Monday, January 26, 2009

Encounter 09: Part I

We were so blessed to be part of Encounter 09 at Monadnock Bible Camp in Jaffery, NH! Cody spoke to a few hundred kids, we met tons of new people & built some great relationships. It was such a delight to get to know Todd (a camp director), his wife, Holly, & their kids. We can't wait to be a part of 2 more camps in the snow (which was beautiful but REALLY cold)! Here a some pics from the gorgeous sights & events!

I couldn't resist this little spot close to the camp site. After all, my favorite color IS red!! (Linda, if you are reading this, it reminds me of your house)
It's so hard to take a picture of yourself!
So quaint!
Water under the bridge...
This bridge is amazingly stunning & I tried to capture it but failed miserably.
The best part of the weekend (other than our dinner with new friends on Sunday night) was the Saturday evening session. Cody gave such a clear message about Christ giving life to all who believe on Him. We experienced an amazing night of worship & were able to see many students begin a relationship with the Savior. Students & leaders were singing, loving on each other, praying together & enjoying sweet moments of praise. The image below is my favorite!
I'm happy to be in warmer temps & sleeping in my own bed tonight. Thanks to all our new friends in New England for sharing a part of the journey with us! We loved it & can't wait to do it again! 

Sunday, January 25, 2009

I'm a Belle, a Southern one.


Top 5 reasons why I was meant to be a Southern Belle...(in no particular order)

1. It's just too flippin' cold up North. Yes, all the snow is beautiful but I really don't know how people live in these freezing temps for more than a few days. I love that I can, on occasion, wear flip flops in January which, in turn, means my toes must look their best at all times.
2. When you live in the Northern part of the country, your car is dirty for about 6 months out of the year. Seriously, we were in NH for 4 days and I didn't see the first sparkling vehicle. Let me state, for the record, that at the moment my vehicle looks like it belongs in New England but when it finally gets it's bath, it will stay shine-y for at least a few days. Here...not a chance. And don't even get me started on the amount of cleaning necessary to maintain a home that inhabits snow boots. That's just my OCD coming out!
3. I loathe wearing all these layers. What is the point in doing lunges, push-ups & crunches when the results are covered up so much that, not only can you not see the curves, you don't even know they are there at all? For this simple reason I ate too many Oreo's to count in 4 days!! I figure if the clothes are gonna make me look 5-10 pounds heavier, I might as well eat. Not cool. Not cool at all. My friend, Bethany, lives in a freezing state, works out constantly and, quite frankly, is ripped. I, on the other hand, need non-layer accountability! 
4. I like my southern accent. Not only do I like it, I'm proud of it. I love that I call a "half-bath" a "powder room". After all, that IS what it was intended for...to "powder" your nose!! I love the warmth, charm & down right sassiness a little south adds to a conversation. It doesn't matter if we are talking to a man, woman, baby or dog...there is always a little flirt in our tone. 
5. Lastly, I'm not sure if it's a positive or negative but regardless, it is one of the reasons I was destined to be Southern. Ya see, a Belle refuses to leave the house without being fully "dressed". When I say "fully dressed", I'm not saying that my Northern pals walk around exposed. Take a chill pill and hear me out. All I'm saying is they aren't AS concerned as a Belle about making sure hair, make-up (especially a little lip), jewelry, shoes, purse, etc are presentable for the Queen of England. Ya never know when we could run into her in Target and one wouldn't want to be unprepared! I realize that it's vain and superstitious but it's my reality.

Moral of my story...yes, we may have mosquitoes the size of beetles and our tea may be so sweet it could be served as a dessert. Our men may love college football as much as they love their mama's and "give me some sugar" isn't referring to the substance used in our signature drink. We may use improper grammar like "ya'll" and "ain't" but it's all simply heavenly and I love it! 

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Freezing my booty off...

I'm actually believing & hoping this is possible! I will most definitely find out this weekend when we are in New Hampshire for a snowy, freezing cold student camp!!! Do you realize how hard it is to pack all those layers while staying under an airlines weight limit? Last time we were there, the airline "misplaced" my toiletry suitcase & it arrived a day late. Here's to crossing fingers & hoping that doesn't happen this time around (xx). We are excited for a great weekend of ministering & meeting new peeps! 

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The 200th Episode

This is officially the 200th episode of the Just the Two of Us Blog! I thought I would make it a really good one by posting pics from our Celine concert but I don't have any because I didn't take my camera. The ticket info clearly stated "no cameras, recording devices" so I was all "goody, goody" and played by the rules. How wrong was I? Everyone else was doing it! Sense the sarcasm? Needless to say, I gave my e-mail address to the girl in front of me who took pictures...the ENTIRE time!! No joke! I wonder if she will send them to me? I'll post a few if she actually follows through. Cody was a little embarrassed when I handed her my card but he knows, by now, to expect the unexpected. Celine was phenomenal and Mr. Deese rocks for joining her fan club! I love them both (of course, one more than the other...the one who has a scruffy beard).

Thursday, January 15, 2009

I love a bargain!!

Way back in August I tried on the cutest skirt from J.Crew and, although the price had been reduced from $79.99 to $49.99, I couldn't justify it so I reluctantly placed it back on the rack, walked away and attempted to erase it from memory. This morning my inbox had an extra 20% off J.Crew final sale items and, as usual, I made the difficult decision to search the web which led to an amazing discovery...I found my skirt!! Yay!! So, with my extra 20% off and the store credit I had (thanks to Britt), I bought my $79.99 skirt for $0.81! Heck yeah!! As my little cousin, Jacob, would say "that's what me talkin' bout"! Now, if only I was tan and the temp was about 80 degrees! 

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

DVR


Thank goodness my parents have cable & DVR! If it weren't for that fact, we would be bunked up on your sofa, eating your chocolate chip cookies, drinking your bottled water & watching the top shows...24 & American Idol!! DVR has to be the greatest invention EVER so we cut out all commercials & waist as little time as possible. 24 was great last night & we are ready for AI tonight (although, I have to admit, I'm feeling a little hesitant about a new season). I don't know if my blood pressure can take Jack Bauer's action every Monday night!! 

Monday, January 12, 2009

Competitive


My dear friend, Christy, is addicted to playing games. She has board games, video games and dvd games. Well, Saturday night, she introduced us to a new game and now we are hooked! Jarrett (Christy's hubby), in an attempt to save money, bought an Xbox360. He swears it will save them (and us) money on entertainment because we will stay in instead of going to the bowling alley, movies, etc. I think his theory is correct because Saturday night we (the Bennett's, Nease's & us) played Scene It for hours and had a blast!! Most of us have a pretty competitive side which made it even more fun. Let me just say that once you get over being intimidated by the buzzer you begin to feel a great sense of power!! And, let me also say...JennyB is a great guesser!! Now, I'm thinking we should "invest" in an Xbox. Ha! 

Friday, January 9, 2009

Happy Man

My husband is one happy man!! His voice was almost gone by the time the game was over! He was joined by Jarrett, Brian & Chris (although, Chris is really a GA fan). Anyways, "his" Gators did it again! National Champs & he couldn't be happier! Side note: don't think for one second that I watched more than 5 minutes of the game (the part where they won & got the trophy). Me & the girls watched the Real Housewives of Orange County & loved every second of it! Hey, don't judge. I was supportive. I wore a cheesy Gator jersey all day. 

He was really freaking during this particular part...

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Single digits

Last year for Christmas (wait, we are in 2009 so...Christmas 07) my wonderful husband bought me tickets to see Celine in concert! He joined the "Celine Team" so he could order tickets before they were available to the public therefore getting us the best seats. He knows my obsession! That man must love me bunches because he is now the proud owner of a fan club card! It really was the gift that gave year round as I counted down the months! I can't believe we are 9 days away! 9 days! 

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Gator Bait

My husband has a deep passion for Florida Gator football. He's had the privilege to go to several games and I've been to one! Trust me, one was plenty! We were fortunate enough to have air conditioned, buffet serving box seats on the game I attended which made my time on Gator turf much more enjoyable!! I can totally deal with football from Sept-Jan but I'm thrilled when all games come to an end and Cody isn't checking scores and catching all games pertaining to SEC (or any that will effect his Gators)! Here's the deal...for 2 weeks all my man has talked about is Thursday night. Apparently, it's the national championship and we can't miss it because the Gators are gonna win. Do you know how many times I've heard "don't plan anything for Thursday"? So, it looks like I'll be a Gator fan tomorrow night (whether I want to or not) and we're having a game party at my parents house (remember, we don't have cable) if you wanna join us! 

Monday, January 5, 2009

Our 2008 Exclamation Point

The last week of the year in pictures...

Jen, Me & Hollie at the great VL Christmas Eve service.
Our Christmas Tree. The house is pretty boring now that all the lights & glitter are packed away.
Me, Tita, Hollie & Ellen after New Year's Eve dinner. What a pose!?!?
Cody & Jason jamming to Third Day
Midnight run for corn-dogs & funnel cakes. Yum & gross all at the same time!! Buster joined us & I actually held him for a while. This is a miracle since I detest animals of all kinds. Just goes to show that I'll do anything for my Hopie girl! Poor puppy was in total shock by our craziness! 
New Year's!
Me & Sweet Ellen! I just love that girl! 
Cody with our favorite girls...Addie & Hopie

We had a blast! Now we are ready to experience all God has in store for 2009! Happy New Year!