the one that's awesome

Sorry. I know I have two more favorite lists to do. I just had to share this photo. she's just so awesome.

the one about my favorite college memories

For Lucy:

1. Murder in the Dark at the BCM. I love my life now, and there aren't many things I'd like to return to, but I sure do miss murder in the dark. I know we could play it now, but it just wouldn't be the same. I love the lying, the cheating, the full out mad dash across the big room. I love when APR jumped over a couch and full-body tackled Dan to the ground. I remember the time I moved the ping pong table to pin someone in the corner (I think Daniel Hubbard). I love murder in the dark. love love love it.

2. Car rides on the way to Banks. For two years Michael Abrams and I led the youth group (all 7 of them) at Banks Baptist. It took 20 minutes to get to Banks. I loved that trip twice a week. Mike and I talked about Jesus, theology, missions, and living a godly life. It really was a sharpening tool in my life. Plus, the scenery was great!

3. Bunco with the Farmhouse guys. This wasn't Bunco like your momma plays. This was crazy, banging pots over your head, screaming and yelling Bunco. We played at Farmhouse and at the house on Folmar Street. I can still close my eyes and see Justin Griffith screaming "Poppa needs a new pair of shoes!" as he tossed the dye between his legs onto the table. awesome.

4. Beautiful friends and beautiful growth at the BCM. I loved my time at the BCM. I loved all the Bible studies, Alpha O, hanging out, and feeling like a family. Of course, that means there was a fair share of drama and bickering that I don't miss at all. Those people at the BCM showed me love and walked alongside me as I grew. sign. good times.

5. Going on a date at Murphy Park. Adam and I started liking each other that last semester of school. We went on a little date to Murphy Park-Arby's and a playground. What could be better for a first date?? My favorite part of the day was when Adam was trying to do something on the slide to impress me and he fell on his face. precious. I love that I have those kind of memories with my man.

Ah Troy. How I love thee.

the one with my favorite photos

So sorry I haven't posted in a day. Wednesdays are so busy and then I worked again today. So, I'm late. Many apologies.

Here you go Alison, my favorite photos. This was mega hard. I had intended these favorite lists to only have 5 in them. No way I could only choose 5 photos. Truly, all my favorite pics are of Adam and Chloe, but I tried to broaden things a bit and I chose a photo from each life phase.
Enjoy.

My sister and me. I love this because it really shows our age difference, which I don't even notice these days.

Me and Grandaddy. This has been one of my favorite photos since I was itty bitty. I love my Grandaddy.

My favorite high school crew. These were super fun days.
I love these three people. Love love love.

Oh Troy. This was hard-picking just one photo to represent college. I've always loved this one, though. Friends from different phases of college all in one photo. I love my Troy.

Adam and me in Greece two months before our wedding. It was so so beautiful and so so fun. We are sitting on Mars Hill. It was simply amazing walking where Paul walked.

Our wedding day. My favorite photo of the day.

It's silly that this is one of my favorites. I love it because I can still feel the joy behind those smiles. We had only been married about three weeks and we were just giddy to be together. It was a really sweet time.

I will never ever forget this moment as long as I live. Adam took our sweet three-day-old baby girl so that I could rest and nap. I absolutely could not sleep. I sat on the edge of the bed for an hour and cried as I looked at them. It was joy unimaginable.

My sweet precious baby girl. Life with her is bliss.

the one with favorite places

Here you go, Pam. My favorite places:

1. Zambia: I spent the two best summers of my life at Eagles Wings Centre for Disadvantaged Children. I will never be the same because of it.

2. Cleveland Australia: My first summer missions experience. Still some of the people I love most in this world came from this summer

3. my house: it means love, safety, the place where I experience life with my little family.

4. our little park in McCalla: full of precious memories (read my post about the park)

5. Troy: four awesome years of friends and fun

the one with favorite books and websites

Thanks to Kristi for playing the game! Remember to leave a comment and ask for a favorite list for me to do this week!

Kristi asked for two so here we go:

Favorite books:

1. The #1 Ladies Detective Agency. All-time favorite books. I read them over and over and over. Haven't seen the HBO series yet, would really love to. Loved this image I found of Ma Ramotswe. She's my hero.

2. God's Smuggler. Amazing tale of courage, faith, and the Gospel. Love it.

3. Harry Potter. Read them 8000 times and it never gets old.

4. Let the Nations Be Glad. Handbook for the mission-hearted.

5. Lineage of Grace series. I love these sweet little books. I love imagining women in Scripture. I can't wait to read these with Chloe Belle and watch as God's Word becomes living and active in her life!!!

Favorite blogs/websites:

(this was painfully hard-for sites I just went with the ones I visit the most. I tried to be honest and not just what I thought was cool.)

1. Facebook. I'm fully addicted.
2. CNN.com (don't judge me)
3. Netflix. (what else are you going to do while you nurse? Plus they have all the seasons of The Office. How can you resist????)
4. Bible Gateway. Use it all the time.
5. blogs:
The Faucett Family Blog (have to keep up with Madi!)
LPM blog (Beth Moore addict)
Chronicles of a Babywise Mom (all my baby questions answered)
Oh, the places you'll go (random friend from college that I find hysterical)
The Calis (friend from college who is an incredible photographer. she does giveaways where she mails you homebaked goodies. for real.)

the one with favorite baby stuff

There is alot of baby stuff out there. I own ALOT of baby stuff. However, there are 5 baby things I simply COULD NOT have lived without the last 4 months.
Drum roll please....my first favorite list.

1. The swing. It's a hand-me-down from Jude Cossiboom (Chloe's future husband) and I simply could not have lived without it those first two months. We don't use it as much anymore, but she loved loved loved it as a newborn.

2. The boppy. Makes holding and nursing a baby so much simpler. Plus, Chloe Belle loves to sit in it too.


3. Medela. I love all things Medela-they are incredible. However, my little pump in style is probably my most prized possession these days. God bless the Medela pump.

4. The activity mat. Chloe Belle could lay and play on this thing for 100 years. She loves it! She just smiles, giggles, and grabs non-stop. It's awesome!


5. Pandora. Baby Einstein, Disney, and Dennis Caplinger (he's amazing-U2 for babies-check it out). I'll never pay for a baby CD.

the one where I spend a week on favorites!!

So, I had an idea for a week of fun on the blog. Each day I'm going to come up with a list of favorites: favorite baby stuff, favorite books and movies, favorite memories with Adam, etc. Each day will be a new list. But, I want you to help out! I'd love it if you'd give me ideas for favorite lists you'd like to see. Just comment and tell me the list you want and I'll do it!

Yay for blog fun and participation! (Now that I'm excited if you don't give me lists I'll be sad.)

the one where I'm excited

After ages of wanting it to happen, the UMin blog is up and running again. I'll be in charge of keeping it fun and updated, so I'd love for you to follow it. It should be great!

I love my job!!

the one with the bump

Sorry to post twice in one day, I've been a bit behind.

One of the coolest things about having my surprise Chloe Belle when I did was that I get to do this whole baby thing with two of my most favorite people on earth. Bethany, my oldest friend, had precious baby Madi last October. She and Chloe Belle are just the perfect age to be the best of friends! ok, so Chloe doesn't look like she's loving being friends in this pic, but she was just too wee here to enjoy life with Madi. Give them some time and they'll be best buddies just like Bethany and I were when we were wee ones.


And now my bestest Beth has a little bump of her own!!! Got the first pic of her little guy this past weekend. Joey is on his way to arrive in September. Joey and Chloe!!! It's going to be so much fun! Yay for babies and friends! I have to say this is definitely the most fun season of life so far!

the one with the cute dress

thanks again to kate for keeping chloe belle in such cool clothes! love her faces in these pics!

the one when I don't have much to say

I don't have much to say today, but it's been a few days since I posted so I thought I ought to. Enjoy this and a few other pics on my latest facebook album. I updated the faces album as well, so check it out.
Think I'm going to go take a nap.

the one about the pink cowboy boots

the one where I'm a mother

Today is Mother's Day. It's been really fun celebrating me and Chloe Belle all day long. We love each other a lot, and we've been waiting for a day to just celebrate how much we love each other!!

Here are my favorite things so far about being a mom:

1. I love how much she loves me. I love how when she sees me her face just breaks apart into a huge smile. It's amazing.
2. I love how much more I understand the love of God. I understand more now how much my Father desires good things for me, how much He wants to give me, and I have a much greater desire to be obedient to Him.
3. Chloe Belle has taught me so much about myself. I've been broken by this whole motherhood thing and the truth of my real character has come out. She's already made me a better person.
4. I love working together with Adam to raise this child. He's the best partner a girl could ask for.
5. Last, I love how much stinkin fun this is!!! Each day is a blast with my precious child. My joy is overwhelming.

Praise our good Father for my precious baby girl!!!!

the one about my hero

Marla Habermas is my hero. She is the most beautiful, faithful, joyful servant of Jesus. I could wish for nothing greater than to grow up and be just like Marla because she is so like our Jesus.

She's in India right now with an amazing team of women working with Freeset Ministries who are working to get women out of the sex trade and into a relationship with Christ. My awesome friend Kristi is blogging about the trip. She writes about their day at the Mother Theresa center for the dead and dying. She said this about Marla:

The most beautiful picture of the day was our team member, Marla. She sat on a bed next to a young girl and just sang to her, stroked her hair, and massaged her limbs. The love and compassion that radiated out of her was just stunning. Jesus with skin on. That’s what I’ll remember this morning. “For whatever you have done for the least of these, you have done for me.”

Praise the Lord for sweet Marla.


Follow Kristi's blog here.

the one where I confess

For years I didn't own a tv. Maybe 5 years I think. We watched plenty of movies on the laptop, but when people asked anything about tv my response always was "We don't own a tv." When we found out we were pregnant, we borrowed an old tv from Ben and Bethany so we'd have something to play DVDs on for Chloe Belle. So then, even though we never have watched a single show on it, when people ask anything about tv I said "we don't watch tv."

I've got to be real, I loved this about us. Although people always thought we were so strange for not owning or watching any tv, I loved it.

Things have changed. I'm not really sure when it happened. At some point last fall I started watching a tv show online. Now there are four. Four tv shows that I LOVE. I can't wait for them to pop up online each week.

So now, I can't say I don't own a tv because I do even if it doesn't get any stations. And I can't say I don't watch tv because in a way I do. I watch my four beloved shows online each week.

I'm sad for myself. Sad that I've given in to the ridiculous obsession our culture has with tv. And yet, I'm not willing to give my four shows up. Sad sad day.


Just in case you're curious, they are Community, Biggest Loser, Parks and Recreation, and The Office-listed in order of how much I love them.

the one where I'm the luckiest girl on earth

Tonight is the eve of my three year anniversary. I could talk 100 years about how much I love my husband-he is my most favorite of all time. I love love love love love him.

Happy Anniversary AK!

the one about a movie

Got a movie in from Netflix that Adam didn't want to see. I popped it in this morning to watch throughout the day while I nursed and did other stuff where a movie helps. I prayed when I put it in that God would use something about it to teach me. Boy did he.
This movie is about a man who is not dealing with the loss of his wife. He spends his life helping other people grieve, while not doing it himself. It was oppressive. I simply do not understand how the world makes it without Jesus. The hopelessness and despair must be suffocating. I cannot imagine how I would feel if I lost Adam, but I am grateful to know that I have a Savior who is the purpose and joy of my heart and that He is greater than all these temporary things that fill up life.
I am heartbroken today for those who mourn without the comfort and hope of Christ.

the one about Beulah

Went to Beulah for slightly less than 24 hours this weekend. For those of you who don't know, Beulah is Adam's home town. It is VERY small, and very country. It's always an experience.

Funniest things about Beulah this weekend:

1. saw a brand new H2 parked in front of a run down trailer. I wonder if they ever think it's ironic that their car costs more than their home???
2. Tracey (Adam's hysterical older sister) talking about a high school girl: "she's beautiful but she's as dumb as a box of rocks."
3. Adam's Granny. She's pretty much always the funniest thing about Beulah. She can't say Chloe. It's too fancy for her. Yesterday Adam practiced with her. She can say:
"chloo-lee"
"cho-ee"
"chlo-lee"
my favorite was Adam trying to get her to understand it sounds like "clothes." Then we had:
"clothes-ee"
and finally,
"chlo-ee"

I'm doubting it ever happens again. It took ten minutes of hard practice by Adam for her to say it once. I told Granny it's alright if she just calls her Belle.

Oh Beulah. How I love thee.


(I just reread this and realized it might sound like I hate Beulah and I'm making fun of it-get me right-the country fun in Beulah is awesome. Anybody who spends a weekend with Adam's family comes away hurting from laughing so hard!)