With All My Heart

Release

2011-12-02T18:22:00.000-06:00

Write something
Anything

It's better than swirling ideas
for a thousand years
and never facing the fears
of a pen on a page.

Be someone.
Anyone.

It's better than grasping for status
and needing compass
to guide you to oneness
with a version that's fake.

Go somewhere.
Anywhere.

it's better than living life static
with hope that's sporadic
wishing that magic
will change up your scene.

Create something.
Anything.

It's better than trapping the dreams
hardly letting them free

when you cut off their wings
just as they take flight.
Just do something.
Anything

Because this is your story.
and each moment you tarry
steals the treasure you carry
that the world needs to see.

On Saving

2011-10-07T18:04:00.001-05:00

Growing up as the 2nd of 4 girls, I know a little bit about hand-me-downs. My older sister is only 2 years my senior and we were about the same size all our life, so I would constantly be wearing the items she cast off or grew out of. I rocked out some old baggy t-shirts, worn-in tennis shoes, and gently used barbies as a child.

Only having the occasional birthday money and special allowance for mowing the lawn from time to time, I had no idea what it meant to have more than $20 on a regular basis. So, when I got my first job at Bob Evans as a server at age 16, Charlotte Russe and Forever 21 were never the same again, nor was my wardrobe. Money flowed through my pockets like f-bombs in an uncensored Eminem song and I cycled through my new clothes in 1-2 wears and then booted them to the curb.

Now, as an adult with bills, a mortgage, and what seems like a lifetime of student loans, I know the importance of a buck and buying quality vs. quantity as well as the need to plan for larger expenses.

So, over the last year(ish) I've been saving fairly diligently for a Canon 50D and I'm happy to report that I'm about 80% to the amount I need for this camera. It really has been a long process, but i'm really proud of myself! I've only squeezed my hand into the piggy bank a couple of times for other shopping, but for the most part all my extra spending money is going straight to this fund. Looking forward to a day sometime in the near future where I can start snapping quality pics instead of the standard iPhone pictures i've gotten so used to.

Recipes I'm Loving

2011-10-03T18:33:00.000-05:00

I still can't bring myself to write anything really serious on here. After my unintentional blause earlier this year, sharing deep things seems harder than it was before. I'm can't say for certain, but I think it has something to do with the fact that serious posts seem like they have to be long posts...and long posts are hard to write. So I'm going to stay on the surface for a little while longer, if that's OK with you. :)

Here are a few fabulous recipes that i've made recently and I want to share them with you, the world wide interwebs, to enjoy as well...

Creamy Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

I like this soup because it's fairly healthy with minimal fat and animal products and SUPER yummy. It's most definitely a fall recipe.

Bruschetta with Gorgonzola Cheese, Mushrooms, and Honey

Giada's fake accent every time she says an italian word annoys me. But this was just to fabulous to pass up. Her recipe skips the Mushrooms, but to bulk it up a bit a sauteed a few in olive oil and added them on top before sprinkling the gorgonzola. I made this at my recent wine night a few weeks ago, and it was a huge success!

Phyllo Wrapped Asparagus with Parmesan

I LOVE crispy buttery phyllo dough and you can't really go wrong with a Paula Dean recipe. If I were to do this again, I would cut the asparagus in bite size pieces before wrapping. Cutting through the phyllo with a knife makes it fall apart and loose the overall crunch.

Chicken Carbonara

Another Giada recipe - fake accent aside, this woman knows her italian cooking! This recipe is super simple, very rich, and SO good. We made ours with shrimp and angel hair pasta. The angel hair didn't work well because the sauce was so creamy it tore apart the noodles while stirring.

Now that i've worked up a crazy appetite - i'm going to go make something fun for dinner!

Addictions

2011-08-30T18:54:00.000-05:00

This past week I received an invite to pinterest. I'm officially addicted.

From my browsing and play time on pinterest i stumbled upon polyvore and developed another addiction. Here are some of my creations/inspiration.

I'm hoping these shiny outfits will distract you from the fact that i never gave a final update on the juice fast.

Did it work?

No.? ok...

Well, here's the update. We made it to day 6. I was emotionally dying inside (which is horrible that food had such a strong emotional connection to me - i think this post is appropriately titled.) Josh decided we needed to spend some quality time together and allow ourselves to be light hearted for the evening so we went out to dinner.

I don't regret breaking the fast early. I lost 15 lbs (and so far have kept off 8!) and truly felt like a "cleanse" took place. I obviously realized some unhealthy eating patterns (like my ridiculous mood swings, and constant eating when i'm not hungry + a carb heavy diet). Which I've tried to learn from and implement post-fast.

I think a more realistic plan moving forward would be green smoothie at breakfast (starting off the day right with tons of nutrients). A low sodium V8 at lunch + almonds as a snack throughout the day. and whatever I want for dinner (within reason).

This type of plan is much more feasible and would be a healthy structure/boundaries with lots of nutrients while still giving myself some wiggle room at dinner. I might actually give this a try sometime later this year for 20 or 30 days to see how it goes.

ANYWAY...onward to other things!

Oh...the weekend

2011-08-21T17:34:00.000-05:00

Weekends are typically my favorite part of the week. Filled with eating out, relaxing, watching movies, reading, shopping Sunday morning church and time with friends. This weekend has been filled with all of the above mentioned things, with the exception of eating out, and i'm 2 degrees away from completely miserable.

The juice/blended green smoothie diet has been very difficult on our free flowing no schedule weekends. We helped a friend move on Saturday so at the end of the 3 hours of lifting heavy boxes and sweating in the Tennessee heat, both Josh and I were completely drained of every ounce of energy that we had. All either of us could think about on the the way home was eating a HUGE meal - didn't matter if it was pizza, mexican, burgers, or some other ridiculously bad for you greasy meal - we just wanted solid food that filled us up in our bellies!

Alas, we got home and forced ourselves to drink the leftovers we had of tomato, parsley, garlic, puree. It wasn't good, but it sustained us. Later that night we went over to my sisters house to play games and they had artichoke dip and crackers...I let my self smell the dip...it was heavenly.

This weekend has been a true test of our emotional and physical beings. I'm realizing that some of the eating habits I have - like automatically wanting horrible food after working out or socially snacking - are deep rooted attachments that are going to take serious will power to resist after coming off this diet.

Below are our sad little videos from day 4 and 5. Here's to hoping that day 6, 7, 8 are easier!

Day 4

Day 5

Day 2 - Blended/Juice Fast

2011-08-18T22:23:00.000-05:00

Just popping in to give you a quick post on how day 2 of the fast went.

It was harder to drink my lunch and dinner today and I think i've discovered that I prefer my "smoothies" with more water so they are thinner and easier to drink quickly. Today I found myself feeling funny over the textures in my Berry/Banana/Spinach drink for breakfast and lunch. So for dinner I mixed up avocado cucumber, spinach, lime, ginger, and garlic with LOADs of water. It actually helped a lot. I would even say I enjoyed the strong flavors of ginger and avocado...for about the first 8 oz, at least. The only thing that got me through the last bit was thinking about how I was doing something good for my body. I'm hoping it will get better as the fast goes on.

We made some yummy orange juice today as well! It was so rich when we first strained out all the pulp so I added some water to tame it down a bit and now we have something other to drink besides water! Yippie!

Below is our reflection video! Enjoy!

Day One of the Blended Juice "Fast"

2011-08-17T23:39:00.001-05:00

I put quotes around the word "fast" in the title up there because so far it doesn't really feel like your typical fast. For breakfast I woke up and fired up the blender with 4 bananas, 1.5 cups of grapes, a 3 drops of stevia and about 5-8 cups of spinach (I didn't measure - i just filled up my strainer so i could rinse the greens) and ice. This made enough for josh and I both to have one 14-16 oz drink for breakfast and then me to take 32 oz with me for lunch/snacks throughout the day. The stevia was completely unnecessary because the grapes made the smoothie sooooo sweet! It truly was delicious. I was skeptical because the color came out bright green, but really all you could taste was the bananas and grapes. yummers!

For dinner i blended about 8 carrots, 1 large vine ripe tomato, about 3.5 cups of yellow grape tomatoes (from Real Food Farms!), one white onion, 1/2 a bushel of cilantro, 1 lemon, a VERY small amount of salt, and about a 1/2 cup of water. We ate this one like a soup rather than a drink. At first it was OK, but after a while it became hard to get down because there was so much onion! Whoops! Lesson learned - I will try green onion in the future.

Later that evening we were needing a little snack so we blended some pink lady apples with cinnamon and nutmeg and about 3 oz of water to make an apple saucy thing. It was pretty sour...i think next time I will buy Red Delicious apples so we can get that natural sweetness.

Overall, I didn't feel too hungry throughout the day and if i did i would just sip a bit of my breakfast/lunch drink and that would tide me over. I feel pretty satisfied and content at 11:39 pm. Looking forward to day 2!

It's August 16th

2011-08-16T23:33:00.000-05:00

And I'm thinking about coming off of my Blause.

Now that summer is practically over and all my crazy travels have subsided I feel the deep chambers of my spirit yearning to pluck away at these blogging keys once more.

We spent the summer with family and friends - but mostly with family - eating dinners around our table with a hodgepodge of broken chairs. Filled with laugher, wine, hookah smoke and summer veggies from Real Food Farms, but most of all - filled with moments that my thirsty soul tried to absorb for all eternity. To allow the moments to soak in without need for documentation (I even let my iPhone rest most of the time).

To let friendships with my sisters and brothers-in-law grow in the natural and accelerated way that happens when you live in community together and to watch as most of us enter seasons of complete newness. Engagements, college, graduations, babies. Morphing and stretching our idea of family.

Moving out of Summer into Autumn it's time for new things. Josh, Rebecca and I are starting a 10 day juice/green smoothie fast tomorrow to hopefully pull ourselves out of the summer junk-food eating habits and begin the fall on the right foot. I plan to break my blause but documenting some of that fast here...hopefully it isn't too awkward coming out of a 4 month silence with some semi-fluffy content! Eventually I will and dive back into my regular daily life musing-posts.

Here is a picture of all the veggies and fruit we got at whole foods.

Day Zero Video

Have any of you tried a juice fast or green smoothies? What did you think?

Unintentional Blause

2011-05-31T18:53:00.000-05:00

I have found myself in the middle of a Blause. In case you are wondering Blause = blog pause...a word I made up that means everything related to blogging has been put on the back burner... Other made up words that could work are blacation, (blog/vacation) or blazy (blog/lazy)

It's been approximately two months since my last blog post and since i've even considered logging into blogger to read through my ginormous blog roll... and I sort of have an excuse...life has been crazy busy. I know, I know...everyone's life is busy but all you fabulous people blog and read an comment with fervor! I fail. and I'm OK with that. There are only so many hours in a day and I found myself feeling the burden of blogging rather than enjoying my blogging so I went forth with things that made me feel like this :) and not this :(

Here are a few reasons why i haven't blogged...

At the end of March my boss at work moved on to greener pastures so things at work became a mad house. Exciting and fun, but a mad house none the less and that left me with little to no creative energy in my downtime for writing.

On Easter Sunday I staged a massive dinner party at my house with 14 adults and a massive adult Easter egg hunt complete with prizes like movie theatre gift certificates, wine, coffee and tons of candy. I, lamely, have zero photos of this, but here is a cute picture of my niece on Easter!

Participated in a worship confrence at my church and got to have sushi with the Hannah and Megan!

Got a new white iPhone - sha-wing!

Had to take willow to the Emergency Vet because of a scuffle over food with another dog.

Willow at the vet with a bloody eye. She pulled through just fine!

Went to Atlanta for an awesome e-mail marketing conference where I saw Richard Blaise do a cooking demo, met Gary Vaynerchuck, and stayed at a sweet hotel! Oh, and I learned a lot, too. :)

Liquid nitrogen shakes at Richard Blaise' Restaurant in Georgia.

Richard Blaise doing his thing with Liquid Nitrogen at the Coca Cola Museum in Atlanta.

2nd row listening to Gary Vaynerchuck speak at the client summit.

Had an amazing mexican feast/mexican train triple date.

Went to Washington D.C. for Michael family vacation where we ate amazing french food, rode segways, toured many museums, saw the national cathedral, saw charm city cakes, went to a baseball game, and got burnt by the pool.

Being nerds on our segway in front of the white house in DC.

A nun in the National Museum of Art.

The Capitol!

A baseball game in Baltimore

The national cathedral.

Enjoying dinner at La Forchette the French Restaurant in DC!

All that to say, I haven't given up on my blog. I've just been busy living life. I will still write here...things just might be slow for a little while.

Presence

2011-04-10T18:47:00.000-05:00

God's presence is the only thing that matters to me. He's always there, but I've been more aware of it in recent days.

I smelled him on Friday night while Josh lit up the grill for juicy burgers and ice cold beer with friends at our cozy little condo. Hot pink and orange sunset sky as our back drop.

I felt him smiling down on me while I cuddled with willow and hubs Saturday morning with sun streaming in our window and tasted Him in a perfectly cooked green pepper, onion and cheddar cheese omelet washed down with iced coffee.

I felt His love and provision in a diligent husband's turbo taxing for 5+ hours.

I hugged Him in my visiting little sister, if even for a brief passing-through visit on Saturday night.

I snuggled Him in my nephew Chris reading book after book before bed time, knowing that we were both heavy-lidded and ready to sleep, but loved the time so much that we re-read a christmas pop-up book 4 times in a row.

He strolled down a lamp lit main street on a late-night date with me and my lover. Pizza on a patio. precious pieces of our history woven together by moonlight and spontaneity.

He filled a Church building with the glory of His presence as we celebrated the VICTORY we have in the cross. Swells of thankful incense burning from the lips and hearts of the saints.

He is soaking my life right now and i'm overwhelmed. Let's your cloud rest and stay on my life, Holy Spirit. I'm in love.

Holy Cardiac Arrest

2011-04-07T10:13:00.000-05:00

There's an increase coming
I can feel it in the wind
swirling presence inside
that wraps around my skin

I crawl with desire
reveal the secrets of your heart
put your handprint upon me
Shape me into what you want

You see
stars in my eyes
the plans you have
brightly they shine
I can't contain
this Love so divine
cause your ways are
higher than mine

all my plotting and scheming
have been (w)hol(l)y wrecked
your seal is upon me
all my dreams now connect

Take scalpel to sternum
cut open my chest
put your Spirit inside me
holy cardiac arrest

You see

stars in my eyes

the plans you have

brightly they shine

I can't contain

this Love so divine

cause your ways are

higher than mine

Mish-Mash Life Update

2011-03-30T18:43:00.000-05:00

I think the weather is sucking my creativity. I haven't felt inspired to write for about 2 weeks. So much is going on, but none feels worthy of an entire blog post...so rather than continue sporadic posts i'm breaking the silence with a family-fireside chat/a life update.

A Visit with the Fanchers

Last weekend my good friend Natalie came down to Nashville for a visit with her husband Ryan. Natalie and I were both music majors at Anderson University and were never super close until senior year when we decided on a whim to be roommates. Best. Decision. Ever. We have so many great memories from our last year of college, planning weddings, watching friends, drinking Oliver's Finest (my first introduction into the world of wine...now i'm ashamed to say how much I loved it cause it's so sweet!) eating real-ha, singing "your no good" at the top of our lungs till 2 in the morning and so much more. Josh and Ryan became friends that same year as a result of the mayhem.

Natalie and Ryan are expecting their first baby so we spent some time oooing and ahhhing over her adorable prego belly and the rest of the weekend was a completely relaxing playing games (Euchre, Scattegories and Clue) shopping, talking and eating. The good life.

Time Alone

A couple weeks ago (March 16 - 19) Josh went to New Orleans for an ESL conference with his sister so I had a little down time by myself. Now, i know this is going to sound bad, but I actually enjoy time at the house when Josh is gone.

Things stay cleaner. I get the computer all to myself and don't have to feel bad about sitting in the comfy office chair while watch Hulu. I get to sleep with my legs and arms all sprawled out and willow snuggled against me and not in her usual Josh chin-chest nook. I eat 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner. I play my guitar as loud as I want without feeling like i'm interrupting Josh's work or reading. I find myself talking to the dog more than a normal person should. I sing opera while washing the dishes. I blare music at ridiculous decibels. I light all the candles in the house and sometimes forget to blow them out before going to bed.

But near the end, I start to ache for josh's scruffy beard and sweet kisses. I start to realize that life without him is fun for a little while, but if I were to continue on with my home-alone routine i could quickly turn into that crazy-loud lady that smells like incense and always has jelly on her face, so I welcome him back with a clean house and hugs galore. He does, in fact, make me a better person in the end and I love him dearly for that.

Bowling

This past Sunday, Josh and I went bowling with some friends. I'm pretty sure my 4 year old nephew got a better bowling score than me. Granted he had a little help from one of those metal bowling ball roller thingys, and his dad...but that's still pretty impressive.

Women's Retreat

This weekend i'm leading worship at the Franklin Vineyard Women's Retreat. Last year the the retreat was only one night and went by VERY fast. This year we are all skipping regular church on Sunday and having a fun two-night outing complete with time to soak in the Lords presence, spend time with other women, hear testimony and minister to one another. I'm feeling expectant for God to show up.

I think 2011 has big things for our church body and I know the women will play a vital role during this season. I'm praying that God will be able to use me (and my very limited guitar skills) to open up hearts during worship. Allowing ladies to be tender, vulnerable and able to receive a fresh revelation of His love, peace, grace, and mercy during the retreat and beyond. (is it just me, or did that last part sound like buzz lightyear?)

What are you all getting into this weekend? How's life going.

Angry Bird Lessons

2011-03-24T13:48:00.000-05:00

6.5 hours in the 3rd row and very back seat of a mountaineer with Willow on my lap and my 4 year old cute-as-a-button-but-full-of-energy nephew, Chris by my side.

Chris loves to ask questions. Let me rephrase that, Chris loves to ask repeated questions that are basically the same but with slightly different wording, hoping he will get a different answer.

"Can I play Angry Birds on your phone?"
"Not right now Chris, I don't want the battery to die at the beginning of the trip." (what Chris didn't realize is that I had just charged my phone all day before we left for the sole purpose of ME playing Angry Birds as a distraction from the 6.5 hour trip.)
"Do you have any other games I can play?"
"Sure, let's put this airplane together that we got in your Kids Meal."
"What about on your phone? Do you have any other games on your phone?"
"Same answer as before, Chris. I don't want the battery to die right now. Maybe later."

15 mins of more questions pass.
"Are we almost to mo-hi-o?"
"No, we still have about 6 hours left"
"What's an hour?"
"An hour is 60 minutes"
"What's a minute?"
"Well...a minute is 60 seconds which is this...One mississippi"
"A second isn't very long."

and on and on...until...

"Can I play Angry Birds on your phone?"
*sigh* "Sure."

Commence sticky fingers rubbing all over the screen of my iTouch and me learning the childhood lesson of sharing all over again.

A bit later we discovered mommy (aka my older sister) also had Angry Birds on her phone so we could both play. I could finally satisfy my addiction to those pissed off birds. About 30 mins in and I'm working hard on level 16 of the first episode which seems next to impossible to beat...

"Argh!" I half grunt/sigh/slightly shout when I miss that darn pig for the 1,029,568th time.
"What's wrong Aunt Katherine?"
"Oh, I'm just frustrated at the game."
"Why?"
"Well...i can't seem to beat this level."
"You shouldn't get mad at games. They aren't real life."

oh. my. gosh.
Complete words of wisdom from a 4 year old with doe eyes to this 26 year old with a competition problem.

"You're totally right, Chris. It won't happen again."
"Aunt Katherine, did God make my spiderman mask?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."

1 Corinthians 1:27

An Artist that Moves Me

2011-03-17T13:24:00.001-05:00

I’m a musician. I live in music city. I’ve been here for nearly 4 years. I’ve been to tons of performances. Only count 4 of those performances have stuck with me. One was the 2^nd to last show that Nickel Creek played on their final tour as a band. They are brilliant musicians and the fact that I saw them play one of their final performances as a group made and already gorgeous experience all the more epic.

The other three concerts were John Mark McMillan. Twice at a little church called the Anchor Fellowship and once this past Tuesday at 12^th and Porter downtown Nashville.

Photo Credit my friend and fellow Franklin Vineyard Worship Leader, Mark Young.

I’ve been listening to John Mark since my sister-in-law casually put on the album Songs inside the Sound of Breaking Down during a road trips out west with the Michael clan in 2005. All that I thought I knew about worship and songwriting went right out the 15 passenger window when I heard JM shout/sing “Son of David, Don’t Pass me by. Cause I am naked. I’m poor and I’m Blind!” in his song “Closer” I couldn't stop listening to the album.

In 2007 John Mark played at the Call in Nashville. He told the story of how he wrote the song “How He Loves Us”. The story is intense. And powerful. I wasn’t there in 2007 as it was the day after my wedding, but I’ve seen the raw and gritty video of his performance and was deeply touched. Here's a "clip" (it's 10 mins. long but doesn't have the whole song)

About a year later my sister-in-law sent me a link to a video and said “you have to watch this.” Work was slow that day so I clicked the link. Turns out it was the same song “How He Loves Us” but sung by a girl named Kim Walker. By the end of the song I was sitting at my desk at work weeping (silently…which is pretty awkward... and another story altogether.) overwhelmed at what I had just heard. Rocked to my core I realized what true encounter with Jesus in worship was for the first time that day.

There is massive anointing on this song…and on this girl.

Since Kim recorded the song, John Mark has sky rocketed. He has put out another amazing album, The Medicine, and is working on a 4^th to be released later this year. He is signed to Integrity Music. David Crowder has recorded “How He Loves Us” and the deeply poetic and emotional song with so much truth is sung in most churches today.

The concert on Tuesday was awesome. I’m a little disappointed that he didn’t have his new album available during his tour (so main stream of him to wait till after the tour to release it), but the bits he played during the show proved that it will not disappoint.

John Mark is not the greatest singer in the world, but i've decided thats part of what I like about him. He writes the truth of Jesus mixed with the ugly and gross parts of life that Christians often try and hide and in doing so, has opened up a whole new revelation of Grace mixed with passion. He has changed the way my generation worships and i freaking love it.

What music is moving you today?

We're Breakfast People

2011-03-15T12:29:00.000-05:00

Eggs and toast.
Bagels.
Omelets.
French toast.
Pancakes.
Oatmeal.
Cereal.
Muffins.
Fruit.
Coffee.
Tea.
Juice.
Milk.
Grits.

Ok ok, so we don't eat Grits, but all those other things we eat quite often. I can't remember a day in the last year - seriously) that i missed breakfast. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I LOVE breakfast!

Josh enjoying a beautiful breakfast spread on our honeymoon in Mexico, July 2007.

Josh and I love breakfast so much that we find ourselves having this conversation at least once a week...

Me: Hey babe, what do you want to do for dinner?
Josh: I dunno. Do we have anything to eat at home?
Me: Not really...we should probably save money and scrounge something up at home rather than eat out...
Josh: Yeah, you are right. Hey! What about B for D?
Me: HECK YEAH!

In case you were wondering B for D = Breakfast for Dinner? It seems that no matter how low the supplies in our cabinets get or how uninspired I am for dinner, B for D always pulls through.

I have so many memories growing up that revolve around breakfast. Saturday morning cartoons and papa's pancakes. Eggs in a Frame on the first day of school each year. Delicious sticky buns on Christmas morning. Meeting extended family half-way at the Amish-Breakfast buffet Der-Dutchman. Heck, my first job was at a little breakfast joint called Bob Evans.

Eating breakfast out at the Pfunky Griddle

There is nothing better than eating breakfast out. When you eat a leisurely breakfast out with friends and family it sets the tone for the entire day. Laid back. No agenda. Plenty of time for sipping coffee and chatting away the morning hours. Some of my favorite breakfast-out places include First Watch (fresh fruit crepes!), Merridees in downtown Franklin, J. Christophers, and of course, the Bob.

A culinary "break-feast" at our house when family was in town visiting.

A typical weekday breakfast in the Michael house-hold consists of scrambled eggs (half regular eggs half egg whites) with a bit of cheese added to them and a side of health-nut bread turned into toast and topped with some smart balance. Washed down with some orange juice or fat-free milk. yum yum! However, this morning the hubs made me oatmeal topped with a bit of brown sugar and slices of strawberries.

Are you a breakfast person? What's your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

A Bit Serious and a Bit Not

2011-03-11T14:19:00.000-06:00

So I've been noticing a trend lately on my blog. All of the posts that are serious and take deep thought and bearing of my soul tend to resonate with the crickets and all of my frivolous/random/short/funny posts are the ones people tend to comment on and engage with.

Trust me. I get it.

I've noticed the exact same trend in my blog reading habits. Picture heavy, short blogs are easy to quickly "read" (slash look at) and you can pretty much comment whatever first pops into your head. "Cute outfit. the color green is awesome!" etc. etc.

On more serious blogs I tend to only read the first paragraph, first sentence of every middle paragraph and the last paragraph. Skimming them over looking for interesting pictures and juicy blog stalking details. Then when i reach the bottom i'm too nervous to comment because i'm afraid I will say something that has nothing to do with the real meat of the blog or I will ask a question that was clearly answered in the 8th paragraph, 5th sentence down.

So, I'm at a crossroads with my blog...Give people what they want (fluffy and fun) or continue on with occasional serious blogs that help me sort my thoughts and hope that i'm not just sending things out to echo eternally in the black hole of blogger.

Maybe in the future I will split into two blogs - a lifestyle blog and a deep-thoughts-theological-poetry writing blog. For now, I will embrace the random and expect less comments and interaction on the blogs that take more effort to write. :)

Speaking of random...three things.

Today I can't take my eyes off the coverage of what is happening in Japan. I'm praying that the Lord will miraculously stop the tsunami and aftershocks from causing further damage to the region, that families will be reunited quickly, and that recovery will be faster than anticipated. Donate to the cause at World Vision or the American Red Cross
In case you were wondering from my post a few days ago, I decided to give up desserts for lent. No sweets for me till my easter basket!
I got my hair cut yesterday at a place called the Pink Mullet. Ever since I saw the name of the salon a few years ago, i've been highly intrigued so when the groupon for 59% off a cut/color landed in my inbox i jumped at the opportunity. Somehow, even with the groupon i ended up spending more than i'd like to admit just like I did last time...however, i really like the outcome!

What do you think?

Hope you all have a great weekend!

The Littlest Ewing

2011-03-09T13:03:00.002-06:00

Emily, the littlest of the 4 Ewing sisters, is outstanding.

She's gorgeous, talented, smart, passionate, funny, fun, witty, and has a fierce heart for the Lord.

Emily is 8 years younger than me and was a tiny 10 year old when I moved away from home and headed to college. It's hard for me to picture her as an adult/grown-up person because I constantly remember her like she was the first day of kindergarten.

But alas, she is all grown up and in her final semester at the good old WKHS embarking on a Senior Project journey. From what I can remember the Senior project is something a student can decide to do in their final few months of high school rather than attend usual classes every day. During the time normally spent in class the student will put together a large project that will then be graded by a panel of teachers at the end of the year. Usually the project has something to do with the career you want to head into after college.

My older sister, Cynthia, chose to go to Honduras to observe and assist in medical missions.

Rebecca, my other little sister and fellow middle child, put together a fundraiser for Invisible Children and raised gobs of money (over $6,000!) to support the cause.

Emily is wearing the same dress every day till graduation to raise awareness for sex trafficking in America. (Follow her journey documented on her blog)

And I...well...I...um...sang or something? How freaking unheroic is that?! The rest of my family is changing the world and I rounded out my Senior year by singing classic Italian love songs and show tunes. Epic FAIL!

Anyway! stop by Emily's blog and read a bit. She's a great writer. It will be worth it. Trust me.

Fat Tuesday and Some Thoughts on Lent

2011-03-08T17:33:00.000-06:00

Happy Fat Tuesday people.

Are any of you giving up anything for Lent? I know lent is typically assumed a Catholic tradition, but in recent years more and more of my non-denominational or evangelical friends have been making sacrifices during this season. I've never really participated seriously in the past, but for some reason fasting during the season leading up to Easter when Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice seems like a good idea this year.

Last Thursday I was continuing through my Read-the-Bible-in-~~a-year~~-three-years plan and somehow it snuck up on me. There I was plowing my way though Luke reading about Zacchaeus-the wee little man- Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus getting all upset about the market in the Temple, Jesus teaching about the end times, yadda, yadda (is that sac-religious?) and before I knew it - BAM - I was swept into the Last Supper and Crucifixion story with a completely new perspective and a tender heart.

As I read, it felt entirely real and present, like I was there with Him, my feet covered in dust as I munched on bread, sipped wine, laughed and reclined at Jesus's breast in the upper room.

I was the one who Jesus invited to the Mount of Olives to pray, but fell asleep while danger for my beloved Lord lurked in the shadows.

I was the one who was so confident that I would stand by Jesus to the end, but less than 24 hours later denied Him three times during His darkest hours. His eyes piercing mine on the 3rd denial.

I was in the crowd confused and overwhelmed as people shouted "Crucify! Crucify! Crucify!" Not quite sure how things took such a dramatic turn from the warm "Hosannas!" that filled the streets a week before.

And I wept and wept as I read how they hurled insults at Him, mocked Him, humiliated Him, and beat Him within an inch of His life as He hung naked, black-blue and blood soaked on the Cross.

I wept as I read that a few breaths away from death, He spoke mercy and love over his accusers. How His gentle heart showed grace and compassion for the criminal hanging next to him. How even as He stumbled to the place called "the skull," where he would be crucified he found a way to encourage the women weeping over His death.

And the lines on my Bible began to blur under the tears as I found myself literally gasping for breath and sobbing loudly at my dining room table. Overwhelmed by the price that my perfect, precious Jesus paid. Overwhelmed at how selfish and self-centered I am sometimes. And thankful beyond what prayers or useless words on a page can convey...

Willow stared at me, very concerned for her mama('s sanity). I glanced at the clock. Blew my nose from the runny snot-fest. Re-applied some mascara and some powder to my blotchy face. I needed to pull myself together. I was on my lunch break and had to go back to work and be somewhat presentable. How is that possible with the weight of the cross hanging on my shoulders?

Now, I know the story ends well. He doesn't stay on that tree forever, but I can't stop thinking about the sacrifice. All that Jesus did for me and I can't give up dessert/facebook/soda/TV/(Insert-distraction-here) for 40 days? I guess i've made my decision. I will be participating in Lent, it's just a matter of what small sacrifice can I make? I guess you all will find out tomorrow.

Discoveries

2011-03-04T17:35:00.000-06:00

I discovered a new way to accessorize/wear my hair! Scarf headband! I stole this idea from the lovely Jess at Boho Baby Bump. Check it out.

I also discovered that one of my eyes is bigger than the other. What is up with that?!

I mean...seriously. look at how small my left eye is compared to my right eye in the above picture?! Is this a common thing or am I just a freak...uh i mean special?

Enough narcissism, Katherine.

Moving on...

This weekend my awesome in-laws are coming for a visit. We are going to spend some quality time with them chilling, drinkin wine, eating delicious food and hopefully popping over to Goodwill tomorrow morning for their first-weekend-of-the-month-50-percent-off sale. We have rain all weekend here, but hopefully you all can get out and enjoy some nice weather. Spring is almost here!

True Story: Awkward Conversations

2011-03-04T09:30:00.009-06:00

The Character

26 year old business woman wearing a snazy dress and 5-inch-heals and feeling pretty awesome about herself.

The Scene

Woman is driving a Nissan Altima to a printing vendor to drop off blank envelopes for the vendor to print return addresses on for the high profile agriculture-tech company. Mumford and Sons' "Sigh No More" album is blaring from her speakers.

The Action

Altima screeches to a halt in front of print vendor shop. 26 year old woman decides to leave car running while she drops envelopes inside.

Just jumps as quickly as she can from the car to access the giant box of envelopes from the back seat. In the mean time the guy from the print shop comes out to assist woman on wobbly heals.

26 Year Old Woman: (shouting over the Mumford CD) Hey, how's it going?
Print shop guy: (also shouting) Pretty Good. How are you?
26 Year Old Woman: (still shouting) Great. How are you?
Print shop guy: (not shouting as loudly and feeling kinda awkward) Doing well...

Woman pretends like she didn't just asked the guy the same question twice. Hands him the box and speeds away almost hitting an innocent bystander feeling much less awesome about herself.

Confessions

2011-03-03T16:30:00.006-06:00

I didn't buy any of josh's birthday presents till about 5:30 pm the night of his birthday.

I love coloring in coloring books. especially disney princess books. childish? maybe. Therapeutic? Yes.

I just found what I think was a tick on willow...we went camping 2 weeks ago and I'm pretty sure she has had it since then.

I haven't cooked a supper at home for about 2 weeks. Josh and I keep making up excuses to eat dinner out.

i've been wearing Josh's PJs to bed because willow at the "middle" area out of my only two pairs.

i'm slightly addicted to the Nintendo 64 Golden Eye game right now and sometimes play it during my lunch break. (that's loser with a capital L, folks).

i have the worst PMS mood swings you could ever imagine and i'm very thankful for a patient and understanding husband when 2 nights in a row i cry, nay, sob over seemingly meaningless things.

i'm jealous of pastors and missionaries. Serving the Lord and being paid, regardless of how hard/busy/stressful it is sounds amazing to me.

Our Altima has this horrible "buzzing" sound coming from it that makes it sound like a giant bumblebee driving around franklin.

9 times out of 10 i miss calls because my phone is lost in the abyss of my purse.

Our condo faces a main road and we hardly ever close our blinds. I'm OK with people spying.

Yet still,

2011-03-02T18:03:00.000-06:00

Here I am, beloved.
I brought you to this place and waited.
Waited for you to decide if it was I you truly seek.
Given you blessings beyond measure
I even made the sunset for you
yet still, i wait.

Here I am, beloved.
Opening windows for your dreams and listened.
listened for your song to come forth.
pressing my heart to yours hoping you will feel it's rhythm
and show the world my love
yet still, I'm listening, darling.

Here I am, beloved.
longing to show you my affection
Romance you with treasures from my kingdom
dance you to chambers of intimacy and throne room of majesty
and you deny all my adoration
yet still, i wait.

i see beauty where you see weakness.
i see diamonds where you see coal.
i see a faithful one longing for greatness.
i see my beloved, my heart, my soul.

Day Dreaming and Penny Pinching

2011-02-25T18:26:00.001-06:00

Today, i've been daydreaming about the camera i'm saving up for. I mentioned i was saving for said camera back in June of 2010 and that week I made an awesome piggy bank that is virtually indestructible. Basically, it's a giant plastic almond container from Costco and I cut a hole in the lid. Duct taped the entire thing shut. Then wrapped it in pretty wrapping paper.

behold.

This thing is great, because I can't cheat and take money from my camera savings to buy new shoes. to get into the container would mean I would have to take the entire thing apart which i'm sure will be semi-difficult considering it's that freakish plastic that is next to impossible to cut through. (as a child it seemed that EVERYTHING at christmas was packaged in this stuff!)

this set up is good for me because i have a habit of randomly blowing money on things I don't really need, like another pair of $6 leggings from target, some more black shirts, etc.

Anyway, I've decided I want a Canon 50D, plus a lens or two, a cool camera bag(maybe this one - or this one), a tri-pod, some UV filters, and a clip on flash.

Since i spent some time daydreaming about my camera today i decided it would be a good time to decorate my savings-almond-container to inspire me to continue to put my clothing fund in there every other week rather than blow it all at Target.

I sketched a camera!

Then, to spice it up, I added some stars!

and then willow wanted to jump on my lap. so we took some pictures too.

The only draw back to my almond-savings-container is I have no idea how much i have in there. In order to find out, i will need to rip the thing to shreds. Basically, i would rather wait too long and have too much then then get in there too soon not have enough and then not have a safe continer for my money thus tempting me to go thrifting with my hard-earned camera money. I should have been keeping track how much i put in there on the side of the container or something, but alas, i was not smart enough to think of such a thing last June. I think I have about $750 in there...who knows. I think come April 1, i'm going to bust in there and see what kind of damage i can do.

Any of you out there have SLR cameras? Which do you use? Any advice for a camera novice?

Feathers

2011-02-23T09:00:00.001-06:00

"You had to be there."

A phrase we have all undoubtedly spoken at least once in our past when trying to convey an impactful experience we've had to someone else. Mid-story you begin to realize the other person isn't quite getting it, and words aren't sufficient to convey the memory held in your heart. Be it a time when something so hilariously funny happened you found stomach muscles you didn't know existed because you were laughing so hard. Or a beautiful snapshot in time where you were left awestruck at a majestic sunset, powerful soloist, a stunning painting. Or even a moment where the Lord took a normal day and completely rocked your world by showing you a new side of His love. It's utterly futile to try and explain these experiences to other people so you find yourself giving up and ending the conversation with "you had to be there."

Well, this has recently happened to me. Even though I know it won't make a lot of sense, i'm going to try and explain. The Lord likes to show me how much he loves me by giving me feathers. During a season of my life in Jan - May 2010 I began to have more and more of a realization of God's presence in my life. Not just a guy I go to from time to time to throw up pray requests to, but someone that I do life with every single day. Sharing my hopes, dreams, desires and even failures, disappointments, and frustrations with.

During this Jan - March season and even still to this day I find feathers everywhere in the most obscure places. On my desk at work, under my windshield wiper, on me ALL the time. Any time I need encouragement or comfort God just plops a few feather into my day and it makes me smile. One time I even looked down to realize I was standing in a big PILE of feathers on the ground! Now do you understand why it's one of those "you had to be there" stories?

One particular day i really needed encouragement and a reminder of the promises that God has for me and I opened my bible to the next chapter I was slated to read in my read-through-the-bible-in-one/three-years program and this is what I read: Psalms 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness with be your shield and rampart. I was SO encouraged!

Anyway, I tell you all of this because I wanted a constant reminder of God's presence and this special symbol of His love for me, so I got a tattoo!

I didn't make this decision lightly. since 2008 I have wanted a particular tattoo on my hand, but feel like i should wait till i'm at a work place (or working from home) that is OK with this. So, after thinking about my feather tattoo for over a year, getting Josh's complete support and feeling total peace/excitement about my decision i took the plunge. This is my first tattoo, and I really really love how it turned out.

If you are in Nashville, I went to Ian White at Black 13. My experience there was first rate. the place was clean. they were very friendly and professional. AND it turns out Ian is a believer from Dayton, OH and actually did a lot of my sister Cynthia's friends tattoos when he lived there.

Do any of you out there have tattoos? Do they have a special meaning to you?

Fall Creek Falls

2011-02-22T18:00:00.000-06:00

In case you weren't aware, yesterday was presidents day. The day we celebrate all the past leaders of the great U-S of A by getting a perfectly timed day off giving many people an unusually warm long weekend in February. The man and I decided to fill said weekend/president's day with a camping trip to Fall Creek Falls state park a few hours outside of Nashville.

We had originally planned the camping trip as an extended Valentine's Day celebration, but then we realized camping is always better with friends and Cynthia (my older sis), her hubby - JP, and trooper-3-month-old-niece, Annalee came along as well.

We circled all the possible campsites several times trying to find the perfect fit.

We saw a deer at the camp site Josh and I stayed at a last year.

We (read: the guys) chopped wood.

hott!

Willow was cute.

Sadie (Cynthia and JP's dog) was cute.

We (read: the guys) started a fire.

We made hot dogs and smores. YUM!

We made fun of our neighbors and suspected them of "hot-boxing" in their tent when we caught whiff of some sneaky drug like scents...

Josh, Willow, and I slept horribly the first night in our ridiculously small tent with no ground padding, 40 degree weather, coons rooting around outside our tent all night.

We made eggs, sausage, and toast over the fire. They were ridiculously dried out, but they tasted good anyway because they were made in the wilderness...over a fire.

The guys whittled things embracing their inner-Samson hoping to slay 1000 men with a donkey's jawbone.

We hiked to the main falls and were amazed at how Annalee slept the whole way there and gazed silently from her baby bijorn at God's creation all the way back.

We wondered at God's creation with her.

We let the quietness of nature soak deep into our souls.

We crossed a precarious suspension bridge.

Cynthia and Willow were cute.

We ate pie irons. (yup...there's an official website for pie irons...)

I made myself sick on them, actually...i can't resist a good pie iron.

We stayed up late watching in awe as the fire the men built raged on for hours without ceasing. I was quite impressed.

We ate more smores.

I'm a little too excited about that smore.

We slept better the second night when the temperature rose about 15 degrees and we realized putting the dog food in the car was the solution to our coon problem.

Josh, Willow and I hiked to the bottom of the main falls Monday morning and we talked about how we would hike this every weekend multiple times if we ever were training for a rim-to-rim Grand Canyon hike again.

you wouldn't think it, but she's a natural hiker!

We took the stereotypical breaking the rules picture.

We used up an Olive Garden gift card on the ride home.

And took the best nap of our lives in our California King upon reaching the humble abode.

In case you were wondering, this is what a sleepy-worn-out puppy looks like. (Sorry for the bad audio and awkward sideways view! I had the windows down and didn't realize the video needed to be the other direction!!)

Me. The Romantic.

2011-02-17T19:02:00.001-06:00

Guys get a lot of pressure to be prince charming and sweep us women off our feet. I'm 100% on board with being swept off my feet, however I never ever want Josh to feel pressure from me to bring home flowers, chocolates, diamond...er...target jewelry, etc. If he simply does these things because he is feeling pressure to be romantic it's not his true love coming through. And no one wants fake love. Trust me. (God sets the perfect example of this when He granted humans freewill, but that's another conversation for another day...)

When the hubster takes me out to a nice dinner or sends me to get a massage, or takes me on a fun weekend get away to the mountains, or takes me horseback riding on a beach...with the sunset...and champagne...and violinists....(not hinting at anything. ha. ) that it's because he WANTS to spoil me and treat me like a princess because of all the love overflowing in his heart. :)

So I have been feeling like Josh does feel pressure every time a holiday rolls around, so this Valentines day, I wanted to do something romantic for him. So I made him breakfast in bed. (eggs in a frame + water + coffee + strawberry muffins)

and i decorated our kitchen. with hearts. cut out of old christmas giftbags. (frugal and pretty!)

and I gave him 2 handmade valentines cards with some love quotes on them.

I guess you could say my valentine's day was full of making and love...or you could say....love making, but then you might get weirded out...and stop reading my blog...sooooo....anyway.

even with all my making and love I could not top by my lovely husband's romantic heart.

He bought me 2...(TWO!) dozen beautiful red roses.

a fabulous dinner out to Pie in the Sky restaurant to their free heart shaped pizza roll appetizer on v-day.

some amazing truffles

some delicious wine.

peppermint Teavanna tea

Mulan Rouge/Tristan and Isolde DVD from Target.

Valentine's Night we stayed up way to late watching movies in our traditional lovenest on valentines day. What is a love nest you say? I will tell you.

nest: (noun) a snug retreat or refuge; resting place; home
love: (noun) a profoundly passionate tender affection for another person; desire
lovenest: (noun) a giant pile of every pillow and blanket we own in the middle of our living room floor that is so comfortable you end up sleeping in it and leaving it up for days because you prefer it to your couches. only the threat of guest coming to visit forces you to put the blankets away; Also a snug retreat or refuge where you cuddle with the person you are profoundly passionate about.

I forgot to take a picture of it before we cleaned it up. i'm sad. :(

Hope you all had a great Valentine's week with tons of love and un-forced romantic stuff.

I Carry Your Heart

2011-02-14T09:46:00.001-06:00

Here is the deepest secret nobody knows.
Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
And the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
Which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide.
And this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart.
I carry your heart.
I carry it in my heart.

E.E. Cummings

Happy Valentine's Day!

France - Days 7 & 8

2011-02-11T10:39:00.001-06:00

After a very long hiatus from my these posts, I'm continuing on with days 7 and 8 of our France trip from last October. (If you are new here you can find the rest of the France Journey through out my blog: Days 1 & 2, Days 3 & 4, Days 5 & 6) I'm determined to finish these posts by the end of February!

Day 7 - Wednesday, October 6, 2010

We rolled out of our slumber back in Chambery at about 10 am, Wednesday morning. Nathan and Joanna's apartment had such heavy blinds we could barley even tell it was daylight out when we finally forced ourselves to rise. We spent the morning putzing around eating yogurt, cereal and enjoying each other's company. By noon we decided it was about time to do get out and about. Even though we were warned that French clothing wouldn't fit our *ahem* Large/Tall frames, we hit up a local store called Kabi.

After a short walk from Nate and Jo's apt. we got to the store and immediately realized they were having a MASSIVE sweater sale AND they had clothes in our size! After about 2.5 hours of trying things on we walked away with basically an entire new wardrobe for Josh. You have no idea what kind of feat this is...it is impossible to find clothing to fit him that is also fashionable and that day he left with like 3 sweaters, and 3 jackets. A.maze.ing

The only un-amazing part was a very embarrassing situation at the cash register where the woman checking us out didn't speak any english. She wasn't like most french people who say they don't speak english, but really do. She ended up having to page someone to come to the front and translate what was going on. (apparently we didn't have the right amount of sweaters to get the buy one, get one deal they had going on). Eventually, things worked out and we walked out with only a slightly bruised ego from having .01 French speaking skills.

After shopping, Nate, Josh and I went to the velo station (bike rental shop) to pick up some bikes for the rest of our trip. We had a little bit of trouble finding bikes tall enough for Nate and Josh considering they are the one's pushing up the national height average, but in the end we all pedeled away on super cute and matching light blue cycles. Mine with a special little basket on the front.

These bikes opened up an entirely new France for me. We decided to pick up some bread on the way home and Nate took us the scenic route. We zigged and zagged across traffic to a little car-less area where old, brightly colored buildings stood tall on either side of us. French women strolled in pairs eating ice cream in high heels, vendors stood outside by their shops beckoning passerbys into try their wares, Old men walked their dogs along cobblestone streets and fountains provided background music to the scene. And the best part of it all, I got to carry the baguette in my basket on the way home. I felt like i was living in a dream land. It was perfect. This first bike ride is still one of my strongest memories from the entire trip.

That night Josh and I went on a special dinner date at a crêperie, so josh got ready and Nate took some pictures of him.

So handsome!

Headed out to dinner!

Hey there handsome. :)

I was really excited about my crepe.

The place was packed and Josh and I discovered that it is strange for someone to wait for a table at a restaurant if there isn't immediate seating. I guess this is due to the fact that there are so many food choices within walking distance and also because most French dinners last several hours, but we waited anyway! Awkwardly in the alley outside the restaurant right by the windows where people were eating because there was no entry area.

We got a table within 20 minutes and I enjoyed crepes filled with hamburger, egg, onion and mushrooms, while josh ordered one with goat cheese and Lardon (the same stuff that was in tartiflette). He asked to add tomato but, some how it ended up coming out with ham in it instead. The BEST part of
the meal though was dessert which consisted of delicious nuttella, banana and whipped cream. Yumm!

After dinner we headed back to N&J's apartment for a little hang out time and a late night Pirates of the Caribbean viewing. Life was good.

Day 8 - Thursday, October 7, 2010.

Thursday, October 7, 2010 is a very special day. For Thursday, October 7, 2010 was Joanna's 27th birthday! We woke up to the smell of Nate making french toast...out of a french baguette...in a french kitchen...with a french mustache...OK I may have made up that last part about the mustache...but either way it was an awesomely french way to make french toast with a french baguette. FRENCH!

At breakfast I gave Jo her present I carted over from the US - Real Simple magazines and a pair of earrings - only to find out that my Mother-in-Law had brought her all the same Real Simple magazines a few weeks prior, and that Jo already had a very similar pair of earrings...sigh. Great minds think alike i guess. :)

After breakfast we all got ready and headed out for a quick bike ride around Chambery. Again - amazingness abounds and I have no pictures of it all because I was so worried about not being hit by traffic while aggressively riding my bike around the busy streets. Also, i didn't want to look TOO much like a tourist with a rented bike and a giant camera around my neck all the time.

After our fun bike ride on matching bikes we grabbed a quick lunch at a sandwich shop. As usual we ended up getting duped into buying more than we realized because we couldn't read the French signs.

Taking our lunch to a nearby park I had me and Josh's sandwiches in my awesome bike basket. While trying to keep up with Nate and Jo I carelessly ran my bike through a huge pot-hole and watched in slow motion as my awesome sandwich came flying out of the bag, then out of the box, landed on the ground in front of me and i swiftly ran over it with my bike. I may or may not have cursed like an American sailor at that point...so much for blending in.

me right before I ran over my sandwich.

Lunch was beautiful. We parked our tooshies right next to a fountain in the middle of a busy park. Little Ayla ran around picking up leaves and showing us then throwing them into the fountain. (haha!) The whole lunch was very peaceful and the weather couldn't have been more perfect in early fall.

Once lunch was over we continued to ride our bikes around time and did a bit of shopping. I found a good deal on a pair of shoes and we found some good christmas presents for our family around the Old Town area of Chambery.

The happy family in the old-town area of Chambry.

Later, I went back to Kabi while the rest of the crew went home for a quick nap. Looking back - I wish I wouldn't have done as much shopping (surprise!) I wish we would have spend more time riding our bikes, walking, hiking, doing cliche toursity things like going to museums, or taking tours, or even just sitting and reading outside in a park.

After sufficiently doing some damage to our shopping fund, we went back to Nate and Jo's apartment for Taco Night with some of their friends to celebrate Jo Jo's birthday.

Their friends brought Settlers of Catan over for us to borrow later that evening and play just Nate, Jo, Josh, and me. Apparently this was a HUGE deal because the guy who lent the game to us is very particular about his game. So particular that all the pieces were packaged in color coordinated Altoid boxes and pill bottles. Exhibit A.

We may or may not have taken this picture so we could remember how the game was supposed to go back in the box.

After the shock/amazement of his Catan packaging set in we had an epic battle till late in the evening with yours truly taking home the big win. (are you even remotely surprised?!)

We finally crashed around 2:30 am and set our alarms for a 5:45 am wake up call for Josh and I to make it to the 7:00 am train to Annecy the next morning.

A New Word

2011-02-08T15:21:00.001-06:00

I'm learning a new word this week: content.

It's a difficult word to learn and it's forcing me to grow and confront some immaturity that has been seeping into my veins for the past year. I have a constant feeling that real peace and happiness are always just out of my reach. That the next step in my career, a baby, a move, a new house, car, tv, coffee, will make me feel better. It's the american dream at it's best and Katherine Michael at her worst.

This "grass-is-always-greener-syndrome" is poisoning my heart.

Why am I constantly looking for what is missing in my life? I know I have blessings beyond belief. I get to experience things others only DREAM of! I'm married to an amazing man. I've traveled to switzerland, france and mexico. I own my home. Never been unemployed. I have literally been saved from an eternity of condemnation. I am never truly hungry. I have money in a little jar beside my bed saving for a dream (not a need!). We have two running and paid-for cars. I get to use my talents for the Lord through worship. I have experienced God's love. My dog is {cute} and house trained. I have 2 guitars to waiting for songs to be written on them. I have a computer. Relationship with my mom and dad is solid. relationship with my sisters is awesome and growing.

But, somehow i find a way to complain. I'm constantly looking for ways to adjust my life and make it better. Loose weight. Cut my hair. Clean my house. Re-decorate. Upgrade everything. change. move. tweak. morph. switch. vary. transition. It's disgusting. It has actually gotten to the point where i'm doing most of these things subconsciously without rhyme or reason and i wind up more confused than ever.

I know i'm called to be content. I also know, from the deepest parts of me, that Jesus inspires greatness! Not mediocrity! another "awesome" (read: confusing/frustrating) paradox of the Kingdom. I don't want to be mediocre. Inside me there is still an echo of my childhood dreams. Inside of me is still a box with all the promises God has given me. I'm only 26. I still want to do great things with my life.

Am I supposed to give up on great in quest for content?

Maybe my definition of greatness needs to be reworked.

Maybe my definition of content needs to be reworked.

God, i'm opening myself up to be reworked starting now.

p.s. i just went to dictionary.reference.com to look up content...i got an error message.
I tried again. I got a page that said "Content: no dictionary results" I guess God really wants me to go to Him this time.

Burn it Up

2011-02-07T18:31:00.001-06:00

sometimes I feel
these threadbare wheels
won't stop their reel?

like i'm going 85
stuck on the passenger side
with a severed break line?

like suddenly it's been revealed
that a gigantic bar of steel
is in the place of the steering wheel

and i can't gain control no matter how hard i try?

well, it seems about time to crash to a halt
and maybe this will end up being my fault
but i'm ok with that cause
now is as good a time as any to
burn it up
and start over.

Then maybe i'll get it right next time.
really listen instead of chase after
the carrot i idealize
in my beat-down-burned-up-threadbare
life.

Synchronized

2011-02-04T10:11:00.000-06:00

Legs straddled
Arms raveled
head resting
on chest rising

two to one
i'm coming undone
we could just lay here
till the collapse of the sun

Oh to steal
(or even stretch!)
This grain of sand
through the hour glass slips

moments of treasure
untainted pleasure

synchronized breathing

hearts beating

my love, eternal

Breathe in.

my love, divine

Breath out.

Infinity

2011-02-02T17:16:00.000-06:00

morning overcast seeps through the blinds.
8 hours still feels like not enough time
when you wish you could spend the day with your lover
undercover, under covers
eating popcorn and holding each other.

cubicles wait
filled with progress and and i try not to
hate how stifling it feels.

importance just 2 miles out of reach.
may i beseech
you for something a bit more filling
instead of this paper-pushing
that does nothing for replenishing

my soul that longs for ascension
a real encounter with The One who sang
heavens in motion.
a brush with the Trinity
your feathers that tether this heart
and surge me to worship
for infinity

Confessions

2011-02-01T17:07:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I don't do the dinner dishes till the next day.
I'm secretly wishing Nashville was part of Snowpocalypse 2011. I never get snow days off work, but i think if something was being described with "pocalypse" in the nick name they might let me stay home. Right now it's warmish and raining.
I'm mad I had never heard of the band Over the Rhine till now, but i'm glad i've discovered how i'm going to spend the iTunes gift card I got for my birthday.
Sometimes I think i've done all i want to do before I have kids, then I think about how much fun it is to take naps and change my mind.
My dog has eaten some pretty nasty things including but not limited to - a quarter, dirty tissues, and the crotch of several pairs of underwear.
I'm getting sick of facebook.
I think have about $400 for my camera I said I was going to start saving for last summer, but i'm kind of regretting making my money jar impossible to get into unless it's completely destroyed because that $400 mark could be give or take $100.
There are still pine needles all over my house because i haven't swept the back porch since we carried our tree to the dumpster and we keep tracking them back in.
Every now and then I find a REALLY long hair on my cheek. I have no idea how this happens considering i put on make-up every morning and look closely at my face, but the mystery hair just appears in all it.s 1 inch of glory about once a year. Oh, life's mysteries...
I wrote a song the other day and it consisted of 2 chords. A little sad, but at least it's a start on one of my new year's resolutions.
I bought a machine called the "one armed bandit" for work last week. Any guesses on what this machine does?
Working out in the morning is best for your body, but I've discovered working out at night is better than setting your alarm to work out in the morning and just hitting the snooze for an hour.
I'm pretty sure if I played the mandolin any song I write would instantly be cool. Learning to play the mandolin is going on my bucket list.
Jesus is teaching me things right now but i'm having trouble with communicating what those things are. They are like seeds that were planted and have yet to break through the dirt for me to discover what kind of plant they are.

Hospitality

2011-01-31T23:31:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite things to do, and one of my spiritual gifts is hospitality. I absolutely adore inviting people into my home and making them feel comfortable and welcome. Hosting dinner parties is one of my top 10 favorite things to do. There something about preparing an elaborate meal for someone else that fills me with joy to the core of who I am and actually allows me to experience God through service, giving, community, and feasting. Thus, I invite people over ALL the time. Some may find it overwhelming and may feel the need to reciprocate or offer to bring something along, but honestly I would be 100% OK with always being the one who cooks the meal, hosts a movie night, lets people crash at my place, and in general just has an open door of welcome in my house.

This "gift" plus my desire to establish some meaningful friendships with women in Franklin is what started my Girls-Only wine night. At first it was just going to be some tasty bottles of wine plus cheese and crackers each week, but my incessant desire to do more and make people feel really welcome and actually feel blessed when they leave each week took over. And once a month I find myself googling "interesting hor'dourves" or "fancy finger food" to spice up the night. Some of the items I've made in the past include: Mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese, spinach and onions, Brie en Croute, and Quiche.

Tonight we had another GREAT wine-night and my labor of love popped out some tomato-mozzarella-balsamic bites, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, crusty bread dipped in olive oil, cherries and this...

Be still my heart.

Ok...so I didn't labor over the cheese. Or the cherries for that matter, but that's neither here, nor there.

The point is, this cheese was from a local fromagerie and was out. of. this. world. They pretty much have anything you could ever want when it comes to cheese. I think i might become a cheese snob just because of this store.

I've sent them an e-mail to ask if they had Reblochon cheese, which is the type of cheese they use in Tartiflette that we had in France on Day 4. According to Jo Jo, this cheese is impossible to get in the states. I'm convinced if anyone can get it, these people can. If I can get my hands on some you better believe I will be making tartiflette and blogging about.

Chris

2011-01-21T19:26:00.001-06:00

"Will you play with me?" Chris half wines/half asks the second we enter the house.

Instantly he turns phone charger cords into lassos, closets into dungeons, pillows into shields, hallways into escape passageways, and blankets into capes.

HELLO Dimples!

He Loves his uncle Josh.

Dancing the night away!

His imagination amazes me. This kind of creativity is further proof of us being made in God's image. I miss being able to view the world through the wide-eyes of a child where everything becomes a game.

I'm also amazed at how quickly this little boy captured the heart of my family. You see, we are new to this whole "kids-around" thing. Annalee just joined us in November and, well, she's a girl. We are pretty used to girls around here (with 3 sisters, my mom, my niece, my girl dog willow, and my family's girl dog dolly) And she doesn't do much more than sleep, eat, poo, and make cute faces at this point.

When we found out 4-year old Chris was going to be making it for Ewing family christmas I think we successfully purchased every spiderman item Walmart carries plus some hot wheels, gross squishy alligators, and super-hero coloring books. This is like an entirely different dimension for a family used to barbies, tea-parties, and dress up.

Cheesin' for Auntie Em

Whispering cute things to Auntie Bec

Chris helps Grandpapa put together cups for the reception

One of the items's on Chris' Christmas wish list was a mustache. We found a vending machine that had stick-on mustaches in little plastic bubbles for $.50. PERFECT! Except for when he put it on and started to make some funny faces and then tried to take it off. Let's just say it was a little bit of a dark-night-of-the-soul for this little guy's upper lip. We're just hopping he remember the bike we bought him and not the traumatic ripping off of the sticky mustache.

and the pine branch...

Becomes a mustache!

We got some great use out of the stashes on New Year's eve though...

Blending Chris in with our family seemed so simple and just completely right. He heads back to Florida today and till spring break, and then the summer. I can't wait till he comes back! Love you Chris!

I Have a New Brother

2011-01-20T22:15:00.002-06:00

This past weekend we welcomed a brother into our family. No, my mother and father didn't give it one final try for that boy they always dreamed of, but my older sister, Cynthia, got married to John-Paul.

Not only did we get to welcome JP into family, but we also add Chris, JP's son, to my ever expanding list of nieces and nephews. yippie!

I already love him so much.

Their wedding had everything all great weddings have, friends, family, food, Holy Spirit, wine, dancing, laughter, a photographer, flowers, cake, some special music, a few tears, a pastor and of course the bride and groom.

Except the extra-special beauty of it all was that it was planned in 4 days. Up you read that right. Invites went out to all family and friends via Facebook on Tuesday 1/11. The couple got hitched on 1/15. It. Can. Be. Done. My friends...not without almost killing the maid of honor, but it can be done.

However, that extra special beauty of fast planning and massive amounts of coordination pales in comparison of the OTHER beauty that this day brought. So much took place at that alter where two pairs of hands grasped each other as they placed rings on fingers, spoke eternal vows, and looked deep into each other eyes. The Holy Spirit came and consecrated their marriage. A new path of peace, redemption, joy, happiness, and love was laid before Cynthia and JP as they said I do. This marriage is bringing them into what will be a gorgeous life together as Mr. and Mrs. *ahem* Dr. Cahill.

I'm so blessed to have such a great relationship with both of them as family, but also some of my closest friends. I can't wait to see what our future holds. Carrying each other's babies. Bustling about on holidays. Drinking wine. Sharing meals. Knitting our hearts and paths together till we are old and gray.

Also, this summer my other two sisters are coming to live in Nashville! It's been FOREVER since we all lived in the same city, and who knows, this may be our last chance. I can't wait to see what's in store!

The Soup of My Childhood

2011-01-13T18:40:00.001-06:00

49 of the 50 states have some sort of snow right now. This stat includes Hawaii. Granted, the snow in Hawaii is on top of a volcano, so it barely counts, but that's beside the point. The only state without snow right now is Florida.

What better way to warm up from all this cold weather than with some hot potato soup. Ewing-potato soup that is. This soup recipe is one of the main dishes i remember my mom making as a child. It's so comforting and cozy and filling, easy to save and reheat, and fairly inexpensive to make. Good for big families on a budget or small families that like leftovers (like me and josh!).

The Players:

1 onion

2-3 stalks of celery sliced thin

4 Tbs of butter

8-10 potatoes

3-4 carrots

parsley

chicken broth/stock or bouillon cubes and water to cover all

salt / pepper

dill seasoning

Can of evaporated milk

Cheddar Cheese

and try not to gasp too loudly...

1/3 - 1/2 a loaf of Velveeta or other processed cheese product of your choice. Me...I go for generic Publix brand Cheese Blend pasteurized process cheese!

The Game:

Chop the onion.

Thinly chop the celery

Saute in large pot with 1 - 8 Tbs of butter (depends on how fatty you wanna be, but works with any amount)

Peel and chop the carrots.

Peel and chop the potatoes to about 1/2 - 1 inch.

Put potatoes and carrots in with sautéed onion, celery, and butter. Barely cover with broth (or water and bouillon cubes (1 cube per cup of water you use). Add parsley.

Bring a low boil till potatoes are soft enough to poke easily with a fork. (approximately 10 mins or until you realize you've forgotten you were making dinner while surfing facebook and rush back to check it.)

Once potatoes are soft, drop heat to low and add cheese in chunks (1-3 inches). (Velveeta cheese is essential cause of it's awesome melting capabilities....add as much or as little cheddar as you want.)

Grab your potato masher and hold it awkwardly above the soup

Just kidding...mash up some of the bigger potato chunks and pieces of cheese. *Note: Be careful not to burn your hands on the steam from the soup!

Once cheese is melted and when nearly finished add evaporated milk salt, pepper and dill to taste. Don't boil the milk or you will get some nasty curdles and dill does best when not heated for a long time.

Cut up some tasty french bread.

Thanks to Josh for being a hand model!

Chill some delicious white wine.

And Enjoy!

(p.s. i stupidly forgot to take a picture of this delicious soup before was gone so how the end result lookst will be a mystery till you make it!)

Pulling the band-aid off

2011-01-12T17:00:00.002-06:00

It's been 12 days since my last post. That's far too long and I have yet to brainstorm a sufficient post to break the awkward silence. The last post was so sure and confident in my 2010 review/2011 resolves, but now I just feel like 2011 is pretty much the same as 2010. Not a heck of a lot has changed except for my tree finally coming down on Jan. 9. Woohoo!

So with a lack of creativity in songwriting and a lack of creativity for what to post on here, this is going to be like pulling a band-aid off...no one really wants to do it, but it has to be done eventually. no matter how long you want to pretend it's best for that wound to be covered hopefully not festering, it's always better to let it get some air, breathe for a bit and change the dressings....there it is. A gross wound/writing analogy is the most creativity i can muster up this snowy Wednesday.

There you have it. Hopefully the next post will be more interesting. I think i'm going to write about potato soup. Yup...potato soup will be more interesting than this post for sure.

p.s. There has some exciting things happening with me and the Lord plus some awesome rumblings and changes happening in my family so perhaps I will share that in the coming weeks.

p.p.s. Also, the much ~~delayed~~ *ahem* anticipated france days 7&8 and 9&10 are on the docket for January. So things are looking up...i guess they can really only go up from here and potato soup so that's not saying much...ANYWAYS...

2011

2011-01-01T10:47:00.001-06:00

From the start of this blog in 2008, at the beginning of each year I like to reflect on the previous year and make grandiose resolutions for the forth coming year. So, for the sake of tradition, (and we all know how much i love tradition) and because I can think of nothing better to write at the start of a new year, I will continue on with the ritual.

The year 2010 seems to be quite a blur in my mind. I feel cheesy saying it, but time really does begin to fly by the older you are. Days and weeks begin to mesh together and years are marked with the small joys and moments that outline the shape of your soul and story. Many surprises took place throughout the year and I would say at least 1/2 of what ended up framing our year was completely unplanned on Jan. 1, 2010.

We welcomed a new brother into the family when Andrea and Michael were married in February.
We took a week vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC with the Ewing clan in June thanks to my Aunt Debby for graciously opening up her home. During this trip we had our first family "circle" ate lots of good food, sunbathed, read several books, visited Aunt Cindy, payed putt-putt golf, learned how NOT to put an umbrella in the sand when it's windy, soaked up the world cup.
We discovered my sister Cynthia (my older sister) was pregnant and moving to Nashville to start residency!
We welcomed two new house guests, Cynthia and John-Paul, from June - October.
I continued to play guitar, but lost momentum during the summer as our small group came to an end.
We harvested wine in Campbellsville, KY and seriously considered moving there.
I participated in 3 weddings of dear friends. (Heather, Kristen, and Stephanie).
We miraculously made our way to France to visit Nate, Jo, and Ayla before their move to Africa. Lots of wine drinking, food consuming, walking, shopping, biking, train riding and site seeing was had (read about it here, here, and here. More to come later).
We joyously celebrated the coming of new life when my niece Annalee Grace was born on November 20th.
We fixed our sink, and then fixed it again, and just found out yesterday we may need to fix it AGAIN!
I dramatically and courageously changed jobs from the non-profit sector marketing to country-folk to the for-profit sector marketing to country-folk. Good times.
I turned 26 and josh surprised me with a fabulous party filled with friends, wine, pasta, and words of encouragement for the coming year.
We took two long weekend trips with the Michael family. One to Saint Louis where we watched baseball, played at the city museum, and found quite possibly the saddest fire works show ever by way of wandering around a parking lot like the Children of Israel. The other to Cincinnati, where IKEA was our worst enemy and an obscure German beer festival was our best friend.
I started the monthly girls-only wine nights which have become an outlet of cooking creativity, friendship, and shared life.

Whew...i think those were the highlights for me. Looking back on the goals I had for 2010 I can safely say i accomplished two of the five. They were:

Finish reading the Bible in a (2) year(s) - Did get further in this process, but still have a ways to go...
write one hand written letter a month - did this for about 3 months and lost momentum, however i did receive one of my favorite letters of all time from my lil sis Emily as a result of this initiative.
write one song a month - I wrote 2 songs all year...which equals out to approx. .1666667 per month...not nearly sufficient enough to call even a solid effort, but is more than I can say for my song writing in 2009.
~~write two blogs a month (at minimum)~~ - Blew this out of the water once my momentum started in July.
incorporate the words magnificent, outstanding, and glorious into my vocabulary more often. - I mean....you can't really measure this, but i'm pretty sure i remember saying these words more than usual...so...uh...CHECK!

So moving in to 2011 I really feel like this year is going to be marked with Growth and moving forward for me. I feel like 2010 felt a bit stagnate spiritually, relationally, financially, and even backwards health wise. I think God wants to partner with me to prosper and grow in all of these areas during 2011. In an e-newsletter i read this morning the writer, Dr. Ray Roberts said, "Without question, God prefers health over sickness, prosperity over poverty, community over isolation, and of course, mercy over justice." so I have to believe that God wants to partner with me for to see dreams and goals realized.

Finish reading the Bible in a (3) year(s).
Write at least 12 songs that are suitable for an album.
Record an album
AAAAAND - stereotypical, but I want to work out at least 3 times a week.

#3 is a bit contingent upon #2, but that's OK. Also, I'm gunna go ahead and tell myself it's OK if these aren't accomplished this year. I don't take my new years resolutions as seriously as some people, but I do think it's smart to at least establish a few goals at the beginning of the year to try and focus on and work towards.

Lastly, another blogger I read likes to pray for a word from the Lord at the beginning of each year, and I think that's a great idea. I'm going to pray over the next few days and see what word the Lord has for me in 2011. More on that later!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Learning

2010-12-28T12:15:00.001-06:00

Our Christmas spent in Bloominton, IL with Josh's family was great. Lots of shopping, game playing, gift giving, snow watching, pie making, wine drinking, family feasting, picture taking and late nights followed by early mornings took place. I'm pretty sure after 3 days of stuffing myself to the gills of delicious and greasy/sugary food while burning the candles at both ends is what made my body finally call it quits.

I always seem to get sick around the holidays and I'm pretty sure the "too much fun" (as my Grandpapa would say) is what causes the plague. 2 years ago on the Christmas of 2008, I think i spent the majority of our time in Bloomington wrapped around a toilet trying to keep down at least one yogurt cup . The Christmas 2006, I traveled with the Michael's on New Years eve day to meet Josh's mom's side of the family for the first time. I ended up spending the entire day sleeping on his grandma's front room couch awkwardly saying "hi, i'm Josh's girlfriend" through cold chills and a swollen glands wrapped in a blanket to Josh's Aunt's, Uncles, and cousins who were complete strangers to me as they walked in the front door.

You would think I would learn my lesson. You would think i would eat less, go to bed earlier, maybe taken an Emergen-C on the ride to the cold tundra of Illinois and pack a few extra scarves, but I don't. And, once again, I find myself unable to breathe through my nose, barely able to swallow and a head that feels like i'm walking around in a muffled balloon.

I tend to be thick skulled and lessons don't sink in the first time, even when learned the hard way. This getting sick over and over is like the same lessons I have to keep learning from God. You see, I doubt sometimes. I forget God's strength and goodness. The road trip up to Bloomington, proved to be a low point for me on this topic and I wallowed in self-pity and worthlessness. I cried. stared out a window into the abyss of dark farm land passing by under the full moon, felt that I had nothing to offer and before I know what happens i'm going to be old and have done nothing worth anything in my life.

Then God did a funny thing. He had my husband pop in a sermon a friend had given us a few days before our trip and the entire thing was about faith. About the centurion who had faith that made Jesus MARVEL. About believing and declaring God's promises that he has spoken over me and realizing it has nothing to do with what I can accomplish and who I am, but who he is. (cheesy, i know...but true and something i'm always learning over and over again.)

Eventually, I realized that he CAN use me. That I AM called to lead worship. That I AM called to be a mother. That I AM called to business...and even if all three of those things don't seem to be able to co-exist in my dream world right now, that God is a master planner and WILL let these desires come to fruition one someday.

What lessons do you find yourself learning over and over again? What promises are you believing God for at the end of this year?

Our Plans for Christmas and Some More Thinking

2010-12-22T09:47:00.001-06:00

Christmas is 3 days away. I'm so excited! Josh and I will be trekking to Bloomington, IL to celebrate the holiday with his mom, dad, sister, and her husband. The forecast predicts 8 - 10 inches of snow Christmas eve, so sarah (my Mother-in-Law) called yesterday to remind us to bring warm clothes for sledding!

Last year we went sledding and I swear, I think i peed my pants a little due to my uncontrollable laughter every time i belly flopped on that sled and sped down the hill with snow flying in my face.

This will be the first Christmas I will spend away from my mediate family, which in someways is hard. I'm also kind of excited because it's the first Christmas where Andrea and Mike are married so there will be a really fun dynamic in the Michael household this weekend. Mike is a GREAT cook and will be preparing a christmas Goose on the 25th! I will be making my mom's apple pie and perhaps a few other side items to accompany the feast.

The biggest thing that will be out of place is not having Nate, Jo and Ayla in our living room with us. Even last year when they were in France we were able to video skype with them so they could participate in and see the festivities. This year, they are in Africa and they share internet with the main Wycliffe camp there, so no one is allowed to get on video because it takes up too much bandwidth. They will be there on the phone though, so we will just have to be extra descriptive and creative in conveying what's going on!

Random picture to break up the post.

Snowing - downtown Franklin, TN.

On a side note: Recently, I can feel my heart craving some alone time. It needs just a bit of space to sort through thoughts and emotions and to really hear God's voice and understand what he is trying to teach me and guide me in as we approach 2011.

I can tell when my soul is needing this alone time quench because i find myself filling my time with meaningless activities and trying to take control of my own life. When I haven't taken time to listen I get the looming feeling that i need to start making decisions and take action on things or I will end up just meandering through my days in Franklin, TN going through the motions following the next "logical step for people of my age in my position of life".

I find myself at a stalemate with the puzzle of my future starring a hole through all the tiny pieces trying to find that last corner piece with a bit of yellow and green to fill in the frame around what this life should look like. I don't want it to be status quo, but the more pieces of this puzzle I put together on my own, it starts to look a lot like the same Thomas Kinkade puzzle the other 20 somethings around me are putting together.

Yet, instead of doing something meaningful and actually taking control i fill life with more routine like cleaning, facebook, Hulu, blogging, and since my birthday last weekend the Nintendo 64 and Golden Eye/Mario cart beckoning me to keep my mind busy and entertained. That's what I do. Because I lack any type of real strength and self-control on my own to break the mold, i allow the distractions and what everyone else around me is doing to dictate my life.

I'm hopping while we are in Bloomington I will be able to find a few mins here and there to really allow God's peace to wash over me. To sit in silence and meditation allowing my whole being to absorb what God has for me and allowing HIS strength and love to fill me up and direct my path.

In case I don't get a chance to post while i'm gone, I hope you all are surrounded by love and joy this season. Merry Christmas!

Where It's OK to Fail

2010-12-21T10:07:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking about writing.

I know i'm not an eloquent writer that uses flowery adjectives and sucks you into an irresistible story painting a detailed picture in your mind of the room, mood, emotions that make up the experiences of my life. (even though i wish i could use words like delicious to describe my every day life like Kelle Hampton does, but it's just not true. Most of the time it's mundane, and often times i can't even find a better word than "blah" to describe my day to day, so i don't write.)

nor am I technically proficient writer that knows the proper sentence structure, spelling, grammar, or punctuation. 9 times out of 10 i'm to lazy to hit the shift key to make my "i" capitalized and I'm far to familiar with the right-click-the-mouse-to-find-the-proper-spelling trick. I couldn't tell you the difference between a compound or complex sentence and from the way I write, you'd think fragments are my favorite.

I'm definitely not a deep writer, like my sister Rebecca, spinning words and verbs together to change the way you think about the life and the world.

I'm not crafty, talented with food, inspiring, or a fashionista worth emulating so blogging about that doesn't make a lot of sense.

I'm not a pregnant mommy blogger with insights on how to deal with morning sickness, whether or not to breast feed, natural birth, home schooling, etc. etc.

This is obviously not a professional blog. nor is it even a topical blog on theology, songwriting, teaching English or any other noble theme.

I'm not really all that funny, even though I try.

I write how I talk and i talk how i write. I never went to school for writing, but i'm pretty sure that's not how it's "supposed to be done."

So why do i write? Why do i post things on "With All Her Heart" for the world to read? Baring my confused and awkward soul for strangers to stumble upon.

I write because God has put something in me. Whether it's profound or not, He has put creativity inside me and it needs to come out. I need this outlet to try. To try and try and try and try and fail.

To allow myself to write something crappy, so that maybe one day I will write something significant. To let the shityness flow out of my head unfiltered from time to time and show that christians don't have to have it all together while they pursue God's heart.

I started this blog a little over two years ago and it has morphed and changed quite a bit over time. In 2008 I was on FIRE for God. (you can tell by my slap-happy silly blogs at the beginning). It was literally the biggest year of growth for me spiritually and there are several landmark things that took place that year that continue to shape me and my wants and desires to this day.

You an really tell how my passion, honesty, focus, hungers and motives has waned and shifted over the past 2 years. I'm OK with the fact that it has changed. I'm OK that sometimes it's fluff and (because it rhymes and get's my point across) i'm OK that sometimes it's rough.

I'm really thankful for the few people that do read this blog. Thanks for sticking around. I really do want this to be a safe place where I can be real and messy and not necessarily do the same kitchy things other bloggers do. (even though every now and then it's fun). You all have let me try and try and try and try and fail. I'm thankful.

I'm not so bold to write my 2011 resolutions post yet, but growth and maybe some depth in my writing may make the cut.

Birthdays and Before 35 Lists

2010-12-16T16:00:00.001-06:00

Today at 12:29 pm marks my 26th birthday. I'm pretty sure I can still call myself mid-twenties, but there is something about crossing over to the closer-to-thirty-than-i-am-to-twenty zone that frightens me just a little bit.

Last August I made the first part of a "Before 35 List." Most people make a before 30 list, but since I was already in my mid 20s I wanted to give myself at least 10 years to get some of this done.

The list is currently 32 items long. Not overly aggressive, but not simple things to complete. This past year I've done 1.75 of them. I visited europe. I made wine - but it wasn't my own, so that only counts for .5 of the "Make my own wine" goal. And I read two classic books. Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights, so that's approx. 25 of the read 10 classic novels goal.

I know some of these goals will take time. I mean, learn to speak another language often takes more than a year to do, especially when you work full time and you live in an english speaking country, but I'm kinda disappointed in myself. I really thought that I would get more done. With that said, I'm kinda leaning toward turning my before 35 list to being a bucket list instead and thus, I want to add some more items to expand beyond 32.

32. Visit Africa
33. Learn to make a croissant.
34. Run a Marathon
35. Shoot a gun.
36. Learn to snowboard
37. Go fly fishing
38. Go sailing
39. Learn sign language
40. Sing in an Opera again
41. Try out for a play at the Boiler Room (or other local community theatre).
42. Spend a week in silence.
43. Go rock climbing
44. Visit Cedar Point again.
45. See Mount Rushmore
46. Visit Bethel church in Redding.
47. Learn how to play chess.
48. Try photography professionally
49. Own some chickens
50. Knit a blanket
51. Become an Early Riser
52. Attend a TED conference
53. Meet a president or former president
54. Donate blood.
55. See someone healed of blindness/deafness/smell (something tangible).
56. Sleep in a castle.
57. Invest in the stock market.
58. Go whale watching
59. Go on safari
60. Milk a cow
61. Finish reading the Bible all the way through
62. Go to a Renee Fleming concert
63. Go to the Kentucky Derby
64. Be at the Macy's Thanksgiving day Parade in person.
65. Live car-less for a month
66. Take an Alaskan cruise
67. See a Broadway show in New York
68. Make my own pasta.
69. Eat snails
70. Donate my hair to Locks of Love
71. Try being a vegetarian for 30 days.
72. Fly first class.
73. Drive a tractor.
74. Learn to play the harp
75. Be able to do 50 normal push-ups
76. Get a tattoo
77. Be debt free
78. Build a giant snow man
79. Find/buy a great garage sale deal. (ex. awesome leather chair for $20 bucks.)
80. Pay respects to my grandparents at their graves
81. Learn my heritage (I know i'm Scott-Irish and part english, but I would love to know specifics.)
82. ...
83. ...

Okay... i'll stop at the nice round number of 81 for now.

I was doing some bucket list research and found this website which allows people to enter their goals and resolutions from around the world. It's quite fun to view goals by region to see what people in different cities want to do with their lives. Do you wanna know what the top three items were in nearly every city from New York and London, Shanghai and Istanbul, to Cleveland and Winnipeg?

Fall in love.
Lose weight.
Stop procrastinating.

I think that's profound. We all desire the security and passion of love. We all want to be happy and healthy in our bodies. And we all want to get our lazy asses off the couch to do something about it. The hardest part is taking the first step.

I'm lucky my birthday somewhat coincides with the end of the year and the start of a new one. It's easy to measure what happened since my last birthday and easy to set lofty goals for the new year. I genuinely yearn to be a person who sucks the marrow out of life. I don't want another year to go by with only 1.75 of my bucket items to be crossed off my list. I desire to live life to the fullest and I legitimately plan to complete at least 4 or 5 of my goals in my 26th year. Step by step. Day by day. It will get done.

What are your 2011 Goals? What's on your bucket list?

Christmas Traditions

2010-12-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

By far one of my favorite times of year is the Holiday season. Christmas is right up there next to Fall with the changing of the leaves and all their crispy glory. Along with this time of year comes family traditions. The Ewings (my family) are dedicated to our traditions and many of my fondest memories from childhood come from these annual rituals.

Apple pie and fudge filling our house with aromas which must be equal to those that are in heaven. Toffee, snowball cookies and spiced pecans fill christmas tins to deliver to neighbors during caroling. The set: Joy to the World, Deck the Halls, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. I always shoved my way to the front of the crowed to hand over the tin of goodies and sing harmony loudly so all could hear.

Lugging 20 boxes of christmas decor out of the basement to dress the house in candles, wreathes, and the prefect real douglas fir - either freshly cut or hand picked from Andersons. Our new plan was then adorned in a very particular order: lights, ornaments, bows, candy canes, and then tinsel.

Carefully picking where each bulb would hang and racing to be the sister who found the smallest ornament among the boxes and getting to hang it way up near the top for all to see.

Placing ornate stockings above the fire place and helping mom get the mantle design just right. Santa sticks on the right, red bulbs on the left.

The first snow. Bundeling up to the point of immobility and then sledding behind the church with friends. Freezing our hineys off and doing things that were way to dangerous for 11 and 12 year olds to be doing unsupervised. By the end of it our faces and feet were always freezing and our little bodies were always sweating from running up and down the snow covered hill.

Going to be awed by the Columbus Zoo lights while at the same time be frozen half to death by mother nature.

Getting our pictures taken with Santa.

Me in the Mickey shirt. Cynthia in the leotard. Yes...my father let us dress ourselves that year.

Even begrudgingly when in High School.

December 24th eating out at Chilis (because it's the only pace open) with extended family after the Christmas eve service. I can still picture the first year we did this when EVERYONE, even Nick who has basically been on tour in Iraq for the last...well forever christmases, was there. This meal is one of those memories that's branded in my mind. So much love and happiness. And what would a Ewing-Oney-Taylor get together be like if there wasn't obnoxious amounts of excessively loud talking and laughter!

Heading home after Chilis to read the Christmas Story from the Bible (the Luke version) and then Grandpapa (or mom, in recent years) reading "The Night Before Christmas."

Setting out the cookies, milk, carrot sticks, and note for Santa and his reindeer and then being shooed "up the golden stairs!" to bed, but really anxiously staying away and giggling away the hours with sisters.

Waking early on Christmas morning to the smell of coffee, sticky buns, and sausage casserole in the kitchen.

It's ok to drool.

Tearing into the stocking to see what Santa brought and preparing for the rest of the day's festivities of eating a meal that is literally the same as thanksgiving, movie watching, puzzle doing, guitar jamming, and game playing.

Now that I'm all grown up, married, and living in Nashville - it's got me thinking about starting some new traditions with my new family. Still holding on to the cherished ones from child hood, but coming up with new ones to pass on to our children some day. here are a few I've got rolling around in my head:

Having a weekly advent reading, candle lighting and meal at home each week between Thanksgiving and New Years. Perhaps with themed meals that carry on as well like build your own pizza night, pork roast and potatoes, etc. ect.
Sushi on Christmas Eve
Giving money to a random stranger
Looking at the lights at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel
Having a small kids-only tree that they get to decorate however they want
Going to the Franklin Parade and Dickens of a Christmas festival.

I would love some more ideas on this. What are your traditions from childhood? Have they changed or have you added new ones now that you're an adult?

France - Days 5 and 6

2010-12-07T18:29:00.000-06:00

Day 5 - Monday, October 4

On Monday we woke up super early (6am) to head to Beaune. I wore my new brown hippie dress that I purchased in Interlaken and we caught a bus while it was still dark out to make it to the train station in time. Nate wanted to encourage Josh in speaking French and nudged him towards buying the tickets for our bus ride. He counted out the proper amount of Euros and coached him to say “Deux billet, si-vou plait” (two tickets, please) to the driver when he got on. Turns out the price per ticket had gone up and josh didn’t have the right amount pre counted out. It got all awkward and funny with about 50 French people watching us bumble about at the front of the train with our giant packs and non-French speaking-selves.

The train station was PACKED for so early in the morning on a Monday. We assumed a lot of the traffic was due to students returning from a weekend excursion trying to make it to class on time Monday morning.

We purchased tickets (with a bonus discount because we still fell into the 25 and under category!) and jumped on the train.

With one stop in Lyon we grabbed a quick espresso and pan au chocolate on our layover and then went on to Beaune. The second part of the trip was about 3 hours and Ayla entertained us with some adorable singing and general sweetness.

Our hotel in Beaune was a historic looking chateau directly across from the train station. It was so quaint and cozy inside. Our shared room was on the top floor and inside the room we found that it had two levels inside. (Upstairs 3 twin beds and a few windows overlooking the red roof tops and downstairs a double bed, TV and bathroom). The furnishings weren’t fancy, but it had such a feeling of home and comfort that we were cool with it.

Once we dropped our bags off we decided it was time to explore and grab lunch! We roamed a few sparsely populated streets taking pictures for a while.

Then we stumbled upon a bustling café , and in true Michael style, we decided the restaurant based on the amount of people already there. Gobs of people = Awesome Restaurant. This restaurant was no exception. We ended up being seated in the back room next to a HUGE group of very loud and rude Asian tourist and another group of lunching French women.

Here is where we had some of our favorite food of the entire trip. Josh ordered croaque madame (Ham and cheese with egg) and I ordered Beof Borgunione with a diet coke served in the fancy glass bottle.

After lunch I had my awkward moment with a French Woman and then Josh and I dropped a LOAD of money at one of the local wine stores. Totally taken in by her “Our whites in this region are the best around” schpeel after already committing to 3 reds.

Then we went on to do the most touristy thing we had done yet – a wine cellar tasting. We paid 10 Euro and got to visit the cellars under the streets of Beaune and tasted 17 different wines! Nate and Jo had a conversation in French with a semi-toothless portly Sommelier in which I’m pretty sure he insulted all Americans. Regardless - this was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip to France.

Those numbers = the wine's vintage! Crazy!

Before leaving, we of course had to buy some more wine and maybe a few Christmas presents (thank goodness for Ayla’s stroller carrying all of our goodies!) When we left the celler it was cold and POURING Rain outside! (So much for the weather.com 70 and sunny prediction) We got soaked sprinting to a nearby awning to decide what to do next. Baguettes and espresso were in order to warm us up!

Afterwards, we were faced with the hard decision of walking back in the rain about 10 mins to our hotel to drop off our stuff before dinner or waiting around in the downtown area for 3 hours till we were hungry enough to eat. (I don’t know why there wasn’t an option number 3 of waiting for the rain to STOP and then walking back…but I digress)

Let’s just said 10 mins later my mood was more than sour as we got back to the hotel. I was cold. I was tired. I was sopping wet. I was first back to the room and didn’t have a key so I just had to stand in the hallway waiting for everyone. I had ruined my cute brown dress and realzed that because it was just one night, I packed light and didn’t have a reasonable change of clothes…ARGH! The more upset I got about the situation, the more upset I got at myself because I was in France and ruining everything with my crappy attitude! It was an endless downward spiral to the pit of cranky despair.

When the door was finally opened I huffed to the upstairs stripped out of my cold clothes and put on some warm PJs and laid on the bed listening to the rain beat the hell out of the roof top. Josh came and snuggled with me on the tiny twin bed and we dozed off to the storm. It was quite a poetic moment of morose comfort.

The remainder of the afternoon we killed time in the hotel room looking out the window at the rain, reading, Watching TV and speaking in hushed towns while Ayla took a nap.

The rain died down and we headed off to dinner around 7 and went straight down to the heart of town to see what types of restaurants there were.

Most of the patios and restaurants were empty because French people don’t dine until 8 or 9, so we were out there with the other tourists and the old people. There was a strip of 5 restaurants in a row off the main circle and I was entranced by one that had bright white Christmas lights strung all around it’s entrance.

The place was empty save for a petite blonde woman standing behind the bar. Joanna asked for a table and we plopped down at one of the many open spaces. I’m not going to linger to much more on our experience here because, let’s just say the twinkle lights outside were the only good thing about this place. My Pasta was bland, Jo’s Beouf Borgion was burnt and Josh’s pizza was only saved by the fact that he ordered it with two fried eggs on top. (Yup, eggs on pizza.)

Josh and I left a bit early to grab a bit of dessert at one of the other cafes in hopes that their food would be better.

We thought splitting a nutella waffle would be good. We both pictured a big waffle covered in warm nutella and possibly topped with whipped cream. What we got was 2 (not one to split, as I had ordered…I think she was confused) plain Belgian waffles with a small packet of nutella each. Lame-a-tron.

(Side bar: Sorry to complain so much, but the last part of our first day in Beaune was probably my least favorite part of the trip. This is in stark comparison to the first part of our day in Beaune being my some of my favorite memories!)

Back at the hotel was also much better as Joanna and I read through the welcome book left on the night stand and made fun of their poor English and the fact that they offered babysitting services. (never heard of that at a hotel before!) Then Josh and I giggled like children till about 3 am trying to see who could unroll the toilet paper on the iTouch game fastest. Good times.

Day 6 - Tuesday, October 5

Nate, Jo and Ayla headed out early on Tuesday because they needed to get back to Chambery for a Doctor’s appointment. We grabbed a few pastries with them before they left and promptly went back to bed till about 10 am due to our late night of crazy game competitions.

Around 11 we headed out to wander the (again cold) streets of Beaune some more. We found several new areas that we hadn’t explored and looked a few shops till they closed down for lunch (yup…shops close during lunch time).

Josh came to his hunger/shopping breaking point when I was paroozing some jewelry and we quickly found a nearby restaurant with a good lunch Menu (not the thing listed with all the options, but French restaurants often offer Menus which are basically the daily special that includes an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Kinda like the Chilis 2 for 20 deals…except more sophisticated and awesome)

I ordered pizza and josh ordered the menu which included chicken, noodles, mushrooms and cream sauce. Kinda like a marsala, but not really. We grabbed a couple of dessert pastries on the way back to the train station and then jumped on the train around 1:45.

The trip back was uneventful aside from us taking these really "cool" photos holding a bottle of wine that was older than both of us a gypsy asking us for food during the layover in Lyon.

Back in Chambery we stopped by yet again another boulangarie to grab a baguette to go with dinner. The woman tried to speak English to us and told us the total was nineteen fifty…even though we knew she really meant ninety-five cents.

That evening Nate and Joe made an awesome Lardon and goat cheese quiche with salad for dinner. We stayed up late talking and playing Euchre.

It was so good to be back around them. They have seen both Josh and I at our worst and still seem to always love and forgive us. They were a friendly warm welcome after our cold cranky days in Beaune. They really are life-long friends, that just so happen to be related to us.

Dear,

2010-12-06T17:36:00.000-06:00

Dear Willow,

Does the ground really smell that different than it did this morning? Please find a place to "go" soon, it's beeping cold out here.

Sincerely,
Fingers-Frozen-to-the-Leash

Willow vs. The Christmas Tree

2010-12-03T18:13:00.000-06:00

We decorated the house this week.

Please ignore the mangled piglett toy laying lifeless at my feet and focus on the tree and all it's glittery beauty.

We found a sweet little douglas fir tree at Lowes, had the guy strap it on our roof and then went through the drive through at Chick-Fil-A to pick up some peppermint-chocolate shakes. (Josh had a bit of trouble swallowing the chunks in the shake and felt the need to chew every bit of peppermint that made it's way though his straw).

Willow was a bit scared of the tree at first and she went into a fit of barking and whining as though someone had kicked her when she discovered it strapped on top of our car. Once the initial shock wore off I think she began to remember her wayward ways of the Christmas of 2009 when she repeatedly attacked the tree and destroyed everything on the bottom 3rd of our tree by December 19. She determined that lights, tinsel, and all of our precious wooden and glass ornaments were demolished in her fluffy little fangs.

This year, I consciously placed mostly plastic/unbreakable ornaments near the bottom of the tree. A mere 2 mins after the tree was complete I spied on willow as she snuck up on a stuffed snowman hanging on the bottom of the tree. She sniffed it quizzically, became startled by something she saw/smelled and jumped backward for a half a second and then promptly recovered from the scare and ripped the little stuffed mann of snow off the tree and ran for the couch.

The victim.

"NAHHH!" I yelled, scaring her and my unsuspecting husband, Josh, half to death.

She dropped the snowman and sheepishly looked my way. "No, no, Willow. No!" I sternly said grabbing the snowman and placing him back on the tree in the exact same spot. Pointy carrot nose, striped scarf, and beady eyes taunting her, once again.

I know she will rip it off the tree many times before Dec. 25th comes around, but I figure it's good bait to keep her away from the light chords and tinsel. To a dog, tinsel always seems like a good idea to eat, but we all know how that story ends...and no body wants to spend their christmas holiday pulling something sparkly out of a dogs booty.

Regardless, we haven't had any incidents since the above mentions, so perhaps my little puppy has matured. Also, I think our house looks winter wonderland fabulous. Hopefully I didn't go overboard on the christmas garland.

That funky wavy thing on the wall is a reflection off my funky wavy mirrors on the wall to the left.

Our aweseome(ly hard) puzzle.

Are your trees up and decorated? Do you all do a real or a fake tree? Any animal/tree troubles elsewhere in the world?

Merry Christmas!

Confessions

2010-12-01T12:00:00.001-06:00

I get mad at people for texting and driving because of a horribly graphic UK PSA video I saw about it, but when i'm driving alone, I do it all the time.

Josh and I easily can go through 36 eggs in one week.

I started listening to Christmas music November 8th.

I want to work from home someday to see if I have the motivation and the focus to not wander off and take a nap every 10 mins.

I kinda want to run a 1/2 marathon again, but i miserably failed at training for my 5K on Oct. 30 so i'm too scared to sign up. Walk/jogging 13.1 miles is a lot harder than walk/jogging 3.1

Sometimes I sit down to read my Bible at lunch and end up watching "Let's Make a Deal" instead.

I don't understand bloggers who are all gushy and lovey about their husbands all the time. It makes me feel like i'm a bad wife.Don't get me wrong, I love Josh, but i'm not the swoony type i guess.

I read all the Twilight books and loved every minute of them.

If I ever got a cat I would name him Junior. (get it, Kat junior?!)

Most people get up for Black Friday shopping so they can get good deals on gifts for their loved ones. I end up buying stuff for myself every time.

I work in the ag industry and can barely tell the difference between a tractor and a combine.

One of my favorite meals in the whole world is Chicken Scampi from Olive Garden. Not so classy, but extra tasty!

I think red heads are the best looking people. It would be hard for you to find a red head (male or female) that I didn't think was attractive in some way.

I love cooking and baking, but I don't really know how to do either in a healthy way that is still produces something tasty.

Sometimes I miss just wearing my engagement ring and kinda think my wedding band (wrap) adds too much bling.

If I could do France over again, I wouldn't spend as much time shopping and I would spend more time doing cheesy touristy things and sight seeing.

I'm discovering that when you put yourself out there with friends and get burned it's really hard to put yourself out there again.

I still haven't put up my Christmas decorations and it makes me want to cry.

Others opinions mean way to much to me.

I keep forgetting that I turn 26 in 16 days. I still feel like i'm in college and 22.

The One Where Thanksgiving Was Exactly What it Should Be

2010-11-30T18:49:00.000-06:00

This past week I have been delinquently MIA from pretty much all computer activity. This was not necessarily on purpose, but my life evolved into a tech-free zone with family visiting, babies arriving, and much merriment to be had around the national stuff-your-face-holiday, Thanksgiving.

My parents and littlest sister, Emily, rushed into town the Friday before Thanksgiving because my most adorable and all-things-sweet-and-cute niece was on her way! They arrived around 9:00 pm and we all promptly visited Starbucks to pump our bodies full of caffeinated peppermint mochas and egg nog lattes for the long night ahead of us.

As it turns out Cynthia, my eldest sister in labor at the time, needed some rest so everyone but my mom and JP (Cynthia's fiance) headed home around 11:45 expecting a middle of the night phone call we all hit the sack.

By the next morning it was apparent that the labor wasn't progressing as we all had hoped and Cynthia was exhausted. At noon on November 20th, they decided to go ahead with a c-section to get little Annalee out of there and into the bright world of love that awaited her. Now...here is where I feel like a crap Aunt.

I had a hair appointment at noon. I had scheduled this several months in advance and desperately needed some work done AND thought I could be back in time for a first look at Annalee with JP through the glass after the c-section. Turns out c-sections take like 30 mins and I missed out on those very precious moments first glimpses through the nursery viewing window for cell phone pictures, oo's and ahh's, and tears.

I missed it. and I really really regret it...However, luckily I didn't miss out on the first no-glass meet and greet with the little one. And like I mentioned here she is perfect. And has such a sweet temperament. And I could hold her all day every day and never get sick of it. And just talking about her makes my heart hurt a little bit because of how much I miss her right now.

The next few days after Annalee's arrival were a blur of hospital visits, big moves from hospital to home, adjustments for my sister, adjustments for the baby, etc, etc. (everyone is doing very nicely now - BTW)

Before I knew it Thanksgiving eve was upon us and mom and I did one really serious shopping trip to fill 1.25 carts full of enough food to feed an army and then went home for approximately 5.75 hours of pie baking (I made 1 killer apple pie, and 1 pumpkin pie all by myself!) and food prep for the big day. It was painfully obvious how out of shape I am because just standing for that long made my legs hurt....Oy Vey!

Thanksgiving day was exactly as it should be. I woke up, and because of urging from Emily and because I wanted to enjoy the day guilt free, we went for a run. Didn't get far (maybe 1.25 miles) but nearly died and definitely burned some calories. I crashed in front of the couch and zoned out at the giant commercial we call entertainment, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, then showered and started cooking around 11:30.

Making a big meal is somewhat like being a conductor of a professional orchestra or maybe a bomb defusing specialist. The timing has to be exactly right or everything will fall apart and you will lose your patrons/ everything will explode and your patrons will die.

Thus - much team work was needed between all people involved. Mom and I made all the side dishes (corn pudding, green bean casserole, sweet potato souffle, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn - Hello starchville!) Dad manned the gravy, 22 lb turkey, and excessive-but-necessary chex mix and Emily may or may not have burnt the rolls, but we got everything to the table in time for a feast that probably would have been enough food for 20. We still have quite a few leftovers in our fridge.

after the meal i promptly passed out on the couch from a tryptophan hangover and didn't wake up till it was dark outside and my tummy notified me it was time for something a bit sweet. (apple pie!!!)

Literally, the remainder of the weekend I think the girls did was one of 5 things:

Watch movies - mostly of the Christmas genre, but we may or may not have watch Boondock Saints and Elf back to back.
Eat - Leftovers, pizza, sausage casserole Friday morning, more left overs, more pizza. It was glorious.
Drink Coffee - my family knows how to put away coffee like a bear preparing for hibernation knows how to put away...whatever bears eat (berries? bunnies? humans?) Probably should have thought of a better analogy that I actually knew the second part to...
Puzzles - We did one and a half 1,000 piece puzzles while my family was here. They left me with the hard half of a very hard puzzle to finish on my own and I realized last night that every time I closed my eyes before bed I could not stop picturing puzzle pieces!
Stare at Annalee - We are staring at her like willow does at the food on a visitors plate.

The remainder of the week the guys did one of 2 things:

Fix Stuff: Our house is old. it's falling apart. they fixed our kitchen sink (which broke again after Josh fixed it 3 months ago), Our refrigerator (which might still be broken) our bathroom's leaky valves (which ended up being a much bigger ordeal than anyone anticipated including tearing tiles off the walls, not being able to find matching tiles, grout and dirt everywhere, and so on, and so on). I'm so thankful for this being done, though! I think it will save money on our water/heating bill in the future. Thanks Josh and Dad!
Watch sports: Notre Dame game, Florida game, OSU dominating Michigan game, Predators hockey game.

Wish I would have gotten more sleep during the break, but it was so good to be with family. I got to spend some quality time with my sister Emily and my mom. I'm quite thankful that I will get to see all of them (plus rebecca - my 3rd sister) again very soon.

And one more for the road....just because.

Annalee Grace

2010-11-22T13:57:00.000-06:00

Behold. A precious baby has arrived.

My new niece, Annalee Grace, made her grand debut on Saturday, November 20th at 12:15 pm. She is 8 lbs and 20 inches long of squishy cuteness. As most babies are in their first few days, Annalee mostly sleeps, eats, and poops at this point, but she has completely captured the hearts of our entire family.

Proud Papa.

Giant hand uncle.

Doting Nana.

Facebook pictures, updates, and comments have been ringing through the digital airwaves for the past 48 hours and I'm pretty sure everyone other than our family is getting sick of it, but we don't care. We think she is impossible to get sick of and is most definitely something to write home, er...tweet about. So we post pictures of her getting her first foot massage.

We post pictures of her getting her first diaper changed.

We post pictures of her wearing an Ohio State buckeye hat.

A fan from birth.

We post picture of precious little sleeping face and we all oooo and ahhh at her every face scrunch, yawn, and sneeze. She sure knows how to perform for an audience of on lookers only 3 days in.

I'm so happy to be an aunt again. It's especially exciting having this baby come from my older sister and living so close to us. I feel very lucky to get to be a big part of her life in these next few years to come.

Conversation

2010-11-19T15:44:00.000-06:00

me: Oh hey katherine, what's up?
myself: oh...not much. Just doing some work, hanging out and ABOUT TO BE AN AUNT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!

Yeah...that conversation didn't really just happen with myself, but the emotion did.

My sister is in labor. I can't wait to meet the adorable little curly red-headed-wee one!

In Which I Beg for Your Book Suggestions.

2010-11-17T17:30:00.000-06:00

I love to read. When I find a good book i will tear through it in a few days without blinking an eye. Okay...so I blink my eyes a few times during those few days, but it's rare. I get engrossed in the characters. the language. the plot development. the emotions. the action. every little piece of it i fall in love with.

And when I turn that final page and read that final word, i find satisfaction mixed with disappointment. Happily finished with yet another good read and feeling a bit proud that i tore through the book so quickly, yet longing for a next chapter to read and fall deeper into wonderland.

It's been since Summer that i really felt this captivated by a book and i'm in desperate need of another good read. Every time i go to the library or book store i find myself overwhelmed with choices and can never narrow down which next book i should read.

I need suggestions. I typically only read fiction. I'm willing to venture out to non-fiction, but only if you are willing to bet your good book-worm name on its quality. Here are a few types of books i tends to read and like:

Relationship heavy books. I've read and liked: Of Mice and Men, The 5 People You Will Meet in Heaven, Little Women, and (gasp!) Twilight.
Books where characters are moved by God. I've read and liked: Redeeming Love and The Shack.
Fantasy/action and (awkwardly for my age) young adult books. I've read and liked: Chronicles of Narnia, Wicked, The Hatchet (sad since i read this in 5th grade and still consider it one of my favorites?), The Hobbit, Harry Potter.
Classics, but not Nathaniel Hawthorne. The man bores me with his writing. I've tried 3 times and can't get through the first chapter of Scarlet Letter. I've read and liked: Wurthering Heights, Tale of Two Cities, Pride and Prejudice

Help! I can't spend another night watching Hulu when there is so much great literature out there that is only separated from me because of my indecision!

Wish List

2010-11-12T17:30:00.001-06:00

I made a Christmas/Birthday wish list for my husband today. It was a bit of a marathon process and was tons of fun to make, but honestly at the end I felt a bit like a gluttonous over-indulgent, materialistic American.

Before I share it with all of you, let me preface it by saying that I know I have EVERYTHING I need. I don't really even want all of this stuff because that would be completely wasteful and I would feel a bit disgusted with myself if ever this much money was spent on one person. This was just a fun way of shopping for me without spending any money and also, I love making lists.

With that said, I present you the 2010 Katherine Michael Wish List. Try and not get overwhelmed...or get sick by this excessiveness of it all

This Eye Shadow
Woodwick Candles --> Scents: cider, biscotti, frosted cookie, carmel, buttered rum, cinnamon chai
Season 1, 2, 3, and 10 of Friends
Season 1-4 of the Office
Avatar
Disney Movies on DVD: Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Fantasia, Aladdin, Bambi, Dumbo, the Lion King, Jungle Book, 101 Dalmatians, Lady and the Tramp, Toy Story, Robin Hood, Peter Pan
Nintendo 64 with Golden Eye game
Scarves
Long necklaces. Ideas --> http://bit.ly/aPrf97, http://bit.ly/a1ptNd, http://bit.ly/9loUvs, http://bit.ly/cQs7eh, http://bit.ly/d5TFgO, http://bit.ly/dadrQe, http://bit.ly/9eKXuM
Dangly earrings. Ideas --> http://bit.ly/967uUV, http://bit.ly/dA659M, http://bit.ly/bktlHn
a tattoo
New pots and pans
Black or gray Kitchen Aid mixer
cooking classes
tasty wine
truffle oils
New couches
new desk
a Vespa http://www.vespausa.com/scooters.php#/home/Vespa LX 50 4V
Red and Brown area rug for living room. this one --> http://bit.ly/apr15v or this one -->http://bit.ly/a7OmZj
the carpets cleaned
New Chairs for our kitchen table (6)
a new trash can (with a lid so willow doesn't eat everything in the trash all the time!)
a new laundry hamper
new stove
nook
this camera/lens --> http://bit.ly/bb8bq3
iPad
A good pair of gloves like these but maybe in black --> http://bit.ly/abxTmK
Long soft cardigans like this one. http://bit.ly/9r3EQZ in XXL. (stripes, colors, neutrals, anything)
Purses with long straps. http://bit.ly/d4gN59, http://bit.ly/9dkOuE
Another computer/lap top
Better bedding/pillows for our room
Curtains for our bedroom and the guest room
better patio furniture
This bike http://bit.ly/aHz0IK
a bigger TV http://bit.ly/aiXxo3
French Rosetta Stone: http://bit.ly/9GgXfv
a Dictionary (printed)
Games: Catan expansion Pack, Yatzee, Balderdash, Pit
Puzzles!
Other DVDs Scrubs (any season), all 3 Lord of the Rings DVDs, It's a Wonderful Life on DVD, Miricle on 34th Street (this version http://bit.ly/bDwRMm), Sound of Music, Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz, Fiddler on the Roof, A Christmas Carol, Mary Poppins, Anne of Green Gables movies!, Mission Impossible Movies, Independence Day (the one with Will Smith),The Harry Potter Movies 1, 3, 4, and 6
Mulan Rouge, Chicago
Patty Griffin music (iTunes gift card to buy various songs)
The new Mariah Carey christmas album

Apocalypse

2010-11-09T12:00:00.001-06:00

me: what did you take for lunch?
i miss you.
i wish we were working side by side instead of 30 miles away from one another.
what if the apocalypse happens and all cars are rendered useless.
we wouldn't be able to see each other for a whole day because we would have to walk so far to get together.
Sent at 10:30 AM on Tuesday

me: you must be busy
or the apocalypse just happened!
Sent at 10:35 AM on Tuesday

Joshua: sorry
I took mushrooms
Sent at 10:36 on Tuesday

France - Days 3 and 4

2010-11-03T20:31:00.004-05:00

Day 3 - Saturday, October 2

Saturday morning Josh and Nate woke very early to ride with Doug and Sarah on the shuttle to the airport for their 8:30 am flight. Around 7:30 Josh returned to the hotel room and woke me from slumber to get ready for the day so we could head to Chambery. Sadly that morning while getting ready I blew-up my awesome (and expensive, might I add) hair-straightener by using an adapter instead of a converter by accident.

Before we left Geneva we stopped quickly by our first French bakery to pick up breakfast for the road. It was a quick stop, but i've discovered a little bit what Heaven might be like.

Ayla was just as mesmerized as I was.

When we reached Chambery I was amazed at the size of the town. For some reason, I had always pictured a quaint little village and you could walk from end to end in about 2 mins. As it turns out, Chambery is much more than a village, or even a town, for that matter. It is, in fact, a bustling city nestled among mountains and filled with high rises, honking cars, shopping, and restaurants galore.

Awkward 1/2 picture of Josh showing a bit of Chambery.

After unloading our luggage at Nate and Jo’s apartment, the boys returned the rental and we grabbed our wallets and headed to the market. About a 15 minute walk through the busy Saturday streets led us past a rather large demonstration and on to the packed marketplace. Live chickens, ducks, and geese for sale on the left and tomatoes, squash, peaches, and colorful flowers for sale on the right. It was like the Franklin farmers market on crack.

Hundreds of vendors with every type of bread, cheese fruit and vegetable you could imagine. We picked out some bright pink Dr. Suess like flowers for the apartment.

I was impressed as Nate and Jo both took in stride the chaos of the shouting vendors and customers pushing to inspect each apple, bean, baguette. They ordered cheese, meat, bread, tomatoes, potatoes and various food for the coming week in French.

We saw the elephant statue, which is a major Chambrey landmark right in the center of town by the bus

We made salami, tomato, and racqulette cheese sandwiches and washed them down with some wine for lunch. I snapped a few pictures of cute Ayla

If that's not good marketing I don't know what is!

and then all of us decided a nap was in order.

3 and a half hours later we groggily woke up and Ayla decided to be adorable some more.

Josh and I got ready for our first dinner out in France. Since Nate and Jo weren’t on vacation they weren’t going to be eating out as much as us so I felt compelled to learn a few simple phrases in French to be able to communicate. (Not much of my French 101 stuck from college other than pronunciation, but that was mostly because of my singing diction class). I asked Jo how to say “Table for two,” “I would like…” and most importantly “one pitcher of wine, please.” And with very specific directions for how to get to the restaurant Josh and I headed out on our adventure.

The walk was longer than expected and Josh started to get nervous the further we went and JUST when we almost settled for something other than the recommended restaurant we found Vivaldi. A French-Italian jewel tucked among the plethora of French cafes along the pedestrian street we were strolling down.

Entering the restaurant, we weren’t sure whether we were supposed to just wait by the door, or walk straight up to the first worker we saw and ask for a table. Luckily after only a short period of awkwardly standing in the door way, the Matradee walked up and welcomed us with a warm and inviting smile. I nervously asked for a table for two in French. It felt like EVERYONE in the restaurant was staring at us American giants as the host ushered us to a nearby high-boy table.

Still nervous, I mumbled my request for a pitcher of water (learned later I should have asked for a carafe of water, even though the container was the same as a pitcher of wine). Upon being asked to repeat my request I was afraid my pronunciation was wrong so I crumbled and asked if the server spoke English. He responded kindly and said “Yes. But, you are lucky I’m your server and not someone else!” The rest of the evening went smoothly with me peaking at my small French-English phrase book from time to time still attempting to communicate in their language. I ordered a pizza with various meats and peppers on it. Josh ordered pizza with Frois Gras on top. My take on Foie Gras = semi spiced Velveeta cheese. I wasn’t a huge fan of the pâté version, and we never got around to trying the solid form everyone raved about. Maybe next time.

Nearing the end of the meal we still had over half our pizza left and we weren’t sure if it was acceptable to ask for a to-go box because we didn’t see anyone else carrying leftovers with them. We ended up seeing one other couple carry out a pizza box and so I attempted to ask for a box in French and our server all but laughed at me because I apparently didn’t say anything close to coherent. Se la vie! In the end, we got our box and meandered hand in hand back to the apartment.

That dinner was lovely and is one of my favorite memories from our trip to France. The whole experience of having to overcome the language barrier and fend for ourselves, just me and Josh was so much fun. We both had a blast the entire time. People watching. Sipping wine, devouring tiramisu and espresso and embracing the struggles of communication along the way.

We rounded out the evening with more wine and late, late, late night conversations with two of our best friends in the world, Nate and Jo. As the time ticked on and the Hour hand got closer to the morning hours than the night I was reminded how much I missed them and how lucky I was to have married into a family who is fun, hilarious, and genuinely loving people.

Day 4 - Sunday, October 3
Sunday morning we all pulled ourselves out of bed after a the late, late, late night and got ready for church. On the walk over Josh and I were coached on what to do if someone came in for the cheek kiss and I secretly was hoping someone would embrace me in this very European welcome for friends. The service seemed to be a good one. There was a simple worship band consisting of a guitar, an old Casio, a flute, violin, and tambourine. A few tunes were familiar (“Jesus, be the Center” and “Amazing Love”) and I was able to sing along in English. The entire service was in French (obviously) and I would be lying if I told you I was 100% alert the whole time…nope. I was so sleepy and could barely keep my eyes open so I had to read my Bible to stay awake.

After the service we were introduced to several members of their church. Everyone was amazed at how much Nate and Josh looked alike and I even had one nicer old man welcome me with the double cheek kiss! (Yes!)

We ate cheeseburgers for lunch and then found ourselves craving a nap again. A few hours later we woke up to ayla being cute again.

That night we stayed in since the next morning we would be headed out for an overnight trip to Beaune Joanna made a local dish known as Tartflette. It consisted of potatoes, onions, lardon (sticks of bacon), and a regional cheese you can ONLY get in France melted on top. Pair that with a baguette and you got yourself a bunch of Michael vultures soaking up every last drop of flavor from the baking pan with their bread.

Tartflette

One of the best wines we had while we were there.

We spent the evening playing Euchre and TRYING to make reservations for the next night in Beaune and without much luck over the phone. (We had several people tell us to not call them back because they were going to bed!) Eventually, we found a deal on a family sized room at a hotel right next to the train station for a GREAT price on pricelince.com. After shouting “Buy my hotel room now!” in unison with pressing the “bid” button we all did a little happy dance when it accepted our ridiculously low offer. Yay for priceline!

Figuring we should actually try and get to bed at a decent time since we had to catch an early bus to make it to the train station for our 7:30 am departure we hit the sack at 1:30 am excited for the coming day.

Confessions

2010-11-02T19:00:00.061-05:00

When I say I don't want the last bite of cheesecake I am, in fact, always lying...but mostly to myself.

I'm a bad neighbor...i don't pick up willow's "business" every time. In fact, i probably only get it about 50% of the time and most of the time that's only when someone is watching.

I spend $30 dollars a month for a gym membership and have gone 4 times in the last 2 months. Let's hear it for $15 workouts.

I only clean my bathroom when I know for a fact someone is going to see it other than me and Josh.

I have plenty of money, but i'm constantly looking for pennies on the ground.

My dog hasn't been bathed in over a month.

Sometimes when I write music (which hasn't been a lot lately) i'm so crippled by fear that I won't play it for anyone, even my husband.

I don't change my contact lenses every month. It's more like once every two months and I will most likely get an eye infection at some point because of this laziness.

I haven't been to the dentist in over a year. And before that I hadn't been in over 4 years.

I text and even occasionally play solitaire while on the John.

Sometimes I rewash clothes up to 3 times before they make it to the dryer because they sat in the washer to long and started to smell moldy.

If I could eat only cheese all day, everyday, I would.

Sometimes I want to blog about work, but i've been told that's a really bad idea so a large part of my life and experiences are held back from being shared due to fear.

I fear mediocrity.

I regret not being in the musical or opera my Senior year of college.

Sometimes I can't go to sleep or relax in my house knowing my kitchen is messy.

I have a big head about my homemade popcorn making skills.

I fear being a mom, but being a mom is one of my greatest desires.

I miss Columbus, but mostly I miss the people that are there and sometimes I pray that they will just move to Nashville.

I'm on the verge of not being able to fit in "normal" sizes anymore and it makes me want to cry.

When I voted in the primaries earlier this year I did very little research and picked some candidates because I liked their name or because they were women.

I daydream about being able to worship as my full-time job, but wonder if that's a selfish ambition and struggle with whether or not it's bad to be paid for worshipping.

I LOVE the Buckeyes, but most years I know nothing about our players, record, rank, etc.

I've lost touch with many friends over the years because i'm a horrible phone person and rarely call people back when they leave me a voicemail even though I genuinely wish i was a part of their life.

I know i'm really blessed in my life but i struggle with being content all the time.

Looking Forward To

2010-10-28T18:00:00.002-05:00

Bowling with the youth on Saturday night.

Not having to travel till Christmas.

Leading worship on Sunday.

Eating pasta with vodka sauce tonight for dinner.

Getting Willow groomed (professionally) for the first time since she was like 5 months old.

Opening some aged French wine sometime in the next 5 years.

Getting back into a normal routine, hopefully including working out and eating healthy.

My next girls wine night in November.

Completing my first song since college.

The OSU v. Michigan Game.

Thanksgiving at my place with my family.

The weekend before Thanksgiving when I can justify putting up the christmas tree.

My first Elf, Love Actually, Little Women, and White Christmas viewing of the season.

Fitting back into a size 10.

Meeting my new niece.

Meeting my new nephew.

Our garage sale in November.

Drinking a pumpkin spice latte for the first time this season.

Snow.

Christmas lights at the Opryland hotel.

Eating chili when it's chilly.

This weekend.

France -Days 1 and 2

2010-10-25T22:39:00.004-05:00

Day 1

We were picked up at the airport by Nate and Doug where we then drove about 2 hours to Interbauen, Switzerland to meet up with Sarah, Joanna and Ayla. Along the way we stopped at a reststop. Similar to the states, aside from the face that there was a little food vendor selling some of the best espresso I'd tasted to date...standard.

The Michael men at the train station in Lauterbruen, Switzerland.

The car ride was remarkable. We all chatted and laughed as we bobbed and weaved through the snow covered mountains of the Swiss Alps. In reality, the alps aren't as big as the rockies, but for some reason they are way more breathtaking. I couldn't take my eyes off of them. Every zig and zag brought us to a new view that would leave us all mouth agape.

Once we met up with the rest of the group there were hugs, passings of the baby, high pitched reunions and grins ear to ear. It was so great being all together again.

Ayla immediately became fascinated with Josh and about every 10 seconds or so would say "Hi Josh!"

We ate lunch at one of the quietest restaurants i've ever been to. About 15 people in the restaurant other than us and anything above a hushed speaking tone would have drawn attention. Yummy food though!

It's never too early in the day for a toast in Europe.

After lunch we took a tram up to frozen-in-time Gimmelwald.

Barak Obama was there.

They love them some Mr. President Obama there in Switzerland.

Again, surrounded by mountains that astounded all of us, except Ayla who was mesmerized by a cat she found. "Ha Kitty Cat?" (where's Kitty Cat?)was her favorite cute phrase for that trip.

Topping off Gimmelwald with some delicious coffee (aka espresso) and dessert at a little restaurant. We were told by our server that we made it to Gimmelwald just in time, as we were there on the last day before they closed for the season!

we headed back down to Interbauen and then on to Wangen where our hotel was located. To get to Wangen is only accessible by train so I got to ride on one of those for the first time ever. Ayla took a little nap on me during the ride up. It was so sweet.

i'm looking a little haggard here due to restless sleep on a plane the night before and no shower that day. Gross!

Wangen - another town nestled at the top of the swiss alps. A carless city only accessible by train. Paved with red brick and embracing every sterotype of a quaint little village one could imagine. Our hotel/spa had one of the most relaxing and interactive adult-only pools ever. With "Silence Please" signs posted all over the pool room walls, a bed of massaging bubbles, multiple jets, a lazy-river, glass walls overlooking the alps and a nude zone Sauna/Steam room, it was apparent that this was a place of rejuvination and relaxation.

Dinner that night consisted of delicious cheese and breads washed down with some Cotes-du-Rhone and beaujolais villages and lots of laughter. Perfect.

Day 2

Hit up the pool one more time before leaving Wangen. Got yelled at for not being nude in the nude zone. Took a the train back down to Lauterbruen were our cars were. Saw some of God's glory on the way back down in the form of cloud cover.

Upon reaching the car the boys went to work getting all our luggage packed and secured in a very classy and inconspicuous way.

Duck tape!

We jammed 6 large adults, one toddler, and all our luggage into a 6 person car and headed to Interlochen for some sight seeing. I was crammed into the back of the tiny vehicle and let's just say my tummy wasn't quite used to the nutella, cheese, and chocolate cereal with whole milk at breakfast (they take milk seriously in Switzerland! It must be the docile cows.) I was ready to get out by the time we made it to our destination. In Interlochen we found a restaurant as quickly as possible (due to my urging) so we could get out of the car. and we ate a delicious lunch and spend our first shopping money of the trip on a cute hippy dress and a blouse.

After Interlochen we drove to Geneva to spend our last evening with Doug and Sarah. Upon arrival after a semi-stressful trip to a nearby grocery where Doug may or may not have gotten into an argument with a rude French man over some lettuce and where the phrase "Au revior to YOU!" may or may not have been said, we enjoyed another mixed simple dinner in the hotel room of cheese, bread, salami, tomatoes with mozzarella and balsamic. Mixed emotions of sad goodbyes from Doug and Sarah filled with the excitement of the remainder of our trip filled the room that evening. I felt really blessed to be there. I am so fortunate to have such a great, generous, funny and fun in-law family.

That's all for now! Hopefully later this week, or next week I will have day 3, 4 and 5 wrapped up in a pretty bow for you, like this one. :)

Awkward Moment

2010-10-22T18:05:00.001-05:00

A perfect savory lunch of boeuf bourguignon (with bites of Josh's croque madame) resting nicely in my stomach, I pushed my way through the crowded French cafe, niece Ayla and her giant stroller in tow. Bumping into chairs and struggling to get the stroller down a small set of stairs, I began to feel like I had a blinking red sign on that said “American” in-spite of my mumbled "Pardons" and an occasional apologetic “désolés” as I squeezed my way out to the street.

Upon reaching freedom outside l sighed and started to feel so silly about trying to fit in. I wanted so badly to not be a stereotypical loud, fat and rude American tourist. I even went as far as to make my husband carry our giant camera, wore many layers like the French, and tried as often as possible to avoid conversations with people so I didn’t reveal my very poor/almost non-existent French speaking skills.

Ayla’s chatter about kitty-cat’s and josh floated up from the stroller as we made our way to a nearby bench to wait for our group. A woman sitting on one of the benches looked at Ayla and then looked right at me waved and said “Bonjour!” Three thoughts flashed into my head.

Why is she talking to me? As Josh and I quickly found out, in France, you don’t say “hi” or smile at random people on the street unless you know them. Don’t nod your head, half smile, wave, or heaven forbid say “hi”. If you do, they think you are crazy and you WILL be ignored. (This happened to me more than once…it was hard for me to make eye contact with some and then walk right past them and not say a single word in the deafening silence.)
She must be talking to me because she thinks Ayla is cute and wants to comment on “la petite blonde avec de beaux yeux bleus.”
She said “Bonjour” to me! She obviously thinks I’m French! My life goals are accomplished!!!!!!

Filled with excitement I smiled a big broad, probably-goofy-because-of-my-excitement-smile and said “Bonjour!” back.

Then, it happened. A man’s voice behind me said “Bonjour…blah blah something in French blah blah.” He walked past me and lovingly embraced and double cheek kissed the friendly French woman who I thought was talking to me.

A Part of History

2010-10-21T17:42:00.000-05:00

I feel like I've been a part of history. While we were in Chambery France on our way to the Market Saturday morning we were stopped by a giant demonstration of several thousand French people marching the streets in protest. As we squeezed our way through the crowds to make it to the market in time to pick up our cheese and meats for that afternoon's lunch Joanna said something along the lines of "The french love to protest. They hold demonstrations all the time, but this one is a really big one!"

At the time we weren't exactly sure what the protest was for. There were banners and signs everywhere and people shouting over bullhorns (in French), but the commotion was just enough and our brains were just tired enough to not really care to investigate. I snapped a pictures though.

Later we discovered that they were chanting "60 years is long enough!" Turns out this angry mob of French people were protesting the proposed bill to change the retirement age from 60 to 62. A few weeks later said bill passed and there have been massive strikes from the working class and many more protests. Some reaching the point where police are involved using gas to calm the crowds. Pretty crazy!

Read more about the protests by clicking here.

Good News/Bad News

2010-10-20T21:56:00.000-05:00

Good News
I got a card reader and have successfully unloaded all my pictures from france onto the computer!

Bad News
I don't have time to post any of them tonight so you are going to have to wait on France pictures/stories.

To satisfy your curiosity: Yes french people are small. Yes Josh and I were the biggest people most places we went in heigh and otherwise. We got used to it...here is a fun little video about big people in a small french world. Enjoy!

A Simple Pleasure

2010-10-19T17:49:00.001-05:00

A thing of beauty.

I love this magazine.

I especially love this magazine as the holidays approach.

The mail makes me happy on days like these.

Thanks mother-in-law Sarah for the subscription!

A 9.5

2010-10-18T18:00:00.002-05:00

Score this weekend on a scale of 1 - 10 with 1 being nothing went right and it was the worst weekend ever and 10 being everything went as planned and it was awesome.

We started off leaving Nashville a quickly as we could on Friday afternoon to make it for the rehearsal for Stephanie and Mike's wedding that evening. Unfortunately for us, the earliest Josh and I could leave work was noon and we had to pick up my sister at work on the way out of town, and my due to a miscommunication my friend Susan who was meeting up with us in Nashville to ride to columbus had the wrong meeting address. (Airport Central Pkwy vs. Airpark Central Pkwy Amazing was two little letters can do to change an afternoon) Finally hitting the road by 12:45 to make it to the 7:00 pm rehearsal 6 hours away we felt rush but OK...and then we realized we were on CST and they were on EST making us an hour later than we thought...sigh.

After realizing there was nothing we could do about this unfortunate timing issue we really did enjoy our ride to columbus. 5.5 people and one fluffy cockapoo puppy squeezed into our Altima to make the trek. We passed the time chatting and playing word games. Arriving in Columbus just in time for the rehearsal dinner at Claddaghs'. Dinner was delicious and the company was even better. Spending time with my name buddy, Katy Wheat is always tons of fun. Not to mention, I got to get to know her beau, Roger, a little bit that evening as well.

That night back at my parents house we up late making snacks and finalizing decorations for the baby shower the next day. Coming home is always such a warm and welcoming environment, even when I'm put to work popping popcorn for gooey scrumptious carmel corn, I enjoy being older and bustling about the kitchen with my mom and sister at my side.

The next day flew by as we made final prep for the baby shower and nearly 45 women came to celebrate the new life that is coming a mere 1.5 months. The love and support that poured onto Cynthia was overwhelming. She is so lucky to have so many people who care about her and want to bless her and the new bundle of joy.

I had to leave the shower a bit early to make sure I made it to my wedding day festivities on time. I spent the remainder of the day doing all I could to make sure Stephanie was calm and a nerve free as possible. Sipping sweet bubbly champagne and watching as woman after woman was transformed TLC-makeover-style by the artist who came in and painted our faces. I've never had my makeup done professionally and let me just say I thought she was AWESOME! The end result made everyone look really great and had a seamless style to it.

Stephanie looked so beautiful. She quite possibly, might be one of the prettiest brides i've ever seen. Here's the proof

The rest of the evening went by without a hitch...except for the one that was intended (haha). There were a plethora of delicious martinis (blueberry, chocolate, apple, dry), there were stuffed mushrooms, and hummus. There was dancing. There was laughing. There were sweet sentimental toasts. There were comical toasts. There were hugs and smiles. There was time for lovers to hold hands and snuggle cheek to cheek on the dance floor. There were jokes about high school. There were lots of people watching the OSU game. There were lots of people disappointed by the OSU game. There was an actual OSU alumni 10 piece band (that surprised the groom).

There were sore feet changing into flip flops. There were many glasses of cabernet drunk. There was a men's lounge boasting a pool table, card table and 60 inch flat screens. There were many times when I was searching for my husband due to said "men's lounge." There were farwells, congratulations, and kisses on cheeks goodbye. and there was love. so much love.

congrats stephanie and mike!

Topping the weekend off with sleeping in, a great sermon at the Vineyard Columbus with Rich Nathan, Chinese food with my crazy loud and funny family (SUCH a change from dining in France, I might add...) and a very late start to our 6 hour travel back home where all of us crashed into our respective beds for deep deep slumber.

So...if I were to score this weekend on a scale of 1 - 10, with1 being nothing went right and it was the worst weekend ever and 10 being everything went as planned and it was awesome, I give it a 9.5.

.25 points taken off due to the fact that it couldn't start sooner and .25 points taken off due to the fact that it ended too soon.

Columbus

2010-10-16T08:52:00.000-05:00

This weekend Josh and I have made the trek to my beloved home town of Columbus, OH - or more affectionately called "C-bus" or "buckeye country".

My older sis is having her first baby shower and my friend Stephanie is getting married! The weekend has already been a flurry of activities and we've only been here 13 hours (with about 6.5 of those sleeping.) Right now it's 9:45 the scent of wassail is wafting through the house, the boys have already vacated the premise to go eat burgers, grunt and do other man things while about 40 women descent on the house and I'm seriously considering eating a (read: my second) chicken salad croissant before 10 am.

Later I get to be all dolled up and stand up next to one of my best friends from high school as she says "I do" to the man in her life and then we will boogie down till my 4-inch-heel-tortured-feet can't stand it any more. And it will be bliss.

I'm hoping to get back into more of my consistent blogging routine next week and definitely post France pictures and let you all know about our lovely travels before the beautiful details drift out of my mind forever lost to the sands of time...ok...that was a bit dramatic...life's been busy. Give me a break.

Cheers,
Kat

In a Word

2010-10-11T12:20:00.000-05:00

Backpacks and suitcases lay strewn about our room while the mountain of dirty laundry is already being washed and dried. We are home.

We got back to our apartment around 8:15 last night (2:15 am France time) after being up since 5:30 am. Exhausted, hungry and quite honestly a little smelly. Our California King bed never looked so beautiful.

In a word, our trip was amazing.

In more than a word our trip was exciting, relaxing, beautiful, funny, passionate, expensive, fun, delicious, new, confusing, emotional, important, rejuvenating, wonderful, sweet, crazy, wild, yummy, filling, food for the soul, food for a friendship, the trip of a lifetime and everything I could have ever asked for. Again, i just find myself bursting at the seems with thankfulness.

I think I will take the next few posts to tell about some of the highlights our trip a few days at a time, but for now that will have to wait till I can get the proper card reader to pull the images off the camera we used while we we were over there. Images are a must for the France posts. :)

Aunt Again

2010-09-30T06:00:00.002-05:00

As you are reading this post I have landed safely in Geneva and hopefully I am joyously celebrating by baggage claim with my in-laws. Brother, sister, mother, and father in-law to be exact. Until I have a chance to get to a computer and share the love i'm going to spread a different kind of love right now.

An anouncement:

My older sister, Cynthia Karabeth Ewing, Is going to be having a baby.

Isn't she beautiful!?

I'm so excited for my next little niece to be here December 1st. I'm guessing she is going to have curly red hair and be drop-dead-gorgeous. What do you think?

You see, this baby is extra special because, not only is it MY sister having the baby, but also, I get a front-row-seat for all the action. No, I'm not going to be delivering the baby, but once again Josh and I find ourselves housing a pregnant woman about to give birth and we get to be among the first ones at the hospital when she goes into labor. This whole process is really scary for my sister right now, but since i've had a front row seat for one of these before I'm confident she is going to do great.

My older sister is one of the toughest people I've ever met. She has been living with us since June of this year, and I don't think i've heard her complain once about any symptom of pregnancy (except for maybe not fitting into her normal clothes). All while starting residency and working upwards of 80 hours a week. So amazing! She has even had delirious thoughts of making Thanksgiving dinner for my family at 40 weeks pregnant. HA!

I've been so thankful for this time with my sister the last few months. We realized before she moved in that we hadn't lived in the same city for 8 years! (she left for college when I was 17) I was nervous about living with her at first because we used to fight like Kats (ha) and dogs. Since moving in I've come to learn so much about her and see what an awesome person she has become. Not only is she stunningly beautiful, but she is super smart (in residency to become a family practice doc), an amazing cook (proof is in my ever expanding waist line that needs to get in check), and really fun to be around!

I will miss her while we are in France. (it all comes full circle to France. Are you surprised?)

I'm going to try and post while over seas, but i'm not sure how much access I will have to a computer. We will see!

Au revoir!
Kat

T-minus 19 Hours and Counting

2010-09-28T18:25:00.000-05:00

We had grandiose plans to pack all of our stuff on Sunday night and make sure we had everything we needed a few days in advance so we could shop and repack if necessary. In true Michael form, Josh and I have completely procrastinated and don't have a single item packed and it's currently 6 pm the night before we leave.

With that said, we are completely prepared in other areas.

Mentally: I am now officially off of work for the next 2 weeks and can devote 100% of my thoughts towards France and all things wine/cheese/baguette etc. Josh and I have also been practicing some simple French phrases like "Je ne parle pas français" (I don't speak French.) "Je suis américain" (I am american.) and "Pouvez-vous parler anglais?" (Can you speak english?) You know...only the necessities.
Physically: The last two days we have woken before the sun at 5:45 and 6 am to mentally prepare for the time change and maximize all sleep time on the plane tomorrow night. We plan to get up at 5:00 am tomorrow so hopefully by 6:00 pm our time we will be sleepy enough to snooze the entire 8.5 hr flight over seas and be on everyone elses 7:30 am schedule by the time we land.
Emotionally: So excited our heads are about to explode. I think that's all the prep you need there.
Spiritually: I honestly don't have anything to put in this section except that we are fully aware that it was a financial miracle for us to be able to make this trip. I am so thankful for God's provision to allow for Josh and his brother (and me and jo and ayla and josiah) to be able to hang out one more time before N&J leave for Cameroon. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow. Even in the form of seemingly fancy, excessive vacations overseas. Isn't it just like God to bless extravagantly?

We will all be reunited soon.

It's very poetic/prophetic that the quote just to the left of Jo Jo is about the character Jo from Little Women.

Random Musings

2010-09-25T09:52:00.126-05:00

A Girls-Only Party
Ever since I felt like my friend life was less than desirable, I realized I actually have TONS of friends, I just need to be intentional about making time to be with them to develop the friendship further! Thus came my girls-only-wine night. The whole concept behind wine night is to get to know other ladies in a non-structured, hang out, semi-fancy setting. no husbands. no boyfriends. no kids. Being open and honest with one another. Sharing our hearts and lives together over a couple bottles of wine. There are always snacks invloved. Sometimes i'm not sure if i'm more excited about the snacks or the wine. Both are awesome. So far it's been lovely. :)

Feast your eyes on our food spread.

Apart again
This weekend Josh is in Miami speaking at a TESOL conference and spreading the word about his super awesome website he and his sister started together. ESLbasics.com <--- do yourself a favor and go there. I'm pretty proud of them. I think their site is fabulous. So for now, Josh and I are apart again. It's very bizarre how much we've been away from each other lately. I really really don't like it. Especially because when I'm at home, even Willow isn't a comfort because she has grown to love my sister more than me and constantly scratches on doors to be in the same room with her. Which means a big fat giant empty California King bed at night. Boo.

With that Said...
we will be spending 11 straight days together starting next Wednesday when we leave for France! I can hardly stand my excitement. Here is our France itinerary for those of you who can resist the green goblin of jealousy.

September 29

1:20 pm - depart Nashville
4:20 pm - land in Washinton DC
5:48 pm - Depart DC

September 30

7:55 am - Land in Geneva
8:00 am - reunite with Nate, Jo and Ayla
8:05 am - do an awkward happy dance by baggage claim making all the Europeans feel uncomfortable by our loudness and tallness.
8:10 am - grab bags and head to this place of heaven aka Gimmelwald, Switzerland.

October 1

Hike this...

Drop Doug and Sarah off at the air port (oh yeah, they will be there, too) and head to Nate and Jo's place of residence, Chambery, France

October 2

Stay in Chambery to learn french and integrate entirely into their culture in one day by drinking wine, visiting the market, wearing a barret, riding a bike, eating baguettes, etc., etc.

October 3

Visit the burgundy wine region for an over night trip to paradise

October 4

Hang in Burgundy. Bask in the gloriousness of being in France with 3 of my favorite people
Head back to Chambery for a day

October 5

Hang in Chambery.
Get our work visas and prepare for our move to france.

October 6

Day trip to wine region #2 near Lyon.
Consider pretending like we've never heard of the United States

October 7

Celebrate Jo Jo's birthday in Style in Chambery!

October 8

josh and I head out on our over night adventure to Annecy, just the two of us.
Eat at least one $200 meal while in Annecy. Extravagant - yes. Wasteful - no.
Check out the alps. wear sweaters and scarves everywhere because THIS is the forecast

October 9

Head back to Chambery. Pretend like it isn't our last day there.
Drink and eat away the evening.

October 10

Drive to Geneva.
12:00 pm: Leave for DC
12:05 pm: commence crying and massive sunday night blues (the feeling you get on sunday evening when you realize you have to go to work the next day, and would rather do anything else)
3:30 pm: Land in DC 9 hrs later. Should be 9 pm in our heads.
4:40 pm: Depart DC
5:49 pm: Land in Nashville.
6:00 pm: Fall asleep at the wheel driving home because it's 12:00 am France time and we refuse to believe we are back in the states.

Would you Save an Ice Cream Cone?

2010-09-24T18:00:00.001-05:00

Have you evergiven food to a random stranger? And I''m not talking about going to the food pantry and giving food (which is all good) but, I mean, you purchase a burger, piece of pizza, etc. and then gave it away to someone you don't know?

Last week while traveling I did this twice. the first time I realized i had some water in my bag that i couldn't take through security so I walked up to the first person I saw, bottle in hand and asked if they wanted this unopened bottle of water.
"No Thanks."was the reply.
Next person, not to far from the first just politely shook their head. The 3rd, with out looking up from what he was doing, just said "no". I think they all might have thought I was crazy and my clever ruse of a middle class white chick was all just to cover up that I had actually planted a bomb in the unopened bottle of water. Finally, an elderly woman who seemed overly surprised at my offering, with a big grin decided to take the water.

The 2nd time I gave food away was later that day. After grabbing lunch on my layover in Denver I thought a little TCBY would be a nice way to round off my work trip. As I was checking out the worker came to me and said "I have this extra Strawberry cone I accidently pulled. Do you want it?" and my reply was "Uhh...does a bear poop in the woods?" Just kidding...I actually politely replied "Yes, please." I figured my colleague who was waiting at the gate might find her self hankering for a little low-fat goodness, too.

Arriving at the gate I mouthed to Jennifer (who was busy on the phone) "Do you want this ice cream?" She shook her head and mouthed "no" at the same time.

Dang. Now what. I walked over to the trash can one ice cream in each hand and and held the perfectly twirled strawberry cone over top the can opening. An internal struggle ensued as I weighed whether or not i wanted to eat 2 cones and look semi gluttonous in the process or if I should move on and just throw one away and risk feeling the wrath of all the starving kids in Africa...

As I stood there, strawberry cone over the can, anxiety written all over my face and, dare I say, a bead of sweat on my brow, a guy a walked by and shouted in a superhero "stop-that-car" voice "Hey! What are you doing to that cone?"

Rather than revealing my mental debate and quasi-unstableness to the crowded terminal, I replied "I think i'm going to trow it away. Do you want it?"

With less than a split second of thought this man just took the ice cream cone and started eating it! No questions asked!

I just find it interesting that a closed bottle of water was turned down several times, yet this guy, who saw the pretty pink innocent cone being threatened with the can of death jumped at the opportunity to save it from plummeting to doom and waste.

Cone rescued.

Would any of you save an ice cream cone from being thrown away if you didn't know where it came from? Why do you think people were so skeptical about the bottle, yet there was a sense of entitlement when it came to the threatened cone?

My Season

2010-09-21T17:30:00.001-05:00

A crisp cool chill in the air. Sweaters. Apple cider. Carving pumpkins. Baking pies. The annual debate about when we can turn on christmas music. Yes, that's right, the season of Fall is upon us. The season where the earth withers and dies, for me, always seems to bring life and rejuvenation.

It also happens to be my favorite season with many fond memories of sipping coffee/hot chocolate with my mom reading through my stack of picture books on the back porch while watching squirrels rustle about in the piles of leaves about our yard. Digging into the creative part of our brain to come up with a non-scary halloween costume made from things around the house - a gypsy, a cat, a pirate, a baby, a pumpkin, a bunny. The start of football season with the sound of a game playing wafting from the living room 11 am on Saturday till 9 pm on Sunday each weekend. The annual trip to Circle S Pumpkin farm to bound and leap through the barn of hay while we await our turn on the wagon out to the biggest pumpkin patch a kid can imagine. A sweetness of family and friends fills the air in Fall as we prepare our hearts for the season of Christ's coming. This season always seems to be a launching pad for my faith and a time of growth and closeness with God.

This year is no different. I've been feeling challenged to live an authentic and full life. I truly want to live my life with the realization that this is the only life I get and suck every last drop of juicy goodness out of each day. I want to live with the realization that Heaven is where my citizenship is and that what I do here, in this life, echos for eternity.

I've been feeling God call me back into a life undivided for him. I want to live unashamed and boldly proclaim and show God's love to people throughout my daily life at work, at home, in the grocery store, with my sister, with my friends, with my husband. I don't want to live a separate life as "business Kat" and "home Kat" and "church Kat." That type of cycle leads to a slow death of my soul and passions. The lies of insincerity have begun to break my heart and I feel a beckoning to be genuine.

I need not be ashamed of passionately desiring to encounter God. To experience Him and receive a renewed mind. To cling to and live out the ultimate calling of bringing heaven to earth in a non-apologetic, aggressive, faith-filled, Jesus-centered way. Healing the sick (headache, fever, cold, blindness, cancer) should be normal. Favor and blessing on God's people in business should be normal. Kindness and extravagant giving should be normal. Setting people free of oppression, depression, and sadness should be normal.

Looking forward to what God has in store in my season.

And because blogs are more fun with photos...here's a picture of me in one of our homemade costumes as a kid.

Hope you all are pressing into God for life this season.

Missing the Hubs

2010-09-15T17:28:00.001-05:00

I'm really missing my hubs this week while I'm on this trip for work. We haven't been able to talk much because i'm constantly working the booth at the show and in the evenings we both seem to be missing each other on the phone. Here are 15 things I'm missing while we are apart.

Him making me a killer egg white breakfast
Pillow talk before bed, followed by a sweet good night kiss
His red hair
Getting big hugs from him when he gets home from work
Snuggling on the couch watching a movie
Having the daily "what's for dinner convo" via text around 4:00
His tallness.
Holding hands
Waking him up in the morning with a smooch/nudge to move over on the bed so I can dry my hair.
Randomly riding our bikes together somewhere
His even keel wisdom to keep me level headed and to encourage me
Taking willow on a walk together
The battle with our alarm clocks every morning as we mentally debate whether or not we should get up early to work out - okay...I don't really miss this part.
His funny little hammer toes. :)
His beard.

Love you baby.

A.W. Tozer Quote

2010-09-15T07:34:00.000-05:00

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love with in me. Say to my soul, "Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.
- A.W. Tozer, the Pursuit of God

I came across this quote yesterday and it really moved me. It's moving me away from lukewarmness. It's moving me into a fresh desire for more of His presence. It's moving me to do something different. To love more. To be bold. To serve.

Just thought I would share.

Spin and Win, Anyone?

2010-09-14T17:57:00.001-05:00

This week I'm in Grand Island, Nebraska for the Husker Harvest Days farm show. This is very similar to the farm show I attended in Boone, IA a couple weeks ago except this time around I'm staying in a better hotel and instead of a whole crew of people working our booth, it's just me and my friend/co-worker Jennifer repeating in a step-on-up-sounding-carnival voice over and over again "Just need to get your name and e-mail address and then you can take a spin on the prize wheel."

I think i'm going to hear the click of that wheel in my sleep.

I've noticed I get unhealthily angry when people tell me they don't have an e-mail address...I mean seriously. First of all it's 2010. E-mail has been around since like 1990. You're about 20 years behind the times. I think it's safe to say that e-mail and the internet isn't a passing fad and you can jump on this boat. 2nd of all, it would be easier if you would just write a fake e-mail down than for us to have a conversation about whether or not you can put down your phone number or mailing address instead...in front of a huge crowd of people... who are then going to also want to only put their phone number down as well....

The best (read: most annoying) is when someone tells me they don't have an e-mail address and then I explain to them what we do and who we are and then they magically have an e-mail address. I've never seen so many lying people in all my life.

Awkward moment of the day: Man with one hand spins the prize wheel and wins work gloves...

Awesome moment of the day: This joke a farmer told us: "I sold a horse to a man the other day. The man asked 'how is she?' I said 'She don't look to good, so I'll give you a discount.' The man bought the horse and then brought her back the next day and in an outrage said 'This horse is blind!' I replied 'I told you she didn't look too good.'"
Instant classic.