifts! You are giving so much more than you know!

Sweet Girl!

2010-04-28T16:56:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we celebrated the end of another great year of AWANA with our AWANA Grand Prix and awards night! One of the moms took this picture and I thought it was too cute not to share. This little girl is a ray of sunshine...always bringing a big smile into the room. She kept me company while I popped and popped and popped popcorn for the race!

On a side note...I normally don't post pics of kids from church on our blog, but her mommy is active in the blogging community and is a lot of fun to read. You can see her blog by clicking on Carolin on the sidebar.

A Little Clarification Please...

2010-04-26T13:15:00.004-04:00

So I am realizing that as a new mom, I am going to have a lot of questions. So, I will be heavily relying on my faithful blog readers to help me figure this stuff out. The first question came up today as I was sorting through all of the clothes that we have already been blessed with. Here's the question:

Why are some clothes labeled 3-6 months, 6-9 months, 9-12 months, etc. while others just say 3 months or 6 months....and as I'm sorting the clothes should I put the 6 month clothes with the 3-6 month stuff or 6-9 month stuff? I know this probably doesn't matter to most, but my OCD tendencies create within me the need to have everything in perfect size order. So, help me, please!!! My mom gave me a great suggestion, but I just wondered what everyone else thought and if I'm the only one who wishes they would just use the same method to size everything!

Happy Quarter-of-a-Century!

2010-04-23T12:24:00.003-04:00

This past Tuesday, Jared celebrated 25 years of existence! I always like Jared's birthday because it's the beginning of 5 months where I am only 1 year older than he is. Come, September I'll be 27 and back to being 2 years older than my hubby.

We started celebrating last Friday. We planned to go to our favorite restaurant Buca di Beppo, but when we got there the wait was an hour and we were pretty hungry. So, we went on over to Smokey Bones and enjoyed a quiet dinner before heading home. Monday, Jared, his dad and two other ministers here went to golf at a really nice course called Old Shiloh. I won this free foursome at a KAED golf scramble I worked last spring. So, it was free which made it a great "Present."

On Tuesday, Jared's actual birthday, he had a long day of classes. I was able to get off work a little early and take him to Cattleman's Steakhouse and Homemade Pie and Ice Cream for dessert before he had to be back at church for a meeting.

Wednesday night we all had church stuff and then last night we finally made it to Buca di Beppo for our favorite Penne Basillica and the free birthday cupcake which was almost as big as Jared's head. It was so good though!

We will finish up our week of celebrating with a quick visit to Knoxville to visit with Jared's family and see our month old nephew!

I'd say that's a pretty good birthday week! Love you babe!

7 Months Today!

2010-04-21T12:02:00.002-04:00

We are officially 7 months along today. That means we are just about 12 weeks (or less!) away from meeting the boy that will turn our world upside down!

I was reading something the other day that was saying the mother really starts to bond with the baby when she can regularly feel the baby move. I couldn't agree more! I am learning he's very active (gets that from his daddy), a night owl (gets that from his mommy), and very stubborn (No clue where that came from!!!). Carter can be moving all over the place, but the second Jared puts his hand anywhere near my stomach, he refuses to move. Jared's caught him a couple of times, which is good, but I wish he could feel his son moving around more often!

So far the total weight gain count is 18 pounds. It's strange to me that all the books you read say in the beginning that you should only gain about 20 pounds, but then at 28 weeks it says average weight gain is 17-22 pounds. Either way, I am right on track--I think! We did our glucose test last Friday and everything came back normal, so that's a good sign. We've been seeing a different doctor in our practice who is much nicer and doesn't make me feel stupid when I ask questions, so that's definitely an improvement! I am getting used to sleeping on my side, which has made the back pain much less frequent. So, as I enter the third trimester, I am happy to report that things are going great--really can't complain about much!

Exercise is getting more difficult with the additional weight. I asked my doctor at what point I should slow down on the exercise and she said as long as I'm not in pain, to keep on doing it. She then mentioned I may have a contraction or two while exercising, but not to worry. To a new mom who's never delivered a baby...the word contraction always brings worry! So, in true fashion, today when I was about 1/2 mile into my walk with Asher, my left side started hurting with stabbing pain. Contraction??? Maybe, but it definitely wasn't pleasant. So, I will probably only be taking walks if Jared is along with me.

Speaking of Jared...he is only a week and a half away from the end of classes this semester. Then, he'll have finals and 2 summer classes. Then, he's done. Yippee!!!

I'm MAD!!! And now you have to hear about it!

2010-04-07T16:25:00.002-04:00

So, I'm really angry right now and I'm in a place where I just want everyone to know how angry I actually am. So, sadly for you, you get to listen to my rant.

Recently, I purchased Windows 7 for my HP Presario laptop. This was an upgrade from Vista and has been mostly a GREAT choice! However, there is one little kink that I can't get worked out. The mouse pad is now SOOOOO sensitive that every time the palm of my hand gets anywhere near it, it "clicks." Now, depending on where the mouse is at that time, it either moves my cursor to a completely different place on the page, thus I begin typing in the middle of a totally different paragraph. OR, sometimes it hi-lights and deletes something completely. And then sometimes it just completely closes out a page. It can make typing a simple email a 10 minute ordeal. It's very annoying and it makes getting my work done very slow, difficult and frustrating.

So, I've have googled everything I know how to google and have had no luck fixing it. Several people are having the same problem, I've found, however, no one can seem to answer the question of how to fix it. I've seen the forums where someone posts a question and then someone else comes along and tries to answer it. NO ONE has been able to help with this that I can find. People say go to such and such setting and change this...But, when I try to do that I either don't have that setting at all or I don't have what they say to change.

So, anyway, as frustrating as all that is, that's just the background. That's not why I'm mad. Today, I'd had enough of this little problem. So, I found a customer service number for HP and called to find out what settings needed to be changed in order to fix this very annoying problem. After being on hold/on the phone for 1 hour and with 5 different people (that's how many times it took for them to route me to the correct department) the "customer service" guy informs me that if I want any technical support, that I would need to purchase a $100 warranty.

Excuse me??? I paid $1,000 for this computer and that doesn't give me the right to call you and ask you how to change a setting so that it will actually WORK right?!?!?! I actually repeated it back to the guy and he told me that I had understood him correctly.

Now, I am not one to yell at customer service people. Honestly, I know they are just doing what they are told and it's not their fault that I don't like their answer to something. But, today, I kinda lost it. I might have yelled at him, told him that that was the stupidest thing I'd ever heard and that not only did I not want to buy his "warranty" but I would never be buying anything from HP again. Then, I might have hung up. Might have...

It's kind of ironic that my quiet time yesterday was talking about not losing our temper over things we can't control...I guess I failed the first test :( And now, I'm just feeling bad for yelling at the poor customer service guy who's probably hating his job and just working to pay to feed his family of 10 kids. I am no closer to having my problem fixed and nothing has been made better by me being angry. So, thanks for listening...it's been therapeutic. Oh, and if you're shopping for a computer...just save yourself some trouble and buy a mac!

New Baby Bedding

2010-04-06T12:44:00.003-04:00

Well, it turns out they have discontinued the bedding that we wanted. My wonderful sister has been looking to see if she could find it on Amazon or somewhere like that so that we can get exactly what we want. But last night when we went to register at Babies R Us, we found something similar that we really like. So, our new "theme" is Jungle Jingle.

I had seen this online and wasn't really crazy about it. But, when we saw it last night in the store we loved it. So, we went with it!

Registering is something that we have been dreading doing. Though we started out excited to register for our wedding 4 years ago, by the time we were done, we were frustrated and exhausted!!! So, we had kind of put off registering for the baby. So, last night, we bit the bullet and went to Babies R Us. It was actually kind of fun. I started the registry online a few weeks ago and went ahead and registered for the tedious things that I didn't really need to see, like baby gates and other safety items. So last night when we went, we got to pick out the fun stuff like crib sheets, strollers, bumbo chairs, etc. So it really wasn't that bad.

This weekend, my sister has graciously offered to help me finish our registry since I am completely clueless about bottles and a few other things. Much to my dismay, we will probably be registering at Target. After doing our bridal registry there, I swore I'd never register there again. They changed their return policy at least 3 times in the 5 months that we were registered with them. By the end of it all, you could only exchange something if you had a gift receipt (even if it was on your registry!) and you couldn't exchange it for store credit--you had to exchange it for an item right then in the same department as the item you were returning came from. SERIOUSLY?!?! But, things may have become easier now AND Target is just much easier (and cheaper) for our family and friends. So, I'll be registering for bottles and nursing items at Target, plus probably a few duplicate things from Babies R Us since it seems like Babies R Us is really out of the way for our families and friends in Tennessee.

Anyway, enough ranting about registering! We are greatful for any help we can get...whether it's on the registry or not! Like my sister says...if you're breast feeding, all you need when you have a baby is diapers. Everything else is negotiable!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T17:45:00.004-04:00

Well, we had a different kind of Easter this year, but it wasn't so bad. One of the hardest parts of being on a church staff is that we can't always be with our family on the holidays. Easter has always been a favorite holiday of mine. I think it's mostly because it doesn't come with all of the stress that often accompanies other holidays. We used to always dye Easter eggs at my Granny's house the Saturday before and then on Easter we had a huge Easter lunch with all our aunts, uncles, and cousins and then we usually had an Easter egg hunt. My memories are of eating lunch at my Granny's but hunting eggs at my Aunt Linda's...so, I'm not sure which is right. But, the memories all include being with family.

This year, we had to be "grown ups" and do our own thing. Saturday morning we had our church Easter egg hunt which was a huge success despite the rain that came and went all morning.

Saturday night, we invited some friends over for Easter lunch and thankfully they accepted . We had some yummy honey baked ham from Jucy's, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, deviled eggs, fried okra and fruit pizza for dessert. The day was absolutely beautiful and we were able to have all the windows open with a nice breeze flowing through the house.

We ended our day with a drive down the Kentucky Scenic Pkwy between Frankfort and Lexington. We saw some gorgeous horse farms and had a lot of fun! We ended up eating dinner at Tony Carinos and then coming home and crashing. It was a pretty good day.

So, I guess I will survive being a grown up. But, I'll be honest...there was a little something missing from the day and I am pretty sure it was my family. But, when you have grown up in a loving family like mine, it's hard to replace that feeling!

I'll leave you with a pic of me in my Easter outfit. It was nothing fancy considering the growing baby bulge, but it worked for the day! (on a side note...we have a great camera, but for some reason we insist on taking pics with our phones. what is up with that???)

Our Newest Addition...

2010-03-30T13:23:00.004-04:00

This past Friday, Jared's brother Jason and his wife Rachel welcomed their son Caleb into the world. Jared and I had the opportunity to spend Saturday in Knoxville to visit with our new nephew and the rest of Jared's family. Caleb came 2 weeks early but he weighed in at 6 pounds and 10 ounces and completely healthy.

It was...interesting...to be in the hospital as I am anticipating the birth of my own son. I was trying really hard not to make our time there about "me" because it was certainly not my day, but I have to admit, it was hard not to ask questions the whole time we were there and to dwell on the fact that I would soon be going through all of this. Honestly, though, I've decided ignorance is bliss because I would have rather not known the answer to some of the questions I asked.

Anyway, whatever I go through during the birth of our son, it will be worth it. But, we all know I'm a worrier. And let me tell you, the worrying has begun!

And just in case you're wondering, the "C" names are just coincidence, but Carter and Caleb will be pretty cute together!

The Sweetest Wedding

2010-03-25T14:09:00.003-04:00

Jared and I had the opportunity to attend a wedding yesterday at 5:55 pm. This is the first "informal" wedding I've ever been a part of. The bride, though not dressed in a traditional wedding gown, was beautiful. The groom was smiling from ear to ear. There was no music, no grand entry of the bride, no flowers, no photographer. Just the pastor, the bride and groom who casually walked together onto the stage, 4 family members, and Jared and me. That was it. It was right before Wednesday night youth started and the sanctuary is right above the youth room. So, in the background you could hear kids downstairs laughing and talking and playing music. There were probably a hundred people busily doing things around our church who had no idea a wedding was even taking place. It was amazing!

For the first time I got to experience a wedding that was about nothing more than getting married. How refreshing! This couple knew they were in love, knew they wanted to be together for the rest of their lives, and that was enough. Now don't get me wrong, I loved our wedding. We had so much fun! And picking out the music and the flowers and the dresses were all part of that fun. But I realized last night how much those things can really detract from the most important thing-the marriage itself.

It made me think about how often we do this in our lives. It seems like everything becomes a production, bogged down in the details and appearances. Even our Christian walks often boil down to how much we can do at church, what others will think about us and how WE feel about our current circumstances. Rarely do we ever have the to opportunity to take away all the hoopla and just express our love for our savior. When was the last Sunday morning that you woke up so excited to go and attend worship for no other reason than just because you wanted to worship? I realize Sundays normally play out a little differently for those of us that are on staff at a church, but honestly, for me, it's been a long time! So that's my challenge for you for this palm Sunday...look forward to worshipping Jesus!

Okay, no more posts about things other than the baby. I know that's why you read this blog anyway!

The Easter Bunny

2010-03-24T17:40:00.005-04:00

If you are looking for a fun way to share the Easter story with your kids, here it is. One of the ladies that works for me, Deborah Fanneli, wrote this poem this week for our kids. If you're a publisher, give me a call...this could totally be a children's book. All we need is some illustrations!

The Easter Bunny

There was a little bunny
hopping along the way
watcing all the children
singing while they played

The children were waiting for Jesus
He was coming this day
to the town of Jerusalem,
they hushed their singing to pray

The little bunny watched quietly
as the children said "amen"
and ran to gather palm leaves
for their very special friend

As they laid their palm leaves on the road
they all started to sing
Hosanna! Hosanna!
Jesus, our King

The little bunny started hopping
all along the way
he followed Jesus to Jerusalem
on this very special day

Things weren't the same in town
like it was while on the way
angry men were questioning him
then Jesus left to pray

The little bunny followed Jesus
and several of his friends
to a garden called Gethsemane
until the day did end

Suddenly there was lots of noise
and all those angry men
took Jesus away and
the little bunny didn't see him again

...until...

A few days later, the little bunny
was sitting on a hill
he saw Jesus on a cross
and he was very still

The little bunny wrote his story
of what he saw that day
and colored all his Easter eggs
and this is what they say:

Brown is for the wooden cross
Red is for his blood
Purple's for his royal Robe
Yellow is the compassion he had for those who had him hung

Orange is the sunshine on the day he did arise
Green is the new beginning, just like in springtime
Blue is for the heavens where we'll be with him someday
And that's the story of the Easter Bunny and why he colored his eggs that way.

Anyway, I just thought that was a really cute idea of how to incorporate the Easter Bunny into the Easter story. Mrs. Deborah is so creative...we are lucky to have her working with us!

No Butterflies in my Tummy

2010-03-19T13:24:00.003-04:00

Well, it's official. There is a baby in my tummy. I had taken the test, heard the heartbeat, seen the pictures and knew my stomach was growing, but now I know for sure. It turns out my little man is going to be VERY active! Everyone had always said when the baby moved it just felt like little butterflies in my tummy. Well, I must have missed that phase, because that is not really what it feels like right now. You know that feeling when you go over a really big hill in your car going just a little too fast and your stomach kind of drops a little? That's what it feels like every time Carter moves. Now don't get me wrong...it's a great feeling and I love it. It definitely makes me feel like I am closer to my baby. But, it's not at all what I expected. I can't wait until his movements are big enough and bold enough for Jared to feel it too.

On another note, we went to the doctor this week for a check up and another ultrasound since Carter was uncooperative last time. This ultrasound technician agreed that he was definitely a boy, so there's no mistake there. Everything in his heart (which is what they were having trouble seeing last time) looks great. He weighed in at about a pound and a half and completely healthy.

The appointment with my doctor was pretty much the same. She asked me if I had any questions, I asked her my questions, and then she acted like I was stupid for not already knowing the answers. But, hey, I'm a first time mom. I'm really not a hypochondriac...I just don't know what's normal right now. For instance, my back hurts like crazy on the left side only. I know that back pain is common in pregnancy, but I've only gained a total of 10 pounds, so I wasn't thinking this would be an issue yet. I also know that urinary tract infections and kidney infections are common. So, I just thought I'd mention it. Her response to me: "Just be thankful it doesn't hurt on both sides." Not even the common courtesy to say, "you're right, UTI's are common in pregnancy, but I don't think we should be worried." So annoying! Thankfully I will be moving on to a new doctor in the practice at our next visit.

Everyone has been asking me how the nursery is coming. Let me just tell yah...it's not! We have a room in our house picked out for the nursery and our theme/bedding, but that's the extent of my plans. I realize this is highly unlike me. Some of you were probably taking bets that I would have the nursery done (or at least started) 2 weeks after we knew we were having a boy. But, I am amazingly not in a hurry. The thought of moving all of Jared's office furniture to a new place in our house frankly exhausts me. So, we probably won't be moving anything until Jared's done with school in June. That's right people...I am going to wait until the last minute to do it! Mark it on your calendars :)

Well, that's about all I have to report right now. My sister-in-law Amanda got a great deal on some super cute maternity dresses at Belk and I got those in the mail yesterday. So, I will leave you with a pic of me sporting the black one yesterday to work. You can't quite appreciate the size of my baby bump in this dress, but it's still pretty cute. Thanks for checking in!

Not much happenin'

2010-02-19T16:18:00.002-05:00

Well, there's not a whole lot of news on the baby front these days. We are currently 19 weeks, so we are almost halfway there. Though we will probably wait awhile to work on Carter's nursery, we did decide to go with a giraffe theme for his room. Finding bedding was so hard for me because I had my heart set on a really cute bed set from Pottery Barn Kids. It was for a little girl, of course, so I can't get it, but I was determined I could find the same thing except in green and orange instead of Pink and Green. I looked high and low, but never found anything close.

For some reason I have been dead set against blue, so I have looked through every green, brown and orange thing on overstock and amazon.com. I found a really cute set of animal print things in red and black...like zebra stripes, leopard print, etc. Jared said that's a "heck no" for a boy. I disagreed, but figured that would be the first of many battles I would just concede on because, quite frankly, I know nothing about boys! But we finally agreed on this. I love the browns and greens and I think it's super cute. So, we're gonna stick with it!

Other than that, there's not really a whole lot going on. Other than a flutter now and then, Carter still isn't moving in a way that I can really feel him. I haven't found any foods that I just don't want to eat other than corn chowder...but, let's be honest, I probably wouldn't eat that anyway! I am finally getting used to sleeping in weird ways which means I am feeling better overall.

I really haven't been sick except for one day this week when I got home from work, I was feeling really dizzy. I got so dizzy that I was finally so motion sick that I threw up. Sound familiar? This was exactly what happened when I got vertigo last December and was knocked off my feet for 7 days. So, being after hours (as it always seems to be when you are sick) we called the OBGYN on call for my doctor's practice to see if she could call me in a presricption for Meclizine. After an hour with no response, Jared loaded his very motion sick wife into the car for a trip to MaxCare. We arrived at Maxcare only to be rejected because I was pregnant. Isn't there some kind of discrimination law against that??? Seriously, you can't look in my ear because I'm pregnant?! Anyway...moving on. We finally got a call back from the OBGYN, got the prescription and by the next morning I was feeling well enough to work and within 2 days I was off the meds and feeling normal. Meclizine is definitely something I will always be keeping in my medicine cabinet! And, praise the Lord for his goodness to me! I was doing some serious praying that night because I don't think I could handle vertigo again!

Thanks for checking in!

It's a...

2010-02-08T15:37:00.005-05:00

Well we got to see our little man again today...that's right...It's a boy! The Ultrasound Technician said that it was a definite male, no mistake about it. So, we no longer have to call our baby "it." We can officially call him Carter.

The Ultrasound itself went pretty well. The baby's heart rate was about 150 today which is right in the middle of the desired range. The body seems to be forming perfectly. Apparently the baby is really cozy in the womb. Today he was sleeping on his stomach all during the ultrasound (he gets that from me and Jared-we are both stomach sleepers!). She poked and prodded and tried everything to get him to roll over so she could get a better look at his heart, but he wouldn't budge. She was able to see all 4 Chambers, which is where they look for most birth defects, but she couldn't really see anything else concerning his heart. We will have another Ultrasound in about 6 weeks to double check everything. It was so sweet to see our little baby again. She said his head was resting near my aorta, which was why he was so comfy. The sound of the blood pumping is apparently very soothing. After she told me that, I felt bad that we were trying to wake him up and get him to roll over!

So far I am 17 weeks and 5 days along. Total pregnancy weight gain is 6 pounds. If you're wondering why I'm reporting my weight gain on our blog, it's because I am trying to hold myself accountable to keeping my weight healthy. So feel free to keep me in check if you see me eating a cheeseburger!

Our next appointment will be around the 2nd week of March. So, I will be busying myself with looking for cute boy stuff for our nursery. I had found a lot I liked for a little girl, but not much for boys. So, hopefully I will find what I'm looking for soon!

Here's his profile

And here you can see his anatomy. Hopefully he won't be scarred for life by me putting this on my blog!

Thanks for checking in on us!

Baby Bump Makes Its Debut

2010-02-01T12:44:00.003-05:00

I have had some friends and family back in TN ask me to post a picture of the baby bump, so here it is. Now, I will admit that something about this angle and/or this shirt makes the bump appear to be larger than it actually is. The bump, however, is definitely present and growing.

Some people have asked me if I mind when people walk up to me and put their hands on my stomach. I have decided that no, I really don't, as long as I at least know the person. With that in mind, it kinda makes me laugh right now, because I can't even feel anything, so I know you won't. But, I guess people's touching is a show of affection.

Anyway, for those of you keeping up, we will be 17 weeks on Wednesday. One week from today on Monday, Feb 8, we will find out if we will be buying ribbons and lace or ...hmmm...what do you buy for boys? I guess I may have to figure that out soon!!!

Oh My, Maternity Clothes Already!

2010-01-22T12:57:00.002-05:00

So, I am 15 weeks along in my pregnancy. So far I have only gained 2 pounds total (yay!). So, the thought that I am ready for maternity clothes seems strange to me, however, my pants and shirts are definitely getting tighter! As for the shirts, I understand the tightness. That is mostly thanks to what Jared lovingly calls the "Milk Bombs" (I'll let you figure out what he's referring to) and some growth in the belly. But it seems strange to me that my belly has grown enough to make my pants so tight, yet my baby is only the size of a softball.

Anyway, I've digressed! The whole point of this post is the transformation I went through this morning thanks to a cute maternity shirt Jared's aunt got me for Christmas. I decided to wear a pair of black dress pants that have elastic in the waste to work so that I would have a little more "give" when I sat down. I happened upon this really cute black and grey striped maternity shirt that Jared's Aunt Jan got for me. I put it on and all of the sudden, I actually looked pregnant. Oh the freedom it brings to "look" pregnant and not just "feel" bloated all of the time!

I had been really hesitant to put any maternity clothes on because I didn't want people think I was trying too hard to look pregnant. But while reading my pregnancy book last night, the tip for week 15 was to go ahead and start wearing maternity clothes now. They mentioned that a lot of women just wear baggy things or things that are too tight for the same reason I was just sucking it in as best I could. Their suggestion was to just go for it. That not only would you look better, but you would feel better because maternity clothes are made for the changes your body is experiencing. So, today, I bit the bullet. For awhile me and Jared just laughed at the suddenly pregnant woman I saw in the mirror. But I have to admit, I feel great. It really is nice to be able to breathe again...I highly recommend it! Looks like I need to do some shopping for more maternity clothes!

14 Weeks Today (It's Official!)

2010-01-13T14:56:00.005-05:00

Well, we went to the doctor yesterday and got to hear the baby's heart beat. We thought that was so exciting, of course. But then, due to the fact that I am very irregular in my cycle, our doctor ordered an ultra sound for today to help us determine a more accurate due date. Apparentally, the month of our pregnancy was the one time my cycle was 28 days, because we are exactly 14 weeks today, as was originally predicted.

Our little one was quite active...we got to see him/her jump up and down a few times. The way it was squirming made me think that our baby may have my chlosterphobic tendancies and is not quite happy with its current living situation...thus all the jumping. I guess I'll be "in for it" once I can actually feel the baby wiggling.

Anyway, here are a few of the profile shots we got. So sweet! We will know the sex of the baby after our visit in February!

Body Pillow Wars!

2010-01-11T17:14:00.002-05:00

Well, I will be 14 weeks this Wednesday and though I am not having a lot of "pregnancy symptoms," things are definitely changing around our house.

So, I always knew that when I got pregnant I wouldn't be able to sleep on my stomach. Being a stomach sleeper, this had always worried me, but I figured I would be SOOOO tired that it wouldn't matter. Well now, in all of the wonderful books I've read, I have learned that not only am I NOT allowed to sleep on my stomach, but I also CAN'T sleep on my back or my right side. Seriously? So, if you're good at math then you are realizing with me that that only leaves the Left side. So, I tried to sleep on my Left side and was waking up with terrible back pain and pain in my knees. Since the baby is only about the size of an apple right now, I thought it was doubtful the he/she was causing me the pain. So, upon the advise of some seasoned mothers, I purchased a body pillow. Now, Jared refused to switch sides of the bed with me, so that means we now sleep with a body pillow between us. This has caused a huge problem, but not for the reasons you are suspecting.

Only being married for 3 years, we are still major snugglers (awwww). So, I thought putting a pillow between us would be a hard adjustment because we can't snuggle anymore. But it turns out that the biggest adjustment has been sharing the body pillow. It seems that not only have we both gotten used to the pillow, but we both LOVE the body pillow. I woke up in the middle of the night a few days ago and Jared had the whole body pillow and was snuggled up like he was the one that had a medical reason for sleeping with it. We both agree that it's the perfect snuggler because it keeps you warm, but doesn't make you sweat. And, it doesn't breathe in your face. So, anyway, we are adjusting. Now I just jerk the pillow from his arms and reclaim it as my own :)

Doctor's appointment tomorrow...we get to hear the heartbeat and make sure there's actually something in there!!!

12 Weeks Today!

2009-12-30T15:31:00.003-05:00

Well, I feel just awful that we haven't blogged since October! But, really, not a lot of excitement has happened in our lives...until recently!

Jared has pretty much been focused on school (he will be done this summer...yay!!!) and his job at the church. I have been enjoying my new position as the director of Adventure Club's After School and Summer Programs. So, needless to say, we've been busy. But, apparently not busy enough.

So, in case you haven't heard the news, there will be another Norris in this world come July! Hopefully I will get better about my blogging and post ultrasound pics, etc. as we go through our pregnancy. But, for now, this is all I have!

And to all of you wondering minds...we are celebrating 12 weeks today! As for morning sickness, there hasn't been much of it. I have been really blessed thus far with an easy pregnancy (except for getting Vertigo, but that didn't have anything to do with my sweet baby!). So, we are praying that the blessings will continue. But, let's be honest--even if I puke my guts out everyday for the next 6 months, it's still a blessing! Will I regret saying that?

Happy Birthday Elli Bell!

2009-10-23T17:06:00.007-04:00

Well, today is a big day for my family. The only grandchild turned 1 year old today! Elli, you are a beautiful little girl! You are so much fun and always lift our spirits. Hope you have a wonderful day. Love You ... mmmmwah!

Honduras Pics

2009-06-25T08:55:00.012-04:00

Well, Jared went off to camp with his computer this week, which happens to be where all of our Honduras pictures are. So, here are a few that I just happen to have. Enjoy!

Oh, by the way...Has anyone else heard about the military coup that began in Honduras the WEEK after we left?! The US State Department is now recommending U.S. citizens avoid traveling to Honduras. WOW! Looks like we got back just in time!

Be praying for our hispanic pastor and his son. We left them behind in Honduras visiting their family, so hopefully they will have no problem getting home next week!

On with the pics!

This is the front of the house we stayed in. Jared got kind of artsy with this pic. The house was basically cinder block with a tin roof.
This is my bed for the week. Can I just say, I recommend taking a mosquito net with you to any foreign country in which you travel. It was wonderful! You should have seen some of the things me and Rachel pulled off of our nets. Thank you Jason for letting me have your net!

This is the teeeny tiny oven Rachel and I cooked meals on for 22 people. All I have to say is "Fish and Loaves" because that's about the miracle we had every night!

One of the things we were able to do was put up 2 basketball goals. 1 at the school and 1 up by the pastor's house. The kids had never played basketball, but they loved it...and were really good! So, in 15 years if you hear of this amazing basketball player that came from an obscure village in Honduras, you'll know who gave him his first basketball goal.

Jared got to preach the revival one night. This was his first time speaking with an interpreter...difficult. But he did great!

Another thing we did was a women's Bible Study. One of the girls who went last year really felt like we needed to speak to the young girls in the village about abstinence, since many of the girls have children out of wedlock by age 16. So we spent the first day just speaking about salvation and leading others to Christ; the second day we talked about spiritual disciplines; and the third day Hannah spoke about abstinence and I spoke about God's forgiveness and healing and the ability to "start over" on a commitment to abstinence. The first day we had about 15, the second day we had about 25-30. The third day we had 76! God knew what he was doing (as usual!).

And, this is Jenny. Is she not the most beautiful little girl? All of the kids this week were so sweet and just loved being around us. Jenny spent a lot of time in this tree outside of our house.

So that's all for now. Hopefully I will get more posted soon!

We made it back!

2009-06-23T11:14:00.002-04:00

Well, we made it safely back from Honduras. We have so much to tell you about our trip and all of the amazing things that happened while we were there. We have several hundred pictures and a story to go with each one, so hopefully over the next few weeks, we will have the time to post some stuff about our trip!

Check back soon!

God Has Answered

2009-06-08T12:59:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to let you all know that (with a little encouragement from yours truly) my sister has finally joined the blogging world! If you would like to check out their blog, you can find "God Has Answered" at www.myellianna.blogspot.com.

Introducing me...as a brunette!

2009-05-14T09:38:00.003-04:00

Well, I have had requests from some of my friends and family back in TN to post a picture of me as a brunette. I have now offically been a non-blonde since March. The idea in dying my hair brown was that as it grew out, it would fade to my natural color which is actually a dishwater blonde. The reason: hair color is expensive and time consuming! So, I'm trying to free myself from the bondage of hair dye by growing it out at it's natural color.

So, now, 2 months later, I have about 1/2 inch roots of dishwater blonde hair and a faded out reddish-brown color for the rest of my hair...not quite what I had in mind! But, I am going to just deal with it and have funky hair for a few months until it's all grown out. Though I do sort of miss being a blonde, I have decided this is all for the best!

So, what do you think?

Doggy Yoga

2009-04-23T10:24:00.004-04:00

So, this morning when I was doing my jumpstart yoga (yeah, that's right) Asher was in the living room with me. Now, this is not a normal thing to do in my morning routine, so needless to say, he was very curious. Over the course of the 30 minutes, he began stretching with me. I'm sure it was just a coincidence, but it was very funny when Jared walked in and found me and Asher pretty much doing the same stretches. Then, when I layed down to do the ab toning portion, Asher became very concerned. He actually licked my face every time my head came off the ground. Then, after several attempts to get me out of the floor, he just sat on me. It was hysterical. I would post a picture from this morning, but it all happened too quick for Jared to get out the camera...plus, I'm not really sure that I want everyone to see my sad attempt at Yoga!

A Magic Carpet Ride

2009-04-14T12:27:00.003-04:00

So, today, I was sitting at work and I had pretty much finished up everything I needed to do for the day. With everyone gone for lunch, I was getting pretty bored. So, as I thought about it, I decided this would be the perfect time to try some of those "desk exercises" that you always read about in fitness magazines and see on Good Morning America. So, I googled "Desk Exercises." I was amazed at what I got. Who on earth would ever feel comfortable doing these in their office in the middle of the day?! Maybe, I'm crazy. Here are a few that came up...let me know what you think.

1. The magic carpet ride-Sit in your chair with your legs crossed and your feet on the seat. Then place your hands on the armrests, suck in your gut and raise yourself a few inches above the seat, using your belly, muscles and hands. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat five times.

2. Glance at the wall clock and do a minute's worth of jumping jacks

3. Desktop Yoga-Stand up facing the wall and reach your fingers up as far as you can. While you stretch up also stretch down by placing your feet firmly into the floor. Firm up your legs, extend the side of the torso and bring the shoulder blades towards the wall. Breathe fully as you stretch, walking your fingers up the wall. Move little away from the wall so that your torso is diagonal to your hips and press both palms into the wall equally. Press into the ground with your feet, firm up your legs and release your tailbone away from the wall. Lift up the ribs and let your head drop slightly.

I think you get my point. If I started doing the magic carpet ride in the middle of the office, I think I might attract a little more attention than I was going for.

Please tell me that you have better ideas!

Passion...not Fashion!

2009-04-08T11:27:00.004-04:00

I have spent all 25 years of my life in church. I have been a Christian for 17 of them. I am married to a minister. I have heard almost every word, euphemism and cliche in the Christian Vocabulary. But, it was not until today that I learned that the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday is considered "Passion Week." It is a week set aside for remembering the passion that Jesus displayed in the week and days leading up to his death on the cross. So, I decided to do some research. What kind of celebration takes place during passion week? I found this article from the Korea Times that briefly describes some of the activities done during Holy Week but it also goes on to talk about what we would do to Jesus today if we were the mob given the opportunity to condemn him. Now, honestly, I don't know who the author of this article is and I don't know what his theology is. But, it made a lot of sense to me. Here is another site that explains the events that took place in the week leading up to Christ's death. So, I hope if you have some time, you'll read these articles and do some research of your own to find out more about Passion Week. It is my prayer for this week, that we would all spend more time focusing on Christ's Passion for his people than on what dress we will wear Sunday and where we will find shoes to match it! This week is meant to be about Passion...not Fashion!

It's Always Hard to Say Goodbye

2009-04-03T11:06:00.003-04:00

Well, as many of you know, a week ago yesterday my grandmother passed away. Granny was my dad's 81-year-old mother. She was a VERY Godly woman and left a legacy of God-fearing and God-honoring people in our family. She fervently prayed for her husband for nearly 50 years until my grandfather, at age 75, accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. That was (about?) 13 years ago and because of her diligence, she is now enjoying eternity with the two loves of her life...her Lord and her husband.

Though it has been a hard week, I have had to remind myself how selfish it is to wish that she was still dwelling on this earth. Though she loved her 3 children, her 8 grandchildren and her 10 great grandchildren, I truly feel like she was ready to go. But, even so, it's been so hard to say goodbye...hard to say goodbye to my loving grandmother...to the home she has lived in and loved in...and to my family as I made my 6 hour trek home the night after the funeral.

But, I have come to the realization that it IS and WILL ALWAYS BE hard to say goodbye and I have decided that's a good thing. Because when it's hard to say goodbye, it means that you have loved well, lived hard and have enjoyed the season that God has placed you in. And though it's scary and hard and sad to move from one season to the next, I hope that I can always see in the "goodbye" a testimony of what the Lord has done and a promise of what he will continue to do.

Time to Catch You Up

2009-03-23T13:14:00.006-04:00

Well, it's been a VERY busy couple of months and I figure it's time to catch you up on our lives. Sweet little Elli is 5 months old today. She has rolled over a couple of times but has decided to protest any further rolling for now. She likes cereal and peas, but LOVES pear juice. But most of all, she loves her Aunt Katie and can't stand to be away from her (or is it the other way around?). Elli got to come to Kentucky for her first visit at the end of February. Low and Behold she got to see her first snow. She didn't much care for being in the cold, but she was a trooper all weekend!

She also really likes to dress to match her Aunt Katie!

Other than missing Elli, we have been pretty busy doing lots of things. Jared managed to finish 6 course hours over Christmas break and is about 1/2 way through his fourth semester of Seminary. Oh how we long for Jared to be through with school! Things at our church have been going well. God seems to really be working in the families in our church as we see parents who are stepping out and spiritually leading their children...some of them for the first time ever. It truly is a blessing.

Jared and I will be going to Honduras this summer to minister to a small, impoverished village outside of San Pedro. We are very excited to go on this adventure together and look forward to seeing how we work together as a missions team. We are, however, poor seminary students who can't really afford to go out to eat, let alone go out of the country. So, if you would like to contribute to this ministry, please email me at kgnorris@gmail.com and I will tell you how you can support us financially (and tax deductibly).

I am working two jobs these days and enjoying them both very well. Jared is working hard at church and hard at school, so I guess technically he has two jobs, too. We are both loving our house and can't wait until summer comes so we can work in the yard and make the outside as beautiful as the inside.

Well, as boring as this update is, that's all I've got for you. We really are just "Busy" people...nothing too exciting happening here. Oh yeah, I'm a brunette now!

Tata!

The Grass actually is Greener!

2009-02-02T13:08:00.003-05:00

You know how they always say the Grass is Greener on the other side? Well, in this case it actually is! We thankfully got our power back on Friday night about 5:00. So, we were only without for 3 full days and 2 nights....and let me tell you, it was terrible. So, I definitely feel very blessed to be with power unlike the thousands of people in KY still without.

On Saturday my dad came up with a generator and a kerosene heater so we will be better prepared for the next bad storm that comes through. He also brought his chain saw and his new pole saw to help us recover from the damage that the trees caused. It was hard to tell because everything was covered in snow, but 1 large branch in particular was about 1 foot away from falling on our house. So, we are even more blessed than we knew!

Jared also had the opportunity to organize a chainsaw crew from our church to minister to some of the worst houses in our city. At a moment's notice he had a crew of 40 people that was able to service 26 houses in about 4 hours. It was great!

Yesterday we had very warm weather and all of the ice melted away from the trees and the snow began to melt. For the first time in a week we are actually seeing grass! Needless to say, I am ready for the SPRING!

Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement!

Weather Update

2009-01-30T12:58:00.004-05:00

Well, we still have no power in our house. Rumor in the neighborhood is that it could be up to 14 days until our electricity is restored. We are still being taken care of by lots of kind people in our church.

There is supposed to be some warm weather this weekend (a high of 35--woohoo), so hopefully some things will begin to thaw. Dad is bringing us a kerosine heater tomorrow so we can heat our house at least enough to keep the pipes from freezing. He is also bringing his chain saw to help us remove some of the debris from our yard and from on top of our house. It will be nice to get this all done before the "Blizzard-Like Conditions" that are supposed to be coming our way on Monday and Tuesday.

My dad is also being gracious enough to take Asher back home with him. He hasn't adjusted very well to moving from house to house. So, he will go stay with his girlfriend Roxy in TN for a few days!

If there's anyone out there reading this blog that knows of a church in FLORIDA looking for a children's minister...give them my number!!! Just kidding :)

Winter Wonderland or Winter Disaster?

2009-01-29T09:48:00.006-05:00

Well, it is days like these that I seriously miss my Tennessee home. Monday night we got several inches of Snow. Tuesday night several inches of ice were topped onto that. Wednesday morning several more inches of snow were topped onto that. Oh did I mention that we haven't had power since Wednesday morning at about 9:00?

So, needless to say, it's been a crazy couple of days. Above are some pictures of our house and the trees that are falling in our front yard. Things have been quite a mess.

Hopefully we will have power soon. For now we have some wonderful friends who are letting us sleep and shower at their house. They even let Asher come spend the night!

The Experience

2009-01-22T15:16:00.021-05:00

Well, it has been awhile since our last blog post. To catch you up...we had a very thankful Thanksgiving, a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. There. :)

As you probably noticed, the title of this post is "The Experience." Well, last weekend, Jared's brother Jason and his wife Rachel came in town for a visit and to say the least, it was an EXPERIENCE!

They arrived Friday night. We said quick hellos and then all went to bed to get ready for the big day we were going to have on Saturday. You see, Jason celebrated his 28th birthday on Saturday and we had big plans for him.

We all got up pretty early on Saturday...morning pictures, not our best! What's on Jared's shirt?

Jason and Rachel take much better morning pictures than us!After a healthy breakfast of Cinnamin rolls, Jason opened his presents......and Asher helped!After doddling around for awhile, we all got showers and got ready to go...much better! We drove to Cincinnati and arrived on the outskirts of town just in time for lunch in Skyline. (For those of you Tennesseans who read the blog: Skyline is a chili place known for its coneys and chili with spaghetti noodles in it. Yuck!) But, eating at Skyline was all a part of the Experience!

This is the Cincinnati skyline as we were coming into town...pretty blue skies for Jason's birthday!After driving through Cincinnati, we went on to Westchester, OH to the IKEA store. Jared had sold some stuff on Craigslist so we could buy a new desk and Jason and Rachel were looking for some bookshelves. If you have never been to IKEA, you must go! It is such a neat experience. It takes a good 2 hours too look at everything in the store and it is all very trendy, but inexpensive furniture and accessories. I highly recommend going to check it out sometime. Now, let me give you some background information. All week long Rachel had been telling Jason that we had a surprise for him for his birthday. He knew we were going to IKEA, but he didn't know what the surprise was. So, for lack of a better descriptive word, Rachel told him that we were taking him to an "Experience." So, when we came out of IKEA and realized our furniture boxes were a little bigger than we had planned, we were in trouble. You see, we thought we'd be able to fit our furniture in the cab of the truck while we were at the Experience. But, the boxes were so big they barely fit in the back of Jason's truck. So, we kind of went into panic mode. Just as we were about to have to drive 2 hours back to Louisville to drop off our furniture and turn around to come back to Cincinnati for the experience, I remembered that a girl I work with in KY was from Cincinnati. So, I called Tina up and she came to the rescue. She called her mom and dad and asked if we could leave our furniture there until we could come back for it. HOW RANDOM IS THAT???? Well, it was all part of the experience!

So, on the way to Tina's parents' we stopped by a Bob Evans to get a Thank you gift card for being so kind! This is me excitedly leaping from the restaurant out of happiness for not having to drive back to Louisville.

So, after driving about 30 minutes, we finally made it to Tina's parents' where we unloaded our stuff on their back porch. Here are Jared and Jason being troopers in the midst of the hilarity of our situation.
So, we basically, loaded our furniture into the truck at IKEA, unloaded it at these random people's house, only to have to come back 3 hours later, load it back into our truck, take it back to Louisville and unload it again. Whew...that's a lot of work. But, the good news is that thanks to our brief detour we got to see...

a statue of a giant preying mantis in someone's front yard...

and a statue we have come to affectionately call "Touch Down Jesus." By the time this was all done, it was time for dinner. So, we went to P.F. Chang's, Jason's favorite restaurant. If you can't tell, we are a little pooped.

After dinner it was time...for the experience! At this point, Jason still had no clue where we were going. Although, he did guess as many random things as he could possibly think of. So, we all piled in the car and started our drive to Northern Kentucky University, just on the other side of Cincinnati.

We were already parked and on the way into the colisseum when Jason finally figured out what the Experience actually was! It's hard to catch laughter in a still shot, but Rachel did her best. So, you are wondering, what was the experience was...

The MONSTER TRUCK NATIONAL TOUR!!!!
Happy Birthday Jason!

Greaser Babies and My Baby!

2008-12-16T10:59:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been awhile since my last post and the reason for that is simple: my life is boring! I could have bored you with a few more posts about how I love where I live, but I desperately miss my friends and family back home. But, instead, I chose to post the link to this ridiculous video of babies singing songs from Grease. I thought it was absolutely hilarious! But, I also work with kids all the time, so maybe that may be why I thought it was so funny.

So, if you have nothing better to do, you can go to this link and watch the video.

Also, if you think about my baby (I should probably Clarify that I'm talking about Jared so that no rumors get started) this week, say a little prayer. Yesterday he started his D-Term, which is basically a 1 week accelerated class. So, he has class everyday from 8-5 and then he's done. The Up-Side is that at the end of the week he has 3 credit hours. The Down side is that he had a 12 page paper due the first day of class, he has to take a quiz every night and a final at the end of the week, and he has 20 page paper due 2 weeks after the class is over...not to mention the 5 or 6 books he had to read. So, there's a lot of work involved. On top of that, he is taking a J-Term, which is basically the same thing all over again in January. So, instead of taking advantage of his much needed Christmas break, he is knocking out 2 classes in 2 weeks...and he's doing it for our family. He knows how badly I want him to be done with school and he is literally working his tale off to get it done. What an amazing man!

Elli's Dedication

2008-11-25T16:53:00.004-05:00

Well, apparentally Elli was dedicated at FBC Smyrna this past Sunday. I wasn't aware of the fact until AFTER she was dedicated because my ever-loving family wanted to spare Jared and I from feeling like we needed to be there. Of course, had we known, we definitely would have been there! Oh well...maybe we'll make it to her baptism. My sister put this pic on facebook and I am assuming this is the outfit she wore for the dedication. I can't imagine why else she would be wearing this adorable outfit! However, as cute as she may be, she doesn't look all too amused over what she is wearing!

Growing Up is Hard to Do!

2008-11-20T14:15:00.013-05:00

Well, somehow Sara picked up on the hint that I wanted more pictures of Elli. So, she sent me some from her first bath. As you can tell, she is less than thrilled!

Then, here she is just sleeping like an angel that never cries. She's such a cutie. I miss her so much!

Here's the thing I don't understand about growing up. When you are born, God strategically places you into the group of people you would come to know and love and eventually call family. Then, you spend the next 20 years of your life getting to know them, creating bonds with them and learning to love them unconditionally. Eventually your siblings become more than just someone to fight with...they become your best friends. And you stop viewing your parents as people who are just trying to make your life miserable, but you come to understand that they are there to love you, guide you and encourage you to become the Godly young man or woman that they know you can be.

It's at this point, it seems, that it's time to say goodbye. It's time to "leave and cleave" as I've been told so many times in the last two years. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my husband dearly and I am so happy to spend the rest of my life with him. But it doesn't make sense to me that in gaining that love you also, on some levels, lose something. You lose the safety and comfort that are only brought to you in your family.

Of course, when we got married initially, I didn't feel this way. But now that I am 3 1/2 hours away from my parents and am soon to be 4 1/2 hours away from my sister--my best friend--and her sweet baby girl...it just seems so cruel. I know Jared and I are where we're supposed to be. But sometimes following God can be a lonely place...a place full of wonderful people, none of which you really, truly know. This place has a lot of potential to be called "home" someday, if only the void called "family" could ever be filled.

I will say, that I have the most wonderful husband who is so patient with me when I am feeling this way. He is never so selfish to make me feel bad for missing my family and friends back in TN.

Alright...I'm done being sad and sappy! I just look at the pictures of my neice and it makes me miss my family so much. I just needed a moment to get that off my chest! Thanks for listening!

Is it Just me?

2008-11-19T09:33:00.003-05:00

This past week has been absolutely frigid in Kentucky! Our nights have been in the '20s, our highs have been in the '40s and we have seen snow flurries on several occassions. It's only NOVEMBER for crying out loud! What happened to the pretty fall weather? Is it just like this in Kentucky or have you guys down in Tennessee been having cold weather, too?

All I know is that we better have some warm days soon or Asher is going to go stir crazy. As you saw in a previous post, Asher is not too crazy about his sweater, but he's also not too crazy about the cold. Plus, his owners are not at all too crazy about walking him in 30 degree weather, either!

Much thanks to the Brockways who let Asher come and run around in their fenced in backyard for a while the other night :)

I'd post more pics of Ellianna, but it seems my sister has forgotten to send them to me on a continuous basis. Tisk, tisk!

Christmas Shopping Chaos

2008-11-12T10:16:00.003-05:00

Every year it seems like Jared and I have more and more Christmas gifts to buy. Though I LOVE buying gifts for others, it seems like the entire Christmas season is marred by that nagging thought of "I still need to do some Christmas shopping." It's something that I dread doing every year. So, last year we decided our goal would be to complete all Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving. That way, the entire Christmas season can be devoted to enjoying time together and with our families. Last year we were successful and I am glad to say that as of last night, we are 3 gifts away from being DONE! I must say, it makes the Christmas shopping a lot more fun when you have a goal set and are successful at achieving it.

One final note on the Christmas shopping...The past two weekends my mom and I have gone to do some Christmas shopping, once in Nashville and once in Louisville. If our nation is in a recession, no one has noticed yet! Because, let me tell you, every mall parking lot was packed and there were lines out the door in almost every place we shopped. The restaurants were packed and it didn't look like anyone was worried about spending their money. So either the whole recession thing is a myth or people are just running up their credit card bills without a care. I'm sure it's probably a little of both.

On a more exiting note...Elli went to the doctor this week and she has gained a whole pound since birth. She is now a whopping 5 pounds and 15 ounces (I think I got it right this time!). And everything checked out well. Here is a picture of her all decked out in pink.

Crazy Hair Night!

2008-11-10T14:04:00.002-05:00

Well, one of the fun things about AWANA is that we have theme nights about once a month. Last night was Crazy Hair Night. Jared has been begging me to shave his hair into a Mohawk for probably a year. So, when crazy hair night came up on the calendar, I agreed to do it. But, on Sunday afternoon, Jared wisened up and we decided it might not be the best idea, considering the fact that he is an Ambassador for the Seminary. So, we both decided to go with a "Big Hair" theme. It took me all of 2 minutes to spike Jared's hair out in a thousand different directions with lots of hair gel and hair spray. It took me about 20 minutes to get my hair teased this big. Of course, when we got to church, Jared's hair was all the rage...the kids loved it! I, however, was immediately asked if I had just woken up and was asked why I didn't do anything for crazy hair night. I'm not quite sure what that says about my hair on a normal day!

A Big City Girl...

2008-11-04T10:30:00.003-05:00

...Living in a Small Town World! As most of you know, I wasn't 100% sold on living in a town smaller than the population of my high school. But, it really hasn't been too bad. I mean, I do have to drive over to the next town if I want to grocery shop and we only have 2 restaurants in our sleepy little town. But, it definitely has its perks and today was proof! When I went to the community center to vote, I was prepared to wait in line as usual. But, would you believe I was in and out of there in 10 minutes?! Maybe this small town stuff isn't so bad after all!

So to all of you back home who waited in line for 2 hours to vote today, I send my deepest sympathies!

Wining and Dining

2008-11-03T13:06:00.004-05:00

For those of you who don't know, my dad works as a consultant for a private engineering firm (at least, that's the best I understand about my dad's job). As a part of his job, he and my mom get to attend lots of fancy smancy fundraisers, dinners, etc. This past weekend they got to attend the grand opening of a VERY nice hotel in town. This picture was taken of them at the black tie affair. Aren't they cute?

L'il Punkin

2008-11-03T10:47:00.002-05:00

Jared and I had the privilege of hanging out with our neice all weekend. As you can tell she had quite an exciting halloween...she pretty much slept the whole night. We thought this pic was cute because the pumpkin is probably at least half her size and close to her weight.

I finally got to see her from head to toe this weekend. She is so tiny! She loves to stretch out those long skinny legs. She seems so frail but she is a resilliant little tyke. She is gaining weight at a good rate. At her last dr.'s appt she had reached 5 pounds and everything checked out great.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-30T15:37:00.002-04:00

Hope Everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!

Families on Mission

2008-10-27T15:24:00.011-04:00

As previously posted, Jared and I got to drive to Nashville last Thursday to meet Elli and then had to turn around and drive right back to Kentucky the same night. Some of you may have wondered why the trip was cut so short.

Well, Jared and I had the privilege of taking a group from our church to Eastern KY for the church's first ever "Family Focused" Mission trip. We had 19 people from 6 families who attended.

So, why Eastern KY? Well, several of the nation's poorest counties are located in the mountains of Eastern KY. The coal mining industry used to be booming in a lot of these places, but due to the local mines shutting down and the lack of other gainful employment, many of these areas have no source of consistent income. This creates both a great spiritual and physical need for the people in these ares.

We teamed up with an organization called Club 180 Ministries. This organization has several different things going on including a teen parenting program, a coffee shop caleed "Cafe 180," an after school program called "Excel 180" and a gymnastics program called "Flip 180." You should definitely check out the 180 Ministries Web site by clicking here.

Our group did several different things to help out the 180 Ministries. One group of girls spent their whole day going through bags of donated clothes and organizing them for placement in the 180 teen pregnancy center. Teens who are pregnant have the opportunity to take parenting classes, attend Bible Studies and do various other things to earn points. Once they have enough points, they have the chance to go Shopping.

Another thing some people from our group did was sort through some of the many donations that Club 180 has received. This is an important job, because it is hard to function when things are not in order!

Some of the handy men tackled the construction projects that desperately needed to be done. One of those was the installation of a drop ceiling in the upstairs office. These guys overcame many frustrations and worked so hard to make sure everything was done well. They worked all the way through the fall festival until everything was done.

Our kids and remaining adults spent most of the day cleaning up a local park and getting things ready for 180's community Fall Festival. Our kids did a great job of working hard without complaining! They swept and mopped things inside, picked up garbage outside, raked an old volleyball court to make it suitable for playing and all kinds of things. Even after all that hardwork and exhaustion, they were troopers. They played with lots of kids at the Fall Festival and never once complained about being cold! Me and 2 other ladies spent our night grilling and serving 120 cheeseburgers, brownies, chips and drinks. People just couldn't believe it was actually free!

While we were there we had the opportunity to stay at a place called "United for Jesus." This organization has taken an Old Middle School and turned it into a bunk house. We weren't sure what to expect, but everything turned out wonderful. Besides having no heat, the facility was wonderful!

So, even though we would have loved to spend the weekend with our brand new neice, God had a different plan for our weekend and it was great. We had the chance to spend the weekend teaching future missionaries how to serve the Lord! What greater thing could there be? But, needless to say, after making our trip to and back from Nashville and then spending the weekend working hard, we were pretty tired. I think this picture says it all!

Sweet Baby Girl

2008-10-27T15:15:00.003-04:00

Well, I realize that I am partial, but isn't this just the cutest little girl in the world? I can't wait to see her again!

Meeting Ellianna

2008-10-24T10:13:00.006-04:00

Well, as many of you know, I was not going to be able to go home yesterday for the birth of my neice. But, at about 3:30 I just couldn't take it anymore! So, Jared and I Jumped in the car at about 5:00 yesterday and drove to Nashville to meet this beautiful little girl!Ellianna Michelle was born at 12:23pm central time on October 23 and was 17 3/4 inches long. She weighed 4 pounds and 15 ounces, which is a correction from my previous blog post.

She was not expected to be so tiny. At Sara's ultrasound 2 weeks ago, the baby measured at 5 1/2 pounds. So, it was quite a suprise that she was so small. But, she is healthy and happy! Right now she is just spending lots of time in the incubator to keep her body temperature up.

Hopefully I will have lots more pictures to post soon. Right now I just have these from my camera phone. We actually remembered to take our camera this time, but we forgot to use it!

It's a Girl!

2008-10-23T15:13:00.002-04:00

Well, that's not really a suprise but I couldn't think of a better title. I don't have any pictures to post yet and don't have a whole lot of details for you at this time. But, Ellianna was born this afternoon around 1:00pm central time. She was only 4 pounds and 8 ounces so she was immediately rushed to neonatal ICU as a precaution, but the baby and my sister are doing well for now. So, if you think about it, say a little prayer for Sara and Elli. Hopefully they will both have a restful night.

I will post more info soon!

It's Time to Have a Baby...for my sister, that is.

2008-10-22T09:39:00.003-04:00

Well, at this time tomorrow, my big sister will be in pre-op, preparing for her C-section. Hopefully she won't kill me for sharing this snippet of the email she sent me yesterday:

"...The doctor scheduled my c-section for 12:30 on Thursday, so by 12:40 she'll be here, my insides may still be hanging out, but we'll have a baby."

As you can tell, she is in good spirits. Hopefully sometime tomorrow I will be able to post a new pic of my brand new niece Ellianna Michelle.

If you think of Sara today, send up a little prayer for her. I know she is nervous and excited all at the same time! Isn't she gorgeous, though? She glows as a woman truly blessed by God!

C-A-R-dS-C-A-R-dS-Go-Cards-Go!

2008-10-20T11:53:00.006-04:00

This is the chant that Jared and I got to hear over and over Saturday as we sat in a sea of Cardinal fans at the MTSU v. Louisville Cardinal football game. We went to the game with some friends of ours from church and, despite the fact that our alma mater MTSU got killed, we had a really good time. Here are some pics from the very cold day! (Of course, we forgot our camera as usual, so these are the best we could do with Jared's phone!)

The Cutest Puppy in the World

2008-10-17T13:39:00.005-04:00

Well, I don't really have a whole lot to say today other than, I have the best husband in the world (thanks for the sweet message!) and I have the cutest puppy ever. Since you've already seen proof of the first, let me give you some proof of the latter.

This is our baby boy Asher. Most of you have already had the privilege of meeting him. He just graduated from Obedience School with our next door neighbor Molly (a cute little weiner dog that belongs to our Pastor and his wife). The two of them were the best in their class! At least, I think they were :) Since starting Obedience School, Asher sits for pictures much better than he used to and has been behaving much better over all.

Now, it has turned pretty cold here the past couple of days, so for Asher's graduation present, I decided to buy him a new sweater.

As you can tell from this picture, he was less than thrilled about it. I love this face...I can almost hear him saying, "Seriously...you're taking my picture in this thing?" But, I think it's cute and that's all that matters. The only problem is that the sweater is a little bit small. I bought him an XL and I could barely get it on him. So, Asher can't grow anymore...I don't know if they make doggy sweaters in XXXL!

Anyway, tata for now!

Sometimes I just don't get it...you know?

2008-10-17T01:05:00.001-04:00

(evidently this guy doesn't get it either)

I haven't spent quality time with my wife since Monday. It's Heritage Week at Southern Seminary. This may not mean much to you, but it can make things hard for us. I spend 12-14 hour days at the seminary during this week helping out as part of my responsibilities. I meet all kinds of great people who support Southern in many different ways. These people are what God uses to keep the great quality of professors at Southern, and still keep tuition rates lower than most seminaries. In other words, this is what helps keep Southern the best and largest seminary in the world. Also, Preview Conference started today. That means 3 more days that I won't get to see my wife. I get to hang out with prospective students all day hearing amazing stories of what and how God is working. These things are important, and I know they are part of my current calling; however, I know my current calling is not limited to these responsibilities. Obviously, I'm married and must be the spiritual leader of my home as well. I have been trying to figure out how to balance all this stuff for a long time. I have failed miserably in the past.

I told you that to set this up. This is an attempt to publicly balance these things.

To Katie: I miss you so much. I got home tonight to wake you up so I could kiss you good night. I hate that! Lately, you have challenged, encouraged, and strengthened me toward love and good deeds. I'm tired, sick, cranky, and not around this week; however, you have poured out your love on me. Sometimes I just don't get it. I don't get how we could be such great friends. I don't get how we could be such polar opposites, but at the same time be so similar. I don't get how your smile automatically makes me smile. I don't get how come you do so much for me and don't expect anything in return. I don't get how you can calm me down so quickly when I'm mad. I don't get how you can encourage me so faithfully when I'm down. I don't get how we can look at the same passage of scripture, see two different things, and both of them be relevant. I don't get how whatever you like automatically becomes something I like. I don't get why we work so well together. I don't get why for the first time in my life I'd rather sit down and have a conversation rather than watch TV. I don't get why we have so much more than we deserve. I don't get why you care so much. I don't get why your joy is contagious. I don't get why you took me back when we were dating after "the accident." I don't get why you put up with all the baggage I brought into our marriage. I don't get why whatever you cook is a gourmet meal. I don't get why you pick me up after I've fallen into the "miry clay." I just don't get it. I don't understand why. I am perplexed. I am confused. I am dumbfounded. I am silenced. I am humbled. I am awestruck. I just don't get why God would give me you.

Two Years...going on Fifty

2008-10-15T09:28:00.000-04:00

On Monday Jared and I celebrated 2 years of blissful marriage. We celebrated the occassion by taking the day off from our busy lives and going up to Cincinnati to start some Christmas shopping and visit the Ikea store. Now, being the forgetful person that I am, we forgot to take the camera, but here are a few cell phone shots of our day.

We ate lunch at a place called Uno's. Their specialty is Chicago Style Pizza. It was so good. This shot is about halfway through our meal. I took a picture of Jared taking a huge bite of pizza, but apparentally I deleted it because it is no longer on my phone :(

This is the Ikea store. There's one in Atlanta and one in Cincinnati. It is basically a Swedish furniture warehouse. It is absolutely unlike any place I've ever been. It is 2 floors of the cutest and cheapest furniture you've ever seen. I would highly recommend visiting an Ikea store even if you're not in the market for new furniture.

Once we got home, we spent the evening eating dinner and watching a movie in our pj's...the perfect end to a great day!

On our drive to Cincinnati, we got to talking about how we feel like it was just yesterday that we were walking down the aisle to say our "I Do's." But, at the same time, it's hard to remember life before marriage. It truly feels like we've been together forever. Most days, that's a good thing!

Just an Update

2008-10-08T16:17:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to give you a quick update...Norah is a big sister! All of the money was raised, Charlotte Marie was born Sunday and the family of 3 became 4. What a blessing! Check out their story and see pictures here.

$12,000 in 48 Hours

2008-10-02T08:45:00.000-04:00

Meet Norah. Norah is the little girl of some very good friends of ours back in Tennessee, Brad and Alison. Norah was adopted a little over a year ago and has been such a blessing to their family. Well, I got an email this morning that Norah's birthmother has contacted Brad and Alison to see if they would be interested in adopting Norah's full biological sybling...who is due any day now. Isn't God awesome?! This is such a great opportunity for Brad and Alison, who endured a lot in their process to adopt their first child before finding Norah. They are very excited and plan to go forward with adopting Norah's sibling. The only catch in the whole things is that, as many of you know, adoption is very expensive. Brad and Alison have 48 hours to come up with $12,000 dollars. So, I encourage you to check out their blog and then, if you feel compelled, there is a link to make a donation to their cause.

By the way, I stole this ADORABLE picture from Brad and Alison's photo blog. Alison is a very talented photographer, and I couldn't resist snagging this pic for my post!

Missing Mammaw

2008-10-01T13:09:00.001-04:00

Well, today marks the 1 year anniversary of the sudden passing of Jared's Mammaw Norma. She was a really great lady and a wonderful mammaw to her 5 grandsons. Mammaw was always so much fun...you never really knew what she might say or do, but you always knew she'd put a smile on your face!

It is hard to believe it has been a year since she went on to spend eternity with her Savior. Mammaw, we love and miss you dearly!

Fancy Seeing You Here!

2008-09-16T13:07:00.001-04:00

Well, if you are checking our blog, then I must say, WOW! Thank you so much for your faithfulness to keep checking even though we haven't posted anything in 5 months!

Since April, we have had quite a busy 5 months. In April, we began the process of looking for a house to buy. We found one in May and began the process of filling out our mortgage application, getting inspections and all of the other glorious stuff that goes along with buying a house. On June 24, we closed on our house and now happily live just 3 houses down from where we work and go to church. We literally walk to work everyday! The only places we drive are Wal Mart and the bank...oh, and Jared still drives to school twice a week! Here is a pic of our new little house.

We have 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and a nice big backyard for our new baby...and that brings me to the next thing we've been up to.

About a month ago we adopted a puppy from the Woodstock animal Foundation. This is Asher:

Asher's mom was an Australian Shepherd. If you've ever seen an Aussie, then you know he looks nothing like his mother. Though the agency didn't know what the dad was, we are almost certain his dad was a Pointer.

This picture was taken when we first got him. He is now 5 months old and weighs 37 pounds. Our vet says we can plan on him hitting 60 pounds at his max weight. He is such a sweety. He absolutely LOVES to play and he has the floppiest ears...he is so hilarious to watch. Just the other day he got caught up chasing a butterfly and wondered into our neighbor's yard where he had his first encounter with a wild mushroom. He barked his head off and couldn't figure out why the thing wouldn't move. Anyway, it was pretty funny.

We have actually started obedience school along with our next door neighbor Gerri and her weiner dog Molly. Though Asher is a lot of fun, he is VERY strong and very stubborn. He only responds to commands if he is particularly in the mood. So, we figure, if he is going to be 60 pounds, we ought to figure out how to control him while he is still at a managable size.

The last thing I will update you on is my very-pregnant sister. As many of you know, she has had 2 miscarriages in the last year and a half. So, it is very exciting to announce that she is 7 months pregnant with a very healthy baby. Ellianna Michelle is due to arrive on November 7. The name Ellianna is the Hebrew word for "God has heard." For obvious reasons, this is a very fitting name for the MOST prayed for child ever. So many people have prayed for Matt and Sara through this difficult time and the name is a tribute both to those people and to the God who has made Ellianna's life possible. Michelle is after her FAVORITE Aunt...me :) Michelle was my middle name.

So, this past weekend I had the opportunity to travel back to Tennessee for her baby shower. Here is a cute picture of Sara and her shower hostesses. Isn't her baby belly, soooo cute!

Anyway, that's all for now. I am going to try to be better at blogging, but I make no promises, since we donn't have internet at our house! It makes it very challenging to keep you all updated. But, thanks again for continuing to check on us. We appreciate it! Talk to you soon!

We are still alive!

2008-04-11T14:36:00.000-04:00

Well, I just wanted to let you know that we are still alive. The truth is, absolutely NOTHING exciting has happened in our lives lately. So, there really isn't much to blog about. However, I am working on my second sewing project. I am working on a "Pilt" as Jared calls it for a friend of ours. A "pilt" is basically a square blanket that folds up into the shape of a pillow. I will have to show you some pictures when it's done.

Anyway, ta ta for now. Thanks for stopping by!

New England Vacation

2008-03-13T21:41:00.000-04:00

Well, Saturday morning when we woke up to 8 inches of snow, we were skeptical about the start of our vacation. Once we finally plowed our way out of the parking lot, we made our way (slowly) to the airport. Once we got there, we were surprised to discover that all flights were right on schedule. This did not prove to be true. We spent quite a while waiting in the airport getting to know our next door neighbors who were ironically on the same flight as us to Chicago. So, 2 hours later (1 hour after we were supposed to leave), when we finally took off, we were very relieved. When we got off the plane for our connection to Chicago at 9:56, we literally had 4 minutes to run to the other side of the airport to catch our 10:00 flight to Providence. Amazingly...we made it. Sadly, our luggage did not. It caught up with us about midnight.

Waiting for take-off in Louisville

When we arrived in Providence, we got our rental care and drove straight to Cape Cod (about an hour from providence) to visit with Jared's Uncle Bob and see the Cape. Uncle Bob had some AMAZING, authentic New England Clam Chowder and Lobster salad waiting for us when we arrived. So, we ate lunch and chatted for awhile before heading out on the cape. Let me just say, Cape Cod is one of the neatest places I have ever been. Everything is so beautiful and it just seems that the Cape has a different, slower way of life. Here are a few of the sights we saw:

This light house is still guiding ships at sea after many years of service

This is a draw bridge, but not just any draw bridge. It is a draw bridge created for trains to cross. So, most of the time this bridge is as you see it. But 2 or 3 times a day, the top part lowers down for trains to cross. The bridge is operated with 2 small engines and an amazingly engineered pulley system. Pretty crazy!

Anyway, we got to see lots of other neat things. But, since it was pouring rain for most of the day, we didn't get a whole lot of pictures. We do want to say THANK YOU Uncle Bob. We had a blast!

Jared and Uncle Bob

On Sunday, we went and saw a few sights in Providence. Then we drove up to Newport, RI (home of America's Cup, the Yacht Race). We spent most of the day there before driving over to Boston to spend the evening. I won't bore you with all the details. But, here are some pics. We saw quite a lot of historical churches and schools. Enjoy:

PROVIDENCE, RI

Capital Building

View of the City from our hotel window

A random sign that we found confusing, but quite funny

The first ever Baptist Church in America

Brown College

NEWPORT, RI

Providence, the first Episcopalian church in America

A New England Fish Market

The Pier

Rocky Beaches

Newport is known for its mansions. This is one of the largest.

Another beautiful mansion

Some sailors taking advantage of the windy day

Now these next few pictures are in Boston. I want to take this time to inform you that the mid-size vehicle that we ended up with from Hertz was a Kia Rondo as seen below. They call this an SUV, but it is really more like a sporty mini-van. Being that Jared is a lot better at reading maps, he was the navigator for the trip and I was the driver.

In case you were wondering, this is how I felt about driving a mini-van in Boston.

Jared, my loving husband, with a supportive (but obviously terrified) smile.

Okay...Moving on!

BOSTON, MA

Harvard

MIT

Berklee College of Music
(this is where we went to the Paul Potts concert)

The first church of Christ, Scientology

Paul Potts singing his signature song Nessun Dorma

One of the things that inspired our trip was the fact that Paul Potts would be putting on a concert in Boston on that weekend. Now, have no fear, Jared and I did not move to Kentucky and become closet opera fans. But, we LOVE Paul Potts. If you haven't heard of him, he was the winner of the 2007 Britain's got talent. Check him out on Youtube. He is amazing.

I know this is a really long post, but we wanted to show you all some pictures from our trip. We are so fortunate to have been able to take some time away from life to go on an "adventure" together. We really had a great time!

CHAMPIONS!!!

2008-02-28T22:59:00.000-05:00

The sweet smell of victory is in Simpsonville, KY tonight (Unfortunately, the smell of victory is of cedar wood chips and stinky donkeys). I kinda smelled like a hamster at the end of the night. Never the less, I (Jared) have never been more proud of an accolade in life than this one. The picture below is of the undefeated
DONKEY BALL CHAMPIONS!(From left to right: Ken Hyde, Tommy Redding, Matt Garner, Jared Norris,
Donna Beale, Cindy Childers)
Anticipation built all day for a community event that we were asked to be a part of. I have never had such fear and excitement intermingled in my daily emotions. Never before had I been asked to ride a donkey. Let alone ride a donkey while playing basketball. I got to the gym early to mingle with the donkeys. I helped the owner load them up to move his truck, so I could get used to them and them to me. It was all part of my strategy. What can I say? I'm a cutthroat Donkey Ball player. Anyway, we were given instructions on how to ride, fall off safely, and play the game. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we had to sign the waivers as well.

The donkey I'm pulling in this picture is named "Johnny Knoxville." Johnny and I became quick friends. He successfully led our team to victory in the first game by allowing me to ride him and score all 6 points. Just in case you were wondering, most of these donkeys you can't ride! However, Johnny was cool.

The donkey in this picture was not cool. We weren't that close of friends. I don't even know his name. The nerve of him not introducing himself. In fact, the guy who owns these donkeys set me up with this donkey on purpose. So, what did I do? I tried to tame this beast. Jesus did it on palm Sunday. The Holy Spirit dwells within me, so why not give it a try? I have faith, but evidently not enough.

This video is me getting bucked off. This was the hardest hit all night for me.

This video is longer, but hang on, I get tossed like a rag doll. You wouldn't think that riding a 3 foot midget donkey would be that bad, but it stings...it stings real bad.

Notice in this one the guy in the blue shirt chasing his donkey all over the floor. Thats Tommy Redding our church administrator, and rebounding machine in Donkey Ball. I just think its really funny to watch him run in circles.

I will end on a good note. This is proof that I actually scored points in Donkey Basketball.

I will have to admit this night brought so much laughter and joy. I had the best time in the world. It's great to have people walk up to you at the end of the night and say, "you made the show worth it." That statement was made in reference to my amazing donkey taming skills. This may be an odd statement as well, but tonight was a great outreach to the community. I pray that God will use Donkey Basketball to help those in our community know that this church truly loves them. When it was all over I literally praised God for this opportunity. God got all the glory tonight for the aches, pains, smiles, laughter, and love that was poured out. The night was worth it! We are blessed beyond belief. In all seriousness, it truly was one of those few times in life where you can say, "It was magical night." Tonight will be a night I never forget, and you better believe I will pass this down through the ages.

For further pictures and videos of Donkey Ball, check out the Hunters blog. A link is on the sidebar at the top.

Tonight's the Big Night...

2008-02-28T10:05:00.000-05:00

...and I will admit. I'm getting kind of nervous. Tonight my husband will attempt to play basketball, while riding a donkey. If he makes it through this in one peice, I will be amazed.

All of the guys playing Donkey Basketball were given a sheet of donkey "don'ts." This list includes things like, don't pull the donkey's hair (duh!), don't stand behind the donkey, keep your hands out of the donkey's mouth, etc. The flyer actually says, "Each donkey is selected for its ability to buck, duck, walk, run or lay down. Each is different. Be advised that you may fall off, be bucked off or ducked off your donkey. This is part of the show."

Well, folks, a show it will be. Pictures will be coming...stay tuned!

Eat and Be Content

2008-02-27T12:51:00.000-05:00

Southern Seminary has a women's ministry called Pendergraph. Pendergraph sponsors about 1 event/month on campus for wives of students and for female students. Since I now fall into both categories, I decided that maybe I should try one of the events out. So, I called up Emily and we decided that last night we would brave Pendergraph together.

What I am about to say has completely nothing to do with this blog entry, but I believe that it is worth noting. Last night when we walked in, I promise you, that at least 15 of the 75 women in that room were either noticeably pregnant or had a newborn in their hands. This in and of itself is enough to deter any woman from attending seminary events--"It" really must be in the water!!!

Moving On...

The subject of last night's lecture was "Eat and Be Content." David Kotter, a man whose qualifications on speaking I cannot recall, gave a lecture on glorifying God in the way that we eat. Now, David Kotter is probably about 6'4 and seriously can't weigh more than 150 lbs. So, when he walked on stage, I will admit...I was skeptical. I wondered what this man could possibly tell overweight women about losing weight for the glory of God. FYI...Kotter normally gives 6 hour lectures on the topic, but he mashed all of his ideas into our 40 minute meeting last night.

The basis for his ministry stems from 1 Corinthians 10:31:
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

From this verse, he gathers that God is very interested in the way that we eat. Gluttony is often an unspoken sin. Kotter defines gluttony as "Habitually eating to excess." There are instances in the Bible where the Israelites or even Jesus himself sat down and feasted as a celebration. These feasts are not the gluttonous acts that Kotter speaks of. It is the daily decision to allow the amount of food we consume exceed the amount of food we actually need.

But there is a gospel solution to our problem of over-eating. Kotter said, "Jesus Christ died on the cross for me--to break the power of sin in my life." This includes the sin of over-eating. So, why does Kotter consider over-eating a sin? Well, he had a couple of reasons and I tend to agree with him.

Reason 1: Eating too much is a form of Idolatry.
Romans 16:18 says, "For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people."

1 Corinthians 6:12-13 tells us, "Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13"Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body."
Allowing food to come in and master your life...thus becoming the master that you serve...is idolatrous.

Reason 2: Foolish Eating is bad Stewardship--not knowing what is in the food that we are eating and taking care to ensure that what we put in our body is glorifying to God. We have a responsibility in being good stewards of the body that God gave us. We can do so by knowing what we're eating and eating Just Enough (Proverbs 25:16)

So, I know what you're wondering...thanks for all the Biblical reasoning...did Kotter give you any practical advice? Well, yes, to some extent, he did.

First and foremost: If we are full of Christ in our lives and feed ourselves with God's word, then we will be less likely to "satisfy" our hunger with food.

Second: The average person should have at least 25g of Fiber/day and less than 50g of Fat/day.

Third: Stay away from fat and carbs and lean towards protein and fiber.
Fourth: Share a food journal with an accountability partner. The key to this is finding someone who will lovingly rebuke you when you are failing to glorify God with your eating habits.

One fact I found interesting...3500 calories=1 lb. of fat. Walking 1 mile expends 100 calories. That means you would have to walk 35 miles to lose 1 lb. Sounds like eating healthy would be easier!

So, anyway, I would love to hear what you think about this topic. It is no secret that I have struggled with weight gain/weight loss for most of my life. There were about 3 years in college that I felt like I was at an "acceptable" weight. But, I traded marriage for my size 6 pants. LADIES...It doesn't have to be this way!!! I am figuring out that I have always lost weight for myself--to serve my own selfish desires. But, Kotter's whole purpose in this seminar was to convey that we can worship God with our bodies. That losing weight for ourselves will never work in the long run.

So, I leave you with this final verse. May you be encouraged!

"19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Bring on the Spring!!!

2008-02-26T22:12:00.000-05:00

Let me just say...I am TIRED of cold weather!!! Before moving to Kentucky, many people told us that the winters in Kentucky wouldn't be much different than those in Tennessee. Well, I can officially say to all of you: YOU WERE WRONG! If you keep up with our blog, you saw a picture from several weeks ago when we got our first snow. I think we only got about 1 inch that night. The picture below is from our second snow, where we got about 4 inches. At this point, the cold weather, snow thing was pretty exciting. Then, we got our third snow...and didn't bother to take any pictures...because it was getting old...and then we got our ice storm last week. Again...no pictures. It was very interesting watching Jared trying to scrape the inch of ice off of the car so we could slide into work. Now, we're at the end of February, and it's snowing...again. It has been all day. Will it ever end?!?!?!? I just long for the days that we walked outside and the wind chill was above 10.

Anyway, I am done whining, because it is not all bad. There are two major benefits to the cold weather.(1)Lots of snuggling (2) Getting to drink hot chocolate from my super-cute snowman mugs. I got these mugs on sale in Nashville, IN a couple of weeks ago. The set of 4 mugs (formerly $50) was marked down to $12, so, I jumped at the good deal.

The Winter Wonderland

Super-Cute Snowman Mugs

Have a nice night...and stay warm!

Coming Soon!

2008-02-20T16:40:00.000-05:00

Today during staff meeting I was given the opportunity of a lifetime...
to play DONKEY BASKETBALL!
I'm so excited about this opportunity to show my mad skills.

This is a community fundraiser that is held annually in Simpsonville. The city team backed out this year, so Team SBC is coming out of the minor leagues. The basic rules are:

always stay with your donkey
you must be on your donkey to shoot
the team that scores the most wins

Thursday, February 28th, 6:30 pm
Please keep all obvious jokes to yourself!

Cheesecake, Tractors, & Curtains, Oh My!

2008-02-19T21:26:00.000-05:00

Well, let me just say, we had a big weekend! We started on Wednesday night with our Valentine's Celebration. Now, I am not typically one to celebrate commercial holidays, but it was nice to take some time out to celebrate our marriage and the gift of love that God has blessed us with. We ate dinner together at home and then did a little shopping. We finished the evening at the Cheesecake Factory with some cheesecake and coffee. I know all of the desserts at the Cheesecake Factory are wonderful, but I would definitely recommend the Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake!

On Thursday night Jared's parents arrived in town for the annual Farm Machinery show. Just in case you're wondering, this is a BIG DEAL! I wasn't able to go, but Jared and his parents spent the day Friday looking at some really large Farm Machinery. Here are a few pictures just to help you understand how HUGE some of this stuff is. Lynn said, "This tractor is ready for the sippy hole." I guess because of the tall and skinny tires.

Patsy hanging out inside the rim of a combine.

We ended Friday with a yummy dinner at Claudia Sander's dinner house. You see, Colonel Sanders and his wife Claudia used to live in Shelbyville. After they got out of the KFC business, they opened this restaurant in Shelbyville. It is some good ole country cookin'!

Now, one of the things that Jared's mom brought me this weekend was a sewing machine. She also taught me some of the basics of sewing. With her help (and lots of it), I was able to sew this curtain for Jared's office. This being my first sewing project, I am quite proud of myself. And, for future reference, Wal Mart is no longer selling fabric in any of its new stores and is phasing it out of all the old stores. We found that out the hard way!

Sunday morning, Jared had the opportunity to preach in "Big Church." Now, I realize that I am biased, but he did an amazing job! My husband truly has the gift of communicating (to large groups of people, that is!). Anyway, it was definitely a great finish to a very busy weekend.

We hope you guys all had a great Valentine's weekend. Love you all!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T08:50:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! My prayer for you is that everyday would be a celebration of the love you share with your Valentine! Have I mentioned I have the cutest Valentine EVER?! Sorry ladies, he's taken!

(Picture complements of Bynum Photography)

Good Ole' George

2008-02-11T10:24:00.001-05:00

This past week I (Jared) had the privilege to read this book. I inhaled it, and I never read books the way I did this one. It was challenging to my faith and prayer life. It was encouraging to my personal walk with Christ. It continually brought my thoughts to the throne of God and the work of God. I want to make the statement that this is the best book I've ever read.

This book is simply a recount of the life of George Muller. The majority of it is written from his journal entries and the entries of his wives (he is not a polygamist). To give you a simple taste of this life, he was humble and focused on making sure his life glorified Christ. As a result of his discipline and commitment, Muller ran an orphanage for over 2,000 children in the mid 1800's by faith alone, never asking one person for any money. Through consistent prayer, Muller asked God to provide the means to serve the children. Muller's faith is an example to us all of how we should treat God, prayer, and the Bible. Muller had 30,000 prayers answered within 24 hrs of praying it the first time. The best part of it all is that Muller was simply a common man with a focus and a passion. We can all be this way!

Shorter Biography of George Muller
George Muller Article

The Foundations George Muller Originally Started
The George Muller Foundation

The Book

Breakfast...the most important meal of the day!

2008-02-07T08:09:00.000-05:00

So, on our 6 hour drive home from West Tennessee at Thanksgiving, Jared and I sat down and wrote out some things that we could intentionally do to make our lives in Kentucky "happier." Now, don't get me wrong, we were not necessarily "Unhappy" in Kentucky, but we were kind of in a funk. I was still very sad about being away from my family and we had gotten into a detrimental routine of coming home from work, putting on our pajamas and watching Tivo for the evening. So, here are a couple of things we decided to do:

1. Watch only 1 show on Tivo an evening (this was made much easier by the writer's strike)
2. Get 8 hours of sleep a night--11pm-7am no matter what (we are still working on this one)
3. Exercise 3-4 times a week-This was going very well before Jared's Planter Facitis
4. Intentionally hang out with another couple/group of people at least once a week
5. Eat healthy meals
6. Eat Breakfast
7. Begin taking Vitamins

Now, all of these things are pretty typical "new year's resolutions." We just made them at Thanksgiving. And, honestly, we have done really well with all of them except for our sleeping. But, there is one thing in particular that has absolutely REVOLUTIONIZED our lives: Eating Breakfast.

In the mornings, we get up, get showers, and while I get ready, Jared makes breakfast. A typical breakfast consists of 1 egg white, 1 peice of turkey sausage, fruit and either a peice of toast or a whole grain waffle. This meal is just under 300 calories--not bad for what you're eating, right? It's amazing how much more energy we have and how much longer this ties us over than just a quick bowl of cereal. Now, I had heard that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for most of my life. But, I never was a breakfast-eater. I'd rather sleep in than eat (suprising, I know!). But, making this one change has been amazing. However, the physical benefits are not the ones that I want to write about. It's the spiritual and relational benefits that make it worth the while.

You see, Jared and I started out praying before our breakfast. Then as we ate, we got to spend a good 15-20 minutes talking about our day, the things we would do and what we were stressed about EVERY MORNING. Wow! I cannot tell you how much this has benefited our relationship! Fifteen minutes doesn't sound like a lot, but when you spend 15 minutes sharing your worry, stress and excitement with your spouse, it is truly life-changing for your relationship. In the past few weeks, Jared has started bringing a devotional book to the table. The devotions are short, but they are thought provoking and have taken our breakfast conversation to the next level--spiritual intimacy.

So, here is my challenge to you: eat breakfast. Be intentional in your time with your spouse. It will change your life!

Sweet Foot Action!

2008-02-06T14:38:00.000-05:00

Because my brothers have convinced me to run a marathon with them, I have been trying to train, but there is a little problem. I am having massive foot pain; however, there is a solution...orthopedics. I have to get custom shoe inserts to fit my very high arches. I haven't been able to train the last two weeks, but I'm trying to stay up on it by riding a bike and using an elliptical machine (I can do these because they're low impact on my feet). I know this is a random thing to post about, but I really wanted to put my xray up. If you look closely to the side view of the foot you will notice that my heel bone (very technical term) is angled much higher than it should be, or at least thats what I'm told. My arch is about 50 degrees, but a normal arch is around 15-20 degrees. Anyway, that has caused me to have plantar fasciitis. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone just in case you're wondering. Currently, we are taking donations to cover the cost of the $500 shoe insert recommended by our doctor.

Frankfort or Bust!

2008-01-29T20:15:00.001-05:00

Well, I am a little late on posting this, but better late than never.

A few weekends ago we went with the Kinkades to visit the KY capital...Frankfort. (We figured if we were going to be Kentuckians, we should at least check out our state's history). Anyway, we had a lot of fun and discovered that Frankfort is a very neat city. It's a busy, capital city with a small town feel. Here are some pics from the trip.

We started our trip with a visit to the capital building. This is a gorgeous building!

Now, the outside is gorgeous, but the inside architecture is truly breath-taking. You walk in and simply feel the need to just be quiet. The inside is filled with white marble floors, columns an archways. This picture is taken from one end of the building to the other:

There were also several random statues in the middle of the building. You can kind of see Abraham Lincoln's head sticking up in the picture above. So, we got a closer look. Here are Jared and Daniel with Jefferson Davis...
and Emily and me with Abraham Lincoln.

After our tour of the Capital building, we went and had lunch at a place called Gibby's in downtown Frankfort. It was some good ole greasy food. Me and Emily had the frito chili pie...highly recommended! Then we browsed through some book stores and coffee shops as we attempted to work off some of the thousands of calories we consumed for lunch.After our tour of downtown, we headed over to a candy shop called Rebecca Ruth. Rebecca Ruth was established in 1919 (I think!) and was the originator of the Bourbon Ball. We were still pretty stuffed from lunch, which was probably a good thing because all we had room for in our tummies was 1 bourbon ball a piece (which was delicious, I might add). Normally you can get a tour of Rebecca Ruth, but they don't give them on Saturdays, so we were out of luck.

So, there were only two weird things about the day. One...inside the capital there are several cases full of dolls. These dolls are replicas of all the first ladies in Kentucky. If you ask me...kind of creepy!!!
The second weird thing...well, I think this picture speaks for itself!
Overall, it was a really fun day. We had a lot of fun just hanging out and doing random things. We absolutely love having Daniel and Emily in Kentucky with us. They have made this transition to Kentucky a THOUSAND times easier than it could have been. The Lord truly does work things out and He provides all things that you need as soon as you truly need them...even when the thing you need is simply friends!

Getting Organized!

2008-01-13T22:03:00.000-05:00

We got a new book shelf last week! We're pumped about it. On a side note, its weird to think that I am excited about a book shelf. I guess your priorities change. Katie is determined to make me be organized and this is one of her ploys to make that happen. I am collecting more and more books each semester, so this had to happen. We would like to thank Garden Ridge for the opportunity to make way for the school books the semester will bring.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

2008-01-03T19:32:00.001-05:00

Well, I hope everyone had a productive New Year's Day. We definitely took advantage of our time off and spent it wisely!

Anyway, I just wanted to share this picture with you guys. This is officially our first snow in Louisville. We got about 1 inch on New Year's Night. It's nothing to get too excited about, but it made me happy to see snow when I got up to go to work on Wednesday morning. This is the view from our patio through the screen door.

By the way...I fully intend to pay back my lovely husband back for the video he posted. I'll let you know when I figure out how. :)

The Xmas Story

2008-01-02T16:42:00.000-05:00

You know even after the Christmas season I find myself reflecting on the story of Christ's birth. Honestly, I could think of no better way to reflect than to listen to my wife sing the Christmas story to the tune of "I Will Survive." Please allow me to set the context of the video up for you. We (Katie, Jared, and Chris Covington) are disco sheep telling the story of Christ's birth. Chris and I are the back of dancers. Kick back and enjoy the truth of Christ told from my beautiful wife's voice. Please spread the word about this video. Katie has no clue I'm doing this! As a final thought, I love my marriage.

Biblical Love is an act of the will accompanied by emotion that leads to action on behalf of its object. (from the book Family Driven Faith based on Deuteronomy 6:5)

I love you Katie!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T00:51:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official...another year has passed us by! Is it just me or do the years seem to go by quicker as we get older? I normally do not make New Year's Resolutions, because I do not like setting myself up for failure :) But, this year I am daring to make one: to be a more committed blogger. Now that we have gotten settled in our new home in Louisville, hopefully I will be able to find more time to keep you updated on the excitement in our lives.

Anyway...on to our new year's celebration. First we went out to dinner with some of our best friends--the Kinkades. In case you don't know our history with the Kindades, here's the short version. Emily and I became friends my freshman year of college. We served on a leadership committee at our church together and got to know each other pretty well as we headed up the greeter team :) Then, about 3 years later, Jared moved in with Daniel. Shortly thereafter, Daniel and Emily started dating. In July, Daniel and Emily got married and moved to Louisville and Jared and I moved here in August. So, needless to say, God has continuously put us in each others' paths and we have become great friends. Enough of the Gab...here are some pics of our New Year's Eve Party--Seminary Style :)

Daniel and Jared at Cheddar's (Sorry for the poor lighting!)

Me and Emily

After dinner we headed back to the Kinkades' house for some Brownies and coffee. We watched The Breakup with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn (Great movie, horrible ending) and then played some cards while waiting for 2008 to show up.

Being the good seminary couples that we are, we rang in the New Year with Sparkling White Grape Juice and some sweet kisses with our hubbies.

To End the night with a proper sugar high, Jared finished off the Sparkling Grape Juice and we called it a night.
Happy New Year!

We would like to interrupt this program...

2007-12-18T20:26:00.000-05:00

for a VERY important announcement...Jared and Katie are...blogging again!

I know 3 months between posts is a little ridiculous. Needless to say, life has been crazy! It seems like every weekend we are either out of town or have someone in town. So, time has been cut short for blogging. But, here's a quick update on what has been going on in the life of the Norrises.

Jared finished up his first semester in seminary. He managed to get through a VERY TOUGH semester with all A's and B's (I'm so proud) and most of his sanity. While Jared is an extremely intelligent and diligent young man, he definitely struggled through the semester with lots of sweat and tears--literally. Ladies, if you ever come home to find your husband sitting on the couch weeping and don't know what to do...just give me a call. I've got it down :) He has a learned a lot (like which classes not to take together), but he still has about 7 semesters left.

I am still working for our church's daycare. I am an administrative assistant and jack of all trades. It has been quite and adjustment for me, but I enjoy it most days. If nothing else, by the end of this job I should have an immune system of steel! I have been sick more in the last four months than I was in my entire college career. The latest ailment--a stomach bug that lasted THREE days! In case you're wondering, this was not fun! My husband was wonderful at taking care of me. He held my hair back while I puked in the Walgreens parking lot on the busiest corner in Shelbyville, KY and brought me lots of chicken noodle soup. But, I am finally back to normal (and five pounds lighter).

This Sunday we start our Marathon of holiday madness. So, we'll be sure to take lots of pictures and actually post something that's interesting by the new year! Maybe consistent blogging will be a new year's resolution...

Happy Holidays!

Seminary...more like semi-conscious.

2007-09-22T18:30:00.001-04:00

During this transition of life we have realized sometimes that there is not much time to spend together. So we make due; therefore, we have created a new way to study for us (though Jeremy and Amanda did function this way too). Here is what we do:

Katie Sleeps

I study

or sometimes sleep too.

Seriously, it is very hard but very rewarding. You don't realize how little you know about the Bible until you are pushed to explain what you believe and why you believe it. The biggest change is the amount of reading and comprehension that has to take place. I can remember studying 10 pages of notes and thinking that was a lot. I just got through studying 50 pages yesterday for a test. Please pray for us as you think of us.

You get a line and I'll get a pole...

2007-09-20T23:07:00.000-04:00

This past Wednesday the kids had a fishing fellowship. It was awesome. The kids had a blast, and some big ole' fish were caught. Its always great to see a kid reel in a big one! He barely got this one in. He struggled to turn the reel round and round, but in the end, father and son celebrated victoriously. By the way, if you can't tell by the smile the one in the grey shirt pulled this one in.

Just In Case You Didn't Know...

2007-09-02T11:56:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to let you know some of the great things God has worked out for Jared and I since we moved to Louisville.

Jared is (for two weeks now) the Children's Minister at Simpsonville Baptist Church. We met the pastor Steve back in May when he brought his daughter to Brentwood for our Summer Missions Training at the TBC. Steve and I got to talking because he lived in the Louisville area and I was getting ready to move there. After some conversation I discovered he was looking for a children's minister and he discovered I just so happened to be married to a FANTASTIC one! So, Jared came to our dinner the next night at orientation and he and Steve just hit it off wonderfully! The next weekend we visited the church. We cannot even begin to tell you how at home we felt here the minute we walked in. To make a long story short, we interviewed with the personnel committee and met some parents. Jared gave his testimony in church and then the church voted us in. Only 1 person voted no. We plan to find out who that was and to love them until they love us! :)

Now, I am working at Adventure club, which is our church preschool/after school program. I am mostly doing administrative stuff each day and then in the afternoons I work with the after school kiddoes. We have about 60 kids in the after school program and only a SMALL handful of them regularly attend our church. So, this is a great outreach for us. I am liking it so far, however, after only 1 week working the program, I am already sick. So, I need to start taking some vitamins if this is ever going to work!

So, we are pretty much ahead of the curve. Most seminary students are feverishly looking for jobs in churches right now. Many students drive an hour or longer each Sunday just for the opportunity to serve in churches. So, Jared having a job in ministry at a great church that he loves, is pretty much unheard of! And, me having a job already is wonderful. God is really taking care of us!

Anyway, thanks for caring enough to check our blog! We love and miss home so much, but we are liking Louisville pretty well, too. Maybe one day it will feel like home.

Long Time...No Type To

2007-08-14T19:59:00.001-04:00

Well, it has been quite a while since our last post. Quite honestly, I never knew what all was involved in moving. But, we finally got our internet up and running so hopefully the blogging won't be so sparse. And...since I am currently a housewife, I should have plenty of time on my hands while looking for a job.

Anyway, it has actually been almost 3 weeks since all of our personal belongings vacated our apartment in Smyrna. I don't want to miss the opportunity to say what a blessing our small group was to us. We rented a 26 foot Penske truck thinking that we would have plenty of room to pack up our small, 2nd floor apartent. Well, 16 people and 1 hour and fifteen minutes later, the Penske was packed full from floor to ceiling and our official "move out" was complete. WOW!

Thanks to Alison's genius, we simply formed an assembly line from the apartment to the truck. This worked great for all of the small stuff!
I just think this picture of my dad is hilarious! We all had to stop and laugh when we saw my dad standing there holding a pot of tulips and my other decorative branch thingy. It was quite funny!

Then there was the wok. The funny thing about the wok is that we had meant to pack it in a box for almost 3 weeks, but kept forgetting. In our small apt., the best place to store the wok was overtop of the kitchen cabinets...and there it stayed. We gave Dixie the assignment of making sure it got on the truck. And, lo and behold, the wok finally got loaded. It was the LAST thing to go on the truck. Sara had the honor of delivering the wok to the Penske.

Mom had a small surgical procedure the day before we moved, so she was unable to lift anything. So, she was put on Norah duty...a duty I know she was glad to have. She and Norah seemed to hit it off quite nicely!After all was loaded, we sat on the floor of our empty apartment and enjoyed each other's company and some pizza thanks to my mom and dad. It was fun to just sit around and talk! I am not entirely sure what inspired this face from Jansen, but I am sure that it was just his way of expressing the broken heart he feels with Jared and me leaving!

Let me just say that if you are not in a small group, then you should definitely consider finding one! I'll admit, at first Jared and I were skeptical about the whole small group thing. But, a year ago, when Brad and Alison asked us to be the first members of their small group, Jared and I decided to give it a try. And I can honestly say...we are so thankful! Not just because we had an army of people to help us move, but because we had a group of people to live our lives with. People who became some of our best friends.

That's enough of the Small Group plug...I just thought I'd let you know what you're missing out on!

Country Cookin'

2007-07-26T09:36:00.001-04:00

Jared's parents are in town for a few days to help us finish up our packing, get the Penske loaded and get all of our stuff moved to Kentucky. So, when they got in town last night, we decided we wanted to go out for a nice, country dinner in the very charming little town of Bell Buckle. Jared's parents had never been there, so we thought it would be fun for them to go with us. All of the shops and stuff were closed by the time we got there, but the most important thing was open: The Bell Buckle cafe. Can I just say...I highly recommend the chicken fried steak.

If you haven't been to this cute little town, you should definitely make a day out of it. But, if you're interested in the Moon Pie and RC Cola festival, you will have to wait until next year. This summer's festival has already passed.

Going Out With a Bang!

2007-07-25T11:04:00.001-04:00

Okay...I have one more story for you today. As most of you know, I only have about 1 and a half more weeks here at TBC. So, in the good ole fashion of "Katie-ness," it was about time for me to do something really dumb. So, as I ran out to my car in the somewhat pouring rain yesterday afternoon, I remembered that I had cracked my windows at lunch time before I came in from the very bright and NOT AT ALL CLOUDY outdoors. When I got in my car I discovered that my brand new Dee Henderson book was soaked. I know what you're thinking...that's not so dumb. Well, the story continues. Once I was done drying off my book, I started to pull out of my parking spot. So, I am backing up with my foot on the break, looking over my shoulder like the good, safe driver that I am, when all of the sudden I felt this huge jolt and heard a loud, not-so-pleasant noise. I pulled my car back into the spot and looked behind me where I saw...nothing. The thought running through my head: "Oh my gosh, I just hit a person." So, I jumped out of my car and ran around to the back of it only to find...nothing. As I am crouched down on the ground trying to figure out what in the heck I had just hit, a car a few yards down the parking lot began to back up to where I was. Apparently, his car was what the unidentified object that I had hit. Oops. The sad thing is, it was a pretty large car...something along the lines of a Buick or a Lincoln TownCar...and I never saw it! I don't know if it was the rain, a blindspot, or the incredibly fast rate at which this man is known for driving through our parking lot, but I totally hit a HUGE car and never even saw it. Wow. That's embarassing. Luckily, he didn't want to call the police or file a report or anything like that. So, other than a sore back, two sore wrists, and a badly beaten ego, I think I'll survive. I will try to post a picture of my scratched up bumper later.

What a Gift!

2007-07-25T10:28:00.000-04:00

So, let me tell you a little story...
A couple of weeks ago, a good friend of ours (Kent Shingleton) was speaking at a church here in the Nashville area. His assignment was to do a morning worship service and an evening worship service. So, during the morning service, Kent talked about the mission trip his whole family (he, his wife and 3 kids) had just gotten back from in Brazil. He talked about trying to raise so much money for his whole family to go. Well, later that night when he went back to the church, the part-time youth minister's wife came up to Shawnah and said that she wished she had known Kent and Shawnah sooner because her husband, who does real estate as his other job, just got a bonus that they were wanting to give to some type of mission project. But, since she was too late to give them money for Brazil, she asked if Kent and Shawnah knew of any couples that were going to seminary this fall. Hmmmm...as a matter of fact, Shawnah said, we do. So, to make a long story short, Jared and I got a check for just over $2,000 in the mail yesterday from 2 people we have never met that just have a heart for ministry and that wanted to use their financial blessings to bless the hearts (and pocketbooks) of a young married couple who are learning to trust God for everything they need. So, let me just encourage you...God supplies everything we need if we only trust Him to do so. Much thanks to Kent and Shawnah as well as the couple who sent us the money...If they only knew what they have done for us! Oh, and by the way...guess how much Jared's tuition for his first semester of seminary is. Just over $2,000.

Here We Go Again...

2007-07-25T10:06:00.000-04:00

So, this is my second attempt at having a blog. The first time we (Jared and I) decided that there was absolutely nothing interesting or exciting about our lives that was blog-worthy. We have no kids, no pets...you get the drift. So, after a few months we just killed our blog. But, Jared and I are moving to Louisville in about 2 weeks for him to start seminary. Surely a young married couple moving away from everyone and everything they know will have something interesting to blog about. We don't have much money (although we do have great families who will make sure we don't starve). I don't have a job and Jared is starting a HEAVY load of courses in just a couple of weeks. We are truly living on love...God's love for us, our love for Him and our love for each other. This should be interesting! For now I will leave you with this picture of the Seminary that we are going to. It really is a beautiful campus!