God Has Answered

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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!